#i could sit here forever it's so good. it's so good it's so good i love humans so much

[userchai]

𝐼 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 - 18+

𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘹 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵…. 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.

word-count 2.2K

thank you so much for reading feedback is appreciated I love you all dearly! sorry if there are any mistakes! 🖤

“If you love me right then who knows?”

You knew this was a terrible idea, letting him back in, but when he had shown up at your door, shivering and crying you just couldn’t say no. The soft morning glow of the sun illuminates his face beautifully as you stand at your bedroom door.

His eyelashes flutter as he turns a little in his sleep, the long black curls you’ve always loved are wild and messy. “What are you doing to me Eddie?” You whisper, shaking your head and fighting back tears.

He came to you because he didn’t know where else to go, having moved away from Hawkins years ago. It was hours away and you were only fifteen minutes down the road, so Eddie did what he knew best, he came back to you.

This isn’t the first time he’s shown back up since the two of you split years ago, but for some reason in this moment the air feels different. He looks so peaceful in your bed, he looks like he fits, like this is his home too.

You glance at the calendar above your bed, it’s Sunday. You have nowhere to be but right here with the man that you’re still so in love with, it’s painful.

You slowly make your way over to your bed, gently setting yourself down on it, not wanting to wake him yet. The fight the two of you had gotten into last night when he just showed up was still fresh in your mind.

“You can’t just come right back Eddie! You always do this!” You had screamed, tears streaming down your face as you leaned back against your front door.

The night ended differently than you would’ve expected, Eddie had kissed you, and he didn’t stop kissing. You both knew this would only lead to more hurt down the road but neither of you cared.

You’re so wrapped up in your thoughts that you don’t hear Eddie wake up until his hand gently brushes your arm. “Hey.. you okay baby?” He whispers. ‘Baby’ you wanted to tell him that’s not who you were to him anymore, but you couldn’t.

“I’m alright. Did you sleep okay?” You ask, brushing a piece of his hair away from his face. He nods slowly, sitting up. You both stare at each other for a minute, Eddie’s eyes are puffy with sleep and it only makes him look even more attractive.

You smile timidly, damn him for making you feel every single feeling you’ve been working so hard on pushing down for years. “Good, I was gonna make something to eat if you’re hungry?” You ask, going to stand up before Eddie’s grabbing your hand, pulling you back down.

His dark eyes may as well be looking right through you as he keeps you in place. He’s very obvious, you’ve seen that look a million times before, the only thing Eddie is hungry for at the moment is you.

“Ed, I don’t think that’s such a good idea-” you start off, chewing your lip nervously as he pulls you closer to where he’s leaning back against your headboard. “If anything, let me have you for just one more night, I understand if you want me to leave forever after that. I just need to feel you one more time.”

Your heart is pounding beneath your chest, you knew this wouldn’t be the last time, you knew you wanted him. You needed him. Your body reacts before your mind can make up words to say back to him, you straddle yourself over his lap and gently reach down to hold his face. “I’ve never stopped loving you Eddie Munson.” You whisper.

The prettiest smile breaks out over those pouty lips that you could kiss for hours, “Show me then.” He says back, it’s a challenge. You bite back a laugh at how desperately Eddie’s clinging to you right now. His big hands are gripping onto your hips, you hope they bruise you want to remember this forever.

Eddie can be soft sometimes, even if he doesn’t look like it, and this is definitely one of those times. You could break him, and he would let you. You wanted to wreck him and rebuild him after. He groans lowly beneath you as you slowly circle your hips, grinding down against his lap for just a few seconds before stopping.

“Please don’t stop, I need to feel you.” He almost whimpers out, so pathetic, how much he needs you. You lean down slowly and kiss up the side of his neck, biting down against his jaw hard enough that it draws out a little blood. You wanted pain, you wanted him to feel everything that you’ve felt, you wanted him to know that if he fucks up this time he will never see you again.

“Fuck. You little vixen.” He bites out as you run your hands down his shoulders, you keep them going as you shuffle back off of his lap. “Gonna ruin you, is that what you came here for?” You ask as he bites his lip. He nods quickly, watching you pull your sheets back away from his body. “Oh, how cute baby, look how hard you’ve gotten and all I did was sit in your lap for a minute, admit it, you need me.”

You pull the covers all the way off of him, shuffling down to lay on your stomach in front of him as you run your hand teasingly against his length that’s straining behind his tight boxers. “I-fuck, I need you, I love you, I’m sorry for being such an idiot and leaving before please, even if you don’t want me anymore just use me today, that’s all I want.”

You smile up at him, that’s exactly the answer you wanted. If he thinks he can just come back and instantly win you over he is sorely mistaken, he’s going to work for it. You dig your nails into his skin a little as a hiss breaks its way out of his mouth, before you’re pulling his boxers down. You must be going far too slow for his liking because you swear you hear him start begging as his cock finally slaps back against his stomach.

You’ve missed him so bad, and you’ve missed feeling him inside of you almost more than the relationship you once had shared. Your mouth waters at the sight of his thick length, the head is leaking pre-cum against his stomach as you tap your fingers lazily against his thighs. “Why should I suck you off baby? I don’t know if you deserve my mouth anymore.” He moans loudly, pushing his hands against his eyes before he’s grabbing the back of your neck, pulling you closer to him.

You laugh quietly, he’s so hard it must be hurting by now. “Fuck…. Please I know I don’t deserve it okay? I don’t, but just, please I’ll be so good I’ll do anything to have you again baby.” You lick your lips slowly, before you’re spitting down onto the head. “Fine, but it’s at my pace, don’t you fucking move.” You can hear the air leave his lungs as you slowly wrap one of your hands tightly against him, stroking him slowly and spreading your saliva all over him.

You know just how he likes it, sloppy and loud, you are determined to make sure he remembers this, if today really is the last time. Focusing back on him you lean down and kiss up the side of his cock before you’re at the very top, you flutter your eyelashes up at him as his stomach tenses. He’s so beautiful, you sink your mouth down around him and the most beautiful sound comes out of his throat. Sure, Eddie is a good singer, but the sounds he makes for you have always been better than music.

It only takes a few more minutes of absolutely setting out to ruin Eddie, before his hips are threatening to lift off the bed. You know he wants to fuck your mouth, but you specifically told him not to move, so you pull off of him and slap his thigh. “I thought I said no moving, don’t you wanna be my good boy?” He looks like he’s on the verge of tears as he frantically apologizes, reaching to grip onto you. You can feel him shaking as you sit back up onto your knees.

“Don’t deserve my mouth anymore, you can’t even listen to instructions baby, but I’ll let you have my pussy. The only thing is, you’re not cumming.” Your stomach is already wound tight at the thought of having him inside you again, you waste no time in pulling your panties off and throwing them down onto the floor. Eddie looks like an absolute wreck already, his hair stuck to his face, eyes blown full of lust and love as he looks up at you. “Please just fuck me.” He whispers.

Reaching behind yourself to grab his cock again you rub the tip against yourself over and over, you can feel it pulsing against your hand. You knew how bad he needed to cum but for now things were going to be about you. You tense up as you slowly slide yourself down onto him, he’s so thick it almost hurts. “You’re so fucking beautiful.” He gasps out, his hands gripping the sheets below you as you finally bottom out around him.

You wait a few minutes to adjust before you are lifting yourself back up, the drag of his cock inside of you is addicting and you don’t know if you’ll even last very long. You drop back down again, moaning loudly as every nerve in your body feels like it’s on fire. “Fuck, I’ve missed you baby, please, want you to fill me up when I say you can, need to feel you leaking back out of me for days Eddie.” His hands are all over your body, pulling, gripping, never wanting to let go. The both of you are breathing into each other’s mouths, crying out in pleasure and love.

It’s like nothing had ever happened, you wanted this for life, and you know at this moment he wants it too. He’s barely holding himself together as you bounce on his lap like some sort of angelic nymph. He can’t decide whether he wants to sing filthy praises or spill his heart out about how much he loves you as his cock rubs against that spot in you that sends both of you into a frenzy. “That’s it, fuck Eddie please, oh my god, cum now baby, fill me up, give me all of your love and let me feel it.”

‘Bad idea!’ Your mind was screaming, but your heart and body didn’t care, all the nasty thoughts of how much you hated what he did to you were slowly being stripped away from you. Eddie doesn’t know a lot, but right now he knows he is never letting go of you again. He stops holding back as you tense down around him again, leaning your forehead against his as he runs his hands down your back, gripping onto your ass. The neighbors must be getting a good show with how loud you both are.

You can feel him break beneath you, his body trembling as ‘I love you’ spills out of his lips over and over, your own orgasm washes over you quickly when Eddie bites down on your collar bone, sucking a bruise right into your soft skin. The both of you cling to each other as your highs slowly come down, you feel like you could nap forever with how spent your body is.

Another quiet moan slips past your lips as Eddie lifts you off of him slowly, you can feel his cum leaking out of you and down onto your thighs. “What a beautiful mess you are.” He whispers, leaning over to kiss you on your forehead as tears well up in your eyes. “Eddie?” You ask quietly, your throat hurts from how loud you’d been only moments ago. He doesn’t reply right away, instead he reaches for his Metallica shirt that’s on the floor, slowly pulling it down over your head and helping you put your arms through.

It smells like heaven, it smells like everything you’ve missed. “Yes baby?” He asks. “Please, don’t hurt me again. Don’t let me go.” You feel a tear slip down your cheek before it’s quickly being wiped away by his calloused fingers. “You’re never leaving my sight again, I was such an idiot when we were younger, but I want you, I want us forever.” He leans his forehead against yours as you both sit there in silence, maybe you could work again. Who knows?

The rest of the morning is softer, after you both had a moment to catch your breath Eddie had helped you into a bath, getting in behind you to rub your sore muscles as you laughed quietly while sharing things you’d missed out on since you’d last seen each other. This was easy, it was familiar, it was love. You couldn’t fight back smiling as you watched him standing at your oven, flipping a pancake over in a frying pan and almost dropping it onto the floor.

You knew opening the door for him was potentially opening your heart up to be broken again, but for Eddie you would risk everything, even your heart.

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[leclercsluvs]

LN4 | Our Forever Moment

an: i still don't really know how much i like to make written fics, but i have ideas for them so i'm going to continue to try and write them, i think. my first language is NOT english, so sorry if there's any mistakes <3 pairing: lando norris x fem!reader, vasseur!reader (this is gonna be fun, lowkey not important, gets mentioned like a few times because i forgot) warnings: swearing (like twice) inspired by: mine - taylor swift word count: 6.2k

As she’s being dragged to another race, she wonders when her dad is going to realize she's always running off and never in the garage of his own team, she doesn’t know that he’s fully aware she’s never there. She’s been welcomed by everyone she’s visited though, which does make him happy. She mostly goes to Mercedes and Red Bull, but lately Mclaren has been looking quite interesting. 

“Are you going to stay in the Ferrari garage today? Or am I gonna have to send someone over to Red Bull or Mercedes to find you?" Fred looks at yn with a playful smile.

“I didn’t think you noticed.” She's quite shocked. He always seemed to switch off being a dad whenever they stepped into the garage, so it never even occurred to her that he even wanted her there.

“Who do you think sends someone after you at the end of the day?” He turns back around as they get closer, “I think you, Charles and Carlos would be great friends if you gave them a chance,” they turn and walk into the Ferrari hospitality. “Oh speaking of boys, have you found a boyfriend I need to approve of?” He quickly looks back to see her surprised face before he turns back to see where he’s going, even though he could probably navigate it blindfolded.

“Well first of all, you wouldn’t need to approve of him, this isn’t the middle age,” yn lets out a small laugh, “and second, all of my relationships have failed, you’re partly to blame for pulling me to almost every race, and then I guess I’m just not girlfriend material.” She follows her dad around, because even if she does get pulled to all races, she usually doesn't hang out here for more than 5 minutes before she’s off to find Max or George. 

“Chérie, anyone not willing to spend the short time you're home isn’t worth your time,” he stops in his track turns around and puts a hand on her shoulder, “and I’m not sure if I ever said it, but if you truly would prefer to stay home and only travel to a few, that is fine. I would understand.”

She gives him a reassuring smile, “I know. You wouldn’t have been able to drag me out of the house if I didn't truly want to be here.”

He gives one quick smile before continuing walking, and before she knows it, she’s left to herself because he’s needed for something important.

~~~

It doesn’t take long for Charles to spot yn, sitting by herself, because apparently everyone else is busy today. “Yn? what are you doing here? I thought you’d be off doing something with Max?” Charles looks around to see if Max is around and he just hadn't seen him, but it’s a lost cause, which he should have realized, Max wouldn’t be seen anywhere near anything related to Ferrari. Except for Charles of course.

“No he’s busy. Everyone suddenly got busy.” She looks back down at her phone and the messages between her and her friend, however it would be rude to text back while Charles is in front of her, so she turns it off and stuffs it in her pocket. “I don't really remember the last time everyone, well except for you I guess, was busy at the same time.” 

“Well, I’m meeting Lando and Oscar for lunch, do you want to join us?” Charles asks with a smile, flashing some cute dimples. Not that anything could ever happen between the two. As attractive as Charles may be, her dad was his boss, and nothing good was going to come out of that. 

“I think I’d like that,” she smiles back as she picks up her bag with her essentials, “it’s nothing fancy right? I didn’t really get dressed for something over the top.” She looks down at the ripped jeans and the oversized t-shirt that she’s wearing. Not exactly the cutest outfit.

~~~

“So you still live with your dad?” Oscar asks curiously, they all seemed fairly happy she was invited by Charles. And Oscar, who she hadn’t really spent any time with, has been asking a lot of questions. 

“I do. I may be 21, but living at home is just a little easier. And I like spending time with my dad, even if I run off to other teams at the first chance I get.” She answers as she takes another bite of her food. Lando has been awfully quiet and it didn’t go over yn’s head. She was fully aware of how glued his eyes were to his food. 

“Is it weird? That your dad is responsible for a Formula 1 team?” Oscar almost forgets to eat, because of all the questions he’s asking.

“It was in the beginning, but I've gotten used to it by now,” she takes a sip of water. “Is he always this quiet?” yn looks at the way Lando is poking his food “and is he always just poking his food?” She questions, making Lando's eyes move up for just a split second and then back down to his food.

“No. He’s usually pretty chatty, maybe he’s just nervous for tomorrow," Oscar says, finally eating some of his food. “He doesn’t usually get like this before a race though,” Oscar leans his head a little to the side as if thinking about it, before poking a finger in Lando’s side making him jump a little. “What’s going on in that head of yours?” Oscar asks.

“Maybe he’s got a new crush,” Charles jokes, taking a bite of food just as Lando suddenly coughs and gulps down water.

“Are you okay?” Yn asks as Lando suddenly gets up from his chair avoiding any and all eye contact.

“No, I’m actually not feeling so great. I think I’ll have to cut this short if I want to be good to go by tomorrow.” He quickly gathers his things as everyone looks confused. “Bye!” And then he’s out of there.

“Well that was weird.” Oscar says as he goes back to eating

“Do you think it was me?” Yn looks at the rest of the men sitting around the table, a little sad that she may have ruined their lunch.

Charles smiles. “Yes,” he says, looking at yn, “but in a good way. I think I might be right, even if it was just a joke.” He lets out a laugh. “I’m sure there’s some truth to it.” He goes back to eating, and so does yn, deciding that maybe she’ll talk to Lando in private.

~~~

On his way back to the hotel, Lando struggles to figure out his emotions. Of course yn is absolutely gorgeous. But considering she’s Fred's daughter he wouldn’t dare to think of her as anything but a friend. He may not race for Ferrari, but he still has a lot of respect for the man. And Lando knows about his reputation of not being able to keep his relationships going for long. Hopefully he can just subtly ignore her. Because the feelings, and thoughts he had during that lunch were not friendly. And before he even considers anything, he needs to make sure his feelings for her are romantic, and not just him finding her pretty.

~~~

Lando spent close to 4 months avoiding yn to the best of his abilities, and when he wasn’t ready and she caught him off guard he made up some weird excuse about needing to look at data, test the car, try some new Mclaren merch for photoshoots. Yn usually knew they were lies, and wondered why Lando was so set on avoiding her. To be quite honest, it brought down her mood, and she spent more and more time in the Ferrari garage and hospitality. Her dad sensed something was wrong. She was rarely there and suddenly she never left? Something was going on and he was going to get the bottom of it. 

“I see you’re spending time here today,” Fred sat across from yn. She was eating lunch. Alone. That was how she spent most of her time lately. All alone. Lando had unknowingly made her really anti-social.

“I guess.” She poked a little at the salad she had bought. She didn’t really want it anymore. 

“Did the others have plans?” Fred asks, looking around.

“I’m not sure.”

“Is something bothering you?” Fred asked, concerned for her daughter who used to have a lot to talk about. A lot of people to talk to, and who never spent time at lunch alone in Ferrari.

“Nope.” Fred sighed. He wasn’t going to get any answers. If it was because she genuinely just didn’t feel like talking today or if there was something wrong, he wasn’t sure. But he was gonna ask Max, or maybe Lewis to talk to her. He didn’t want her to be lonely. He got up from his chair. He had to get this started immediately. 

Fred’s quest to find Lewis was surprisingly easy. He found the soon-to-be Ferrari driver hanging out with Charles and Carlos near their own garage. “Lewis! Can we talk?” Fred called out before he reached them. Lewis just nodded and started walking towards Fred.

“Is it about my contract?” Lewis asked cautiously. He knew he hadn’t been performing that great in the Mercedes this year and was afraid Fred was going to only make it a year so he could be finished with him.

“No. I need you to talk to yn. She's suddenly spending a lot of time with Ferrari, but alone. Which, as you may know, isn’t where, or how, she usually spends her time.'' Fred looks really concerned, and it’s like it’s transferred to Lewis immediately. He’s known yn ever since her dad started dragging her along. She would usually spend time with George when she went to Mercedes, but sometimes when George wasn’t there and she just wanted to be somewhere else, Lewis and yn would play some games. Usually chess. Lewis was definitely better than yn but she still loved it. They could often lose track of time and suddenly one from the Mercedes team would come and get Lewis to either do some media related stuff or because it was time to get ready for a race.

“Of course! Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her around Mercedes for quite some time now. I’ll see what I can do, if I can't figure it out, I'll have Max ask her. They’ve always had quite a special bond I don't understand” Lewis gives the man a reassuring smile and a clap on the shoulder “Don’t worry, we’ll get her back to her talkative self very soon.”

“Thanks Lewis,” Fred looks relieved, but only for a second when his eyes widen. “Do you think Max did something to her? To make her feel this way?” He looks around as if he's scanning the surroundings for Max. And good thing he isn’t around. It wouldn’t have been a good outcome.

“I doubt it. He’s always been nice. Especially to her,” when he realizes how that may sound to the man in front of him and the way his eyes narrow, he quickly adds “as a friend. Not romantically. I’m pretty sure he’s actually in a relationship.” Fred seems to almost relax at those words and gives Lewis a quick pat on the shoulder

“Hurry up and get my daughter back. I miss her.” and with that he walks off. Hopefully not to find Max. And if so, Lewis sure is glad he isn’t Max right now.

~~~

When Lewis finally finds yn sitting just on the outside of the track he’s surprised she was allowed. But then again she probably just mentioned being Fred's daughter and she was allowed. “Hey there. Looking cozy. Mind if I join you?” He doesn’t wait for a response, just sits down next to her on the grass.

“What do you want?” She asks. Not really feeling the company right now.

“You haven’t been spending much time with George lately. Have you been spending more time with Max?”

“No.” Straight to the point. But not really the point Lewis was looking for.

“Have you been spending time with Charles and Carlos? Since you’re spending so much time with Ferrari at the moment?”

“Would that be a crime?” She looks at Lewis, and he sees something different. Her eyes don't look as alive as they usually do. They’re missing the glow that makes yn herself.

“Yn, is something wrong? You know you can talk to me. Or Max,” he waits for a second, not sure if he should continue, but as she starts plucking at the grass without answering he decides she needs to know. “Your dad is worried about you.”

“Oh.” She answers, plucking a few more grass straws

“Did something happen?” Lewis asks, trying a different approach.

“I don't know. Maybe you should ask Lando.” Lewis is unsure what Lando has to do with this entire situation, but he promised Fred to get to the bottom of it, so he will.

“Did he do anything?” Lewis is ready to fight Lando. “If so, I’ll gladly talk to him”

“Well, maybe he’ll talk to you,” yn shrugs and gets up from the grass. “I have no idea what I did to him. He seemed happy enough about me being invited to join him, Oscar, and Charles for lunch a couple months ago, and then during lunch he was so quiet, barely looking up from his food and then he suddenly said he wasn’t feeling great and needed to leave.” Yn turns around and looks at Lewis, tears starting to form in her eyes. “He has ignored me ever since. Every time I’ve tried to talk to him he either runs away or makes up some dumb excuse to get away from me,” she wraps her arms around herself as if to protect herself. “I’m sorry,” she says, shakes her head and turns around again and starts walking away. “I shouldn't have put all of this on you. I'm probably just overthinking it anyway.”

"Wait!" Lewis is quick to get up from the grass and gets a hold of yn’s arm, ”I’m glad you told me. Let me talk to Lando. See if I can figure out why he’s avoiding you. Maybe there’s a reason,” yn smiles a small smile, but it’s better than the empty expressions she's had lately. “Nice to see you’re still capable of smiling.” Lewis returns it with a smile of his own and guides her towards the Mclaren hospitality. “Now let’s get to the bottom of this.”

“Thank you. Not just for this, but also for always putting up with my bullshit.” Yn looks straight ahead. She wasn’t exactly planning on saying any of that, but oh well. It won’t hurt anyone. 

Lewis just laughs and pushes her lightly. “You should be grateful. It's impossible to keep putting up with it.” If he wasn’t laughing while saying it, she would have been hurt, but she just laughs with him and follows him, to hopefully get some answers from Lando.

~~~

Lando was not expecting to see Lewis, so he wasn’t able to run off as quickly as he usually does, and when he spots yn behind Lewis, he tries to make up some excuse about having to talk to an engineer about a possible car problem but Lewis stops him. “Lando. That’s enough.” He puts a hand on Lando's shoulder before he gets a chance to run off. “Why do you keep running away from yn?”

Lando sighs, he can’t run away from it anymore. “I kinda would prefer for this conversation to happen between just me and yn.” He runs a hand through his hair and down the back of his neck. 

Lewis looks back at yn, then at Lando, then back at yn, “are you fine with that?” He asks, while she nods and follows Lando into his drivers room

“So.” Lando starts, not really sure how to get the conversation going.

“Why have you been ignoring me for the past 4 months?” Yn asks, wanting to get this solved as soon as possible. “Did I say something that upset you so much during lunch that day?” Yn can feel the tears threatening to spill over, but she would like to get through this conversation without crying.

“No! Oh my god. Not at all!” He turns around because he’s not sure he can look at her while telling her this. “I think I might, sort of, have feelings for you.” The room is filled with silence. Lando is almost afraid she ran out of the room, If it wasn't for the fact he could hear her breathing. 

“So you decided the best action was to avoid me?” Yn asks, with a playful grin. If she had known this was all it was she would have had someone talk to him earlier. 

Her playful tone makes Lando turn around with a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ignored you or run off every time you tried talking to me. I was just afraid I would end up spilling a full love confession, and I’m not sure your dad would be too happy with that.”

“Well he doesn’t get a say in my love life.” Yn closes the distance between her and Lando. 

“I suppose you’re right.” Lando takes a step forward, making the distance between them smaller.

“So are you going to be doing anything about it?” Yn tilts her head slightly.

“When I have planned it,” Lando smiles and takes a step back as he feels a vibration in his pocket. “Damn, I actually do have to go now,” a text from his engineer asking him to come back for a meeting. Lando grins and walks towards the door, “but you're totally free to stay here until I’m back. And trust me, I’ll be spending the entire meeting planning the perfect way to ask you out.” He flashes a quick smile before he's out of the door and yn is left alone in the room. But this time being all alone is different. She doesn't feel all alone. She’s the happiest she’s been in four months.

~~~

“I have the perfect plan.” Lando and Oscar are doing a track walk just to have something to do and make sure the track is fresh in their memory for the practice the next day. 

“Yeah?” Oscar isn’t really sure it’s going to be as perfect as Lando thinks it is. “Are you totally sure about that?” He questions, raising an eyebrow, while taking in the surroundings of Monaco.

“I’m 100% sure.” Lando nods. He knows exactly what he’s going to do. He’s in fact not going to ask directly. He’s made a fun little game, and got a few drivers in on it. “Just promise me to not ruin it when she comes to you.” Oscar sighs. He obviously isn’t going to spoil it.

“How are you going to ask her? If you aren’t doing it directly.”

“That’s a surprise.” And no matter how much Oscar pushes, Lando doesn't tell. Just smiles and shakes his head.

The next day when yn arrives at the paddock Alex greets her as soon as she’s arrived. “For you.” He says and hands her a letter.

“For me?” Her face is full of confusion as she opens the letter. 

“Dear yn, I’ve made a little scavenger hunt for you. I hope you’re going to have fun. At the end you’ll find a surprise. Here’s the first clue.”

That’s the end of the letter. “So what's the clue?” If anything she's even more confused now, it doesn’t even say who it's from. It could be from George. But she doubts it. He’s never done anything like this before.

“Oh right, I almost forgot,” Alex rushes and pulls a small lego car from his backpack. more specifically a Mclaren lego car.

“So I'm guessing I have to go to Mclaren?” She questions and looks at Alex who just shrugs. So that’s where she heads to next. Who knows how long this is going to last. She does think it’s going to be fun though. She’s always loved clues.

As she gets closer to the Mclaren garage she finds Oscar standing looking around holding a letter in his hand. As he notices her, he walks towards her. “Here. From a mystery man.” He says, hands her the letter and walks off trying to look mysterious.

Yn laughs and opens the letter. This time, there’s no text. Just a card. “Happy fathers day.” She reads out loud. That’s all the card says. “I guess that means i’ll have to go to my dad?” She wonders out loud. Would this person involve her dad? Would her dad want to be involved? “Hm, probably just ferrari.” She says as she notices the card is mostly red.

She walks over to the Ferrari garage but can't find anything and decides it might be at the hospitality. As she enters the building she notices Carlos standing with a smile on his face and a whistle in his hands. “Here you go.” He hands her the whistle as she reaches him. 

“That's it? Not a letter? Anything to guide me more than-'' she looks down at the whistle now in her hand, “a whistle?” She looks back up at Carlos who looks around.

“Consider the first letter of the whistle.” He whispers and quickly walks off, whistling. 

“The first letter of whistle is w. So..” she thinks for a second. “Williams?” She laughs and quickly walks over to the Williams hospitality, but to her surprise finds no one, and decides it must be their garage then.

Here she finds Logan happily holding a small boat toy. “For you.” He says and hands it to her. Happy to be included. She smiles and wonders if this is the last one.

“Thank you, Logan.” She sends him a smile and walks to the dock to find a boat. Not really sure which type of boat, big or small. But she’s determined to find it. 

When she gets to the dock, she fears it’s going to take a long time, until she spots Charles casually sitting on a yacht. As she approaches she notices a full basket of red bulls sitting beside him. “I guess I’m going back to the track. To Red Bull. Their garage?” She is sure to get those 10k steps she’s supposed to get every day. 

“Yeah, if you want something to drink on your walk, I have plenty,” he pushes the basked towards yn and gestures for her to bring it, “in fact, let me join you on the way back, I was only sent here to give you the clue, and I don't drink Red Bull, so I can return it.” He smiles and gets up, taking the basket full of cans. “Are you having fun so far?” Charles starts walking back towards the track with yn following.

“Yeah. It’s a lot of fun,” she answers as she opens a can of the regular Red Bull, "I'm excited to see who set all of this up though” she looks ahead and takes a sip of the can.

“I can’t wait for you to see who arranged it,” he says. And that’s all he says. Yn tries to get more clues about who it is, but Charles’ mouth is shut. He’s not letting anything slip. And they arrive at Red Bull way earlier than yn was expecting so she doesn't get nearly enough time to interrogate Charles about who it is. 

“I see you’ve come to terms with the fact Red Bull is the best.” Max teases as Charles and yn are within hearing range of a normal voice. While holding a bouquet of flowers?

“Ha ha ha,” Charles smiles, as he hands Max the basket full of red bull cans, “I’m just keeping yn company, and decided to return these as I won’t be able to drink them.” Charles laughs and gets into a conversation with Max until yn clears her throat, reminding them she’s still there.

“I’m looking for a clue,” she says, begging that it's close to being over because she’s tired of walking from one side of the track to another over and over.

“Oh right,” Max hands her the bouquet of flowers he was holding. She takes them in her hand and her eyebrows furrow.

“What kind of clue is this?” She looks at Max whose eyes go wide.

“I forgot this.” He pulls a letter out from his pocket and hands it to her.

“Another letter. Is this the last one? I don't know how much more walking I can do.” She looks so defeated but reads the note.

“If you received this letter, that means you figured out all the clues. I know you were just there, but you can find me on Charles’ yacht. Where the big surprise is waiting.”

She looks up as she finishes reading. “He’s got to be kidding. I swear to fucking god, if this is George and he just made me walk from that yacht, back to the track and then back to that stupid yacht i’m going to go insane.” You look back at the letter. 

“My yacht isn’t stupid.” Charles pouts as Max hits him on the arm. “Ow?”

Yn sighs, “I guess I’ll get going. Thanks for the flowers I suppose.” 

“Oh they were not from me. They were from him. Just hurry up,” Max looks down at his phone, “practice starts kinda soon, and he can’t be late.” Yn starts walking back towards the yacht. She can't wait to kill the man that made her walk this much.

Lando however has been setting everything up ever since yn and Charles left. Strawberries covered in chocolate, and since he doesn't like chocolate, strawberries without chocolate, candles on a small table on the sun deck. As yn gets closer, Lando walks down to greet her. “I swear to fucking god George if this is yo-” her sentence gets cut short as soon as she sees Lando. “You set all of this up?”

“Yeah. You didn’t seem to like it that much?” Lando rubs the back of his neck. He wasn’t the best planner of a scavenger hunt.

“I kinda wasn’t the biggest fan of walking all the way out here, back to the track and then back here again.” She crosses her arms, but seeing the concerned look on Lando’s face she relaxes her arms and walks onto the yacht with a huge smile. “It was still kinda fun.” 

They spend a little while on the boat, sitting with their feet almost touching the ocean. Lando is not really sure if he should put an arm around her or not. He decides not to move too quickly and they just sit next to each other. “Oh I almost forgot,” she turns and looks at Lando. “I was supposed to tell you to hurry up, practice starts soon and you can’t be late,” she looks down at the strawberries, “but you distracted me.”

“Oh shit!” He gets up quickly and puts his shoes on, “meet me at the track! I would love to spend some time with you between practice 1 and 2!” He hurries up and practically runs all the way to the track.

~~~

For the next couple of weeks Lando spends a lot of time wondering how quickly to move forward. They spend a lot of time sitting near water, almost like the first time, except they don't have access to Charles' yacht every day. Every time Lando wonders if he should put an arm around her, but he never does. Until one day, when they’ve been sitting at the end of the gangway on the dock, their feet so close to the water, if they stretched them out their toes would be dipped in the water, and Lando’s arm comes closer and closer to making its way around yn. “Just do it already,” she says and leans on him, putting her head on his shoulder, “I've been waiting for the last many weeks for you to do it.” Lando can’t help but let out a small laugh and put his arm around her. 

“I wasn’t sure if you even wanted it.” He looks down at her quickly before looking back at the water. 

“I've been waiting for you to make some sort of move, so I knew if it would be appropriate to do this.” She says, as she sits back up straight and puts her hands on Lando’s cheeks and pulls his face closer. He puts his hands on her waist and pulls her closer while making sure none of them fall into the water. Her lips meet his softly, a tentative brush that sends a wave of electricity through her body. The kiss deepened, growing in confidence, and everything else faded away. All that existed was the two of them.

When they finally break apart, Lando puts his forehead against hers, a smile stuck on his face. He would never be able to forget this moment, and she wouldn’t either. “I’ve dreamed of this moment ever since that time Charles invited you to lunch.” Lando shares, not aware that yn has shared the same feeling since he shared that he had feelings for her.

“I was sure you’d do something about it sooner.” Yn lets out a small laugh and leans against Lando’s shoulder as he puts his arm around her.

“I was too afraid you didn't want to,” he says and lets out a sigh. “And I guess I just never thought to just ask.” 

“Well, you should have.” She smiles, before looking up at him, and he can’t help but smile back. They sit like that for a while. Just enjoying each other's company.

~~~

A couple weeks later, when they’re lying on the couch in Lando’s apartment, watching a movie, yn can’t help but smile, thinking about this moment, and how she never thought this would be a reality in her life. “Can you believe it?” She says in a soft whisper, her voice barely even audible.

“Believe what?” Lando asks, while his other hand mindlessly runs through the soft strands of her hair.

“This. Us. I never thought I’d be in such a happy relationship while traveling so much.” She says, softly tracing small circles on the back of his hand, that’s draped across her waist.

“Well I’m glad you're happy,” He says, placing a kiss on the top of her head, earning a soft hum from the woman. “You know, you could bring some stuff here. Just enough for a drawer if you don’t want to get too serious.” He mumbles, nuzzling his head into the crook of her neck.

She can’t help but smile, because she had been thinking of asking. “That would be nice, especially considering how much time I spend here.” She brings his hand up to her lips and places a soft kiss there, before going back to the movie.

~~~

It didn't take long for her to basically move in. It wasn’t official, but it might as well have been. She spent more time there than she did at her own home. But Lando didn’t mind. In fact, he loved having her there. They even started spending time together publicly, whether that was around Monaco when it wasn’t a race week, or if it was in the paddock. The fans had noticed how close they had gotten, and speculation quickly began. Were they a couple? Just friends? No one knew. Did Fred? No. But he wasn’t stupid, he knew something was going on, but he didn’t want to ask. But he didn’t mind, as long as yn was happy. And she was, for the first couple of months. And then it seemed like Lando had other priorities. Of course she knew racing was important to him, and she didn’t expect to suddenly be on the absolute top of his priority list, that would always be F1 and she knew that. However, that didn’t stop the feeling of neglect starting to spread through her. She knew he had a packed schedule, but she would often find herself wishing he had more time for her, yet it just seemed he got less and less time for her.

As the relationship between them progresses, small arguments make it to the surface. Usually sparked by the fact yn feels unimportant, or that Lando misses a date or an anniversary. It’s never his intention, and he always makes it clear that he loves her, but as it continues to get worse and worse, she begins to question it. She even stops believing him 100%.

It was 2 am. Lando had just returned back to the hotel after the race in Singapore. He silently opened the door to the room he was sharing with yn, expecting her to already be sound asleep on the bed, but to his surprise she was sitting up, leaning against the headboard with the bedside lamp on.

“Can we talk?” She asks, her voice soft but filled with a hint of vulnerability.

“Of course.” Lando quickly closes the door and walks over to sit on the edge of the bed.

“Look, I know racing is extremely important to you, that it’s everything to you, but,” she pauses for a moment, not really sure how he’s going to take this. “What about us?” She asks, her voice shaking slightly.

“I know it’s been tough, and I’ve not been the best, but I’m under a lot of pressure right now,” Lando looks up at her and he can see the way his words hurt, and he can’t help the defensive tone that creeps into his voice. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“Didn’t have a choice? You’ve always had a choice! You chose to sign up for all those PR events. All the additional promotional videos. Do you know how it feels to always be the last thing on your mind?” Her voice raises a little as the frustration takes over, and she searches Lando’s eyes for a reaction, just some sort of reaction.

“I never wanted you to feel that way,” Lando sighs and looks her in the eye, he genuinely never wanted her to feel like she was his last priority. “But this is my career, it’s what I’ve worked towards my entire life.” 

“And where do I fit into that? When you talk about your future, you’re talking about your next race, the next podium, the next win. I can’t continue to just sit back and wait for you to finally have time for me. I can’t continue to just be a spectator in your life, Lando.” The hurt is visible on her face, and she turns away momentarily to look out the window. The rain is subtly falling outside, and small drops of water roll down the window.

“I thought you understood when we got together.” He says, trying to defend himself. “This is my life, my dream. I never wanted you to feel like you're not important.” His voice softens, but his tone is still defensive as he tries to avoid addressing the core issue.

“I did understand. And I’ve been nothing but supportive, but it’s been months of you forgetting a date, or something else. And I’m not asking you to quit racing, I would never do that. All I’m asking is that I become a priority too. Because right now it feels like you’ve made a choice. And it’s not me.” Tears start to swell up in yn's eyes, and Lando is at a loss for words. He never wanted it to get to this point, but he doesn’t know what to say. He looks away, and that’s the last straw for yn. She swings her legs off the bed and grabs her suitcase that she packed as soon as she returned from the race, since they were planning to leave early in the morning anyway. “I’ll give you some time to think about all of this. But I won’t be waiting forever. Figure out if this is something you want. Because I can’t keep doing this.” And with those words she leaves the hotel room, and into the elevator.

She walks out into the rain, with tears flowing freely from her eyes. She stops and takes a deep breath. She doesn’t want it to end between her and Lando, but she also can’t continue to just be a bystander in her own relationship. As she grabs her suitcase and is about to begin walking she hears Landos voice. “Wait!” 

She turns around and sees him walking in long strides toward her, the rain already drenching his hair. “I don't want to lose you. I’ll never leave you alone again,” he says as he reaches her. “I remember how it felt when we were sitting by the water on our first unofficial date. Every time I look at you, it’s like I’m seeing you for the first time all over again. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He places a hand on her cheek and gently rubs his thumb along her cheekbones. “Please don’t leave. We’ll make it work. I’ll make time for you. You’ll be my first priority, I promise.”

She looks up at him with an aching heart at the raw emotion in his voice. For a moment she wants to believe him, to just forget all the missed moments, but the pain is still too much. 

“You say that now, but what happens when life gets busy again?” She asks in a whisper, her voice shaking as she speaks. “What happens when I become the last thing on your mind again because something else takes priority?”

Lando’s hand trembles slightly against her cheek, but he doesnt pull away, and neither does she. The rain falls a little harder, and their breaths are visible in the cool air of the night.

“I won't let that happen.” His voice is filled with an urgency, a need, that she’s never heard before. “I know i’ve failed you, but this time-”

“”This time,” she interrupts him and takes a step back, resulting in his hand slipping from her cheek. “How do I know this time is any different?” She looks at him with tearfilled eyes, waiting for an answer she might not want. But it doesn’t come. Instead, Lando takes a step closer and his eyes are filled with so much love and hope.

“Because this time, I know what it’s like to lose you,” his voice is trembling and he pauses for a moment, searching for the right words. “And I can’t. I can't lose you.”

[strawberrychampayne]

you can't be this oblivious

bradley bradshaw x fem!reader

warnings: none except like one swear word lol.

word count: 1026

summary: oblivious!bradley x affectionate!reader!! reader is super affectionate to everyone but it is different with bradley. She’s sweet to everyone but she isn’t sitting at a table for 30 mins and letting just anyone rant about their day, unless they are rooster.

Y/N Y/L/N, aka Magnet was just that. A Magnet. 

“And then they had me doing pushups because I made a snarky comment according to them.”

Bradley Bradshaw better known as Rooster was someone you would consider a best friend. Though Phoenix would argue he’d be more than that if he wasn’t so oblivious. 

“I mean what did you expect Roo? I would’ve had you doing the same thing.” she giggled into her glass. 

They had been at the Hard Deck for around two hours now, coming right after they got off. It felt like a ritual at this point. Work, Hard Deck, go home and then repeat. There were a million other things they could all do and yet they always came here. Maybe it was the atmosphere that cheered them up after a long day. Or the beer.

What she hadn’t expected was sitting at a table for the last 30 minutes with Rooster ranting about the trouble he’d gotten in earlier, she didn’t mind that though. She could listen to him talk forever. There were very few times that Rooster felt comfortable enough to share things so anytime he did, she took it seriously. 

“You wouldn’t even think to punish me Mag, we both know that.” Rooster replied with a smirk playing on his lips. 

She often thought of what it would be like to kiss him. Would his lips be soft and plushy or more rough like he pretended to be. She liked to believe it would be the first option. She’d never get to really know though as it seemed he never reciprocated the feelings she was putting out. 

“You don’t know what I would do, Rooster. I could make you do 20 pushups right now.” she said

“And I would do them.” he said, a twinkle in his eye or maybe it was the lighting. 

She gasped quietly hoping he didn’t hear. Flirty Rooster only came out after a couple of drinks. She had heard the phrase that drunk words are sober thoughts. Never really believing it though, he never had so much to drink he couldn’t remember saying something so eye raising to his supposed best friend. 

“The worst thing about all this extra work is I feel like I have no time to eat something good. It’s always some fries from here and a couple beers” he continued, brushing past his previous statement. 

Coming back to her senses she spoke quickly, “We could go out together. I mean all I do is drink a couple of beers here.”

She felt him tense up. Preparing for the worst she thought of a way to recover.

“You are truly my best friend. I mean nobody else would’ve offered to do something like that.” Rooster spoke up before she could backtrack. 

Her heart cracked slightly. Best Friend. Who knew two words could hurt so much. Glancing to her right she could see Hangman and Phoenix cringing at the sight. Warmth flooded her body as she began to stand up. 

“Hey where are you going?” he questioned following her up. 

“Yeah um, my head is starting to hurt so I think I’m just going to head home. I’ll see you tomorrow Bradley.” she said as she turned to walk away.

Bradley? She only called him by his first name when she was upset or poking fun at him. 

“Well at least let me take you home? I mean I brought you here.” he rushed out.

“No. It’s fine I’ll call an uber.” she pushed past a few people and walked out the door. 

Shoulders slumping Rooster glanced out the window at the woman. Phone in hand she was true to her word in calling an uber. He felt a pang in his heart watching her. Had he done something wrong? 

A hand clapped against his shoulder. He could smell the cologne and know who it was before even turning his head. 

“Well that was a shit show. I mean come on, Rooster, you can’t be this oblivious.” Hangman said with a cocky smile. 

Shrugging his hand off Rooster turned his head; the muscles in his jaw contracting, “What do you mean, Hangman? Oblivious to what?”

Hangman laughed at him, “You’re meaning to tell me that you haven’t realized that Magnet has been flirting with you ever since she met you? I mean she practically asked you on a date a few minutes ago.” 

Was that a ringing in his ears? Y/N flirting with him? Bradley felt like his head was going to combust where he stood. 

“And there's the look of realization. You really must’ve been oblivious.” Hangman added. 

“I think you’ve gotten this all mixed up. I mean Y/N is close and affectionate with everyone. She leans her head on your shoulder, gossips with Phoenix, and is constantly fixing Bob's glasses. And with me she just leans up against me, compliments me and listens to me rant and she-” Rooster took a pause. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. I mean Rooster, Y/N is an affectionate person for sure. But she has never once listened to one of my rants and she’s the only one who'll listen to yours.” Hangman said, an almost serious look on his face. 

“I just watched my future wife walk out that door after asking me on a date.” Bradley said.

“Well hold on nobody said she was-” Hangman started before Rooster talked over him.

“No Hangman, trust me I know. That is going to be my wife. As long as I haven’t ruined everything.” Rooster said, confidence in his voice. 

“Well then I guess you should go get your wife to be.” Hangman said, a small smile on his lips. 

“Yeah I’ve got to go.” Rooster took off out of the bar and to his car. 

“I cannot believe it took him that long to realize that.” Phoenix said, walking up besides Hangman. 

“He’s a little oblivious but we got there. Hope he has a gorgeous ring to propose with. Claims that’s his wife to be” Hangman replied. 

“I don’t doubt that.” Phoenix remarked quietly, watching Rooster peel out of the parking lot.

let me know if anyone wants a part 2!

!!!please don't repost my work anywhere, translate, or bind my works anywhere without permission!!!

[fanfic-writer-and-rambler]

Connected to this story

After Bruce Wayne has regained his bearings and been dragged to a lounge room at Ra's castle and has been retold that he has a son with Talia, Jason knew and now his in-law is Ra's Al Ghul.

Bruce, still in his batsuit, lays on the ground in Talia's study trying to remain his usual calm and composed self, but can only repeat a mantra.

Bruce: I have a child with Talia. I have a child with Talia. I have a child with Talia. I have a child with Talia. I have a child with Talia...

Talia: Is it that bad?

Bruce looks over at Talia as she holds tea.

Bruce (whimpering): Oh God I'm linked to you through a child!

Talia: My father was right, you would hate Damian!

Bruce: I do not hate Damian. I hate you. There's a difference.

Talia shakes with rage, but chooses to not stab him.

Bruce: I'm... Having a lot of thoughts racing in my head, but having a kid isn't the issue. I've raised three. Adopted Dick when he was 8. I'm upset that the woman I thought I cut off ties with wouldn't be linked to me forever.

Talia: Our relationship wasn't that bad Bruce, come on, you have to admit we had good times together.

Bruce sobs covering his face with his bat gloves.

Bruce: Oh God!

Talia: Is it because my father is Ra?

Bruce (realization): Oh God, Ra is that precious boy's grandfather.

Bruce buries his head on the ground and screams.

Bruce: Damn gas station condoms!

Talia rolled her eyes while drinking from her tea glass.

Talia: I'll have you know, my childhood was only filled with normal discipline, he stabbed me in my ankle twice and then stopped. Mostly because I expected those sneak attacks.

Bruce: Talia, I swear to Christ if he has done that to Damian I will murder him three times.

Talia: No...not that I'm aware of.

Talia takes a long sip from her glass while glancing away at Bruce.

Bruce rolled on to his back and stared at the ceiling.

Bruce: I've been deprived from that cute boy's 8 years. He could have had a semi-normal childhood. I saw you with the baby too, but I thought nobody would be STUPID enough to have a kid with you. I'm the stupid one.

Talia (smirking): You think he's cute?

Bruce whimpers to signify he means yes.

Talia: Our DNA worked together well then.

Talia giggles, but Bruce isn't in the mood.

Bruce: You're as delusional as I remember.

Talia: Bruce, get up, sit next to me, have tea.

Bruce groaned, stood up and sat a good distance from Talia. He removed his cowl and sighed accepting his son, but now worried for his safety.

Bruce: I swear to you, the ch- Damian isn't my issue. I'm not the type of man who wants nothing to do with their child. I will never be a deadbeat. I'm glad I'm not shooting blanks, the issue is- I mean no offense, but kind of do- Not a child from you! You and I have clashing ideals and now we have a child.

Talia takes a sip from her tea cup.

Talia: I grew up with this family, I'm not mad. Bruce, you're going to make a great father.

Bruce: Eight years later?

Talia: Yeah, apologizes it took me that long to tell you he was yours and that I had a child, but that's not a bad thing. How about ... You take him to Gotham. You're rich so he'll be used to your privileged living and he can spend time there.

Bruce: Spend time there? He's not returning here! Ever!

Talia: Oh come on, I'm raising him incredibly well.

Bruce: Around Ra's Al Ghul?

Talia: Y- Yes. On his birthday we have him fight assassins and punishments aren't that bad.

Bruce (seething): You got me fucked me! You got me fucked up! You have me talking like I'm from lower Jersey! He's living with me and I'm getting his stuff. That is my son! Not just yours and damn sure not Ra's! I have a say in my son's life! Got it!

Talia (impressed): Okay, I like this energy. He'll want to return here for proper raising, but he can spend a few months with you and then we'll humor him and see who he wants to stay with.

Bruce: Me. Me. He's living with me. I might have him visit- What am I saying?! You can visit him. You, not Ra!

Talia (pretending to be ignorant): Yeah, he'll stay for a few months. I'm getting what you're putting down.

Bruce: You're seriously not! Talia look at me, Damian WAYNE will be living with me from here on out.

Talia stands, placing her tea cup on the table.

Talia: Mm-hm, Mm-hm, Mm-hm, we'll see what Damian decides.

Bruce rubbed his forehead, trying not to cuss Talia out.

Talia: I'll go tell him to pack his things, you're going to have to talk to my father and I'm not sure if you remember this, you blacked out at a certain point, but Jason Todd was aware I had the child, kept it secret for revenge, Damian has visited Gotham to be babysat by him, and he helped raise him for 8 years. Okay, got that off my chest. Damian, let's talk!

Talia scurries out of the room as Bruce stands there, shocked at this new information. He had blocked out that particular part. Now that he remembered this his face turned red with rage.

Bruce (whispering in rage): He had his reasons. He had his reasons. He had his reasons. He had his reasons. He had his reasons. He had his reasons.

Bruce leaves the tea room in a huff.

Bruce: Jason, let's talk!

[porcelainseashore]

Coffee & Secrets (5)

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Rookie Cop! Leon x Barista! Fem! Reader

Summary: As a cozy coffee shop owner in Raccoon City, you’re no stranger to visitors seeking comfort, quiet, and warmth. When a rookie officer named Leon finds a kindred spirit in you, it sets in motion a chain of events that forever changes the course of your lives. An alternate universe set in Resident Evil 2 Remake and inspired by the game Coffee Talk.

Content & Warnings: Canon divergence, coffee shops, romance, slow burn, strangers to lovers, idiots in love, fluff, slice of life, swearing

Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to @pickonerain! You've been an absolute star to me and seeing as you love Sherry, here's her little addition to the story 😇

AO3 Link

Chapter 5: Divergence

It was not like Claire and Leon to hide from you, but somehow they had ended up right at the other end of the room, far away from the counter, out of sight. They seemed deep in conversation, their expressions grim, and Leon was gripping his porcelain cup so tight you were afraid it would shatter to bits in his hand.

Curiosity—or rather, nosiness—got the better of you, and you scooted closer to the couple, pretending to sweep the area so you could listen in more easily.

“This was why you wanted to meet me, Claire?”

“Isn’t it important enough? I don’t get why you’re being so defensive!”

“I thought you wanted to catch up over coffee, not use me for one of your schemes!”

“Use you? Are you even listening to yourself? How does bringing down that son of a bitch count as ‘using you’?

“Chief Irons probably had a good reason, and all these rumors—”

“Rumors? There’s cold, hard evidence! We just need that one missing piece—”

“No! Forget it.”

“What?”

“I’m not getting involved.”

“So, this is it, huh? You go your way, and I go mine?”

“I…”

“I’m embarrassed I even called you a friend.”

Kicking out her chair, Claire threw down a couple of bills on the table before storming out in a fit of rage, slamming the front door behind her. 

Before you could even react, Leon had beaten you to it. “Don’t look at me like that,” he chided, though he had ducked his face away, red with shame. “I know you heard everything. You weren’t exactly being very stealthy.”

“That was never really my strong suit,” you admitted. “Mind if I join you?”

“Be my guest,” he said, motioning to the seat beside him, still unable to look you in the eye.

Spying his half-finished drink on the table, now cold, you resisted the urge to get up and fix it, knowing there were other things he needed more in that moment. So, you continued to sit with him, and even though you did not exchange any words, you breathed together, content with sharing in each other’s company until he was ready to speak.

“Do you think I’m naive?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“Maybe I’m scared that I am,” he confessed, his voice small and tired. “What if I’m wrong? What if Claire’s wrong?”

Cradling his cheek in your hand, you caressed it softly. He didn’t protest, but leaned in indulgently, nuzzling his nose against your palm like a deer. Then, something clicked internally and he broke away, straightening up in his seat as though he had not just given in to his desires a moment ago. However, this time, his face was angled towards you, waiting.

“What does your gut feeling say?” you put forward. “I’d trust that.”

He hesitated, taking a deep breath as he stared off into the distance, gathering his thoughts. “A snake oil salesman—that’s one way of putting it.”

“Chief Irons,” he clarified. “Whenever I get close to something nasty, he throws me off scent.”

Another hunter—a more seasoned one, you observed.

“I guess you have your answer.”

He collapsed into the backrest of the armchair and exhaled, as though a large weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “I’ll figure it out,” he stated, mostly to himself.

“I know you will,” you said encouragingly.

He had chosen the more difficult path, but at least he had made peace with it and was no longer in denial about Chief Irons’ deception. That was definitely a step in the right direction.

“Thanks, that means a lot to me.”

Once again, there was a comfortable silence between the two of you. It felt nice like this, as though your very thoughts and beings were connected.

“I want to know more about you,” he professed out of the blue. “But somehow, you always manage to steer the conversation back to me.”

You gulped, fiddling with your hands. “What do you wanna know?”

“Everything,” he murmured. “Your backstory, your favorite color, what do you do outside of work…” he trailed off.

“I’m not used to talking about myself,” you spelled out.

He grinned cheekily, as if the battle had already been won. “Don’t worry, I’m a good listener.”

And so, you yielded to him, letting things unfold as they should. Hours passed while you shared tales and secrets over cups of spiced tea with sweet milk. The flavors of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg swirled around your tongue, bringing to mind the warm, inviting breeze of a coastal town near the Red Sea.

“There’s many names for it,” you explained, circling the rim of the cup with your finger lazily. “But I know it as Shai Adeni.”

Leon nestled his chin in his hand, propping his elbow on the table as he gazed at you, captivated. “Incredible.”

“Hmm?” You were not sure if he had registered what you had just said.

Reaching out, he cupped the back of your neck, pulling you close. His heated breath moist against your flushed skin, and the scent of his cologne was dizzying. “You’re—”

The door chime jingled.

Both of you jolted, separating yourselves away from each other in a flash, as your eyes fell upon a little girl standing shyly by the entrance. She was dressed in a school uniform, her hair neatly swept back with a headband into a braided bun.

“Hey there,” you greeted, brushing your hands against your apron as you stood up, shuffling past Leon towards her. “Would you like something to drink?”

At this, she nodded enthusiastically, following you to the counter to grab a seat. As you infused white chocolate into milk with a good dollop of citrus, you exchanged looks with Leon, who held the same concerns as you.

Sliding over another high chair adjacent to hers, he gently opened with, “Hey, I’m Leon. You got a name, pumpkin?”

She wrinkled her nose and grimaced at the nickname. “Sherry,” she replied timidly.

“Nice to meet you, Sherry,” Leon said, shaking hands before he continued, “So, it’s really late, huh? Do your parents know where you are?”

She twiddled her thumbs, swinging her dangling legs back and forth on the chair. “They don’t care,” she said finally. “They’re busy.”

“What do your parents do?”

“They work at Umbrella. They’re making important new medicine,” she revealed proudly.

“Sounds like a tough job,” Leon empathized.

After sprinkling the glittery icing sugar on her drink, you set it before her with a flourish. “Voilà, your Yuzu Meringue, Miss Sherry.”

She giggled at your performance and slurped down the foamy surface. “Mmm!”

“Good, huh?” Leon gave her a side smile.

“Tell you what, Sherry,” you began, “when you finish your drink, my friend Leon here will take you home, okay?”

Her nose was dusted with powder and the cup was still covering half of her face as her eyes darted towards the man.

“He’s a good cop, you’ll be safe with him,” you reassured her. 

Scribbling down your shop’s telephone number on a piece of scrap paper, you handed it to her. “Keep this, you can call me anytime you need to.”

Taking it, she pursed her lips and nodded reluctantly as she stuffed it away into her pocket. “Can I—” she paused, “can I come here whenever I want? You and Leon are nice.”

A pang of loneliness hit you. You sensed it from the tone of her voice and what was left unsaid. It didn’t seem like she had many friends and you wondered about it.

“Please?” she begged, interrupting your thoughts.

“Of course, sweetheart,” you said warmly. “You’re welcome here anytime.”

“Thank you!” she squealed, running over to give you a quick hug before taking Leon by the hand.

Turning to you, a rosy hue spread across his face as he smiled meekly. “So… uh, I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“See you tomorrow, as usual, Leon.”

Dividers by @cafekitsune

[demonsslayersstuff]

Late Night Talks (Levi x Reader)

A/N: Another Levi Drabble cause I cannot stop thinking about this man lol. Anyway just a late night talk with Levi about his lack of sleep. Mostly fluff, a small amount of angst, but that’s about it. Gender Neutral reader. Probably gonna take a break from writing for a bit after this, anyway thanks for all the support! Enjoy! ☺️

You sigh as you feel the coldness coming from his side of the bed, though you were not surprised. Levi rarely, if he ever slept through the night, slept undisturbed. You rub your eyes before glancing at the bedside clock reading the time; 2:00am.

You throw the covers off and pad out of the bedroom, knowing where your sleep deprived partner was. You don’t even knock as you reach his office, it was much too late for formalities. Levi glances up as you softly close the door, taking in your clearly grumpy appearance.

“Why are you here?”, he asks placing the paper he was holding down. “I could ask you the same question, we talked about this Levi”, you reply, crossing your arms. Levi rolls his eyes and you feel the beginning of another late night argument forming. “Levi please”, you tell him as you walk towards him.

You skirt around the edge of his desk before you come to perch on it, next to him. You wait for him to yell at you for sitting on his neatly organized desk, but Levi says nothing, continuing to look at you. “I don’t want to fight love”, you say after a couple minutes of silence. Levi’s eyes flash to your eyes for a moment, still not used to the term of endearment. You reach out and softly brush his cheek with your thumb, attempting to break through his thick emotional wall.

Levi sighs with your touch, “I didn’t want to wake you, it’s not your job to deal with my nightmares”, he finally tells you. You look at him softly before, slipping off his desk, careful to not disturb the paperwork. “May I?”, you ask him, indicating that you wanted to sit on his lap. “It’s too early for anyone to come in”, you continue as he looks unsure of how to respond. “Very well”, he replies. You smile as he straighten ups, and you move to straddle his waist, making him gasp. “You brat”, he mumbles as you wrap your arms around his neck pulling him into tight hug.

“I promise, no ulterior motives, I just wanted to hold you love”, you whisper into his neck. You hear his familiar “Tch”, but also feel his arms wrap around your sides, holding you close to him. “Levi you’re human, I don’t expect you to always been the epitome of humanities strongest”, you tell him, leaning back to look into his dark grey eyes. You move your fingers to lightly trace the dark bags under his eyes, “But what good are you to anyone here if you continue this? You need to sleep”, you continue, this time softer.

“I know, I know”, Levi says, turning his face into your palm, gently nipping your inner wrist before sighing. “It’s just hard for me, to…get it out of my head”, he tells you. You can hear from his tone he feels uncomfortable admitting this, but you knew it would never be easily for Levi to open up about his inner demons. “If you ever want to, I’m a great listener. You know it will stay between the two of us”, you say to him. His face is apprehensive at your words. “Or you can just wake me up and hold me, whatever helps you sleep better”, you continue.

Levi grabs both of your hands and squeezes them. “Would you be ok with…that?”, he asks quietly. You lean your forehead against his, “Of course, I’m here for you, always”, you murmur. Levi doesn’t respond, he just quietly shakes his head, his silent way of agreeing with you.

“I love you”, you whisper before leaning down to kiss him gently. You feel Levi move his hands to your back. Hands pressing you closer to him as you open your mouth, deepening the kiss. Kissing Levi was always intoxicating, you never wanted it to end, you wanted to taste him forever. However it was late, and you knew that the both of you needed sleep.

So you sigh, disconnecting the kiss. “Let’s go back to bed yeah?”, you ask before detaching yourself from his body. “Let me finish this one report, I’ll be right behind you”, Levi says. “Levi”, you say tone serious. “What did we just talk about?”, you continue. You hold out your hand for a moment before Levi takes it, accepting his defeat. He turns out the lamp before following you out the door leaving the moonlight to shine on his pile of unfinished paper work. Which thankfully stays that way the rest of the night.

[authorautumnbanks]

Accidentally Dating (14)

Summary: A series of accidental dates and meetings between Kagome and Satoru over the years.

Pairing: KagomexGojo

Series Master list

Kagome frowns as she looks down at Satoru. He's still sleeping? She nudges him with her foot. "Get up already." It's a little past 9 a.m. and it's not like Satoru to sleep in at all.

For whatever reason, he didn't want to sleep in her room last night, so they watched movies and fell asleep in the living room.

Satoru groans and spikes a hand through his white hair as he sits up. The cover falls and pools around his lap. "How long was I out?"

Has his eyes always been that blue?

"Long enough. Yesterday must have really taken a toll." She holds out the coffee mug for him, made just how he likes it. A lot of sugar and a dash of coffee. "I can make breakfast."

"Nah, let's go somewhere." Satoru's fingers brush against hers as he takes the mug. He peers at her as he takes a sip. "Spend the whole day together."

Her stomach flutters. "Well, come on then."

Satoru grimaces. "I can't, right now. Give me a moment."

Kagome rolls her eyes. "Stop being so dramatic."

"No, I can't." Satoru's cheeks flush pink and he's no longer making eye contact with her.

Okay, now he's worrying her. Why can't he get up? Kagomescrutinizes him and then bites back the gasp.

Oh. OH!

"Uhhh, just get up when you can. I'm gonna finish getting ready." She backs away. "Glad you can get it up. I mean—" she squeezes her eyes shut and then runs out of the living room. Oh Kami, she did not just say that! When she gets to her room, she slams the door shut and slides down on the floor with her back to the door. "I actually said that," she says, voice muffled by her palms.

Knock. Knock.

"You good?" Satoru asks.

"Peachy! I'll be ready in a bit." Kagome worries her bottom lip between her teeth. Her face is burning up. Nope. Nope. Nope. She is not going to think about Satoru's morning—Kagome slaps her forehead.

This isn't happening.

Three hours later, and she's still thinking about it. At this rate, her face is going to burst into a ball of flames because every time she looks at him, she thinks of this morning, and thinking about this morning means thinking about how the cover pooled around his waist and the tent was so large.

"Are you too hot?" Satoru leans over and presses his forehead to hers. "We can go back."

"I'm fine!" She takes a step back, but Satoru wraps an arm around her waist. Get a grip, Kagome! It's just Satoru. "I'm fine," she reiterates. "We don't need to go back. Besides, we came all this way. I want to know what's in Enoshima."

Satoru presses his lips together, but he gives her a little space. "The Ryuren Bell of Love is here." His cheeks stain pink. "It's a... legend has it if we ring the bell and put a padlock on the fence, then we'll be bonded together forever."

"Oh." Kagome ducks her head. Great, now she's flustered. "So how did the legend come to be?" She swallows as she looks up. His arm is still around her waist and his touch is hot. He smells nice, too.

"A five-headed dragon fell in love with a maiden on this island and reformed his ways to be with her, so I guess the legend is if an evil dragon can change his ways forever for a maiden, then everyone else who stands on the hill will be blessed too." He bites his lip. "When we were younger, I always referred to you as my maiden, at least to myself, since you grew up on a shrine..."

"Spit it out." She pokes him in the side.

"Well, they said I was a god, and I figured every god needs their own maiden." He smiles so hard, his dimples show. His white button-down shirt is freshly pressed. Paired with his shades and the bracelet she got him years ago, Satoru could pass for a model. The only casualness of his outfit is his jeans.

"You thought of me as yours even back then?" She palms her throat, lightly flexing her fingers over the pulse. Despite wearing a simple brown fitted dress with straps, her body is burning up. The denim jacket wrapped around her waist may have been overkill. If Satoru keeps being sweet like this, she will combust.

"I..." Satoru turns his head. The tips of his ears are as pink as his cheeks. "Yeah, I guess I did." They stand there for a moment, neither saying a word, but his fingers brushing her side say what they can't say.

"Let's go ring this bell," Kagome says, taking charge of the situation. She is the oldest one after all, and she swears steam is coming from his head. Guess she isn't the only one overheating. He should have worn short sleeves. "Thanks for breakfast."

"You thanked me already," Satoru says with a huff. "And that was a while ago."

"Yeah, well, I'm grateful for the food."

"After this, we're going shopping, or we could do something else."

"I don't need any more clothes, but we could do an arcade and then dinner." She wraps her arms around him as they head up the steps. "I like this. The scenery." Kagome gasps.

"What?" Satoru stiffens and looks around.

"We have to go to fox island sometime."

Satoru sighs. "I thought something happened. Not today since we don't have time, but I will take you." His lips curve up. "You're already planning our next date."

"I'm about to perform a ceremony that will bind us together forever."

"That's—this is different!" He splutters. "And I mean, it's not like it will actually do that, not that I'm against it, because there is no one but you for me, and I'm not trying to—"

Kagome presses her fingers to his lips. "Breathe. It's fine. Really." She moves her fingers, but he grabs her hand and places it back on his lips.

Oh boy.

"Well, aren't you two a pair of lovebirds," a woman says. Her dark brown eyes are old, much older than how she looks. Her hair is just as dark and goes all the way to her knees. She looks eternal like with the pink kimono and the pattern white flowers. "Come with me. I have just the padlock for you two." She turns with an expectation they will follow.

There's a stiffness to Satoru that wasn't there before. An uneasiness. Kagome reaches for his hand and pulls him along. He must still be shaken up about his near death the other day.

Truthfully, she wakes sometimes in the middle of the night with a scream stuck in her throat and her hands clawing at her chest, trying to keep her soul contained. A secret she's never told him and probably never will because then Satoru will try to fix it somehow when there is no fixing it.

Not really.

"Come on, Toru."

"I don't trust her," he whispers, giving her hand a squeeze. "Something is iffy with her energy."

"It's warm," Kagome says simply because that's all that matters to her. The woman's energy is warm and friendly. "Besides, we came all this way. Let's make it official."

"Kagome!"

"What?"

"You can't say things like that."

Oh, this is rich. He can go around yelling that they are married for years, but the moment she alludes to it, he gets flustered? Kagome rolls her eyes, making a big show of it just to mess with him.

The pretty lady leads them to a shop, a little off from the others where the other citizens are gathered. Satoru is tense as they wait near the door. If the lady notices, she doesn't comment. Instead, she walks around the counter and pulls a box from underneath.

"Here we are." She smiles at them as she removes the top. "The padlocks in the main shop are far too simple for you, too." She pulls out the padlock that is huge in her hands and places it down on the counter.

"What is this?" Satoru questions as he moves closer.

"A padlock," the woman says slowly.

Kagome squints at Satoru and sighs. "I'm sorry. It's just this padlock is special." She gives the lady a meaningful look.

"Are you matchmaking again?" A gruff voice asks, followed by heavy footsteps. The man is tall with dark hair pulled into a high ponytail and tanned skin. His eyes are a light brown, almost honey in color. His kimono is dark blue and simple.

"No, they are already together." The lady sniffs. "But the six eyes is wary."

Kagome places a hand on Satoru's chest before he picks a fight. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Oh! Benzaiten." She holds out an arm to the man. "And this is Ryuren."

"You're named after the dragon and the maiden?" Satoru's tone seeps with skepticism.

"No," Kagome answers. "He is the dragon." She looks at the woman. "So that's why your energy is so warm. You're the real deal. Not like Kaguya."

"Who?"

"The Shikon priestess is astute. Naturally, as you have my blessing." Benzaiten laughs, and the sound is like bells ringing on a crisp fall day. "Here, take this. Engrave your names on the padlock and ring the bell."

"You want to give that one to them?" Ryuren scratches his head and yawns.

"One lifetime is not enough. May your love transcend time and space itself."

Satoru picks up the padlock and curls his fingers around it. "What do we owe you?"

"Nothing. Seeing you two is enough for me." She shoos them away.

"W-wait," Kagome says. "Do you mind taking a picture of us?"

"Of course!" Benzaiten pulls Ryuren behind her. The sight of the tall man... demon with broad shoulders and a permanent scowl on his face is something. "Oh! Grab the camera. The one with the instant film."

"Fine," Ryuren sighs. "But if you try anything..." his nostrils flare and puffs of fire blow out.

"Don't start it and it won't be none," Satoru says flippantly. Kagome rolls her eyes and pulls Satoru along before the island becomes a battle zone. He's picking fights when they should be making allies. There's so much she wants to ask them.

How is he here?

Are there other demons?

What about maidens? Are there other celestial maidens?

"Kagome," Satoru says, pulling her out of her musings. "Ya gonna write your name?"

Oh. They're at the fence already?

She takes the sharpie and writes her name just under his and just to mess with him, she draws a heart in between their names.

"How's that?"

Satoru's face is as red as the padlock. Seriously, she's never going to stop teasing him now.

"Let's go ring the bell now!" He chokes out.

"We have to attach it to the fence first," Kagome teases.

"I know that." Satoru pouts as he attaches the padlock to the fence. He pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of it. "Okay, now let's go make it official."

Something tugs on Kagome. On her soul. She turns back to the fence. "Sorry, hold on." The pull is more incessant now. Pleading. In front of the padlock, she clasps her hands together and prays.

A happy life for her and Satoru. She prays that neither time nor space separates them. No matter if she is in the past and he in the present, they will always find their way back to one another. That not even space, and all its convoluted mess, can keep them apart. In this life and in the next, they are bound.

"Ready now," she says, opening her eyes.

When they get to the bell, Benzaiten and Ryuren are already there. The line is nonexistent and Kagome suspects Ryuren has something to do with that. Satoru holds out his phone to Ryuren and takes a step back.

Guess that's some kind of truce?

Kagome bites her lip and rubs her hands down her sides. Her palms are sweaty and her heart rate is not cooperating. It's just Satoru! It's just ringing a bell.

And yet.

This feels like the start of forever and with the prayer she just prayed replaying in the back of her mind, this feels like something bigger than them.

"Let's do it together," Satoru says, placing his hand over hers. The bell rings out. Kagome stares at it and then laughs. The nervousness fades away as the bell slows down. "Hey Kagome," Satoru says, dropping his hand to cup her face. "Can I kiss you?"

Her laugh dies in her throat as the nervousness seeps back in with a vengeance. A kiss? She nods, not trusting her vocal cords to cooperate. Satoru hesitates for a brief moment. He's just as nervous as her. He brushes his lips against hers and maybe it is because it is her first kiss or maybe it is because it is simply Satoru, but she swears it is the kiss to end all others. She throws her arms around his neck and leans forward on the tip of her toes, desperate to get closer.

Distantly she hears Ryuren groaning about why he has to take a picture of this.

When Satoru pulls away and flicks his gaze back to her lips as if he can't get enough, Kagome's legs wobble.

Oh... her eyes widen. She's in love with him.

***

A/N: Where did September go? Swear the month just started. Didn't initially plan to bring Ryuren and Benzaiten into the story, but they insisted and here we are.

"Is Syouma delegating his work to Ryu?" - Yep, and Ryu loves the trust that Syouma has in him. Though he is a bit gruff about it.

"What if Kagome is a compatible star vessel replacement?" - Higher-ups can't demand that of Kagome if she were (she isn't) Yuki was never forced to do it. My mind is blanking but I think you also have to be invited by Tengen to reach her.

Next update will be the Multiverse chapter. No date in mind because I think I'm getting sick, but hoping to update later this week. And then working on Thousand Days. The chapter I was working on didn't feel right, which means the guys are going to be stuck together for a while longer lol. They haven't suffered enough.

Take care! Get plenty of rest and make sure to drink plenty of water. Stock up on some soups too (though chicken noodle soup from scratch is the best). Have an awesome week!

[ween-kitchens]

meet me halfway

3511 words

mumbo stares at the retreating figure of grian like his life depends on it, head spinning with far, far too many thoughts to even begin to comprehend what on earth just happened. he doesn't have nearly enough brainpower for this- if mumbo was an engine, he'd be rattling and shooting out sparks at an alarming rate. honestly, he’s quite surprised he hasn't exploded yet. goodness. okay- god, no, there's no way that can actually have just happened. no way- that was just something mumbo hallucinated. grian can’t have just- there's no possible way. mumbo's heart is pounding against his ribs, his breathing is practically hyperventilation, but it was- it can’t have been real, because if it was real then grian just-

honestly I just really wanted to write an 'oh' moment and I haven't written grumbo in a while, so here we are

tumblr formatting is being weird so if you see any mistakes, no you don't <3

mumbo stares at the retreating figure of grian like his life depends on it, head spinning with far, far too many thoughts to even begin to comprehend what on earth just happened. he doesn't have nearly enough brainpower for this- if mumbo was an engine, he'd be rattling and shooting out sparks at an alarming rate. honestly, he’s quite surprised he hasn't exploded yet.

goodness. okay- god, no, there's no way that can actually have just happened. no way- that was just something mumbo hallucinated. grian can’t have just- there's no possible way. mumbo's heart is pounding against his ribs, his breathing is practically hyperventilation, but it was- it can’t have been real, because if it was real then grian just-

grian just kissed him. and mumbo kissed back, and- and he liked it, and now he wants more, and he might just have a name for that nagging warmth that has followed grian's laughs and his smiles and when his hand would brush mumbo's, and that's just- it's bizarre. but it's so incredible, and it's so awful, and there's no possible way he can deny it anymore- and oh, god there's no possible way he can deny it anymore- 

because mumbo might just be in love with grian. that- grian just kissed him, and now he knows- he knows the way it feels to have grian's hand against his waist, and he knows how grian's lips feel against his own, and he can never stop knowing- and there's no way mumbo can ever stop thinking about it, and oh god is he cursed to forever sit useless and lovestruck on this beach and watch as grian walks away whilst knowing all of that?

and grian doesn't know. grian doesn't know that mumbo has spent nights upon nights thinking of his face and wondering what it means, and he doesn’t know that mumbo replays the moment of every time he made him laugh in his mind on a loop, and he doesn’t know that mumbo is staring at the blurry outline of him and wishing desperately that sand was easier to run on so he could grab his hand and tell him it all. never in his life has anyone fit so perfectly by mumbo's side, and grian doesn’t even know-

okay. he should- he should probably take a second. wow- okay. gosh.

almost absentmindedly, mumbo rubs a thumb across his bottom lip, half imagining what it would be like if it were grian's thumb. oh- and now he’s flustered again. you know- he should really have taken tango's advice when he got it: don’t hang out with pretty men, you’ll fall for them way too quickly. and mumbo thought he was just being hyperbolic- what a fool he was! god- no wonder jimmy and tango are such idiots- they've been dealing with this the whole time!

and- oh goodness, grian just kissed him! he just- it's like a romance novel, and now mumbo is losing his mind in a completely different way, because- well, grian kissed him! he did the thing where- he pulled mumbo in by the collar of his shirt, and he kissed him, and- oh gosh, he’s going bright red again. this is so embarrassing.

mumbo pushes himself off the ground (and that's even more embarrassing- he fell to the floor when his crush kissed him. gosh.), fully prepared to be the worst possible cliche and run after grian, when the man in question looks over his shoulder. and something in mumbo's brain combusts when he realises that grian is coming back.

y’know what- he was wrong; this is the most cliche he’s ever going to get. grian is running towards him, and mumbo is running too, and he can just imagine the stupid slow-mo cinematic shot that the two of them are creating right now, and he doesn’t care, because all that matters is that he reaches grian. because he’s in love! mumbo is in love with grian, and- gosh, how crazy is that?

grian is barely a few metres away, and all mumbo can think about is that kiss. so when mumbo glances briefly (so briefly! barely even a second of glance!) at grian's lips, his already fried brain finally explodes, and all of a sudden mumbo is face-down in the sand. grian is laughing at him, and that's only making it worse, because now he’s both embarrassed and enormously endeared, because- wow, he really does love grian's laugh.

when mumbo looks up, brushing the sand out of his moustache, grian is knelt in front of him with that life-ruiningly fond grin on his face, and mumbo is going to explode again. "i’m- I shouldn’t have ran. i'm sorry- I didn’t even-"

"shut up for one second." mumbo says, out of breath, pushing himself up so he’s face to face with grian. 

their eyes meet, and it's as if the whole world goes silent as mumbo raises a hand to cup his face. grian is staring at him with that indecipherable expression, but when mumbo begins to pull away, he presses his hand against mumbo's, keeping it in place. it's so- it's all utterly bizarre, and in the best way possible, because mumbo is tracing grian's cheekbones with his thumbs, and grian is staring at him with nothing short of adoration, and mumbo might just be losing his whole mind because-

"I love you." mumbo breathes, watching the way grian's eyes widen with such interest. "I can't- I never even considered something like this could ever happen- I was so confused!" he laughs. "I had no idea- and then you kissed me and I- I still can't believe that, honestly. you! you’re so beautiful- and you kissed me!"

grian is laughing too, and he’s blushing- and oh goodness, mumbo made him blush, how incredible is that? "i've- you know, i’ve been lamenting to tango a little bit-" mumbo gasps in mock outrage. "i- no actually, i’m allowed, you’re an idiot. anyway, we agreed- you’re just as bad as jimmy."

"what? I can't be that bad!" mumbo exclaims, but in all honesty, he can’t help but agree a little. it- he may or may not have gotten distracted staring at grian's lips midway through his sentence; he’s a complete idiot—especially if grian is with him. 

"I- mumbo." grian says, surprisingly breathless, and mumbo looks up to see him flushed pink. oh. oh- was that- is that because of him? "you can't just- oh my god."

"you- I blame you for this!" mumbo feels his own face growing hot, stomach fluttering. "I wouldn’t have known if you hadn't kissed me!"

grian lifts a hand to mumbo's cheek, and mumbo's engine of a brain is shooting sparks once again. "how could i not?" he says, almost to himself as he rubs his thumb against mumbo's lips, who might actually explode this time. 

"grian," mumbo's voice is barely a whisper, and it occurs to him that they must have started leaning in at some point, because their faces are so much closer than they were a moment ago. 

apparently distracted by mumbo's lips (which- wow. that's- that is happening. okay), grian gives a little hum of answer.

"can-" mumbo puts a hand on grian's, and he looks up. there's a look that flashes across grian's face when their eyes meet, and it's almost smug—as if he knows just how much fire mumbo's brain is on right now. "can you kiss me?"

grian's lips twitch into a half smile, and he tilts his head, leaning in until their noses barely brush. "gladly." his breath ghosts mumbo's face, but before he has time to even process this, the gap between them is closed.

somehow, it's even better the second time. grian's hand is cupping his cheek, the other gravitating towards his waist, and it's all mumbo can do not to explode as he leans into grian. it's honestly unbelievable- mumbo wonders, as grian's hand rubs gently against his waist, if this is all just an incredible dream. this theory is quickly wiped from his mind, along with any other hint of rational thought, as grian begins to run his hand through mumbo's hair. y’know- if this is a dream, mumbo would rather not wake up.

after what feels like a lifetime—and yet far, far too soon—the two of them are forced to pull away for air. mumbo is grinning like an idiot, and grian is flushed pink but smiling just as much, and they just kissed! again!

"so- um. what- are we-" mumbo seems to have forgotten the english language mid-kiss. which- okay, that's embarrassing. he thought that was just something people made up for romances. "would you consider us to be- um. what- what would you-"

grian presses a kiss against mumbo's lips, very effectively shutting him up long enough to say, "I would like to be your partner. if- if you also would like that." 

for a moment, it's all mumbo can do to nod enthusiastically, and grian (being the incredibly rude man he is) cackles at him. "I- I would definitely like that." mumbo manages, smiling shyly.

"good." grian says, and mumbo can just tell he’s trying to sound calmer than he is. it's cute. mumbo wants to poke it. "because- I mean, it's not like you had much of a choice. you’re mine now- it's not really optional."

mumbo tilts grian's chin upward and kisses his lips, grinning as grian blinks in flustered surprise. "i’m not mad about that."

never has mumbo ever seen someone look so pleased and so indignant at the same time before. "you- you did that on purpose!"

mumbo laughs, and grian can't keep up the silly pout he was attempting. "of course I did! you kissed me- out of nowhere, and left me alone!"

"oh I see," grian says, clearly trying to stay annoyed, but he can’t stop giggling to himself. "this is revenge."

mumbo kisses grian's nose, watching with glee as grian turns even pinker. "of course not." he says unconvincingly.

"oh my god- mumbo!" grian buries his face in his hands, and mumbo cackles. 

"okay- i'll stop! i’m stopping, i’m stopping." mumbo grins, and- okay, maybe he just wants to see grian's face again. what, are you gonna sue him? you- please don't, actually. "i’m sorry- I apologise."

grian moves his hands away from his face, giving mumbo a suspicious look. wow- he really does know him, doesn’t he? "I don’t trust that voice." he jabs at mumbo's chest, grinning a little.

embarrassingly, mumbo feels himself turn pink. "I- well, is- would it be weird if I said I just wanted to look at you?" 

within an instant, grian turns more red than mumbo has ever seen him—apparently speechless, because all he does is stare as mumbo starts to laugh at his expression.

"it's just-" mumbo raises a hand to stroke grian's cheek, watching with delight as grian melts into the touch. "you’re just so beautiful." he murmurs, beginning to trace the outline of his jaw with the tips of his fingers. mumbo reaches his chin, and tilts it upward ever so slightly. "I can't believe I never.." he trails off, distracted by how soft grian's lips feel against his fingers.

grian looks like he could very well melt into a puddle; voice slightly raspy when he says, "mumbo, you- you’re killing me here."

mumbo grins, stomach fluttering at the fact that he flustered grian. "I did say it was revenge." he leans in ever so slightly, glancing very intentionally at grian's lips before pulling his gaze away. honestly, it's a marvel to see grian so shy- usually that's mumbo. "I just.." his smugness softens into something far more affectionate than he would ever admit again. "I love you."

"if- if you don't kiss me in the next five seconds," grian starts, entirely out of breath and positively beetroot-coloured. "i’m actually going to die, and it will weigh on your conscious forever."

mumbo tilts grian's face upwards ever so slightly, and- okay, maybe he’s taking a little longer to do this than he otherwise would. it's- in his defence, grian's reactions are just too incredible to let slip by; mumbo can’t just miss them. "well, since you asked so nicely." he teases, pausing just long enough to watch grian's expression shift to something simultaneously flustered and exasperated before he leans in. 

grian kisses him with the air of someone who has seconds left to live, and mumbo can’t help but melt into him as grian presses closer—nails digging bluntly into the fabric of his jeans. it's all mumbo can do to kiss back, brain turning to mush at the insane reality that grian is kissing him- and that he’s kissing him because he loves him. it's all- there's no possible way that mumbo is coming out of this with his sanity still intact.

all too soon, grian pulls back, and mumbo makes an embarrassing noise of complaint. their faces are so close, mumbo can feel grian's breath on his cheeks. he might just explode. "just- just to clarify," grian pants, and- wow. okay, that- wow. "is there anything you- you don't want me to do?"

"not- not in the slightest." mumbo breathes, and his voice sounds almost desperate. grian, apparently, seems to find this fact intoxicating rather than embarrassing. "maybe- i’d prefer you not to stop."

at that, grian presses a kiss to the corner of mumbo's mouth, smirking mischievously. "i’d never dream of it, mumbo." he whispers. oh, gosh.

within moments, they are kissing again, and mumbo sinks into it without a second thought—quite frankly, if he could make this last for all eternity, he would. grian must be noticing the way mumbo relishes his softness, because he has begun to cup his face, rubbing a thumb across mumbo's cheek. mumbo, of course, is finding it very difficult to think about anything other than that gentle touch through the haze of quiet breathing and comforting embraces, but- well, he can’t just let grian do all the work, can he? that- that would be rude.

grian makes a little noise of surprise as mumbo slips his hand into his hair, scratching gently at the nape of his neck, but within seconds, mumbo feels grian begin to melt against him. he has to admit- it's pretty cute—especially when grian pulls barely back to mumble, "is- is this revenge?"

mumbo can’t help but giggle at how red grian is, coupled with how pleased he is with- everything that's happening right now. "I- it wasn't my intention, but- y’know, it could be."

grian practically pouts, and mumbo is laughing even more now- which he doesn’t think was the intention behind that. "you’re so mean to me, mumbo."

"I- well, you- you were being so nice to me," mumbo says, feeling his face begin to warm as he watches grian realise what he means with delight. "I had to return the favour."

grian is grinning now, pout entirely forgotten in lieu of making fun of mumbo. "oh, mumbo-"

mumbo claps a hand over grian's mouth, enormously embarrassed by it all. grian continues to grin, but the fondness in his eyes betrays his true feelings. "that- we don't need to discuss it, actually. we can just- we can let the moment pass."

"i’m making a note of this in my mind." grian says. well- mumbo is pretty sure that's what he said, after all, his voice is muffled by mumbo's hand. "but- okay-" the look in his eye makes mumbo expect to be licked, and he moves his hand very quickly away. "hey!"

"you were gonna lick me." mumbo says, grinning at grian's offence. "weren't you?"

grian makes a sulky face, which is- far too pretty for his own good. "I was gonna kiss you." mumbo laughs, and grian's sulk drops almost immediately. which- frankly, the mischievous grin that replaces it should not be nearly as endearing as it is. "I wanted to watch your reaction—they're always cute." 

mumbo barely has time to give a flustered huff of a laugh before grian is following up with, "but I was going to say, I have been paying attention." he says, and mumbo finds himself reeling.

"you- I hadn't even- oh my goodness." mumbo scrambles desperately to locate wherever his brain has ended up, because it's very obvious that it has completely abandoned him by now. "you- you actually thought about- gosh." he buries his face in his hands, and grian cackles.

"well, I just- you always liked it when I held your hand." grian is saying, and his grin is so abundantly obvious in his voice alone- he’s so audibly pleased with himself for getting it right. "and tango- I mean. I won't pretend we didn't talk-"

mumbo looks up so fast, he may have almost given himself whiplash. "what did tango tell you?" he says, pointedly ignoring how funny grian seems to be finding this whole conversation.

grian is still laughing when he finally answers, "well, he- he may have hinted a couple things. I didn’t know you guys used to date." he takes mumbo's hand and raises it to his lips. "he mentioned on the off-chance it'd be relevant.." grian presses a kiss against mumbo's knuckles, and oh he’s just so smugabout it that mumbo could melt.

"I- I can't believe this." mumbo barely manages. he’s fairly certain his face is cosplaying a beetroot by now. "you two- oh my goodness. why- how would you even- when did that become a- a topic of discussion?" embarrassingly, it seems as if his voice has abandoned him, leaving mumbo stuck with squeaks.

grian blushes, and mumbo feels a little better about his own disastrous response. "I- okay, it- it's not like I talked about you all the time, but I- you came up.. a lot." 

mouth agape, it's all mumbo can do but stare for a long moment. grian, of course, finds this hilarious. "how would- I never even- are you kidding?"

"tango said you’d probably react like that." grian is grinning, and mumbo is going to dissolve. in a good way. 

"I- y’know, maybe I should start telling jimmy this kind of stuff about tango." mumbo is still embarrassingly breathless, and grian laughs. "see now he likes it."

grian leans forward and presses a soft kiss to mumbo's lips, eyes ridiculously fond. "I think he'd probably appreciate you helping him out." he grins. "how do you think I got the courage to kiss you?"

mumbo can’t help softening slightly. "well. maybe i'll forgive him." he jabs grian in the forehead, grinning as he squawks in protest. "once I forgive you for leaving me alone after you kissed me." he exclaims.

grian cackles. "I- look, okay, I was freaked out-"

"you were freaked out?!" mumbo half-yells, unable to keep from grinning along. "grian- you just- you kissed me, and then left! and then I had to realise that I was in love with you- and you left, so I couldn't even tell you-"

"I thought you were gonna hate me!" grian defends. "I couldn’t- but then I turned around and you were running, and immediately fell over-"

mumbo grins. "I just- I was thinking too much about you kissing me, and then I- I saw your lips, so-"

frankly, mumbo has never seen grian look so delighted in his life. "you fell over because you wanted to kiss me?!"

"I- well- kinda." mumbo says, heat rising in his face from both embarrassment and pleasure. "has that- is that just me?"

grian snorts, face reddening. "I- okay, I might- a week ago, I was. thinking about you a bit whilst me and jimmy were looking for crabs, and I wasn't- I forgot to pay attention, and I sorta. fell into the sea." 

mumbo laughs harder than he thinks he’s laughed in weeks, not even trying to regain his composure as grian cackles along. "oh- oh my gosh- grian!" he squawks, trying to catch his breath again. "what- what I wouldn't pay to watch that." he grins. "do I really have that much of an effect?"

"well," grian glances away, looking suddenly  embarrassed. "it's- you had that shirt, and you’d ditched your jacket 'cause it was hot, and- with the sleeves rolled up- it- uh. yeah." grian hides his face with his hand. "I got- I got distracted."

mumbo's face hurts from smiling so much, and he honestly doesn't care. "I- wow. I will be- i'll be making a note of that." he says, flattered.

grian looks back, grinning. "you’re gonna use this against me, aren't you?"

"who would I be if I didn't?" mumbo smiles, fonder than he meant to be.

grian leans forward and kisses mumbo, cupping his face as he does so. when he pulls back, mumbo finds himself chasing his lips—much to grian's amusement. grian tilts his head, smiling. "I love you."

mumbo turns his head to kiss grian's hand, stomach fluttering. "I love you too."

[changingplumbob]

Foster Household: Chapter 9, Part 7

CW: Mental Health Struggles - Guide to content warnings

The last thing Carson felt like doing on a warm morning was dressing up and getting the ferry to Copperdale, but he had no choice. That’s where the high school was, even if it was covered in several inches of snow. He quickly headed inside to the library to double check his homework. Confident he hadn’t missed anything he decided to go find some friends.

Darwin was in his usual spot, asking the milling students for some homework he could copy. Study was not his priority.

Darwin: Carson! My best buddy. How about that math homework? Can I check your answers

Carson: Math home- we didn’t have math homework

Darwin: You sure? I got a text from Anya reminding me but then I changed topics

Carson: She’s not even in our year Darwin. And isn’t she like best friends with Artemisia?

Darwin: Oh yeah. She must have taken her phone and sent me a bogus text, she takes me flirting with her friend personally for some reason

Nanami: So I’m thinking we should shift you more to the middle and then while you’ve got the flyer-

Onyx: We’ll have more room for tumbling up the left side, got it

Ariadne: Hey Onyx

Onyx: Hmm? Oh hey Ariadne. Have you met Nanami? She’s in cheer with me

Ariadne: I don’t think so. I was actually hoping I could speak with you for a minute

Onyx: Yeah sure. Catch you in math Nanami?

Nanami: Math. The best class for doodling routines in

Onyx: You all good Ariadne

Ariadne: Yeah thanks. I, um... how close are you and Carson

Onyx: Me and Carson? Oh we go way back, best friends since forever

Ariadne: Are you and he... like together?

Onyx: What? No, no. We just grew up together in scouts and stuff, our dads are best friends

Ariadne: So he... he’s not dating anyone?

Onyx: *smiling* Tell you what, he’s over there by the mural project if you wanted to check with him

Ariadne: Oh no, I mean I didn’t-

Onyx: Bye now

Carson stared at the wall. What to paint, what to paint, what to paint? He was deep in thought when he heard Ariadne talking and had to stop himself kicking over a paint can accidentally.

Carson: Sorry what?

Ariadne: Oh, ah... I just asked if you’re... painting anyone-thing at the moment

Carson: I’m trying to paint but *sighs* I don’t know how mum does it. I love art but a blank canvas and I just falter. Maybe I didn’t inherit the right genes

Ariadne: I know what you mean. My grandmother... well she did a lot and I’m not sure I can do any of it half as well

Carson: I’m sure you can, you're brilliant

Carson was busy staring at the mural but that made Ariadne smile.

Ariadne: It’s so much colder here than Sulani, how do you stand the change everyday

Carson: *shrugs* I get by. I mean I have been in snow when we lived in willow creek. Are you cold?

Ariadne: Yeah... a little bit

Carson: You should tell your dads. I’m sure they’d wrap you in furs before you could blink

Ariadne: Oh I like my animals alive thanks. Listen, could we- I wanted to ask...

The bell rung loudly and a startled Carson began to pack up, terrified of being late. If he was late his grade would go down. Or he’d get detention. And if he got detention once he was bound to keep getting it and then he’d be kicked out of school. His parents would probably die from embarrassment. Wait, Ariadne had been saying something...

Carson: Sorry, you were going to ask something?

Ariadne: Nevermind, I better get to class

Carson tucked the paints away and watched her walk off. He liked that they were both wearing green today. It was matching in a way. Not that she was likely to want to match with him. Especially if he got kicked out of school. He ran the rest of the way to class one she was out of view.

Mrs T: Hurry up, everyone sit down. Who can tell me what we did in our last math class

Darwin: Sleep

Mrs T: We all know you did Darwin, we heard you snoring

The class giggled and Darwin tried to look put out but Carson knew he loved being the centre of attention.

Carson: We were talking about how to find x if there’s more than one

Mrs T: Very good Carson. Now, who can tell me our first step to solve the written equation

Carson: Nice job on that last question Paola, it threw me for a loop

Paola: Thanks! I was practising all weekend, no way am I flunking exams this week

Onyx came over and pulled Carson aside.

Onyx: What do you think you’re doing

Carson: Talking to our friend?

Onyx: Dude did Ariadne not talk to you? I think she’s interested. Last thing you want her to see is you talking to someone attractive. Oh quick, look like you’re talking to me so I can watch Zharfina

Carson: Does she... have binoculars?

Onyx: Isn’t it adorable

After eating Carson went to work on the mural again. Every so often he checked behind him to see who was around. He hoped Ariadne would come over and talk again, he was a doofus for not giving her more attention earlier. When she did come in she made a beeline for the food and Carson was sad to see that Artemisia was there talking to her. Stupid. Artemisia was probably busy telling her that Carson was seeing half a dozen girls, or gave terrible hugs, or-

Carson got so worked up at himself he had to leave the mural to chill out upstairs before class. As it was he almost stabbed his book with his pencil several times during science class. Thank goodness he had an appointment with Chad after school.

Previous ... Next

[idontplaytrack]

Hit and go (home)

AJ Campos x fem! reader

Warnings: age regression, fluff, reader’s on her period, injury in gym class, implied messy home life

You simply didn’t feel right from the second you woke up. You felt exhausted even after a full eight hours of sleep, nauseous and cranky. You knew you were due to get your period soon and weren’t looking forward to it because you’d always have terrible headaches and cramps, among other things. You made it to school with AJ without an issue, but once you got there, you had to use the restroom. So, you went while AJ waited for you in the cafeteria, chatting with Gabi and Stacey. 

Lo and behold, you had just started your period and the cramps immediately hit you like a twist of your insides. Thank god you’d put a pad on before leaving the house. You took a deep breath, flushed the toilet and washed your hands. 

AJ smooches you on the cheek, palm naturally caressing your lower back. She notices the furrow of your brows and asks, “You okay?” 

Do you tell her? Nah, not now.

“Mhm.” You nodded, kissing her too for good measure.

AJ walks you to your home room, Gabi and Stacey close behind. Gabi enters the classroom with you— you two had the same homeroom. Then, you two said bye to AJ and Stacey who were headed to theirs. Settling down at your usual desk, you were picking at your nails while staring at the clock on the wall. When the teacher came in with morning announcements and other administrative matters, you could barely focus as the ache you were feeling began to be more widespread. 

Every single minute you spent in that seat felt like the bottom of your spine was on fire. But you persevered, blinking profusely to refocus on your teacher in the front of the room. It worked, you made it through home room, then social studies, physics, American literature, and finally— gym class. That was where you were doubting yourself, you weren’t too sure if you’d make it through the class without bursting into tears. Dillon was staring at you, you could feel it. Then you saw his worried face and looked away to avoid the question. Taking one last sip of water, you began your laps around the gymnasium when the teacher’s whistle went off.

Lunch was next, so it couldn’t be too bad, right?

Nope. You tried, you really tried. But when Tim’s dodgeball slammed into your chest because you didn’t react fast enough , you immediately went down. “Oh, shit!” He froze, “I am so sorry, y/n.”

Dillon knew something wasn’t right when he saw you just fall down like that. He ran over to you from his spot on the other side of the gym and helped you up.

“Are you okay?” He asked, pulling you up.

You swallowed thickly and gave him a nod. Admitting defeat, you walked over to the benches to sit down. The teacher didn’t say anything, given what she’d just witnessed. “You good? You wanna go to the nurse?” Dillon followed you. 

“No.” You answered quietly.

“You should go to—”

“…’m okay.” You pinched the bridge of your nose, screwing your eyes shut.

“Dillon! You still playing or what?” 

“Coming back, coming back.” He answered, jogging back onto the court but not without taking one last glance at you. 

You exhaled shakily, your mind started to race and the pain your were feeling all over your body began to intensify to a point where you could barely keep it together. And so, you stared into space, daydreaming. To keep your mind off the pain. It didn’t last long, however. The shrill sound of Murray’s whistle jolted you out of your thoughts. Causing something like a switch to flip in your head. You were gone. There wasn’t a single thought in your head now that would help you. All you could feel was the need for a hug from AJ, you could no longer focus on anything. The pain that was bothering you disappeared into the void thanks to this switch. But it honestly wasn’t safe for you here either to be doing this.

You got permission to go to the bathroom, then you were gone from the gym. Pushing the heavy door, you found yourself in front of the sink and mirror, staring at your reflection. A wave of pain from the cramping hits you, causing you to cry out as you gripped onto the porcelain sink. Your heart rate picks up, causing your mouth to go dry. You feel your phone in your pocket. Fishing it out you struggled to text AJ, hands shaky.

You just realised you had no idea were she was. Big you would know, but your brain wasn’t allowing you to figure that out right this second. You managed to call her instead, she picks up. 

“Hey, are you alright, honey?” She answered pretty quickly, voice quiet.

“No.” You told her shakily, “No. I— feel weird.”

“Baby, we have lunch in three minutes. Do you think you can hold on and find me in the cafeteria or do you want me to come get you?” She asks, you hear her walking out of what you assume was her classroom. 

You thought hard about her answer, then you said, “I wait.”

“Yeah?” AJ said back, “Okay, my love. I’ll see you in a few minutes. Be careful.” 

“Okay.” You muttered then hung up, cautiously making your way back to the gymnasium to grab your bag right as the bell went off. You winded your way through the group of students and made a beeline for the cafeteria before you slipped even further. 

You hear hurried footsteps behind you, then a tap on your shoulder. You jumped, startled letting out a gasp. “Hey— sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

It was…Dillon.

“How are you feeling? You were gone awhile.”

Here’s the thing, you could hear him loud and clear but you couldn’t exactly understand him anymore. You were fighting the urge to slip into the headspace and it was becoming harder and harder as your pain got worse and worse. You shrug. He doesn’t leave you alone though, now walking next to you to the cafeteria. 

Nearing the cafeteria, you spot AJ at a round table setting her backpack down. So you ran up to her and immediately just hugged her from behind with your arms eventually resting on her shoulders. “Hey, you.” She turned to glance at you. You usually didn’t show affection this way in school, so that tipped her off. “I wanna go home.” You frowned, “Don’t feel good.” She grabs your hand and gave it a squeeze before she turned around and cups your cheek. Her gaze softens and was promptly filled with worry. Dillon went ahead to get his own lunch to give you two some space, he understood.

“You wanna go home?” She asks softly. You nodded, licking your lips.

“Okay.” Her thumb strokes your cheek, “Okay, honey. I’m gonna take you home right now, okay? You’re alright, I got you.” 

AJ grabs her bag and your own, one hand holding onto yours while the other was busy with her phone— trying to text her Mom to let her know that she’d left school early. 

“Everything okay?” Stacey asks when you and AJ were just about to exit the cafeteria.

“Yeah, she’s just not feeling too well so I’m taking her home. I won’t be coming back, but we’re fine.” AJ quickly explained.

“Alright.” Stacey nods, “Take care, babes. I hope you feel better soon.” 

“Car keys.” Gabi handed them over to her sister, “Here. Drive safe.”

————

AJ takes you to her place, knowing that you’d one hundred percent be safer here than at your own home. You were nearly caught while in a regressed state at home, and forced yourself to ‘snap out of it’. By the end of that night, you had ran out of the house and was sobbing on the phone to AJ for her to come pick you up. That was the first time she’s ever seen you that distraught and even unlike your usual self. But she had no problem talking you through it and calming you down. 

“Baby.” She called for you, to get your attention, “Wanna change into pjs?” 

You gulped uncomfortably, giving her a nod. She shut her bedroom door and locked it before heading over to her closet and looking through it. AJ pulled out two different sets of pyjamas for you to choose from. How she went about doing things depended on how you felt, and how you seemed overall. Today, a fixed set of choices was the way to go in order to not overwhelm you. 

“Here, pick one.” She held onto both sets for you to see. You reached for the set with shorts instead of the one with long pants. “Do you want me to help?” She bent down a little to catch your gaze, not entirely sure if you’d fully gone into the headspace. Sometimes you’d force yourself to ‘stay big’, and she didn’t want you to do that because when you’ve eventually stopped masking, you’d usually have a meltdown because you were trying so hard to suppress the urge and emotions.

You mumbled a no then proceeded to change into the pyjamas right in front of her. Obviously, this was the norm whether or not you were regressed. You clearly felt safe and secure in her presence. While you were changing, she set both backpacks aside and plugged in both her phones and yours to let them charge. “You want some lunch?” She took your hand. 

You weren’t too sure thanks to the bloat. So you shrugged. “Tummy doesn’t feel good?” She asks knowingly. You shook your head, lips slightly pouted. 

“Come on.” She leads you down to the kitchen after retrieving your favourite sippy cup from her closet, “We’ll get you something to help make you feel better, hm?” 

The Campos family kept their OTC meds in the bottom shelf of their pantry. So that’s where AJ was looking in order to find one suitable for you, “Here we go.” She pulled out two options, one was a liquid, the other was a chewable pain reliever. She took one look at you and knew you’d be likely to throw up the liquid variety so she put that away. “Take this, okay? Then I’ll open up a pudding cup for you?” AJ suggested, you stood leaning against the kitchen island as she spoke. She hands the little pill to you and you took it from her, popping it into your mouth. It didn’t taste too horrible so you were done with it quite quickly. AJ hands you your cup that she’d filled with some apple juice first then turned around to grab you a vanilla pudding cup from the fridge— and a spoon, of course. She handed a teaspoon to you knowing you preferred a smaller one right now. “Sit down, honey.” She urged quietly. 

You took the spoon and sat down on a barstool. AJ does the same, sitting opposite you. She peeled off the top of the cup and hands it to you without saying anything. AJ kept a close eye on you and noticed you had teary eyes. She hated this sight with a passion. AJ hated the fact that she was the one responsible for the consequences of your parents’ actions. They had hurt you so badly that you were forced to heal this way. Your regression was always involuntary, and always triggered by your parents fighting or worse…oh shit. That must’ve been what happened last night before school today. 

AJ was glad you were using this way to heal, it was healthier than what you could have ended up doing. It actually helped you. Don’t get her wrong, AJ loved you to death and would do anything for you. She just had a very strong hatred and disrespect for your parents because of how they were like. Because of how they treated you and how they were still treating you. The girl before you bit back a sigh, and you could still feel her eyes on you. You usually didn’t care, but in this state? You were easily upset. You cried so easily but yet you loved to fight it.

AJ was learning that your behaviour during your regression was a direct reflection of how you were like when you were actually at that age. And it hurt her heart, it really did. She wanted to change that for you…she wants you to heal. 

Neither of you have had lunch yet, but she wants to make sure that you ate before she did. “Do you want some more?” She asks. You shook your head no before eating another spoonful. You didn’t feel like you could eat anymore, you felt full but you weren’t. 

“Okay.” She gave in anyway, knowing you were likely feeling very uncomfortable with today being day one of your period. Yeah, she figured that out too. 

“Wanna head back to bed, honey?” She leans closer to ask, also noting that you were done eating. 

“Okay.” You sniffed. AJ handed you your favourite blanket and stuffed toy, then you were quickly snuggled under your blanket with the toy in your arm. You were eager to block out the world, but also a bit more at ease now that the pain medicine was beginning to take effect. AJ was hungry, but she also knew you’d rather have her stay with you— at least till you fell asleep. So, that’s what she did. She sat right next to you, palm rubbing your back in a comforting motion or patting it in order to lull you to sleep. It was a simple tactic, but it always worked since you tended to be sleepier than usual in times like this. 

“I love you, baby.” She hums. 

You didn’t respond, obviously being so groggy but she knew you heard it because your body relaxed. 

A year ago, AJ had a complete breakdown over academics and the stress her Dad had put her through. Ever since then, he’d very thankfully stopped being so hard on her, and was grateful for AJ just doing the best she could— no matter what the grade was, or what the outcome was of a meet. Those few weeks were distressing for you, but she eventually worked through it, they talked everything out and have finally reached a mutual understanding after years and years of a strained relationship. You stuck by her side though— found it sweet and really appreciated it, especially since she knew the situation was a potential trigger. 

Anyway, so while her parents didn’t initially know that you had the tendency to age regress, her mother was very worried about you one day and talked to AJ about it.  Then it came out that you were actually regressed which was why you were so exceptionally clingy — you were right next to her holding on to her arm when she told her mother. Even if she didn’t say it, it was raising suspicion for sure. Once AJ had settled you down in her bed for a bit with cartoons and animal crackers, she sat down with her mom to explain everything. All while keeping the details as vague as she could to keep it private.

“So she just acts like a kid?”

“Well, it’s not that she’s acting like a kid. When regression happens, she believes that she’s actually that age. She’s reverted back to a time where she feels safer and happier. And knowing what she’s been through and is still going through, I really really get it.” 

Her mom gave her an apologetic look for how direct that question came across.

“How long has this been going on?” 

“I don’t know. But we’ve been together two years and I only found out about this eight months ago. It’s been very hard for her to talk to me about this so I really want to make sure you understand this. It’s okay if you don’t like it, you don’t have to be involved in caring for her in any way — but I just want her to have somewhere safe to heal. I won’t let her be in common areas if that’s what you want me to do. She’ll just be in my room.” 

“Why would I not want her in common areas?” 

“I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Mija, I’m a mom. I’m simply worried about someone’s child. If that’s all it is…she needs some time where she can snuggle with you, play with toys, watch cartoons and colour books and pages. I am so glad she’s doing all that and not harming herself or starving herself. She can feel free to do so, I need to understand this better, but she clearly feels safe here, she feels safe with you. So while I do that, you just focus on yourself and on her. Just be careful around your papi. You know he’s not too open-minded.”

“I know, mama. I just— you know I love her. And I love you, I never planned to keep things to myself but we just didn’t know if we told you, you’d be okay with it or not.”

“Don’t worry about it. I understand why, but now that I’m aware, if she needs anything, don’t hesitate to let me know, too.” 

————

AJ’s mom came home from work when AJ was in the kitchen eating. “How’s everything?”

“She’s napping now but was in some pain. Got her period this morning but something else set her off.” 

“Did she eat?” AJ’s mom set down her bag on the counter.

“Like, one pudding cup and some juice. She’s bloated and I don’t want to force it because otherwise there’d be a huge chance of her puking. Which she hates, then she’ll cry and I’ll cry so, I just let her sleep after taking the chewable pill.”

“Why are you home so early?”

“It’s not busy at the restaurant now, so I thought I’d come back to check on you girls for a little bit before going back there soon. It only gets busy once schools in the area let out for the day.” 

“Oh, okay.” AJ nods while munching on some fries.

“Do you want me to cook her anything? Soup? Congee?” 

“It’s okay, I’ll just ask her what she wants to eat later if she feels up for it.” 

Her mom agrees, “Alright. You doing okay?”

“I’m fine, just waiting on Gabi to be back so I can get started on my homework that she’s helping me bring home.” 

After finishing her lunch, AJ washed the dishes and did some chores. Her mom still made soup anyway, just to have it on ‘standby’. “Mama, you don’t—”

“It’s easy, it’s fine. I have time.” 

“Thank you.” AJ pressed a kiss to her mom’s cheek. 

“You’re welcome.” 

“I’ll cook some rice too.” AJ decided, “it’ll be easy on her stomach but be filling enough if she decides she wants some.” 

“That’s a good idea.” 

After putting all the ingredients into the pot, AJ’s mom let the soup simmer. Then, she got read y to head back to the restaurant. “I’ll get going, okay? Don’t hesitate to call or text if anything, yeah, mamita?” 

“I know, mama. Thank you, have a good rest of your shift.” 

With a kiss to the teen’s head, she was out the door. AJ eventually sits at the counter scrolling through her phone until she heard movement from her room that made her get on her feet. She put her phone down and went upstairs. “Hey, you’re up.” She stood in the doorway. It hasn’t even been an hour since you fell asleep. 

“I don’t feel good.” You said, holding your arms out for a hug. 

“I know, bubs. I know.” She sat down next to you and wrapped her arms around you instantly, “It’s just for a few days, okay? I promise. I’ll take good care of you in the meantime.” Resting your chin on her shoulder and inhaling the scent of her coconut water shampoo, your eyes shut when you felt that twist in your lower abdomen again. When you pulled away, she holds your face in her hand then brushes the hair out of your eyes. 

“Whyyyy.” You sulked. 

“Sometimes it just has to happen.” She strokes cheek. AJ wasn’t about to explain periods to you when you were in the headspace of a five year old. “But the fun thing is, you get all the snuggles you want. And play whatever you want.” 

You whined, obviously still in some discomfort despite the pain meds. “Why, what’s wrong?” She asks.

“It still hurts.” You groaned softly.

Maybe a heat pack will do you some good, she thought. 

“I’m gonna go get you something and we’ll see if it helps, kay? I’ll just be a sec.” You refused to let go of her, she chuckles, “Honey, if you don’t wanna let me go, I can’t get the heat pack for you from downstairs.” 

“Okay.” You gave in and put your arms down.

She smooches you on the cheek, “Good girl. I’ll be right back.” 

Right before she steps out of her room, you stopped her. So she turned around, “Yeah? What ya need, honey?”

“I’m…kinda hungry.”

“I got you.” She smiled. 

You pulled your blanket up again and grabbed your cup for a drink since you were thirsty. Staring into space, you only got pulled back into reality when you heard AJ enter the room again with the heat pack and a bowl of soup for you. “I’ll feed you.” She sits right by you, “After we put this on your tummy.” 

You nodded wordlessly, letting her help you with it. Once the warm weighted heat pack came into contact with your shirt, the heat spread to your skin, providing you with much needed relief soon after. “Is that good?” She asked, watching your face for any sign of discomfort. 

“Yeah.” You assured.

“Do you feel like you have to throw up, baby?” AJ asks while grabbing the bowl and spoon from your nightstand.

“No.” You murmured, “…’m okay.”

“That’s really good, baby. That’s so good.” She smiled softly, scooping a spoonful of the soup and rice and holding it up to your lips, “Have a little bit. No rush.” 

Finally, you felt okay enough to eat something. It was great, seeing that it was 3:20 in the afternoon and all you had today was a bowl of cereal and a pudding cup. Having something so warm and comforting was amazing. 

“Hey, I’m home!” A voice called out from downstairs. You got startled. 

“You’re good, you’re good. It’s just Gabi.” She shushed, plopping the spoon back in the bowl.

You’d knocked your toy off her bed in the process so AJ quickly picked it back up for you. “You’re okay, just focus on the cartoons— here.” AJ set up the iPad for you with one hand and let you watch your favourite cartoon to keep your mind hopefully off everything else.

You relaxed soon enough, and so did AJ, which allowed her to finish feeding you the entire bowl of chicken soup and rice. Gabi could be heard in her room next door, putting down her bag, washing up and her closet opening and closing. “Hey, guys.” 

“Gabs, hey.” AJ smiled back while getting up from the bed to put the bowl in the sink.

“Your homework.” Gabi held up the stack, “And hers. I’ll just leave it on your desk.” She walks in, placing the homework on the desk. “How’s she feeling?” 

“Eh, still a little suckish but we’re making do.” AJ answered, noticing a prompt shift in your demeanour once her sister walked in. She squeezes your hand. 

There had been enough going on for Gabi to notice over time, but she’s never once said anything because it wasn’t any of her business. “Anyway, mom made chicken soup so go eat if you haven’t.”

“I will.” Gabi quirked a brow, “You want me to bring that bowl downstairs? She seems pretty comfortable.”

AJ laughs, stroking your hair and noticing that you had your head in her lap. “That…would be great. Thanks, Gabs.” 

“No problem.” Gabi allowed herself to chuckle. 

Gabi left you and AJ alone quickly, remaining in the dining room to eat while AJ hung around with you up here. There was one little detail she couldn’t help but notice: you had your hand on your chest or clutching at your shirt there, a lot. Almost constantly in fact. “Bubs, what’s the matter? Why do you keep blocking your chest?” She finally asked.

You shook your head.

“Baby, come on.” She fought the urge to sigh, “Let me take a look.” 

Blinking the forming tears away, you bit your lip nervously but your hand loosens its grip. AJ lifted up to check what was going on. Her eyes widened, “Did this happen in gym?”

You nodded to answer her question, “Tim threw it, then it hit me.”

She knew it was the doing of a dodgeball, that was the current sport for her class too. It didn’t look too bad, just a small bruise and some redness. Damn, Tim really put all his might into the throw. AJ’s never seen an injury like this one before because of dodgeball. 

 Well then you had to use the restroom so you went, and she went with you. And she knew you’d need her there because you got scared seeing the bleeding. You forgot you were on your period. 

“Honey. Honey, breathe. You’re okay, everything’s okay.” She shut the bathroom door, “I’ll help you with it.” 

No questions asked, she peeled off the used sanitary napkin and got rid of it before putting on a new one for you. Usually, she’d guide you to do it yourself but right now you were as good as frozen so she assisted, otherwise you’d be sitting on the toilet for ages. 

Anyway, crisis averted. After washing her hands, she made sure you did too and took you back to her bed. “Alright— what do you wanna do now, bubs? How about a puzzle? Or should we do some colouring?” 

You thought about it, then answered, “Puzzle, please.” 

After fixing two puzzles, you decided you’ve had enough fun and wanted to lay on AJ and just let her hug you. Well, the girl absolutely loved doing that so she immediately pulled you onto herself. You kind of straddled her, with your cheek squished against her chest. “Are you tired?”

“No.” You shook your head, murmuring.

“So you just want my hugs then?” She grins.

You nodded, “Uh-huh.” 

“Well, lucky you.” She combs her fingers through your hair, planting a kiss to the top of your head. “Do you want anything for your chest? Does it hurt a lot?” 

“Nope, I want cuddles. Just feels a little weird.”

“Are you sure?” She looked you in the eye, “Does it hurt when you breathe, honey? Maybe you should lay down on your side instead.”

“No…” You whined, “I want cuddles.” 

“Okay.” AJ exhaled, rubbing your back, “Okay, you’re gonna get all the cuddles you want, bubs. I promise.” 

You giggled, “Yay.” 

“You’re silly.” She teased.

“No, you are.” You responded airily.

Meanwhile downstairs, AJ’s mom was home. “Mami, hi!” Gabi greeted, “Oh, they’re up in AJ’s room.”

Then footsteps, up the stairs, towards AJ’s room. “Hi, girls.” 

“Hi, Ana.” You looked back at the lady. AJ gasped, “Baby, what—”

“It’s okay.” Her mom bites back a laugh. “How are you feeling, sweetie?”

“No good.” You pouted.

“Well I’m sorry about that. But I got you a little something, maybe it’ll cheer you up?” Ana walked closer.

“Mom—” AJ squinted.

“Ay, es solo una cosita!” Ana chuckles.

“What did you— oh no way.”

“Look at her, she loves it!” Ana gushed.

“Where did you get it?” AJ arched a brow, “This blanket has been out of stock in the area for like— the last few weeks.” 

“I know you’ve been looking for it to get her one, so I decided to pop in to one of the stores near work to check. They just restocked.” Ana explained, “She’s not feeling too well so I figured it would be nice to get her a little pick me up.” 

“Thanks, mama.” AJ smiled brightly, “I’ll pay you back—”

“Ay, no. Don’t do that. Let me get her something every now and then, si? We can afford it, don’t worry.” 

“Say thank you, baby.” AJ nudged.

“Thaaank you.” You told Ana, beaming.

“You are very welcome, cariño.” Ana replied with a smile plastered on her face, “Gabi’s getting dinner started, I will be in the shower. Not to worry, your Dad went on his little trip with his guys. Feel free to do whatever, wherever.” 

“Okay, love you, mama.” 

Giving AJ a little kiss on the cheek and you one on your head, “Yo te quiero mas.” 

🏷️Tag list:

@ashecampos @auliisflower @cheesysoup-arlo @frogs00 @ludoesartandstuff @pda128

💭A/N:

Uh…so, I got a little carried away and this fic became 4.8k words😭 enjoy this fic that no one asked for🙂 (excuse my rusty Spanish)

[mwagneto]

thinking about simple human acts of kindness and the way they couldn't exist in an automated world.... the train conductor letting me stay in the nicer car even though that's not what my ticket says because it's empty anyway, the cashier not scanning my snacks and pointedly tossing the receipt, the night bus driver whose shift ended but who saw that the 2am bus didn't stop for me so he backed his bus up and told me to hop on since he's going into the city anyway, the museum attendant who let us in for free because he saw we were students and it was a slow day, all the times the local bus drivers let me get on without a ticket, the list just never ends and it all means so much to me.... we're all just doing the small things we can to make each other a little happier. it's beautiful and it's overwhelming and it's everything

[camzverse]

apologizing in advance for the person i will become when the next pjo show season comes out

[floral-hex]

woke up at 4am feeling the weight of my life crushing me, so I’ve been sitting out in my car for the last couple of hours because I just need. to. be. somewhere else.

[lorephobic]

idk how to even like. put this pain into words and i would normally vent about this shit on twitter, but the person its about follows me on there so like. anybody have skills for coping with the crushing realization that the person u love most in this world and have built ur life around sees ur current situation together as a temporary hurdle that's preventing them from their truest and happiest self which. is separate from u entirely? anyone know how to deal with this?

[piplupod]

life is actually so easily wonderful if the abusers are not around. heaven on earth. i can breathe for a few days <3 i've already gotten so much done and its only been 24 hours. i have 48 more hours of this relief to savour.

[impossible-rat-babies]

rotating possible eyrie home lore in my brain