#no good racing prelude

[gracieheartspedro]

Your Needs, My Needs

I : Strawberry Wine

a masterlist of how you can help gaza

the prelude to this series

pairing: cowboy!joel x f!reader (no outbreak)

description: joel fixes your toilet but you can't help but yearn for more time with him. so you invite him to dinner and try to win his stomach? aka love?

word count: 3.2k words

warnings: there is no smut in this part. still MINORS DNI! no use of y/n! vague talk of reader's old life before texas, no real description of the reader, reader does have anxiety/mental illness that is not fully recognized/diagnosed, mentions of eating food, reader lives alone, reader got MONEYYYY, mentions of joel's ex wife (gasp), alcohol consumption, smoking cigarettes, kissing, flirting. all the fluffy stuff <3

author's note: hey...hey.... how y'all doing?? i'm so so so sorry this has taken so long. my life has been crazy for the last like 4 months and I'm finally getting settled into my life again. I miss y'all and I miss writing, so HERE I AM! I'm hoping everyone who wanted me to tag them months ago is still cool with me tagging them 4 months later lol. okay, lemme know what you think xoxo

Joel comes and goes for days. The first day he returns, he inspects your toilet again and tells you he has the wrong tools. You discuss a game plan and by his initial projections, your toilet should be fixed the next day. But when he fails to come by in the morning, you decide to call the phone number on the post-it note he left for you the day before. 

The phone rings and you get an answering machine of a younger girl telling you to leave her and Dad a message after the beep. When the line lets out a long ding, you breathe out the random croak in your throat. 

“Uh, hey, Joel, it’s me. Just seeing if you’re stopping by today. If not, that’s fine, I’ll be home all day today and tomorrow. Okay, uh, bye.”

Hours go by and you find yourself pacing, regretting your decision to leave him a message. What if he gets it and thinks that you’re crazy? 

Ever since you had made his acquaintance, you felt completely reliant on interacting with him. It may be due to the fact that you haven’t socialized with anyone else in months. You were very good at isolating yourself, but lately, it’s been eating you alive being so alone. Now that you had this big house, the silence felt almost too quiet. Joel’s southern drawl and straightforward responses gave a bit of light back to your life. 

Around dinner time, your landline rings. You practically fall over your couch racing to pick it up, hoping it was him. 

“Howdy neighbor,” He grunts through the phone, “Sorry I didn’t come by today, hope ya didn’t miss me too much.”

You let out a dry laugh, trying not to sound too giddy about him following up with you. You were borderline pathetic. 

“No, I just wanted to make sure you were still alive,” You manage to get out, “You are still alive right?”

“Still kickin’, just busy as all get out. ‘M fixin’ to head to your place now if you’re not busy.”

You look down at your pajamas and start to nod. It’s not like he can see you through the phone, but you are reacting to his words like he’s right in front of you. 

“Sure thing, I’ll leave the door unlocked.”

-

“So… It’s really just you here? All by your lonesome?”

He’s messing with his toolbox, searching for the one tool he needs to fix the toilet. You stir your fresh brewed tea, ensuring none of the sugar clumps up at the bottom of the mug. You had offered him some, but he politely declined, telling you that he had a big dinner.

You take a sip, testing the sweetness. “Just me. How about you? Just you and your daughter, right?”

He laughs heartedly, turning towards you from where he’s squatted. You look at him with curious eyes, unsure if you asked the wrong question. He stands up, a wrench in his hand, a smile still spread across his face. 

“Her mama left town with her new boyfriend about 5 years ago. Wanted the city life, not the life I gave her. It’s been just me and her ever since.”

So he’s single. You think to yourself. 

You realize the laugh was probably because of how absurd and new it must be for someone to ask him about his life. He grew up here and you are positive everyone here already knew all about his business. You are a breath of fresh air for him. 

Before the silence becomes awkward, you speak up. “City life ain’t worth a shit.”

“Yeah, she’s different. Won’t speak ill of her ‘cause that’s my bosses’ mama. She sees her now and again. They are just very different.” 

The conversation comes easy with Joel. While the first couple of interactions you two shared were a bit strained, after days of small talk, you realize he’s the truest Southern gentleman you’ve ever interacted with. Polite with a little bite. He never speaks ill of others, except his brother. He loves to pick on Tommy. He seems like an attentive father. He loves to pick at you, always pointing out your Northern tendencies. Your horrible driving. Your accent and your speech patterns. But he’s also very complimentary. A couple of days ago, he remarked how nice your perfume was when you were standing close to him. It made your heart skip a beat. 

And on top of all of those things, he’s very easy on the eyes. 

“That’s mighty fine of you not speaking ill of your ex,” You try to drag out the silly Southern saying, which causes him to chuckle again. You smack your lips before continuing, “Wish I could do the same.”

You are not sure what he’s doing to the tank of your toilet, but you watch him strain to get a piece out of the corner with the wrench he has. He clenches his teeth, turning the piece to the left to loosen it. 

“Exes are exes for a reason,” He grunts, fiddling with some more things in the tank, “I ain’t too hung up on datin’ right now. I got my girl and my horses.”

“And now you got me, your annoying neighbor who almost crashes into your horses and asks you to fix toilets.”

He breathes out loudly, “Yeah, ‘nother pain in my ass. Just what a man needs.”

-

The toilet is fixed too quickly. You had busied yourself with other small cleaning tasks that when Joel finds you in the kitchen doing dishes, he startles you. It took him about 15 minutes to finish the job and you had thought you could at least finish up the dishes you made from dinner. 

“‘M all finished up. Gotta get back home to do some rounds at the stables,” He says as he waltzes over to your paper towel holder. He grabs a sheet and begins to wipe his damp hands, “Anythin’ else for me today?”

You turn off the running water, going down a list of fixes you could ask him to do. You decide it’s probably best to just ask him to swing by another day to help you with other things. 

“No, thank you though, Joel. I am sure I’ll be by to ask for more help,” You chuckle, shaking your hands dry, “I owe you dinner or something.”

As you say it, it feels like all the air leaves your lungs. He’s staring at you and there’s a glint in his eyes. You are not that good at reading people, mostly because you are deathly afraid of being wrong. His eyebrows raise as he leans against the counter near you. He’s so close and in your space, but you try to push the thought of him coming onto you out of your mind. 

“What’do you got on the menu tomorrow?”

His voice is kind of husky which makes your brain draw a blank. You wipe your hands on your pants before crossing the kitchen to check your fridge. You glance through your ingredients, settling for the only dinner item you can conjure up that his southern palette may like. 

“Baked chicken and vegetables?”

He nods, tossing his paper towel into the bin beside you. “Yeah, I've been needing a home-cooked meal. Think I could come over at like 5? Tomorrow?”

You recollect a time when a guy showed interest in wanting to hang out with you outside of work. It had been years and he was not nearly as attractive as the man in front of you. 

You nod slowly, trying not to look too robotic due to your nerves. “Sure thing, cowboy.”

-

You did not know what to wear. You contemplated going into town to see what the local boutiques had but you ran the risk of Joel seeing you out. You didn’t even know if this was a date. 

You settle on a sundress you have owned since high school. It’s the perfect length and while your mind goes to wanting to impress Joel, you also need to be comfortable. 

You cleaned your house, adding some new decorations to your living room walls. You even clean your sheets and make sure your bedroom is vacuumed. 

When the time comes for Joel to arrive, you pace the kitchen anticipating the doorbell. You already had all the food prepped and ready to put in the oven. The vegetables have been cut and seasoned. Everything was just the way you needed it to be. 

Joel gets there 5 after your scheduled time. When you welcome him at the door, his hair is styled and you can tell he put on his “fancy jeans”. 

What you didn’t expect was the bouquet of flowers he had in his hands. 

“Afternoon, neighbor,” He begins before extending the floral arrangement towards you, “My girl said I had to bring you something nice. Somethin’ bout being a gentleman.”

You smile widely, giving flowers all your attention. Even with the fragrant bouquet, you get a whiff of his sandalwood cologne. 

“Nice to see you cleaned up for me, cowboy. Come on in, dinner is about to get put in the oven.”

-

You catch him scanning you up and down when you place the spread of chicken and vegetables on the table. He was in the midst of talking about his daughter and her band fundraiser, but he completely halted when you took notice of his staring. 

You settle into the dining room chair across from him, waiting for him to continue, but he doesn’t. 

“She needs more sponsors?” You break the silence, wanting to move away from the sudden awkwardness. 

He swallows, reaching for the serving fork, “Oh, yeah. She needs to reach a certain goal to go on her senior band trip.”

You try to avoid his wandering gaze again, focusing on organizing your plate of vegetables. “Where are they going?”

“Disney. She ain’t never been out of Texas, so she really wants to go.”

You remember all the trips your family said they’d go on to Disney, but they never did. Your father could not stand being around his own children, let alone other people’s children. You think about how he used to complain about your constant questions, all the times he completely ignored you for your brother. You start to spiral, the anxiety creeping up in the back of your throat. You push your chair out from under the table, excusing yourself for a moment. You go to the bar you have set up in the living room and grab the only sweet wine you have. Strawberry. You grab two glasses from the top of the setup and walk back to Joel. 

“Forgot wine,” you mumble, setting a glass in front of him, “You want some?”

He is already picking at his chicken, “Yeah, I’ll take some.”

You are quiet as you uncork it expertly, pouring it into each of the glasses. Joel watches you like a hawk. You can tell he’s trying to read your expression, so you try your best to remain neutral even though your hands are shaking. 

You place the bottle in the middle of the table, making sure it’s easily reachable. 

You finally sit back down, sipping the red liquid. The strawberry flavor isn’t very strong, it’s more like a hint of the berry. You had gotten the bottle from a roadside stand in Kentucky. An older lady who must have owned a vineyard nearby was selling them for $5 each. You told yourself you would only use it for a special occasion. This event seemed fitting. 

Wine always makes you flushed, but you are always a bit flushed around Joel. Even more so when he’s watching you so intently. 

After a couple of sips, you finally rest your shoulders and begin to eat your dinner. 

“I could sponsor her,” you finally say, returning to the previous conversation. For some reason, you felt obligated. Joel quickly retaliates, shaking his head as he chewed on your roasted veggies. 

“You ain’t gotta do that, doll.” 

The nickname rings in your ears. You take another sip of wine. You can tell Joel notices your reaction because he smirks with his mouth full. 

“But I want to, Joel. I’m sure she has worked hard her high school career, she deserves to have fun.”

He hums, but still shakes his head negatively, “I can’t let you just pay for-”

“You can and you will,” You enjoy another bite, smirking at your defiance towards him. He looks perplexed. “So when is this fundraiser? Is there like a dinner or something?”

He finally caves, “This Friday at the school. It’s a dinner and auction. I guess if the kids don’t find their sponsors, some local businesses are willing to sponsor them.”

“Are you going?”

“Yeah,” He cuts up his chicken, “I guess you’re gonna come along, too, if you’re givin’ my girl all that money.”

“Does a check work?”

He sits back in his chair, already finishing off his wine, “You seriously don’t have to-”

“What are neighbors for, Joel?”

He nods, “You mean friends.”

You furrow your brows, trying to let your hazy mind find a time when you called him your friend. This was a new development.

“Friends, huh?”

He pours more in his glass, “Well, I’d like to think so.”

The wine is hitting your system and you realize your arms feel lighter. You grab the stem of your glass and tip it up to down the rest of the alcohol. Joel’s eyes are trained on you, waiting for a snarky response. 

“Do friends stare at other friends like that?” You pour more wine for yourself. You realize he’s done eating so before he can respond to your flirtation, you speak up again, “You done with that?”

He looks down at his empty plate, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Yes friends look at other friends like that, or you’re done eating.”

He grins, “‘m done eating, doll.”

-

You two find your way out to the rocking chairs. They were left there by the previous owners and you could tell they were probably as old as you. 

You had another full glass of wine, sipping it as Joel lit up a cigarette. He admitted it was only a bad habit when he was drinking, which was rare. “Sarah gets onto me when I have even one beer. So this has gotta be between us two.”

You swirl the crystal, watching him carefully take a drag of the stick. “Your secret is safe with me, cowboy.”

He giggles as he lets out a huff of smoke. “I haven’t had secrets in a long time. Guess I’m lucky it’s with the town stranger.”

The statement hits you in the very pit of your settling tummy. You furrow your eyebrows, leaning forward towards him. Your chairs are not that far away from one another, so this is probably the closest you have ever been to him except for that one moment in the kitchen. 

“Luckiest man in Texas that’s for sure,” You muster, averting your eyes. You could not stare into his beautiful brown eyes for too long. “Having the privilege of getting me out of my head. No man has done that in years.”

“What? You not good at letting loose?”

You shake your head, knowing that he did not understand what you meant. You take a moment to inhale, finally glancing up at him again. “I think I may just be cursed.”

“Now, why do you say that?”

You contemplate spilling the beans. Letting your heart fall onto your sleeve after years of shielding it from anyone who looks your way. Your lips part, but no words come out. It’s just the sounds of the cicadas. 

“As soon as something is good, it gets bad somehow. I don’t even get a moment to savor it.”

You feel the statement down to your bones. The last time you felt settled in your own life, the rug got pulled out from under you. You cannot remember a time when you truly felt present in a special moment. You always felt like you were floating outside of your body, watching things happen and never really truly feeling anything. 

You don’t expect him to lean closer to you, “Whatever happened before you got here, you ain’t gotta worry about it anymore. You obviously put distance between you and what happened for a reason. Let this little side of the world be your home now.”

You push your spiraling thoughts away, letting him be right. 

“I’m workin’ on getting settled. It’s easy when you have a handsome cowboy to help along the way.”

It comes out like word vomit. Between the wine and the nerves coursing through your entire being, you can’t help but admit your little crush on the man. You slap your free hand over your forehead, admitting defeat before he can even respond. You knew he would take the comment and run with it.

“You always flirt with your friends, sweetheart?” He was toying with you, which was a good sign. If he wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t call you such a thing. 

You smile, releasing your face from your hand. His eyes are tracing every curve of your face, a subtle pass that you did not capture quickly enough. 

“Only ones that fix my toilets.”

And then, he kisses you. It happens so quickly, that you don’t fully grasp that it’s happening until you're molding your lips into his. Once your buzzed brain picks up the fact that the man you have been crushing on is kissing you, he pulls away. Your eyes are still closed, your hands still gripping onto your wine glass. 

He huffs loudly and stands up quickly. Once you place your eyes on him, he’s pacing around the back deck stairs, not too far from where you’re sitting. You instantly bite back the urge to ask him what’s wrong, because there’s always something wrong. 

“‘M sorry, sweetheart. I should’na done that.”

He instantly regretted it. The thought made your throat tighten. He continues to walk back and forth, causing a draft. 

“It’s fine, Joel. I’m n-not mad.”

He shakes his head, halting his robot-like movements. He finally looks at your pitiful expression and lets out a long sigh. “I don’t think I’m much of a gentleman, kissing you on the first date.”

You watch as he places his hands on his hips, contemplating his whole life right before your eyes. You realize he is too traditional to see that nowadays, people are sleeping together on the first date. First base is nothing. You rest your glass on a decrepit table next to you and stand up. 

You slowly approach him, trying to catch a glance from him, but he continues to avert his eyes. You grow bold enough to tilt his chin towards you, letting your guard down for a moment. 

“You’re such a gentleman, it hurts,” you whisper, slowly letting a smirk grow across your face. The comment makes his shoulders lower, finally relaxing from such a heated moment. 

“Just don’t wanna mess this up with ya,” He murmurs, only letting you and the nearby fireflies hear you, “I enjoy spending time with you.”

You slowly lower your hand to your side, trying to act casually about the confession. But the truth is you want to run and wake up every cow and horse within a 10-mile radius with a squeal of delight. 

“I like spending time with you, too, Joel.”

He takes your hand as you say it, bringing your knuckles up to his lips. His breath is hot on the back of your hand before he says, “Well now, I quite like the sound of that."

taglist (some of y'all can't be tagged, I tried lol)

@midnightdragonzero @casssiopeia @anoverwhelmingdin @notsosecretspy @raindrcpsangel @art-estrange @misstokyo7love @lizzie-cakes @d1lf-loverrr @ashleyfilm 

@blckbrrybasket @cande-beggins @gloryekaterina @lilyevanstan1325 @frogtape @jamesdeerest @mellymbee @arrowsandanchor @polishedtaylor @harrieandharassed @ranahx @youwouldntdownloadapizza @jmillersgirl @wintersquirrel @stefanibear003 @joliettes @startsm00n @abbsfrommars @76bookworm76 @youotterbekiddingme @jodiswiftle

[doromoni]

Clash of Champions | LH44 , MV1

Act 1. Part 1 : Glorious Past

Ships : Lewis Hamilton x Engineer! Reader , Max Verstappen x Engineer! Reader (future)

Genre : Drama , Angst , Romance

Warnings : Morally grey! Reader

Summary : The rivalry between the titans of Formula 1 goes off track and only one will reign victorious.

<Prelude Next>

Mercedes Amg Petronas F1 team: Race Engineer, a title that you will forever embellish in your CV proudly. How many can say that their name will forever be attached to the glory and dominance of silver, black, and blue? The name Y/N L/N will forever be remembered in and out of the paddock as the voice that led a Mercedes driver to his heroic reign of victory.

But the journey to the top was not rainbows and sunshine, No. Moral compasses and integrities were bent more than once. No one understood how much you’ve bled to reach the top. Each cut deeper than the rest. Not one person knew except for one, He understood because he bled much worse. Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis was your life. In and off track , you cannot deny it and you prefer it that way. You were attracted to him, how can you not? His passion for greatness, his drive toward power, and the way he always gets what he wants.

However, no matter how much you wanted Lewis. You were bound to Mercedes’ regulations — with the no driver relationships clause in Red Bold Capital Letters, staring back at you. That and that he was already in a long-term relationship. And with that, you buried your feelings where no one would know. At least that was the plan.

But Lewis being Lewis, never made it easy for anyone and you were on the top of his list. It was all innocent at first but it quickly evolved as your time together lengthened.

Complicated was shy of describing what your relationship with the English driver was. It started with light teasing on onboard radio calls for all of the worlds to hear ,lingering touches in the garage when toto was not looking and the incredulously expensive gifts given without reason — tagged and penned in Lewis’ penmanship that wrote “ for MY race engineer for being a good girl and doing a good job”

But all hell broke loose on the night Lewis won his first Championship with Mercedes.

The chequered flag was waved and Lewis had been the first to cross the line and deafening cheers erupted all over the Mercedes Garage. The smile on you was gigantic and a breath of relief left your lungs, while your co-engineers shook your shoulders back and forth as they shouted at each other.

“Lewis Hamilton, You are the World Champion!!” You exclaimed in your mic to congratulate your driver.

Lewis’ melodic laugh filled your ears and the next words you heard stopped your earth from spinning

“Y/N L/N, I fucking love you! I can't…” Lewis was not done talking, but you cannot process anything else. He said he loved you. Did he mean it? Or was it just a figure of speech?

Lewis didn’t mean it that way, right? You were mistaken. Yeah… you were. I mean, he was in a relationship, he had Nicole.

Clearing your throat, acting as if nothing happened. You once again radioed

“Congrats, Champ! Get in there” And with that, you removed your headphones and started to proceed toward the nearest restroom to compose yourself. But the world had other plans.

Still dazed you were almost near the exit when the voice of your boss stopped you in your tracks.

“Y/N? Where are you going? You need to be at the podium and get the constructor’s cup” Toto said as he went near you. Not allowing you to oppose as he gently held your shoulders and maneuvered you toward the podium.

And just like that you were led towards where Lewis, Felipe and Valterri were behind the podium as they waited to be called out. As you neared, your eye naturally drifted towards Lewis and a smile uncontrollably spread on your face.

Not until Lewis charged towards you lifting you off your feet and twirling you around. Your initial shock turned to giggles as you patted Lewis’s shoulders signaling him to stop and to put you down.

He heads your plea and finally puts you down but not long after pulling you in a tight hug that brought butterflies to your stomach. His hand placement was a little too much for friends and way too much for colleagues. Lewis pulls back a little and gazes at your face with a soft smile.

“My little engineer, I’m so glad you’re mine” He muttered as He once again hugged you, placing his head on the crook of your neck. Another wave of confusion and questions filled your head. You were about to question Lewis on what he meant by that, but you were cut by the announcer calling Lewis towards the podium.

You were left alone to your thoughts, but once again you were not granted peace when you felt a soft nudge and an instruction for you to go to the podium and claim the constructor’s trophy.

the playing of the British and German anthems ensued to commemorate your Team as the winners of the race, but honestly, your mind was still muddled however you tried not to show it on your face. And at the last note of the German national anthem, like clockwork chaos filled the podium as non-alcoholic champagne was spraying everywhere. Joining in on the tradition, you took your bottle and sprayed everything and everyone in sight.

Thankfully it was nonalcoholic, it being Abu Dhabi, because if it were true alcohol you were sure that you were drunk. Because, a grinning Lewis Hamilton went near you once more but this time he nears his lips towards you, pecking your cheek on live television, where his girlfriend was just below the podium watching.

A small gasp leaves your mouth and your eyes widen. However realizing that literally thousands of people are watching, you try to play it cool as if it were an action between normal friends — by nudging Lewis aside and rolling your eyes, you then lift the bottle towards yourself and drink from the spout. Oh, how you wished it were alcoholic.

After the podium fiasco and saying goodbye to the team, you immediately went back to your hotel room. Pushing yourself towards the bathroom with your Pjs; a set of shorts and a tank top at hand — you washed off today’s sweat and thoughts. And led yourself to bed.

A celebratory party is sure to happen in Lewis’ honor, which means drinks, loud music, people, and Lewis … Lewis's girlfriend. You will not let yourself experience that, no, not today.

Groaning into your pillow, The series of questionable actions Lewis’ had done today had all come to your mind. Why must you cling to them? They for sure meant nothing to the British Champion. Right? You dug yourself deeper into the rabbit hole of your mind and without knowing you passed out from exhaustion.

And finally, you’ve found peace in slumber. But luck was never on your side, as your sleep was disrupted by unrelenting knocks on your door. Groggy, you slowly stood up and went towards the door, not even bothering to look at the peephole — you opened the door.

“Lewis?” You didn’t believe your eyes, so you rubbed them and lo and behold, it was the Lewis Hamilton in front of you.

“You weren’t at the celebration. you’re my engineer, why weren’t you there“ His voice held coldness and authority. Lewis wasn’t asking for answers, he was demanding them.

Your mouth opened and closed as you struggled to form sentences. So you just looked up at him.

Lewis’ jaw clenched at your lack of answers.

“Well? Aren’t you going to answer little engineer?”

“I wasn’t up for it? “ You tried to excuse. But you wish you didn’t as you saw the change in his expression. Fuck, Lewis was now angry.

He then grabbed your wrist and pulled you and himself into your room. As he closed the door, he pressed your back against it and caged you in between his arms.

“you weren’t up for it?” Lewis reiterated your words menacingly bringing shivers up your spine.

“Tell me, Y/N L/N. Why was my little engineer not celebrating my championship with me huh?” As Lewis spoke, his eyes lingered on your lips then came back up to look at you in the eye.

Not being able to answer or handle his glare, you tried to move your face to the side — only to be stopped by Lewis's finger on your chin. Leading your eyes back to him

“Nu-uh, Y/N. Eyes on me and answer my question. “

“I- i. Uhm” you stuttered as another chill went up your spine as Lewis’ hand now caressed your jaw.

“Speak Y/N” Lewis pressed, now a smirk presented itself on his lips. Your eyes naturally fell towards it At the sight of the smirk that haunted your dreams , you couldn’t help but bite your lip.

Being so concentrated on looking at Lewis’ lips you didn’t see that he too was looking at yours. His eyes darkened at the sight of you chewing at your lips, the habit you’ve done when you wanted something.

Letting go of all pretenses, Lewis drops down and kisses you with his pent-up emotions and tension that brewed between the two of you.

You gasped in surprise, and Lewis took advantage of this and pushed his tongue into yours. He then took your lower lip into his and softly bit it and soothed it by sucking, earning a whimper from you. Your hands slithered up his muscular chest towards his hair. A groan left his lips when you gently pulled at his nape.

At the sound of Lewis’ moans. It was as if you were drenched in ice-cold water. You were kissing Lewis Hamilton. IN A RELATIONSHIP, Lewis Hamilton.

No this was not right. No matter how good and right it felt. He was not yours.

You started to pull away, but Lewis only strengthened his grip on you. Trying once again to connect his lips to yours.

“Lew- I. We can't do this” You tried to push Him away. Yet, Lewis only caught your hand which was trying to create distance between the two of you.

“What, why?”

“Our contract says that we can't have a real-“ you tried to reason

“I don’t care about the contract! I’ll make them change it , I promise.” Lewis tried to calm you

“No, but Lewis we still can’t do this . This is not fair”

“Y/N, If it’s not already obvious, I like you. Fucking hell, I might even lo-“ As Lewis started to explain. You’ve had enough— you will not be a third party.

“ LEWIS YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND! “ at your outburst, Lewis was stunned

“I will not be the other woman, Lewis. I will not let myself be degraded to that level… I will not exchange my dignity for you— no matter how much I love you. “ You couldn’t handle it anymore, your tears started rolling down your cheeks.

“Baby Shh. Y/N Listen to me. Nicole and I broke up. I ended it earlier. “ Lewis tried to explain.

You just ruined a long-term relationship. The horror suddenly seeped into your brain.

“Fuck, no, it was not your fault Y/N. We’ve been having problems for a while and it was time to let go. You understand? “

You absently nodded, but you knew that you were a major part of their split … and you knew one day that this would come back at you one way or another.

But for now, you will enjoy your success in getting to call Lewis Hamilton yours. You were on the top of the world. Nothing can dampen your high, or so you thought.

2015

“Hey Y/N, did you hear? Red Bull is putting a kid on the track” Bonno, Lewis’ other engineer said. You were at Silverstone, testing several changes done with the car.

“Really? What’s his name?” You asked back

“Max Verstappen”

taglist : @vicurious28

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[revasserium]

hi! I've been reading your opla!zoro stuff and I wanted to tell you your writing is so gorgeous! it's truly breathtaking, you're really talented ❤️ i've looked through your prompts tag, im not sure how requesting works, but could I ask for "edge of falling" or "the spaces between us" (whichever one you like the most) with zoro and fem!reader? i'm a goner for longing and feelings realization and the prompts give me those vibes, but i'm sure anything you write will be lovely <3

reqs are open!

the edge of falling

opla!zoro; 7,475 words; fluff and angst, hurt/comfort, passing mentions of: cult!, physical violence, & trauma/cult-programming, ex-cult member!reader, strawhat!reader, traumatized!reader, protective!zoro, healing from past trauma, learning to trust etc, angst with a happy ending!, a metric TON of plot

summary: "Lie to me," Time said to Love; Love smiled and said, "I promise, I'll never let you slip away."

a/n: thank u for the request anon!!! i uhm idk what happened with this fic tbh. there's def uh -- longing of SOME kind here??? welp. pls read the tw list! there's some dark-ish content in this. but i promise it ends well u__u

prelude: in which a fox teaches you to speak

Time is the greatest liar, so you are told, over and over and over. For the longest time, you think it’s the only truth you’ll ever know.

But we will live forever…

So long as you do the things you’re told. So long as you make the Fox happy. So long, so long, so long.

There is no way to mark the passage of time in the compound; with no sunlight to guide the way, you are left to other, more primal ways of keeping track — that elusive, silver-fish creature — time — always slipping through your fingers when want to hold on most.

You measure it in wounds, in the time it takes for a fresh wound to seal over, for the scab to break and reveal the soft, tender pink flesh beneath. You measure it in gulps of water, in bites of cold food, in the droplets of artificial rain that they let fall through the ceiling sometimes. You measure it in rewards too, in long baths and hot meals, in the evenings when the Fox would tell you stories in his low, lilting voice instead of leaving you in his seething silences.

And he is ever so good with stories. If you stay still and keep quiet, and let his voice wash over you like a hungry tide across a rain-starved beach, you can feel the words seeping into your bones, ringing out till they feel like nothing but god’s given truth.

As long as you’re good… I promise I’ll make you live forever.

Like this, you learn the weapon of words, the power of speech, how to listen for lies, and how to tell them, and tell them, and tell them.

The Fox is good at lying; you’ll just have to learn to be better.

act i: yet another sad, desperate soul

Roronoa Zoro has never been a man of many words, but it would be remiss to say that he isn’t a man of his word — you see, when he does speak, he speaks with intention. And always, with conviction.

“Hey. No one’s gonna hurt you anymore.”

This, then, is the first lie he tells you.

“Liar.” You spit out the word, drawing back, your body a tangle of livewire nerves, your eyes darting back and forth, an entire life’s worth of fight and flight caught on the hair-pin trigger of his breath as he jolts back slightly and blinks at you.

“Y-you — you can’t know that,” you say, your voice still ragged. But Zoro sees it for the attempt it is — an olive branch, however tentatively extended. And he takes it, wordlessly.

He nods once, reaching out to help you up. The compound crumbles around you, and you unconsciously wrap your arms around yourself, as if to hold yourself together, to keep from shattering into a hundred million tiny little shards of pain and mistrust.

“The fox-guy’s dead! But it looks like this whole island’s gonna blow!” Nami races out of the massive, temple-esque structure just as it starts to collapse from the inside out.

Luffy slingshots passed, cackling as Sanji and Usopp bring up the rear. On the Merry, Robin and Chopper are waiting, and the second Zoro manages to hoist you onto the main deck, the ship careens off into the dark tumult of waves.

You skitter away the minute Zoro’s arm slips from around your waist, and he turns to find you pressing yourself back against the railings, staring at them all with wide eyes, your expression caught halfway between fear and consternation. He takes half a step back, crossing his arms just as Luffy bounds forward with a bright, unassuming smile.

“Don’t worry! You’re safe now!” He makes to slap one of your shoulders but you duck out of the way, chewing on your bottom lip.

Robin clears her throat gently and offers you a smile, “We’re not going to hurt you.”

You narrow your eyes, your gaze darting between them like a trapped animal, but after another beat of stillness (punctuated only by Nami swearing softly to herself as she steers the Merry around a particularly difficult formation of rocks), your entire body seems to soften, and Zoro uncrosses his arms again, resting a hand casually on the hilt of his blades.

“Th-thank you…” you bob your head once, swallowing hard passed chapped lips and a raw throat. Your white linen dress is stained with blood and dirt, a tear at your collar making it slip from your shoulder.

“’S alright now, darlin’ — how bout we run you a nice, hot bath? I could cook you just about anything y’like. Fancy a drink as well? I think a bubbly would be good for a —”

“Lay off, cook.” Zoro cuts Sanji off with a scoff, barring Sanji’s approach with an arm in the gut.

You watch them with dark eyes, your expression curiously blank.

“Will you let me look at your wounds?” Chopper offers.

You jump a little at his voice, piping up from your left side. You glance at Zoro once before looking back at Chopper and nodding.

Sanji tucks his hands into his pockets and watches as Chopper leads you beneath the deck, Zoro following a few steps behind. He lights a cigarette as soon as the trap door clanks shut.

A beat of silence, and then —

“Wow, that island really, really sucked!” Luffy says, turning back to his crew.

Sanji lets out a puff of smoke as Usopp slumps down against the main mast with a groan.

“You can say that again.”

“What happened?” Robin asks.

Sanji sighs, shaking his head, “Trust me, you don’t wanna know.”

Below deck, Chopper dabs at your wounds with expert ease as you sit very still on the kitchen island and Zoro watches from the sofa, arms crossed loosely over his chest.

“These surface wounds aren’t that bad but…” Chopper trails off, his eyes running over the network of old scars that mar your skin, layers and layers of them — down your arms and along your torso.

“It’s fine,” you say, your voice smooth as polished marble, “I’m —” you swallow, “I’m fine.”

And if it weren’t for the hiccup, the slight hitch in your breath, you would’ve been utterly convincing. Your expression is flat, your voice, even more so.

Across the room, Zoro makes disbelieving noise, “If it hurts, just say so. Chopper’ll fix it.”

“I’m… I’m fine,” you say again, tugging at the sleeve of your torn shift, your tone now a bit more honest, your words tired and resigned. Zoro looks to Chopper, who gives a faint nod of acquiescence before Zoro stands up and jerks his head towards the door.

“Cook’s right — you should wash up before dinner.”

You follow him down the hallway, through a small door that leads into a washroom that’s much cleaner than one might expect a ship’s bathroom to be. A large, wooden soaking tub sits in the middle of the room, and a clean change of clothes has already been laid out on a bench next to the bath.

Zoro grunts after he takes a once-over of the room, satisfied that all’s in order, and makes to leave.

You tug at his sleeve, head lowered.

“Can you…” you lick your lips, “can you stay?”

Zoro glances down at your fingers curled into his shirt sleeve before his eyes flick up to find your face. You’re looking at some indiscriminate point over his left shoulder, but your lips are trembling and your jaw is set.

He lets out a long breath, slowly twisting his body towards the room and you.

“Sure.”

He makes a show of turning around to face the door as you slip off your clothes and sink into the steaming bath water. A long exhale and the light slosh of water is all the indication he gets that it’s safe to turn back around.

He leans himself against the door, his swords propped on his shoulder, his head lolled back, his eyes closed.

He listens to the soft sounds of the water, to the faint splashes as you rub the grit and grime from your skin, inch by inch.

“We were only allowed to bathe as a reward for doing a good deed.”

Your voice makes him open his eyes, his gaze focusing in on the shape of you, nearly submerged in the bathtub, your hair slick and sticking to your pale shoulders. Even in this dim lighting, he can see the patterns your scars make against your skin. Water glimmers along the contours of your face as you run your palms along your cheeks, rubbing at them till they’re ruddy with color.

Zoro ticks his tongue against his teeth, “Quit bein’ so rough,” he moves forward without thinking, reaching out a hand to help you with some of the more stubborn pieces of dirt but he pauses, realizing how utterly still you’ve gone.

You stare at him for a long moment before relaxing back into the water and shifting towards the edge of the tub to allow him better access.

He runs a callused thumb along your cheekbones, wiping away the remaining dirt there.

“What was a ‘good deed’?” he asks, letting the tips of his fingers skim the warm water’s surface.

You shrug, “Mostly anything that made Mr. Fox happy… so all of us would —” you take another breath, your hand opening and closing beneath the surface of the still bath water, “we’d spend all our waking hours trying to think of something — anything — that’d please him. No matter how small… no matter how… terrible.”

“This Mr. Fox… what was his deal, anyway?”

You stare down into the dark water, now rapidly cooling from warm to lukewarm.

You take a deep breath, lifting a hand out of the water to distort the image of your ghostly reflection.

“He… was a liar. Except… he could make all his lies sound like the truth.”

“It was uncanny, really,” Sanji says, now at full throttle in the kitchen prepping for dinner service, Usopp lounging on sofa, his feet propped up on the hanging table.

Chopper and Robin both frown.

“What do you mean?” Robin asks.

“It was like… the guy could say anything and make it sound like the truth — even though you knew somewhere inside you that it can’t be real. Like — he could tell you the sky was green and every single part of you would believe him, even though you’re outside and starin’ up at the sky.”

“Yeah! Like he said I’d never be able to beat him and… for a second, I kinda almost believed him!” Luffy offers, munching on a bushel of apples and spitting out the seeds.

Robin’s brows furrow, tapping at her chin with a thin finger.

“It sounds like the Uso-Uso no Mi…”

“Ugh, what a weird, scary power…” Chopper shudders, shaking his head, his tiny hooved hands coming up to cup his cheeks, “I’m sure it’d mess with people’s heads!”

“It sure did. But he also used it to feed false information to the Marines,” Nami says, slipping through the half-opened door to join the rest of the crew on the sofa, “ran a series of taverns that just so happened to be situated in major Marine towns.”

Sanji glances up from a huge, steaming pan of paella, a cigarette caught between his teeth.

“So what was his end goal then? Just to fuck over the Marines?”

Back in the bathroom, you run your fingers along the edge of the tub as if playing an invisible piano.

“Power, domination… I don’t think he had a goal or purpose… I think… he just got off on it…”

Your voice is light, conversational, almost as if you were talking about the weather. But Zoro sees the glazed look in your eyes, the tightness at the edges of your lips.

“You called me a liar,” he says, reaching into the tub and flicking you lightly with a bit of water.

You blink, a smile threatening the corners of your mouth.

“Yeah… guess I did.”

“I wasn’t lying.”

He pulls out his hand and wipes it on a towel, leaning back to stare at you.

You shrug, “Sometimes… people lie to others, and sometimes, people lie to themselves. It’s the ones we tell ourselves that are always the most convincing.”

“I don’t lie. ‘Specially not to myself.”

You let out a tiny laugh, “But I guess… sometimes, if you believe in something hard enough… it’ll just start to be come the truth.”

There’s a note of… something in your voice that Zoro doesn’t like, but he can’t put a name to the feeling so he stays quiet as you continue the laborious work of scrubbing your skin clean, till all the water in the tub’s gone cold.

The rest of the evening passes as most evenings on the Merry do after a big fight — with a lot of food and even more booze. With music and laughter, and new crew member, sitting in the corner, watching mostly and smiling occasionally. No one pushes you, though Sanji does make a valiant effort in getting you to admit to your favorite foods, and Luffy tries two or three times to drag you into the more raucous celebrations (mostly involving way too much meat being roasted on a spike).

No one questions the way Zoro never wanders too far.

No one questions the way your eyes track him around the room, or how, even when Robin and Nami finally get a laugh out of you, you still instinctively searched for Zoro’s figure till you’ve found it in the other corner, a bottle caught between his lips, his eyes half-shut but his gaze caught on you like a fish to a seaman’s hook.

act ii: everything and nothing

A week passes, and then another. And you slowly, but surely, come out of your shell — it’s a strange sort of blossoming, the way you reveal yourself in shards and pieces, jagged and jarring. The shrapnel bits of your personality peaking out amidst the flotsam and jetsam of all your manifold defense mechanisms.

You’re a brilliant liar, but even better at spotting a lie, and it’s a thing that none of the crew had ever really thought about until you’d come along, casually poking holes in their daily deceits.

“Mm! These pancakes are perfect! Just the way I like them!”

“The new dress looks beautiful, Nami.”

“I absolutely did not finish the last bag of popcorn… Luffy did it!”

You clear your throat.

“Okay fine… the pancakes were really good but… but I like them… sweeter.”

“The dress is… well, everything looks gorgeous on you, of course, you know that Nami! But — the color… clashes just a tiny little bit with your… hair.”

“I might’ve uh… taken a few bites out of the popcorn bag… last night… but I was keeping watch and I needed to keep my energy up!”

Robin titters, a sphinx-like smile spreading across her lips.

“Apparently, 60% of people lie at least once every 10 minutes,” she says, casually taking a sip of orange juice as Zoro runs through his daily training regime, seemingly unbothered by the chaos currently taking place on the main deck regarding the “popcorn incident”.

“Dunno why people bother,” Zoro says, working through a set of single-armed burpees.

“I suppose it’s just human nature. We want other people to like us… so we say what we think they might want to hear, instead of what we really think. It’s harmless, mostly,” Robin remarks, leaning back against a white planter box, basking in the shade of the tangerine trees.

“Till it isn’t,” Zoro says, finishing up his workout and pushing himself up for a long stretch. He casts his eyes once more towards where you’re now laughing as Usopp tries to think of some new tall tale to tell.

It only takes you half a second to turn your head, and Zoro wonders at the kind of life you might’ve led to make you so sensitive to another person’s gaze. What must’ve happened to warrant this kind of alertness? But then again, he’d been a hunter long enough to know exactly what being hunted looks like.

He caught a glimpse of it at the compound but — still, his fingers itch toward his swords, his jaw clenches tight enough for Robin to cock her head and raise a brow.

“Yes… until it isn’t…” she echoes, her eyes also trailing towards you.

Zoro holds your gaze for a second before rolling his shoulders and looking away, squinting at the far horizon.

“Oi. Looks like trouble.”

Robin straightens, and a second later, Chopper sounds the alarm from the crow’s nest.

“Marines! Marines!”

There is the shink of swords being drawn, the gentle echo of Robin’s voice as her arms multiply. There’s canon fire and a lot of yelling. But at the end, there’s only bodies and blood and the tattered remains of the Marine’s ship, bobbing in the stained sea below them.

“Should we go after them?” Sanji asks, lighting up a cig, watching as the tiny emergency boat rows off into the distance.

“Nah. We’ll be alright!” Luffy says, wiping a hand across his nose.

Zoro turns towards you, sheathing his swords.

“You alright?”

“I’m fine,” you say, your voice immediately taking on an unctuous sheen that makes Zoro take a step closer.

“You hurt anywhere?” he runs an appraising eye down your form and nods in the knowledge that at least you don’t look hurt.

“No… I —” you chew down on your bottom lip, fingers digging into the bare flesh of your arms. But you back away from him the moment he tries to take a step forward.

“Hey — quit that,” he taps at your wrist with the hilt of his sword, the touch hard but not harsh, forcing you to pull away.

“It’s — I’m — I’m alright,” you say, insistent and mollifying. Zoro runs his thumb against the hilt of his blades and scoffs.

“Liar,” he says, tossing the word casually back at you in a way that makes your breath hitch. Then, he turns, and marches below decks to tend to his own wounds.

A deafening silence rings out around you as you stare down at the ships blood-drenched planks before Robin places a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“C’mon now — lets get your back looked at.”

Below decks, you find Zoro dabbing gingerly at a large slash on his right arm.

“Here, you’ve missed a spot —” you reach out to take the iodine soaked cloth from Zoro’s hand, only to have him jerk away. You flinch back, wide-eyed.

Zoro softens, if only ever so slightly.

“I’m fine,” he says, a harsh edge to his voice as he goes back to trying to twist around himself enough to see the spot he’s missed. You purse your lips, watching him for a second, two seconds, three — before you glance back at the place Robin had been only to realize that she’d gone.

“May… I?” you reach out your hand, palm up, tentative and imploring. But you hold yourself still, waiting for Zoro to make the next move. And he does, eventually, sighing as he turns back around to drop the piece of cloth into your palm.

You reach forward as he turns to his side, offering up his arm as you slowly start to wipe away at the bits of dried blood caking his skin to reveal the raw, red gash, the angry, raised flesh around it. You lean forward, blowing slightly as you daub at the wound, making your way down his bicep till the entire cut’s been coated in iodine.

“There. All done.”

You lean back to toss the cloth into the sink but Zoro stops you. He catches your wrist in his good hand and with a slight tug, has you toppling forward towards his chest.

“Turn around.”

His voice is soft, but firm. And it leaves no room for protests as you stare at him for a long moment before sighing and resigning yourself to your fate. You turn to show him your back.

A disgruntled huff is all you get before you hear the distinct sounds of Zoro rummaging around the first aide kit for a fresh piece of cloth, and the pop of the iodine bottle opening again.

“Who did this?” he asks as he slowly reaches out to tug a thin spike from your skin, small as a needle and just as sharp. You bite back a wince.

“The porcupine guy…” your voice trails off as Zoro grunts.

“Right.”

He tugs out another spike; it tinks against the metal of the sink as he tosses it away. A brief sting, and then the cooling feeling of the iodine cloth.

After a few minutes of working in silence, Zoro sighs.

“Geez, he really got you bad, didn’t he?”

“Not really,” you say, and you feel Zoro’s hands pause.

“No?”

You shake your head, “I’ve… been through much worse… and lived to tell the tale so…”

Zoro doesn’t need to ask to know that you’re talking about your past on the island, inside that windowless compound. He can see it in the scars that mar nearly the entirety of your back, the criss-cross lines of what looks like knife-wounds, the occasional puckered marks that look suspiciously like burns. He steels himself then, and continues to work — plucking out a spike and cleaning out the wound.

“You were right,” he says, when he finally finishes cleaning up your back and you both straighten to face each other. He wipes his hands clean and winces slightly as he flexes his newly bandaged arm.

“Right about what?” your voice is innocent, but the flash in your eyes tells him that you know exactly what he’s talking about.

“That first day — I couldn’t protect you. I couldn’t… make sure that no one ever hurt you again.”

His fingers curl into fists at his sides and you can see the muscle ticking in his jaw as he clenches his teeth.

You reach out, tracing a thumb along his jawline. When you pull back, there’s a small daub of blood on your finger and you wipe it away without breaking his gaze.

“No, you couldn’t but… you tried.”

Zoro scoffs, “Tryin’s not good enough.”

“No,” you jerk up to glare at him, your voice harsh in a way that he’s only ever heard right after they’d rescued you, the edges of your words raw and ragged as a serrated blade, “trying is everything.”

interlude: truth or dare

It gets better after that, and you grow and bloom and grow some more. Zoro does too, though in his own way — he gets stronger, gets faster, hits harder. And though you two never quite agree on anything, he is always by your side, and you’re somehow always by his.

“’M not even a lil drunk —”

“Liar~” you singsong, giggling as Zoro shakes his head, tipping the remains of a bottle of sake back down his throat before wiping at his lips with the back of his hand.

“Mm… ‘s that all I am to you? Just another guy who lies?” Zoro swings lazily on the hammock hung on the main deck, his eyes half-lidded and alight with the dancing firelight.

“Stupid question — drink,” you answer, bringing our own bottle up to your lips.

Zoro laughs, quiet and pleased as he reaches for a new bottle.

“Alright then — truth or dare?” he asks, uncorking the new bottle and reaching out to offer you some. You bat him away, your movements languid and heavy, your back pressed against a heavy wooden barrel, one leg propped up to support your arm, the other stretched out long and lithe in front of you.

“Truth,” you say, your voice easy, your smile even more so.

“Alright then — do you trust me?” Zoro’s voice dips, and your eyes flash up. There’s a sobering light somewhere behind the alcohol soaked haze clouding his gaze and you can tell by the steadiness of his hands that he’s not nearly as drunk as he might seem.

“What do you mean?” you ask, casually evading the question.

Zoro tuts, “’S not an answer.”

“I’m asking for a clarification.”

Zoro shakes his head, taking another soft swig, “Simple question — do you trust me?”

You purse your lips, mulling over the myriad answers you could provide and make it sound like the truth. But that’s not really how the game goes. So instead, you take a deep breath.

“I — I want to,” and it’s the way your voice breaks that makes it honest, the way you can’t hold the truth in by the seams of your careful cadence, no matter how hard you try to smooth out the ragged edges.

“So… that’s a no,” Zoro says, keeping his tone even. You can’t help reaching for him — imploring.

“Not yet but —”

“Why?”

“Why… what?”

“I guess…” Zoro leans back, casting his eyes up at the wild, dark sky, careening above the ship in an ecstatic spread of stars and, long sinuous, moon-silvered clouds, “why d’you want to trust me? Doesn’t seem like something you’d be eager to do after… y’know, everything.”

You lick your lips and stare into the empty bottom of your glass.

“Honestly?” you say, “because you’re kind of a shit liar —”

Zoro lets out a soft, rumbling laugh, but doesn’t deny it.

“But… also because you’re the only person I’ve met who… who treats words so carefully — I mean…” you swallow, leaning forward slightly as Zoro drops his gaze back down to you, “it’s like — my whole life has just been people saying things they don’t really mean, and never meaning what they say, and then trying to figure out what’s really happening — trying to say the right thing, not the thing you mean but the thing you think they’d want to hear —” your breath quickens, “and — and if you don’t or if you’re bad at it, then bad things happen to you and the people you care about —”

“Hey.”

A hand presses down on your shoulder and you gasp, your breath knifing through your chest as you clasp your shaking hands to your sternum.

“Breathe. You’re okay.”

You nod, unable to say anything as Zoro sits in front of you, his hand like an anchor in a summer storm, keeping you tethered.

You breathe and take stock of your limbs — feet, legs, hands, arms. It’s then that you realize Zoro’s crouching in front of you, your drink glass resting by his side.

“Thanks,” you say, nodding as he gives your shoulder a slight squeeze before pulling away. Physical touch has never been one of your strong points, and it seems Zoro’s learned that without you ever having to tell him.

It’s strange — the sudden knowledge that somehow, his understanding of you has been wordless and implicit. Complete, from nearly the day the Straw Hats had picked you up on that island. You’d never had to explain, never had to draw your boundaries.

And yet somehow, he knew. As if he’d always just known.

“Truth or dare?” you ask him, your voice barely a whisper, shifting to make more space for him on the dark deck of the ship’s forecastle. Zoro sits down in front of you, crossing his legs.

“Dare.”

You don’t fight the grin as it lifts the side of your lips.

The quiet pulses between the pair of you like a heartbeat.

“Tell me a secret.”

“Gotta be more specific,” Zoro’s grin lilts to mirror your own.

“Any secret,” you say, “something you… something you wouldn’t otherwise say out loud.”

“Isn’t that what a secret’s supposed to be? Something you don’t say?”

You laugh, tasting the sound like a mouthful of champagne, bubbling up through you and spiraling towards the endless summer’s night.

“Quit stalling!”

“Think I wanna kiss you.”

A gasp slices through the air between you. You feel the weight of it in your throat, the white-hot flicker of his gaze as he glances down at your lips. You wet them without thinking, and as Zoro lean’s in, you can sense the night around you slowly coalescing into something warm, something solid. Like a marble clutched in a child’s palm, or a pearl held on an oyster’s velvet tongue.

“Truth or dare?” he asks.

He stops just short of your lips, his nose almost grazing yours. You can nearly taste the sweet sake on his breath —

“Dare.”

“Close your eyes.”

Your lashes flutter and for a second, an eternity revolves in the space between your heartbeats. Faintly, you register the gentle rocking of the ship as an indolent wave catches her starboard side.

You close your eyes.

For a second, there is space. For a second, there is breath. For a second, there is gravity. And then — all of that disappears. All of it eclipsed by the kiss. And then, the kiss is all there is.

All there was, and ever will be.

There’s a graze of fingers against skin, the bump of legs against legs against thighs against knees — there’s knuckles and noses and hair falling, hair being tugged into closing fists. There’s the clink-clink-clink of earrings, and the clatter-clap-clat of swords and hilts and rough, wooden planks.

There’s the dull thunk and baseline rumble of a glass being knocked over and rolling away.

But all of that is afterthought. All of that is supplement, a postscript, marginalia and footnotes.

Because there, then — there is only the kiss, and nothing but the kiss: a catastrophe of inevitability, smooth as a secret, and whisper-sweet.

When the pair of you pull away, there’s a chaos of wings against your ribcage.

There’s the honeyed, lambent light in Zoro’s eyes as he grins down at you.

“Truth — or dare,” a breathless gasp punctuates your words.

Zoro’s grin only grows as he tips your chin back between his thumb and forefinger.

“Dare.”

It’s only then that you realize his cheeks are wine-flushed, his chest rising and falling nearly as fast as yours. You swallow slow and track his eyes as he watches the pale bob of your throat.

“Kiss me again.”

act iii: fool’s gold

It takes all of three hours for Sanji to get something out of Zoro, and three days before Robin and Nami manage to wheedle something out of you.

“No seriously! Things have been different since that one party we had —” Nami presses her palm to the kitchen table, here eyes wide. Robin sits on the couch, her expression one of mixed amusement and near academic interest.

“Different how?” you reach into the cookie jar and fish out a crumbled corner of what used to be a double chocolate chip cookie.

“Ugh! You know what I mean!” Nami turns to Robin, motioning towards you, “Help me here!”

Robin laughs, tossing up a graceful hand, “I suppose something does seem… changed.”

“Something?” you ask, licking at a smudge of chocolate on your thumb.

“Well…” Robin says, drawing out the syllable and making to examine the nails on her long, thin fingers, “it’s definitely not nothing.”

You allow yourself a smile, “Something’s definitely not nothing.”

Nami lets out a frustrated groan, but she’s smiling too.

It’s been long enough that you’d learned to relax around them, and you’d since also learned that nothing is so sacred as the sanctity of sisterhood. That bonds between friends might be forged in fire and brimstone, but bonds between women are forged in cinder and smoke — in the wreckage of after, when the fighting’s been done and all that’s left is the mending.

“What’s all this giggling about?” Zoro ducks into the half-ajar door, staring at the three of you.

Nami cocks an eyebrow; Robin shrugs.

You, for your part, smile and bat your lashes.

“Oh nothing,” you say.

“Just girl-talk,” offers Nami.

“Nothing to interest a legendary swordsman like yourself,” Robin polishes off.

Zoro’s eyes narrow, his gaze jumping between the three of you before it lands on you and he scoffs.

“Yeah, whatever. We’re docking soon.”

And that’s all he offers before sauntering back out of the room, leaving the door swinging behind him, but not before you catch sight of the redness at the tips of his ears as he hurries away.

You give it a beat of three seconds before pushing to your feet and following after, humming to yourself. Behind you, Nami and Robin share a knowing look.

“Definitely not nothing,” Robin says as she stands to follow you.

The island, if it can even be called that, is nothing more than a rough conglomeration of steep cliffs strapped together by a thin band of land barely wide enough to be categorized as a beach.

“Well! This is something!” Luffy declares, his arms akimbo on his hips as he stares at the island.

“Yeah… it’s uh… something for sure,” Usopp agrees, making a face as he squints at the cluster of rocks that look more like the jagged edges of a broken bottle than any kind of proper land formation.

“We’ll just anchor here for the night… get some good rest, and then...” Sanji’s words trail off, interrupted by a ghostly wail that rises from the gathering of dark cliffs, turning them into an echo chamber until it seems to rumble through the sand beneath them.

“… gold, all gold! — no, not a liar — please!”

A shiver etches itself up your spine and instinctively, you wrap your arms around yourself.

Zoro steps out in front of you, as if to shield you from whatever might come. His thumb presses against the hilt of his swords, his shoulders tense as corded wire.

“Uh… everyone else heard that too, right?” Chopper asks, peaking out from around Robin’s legs.

“Yep. Definitely not just you,” Sanji confirms.

Luffy grins, “Seems like there’s someone else on this island! Maybe they can show us around!”

Time passes by strangely on the island — one minute, the sun is still hanging low on the far horizon, and the next, the sky is the color of a bullet wound, darkness seeping in around the horizon.

“Whoever’s here on the island — they sure aren’t making it — easy —” Sanji grunts as he hoists himself up a slippery piece of rock face, sweat glistening on his forehead as he squints into the looming blackness.

“Luffy? You sure you know where we’re going?” Nami shouts, her voice ringing back in a way that makes everyone wince and cover their ears.

Zoro grabs your elbow a second before you slip, fingers digging into your flesh even as you steady yourself against him.

“Sorry — thanks,” you say, unsure of which one you really mean.

“Yeah! I can smell something — like a campfire! And… cooking!” Luffy’s voice calls back from somewhere in the gathering dark. Everyone shares a glance before bracing themselves and trudging on.

By the time you all catch up to Luffy, no one is certain of what time it is, only that it’s dark. But the kind of darkness that seems to cling to the skin — a darkness so dense it starts to take on shape and weight.

It presses in around you and you feel your breaths shortening in your chest.

Beside you, Zoro reaches out to brace a hand at the small of your back.

“Oh! I see a light ahead! C’mon!” Luffy’s voice rings out from somewhere up ahead, followed by the patter of sandals on stone. The rest of you follow, and then all too suddenly, light flickers to life in what seems to be a huge, subterranean cave deep within the cliffs of the island. It casts stark shadows against the slick, cavernous walls.

You frown, goosebumps rising along your arms and legs.

But before you have time to dwell on the wrongness of something there, Luffy’s voice snags your attention like a thread on an errant splinter.

“Hi! Oh, wow — that looks delicious!”

You turn a corner to find Luffy hunkering down over a blazing campfire and the silhouette of someone sitting opposite him, a sharp spike held out in front of them, turning slowly over the flickering flames.

“Oh… please… come join me — sit and listen to a story — I have so many stories — so many adventures to share!” the figure across the fire seems to quiver with the dancing flames, his voice filling up the whole of the cave, loud and boisterous and eager. But strange and hollow too.

You frown, chewing on the insides of your cheeks.

Ahead of you, Usopp and Chopper both take tentative seats next to Luffy, who had cheerfully plopped down next to the fire.

“Wow, this looks great! Are you here by yourself? I’m here with my crew! Are you a pirate too?” Luffy asks, his endless enthusiasm pouring from him like a spring.

Robin, Nami, and Sanji all hold back, but you take a step forward, and then another. Something compelling you towards the voice, pulling you closer. There’s a desperation, a loneliness with which you’re all too familiar — you inch closer, and then closer, till you’re almost level with Luffy, and you lower yourself to the ground next to him, Zoro dropping down beside you, his knee pressing against your leg in a silent reassurance.

“Come… come closer! It’s a good story — I promise!”

“Truth,” you mutter, just beneath your breath. Beside you, Zoro lets out a puff of breath, though his stance doesn’t loosen.

Behind you, you can hear the distinct sounds of the rest of the crew drawing just a step closer.

“Once upon a time… there was a city on an island where everything, and I mean everything was made of gold!”

The figure across the fire sounds cheered, elated even. Behind you, you feel Nami take half a step closer. Cold seeps into your veins despite the warm, dancing flames, and your fingers dig into the hard packed earth beneath you.

“I found it — I did! With my crew — the best sailors and seamen around! But the king… he was greedy! And he wanted his own men to take the treasures, so he forced me to lead them to the city again —”

“Truth,” you say again, but something in the tone of the figure’s voice makes you frown.

“Except… the city had gone… and there was nothing left… nothing but lies!”

You shudder back, swallowing hard. All around you, the darkness presses in with long, thin tendrils like so many loving fingers. The fire flares up, casting sparks up towards the cave’s ceiling, where stalagmites hang like broken teeth in a petrified monster’s maw.

“Oh… don’t be scared… come back — I won’t hurt you —”

“Liar!” you spit, the word scraping its way out of your throat.

Zoro leaps to his feet just as Luffy does the same. The fire flares again, a second before snuffing itself out, but in that second, you finally catch sight of the figure, hooded in shadow, sitting across from you — it has the shape of a man, tall and broad, but the limbs of a spindle-legged monster. It wears the darkness like a cloak, with beady, red eyes and a too-wide mouth.

“Don’t! Call me a liar! That’s what they called me — that’s what they called when they killed me! KILLED ME FOR TELLING THE TRUTH!”

You scramble back, Zoro nearly lifting you off the ground in his haste to pull you away. Luffy whips back his arm and swings it forward but all it catches is tendrils of shadow.

“Hey! That’s not nice!” he shakes off his fist, frowning as he stares at the bits of wriggling darkness still clinging to his skin.

“Run!” you shout as everyone bolts for the lightless path you all took to get to the heart of the cave.

“NOT A LIAR! NOT A LIAR! I FOUND IT! THE CITY! BELIEVE ME! BELIEVE ME!”

You clap your hands around your ears and race for what you hope is the exit. Behind you, you can hear the distinct sounds of Zoro’s blades whistling through the air*.*

“Damnit! How’dyou fight a shadow? There’s nothin’ to hit!”

“Quit tryna hit it and just run!” Sanji’s voice answers a second before he breezes passed you.

“Why don’t you believe me? Why?!”

“We — I believe you!” you shout, your chest a thundering mess of footfalls and scrambling bodies, and against all instinct, you turn around to face the darkness again, cupping your hands around your mouth, “I believe you! I know — I know you’re telling the truth!”

“What’re you doing?” Zoro asks, leveling himself by your side, his arm pressing against yours. Behind you, the thinnest sliver of light is creeping into the cave from what you assume is the entrance.

Morning. Has it really been that long?

Time is the greatest liar, you remember, suddenly, violently, the thought tearing through you like teeth.

“I — he’s telling the truth,” you say through gritted teeth, even as you take a few steps back. Inside the cave, the figure seems to shrink back from the encroaching light.

“What truth?” Zoro asks, his blade held aloft, his stance wide and ready.

“All of it,” you say, forcing your voice to be gentle, turning your face back towards the darkness, “I know, I can hear it — I know you’re telling the truth — about the island, the city — all of it!”

“Yes… all I wanted was to get back to the city… but… no one believe me… and I died… I died for it!”

“I know, and I’m sorry… no one should be punished for telling the truth —” your voice cracks.

“I tried!”

“I know…” you say as the figure shrinks and shrinks and shrinks and the light behind you grows and grows and grows, until you can feel the warm seeping into the skin of your back.

“And trying is everything,” you say, biting your lip as Zoro wraps an arm around your waist.

“Come with me… I’ll take you to the city — we can go together!”

You shake your head, heat prickling at your eyes as you turn away from the darkness of the cave and towards the light of the oncoming day.

“Liar…” the word falls from you like a rock, or a tear, cast off the cliff that greets you and Zoro as you both stare over the edge. The rest of the crew is nowhere to be found, but Zoro’s arm is still around your waist, and you can feel his warm breath by your cheek.

“Hey — do you trust me?”

You look up; in the dawning, morning light, Zoro, with his sun-kissed skin and dark moss hair appears to be limned in gold.

And maybe it’s the air, or the sea, or simply the angry pieces of this jagged, left-behind island of shadows like broken teeth trying to tear apart the sky, conducting his voice into a cacophony of echoes that sing and scream through the crags and eves of the valley beneath — but the whole island seems to reverberate with the question —

Do you trust me?

You close your eyes and breath. When you open them again, your heartbeat is steady. And when you speak, the rising sun streaks the tips of the saw-toothed peaks in strokes of molten gold. The valleys beneath you conduct your answer into an entire single-syllabled symphony —

Yes.

You feel his arm tighten around your waist, the wind as it tangles soft fingers in your hair. All around you, everything is light, and light, and light.

“Jump!”

You close your eyes, and jump.

-----

footnotes/appendix

uso-uso no mi translates to "lie-lie fruit"; i made it up bc it would be too op to have in the actual animanga i think

the "acts" refer to a classical 3-act structure that most movies/plays/scripts are written in: setup, confrontation, and resolution... with a smattering of other things sprinkled in for ~vibes~

in much of classical japanese and chinese mythology, foxes are associated with trickers and lies, often turning into beautiful women to deceive men, luring them into forests and mountains before taking their lives

the "figure" in the last scene is... can you guess? noland! kudos to anyone who figured it out as they were reading *\ (>o<) /*

did i absolutely take the "do you trust me" line from disney's aladdin??? HELL YEAH i did !!!! tru trust is my kink u__u

[minkdelovely]

love and power

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧     ✧     ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

chapter two

“i come loaded with the

safety switch on.”

Alastor x Fem!Reader ; MDNI 18+ ; [y/n] used sparingly ; Alias in Hell is Sylvie

tags/warnings: blood, sensory overload, vomit, implied cannibalism, descriptions of graphic violence, power dynamics, non-consensual touching, valentino sighting, slow burn eventual: smut

word count: 2.5k

author’s note: i just wanted to give a huge shoutout to @hazelfoureyes for being so gracious to let me tag her here as inspo! if you haven’t already, please go check out her work - she’s seriously sooo talented and awoke my need for more interaction between alastor and valentino lol

prelude ; chapter one ; chapter two ; chapter three ; chapter four ; chapter five ; chapter six ; chapter seven ; chapter eight ; chapter nine ; chapter ten: part one ; chapter ten: part two

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧     ✧     ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Alastor had insisted that you walk back to the hotel, your arm linked under his as he paraded you through the remainder of the city like a proud parent.

You tried to fight feeling grateful for the support since he could have easily teleported you back to the hotel, but you gripped his arm all the same. The adrenaline dump had left you feeling so depleted and all you wanted was to be back in your bed. Snippets of what happened in the alley raced through your mind’s eye, and you shook your head, trying to keep them at bay. Did you really have the capacity to be that enraged? That violent? Apparently you did…

The blood was drying tight on your face, contrasting with the slick, heavy feeling of fabric latching to the skin of your chest. You could feel yourself winding up, overwhelmed and uncomfortable by the mess you were covered in. There wasn’t a part of you that felt clean and you were desperate with the need to remove your dress. Tears blurred the edge of your vision when you fixated on the taste in your mouth, barely managing to pull away from Alastor before you fell to your knees and vomited.

Bile, blood, and… It was the tipping point.

No longer able to hold it back, the sob you released was closer to a scream. What had you done? You couldn’t fight the images flashing in your mind; the sound of screams and flesh tearing, an airway so saturated with blood it bubbled. How it felt when your teeth punctured flesh, no easier than biting into a piece of fruit. Your mouth filling with blood… and swallowing. And that wasn’t all you had swallowed, was it?

It wasn’t until you started frantically tearing at the collar of your dress that Alastor approached from behind you, grabbing your wrists easily in his large hands.

“Now, now, that simply won’t do,” he chided cooly in your ear, radio static gone, his presence large and stable behind you. “I thought a walk might help you to calm down, but at least you managed to save this episode from prying eyes. Be a big girl now and stop crying, we’re nearly home.”

You couldn’t see through the tears as he pulled you up to your feet, his hands releasing you as soon as you were standing. A throb of pain rocked your head and you choked out a final sob, trying to steady your breath as you rubbed your burning, swollen eyes. 

Why was he being so patient with you? He had been in a good mood ever since he found you in the alley, not even bothered by the fact that the clothes you had been sent to pick up were soiled and needed to be returned to the cleaners. And how had he even found you in the first place? Was he following you? 

“Oh, my dear, you look like the stuff of nightmares!” Alastor said in his usual static, not sounding at all sorry for you. Hell, he probably meant it as a compliment. “Remind me to ask what that poor creature did to earn your wrath.”

With that, he hooked your arm again and led you up the hill.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

“What the fuck happened to you?!” Angel shouted from the bar when you entered the lobby. Husk nearly dropped the glass in his hand, but managed to recover, his face pale.

Thankfully, your audience was just the two of them. You wouldn’t have known what to do if everyone had been there to see you in this state. Dread came over you then, thinking of what it will be like to finally stand in front of a mirror. Your empty stomach churned.

“Not to worry, Angel, the blood isn’t hers. Poor thing ran into a bit of trouble running errands, but that’s all been taken care of, hasn’t it?” Alastor cooed, resting his hand on your shoulder as he peered down at you.

“Well don’t just stand there, let her get cleaned up before anyone else sees! Niffty’s gonna have a fucking fit when she finds the mess on that carpet,” Husk said to Alastor, shaking his head in exasperation. 

Alastor’s fingers dug into you at being rebuked, but you were more focused on the muted plop sounds of blood falling to the carpet from the laundry bag. Had it really just been an hour since you had picked it up? You were so tired it was hard to believe that it was still only morning.

“Yeah, don’t worry, toots. We won’t tell no one about your, uh… day out,” Angel said delicately, raising his hand with a suave smile. “Scout’s honor. Though I gotta say, I think you look fuckin’ badass. Whoever it was got what was coming to ’em.”

You huffed out a small laugh, managing to give him a weak smile before Alastor enveloped you both in shadow.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Angel and Husk watched as you and Alastor disappeared, giving themselves a moment until they felt like it was safe enough for them to talk again.

“So… what the actual fuck, am I right?” Angel half-laughed, taking a swig from his glass. “I think she fuckin’ ate somebody.”

Husk hummed, nodding his head slightly in agreement. “Definitely not impossible. I just hope he didn’t put her up to it.”

“You really think he’d do somethin’ like that, Husk? I mean, sure, he’s been bossin’ her around but… forcin’ her to eat someone? Seems extreme.” 

Husk sighed, giving him a defeated look. Angel shook his head, eyebrow peaked in disbelief. Ignoring the phone buzzing in his pocket, he finished his drink.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Despite how much you had been looking forward to it, it felt strange to be back in your room. Everything was the same as how you’d left it, but it almost felt like nothing here belonged to you anymore. The room was so still, quiet except for the sounds of Alastor rooting around in your ensuite bathroom. What he could possibly be looking for, you didn’t know, nor did you really care. You were so tempted to just collapse on the bed…

The shower turned on and you sighed, closing your eyes to enjoy the soothing sound it made. It was a peace short-lived, your eyes flying open when you felt fingers at the back of your neck undo the button of your collar, followed quickly by cool air against your spine as Alastor unzipped you. You stiffened and moved away, turning to face him, bringing your arms up to keep the dress from slipping off your shoulders to the floor.

The rebuttal died in your throat when he laughed, stepping towards you in your retreat.

“Testy, aren’t we? I was merely trying to help, and this is the thanks I get?” 

His eyes narrowed when you moved farther away in response. Would he ever stop toying with you? 

“Alastor, please, I’m too tired for this,” you pleaded, glancing at the bathroom behind you as you fought back a fresh wave of tears. You knew he wouldn’t like it if you started crying again. 

“Which is exactly why I’m trying to help! Surely, you aren’t insinuating that my intentions were anything but courteous?” He said it casually enough but you could feel the threat veiled underneath as he continued his way to you. “Seeing how my clothes need laundering again, I figured you’d want me to take the dress as well. It was a gift, after all.”

“I’ll take it myself,” you tried to say evenly, looking away from him. He was hovering over you now, effectively making you feel small. “And I didn’t think you were—”

He tipped your chin to look up at him and licked the pad of his thumb on his free hand. You stood frozen stiff as he used it to wipe your cheek, not daring to upset him more by pulling away. Somewhere in the back of your mind, the truth of how completely in control he was over you sunk in, killing whatever was left of the hope you had of staying under his radar. Silently, you watched as he brought his thumb back to his mouth, but your breath hitched as he sucked off the residue. The look in his eyes made you want to disappear, and you hoped the tear-streaked mess on your face was able to hide the blush now burning your cheeks.

“Sylvie… shouldn’t you be getting in the shower? Or is wasting water another bad habit of yours?” he said, voice low and face smug.

Without thinking, you jerked your face out of his hand and quickly pulled the dress off, shoving it at his chest. Before he could say another word you were in the bathroom, using all the restraint you had left not to slam the door in his face. Leaning against the door, you could hear him laughing as he made his way out of your room. Finally there was silence, and you slid to the floor with your face in your hands, swallowing against the feeling of your heart in your throat. And worse, you weren’t sure if the tightness in your chest was shame… or something else.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Niffty was already hard at work removing the blood stains in the lobby, mumbling to herself as Alastor passed through to make his way back to Cannibal Town. Making sure to give Husk a knowing, pompous grin, and receiving a scowl in return, he walked out the hotel. Alastor couldn’t recall the last time he had enjoyed himself so much before noon. Whatever else the day had in store he couldn’t know, though it would be tough to beat.

The taste that lingered in his mouth was bordering on cruel, a gamble he wasn’t sure he had properly hedged the bet of. Regret wasn’t something Alastor felt often, if at all, and he would vehemently deny it even if he did. Was it regret he felt at tasting the blood that dried on your face? No. While the blood itself was subpar — it had come from some vile creature, after all — it had been transformed by your skin chemistry and tears, creating a flavor that was robust and surprising. Had it not been for decades of tempering his self-control, Alastor worried briefly in the back of his mind that he might have done something drastic; hence allowing himself just the one taste. And apparently doomed to savor it until opportunity presented itself. 

He couldn’t help passing by the alley as he made his way through the city, unsurprised to see that your victim was still lying there, stripped of clothes and whatever possible valuables he had possessed. It would be at least a week before he recovered from the attack. A thought passed through Alastor’s mind and his antler’s grew in response to the idea, mouth curling up in a fanged, sinister grin. Passersby ran away in horror.

It wasn’t until Alastor walked into the dry cleaners that the armor of his good mood chipped. Of all the fiends in Hell, Valentino was the least of whom he ever expected to run into here. Cannibal Town wasn’t a sanctuary in the true sense, but its culture did manage to deter most of the demons Alastor deemed undesirable. A peace he was not willing to part with. Though clearly someone had tipped Valentino off about how to blend in here, as he was without his gaudy trademark robe, instead donning a shockingly respectable black suit.

Alastor had no grudge with Valentino, he simply just didn’t respect him. Getting sinners to sign themselves over to you in promise of fame was so trite. How Valentino could be proud to call himself an Overlord was a mystery, unless he was truly that shameless. Or more likely, from what Alastor had overheard Angel saying to others in passing, oblivious. Both seemed correct. While Alastor could suffer a fool, anyone who would bend under Vox’s will really wasn’t worthy of his concern or energy. 

Valentino turned at the ringing of the bell over the door, with what could only be described as a shit-eating grin as he took in the sight of The Radio Demon.

“Well fuck me, if it isn’t the big, brave hero! I thought Adam sent you to Super Hell, but I guess you would be too stubborn to die,” Valentino said haughtily, taking a drag off his cigarette. “How’s the wound, flaco?”

Internally Alastor bristled, but he maintained his facade of nonchalance. It wasn’t surprising that the Vees had found out about what happened between him and Adam. Of course it irritated him all the same, considering that the battle between the two of them wasn’t quite public knowledge. For now, all Alastor could do was keep the fact that the Vees knew in his back pocket and work on a plan of action to counteract it, should need arise.

“Wound is a bit strong, Valentino, but as they say: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! You’re too kind, inquiring after my health,” Alastor responded jovially, though the smile on his face was cold and menacing. “I must say, I never thought I’d see you here. I didn’t think Cannibal Town would be an ideal place for you to… scout.”

Valentino scoffed through a strained smile. “No shit. There are a lot of kinks out there, but ‘ragtime cannibal freaks’ isn’t one of them.” He paused to take another drag, continuing as he exhaled red smoke, “But this is the only place that can actually get all the stains out of my shit. Looks like I’m not alone in that department. Busy morning?” He gave a pointed look at the bloody laundry bag hanging off Alastor’s arm.

“You could say that,” Alastor teased, finally making his way up to the counter. The employee took the bag with a smile and removed the suit from its paper covering. Your dress was hanging in an armoire back in Alastor’s suite. He never intended to get it laundered. “Send my regards to Velvette. I haven’t had the chance to tell her how much I enjoyed her input at the last meeting you were apparently too busy to attend.”

Before the moth demon could say anything his cell phone rang, and Valentino answered as he gave Alastor the finger in response, opening the door to leave. “What do you mean, Donny hasn’t fucking showed up yet?!”

And then he was gone, yelling at his phone in the middle of Cannibal Town. Bold.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

When you woke up your room was dark, save for the light of a sconce near your door, the throbbing in your forehead making itself immediately known. The headache wasn’t surprising considering how much you had cried, nor was the pang of hunger you felt. You didn’t feel ready to eat anything yet though, but you definitely needed to get some water in your system.

Slowly, you got yourself out of bed, pausing for a moment to breathe through the stiffness in your body. Even when you had fled from Alastor earlier, your bathroom had never seemed as far away as it did now. It wasn’t until you were practically in front of it that you noticed the red dress hanging from your bathroom door, a note peaking out from the left pocket of the white, ruffled apron attached to its waist. It was a brief message, but impactful all the same. 

I believe red suits you best. - Alastor

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tag list: @fairyv-ice

[itsvelyria]

"christmas w the f1 boys"

Charles Leclerc

charles is a mess: he realises this as he resorts to simply bunching up the plaid wrapping paper over the Puma box that is meant for his brother. there is something on his chin, he thinks, but he’s too busy twirling the roll of tape around the lopsided present. beside him, you’re having the time of your life, folding obedient coloured paper with the precision and accuracy only found at gift wrapping stations. your stack of neatly wrapped presents sits prettily in contrast to his less neat ones – your tree looking more like a joke by the second. the velvet crimson ribbon is tied into a little bow by your expert fingers, and you set it aside, another point for you. gazes meet and yours falls onto the mess in his hands and promptly burst into a fit of giggles, at which he shoots you a pout. still giggling, you lean over, peeling the double-sided tape from his jaw, mumbling that it’s a good thing there’s something he’s bad at.

Carlos Sainz

mutters of how it’s such a waste of electricity to power up so many lights just for a holiday can be heard under your breath and he fights the urge to laugh. you’ve been repeating that spiel for as long as he can remember and the refreshing bout that hits him every time hasn’t died. still, the fact that you’re in his hometown with him, having been successfully convinced by him to go out on a little adventure to admire the christmas decorations. he pulls you in closer by the shoulder, your rant having ended with a tiny huff, and relishes in the warmth of your slender arm resting against his back. the urge to call your name, have that scowl on your face turn towards him so he can kiss it right off is irresistible. and so, fuelled by the saccharine smell of vanilla in the air, he does exactly that.

Danny Ricciardo

your boyfriend didn't need much convincing when you mentioned the Christmas decorations should go up. and thus, he was tasked with setting up the tree, brandishing his biceps with a flourish. now though, you’re standing by the boxes of ornaments you had dug out of the storage room while he wrestles with the middle tier of the plastic tree – your help having been rejected. it is with great struggle on his part, and great pain on yours, that the three tiers are all successfully stacked onto each other. the inevitable bickering begins, as you tease him about his lack of artistic direction while he jokes about your inability to reach the higher branches. even with no consensus being reached, the tree is adequately covered in tinsel and glittery ornaments. finally, danny insists on lifting you by his shoulder to place the finishing touch: the star.

George Russell

the holidays in england are top-tier and the ultimate winner of all things that bring happiness to his life — do not even try to fight him on that. the prelude of snow in the air coupled with the smell of chocolatey malt fuels him when there is no post-race adrenaline rush to do so. the market is set up with various tiny stalls selling hot beverages and homemade trinkets, the bustle of the crowd melting together with joy in his chest. he takes in the cheer that seems to make spirits a smidge higher and polite grins a little more sincere, watching you dash from stall to stall, cooing over every cute thing your eyes land on. maybe he was wrong, perhaps the greatest joy is being able to tangle his fingers with your fingers, tucking them safely into his pocket while sipping a hot chocolate.

Lando Norris

when you were apartment shopping, you had accounted for your respective large families and ever-growing social circle. butthe current state of your living room begs to differ. loud voices competing to be heard over the others was the music of choice as your sister screams accusations at your boyfriend while he has his best friend in a headlock. there’s half-empty wine glasses and nacho crumbs strewn everywhere. you’re pretty sure the sodas were spiked but your current hand is way too trash, so you fold. cursing your dealer, your uncle, you peer around the room. there is a monopoly game in the corner that looks like a full-out war, and you can spy your aunts, far too drunk on the good wine to care, so you’re halfway out of your chair to intervene but lando beats you to it. he says something that has the kids giggling and the teenagers rolling their eyes, calming the frazzled nerves instantly. glancing around, he catches your eye and shoots you a grin, and for a second, you feel your heart skip a beat. he follows up with a wink, making his way over to you where he proceeds to drape his large frame over yours. his arms hang over your shoulders, chin propped up on yours as he peers at your cards.

Lewis Hamilton

the shiver down his spine shocks him. your feet are basically icicles, he has said time and time again. but lewis remains still even as you shove your feet under the shared blanket, pressing them up against his in a desperate attempt to gain some warmth. his eyes dart up from the words on his book, landing on your furrowed brows engrossed in your own pages. the carefully curated playlist of holiday music and comforting scent of cinnamon and pine burning from the scented candle someone had gifted the year previous soothes his mind. roscoe is peacefully snoring away in the corner. putting aside your literal cold feet, he finds his attention turned back to the book, humming along gently. your full-on belting scares him and the book in his hands falls to the ground with a thud. he can’t hide the fond twinkle in his eyes even as he shoots you a glance. your apologetic shrug is nonchalant, and he finds himself mirroring your grin, joining in the annihilation of the song. it dissolves into shared laughter as the combined voices wakes roscoe, who sends you two the most displeased look a dog can make.

Max Verstappen

in hindsight, he should have listened to you. but the fact remains that he did not, and so he can only watch on enviously as you sip your coffee. you did warn him of the bustling aisles in the packed mall and asked if he needed caffeine to get him through. but then again you did reprimand his excessive consumption of a particular energy drink last night so the thought that it was a trap crossed his mind and lead to his rejection. he wonders if you would let him take a tiny sip as you drag him into the next store, arms sore from carrying a few too many shopping bags. you hold up the race cars from the boys’ section of the toy store, eyes narrowed to evaluate the brightly coloured plastic, trying to determine if they were good enough for his nephews. his heart swells a little at the sight of you trying to pick out the perfect gift for his family, but his focus lied mainly on your coffee, which was left unattended. and with zero hesitation, he swipes the drink, taking a large gulp to make up for the stress he had undergone for the past two hours. your dirty look is met with a twinkle in his eyes as he drops a kiss on your cheek as an apology.

[empty-vessel-of-a-person]

Final Thoughts About Partner Go Go Episode (Post Entwined Shadows Event Review)

Note: This is my review and unbiased thoughts and opinion about the Partner Episode not the Actual Memory) May Contains Spoilers! You are Warned!!!!

Zayne

My Suspicions are correct. They are indeed officially dating! Zayne hinted this by saying, "Besides, don't you think we're in a good spot at the moment?"

Their moments are not forced or awkward hinting they are already comfortable around each other.

M/C sits on Zayne's lap and kiss his ear!!!!!!! Oh my gosh!!! And the fact that on previous memories they are sleeping on the same bed! And not just once!

M/C also is staying the night at his place (Source: Heartwork Routine Event) Zayne mentioned that M/C is so sincere praying for a good weather last night and they arrive together at the event. Oh my gosh Zayne!

But, let's go to the story itself. It's kinda boring. The scape room is dull. If they show that cure puppy dog eye Zayne when he is captured, at least I have something to go gaga for. As for the pottery session is sweet. Zayne is kinda stoic at time and him initiating the heart finger print design on their cup shows that he really loves M/C and is not afraid to be sappy at times.

The Story Ending was great! They lure Heartbreaker without forcing themselves or pretending because their relationship and love it true. They are so sweet and eager to be in each other's embrace and even poetically say I Love You to each other. This really warms my heart.

Xavier

I am quite disappointed his story. It's kinda feel like him and M/C are back to square one. M/C is lowkey hesitant to be around him. In his 21 days memory, M/C doesn't know anything about him as there is not much information on his profile.

M/C is also low key weirded by Xavier's action special on the prelude.

The story as a whole is like a sleepover with a girl friend. Trying new things and getting to know each other.

Xavier also feels like trying to flirt with M/C to no avail. It seems that M/C guard is always up. I think she somehow did enjoy her time with Xavier but the story leans heavier to defeating Heartbreaker than Xavier and M/C actually improving their relation.

Xavier is like a puppy needing attention. He is still though.

Rafayel

I am a Zayne Girlie, but gosh but Rafayel's story is so good. I really enjoy his episode and ended up watching it all 6 times in a row.

In his story we see a very determined yet anxious Rafayel. He is a natural flirt but he backs down and get shy easily when the real thing is about to happen. He is definitely a cute Braised Fish.

He is a perfectionist. He wants every experience he is giving M?C should more than perfect. The almost kiss had my heart racing.

He is a true gentleman. Putting M/C feeling's first before his desires. I am sure he longs to touch and kiss M/C but he will always make sure to ask her if she is comfortable before he does anything.

Sadly, this confirms that they are not in a relationship yet. Although M/C is more relaxed with him than with Xavier, having different rooms indicates that they are not in that spot yet.

The best part of the story is Rafayel's eagerness to show his desire to be with M/C and his genuine desire to be close to her.

Final Thoughts

I like Rafayel's story best.

Zayne is definitely the best in handling relationship. Although he is not very showy, he does not lie when it comes to his feelings and is patient with M/C's antics.

Xavier is hot and cold. M/C is definitely having second thoughts or maybe view him more as a friend and work partner than a romantic partner.

Zayne and M/C is definitely in relationship.

Rafayel and M/C is in pre-relationship.

Xavier and M/C being bestie. (>.<) just kidding. Maybe like they are still testing the waters and/or M/C still analyzing her feelings for him.

(Youtube Video Link) Entwined Shadow Event | Partner Go Go Episode With M/C Voice over:

Zayne Xavier Rafayel

[howtofightwrite]

Speaking of martial competence, do you have any examples of characters that are actually written with this in mind?

Loads. Some actually even make good on that.

So, there's different kinds of martial competence. There are characters who are proficient in combat directly, there are well written strategists, there are characters who excel at military leadership, and when they're written well, you can actuallylearn some things from them.

I'm going to give some examples, and at least one cautionary example.

For, just, raw combat prowess, I still go back to Robert E. Howard's Conan short stories. It's easy to meme on the character, especially 90 years after the fact, with the cultural persona that's grown around him, but Howard's original writing is excellent. The character would not have survived Howard's early (and, frankly, tragic) death if it was just the one note gag you might expect, if your only exposure to the character was through cultural osmosis and the films.

Howard's fight scenes were shockingly well written. To the point that it is still absolutely worth reading if you want to write a fantasy fighter.

For strategists, three characters come to mind, but only two are literary, and all are Science Fiction.

Grand Admiral Thrawn is probably one of the best villains Star Wars has ever produced, it's part of why he's one of the few characters that's migrated from the original EU to the Disney era. My personal take is, as a character, he's lost a lot over the years, but the original incarnation from the early 90s novels is a very solid model for a strategist. Particularly in how he takes time to understand his opponents while looking for potential weak points to exploit.

His practice of studying a culture's art to understand their psychology might sound a bit goofy, but the concept does have a real basis. (At least, until it metastasized into a superpower, in later adaptations of the character.) Being able to psychologically assess your foe is an incredibly valuable element of strategy, and one that you probably want to consider when you're writing a character who is supposed to be a “strategic genius.”

When writing fiction, you want to consider all of your characters as if they were people, rather than as hollow, plastic toys. And, yes, the obnoxious villain who knows exactly what your heroes will do because of authorial fiat is going to be a more compelling character than the ambulatory goldfish villain who exists as a prelude for your heroes showing off how badass you think they are.

Granted, even in Heir to the EmpireThrawn was already drawing strategic insights that strained credibility, but understanding your foe is an element of strategic thinking that is often forgotten in literature. So, even as a villain in a tie-in novel (we're not done with tie-in fiction yet), he is worth looking at. At least when written by Timothy Zhan, Thrawn was a well written character, and even if he bordered on a Mary Sue at times, he escaped a lot of that stigma by justifying his competence.

It's also probably worth mentioning in passing that he's one of the few Imperial leaders in Star Wars who isn't also criminally incompetent.

The non-literary example of a strategist would be John Sheridan from Babylon 5. Unlike Thrawn, Sheridan's main strategic focus is on situational exploitation. A little of that comes from his knowledge of enemy procedures and psychology, but at lot of it comes from a rather ruthless approach to technical limitations. An alien race is using technology that blocks human targeting systems? Set up a nuclear mine and then send out a fake distress single to lure them in. Need to deal with a significantly larger, more dangerous ship? Lure them into a gas giant and and let the planet's gravity well drag them past crush depth. Bruce Boxleitner's performance helped sell the character, but Sheridan is a really solid science fiction strategist, who really exemplifies how technical limitations can have enormous strategic considerations.

I'm not citing Sheridan as an excellent example of a leader per se,it's certainly there, but it is harder to unpack from Boxleitner's performance. It does have some good payoffs much later in the series when he starts making some orders that cause his subordinates to sit up and stop what they're doing. And that is a consistent theme even back to his introduction, but, it's a tangible consequence to an intangible cause.

The last example is a negative example, both for strategy and leadership. And, as much as it pains me to say this, at least Orson Scott Card understood that Ender was a bad leader. At least in the original novel. To be blunt, Ender is a mediocre strategist at best. His highlights in the book involve, “inventing armor,” and creative movement in micrograv. That's setting the bar exceptionally low, and while it is reasonably within the range of what you could expect from a pre-teen, that's not much of a justification.

Again, I'm not a fan of Card, and I'm reallynot recommending Ender's Gameto anyone. However, if I didn't mention it, you know there'd be a reblog going for twelve hundred words about how Andrew Wiggin is the best strategist in literature, which, yeah, no.

Do you want a goofy, tie-in fiction, literary suggestion for the best leader in sci-fi? Too bad, because I'm pretty sure Ciaphas Cain is not that person. The Ciaphas Cain novels by Sandy Mitchell are unusual as leadership recommendations, because of how much Cain internally processes the social manipulation involved in military leadership. He's not a great leader, but he is exceptionallygood at explaining to the reader how he's creating that illusion to motivate the soldiers around him. In fairness, some of that is an intrinsic character flaw, he is incredibly insecure, and desperately trying to hide that fact. And the difference between being a great leader, and effectively creating a comprehensive illusion of a great leader is: There is no difference. As a serious complement, it is one of the few times I've seen an author treat leadership as an actual skill, and not simply an extension of a character's charisma. Which is why I'm singling this one out. It might sound like a joke inclusion initially, and the books are quite funny in a Warhammer 40k kind of way, but there is quite a bit of  value to be had.

-Starke

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[lokideservesahug]

Masterlist

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Please do not repost, translate, plagarize or put any of my writing into any ai system without permission.

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Multiple Drivers

•F1 Fantasy Au

Coming soon...

Logan Sargeant²

•For How Long!?! - Series

You and Logan have been together for years... Not that anyone knows that of course! But what happens after your sudden promotion to F1?

•Love in 3D- Prelude, Full fic - Part of this Mall au collab

You were never a massive cinephile but when the cute worker asked you if you’d like to buy a membership card, you didn’t hesitate in saying yes. now, you have to return at least twice a week, just to get your money’s worth. which has totally nothing to do with the hot blond working the slushy machine and the way his arms look in the branded uniform polo.

Charles Leclerc¹⁶

•He Set Her off - One Shot

You have to react when you find your boyfriend in bed with another woman... No one can blame you if your reaction is less than legal though!

•Always that good? - One Shot

You've been best friends with Arthur for over a year now... so why does his brother look so good?

•Always With Me - Drabbleish

Your boyfriend is famous for his jewellery. But you can't help but pay special attention to his newst additions.

•Blissfully Unaware - Yandere + Carlos

It's completely normal to have a small crus on one of your coworkers. Two? Meh it happens. But what happens when you end up sleeping in the same room due to their meticulous planning chance? Well, one can only guess...

• Bordering Professional- drabble

The whole paddock is obsessed with Y/N Ferrari. The gorgeous genius that is one day expected tp take over Ferrari. But you're too professional and refuse to blur the lines for anyone... Well anyone except Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz⁵⁵

•He Set Her off - One Shot

You have to react when you find your boyfriend in bed with another woman... No one can blame you if your reaction is less than legal though!

•Little Miss Ferrari - One Shot

It's that infamous time of year when Y/N (A.K.A Little Miss Ferrari) visits Imola but what will this year bring?

•Blissfully Unaware - Yandere + Charles

It's completely normal to have a small crus on one of your coworkers. Two? Meh it happens. But what happens when you end up sleeping in the same room due to their meticulous planning chance? Well, one can only guess...

Lando Norris⁴

•Chasing - Trilogy

Standing in for Checo after he falls ill, you have everyone's eyes on you; especially a certain orange dressed Brit's...

Lewis Hamilton⁴⁴

•Perfect pair - One Shot

When your greatest fan and a fan of a race car driver to almost force you to go on a date with said F1 driver, you find that man on a dating app. It can't hurt that talk to him; especially when he's so gorgeous.

Sergio 'Checo' Pérez¹¹

•The Wrong One... - One Shot

Y/N Y/L/N visits the red bull garage and everyone thinks she's with a Red Bull driver... except they all guess the wrong one.

•Thirsty - One Shot

Summary: After a certain tweet subtly dissing Charles and Oscar, more people come to appreciate Sergio Pérez and especially his neck.

• Against All Odds - One Shot

What happens after a driver crashes? They retire right? Well a certain Mexican driver may have a different agenda to the average pilot...

• Obsessed In Love Part II

Summary: You were very happy with your job- personal assistant for Sergio Pérez. Yet unbeknownst to you, being Checo's personal assistant isn't enough for him.

•Worthy- One Shot

The second Red Bull seat had been a hot topic of conversation for "Silly Season" but when Checo resigns, what do the public think? Or more importantly what does Checo think to the response?

Mark Webber

•Acceptable "Infidelity" - One Shot

The 2024 Australian GP, the day of an incredible race, insane results and Mark Webber cheating on his wife?

•Something Sweet - One Shot

Mark Webber looks like he should have a sugar baby attached to his side, so why doesn't he?

•Happy "Family"- One Shot

How do the Webber family react to their favourite adopted member's shenanigans in Monaco? Well let's see...

•A Red Bull Reunion- One Shot

Webber and Y/L/N arguably one of the most iconic pinicles of red bull racing in the early 2010s. When later of the two finally makes an appearance at Goodwood, many fans question is she'll also attend the Hungarian Grand Prix...

•A Taste Of Victory

Y/N Y/L/N, the newest 2009 rookie who's also...a woman? The media are desperate to pick her apart and see how well she'll do so let's have a look:

Nico Rosberg

•Did She? - One Shot

The mid 2010s were the golden years for Mercedes and all of the team. Especially Hamilton, Rosberg and lead strategist Y/L/N. But how does that dynamic hold up in the present day?

Mick Schumacher

•Bound to falling in love - One Shot

Mick Schumacher has been extremelyprivate with how soulmark his whole life. But what happens when the interest does ehat its best at, snooping. Well Mick Schumacher might just finally meet the celebrity that he doesn't at all have a tiny crush on...

George Russell⁶³

•Biggest Patriot - One Shot

The 4th of July, one if the biggest days in America. But this year it falls on one of the biggest days for the English (in the form of the Silverstone GP). So the big question is, when George Russell, the most British man ever has his home race; where will his girlfriend, the most American woman ever be?

Max Verstappen¹

•Leave a light on- One shot

Being kept to your own thoughts is dangerous. Especially with how negative they currently are. However Max is amazing at putting a stop to both those thoughts and your unhappiness all together.

Jenson Button²²

•A Taste Of Victory implied JB or MW x reader

Y/N Y/L/N, the newest 2009 rookie who's also...a woman? The media are desperate to pick her apart and see how well she'll do so let's have a look:

[Miscellaneous]

•Much Needed Comfort - Ayao Komatsu

The Haas/Checo crash in Monaco '24 was a nightmare. But what about the effects on Haas' team principal... Well let's look how he dealt with the stress.

•Engineered Success- Peter Bonnington

The Silverstone GP is a great day for many. Especially Lewis Hamilton and those around him. Such as his race engineer and said race engineer's partner.

•An Unexpected Crossover- Carlos Alcaraz

Y/N Y/L/N, the only rookie in Formula 1's 2024 season. But many people get excited at her attending Wimbledon especially after some old interviews resurface...

[drunkenlionwrites]

Toji x bimbo girlfriend

A little something since I am so horny for animated and voiced Toji 🥵

Warnings: fem. reader, p in v sex, a litttle bit of angst at the end but it's toji we're talking about, so 🤷‍♀️

Imagine being Toji’s bimbo younger girlfriend. All cute and small, wearing all pink, wearing skimpy little shirts that barely cover you, showing your belly button. Maybe going out to tattoo a tramp stamp with something related to him after drinking too many cocktails with your girlfriends, giggling, and flirting with tattoo artist to only meet with Toji’s facepalm when he initially sees it. Only later he oh so enjoys looking at it when he blows your back out.

Going out with him to Downtown, barely dressed in anything but feeling completely secure cause everyone is terrified of your mountain of a boyfriend. Ending up drinking almost till you blackout, but not worrying about anything, since Toji will be still cognizant enough to carry you back home.

Being his good luck charm when he’s playing pachinko or placing bets on sports/horse racing etc. and receiving tons of open-mouthed kisses with ‘muah’ sound whenever he wins.

Going out to clubs and dancing till morning, while he leisurely sits back on the couch, with half-lidded eyes and sips his drink while watching you move your body seductively.

Waking up from the doorbell ringing in the dead of night and seeing Toji all covered in blood standing at the doorframe. Patching him up in the kitchen with him begrudgingly receiving your attention and affections still trying to shoo you off cause it’s nothing serious.

You heating up food for him and sitting there in the middle of the night watching your lover eating hungrily, even if it’s mostly leftover delivery food since you can’t care less for cooking, he still eats everything thanking you afterwards.

Imagine giving him head afterwards in shower first when he washes off all the grime and blood off of him, you standing on your knees and sucking him off, barely reaching his cock while you’re down, chocking and almost gagging because of how big he is, feeling how Toji finally relaxes under your touch and becomes less tense.

Him taking you to your bed and fucking you then and there without a prelude in doggy style, his hands roughly squishing your hips while his dick plunges so deep inside you that you feel the heavenly mix of pain and pleasure, his heavy balls slapping your pussy so good with each thrust.

Him making you come again and again, so overstimulated already, heaving a ton of his cum inside you, but him still going strong, fucking you your knees firmly pressed to your breasts while he mixes praise and degradation and yes, you truly are his favorite delicate pillow princess and a shameless whore only hungry for his cock.

Him spending a week or two with you to only disappear for month again, cause even if Toji enjoys having you by his side, you’re still a nice distraction for him, not a person he truly loves if he can even still feel it towards someone.

my inspiration:

[roxxie-wolf]

𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝒪𝓇𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓃𝓈 𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒

Pairing: Human!Alastor x Fem!Reader

Summary: Your parents want you to marry someone of their choice, but you already have eyes on someone else. Will you follow what your parents think is best for you or will you go with what your heart desires.

Word count: 2.8k

Warnings: human!alastor x fem!reader, slow burn, this story may contain mature sexual content. Your in your late 20's, Alastor is in his early 30's, you still live with your parents idk. If I forgot anything else please let me know.

Note: Sorry for not posting last week. I have been very busy lately but I’ll try my best to keep up. Next Chapter and Previous Chapter will now be at the bottom of each chapter. Hope y’all enjoy this one^^

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝟫

The early morning light filtered through your curtains, casting a soft glow across the room as you stood there, emotions swirled within you like leaves caught in a gentle breeze. A week had passed since your last encounter with Alastor. The absence of his presence was a silent echo in your heart. *He knew where you lived; why hadn’t he come by?* The memory of his smile, the warmth of his touch—it all felt like a fragile dream now. But today was different. Today, you were preparing to visit Cindy’s house, a task that brought a familiar sense of frustration.

Meeting yet another suitor, James, was not something you looked forward to. The very thought of it made you feel like you were being paraded in a market, your feelings and desires secondary to the transaction at hand. You couldn't help but wonder if your mother only saw you as a piece to be moved in the grand chessboard of societal expectations.

As she adjusted the fabric of your dress, her hands were gentle, but her presence was a reminder of the expectations placed upon you. Your reflection in the mirror showed a figure of elegance and grace, yet your mind was miles away, lost in the memory of Alastor's kiss.

"Alright, you look beautiful, sweetheart," your mother's voice brought you back to the present, her tone filled with pride and affection.

"Thanks, mom," managing a smile as you met your own gaze in the mirror. You took in the sight of yourself, dressed up for someone else, while your heart ached for Alastor. The longing was a silent whisper, a contrast to the outward image of readiness.

Today, you would meet James, but your soul was already entwined with another. As you followed your mother downstairs, each step felt like a small betrayal to the love that had begun to bloom within you. Yet, you knew that no matter the outcome of today's meeting, Alastor had already claimed a piece of your heart that no one else could touch.

"First, we need to head to town; I gotta stop by Samantha's shop," your mother's words floated through the air, a prelude to the day's errands. You nodded in response, a gesture that belied the flutter of excitement at the thought of possibly encountering Alastor.

With each step towards the heart of town, the anticipation grew. The familiar streets held a new promise, and the mundane journey transformed into a path of potential encounters.

As you entered Samantha's shop, the bell above the door chimed, announcing your arrival. The scent of fresh flowers and the subtle fragrance of incense filled the air, a sensory embrace that was both welcoming and calming.

"Hello and welcome!" Samantha's voice, bright and cheerful, cut through the quiet hum of the shop. She emerged from behind a display of colorful trinkets, her arms open wide as she enveloped your mother in a warm hug.

Then, turning towards you, her smile was a beam of sunlight on a cloudy day. "It's so good to see you," her greeting carrying the weight of genuine affection.

You returned the smile, feeling a sense of belonging in this small corner of the world. Yet, beneath the pleasantries, your heart raced with the hope that today might just be the day you'd see Alastor again, even if just for a fleeting moment.

The murmur of conversation between your mother and Samantha became a distant hum as you stepped outside, the door closing softly behind you. The outside world greeted you with a gentle breeze and the soft bustle of the town's daily life. Your eyes scanned the surroundings, a silent wish in your heart to catch a glimpse of Alastor.

And then, as if summoned by your silent pleas, you spotted him. Alastor was there, just across the street, engaged in conversation with a woman whose laughter seemed to echo in your chest. A pang of jealousy struck you, sharp and unexpected. *Who is she?* The question gnawed at you, but the answer was clear: you were nothing to him, and yet, he was everything to you.

You couldn't help but watch Alastor from afar, the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed. The woman with him was laughing too, touching his arm in a familiar way that made your heart sink.

Time seemed to stretch and warp as you watched them, the laughter and conversation a silent movie to which you knew all the words yet couldn't bear to hear. Jealousy, a green-eyed monster, whispered in your ear, urging you to cross the street, to confront, to claim what you felt was yours.

But then, a voice, clear and concerned, cut through the fog of your emotions. "Y/N, where are you going?" It was your mother, her intuition like a lighthouse guiding you back from the rocky shores of rash decisions.

You cast a final glance at Alastor, now disappearing into the crowd with the woman, and a heavy sigh escaped your lips. Your heart, once buoyant with the memory of a kiss, now felt like an anchor dragging you down. The questions raced through your mind, a carousel of doubts: *Did the kiss mean nothing to him? Was it all just a game?*

As you turned to face your mother, the mask of composure settled upon your features. The day ahead with James awaited, a script written by expectation and duty. Yet, within the chambers of your heart, a single hope flickered, refusing to be extinguished—that perhaps, just perhaps, there was more to Alastor's story than what your eyes had seen.

——————————————

The knock on Cindy's door echoed the pounding of your heart, each beat a reminder of the turmoil within. You stood there, your gaze fixed on the ground, as if it held the answers to the questions swirling in your mind about Alastor and the mysterious woman.

The feelings of betrayal, the anger at the possibility of being played—it all churned inside you like a storm. Yet, doubt lingered, a voice whispering that perhaps there was more to the story than you knew.

"Coming," a voice called from within, the sound of approaching footsteps breaking through your reverie. The door swung open, revealing Cindy, her blonde hair and blue eyes a stark contrast to the chaos of your emotions.

"Hello, Cindy," your mother greeted her with an excitement that felt foreign to you at that moment. "I'm here with my daughter, Y/N."

As you lifted your eyes to meet Cindy's, you forced a smile, the mask of politeness firmly in place. But behind that smile, your thoughts were still with Alastor, wondering about the truth of his affections and the identity of the woman.

Cindy invited you inside calling James in the process. The sight of James, emerging with a tentative smile, was a reminder of the day's purpose. His shy demeanor was endearing, yet it paled in comparison to the vivid memory of Alastor's confident gaze.

The meeting unfolded like a well-rehearsed play, each line delivered with polite interest, each smile a courteous gesture. But beneath the surface, your heart remained untouched, unswayed by James's gentle charm. He was kind, yes, but he was not Alastor.

With the meeting behind you, the image of James lingered in your mind—not because of a burgeoning affection, but because of his stark contrast to Alastor. The encounter had been pleasant, yet it lacked the spark that Alastor had ignited within you.

The journey home was quiet, a reflective space where thoughts swirled like leaves in the wind. The decision to return to town was not made lightly; it was driven by a need for closure, for answers, for something that would either soothe the ache in your heart or confirm your worst fears.

The decision was made before you fully realized it; you needed to see Alastor, to seek the truth that would either calm the storm within you or unleash it.

"Mom, I gotta go to town. I need to visit Samantha; I got something to ask her," your voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions inside.

Your mother's smile was one of encouragement, her thoughts on a different track, believing you sought advice from Samantha about Anthony. "Sure sweetheart, go right ahead," her words a gentle push towards what she perceived as a budding romance.

"Be careful, sweetie," her voice followed you as you walked away, a reminder of the safety net that was always there, no matter where your heart led you.

With a wave and a deep breath, you set off, the image of Alastor and the unknown woman replaying in your mind. The need for answers propelled you forward, a mix of dread and determination fueling your steps. Today, you would confront the man who had stirred such profound feelings within you, seeking clarity amidst the confusion of a kiss that felt like both a beginning and an end.

———————————

The town, once a tapestry of familiar faces and places, had transformed into a labyrinth in your quest to find Alastor. Each glance, each turn of your head was fueled by the hope of spotting him, the man who had unwittingly become the compass of your heart.

Standing in front of Samantha's shop, you paused, scanning the crowd for any sign of him. The sight of Samantha inside the shop was a reminder of the pretense you had given your mother, but the urgency of your mission left no room for distractions.

As the day bled into evening, the golden hues of sunset casting long shadows on the cobblestones, a creeping sense of despair began to take hold. The possibility of not finding Alastor loomed over you, a cloud threatening to burst.

But then, a voice that called out to you was unmistakable, a sound you'd come to associate with a myriad of emotions. "Hello darling, looking for something?" Alastor's voice was as smooth and gentle as you remembered, a stark contrast to the frantic beating of your heart.

You turned to face him, and there he was, the man who had been the cause of both elation and distress. His smile was disarming, and as he lowered himself to your level, the world around you seemed to fade into the background. His hands were casually placed behind his back, and his glasses slid just slightly down the bridge of his nose, giving him an air of casual elegance.

For a moment, you were speechless, caught in the whirlwind of emotions his presence evoked. The questions, the doubts, the jealousy—all of it was pushed aside by the sheer force of his charm. You were reminded once again of just how handsome he was, and how easily he could stir your soul.

"Everything alright, dear?" His voice brought you back to the present, to the reality of the situation.

"Yes, I... I was looking for you," you managed to say.

“For me?” a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Yes for you”you affirmed, the words barely a whisper but laden with meaning.

He stepped back fixing his glasses, his eyes never leaving yours, and in them, you found yourself lost, unable to voice the doubts and fears that had led you here. "Well here I am, what is it that you need, ma cherie?" Alastor's voice was gentle, his French endearment a soft touch amidst the tension.

"I just wanted to see you, I haven't seen you in days," choosing to keep the storm of your emotions at bay. His response was casual, as if the charged moment shared between you had been nothing but a fleeting instance. "Yes indeed, how are things?" he inquired, his demeanor nonchalant.

The frustration within you grew, a silent scream against his apparent indifference. "Everything's fine," the facade of composure intact. Yet, beneath that surface, a whirlwind of confusion and hurt raged, leaving you to wonder if the connection you felt was merely a figment of your desires. Alastor stood there, seemingly oblivious to the turmoil he'd caused.

“Would you like to come with me, dear”

The invitation hung in the air, Alastor's calm and gentle voice offering a reprieve from the storm of emotions within you. Despite the tension that clenched your fists, you found yourself unable to resist. His presence was magnetic, pulling you in with an invisible force that your heart couldn't deny.

He extended his arm, a silent gesture of companionship, and with a nod that carried the weight of your unspoken feelings, you accepted. Your arms wrapped around his, a physical manifestation of the connection that seemed to defy explanation.

"Where are we going?" The question was a whisper of curiosity, a desire to know more than just the destination.

"A jazz club, I promise you will enjoy it, darling," he assured you, his smile a constant, comforting presence.

The jazz club greeted you with an embrace of shadows and melodies. The dim lighting set the stage for an evening of intimacy. Alastor led you to a secluded table, a private world within the public domain, where the ambiance wrapped around you like a velvet cloak.

Your heart danced to the beat of the music. The jazz club, with its cocoon of melodies and whispers, became a haven where the outside world faded away, leaving only the two of you, and the music.

The waiter's question was a brief interruption to the enchanting atmosphere of the jazz club. "Would you like something to drink?" his voice almost blending into the background music.

Alastor's choice of whiskey was made with an air of certainty, a testament to his assured nature. You, seeking to add your own touch to the evening, opted for a martini.

When the waiter returned, the clink of the glasses as he set them down was a prelude to a new experience. The martini, with its clear elegance, stood as a symbol of the night's sophistication. You lifted the glass, the cool surface against your fingers a contrast to the warmth of the club.

With a sip, the crispness of the martini washed over you, a perfect blend of strength and subtlety. It was a dance of flavors on your tongue, a companion to the night's unfolding narrative. And there, in the secluded corner of the jazz club, with Alastor by your side, the evening continued to weave its magic around you.

The evening had unfolded like a melody, each moment with Alastor a note that resonated within you. The dance, the conversation, the shared laughter—all of it had woven a tapestry of connection that was hard to step away from. But as the night drew to a close, reality beckoned.

"I have to go now, Alastor," you whispered, leaning in close enough to be enveloped by the scent of his cologne. It was a fragrance that spoke of warmth and mystery, a fitting accompaniment to the man himself.

Alastor's concern was evident as he offered to walk you home. "Would you like me to walk you home? It's pretty late; I wouldn't want anything happening to you." His words were a gentle reminder of the care that had begun to blossom between you.

After a brief hesitation, where the desire to stay clashed with the need to leave, you accepted his offer. "Yes, that would be greatly appreciated." His arm extended towards you, a bridge over the threshold of the evening's end.

As you wrapped your arms in his, the simple act felt significant. Together, you stepped out of the jazz club, leaving behind the cocoon of music and dim lights, stepping into the cool embrace of the night.

“You know, you’re a great dancer,” your voice barely above a whisper. The words slipped out, fueled by the heady mix of martini and Alastor’s intoxicating presence.

He chuckled, the sound like velvet. “Thank you darling, you’re not bad yourself”

The walk home with Alastor was a continuation of the evening's enchantment, each step accompanied by laughter and the easy flow of conversation. But as the familiar silhouette of your house appeared, a sense of reality set in. You chose to part ways with Alastor, not wanting to risk the chance of your parents seeing him.

"I'll go alone from here, thank you again, Alastor, it was fun," offering him a smile that carried the warmth of the night's memories. His response was gracious, a reflection of the care he had shown throughout the evening. "It was my pleasure, darling. Now I'll wait here until you enter your home safely."

With a final smile and a fleeting kiss you turned towards your home. Alastor's figure remained, a silent guardian watching over your safe return. Once inside, you made your way to the window, the gesture of waving back to him a silent conversation across the distance. He acknowledged your signal, a nod and a wave that sealed the night's experience.

As he disappeared into the embrace of the night, you were left with a heart full of questions and a hope that the story between you and Alastor was far from over.

🌸𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑜𝓊𝓈🌸 🌸𝒩𝑒𝓍𝓉🌸

Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list so you be updated every time. I do try to proofread but if I missed something please let me know.

Also I sometimes tend to make minor changes to the chapters.

Thank you! For reading I hope you enjoyed it.💖

TAGLIST: @magictoebean @little-slyvixen @bitchywitchygardener @diffidentphantom @catticora @cloverresin20 @phoenix666stuff @minamilinaqueen

[mahi-wayy]

𝐁𝐄𝐘𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐇 - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐄 | ʙʜᴀɪʀᴀᴠᴀ

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ : Bhairava x Fem!Oc

ғᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ : Kalki 2898ad

ʟᴇɴɢᴛʜ : 3.5k

ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴs : Being heavily based on b&b series, bhairava is CHAOTIC, he is also adorable but still a dumbass, violence, theft, futuristic world, angst, betrayal.

sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ : 𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 this is about a emotions that went extinct a long long back.

ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ | ғɪᴄ ᴏᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴡ

A/n : I have no idea why I am doing this but this is a prelude to the inevitable kalki 2898ad fic I will end up writing.

__________________

Bhairava was many things, he was a certified opportunist, a smart-ass and a very bubbly guy. This was the level of his self awareness as he says, he also was a lazy man when it was not about him or the units.

But honestly speaking, wasn't everyone around him the same?

In the year 2898 the concept of helping others or comrades or friendships was dead. Personally speaking he thought humanity itself was dead but people around him usually refrained from saying that so he didn't bother either.

Not like him saying that out loud would change anything for anyone, why even care?

He had enough business of his own to keep himself busy that he had neither the need nor the time to poke his nose in other's business. 

Being a bounty hunter however always had him stepping in someone else's business, that was not his client.

Right now was a good example, he was chasing a man across the roofs of houses, if you would call them that anymore. The man did something to get a 10000u bounty on his head. Bhairava didn't remember what it was, he was only interested in the units.

Anyways, coming to his point of landing in someone else's business came from the gun that the man was fleeing, it was antique. 800+ years old. Very probably the reason he was asked to hunt him

He really did not like the professional thieves, yes being a thief was a profession, he heard it was a crime once upon a time. Way to evolve.

Whatever, he didn't like the stealers, it has made his jobs messier than they already were and it straight out irritated him to no end.

His point is proven right again when someone slams him from his right side, just when he has managed to grab the robs of the man he was pursuing. It surprised him while the person who caused all this used his shoulders as leverage to perform a flip over his head and grab the antique gun as they landed on the other side.

Taking the weight of a grown human wasn't easy, which explained him losing his balance and the grip he had on his prey leading the man to flee easily. He cured in all the languages he knew before turning his head and pinpointing the thief that ruined his hunt.

The person was running from two more people, great this was a bloody competition now, but he was Bhairava and what was he if not pretty enough for revenge. 

Knowing the place since his birth was his strong suit which gives him the advantage to catch up to the person within ten minutes. He waited for a second, letting the second runner catch up with them as they approached a long leap between the two roofs.

It was a tough jump, enough that even after crossing it several times a simple underpowered start had him coming down before he properly had the roof surface under his feet.

But he was as stubborn as they got, managing to grab the leg of the person he was tailing, making them fall too. He climbs up the surface easily, smirking as he notices the other thieves in the race grabbing the antique parcel and rushing away. 

Looking down at this hunted prey however made him suck in a deep breath, his lazy posture to a straight one. The hunted prey was a female.

The hood of her jacket had fallen off revealing a wild mop of jet black hair flying in the dry wind, the woman turned her face to him with an aggressive jerk, a pair of brown eyes glaring at him as she stood up.

If looks could kill he wouldn't be breathing right now.

She was dressed rather simply so to speak, a grey shirt knotted in the front, a pair of combat pants and a jacket with the hood. The choker pooling around her neck was probably the mask she used. Her arm band was one of the most advanced one he has seen but the jets attached to her boots were pretty below average.

“You absolute asshole!!!”

The yell brings his eyes back to meet her gaze, a brow raised in question.

“Excuse me? Who are you calling an asshole?” 

“Oh so you're missing hearing aids? I'm sorry but I was calling YOU an ASSHOLE because that's WHAT YOU ARE!! You ruined my job!!” 

Bhairava grits his teeth as the woman pushes him just a little with every word.

“You're the one who ruined MY JOB!! The man you let slip from my hands had a 10,000u bounty!!” 

“That gun would have gotten me at least 15000u you jerk, I'm the one with more loss here!” 

She goes to push him again but this time he steps to the side, making her lose balance and fall forward from the edge but he manages to grab her hand last min.

“Say a simple sorry I might pull you up.” 

The fall won't kill her but looking at the condition of her jets, if they don't pick up on time she will break a few bones.

“In your dreams…asshole.” 

She spat out, kicking his knee making him let go of her as a sharp pain went through his body. He doesn't make an effort to grab the slipping hand from his, choosing to throw a glare towards her instead.

What? She chose these consequences. 

He gives his knee a good shake before peering down, his tongue clicking in annoyance to find her hanging mid air from where she has managed to grab a iron bar, what an annoying woman.

“Have a nice time hanging around.” 

He gets a middle finger in response which passes him off more and he taps the thrusters with his toes making them buzz to life before kicking one of them, letting the dust fall down purposely.

A satisfied snort leaves his lips when he hears a little coughing and curses before leaving the ground to go over the side alley in time to witness her hand finally slipping from the rod and her crashing through the wooden roof of a shop and landing on small piles of cloth and broken wood.

He shakes his head as she groans from the impact from the fall. That's what she gets from being a jerk, he thinks before leaving the place.

They both do run into each other on another job but  he was in no mood to tangle with her again so he chooses to jump over the table in their path while she goes to slide from under it.

Now that was a really weak table because it broke the moment he shifted his weight on his hand, making him lose balance and fall directly on top of her. 

“Fucking hell.” 

She groaned pushing him off her, he groaned as he stood up to come face to face with a familiar glare.

“You again-”

“You ruined another one of my job-” 

“Why are you on the streets to begin with huh!? Aren't you thieves supposed to be stealthy and smooth?”

“Well Mr. know it all sometimes we have moving targets like the one I had but you ruined it all.”

Both glare at each other, even if he towered a good five-six inches above her, either of them refusing to back down at any cost. 

“I really hate you too, asshole.”

“The feeling is pretty mutual, wretched jerk.”

The exchange ends with them gritting their teeth and then walking away in different directions. 

By his luck, or God's grace if he exists anymore, he doesn't run into her for weeks on end and between that failed bounty, going to junkyard and picking up Buiji, he almost forgets about her.

Almost being the keyword because when he returns from his first round search for the parts of his vehicles and has Rajan tell him a girl was in his room he physically felt his blood pressure rise at least five points.

“How did you find this place- nevermind why the fuck are you here?” 

He hisses, entering the room, the female bent over his desk turns around with a bored look. 

“You're not that tough to find and I'm here for a job.” 

“Oh so now you're gonna steal from me?” 

“How can dumb can you be-”

“WHAT!?”

“I was here to steal something I would've not entered through the door. I'm here to pick up a job.” She says rolling her eyes before tapping her arm band and a holographic screen pops up.

His eyes scan the content as fast as he can, it was a 50,000u job, pretty sweet if you ask him. He freezes when he sees his own name in the client column. What the-

“I didn't hire you.”

“Yes you did.”

“No I didn't.”

“Yes you-”

“I did.”

Both of them turn sideways at the third voice, Buiji speaks in a flat voice, her blue reflectors staring back at the bickering duo.

“You hired me?” “You hired her?”

The in sync speech makes both of them throw an equally hot glare at each other. 

“She will make the job easier Bhairava for both of us.”

He mumbles something along the lines of only knowing how to ruin things but she makes it a point to ignore it.

“At least one of you has brains, Bhairava.” 

The way she spits out his name it was clearly a taunt and it irked him but there was no denying that she would make the job easier by giving him and Buiji more time to focus on technicalities while she gets the part they need.

“Fine do whatever the fuck you want.”

He says with a mocking smile to the A.I. and a middle finger to the professional thief's smug smile before turning and going to tinker with a few things he found. 

For a while the other two talk before the female up stairs and jumps out of the giantass hole in his window, coming from the main door his ass. He walks back to his desk the minutes the female disappears.

“Why did you get her? and don't give me the making job easier bullshit with your perfectionist tantrums there is no way that was the reason.”

“You will see, focus on the vehicle structure for now.” 

He huffs at the excuse of a response but chooses to distract himself with the structure of the car. Over the course of the next ten days slowly but surely the required parts come in, everything except for one thing. 

A damn controller and the stubborn a.i. was hell bent on finding the perfect one. So it takes them a whole two days to find the perfect match and what the match was.

A robot which was being guarded by at least ten, heavily armed, men clearly appointed by the complex. Way to get things messy.

“I'll get it.” 

His head turns to the woman who was laying on his bed, her head hanging off the side and legs kicked up, when did his room become her hangout place? 

“But I want 20,000u more.”

She says getting up from the bed, he just turns to her and gives her are you out of your fucking mind look to which she shrugs her shoulders.

“I'll manage without it, I don't have units coming in from somewhere at all times."

“You have 20,000u and we need the controller. It won't work without it.”

He groans, letting his head fall on the desk, if Buiji had more body than that damn annoying head he would have gone for the neck already. 

“Just give me the units, I'll get you what you want and then we will never see each other. Ever again.”

Yeah he doesn't believe his luck is as good as that but he gives in after repeated taunts from Buiji. Raising only his hand, he clicks their armbands together with her, making a sobbing sound in counter to her delighted one. 

There goes his 10000u.

He glares as she climbs on his bed, with her shoes on and then jumps out of the window, why can't this woman come and leave through the damn door. 

Bhairava maintains his nonchalant facade for exactly five minutes before getting up. 

“Where do you think you are going?”

“To see what she is doing Buiji, that woman owns every last one of my units. If she fails I want everyone of my units back.” 

With that he leaves, taking the artificial intelligence with him. Reaching the statue takes them half an hour and the first sight he witnesses gives him a mini heart attack.

Feet above the ground, she was dangling upside down, the controller in her hand as the guards tried to snatch her. Way to get the job done.

“What an idiot.” 

He growls before climbing up, thanks to his usual practice he reaches the height fast, grabbing the collar of one of the guards and pulling him off her. Sending him flying. 

Above him, the appointed thief pulls herself upright, kicking one of the men and having him fall down.

“So much for being a professional thief.” Bhairava says, twisting the arm of another man. To which he gets a glare.

“I never asked for your help, asshole.”

She replied, stopping a punch and elbowing the man.

“Stop calling me that like it's my actual name.”

“Then stop being one.”

They bicker until more men arrive.

“Let's get out of here first.”

Buiji speaks smartly, Bhairava taps the jets in his boots, letting go of the bamboo poles. She was supposed to climb down but when the men start shooting, one of the laser shots his boots, rendering them useless for the moment and the gravity pulls him down immediately.

She chooses to jump recklessly, grabbing his hand with one and a bamboo pole with another, keeping them afloat. Now while Bhairava would've snorted the yelp of pain made it die down in his throat.

Looking up he realises the position made her vulnerable to the shots and one of them even hit her shoulder, even if it was partial.

“You dumbass.”

She curses but for the first time he doesn't mind it all and instead he notices how she refused to let her grip loosen on him or the bamboo that held them but not for long. 

He looks down, calculating the distance before his eyes set on the men shooting at them and his jaw tightens, eyes narrowing in a glare.

“Let go.”

“What? Have you finally lost whatever little brains you had?”

“Just let go.”

“Fuck it.”

With the curse she loosens her grip, he uses the jet in one of his boots to lightly manipulate the place of his fall and ends up falling on top of one of them.

As the dust around him flies, the men all back stay high on alert before coming out of the brown cloud and grabs his gun, pulling him in. The others suffered the same thing and in ten minutes there was only Bhairava standing as the dust settled.

“Incoming.” 

He looks up when Buiji speaks in time to notice her grip slipping. Without a second thought, he uses on of the men fallen on his knees and the one working jet to reach minimum height to catch her and landing back on ground.

“You okay?” 

He surprises himself when he asks the question to the female cradled in his arms ever so gently, who looks up into his eyes and he suddenly realises how pretty her eyes were and how long her lashes were and what the fuck Bhairava.

He lets her stand on his own feet once he catches where his train of thoughts was headed. For a moment the two of them stay awkwardly silent before she seems to realise something and raises her arm.

“What? You think I saved because of some good feelings? no I have a payment left.” 

Right. How can he forget how people were? He clicked his wrist against her and she grinned, a small smile settling on his lips unknowingly.

“Thanks, I hope you enjoyed my services and see you again. Never.”

She says, taking a small bow before handing him the controller and then walking off. Something in him twists uncomfortably as he sees her walk off, trying to get a look on her wound but he decides to walk back to his home too.

For the rest of the day he busies himself with work but something seems to be eating at him and it was so so so annoying. Damn it why Buiji had to pick her. 

It was around 2 am in the night when everything started coming to a full circle.

“Yes. Bhairava 5 star bounty!!” 

Buiji speaks and he slides out from under the car that was slowly coming together, as the a.i. shows him the bounty. 

“Mahavidya, professional thief. Wanted by : the complex? Damn.  Wanted for : various valuable thefts from complex property.”

The request didn't make sense as to why Buiji sounded like a plan as been successful until well the pick showed up. 

The woman was familiar, the same hood, the same mask, the same jacket but most of all he recognized those eyes. Just a few hours ago he realised how beautiful these same eyes were.

“What the hell?” He grumbles, this was the a.i.’s big plan for hiring her? So she has to steal something from the complex and come in their radar and they but a bounty on her head.

“But why help me build his vehicle if it was this easy!?”

He asked, he felt used and he didn't like the feeling one bit.

“Because working in a complex gives you a much better life than simply getting in there. We have everything set up don't tell me you love that woman suddenly?” 

He snorts out loud.

“Don't be ridiculous, there is no such thing as love. That is all nothing but talk in legends."

“Then let's go on hunting."

There is a long pause as he looks at the controller lying on the desk.

“Let's go hunting.”

It takes him a day to pinpoint where she was but he finds her, running across the roofs once again, her mask and hood pulled up as she raises against some of her competitors.

Something pains in his chest as he climbs up the building beside him and her way, hiding from her vision. 

He decided to not think much and just grabs her as she runs past him, pulling her back. The sudden killing of the moment makes her fall back and he catches her on instinct.

Their gazes come to match again, as they stare at each other before she pushes him to stand up.

“You- Which one of your jobs did I ruin this time for you to drag me away from another one of mine.”

She huffed, turning off the mask, her lower half visible and voice more clear and why does his chest hurt? The words die on his tongue as she taps his feet waiting for them.

“None. You're the job this time.”

Wow Buiji really is cold.

Bhairava doesn't have time to curse at the a.i. on his shoulder before it flashes the same bounty screen for her look at.

“You really are an asshole.” 

He thinks he hears betrayal in her voice but the air gets knocked out of him when she kicks him right in the gut. For the first few blows he only defends himself before a punch to his face has him retaliating back and punching her in the gut.

The woman doubles over as he wipes the corner of his mouth free from the blood. He misses a weak hit towards his face but it does send the a.i. flying off his shoulder, he counters it with a kick, pushing her away. 

Feelings are bullshit he doesn't have time for, no one in this world had, he will just hand her over and get those one million units.

The woman growls getting back at him by kicking his legs from under him and straddling his waist to bring punch after punch down on him, a few he managed to block but at least three she managed to land on his cheek bone.

Gritting his teeth he grabs her by the neck and slams her down to the floor, hard. He got up, glaring at her as he pants while she groans on the floor. 

Standing up he goes to bind her hands with cuffs but she kicks him unexpectedly with quite some force, sending him stumbling back and hitting his head hard on one of the rods kept in the drums.

His vision blurs a little, she makes out her heading for him, pulling out a rod and swinging it hard enough to knock him down. 

But before the next hit, he hears her yelp and a number of black figures flying in. He weakly tries to get up but his body gives out and everything goes black.

-------

tags : @mayakimayahai @warnermeadowsgirl @vijayasena @voidsteffy @jkdaddy01 @rambheem-is-real @allari-ammayi @mellaga-karagani @ulaganayagi @ahamasmiyodhah @ranisingnewyetagian @myvarya @toomanyfanficsbruh @harinishivaa @chaliyaaa @houseofbreadpakoda

[nico-di-genova]

Late Night Talks - Strollonso

Written for the prompt: [Lance and Fernando] dead-tired in bed, curled up to each other and they keep making dumb jokes and laughing at them

Warnings: NSFW, not super explicit, but mentioned.

@raapija hopefully this is sort of what you were looking for, I started with answering your prompt and then it just sort of got away from me.

Post Singapore is quickly becoming Lance’s least favorite post-race kind of feel, second only to Qatar which exists in a league of its own. He doesn’t do well in the heat, his body acclimated to colder climates and snow that comes up to his knees. Miami is about the closest he’ll come to acceptable humidity, and only when he can couple it with the lukewarm temperature of the ocean and the salty spray that comes from zipping through the waves on the back of a boat’s tow. But Singapore is the sort of wet heat that clings to you until you can’t breathe around it, it makes driving a car for two hours in on-the-limit conditions near impossible.

“I feel disgusting,” he complains to Fernando, drying the back of his wet hair with a hotel towel and grimacing. He still feels like he has sweat clogging his pores, embedded in his hair follicles, couldn’t seem to get himself clean no matter how hard he scrubbed at his skin.

Fernando, who had taken a shower in his own room because if they had shared it wouldn’t have resulted in attempting to get clean at all, wears a matching expression of discomfort. He’s sprawled across Lance’s bed, in nothing but his boxers and normally that would inspire something in Lance. But sex, especially with Fernando, is a sweaty endeavor and he would like to avoid adding to his already uncomfortable state.

Doesn’t stop him from getting hard anyway, noticeably tenting the towel low on his hips.

Fernando arches an eyebrow, peaks down at Lance through heavy-lidded eyes.

“No, ignore that.”

“Hard to ignore,” Fernando quips, but he’s just as exhausted as Lance and it shows when he doesn’t make an effort to sit up and pull Lance closer. Instead he closes his eyes and readjusts his arm where it’s resting under his head, lets out a sigh that Lance knows is a prelude to quiet snores.

“Don’t fall asleep there,” he complains, shucking off the towel long enough to slide on his own underwear, “You’re taking up the whole bed, asshole.”

He still needs to brush his teeth, probably make an attempt at skincare before the grime of the day sets in and breakouts quickly follow. But standing is beginning to take a lot of effort. It’s like he can feel the weight of the heat bearing down on his shoulders, even though they’re inside, can still feel it pressing on his chest. It’s a good thing they have a late flight tomorrow because Lance’s future plans include nothing more but sleeping until the bone deep exhaustion makes its way out of him.

Fernando hasn’t moved, still lays with his knees hanging off the bed, one arm flung out beside him, legs spread just as wide, like he’s intentionally trying to take up as much space as possible. He nudges Fernando’s knee with his own and it’s the only warning the man gets before Lance is collapsing down beside him, the full weight of him landing on Fernando’s outstretched arm and half on top of his body. They’re laying sideways on the bed, and Lance is too tall for this, immediately finds it uncomfortable. But Fernando smells nice, and he’s warm where Lance presses up against him, so he allows it for the time being. Even if Fernando’s arm is bony and uncomfortable where it’s digging into Lance’s side.

“You are still wet,” Fernando grumbles, still with his eyes closed, still half-asleep, “Off.”

“It’s my bed, old man,”

They share a hotel room most nights now, the separate bookings nothing more than a charade, but they are still technically in Lance’s room. Ignoring Fernando’s griping, he presses closer, throws a leg over the man’s body, finds the crook of Fernando’s neck and nuzzles his nose there, lets his wet hair brush against Fernando’s cheek, until Fernando is wriggling away in discomfort. Annoyance is not a tactic he employs frequently, nor is it one that typically works on Fernando, but it works tonight.

“Like a soggy cat,” Fernando chastises, and then sits up, taking his comforting scent and presence with him.

Lance smiles, satisfied, shifts until he’s right way up on the bed and can let his damp hair soak into the pillows. Fernando lets him get comfortable and then he lays back down, this time with his head resting on Lance’s chest, an area devoid of the moisture from the shower. His breathing evens out pretty quickly, tells Lance he’s quickly drifting back toward unconsciousness. One of his hands splays across Lance’s bare stomach, low enough that his fingers brush along the hair there.

And now it’s his turn to be annoying, because Fernando knows he’s sensitive, uses it to his advantage when he lets his pinkie inch down further.

“This is a dangerous game,” he warns, feels himself grow harder in his underwear.

He can feel when Fernando smiles against him, prickly beard rubbing against the raw skin of his chest with the curl of his lips, “You don’t want to play?”

“Too tired. It would be pretty boring, anyway. I don’t wanna move,” Lance lying flat on his back, Fernando half asleep, both of them pawing at each other’s dicks with flagging interest until the exhaustion won out and the draining adrenaline finally took the last bit of energy they had left. He doubts he could even cum, as tired as he is. And if he did he’d have to trudge back to the shower because no way is he waking up in the morning with cum dried tacky on his stomach alongside the inevitable sweat from being pressed next to Fernando, the human furnace, during the night.

Fernando laughs, quiet, rumbling, “You are a pillow princess anyway.”

“Hey.”

“Is true.”

“It is n-“ he thinks of last night, how Fernando had tried to goad Lance into riding him and he’d made himself more at home on his back. He liked looking up at Fernando, liked burying his head in the crook of his neck and scratching desperately at his back. All things that were pretty hard to do if he was sitting in the air having to dictate the rhythm himself. Lance wasn’t lazy, he just knew what he liked, so sue him.

Fernando knows he’s won when Lance changes the subject. “How do you even know that word?” he’s absentmindedly threading his fingers through Fernando’s hair, the strands mostly dry where Lance’s was still soaking into the pillow. His hair is soft, always well-maintained, soothes something inside Lance because the texture is familiar.

Fernando hums, pleased. Lance tries not to preen at the sound. Pillow princess his ass, he likes to make Fernando feel good too. He can put in the work. If the work is done easily on the comfort of his back.

“I am only forty-two, Lance. Not so old I do not know things.”

“One foot in the grave practically.”

Fernando scoffs, pinches Lance’s stomach in retaliation, “Yes. We go shopping for my headstone tomorrow, pick out flowers.”

Age used to be a thing between them. Back when this started a year ago. When Lance was twenty-four and Fernando still looked at him like he was seeing that kid standing in the Ferrari garage. It had been a thing approximately until the moment Lance took matters into his own hands, took Fernando’s cock in his mouth with practiced ease and any internalized war Fernando was fighting went right out the window. And then it had resurfaced with force the first time Fernando fucked him so hard he was sobbing into the sheets, the sex quickly aborted when Fernando got scared he’d done something wrong, no matter how many times Lance tried to promise it was only that he’d been doing everything right. So they’d had to have a serious discussion, establish boundaries, ensure Lance was in the right headspace to be in a relationship with a man he’d known since he was nine. Now they could joke about it, had put in the work so that the gap in their ages no longer mattered.

“A suit too?” Lance teases, accompanying the press of his words with the pads of his fingers against the base of Fernando’s skull, a pressure he knows helps because of all the times Fernando has done it for him.

Fernando laughs again, more gravely, barely there, “We are planning a funeral or a wedding?”

Lance thinks, stares up at the ceiling and tries to think of a reply that won’t leave him sounding strangled. Wedding. He is startled to find he likes that word, likes it coming from Fernando’s mouth with the concept of Fernando being the person waiting for him at the altar.

“Both. Two birds with one stone,” and then the image of a funeral wedding, both of them standing in a half-dug grave, an arch being replaced with a gravestone, becomes suddenly so funny he can’t stop giggling at the thought of it. “We could leave the reception in a hearse.”

It maybe speaks to his level of exhaustion that he can’t seem to stop laughing at the nonsensical turn in the conversation.

Fernando is still smiling, Lance can still feel it, “You are weird.” He says, and Lance can hear the alternate meaning in the statement, how fond it sounds.

“Been called worse,” Lance jokes, makes sure it stays that, because they both know there’s an element of truth to it. “You almost podium and you are talking about funeral weddings. Strange.”

Oh, yeah, P4. Singapore maybe had taken so much out of him because he’d pushed himself to nearly P3 with nothing but pure spite to fuel him. .3 of a second back from Sergio, chasing the unfamiliar sight of a Red Bull to the finish. He’d felt the desperate need to make up for last year, shut up a certain faction of people that couldn’t seem to keep his name out of their mouths. It wasn’t a podium though, only nearly one, so he still wasn’t particularly satisfied. Fernando had carried most of the excitement for him, praising him in post-race interviews and hugging him as soon as they climbed out of their cars. Lance had already seen pictures of the moment caught from his still active onboard, Fernando’s hand drifting to its natural place at his waist, the other on the back of his helmet. There was of course no sound, so no one had heard the praise Fernando showered him with before they went to be weighed.

‘So proud, cariño. So proud.’

“Almost a podium, Nano. It was P4,” Lance says now, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand, slinking down further into the pillows. Fernando shuffles with the movement, until he’s beside Lance and then they’re both on their sides, parallel to each other. Fernando’s arm wraps around his waist, pulls him closer.

Lance studies the wrinkles forming at the corners of Fernando’s eyes, reaches out to trail the pad of his thumb along them. It is probably one of his favorite features, the mark of years’ worth of laughter. Lance likes to think of Fernando happy, likes when he can make Fernando smile enough that the lines deepen. He doesn’t like when Fernando presses his lips together as he’s doing now, a thin line of dissatisfaction.

“Still a good result.”

Lance concedes, “Yeah, it wasn’t bad.” Could have been better, would have been if he’d been able to manage his tires better on the entry to turn seven like his engineer had requested.

He yawns again, curls closer to Fernando so now he’s the one with his head tucked under Fernando’s chin. If they were still outside, still in their cars, the warmth rolling off Fernando would be unbearable. But the temperature of the hotel has been set to freezing, so his body is beginning to return to a stable level of self-regulation.

“Next time you will get around Perez.”

“He’s in a rocket ship, man. You want me to teleport to P3?” He mumbles against Fernando’s neck, eyes drifting shut, weight of his body sinking further into the mattress.

“Lawrence can hire people. Make that possible. He would invent this for you, I think.”

They both laugh, and then Fernando is rambling something about holding Sergio back next race, letting Lance take P3, and then P2 and then, impossibly, they both know, P1. It’s half in French, half in the bits of Spanish Lance is picking up but is too tired to follow, and then it trails off into nothing because Fernando finally lets the exhaustion win. Lance follows behind not long after.

When they wake in the morning it is to the ringing of Fernando’s phone, to the frantic texts buzzing through on Lance’s. They missed their flight, which means the morning sex isn’t rushed. It means that Lance gets to lay on his back, lazy and selfish, while Fernando teases him but continues to thrust with measured accuracy above him. He lets Fernando mark the skin at the nape of his neck as compensation for doing all the work, lets him suck at the soft skin there until Lance is sure the hickey will take a while to fade.

And maybe Singapore isn’t that bad after all. Despite the heat. Lance thinks he could justify the humidity like he does for Miami, if P4, senseless late night talks, and Fernando’s smile when Lance pants his name are the reward for enduring the climate. It all feels worth it in the end.

[minkdelovely]

love and power

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chapter four

“take what you want.”

Alastor x Fem!Reader ; MDNI 18+ ; [y/n] used sparingly ; Alias in Hell is Sylvie

tags/warnings: blood, flies, poisoning, mentions of nausea, descriptions of: violence ; cannibalism. ; suffocation ; and murder, kinda angsty?, slow burn eventual: smut

word count: 3.4k

author’s note: just a quick little note here for something i felt the need to clarify. there’s a moment that would have been perfect for alastor’s microphone but i am working under the fact that it’s still broken, which (to me) carries too much significance for his character and i don’t know how to magically fix it for him 🥲 i just realized i haven’t explicitly addressed why it hasn’t been mentioned at all and wanted to explain myself lol

prelude ; chapter one ; chapter two ; chapter three ; chapter four ; chapter five ; chapter six ; chapter seven ; chapter eight ; chapter nine ; chapter ten: part one ; chapter ten: part two

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Seeing the distress on your face, Angel put a hand on your shoulder and tried to do damage control. “Whoa, babe, it’s okay! It’s probably just a coincidence — forget I said anything, all right? It was a gag!” 

You had been doing so well at keeping Donny from your mind today, but you could feel the panic welling up again. As the blood drained from your face, your mind raced with questions. How did Angel know it was Donny that you had attacked yesterday? How did they know each other — through work? Was someone looking for whoever had been responsible for it? What would happen if they found out it was you?

He peered over you and gave Alastor a nervous look. If you were shrinking against the static you felt building behind you, you didn’t even want to know what his face was looking like right now. But the thought of Angel being in Alastor’s line of fire was worse.

“But that was his name,” you said, giving them each a quick look. “Or at least that’s what I heard his friend call him.”

“Perhaps the elevator isn’t the best place for this,” Alastor said cooly, stepping forward to push the button that re-started your descent. He pivoted to face you and Angel and you felt admonished under his gaze. “Sylvie and I are on our way out, but if you’re free this evening Angel, we can discuss this more in private. I have some questions of my own.”

“It’s a date, Smiles,” Angel cooed, happy to diffuse the tension, and you felt yourself relax when he gave your shoulder a little squeeze. “I knew it was only a matter of time before you’d invite me up to your room.”

Alastor’s smile strained as his gaze wandered from Angel to you, leering. “Who said anything about my room?” 

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The walk into the city had been quiet, the tension from the elevator ride not yet fully gone. You knew Alastor’s good mood from yesterday wouldn’t last forever, but nothing could have prepared you for Angel’s ambush. How were you just supposed to sit with this until tonight? Your mind was still going in circles with questions, but what you really couldn’t let go of was how upset you had gotten at the sound of Donny’s name. Last night you thought you had made some kind of peace with your actions, but apparently you weren’t quite there yet.

It wasn’t so much the murder that bothered you, since you knew he’d eventually recover. Besides, it’s not like it was something you technically hadn’t done before. Though what happened with your grandmother was different; you’d poisoned her for starters. The rest was damage control and you died in the process so… karma. 

It was the rage you displayed that was chilling. You had never lost control like that before, no matter how upset you had been. And even though you had thrown up, you never thought — no. It was still too much to think about and your stomach turned in response, threatening to evacuate what little was in there.

You were so lost in thought it wasn’t until you were nearly standing in it that you realized Alastor had brought you to the alley. He really was such a menace. Donny was nowhere to be seen but the large pool of blood left behind had baked into the concrete. The bag with the liver was there as well, rotting in the afternoon sun.

“Is this the bag you were muttering about earlier?” Alastor asked, leaning over it with his arms crossed behind his back. You had forgotten about letting that slip while you were cleaning, your headache getting the best of you in a moment of weakness. Alastor hadn’t been moved.

He seemed unbothered by the putrid smell that you were actively trying not to gag on. Flies escaped the bag as he inspected it with the tip of his shoe and you grit your teeth in disgust at the sight. Alastor looked over at you when you didn’t respond right away, his neck bent at an unnatural angle to make eye contact. You managed a nod in confirmation, too nauseous to dare open your mouth to answer. Had he really brought you here just to see if you had been lying about it? Or did he just want to see you squirm? Probably both.

You nearly fainted when he reached inside the bag, sending more flies on their way, and held the soggy, rancid parcel in his hand. Enjoying your repulsion, he made a show of inspecting it. The glittering smile on his face one of the more genuine displays you’d witnessed. 

“Such a shame. This would have made a great surprise,” he said as his hand turned over, the liver falling to the ground in a resounding, wet slap. 

Almost instinctually, your hand went to your mouth, drawing out a lighthearted chuckle from Alastor. He wiped off his hand and made his way back to you then, and you trailed slightly behind him down the street. Neither of you noticed the drone.

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Alastor was beginning to feel… impatient.

Considering the ordeal yesterday, he hadn’t expected you to be in the best of moods but you had started the morning off with some promise until Angel Dust appeared in the elevator. His lip twitched at the thought. What a fucking disaster that had turned out to be! The gray cloud hanging over you since then had only seemed to build, despite his effort to snap you out of it by popping into the alley.

Of course that had been mostly, if not solely, for his own pleasure. It was disappointing but not surprising that your victim Donny had been retrieved. Alastor had recognized the name of course, recalling how Valentino was shouting at his phone as he left the dry cleaners. It just had to be one of his little toys that you messed with, didn’t it? Not that you had known, but it was only a matter of time before that garish buffoon would find out about you. And despite it all, the dried blood that nearly reached from wall-to-wall was such a marvelous sight — what a mess you had made! A job well-done indeed, though it had put him in a bind. 

He knew you weren’t going to have the same appreciation for it that he did, and your disgust at his performance with the spoiled liver had been fun enough. He hadn’t been lying when he said it would have made a great surprise. But none of that had done anything to cheer you, and now you weren’t even keeping pace, walking behind him like a kicked dog. Hell, you certainly looked like one, the sullenness on your face threatening to break his own composure by the second. This wouldn’t do, not for the last free afternoon that he had you at his disposal. 

Alastor paused, ignoring how you ran into him and cursed, his attention on a cafe across the street he was fairly certain he had visited before. Perhaps sitting down to chat would help. It was lunchtime, anyway.

“Let’s stop in there,” he said, looking down at you, taking care to point out the cafe. Lord knows your poor soul needed all the direction it could get right now.

“I thought you wanted something from the butcher?” you questioned, eyeing him and the cafe with suspicion. 

The Radio Demon narrowed his eyes, smile tight, his shadow pulling free of him for a moment. If he wasn’t on the verge of being pissed off your question would’ve been funny; a feeble attempt at seeming to know his mind. And as of now, he was not in a laughing mood. Were you really so self-absorbed that you couldn’t tell you were on thin ice? A reset was definitely in order.

“Can’t a fellow change his mind? That rigidity of yours puts such a sour mood on everything! You seem to be full of nasty little habits,” Alastor sneered, pleased to have gotten under your skin as you scowled at him.

He didn’t wait for you as he made his way across the street, knowing you’d follow whether you wanted to or not.

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Being treated to lunch wasn’t something you had ever expected from Alastor. Impossible didn’t even begin to describe this scenario. It was just so… cordial. He always took his meals alone at the hotel, making Rosie the only person you knew he would willingly dine with. And there was no way sitting down to a table with you would equate to that. Rosie was a peer — a friend! You were not and never would be.

That much was evident when he had held the door open for you, clearly forcing his hand. Outwardly, it would have appeared a genteel act but you knew better, even without the self-righteousness on his face as you quietly entered the cafe. What else could you have done but obey? It’s not like you could run away, having already felt the ominous tug on your neck as he walked across the street. 

He had left you at the table to order at the counter, and you watched as the cashier struggled to maintain his composure in Alastor’s presence, seemingly scared to death. It was the first time you had ever seen someone outside of the hotel interact with him, you realized. Alastor was being polite enough, though nothing seemed to reign in his air of superiority. The look in his red eyes told you all you needed to know: he loved having power over others. Whether it came from a place of fear or respect didn’t matter as long as he had the upper hand. This was the demon you belonged to.

When he joined you at the table, you could tell he was in a bit of a better mood. Despite the means to get here, you silently thanked the cashier for cowering. Hopefully he had softened whatever blow Alastor had in store for you. Though the placid look Alastor was giving you made you fidgety. Could be the calm before the storm…

“You’ve been testing my patience,” he finally said, waiting for the boy from the register to leave the table after dropping off two coffees. “But luckily for you, there are more important things I’d like to discuss. I’ve had quite a busy morning, not that you bothered to ask.”

It took all you had not to roll your eyes but you managed to keep a straight face, feeling his temper writhing just under the surface of his calm facade. But you had been with him nearly all morning. Or did his suite magically clean itself? What could possibly have happened in between those few gaps? Especially something you’d want or even know to ask about. And if I’d asked, you wouldn’t have told me, you thought indignantly.

“I’m sorry… the whole thing with Angel just really threw me off,” you said as sincerely as you could. It wasn’t a lie, after all. “And I don’t think going to the alley helped, either,” you added, eyes flitting from him to your coffee. Bold, but also not a lie.

He chuckled into his cup. “I’ll concede to that. I thought it would be funny, but I shouldn’t expect you to share my taste in humor. You’re still so new, and all that. But I worry if you don’t shake that mortal way of thinking you’ll wither, my dear, and that would be a shame. If you’ll allow me, I’d take great pleasure in helping you fix that.”

You were unsure of how to react. Technically, he didn’t need to ask your permission for anything, so was this just the illusion of giving you a choice only to end up as a trap? It felt as if there was always something just out of reach whenever he spoke to you like this, like the fine print in a contract. He was only direct when he was upset, which you’d prefer if you were being honest. Anger you could take — understand, even. But this? You were just spinning your wheels. 

“So, what, I’m not doing the afterlife right, or something?” It had been somewhat of a joke, but the look he gave you was smug.

“That’s precisely what I’m saying. You’ve been dead a few months now, yes? But the moral compass you’re adhering to won’t benefit you here. Take Donny for instance,” he said, eyes brightening as you flinched at the name. “What’s bothering you so much about it? He provoked you, didn’t he? Regale me with your account!”

He made a show of settling in his chair, adjusting his coat and crossing his legs, apparently content to sit for hours if that’s what it took for you to open up. You remembered him asking you to tell him what Donny had done when you were walking back to the hotel yesterday, but wasn’t that just teasing? The expectant look on Alastor’s face begged to differ. 

So you told him.

To your surprise, he sat there and listened as the words spilled from your mouth. Your intent hadn’t been to ramble, but he didn’t seem bothered by it as you took him through the events of yesterday morning. Eventually getting to how you had been so close to making it back in time, only to be cornered and harassed; a sick twist of fate just for wanting to be prepared. He was calm as you told him how Donny had grabbed you and licked the tears off your face, but you could’ve sworn you saw his eye twitch.

“And then I just… lost it, I don’t know,” you sighed, hiding your face in your hands. “I was just so mad! Like who the fuck did he think he was, touching me like that? And my body just reacted before my mind could catch up. But then when it was all over, I…,” you paused and let out a breath, fighting against the turmoil in your stomach from what you were preparing to say next. “I can still feel how my teeth punctured his skin. I can hear the sound it made, even more than the screaming. I didn’t even know I was swallowing it all until…”

You stopped then, the tingling in your throat painful, your coffee long forgotten and cold. He had been there for the rest of it, what more was there to say? Did he really want to know how every sip of liquid or bite of food since then had been nearly-impossible tasks? How you had sobbed in the shower as you watched the blood stream down your legs and into the drain? Or how you barely managed to look yourself in the mirror because it felt like someone else was looking back? Those didn’t seem like details he’d be interested in.

In fact, weren’t they the very things he was inferring your morality had burdened you with? You’d only be making his point for him, and somewhere in your mind you concurred. You didn’t want to be saddled with this misery forever, but the person you always thought you were was slipping away, and you just wanted to cling to whatever pieces you had left. Horror was a welcome pill to swallow. It meant that you hadn’t completely enjoyed what you had done. 

Because part of you had enjoyed it.

You thought of your grandmother again. In life, there had been countless times you made yourself small for the sake of accommodation. No telling how many words had died in your throat because it was easier not to say them. So as you watched her fall out of that godforsaken chair she loved so much, gasping for air that wouldn’t come as she crawled on her hands and knees, you relished it. She had pushed you to your limit and was finally paying the price. Appalling as it was, for the first time in your life you had felt strong. 

Killing Donny hadn’t left you with the same feeling of victory as killing your grandmother had, though. What his intentions for you had been, you’d probably never know, but they definitely weren’t anything good. In that sense you were very glad to have gotten to him first and, to a certain extent, would do it all over again if need be. But none of this was information you felt like confessing to Alastor.

“And here I was, hoping that the cannibals had rubbed off on you,” Alastor mourned, resting his chin in his hand. “So eating him is what’s upset you, not the murder?” You couldn’t ignore the glimmer in his eye or the insinuation behind it.

“You’re generalizing,” you chided, sighing as you crossed your arms. You were feeling very tired now. “But yes, if that answers your question. He’ll heal eventually and he would have hurt me if I hadn’t done what I did.”

“That’s true enough,” he agreed, pushing back from the table to stand. He offered you a hand and you took it, feeling slightly stiff from sitting so long. “I suppose you’re not as hopeless as I thought, but my offer still stands. I think under the right circumstance, you could learn to enjoy it.”

You scoffed. Was he serious? “Was that really what you wanted to talk to me about? I’m not trying to eat people for fun.”

Alastor didn’t answer, but his smile was wicked as he took your arm in his as you left the cafe. You did your best not to imagine what thoughts could be passing in his mind, but felt relief all the same seeing him in a better mood again.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

The two of you had barely entered the lobby when Angel sprang off the couch in the parlor, looking irritated and worn out. “Fucking finally! We need to—”

Alastor couldn’t help but wonder if he was the only creature in this realm that understood the art of subtlety. Hadn’t the debacle in the elevator been enough for one day? Was he doomed forever to salvage any bit of decorum that he could come across? It was truly lamentable.

“Sylvie, why don’t you go prepare my room for the evening? I’d prefer to speak with Angel alone,” Alastor said, removing your arm from his as he turned to face Angel Dust. He could feel his shadow threatening to separate from him, but scaring the boy would be counterproductive. “Shall we head to yours?”

He ignored your huff of frustration at being dismissed, but was grateful you didn’t fight him on it. It’s not a battle you would have won anyway. As soon as he saw that you were in the elevator, Alastor’s shadow enveloped the two of them, re-materializing in Angel’s room.

“Remind me to never let you do that again,” Angel grimaced, rubbing his arms squeamishly. “I feel dirty, and that’s sayin’ a lot.”

Alastor’s patience was threatening to snap, and he didn’t succeed in maintaining a pleasant tone when he spoke. “Why don’t we discuss whatever it was you were about to shout in the lobby? Or was the urgency just an act?”

Angel scoffed. “Hey, fuck you, all right? I was just tryin’ to help, and now I’ve been roped into your bullshit! Val’s been blowin’ up my fuckin’ phone all afternoon — he said a drone caught you and Sylvie in an alley or some shit?”

Alastor’s eyes went black, his pupils switched to dials. Fuck. This was all happening much sooner than Alastor had planned for. He had originally planned to ask Angel what Valentino had known in regard to Donny, hoping to have the upper hand and confront the cretin on his own terms. But now the ball was in Valentino’s court… and he had brought it upon himself. He just had to go back to that fucking alley earlier, didn’t he? Alastor could feel the rage threatening to consume him, but that would have to wait until he had a moment to himself. 

“What does he want?” he managed to ask without venom, antlers growing despite himself.

“I don’t know, but he won’t quit houndin’ me,” Angel huffed, sitting on the edge of his bed. “He wasn’t even pissed off about Donny, he thought it was funny! That piece of shit barely gets work anyway. But now he knows you’re involved and said he wants to meet up you know where. Whatever the fuck that means…” 

Alastor sighed, eyes returning to red, and wiped off his monocle if only to keep his hands busy. He’d hate to strangle Angel Dust by mistake. It would be difficult to explain, and besides, he wasn’t one to shoot the messenger.

“Tell him I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. I’ll do what I can to ensure he keeps you out of it going forward,” Alastor said in a clipped voice, blood dripping down the corner of his mouth. He disappeared from the room before Angel could respond.

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tag list: @fairyv-ice, @wat4r, @midorichoco, @raynerrold

[k-dokja]

Prelude to a request because the asker wanted fluff but I went a little hard with the angst.

No matter where he goes, you will follow. Even if it's not a smart thing to do.

You spend more time looking after Vinny's mom than he does these days. Nothing to fault him about, you know. He has been in a desperate spot to secure money for her hospital bill. Even if this takes more out of your time in the day, you don't mind if it means it would help him.

And besides, you know he wouldn't open his mouth to ask you for help unless you try to pry it open. Even then, it'd be a battle and a half with Vinny. He never likes to make it easy for anyone, him more than everyone.

Nothing to fault him about, again. You know that. That's why you are here because Vinny would try to shoulder everything on his own if given the choice. Having you around comforts him, but he won't admit it to your face. The moment he confesses that truth would be the moment he makes the choice to burden you.

All posturing and no care for his own hide. You sigh at the thought, it's probably worse now that he distanced himself from his old friends. But Vinny had made a decision and for want of a better choice, you can only support him how you can.

"You should go home, it's late."

Keep reading

You don't even know when he arrives or when you've begun to space out while working on your assignment. It has become a habit at this point, you think. After taking care of his mom for the whole evening, you squeeze in time to finish your schoolwork. It's a bit tedious but you never mind. Any complaint to Vinny would have him doubled down on pushing you away.

You zip your lips shut and put on a smile for him because any otherwise would be unnecessary stress on his shoulder. "I didn't even notice the time," you say, "don't you have a race today?"

"No." He shuffles around the hospital room, putting away the groceries you mentioned running low on yesterday. You watch him, not knowing how to fill this silence. It's strange to be in this position, where defying him would be what makes him happy yet it's also tearing him apart.

Vinny is drowning and he's trying to push you away to stop you from sinking with him. You're stupid and stubborn and in your vain hope to save him, you grip his arms to keep him on this feeble raft like a miracle would happen if you hold on long enough.

"Come on, clean up." He's in front of you and you've spaced out again. "I'll take you home."

You stare up at him then back down at the assignments in front of you. Half of them were done in the few hours you have to spare, and the other half you've planned to stay up late in the night to finish. It must be frustrating for him to look at you, keeping up your education and staying a good student while dating him.

It's strange. You can see all of it. You can understand where he's coming from, but you don't know if you can make the choice to let him sink.

"Okay."

You didn't ask about his new motorcycle when he showed up with it like you didn't ask about many other things with his current business. From time to time, you watched him race, in person or on live stream, but you've found that it was too much sometimes. Vinny never pushed for you to do anything and sometimes you hated that anyone but Vinny could see he was breaking down.

But telling him that would make him close up further, and you hated your helplessness more than anything.

It's Vinny. Your Vinny. He feels the same when you hug him. His body is warm in your arms and even while he speeds down the night streets, you don't feel cold.

Vinny keeps his distance but he puts his coat on you before you get on his bike. Vinny refuses to make eye contact but he fastens the helmet on your head. Vinny won't tell you anything about how he's hurting but his grip tightens when he holds your hand.

You accept those signs and convince your mind that it's better than nothing.

He stays quiet the whole ride, but you expect there is not much talking to be had anyway. Even when he slows to a stop in front of your house, he won't say anything. You get down wordlessly, but your fingers grip the leather of his jacket to stop him from leaving.

"Are you going back to the hospital?"

"No," he says, "Mom's doing fine for now, I'll check in with her tomorrow."

"Right, tomorrow is Saturday," you say, "do you have any plans for the weekend?"

He replies without thinking, "Work," he adds, "I'm also trying to apply a new pedal technique."

It's the most he has shared with you in the past week. You sigh, you don't know if you should feel grateful because he doesn't shut down completely. You know he has been training a lot, you see his improvement in his races, too. It's a good thing and at the same time it isn't, you try to not think too much about it.

"Are you busy after this?"

"...No." You can't see what face he's making with his helmet obscuring his face, "Why?"

"I want to stay with you."

"...It's late," There is fatigue in his voice, but you're stubborn and stupid, you won't let go.

"I want to stay with you." You again, firmer this time.

He stares ahead. The cogs in his head are whirring to life, trying to figure out a way to argue with you. But you can see the slouch on his shoulders. He's tired. You are, too. Keeping up pretence is nothing but silly at this point.

"Your guardians..." He says, like a final stand in front of your demand. It doesn't work when you clamber back on behind him, holding him tighter than before.

"They aren't home at the moment," you say, "it's fine."

It's a weird image. You are in your school uniform and Vinny is far from the image of a model student. But whatever difference there is between you, it won't put you away from him. You wait for his next protest, anything to push you back when you've crossed this far to the other side of the line.

It doesn't come. His hand touches yours for a brief moment before he starts the engine again. "Okay." is all he said. Instantly, your hold relaxes, because you know he won't push you away. Not this time, at least. Nothing about this is smart, you know that.

Better you cut your losses and run away before he takes you down with him, but the idea of leaving him alone down there in the dark depth terrifies you more than any hurt you will receive from him. So you stay because you're stubborn and stupid.

And he is, too.

[justaninchident-f1xreader]

max verstappen x reader part6

(incase you missed part5- https://www.tumblr.com/justaninchident-f1xreader/740324463671902208/max-verstappen-x-reader-part5?source=share )

themes-

ferrari female driver jealousy enemies to lovers possible spice (i will put the warning accordingly)

warnings- spicy thoughts? not really tho, so don't worry lovelies

chapter 6 - well shit, i want him.

The week after Monaco was a masterclass in unspoken tension. Y/N and Max existed in separate orbits, their usual bantering replaced by a glacial silence. Lunch at the paddock was as cold as the champagne in their unused flutes. Practice sessions held an undercurrent of suppressed energy, each maneuver seeming a veiled challenge.

Lando, oblivious to the storm brewing around his friends, uploaded a picture from his wild post-race celebration. Y/N, perched piggyback on his shoulders, grinned into the camera, her fiery hair cascading down his back. The caption, "ride or die" was innocent enough, yet to Max, it felt like a public declaration of ownership. (post below- purely playful, purely platonic)

He stared at his phone, the screen burning his fingertips. Jealousy, a venomous serpent, coiled in his gut, but he pushed it down, refusing to acknowledge its existence. Yet, his scowl deepened as the day wore on, the image of Y/N perched on Lando's back like a forbidden trophy etching itself into his mind.

Later that evening, at a swanky sponsor event, Max found himself surrounded by a gaggle of glamorous models. One, a statuesque blonde with eyes the color of polished sapphires, draped herself across him, her hand slithering onto his bicep. Max barely registered her touch, his gaze still haunted by the ghost of Y/N's laughter.

But across the room, Y/N saw. The spark in her eyes ignited, green flames licking at the edges. Her smile, once playful, twisted into a sardonic smirk. For the first time that week, Max saw a crack in her facade, a glimpse of the fiery spirit burning beneath her carefully constructed composure.

And suddenly, his own suppressed jealousy roared to life. He couldn't stand the thought of another man laying claim to her, even in the most superficial way. His gaze met hers, a silent challenge across the crowded room. This wasn't about Lando or the blonde model; it was about control, about the unspoken possession that simmered beneath the surface of their rivalry.

The game had shifted. No longer content with playing it cool, Max felt the need to make his stake, to ignite the fire in Y/N's eyes, even if it meant burning himself in the process. The air crackled with their unspoken emotions, a prelude to a battle far more explosive than any they'd fought on the track.

author's note - omg lovelies they are both jealous now yipee, and now things get spicy and good so stay tuned <3

[threepandas]

The Vod's List: Part 2

You know the worst part about the Republic standard hazard mask? No, not the "for dealing WITH hazardous materials" one. The "your species can be fully or partially CONSIDERED one, so to interact with the rest of polite society you gotta wear protection so we don't DIE" one. THAT hazard mask. From the set.

Yeah, you the worst part about THAT mask?

It's like someone really, REALLY high up in power DELIBERATELY made the who set as... well, for lack of a better term? Slave-like and uncomfortable as possible. As humiliating as possible. Like they WANTED the people who had to wear it, to suffer and be upset. And like? I KNOW it's probably just some really REALLY out of touch politician? Who's never had to WEAR one of these kriffing things in their karking LIFE?

But come ON! It looks and feels like a MUZZLE.

A BADLY FITTED ONE at that! Like? And don't ask me how I KNOW this? Because the holonet is deep and filled with weird wondrous horrors? Buuuuut... according to CERTAIN individuals. Who HAVE reviewed a VARIETY of muzzles for... personal reasons? And Bones bless! No judgment! According to certain Unnamed Experts of The Field, as it were?

.......these masks kriffing SUCK nifflestones.

Padding is shit. Airflow it terrible. Not customized for individual races AT ALL. Just? Mouth a "hazard"? Cover it. Who CARES if that means the individual kriffing suffocates. Or karking near DROWNS on their own threat or stress response. To say NOTHING of those who have to routinely either use their mouth's "hazard" or have it TRIGGERED by something pressing AGAINST their jaw!

It's a genuinely terrible design! Almost deliberately so. Keeps a lot of people from ever even bothering from leaving their planet's.

Why do I bring this up? Because working at the senate building is stressful. Dealing with sleemo plasbone's who like to shove me around cause I'm in a glorified MUZZLE is stressful. Knowing I recently infected an innocent man is KARKING STRESSFUL!

And you know what the Techganic response to STRESS is?!

Drool and STRESS BITING.

My ENTIRE fucking BLOODLINE was literally genetically ENGINEERED to fight in a FUCKING HOLY WAR! With BIOLOGICAL WARFARE. We BITE! We bite A LOT!! We are, in fact, SUPPOSED to bite! It's like the unsacred, technological abomination child of those ancient human tales of the "zombie" and the "ber-serker"!

Stress? Stress means we are in battle. Being attacked. Threatened. Stress means ATTACK. Bite and bite and BITE. Thanks the Bones and Blood, I've never been THAT stresssed. I even had to take a test for it! Anyone with a hair trigger is NOT allowed off planet. I'm considered absurdly calm. Chill.

Doesn't mean I WON'T.

Just that it would take A LOT.

But the drool? THAT is involuntary. Is the prelude you can't escape. The means of SPREAD. Of WARRING against the machines. Organic nanite against technological nanites. Host against host. Spread against spread. Ours was a story of PLAUGES. And it left no unchanged survivors.

I get that. I DO. The horrors of our history, the fear and terrors. The resistance forces who wanted no part in the war. Who tried to escape.

What happened to them.

I REALIZE that... that a single Techganic dropped on pretty much any planet can start a nanite plague that can't be stopped. That the more stressed we get, the more our instincts demand we Spread Ourselfs. The water, the soil, the air. Yeah, we can get DANGEROUS.

But we aren't ANIMALS.

We are not who we used to BE. WHAT we used to be. Show me the planet without blood in its past and I will show you a planet that has wiped its past away.

Which is all well and good...but...

I'M FUCKING DROWNING.

These karking hazard masks are so, SO stupid and I'm trying not to panic. My hands shaking. Because if I panic? I will be stressed. If I am kriff KARKING STRESSED, I will drool FASTER. And there is no room. My karking mask is FULL OF LIQUID AND NOT DRAINING FAST ENOUGH.

I struggle with the latches. They are wet. Because my hands are wet. My neck is wet. EVERYTHING IS WET. The mask doesn't even WORK to contain the "hazard"! My hands can't get a grip on the latches. My lungs are burning for air but I can't... if I try to breath now... I'll just get... just get!

I'm in a side hall.

Would anyone even find me? Oh Stars. I'm going to drown.

Except not. Quick heavy steps down the hallway. Two gaurds spot me after turning a corner, break into a sprint. Once again the Coruscant gaurds are a beacon of calm in my darkest moment. One gently pulling my frantic hands away from my mask so the other can quickly work out how to unlock it.

With a gush, air finally hits my face as the mask unlocks and begins to be pulled away. I sputter. Cough. I think I may be weeping. The hallways is spinning as air finally rushs back in. My front is DRENCHED and I hate it. It's so gross. There was nothing I could DO and I felt like an animal. Feel like a mess.

Every drop of it is deadly. The whole hallway will have to be deep cleaned.

Am I apologizing? I think I'm apologizing.

The gaurds are so nice. Talking in low, reassuring voices as the stay with me. They called a medic. Ask me about my hobbies to distract me. A playful argument on how to "properly" take your Caf. Which local diner is the best.

I am gently bundled off by the medic, once he arrives. Another of the Guard thank Stars. The Senatorial medical team are so... judge-y. The Guard's medical is patient and professional, though the only thing he can offer me to change into is the blacks that the gaurd wear under their armor.

Tell NO ONE... but I feel kinda cool. Look at me~ I'm all holo thriller and mysterious in these. I get to KEEP them too!

Not getting the mask back though.

It nearly killed me. That and my asshole coworker who deliberately stressed me out earlier. He... the Guard ARRESTED him. And... look, I KNOW I shouldn't smile. I shouldn't. His life is probably ruined. But... but the sleemo harrased EVERYBODY. Anybody he thought he could abuse? He DID.

Looks like he finally went too far.

I lay back. Not allowed to lean until the medic is SURE there is no secondary drowning symptoms. I grab the shirt that turned out to be just a touch too small and fold it up, drape it over my eyes. It blocks out the light pretty well. I get comfortable.

As I drift off... I'm unaware that the Vod around me stop bothering to pretend the AREN'T blatantly watching me. That the normally sparsely populated medicenter ISNT damn near full of every Vod not currently on duty. The cheif medical officer himself, carefully collecting what he can from my mask.

A dense crowd of eyes slowly run over black clad limbs.

Looking to THEM. Trusting THEM. Threatened, in need of back up. Look how TIRED she was. How vulnerable. Wearing part their uniform. Like a lover, having stolen their clothes.

She trusted them above the natborns. PREFERRED them.

Thoughts began to stir... they wonder...