#looking forward for the chaos ngl

[bellepark]

25 JI AKASAKA DE (2024) 1.04

[sophfandoms53]

Im aboutta make the risky decision to sleep (it is 4 am 😭) and i just know im gonna wake up to some nonsense later bc it’s happened every year and these houseguests do not look like they’ll be sleeping any time soon

Anyway g’night guys see y’all again in a few hours to read the tag like a morning paper LMAOO

[bunny-yan]

Hi i was the anon that Requested the p2 of Yan Hero and it got me thinking....

What would happen If The demon Lord Fell in live with Y/n and took her...BUT the Demon actually cares about her and Gives her freedom As Long as she doesn't escape?

Ngl i just wanna Know what tasman's reactiin would be tbh I hope im not Bothering you sorry!

Thx for reading :)))

Also can i be 💋-Anon?

Hi 💋~ Anon! No need to apologize! You aren’t bothering me at all. I think a traumatized darling would be hesitant to jump into the arms of someone else that could potentially repeat the relationship that they’d been so desperate to escape from, but the Demon King is perfect because they would be able to protect you from the hero unparalleled by anyone else in terms of strength and influence.  It also feels nice to go to the one person Tasman regards as an enemy. He’d told you over and over again how he was doing this for the greater good and how he needed to protect you from the big bad Demon King, but it’s hard to believe that when the proclaimed villain treats you better and with more respect than he ever did. 

TW: threats and descriptions of violence, mentions physical abuse, language, death threats —

He’d taken his eyes off of you for two seconds. Two fucking seconds.

It wasn’t the smartest idea to bring you to an active battle, especially when his enemy had come to meet him, but he didn’t trust you enough with one of the other members in his party after what happened last time. And he especially didn’t trust you to leave you on your own. That left bringing you along, despite knowing how dangerous it was. 

It was why he told you to stick close to him. He needed to be able to protect you at a moment’s notice, so you had to remain by his side. 

Why did he trust that you would listen?

Walking across a large expanse of land, he felt an imminent threat of danger, only having enough time to grab you and jump out of the way just as a large shadow swallowed the ground in the exact spot his foot would’ve landed.

“Ambush!” one of his teammates yelled, and the situation descended into chaos just that quickly. 

Snarls from demon dogs echoed throughout the field as the party fought to fend them off. They were huge, standing taller than some of the trees that were sparsely located, and they were fast. Despite that, dealing with them was easy, when he didn’t have to fight to protect you as well. 

Rudy, the party’s tank was struggling to hold back one of the monsters by himself and Annalise, the party’s healer, and Morrigan, the party’s mage, were pinned by two others. Despite their calls for assistance, Tasman brandsihed his sword, eyes narrowing on the Demon King at the head of the attack. 

“The others will protect you if something happens. Stay right here and don’t move.” he told you, locking you with a gaze that promised trouble if you were to disobey. The next moment he disappeared, hurtling forward at an inhuman speed to strike the Demon King. 

You weren’t surprised. It wasn’t the first time he’d abandoned you to fight, but it was never easy and always nervewracking to be left so open, so exposed while death and destruction surrounded you. A part of you was screaming to run away from the danger, but the last time you had, you’d almost died, experiencing a pain that you couldn’t begin to describe when your body was almost ripped apart. If Tasman believed he could trust you to be protected as long as you stayed in this one spot, you would stay. 

You closed your eyes, not wanting to witness a battle you were helpless to aid or run away from, but it wasn’t long before your resolve began to wane.

At the sound of a low growl, you peeked, regretting it instantly at the sight of a snarling dog, snout dripping with saliva, looking dead at you. 

“T-Tasman.” 

The dog took a step towards you, ears pulled back as the growling increased. Your eyes were wide, too afraid to look away from the staring contest as your body began to shake in fear. With another step in your direciton, you felt yourself backing away, only to freeze at the phantom pain that shot through you from the last time you’d moved from the spot he placed you. 

“Tasman.” you said louder this time.

Another step had your body tensing painfully. You didn’t want to experience anything like that ever again. You were sure you’d die the last time you were attacked and no matter how advanced Tasman’s healing magic was, it didn’t help you forget the way your body felt as if it was being torn apart.

When it crouched, bunching it’s muscle in preparation to lunge, something snapped. “Tasman!” you screamed, sprinting away despite knowing that you wouldn’t be fast enough to get away. You shouldn’t have trusted his words. His party members would be happy if you disappeared, leaving the chance for one of them to mend his broken heart. 

You were fucked from the start.

He’d been lost in the heat of the battle. He could hear you calling his name, but he didn’t have time to cater to your delicate sensibilities. However, he could hear the fear bleeding in your tone and his heart dropped when he finally caught a moment to glance towards you. 

Face drowning in fear, you ran as one of the monster’s jumped to attack you. 

What the fuck were they doing‽

He turned, desperate to get back to you, but an unknown force sent him hurtling away. 

You yelled, silently pleading for the goddess to spare you before something appeared. Bumping into whatever it was, you didn’t question it as an arm wrapped around your waist before the two of you were met with impact. 

From your ragged breaths, you knew you were still alive. Your body sagged in relief, tears leaking involuntarily from your eyes. Despite how cross you were that he’d put you in danger in the first place, you wrapped your arms around his waist and held him tightly. 

“I told you I didn’t want to be here, you asshole.”

After taking a deep breath, you backed away to glare at Tasman before your face went slack in shock. 

This… was not Tasman. 

Dark pools that lacked irises stared back at you. You, who had just cursed at this inexplicably handsome stranger. You, who still had your arms wrapped around said stranger’s waist. 

Ripping away, you backed up quickly to bump into something else. Something soft tickled your neck and you felt queasy at the heavy breath that made your hair stand on end. Looking up, your eyes went wide at the sight of the demon dog and when it loosed a terrifying snarl, you found yourself jumping back into the stranger’s arms. 

Unfazed, he placed a hand on your back before staring up at the enormous creature. 

“Down.” he said, silky voice holding such authority, the beast whined before obeying his master’s order. Looking at the monster now, he resmembled a scolded puppy begging its owner not to be upset. If the puppy had two sets of eyes, a spiked tail, and was big enough to use trees to play fetch. 

You looked back to the handsome stranger when he removed his hands from your waist, grabbing your hands to remove the death grip you had on his cloak. Your face was hot in embarrassment, but you mumbled gratitude for saving your life. 

“How peculiar.” The stranger cocked his head to the side. “How has a bonded soul sustained such damage?”

You were going to ask him what he meant, but you were pulled into a sudden embrace. Placing a palm up, your eyes widened as the ground cracked from the force of Tasman’s blow against his shield. When the world settled, the man released you once again to face his attacker. 

“Lover, get away from him! He’s dangerous!”

You looked at the man who saved you and from the force of Tasman’s words, instinctively you knew. 

This was the Demon King. 

But he appeared nothing like what you heard. He didn’t have a foreboding presence that promised death and destruction. You didn’t see ghastly horns or grotesque features. He looked human. Normal, even. Nothing like the stories you’d heard growing up. 

“Lover!” Tasman snarled, making you jump as you turned to face him. His eyes were wild with panic as his hands pushed against an invisible force. “Come here.”

You felt something shrivel inside of you at the sound of his voice, fear bleeding in your eyes as you began to slowly make your way towards him. Something was telling you that you were going to get in trouble for being rescued by the Demon King. 

Tasman visibly relaxed the closer you got, preparing his strength to blow away the barrier the moment you were near, but when you were almost within grabbing distance a hand caught your wrist, halting your forward movement. It wasn’t aggressive and despite the fact that he easily towered over you, his grip was light enough that you felt you could yank your hand away at a moment’s notice. It was funny that you felt no inclination to. 

“Fear for the person claiming such an intimate role?” 

You looked in their eyes and it surprised you to see concern. Your mouth opened, but you flinched at Tasman’s sharp “Don’t touch-”

“And was this their doing as well?” the Demon King continued, completely unfazed by the anger that cowed you, brought you to heel, and demanded your obedience. He turned your hand to reveal an angry hand-shaped bruise. It was from this morning. You’d attempted to reason that it wasn’t safe for a normal human being to be in an environment with monsters that, even at the weakest level, could kill you. He brushed off your concern, claiming he’d be able to protect you and when you insisted he lost his patience. Grabbing your wrist, he didn’t temper his strength and you felt it might break as he dragged you from the room and down the stairs. Not healing it as a form of punishment for the nasty look you’d given him. He claimed that you might learn to appreciate him if he took away what little he did offer, even if he was also the cause of every miscolored imperfection. 

Your silence was enough. 

Looking from the bruise around your wrist to the hand that held yours gently, Tasman grit his teeth as he punched at the barrier in anger before attempting to calm down and switching tactics.

“Lover, you don’t know the things he’s done. The village’s he’s destroyed. He is dangerous. Come to me.” he said holding out his hand. When you didn’t move after a moment, his voice sounded choked with desperation to hold back the force, the anger. “Come to me.”

Releasing your hand, you almost felt disappointed. A part of you felt guilty thinking you would no longer be able to use the Demon King’s grip on you as an excuse for not rushing back to Tasman’s side. Something he would be sure to berate you for when you made it back. You didn’t understand why you were making things harder for yourself. You hated the way that sounded, but if you wanted to keep Tasman his happy, kind self, you did what he said. When you wanted to see some of his non-hero like aspects, you did the opposite. And that was what you were doing now. Delaying the inevitable. You didn’t want to imagine the terrifying expression on his face when this man left you to fend for yourself. 

‘I would offer asylum, should you be inclined to accept.’ Your head jerked up in surprise at the sound of the voice in your head. ‘Apologies for intruding on your thoughts, but the scenes you projected were hard to ignore. I do not ask you to trust me, but if you’re willing to take the chance to see that I’m not the monster he claims, all I ask is that you take my hand.’

Lifting his hand, you looked at the enticing offer. 

Looking between his hand and you, your gaze focused on whatever the bastard offered, Tasman felt dread and a newfound sense of desperation to get you back. “Lover, don’t. He’ll kill you. He’ll devour your soul and give your body to his underlings to do with as they please. Don’t do this. Don’t-”

You thought about what Tasman said. About how dangerous this person was. If you took his hand there was a chance you were subjecting yourself to a worse fate than what you had with your hero. A chance that he simply wanted the gullible human to follow him back to his domain before he took his time devouring his easy prey. 

You thought about him destroying villages and for the first time, you didn’t feel guilty as you thought, So what?

The Demon King destroyed villages. The same villages that Tasman threatened to destroy, to rampage if you didn’t come out from hiding after finally managing to escape. The same villages that turned a blind eye when you were kidnapped from your mundane life. The same villages that were complicit in your imprisonment if it meant they would be protected from the big, bad Demon King. The same Demon King that was offering you a chance to escape from all of this. You could be walking into a trap, but you didn’t care. If he devoured your soul it wouldn’t return to the awful cycle you were stuck in and eaten, it would find peace. 

You wanted to laugh at the incredulity of the situation. At the hopelessness that drove you to this point.

Fuck those villages. 

From the look in your eyes, Tasman knew what you were going to do. He began banging on the barrier with all his might, summoning every ounce of strength as his face contorted into ugly rage. 

“Lover!” he snarled, howling with rage when you placed your hand in the Demon King’s. He pounded the barrier, cracking it bit by bit as he hurled threats to you and the Demon King. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

“Maybe one day, but not today, child. Use this time to reflect on the actions that led to this outcome.” With a hand around your waist, you looked at Tasman, at the rage you never knew he could possess, at the terrifyingly possessive look that had you stepping back into the Demon King. 

“I’ll find you, lover.” he said with a terrifying calm. “And when I do-”

You didn’t get a chance to hear what he was going to say. One moment you were on the battlefield, the next you were swallowed by shadows that brought you to the edge of a serene forest. 

Releasing you, the Demon King quickly wrapped his arms around again when your legs threatened to give out from underneath you. 

“Thank you,” you said, voice trembling with emotion you couldn’t begin to describe. Were you afraid because of Tasman’s threat? Grateful that you would get even a moment away from him? Scared of what the Demon king planned to do to you? There was too much to consider and you didn’t have enough time to process everything that had happened up until this point. 

“No need.” he said, surprising you as he cupped your face in his his hands. The warmth from his hands lulled you into a false sense of calm and when he came closer, you panicked. Was he going to kiss you? Was that a requirement to devour your soul‽

Shutting your eyes tight, you assumed something was wrong when he placed his forehead against yours, but after a quick chant and a warm sensation on your forehead, he released you, leaving you reeling in what just happened. 

“The mark I’ve bestowed will help the creatures in this territory recognize you as one of us. All I ask is that you do not harm them.”

“Oh.” Was all you managed to say. 

You didn’t know what he had planned, but once again you were frozen in shock when a small smile appeared on his face. 

“Peculiar human. A kiss would only be the first step.”

Your mouth dropped open, but if he noticed the stupor he placed you in, he didn’t say. Walking forward, he called behind, “Come along. I will show you the room that is meant to be yours and allow you to explore to your single heart’s content.”

Without a word or a sense of hesitation, you followed.

[doromoni]

Off Track Pace | MV1 , ?

Ships Max Verstappen x presenter! Reader , ? x presenter! Reader , Platonic! Charles Leclerc x presenter! Reader

Genre : Fluff , Angst

Sub tags : mutual pinning , She fell too early , He fell too late,

Summary : A new f1 presenter and journalist has entered the paddock and she brings chaos along the way. And as competition looms , will the current Champion be as fast outside the track?

Face claim: Sofia Wylie

A/N : I’m so sorry luvs! I’m working on updating Clash of Champions , i promise ~ it’s my uni’s finals exams so I gotta focus on that first… so here’s a peace offering.

Part 2.

Media day, usually on a Thursday — a day that most Formula 1 drivers dread. A day where cameras followed their every move, interviews with journalists that twisted their every word and silly PR stunts forced on them by their teams. It used to be just all racing and winning podiums, but modern Formula 1 is all about media politics and sponsorships.

If you were to ask any driver on the grid if they were given the chance not to do PR, they would say yes to skipping it. But not everything about media day is horrendous.

Not when a new motorsports journalist joins the paddock that was an absolute sweetheart and delight to have around. A natural on the job — she always made sure that every driver that she interviewed was comfortable and enjoying their time with her and the segment.

the.Y/N

liked by skysportsf1 , lissiemackintosh, f1 , and 689,270 others

the.Y/N first day on the job? . i’m not nervous, you are! (She said literally shaking)

skysportsf1 Welcome to the team Y/N! ❤️

the.Y/N thank you kind employers. 🤍

lissiemackintosh Babe!! It’s finally official. Congratulations!

the.Y/N Thanks to you Babe!! I swear I would’ve been lost without you 😭

User1 who is she?

the.Y/N literally no one

User2 Ohhhh a new commentator? 🤔

User3 maybe she’s a journalist?

scuderriaferrari the kids had fun. They want their clay statues on display!

User2 Clay statues?? Hello?? Wut?

User3 Same question, Clay statues??

the.Y/N wait and see 🤷‍♀️ , the interview would drop tomorrow? Maybe~

User4 Its her first day and she literally had an interview with Charles and Carlos in Ferrari???

the.Y/N well no , the first interview was with Lewis Hamilton … so. 🤭

User5 WHAT?? Ok , queen slay!

User4 damnn , imagine being new to your field and already interviewing the big guys.

mclaren Do us next please 🙋‍♂️

redbullracing get in line!

the.Y/N gotta stop by Aston first , sorry besties.

User6 OK WHAT IS HAPPENING, ms. Y/N who are your connections 😭 i want in.

User7 why are all the teams here??

Y/N L/N was the F1 presenter and journalist who put drivers willingly out of their comfort zones and made them try something new. You genuinely loved what you do and you were passionate about it. You never showed partiality among the drivers, you treated everyone with the same attitude — this earned the respect of all drivers on the grid.

You were quickly becoming a paddock favorite. The fans enjoyed the content you put out and the drivers looked forward to your interview when they saw your name on their schedule.

Interviewing with you usually meant cheat meals and unusual activities that you thought they would like.

the.Y/N

liked by charles_leclerc, carlossainz55, maxverstappen1, and 740,155 others

the.Y/N maybe bowling isn’t the best idea. @charles_leclerc you suck, ngl. New vid out on Monday at the sky sports channel🤍

charles_leclerc i hate you ❤️

the.Y/N no you don’t 😌

charles_leclerc no, i don’t

User1 I love their dynamic so much!! I need more of the Paddock siblings pleaseee

User2 I can’t wait for more of Y/N bullying Charles into weird things and Ferrari doing nothing about it🤣

landonorris but why is charles in a cowboy costume?

the.Y/N i dunno? He just showed up in that 🤷‍♀️

charles_leclerc You told me we were riding horses and you wanted me to wear smth cowboy!!

the.Y/N oh yeah! Lmao

landonorris should i feel bad?

the.Y/N Nope. He’s happy either way. Aren’t you @charles_leclerc?

User2 NOT THE LMAO . Y/N thank you being you

User3 Y/N giving us Cowboy Charles , yes ma’am

User3 JUST DATE ALREADY!

the.Y/N EW. No

charles_leclerc Ok , the ew was unnecessary. But same. No thanks :)) i’m not dating my sister .

User4 Charles call y/n his sister 🥺

However, No matter how much you tried to keep things professional by being just a driver: journalist, something your boss commented during a quick meeting because fans kept shipping you with every driver. What you found weird is that most drivers you see as older brothers and some even uncles (don’t tell Nando). Plus most of them had girlfriends!

Nevertheless, your relationship with them seems to always end up with them hanging around your office at Sky, whenever they are free. Even the older drivers like Nando, Lewis and even Nico and Kevin use your office as an escape from the chaos of their motorhomes.

You didn’t mind hosting the older drivers in your room, as they were usually tame and kept to themselves as they read the books on your shelves in peace. They usually plop themselves down your couch and place the oversized plush you always bring on their lap. They always brought you snacks, so you looked forward to the times when their heads popped in your door and asked if they could come in.

But when the younger drivers visit your office? And if they came in groups — which they usually do. Oh boy, it was either a clusterfuck of them stealing snacks from your secret stash or your office becoming a den for hot gossip in the paddock usually led by the one and only Charles Leclerc.

Case in point. You now have Charles, Carlos, Max and to your surprise Checo in your office. The older Spanish-speaking driver was a rare visitor, but a welcome one nonetheless.

But considering the topic in discussion, you understood the presence of the two Red Bull drivers.

You were in the middle of typing away on your laptop when suddenly they barged in with ice cream tubs and spoons at hand then found a spot to sit and made themselves comfortable.

“Is Newey leaving Red Bull?” Charles asked Max and Checo, as he scooped a bite from his ice cream.

“We have no clue! Christian is saying nothing to us. Nothing” Max exclaimed exasperated as Checo nodded in agreement.

“So Adrian Newey is moving to Ferrari?” You questioned as you pointed your spoon at Charles

“Y/N, I love you like a sister and I know that you’re incredibly smart, but sometimes you are stupid. We’re clueless in Ferrari, hence my question ”

You threw your wooden spoon at the Monaco-born Ferrari driver. Which he easily avoided thanks to his fast reflexes. Freaking f1 reflexes!

“ I wasn't the person who got named for being stupid— HEY! Max give that back!! You don't even like salted caramel” You were trying to rebut Charles’ insult but were distracted when Max took your ice cream for himself.

Max just shrugged and placed his half-consumed chocolate brownie fudge ice cream in your hands — his spoon still in it. You didn’t complain further as you took his spoon and took a bite yourself. Yum! Brownie fudge is your favorite.

“Dude, what is even going on inside Red Bull? What was Horner under investigation for?” Carlos pressed on, trying to find answers. You were curious yourself

“Everyone is being weird. They’re keeping things from us. “ Checo added. You knew that they were truly left in the dark because if they knew they would’ve spilled instantly. NDAs be damned.

“Every interview, people keep asking if we know something! one more journalist and I swear I’ll run them over with my car! I hate each one of them” Max grumbled to himself.

You coughed. You knew that you were an exception but you couldn’t help but mess around with your friends.

“Don’t even, Y/N. You know you don’t count. “ Max waved you off.

“Wow! Thank you for that babe. Way to make a girl feel special” you said jokingly to the Dutch driver, as you winked dramatically. To which he only rolled his eyes — making you and the rest of the drivers laugh.

Max was immune to your flirting, unfortunately. It sucked especially when you had a tiny …. Ok big … HUGE crush on the 3 time world champion.

Max to you was like an Older brother’s best friend — Where you were the little sister crushing on him and you didn’t have a chance. You knew that like the other drivers, he just saw you as a little sister. But still you couldn’t help but fall the star driver of Red Bull.

Everything started when you brought your niece to the paddock because your sister had an emergency. You were scheduled to interview Checo in the RB motorhome and your niece was starting to feel fussy and you were slightly panicking on what to do— when Max suddenly came to your rescue and took your niece out to ice cream.

You admit you found Max attractive even before— like so damn attractive, but that was it— nothing more. But when you found Max carrying your niece in his arms as they played inside his garage, you knew that you were a goner to the charms of Max Verstappen.

You have been pinning for Max for a year now. You wished that you had the confidence and courage to just confess. But the fear of rejection freighted you, so you settled to just keep your friendship with the devastatingly handsome Red Bull champion.

As time went on, and nothing but friendship between you and Max developed — You’ve come to terms with the process of letting go of your feelings. Even when you’ve already met his mom and sister, hung out in his yacht and spent nights over his place when movie nights with Charles and his girlfriend went too late. You knew not to think anything of it.

And you were right to think nothing of it. Because not a week later, rumors had spread all over the paddock that Kelly Piquet had set her eyes on Max. You didn’t believe it at first, but when you saw with your own two eyes them engaged talking happily in his garage. The sparkle in Max’s eyes had solidified your will to move on.

A few weeks had passed and Kelly’s presence was constant in the paddock. Everyone had speculated that she had become Max’s girlfriend. But no one was sure, not even you — Max had been silent about it.

You tried to be happy for them you did. But you can’t blame yourself for wishing that it was you instead. Even to this day, you are still trying to forget and bury your feelings for Max.

“Y/N? Y/N? Oi Y/N” You suddenly were startled out of your thoughts. You forgot that you were still with the drivers in your office.

“What? Sorry, I just remembered something. What did you say?” You asked Charles as he was the one who called you.

“I asked if you had an interview today” Upon hearing the words of the Monegasque, your eyes grew wide as you remembered that you did have a job to do and you were indeed almost late.

“SHIT! I DO I’m late! “ You suddenly sprang up from your seat and quickly gathered the things you needed — while the 4 drivers looked at you with amusement.

“Who’s scheduled for you today, Y/N?” Max had also sat up from his seat and gave you an opened bottle of water.

You received the bottle from Max. You didn’t have to thank the driver — just one look from you and he knew.

The other drivers looked amongst themselves as they saw your exchange with Max. Everyone had a knowing look on their faces.

“I'm going to Mclaren today! I have the whole day with Lando. “ You said as you closed your once abandoned laptop and placed it in your bag — the one Max gave you on your birthday.

“What have you planned for Lando, Y/N?” Checo asked curiously. He still remembered his interview where you both made bracelets and stuffed toys for his daughters — his daughters loved it and went to sleep with it every single day.

“Oh! I’m taking Lando to a rage room, then drive-thru for food.” You explained happily to the older Mexican driver.

“Which part of that is the interview?” Charles had interjected

“While we eat the food in the parking lot, duh,” You said as if they should’ve already known. Well, they should by now.

“You know Y/N, Lando likes you right? ” Carlos had suddenly dropped a bomb on you. You didn’t expect it at all.

“What?” Max had suddenly said — catching all of you off guard. You didn’t understand, why Max had reacted so suddenly. But you pushed that aside for now as you continued to stuff everything you need in the bag

“What do you mean, Lando likes me?” You asked Carlos, with your eyebrows scrunched together.

“He likes you. Like you know? Take you out on dates and all that” Carlos replied as he gauged your reaction.

“Ohhhh, that’s cute! how did you even know about it, Carlos” you asked not taking any of it seriously.

“Cute?” You heard Max muttered under his breath.

“He told me. I won’t spoil anything else. I’m not even supposed to say that he likes you, but oh well.” Carlos shrugged as he finished off his ice cream.

“What do you think about Lando?” Charles suddenly asked you. The Ferrari driver leaned forward

“Will you date him if he asks you ?” Checo then joined the conversation.

“ You should say yes, I mean you two are the same-“ Charles had suddenly grown excited.

“Ok whoa, calm down dads. He hasn’t asked anything yet! “ you exclaimed

“But will you say yes if he asked?” Max then asked you, his eyes piercing your soul. After all of the other questions, Max was the one to Catch you off guard.

“Uh yes, I guess? I mean, why not? Lando is fun And he is single right … ” You were panicking so you said yes, even when you knew that you weren’t ready for anything like that since you still held feelings for Max.

“ YES! I thought that you-“ Charles wasn't able to finish his sentence when you cut him off.

“OK, bye guys! See you later. I need to go!” And just like that you were gone, leaving the four drivers in your office — not letting them question you further.

“I swear, that kid is weird.” Charles shakes his head from side to side at your actions.

“Lando likes Y/N?” Max had asked again just to make sure that he had heard the Spaniard correctly.

“ Lando is a good kid. They’ll make a good couple, no?” Checo asked no one in particular, as Max was not moving from where you left him.

“Wait, wait… since when did Lando like Y/N?” Max asked confused, looking green with jealousy. Fingers tingling as they clenched on itself

“Well he was interested in Y/N since the beginning but he backed off since everyone thought that you two had a thing” Carlos explained as he stood up and went to raid your snack stash.

“Yeah, but now you’re with the daughter of Piquet. what’s her name again? KELLY! yes, kelly. So Lando is taking his shot” Charles added

“You knew? Charles, you knew about Lando?” Max was aghast at the knowledge that was just receiving now.

“Well yeah? I was the one to encourage him to ask Y/N out. ” Charles shrugged nonchalantly. He knew about your feelings for the Red Bull driver, but he also saw how hurt you were when Max started seeing Kelly out of nowhere. Charles wanted to help his friends — specially the ones that he grew to love like his own sibling in any way that he could. Plus it was time for Y/N to have fun, and Lando Norris is exactly that.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Max was conflicted. His emotions growing uncontrollably by the second.

“ Mate, we haven’t seen you for how many weeks! You were always out with your new girlfriend. Even Y/N had no contact with you “ Carlos explained to Max.

silence filled the room, when suddenly pings of notifications sounded all over the rooms.

And Charles couldn’t help but whistle.

“Well he sure does move past” he had added.

Your story

As Max looked at his phone. Your Ig story flashed. His heart had started to hurt and the feeling of a pit in his stomach grew. it was as if someone punched him right in the gut.

And another notification ping had popped . And it only made Max’s stomach churn even further.

landonorris

[janaknandini-singh999]

~ What Heeramandi Could Have Been ~

I loved the aesthetics ngl but ig I don't even need to get started on the plotline. By the end it was a rushed chaos of jealousy turned patriotism with the tawaifs going for each other's throats but suddenly coming together and cornering the Britishers. SLB thought he has a series in his hands now so he can mix everything together but what ended up was kinda a mess. I feel like they could've made two seasons instead, focusing s1 on the feud between Mallikajaan and Fareedan with its finale episode of Fareedan realizing what extent she had pushed Mallikajaan over and the grave sin she had made her suffer (the assault by Cartwright and the british police) and then S2 for the nationalist awakening and unity of Heeramandi

Here are some plot changes/additions they could've had according to me:

• Lajjo: Honestly I feel her character was wasted when it was so intriguing. Heeramandi especially Shahi Mahal revolved around matriarchy and how women were not tied down by men but Lajjo's character was an exception where she was controlled by her one sided love for Zorawar. She suffered from erotomania delusional disorder and used alchohol to cope. I found myself calling her female Devdas and felt bad that she didn't have much role in the plot, killing her off too soon without showing much depths and repercussions adding to the story. How her decisions and addiction spiralled her down to her own doom but with a last salute

They could've maybe shown Lajjo being reckless and impulsive without Zorawar so rushing to the frontline during the nationalist movement to sacrifice herself first out of everyone because she had no other hope to look forward for in her life anyway

"Zorawar ne kabhi saath nahi diya iss tawaif ka but iss mitti ne toh hamesha diya"

A queen of darkness and heartbreak in her own right

• Alamzeb & Tajdar: They could've been soo much better. Alam had understood that Tajdar's duties were towards his country as well. She could've teamed up with him in his missions, being a strength not an obstacle in his responsibilities. Alam, Taj and Bibbo working together in the rebellion

And Tajdar didn't deserve to be beaten to death like a dog by the britishers in jail after being sent there by his own father, but an honourable one after accomplishing a mission and being remembered like Shaheed Bhagat Singh

"Inquilaab aur ishq mein koi farq nahi hain"

A pair of patriotic tragic lovers in their own right

• Qudsia: She could've had such a major role to play in the entire series. Being married into the influential nawab lineage of Baloch and being a woman of her own mind, she could've proved to have substantial value too. By her interactions with Mallikajaan, it was evident that they had known each other since long and shared some history, probably going back to the time Mallikajaan had dethroned Rehaana and began her climb on the ladder of power in Heeramandi. They could've shown flashbacks of young Qudsia and Mallikajaan meeting for the first time as well, both women from different backgrounds respecting each other since then and Qudsia reminiscing how things take a full circle now that her own grandson was in love with her friend's daughter.

When the nawabs boycotted the tawaifs of Heeramandi in the end by the orders of the British, Qudsia could've used her son, who was full of guilt and remorse anyway after indirectly killing his own son so would've finally given up and given in, to get his connections and influence to get hold on the other nawabs and then she could've given their crucial information to Mallikajaan and the tawaif freedom fighters. She could've done this to avenge her grandson, as a tribute to his bravery for their country. She could've raised Alamzeb and Tajdar's baby together with Alamzeb in the end

A queen of grief and sacrifice for the country and her grandson in her own right

• Ustaadji: He was such an impressionable character despite being in just a supporting role. The nath scene was especially pivotal where the actor playing Ustaadji reveals that during that part when Fareedan gifts him the nath, he started crying even after the scene was done and SLB was so moved by his performance that he gave him a special token. The nath is a symbol of dignity and Ustaadji being a queer character was touched by the gesture of recieving the nath especially during those times when hijras, eunuchs were prejudiced against by invaders and colonizers but not by tawaifs who knew what it was like to face disgrace in society. Ustaadji had also joked about doing a nath utrayi (official debut of a courtesan) of his own. He could've actually done that and the britishers and nawabs would've been bewildered. Ustaadji being a popular messenger and figure in the series also had had an intimate encounter with Cartwright so had the insider knowledge to breach in so in the end instead of telling Alamzeb to kill him, he could've himself delivered the final blow, as the Indian flag would've swayed in the background through the window of the mahal, asserting that his identity may have been queer but he was a part of this country too

A king of popularity and scheming in his own right

• Bibbojaan: Ik SLB has a knack for tragedy and ik tragedy was written all over Bibbojaan since she was introduced but. she. deserved. sm. more. simply because everyone needed her. And especially when hers was the role that contributed the most in the freedom struggle too. She was there for her mother, her sister, the other tawaifs, and finally her country. In the dazzling, venomous world of Heeramandi, she was a north star for everyone

After Hamid Sahab's death, she should've been the leader of the group, devising plans and executing them. And post independence during the chaos of partition, she could've been the one to unite the people of Heeramandi and Lahore, helping them all like she did

A queen of freedom and unity in her own right

• Mallikajaan: The main character of Heeramandi had so many nuances and shades within that it was so engaging to watch her. First of all it was confusing why she'd bridle her own daughter's happiness and passion but then lay her own honour on line to protect her. She knew the pain of being separated from the child when Imaad was taken away from her because of Rehaana so why did she do the same to Rehaana's daughter? Jealousy and revenge have their own ways I guess but by the end of it all Mallikajaan was in shreds and abruptly attempted on taking the side of patriotism to cleanse whatever evil deeds she had done all her life. Even after all this one could feel for her so her ending should've been better served as well

The tawaifs could've trapped the british army in Shahi Mahal after luring them in and then blown the place up. Mallikajaan would've no doubt not leave the Mahal even during the destruction, as a result sacrificing herself too but there's a deeper meaning here. The Shahi Mahal stands for power for which Mallikajaan fought, even killed and did what not, not even sparing her own people throughout the story. She did it to consume others but in the end was consumed by the all consuming power itself.

"Maine Shahi Mahal ke liye sabko tabaah kar diya. Ab yahi mera guroor hain, junoon hain, fitoor hain. Aur main bhi issi ke saath tabah hungi"

But the dignity that was stripped away from her by the british police is back in her eyes now as she stares at them all as she presses down the button of the bomb, whispering "Inquilab zindabaad"

This incident and Shahi Mahal instead would be known as "Mallikajaan's Majestic Massacre Mahal" and the biggest act of rebellion by tawaifs, sending chills down the britishers as she'd have power over them even after her death

A queen of power and twisted fate in her own right

• Waheeda: A fascinating character indeed, someone you'd have a love-hate relationship with. She was an isolated, intimidating tawaif who I can picture siding with the britishers and enemies to take down Mallikajaan, only for them all to realize she was using them for her gain

After Shahi Mahal blown up, she could've gone somewhere else in Heeramandi to establish her own mahal from scratch, finally becoming a huzoor

A queen of scars and quiet rage in her own right

• Shama: Fareedan could've given the keys of Khwabgah to her and made her that place's huzoor. She would've given a tough competition to her mother and fought for herself. Mallikajaan had once pointed out that only she had the deceit and tact rather than all her own daughters to be a true tawaif and yes she had the charm of a tawaif at such a young age so she could've manipulated the nawabs to boycott the britishers instead

A queen of a promising heroine of seduction in her own right

• Fareedan: When she realized what she had done to Mallikajaan, she could've been gradual about it because she was still close to Cartwright at that point. She could've used that advantage to extract more information and get close to other British officials, still pretending she's against Mallikajaan. That would've been a fatal attack planned with the tawaifs and freedom fighters after getting to know their weaknesses.

After the partition and realizing the futility of it all, she could've gone across the borders, already used to travelling the land when she was tricking and running away from husband to husband when she was a child, and could've built an orphanage so the children wouldn't go through what she went through as a child when she was sold off in Heeramandi

A queen of challenges rising above injustice in her own right

• Satto & Phatto: After Mallikajaan who they were loyal to, and after Fareedan, Alamzeb, everyone gone, they could've shifted out and opened a dhaba or something in Heeramandi, with Iqbal working for them now. The dhaba would've become famous and so would they and they'd look back on how every tawaif including them would dream of becoming the queens of Heeramandi and they were actually that now after so much of their trustworthy hard work that was unpaid before but is recognized now

The queens of loyalty and dreams in their own right

[starryriize]

so pretty | riwoo

— ✧ • ˳೫˚ part of my valentine event!

೫ pairing: bf! riwoo and fem! reader

೫ genre/word count: fluff, really suggestive (my bad y’all) 703 words!!

೫ summary: a typical late night drive with riwoo turns into something more

೫ author’s note: ngl this was so 🤭 i had a lot of fun writing and editing this <33 also this isn’t proofread bc i was falling asleep trying to edit this :((

Reaching your hand outside, you sigh happily feeling the cool night air rush against your skin. The city was bustling, a passerby chattering as they left the shops, another laughing with friends as they strut down the sidewalk. Oh, how you loved driving through the city as it allowed you to admire the good-natured fun of strangers. It was easy for you to forget just how dazzling Seoul was since you’d simply gotten used to how beautiful it was. 

However, your mind was focusing not on the skyscrapers, the traffic, or the organized chaos of the city center. Your eyes were fixed on how Sanghyeok’s hands flexed against the wheel, how the veins tensed as his finger flicked the turn signal on. He takes a glance at you, a slight smirk rising on his face. 

God, you hated how fine he looked. You fidget with the Tiffany bracelet he gifted you, mind racing the more you look at his hands. You look forward, opting to try and think about something else. Something besides how good his hands look in your- you shake your head, forcing your eyes to look at the now red light. 

“You like what you see?” His voice snaps you back to reality, honey practically dripping from his lips. Your muscles tense, feeling shy at his sudden question. Taking a breath, you face him, replying, “Yes.” His deep-set eyes burn into your figure as the moonlight reflects a captivating glow against the side of his face. A smile grows on his lips as he leans toward you, the smell of his cologne making you dazed. His breath fans against your lips before he presses a soft, yet desire-filled kiss against your plush lips. It was only a moment and only one kiss, yet...you wanted, no, needed more. 

He pulled away, the stain of your lipstick clearly on his lips. Not bothering to rub the smear off, he drove through the green light, focusing on the road again. Feeling a blush rise on your cheeks, you collect yourself, adjusting your skirt, shooting a glance at Sanghyeok as you try to compose your pounding heart. He looks too fine to not fantasize about, sitting there in his pressed suit. You cross your legs, unable to distract yourself from the way his fingers tensed on the wheel or how his eyes were so intense a moment earlier. 

He takes one hand off the wheel, firmly placing it on the expanse of your thigh. You shiver at the feeling of his hands, the cool metal of his rings a sharp contrast to the warmth of your skin. The car had been blowing warm air in your direction the entire ride, and now you wished the air was off. You could feel everything burning, the passion, and it was making both you and Sanghyeok lose your composures. 

Distracted by his hand slowly moving up and down your thigh, you don’t realize that the car has stopped. You tense. Pressing a soft kiss to your lips as he brings his hand off your leg to undo the seat buckle, the slight click barely registering in your mind. Making the mistake of turning, you lock eyes with Sanghyeok.

Smiling softly, he whispers in your ear, “We’re home, sweetie.” Blinking in surprise, you turn away, noticing the familiar neighborhood and the door to your house. Sighing disappointedly, you adjust yourself, putting your hand on the door handle to leave the car. Right then, you feel a hand on your chin, gently turning your head towards your boyfriend. He stares at you, eyes dazed with a hint of desire as his gaze flicks from your face to your lips. He breathes deeply, lips a few inches away from yours as though he was trying to resist kissing you. What seems like an eternity passes, he gives in, capturing your lips in his in a delicate yet desperate kiss. It was a soft, innocent enough kiss until he pulled away, muttering, “Oh honey, the night isn’t over yet!” The corner of his lips turns into a smile, giggling as he opened the car door.

Safe to say, that night Sanghyeok showed you all the various ways that he loved you.

[sparxaf]

Tried S9 or whatever

I didn't want to play. I just wanted to see what the MC options were because it's fun to build an MC. So I built this one with kind of stupid space bun hair because all the hair is stupid and looks wrong, like the volume of the hair is too small for the size of the head and the head looks too small for the width of the shoulders. And oh my god why did the locs look so bad? Fusebox has done locs successfully before, so I know they know how! What even is this? Every season it gets worse and worse with them paywalling all the protective hair options, and then having the audacity to give so little fucks about making them look decent (I will admit, I liked the mermaid braids last season though). As a woman of color it's just infuriating. But yeah, after building an MC that I liked, it was 92 gems. 92. If you buy the 140 gem package in the US for $9.99, that means it would cost $6.56 before the game even started. What? Just to be pied off by characters I never liked to start with? I shut the game down without buying a single thing or even making it past the creation process. I can spend less on an overpriced tea latte from Starbucks that will give me much more joy.

I know I say I'm done every season and then I get sucked in because my fandom friends beg me to play, but I really do think I might be done with this one. I'm just beyond uninterested. Their bait and switch "All-Stars" BS already set my teeth on edge, and I hate the "stars" they've brought back. I've seen the possible list of returning characters and there isn't a single one I care enough about to entice me to play. I love Marshall but if he comes back as a host, I don't care. It won't be canon to me. And if he comes back as a returning islander, I don't care because it won't be canon to me. There is such a fundamental disconnect in Fusebox's understanding of what people want. I'm just fucking tired. The seasons are coming so fast and furious that the fandom can't even get on its feet and enjoy what happened. I keep having to go back to the fandom wiki to even remember what happened in the previous seasons because they're just blurring together in my mind. There's no time to discuss it or theorize or come up with fun fanon. To make mood boards and character boards dedicated to what kind of house they'd live in. There's no time to craft a long fic for the season that just ended unless you start it at the beginning of the season before events even happen. It's just sucked out all the joy. Which maybe, might be the point? Throw them at us so fast, we play hard, and don't have time to think about it or criticize it or come up with ways to make it better. Consume it like a rice cake. Flavorless and forgettable. And I say this as someone who actually rather enjoyed last season, until it got stupid repetitive, with what felt like zero branching.

I dunno. I'm just not having fun. For those who are having a good time, or at least enjoying the chaos and train wreckage, I'm so glad. I look forward to hearing about it because I know I will 😆 For me, I'm gonna be focusing more on finishing TSIME and then working on some original fiction. And maybe some Romance Club fanfic, if the mood strikes me. Because the world building, branching, storytelling, and sexy love interests (even when I hate them) are delicious and immersive. NGL it's expensive, but RC is more generous with their gem rushes and tea parties and whatnot so I don't feel ripped off.

I mean look at this man. If I have to spend my hard earned money on something other than tea lattes from Starbucks, I'm spending it on him.

[fang-revives]

Double or Nothing 2024 Fantasy Booking

Here's my bookings for the DoN card! Note these aren't necessarily what I think will happen but they are what I would like to happen. I'll rank how hype I am for the match too, with 1/5 being "I'll probably use this as a bathroom break" and 5/5 being "I am most looking forward to this".

Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo (2/5 hype)

Rosa, by virtue of being an existing AEW fan fave. I think the sucky part about this matchup is it feels like "Toni Storm's leftovers" as far as story goes. I haven't been following super closely though. I wish I could give Deonna the W because I think she deserves better as one of Impact's big stars. But they haven't really set up much and I'm fond of Rosa. Kind of wish Rosa had the world championship right now, ngl. I think Toni could finish her "Mariah May's heart on a pole match" without the belt.

Adam Copeland vs. Malakai Black, (4/5 hype)

Copeland, who DOESN'T want to see Malakai get beaten at his own game, out SPOOKED in a vampire way. Plus I too am hoping this loops back to Christian Cage old man yaoi (SUPERNATURAL STYLE!!!)

Roderick Strong vs. Will Ospreay (1/5 hype)

I know Ospreay is going over and I wish he wasn't here at all.

Trent Beretta vs. Orange Cassidy (4/5 hype)

Trent needs to poor little meow meow Orange SO hard. I wanna see his big eyes like o_O after. I would love Orange to start a new faction with Hook and Shibata. Sunglasses guys....

Bang Bang Gang vs. Death Triangle (5/5 hype)

I am SOOOO hype for this match. BBG for sure, it's too soon for them to lose the belts and they can definitely pull some shit to tip the scales in their favor. I won't be mad if it's Death Triangle though -- they deserve the world :) Favourite booking would be BBG win leading into a PAC vs. Jay big singles that Jay loses at the next PPV. That would be electric hehe.

Chris Jericho vs. Hook vs. Katsuyori Shibata (3/5 hype)

This would so be a 4/5 match if it weren't for the Jericho of it all. I wish I felt differently about the FTW belt tbh-- I'm just sort of booking Shibata to win cause he's my guy and re-belting Jericho or Hook feels boring. The problem is the FTW belt always felt like a "meme" belt to me. Ah well. Gold will look good on Shibs :)

Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita (4/5 hype)

Give my DDT ace a NJPW title shot Or Else <3

"Timeless" Toni Storm vs. Serena Deeb (1/5 hype)

Sorry to Toni who I like, but man, Deeb just rubs me the wrong way on vibes. I didn't really like her feud with Shida. This match just feels so perfunctory, especially after Toni beating Rosa. I don't want to see Deeb belted, and I've seen enough "Timeless" Toni Storm matches (which are fun!) to skip this one for Deeb's bad vibes.

Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Mone (4/5 hype)

I KNOW Mercedes is going over and I wouldn't be mad about it (she's amazing!!) but honest to god Willow deserves a longer, fuller run and it sucks that she's going to be a transitional champ. Sigh. At least it's on a PPV as a main event.

The Elite vs. "Team AEW" (5/5 Hype)

Anarchy in the arena matches are always soooooo fun. I actually don't care who wins this but I think it would be funny to make the Bucks eat shit. I am so ready to see Okada do a chaos deathmatch. I am excited to see Jack Perry on fire. This match will probably be the show-stealer for me, AEW is sooooo good at delivering these.

Swerve Strickland vs. Christian Cage (5/5 hype)

Swerve, c'mon. They're both gonna crush it though :3 I've loved the build for this face off. Should be a killer way to cap the night!

Enjoy, and happy PPV everyone!

[blackjack-15]

tight shots on food, syd, food, once again we're straight on, emphasizing the relationship there. syd's actress has very pretty eyes. not the point of the shot but worth saying!

"courage and confidence leads to decision making" oh we're stating the thesis! and guess what carmy's missing here. no surprises.

she has the air of a woman who's been stood up and decided to enjoy herself. this is not a coincidence, but it is very funny

notice she went home, changed, got freshened up? she's wearing her red on carmy's white? yeah, so did i

okay points for Carmy for texting. negative points for everything else about the message.

sydney takes chicago! i love this, she's going out to learn, going out to do a light bit of culinary espionage, and networking on behalf of The Bear. would it have been cuter and better and pretty much everything else good for her to do it with carmy? of course. but this show is called the bear. and our titular bear isn't there yet.

"make sure your hospitality and service is overwhelming" okay, front of house is gonna be important. still positive that's gonna involve richie finding his purpose.

"and make sure you have a great partner. someone you trust"

"we had a horrible business partner who stole all our money and flew off to Hawai'i"

my gosh, with the comment her dad made about trusting carmy? they're not shy that this is the primary relationship in the show, whether you see it romantically or platonically.

it's romantic. we know it. moving on

actually, not moving on.

while in this episode alone, these dialogues point to carmy, i actually think that this points to Cicero overall. he's a chaotic neutral sort of character right now, fully invested in his own good rather than in being a cheerleader or a wallet. the bear will survive or fail based on the front of house staff, the back of house cooperation, the relationship of syd and carmy, and -- most importantly, if Cicero is a force for good or bad.

"we're working together" "ahhh. been there. trust your gut." yeah this is just. text at this point. s3 is going to be a Feast.

.........

........

so i'm an idiot, but hearing carmy say his name on the voicemail? he's referred to as "bear" (as are Mikey and Natalie, we've seen) because with the Chicago twang, it sounds exactly like "bear-zatto". I'm stupid, i get it, let's move on. nothing to see here.

(in my accent, that's said more like bier-zatto, and burr-zatto if i'm going for a more geography-neutral flat accent. so yes. idiot. throw tomatoes at will.)

i don't know what the venn diagram is between The Bear viewers and kdrama fans, but this montage of syd eating alone is reminiscent of a scene from S2 of the kdrama Hospital Playlist (Netflix) where a woman is similarly stood up (though at a nice restaurant with steak) and keeps changing positions at the table, laughing to herself and eating the meal and drinking both glasses of wine.

digression aside, i think Syd and Chu Minha would be friends, plus both their love interests are referred to affectionately as "bear".

marcus and fak? chaos

"looking forward." "...looking forward?" "i don't know i've never said that in my life" oh marcus. this crush is pretty cute ngl. i'm not rooting for it but it's cute

SYD DO NOT POACH I'M DYING

the risotto!!! baby sydney!!! i love how obvious it is just through visuals that syd's dying to make The Bear really feel like part of Chicago, to give it that feeling that richie found so important in S1. it's all coming together. i also love we can see that syd really, truly loves food. we knew it already, but to have it so lovingly focused on is wonderful. in case there was any doubt as to who the deuteragonist is in this show? this episode should clear it up

(carmy being the protagonist and carmy's anxiety richie being the tritagonist, of course. they're steering the boat)

[skynapple]

Ngl I'm getting a kick out of the saga of Your Guy, because I completely understand that y'all are just friends, have been for 10+ years, etc. But ALSO!! You can't deny the romanticism of his actions, regardless of what feelings or intentions are there XD

I'm happy you have someone that you look forward to hearing from though, and who seems to go above and beyond to make you happy, regardless the status or form of your relationship!

God it's so many things it's literally been years of,

He was there for me during my first crushes, my first serious relationship, in the aftermath of that wreck

I was there for him during his first crushes, his first long term relationship, through all the abuse she put him through, and in the wreck that wrought

We've bought each other things and sent them across state lines, we celebrated high school graduation, and then university graduation, and our first jobs

I've literally cried and yelled on the phone with him about things and he's (not cried) but been emotional about things with me too,

we've held each others secrets and prayers, dreams, ambitions, hatred, happiness, confusion, messy fallouts with friends and family, he's literally one of the first people I talk to when things happen in my life, and he tells me every thing, we've seen each others darkness and carried each other through,

literally he'll see a bug on the sidewalk and be like "Look what I saw!" like??? bro what 😭 why do I need to see this

But it's never been anything romantic just like. The quiet comfort of like... deep friendship over the years and it's always like, in the back of my mind like, hey, maybe in another life?

Maybe in another life I'm someone who doesn't mind the fact that I'd have to move 6 states over to live a quiet farmgirl life (he does live like, in a quiet country area and wants MORE seclusion) and maybe I'm more outdoorsy and don't have a deep discomfort with animals, and maybe this maybe that, but I'm not 😆 and maybe we wouldn't chew each others heads off cause we both have anger issues and lord, the chaos that would ensue. We've never actually been angry with each other like, once, but it's different living with someone, and being in someone's physical presence. I judge. He judges. I wonder.... but I know better 😅

[brassknucklespeirs]

Mʏ Bʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ’s Bᴇsᴛ Fʀɪᴇɴᴅ [Bɪʟʟ Gᴜᴀʀɴᴇʀᴇ x ꜰʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ]

Pairing: Bill Guarnere x female reader (platonic Tab x reader, platonic babe x reader)

Genre: Angsty fluff

Warning: war tings, a lot of swearing, general stuff I usually put, just like if you can’t handle the show, then don’t both trying to handle this, mention of death, mention of wounds

A/N: Ngl i based reader off of how i would react to this happening to me so i apologise if it’s a little iffy, felt that Bill needed a chaotic mess of a love interest so to all my chaotic ladies out there, i see you and i respect it also this ain’t fully edited so deal with it cause I’m tired

It was considered just another regular day for Y/N, well, as normal as a day of suiting up to jump out of a perfectly good plane and go to war could be. Though in all honesty, nothing could have necessarily been considered as normal with a world war raging on, and on top of that was the addition of women into the American military. It had been a wild day when it had been made known that the US had already begun to train women of a certain level of ability, whether that was academic or athletic wise. Those women who showed they were willing to work just as hard, though in actuality even harder, than the men who already held positions in the Army were welcomed into the ranks as normal soldiers. Well, mostly. 

The addition of women into the airborne had been slower than that of women into the army, with the air lifted infantry being such a fresh trial itself. So when Y/N found herself amongst the nine women who had been accepted into Easy company as the first of their kind, female airborne infantry soldiers, she couldn’t help the pride that swelled in her chest. Or maybe that was the anxiety, at this point she really had no clue but she’d at least try and bluff it until she made it. She had been hand selected from many other application, and had already finished basic training with the army when she got the news. With her already stellar reviews from her superiors, the woman had been told she would be made a replacement corporal when she landed with Easy. Once she made it to her new company, along with the eight other women, she had been placed with Sergeant Talbert, as well as one of her closest friends Mary and one other, a medic by the name of Cassandra.

So that was how she ended up here, on a landing strip in England, covered in straps and ropes, ready to board a plane to go to war. She kept the smile on her face for the sake of both her friends and herself, yet the swirling sick feeling continued to reck havoc on her stomach. Mary sat beside her, staring at her hands as she flexed them open and closed, her mind numb to the chaos that happened around them. Y/N saw this, reaching forward immediately to grip at her friend’s hand, giving a reassuring squeeze. The other woman looked up, her eyes wide with a child-like fear as she did causing her to send her an encouraging grin.

“We’ve trained for this Mary, just remember what we we’ve taught and listen to your sergeant and everything will work out. Okay?” Y/N uttered, squeezing the other woman’s hand once more. Mary just nodded in response, afraid that if she opened her mouth she might end up sick all over the tarmac beneath them. A yell to gather around sounded over the noise causing the women and those around them to stand to their feet and group together. Captain Winters stood looking out over the crowd, and Y/N didn’t miss the look of relief and the man’s calmed features. 

“Eisenhower’s just issued new orders. The jump’s been cancelled. We’ll be staying in England a bit longer it would seem boys. And girls.” The red headed man shouted to them, stopping to nod his head in recognition to the multiple women scattered in the group, the sound of sighs and deep breaths could be heard all around, some of relief and some of annoyance from those who just wanted it over and done with; Y/N was one of them. If it wasn’t today, it’d only be tomorrow. A bump against her shoulder caused the woman to turn, her eyes finding the face of Edward Heffron, who stood smiling down at her.

“Why the bitter face Angel?” The woman smiled at the nickname she’d become accustomed to hearing, but rolled her eyes at the man in response.

“How long must we wait Eddie?” She muttered back, her tongue holding malice while her eyes flickered around the surrounding soldiers.

“You’re just itching for a fight aye?” Heffron asked yet her attention wasn’t fully on him when she caught sight of someone who looked familiar over his shoulder.

“Something like that.” She mumbled, her eyes squinting at the man who had just turned his back to them, her gaze eventually shifting back to her friend in front of her when the figure wandered off, dark hair being the only thing she could see as he did so. She focused back on Edward fully, her features pulling into a cheeky smile as she shrugged off the feeling of suspicion.

“Guess you can buy the girls and I that drink after all hey Eddie boy. God knows I’m going to need one.” Y/N spoke with a smirk, moving forward to smack the top of his helmet before beginning her walk back to town, awkwardly jogging with half her kit still tied to her to catch up with the group of women before her. She turned to look back over her shoulder with the same grin. “I’ll see you at the bar!”

***

The home of the lovely old English couple that Y/N and Mary were staying in were happy to have the women return that evening, fussing over the both of them and promising to cook them a delicious meal while they kick their feet up after such a stressful day. Mary was happy to oblige as she sat down in one of the arm chairs with a tea in her hand while Y/N continued to stand, pacing back and forth in front of her friend. The seated woman sighed, crossing on of her legs over the other while taking a sip of her hot drink. 

“Y/N, please just sit down. Have a cup of tea and relax.”

“Relax Mary? I don’t want to relax, we haven’t trained this long to be kept on the sidelines. I want to get out there and make a bloody difference in this god-forsaken war, that’s what I signed up to do. And I just know the second I relax is the second we’re gonna be sent packing again. So no, thank you, but I think i’ll just stay as prepared as I can be.” Y/N ranted causing Mary to watch the woman with raised brows. 

“You mean stay bloody stressed out?” The woman muttered under her breath causing Y/N to swipe her head towards her in a second, her eyes glaring. “Alright, alright, sorry. You can stay prepared and i’ll just sit here and drink the tea by myself.” This comment made the standing woman sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly. She moved to throw herself on the couch beside her friend, her eyes downcast on her hands as she fiddled with them in anticipation.

“I’m sorry Mary, I’m just feeling a little, well, wound up like a spring. I hate waiting.” She mumbled. Her friend reached out to her with a smile, grasping at her hands in her lap, giving them a gentle squeeze with her own.

“I know you do. It’ll happen soon I’m sure, we’ve just gotta take it for a little longer. Then you can get your chance to go out there, guns blazing like the crazy woman you are.”

“I mean, that isn’t the main reason but it’ll certainly look pretty cool when I do.” The women shared a laugh before falling into a comfortable silence. Y/N glanced at the clock on the wall, noting the time as she turned back to Mary. “I don’t think tea is really to my liking. You wanna go get a real drink?” 

The two woman had shimmied their way into their dress uniforms, choosing the skirts over the pants unlike usual. After they took a little bit of time to doll themselves up for a little bit of fun, they met up with some of their fellow female troopers who they’d called shortly before getting ready to ask them if they too would like to come to the local bar. The group met at the house Cassandra had been staying at as it was just around the corner from where they were headed. They all talked cheerily to each other, Y/N and one of the other woman Lula striking up a conversation about the latter dame’s fascination with Sergeant Talbert. The former giggled away as the other chatted animatedly with a gleam of adoration in her eyes, reminding her of herself when she thought of her own man of her dreams. Her heart bet harder for a moment as she thought of earlier that day where her brain had brought up the delusion of said man being within the group of fellow paratroopers on the airstrip. But it couldn’t have been him, could it?

Y/N was pulled from her thoughts as they arrived at the bar, loud laughter and voices heard from inside. She stepped forward first, throwing the door open and wandering inside. Several of the men had paused what they were doing and turned to the group of dames who sauntered in like a dream. Edward, who had been previously occupied by a game of darts that he had sadly lost just as the women walked in, glanced at Y/N with a growing grin. A low whistle left his lips as she made eye contact with her friend across the bar, her eyes rolling at the man’s antics.

“HEY ANGEL, COME HERE.” The man had yelled to her, waving his hand to beckon her over as several of the men around him turned to look at the vision that strode over to them, lips pulled back in a smirk.

“I’M COMING EDWARD! DON’T YELL AT ME.” The woman in question replied in a similarly loud holler, causing several of the men to chuckle as they heard his real name leave her mouth. She made her way over, Heffron offering her a full glass of beer as she reached him, one which she happily took. She looked at him with raised brows as she took a sip, her eyes darting around him to those beside him. 

“You gonna introduce me to your friends or am I just going to stand here like an idiot?” She asked, running the back of her hand across her top lip to clean the residual alcohol off of it. The only familiar man in the group, Lieutenant Compton, chuckled at the woman’s comment while another smirked.

“Yeah Babe, introduce us to the pretty dame won’t you?” The one with the smirk said, nudging the man in the back in encouragement. Edward rolled his eyes at the new found nickname before turning to the woman who stood with her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

“Babe?”

“New nickname, i’ll explain later.”

“Right. Well go on Babe, introduce me before I do it myself.” 

“Well the smirking bastard is George Luz, and this is Joe Toye and you already know Lieutenant Compton.” He said pointing out each man as he went. “Fellas, this is Corporal L/N but most of the lads just call her Angel, the best damn shot you’ll ever see.”

“Please don’t call me Corporal L/N, it makes me feel weird. And I’m not so sure about that last statement anymore, i’ve been hearing this Shifty Powers might give me a run for my money.” Y/N spoke with a cheeky grin before taking a sip of her drink. 

“Well he ain’t seen you in action yet so guess we’ll wait and see.” Buck spoke up from behind Babe, having seen the woman on the range shooting target after target with precise accuracy. The other two men looked mildly impressed, Luz stepping forward to stand in front of her, her eyes turning to him after giving Buck a nod of thanks at his praises.

“You are the Luz i’ve been hearing so much about from Penny then huh?” She said, cocking an eyebrow as she recalled the multiple times she listened to one of the girls, Penelope, talk about the jokester, her cheeks turning red every time she did which made Y/N smirk. Luz grinned at the comment, his eyes flicking to the woman in question who approached with the other women over Y/N’s shoulder.

“Oh she’s been talking about me now has she?” He asked in amusement as they finally reached them, his question pointed at said woman. Penny turned a shade of crimson as she always did, the same smirk pulling to Y/N’s lips.

“Honestly, she never bloody stops.” She said, nudging an elbow into the girl’s side. Penny giggled as George stepped towards her to whisper something in her ear while whisking her away to sit away from the group. Those remaining watched the two bounce off together, a chuckle leaving several of their mouths. Y/N turned back to Babe while taking another gulp of her drink.

“Shall we sit? My feet are killing me in these bloody shoes.” She uttered, flashing the small heeled shoes of her dress uniform. Babe nodded, and the group of men and a few of the women wandered over to a table to sit. The woman sat down next to Joe, interested in speaking to the man as he had yet to say much.

“So tell me Joe, where did this new nickname for little Eddie here come from?” She questioned as she turned to the man who in turn sent a flash of a smirk at Babe over her shoulder before looking back to her and explaining the happenings that led to the name. He managed to get several giggles out of her as he spoke, her eyes never leaving him, and by the end of the story, Y/N was almost falling off her chair laughing. 

“Now that is a good way to earn a name aye Babe?” She said, jabbing the man in the side. He huffed at her, downing the rest of his drink before looking at her.

“Whatever you say Angel.” The woman rolled her eyes in response before too downing her drink, turning towards the man with her empty glass.

“Another drink?” She questioned. He nodded, sending a ‘please’ her way before she stood to her feet. She turned to Joe and asked the same, receiving a smile and a nod. 

The woman had been wandering back from the bar with several pints in her hands that she had been balancing carefully against her body when she saw him. She held herself back from letting go of the glasses in shock as she saw his familiar features, her feet bringing her to a halt for a moment as she gazed in awe. It was him. He was here. She couldn’t stop herself from moving her eyes over his face, taking in the way he chuckled loudly while sitting at a table with some of her fellow replacements. She shook herself from her daze as she realised she’d been staring for too long for it to be normal before she pushed herself back to her previous seat with her friends, the feeling of apprehension setting into her bloodstream.

Her cheeks held a pink flush to them when she arrived, catching the attention of the women across from her, pulling their attention away from Buck who they had been speaking with. She placed the pints down on the table, nearly dropping them in her slightly stressed state, causing Babe and Joe to look up at her.

“Y/N? You okay?” Cassandra asked from in front of the woman, making her jump ever so slightly from her daze. Her eyes flickered over at her for a moments, nodding her head furiously to which everyone at the table looked at in confusion at the unusually flustered state she seemed to be in.

“Yeah, I’m good, great, some may say even grand.” She mumbled to her friend nervously, her teeth tugging her bottom lip between them. 

“You’re all flustered and...not acting like you. Was it that sergeant you were just staring at?” Mary butted in suddenly, her hair bouncing against her neck as she looked between Y/N and the dark haired sergeant who stood beside one of the others they knew to be Bull Randleman. The woman’s face turned an even more violent shade of red as she stumbled over her words.

“Uh, no, no. And I was simply looking, is that a crime?” Babe, Joe and Buck all watched in amusement, simply thinking the woman had a newfound crush on their friend known as Bill Guarnere. If only they bloody knew.

“You know him or something? You kinda have that look on your face like you know him.” The woman asked, catching Cassandra’s gaze as they both focussed back in on Y/N with curiosity covering their features.

“Don’t be ridiculous Mary, as I said, I was simply looking.” Y/N pushed, pulling a grin to her lips to mask the unease that settled over her, bluffing a confident face until she met the eyes of the man she had previously been staring at as she glanced back over her shoulder. “Ah shit.” 

His lips seemed to move as if he was whispering something, but with so much distance between them, she couldn’t hear a thing. She came to the conclusion that he was saying her name under his breath in confusion as her gaze watched his lips for a moment, before taking in the brows that creased heavily over his eyes while he looked her up and down. 

“Are you sure you don’t know him?” Mary questioned one more time, almost sure she had been right the first time around. By this point, all the men at the table were watching the exchange with mild confusion, eyes flickering back and forth between the women.

“Nope, absolutely not. Never seen him before in my life.” Y/N spoke confidently, but she was lying of course, trying her best to pretend she hadn’t seen him in hopes that maybe he was just a figment of her imagination and that she wasn’t about to get a verbal hiding like she was almost certain she was about to.

“Y/N!?” She suddenly heard his voice over the chattering of men and women in her ear. She gulped as her eyes widened slightly, turning her head further away to look at the drink in her hand before smiling at her friends who all watched her expectantly. “Y/N, DON’T IGNORE ME!” Y/N could hear him again, and this time he seemed closer as his voice grew louder, causing the woman to take a large gulp of her beverage. 

“Well he definitely knows you, and he does not look happy at all.” Cassandra mentioned with a small smile and a raised eyebrow. “He’s coming over.”

“Oh God, why me?” The woman said while glancing up at the ceiling as if He might answer her question, yet she got nothing in return. She resorted to taking several larger gulps of her drink, wincing at the taste of it slipping down her throat. Babe and Joe watched from either side of her in curiosity, completely blind sided as to what the hell was going on. 

“Y/N!” The voice came from directly behind her, shortly before a hand came out to grasp her shoulder firmly. She spun around, throwing up a mask of slight indifference to cover her nervous state. 

“Oh my gosh, Bill! I didn’t see you there.” She said, trying to hold the shake of her voice as a tight smile pulled at her lips. Bill scoffed at her, creasing his brow even more than it had been previously.

“You were looking straight at me bunny. I think you'd be able to recognise my face after knowing me for over half your life.” Her face flushed darker again at the nickname he’d given her as a child, embarrassed by the use of the title she so desperately disliked. She was a woman now, and it bugged her to no end that he continued to treat her as if she was still that little girl that use to follow him and her brother around. 

“Don’t call me that.” She seethed through gritted teeth as she stared up at him, slowly rising from her seat. He laughed at her, having kept his gaze on her since he walked over.

“I’ll call you whatever the hell I want bunny. What are you gonna do about it?” He challenged as he always did, knowing he’d get a rise out of her like he had when they were kids. She reached behind her to grab at her beer before downing the rest of it before placing the empty glass rather harshly back on the table, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“You really wanna find out big boy?” She pushed, stepping towards him so they were nose to nose, neither speaking another word as they squinted at each other. It was so sudden when smiles erupted onto both of their faces and they threw their arms around each other, Bill lifting Y/N off the floor as he squeezed her hips. The men at the table continued to watch in confusion while the women glanced at each other with smirks, knowing they had been right the entire time.

“Ah you’re the same little spitfire of a kid huh. Missed my little bunny rabbit.” Bill said, the comment causing another buzz of annoyance to thread itself into her stomach. It hurt her in all honesty, to know that she would always be his best friend’s little sister and nothing more meanwhile she would see him as so much more than her brother’s closest mate. She let out a force laugh to cover her unease before pulling herself out of his arms. He looked down at her when she did, the smile slowly dropping from his face as he glanced down at her jump wings and the rank she wore on her arm. “Tell me you didn’t do something stupid.”

“I think you’ve already figured out I have Bill.” She mumbled back, glancing down at her hands for a moment before their conversation was interrupted.

“Wait so Angel does know Gonorrhea after all or..?” Babe muttered not so quietly behind Y/N to which she rolled her eyes and pivoted her body to look at him.

“Well done for figuring that one out Babe, and so quickly too, you’re a real genius.” She uttered sarcastically at him causing him to scrunch his face up into a cheeky sneer before giving her a gentle smack to the hip which she returned it with a whack across the back of his head. She pondered his words a bit more thoughtfully before her face screwed up in confusion.

“Hold on. Gonorrhea?” She asked, flicking her eyes between the man who was seated and the one still standing before her. He raised a brow, glancing at a smirking Toye over her shoulder.

“Angel?” He countered to which she nodded her head in understanding of it being just another silly nickname.

“Gotta say, it’s worse than any name I’ve ever given you, wouldn’t you say Billy Bob?” The woman teased, jabbing him in the chest causing him to roll his eyes.

“I really thought I left your annoying little ass behind.” The man said. She screwed up her face and glanced down over her shoulder at her skirt. 

“I wouldn’t necessarily call it little.” She mumbled, causing a grin to spread over his lips. Across the table, the two other women glanced at each other with smirks once again as Cassie had taken in the look of confusion of the men surrounding them and nudged Mary to look. Babe looked the most confused while Joe just watched the newly reacquainted pair out of the corner of his eye as he sipped at his beer. Heffron finally straightened his back and cleared his throat quietly.

“So you guys gonna get round to explaining how you know each other, cause I would really like to know?” Y/N let out a sigh through her nose, glancing quickly at Bill before turning back to the table of friends.

“Bill is my brother’s best friend.”

***

Y/N’s leg would have bounced the entire flight into Holland if it hadn’t have been for Sergeant Talbert’s hand coming to rest gently on her knee to comfort her. Before you start asking questions about whether this was appropriate or not, the two had quickly become close friends over the last few weeks of training together in England, with Tab learning fast that the woman was one of his best soldiers. The man had already come to realise that the platonic back and forth flirting was not going to get him any closer to the woman’s bedroom and had instead let their friendship blossom, realising that she was a presence he could feel completely relaxed in.

As someone who had already come to know the feeling of jumping into a war he felt completely unprepared for, he knew the thoughts and emotions that were swirling through her head as she sat beside him, fidgeting with her fingers. He leant over to her, squeezing the hand that was on her knee to grab her attention.

“Everything’s going to be fine Y/N. I promise.” He spoke as clearly as he could in her ear, which she responded with a nod of her head, tugging a tense smile to her face. His words of comfort had reminded her of similar words Bill had spoken to her just before they had separated that morning. Everything is going to be fine Y/N, you’ve got this. He had whispered that into her hair when he hugged the girl, trying his best to hold himself back from saying more.

After sharing their past relations with everyone who had sat at the table with them and after Bill had taken the time to come to terms with her presence in the form of borderline shouting at her in frustration until he felt better, the two had held each other in a tight embrace, one Y/N was shocked to be taken into. There had been many times in the past where he had hugged the woman, yes, but this felt different; it felt so very different. Y/N had always had a thing for Bill, but it had once just been one of those school girl crushes that she had expected to come and then go. However, when she’d eventually grown older, and her brother had left home and she only saw Bill when he was invited over for holiday meals with her family, it had become very very clear that this was not the case at all. As she stood in the current moment as a woman and no longer a little girl, she had felt her emotions change from just the flushing cheeks to the clenching heart beating out of her chest. 

Seeing him here and now in a time where she really hadn’t expected it had sent her spiralling for a moment, but he had quickly reminded her why she felt such feelings for him as he saw the tension in her shoulders when Lipton made the announcement and reached to squeeze her hand or when they sat in their briefing with Winters and he kept his body as close to her as possible, his arm slung over her shoulder. He was a true nostalgic comfort for her, and she had marvelled in the fact that she felt lucky to find such a thing in the place that she found herself in, a place of constant discomfort and lack of certainty.  

Her mind consumed itself for a moment of distraction until suddenly Tab removed his hand from her leg and ordered them all to stand. She let reality come rushing back as she pushed herself from her seat and began their pre-jump procedure. The switch of crimson to emerald made the breath catch in her throat and the disappearance of Tab from in front of her made her eyes widen. She didn’t give herself any time to think any further as she threw her body from the door, the wind sweeping over her as the parachute deployed above her with a jolt. She sighed while she floated towards the ground, her eyes surveying everything she could see from her altitude. 

Her feet touched the ground and using the momentum, she rolled backwards to slow her fall. She disconnected herself from her shoot before checking her equipment, ushering her squad to hurry as the rest of the company began to take off. Her eyes found Tab’s, her feet pulling her in his direction as they both took off towards the location of the Dutch town. 

The accumulation of stress and anxiety wasn’t completed taken away by the time they found the town in celebration of their liberation, but it certainly gave way to some joy from the woman. Smiles pulled to her and Tab’s faces as he slung an arm around her shoulder while they walked into the crowd. Cheers from the Dutch locals was the only thing that could be heard as they wandered a little less fearful through them, the two friends pressed tightly against one another’s side. 

“Now this is a welcome I can get behind.” Tab said as he let go of her to take a hold of couple of bottles that were passed to him, handing one to her while he took a sip. The woman who had given them to him leant forward and gave him a peck on the cheek before doing the same to the female trooper before she bounced off. Y/N snorted while she watched Tab’s eyes follow the pretty Dutch girl until she disappeared, a look of appreciation on his face.

“I can’t understand why Tab.” She uttered sarcastically, drawing his eyes back to her.

“Awh, don’t be jealous now Angel. I’ve got enough to go around.”

“Keep it in your pants Tiger, I don’t want whatever you’ve got to ‘go around’. Doc would go bright red in the face if I had to explain i’d caught something from you.” The woman teased causing the man to jab her in the side in retaliation. The man let out a cooing noise as he took a step even closer to her, opening his mouth to tease something back before he was interrupted.

“Y/N!” She heard from behind her, both heads turning to glance at who called to her. Bill came into view from the crowd, shoving his way through the women reaching out to kiss his face and the others offering him food and drink. His eyes fell on the other Sergeant who he hadn’t realised stood so close to the woman he had called out to. A small sliver of rage was felt in him as he took in the proximity between them, Tab’s hand being seen skimming the side of her hip as he lowered it from where he had been ready to place it. “Get lost will yah Tab?” He spoke rather rudely to the man, causing Y/N to scowl as she reached out to smack him upside the head.

“What the hell Bill?” She said, ready to say more when Tab placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to grab her attention.

“Don’t worry Angel, I should go and entertain some of these pretty Dutch dames while I have the chance. I’ve always got you around, but I don’t see them everyday. Gotta do what I have to.” He teased. Y/N let out a snorted laugh before grinning up at the man yet the way she looked at him sent another shock of anger to course through Bill’s veins as he clenched his jaw.

“Go get ‘em Tiger.” She encouraged, slapping the man on his backside as she sent him off with a cheeky grin on his face. The remaining man let out a grumble as she watched the other man walk off, her gaze moving to him when she heard it. “And what’s your problem, you big grump?” She asked, taking a step closer to him. He moved his eyes away from the crowd and back to her, just staring at her for a moment with a raised brow.

“Well I just came to make sure you weren’t getting lost when I saw you hanging around with pretty boy.”

“And there’s a problem with that because..?” 

“I’m sure you know how he is Y/N...” The man said slowly, not quite sure how to word it quite right.

“He’s my friend and also the sergeant I’m working under. I’m quite certain I know what you’re insinuating but it’s not going to happen Bill so just stop.” The woman said, popping one of her hips out as she crossed her arms over her chest, eyebrows raised at the man in front of her.

“I’m just making sure you’re being aware of it cause I don’t want you getting hurt.” Bill spoke, holding one of his hands up to place on her upper arm, one which she swerved and looked at in angered disgust.

“Who are you supposed to be, my fucking brother?” Y/N was definitely angry by this point, the same nagging feeling of being seen as his little sister figure coming back in full force, sending waves of emotion over her.

“Hey now, that’s not what I’m doing I’m just-” She cut him off from finishing his sentence as the rage took ahold.

“-Just trying to be my keeper? My protector? Well don’t. I don’t need you constantly breathing down my neck and holding my hand because you feel like you owe it to my brother. I can do whatever the hell I like, whoever the hell I like, and ain’t nobody, including you, gonna do anything about it.” Her nostrils flared as she finished the statement, eyes burning with a hidden malice that she had been holding in for a while. How dare he act like he has any right, she wasn’t his little sister and god knows she wasn’t in any way, shape or form his to protect as much as she wished she was. 

Bill stood confused, his mouth open in silent protest to the comment, unable to actually form any words to reply. He watched as her eyes seemed to dart around the crowd near them before her face seemed to light up with something akin to mischief. She glanced back at him with a smirk before taking a few steps away from him into the crowd, her eyes filled with a need to prove her point. She turned away from him as she approached a local man who looked a similar age to her, a matching grin on his face as she reached forward to plant a kiss to his cheek. The Dutch man continued to smile down at her while she let her focus wander back to Bill who stood seething in the spot she left him. He felt the rage boiling over as he watched her let the man kiss her cheek back, his fists clenching at his side. How dare this random idiot touch her, how dare he. 

With a shake of his head, Bill took a couple of steps back in the direction he had come and took off without another glance. The growing smirk on Y/N’s face let her know she’d won, though she wasn’t quite certain why his reaction had been filled with such anger. She shrugged it off and let go of the local man in front of her, sending him one last gentle smile before skipping off to find her squad, adamant that they were likely going to be told to move out as soon as they could.

***

Y/n’s first taste of combat was weirdly exactly how she imagined it, and finally she was thankful for her body always keeping her in fight or flight mode for so long. The adrenaline coursed through her veins like bounding river rapids, her finger bouncing off the trigger in quick stutters, her bullet finding its mark every time she let one loose. She stood out in the open along a gravel road that lead into the town they were trying to get through, orders being yelled from her throat as she watched several soldiers tremble in fear at the thought of being caught in this fight. Tab was by her side, firing upon the enemy that tried their best to reach them, his voice screaming for her to get their squad moving. She took a deep breath, let off one last shot before throwing herself down the side of the grassy ditch, grabbing at the first trooper she’d come across. With a quick glance at his face, she noting him as one of the replacements she’d trained with, all wide eyed and frightened. She wanted to sympathise for him but with the eminent threat they faced, she could only yank him up by his webbing and push him up the bank.

“MOVE IT PRIVATE! YOU ARE SITTING DUCKS HERE!” Y/N yelled at him before moving to shove the next man up. Some of the men surrounding her had stared at her with looks of awe, the sun creating a halo around her head as she stood above them, throwing them one by one out into the open. That was, until she opened her mouth to yell at them once again. Most of them finally pushed themselves to get up, sure that facing the enemy would be less scary than having this beast of a woman scream in their faces. She jumped back out of the dip on the side of the road, several of her soldiers running out from behind her as they all bounded forward together. 

Y/N would have been lying if she said she wasn’t happy to see Bill running around the town, his squad behind him as they ran between buildings to use as cover. The man had been seemingly hesitant to talk to her over the last day since he’d stormed away from her, something that caused more confusion to settle in the woman’s body. Why he was that mad about what she said, she didn’t know, and if he was going to bother talking to her about it, she also didn’t know. One thing was for certain though, she was going to do her best to not let it bother her, to not let him distract her from doing what she needed to.

That evidently didn’t last long as she watched him yell orders at his squad to follow him. They hesitated for a moment, and honestly it was a good thing for once that they had because the second Bill had made his way across the road to another building, he had been pinned down by a machine gun. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him only just make it behind the brick wall of the house he’d run to, while the one man who had followed was shot dead on the spot. She saw the remainder of Bill’s squad, especially the replacements, start to lose it, unsure of what to do except wait and hope for the best. The woman didn’t hesitate as she swept across the distance to the soldiers, and Penny, being one of the squad’s troopers, gave her a relieved look when she saw the woman sprint towards them, knowing she’d be able to set them straight. She arrived seconds later, sliding along the grass on her knees to avoid the spray of bullets that had been aimed at her.

“THANK GOD YOU’RE HERE. WE’RE CUT OFF FROM OUR SERGEANT! WHAT THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?” Penelope screamed to her over the noise of gunfire. Y/N’s eyes assessed the space around them, trying to formulate a plan as quickly as she could while the squad covered her. Her eyes landed on Grant who stood with his own squad not far from where she’d just come from, his eyes meeting hers for a moment.

“YOU SEE SERGEANT GRANT? YOU’RE GOING TO TAKE THE MEN AND GET THEM TO HIM, HE’LL TELL YOU WHAT HE NEEDS! THERE’S NO POINT IN TRYING TO GET YOU ALL TO GUARNERE, IT’LL BE A BLOODBATH WITH THAT MACHINE GUN STILL GOING!” Y/N yelled back, making sure she was loud enough for the whole squad to hear her. Most of them nodded, while one of the corporals stepped forward, bouncing a few more ideas off of her.

“-AND WHAT ABOUT GUARNERE?” The man questioned causing her to glance across the way to where Bill was pressed up tightly against the brick wall behind him. Her heart stammered at the sight, and she had to swallow down the stress that grasped at her chest as she gulped away the bile creeping up her throat.

“LEAVE HIM TO ME! NOW GO, LOOKS LIKE YOU’VE GOT SUPPRESSING FIRE AND SUBSTANTIAL COVER FROM GRANT!”  She said, pulling her focus away from Bill and back to the squad that needed orders. The corporal nodded at her in thanks before gathering the others to make a break for Grant across the street. She watched them go for a moment, taking a deep breath as she turned back towards Bill. His eyes caught hers while she stood from her kneeled position, the look on her face causing the man’s heart to sink.

“Y/N DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE!” He screamed across to her but he was too late as she peaked her head around the building, taking a moment to assess her options before she stepped out, only slightly in the open as she took aim at the machine gunners on the roof of a nearby house. She managed to get the A-gunner, before she noticed a tank moving into view, trailing down the road towards her. She stepped back, now covered by the brick of the house, her eyes glancing up at Bill.

“YOU FUCKING CRAZY?” He screamed at her, his eyes wild as he stared at her.

“YEAH, A LITTLE BIT!” She replied with a cheeky grin, her breath coming from her mouth in heaved bursts. Bill rolled his eyes at her antics, knowing full well the extent of the woman’s chaotic mind. “YOU STILL MAD AT ME?” She asked him while popping her head around the wall to see that the tank was no longer trailing towards them.

“EVEN IF I WASN’T, YOU’VE JUST GIVEN ME MORE REASON TO BE.”

“I DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHY YOU’RE SO ANGRY AT ME RIGHT NOW SO JUST-FUCK SAKE. JUST REIN IT IN FOR A GOD DAMN SECOND. YOU’VE GOTTA WORK WITH ME RIGHT NOW BILL, WE’VE GOTTA BE A TEAM.” Y/N shouted across the space between them, pushing her back harshly against the brick wall behind her as more bullets came down on her. She flicked her head over her shoulder to pinpoint where the enemy fire was coming from before raising her weapon to fire, eyes trained intently on the multiple German figures that sprinted towards them.

"YOU TRIED TO KILL ME ONCE SO I’M A LITTLE UNSURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT THAT COMMENT." The man countered, and if she hadn’t been needing to focus so carefully, the woman would have rolled her eyes at the man. Her mind did, however, flash to think fondly of the time she’d decided to use the kitchen cleaver as a throwing axe when she thought she was home alone and he’d given her a fright by walking up behind her. Oh, what a time.

"WELL MAYBE WE’RE JUST ENEMIES TO LOVERS." She screeched sarcastically, pulling herself away from her thoughts while raining hell with the rifle in her hands. His eyes darted away from the battlefield before them, landing on her for a few moments, taking in the way the hair that had fallen out of her braids flowed in the wind created from the rifle cracking back and forth with every shot. He looked at the way her bottom lip rested against the hand that held the pistol grip, and the way her eyes showed such focus. He noticed the way the sun bared down on her, giving her an ethereal glow. He almost laughed, thinking of the nickname Babe had explained to him, yet he now saw it for himself; she was an angel indeed, his very own angel of death.

“Now that I can get behind.” He mumbled to himself in response to her comment as he looked back to the German company that she’d been picking people off, knowing she wouldn’t be able to hear him over the crossfire around them.

“GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE.” Y/N yelled across to him and a moment later, he’d made his way to her with little hesitation, throwing himself against the wall beside her. “NICE OF YOU TO SHOW UP.” She teased, hitting her hip against his without looking away from the German’s running at them. “NOW GO! I’LL COVER YOU!” The woman continued causing him to scrunch his face up. He opened his mouth to say something along the lines of ‘Ain’t no way am I going first and leaving you behind’ but he didn’t get the chance as she directed more fire power towards the enemy, her flame filled eyes glancing to him over her shoulder for a second. “MOVE IT GUARNERE, STOP MESSING AROUND. I’M RIGHT BEHIND YOU.” She screamed at him, covering him from the fire fight that headed their way.

“ALRIGHT. JESUS WOMAN.” He yelled back, moving from the house he had been pressing his back to and taking off in a sprint. Shots were fired in his direction, and thankfully he was able to dodge them while Y/N gunned their firers down before they could hit their mark. He glanced behind him to see her sprinting the gap between buildings, a sigh of relief sounding from his lips as she made her way towards him.

“WHY ARE YOU SLOWING DOWN? FUCKING MOVE.” She pushed as she came up behind him, using the length of her rifle to shove him forward. He took action in a second, moving towards the trucks with speed.

“DAMMIT BUNNY, YOU’D THINK YOU WERE THE FUCKING SERGEANT.” He yelled as they ran to which she rolled her eyes at.

“WELL IF YOU STARTED ACTING MORE LIKE ONE, I WOULDN’T HAVE TO!”

They continued to run towards where the trucks they’d come on, their feet making contact harshly with the ground. Gunfire whistled past them as the noise enveloped everything around them, ears ringing with each hit of a mark. Bill was able to link up with a few more boys from his platoon as they all retreated together, the trucks now directly in front them before he turned back to shout something witty to the woman, his mouth already open in anticipation before it closed shut within an instant. The place she had previously occupied was empty, and the clear view of the road to the town showed no trace of the woman, only the last trailing men to reach their escape vehicles. His breath caught in his throat as he turned several 360 degrees, his eyes taking in every face around him to see if she had potentially passed him to get on before him.

Bill let out a shout of her name, and with no answer he yelled a second time. His heart stammered roughly in his chest as many what ifs dawned on him. Tab was one of the last men to make it back to the trucks, short puffs of air leaving his mouth as he prepared himself to get up the ladder. Bill reached out to him before he got the chance, grabbing at his webbing and giving him a jolted shake.

“Have you seen Y/N? Where is she?” He said desperately. Floyd shook his head no, concern setting onto his features.

“I assumed she was with you? Last time I saw her, she was running off in your direction.” He uttered back, his eyes glancing back to the town he was now concerned his friend was still in.

“She-she was right behind me-FUCK. Y/N WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?” He yelled anxiously. One of the other men tugged at Tab’s shirt as a final call to jump on the truck sounded. The man looked up at those on the vehicle who all sat tired and anxious to leave before he glanced back at Bill.

“Bill. Bill we gotta go. We gotta get out of here.” 

“How can you say that huh? You’re just gonna abandon her? How the fuck could you even think like that?” 

“We cannot stay here Guarnere and you know that. We have to get the fuck out of here or we’re all fucked. She’s likely fine, maybe she got on one of the other trucks while you weren’t paying attention.” Tab pushed the man, his hands moving to grab at the side of the truck as he hauled himself up onto it and held out a hand for the other to grab. “Come on Bill! She ain’t going to want you if you’re dead now is she?” He said, causing the final straw to break as Bill reached out to grasp at his hand rather harshly, pulling himself up.

“You better be fucking right or that pretty boy face of yours is going to fucking get it.” He said through clenched teeth, his eyes hardened into a glare. Tab held himself back from rolling his eyes as he sat down, the truck jolting while it began to move. Bill looked away from the other man as soon as he sat down, his eyes instantly moving to the town they were leaving behind, his gaze on the several pillars of smoke that billowed into the sky. The sound of gunfire was getting quieter but he could still see the several dotted figures of the enemy scattered around the outskirts of the town, hunting around the bodies of the American boys they left behind. His eyebrows knitted together along his forehead as he threw his head back, squeezing his eyes shut. Please, for the love of all things good, you better be alive and safe Y/N.

The woman in question was at least one of those things, thankfully. As night fell she continued to lay as still as she could under layers of hay that sat in the barn she had snuck into. Her head throbbed from the hit she’d taken on the side of her helmet, the pressure of it having knocked her out for a minute or two. It had been enough time to seperate her from Bill, German soldiers having cut her escape route off. Thankfully, she was able to crawl into a hidden side ditch until they’d moved away from that side of the town before she made a staggered run for the barn and hid herself away. If it hadn’t have been for the fact that she’d felt woozy and was struggling to hold onto consciousness, the woman would have broken down in tears, even more so when Bull had shown up, alive and kicking. He’d checked her head to make sure there was no copious amounts of bleeding, and had tried to keep her awake as he was sure she had a concussion. Unfortunately, the adrenaline levels in the woman’s body were decreasing by the second and her eyes couldn’t help but droop to a close, and against Bull’s demands, the woman had slipped into sleep.

Y/N woke up the next day, dazed and confused as she realised she was pulled over someone in a piggyback, her thighs held tightly by two hands while her wrists had been tucked into the person’s webbing so she didn’t slip. She would have freaked out if she hadn’t recognised the cigar she could see poking out the side of the man’s mouth. The woman sat up slightly, only to groan and slump back down onto his shoulder as her head throbbed painfully. 

“Careful lil darlin’. You’ve likely got yourself a nasty concussion, so take it easy. I’ll have you back with Easy in no time.” Bull said, turning his head over his shoulder to look at her. She looked up at him tiredly before nodding slowly.

“Thanks Sergeant Randleman.” She mumbled to him, realising her voice was raw and scratchy from all the yelling she did during the assault the day before.

“Call me Bull.” He countered causing a smile to draw itself across her lips.

“Okay, well thanks Bull.” The woman spoke just as the sight of a truck pulling up could be seen, her mind holding confusion as she hadn’t realised it was approaching. Bull carried her to the jeep and placed her down gently on the back seat before jumping in next to her, conversing with the prior occupants as to if she was okay. Bull glanced at her in concern, mumbling to them that they needed to get her back to see a medic as fast as they could. She ended up leaning on the man as the vehicle pulled away, her head aching harshly. She squeezed her eyes open and shut several times to try and ease the tension that her skull held, but eventually gave up, curling into Bull’s side for comfort as she held back tears.

Y/N had fallen asleep again it would seem, as she woke to several familiar voices, all filled with concern as she felt hands grab at her gently. She slowly opened her eyes to see she was once again held in Bull’s arms while he lifted her from the jeep. She tapped him carefully on the bicep to put her down on her feet causing him to send her a cautious look before doing so, however, refusing to move his arms from around her back as he held her in place while she swayed on her feet. She took a moment to gather her balance before she looked up in front of her. The woman almost jumped in shock as she realised they were back with the company, faces of her worried friends staring back at her. Clearing her throat that she knew from earlier would be rough, she opened her mouth to speak.

“Tadaaa, I’m alive.” Y/N jested causing most of them to roll their eyes, discreet smiles pulling to their faces. Mary stepped forward towards her, her arms raised to gather the woman in them.

“You are crazy, i swear.” The woman spoke softly, blinking several times to clear the tears from her eyes.

“I’ve been told that several times recently, maybe I should seriously start to worry.” Y/N spoke, her chin tucked over the other woman’s shoulder before she pulled away at the sound of someone making their way noisily to the front of the crowd of troopers.

“WHERE IS SHE? I’M GONNA FUCKING KILL HER.” She heard him yell over the group of soldiers causing her to roll her eyes as she leant back against Bull’s chest again, the throbbing in her head sending spikes of pain down her limbs. Bill emerged to the front of the group, his head turning wildly until they landed on her figure. He took a moment to look at her, gazing at her dirty skin, tired eyes and the small trickle of blood that he could see trailing the side of her neck. He stepped forward slowly, taking small steps to her, before stopping directly in front of her.

“Now who’s the one with murderous tendencies?” She questioned in a quiet voice, her drooping eyes looking up at him for a moment before she pulled herself off of Bull and into Bill’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she placed her full weight on him, her arms loosely dangling around his waist. She sighed quietly into his neck, inhaling his comforting scent as she did, before leaning towards his ear to whisper something to him. “Just because i’m hugging you right now doesn’t mean we aren’t having a serious talk about why the hell you’re so mad at me. I just really needed a hug.” The man chuckled into her hair as his hands moved to grip at her hips as he pulled away, holding onto her weight so she didn’t stumble. 

“I’ll take your word for it Bunny. Just don’t ever scare me like that again, okay?” He said, giving her hips a squeeze as he spoke.

“Promise Bill.” She whispered back to him, a gentle smile on her lips.

“And next time you’re going fucking first.”

***

The two weren’t able to get a moment to speak alone until a few days later, the constant movement of the company making it hard for anyone to do anything. And even then, the only reason they got a second to talk is because they forced it, with the yelling voice and the rising tension causing everyone in the room to run for the hills. They were like a ticking time bomb, and every time they weren’t able to speak about everything that had happened, the closer they got to exploding; I guess they had finally reached the end of the wick.

By now, Y/N’s concussion was feeling a lot better, though the dull throb did seem to come back on occasion. This was, in fact, one of the reasons the two had ended up in a screaming match, even against Eugene’s wishes for her to stay away from loud noises at any moment that she could. That morning, she had volunteered for a patrol, one which she went on with Liebgott and Alley. When things went sour and the latter man got hit badly, everyone had shot into action. Bill wouldn’t have had a word to say to the woman if everything had gone well, but with the outcome being so intense, the clenching feeling in his chest brought in a certain kind of anger; the protective kind. They both stood almost nose to nose, yelling at each other, Bill for her being reckless and Y/N for him being suffocating. The two hadn’t even realised at first that they had scared everyone from the room until the door swung shut loudly causing them both to jump.

“I said this before Bill, you aren’t my protector and you’re not my personal body guard. Stop pretending like you’re anything but my brother’s best mate!” The woman pushed, frustration clear in her voice as he ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m not trying to be, for fuck sake. You just can’t help yourself but being reckless and stupid. You could have gotten hurt out there Y/N, all cause you think you need to prove something.” He countered back, equally as frustrated and pissed off as she was. The woman let out a mix of a screech and a groan as she threw her hands out in front of her, clenching her hands open and close while trying to fight the urge to smack something.

“Stop treating me like a child! I’m not a little girl anymore.” Y/N called, her voice desperate to be heard as she was tired of this everlasting circle. The man paused for a second, no longer pacing in his spot as he just stared at her. He took in the way she was clenching her hands, and how her teeth tugged at her bottom lip that he was sure at this point she had destroyed from chewing on. He gazed at her eyes that constantly flickered back and forth between him and the ground, taking in the way they seemed to glisten with tears he hoped would not fall; god how he hated seeing her cry. Bill took a deep breath, his stomach clenching as he opened his mouth to reply to her.

“Trust me, it’s been a long time since i’ve looked at you as being my boy’s annoying little sister.” He said, his voice a lot quieter than it had been previously. Y/N froze, only semi sure of what he was insinuating, confusion taking over the rest.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” She asked, her voice slightly sharper than she meaner for it to be, yet she held her ground, squaring her shoulders off and crossing her arms to seem more sure of herself. Bill let out a short laugh of disbelief as he ran a hand over his face before turning back to look her in the eyes.

“It means I love you, you fucking idiot.” He said, throwing his arms up in the air in frustration before they fell back to his sides. If she thought she couldn’t freeze any more than she had before, she knew now that she could as she felt ice take over every blood cell in her body. She stood completely still until she realised she hadn’t taken a breath in a while, her lungs finally opening up to the oxygen around her as she forced her body to move again. She gulped while turning her gaze to him, her feet taking her the extra couple of steps he’d seemed to move away from her. Settling in the spot directly in front of him, she stared up into his eyes while he continued to watch her, taking in the look on her face which was giving nothing away. Just when he thought she was going to reach up and touch his face gently, her hand came down on his cheek in a slap, his face turning to the side ever so slightly. His jaw opened in confusion while he glanced at her out of the side of his eyes, a hand coming to rest on the place that she had just smacked.

“Don’t call me a fucking idiot.” She spat at him, her eyes squinting as they held their own accusations to the man. He went to say something, thinking she was going to completely glaze over the first half of his comment before he felt her grasp at his collar, pulling him down to her lips. Everything fell into place so quickly, their hands gripping at any part of each other they could reach as she threw her legs around his waist. They needed to hold each other close as they let out all their frustrations of one another, onto one another through their parted lips. Her hands came to knot into his hair as he squeezed at her thighs, their bodies tangled together messily. Y/N pulled back first, staring into his eyes when he opened them, her own glistening with things unsaid. He smiled up at her, one that she returned as she tangled her fingers into the hair on the nape of his neck.

“But I love you too, you fucking idiot.”

[ultimate-hozier-tournament]

Ngl I want to see how things would shake out if it was top song from each album plus a bonus round of top song from the singles/EPs. Because tbh I don’t think Almost (Sweet Music) would win a Wasteland, Baby! bracket?

Also it would be CHAOS to see NFWMB versus Moment’s Silence versus Swan Upon Leda versus Through Me (the flood) and all the other ones.

Def think seeding/ranking the brackets would be a good idea going forward though? That way you don’t open with From Eden versus Work Song or Nina Cried Power versus Almost (Sweet Music) in round 1. Heck, you could seed them just by looking at the number of streams on Spotify.

I’d love to do more tournaments in the future just between albums, if that’s something you guys would enjoy! Also I don’t really know how seeding brackets works to be honest, I’d have to look into it

[simple-seranade]

@hopepetal agent of chaos reporting for duty o7

Schlatt glances warily at his approaching opponent, the uproarious cheers of the crowd making his head pound. Rolling forward in a golden wheelchair, the man is dressed in a suit with a combination of colors so mismatched that Schlatt wonders if he even looked putting it on. To top it all off, a cartoonishly large top hat sits atop his head. Scars run across his nose and cheeks, proof of the battles he fought to get here- the disgraced president heard that crow guy’s wife got in a few solid swings.

He’s… ruggedly handsome, with a beaming grin and warm eyes behind the golden monocle he wears- even Schlatt will admit that. Still, something about him is sharp, a subtle piercing in his gaze as he looks Schlatt up and down. A voice as bubbly and smooth as a glass of champagne speaks up.

“So you’re my opponent! I’ve heard so much about you! The name is Scar, mayor of Good Times- and also the shopping district.” He sticks out a hand, which Schlatt slowly reaches forward and grasps.

He doesn’t know what he was expecting. But the feeling of the hand slotting firmly and perfectly into his, even just as a handshake, was definitely not it.

“Schlatt, rightful president of Manberg.” He looks his opponent up and down, studying him again, more intently. President, mayor… similar stories, in the end. Or, a small part of him that he quickly shuts up thinks, the beginning. 

“Now, Schlatt, buddy- can I call you buddy?- there’s really only one way this can go down. It’s great you made it this far, but as both the good guy and the HotGuy, I think it’s clear who this victor will be.”

Schlatt raises an eyebrow. “The good guy? Sounds rich from the guy strutting about in gold.”

“Things gotta be done for the greater good.” Scar leans back in his chair, surveying the former president. “Shame, too, a handsome guy like you could have gone far.”

Ah, so that’s this guy’s game. Jokes on him, Schlatt invented it.

“Well, the people like what they like. And my charisma and charm has gotten me this far, I wouldn’t count me out just yet.”

Something gleams in Scar’s eyes, and he glances around before motioning for Schlatt to bend down. He does so, only to nearly lose his balance as he’s tugged down by his tie.

 “I may be a business man, but I don’t think any amount of money I could charge for this would be fair. After all, you’re priceless.” Scar’s looking up at him with wide, faux innocent eyes, and oh hell, this is stupid, he’d have to be drunk to be flustered by this- oh wait. 

Whatever. As he said, two can play at that game. He plucks the hat off Scar’s head, holding it between them and the audience. “Call it a museum then, since you’re a masterpiece.”

Scar’s eyes widen, a faint pink dusting his cheeks before he smiles. It’s genuine, warm and sharp. “Well, I guess we’ve lingered long enough. Before the fight though-“ Schlatt’s too stunned to move as Scar tugs him down, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. It barely brushes him, but Schlatt can feel his face grow warm, much to his dismay. “- let’s meet up once this is all over, yeah?” The mayor says, finally releasing his opponent's tie.

All the president can do is nod as he straightens, balling his fists. Damn this outrageously handsome and charming man- that was his domain! Then again, he guesses that is what this battle is about.

Of course he manages to meet his possible match on the battlefield, both romantically and physically. He always gets this kind of luck.

Still, a small part of him still glows against the alcohol inside him as he dodged the first punch, excited for what’s to come- not just during the tournament, but after.

i wrote this solely to torture other tumblr users ngl, to all my friends: this was my feral indulgence for the week.

[quietbluejay]

Unremembered Empire 1

Ghost time

timeline datum: nearly 2 years since Calth

hey I'm proud that's an actual rational thing to do here

rational character actually acting in a rational manner when encountering the supernatural

lol he's repealed the edict of nikaia

heh

that's a take on Hamlet, I guess

okay WHAT i thought the Emperor explicitly told them nothing about the mere existence of Chaos

there is a LOT to unpack about Rob here

where do i even start

guilliman is extremely stabbable. Probably why people keep stabbing him!

with the implication that, he thinks his brothers have been found wanting

also i know everyone talks about this guy as best marriage material out of the primarchs but this man should NOT become a father without some serious character development

okay you know what i am going to seriously evaluate every primarch and see who has the least/most red flags

[the list has been redacted on account of me already getting clowned on on discord but maybe I will post it at some point. I stand by 40K Lion being the best option and Perturabo being the worst of the guys with all their brains]

moving along!

yeah this is really Guilliman's way of coping, huh

THE EMPEROR DIDNT HAVE A FALL BACK PLAN idk can we call guilliman's relationship with the emperor "guilliman gaslights himself into thinking the emperor is much better than he actually is"

AND YOU ALSO DID NOT FUTURE PROOF ANYTHING EITHERRRRRRRRR note from future bluejay: and that really is one of his biggest problems isn't it

this is kind of cute though he calls her "mam"

no one expects the Iron Warrior Inquisition!

oh it's a specific dude I've heard of this guy also warhammer chronic illness character strikes again!

so he's calling them from another planet

that's a very exact number

and more than 2 years

a traitor named Barabas huh also, Iron Warrior with a spine

I do feel as if Dantioch is looking forwards to it, despite nominally being on the same side as the Fists

OwO

squints nine months and now it's born maybe i've just spent too much time in transformers this better not become a Thing Abnett I really do not want to have two nickels here for mpreg I swear if Guilliman knocks up a planet I'm going to throw hands (okay I'll be honest I am joking around here, of all the things I didn't like about MTMTE the pregnancy stuff did not bother me nearly as much as most of the other things it's just kind of a funny background detail. Except the Overlord birth scene that was absolutely cursed)

so his adoptive dad wanted to Make Ultramar Great Again

and guilliman did lol so it's just a cycle of reconquering the five hundred worlds lmao (looks at dark imperium)

so the Pharos is a weird thing built by aliens and they couldn't figure out what it did

technobabble time

oh huh over to some Space Wolves

fun

so like what happened to their gellar fields

you know if i had a nickel for every time i read a wh40k book where an iron hand was besties with someone from another legion i'd now have two nickels

interesting

Abnett's writing has definitely become less clunky

ngl this guy (Kleve) seems like one of the most well-adjusted Iron Hands I've run across

me reading Ahriman novels

:) :) :)

Image limit hit once again! TBC...

[scoonsalicious]

Erm hi, I went for a trip… and came back to this wonderful chaos that is happening in Unwanted. WHAT????!!!! You have had me pulling at my hair, frowning at my phone, and tearing at fictional characters that only existed in 3 parts. PARTS! Not even chapters… what is happening…

Firstly, I need a Tony. I need a Tony that is like Pocket’s Tony. The back story… is *chef’s kiss* and we all need someone like that watching over us with just love and adoration and support and ❤️

Secondly, while I’m absolutely livid at Bucky… my soft heart for him can’t wait for his redemption. But he better wise up and just shake his head a little more to put his brain in place. And of coz that snippet of C26 I think… please don’t break my heart anymore… don’t break Pocket’s anymore 😔

Thirdly, WAIT WHAT SEQUEL? please don’t end unwanted on a cliffhanger… I’ll LITERALLY DIE I NEED SOME SORT OF CLOSURE AND A TIME TO CATCH MY BREATH before falling head first into another one of your beautifully crafted, exceptionally written works.

Okie, thank you for listening. Please leave me at this corner and ignore my rambling. I love you I love your writing okie bye

- 🌗

Oooh, where did you go? I hope you had a good time! We all need a Tony like Pocket's Tony, ngl. Someone who believes in us, who looks at us and sees the potential we have to be our best selves, and lets us nurture it, while providing unwavering love and support. I want that for all of us, and I want all of us to be that for someone <3

Bucket's been in heavy therapy since Pocket went away. He's a little bit assy in Chapt 25, but he's getting some horrible, unexpected news, right along with Pocket, and he's seeing just how horribly his actions have hurt her. It's kind of a come-to-Jesus moment for both of them, and going forward, we're only healing! No more heartbreak (at least not from Bucky!)

There will not be a cliffhanger to set up for a sequel, I promise! There will be a couple of oneshots after, and I'm going to work on a new series in between, but the sequel, as it stands, is going to cover the events of Infinity War and Endgame from Pocket's perspective. Unwanted will remain a standalone story with its own happy ending. I love you so much, and I'm so grateful for you!

[a-being-of-chaossss]

Spicy mayo im ngl i look forward to whatever the hell is happening on my dash today cos of u sjdkkskd

YIPPEE IM GLAD YOU ENJOY MY CHAOS!!! I LOVE ALL YOUR PERSONA CONTENT AND RANTING ABOUT IT WITH YOU!!!