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pseudowho · 4 months

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Defending Your Honour

A series in which the JJK guys stick-it to the creeps and perverts bothering the reader.

A multi-fic in a series ❤️🫖☕

Part 1 (Nanami Kento, Geto Suguru, and Todo Aoi) link here!

Part 3 (Gojo Satoru, Fushiguro Megumi and Kugisaki Nobara, Inumaki Toge and Fushiguro Toji) link here!

More JJK men and women to come

Trigger Warning: spreading false sexual rumours, stalking, being followed home

Higuruma Hiromi

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You had to leave. You had to get another job. There was no way to come back from this; office-culture spread rumours like the plague, and whether they were founded or not, you still felt the pierce of dozens of judging eyes on you.

Your clothes felt too tight, too revealing, your skin prickled and your nose stung with tears as you gulped, chin held high but so exposed and vulnerable. A filthy rage roiled in your gut at the injustice of it all. The irony did not escape you, as you hot-footed away from the whispers of the legal office.

As you gathered files, clunky and unwieldy in your arms, you felt a hand pretending to be affectionate on the small of your back that made your skin crawl, covered in worms and mud.

"When you're ready," a low voice sing-songed to your right, smirking, gleeful, "just hop along to my office, and we can work something out, yeah?" You jolted with shame as the hand clapped your bum. The eyes flicked back onto you. The whispers spread, infectious. You were a leper, now.

Hiccuping as you ducked your head, you felt hot rancid tears stream down your cheeks, darting down a corridor and reaching for a door any door to take you away from all of these eyes and whispers and accusations and this one was usually empty so you snuck in and slammed the door shut behind you and--

"Oh! Hello," a low, warm voice offered, surprised. You gasped, clapping a hand over your mouth, unable to hide the tears and anguish. The man was tall, slender, his unruly black hair escaping in flicks over his temples, but he looked so genuinely concerned as he rose from his desk, that you sobbed, apologising and sinking to the floor with your face in your knees.

You felt the man crouch beside you, his hands on his thighs, his presence sincere and welcoming. He sat for a moment, apparently awkward and unsure how he could help you.

"It's okay," he reassured, "it's a fucking ugly office, I hate it too, it makes me cry--" You huffed out a wet, genuine laugh and heard him smile, amused puffs of breath from his nose.

"Really, though," he continued, "I'm happy to help...if I can. Not sure if you need a lawyer, or-- or for me to catch a spider for you, I mean I hate them too but I can certainly--" he stopped himself from rattling away. You sniffled, looking up at him with a cute watery smile that made his heart thump.

"You could get me a new job, maybe? Or just a new boss?" You wiped your eyes now, embarrassed by interrupting this lovely man. The lovely man raised his eyebrows, now sitting in front of you, cross-legged.

"And what has your boss done to make you cry?" He inquired, black eyes like beetles, reading you.

You fumbled, uncertain of yourself when explaining the crimes of a man to another man, "I think he didn't, uhm...didn't take being rejected very well and uh--" tears poured, unbidden, as your face crumpled again, "--he's started a rumour than uhm-- that I sleep with him and uhm-- I don't but everyone believes it, and he wants me to come to his office now, after he's just touched me, and I don't know-- I don't know what to do--"

You broke down again, weeping into your knees, as the lovely man before you simmered, his lid rattling with unbridled rage at the unfairness of it all.

He smiled at you, though, gentle and open, "Your boss...the sweaty one? Big guy, thinks he's all that?" You laughed wetly again.

"Oh, you know him?" You grinned together, and you blushed, painfully grateful for being treated with basic respect. Hiromi nodded-- he didn't know your boss. But, he knew men like him and they filled him with bitter disdain, a core loathing and disgust that informed his choices every day.

"Well then...you can share my office today," he insisted as he stood, rubbing his hooked nose between two long fingers, "I've got...something to do." You blinked owlishly up at him. He helped you up, pulling a chair to his desk for you. You perched, confused, but not arguing.

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Some time later, your boss headed back to his office from the vending machines, impatient for you to come to his office, feeling sickly gleeful for having punished you for humiliating him, and his heart leapt hopefully, because maybe he could offer to deny all those rumours, and then you would be so grateful that maybe you'd give him a--

He opened his office door, having just enough time to click it closed behind him before hearing a quiet, angry voice from somewhere above the doorframe.

"Domain Expansion: Deadly Sentencing."

Plunged into a different room, ostensibly not his office, your boss shrieked in terror as two terrifying black figures loomed over him, only one of them human.

"What the fuck are you-- where the fuck am I-- WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!"

Higuruma looked up at the Judgeman with a humourless smile, and back down at your boss, who scurried backwards until his shoulders hit the domain's edge, blind with panic.

"You've been a very naughty boy," Hiromi sang, "shall we see how naughty?"

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You jumped as the office door swung open, and Higuruma (you had worked out, from the lanyard he left on his desk) re-entered with two hot drinks. He smiled a wonky, loping smile.

"Coffee machine's finest," he offered, placing one in your hands. He stood for a moment, bouncing on his heels, chin and nose dipped in consideration.

"I should think... your days of problems with your boss may be over," he said, blasé and cryptic. He did not elaborate, but reached into his pocket, before slipping his card across the desk to you.

"My office is, uhm...hiring a new legal assistant, though. I can put in a good word for you." Hiromi looked into the distance across the room, one hand in his pocket as he continued to rock on his heels. He glanced down at you, eyes glimmering at each other as they met.

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Ino Takuma

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I loved meeting you last week. I thought we made a really special connection. I'd love to meet again. Call me.

You smelled so good today. I love how you're being such a tease. Can't wait for you to call.

I can't stand seeing you talking to other guys! Still haven't seen this so-called 'boyfriend' of yours though. He can't be that into you if he's letting other men near you. Call me.

You didn't answer when I knocked for you, but I know you're home. Bet you were upstairs being naughty, hope you were thinking of me, hahaha, jk. HMU, seriously. I miss you.

I know you're such a little slut behind that 'good girl' act ;) Quit playing hard to get. I finish at 5, I'll meet you from work and we can finally go on that date you owe me.

I've never been this in love before. So disappointed you ditched our first date. I'll catch you another time. I love you so much.

Hope you got the flowers I left on your porch. I love you so much.

I love you.

Good morning baby. I love you.

You're a nasty little bitch and you're gonna die alone and you deserve it. If this is how you treat a nice guy like me, how do you treat all the others? You should be grateful.

I'm sorry. I've just had a really bad day baby. You're my whole world. I love you.

Your hands shook as you scrolled through unanswered text after unanswered text. How had being friendly at a work conference gotten so out of hand? Your head spun as you recounted the memories; were you too flirty? Did you give hints of wanting to be more than just acquaintances? Did you dress too provocatively? Did you touch him?

In a desperate hunt for answers you blamed yourself. I should just be a standoffish bitch in the future, you thought, trying to hold back tears.

Leaning over your desk to pack your bag, you began to feel the walls close in around you, terrifying and claustrophobic, a rat in a maze, and you saw tears splash down onto the leather of your work diary. Would he be waiting outside work again today? Or would he be just outside your office door? Would he be waiting in your home?

You felt a pair of warm, strong arms wrap around your waist from behind, "Hey gorgeous! Guess who got off work ear--"

In a shrieking panic, you lashed out, spinning with your hands raised in attack and defence. Your wonderful, kind boyfriend, Takuma, threw himself backwards, alarmed and apologetic, raising his own hands in placation.

"Whoa, whoa, hey! Oh babe, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you--...what is it? Why are you crying? What's happened?"

Weeks and weeks of trying to ignore your stalker, hoping he would go away and forget about you, tumbled out of you at once. In a wild babble of explanation, he keeps texting me, and I'm not interested, and he won't leave me alone, and he leaves things on the doorstep, and I'm so, so sorry.

You had thrust your phone into Takuma's hands, and he held you close to him with one arm as you sobbed into his shoulder. The other hand scrolled through messages from your unwanted admirer; Takuma's face grew quiet with rage, his lips curled in disgust, a flush of anger smattered hot and pink across his cheeks.

"Babe," he started, "why didn't you..." Swallowing, Takuma stopped himself, "This is not your fault. This guy, there's...there's something wrong with him. Have you kept everything? All the stuff he's left you? All the messages?" You nodded as Takuma gripped you by the sides of the shoulders, your face crumpling as his hand raised to cup your cheek, staring deeply into you, leaning forward to press a desperate kiss to your forehead.

"Okay, listen, I'm gonna fix this," Takuma nodded hard, staring into you again as you started to shake your head, "no, no no, trust me. I promise I'm gonna fix this. Listen, you're...you're gonna go to Nanami's place. I'll call him. He'll understand. There's this lawyer at the school now, we'll gather everything and get it to him. I've...I've got to go out. I'll fix this, I mean it. I wouldn't let you down."

Takuma's heart wrenched as you continued to sob, apologising to him as if it was your fault. Within minutes, Takuma had called Nanami, and put you in a taxi. Sticking to the alleyways as he headed out into the streets, Takuma pulled his balaclava down, his eyes ferocious and vengeful as he took to the hunt.

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Your stalker was grossly familiar with your routine now. What you ate for breakfast (he had gone through your bin bags). What colour underwear you preferred (he had seen you through the gaps in your curtains). Which work events you were going to attend (he had scoured every inch of every company calender).

Thanks to some sloppy administrators, he even knew where you lived. Grinning to himself, he felt such a satisfying possession over you, knowing you inside-out. Hiding behind your neighbours' fence panels, he peeked, waiting for you to get home.

One hand leaned past his face, resting on the fence panel beside him, and his stomach froze into knots when he felt himself doused in the icy presence of some dark, unknown force. He opened his mouth to scream, and a second hand pressed over his mouth with horrifying strength.

"Hey, big guy! Wow, you really must be a hit with the ladies," air hissed through Ino's teeth and he sighed in feigned disappointment, "Not with my girl, though." Your stalker squeaked as blackness closed in around him. Ino let out a noise of disgusted amusement as the man's trousers darkened down one leg.

Ino continued, letting the man cry and shake under his hand; "Here's how this is gonna work..."

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Several days had passed since Ino had arrived at Nanami's to collect you, with a deeply satisfied smirk on his face. You had received no more messages. No more flowers. No more thinly-veiled threats. A dark cloud lifted off your mind, and you breathed easy.

Curled up on the sofa that night, you stroked Takuma's chest, listening to the clockwork thump of his heartbeat under your ear. Your curiosity got the better of you.

"Takuma...what did you do?"

Takuma grimaced, "Just showed him the error of his ways, babe. He won't be bothering you again."

While grateful, your belly swirled with fear, and guilt that even if your stalker left you alone, he'd just find someone else, another woman, and harass her just as he had harassed you-- or worse. Takuma read you like a book.

"Look, I-- I didn't want to force anything on you the other day. But I promise you, this guy knows that if you go to the cops about him, and he doesn't 'fess up, it'll be more than just me after him."

Ino smugly pictured Higuruma and Nanami, ready, Misters. Law and Order, prepared to flex their quite complementary powers of threat and legal representation.

You smiled, surrounded by an impenetrable wall of support. Leaning up, you tangled your fingers into Takuma's hair, and he let out a sweet hum of happiness as you kissed him deeply. Nose to nose, you took delight in showing your appreciation.

The next day, wearing a mantle of quiet bravery, you walked into the Police Station.

"I'd like to report a crime."

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Itadori Yuuji

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You had chosen absolutely the wrong shoes to go out in.

You shivered in the chilly night air; your skirt hadn't been this short all night, had it? The cold had a way of exposing things the mirror didn't. Still, you smiled to yourself as you leant against a lamp-post, removing your heels with a sigh of relief, certain you'd be comfier taking the last few streets before home barefoot than in these beautiful monstrosities.

You could not bring yourself to regret such a fun night. Waving your friends goodbye, you had foregone taking a taxi home. Tokyo was a safe city, anyway. It was only a short walk home. You could do with sobering up a bit.

Feet padding gingerly on the cold concrete, you tapped away on your phone as you began to walk home. Within a few minutes, the hairs on the back of your neck stood up, cold prickles running down your spine.

Running a hand through your hair, you shielded your glance backwards; a man. Some distance away. By the lamppost you had removed your shoes at. You gulped-- it's nothing, you lied to yourself, just on his way home like me. But, just in case, you started walking faster, the soles of your feet stinging as they clapped against the floor.

Feeling tingles at the base of your skull a minute later, you felt the man closing in on you and bile climbed in your throat, feeling the alcohol threaten to come up into your mouth, options running through your head at breakneck speed, to scream or call the police or stop and fight or try to run faster or--

It was no use. He was almost on top of you now; you rounded the corner to a tree-lined street. You could smell the sweat on him, and you spun to face him, losing your footing and falling backwards onto the floor--

All at once, you screamed, a dark mass plummeted from the tree above you, and there was a sickening crunch as it flattened your pursuer to the floor.

The black mass, burly and pink-haired, stood up and turned to face you, opening his mouth--

You screamed again, still panicking, throwing a shoe at him, "What the hell are you? What are you doing?" The young man crouched, eyes wide, both hands in front of him, bleeding from the lip from your shoe.

"I'm a Yuuji, I'm a Yuuji--"

"--a Yuuji?!" You raised your hand again and he flinched. Your pursuer groaned underneath his feet.

"--I don't know if you know, but this guy was following you-- oh shit, you're not friends are you-- please don't throw another shoe at me--" Yuuji squeezed his eyes closed, hands still raised above his head in arrest. You surveyed him from the ground, your panic slowly abating.

He's cute, you thought as your head spun violently, and you rocked to the side, vomiting all over the pavement. Yuuji crept over to you, hands uncertain at first, but eventually settling on holding your hair back as the alcohol evacuated your stomach.

Patting your shoulder with upbeat reassurance, Yuuji turned to look at the man on the floor with a scowl.

"Creep," he grumbled, crushing the man's hand under his shoe. As the man squirmed and complained, Yuuji gave him an effortlessly hard punch to the side of the head, knocking him out cold in an instant. Rummaging in the man's pockets, Yuuji pulled out a drivers' licence.

"Oh hey, he lives nearby. Want to drop him home with me?" Yuuji asked you with a shit-eating grin.

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"Think that'll do it?" Yuuji dusted off his hands, surveying his handiwork with satisfaction. Tied up in the offerings of the man's shed (some old garden hose, with a wooden freshly painted sign hung around his neck), the man was dropped unceremoniously onto the doorstep. You snapped a quick photo on your phone, hand over your mouth as you laughed to yourself.

Yuuji pressed the doorbell, and grabbed your other hand, pulling you behind a hedge as you giggled like children together.

"I FOLLOW GIRLS HOME" read the man's sign, as his mother opened the door.

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"--so anyway, I should probably get back to work, I guess...after you get home."

You rested your chin on Yuuji's shoulder as he piggy-backed you home, your shoes slung in one hand as he ambled, slowly zigzagging along the tree-lined street. Your eyes drooped, breathing in your new friend's soft, cosy smell, still occasionally giggling to yourself.

Arriving at your doorstep, Yuuji lowered you to the ground, and brought one hand up to awkwardly scratch the back of his head. His face blushed crimson when you leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek. He grinned, shuffling sweetly, bidding you goodnight, but hesitating. You bit your lip, head tipped, waiting. Yuuji didn't get the hint, turning to walk away.

"Hey, my hero. All that, and I don't get your number?"

Yuuji's smile could have split rainclouds.

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Higuruma waiting on the ceiling above the office door like

Coming next: Gojo Satoru, Fushiguro Toji, Toge Inumaki, Fushiguro Megumi and Kugisaki Nobara.

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stargirllanaa · 3 months

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Happiness is a butterfly

Warnings: Dark!Rafe, toxic relationship, abusive relationship, domestic violence, manipulation, rafe is a narcissist, rafe is not nice

Summary: based on the Lana Del Rey song ‘happiness is a butterfly’ you and Rafe go to a party, and things don’t go as planned.

A/N: first time writing in a whileeeee and first time writing Rafe ahhh… please be kind lol also I definitely recommend listen to the song while reading

18+ ONLY, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

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You didn’t even want to go to the party in the first place; you wanted to stay in and hang out with your boyfriend, but that wasn’t enough for him; nothing was.

The first issue was your outfit, more specifically, your top. When your boyfriend sent you the ‘here’ text, you quickly finished applying your lipgloss before rushing down the stairs and out the door as quickly as possible, remembering how mad he was at you the last time you kept him waiting more than 5 minutes.

Approaching the truck parked in front of your house, you opened the passenger door. Rafe, preoccupied with his phone, glanced up when you entered. As he took in your outfit, his expression remained neutral, leaving it difficult to gauge his emotions.

“You look nice,” you said with a smile.

“Mhm.” he looked you up and down before looking at the road.

Your face instantly fell, and your anxiety started to rise; you knew something was off; you started analyzing yourself, looking for something that could have made him upset. You opened the vanity mirror, and when you looked at yourself, you could see your eyes were slightly glossy; you were tearing up. You took a deep breath and tried to calm yourself; you didn't want your tears to spill over and ruin your makeup.

As he continued driving, you just looked out the window; you didn't try to start another conversation after he had just dismissed you. When you looked at him, he gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles lacked color.

He broke the silence with a loud and dramatic sigh.

“I don't know who you're trying to impress with that shirt..if you can even call it that,” the blonde said, sounding very irritated.

You quickly looked down at your shirt, feeling insecure already.

“But you look like a slut.” he spat out as he looked back at you, waiting to see how you would react.

You didn't expect those words at this moment, but it was nothing new for Rafe to say things he knew would upset you.

“Why wouldn't you say something when we were at my house?” you questioned him as your eyebrows furrowed together and your heart rate increased.

The only Cameron son rolled his eyes in response to your question and looked back at the road as you approached the party.

“No one has time to wait for you to go back inside, change, and come back; I told you to be ready at a certain time, but you decided to wear that, not me. Why should I be punished?”

You scoffed in response; you couldn't believe his selfishness and rudeness.

“Are you serious?” you genuinely asked him. “So you have an issue with my shirt, but you also have an issue with me wanting to change it?”

“You're putting words in my mouth,” he said evenly without even looking at you as he pulled up in front of his friend's house.

You wrapped your arms over your stomach and shook your head in response.

“I want to go home.” you quietly murmured.

“What?” He snarled before putting the car into park.

“I want to go home,” you repeated, this time with more force.

“I'm not taking you home because you decided to dress like that,” he stated

The tension in the air was palpable in every moment of silence.

You unbuckled your seatbelt and looked around for something to cover yourself up with; Rafe was making you feel so insecure. Your eyes eventually landed on a navy blue polo sweatshirt on the back seat floor. You picked it up and pulled the sweatshirt over your head.

“Is this better?” you asked him in an annoyed tone.

“I guess,” he said before unbuckling his seatbelt, exiting the car and slamming his door.

He was still visibly upset, and you didn't know what to do; there was nothing you could do; he was mad at you for your choice of outfit, so he would do everything he could to ruin this night for you.

You exited the car and quickly followed behind him as the two of you approached the front door.

“Are you gonna act like this all night?” you asked with concern and annoyance.

“Like what?” he said, rhetorical to her in a sarcastic manner.

“I'm not dealing with this,” you said before turning around and walking towards the road.

As soon as you faced away from him, your tears spilled over; you hated when he got like this; you knew there was no way to change the way this night was going. So why even try? You just wanted to go inside, drink, have fun. You just wanted to dance with him, but you couldn't remember the last time the two of you danced together, and when you thought about it more, you couldn't even remember the last time you were happy.

“y/n!” He yelled, following behind you quickly.

He grabbed your arm roughly and pulled you with him, not back toward the party but near his truck.

You trashed your arm, trying to pull it out of his grasp, but before you even realized it, the two of you were behind his truck.

Rafe spun you around to face him but didn't let go of your arm; he started smirking when he saw your tears. He was sick.

“Youre so dramatic,” he spat, moving his grip on your arm around your waist. “Always fucking crying,” he continued.

“Maybe because you treat me like shit,” you spat between tears,

“Yeah…” he trailed off, “ because I'm always the bad guy... like you didn't leave the house looking like you were trying to get fucked by every guy at the party.”

“I didn't even want to go to the fucking party!” you shouted at him as tears rapidly plunged down your face.

“I-” Before you could get any more words out, The sudden impact echoed through the air as a sharp slap landed on your face.

“Who are you talking to?” he hissed.

Time seemed to slow for a moment as the stinging sensation registered. Your head turned with the force of the blow, and a shocked expression washed over your features.

Your hand reached to touch the reddening skin, fingers brushing over the tender area as if confirming the undeniable sting. You knew Rafe was a bad boyfriend, but you hadn't expected him to put his hands on you.

When your tearful eyes looked back up at his blue ones, he didn't seem to have any emotion, anger, sadness, or even regret.

He took a step back from you.

“I think you should get an Uber home.” the blonde said before leaving you outside and returning to his friend's house.

And that's exactly what you did.

As you sat in the back seat of your Uber, you couldn't stop the tears from falling down your face, the sobs from leaving the back of your throat. That was the coldest thing Rafe had ever done to you, and he had done a lot. Even when you tried to think of anything else, the smell of his sweatshirt you wore was reminder enough. You didn't want to go to the party; you just wanted to dance with him.

#dark!rafe cameron #rafe cameron #dark rafe cameron #dark rafe x reader #rafe outer banks #rafe cameron x reader #rafe x reader #rafe imagine #dark!rafe x reader #dark!rafe cameron x reader #obx imagine #obx fanfiction #rafe cameron fanfiction #outer banks #outer banks fanfiction

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 5 months

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miscellaneous fellow honest headcanons

These aren't following any prompt in particular, these are just thoughts I had when I saw the guy hammin' it up and then turning on us.

Some of these headcanons are informed by fan art I've seen and discussions I've had with friends, while others are purely me.

Curiouser and Curiouser...

He calls people “little lads” and “little ladies”.

Fellow has a very noticeable laugh. Like, he grunts and snorts and has tears rolling down his cheeks. (He tends to laugh at others’ misery, thinking of it as “retribution” or “payback” for the injustices he has suffered himself.)

Bro shaves using a knife (yes, he shaves because he is a grown ass man) because razors are hella expensive.

He uses that cheap cologne and cakes it on THICK. This, in his mind, gives off the impression that he’s a well-off and put-together individual you should tooootally trust.

Also the type of person that lays it on thick with his words. If he’s trying to impress a date or something, he’ll shower them with so many compliments it almost seems fake. But no, he’s just the type to simp hard when he happens to be genuine 💀 most of the time he’s faking it though—

He’s very street smart, but in a way where he confuses hostile people by talking over them and acting overly friendly. They usually stuns them long enough for him and Gidel to skedaddle.

If he gets dumped, he'd be the pathetic whimpering boyfriend that begs for his ex to take him back. When they inevitably don't, he mopes all day about it.

He chain smokes and aggressively drinks as a coping mechanism on his bad days 😔 and sometimes he gambles (like, on those scratch-off cards) hoping that he'll strike it rich and buy him and Gidel a better life...

Basically, he generally does not have his shit together but tries his best to pass like someone who does (and usually succeeds at it).

Fellow appears in public wearing his full suit, but at home (ie whatever ratty temporary housing their boss found for them before they move on to the next place) he just wears a T-shirt and lounges around in boxers (and sometimes socks with holes in them).

He uses those disposable eyeshadow wands that snap in half at the slightest bit of too much pressure. Fellow acts like the Claire’s kid makeup he uses is the luxury stuff, but Vil can tell the pigmentation isn’t all there and there’s MAD fallout.

He may be broke AF and have his moments of emotional spiraling, but he has pretty decent budgeting skills. Fellow lives for sales and does extreme couponing to stretch their money as far as it will go.

He invests in other cost-saving methods like wearing shoes until the sole is literally flopping off and just adding water to residual soap in a pump bottle to make the soap "last longer".

Fellow is really good at cutting food (bread, beans) thin to conserve it. Yes, this is a reference to an old Mickey Mouse cartoon—

When he was younger, he had dreams of being an actor (and, more specifically, starring in musicals). That's why he's often humming, swinging around his cane, and/or whistling as he's on the prowl for idiots to sucker—they're remainders of his thespian days before his dreams were crushed into itty bitty pieces.

Man looks like he'd be great at tap dancing.

Before his current gig, he tried a bunch of other scams including a MLM at one point to get by. His signature spell came in pretty clutch in those days too.

Fellow’s not that good at reading or spelling—in fact, he was never a particularly strong student. (“I didn’t fail school!! The schools failed ME!!”) He’s easily frustrated by academics and thinks there should be more hands-on and practical skills taught in learning institutions.

I think it's a given that he and Ruggie would be besties since they both want to eat the rich but I also think Fellow would kiss ass to Azul and then rage about how shitty + entitled Azul is (Azul reminds Fellow of his boss)💀 Scammers hate other scammers because they're both competing to scam the same people--

Even though Fellow is an asshole to most others (well, when he’s not flattering them to lure them into a trap), he’s always nice to Gidel and puts him first. If there’s ever a situation where they’re short on something (clothes, food, etc), Gidel gets priority. This is why Gidel has a full outfit (even if parts are patches or mismatched) whereas Fellow himself has a glove that is so worn out there’s a hole in one of the pinkie fingers.

Fellow may not be blessed with a bounty of magic, but he’s quick on his feet and good with words. Because of these skills, he’s talented at spinning bedtime stories, which he often tells to Gidel to help him fall asleep on nights that are particularly cold and nasty.

Gidel still believes in Santy Claws and wishing upon stars, and Fellow doesn’t have the heart to tell him the truth. He’ll figure it out on his own one day, Fellow thinks. He just doesn’t want to be the one to ruin those childhood joys for him.

Playing pretend is another shared past time of theirs. It helps Fellow get into character before he goes off to swindle people, and it gives Gidel a way to express himself in spite of being mute. They have a routine they do together where Fellow pretends to be a doctor diagnosing a patient and Gidel takes down notes for him as his medical scribe. Yes, this is a Pinocchio reference—

They actually have many more games they play (mainly because they cannot afford other forms of entertainment). Some of the games are clever ruses conjured by Fellow to teach Gidel survival tips and tricks: the who-can-make-their-piece-of-bread-last-longer game, hide-and-seek (from the authorities), etc.

For special occasions, Fellow saves up some money on the side to grant Gidel little luxuries, like a box of crayons to doodle with.

Gidel hugs Fellow’s leg or waist to cheer him up when he’s upset. He also hides behind Fellow when he’s scared or feeling shy.

He’s just really attached to Gidel cuz they have no one else in this cruel world, just them against the world 😔 He sees a lot of his younger self in the little boy… the opportunities lost because of their circumstances… “It’s alright, Gidel. Leave it to Fellow-sama.”

#twst #twisted wonderland #Fellow Honest #twst headcanons #twisted wonderland headcanons #Ferro honest #Gidel #Gidell #disney twisted wonderland #something no one asked for #spoilers #twst x reader #Fellow Honest x Reader #Vil Schoenheit #Ruggie Bucchi #Azul Ashengrotto #curiouser and curiouser

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miguel-ohara-lover · 8 months

Note

Jealous/possessive ghostface!miguel x nerdy reader

😘 I have no idea but I hope this helps

I love loVE LOVE Ghostface and I hope you like this cuz the second I heard ghostface the ideas started forming and- I just hope you like it! I got a little carried away so if you want something different just send another request

!!!!READ THE CW!!!!

Ghostface!Miguel x Nerdy!f!reader

CW: Nsfw, jealousy/possession, blood, a little con non-con, knife kink, degrading, implied stalking, fingering, p in v, too big, tears

Your heart raced, pounding in your chest as you ran through your house and out the back door. It was him, the serial killer all over the news. Fucking Ghostface. You couldn’t believe someone would take on that title and actually succeed in living up to it.

Everything about him was incredible. His voice, his mask, his hands grasping that knife- hold up! You’re seriously romanticizing the guy trying to kill you? Well, he is hot…

You shook the thought away as you continued running, trying to recall all the rules from those movies you loved so much. So much… Hey! Focus. Right, the rules.

• Never had sex, you failed that one

• Never drink or smoke

• Never run upstairs, that doesn’t really help if you’re outside…

• Never say-

“AH!” Your own scream cut off your thoughts as the strong man tackled you. You flailed and struggled against him as he pinned your wrists above your head. “Let go!” You cried out, hoping anyone would hear you. But of course like any god horror movie, your house was in the middle of nowhere.

He stayed silent as he held you down with ease. As hot as this is, you started feeling genuine fear, tears streaming down your cheeks. You managed to get a hand free and rip his mask off his face. God fucking damnit… he’s gorgeous! What are you even thinking.

The man growled as you tossed the mask aside, quickly pushing your wrist against the ground again. “Stupid bitch!” You knew that voice. You had run into him many times before. Miguel O’Hara? Was he stalking you? You did think it was weird he showed up everywhere you did… Why would he stalk you?

Your thoughts are interrupted when you feel the cool metal of his knife against your cheek. You gasped and turned your head to the side, trying to get away but it’s no use. The sharp metal nicked you, and you felt the blood trickle down your face. He gave you a sinister smirk before licking up your cheek, lapping up your blood.

“Delicious.” He growled in your ear. “Now stay still for me, Cariño.” You don’t know why, but you wanted to do what he says. That’s not true, you know exactly why. It wasn’t out of fear. It was because you were so turned on. Your pussy was so wet just from hearing his voice without that filter.

Miguel’s hands travel down your sides before he pushes the hem of your skirt up. He grabbed your soaked panties and yanked them down. You let out a gasp as the cold hair hits your exposed cunt. He smirked as his fingers spread your folds and he took in the sight of your beautiful pussy.

“This cunt is mine. Only mine, from now on.” He circled your clit, listening to your sweet moans. Two slid inside you with ease, and he started scissoring you. You gasped and moaned, his fingers felt like heaven inside you. He knew all the right spots, and a louder cry ripped from you as his thumb rubbed your swollen bundle of nerves.

Your hips buck and jolt as your stimulated so much. His fingers pumped inside you a bit more before he pulled them out. You whined in protest, then noticed that same hand working at his pants. He got them off his ease, his other hand pushing your shirt up, exposing your bare breasts to the cool night air. As he worked on freeing his erection, he traced down your chest with his knife, sliding the blade between your tits and down your torso.

It broke skin at a few points, and you could see the blood start to spill. It wasn’t enough to cause serious damage or leave scars, but it was enough to sting. His blade then moved to your tits, the tip tracing around both perked nipples teasingly. He loved watching you shiver and squirm under him. He dragged the metal on the underside of your breasts, breaking more skin. The sight made his cock throb.

Speaking of, his massive length sprung free from his pants. He was so huge, it definitely wouldn’t fit even with his half assed stretching of your cunt.

“I-it’s too big, it won’t fit.” You whined a little.

“I’ll make it fit.” Miguel growled in your ear, his leaking tip poking at your entrance. You whimpered and hesitantly spread your legs more, inviting him in. He smirked and thrusted into you without hesitation. You cried out, salty tears running down your cheeks, causing the previous slice to sting.

He was ruthless in his thrusts, ravaging your pussy with his monster of a cock. You cried out and moaned, it felt like he was splitting you open from your cunt. There was sure to be blood after… He groaned as your tight walls constricted around him, as if you could control that.

Miguel’s hands held your hips down as he continued this assault on your poor pussy, never once slowing down. You hated to admit it, but it was soooo good. You could feel that warm knot forming in your gut, only getting tighter when he picked up his pace.

You moaned whorishly as a violent orgasm ripped through you. You felt pathetic, to cum under these circumstances? You should be screaming and crying, trying to push him away. But you didn’t. You loved every inch inside you.

Your face was angelic to him, seeing your eyes roll back and hearing your moans sent him over the edge. With a final thrust he released his load, filling you up to the brim as he drained his balls inside you. That feeling was like heaven to you, making you moan more and your walls clench on his length, milking him for all he’s got.

Miguel slowly pulled out. You could see his cock, glistening in the moonlight covered in your slick and… and blood. You knew he ripped something down there. Your adrenaline didn’t allow you to feel it just yet, and without the immense pain about to come, it looked so hot.

“Are you going to call the police if I don’t kill you?” His voice broke your train of thought.

You pondered a moment. “No… no I don’t think I will…” You gave him a weak smile, the tiredness finally catching up to you.

#miguel o'hara #across the spiderverse #atsv #miguel o’hara x reader #atsv miguel #miguel o’hara smut

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dfortrafalgar · 1 month

Text

I'm Losing You

Having a family isn't always as easy as fairy tales make it seem.

Law x Fem Reader

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read these warnings before reading this fic. Genuinely, I implore you. I started writing this fic on a whim a few weeks ago, when I was contemplating my own experiences with reproduction-related health conditions such as the one that will be addressed later on in this story (endometriosis). Reproductive education and health is something that I feel very strongly about, and I feel that topics such as pregnancy complications and loss aren't addressed enough in media for fear that they're too taboo or shocking. Which, to be fair, is true, at least for the shocking aspect. Pregnancy loss is difficult, traumatic, and life-changing, for better or for worse, truly dependent on the person and the world around them.

Now you might be wondering... why would you drag one piece into this? well, i don't know. i felt like it, perhaps. Law is a character who resonates very deeply to me, his character is emotionally complex and layered, and imagining him in a scenario like this one became very interesting to me. Combine that with everything i stated above and taddaa, you get this fic.

this story does and will eventually have a happy ending (a very happy ending!) however it will take a bit to get there. this is a multi-chapter fic that i'm moving from my ao3 to my new blog, and the same warnings there apply here.

if this fic doesn't seem like your cup of tea, i encourage you to check out some of my other fics on my blog. i have a few law/readers that are tooth-rottingly fluffy and much more feel good.

with all that out of the way, thank you for reading.

Chapter 1

[Next]

The air in the room was as stifling as a sauna from the stress and anxiety filling the air. It was so silent, the tiles surrounding the small area blocking any and all noise from outside. The door was closed, caging you in.

You were sitting on the toilet lid, your hands rapidly perspiring and your whole body shivering with nerves. Across from you, your husband had his arms crossed, his head hung low, his heel bouncing off the floor. The tension was unlike anything you had ever experienced, however this had unfortunately become the norm for the past six months.

On the side of the sink sat a long white stick. Neither of you wanted to look at it.

“Do you think it’s ready now…?” you asked, inwardly cringing at how pathetic and weak your wobbly voice sounded.

Law picked his head up, his golden eyes creased in profound concern and worry. “It should be. Five minutes, right?”

“I think so,” you replied. With a trembling hand, you grabbed the stick from the counter. Law watched your every movement with a close eye. With a deep breath, you flipped over the test and gazed at the result window.

A single red line.

After the last failed attempt, you made a joke that you didn’t have any more tears left in you to cry, but clearly that wasn’t the case as fat, salty tears rapidly welled in your eyes and flowed down your cheeks. Law immediately knew what the result was the second your lips twitched downward. His heart sank into his stomach, immediately stepping toward you, grabbing the test from your hand and blindly chucking it into the small garbage can in the corner. He knelt on the floor in front of you to pull you into his chest.

“Damn it…” you whimpered. Your body forced you to take a shuddering inhale before sobbing an anguished, “FUCK!!!!”

Law’s heart broke. He didn’t even know what to say to comfort you anymore. 6 months of failed attempts at conceiving a very wanted baby had caused nothing but pain to both of you. You had both been scientific about the process. All birth control and protection was ceased, and the two of you were religiously tracking your cycle to make sure you would try during your ovulation window, but nothing but failure after failure showed up.

You thought you were broken.

Law thought he was broken.

You wept into his shoulder, your body shuddering with each pained sob that crawled from your sore throat. Law’s hands were frozen around you, firmly gripping your back. You couldn’t see the tears that were forming in the corners of his stern eyes, biting his lip and forcing every muscle in his face to prevent those tears from slipping downward. The last thing you needed was to see him cry, but he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to hold it in.

“Law…” you whimpered into his shoulder.

Law stayed silent.

“I’m sorry–”

“Don’t you dare apologize,” he quickly retorted, cutting you off. He felt you lurch in his arms. “This isn’t your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault… it’s…”

Now you stayed silent.

Law took his own shallow inhale. “I… don’t know.”

For one of the only times in Law’s life, he was rendered completely incapable of speech. Normally calm and analytical, looking for every possible solution or reason for an issue, he was now left completely helpless to the crashing waves of sheer dejection. As your quivering body clung to him like a lifeline, his entire brain was scrambling for some sense, any logical thought, for the current predicament, but it was starting to become glaringly obvious to both of you.

It was very likely one of you was infertile.

When you finally picked your head up from his shoulder, Law’s previously broken heart fractured into even more irreparable pieces.

Your eyes were puffy, swollen and bloodshot from your tears. Your entire face looked bloated from the force of your crying, and you were clearly flushed. You looked, for lack of a better word, completely miserable. Law helped you stand from the closed toilet seat, keeping your eyes away from the trash can where the negative pregnancy test lay on top of discarded tissues and makeup wipes, to guide you to your shared bedroom. Neither of you had to say a word, you knew he was going to put you into your shared bed and let you get some much-deserved rest after the stressful eternity (10 minutes) you had just endured. It was almost 8:00PM anyway, and regrettably, both of you still had work the following day.

You didn’t fight it when Law eased you down onto the mattress by your shoulders. You kept your eyes pinned closed, not wanting to let your husband see any more of your beaten state. You rolled over onto your side and hid in your pillows. You didn’t hear Law mention that he would join you after cleaning up, and you didn’t notice the overhead light dimming. You simply begged for sleep to take you quickly and painlessly.

When Law finally returned after washing his face, he gazed dejectedly at your weary form. Finally asleep, fortunately, but your cheeks were glossy with fresh tears. The man carefully crawled into bed behind you, carefully pulling your body into his. He wished more than anything that he could make your pain go away. He ran through the many years you had been together, and struggled to find a time where your sorrow was as profound as it was this evening. His mind was constantly at war- his analytical, doctor side beginning to list specific reasons why this could be happening, and his sincere, passionate, loving husband side breaking apart reflecting over the sound of your sobs.

It could have been either of you. But it also could’ve been both of you. The thought was enough to finally force the tears in Law’s eyes to break free and travel down his cheeks. Some of them plotted into your hair.

—

You awoke to the sound of whispering in your hallway outside the bedroom. The blinds covering the window above the bed you shared with Law were pulled shut, but the sunlight still beamed through them leaving patterns on the walls and floor. The side Law slept on was empty and freshly made. No surprise, he left for work early in the morning after all. You slowly sat up in bed, your head pounding. The events of the previous evening came rushing back to you, but you felt nothing but an empty melancholy, a dark fog that hung over your brain and clouded your vision.

The door to your bedroom slowly opened. You looked up just in time to see a very large, very fluffy cloud with four legs and two beady eyes come sprinting into your room. Its feet ripped across the carpeted floor as It hopped on your bed with a loud huff, immediately snuggling on top of your duvet and leaning into your body for some much needed cuddles.

You mustered a weary laugh, your hands instinctively moving to the back of the dog’s neck to rub his fluffy cheeks from behind, eliciting happy grunts from the large animal. He had his tongue out, a tiny pink blep among the sea of rich white fur.

“Bepo,” you sighed. “You know Law doesn’t like it when you get on the bed.”

“He missed you!” called a voice from the hallway. Spiky red hair appeared in the doorway. “So did we, actually. I hope I didn’t wake you up.”

Shachi had, actually, woken you up, but you didn’t need to tell him that. “No, not at all.” You shook your head. Bepo’s tail was wagging in your face, causing you to sputter out small strands of loose fur from your mouth. The red-head entered your bedroom, leaving the door open. The smell of French toast instantly wafted into the space, making your mouth water and your eyes widen. “Is Penguin cooking?”

“Yee-up,” Shachi replied, popping his lips to enunciate the word. “Law invited us over, if you couldn’t tell.” He flashed a smirk. “You got the day off, by the way.”

Your eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. “What?”

“Law called in sick for you,” the man confirmed.

You frantically reached for the night stand and grabbed your phone, tapping the screen to illuminate it. It was almost 10:00AM, and sure enough, your alarm had been turned off. Three texts from Law sat waiting on your screen, as well as two texts from your coworkers.

Baby~~<3

Sorry, I broke into your phone to turn your alarm off. You get to sleep in today, I called you out sick. I didn’t tell them anything, just that you weren’t feeling good.

Baby~~<3

Shachi and Penguin might be there when you wake up. I did tell them a little about what happened, just so they know to give you space if you need it.

Baby~~<3

Call me if you need anything at all, I love you.

Ika-chan

I heard you called in sick today!!! I hope you’re alright, let me know if you need anything!

Nami Swan

How r u feeling? If u caut the flu u can blame Usopp :P

You smiled, your heart beating in your chest. “You guys are too much sometimes.”

Shachi proudly rested his clenched fist over his sternum as a display of pride. “Nothing is ever enough for your best friend!” The sight made you chuckle.

You were caught off guard by Penguin entering with a much larger platter of food than you ever expected. He excitedly approached your bedside with a wide grin, marveling at his own work. A bowl of mixed fruits, a plate of French toast drizzled with maple syrup and dollopped with a swirl of whipped cream, a small portion of sausage on the side, and a single unopened bottle of apple juice. You graciously accepted the spread, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t completely befuddled.

“You guys know I’m not actually sick, right?” you asked, glancing at your husband’s best friends with concern. You shooed Bepo away from getting too close to the sausage.

“We know,” Penguin clarified. “We can treat you to a nice breakfast even when you’re not sick, though!”

You smiled, forcing down the lump that formed in your throat. “Thank you guys, I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I know what you’d do,” Shachi stated. “You’d eat your breakfast and savor every bite!” He stood up from your bed and clapped his hands twice, beckoning Bepo off of the bed and over to his side. “We’ll take Bepo for a walk around the neighborhood! Take some time for yourself!” The two men left with your dog in tow, leaving you to stare in awe at the spread of food.

Your mind was reeling. Law’s text informed you that he had given his two friends a brief summary of what had happened, but you didn’t really mind. If anything, it brought you some comfort to know that you and your husband’s two closest friends understood the predicament you were currently in and were more than willing to go out of their way to support you. You also couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Law calling you out sick for the day, putting your passcode into your phone to turn off your alarm, and making sure his friends would be there for you when you woke up. You were beyond grateful for such an incredible support system, but just to be on the safe side…

You grabbed your phone once more, opening your text messages with Law.

Good morning baby, thank you for calling me out. Im feeling a bit better, Shachi and Penguin made me breakfast. I hope you didnt give them too much grief ;3; Take care of yourself today, I’ll see you when you get home. I love you!!! <333

With your breakfast completed, you slowly trudged to the bathroom to take a relaxing shower. The sight of your negative pregnancy test filled you with nausea, but you pushed past the feeling and turned on the water.

#trafalgar law x reader #trafalgar d water law x reader #fem reader #law x reader #x reader #reader insert #tw pregnancy #tw miscarriage #tw pregnancy loss #im losing you

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vinvantae · 9 months

Text

Unmasked

13/16

<<< previous part

Word count: 3.9k

**********************************************

The sun crept across the floor of the room, crawling towards your bed as it slowly began to rise and you hadn’t slept a wink. Charles had told you he had a late meeting but when he had crawled into bed that night, trying not to wake you - you couldn’t help but wonder what kind of meeting would run until that time. It wasn’t until you saw the tweets last night saying everyone had met without you that you felt a pit in your stomach.

Your eyes flickered to Charles as he slept beside you, the sheets pushed down his torso as soft breaths passed through his lips. Why would the whole grid meet without you? Why would Fernando, Esteban and Max leave part of the way through? All of the questions were buzzing through your head and you knew you could wake Charles to ask but if he hadn’t told you about the meeting in the first place why should you?

Instead you sighed and grabbed your phone off of the dresser, wincing as bright light of the screen before you turned it down a little. Your lock screen was flooded with notifications - at first you thought maybe you had done something but when you realised that it was your fellow drivers tagging you in posts on instagram the uneasy feeling settled a little.

They were all making posts supporting you.

From Lewis and Seb to Kevin and Lance. Each of them had posted something on their profiles about how they stood with you - some more detailed than others but each showed just as much respect for you. Your eyes welled with tears as you read Seb’s words especially, the image was simple but he had poured his heart into the caption - and you felt so much love for your former teammate. He had been there for you through thick and thin and hearing just how much you meant to him in such a public forum was enough to bring the first genuine smile to your face since you were assaulted.

As you scrolled through instagram, taking in all of the kind words from your rivals - you couldn’t help but notice those who were missing. Fernando was no surprise as he was very old school about dealing with your criticisms but it was a little disheartening to see that Max, Pierre and Esteban had not posted anything.

And neither had your boyfriend.

The man who had spent the night in your bed hadn’t posted a single word on any of his social media platforms and you weren’t the only one who had noticed. Rumours that you and Charles had broken up was trending just below the IStandWithThirty hashtag the drivers had been using.

“...Charles.” You whispered, gently shaking him.

He grumbled, snuggling further into the bed. “Too early.”

“The internet thinks we broke up.”

His eyes snapped open and his once relaxed face was overtaken with confusion. “W-What? Why?”

“I don't know, maybe it’s because the rest of the grid has written these posts supporting me but my own boyfriend hasn’t?” You raised a brow. “What happened in that meeting, Charles?”

“Sebastian and I didn’t like the way you were being treated and we wanted to do something… so we called the meeting and suggested doing what the others have been doing - posting their support. But Max and Esteban weren’t happy, said it wasn’t enough and both stormed out of the meeting - and Pierre was angry at himself for how he treated you so joined them.” Your teammate felt it best to be honest with you, you’d seen this outpouring of support from your rivals but not your own boyfriend and childhood friends - he didn’t want miscommunication tearing what you both had down. “...And after I sat with it, I agreed with them. I didn’t want to post some blanket statement, you deserve more. You deserve better.”

He studied your face, your eyes flickered across him. “Charles-”

“Before you say you don’t deserve more, just… just don’t.” You watched as he sat up, bringing up a hand to cup your jaw - a thumb brushing softly over your skin. “I just want to show I stand with you with more than just a post, Cherie.”

You lent into his touch. “I love you, and appreciate you.. So much. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but… to stop the internet from thinking the worst of us, maybe you could’ve done both?”

He watched as the corner of your mouth lifted into a playful smirk and he chuckled softly, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your forehead. “Probably. Max just got in my head, said he was disappointed in me for not doing more for you.”

“Max said that?” It was your turn to look confused - since the Dutchman had discovered the truth, it was true the two of you had reconnected but you were surprised by his willingness to speak up against your boyfriend. “...do you know what he has planned?”

“No. I need to find him though - he joked about burning down the FIA HQ but I’m not 100% sure he was joking.”

“...we definitely need to find him.”

***

Pierre groaned as the knocking on his door persisted, only seemingly getting louder - so begrudgingly he pulled some clothes on and climbed out of bed. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he crossed the hotel room and opened the door to see you and Charles.You shoulder barged him out of the way and stepped into the room. “Morning to you too.”

“What is Max’s plan?” You looked more like the y/n he’d grown up with than ever - arms folded across your chest, frown etched on your face and foot tapping impatiently. “Because I like you guys but I’m not having you rioting for me.”

“I don’t know, I couldn’t find him and he wasn’t answering his phone.” Pierre approached you, eyes flickering across your face. “But I’m not going to help you stop him, if I find him I’m following him. You deserve to have people fight for you.”

“Pierre, I don’t want you to get in trouble for me.” You whispered. “It’s not worth it.”

The eldest driver looked over your shoulder to your boyfriend who was leaning against the wall. “Bet she’s used the same line on you, huh?”

“I don’t know how many times I can repeat myself. But, I want to do this right, Pierre. In a way where we do what needs to be done but none of us end up out of a seat or in major trouble.” The Monegasque explained. “That's why I was leaning towards just making a statement.”

“You posted something?”

“I should’ve done it in the first place, people were thinking we broke up. Just because I want to do something more, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t give people a reason to question us.” Charles stepped closer to you, eyes not leaving Pierre. “We need to find Max, I don’t want to stop him, I just need to know what he’s planning.”

Pierre considered for a moment, before he looked back at you. “I hope you know, you’re stuck with me. Whether you like it or not, I’ve got a lot of making up to do… so, I’ll help you find Max.”

You wrapped your arms around him and sunk into his hold as he returned the favour, squeezing you tight as if he was making up for lost time. Charles watched the interaction unfold - this wasn’t like any other time Pierre had touched you before. It was innocent - like you both had gone back in time and he could almost see you both as kids again.

“Now c’mon, there’s an angry Dutchman on the loose.”

It took the three of you nearly the whole day to find Max, asking everyone who might know something until you realised you were missing the least but somehow most obvious person. Esteban. He’d followed Max out so of course he knew where he was - in fact, when you ended up finding the redbull driver, the two of them were together at a small cafe nestled away in a narrow street hidden from the crowds.

“Now, this is not something I’d ever thought I’d see.” Charles chuckled, pulling up a chair for you both at the table. “I know you’ve moved passed the stuff in the past but-”

“We’re not exactly best friends, I know.” Esteban smiled, standing up to greet you. “Hi y/n, it’s really good to see you again.”

You shook his hand. “You too, Esteban. Please don’t do anything that will get you in trouble.”

He laughed softly and shook his head. “I could do with some trouble.”

“What do you have planned, Max Emilian?” You huffed, sitting beside the Dutchman - narrowing your eyes a little. “I know you could get away with murder being Christian’s golden boy but I still don’t want you getting barred or disqualified or whatever just for me.”

“Nothing that bad y/n. Look…” Max sighed, leaning forward a little. “I just don't think that an instagram post is gonna do shit. The people who use violence aren’t going to read some preachy text.”

“So you’re not going to tell me what you’re up to?”

He shook his head. “Nah, you’ll just try and stop me. I know you probably don’t think you’re with all of this but despite us growing apart over the years, I still care about you. And I can’t just sit by while these dickheads, who are my fans, get away with hurting you.”

“Max-”

“C’mon, y/n, I’m not naive. I’ve seen photos of the guy, I see the profile pictures and usernames… a lot of these twats are my fans.” He grumbled. “So, hopefully, if they listen to anyone, they’ll listen to me.”

Charles placed a gentle hand on your thigh. “Why don’t you go back to the hotel, cherie? I’ll make sure whatever they plan isn't crazy. Okay?”

He smiled softly as you jut your bottom lip out in protest, before nodding and standing up from your chair - casting your eyes one more time across the unlikely group before you. “Just… don’t be stupid.”

“How can we? You’re taking all the stupid with you.” Max grinned, making you gasp and smack him playfully upside the head. “Sorry, sorry. Kidding.”

“You better be.” You turned to Charles. “Text me when you’re on your way back, please?”

The Monegasque nodded. “Will do. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

You took a deep breath before leaving their fates in their own hands - you had no idea what they were planning and honestly? At this point you weren’t sure you wanted to know. Instead you hopped into a cab and started messaging your fellow drivers, thanking them for their kind words and support on instagram. Even after you reveal, you had really only spoken to those who had known who you were before - so when Lando asked if you wanted to join him and Carlos for a beer, you decided to go.

Maybe it would take your mind off of the scheming Max was doing with your boyfriend and childhood karting rivals.

“This is a pleasant surprise.” Carlos smiled, as you sank down into the booth beside Lando - a gentle smile on his face. “If I thought you were out of Charles’ league before, you definitely are now.”

You laughed. “Thanks Carlos. And thank you, Lando for inviting me out - I’ve been wanting to get to know everyone better.”

“Are you kidding? I can’t believe you said yes.” The young Brit grinned, you could tell why everyone liked him - he had this boyish charm. “This is sick. I’m hanging out with the Thirty!”

The pink took over your cheeks within an instant and you rubbed the back of your neck. “It means a lot that you don’t see me any differently now you know I’m a girl.”

Lando took a sip of his beer, ignoring the buzz of his phone against the wood of the table - more interested in what you had to say. “If anything that just makes you cooler.”

“So, colour me curious.” Carlos spoke up, propping his elbows up on the table. “Who knew about you before? Obviously Charles and Sebastian, but who else?”

“Just Max and Lewis. They both had me figured out so I just came clean, but it was only really a few weeks that they knew.”

Carlos huffed a little and leant back in his chair, strong arms folded across his chest. “Can’t believe my own teammate knew and I was blind as a bat, I thought I’d noticed him acting differently around you.”

You frowned. “What do you mean?”

Carlos raised a brow. “Well he went from being super suspicious of you one minute, to indifferent. He told both me and Daniel he expected you but neither of us believed him… sorry about that.”

“I wouldn’t have believed him either, y’know?” You smiled reassuringly. “That was kind of the whole point of the story that the team came up with.”

“You got me there. Well, cheers to this new friendship, aye?” He grinned, the three of you clinking your beers together - Lando’s phone continuing to buzz on the table. “You gonna answer that, mate?”

Lando huffed and picked it up. “Some of the others want to crash later, turn it into a real party but I was only gonna stick to a couple of beers.”

“…I mean… I could party.”

Carlos grinned. “I knew I liked you for a reason.”

And that is how you ended up doing shots with Carlos and Daniel - as the evening had progressed the music had got louder and the bar had gotten more crowded. It was distracting you from the fact Charles still hadn’t texted you despite you having sent him a few question marks. You were scared of what was taking the four of them this long to plan - there was no way this wasn’t going to be trouble.

“You okay?” You felt a warm hand on your shoulder, Lando gently tugged so you were facing him - his eyes were somehow still bright beneath the flashing lights of the dark club. “For someone who ended up on the podium, you don’t seem to be particularly happy.”

“Lannn.” You whined, leaning into him a little - the alcohol buzzing through your veins. You thrust your phone in his face, the bright light of the screen making him squint a little. “Why hasn’t Charles’ text me?”

He chuckled softly, draping an arm across your shoulder - coaxing you gently towards a booth where a few other drivers were sitting. “Uhm, not sure. Where is he?”

“Planning some dumb thingy with Max, Pierre and Esteban. They’re going to get in trouble for me and I don’t want that.”

Lando shook his head. “It’s cus they care about you, I bet. They wouldn’t do this for just anyone… Pierre and Esteban in the same place? Those two haven’t got on since they were kids, you know that better than anyone.”

“You think that’s why?” You pouted softly. “I’m gonna text him again.”

“Okay, y/n. You do that… I’m gonna get you a glass of water.” He patted you gently on the shoulder before heading back over to the bar, leaving you in the company of Carlos, Daniel and George.

You shuffled further into the booth and tucked yourself under Carlos’ arm, the Spaniard squeezing your shoulder. “You okay, hermosa?”

“Charles is ignoring me.” You grumbled, propping your chin up on his shoulder - whatever he was wearing smelt manly, and with Charles preferring a more subtle fragrance it was noticeable.

Daniel laughed. “Well that’s not very nice of him is it. Are you having a good time though?”

You nodded. “Yeah, it's nice to get to know you guys. Just can’t help but miss Charles, he’s my rock. Feels weird having fun without him.”

“His loss then, hmm? You can have a great time with us instead.” He chuckled, his eyes boring into yours, a kind smile on his face.

“Oh can she now?”

You moved your gaze from Carlos’ dark eyes to the source of the voice to see Charles stood in front of the table with his arms folded across his chest - his brow raised. “Charl.”

“Did you not get any of my texts… or calls?” He said, sitting beside you in the booth - wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you away from Carlos and into his side.

“Did you not get any of mine?” You frowned, fishing your phone out of your pocket - eyes widening a little when you saw none of your messages had gone through to your boyfriend. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” Charles teased, leaning in to kiss you. “Were you worrying, Cherie?”

“…maybe.”

“And did you get drunk to distract yourself from the fact you were worried?”

Your cheeks flushed. “…maybe.”

He laughed and thanked Lando as he placed your glass of water on the table. “Thanks for your text mate, I was starting to think I’d lost her.”

“I saw the non-delivered when she showed me her phone so I thought it might be a two-way issue.” The Brit smiled softly. “You gonna stay for a bit?”

“Only a little while, I think this one has had enough fun for both of us.” Charles smiled at Lando before looking down at you - your cheeks flushed a pretty pink. He let his gaze wander to Carlos for a moment but the Spaniard didn’t meet his eyes.

Not another one. He groaned internally. Sooner or later he was going to have to put a flashing neon sign above your head to remind the other drivers that you were his girlfriend. It wasn’t purely selfish either, there had been one too many tweets calling you a paddock bunny, so he didn’t want to give anymore fuel to that fire. So if he had to give Carlos and Lewis a not so friendly warning, he would. Pierre had become less of a concern since the two of you had reconnected - the Frenchman starting to see you as more of a little sister, like he used to back in the day. But Carlos and Lewis didn’t have that connection with you - so you were just this insanely talented and beautiful woman to them. He hoped that his relationship with you would be enough to keep them at bay but he couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

“Charl.” Your warm hand on his jaw brought him back to reality - your eyes were transfixed on him when he looked down at you. “Where did you go, amour?”

“Nowhere, cherie, I’m here with you.” He smiled, the sparkle in your eyes was enough to put him at ease - it didn’t matter what the others did. You were as in love with him as he was with you. He pressed a chaste kiss to your temple. “Wanna go home?”

“Yeah, but kisses first please.”

You keened as Charles curled a hand around the back of your neck, pulling you into a searing kiss. You draped your arms over his shoulders, letting him lead the show you knew he was putting on for the others - he didn’t have to say out loud that he had felt jealous of Carlos, but it was never going to be Carlos. It was always going to be him.

As you pulled back, you let your eyes meet his as you smiled. “I love you.”

“Je t’aime, y/n.”

Lando gagged, reminding you that you weren’t alone - Charles relished in the way you hid your face in his neck. “We get it, you love each other. Get a room now, gross.”

You made sure to give each driver a hug before letting Charles lead you outside to grab a cab - you watched him as he tapped away on his phone, his breath leaving his body in soft clouds. When he caught you staring, you weren’t embarrassed, you simply stepped closer and let him wrap you up in his arms. “Charl, are you going to tell me what you boys were planning for so long?”

“Mhmm, I don’t know. Don’t know if I want to ruin it for them. I promise you it’s nothing crazy.” He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, before opening the door of the taxi for you both as it pulled up on the street. “Now, early flight tomorrow, need to get you to bed.”

“Fiiine, only ‘cus you’re pretty and I love you.” You giggled, tilting his chin down so you could kiss him before sliding into the taxi. “I will get that plan out of you by the end of the night.”

He rolled his eyes playfully, climbing in beside you - going to protest your claim but when you pulled him in for another deep kiss, his words were stolen from him and his mind was distracted by your hands running all over him, a hand ghosting over his belt. “Even if that means we get a fine for fooling around in this taxi.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Your playful smirk told him that you absolutely would so he used all of his willpower to move your hand away from his trousers. “Okay, okay… So here’s what’s going to happen.”

He pressed a kiss to your lips, pulling away so they were ghosting over yours - the way your breath hitched in your throat was delicious but he was going to behave. It was his turn to smirk now, his hand trailing up your side.

“This is what’s going to happen, Cherie.” He purred, pressing a kiss to the pulse point under your jaw. “We’re going to go back to the hotel, get some sleep and in the morning I’ll tell you all about what Max has planned okay?”

You were in no place to protest, your brain foggy with lust as he pressed kisses along your neck and jaw - so you simply nodded, dipping your head to catch his lips in another kiss. “Can… Can I add one more thing to the agenda?”

When your eyes met his, you could barely see the green - his pupils blown wide and he seemed to have as much trouble catching his breath as you did. His strong hands gripped your waist and he pulled you in closer. “If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, then we can definitely add you… add that to the to do list.”

He captured your giggle with a kiss, not wasting a second as the taxi pulled up outside the hotel. After a generous tip to the poor cab driver, your teammate took your hand in his and led you through the hotel. With a swift kiss as a distraction, he swiped the keycard from your pocket and opened the door.

You kicked your shoes off and turned to face your boyfriend. “Well we can tick off going back to the hotel on the to-do list…”

Charles chuckled and took your waist in his hands, pulling you closer. “What was next?”

“Let me remind you.”

*******

Next part >>>

Hope you enjoyed ❤️❤️ what on earth are those boys up to 🤔

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#unmasked fic #f1 fic #f1 x reader #f1 x you #x reader #charles leclerc fic #charles leclerc x reader #leclerc x reader

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peterparkersnose · 1 year

Text

Rough Day

pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader

word count: 1k (short but sweet)

warnings: death (not prominent character death), child abandonment, descriptions of medical terminology, not angst but reader is comforted by joel, defined relationship with reader x joel

a/n i cannot wait for the last of us, im writing so much joel content to feed you babes in late december/early january (and after jan 15 when the show airs) title is not to be compared to the iconic din djarin fanfiction, it just fit too perfectly to pass up and make a possible reference (update 01/16/23 first episode was brilliant. only word i can use to describe that masterpiece)

summary Y/N comes home after a hard day of working at med bay and Joel comforts her

masterlist

join the tag list

read time: 3 mins 23 seconds

The walk home seemed longer tonight. Maybe it was because of the sheer exhaustion from not sleeping in almost days, or maybe it was just from the horrible day you had.

The vision of the woman with the fresh bite on her leg plagued your mind.

Her sobbing baby next to her made matters even worse.

The tourniquet didn’t work. The infection spread too fast. The woman didn’t even know she was bitten for days. How could you not notice an open wound on your leg?

How could Tommy had let someone into the compound who was clearly not well?

You shook your head as you fumbled through your keys to get the right one. It was silent. The crickets were even gone, nothing else moved except the flickering light on your porch.

Joel had to fix that one of these days.

The old door creaked open. The only light left on was the lamp Joel would leave on for you when nights like this would occur.

What time was it now- after 11? He would most definitely be asleep.

You kicked your boots to their place and set down your bag. Angry with the state of your scrubs, you began peeling your coat off and leaving it on the floor.

The stairs creaked slightly as you made your way up them. You pulled at your socks that clung to your feet. The bedroom door was left slightly ajar, you could see the lamp light peering through the crack.

Pushing the door slightly open, you found Joel propped up in bed with a book.

“Your still awake?” you asked, immediately taking the top of your scrubs off.

“You know I can’t fall asleep without you,” he said, a harmless dig at your absence lately.

You genuinely felt bad for being gone. It wasn’t your intention to work a double at the hospital wing and then have 3 people come in with all very serious problems.

“I’m sorry,” you sighed, opening your drawer and searching for a comfy shirt.

Joel raised his brows in concern. Your tone was off. “Everything alright?” he asked, folding the corner of his page and slowly placing the book next to him.

Ignoring the question that would most definitely bring tears to your eyes if you answered, you changed into some of Joel’s old flannel pants that were two sizes too big.

You turned to the mirror in your bathroom, staring blankly at your toothbrush.

“Y/N?” he asked, the bed creaking as he sat on the edge. “Please don’t,” you whispered from the bathroom, finding the courage to turn on the water to brush your teeth.

Looking up from spitting out your toothpaste, you found him standing adjacent of you with a worried look on his face. Your eyes looked tired and he knew you had an awful day. Joel knew there was definitely a story behind that face causing your mood.

The stress of the day always seemed to fizzle out when you were around him.

“Come here,” he says, accepting your embrace. The tiny sniffles you gave broke his heart. He held you close to his chest. One hand rested on your head, another arm wrapped around your back.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen. She could have lived,” you choked out. “Mhm, I know baby. Let it out.” he sighed.

Joel didn’t have to know the story to understand what was happening. He felt the energy coming off of you. It was bad.

“Everything will be okay.” he whispered, kissing the top of your head. “Let’s get to bed now, hm? We both could use some sleep.” he said, placing his hand on your waist and walking with you towards the bed.

You anxiously sat at the edge of your bed as Joel turned off the hallway lights. He hated the look on your face when he returned. Zoned out, you stared at the tiny photo on the dresser of him and Sarah. His large body broke your trance, engulfing you in another hug. “Everything’s going to be alright. Stop lookin’ so pitiful,”

Your hands grabbed his hips and drew him closer. The scent of pine filled your nose. He had been on patrol earlier that day you assumed. His hand carefully rested on your head, stroking your hair. Your forehead sat against his stomach. Joel’s stomach gargled, causing you to let out a brief laugh.

“Get in,” he said playfully, tipping your shoulder back as you fell into bed.

“Gassy,” you whispered, bringing your eyes up to match his. He was standing over you, your knees in between his legs.

“What did you say now?” he asked, smirk on his face. His large frame fell over yours. You yelped as he caught himself with his forearms next to your body.

“Watch it,” he whispered in your ear. He showered your face in kisses as you squirmed. Using his body as a catapult, you forced yourself out under him. Finally free.

You scooted over to your side of the bed and curled into the smallest ball you could. Joel knew exactly what you wanted.

He pulled up the sheet quickly with a snap, and let it fall over you slowly. He knew you loved this.

“Pillows good?” he asked. You nodded, a small smile appearing on your face. “You need anything else while I’m up?”

“No. But thank you.”

He climbed slowly in next to you. Joel clicked off the lamp and moved in right next to you. It was almost as your body was fit to compliment his. You two matched perfectly.

“We can talk about it in the mornin’ if you’d like.” he offered. He felt your head nod against his chest.

“Goodnight darlin’,” he said, wrapping an arm around you. “I’m sorry today didn’t go well. Tomorrow will be good, I’ll make sure of it. We can make a day of it,”

A sigh of relief came from you. He always made things better. He was right. Tomorrow would be a better day.

tag list: @dani5216 @uwiuwi @alohastyles-x @samanthacookieone @maddieinnit0 @alexxavicry @scoliobean @jmillerswife

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flynnriderishot · 3 months

Note

PART 3 WAS SO GOOD IM HOPING THERES A PART FOUR BUT ALSO LIKE NO PRESSURE TAKE YOUR TIME BESTIE ILY

scandals pt.4 - c.s

a/n: thank you so much 😭

warning: i suck at writing out apologies 😬

chris

morning, baby :)

we got some donuts if you want some

matt tried to take your favorite again but i had to fight him off for it

i miss you

you sighed softly as you read the last text.

you hated to admit it, but you missed him too.

while you guys were still technically together, the longest you went without his affection was when he was on tour and even then, nick and matt surprised him with your presence half way through it.

you knew it was wrong to brush him off for as long as you’ve been doing, but your feelings were genuinely hurt.

how could he believe that you would cheat on him? were you efforts to prove how much you truly loved him just ignored?

it’s been two years and he was ready to just give it up like that? without asking you the facts first? it was like he was just waiting for the excuse.

it was heart wrenching to think about.

and you no longer wanted to think about it. you wanted answers, you wanted forgiveness, you wanted to forgive him and move past it.

baby 🩷🩷👩‍❤️‍👨

come over?

chris

really?

give me 10

•••

the excessive knocking on your door was enough for you to know that chris was here.

if that wasn’t enough, matt’s honking was.

as you opened the door, you were greeted with chris standing there with a box on donuts in his hand and a small smile on his face.

“hi.”

you stepped back to let him in, waving at matt who didn’t leave until his brother safely made it inside.

“hi, chris.”

“i got you donuts.” his voice was soft, almost hesitant to speak.

“thank you.” you nodded, watching him place the treat on your counter, “i actually wanted to talk. about us.”

his shoulders dropped, voice cracking slightly as he turned to look at you, “are you breaking up with me?”

“what? no. i wanted to apologize for being so hard on you.” you were shocked that he assumed you were breaking up with him, but you could understand why he thought that.

“wha—?”

“it was wrong of me to completely blow you off, even when you were trying so hard to make it right.”

“no, no. i’m supposed to be apologizing to you.” he stopped your rant, taking your hand and moving so you were both sat on the couch,

“i accused you of cheating on me. i let one small thing almost ruin our relationship so quickly when i should have asked you first instead of cursing and blocking you before you had the chance to defend yourself.”

“chris—”

“i love you and i’m sorry for making you think that i didn’t trust you.”

“i love you and i’m sorry for refusing to speak to you when you were trying to explain yourself.”

chris let of a breath of relief, smiling sweetly in your direction, “can i kiss you?”

your eyes creased as you smiled. you put your hands on his cheeks, pulling him forward to press a small kiss to his lips.

though it wasn’t enough, chris didn’t complain, “i’ll take what i can get.” he leaned forward, putting his body over yours, wrapping his arms around your body,

“i missed you so much.” his voice was muffled against your hair.

“i missed you more, baby.”

•••

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sturnsbabylove YESSSSSS

ynxchris tears are streaming down my face rn 😭👏

>>> lovelysturn literally me

matthew.sturniolo safe to say bro cried three times a week for her forgiveness

liked by yn.ln and 37,493 others

>>> christophersturniolo (creator) bro shut up 😭

nicksgiraffehat y’all thought they broke up 💀

nickssecretbf back with the couples content

>>> christophersturniolo (creator) yessir 🫡

yn.ln ❤️❤️

>>> christophersturniolo (creator) ^ love of my life fr 😔❤️

liked by yn.ln and 72,485 others

>> sturnnniolosbae they’re too cute 😭

nicolassturniolo i can confirm that they “ball”

>>> yn.ln this is so millennial of you

>>> nicolassturniolo thanks bae 😌

sturnsbabe THEYRE BACK ‼️‼️

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•••

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sturnslover bro… @/christophersturniolo @/yn.ln

letstripbaby oh my god 💀😭 @/yn.ln

nicolassturniolo 💀

>>> secretlynicksturn lmaooo 😭

yn.ln wtf did i say about tagging me in this shit 😐

liked by matthew.sturniolo and 32,586 others

chrisyn I CANNOT 😌🤦‍♀️

christophersturniolo has blocked sturniolodrama

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yn.ln has blocked sturniolodrama

nicolassturniolo has blocked sturniolodrama

*edit* sturniolodrama (creator) they blocked me guys…

>>> sturnswife good💀

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taglist: @creamoncreamoncream2 @strnlsblog @emssturniolo @noirpxrker @seobiiezs @sleepysturnss @junnniiieee07 @1201pm @dancemomsfanee @bri4nnaaaa @stinkytinkywinky @leah-loves-lilies @p1xieswrld @sturniolopepsi @chrissturniolosbitch

#sturniolo triplets #nick sturniolo #chris sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo fluff #chris sturniolo imagine #matt sturniolo imagine #matt sturniolo fluff #chris sturniolo #matt sturniolo

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jessoloslemons · 3 months

Text

Been thinking...

So, because of the absence of brozone's parents in the 3rd movie, we assume that they either were killed or terrible parents, so comes in John having to raise his siblings (presumably) by himself. Their grandma probably not being much help.

We usually talk about the stress and impact it probably had on John, suddenly having to step us as the leader of the household at such a young age, but what about Bruce - the second oldest?

Bruce probably witnessed the change of character of John, watching his brother force himself to mature. From being a goofy and playful older brother who loved to sleep in, to someone who'd already be busy in the morning and somehow always tired, a sad look evident in his eyes. Especially when their younger brothers started to enter the picture.

He would notice how there would already be breakfast on the table once he awakes, how JD would immediately take action whenever either Clay or Floyd would start to cry or throw a tantrum, immediately running to their side cheering them up, and how the eldest would always be the last to sleep and the first to wake up the next day.

He'd also witnessed John start Brozone, and he'd do his best to help, just wanting to see his brother genuinely smile again. All he wanted was to see the brother who would give him piggyback rides every morning as their mom would make breakfast, the brother who'd easily laugh at his jokes and make funny faces all the time, the brother who'd chase him around the pod then proceeding to tickle him relentlessly once he caught him. He just wants his older brother back. To see him again.

But after years passed, and his younger brothers started to get involved in the boyband and a new baby arrives (Branch), that hope started to feel impossible. John was now annoying, controlling, and obsessed with being perfect. Barely thinking about the well-being of others at this point, his only goal is to please the fans and make sure Brozone is in top shape.

Bruce hated this. He hated the toxicity weighing down their relationship as brothers. He hated always being told to do better because it's always never enough. He hated John, and it hurts him to feel that way towards his first friend, and now first enemy.

And so you bet it broke his heart immensely when the boyband broke up, and that John was the first to leave. Not even leaving with a proper goodbye or a guarantee that he's coming back. Not even bothering to look back at any of his brothers, not even to him.

But even if he was so angry and tired of his shit that night, a distant part of his heart sobbed when John left the pod. If he didn't have self-control and pride, he'd probably just break down there and then. But instead, he also walked out, desperate to leave and finally be able to breathe again.

Fast forward to 20 years later, you bet it took every bit of Bruce's willpower not to tackle John in a tight hug once he laid his eyes on him again. Despite the heartaches and tears JD had caused in the past, he was still his brother, and he may not admit it out loud, but he still loves John, so much, and he missed him, so so badly.

Hi! So i just had an idea and knew I had to write about it right away!

John and Bruce's dynamic as siblings is totally underrated and smth we need to talk about more often ^ i love them both sm and i'd love to see them together more often and know of their relationship with one another <3

[Also i headcanon that Bruce called John Johnny as a kid, and when he calls him that now that they're older, JD is smitten and moved to tears]

Thxs for reading! Thoughts?

#brozone #john dory #trolls band together #dreamworks trolls #john dory and bruce need to talk more #trolls bruce #siblings #trolls headcanons

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moonlightdreamzz · 5 months

Text

FOR LIFE — Choi Yeonjun

SUMMARY ✰ You don’t want to bother your ex-boyfriend, Yeonjun, but in the midst of intense heartbreak and questioning why the ones you love always leave you, you have no choice but to invite him over to help you make sense of it.

GENRE ✰ Ex!Yeonjun, Firstlove!Yeonjun, ANGST

🎧 ➤ For Life by EXO

You swipe down on your phone to check the time, which reads 10:00PM.

Your lower lip is practically bleeding from how hard you're biting it, all because of the nervousness you feel as you hover over Yeonjun's phone number. You know you shouldn't reach out to him, even though the last time he saw you, six months ago, his lips planted a delicate kiss on your forehead and he assured you that you could call him whenever you need him.

It’s selfish though, is it not? To interrupt whatever peace he’s gained since the two of you broke up, all because you haven’t been able to find your own? A year and a half has passed, and based off of the scraps of his life he’s allowed you to have through social media, he seems so much better off. He’s constantly traveling, glowing, and you know him—he’s way too beautiful and perfect to not have replaced you by now.

“Fuck it.” You utter. With a shaky thumb, and a quivering voice, you press the call button. You have no clue whether he’ll pick up the phone for you. All you know is that more than anything, you need to hear his voice, and as your first love, and the only ex you don’t absolutely despise, he’s the only person qualified to assist you in this moment.

You’re sitting on the floor in-front of your bed in fetal position, rocking back and forth to the sound of the phone ringing. After three rings, it stops, and so does your heart for a second. Did he send you to voicemail? He probably did. I mean, you would've sent yourself to voicemail if you're being completely honest.

“Hello?”

His voice is clear and unwavering, and now you're frozen in place. Your mouth opens and then closes repeatedly, but words refuse to come out of your mouth and you aren't sure why.

"Hello? Y/N? Maybe she called by accident." He mutters. You hear him getting out of his chair in his studio, the squeaky sound instantly reminding you of all the times you curled up into his lap, content as long as you're with him, but silently wishing he'd give it up for the night and take you home so the two of you could sleep.

“Um, it’s me. Me, as in Y/N. Wait—you know that already.”

You start to relax a little when you hear his consoling chuckle that he uses when you're amusing him. “You don’t think I deleted your number, did you?” You don’t have to see him to know that his left brow has raised teasingly.

“Well it has been a long time.”

“It doesn’t matter how much time has passed. I told you that you can call me whenever. I’m always going to care about you.”

You know he’s a saint—everybody does, but it still catches you off guard every time. His tone is so genuine, and you can hear his the confident smile he’s wearing on his face. He knows he has you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, holding in your squeal of excitement that you would totally let out if he wasn’t still on the other line.

“Thanks.”

“Is that all you called for? To hear my voice? I didn’t know we were allowed to do that.”

Your eyes shut, and without regret, you slap yourself on the forehead. God, why is he still so good at taking your breath away? “No.” You sigh, “I just—I really just…ugh.”

“Take your time.” He coos.

“Yeonjun.” You wine, a shy hiccup escaping your throat.

“Okay, I’m sorry. It’s just so easy to tease you. What’s wrong?”

“If I’m being honest, I’m a mess.”

“You’re not a mess, Y/N. Don’t say that.”

Had this been a few months ago, you’d stop him right there, asking him if you’re truly not a mess, why didn’t he stay? But that would ruin the mood, wouldn’t it? You hate how quick your emotions change. You were happy to hear his voice—enjoying your nostalgic back and forth, but now your entire body feels icky and tears are welling up in your eyes.

“Well something isn’t right, because I keep giving my all to people and they keep sucking the life out of me and leaving.”

Silence.

“Can I come over?” He says. You don’t know whether to be surprised or not. You know him—he probably felt a rush of guilt from your subtle, but sharp words. Guilt is what you believe kept the two of you together as long as you were. You really don’t know the truth, because all he said when he broke up with you is the cop-out “I’m too overwhelmed” instead of saying what it really was.

“I mean—yeah, of course. But you don’t have to. You actually can hang up and pretend I never called if you want. This is weird anyways for you I’m sure.” You force a laugh to try and lighten the mood, and he mimics you.

“I owe it to you. I’ll be over in like thirty minutes.” Is all he says before hanging up.

The room suddenly feels both emptier and warmer after Yeonjun's promise to come over. You take a deep breath, a mix of relief and apprehension settling within you. The rhythmic ticking of the clock becomes more pronounced as you gather your thoughts, realizing the gravity of what you've just set in motion.

After what seems like an eternity, a soft knock interrupts the silence. You hesitate for a moment before getting up, your legs feeling like jelly. You open the door, and there he is, Yeonjun, with that familiar reassuring smile.

"Hey," he greets, his eyes reflecting genuine concern.

Ah, there it was. The paralyzation of your mind and mouth whenever your orbs greeted each other. It didn’t matter how long you prepared your words, everything always disappeared when he was in-front of you. What did you invite him over for again?

You manage a nervous laugh, realizing the irony of the situation. "I think I invited you over to... discuss life, or maybe just to remind myself what it feels like to have someone who understands." You slowly back away from the door, which allows him to step in. Flashbacks of him being nose to nose with you try to creep in, but you’re still fighting.

Yeonjun smirks, his eyes holding a playful glint. "Well, I'm here for both, and anything else you need. Discussing life is kind of my specialty."

The room settles into a comfortable quietude, filled only with the soft hum of distant city sounds. Yeonjun's presence brings a warmth that transcends the physical space, as if the air is charged with the shared history between you two.

"Can I sit?" Yeonjun questions softly. He refuses to look at the couch, and you wonder if it’s because he can’t help but be reminded of every kiss, touch, and comfort the two of you have shared on its worn cushions.

You nod, giving him permission as you try to read the emotions flickering in his eyes. He chooses a spot on the floor instead, perhaps opting for a neutral space that doesn't carry the weight of history.

The silence stretches for a moment, both of you enveloped in your thoughts. You can't help but steal glances at him, the playfulness from earlier replaced by a quiet contemplation. The ghost of a smile tugs at his lips, hinting at the shared nostalgia.

“So.” You utter.

“So.” He repeats.

“I uh—you’re my first love.”

"I know," he replies softly, a mixture of understanding and a hint of regret in his voice.

"My first... everything," you remind yourself in the moment, the vulnerability in your words echoing the raw emotions that brought him to your apartment tonight.

Yeonjun shifts on the floor, adjusting to the weight of your confession. "I remember," he says, his tone gentle. "It's not something you easily forget."

A bittersweet smile plays on your lips as you recall the shared moments that shaped your past. "You left, though. You left me wondering what was wrong with me."

He looks down, his fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns on the floor. "Y/N, I didn't leave because of you. It was me, my own issues. I didn't handle things the way I should have."

Your eyes meet his, searching for sincerity in the depths of his gaze. "But it felt like I wasn't enough. Just like now, with someone else. I keep wondering if there's something inherently wrong with me."

Yeonjun sighs, a heavy exhale that carries the weight of shared struggles. "Y/N, it's not you. You're not the problem. Sometimes people leave not because of who you are, but because of where they are in their own journey. It took me a while to understand that."

You take a deep breath, the truth settling in your chest. "I just wanted you to know... why I called you tonight. It's like history repeating itself, and I needed someone who understands."

Yeonjun's gaze softens, a silent invitation for you to share your story. The weight of unshed tears lingers in your eyes as you begin to unravel the painful narrative of your recent past.

"It's Yuta," you admit, the name carrying a bitter taste on your tongue. "He came into my life when I was convinced I was done with relationships. Said all the right things, made me believe there was something real between us."

Yeonjun listens, his expression a mix of empathy and concern. You trace invisible patterns on your palms, a feeble attempt to anchor yourself in the vulnerability of the moment.

"But the moment I started to like him, he turned distant, hot and cold," you continue, your voice cracking slightly. "It was like he played this game, and I didn't understand the rules. One day he was all in, and the next, he acted like we were strangers."

Yeonjun's jaw tightens, a subtle display of the protective instinct he still holds for you. "He doesn't deserve you," he says, his voice carrying an undercurrent of anger.

The pain in your chest intensifies as you delve deeper into the tangled web of emotions. "I thought I was over these insecurities, that I could move on. But it hurts, Yeonjun. It hurts to feel like I'm not enough, like no matter how hard I try, someone will always find a reason to leave."

Tears threaten to spill over, and you look away, hoping to hide the vulnerability etched across your face. The room feels suffocating, a reminder of the cycles of heartache you find yourself trapped in.

But the echoes of Yuta's actions linger, reopening old wounds and casting shadows on the love that once bloomed in this very room. The irony of finding solace in the person who was once the source of your joy is not lost on you, and the weight of it all presses heavily on your shoulders.

In a desperate attempt to redirect the overwhelming emotions, you turn to Yeonjun, your voice trembling. "Why did you leave, Yeonjun? Was it me? Am I too much, too clingy? Not pretty enough? I need to understand."

Your words spill out in a frantic torrent, the questions forming a chaotic symphony in your mind. The room seems to close in as you anxiously await his response, fingers twisting together in a silent plea for clarity.

Yeonjun's eyes flicker with guilt, a deep-rooted understanding of the pain he once caused you. "Y/N, it's not about you. It never was. I had my own issues, my own demons. I ran because I was scared, and I didn't know how to face them."

"But why?" you press, desperation lacing your voice. "I need to know. I can't keep replaying scenarios in my head, wondering what I did wrong."

He runs a hand through his hair, a gesture of frustration. "It's not about you being too much or not enough. You were everything. It's about me not being enough for myself."

Your heart pounds in your chest, the words sinking in but offering little solace. The uncertainty gnaws at your sanity, and you're on the verge of a breakdown without even realizing it. The fear of inadequacy, the fear of repeating the same cycle with Yeonjun that you did with Yuta—it's all too much to bear.

"I just wanted to be good enough for you," you admit, your voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted to be enough for someone, anyone."

The room hangs in a fragile balance, the unspoken emotions swirling between you and Yeonjun. The weight of your insecurities crashes against the fragile walls you've built, threatening to break you down completely. As you grapple with the echoes of your past and the uncertainty of the present, you find yourself caught in a storm of emotions, hoping that somewhere in this chaos, you can find the answers you so desperately seek.

Yeonjun's frustration simmers beneath the surface, a storm gathering in the calm of his expression. His eyes, once warm, now reflect the turmoil within. He takes a deep breath, his words measured but carrying an edge of exasperation.

"Y/N, I need you to understand," he begins, his tone low but intense. "You didn't make it easy for me to leave. In fact, you were the hardest person to walk away from. But being around you, it felt suffocating."

Your heart skips a beat, the words hitting you like a punch to the gut. "What do you mean?"

He runs his hands through his hair, a gesture of frustration. "You're perfect, Y/N. An angel. I'm not. I never was. Being with you highlighted everything I wasn't. It was like standing next to a light so bright, I couldn't help but cast a darker shadow."

His confession hangs in the air, the weight of his words sinking into the very core of your being. The truth, raw and unfiltered, leaves you speechless.

"And you," he continues, his eyes never leaving yours, "you attract darkness, not because there's something wrong with you, but because you're so full of light. Some people, like Yuta, and every guy before him, they weren't ready for that light. They wanted to take your good energy and use it to mask their own dark souls, leaving you with the shattered pieces."

Tears blur your vision as the truth unravels before you. The ache in your chest deepens, the realization settling in that the very qualities that make you extraordinary are the ones that others find intimidating, overwhelming.

Yeonjun's frustration morphs into a deep sense of regret, his eyes pleading for your understanding. "I wasn't ready for you, Y/N. I was too consumed by my own darkness. It's not about you being too much. It's about me not being enough for someone as pure and good as you."

There’s a silence that’s so sharp, it’s suffocating.

"Why don't you hate me?" he questions, his gaze searching yours. "After everything, after being the first one to abandon you, why don't you hate me like you seem to hate everyone else?"

In the dimly lit room, as the shadows dance across Yeonjun's features, you find yourself captivated by the familiar lines of his face. The subtle play of light highlights the contours, and you take a moment to appreciate the details that you've come to cherish.

His eyes, deep and expressive, hold a universe of emotions that have both comforted and challenged you. You remember the times they sparkled with laughter, the warmth that enveloped you in moments of shared joy. Now, in the quiet of the room, they reflect a mixture of concern and care, amplifying the intensity of your emotions.

You look at him, a myriad of emotions playing on your face. "I honestly don't know, Yeonjun. All I know is that you're the only one I can't get over. The one my mind always takes me back to. I love you, and I don't want to, but I do."

The weight of your admission hangs in the air, and you can feel the vulnerability of your heart laid bare. Yeonjun's eyes widen slightly, registering the depth of your words. His silence carries a mixture of surprise and understanding, and in that moment, you wonder if your hearts are resonating in the quiet space between you.

"Y/N, I never wanted to hurt you like this. Knowing that I'm the one you can't get over, despite everything, makes me feel a thousand times worse."

"Yeonjun," your voice trembles, "is there any part of you that still loves me?"

For a moment, Yeonjun hesitates, his eyes flickering away from yours as if avoiding the intensity of your gaze. The air seems to thicken, anticipation mourning. Finally, he meets your eyes again, his expression a mix of sadness and resolution.

"Y/N, I..." he pauses, choosing his words carefully, "I've loved you, and a part of me probably always will. But it's been a long time, and I've had to accept that you deserve more than I could give you. You deserve someone who won't hurt you, who can give you the love and stability you deserve."

Your doe-like, teary eyes lock onto his, seeking the truth that you've been denied for so long. You can sense the sincerity in his words, and even though the truth stings, there's a part of you that appreciates the honesty you've yearned for.

"Thank you for being honest with me, Yeonjun," you say, your voice barely above a whisper. It's a bittersweet acknowledgment, a painful acceptance of the reality you've been avoiding.

Yeonjun's inner monologue swirls with conflicting emotions as he observes you, the ache in his chest almost palpable. As he maintains his gaze on you, his internal struggle remains concealed behind a veil of remorse. While he acknowledges his shortcomings and the belief that he doesn't deserve you, there's a tumultuous storm of conflicting emotions within him.

I want to kiss her. The thought echoes in his mind like a persistent whisper, each word resonating with a desire that threatens to consume him. As he sees the pain in your eyes, the longing to comfort you intensifies. He imagines the taste of your lips, the warmth of your embrace—familiar sensations that once brought solace and joy.

To fall into her, to sob into her chest. The yearning is raw, a deep ache that transcends physical touch. He imagines the release of tears, the vulnerability of exposing his soul to you. The safety he once found in your embrace feels like a distant memory, and the realization of the chasm between them intensifies the pain.

I wish I could be toxic. The admission lingers in his thoughts, a confession he's never dared to voice. The allure of toxic patterns, the chaos that might temporarily numb the pain, has crossed his mind. But he refrains, acknowledging the destructive consequences it would bring to both of you.

I don't want to disappoint her ever again. The final realization echoes with a profound truth. The fear of letting you down, of causing more pain, holds him back from laying bare the entirety of his emotions. His commitment to your well-being, despite the internal chaos, remains unwavering.

You're too caught up in the sound of your heart breaking to notice the whirlwind in his mind.

Once again, the room falls silent. Neither of you knows what to do or say. Lost in your own thoughts, you both stare through each other, searching for a way through the emotional haze.

Breaking the silence, Yeonjun takes a step closer, his hand reaching out to tenderly caress your cheek. The warmth of his touch sends a shiver through your body, the sensation a paradoxical mixture of comfort and ache. "Goodnight," he murmurs, his eyes holding a depth of emotions he's yet to articulate. "I hope I helped, even a little."

As he turns to leave, the gravitational pull of his departure becomes palpable. The door seems both a physical and emotional barrier, and it's in this charged moment that you act on an impulse you can no longer suppress. Your hand reaches out, grasping his arm, pulling him back towards you.

His eyes widen with surprise, and before either of you can fully comprehend the situation, your lips meet in a kiss that holds the weight of shared history and unspoken desires. The kiss is a magnetic collision, a dance of emotions too long confined. Yeonjun responds immediately, the barriers crumbling as he embraces the intimacy of the moment.

In the heat of the moment, Yeonjun lifts you effortlessly, your legs wrapping around him as he carries you towards the bedroom. The physical and emotional boundaries blur as you lose yourselves in the shared journey, an exploration of a space where the weight of the past can be confronted and, perhaps, rewritten.

Behind the closed bedroom door, the air crackles with intensity as the kiss deepens, becoming a language of its own. Yeonjun's hands explore the familiar landscape of your body, each touch igniting a spark of desire that had long been dormant. The warmth of the room mirrors the heat between you, and as your bodies meld, the boundaries that once confined you seem to dissolve.

With a gentle urgency, Yeonjun lowers you onto the bed, the weight of his body pressing against yours. The layers of clothing become obstacles, and with a shared understanding, you begin to dismantle the barriers that separate you. The room becomes a haven for rediscovery, a sanctuary where past wounds are soothed by the tender exploration of each other's skin.

As you both lie together, catching your breath, the room feels charged with unspoken feelings. In the quiet aftermath, Yeonjun looks into your eyes, and in that moment, you sense a promise of healing and a new beginning. The heaviness of the past isn't gone, but it feels a bit lighter, as if the shared vulnerability and intimacy of the night have carried some of the weight away.

As the stillness settles over the room, a soft plea escapes your lips, breaking the quiet. "Stay, just for tonight," you murmur, your eyes reflecting a vulnerability that has long been concealed. "I want to feel loved, even if it's just for a little while."

Yeonjun, his gaze holding a mixture of understanding and remorse, sighs. The weight of the unspoken hangs in the air, but there's a tenderness in his eyes that speaks of shared pain. In that moment, he reaches out and brushes your braid from your face, his touch a gentle reassurance.

"I can stay," he says somberly, a promise laced with the acknowledgment of the complexities between you. "Just for tonight."

#txt #yeonjun #kpop black reader #txt imagines #yeonjun imagines #txt angst #tomorrow x together #txt yeonjun #kpop ambw #kpop imagines #txt scenarios #kpop x black reader #Yeonjun imagine #yeonjun angst

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im-sleepdeprived · 12 days

Text

Crazier • Pt. 2

wc: 8.8k (but totally worth it i PROMISE)

pairing: mcu!peter parker x reader

a/n: part two is here! she's a little long but i swear i've never had so much fun writing and editing a fic so i promiseeee its totally worth it !!! i love this one so much so please pleaseee let me know what you think ! i love talking to you guys (i feel the need to tell yall this is totally a PETER x reader fic you’ll understand but DONT WORRY ITS JUST FOR PLOT BRO)

warning: literally nothing, a few f-bombs, and kids going psycho (in the best way) at school

read part 1 here

The weird, auto-tuned, voice startled you and made you turn around, wiping your eyes so you could see clearly. When you saw who it was you rubbed your eyes again for good measure because there was no way.

"Huh?" you said meekly, mentally slapping face palming for acting so dumb in front of New York's hero.

His head tilted and his masked face shifted in what you could only guess was a grin, "I said can I walk you home? It's pretty dark and I don't really trust the streets and, trust me, I would know. Plus, your crying and being distracted is really dangerous."

"I'm not crying," you were, in fact, crying. It was obvious to both of you. Your red eyes and pink stuffy nose, despite trying to fight the tears so you could get home, only came in harder.

"Ok well I'm just gonna ignore the fact that you're totally lying and ask again, can I walk you home?" despite there being a weird robotic tinge to his voice, you thought he sounded desperate. Plus you didn't really think he'd take a 'no' as an answer. Or if you were even allowed to give him that answer, he was a superhero after all.

So you nodded and his entire posture seemed to relax when you hadn't even realized he seemed tense. Wow, he must take his job seriously. You started walking, silently leading the way as he followed right beside you.

"Can I ask why you're crying?"

"You just did," you replied flatly not really meaning to sound so mean despite the tone you had used.

You sighed, "Shit, I'm sorry Mr. Spider-Man, here you are being all nice trying to make sure I get home all right and I'm being a total ass."

"No it's all right, you don't have to answer if you don't want to I just wanted to make sure everything was alright," his tone was soft, and somehow, despite not knowing him at all, you felt like you could trust him.

"I broke up with my boyfriend," you whispered and you weren't really sure if he would catch it, but he did.

"He must've been real stupid for you to do that, huh?"

You laughed. "God yes," your humor died down and your face fell, "but he was a great boyfriend, y'know, just...before he wasn't."

You passed the cafe that was near your apartment building when he asked, "What'd he do that made you snap?"

You were silent for a minute, debating whether you should answer that or not when you finally stopped in front of your building making him pause beside you as well.

"Well we're here," you slapped your hands together as you stood there awkwardly.

"Yeah, yeah. Um, maybe we could chat again sometime, totally friendly, of course," he added the last part rushed, waving his hands slightly. It made you laugh genuinely this time.

"Sure bug boy, I hang out on the roof a lot." you could actually use a friend to talk to after today. "If you're ever swinging by and you see me, you should stop to say hey."

"Really," Peter felt weird, you two had always sat on your apartment roof together, climbing up from your fire escape. And now he'd never get the chance to do it again. Not as Peter at least, but here you were inviting Spider-Man to hang out with you again.

He decided he'd take what he could get.

You smiled slightly and turned around to go inside when he spoke up again, "Wait how does tonight sound?" He asked, and if you didn't know any better you might even say he sounded nervous. That only made you smile more.

"Tonight sounds great," you said., "Oh. And thanks for walking me home. I really appreciate it." You shoot him one last smile before finally turning around and getting inside.

Despite it being dark on your way home, it wasn't that late, it was just winter. You started your homework and worked swiftly, not giving in to any of the distractions you usually did. You wanted to be completely free tonight. Maybe befriending Spider-Man would help improve your grades too.

When the clock struck 9 p.m. and your parents went to bed, you closed your door and silently locked it before walking over to the window and pushing it open.

You grabbed a book and headed up, deciding to read until he got there. It was freezing despite the big sweater you were wearing. After waiting five minutes and him still being a no-show, you decided to go make some tea.

Making your way down, you made two mugs of tea as quietly as you could without waking anyone in the apartment. It didn't take long and soon enough you were carefully making your way up the fire escape again, trying your best not to spill any of the hot liquid.

While you were focused on steadily moving so you didn't spill your drinks, you didn't notice the masked hero sitting on the ledge.

"There you are," his voice startled you but, miraculously, the tea didn't spill, "I've been waiting for like, forever." You had a feeling he rolled his eyes.

"Oh shut up," you handed him a mug, "I was just up here dumbass. But it got cold so I decided to make us something hot."

He used his free hand to put a finger on his chin, tilting his head, as if in thought, "Having trouble deciding if I should be offended you called me a dumbass or flattered that you made me a cup of tea."

You laughed out loud and he felt his heart flutter, the sound a nice contrast to the yelling that had gone down between you two earlier that day.

"Wait so I never got your name," he asked in fake interest. Obviously, he didn't need you to tell him. But you didn't know that.

"Y/N. what's yours?" you asked innocently and it was his turn to laugh. "Ha! Nice try," he joked and you just shrugged.

"Whatcha reading?" He pointed towards the book you had brought up with you, "Business or pleasure?"

You laughed, and grabbed the book, "Definitely pleasure. It's my favorite actually. I've read it too many times to count."

His heart fell a little. Your favorite? How did he not know that? He remembered the cover though..or maybe just the color scheme of it. The more he thought about it the more he realized he didn't really remember the book at all. God, he really couldn't blame you for ending things.

"Can you tell me about it," he asked softly. He loved it when you went on about a topic you loved and all the facial expressions and hand motions that came with your storytelling.

"Are you kidding? I can write a 20-page essay about this book," you scoffed lightly, "but I really don't wanna bore you so it's okay."

"No way! I asked, so how would you bore me. Tell me about it, maybe I'll pick it up from the next bookstore I pass."

So you did. You went on and on about certain themes that stood out to you while reading, and how important some lessons were. You showed him your annotations and notes and he realized you really weren't joking about the '20-page-essay' quip.

He loved the way you were so passionate about the subject and all the thought you'd put into this. But seeing you like this made him realize something, it'd been so long since you'd been like this with him. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't really remember the last time you'd gone on one of these little rants with him.

Some time while you were talking you'd both finished your tea (him only pulling up his mask to the tip of his nose, taking a sip, and quickly bringing it back down. he didn't wanna risk anything), setting the cups far to the side.

He let you finish before talking, "Wow that's a lot to take in, am I the only person who's been fortunate enough to have this wisdom passed onto them?"

You laughed, "Kinda, yeah."

That shocked him a little, at least if you hadn't shared it with him he thought you might've talked about it with MJ. He might not have known much (apparently) but he knew how much you loved to talk about a book after you read it, whether you liked it or not. And the fact that this was your favorite and you'd read it multiple times and hadn't shared it with anyone was weird to him.

"Really? How come? Are your friends not into reading," he asked, trying to be subtle.

You just shrugged, "I don't really have friends," he made a sound of disbelief which made you chuckle before continuing, "I mean obviously I have friends in the traditional sense of the word but I'm not close enough with anyone to just speak my thoughts like that, y'know?"

He tried, he really did, but he could feel the hurt coursing through him, did you never feel comfortable enough around him?

"Really? you seem like the kind of person who has too many friends. What about your boyfriend?"

"ex-boyfriend," you corrected him bitterly, and it left him wondering if you felt that same pang of hurt adding those two extra letters that changed everything.

"Right," he said quietly, "but still, did you never feel comfortable enough around him?" He knew it wasn't his place to ask you such questions, hell it wasn't his place to be talking to you at all, you had made that clear, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't just leave you alone to walk home alone, hurt, and in the dark. And now, he really wanted to know what your answer to his question would be.

You wanted to make a joke about how he was really going at it with the questions but you didn't have it in you. So you just thought about it a little before answering, "Well of course I was comfortable with him, at one point I guess, he wasn't just my boyfriend he was my best friend. And I guess that's what really sucks the most about the breakup.

"He was the only person I shared anything with but it just got to the point where I used to try and talk about anything and he'd just blow me off. It happened a few times before I just stopped altogether, it hurt too much when it felt like he didn't care. I stopped and it was like 'If I don't say anything, I can't get hurt'. If I didn't talk then I wouldn't feel that rejection again and I always had the little part in the back of my brain that said 'Of course he cares but don't say anything, just in case.'

"He's a busy guy, and I get that, I really do. I just never thought he'd get so busy he wouldn't care about me anymore."

You hadn't realized how close you'd come to tears until you felt yourself sniffle, "Shit, sorry," you laughed bitterly, "I didn't mean to get emotional, it's whatever now, it's over."

Peter heard his heart crack. Saying he felt terrible was an understatement. He felt horrendous that he made you feel that way, even worse that he didn't even realize that he did until you just said so.

"God I'm so sorry," he said, his voice feeling weak and he was extra thankful for the new voice-changer he'd been using lately. "He sounds like a total jerk." He was, he definitely was.

You force a little smile, "Oh well," you shrugged, "we'll both move on."

But deep down, neither of you believed that.

You had a long night. Turns out your city's hero had a lot more to him than you'd originally thought. He was extremely funny, always making little remarks about everything, and he was a great listener. Not a boring one either, he asked questions and seemed genuinely interested in what you were saying.

It was the main thing on your mind that day that you almost forgot the problem at hand. Almost.

Going back to school was something you were dreading. You didn't want to see Peter at all, just thinking about it was totally ruining your mood.

You arrived and headed straight for MJ's locker. You tapped her shoulder, "Heyyyy," you said, making her narrow her eyes at you.

"What happened," she deadpanned and you sighed. You rubbed the bridge of your nose just making her more skeptical.

"Peter and I broke up." You said softly, not meeting her eyes. If you had, you would've seen they were filled with rage.

"What," she asked lowly making you look up. You two were good friends but you didn't really think she'd care much, just because MJ wasn't the best at showing emotions like that.

"Yeah, yesterday after rehearsal I broke up with him. He pushed it too far," you shrugged trying to put it off as nothing but she could see right through your charade.

"C'mere," she slammed her locker shut and interlocked your arms together making you smile in delight. This was so unlike her and you were going to enjoy every moment.

It was like that, your elbows locked together, you beaming and her with a dead-set look on her face as you headed for first period. You were so caught up in the joy of MJ being a little touchy-feely for once that you didn't realize she wasn't actually headed towards class but instead down the hall towards the locker of your ex.

Luckily you caught on while you were still a few feet away, dragging her to a stop in the student-packed hall.

"Hey, hey, hey. What do you think you're doing?" You looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Going to chew out your ex-boyfriend for being a dick," she said as if it were obvious.

You snuck a glance at him just in time to see him swerving his head opposite direction. So, he had definitely seen you. You shook your head, "Mj you can't do that, you'll scare him so bad you'll send him into cardiac arrest."

She cracked a smile at that until she looked in his direction and her face fell again, "No way. I'm gonna beat him into a pulp I swear-"

"Michelle," she tensed as you used her full name, "I'm fine. In fact, I broke up with him." Her shoulders deflated. "I'm not letting him off the hook that easily," she mumbled and you nodded, not really expecting her to. "I'm gonna give him the death stare all day long." She continued.

"And I'm sure he'll turn to stone by the end of the day," you said reassuringly. Her face lifted a little.

"But if he even tries to pull some stupid shit, I will not hesitate," she gave you a look that said 'this is the one thing you have no say over' and you nodded again. Anything as long as she didn't approach him and embarrass the three of you in the crowded school hallways.

She seemed satisfied with that answer, and so you both turned around to actually get to class this time but not before you snuck another glance at Peter who, for some reason, was looking a little paler than a few seconds ago. Even a little..scared? Maybe he heard MJ's threats, you humored yourself, turning your head away from him again. But that was impossible because the halls were way too crowded for him to have overheard you both. Not to mention you were still a ways away from him.

The rest of the day went by easier than you thought it would, with extremely minimal interactions with Peter. none, in fact, after the MJ incident (who had stuck by your side all day like your own personal bodyguard).

Of course, it might've been because you were avoiding him. You knew his schedule well and you knew where he'd be at almost all hours of the day. Even in your shared classes, you'd charmed some other students into switching seats with you so you didn't have to sit beside him anymore.

There was no rehearsal today so you dragged MJ to get ice cream with you, despite her initial refusal. You just needed a distraction, you didn't feel like going home and drowning in your thoughts for the rest of the day so you were gonna stall as much as you could.

You paid for your ice creams and MJ chose a booth in the back for you both to sit at. Once upon a time, you all used to come here as a group (you, MJ, Ned, and Peter) and sometimes just you and Peter alone on simple dates. The memories hurt to think about so you pushed them aside trying to only focus on the sweetness of your chocolate ice cream.

"So why'd you do it," MJ asked bluntly. You looked at her and furrowed your brows, not knowing what she meant.

She sighed, "Why'd you break up with him? I can see how down in the dumps you've been all day, you clearly didn't want to do it, so why did you?" She didn't ask it in a nosy manner, just simply, as if she were asking you for today's date.

You exhaled slowly, trying to buy yourself time because as much as you didn't want to answer her question, you had to. You felt as if you owed her that much with how extra kind and supportive she was acting today, despite that going against her usual personality. And plus, she was your friend so she should know.

"You know how he was MJ, I always told you," you sighed. You look down and start picking at your nails. "He just promised that he'd be there for one of my rehearsals claiming that, since they meant so much to me, he should go to one. And even though I kept telling him no and that he probably wouldn't be able to make it, he promised,

"He promised, and he still couldn't show up. So it just made me start thinking, and if he can't keep his word with simple things like that, how can I trust him with bigger things like a relationship? All the other times he's bailed on me, no explanation, and I'd just feel so stupid and hurt after getting stood up again. And I just snapped I guess."

MJ nodded solemnly as the bell above the door rang. Just out of curiosity, you looked up from your ice cream and you immediately wished you hadn't because walking in was Peter and Ned.

"Speak of the devil," you muttered as you buried your head down, letting your hair cover your face. MJ gave you a confused look before turning around and seeing just what you were talking about. She muttered a few profanities before grabbing your hand and dragging you up by your wrist.

As soon as you stood up two pairs of eyes landed on the both of you and before you could even think about where to run away, Ned was heading towards you with Peter right at his heels.

You cringed and MJ stood up straighter and tensed. You put a hand on her shoulder to remind her to relax and not turn on 'kill mode' yet.

"Hey guys," Ned said smiling big and for a second you thought maybe Peter didn't tell him about the breakup. Until you saw him send a not-so-subtle slap to the back of his shoulder but Ned ignored it.

"Hey Ned," you said softly giving him a tight smile and avoiding Peter's eyes despite feeling them burning holes into your skin. MJ just stood stiffly.

"Funny running into you guys here huh? Me and Pete just came here for a little treat, y'know we need a pick-me-up after that math quiz," he laughed and you forced a small chuckle. You two seemed to be the only ones trying, Peter was just staring at you the whole time and MJ was glaring at him, waiting for him to try something so she had an excuse to pounce.

"Say, aren't you in the same class Y/N? How was the test for you," he asked, clearly trying to keep the conversation flowing but as you opened your mouth to answer, someone else did.

"Well, this has been just great. Not," MJ said which made heat rush to your face. As uncomfortable as you were, you never wanted to be rude to them, especially Ned. He had done nothing wrong and he was only being nice.

"But Y/N and I have plans to be elsewhere so see ya later Leeds. And Parker, you might want to blink before your eyeballs dry out, not that I'd mind," she muttered the last part but you all still heard it so you sent a slap to her arm. She just shrugged as you turned towards Ned, still avoiding even looking at Peter, "Yea it was nice to see you Ned but we do have somewhere to be so we should catch up some other time," you tried more politely.

"Yeah, of course," he sent you another smile as MJ dragged you by your arm out the door and you waved lamely at him. You both stopped as the door closed behind you. you inhaled deeply, trying to calm your nerves.

"Oh my fuck, that was stressful," you muttered.

MJ gave you a sympathetic look before gesturing to follow her, "Come on, let's find somewhere else to hang out."

you followed her and looked into the window of the shop where you saw Peter and Ned hunched over whispering about something. probably about how awkward that interaction was.

"Come on y/n, pleaseeeeeee," Lexi begged, giving you big, wide, puppy dog eyes.

It was the next day after school and you were currently being bombarded by the whole cast and crew to play a big round of truth or dare with them.

So they sent Lexi to convince you, knowing how close you two were. And also how stubborn she was.

"But we have work to do," you whined pathetically. "Y/N honestly everything is done. and plus, we have one more rehearsal before opening night so if we did miss anything, which we didn't, we'll get it done that day," someone else from the crowd yelled, the rest yelling in agreement.

They were especially laying it on you because Mrs. Lightbody was absent today, leaving you in charge alone.

"Y/N/N, what are you even worrying about," Lexi asked, "you have everything memorized down to a 't'. Like, honestly, if any one of us had to bail last minute you could totally take over because I know you have every part of the script memorized." Everyone else was laughing in agreement and you looked down knowing it was true.

"I mean, come on, isn't truth or dare such a 'seventh grade' kinda game," you tried for measly, knowing that what she said was true, almost everything was ready for the big day and the minor stuff left could be taken care of at the last rehearsal.

"Well if you don't wanna play truth or dare we can always do something else," Lexi offered, giddy at the fact that you might actually agree.

"How about a scavenger hunt," someone suggested.

"Yeah! Me and Jack can write up a bunch of lists of tasks to do and items to gather. It'll take us less than 10 minutes," Lacy offered.

Everyone looked around and you finally spoke up, "Sure why not," you gave in and everyone started cheering, some even whistling, "A bunch of kids running around an empty school? What could go wrong?" you told them, the whole group laughing loud.

Everyone lounged around for a few minutes while Lacy and Jack laid out somewhere on the stage, pulling out a bunch of empty papers and started writing on them. You watched as Jack said something that made Lacy laugh, making a blush form on his cheeks. it had once been like that with me and Peter, you thought, but you tried not to let that bitter feeling seep in again.

As if sensing your distress, Lexi came over and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, "Hey," she said softly, "maybe this'll be good for you, y'know. You work really hard and you need something to forget about that Parker kid for once. so let's go wild and run around the school a bit." you smiled, thinking about how ridiculous this whole thing really was and how Mrs. Lightbody would endlessly scold you if she ever found out. but you also couldn't help the excitement bubbling in you. this sounded like a lot of fun.

"Yea, you're right," you agreed and you both lounged out on the stairs on the side of the stage until Jack stood up on the center stage and whistled, gathering everyone's attention.

he waited, Lacy beside him holding a bunch of paper scraps, until everyone was close until he began, "Fellow children of theater," he started dramatically, "I hold before you midtown's very first, annual, theater games." everyone cheered and clapped.

"You may gather into groups, as many as you like, just no more than four to a group, please. Now if you will, sort yourselves, and once your group is ready, come grab the paper that will have your tasks from Lady Lacy." He finished and motioned to Lacy who took a bow and everyone clapped once more. Man, you were gonna miss these kids once this play was over.

you and Lexi decided that you were just going to go together but as you were getting ready to get up on stage, Brad Davis approached you two.

"Hey," he greeted with that charming smile of his. Lexi greeted him while you waved silently beside her.

"Mind if I join you two," he asked the both of you, but his eyes were only on you, searching for your reaction to his question.

"Of course Brad," Lexi said, being the overly polite person she was. He nodded but he was still looking at you hopefully so you decided to answer, "Of course, you can join us," you smiled slightly. "After all, three minds are better than two. And I'm sure we'll need the extra help with whatever those two have planned for us," you motioned to the two leaders of this event, making Brad and Lexi laugh.

The three of you made your way to Jack and Lacy to grab a list of tasks. You approached them, "Hey Lace, can we grab a sheet?"

"Of course," she said sweetly. She grabbed a paper then looked down and laughed lowly. you all looked at her confused and she just ignored you, turning to nudge Jack. He didn't help your confusion when he looked at the paper and burst out laughing.

"What? What is it," Lexi asked, stepping forward. Lacy shook her head, "It's nothing, it's just," she laughed a little more, "me and Jack sorta wrote this one as a joke, the tasks on here are hella extreme, and frankly," she looked at you, "I don't know if you can handle it Y/N."

You must've looked taken aback because she quickly added, "I mean no offense, honestly you're so smart that if I had to choose anyone to actually complete these I'd choose you."

"Then why don't you think I can handle it," you crossed your arms and raised an eyebrow. "Well I know you're a stickler for the rules," she started, "and these break basically all of them."

"Lemme see that," you snatched the paper out of her hand and read it. well, you started to read it, but after seeing the first two tasks, you stopped.

You looked up to see her and Jack fighting off smiles. "I can totally get another one for you for you," she started to reach for the paper but you yanked it out of her grasp. "No, no, no. I'm doing this," you stated.

She and Jack exchanged a look, "are you sure," he asked you weakly. You raised your head and put on a defiant look, you loved proving people wrong, "Yes."

You walked away, Brad and Lexi close on your heels, only stopping in front of the auditorium door.

"Can I see it," Lexi asked? You nodded, handed her the paper, and watched as she read through it. Her eyes widened every time she read something on the list, Brad reading over her shoulder.

"Y/N, I love you but you're crazy," she said. You went to reply to her but just then, Jack was at the center of the stage again.

"Everyone has a task card, each group will try their hardest to complete all the tasks they were given. We will meet up here in an hour and a half and the winning group will be treated properly." He looked down to set up a timer on his phone. "But there is a trick to this," he paused for dramatic effect, "there's is an obstacle my partner and I have withheld from you all,

"We are, in fact, not alone in the school. There was a teacher meeting to be held after school hours and we have a few stranglers still wandering the halls. So you must be careful not to get caught," he smirked and you feel more of that excitement rush through you. You could really use the adrenaline rush this would definitely bring.

He looked up, holding his phone up for everyone to see, his thumb hovering over the green button that would start the timer, "Let the games commence!" he yelled as his thumb hit the button, the numbers already starting to go down quickly as kids started rushing out the doors.

"Oh my god, we are so gonna get caught," Lexi whined, making you laugh. "Well, we aren't gonna win with that attitude, come on Lex, live a little."

"Yeah what she said," Brad laughed and stepped forward to hold the door open for the both of you.

"Such a gentleman," you muttered as you stuck your head out to look down the halls both ways before grabbing Lexi's hand and dragging her after you.

"Read the first one Lex," you whispered as you scouted the halls for any sign of movement.

"'Bring back a lightbulb that is currently being used in one of the rooms in the building'," she read off the paper.

You thought for a second, "Most of the school uses tube lights so where can we get a light bulb?"

The three of you were quiet for a second before Brad piped up, "The library has ceiling fans that use lightbulbs," he suggested, but it sounded more like a question.

You clapped him on the shoulder, "Brad you're a genius." His face seemed to light up at your compliment.

The three of you headed towards the library, running into a few other kids who were also trying to complete their lists.

You quietly opened the doors and motioned for Lexi and Brad to stay behind as you made sure there were no librarians or teachers present. Once you were positive the coast was clear, you let them in and went towards the ceiling fan furthest in the back, in case anyone walked in.

You stood up on the table but you couldn't reach, "Brad, you're tall. Get up here," you instructed and he followed.

"I have a better idea," and before you could ask what it was, he picked you up by the waist and lifted you up to where you could easily unscrew it.

You carefully twisted it until the light gave out and the warm glass fell into your hands. You looked down at Brad, who was still holding you, and smiled, "Thank you."

He smiled back and let you down, both of you stepping off the table. Lexi clapped lightly, "Ok first task done," she grabbed a pen from her pocket and crossed it out. As soon as she lifted the pen from the paper you heard a door close.

You all looked at each other panicked. You brought a finger up to your lips and quietly tiptoed your way between the shelves, leading them to the back exit.

Everything was going smoothly until Lexi accidentally bumped into a chair making it fall to the floor, the metal making a loud noise. You all froze in your tracks as the school's librarian's voice rang out, "Hello? Who's there?"

Quickly thinking, you handed them the lightbulb and ushered both of them to the other side of the shelf as her footsteps sounded closer and closer. Once they were completely hidden from your view you pretended to browse the books on the shelf just as Ms. Smith approached you.

"Oh Y/N, it's just you. What're doing here so late," she asked, her scratchy voice prickling your skin.

"Um well, as you may know, I'm directing the school play that's performing this Friday," you said. She nodded for you to go on, still looking suspicious.

"There's actually a rehearsal today and I managed to find some time to sneak away to the library to get a book," you continued, having no idea where you were going with this.

"You came here this late just to get a book? You know the library is closed at this time of day dear, it's only open during school hours," she said, still sounding suspicious so you knew you had to bring out the big guns.

You sighed looking down, trying your hardest to seem heartbroken, "Well you see Ms. Smith, my boyfriend broke up with me and I just really needed to get lost in a good book to forget how hurt I am," you forced your voice to crack and looked away wiping your eyes from nothing.

"At the 'Greek Mythology' section," she questioned, and you almost faltered. But you were too committed.

You nodded, your lip quivering, "he always used to tell me stories of the Greek myths. And the story of Orpheus and Eurydice," you let out a choked sob. "it's so romantic."

She ate. it. up. "Why yes it is, it's one of my favorites actually. Well, you take your time dear," she rubbed your shoulder as you buried your face into your hands, "and let me know if you need anything else, alright? I'll be up at the front desk."

You just sobbed harder until she left. Once you were sure she was gone, you moved your hands away from your face, which was bone dry.

You went behind the shelf to find Brad and Lexi shuffled together. You had to hold your laughter until you exited into the halls.

You grabbed Lexi's hands and laughed, "Did you see how she totally bought that?"

Lexi laughed with you, "You were really good Y/N, I almost bought it too! And the fake crying? Absolutely genius."

"Yea Y/N, I almost thought you were fresh out of a breakup," Brad added and you laughed again. "That part is actually true," you inform him, "everything else though, was a part of the bit. Peter doesn't know the first thing about Greek mythology let alone the story of Orpheus and Eurydice." you laugh.

"Oh? So Parker's out of the picture," he asked and you just nodded as you read the next task on the paper, not noticing his smile.

You were dead set on doing everything on this list

A little over an hour had passed. You and Brad were currently busy unscrewing one of the circular seats from a cafeteria table. Of course, you had no tools so you had to improvise. You found that if you bent a bobby pin just the right way, it'll do the trick.

You kept twisting the bobby pin until you heard a clattering sound as the last screw fell off. Brad held up the seat as the three of you grinned. You were so gonna win this.

You stood up and opened up the bag with the rest of your supplies as Brad added your new prize. You had stolen a trash bag from the janitor's closet to hold everything for you. As the three of you walked down the hallways holding the most random collection of things, you spoke up, "Lex, what's next on the list?"

She looked down and the smile that was previously on her face quickly disappeared as she seemed to pale a little. "Oh no," she muttered.

"What? What is it," you asked as you all stopped in your tracks.

"It's the last one," she said and you smiled, happy that you'd made it this far.

"Ok so what's the problem," you asked, not really seeing what she was getting at. "Out of everything on this list," she started, "this is the one that will for sure get us expelled."

You and Brad exchanged a look, "Hit me with it."

"We have to steal the principal's desk chair."

"Those little shits," you muttered, your hands clenching into fists. "So that's it right? I mean, we got everything else on here, we don't have to win. We made it further than any of us thought we would," she said but you were already shaking your head.

"We have to win, we are going to win," you were so determined to win this stupid game and you weren't even sure why.

Lexi looked up, closed her eyes, and brought her hands up together, "Dear god, I'm too young to die. my parents would kill me."

Brad laughed as you headed down the hall towards the principal's office. Once you reached where you could see it, you crouched, the others right beside you.

the walls on his side of the office were glass and you could see Principal Morita sitting at his desk. You sighed and turned to face your partners, "I have a plan but it's a little crazy."

"Oh please, this whole thing has been more than a little crazy, just hit us with it Y/L/N," Lexi whispered.

"Ok one of us will have to lure him out while the other two wait behind the door. While he's in the hallway and whoever's with him is keeping him distracted, the other two sneak into the office, roll the chair out the other door, and wait around the corner. Once we're done and completely secure, we send some sort of signal and he's free to go back in."

You were unsure, it was a little all over the place and really risky but they were both nodding at you. "Ok I can distract him, I know exactly what to talk to him about," Lexi offered and you laughed.

You looked at Brad, "Guess it's you and me." You started crawling to the other side of the hall, careful to stay low so Morita wouldn't see you.

"Yup," he muttered, "your regular Bonnie and Clyde." You held in a laugh as you got situated on the brick wall at the side of the office, made sure you were out of view from the door, and motioned for Lexi to go ahead.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door, the sound ringing out loud in the quiet hallway. It didn't take long before the door opened and was held right in between you and your school's principal.

"Um, yes, may I help you," you heard him ask.

"Sorry to bother you sir, but I really needed to talk to you about something," Lexi said desperately. "Ok why don't you go ahead and take a seat in my office," he offered. "NO," she cleared her throat, knowing she had said that too loud, "what is mean is, no I can't I'm kind of in a hurry." You heard her take a few steps back. "We should just speak out here."

Mr. Morita followed her, letting go of the door as he stepped forward but Brad grabbed the handle before it could close. He held it open for you as you crawled in and he followed behind before quietly shutting it after him.

You two crawled up to his office careful not to be seen since this side of his office wall was made of glass. Currently, his back was to you and Brad while Lexi was facing you but was careful not to let her eyes wander and betray her.

"Ok," you silently opened the door, "we'll need to pick it up until we round the corner because the noise of it rolling would definitely catch his attention."

"Alright I can handle that," Brad said as he grabbed the legs of the chair and stood up but you motioned for him to stop. You moved out the door and peeked your head around the wall the tiniest bit. You saw Lexi passionately going on about something and from what you could see of Morita, he looked a little uncomfortable. You made a mental to ask her later what she was going on about. Once you were sure that Mr. Morita wouldn't see you, you stuck your hand and made a 'shooing' motion.

You weren't sure if Lexi would see it or not but she must've seen it from the corner of her eye because she moved so that she was facing the hallway you had to go down head-on, making Morita turn even more as he listened to whatever it was she was rambling about.

Now, with his back directly towards you and the new direction you were headed, you both left the office and you silently shut the door. Brad quietly put down the chair, "Get on," he ordered. You looked at him a little confused as he tried again, "Come on, it'll be fun."

Hell, you'd already done way crazier things today than you ever thought you would. One more couldn't hurt. So you sat on the chair as he picked it up and walked down the hall. You had to hold in your laughter.

Once he turned the corner he set you down, stuck his head out, and shot Lexi a thumbs up. Less than a minute later, she approached you guys. "Go before he sees us," she whisper-yelled.

You were still sitting in the seat and Brad took it upon himself to push you through the halls. It was such a rush, laughing in the chair with your hair flying around you, two of your newest best friends right behind you. It was one of those moments that you knew right then and there how special it was and how much you cherish it in the years to come, all the moments from today actually. You never would've participated in something like this. Ever. It was fun to be pushed out of your comfort zone, to loosen up a bit. And it was especially fun to do it with these two.

You all arrived at the side doors of the auditorium breathless, you from laughter and Brad and Lexi from the running and laughter.

"Oh. my. GOD. I can't believe we actually pulled that off," Lexi said, smacking her forehead, eyes wide.

"Hell yeah, we did," you looked at Brad and grinned as you held out your hand for a high-five. "Lex," you turned towards her, "time?"

She looked down at her watch, "Ten minutes before the deadline," she smiled. She opened the door for the three of you and you all walked inside, extremely proud of yourselves.

The auditorium was empty, to your surprise, with only you three and Lacy and Jack working on something up on stage. You all walked up the steps, "Hey guys," you spoke up.

They looked up a little confused hearing your voice, "Oh hey Y/N," Jack said, "done already?" you nodded casually and looked down picking at your nails, peeking up to see the shocked expressions on their faces.

"No way," Lacy whispered, "there's no fucking way you could've done all that." She said, louder this time.

You looked up, as if in thought, and put a hand on your chin, "Really lace?" Brad brought up the bag, he had stashed it in a hallway while you did your little office heist and the chair. "Cause I thought I just did," you smirked.

They stood with their mouths agape while the three of you just grinned at each other.

"Well I'm impressed," Jack said as he looked at you and your friends, "can't wait to announce the winners!"

The three of you sat on the edge of the stage while the rest of the groups piled in and handed their lists to Lacy and Jack so they could assess them. Soon enough, everyone had filed back into the auditorium and after a few minutes, Jack shooed everyone off the stage so he could make his announcement.

Once everyone was standing below the stage, Jack walked up to the center as he had done almost 2 hours before. "Students of Midtown," he bellowed, "I come to you with news of your latest adventure. We have gone through everyone's task list and the little prizes they brought back. I'm disappointed to say that only one team completed every task given to them."

Murmurs broke through the students as they wondered which group could've finished everything in so little time. You turned toward Brad and Lexi, "Wait we finished everything so does that mean-"

"I'm pleased to announce, however, the winners of the scavenger hunt. Y/N Y/L/N, Lexi Walker, and Brad Davis, congratulations!" Applause shattered all around you while you, Brad, and Lexi were hugging and high-fiving.

"Get on up here," Lacy shouted. You three were pushed forward by the other kids. You all walked up the steps and stopped in the middle of the large stage. Lacy and Jack turned to grab something and when they were facing you again, you saw what it was and you laughed. They were holding three makeshift crowns, made of cardboard. They were colored yellow (probably with a Crayola marker) and had big colorful jewels glued on the tips.

"Do you like em,'" Lacy asked with glee, "Me and Jack made them while everyone was out."

"I love them," you told her truthfully. The two of them approached your group and crowned you all separately as you stood in the middle with Lexi to your right and Brad to your left.

Jack stepped back, "Ladies and gentlemen, fellow students of Midtown High, let's hear it for the first winners of our very own theater games!"

Applause and cheering roared all around you. You smiled but then remembered something. Leaning to the side towards your friend, you whispered, "Hey Lex, what were you talking about with Mr. Morita, y'know, when you had to distract him for us?" She grinned at you evilly. "I told him that all the girls' bathrooms in the building should have a handful of free menstrual products because incidents happen every day and distract us from our schoolwork."

You threw your head back laughing as she laughed along with you. "Lexi! What did he say?"

"He got so flustered I barely kept him out of his office as long as I did." She told you and you laughed even more. "I can't believe you had the confidence to actually do that," you choked out between fits of laughter. Everyone was still clapping below you. She only shrugged, "Someone had to do it. I was just fortunate to be handed the opportunity." She said it so wisely, you didn't know whether to laugh some more or solemnly nod.

You looked down at your watch and realized rehearsal had actually ended a few minutes ago. You stepped forward, "Thank you, everyone, really. I hope you all had as much fun as I did because I had a blast," you looked back at your friends and smiled, "but, as you know, all good things have to end. It's getting late and before we all start heading home I wanted to talk to you all about something,

"The day after tomorrow is the last rehearsal for us which really sucks because I always look forward to these things. No, seriously, sometimes they're the only thing to get me through the day." Chuckles and little shouts of agreement spread around the group, "And the day after that, is the long-awaited play we've all worked so hard on. And as much as I can't wait to see how amazing everyone's going to do," you looked at Lexi, who smiled right back, "I'll miss seeing your faces every day so, please, if you see me in the hall or in class or something, don't be a stranger. And at our next rehearsal, Mrs. Lightbody will definitely be back so I expect everyone to keep their mouths shut about today. Or none of us will live to make it to opening night."

Everyone clapped with a few people yelling things like "wWe'llmiss you too Y/N" and "Don't worry, this won't be the end of us!" that last one was Jack being as dramatic as ever. You laughed, "Great, now everyone, get your asses home before I get kicked off the cast for keeping you all too late."

Everyone was running around getting their things ready and you were about to do the same when you remembered something. "Hey Lace, Jack," you called them over, "what are you gonna do with everything?"

they looked at each other and smirked before looking back at you, "oh don't worry Y/N, that's for us to worry about." he told you, setting unease in your mind.

You chuckled stiffly, "Um, well, be careful I guess?" They laughed, "Of course we will Y/N/N." Lacy said.

"Ok, well then I'm gonna get going now, bye!" You waved at them and they both waved back. You stepped off the stage, grabbing your bag from the corners of the steps where you'd left it. You were almost at the door when you heard your name being called. Turning around you saw Brad

"Oh, hey Davis," you smiled. "hey Y/N. I was wondering if I could walk home with you," and if you didn't know any better, you'd think he sounded a little nervous.

You laughed, "Of course, you can Brad," you started walking out the door, "unless you're trying to kidnap me then no." you deadpanned, making him laugh. He put up both hands, "Hey, my criminal record is clean and I plan on keeping it that way."

You were outside now and the roads were wet. Apparently, it had rained while you guys were getting it crazy back at school. You fake pouted, "Ugh, that sucks. I have a thing for bad boys," you smiled up at him widely. He dramatically threw his head to the side, getting rid of the hair that had fallen on his face. "Well, I'm as bad as they come."

"Oh?" you questioned, raising a brow. He nodded and leaned in, putting a hand to cover his mouth as he whispered in your ear, "One time, I was trying to parallel park between two cars and I accidentally hit one of them so I got scared just and left."

You burst out laughing, "Oh my god, I was not expecting that. BRAD! you committed a hit and run!" You laughed some more as he just shrugged, "What can I say? I'm just that cool." You fake swooned on him, throwing a hand on your forehead, "Oh my goodness Brad Davis, take me now!"

he laughed as you pushed yourself off him, laughing along with him. It was like that for the rest of the way and you realized how funny he was. He went along with all your bits (which was always appreciated) and made some himself. The walk went by quickly and was over faster than you would've liked.

You stopped in front of the door to your apartment building, "Well this is me." Brad stopped beside you. "Y'know," you started, "you're way cooler than I thought Davis."

He laughed, "Glad you finally figured that out. Maybe we could do this again sometime?"

You nodded, "Yeah, I think I'd like that." He grinned, "Great." you two sat there just staring at each other for a few seconds, the only sound was water hitting the ground as it fell out of gutters, and when he looked like he was about to open his mouth and say something, a car honked and splashed the two of you, leaving the two of you soaked from the side.

You squealed in surprise and laughed. "Holy shit! Well, my socks are ruined now." Brad laughed along and you missed the twinge of disappointment coating his features. "Well, see you tomorrow Brad!" you waved at him as you turned to walk into the building.

As you made your way up the stairs, you couldn't help the excitement still coursing through you. Maybe Spider-Man would pay you a visit. You had a lot to share after today.

read part 3 here !!

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thisismeracing · 9 months

Text

King of my heart | extras | Yn tells Lewis she's dating Mick

― Summary: Yn and Mick finally broke the friendship barrier and started something else. It's time Yn tells her brother what's going on between her and his teammate. ― Word count: 1k ― A/n: This can be read as a stand-alone, but it’s better when you’ve read the series. ― Warnings: curse words; mention of anxiety; typos - not proofread.

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There was a knock at Lewis' hotel door and he rushed to open it, confusion written on his face since nobody told him someone would show up. The second he opened the big wooden door he smiled, though it only lasted for the blink of an eye because he quickly gathered how Yn seemed apprehensive.

His sister was wearing one of his Merc white shirts paired with sweatpants and slippers. Her curls were up in her head messily gathered together by a colorful hair tie.

"Hey, bitsy, what's up?" he asked while opening the door wider for her to get inside. Yn did exactly that, running to one of the big armchairs in the room and folding herself there like a cat would.

"How would you feel if I told you I'm dating someone?" She asked before Lewis could say anything else. That was his sister, she would rush through things when nervous, too many expectations would make her feel sick and Yn hated feeling sick, so it was normal for her to just blurt her questions or confessions whenever something important was on the line, just like she was doing at the moment.

Lewis arched his brows, "Ok, I guess, as long as you're happy. But do you think you're ready for a new relationship?" he asked genuinely interested in her answer.

"I don't know, but I really like him, Lew. And I always wanna be around him, it's just...I- mhm I've never felt like this before." She confessed, eyes cast down. It wasn't that Yn was afraid of Lewis judging her because he would never, but he was her older brother and she held his opinion on the highest space. She was just afraid to let him down.

"I'm happy for you guys, then. Is Mick going to tell me too or-"

"Wait! How'd you know it's Mick?" Yn eyed Lewis up and down and he gave her one of his signature laughs.

"You think you're folling people? Be for real, Yn. Everyone knows or suspects. And even if you weren't obvious, I'm your older brother, I know you. I knew you were interested in him from day one didn't I?"

Yn huffed, rolled her eyes, got up, and then crashed on the oldest Hamilton hugging him.

"Thank you. I was a bit taken aback, afraid you were gonna be mad because I kind of promised to stay away."

"I knew if you truly liked him you wouldn't be able to stay away, bitsy."

She breathed in his scent and took a step back. Lewis caught a single tear on her cheek and held her face with both of his hands.

"You're safe with me. Spill it," his gentle tone made yet another tear roll down, and Yn chuckled holding back a sob.

"I'm afraid." Her voice was a weak whisper, but the British heard her perfectly. "I think things may be happening too fast, and I want them to go like this, but I'm also scared of all the attention we're getting. I mean, everyone is talking about us, and we haven't even started dating officially. I'm scared of how this can go and I don't want you to be caught in the crossfire, Lew. The media is always looking for things to point out when you're the subject and I-"

"Hey, breathe." Lewis held her face tighter as if by doing so he was holding her together too. Yn closed her eyes, breathed in and out following his lead, and then they sat on the edge of the bed. "Don't worry about me. I'm the oldest. I can take care of myself." There was a hint of humor in his comment and Yn chuckled.

"I know, but-"

"No, Bitsy. No buts. Stop worrying about me. I'm happy you're with Mick. If I had to choose a guy from the Grid it would most likely be him. I've seen the way he treats you and how careful he is with you. He's a good guy. Please, don't let your anxiety get in the way. People will talk about us it doesn't matter if we do things right or wrong, at the end of the day, you do what you gotta do to be happy, you hear me?"

Yn nodded, tears flowing down her face again. "Thank you, Lew."

"You don't have to thank me, Yn. I always going to have your back. Now, where's your phone, I wanna talk to your boyfriend."

She rolled her eyes chuckling, "he's not my boyfriend...we haven't discussed titles yet."

"You two are so oblivious," Lewis rolled his eyes exaggeratedly and unlocked Yn's phone, "if you change your password to his birthday instead of mine, I will be hurt," he tried to lighten the mood again, already searching through her contacts for the Schumacher's name.

"Hey, Mick...Can you come to my room real quick? I gotta talk to you...Yeah, my sister is crying here, and...yeah...yeah...I'm waiting."

"What the heck, Lewis?!" Yn screeched and Lewis just laughed.

It was barely a minute after and there were frantic knocks at the door. Lewis got up to answer and Yn buried her face in her hands, embarrassed by whatever prank her brother wanted to throw.

When Mick got inside he had his cheeks flushed from using the stairs and eyes wide, "what happened?" he asked and Lewis crossed his arms trying to hold back his laughter.

"Nothing, Mick. I told him about us and he wanted to prank you or embarrass us together, I dunno," Yn got up from the bed and she smiled at his reluctant face. His eyes were traveling between the siblings, but his body was turned in Yn's direction.

"Well, there goes my older brother's fun," the Hamilton sighed, and Yn rolled her eyes yet again that night, walking to Mick and hugging him. "Welcome to the family, Schumacher," Lewis smiled at the blonde.

"I'm sorry to inform you that it can get crazier than this." Yn adverted.

"I won't mind it if it means I got you," he whispered and she smiled.

― ⋆🪩 VOICEMAIL: It's been forever since I last updated it, but I'm gonna start working on it, I promiseeee <3 we're having this series finished in no time! I hope you guys liked this extra, let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment/ask and reblogging *mwah*.

Taglist: @sachaa-ff @ferrariloverr @mellowpizzapuppy @mickslover @dalsuwaha @formulakay3 @mishaandthebrits @non-stop-imagines @iloveyou3000morgan @crimeshowjunkie @saintlewis @fdl305 @carojasmin2204 @chaoticevilbakugo @wondergirl101ks @smiithys @shhhchriss @f1kota @lunnnix @leclercsluv @baby-is-crying @balekane_mohafe @uuuseeerrr12 @karmabyfernando @crashingwavesofeuphoria @81astri @pinksstrawberry @callsign-scully @moonyschocolate3 @v1naco @dearxcherry @p8dris (let me know if your tag was supposed to be only for my other works and you don’t wanna be tagged on the series! <3)

#komh #millie writes #mick schumacher #ms47 #f1 imagines #f1 x reader #mick schumacher imagine #mick schumacher x black!reader #mick schumacher x reader #f1 fandom #mick schumacher fluff #f1 x you #f1 fanfiction #mick schumacher fanfiction

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wpdarlingpan · 5 months

Note

For the sibling one with Coriolanus snow, you could do one like in the future with Katniss and sibling, not knowing anything that's been going on?

Like it's when he's President and sibling wants to get married?

Hey Everyone!

IMPORTANT (Please Read)

Thank you so much for all of the love of the platonic yandere Coriolanus! I thought this idea was exciting so I wanted to build off of the idea of it going into Katniss's time as suggested by some readers. But, I did not want the reader to be as old as they would be if it were to take place at the correct time canonically.

So I am going to move the time forward a little bit to where a part of it will take place during Catching Fire. It would usually be 65 years in the future with CF being the 75th Hunger Games but I am going to make it take place on the 25th making the reader only 15 years older. I was imagining them being 5 or 6 years old so I am going to say they are 20 when it gets to that part.

Sorry for that entire big explanation, just did not want to confuse anyone and just pretend it worked out with the timeline.

My Little Snowflake (Part 2)

Platonic Yandere Coriolanus Snow x Little Sister Reader

Female Pronouns

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Obsessive behavior, manipulating, normal Hunger Games warnings

Click Below For The Other Parts <3

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3?

Coriolanus wasn't expecting everything to change as it did. But it was almost... nice. He was able to spend entire days with his little sister whenever he finished training or the peacekeepers were doing mental training, which he had already mastered through the academy. On the days he had to do training he locked Y/N in the room through an outside lock.

"It is for your safety Y/N, you don't want to be taken away from me, do you? There are evil people out there, savages.”

"Then why'd you bring me?" She asked genuinely curious. Her Grand'mam and cousin were probably lonely without her, she also missed them. Even if Coriolanus was her main family it didn't discount them any less. He gave her a forced sympathetic look.

"I couldn't imagine my years without you Y/N. I love you. You're my little sister, my snowflake." He picked her up and held her close as a few forced tears fell from his eyes.

The thing was Y/N was very empathetic. She worried about everyone and everything feelings, from her classmates to a small bug. Which meant Coriolanus crying was going to make her cry, he was her older brother after all.

She started crying a little as he comforted her "I love you too Corio, I am just scared. I don't want to leave you, I promise I'll stay here." she spoke in a watered voice as she held up a pinky for a pinky promise. He wrapped his around tight as he kissed her forehead.

Within a few days of being there he found Lucy Grey.

The peacekeepers went to The Hob to have some time off and a little fun, which had different meanings for different people. Coriolanus didn't even get close to the alcohol, he was not giving that sort of impression to his sister and he wanted to have full control over himself so he could best protect Y/N.

That's when she went on stage and they saw each other. Lucy Grey liked him, but all he saw was a means to an end as he thought of how he could use her to watch over his sister.

Even when a fight broke loose, he did not join in, he picked up his sister before pushing her head into his neck to hide her eyes from the brutality.

When he went to find her in the forest, he brought Y/N.

Lucy was singing a song when she heard a twig snap behind her making her turn around quickly.

"Sorry... Instincts from the games." She looked down and saw a little girl hiding behind his leg. Lucy Grey was always adept to little kids, their eyes shone differently than adults. They were innocent. Bending down she made a show of peeking around him to see her. "and who is this little lady?"

"My little sister Y/N." Lucy Grey looked up at him with a shocked look. Not because he had a little sister, of course, that was all he talked about when they mentioned their families to each other, but the fact he would subject her to the fate of living in the districts with little money and no one to watch her.

Y/N peaked around and smiled at the girl, remembering what she's heard and been told of the songbird.

From that day on when Corio had peacekeeper training, Y/N would stay with Lucy. It was rare he would allow someone to watch over her without him present but the idea of someone entering the room or her without supervision wore on his mind.

Sure Sejanus had followed him to District 12 but he wasn't allowing his sister to stay alone, He was worried about ideals he would place into her head.

He told Lucy that his family wouldn't watch over her and since he was sent out here they made her go with him. Lucy usually was really good at detecting lies but to him. this wasn't a lie. e didn't trust his family to watch over her without him.

It was one of Lucy Grey’s days to watch her and they went out to the lake to pick flowers to make crowns out of.

“So what’s your favorite color darlin' ?” She asked the little girl as they crouched by each other picking the prettiest flowers of the bunch.

“White! Like Corio hair and our white roses!” She said giggling after all it wasn’t completely white. But then she saw a flower close to the same white “Like this!”

Lucy nearly swooned at the adorable child. It was hard to image that she was the sibling of Coriolanus Snow, the man who is so focused on surviving the world around him he forgets to live.

“Were you.. excited to come with your brother?” Trying to gage her reaction, making sure Y/N was okay when she wasn’t around.

“I do miss Tigres! And Grand’mam but Corio wanted me to come with him. I don’t remember leaving…” Y/N trailed off but her mind instantly got distracted by a little white flower.

Lucy Grey was confused about how the girl didn’t remember leaving the Capital but shook it off as a child’s memory. After all she had no reason to suspect otherwise.

But if she looked into it more, she could’ve seen all of the signs.

~*~

When the opportunity came to return to District 2. Coriolanus did not hesitate. Sure he would lose out on someone watching Y/N but it was a safer district and by now she was used to being in the room. She wouldn't disobey her big brother either by attempting to leave it. he knew best after all.

But he still needed to pass some tests. Things to ensure his loyalty. Why have many little tasks when they can be done in 1?

Sejanus was communicating with rebels, forming a plan to leave the Districts and live on their own beyond the walls of Panem. Sadly, he wasn't very sleek about it nor could he leave without telling his 'best friend'.

He suggested that Coriolanus come with. Bring Y/N and live freely without hurting anyone.

"Do not pull me into this. Rebels almost killed me with that bombing, or do you not remember?"

"Come on Corio! This is bigger than us. If you won't go what about Y/N? A kid does not need to grow up in the Capital watching others kill each other in a so called 'game'. Is that what you want for her?

That was Sejanus's mistake. Questing is protection and love for his sister.

It made his decision for him and he ended the recording on the jabber jay the second he declined the offer leading to Sejanus walking away.

Corio put Dr. Gaul's name on the box and sent it off with a weight off his shoulders. If this did not prove his loyalty to the Capital, they were stupid. He just caught a traitor. Maybe some indirectly but, one from its own walls.

That marked 3 killed by his doing.

When it was time to leave he gave some thought out spiel to Lucy Grey. He wouldn't make an enemy out of her if it was not needed. Sure she was hurt since she had practically fallen in love with the boy and his darling little sister but Lucy being Lucy knew the hold his little sister had on his heart. She wouldn't want to hold him back from getting her somewhere safer and to him that meant the Capital.

After he left Lucy Grey was never seen again. She did not tell him she was leaving or where. So he had no reason to accuse her of being a traitor.

Leaving them to part nicely.

-Time Skip 5 Years-

It was now the 15th Annual Hunger Games. Technology had greatly advanced throughout the years leading to an even better arena, one that wouldn't be easily blown up.

Coriolanus was working to prove himself so he was still residing under Dr. Gaul. He had forbidden her from watching the games. He didn’t want the violence harbored in her young mind. But he wasn’t there to stop her.

He was overseeing the interviews and the games, leaving Y/N home with Tigres and Grand’mam. When the game interviews started, they begun watching on the projector with her sneaking out of her room just enough to see it without them seeing her.

That’s when she saw the tribute from district 4.

Finnick Odair.

He was the youngest in the game at only 14 years old.

Y/N instantly had a little crush. She was only 10 so it wasn’t like it was true love, but his charm was noticeable to her and sadly the rest of the capital.

Tigres felt sympathy for the boy, the idea of it being Coriolanus harboring in her mind but now all she can picture of him, is his father.

When the games began and bets were made. No one could predict the outcome.

Especially not Y/N as Tigres noticed her sneaking out of her room and made her go back inside, not wanting to deal with the wrath of Coriolanus nor did she think Y/N should be seeing this at her age.

Somehow Finnick won. Making him the youngest Victor in the Hunger Games.

Of course, the lavish capital had a party for the elites after the games commenced. The idea of 23 deaths had not even crossed their minds.

Coriolanus went to build connections and Y/N begged him to go with.

"No Y/N, I'm sorry. It is too dangerous." He said trying to convince her in a way that worked many years ago.

"Please! I really want to get dressed up like you! I wanna see what you do" She begged and pleaded and Coriolanus hated seeing her sad. He almost missed those days back in the districts where Y/N was only his. But, the proud big brother in him was proud of how she's grown.

"Fine, but you're staying by my side the entire time. Swear?" He said holding out a pinkie. He found it silly after all it does nothing to prevent someone from breaking the promise but to his little sister it was sacred law and luckily it worked out for him.

Y/N squealed excitedly before linking pinkies and hugging him tightly as she profusely thanked him.

"Tigres, come to get Y/N ready. She is coming with," Coriolanus called out.

~*~

The party was as expected. It was decorated to the point someone would call it crowded. Avoxes were bringing hors d’oeuvres and drinks while the Capital was dressed classy but slightly over the top.

It didn’t matter that the winner was 14, it was a party made for the adults. Especially the game makers and everyone who had anything to do with them. Even the egotistical sponsors.

Coriolanus and Y/N walked in hand in hand as he made a small show about holding it out to her. She giggle enjoyably as they walked down velvet steps.

Coriolanus was talking to everyone, getting their name and status indirectly as he talked to them. One would think they would spill their darkest moment if they were left alone with him.

Even then not once did he let go of his little sister’s hand.

That’s when it came it Finnick. Coriolanus did not like the victor’s or anyone related to the districts. To him they were traitors and monsters. (If only he would look in the mirror).

So when they approached Coriolanus was on alert.

“Finnick Odair, newest Víctor. Tell me, what are you going to do with the money you were oh so graciously given?”

Finnick was calm and composed as if had been dealing with the Capital his entire life. Their questions and stares not even resulting in a mild flinch.

“Bring it back to my family of course.”

Y/N stood next to Corio, with a bashful grin as she stared at the boy. She had never imagined being this close to him.

“And who is she?” Finnick asked politely looked down at the girl who turned bright red at the attention. He simply found her adorable. Nothing bad about it.

“My little sister.” Corio replied as he lightly pushed Y/N behind him seeing the look that was reciprocated through the two even if it wasn’t known to the other. “We should be going now, I’m sure Mr. Plinth would like to talk to you.” He turned and began walking away as Y/N’s bracelet slipped off right at Finnick’s feet. He grabbed it cautiously as if he’d be attacked for holding it but nobody noticed and Y/N certainly didn’t mind after returning to the Capital with the money from Coriolanus’s win, she had more than enough jewelry.

He attempted to give it back but she was no where to be seen as her and Coriolanus left. He was angry and he was good at handling his emotions outwardly but he knew he was a fuse ready to blow when it came to his little snowflake.

Finnick kept the bracelet in his pocket, bringing it everywhere to go to remind him of the goodness in this world. Not expecting to ever see her again.

That was until the 25th Hunger Games, The Quarter Quell.

Taglist:

@dakotali

@repostingmyfavs

#coriolanus snow #coriolanus x you #coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus x reader #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games #ballad of songbirds and snakes #lucy gray baird #hunger games #Yandere #platonic yandere #platonic

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geekgirles · 1 month

Text

Slipping Through My Fingers

Read on AO3

Word Count: 12241

Summary: Of all the ways Alibert expected his day to go, a visit from his son and his girlfriend was not one of them. Especially when said son suddenly looked like a grown man instead of a 12-year-old like last time he saw him, barely a few weeks ago. But the more time passes and the more Yugo shares the events leading up to that moment, the more Alibert is sure of one thing:

You're never too old to need your dad.

“Do you think they’ll recognise me?”

Even now, it was so weird to listen to his voice. Somehow, it managed to be both completely foreign and deeply familiar at the same time. It definitely sounded older, deeper, a man’s voice. But it was also undeniably sweet and soft, with a velvety quality that caused shivers to run down her spine, especially when he focused his attention solely on her and the two of them tuned out the rest of the world around them. It was still the voice of the man she loved.

A voice tinged with genuine doubt and even a hint of fear.

Smiling sweetly up at him—another thing that would take some getting used to—, she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Of course they will, Yugo. You haven’t changed that much.”

“Um, I have grown about a metre and a half, developed muscles that were definitely not there last time I saw them, and now I wear a bodysuit and a cloak.” He deadpanned, using his free hand to gesture at himself from head to toe—and blushed slightly when the Sadida’s eyes still shone appreciatively even now. “Pretty sure anyone would have a hard time recognising me, Amalia.”

Amalia only rolled her eyes, though there was no malice behind the action. “The people who know you best will immediately be able to tell it’s you, Yugo.”

“Dally, Élely and Goultard were convinced I was Oropo.” He groused. “Their first instinct was to beat the living snot out of me!”

She huffed. “Okay, I’ll rephrase that: the people who know you best and aren’t Iops will immediately be able to tell it’s you, Yugo.”

“How can you be so sure? Only Adamaï can sense my wakfu.”

“Precisely because only Adamaï can sense your wakfu and yet, Ruel, Eva and I had no trouble figuring out it was you.” Amalia said with a self-satisfied smirk, knowing it’d be impossible for Yugo to argue against her logic.

When she chanced a glance his way and noticed he had averted his gaze, however, her own brow furrowed in concern for her love. He was clearly worried about encountering his adoptive father and little brothers again, especially once they took notice of the obvious physical changes he had undergone during his time away and he’d be forced to relive the events that took place just a few weeks ago.

But there was something else, something the newly-crowned Sadida Queen—a title that, although she would wear with pride for as long as she lived, still brought a painful pang to her chest with the implications behind it—couldn’t quite put her finger on. There was something else on Yugo’s mind. Something he didn’t feel like he could confide in her, at least not just yet. She just hoped he would be able to talk about it with his father. After all, they were heading his way precisely because Yugo suggested they visit him just a few days ago.

Truth be told, Amalia expected Yugo to rejoin his family much earlier, once they were done picking up the pieces from their war against the Nécromes. Of course, the process was easier said than done. Everyone deserved some much-needed rest after such an unforgiving battle, as well as quality time with their families to let them know the nightmare was finally over. They had won, the Sadida Kingdom would live to see another day.

The young queen almost broke down in tears when her friends promised to remain by her side until her kingdom was back up and running again. Had they all left shortly after their victory, Amalia didn’t know what she would have done once it truly sunk in the fact that, for the first time in her life, she would be all alone in the palace. With no family to keep her company.

Fortunately, even though she was the last Sheran Sharm, the family she found within the Brotherhood of the Tofu was still there.

Following some days of celebrations and respite—which included her brother’s funeral, followed shortly after by her coronation ceremony—, it was finally time to rebuild their lives before Toross Mordal drew a target on her people’s backs. They cleared away the remnants of their battle, except for Rotalström’s encased form, which would forever remain as a monument to Armand’s sacrifice and love for his people. They entered their forests once more, using every ounce of their power to determine if there was any way to heal their trees, an ongoing investigation, while planting new ones to symbolise the Sadida still had a future to look forward to.

Everyone made sure to do their part in helping the kingdom get back up again, even the Eliatropes. Amalia and Yugo found themselves sharing meaningful, touched looks when her people all sincerely thanked and celebrated his people for their bravery during the war, saying they would never be able to repay their kindness. It was a little sad to watch the way the young Eliatropes’ eyes widened and shock was plastered across their faces at the genuine kindness and acceptance they were being treated with by the Sadida.

Their brief experience overseeing the World of Twelve and dealing with everyone’s prejudices had been enough to make them realise they might never be welcomed. Which made the fact that at least one kingdom was appreciative and welcoming of them all the more overwhelming.

That was all Amalia needed to assure Yugo that his people could remain in the Sadida Kingdom for as long as they wanted. If there was anything she’d learned recently, it was that both their peoples were practically outcasts among the other races, and the only ones willing to help each other out. The least she could do was ensure both races remained together.

And so, in the midst of bringing her kingdom back to its former glory and bidding the Percedal family goodbye, at least for the time being, as well as finally being able to navigate her and Yugo’s budding relationship, the Sadida was taken aback when her beloved suggested it was time they went pay his adoptive father a visit.

That was two days ago. Knowing how important Alibert and Yugo were to each other, the Sadida Queen immediately understood he should be in the know of what had been of his son’s life in the last few weeks since they last saw each other. And thus, after making sure Chamberlain Toufdru would be able to handle everything for a day or two—with the help of Canar, Renate, and Adamaï—, the two finally entered the portal leading them to Emelka.

And Yugo had been uneasy the whole time. The fact that whenever they crossed paths with one of his neighbours they all gaped at the ‘handsome stranger walking alongside Yugo’s Sadida friend’ certainly didn’t help matters. Still, Amalia did her best to be there for the Eliatrope just like he always did for her.

Although the pensive frown stretched over his brow wasn’t all that reassuring to her either. They would be arriving at Alibert’s inn shortly, and the generous Enutrof was sure to worry if he sensed something was wrong with his son… If he didn’t have a heart attack at the sight of his youthful-looking son suddenly looking his age, that is.

No matter how you looked at it, Yugo acting like this just wouldn’t do. So, right as they finally reached their destination, Amalia did as any good queen and girlfriend should do and she took charge of the situation.

Yugo was about to push open the door to the inn and welcome them inside, when he felt his queen stop, practically digging her heels into the ground. He perked up at her sudden action and turned his head to look down at her questioningly, only for his eyes to widen as Amalia reached out her free hand to him and cupped his cheek. He could already feel himself melting at her touch, his worries being washed away by that gentleness she reserved for a select few.

Oh, how lucky he was to be part of that exclusive group.

He was so engrossed by the warmth emanating from her skin, by the time he registered the sound of rustling fabric and the breeze weaving through his hair, it was already too late.

Amalia had taken advantage of his distracted state to pull his hood down, exposing his wings.

“Amalia!” He screeched as he hastily put his hood back in its rightful place, mortified, and for a moment he could have sworn he sounded like he used to before Toross and Efrim harvested his wakfu. “You know I don’t mind you seeing my wings, but I still feel uncomfortable showing them to just everyone!”

To his immense consternation, she just chuckled. “Yugo, look around; there’s no one eating out today.”

A quick swipe with his eyes was all he needed to realise she was right. There was no one outside. Just then, his ears picked up the sound of loud, animated chatter coming from inside the building.

“Come on, you know I’d never pull your hood down if I thought it might make you uncomfortable. Especially not after it took you so long to reveal what was underneath your hat the first time.” Amalia reasoned.

The Eliatrope sighed, knowing she was right, again. “Yeah, I know. Sorry, Amalia…” Then he turned sheepish, raising his free hand to rub the back of his neck, feeling a blush coming to his cheeks. “But…um…why exactly did you pull it down? I mean, you know I really don’t mind when you touch them but, um, that seems hardly appropriate right now?”

Luckily for him, he wasn’t the only one feeling a little flushed at the moment.

Her own cheeks gaining a reddish tinge, the Sadida Queen had to clear her throat before speaking. “For your information, I just meant to illustrate how you could always just show your wings to Alibert, Chibi, and Grougal if they don’t recognise you.” Shifting her weight and placing her hand on her hip, she sent him a pointed look. “Or do you know many other people with wakfu wings on their heads?”

“The entirety of the Eliotropes and Eliatropes…” He muttered to himself, thankful she didn’t seem to have heard him. Given how horrified she’d been after learning how Oropo had manipulated her on such a personal level due to his own twisted ‘love’ for her, the less Amalia knew about his melding with the Eliotropes, the better. Louder, he admitted defeat with a sigh. “I suppose you have a point, though.”

Once again, his mind skidded to a halt at the feeling of her hand lovingly cupping his cheek. When he looked down at her in surprise, it was all he could do not to drown in her warm, chocolate eyes staring deep into his soul.

“They’re your family, Yugo. They’ll know it’s you.” Then, she added with a giggle. “At the very least, the sight of the two of us together should tip them off, don’t you think?”

For the first time since they left her kingdom, the Eliatrope allowed a small smile to grace his features. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Their eyes remained locked on each other, neither daring to move an inch. Actually, that wasn’t true. They did move, only they both moved forward and towards each other, glazing down at each other’s lips fleetingly. They were about to close the distance when—

“Oh, get a room, you two! Some of us just want to get a bite to eat, not a full show!” A grouchy Enutrof scolded them, rudely pushing them aside and letting himself into the building. Even from the other side of the wall, Yugo and Amalia could still hear him grumbling obscenities about ‘damned young people and their damned hormones; always getting in the way…’

They exchanged one last confused look before bursting out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of it all, their cheeks on fire. Once his laughter had finally subsided, Yugo stared at a still giggling Amalia for a minute, smiling fondly at the sound of her laughter. Now that he thought about it, she hadn’t been laughing much ever since the battle against the Nécromes. Not like he would ever blame her, given everything she lost, but it was still nice to see the fun-loving, smiling princess he met all those years ago, even if now she had blossomed into the most beautiful queen in the World of Twelve.

When Amalia’s giggles dissolved into nothing, she found Yugo’s offered hand before her. Trailing her eyes towards his smiling face and feeling her own grin tugging at the corner of her lips, she took it.

“Are you ready?” She asked him, just to be sure.

With one last deep breath, he nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

And so, he finally turned the doorknob of the inn and the two lovers took their first few steps inside the restaurant he grew up in.

The atmosphere inside the restaurant was the same as always. Bustling with customers talking about everything under the sun while they enjoyed Alibert’s dishes, the sound of utensils clinking as they devoured their meals filled up the room. And the few customers who had yet to eat would immediately shut up and start salivating the moment they got their own serving of gobball stew delivered to them. The chef and mayor in question must have been busy in the kitchen, for he was nowhere in sight, not even behind the bar, tending to the customers who just wanted some bamboo milk to wash away the day’s heat.

Everyone seemed to be engrossed in their own conversations, and yet, it felt as if they all quieted down and turned to look at the new arrivals in unison. Scrutinising them.

Logically speaking, Yugo knew they were just curious as it wasn’t every day you saw a Sadida in Emelka—let alone one as well-dressed and regal as the actual queen; not like they needed to know that. The fact that her companion was a young man of no discernable race, wearing a cloak and a battlesuit must have only added to their curiosity.

He knew this, he really did, and yet, he still felt observed. Even though for the first time in years he felt right when he saw himself in the mirror, even though he finally felt like his body was his and not an old husk he should have long outgrown, people’s reactions to his appearance still upset him. He knew he looked different, and sometimes, he felt different, too. As if in spite of his mind never ceasing to mature even as his ageing slowed down, he had still become wiser upon growing, somehow.

Before his thoughts could spiral down any further or Amalia could try to shake him off of his current spell, they were interrupted by the sound of childish, excited voices.

“Amalia! Dad, look, Amalia’s here!” a little white-haired boy with a black hat bigger than his body exclaimed before throwing himself into the arms of the Sadida, an equally small but quite feisty black dragon following close behind.

At the sight of the little Eliatrope and his dragon brother, Amalia wasted no time crouching down on the floor with one leg to welcome them in her arms. As she and Chibi hugged, with Grougaloragran hovering over them, the queen remembered, not for the first time, how adorable Yugo was as a child, too.

“Chibi! By Sadida’s trees, you’ve grown so much!” Breaking the hug slightly, she carefully scratched Grougaloragran under his chin, knowing how volatile he could be. “You too, Grougal.”

The little black dragon simply grunted in contentment in response. Privately, Yugo couldn’t help but wonder if it had taken Adamaï as long to learn how to speak back when he lived with his mentor in Oma.

With his tiny arms still wrapped around her, Chibi giggled. “What are you doing here, Amalia? Yugo’s not home.”

Sneaking a glance her boyfriend’s way, knowing he might be worrying over his baby brother not recognising him already, the queen replied, “Oh, we’re just here to talk to your dad, that’s all.”

“‘We’?” Chibi echoed, arching an eyebrow and sharing a confused look with Grougal. For the first time since he first spotted the girl his big brother loved (even if he kept trying to deny it), he noticed the Sadida girl wasn’t alone. Tilting their little heads up, they finally took a good, long look at the boy her age standing by her side and smiling awkwardly, though not any less fondly, down at them.

“Hey, Chibi. Grougal.” He gave them a little wave with his hand.

As his two baby siblings kept staring blankly back at him, Yugo feared for the worst. It looked like Amalia had been wrong and not even his own family would be able to tell it was him. Which, coupled with the fact that he had come hand-in-hand with the woman they knew he was in love with, promised they would act from polite but distant (in Alibert’s case) to downright devious (in Chibi and Grougal’s case) towards him.

He still remembered how supportive they’d been of him when he retold how he almost lost Amalia forever to Count Harebourg. Alibert had heaved an evident sigh of relief, saying how, even though he understood why Amalia accepted his proposal and even praised her for putting her people first, she had definitely dodged a Rogue’s bullet. Chibi and Grougal weren’t anywhere as diplomatic, however; they outright blew a disgusted raspberry at the idea of the then Sadida Princess marrying anyone else.

However, just as he was mentally preparing himself to endure their tricks until he got them to believe it was him, instead of another ‘girlfriend stealer’ (as they had not-so-lovingly dubbed Harebourg), his eyes widened in surprise at the two’s reactions. Their dark eyes shimmered in delight and awe, a pair of matching smiles stretching over their lips as they stared up at him, almost as if he had lowered the moon for them.

“Yugo!” The white-haired Eliatrope exclaimed happily, throwing himself into his big brother’s arms. Meanwhile, Grougal kept chirping and flying around the older Eliatrope just as enthused, clearly as happy as his twin to see him.

While Yugo was momentarily frozen from shock, looking at his little brother in awe, Chibi simply nuzzled his face against the nook of his neck, enjoying his cloak’s softness. “Yugo, we missed you!”

In his dazed state, the Eliatrope King chanced a look his love’s way, who was smiling warmly at the scene and limited herself to mouthing an ‘I told you so’ to him. Returning her smile with one of his own, Yugo had never been happier to be wrong.

It wasn’t long until Chibi broke the hug, though. “What happened? You look so old now! And your cape’s so cool!”

Yugo let out an awkward laugh. “Thanks, Chibi. I’m glad you like it.” There was an even more awkward pause. “Um…about the other thing, uh, it’s a bit of a long story.” He said simply. While he knew he definitely needed to talk to their father about what he’d been through, he’d much rather spare his little brothers the gruesome details until they were older. Making a show of looking around, he asked, “Say, where’s Dad?”

The twins shared an unimpressed look, knowing their big brother was purposely avoiding the question, but ultimately just shrugged. They’d go along with it for a little while longer; they could always just eavesdrop when he inevitably spilled the beans to their father, after all.

Just as Chibi was about to answer, however, Alibert’s booming yet warm voice echoed from the kitchen, “Alright! What can I get you, Tristan? The usual?” Followed shortly after by the kindly Enutrof peeking his head from behind the counter as he addressed the customer in question.

“Ya know it, Alibert!” The customer, an Ouginak named Tristan, replied, joviantly slapping his knee as he let out an uproarious laugh. “Oh! And do keep ‘em bamboo milk glasses comin’, will ya?”

“But of course, though, only if you keep your promise and actually pay your tab this time…” The innkeeper sent his guilty-looking customer a pointed look. His eyes only narrowed further when Tristan avoided his gaze while whistling with forced nonchalance. Nevertheless, though not without some heavy sighing, the Enutrof reluctantly served him yet another glass.

“Ruel is right, this is no way to run a business.” Alibert grumbled to himself, before adding, “Although it’s not like he has much room to talk; he’s the one who owes me the most around here…”

“Dad, look who’s here!”

Perking up at his young son’s excited cries, the smile returned to his face as he laid his eyes where he was. A flash of forest green coupled with mahogany skin from behind Chibi’s black hat alerted him of their visitor. Locking eyes with the beautiful Sadida Princess he’s oldest son cared so much about, the old Enutrof’s smile only widened…only for his whole visage to freeze in shock at the sight of her companion.

The figure—a handsome young man with dirty blond hair and deep brown eyes clad in a body-tight suit with golden lining and a long blue hooded cape who was tall enough to dwarf even the Sadida girl—took a step forward. And another. And another. In less than a minute, he had crossed the distance between himself and the restaurant’s counter and he was looking straight at the old innkeeper, albeit a little uneasily.

His face contorted into a timid yet oddly endearing expression as he offered him a small smile. “Hi, Dad.”

Amalia watched the interaction with bated breath, worried for how Alibert might react and how that might affect Yugo in turn. Her worries were unfounded, however, for after a beat had passed, Alibert joyfully cried out, “My little piwii!” right before engulfing a flushed Yugo into a bone-crushing hug. The Eliatrope sent her a death glare when she giggled at the cute scene, his face on fire at having his father call him by his childhood nickname even when he finally looked like the adult he was, but it soon softened as he returned the hug with as much vigour.

Soon after that, a good chunk of the people gathered at the inn crowded around Yugo, marvelling at his new grown-up body—in particular, a few young ladies couldn’t help but ogle at him hungrily, causing a miffed Amalia to discreetly use her vines to get them to tear their eyes off her man—, while others observed from afar.

After a while of Yugo doing his best to answer their many questions and politely declining anything that felt too personal to reveal (like the reason he had hit such a complete growth spurt out of the blue, for starters), Alibert had finally had enough. Sensing his son’s unease, he loudly stomped his shovel on the floor, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“Well, that’s about enough, don’t you think?!” He grumbled. “Come on, people, give him some space! He’s barely just arrived and you’re all bombarding him with questions; let him have something to eat while he catches up with his old man first, at least!”

With a few more grumbles and muttered apologies, the other patrons finally returned to their seats, giving Alibert and his newly-arrived guests some privacy at last. As the last of his customers focused back on their food, the Enutrof smiled at the two.

“I’m so glad to see you, you two.” He smiled, before turning around and beginning to rummage through the kitchen in search of ingredients. “Can I get you anything to eat?”

“You know I can never say no to your famous gobball stew, Dad.” Yugo chuckled as he sat down on the stool in front of the counter, though not before moving Amalia’s own stool for her under her expectant gaze and receiving an appreciative nod for his troubles.

“I expected as much, my boy. The day you tell me you don’t want some, it’ll be the end of the world!” Albert laughed with his back still turned to them, his hands busy gathering all the ingredients he would need. As he began with his son’s meal, turning back around, he focused on Amalia. “And what will it be, my dear? Another serving of stew?”

Amalia just shook her head politely. “No, thank you, Alibert. I’ll be happy with just a serving of your cawwot soup.”

“As you wish, Your Highness.” He chuckled fondly. Then, he sighed wistfully. “You Sadidas and your love for vegetables and fruit. Had it been your father, he certainly wouldn’t have refused some meat, let me tell you.”

Since Alibert’s back was once again turned as he began to peel and chop down the cawwots he would be using for the girl’s dish, he failed to notice how Amalia’s expression clouded over at the reminder of her late father, nor did he see the worried look Yugo regarded her with before placing his hand over hers comfortingly. He did turn around, however, just in time to catch them sharing a meaningful, loving look.

His smile widening at the sight, the innkeeper winked at his youngest sons knowingly, the three of them having a silent conversation regarding the two lovebirds. Usually, Alibert knew better than to push Yugo’s buttons when it came to his feelings for Amalia, for he knew it could be a very painful topic for him, but even he wasn’t above some teasing when the two made how head over heels they were for each other this obvious.

“It has certainly been a while since I last saw you, Amalia.” He began nonchalantly. He had to stifle a laugh at the dazed expressions on their faces, as if they had completely forgotten they weren’t alone. “If you permit me, Your Highness, I must say you get more beautiful each time I see you. You have grown into a true vision of loveliness, as I’m sure Yugo can testify.” He added that last part with a wink his eldest son’s way, whose face immediately erupted like Brakmar’s volcanoes at his father's not-so-subtle insinuations.

Meanwhile, the Sadida practically glowed at the compliment. “Thank you so much, Alibert. That means a lot.”

“I only speak the truth, my dear princess.”

“And again, thank you. Growing up, I was always somehow overshadowed by Evangelyne in the beauty department. So I guess I sort of got used to never being as pretty as her.” Amalia admitted, acting uncharacteristically bashful about it. “Even Yugo can tell you how many people used to be more interested in capturing or winning Eva over than me, the actual princess.”

“But that was only because back then you were still growing while Eva was almost a woman already.” Yugo protested, not liking it whenever Amalia looked down on her appearance. So what if growing up Evangelyne was always turning heads or her chest was more, ehrm, developed? To him, Amalia had always been gorgeous, and she only got prettier in his eyes each passing day, as his dad said.

“The moment you were a little older, you soon became one of the most beautiful royals in the entirety of the World of Twelve.” He blushed sheepishly at his own admission, even though he meant every word.

Amalia just waved him off, but the grateful smile she gifted Yugo with was genuine, as well as the small blush dusting her cheeks. “I know, I know. Even back when we were children and Eva was first blossoming into a beautiful girl while I was still a child, my mother used to assure me that one day I would be the most beautiful flower in Sadida’s garden.”

“And she was right.” Alibert nodded along to the late queen’s assessment. “But I can understand it must have been difficult for you, princess. Watching Evangelyne grow and become the centre of attention while you still had a long way to go.” As he said that, father and son shared a meaningful look, understanding the true hidden meaning behind his words.

“Well, I did blossom into quite the beautiful young lady, didn’t I?” Amalia winked mischievously before giggling. Although her impish expression didn’t last long, since she then sighed heavily and let her head rest against her open palm. “Although, looking back, I really had it good back then, too. I had no idea how taxing it could be to become the object of someone’s affections, especially when they’re more ‘psychotic’ than ‘charming’.”

“Yeah, tell me about it…” Yugo agreed with a hint of bitterness in his voice. Even now, there were times when he couldn’t help the residual jealousy he still felt towards Count Harebourg and Oropo for almost bringing Amalia to their side and away from him.

“Now, now. Let’s let bygones be bygones.” Alibert said placatingly as the gobball meat sizzled on the pan. He distinctly remembered Yugo’s heartache over almost losing the princess to that Xelor count, and from what his son had told him, discovering he never intended to keep his end of the deal to her people must have deeply hurt the Sadida as well.

“After all,” the Enutrof continued, his voice carrying a certain cadence Yugo couldn’t help but feel suspicious about, his stomach churning with dread. “I’d say everything worked out in the end, didn’t it?” Just as he said that, he looked down at their still intertwined hands meaningfully, laughing uproariously when the young couple broke away as quickly as if they’d been burned. They might as well have; their faces were redder than Brakmar’s soil!

Shyly tucking a strand of forest green hair behind her ear, Amalia was the first to recover. “Is it really that obvious?”

“I’m afraid so, my dear.” Alibert smiled kindly back at her. “You two haven’t been as openly affectionate with each other since you were both kids.”

Neither commented on that, since they all knew exactly the reason why that changed as they grew up—or rather, as Amalia grew up while Yugo remained physically the same. While the Sadida Princess would have loved nothing more than to remain as close with the Eliatrope as they were in their late childhood to early teens, the latter always made sure to keep a safe distance between them, always too afraid of his child-like body hampering his crush’s social standing.

“I suppose that’s true.” Yugo admitted calmly, staring back at his love while their hands found each other again under the counter. “A lot has changed since then…”

“You’d better believe a lot has changed, young man!” Alibert wagged a scolding finger at his son with one hand while he stirred Amalia’s soup with the other. “Although I am particularly interested in learning what brought on this particular change exactly,” he gestured at the two of them with his ladle, bits of cawwot soup flying around with the movement.

While Amalia giggled, her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink, Yugo simply used his free hand to gesture down at himself as way of answer. “Let’s just say that once I finally looked my age, all the lingering barriers between us came crumbling down.” He turned slightly in his stool and reached out for his girlfriend’s free hand, coming to hold both of hers in his. “I had way too many close calls already, I don’t want to waste any more time now that we can finally be together.”

Her heartbeat was beating so loud at his words, Amalia honestly couldn’t believe nobody heard it over the restaurant’s animated chatter. She must have looked like a lovesick fool, she knew it. And even though such behaviour was usually unbecoming of a queen, she couldn't care less; she had waited far too long to be able to call Yugo hers. To listen to him admit he couldn’t live without her any more than she could live without him.

Her already elated expression softening even further, no doubt showing her adoration for this wonderful man, the Sadida Queen decided actions spoke louder than words anyway and, without saying anything, leaned forward to plant a sweet kiss on his cheek. Relishing how that could get him to blush slightly even now.

While Chibi and Grougal made a show of rolling their eyes and pretending to gag at the public display of affection, respectively; good old Alibert was at the verge of breaking down in happy tears at the sight of his little piwii finally getting together with the woman he loved.

Fanning himself with his hands, for he had promised himself he wouldn’t cry, he forced himself to appear far more nonchalant than he felt and said, “By Enutrof, King Oakheart must be beside himself with joy at this development, isn’t he? While we never openly talked about you two ending up together, I know for a fact all your father ever wanted for you, princess, is that you got to marry for love just like he did with your mother.”

Immediately after saying those words, Alibert realised something was wrong. The warm, joyful atmosphere had changed considerably, now feeling cold and stuffy. A dark cloud had settled over Amalia, even when her smile remained in place, not helped at all by Yugo’s own heartbroken expression, his dark brown eyes reflecting waves of sympathy for his beloved before settling back on his father’s as he motioned for him to cut it off.

And that’s what he remembered what Yugo told him the last time he came to visit.

Oh, Enutrof, take me now… He mentally bemoaned after realising his terrible faux pas. Outwardly, however, he was flusteredly fussing over Amalia. “Oh my, I am so sorry, my dear. Yugo told me, but I had completely forgotten. Oh, me and my big mouth…” He moaned, wishing to be anywhere but right there at that moment.

Amalia just shook her head, although her beautiful brown eyes had turned glassy from unshed tears. “It’s fine, Alibert. You didn’t mean to…”

Despite having already put his foot in his mouth, the innkeeper knew there was something else going on under the surface. Of course, losing your father was always a heart-wrenching experience, but something else seemed to weigh heavily over the princess’ shoulders.

The old Enutrof knew he was walking on a Rogue’s minefield. He knew it, but he wouldn’t be able to figure out what was wrong unless he asked. “Uh, princess? What’s the matter?”

“You see, Alibert,” Amalia started, her voice was soft and kind, yet it belied the kind of evenness a monarch should reserve solely for diplomacy, not light conversation with her demi-father-in-law. “I’m not a princess anymore.”

The old Enutrof’s bushy eyebrows shot up to the ceiling. “What do you mean by that, my dear? Did something happen? Have you lost your title, by any chance?”

But Amalia simply raised her palms up as she shook her head vehemently. “No, no. None of that.”

“Then what is it?”

“I’m just not a princess anymore because…” A pregnant pause. The effort of swallowing the lump in her throat. “I’m the new Queen of the Sadidas.” She admitted at last.

Alibert just stared blankly at her, shooting Yugo a quick glance asking him for confirmation. After a solemn nod from his eldest son, the innkeeper’s shocked expression slowly morphed into cautious elation. “But that’s just wonderful, Amalia! You’ve always taken great care of your people! I suppose you were crowned after your father’s passing?” Then, amidst the myriad of questions, he added, almost as an afterthought, “But, wait a minute, didn’t you have an older brother…?”

Seeing the Sadida Queen flinch painfully at the mention of her family, realisation finally dawned on him. Again. He wanted nothing more than to smack himself with his shovel for his complete lack of tact. The smile didn't disappear from Amalia's face, but it became more strained, sadder. So much hid behind that smile, and yet Alibert could tell exactly what had happened from a single look.

“Oh, my dear. I am so sorry…”

“It's alright, Alibert. You didn't know.” Amalia was quick to silence him by raising her hand, though not unkindly. She turned to Yugo and her smile became more genuine. “I should leave you two alone. I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do.”

“What about your soup?” Yugo asked as he squeezed her hand tighter, pouring every single ounce of love and support he could into that small gesture.

“I trust Alibert to let me know when it’s done.” She sent the cook a wink, and although father and son could tell it was meant to be playful, the cheeriness behind it just felt forced. Wincing slightly at their reactions, the young queen forced herself to act as natural as possible. Peeking from behind her boyfriend, she locked eyes with Chibi and Grougal; even they looked worried for her. Willing her smile to become as reassuring as possible in her bittersweet state, she told them, “Yugo told me you guys built a brand new home for Az and his family. Care to show it to me?”

Their expressions brightened up at that. It was clear from their engineering skills their talents as inventors in their past lives lived on with them, a fact that while they still didn’t know the full scope of, they were very proud of. So with matching grins and a nod, Chibi and Grougal jumped from their stools and, grabbing Amalia’s hand, dragged her to where Az had been watching the entire exchange with his family.

And with a wink her boyfriend’s way, the Sadida Queen let herself be dragged by the enthusiastic twins. For their part, the little ones were more than happy to spend some time with their new playmate. As she sat down and marvelled at Chibi and Grougal’s ingenuity, gracefully accepting some happy nuzzles from Az and his chicks, a heavy silence settled over father and son. For the time being, it looked as if both of them preferred to just watch the green-haired beauty enjoying herself after revisiting such painful memories.

“King Oakheart died while Amalia was busy helping us save Eva and Flopin from the demigods.” Yugo eventually spoke up, reminding his father of their last conversation, his brow furrowed in regret at the painful reminder it was because of him she couldn't bid her father goodbye. With a heavy sigh and a heavier heart, he looked his father in the eye. “Her brother, King Armand, died defending their kingdom from the Nécromes. She was crowned because her sister-in-law abandoned them mid-battle.”

Alibert shook his head regretfully. “My poor child... I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for her.”

Yugo couldn't argue there. It killed him inside whenever Amalia excused herself to visit her family's tomb trees, as she would spend hours mourning their loss. The only thing more painful was when he learned what happened to Armand upon returning from the Necroworld and how he, once again, couldn't be there to console his love when she needed him most.

“At least she's 22. It's not the same as when she lost her mother.” He tried to be optimistic, but it sounded hollow even to his ears.

“You're never the right age for seeing your loved ones die, Yugo." Alibert surmised. “It would have hurt just as badly had she been in her old age.”

At his father’s words, the Eliatrope couldn’t help thinking back to Qilby and what he’d explained about his and Shinonomé’s ‘gift’ once the truth was out about his true nature all those years ago. Qilby was thousands of years old and, what’s more, remembered every single lifetime. And yet, it was clear the loss of his loved ones over the years had greatly contributed to his deteriorating mental state, never becoming easier to overcome. It was funny, in a way; not that long ago thoughts of Qilby were filled with nothing but resentment for what their people had gone through because of his selfishness; rage for being manipulated into giving him exactly what he needed to do it all over again, with no remorse whatsoever over destroying the World of Twelve; and guilt because, despite his many terrible deeds, the idea of sealing him once again in the White Dimension, while a necessary evil, still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

It would be safe to say Yugo tried to avoid thinking about his brother as much as he could. And yet, ever since their reunion and being saved from Toross and Efrim by him, the young king found himself thinking about the eldest Eliatrope more than ever. And to think both his people and the World of Twelve had suffered so much only because their divine heritage made them different… Maybe the Twelvian monarchs had ample reason to fear them and want them gone. He did come to realise they were right in refusing his mother’s help, he thought with a sneer. After all, it wasn’t like she’d actually been much help when they needed her most.

Maybe he was putting Amalia and her people in danger by accepting their generosity. Maybe it would be for the best if he and his people left. Maybe he was a fool for thinking they could ever—.

“I’m guessing Amalia didn’t just leave because the conversation was turning difficult for her, so I’ll be here to listen whenever you feel ready to talk, Yugo.”

His father’s kind words cut through his thoughts like a knife, grounding him in the here and now before he could spiral down his own concerns and fears. Before he could dwell on what he believed was best but might end up hurting Amalia—his beloved flower, blooming beautifully as she laughed in the presence of his little siblings, praising them for the wonderful home they made for Az and his family—, even after vowing to himself to never put her through the same kind of emotional torture she went through while they were stuck in Oropo’s dimension.

Despite himself, Yugo chuckled. “How can you always tell when I need someone to talk to?”

“I raised you, Yugo. I was there before the portals, and Nox, and the Brotherhood of the Tofu… And I always tried to be there for everything that followed.” His father sent him a knowing smirk from over the pot where he was stirring the rice. “What kind of father would I be if I weren’t able to tell when something’s troubling you?”

The Eliatrope’s laugh was more genuine now, causing his shoulders to shake. “Fair enough.”

“So, what is it, Yugo? What’s on your mind?”

Alibert could only raise an eyebrow in confusion when, at first, it looked like Yugo just turned around in his stool instead of answering. A beat passed where the two remained in silence, his eldest son just observing the restaurant, its patrons and, more importantly, his girlfriend.

Even as he finally spoke up—just when the Enutrof was about to repeat his question—, he never took his eyes off of her. “I suppose you must be wondering why I suddenly look my age.”

Allowing a reassuring smile to curl at his lips, Alibert just shrugged nonchalantly. “Can’t say I’m not curious. It’s a little bit hard to believe you got a sudden growth-spurt from drinking your milk every day. Calcium is important, but it doesn’t do miracles!” He joked.

“Oh, don’t I know it?” Yugo played along, smirking in amusement, “I used to try all kinds of tricks to grow up sooner before Adamaï explained to me we just aged more slowly!”

“As if I could forget!” Alibert roared with laughter, Yugo following shortly after. “There was a time I half-expected you to start wearing heels!”

“Psh, as if!” Yugo waved the mere notion off with his hand. “Eva almost broke her spine wearing those things back when we were trying to pass off as ugly princesses. That’s about the last thing I need!”

Father and son burst out laughing at the memories, feeling nostalgic at how what once was a life-threatening mission could now feel like simpler times, unburdened by the struggles and fears tied with growing up—or not growing up properly, in Yugo’s case.

And with that sobering reminder, as soon as his laughter quieted down, he said, “Remember those things that attacked the town a few weeks back?”

Although his voice was perfectly even and casual, the practised calm imbued to it gave Alibert pause. Whatever Yugo said next would be of utmost importance.

“The ones immune to your wakfu-based attacks, you mean?”

“Nécromes.” Yugo confirmed with a nod of his head. “They came from the Necroworld, a twisted reflection of the World of Twelve. Once, they were just like you and me, until their leader, Toross Mordal, misused his Dofus to the point he completely ravaged his people and their world, turning them into monsters obsessed with draining wakfu to sate their hunger.”

“‘Obsessed with draining wakfu’?” Alibert echoed, incredulous yet bracing himself for the worst. “I don’t understand, my boy. What does that have to do with how you look?”

Deep down, the worried father knew he would not like the answer. His fears were only confirmed when Yugo went on explaining.

“They set their sights on the Sadida Kingdom—because of course they did.” He scoffed. Why was everything wrong in this world always happening to the peaceful tree people the woman he loved just happened to rule over? “But we couldn’t understand how they even made it to our world, at least, not until it was too late. We investigated the Sadida Kingdom and found a giant portal leading to their world.”

Alibert didn’t like where this story was going. He didn’t like it one bit, but knew he had to listen to his son until the end.

“So, we arrived there and met Toross for the very first time.” He paused, clearly reliving that agonising battle and everything that followed. “We barely made it out alive.”

“But that’s not all that happened, is it, Yugo?”

The innkeeper’s heart sank when his son could only shake his head.

“Just as we were about to make it, Efrim, Nora’s dragon brother who had been turned into a Nécrome when they freed our mother, prevented me from escaping. Then, they chained me to a tower and began to drain my wakfu to feed themselves. Just thinking about it is excruciating.” As he heard his father’s horrified gasp at the revelation, Yugo couldn’t bring himself to look him in the eye, too tragically engrossed in the memories haunting him. Too afraid of what he might find if he met his gaze. “I don’t know how long I was there; could have been hours, could have been days… All I know is it felt like years had passed. And, in a way, they had. When I could finally take a good, long look at myself, I realised I had suddenly aged significantly; before I even knew it, I looked like a young man in his twenties, instead of a kid.”

As he retold those horrific events, Yugo’s eyes never strayed from where Amalia sat down with Chibi and Grougal, playing with Az’s chicks and laughing at his family’s antics. Now more than ever he needed her to ground him like only she could. Reliving the torture Toross put him through caused a fresh wave of memories to wash over him. Namely, how even as he battled Oropo and Bouillon to keep his mind sharp and focused on anything other than the agonising pain, his thoughts still strayed back to Amalia, to the terrifying prospect that he might never see her again. By the time he escaped and began recruiting their friends, he was so busy riding on adrenaline he forgot he would actually get to reunite with her after all; the possibility only becoming a reality when she took his hand after his mother left and, once again, reminded him she was there.

She was with him. She would always be by his side when he needed it most. Just like he swore he would always be there by her side. No matter what.

“I’m going to ask Amalia to marry me, Dad.” He said out of the blue, causing his adoptive father to almost choke on his own spit out of sheer mood whiplash.

Still, the tone his son used was not the one you’d expect from what was usually such joyous news. “Then why does it sound like you might never see her again?”

“Because maybe that’s what I should do instead.”

“Now, Yugo—”

“The World of Twelve has been terrified of my people ever since Qilby revealed his true colours.” He interrupted, too absorbed in his own demons to register what his father was trying to say. “And the more time passes, the more I’m beginning to think they’re right to fear us. I mean, our technology doesn’t work without copious amounts of wakfu, enough to either completely ravage entire kingdoms or even planets!

“Same thing with our Dofus, in fact.” As Yugo rambled, his voice dripping with frustration, Alibert didn’t miss the way he absentmindedly toyed with the golden button on his chest. “I almost destroyed the world using them, just like Toross did with his. And then there’s our mother! Of course, I know what happened. The other gods sealed her away in the Necroworld to feed the Nécromes all this time until Nora and Efrim rescued her. But try looking at things from everyone else’s point of view:

“The goddess of the one non-native race to their world not only appears out of nowhere, but uses her powers to constantly spy on the World of Twelve in order to ensure it’s safe for her children. And even though she promises all she wants is a peaceful world, the second things get too hard, she loses all composure and the best solution she can come up with is to abandon this world and its inhabitants, leaving them all to suffer a fate that’s her fault in the first place!”

Yugo was breathing heavily by the time he was done with his anguished spiel, his volume rising with each word he uttered drawing the patrons’ eyes to him. But even as his hands were nestled in his dishevelled hair and his eyes fixated on the counter, he could see a concerned Amalia rising from her seat with the clear intention of consoling him from the corner of his eyes. Locking eyes with her, he simply shook his head, silently telling her to remain where she was.

While normally he would love nothing more than to let Amalia melt all his sorrows away, right now he couldn’t bear the thought. Not when she was partly related to said sorrows.

Seeing the pitiful state his son was in and knowing the last thing he needed was to feel as observed as an Iop on a game show, Alibert shot a withering glare at his customers, silently forbidding them from saying a word. His brow softening as he looked down at Yugo, he tried patting his shoulder reassuringly to offer some comfort.

“I understand how you might feel that way, my boy.” Adding the rice and vegetables to the pan with the gobball steak, he began to stir-fry it all together. “You’d expect the inhabitants of such a multiethnic world to be more tolerant, but alas, that is just not the case.”

All Yugo could offer from his position against the wooden counter was a muffled sound of agreement.

“Even so, I’m sure people will learn to accept Eliatropes soon enough. After all, you’re the Eliatrope King and one of the greatest heroes this world has ever known!”

“You don’t understand, Dad…” Yugo protested with a defeated sigh. “They hate us! Despise us, even! When Nora and I tried to warn them about the Nécromes, they blamed it all on us; Queen Astra from Bonta wouldn’t even let Nora rise from her bowed down position!”

“Oh, that’s bad…” Alibert muttered uneasily, wincing.

“And the worst part,” Yugo continued, bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation, “they were right. It was our fault.”

“Now, Yugo. You don’t know that—” Alibert tried to say, only for his words to die in his throat at the defeated shake of his son’s head.

“No, Dad. I do know that. Remember Efrim?”

“He was Nora’s dragon brother, right? The one that got turned into a Nécrome?”

The Eliatrope nodded. “Turns out, the reason the Nécromes ever made it to our world was because of his and Nora’s efforts to locate our mother. In sacrificing himself so she and Nora could escape, Efrim unwittingly provided Toross with exactly what he needed to feed his people: Nora and her portals.”

Horror flooded the Enutrof’s face as realisation dawned on him.

“He’d been using her since the very beginning to reach the World of Twelve.” Yugo stated somberly. He gritted his teeth at the memory of his sister, encased in stone, helpless against that monster taking advantage of her all over again upon locating his next target. “So, there you have it. Even though it was an accident, it was because of our people that the Nécromes ever made it here.

“It was because of me Amalia lost her brother.” He choked out, his voice breaking under the weight of the guilt he carried. “If it weren’t for us, Eliatropes, the Nécromes would have never arrived, the Sadida’s trees would have never been drained of their wakfu, and the kingdom would have never been under attack. If it wasn’t for my people, we never would have had to use the Eliasphere and Amalia wouldn’t have had to lose her entire family in quick succession.”

Alibert’s heart broke at the sheer pain laced with Yugo’s voice, all the regrets he carried and how, deep down, that was holding him back from fully enjoying the special bond he shared with Amalia. Even now that his physical appearance was no longer a problem, Yugo’s psyche was still playing tricks against him. As the tortured Eliatrope went on with his retelling, the old innkeeper chanced a glance the Sadida Queen’s way. When their eyes met, he could see Amalia was just as torn up about Yugo as he was. But, more importantly, he could see how, much like him, she would never be able to forgive herself if she knew how much he was hurting for her sake.

“Tell me, Dad. How could I possibly be so selfish as to ask her to marry me after all she’s lost because of me?!” Even though he was asking his father, his question seemed to actually be addressed at the Gods Themselves, begging them for a solution.

For a moment, Alibert said nothing, just stared back at his son and saw him, although not for the first time, as the man he truly was. Even though his desire to always put others before himself had turned against him more than once, his adoptive father couldn’t help but be proud of the man he raised.

However, despite Yugo no longer being a child, not even physically, it was clear he still needed his old man’s guidance now and then. And Alibert just knew he would never be able to forgive himself if he let Amalia go. After all, no matter how much he tried to deny it, the heartbreak in his face whenever it looked as if the Sadida would slip through his fingers was unmistakable.

So he did what a father did best. He tried to be there for his son.

“I imagine that’s also how Amalia must have felt, too.” He said simply, checking in on Amalia’s soup. Five more minutes and it’d be ready.

That gave Yugo pause. “What do you mean?”

He made a show of shrugging. “You said you got captured just as you were about to escape the Necroworld. Tell me, was Amalia with you?” After a speechless nod from Yugo, he went on. “Then, knowing her and how much she’s always cared for you, I’m willing to bet my chef’s hat she must have felt horrible for not being able to save you.”

“But that’s ridiculous!” Yugo protested, scandalised. “It wasn’t her fault! She couldn’t have predicted Efrim would capture me!”

“Just like you and your family couldn’t have predicted that freeing your mother from those things would lead them straight to our world.” Alibert looked at him pointedly even as he poured his stew onto a plate. “Just like you couldn’t have predicted her brother would die protecting his people.”

The young king visibly deflated at that. “But I did. Qilby died from overusing the Eliasphere, that’s why I told them not to overdo it when drawing power from it, because it would cost them their lives.”

“All I’m hearing is further confirmation none of this is your fault.”

“But—!”

“No, Yugo. Listen to me!” He told him sternly, making good use of his Authoritative Dad Voice. Even now, it still worked like a charm, for Yugo could only squirm in his seat under his gaze. His expression softened into a small smile. “Yugo, don’t you see? You didn’t even know where the Great Goddess was for most of your life. You couldn’t have known your siblings were trying to free her, nor how that would play out. But once you were fully aware of the situation, you did everything in your power to remedy it.

“Same thing with Armand. This time you were aware of the risks and told your friends as much. But Armand was a king, and a good one, I gather. Even at the risk of his own life, he was more than willing to go down fighting as long as his people got to live another day. His death wasn’t your fault, Yugo, Armand made his choice. There’s no doubt in my mind Amalia will agree with me.”

Even though his father’s words brought some peace to him, Yugo couldn’t help but laugh mirthlessly. “Amalia’s too good for me. Always has been.”

“Even when she was still a bit of spoiled brat?” Alibert couldn’t help but raise an amused eyebrow. Though, a part of him hoped beyond hope the Sadida Queen didn’t hear him. She was a sweet girl, no wonder his boy fell so hard for her, but she was a force to be reckoned with when angry.

Yugo chuckled. “Yes, even then.” Despite himself, his haunted expression softened, giving way to a lovesick smile and a fond glimmer in his eyes as he talked about his beloved. “She’s amazing. After being crowned queen, her first course of action—besides dealing with the aftermath of the battle, of course— was preparing her kingdom to serve as residence for the Eliatropes as well. She’s been doing everything in her power to ensure we have a place to stay.

“She’s always saying, ‘You and your people have done more for us than any other kingdom, Yugo; the least I could do is welcome you into our home!’ And she means that.” He chuckled at the memory. “In fact, whenever I try to tell her we’ll find something, she always brings up how her own people already see both races as one. Apparently, the fact that our goddess chose their kingdom to build her shrine, where the Eliasphere is now guarded, is a great honour for them.”

“Sounds to me like she’s ready to butt heads with the other nations just to ensure the Eliatropes and Twelvians can finally coexist.” Alibert noted with a fond smile.

“Sometimes I fear that’s exactly what she would do.” Yugo sighed, though the smile didn’t leave his face.

“And much like her brother, she would be making her own choice, Yugo. You’re not strong-arming her into anything. Judging from what you’ve told me, you’re not even her consort yet and she’s already looking for ways to welcome your people—with her people’s full support, might I add.” Alibert pointed out.

Even as he tried to remain as firm as possible, the furious blush on the Eliatrope’s face caused by being described as Amalia’s ‘consort’ still caused him to lose some authority. “But I don’t want her to have the entirety of the World of Twelve against the Sadida Kingdom!”

“Except they more or less already are.”

Father and son were so engrossed in their conversation, they completely failed to notice the Sadida Queen in question approaching them. Therefore, the sound of her voice intervening in the conversation was so sudden they both almost jumped right out of their skins, never mind they were both grown men who’d been on their fair share of adventures.

“Amalia!” Yugo exclaimed, looking as flushed as a hormonal teenager caught staring at his crush. How much did she hear?! “W-what are you doing here? I-I thought you wanted to give us some privacy… What about Chibi and Grougal?”

“It was their nap time.” She replied simply. “And I do want to give you some privacy, but I also had the feeling you were beating yourself up about something out of your control and I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“I-I see…” He answered timidly.

“Also, I’m pretty sure my soup is about done anyway.” The queen shrugged.

“I see.” He replied flatly.

“And you would be right, Amalia.” Alibert agreed, amused by the scene. Excusing himself for a moment, he poured the cawwot soup on a plate before taking Yugo’s already served gobball stew and placing both dishes down on the table and in front of his guests.

With a quick ‘thank you’ sent the Enutrof’s way, Amalia turned her attention back to her boyfriend. “So, what’s that about the World of Twelve turning against the Sadida Kingdom?”

Noticing the serious look on her face and knowing she would not let the matter go until he gave her a satisfying answer, all Yugo could do was admit defeat, his shoulders shagging slightly.

“I was just telling Dad about your efforts to welcome my people…and how that might cause trouble for you with the rest of the rulers.”

“I see.” Amalia said simply. After taking a spoonful of soup and marvelling at its richness, which baffled the Eliatrope, since it felt as if she couldn’t care less about the topic at hand, she finally continued. “In that case, yeah, I was right. They’re pretty much against us anyway.”

“Amalia!” Yugo screeched, scandalised. Noticing everyone’s eyes on him yet again, he shrank back down on his seat, embarrassed. “How can you say that?! Except for Bonta and Brakmar’s weird rivalry, the Twelve Nations are allies!”

“And we all are. On paper.” She made sure to empathise. “The last thing I want is to go to war against anyone, and as long as it’s possible, I still plan on fostering positive relationships with the other kingdoms—.”

“Then how can you say you’re only allies on paper?”

“I was getting to that.” She flashed him a pointed look, though the smile remained on her face. “The thing is… Well, you saw it yourself! The Council of Twelve is supposed to work together as one, especially in times of crisis. And yet, in recent years, whenever my people needed their help, the only ones willing to come to our aid were the Brotherhood of the Tofu—in other words, my dearest friends— and Master Joris!

“When the Nécromes attacked, both Armand and I explicitly asked the Osamodas King for help; we asked him to alert the other nations! And what did he do? He neglected to even send some troops of his own to aid the allied kingdom his own daughter was queen of.” Amalia sheethed through gritted teeth, it was clear what happened with the animal taming race was still a sore spot for her. Not like he could ever blame her. “Is it any wonder I say we’re allies only on paper? As much as it pains me to admit it, Armand was right; the other nations just don’t care about the Sadida.”

“Amalia, you know that’s not true.” Yugo tried to console her, to make her see reason before her heartbreak over what happened caused her to do anything she might regret in the future. “Even if it wasn’t the overwhelming support your kingdom rightfully needed, you still got so many people from different races helping you.” He grinned at the cute little pout on her face, knowing he was slowly winning her over. “Remember? You had some Iops by your side—including their god and his current vassal—; your best friend is a Cra who’ll always be in your corner; an old Enutrof thought it was more important to help you than earn a quick kama; then, there’s Master Joris—who, to be honest, I’m not even sure what he is…”

“And I got the one and only Eliatrope King rallying up his army and dragon brother to help us.” Amalia finished for him, looking up at him adoringly but with a mischievous glint that told the Eliatrope King in question he had been had.

With a soft chuckle, he finally relented. “Yeah, I suppose that too.”

“Do you see now why we Sadidas don’t mind things becoming a little tense between the other kingdoms and us for your people’s sake, Yugo?” She took his hands in hers. What she was about to say was of utmost importance and she wanted him to hang onto her every word. “Even when everyone made it very clear we didn’t want you here, you and your people stayed and helped us in our hour of need when no one else would. We are immensely grateful for that and want to repay you.”

“I know, Amalia, I do. It’s just…” He trailed off, averting his eyes, not trusting himself to speak.

“It’s just what, Yugo?” She urged him to continue, placing her hand on his cheek to get him to look at her again.

He sighed. “I just don’t want you suffering the consequences for my sake.” He confessed.

“It’s not suffering the consequences if I want this. And trust me, I desperately want this. If you ask me, for all intents and purposes, Eliatropes and Sadidas are already one.” The young queen admitted, bringing his hands to her cheeks to feel his warmth. “Besides, if we’re really going to get in trouble for keeping your people near, then all the more reason to do it.”

“What does that even mean?!” The Eliatrope laughed at her enigmatic choice of words, his heart feeling lighter than it had for weeks.

“We outcasts must stick together, don’t you think?” She winked at him with a smirk, causing him to laugh even harder. Only this time, the Sadida beauty soon followed in on the laughter.

Alibert, who had remained quiet while they talked, knowing they needed to get some things out in the open, smiled broadly at the scene. Watching them be this openly affectionate and in love was such a turn of events from when he would catch his then 17-year-old son staring after the Sadida Princess like a lovesick puppy, only to immediately backtrack and deny he harboured any romantic feelings. And now, even if he understood his son’s concerns, he was glad his little flower managed to knock some sense into him. She was right, of course, Eliatrope and Sadida had become one the very day the two lovers first crossed paths. It was only natural they remained together.

After a few more minutes where he just allowed the couple to flirt shamelessly, as they had probably forgotten he was there in the first place, he finally decided it was about time he reminded them of his presence.

Clearing his throat, he tried to hide the amused smile creeping on his lips at the way they just seemed to freeze at the same time as their faces turned crimson at his interruption. “While I’m sure you still have much to talk about, as Yugo can attest, I’ve always believed it’s just not right to discuss heavy topics on an empty stomach. So, come on! Dig in! Before your food gets cold!”

Not needing to be told twice, the couple finally dug in with much gusto, the conversation between the three eventually drifting off to much more pleasant and varied topics.

............................................................................................................................

A few hours had passed and Yugo and Amalia were getting ready to go back. There was still much to be done in the Sadida Kingdom, especially in preparation for sharing their living spaces with the Eliatropes. While Amalia was busy saying goodbye to Chibi and Grougal, promising to come back soon, Alibert took the chance to talk some more with his eldest son before he left.

“So, tell me, my boy.” He began, looping an arm around his suddenly much taller son and not liking one bit how old that made him feel. “Are you still having second thoughts about popping the question?”

Yugo smiled down at his father, his cheeks colouring slightly at the reminder. “I’m doing better. I mean, I suppose I’ll always worry about Amalia and what’s best for her, but at least now I know we’re pivotal in each other’s happiness. I really can’t imagine my life without her.”

Alibert couldn't help but grin. “Is that why you came all the way here, to tell me about your plans to propose?”

“Pretty much, yeah. I at least wanted to let you know you might have to prepare yourself for a wedding.” Although the smile didn’t fall from his face, it became a little strained. “I really wanted to talk to somebody about this, especially since now I can’t even ask King Oakheart for his blessing…” Then, he added, almost as an afterthought. “Thinking back, I’m not even sure Armand would have given me his blessing. I never could figure him out…”

“Please.” The old Enutrof just scoffed, rolling his eyes in amusement. “As if Armand would’ve been able to tame his sister. She’s just as beautiful as she is wild, you know?”

“Believe me, I know.” He nodded with the dopiest, most lovesick smile Alibert had ever seen on a person. He had to stifle a laugh; his pretty flower had him wrapped around her little finger…

“For all it’s worth, she has my blessing.” Alibert joked, smacking his shoulder so hard, Yugo almost toppled over despite his new body mass.

After that, father and son just looked each other in the eye, their gazes reflecting the deep love and care they shared, and closed the distance between them with one big hug. It was so weird, in a way, that despite no longer engulfing the entirety of his son’s body like he used to, he still felt like he had more to hug now. More to love.

He knew it the moment his little piwii was entrusted to him. He would only come to love Yugo more each passing day.

Now that they were in such close proximity, however, he whispered in his ear. “Whenever you feel ready to talk about what you went through in the Necroworld, son, I’ll be there.”

Instead of saying anything, he just felt Yugo hug him tighter.

“Well, ready when you are.” Amalia made her presence known, staring at the scene lovingly but with the smallest tinge of sadness for what she would no longer be able to do with her own father.

“Right.” Yugo said, breaking the hug yet not being able to resist squeezing his father affectionately one last time. “I’ll be back soon to keep you posted, Dad. I promise.”

“You’d better!” Alibert laughed jovially. Then, he turned to Amalia, offering her a kind smile. “Please, take care of him for me, will you, Your Majesty? You know the kind of trouble he tends to get into.” He winked at her conspiratorially.

Amalia just giggled cutely in response. “Don’t worry, Alibert. You can count on me.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” He clapped his hands loudly. “Well, what are you waiting for? Don’t let this old Enutrof keep you for much longer; I’m sure you’re very busy back home. Oh! And tell Adamaï he’d better come visit, too!” He called after them.

“Will do, Dad!” Yugo replied, waving him goodbye as they made their way out of Emelka.

As Alibert watched his son and his, hopefully, soon-to-be fiancée walk away hand-in-hand, smiling widely and laughing as they grew smaller against the horizon, the old innkeeper couldn’t help but lay his eyes on Yugo.

The way he now dwarfed his beloved, albeit only by a head. His broad shoulders. The confidence with which he carried himself now. The sheer power he radiated. The maturity of his decisions. The immense adoration he regarded his girlfriend with. His willingness to finally take the reins of his own life and remain by her side after so long of denying himself that simple wish.

He saw it all and couldn’t help but think, not for the first time, that old saying was right:

They really did grow up very fast.

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