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#reader x son!george Michael
thedisc0spider · 1 month
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Summary: Michael has been stressing a lot lately.
Warnings: there may be mistakes and it might not even be coherent because Im writing this at 3 AM
Fluff
2nd person!
Notes: reader is George Michael’s bio mom and Michaels wife! So fem reader (so sorry). Michaels wife never died!!!
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Michael was under a lot of stress. For him this was nothing too unusual, but it had gotten bad since his dad was put in jail. For the longest time it was only you three (you, him, and your son George Michael) however, with all of this going on there was an abundance of people in your house. it was extremely chaotic all of the time. You and Michael rarely had any time to yourselves, which you of course understood, but recently you could sense it had been getting to Michael. He hadn’t been sleeping a lot and he was always overworking himself.
Michael arrives home from visiting his dad. He had gone after work, so it was now about 8 PM. He looks upset and tired, the first place he goes is the kitchen. You were sitting at the island, reading a magazine. When you hear the door you turned your head to see an exhausted Michael entering the model-home.
“Hey, sweetheart. How was your day?” You ask, but it was more of a formality. Judging by his disheveled demeanor you could guess his answer.
He sighs heavily, as if he’d been holding it in all day, as he rests his hands on the counter. He merely shakes his head and looks at you.
You tilt your head, giving him a sympathetic look. “Yeah?” You walk around the counter, now standing next to him.
“I feel like I’m going crazy. I’m not crazy, right? The way to correctly handle this situation is obvious, is it not?” He asks, more seeking validation than an answer. His voice is still as smooth as it always is while simultaneously raising.
You place a hand on his back, gently caressing his spine as a way of comforting him. He closes his eyes and puts his head down into his arms on the counter. “You’re not crazy, Michael. You’re doing your best. That’s all you can do.” You lean in closer, hovering above him. “I’m so proud of you for doing this for your family. You could’ve easily walked away by now, but you didn’t. That’s commitment.” This is true, the three of you had an opportunity to start fresh somewhere else, but you convinced him to stay and help. “They may not admit it, but without you they’d be lost.”
Michael stands up straight, turning to face you now. He gives you a small, tired smile before placing a gentle kiss on your lips. “Thank you for putting up with this.” He mumbles, looking into your eyes closely. He says this with extreme sincerity and gratitude. The truth is, he had no idea what he would’ve done had you not been there to support him. With every crazy person surrounding him you were like a breath of fresh air every moment he finally got to see you.
You smile, placing a hand on his cheek. “Of course, Michael. I love you.” Your thumb moves softly against his cheek in a comforting manner.
Michael moves his hands to rest on your hips, brushing up and down gently against your sides. “And… I’m sorry I’ve been so busy. I feel like we’ve gotten no alone time recently.” With everything happening with the family, you really haven’t seen each other all that much other than briefly before bed and in the morning. You had never been bitter about this though, sure you missed him but his work and his family were very prominent parts of his life and you’ve always accepted that to be your reality.
You nod, “yeah, we really haven’t.” You think for a moment, searching for a way to ease his mind. “How about this…” you run your fingers through his hair while leaning in close to him as you speak softly. “Let’s pick a weekend, and get away together. Just me and you. No distractions, no kids, no responsibilities.”
Michael hums, closing his eyes as you continue to play with his hair. Just the sound of your voice describing the small getaway is enough to calm him down. “That sounds… perfect actually. You know me so well.” He looks at you with a wide smile, the sweetest and most genuine one you’ve seen from him in awhile.
“I know I do,” you say, shooting him a playful wink. He laughs (score) and kisses the tip of your nose. “But, for now… you need to get some rest.” You posses a more stern look on your face now.
He surrenders, placing his hands in the air. “Alright, alright.” He slowly begins making his way towards the stairs before turning back to you. “You coming, beautiful?” You roll your eyes, laughing as you drag along behind him.
When nothing else in his life in his life makes sense, you’re always there to anchor him back to reality.
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A/n: I’m deeply in love with Michael Bluth and its not even funny, I hate that NO ONE WRITES FOR HIM. But im also kind of glad because I like to gatekeep. I might make this a series??? Who knows.
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lucyrose191 · 4 months
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BROKEN DECISIONS| T.WOLFF
Pairing; Divorced!Toto Wolff x fem!engineer!Schumacher!reader
Summary; The news of Toto Wolff divorcing from Susie has just hit the media and you, Michael Schumacher’s eldest daughter and George Russel’s race engineer, are beyond shocked, even more so as your relationship with your boss begins to evolve.
Warnings; angst, light smut, heartbreak, pregnancy trope.
F1 Master List , Part 2
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The paddock was overwhelmed with media reporters and cameras, way more than usual for a race weekend, the Mercedes garage was surrounded by people as well as the entrance to the track, all waiting for one man, Toto Wolff.
You had been more than taken back by the joint statements released this morning which both effectively said the same thing.
mercedesamgf1: Team Principle Toto Wolff announces divorce from wife Susie Wolff, both will continue to co-parent son Jack Wolff and will continue to work together happily, they wish nothing but the best for each other in the future and wish for the privacy and support they need during this time.
SusieStoddart: Toto and I have mutually decided to part ways and divorce after 12 years of marriage, both of us will continue to co-parent our son, Jack and will continue working together in the future. I wish nothing but the best to him for the future, please respect our privacy during this time and I hope you guys will continue to support us both from this point on, even on our separate paths. Thank you.
It all seemed so sudden to you, nothing has seemed out of place whenever they were in the garage together but you suppose that’s how the saying you never know what’s going on behind closed doors goes.
You squeezed your way through the crowd, ignoring all of the questions fired your way and the cameras and microphones that were shoved in your face, it wasn’t your job to be making comments about a relationship that had nothing to do with you and it was entirely unprofessional.
Huffing out a breath as you finally crossed the threshold of the garage, you straightened out your clothes and bag before making your way over to your desk that you sat at whenever George was out on the track.
Bono was already in his chair and looked up when he heard you pull your hair out, taking note of your flustered state. "I take it you’ve seen the news."
"It’s everywhere! It’d be a miracle if I hadn’t seen it," you huffed. Looking around, you noticed how flustered everyone else seemed to be whilst trying to do their jobs, you didn’t blame them because right now no one knew what mood the boss was going to be in when he arrived, if he arrived.
"Is he even coming today? I certainly wouldn’t." You asked.
Bono shrugged, "you know what he’s like, that man would be here even if his leg was falling off, he’ll be here and god help him when he is."
"Yeah, true. Am I blind though or did anyone else not see this coming because they were both at the factory two weeks ago and everything seemed fine to me."
Bono turned away from his monitor and completely turned to you, huddling closer. "I didn’t suspect anything either but they’re really good as keeping work life and private life separated. Have you seen some of the rumours though?"
You snorted and nodded your head, "I’ve seen the ones about Toto having an affair which is ridiculous, that man does not have the time to be hiding an entire relationship."
Bono laughed at your choice of words but abruptly stopped as he stared behind you causing you to look at him in confusion before turning around, pausing at the sight of your boss walking in with a face of stone.
"Ahh shit," you muttered, hearing a small hum of agreement coming from Bono.
Then you saw him heading into your direction.
"Double shit," You heard Bono mumble causing you to bite your lip, trying to prevent yourself from smiling.
"Y/N. Bono. Good Morning," Toto nodded his head in greeting.
You smiled up at him, "Morning, boss, feeling positive about today?"
Bono sighed from behind you which caused you to internally wince at your own words, now realising that might not have been a good question to ask.
"Yeah," Toto looked between the pair of you suspiciously. "Are you?"
"Very," you tried to sound convincing, "I’m sure George is going to drive like it’s his last race and if not then I’ll boot him up the arse."
Toto looked at you amused, "I believe you."
After he walked away you turned to Bono with a pained look on your face meanwhile he was trying not to fall into laughter. "What the fuck is wrong with me?"
He laughed straight in your face as you sighed at yourself. "How an I supposed to talk to him normally when all I want to say to his face is ‘hey, heard about your divorce, that sucks and now everyone thinks you can’t keep a wife’."
"Yeah don’t say that," Bono grimaced at your words.
Everything was real now, it had been real for a while but now the news was out for everyone to gossip about.
Things hadn’t been right for a long time between him and Susie and whilst there hadn’t been any constant arguing or disloyalty between the two of them, there hadn’t been much else either.
You’d have thought working within the same industry would have built an understanding between them about their schedules and commitments and it had in the beginning but as formula one became more popular, their lives had only gotten busier to the point they hardly saw each other and even when they did it was only to ensure Jack was getting enough quality time with both of his parents, it was as though they had been coparenting with each other whilst they weren’t even split.
A year ago they had accepted the inevitable fate of their marriage and had been figuring out the logistics of their divorce but just like they had kept their struggles silenced, they had kept the news of their parting silent too.
But it had been over a year now and quite frankly the fake shows they were putting on were getting exhausting, they were both moving on and pretending to still be a happily married couple wasn’t doing well in helping them in the process.
Toto had found a particular thing that hadn’t allowed him to dwell in the sadness of his private life. Something, or someone, that didn’t even know how much they were helping him.
You.
Everyday you showed up to work with a smile on your face, eternally grateful for everything life had offered you. You had achieved your dreams of working within formula one, it might not have been on the track driving at record breaking speeds like your father but you had one of the most important roles in the team and you enjoyed it.
Even today as he walked through the doors trying to ignore all of the sad, pathetic looks people were giving him and the onslaught of invasive questions people were attacking him with and even if they weren’t verbally shooting words his way, he could see the unasked questions in everyone’s eyes, you greeted him like you did every other day and whilst he knew you were aware of the news, nothing in your face showed the slightest bit of curiosity towards the end of his marriage and he couldn’t express how refreshing that was and how much he needed it.
Slowly, he found himself looking forward to the days ahead where he could bump into you and witness the smile on your face as he tried to ignore the way your energy made his heart feel funny and when Mick signed as the team’s reserve driver he would use the fact that he was ‘mentoring’ your little brother as an excuse to see you, knowing that naturally he would be around you more.
You jumped up from your seat in excitement as you saw both Mercedes cars pass the checkered flag securing second and third place behind Max, obviously.
"George you fucking beautiful human bring!" You shouted through the radio before turning to look for Toto, hoping that these results would have put a smile on his face only to find that he was already looking at you intensely, not even acknowledging the pats he was getting on his back by team members.
He winked at you? And sent you what seemed to be a grateful smile before turning away to celebrate with those around him. You were thankful he did so and didn’t see the pink hue you could feel spreading through your cheeks.
A sudden weight on your back didn’t allow you to dwell on it. Mick had launched himself at you in his exhilaration causing you to quickly latch onto his legs so you both didn’t go tumbling, you laughed and spun the pair of you around before putting him down so you could all go outside and gather in the pits to watch the podium.
You always went out of your way to be a kind person but the moment your team was standing under the podium all manners went out of the way and you barged your way to the front of the barriers to watch, mumbling half-hearted apologies, you knew no one would take your behaviour the wrong way as you’ve known them for so long.
Looking up, you were happy to see the smiles on Lewis and George’s faces, tough seasons can really take a told on the mental health of the drivers and it can be easy to lose motivation, especially when you were part of a team that was so used to winning but they looked as happy as ever now and it made all of the hard work that everyone had put in worth it.
Two hands clamped down on your shoulders startling you, followed by the feeling of a firm chest being pressed up against your back. You looked up and saw Toto but he wasn’t looking at you, he kept his gaze up on the podium and the happiness on his face hadn’t subsided so you didn’t question it and turned back to the celebrations.
His behaviour was really confusing you and you wanted to talk to him about it but decided to push it away for another day.
His behaviour hasn’t been limited to that day alone.
The entire season has been filled with soft touches from him, from a small brush of his hand against your back as he walked past or light touches of your hips to guide you to the side when you were in his walk way.
Let’s not forget about the way he started to look at you. Toto’s stare was always intense but now you couldn’t ignore the soft shine his eyes held as he looked at you.
You hoped you weren’t reading too much into things otherwise that would be embarrassing but you couldn’t stop noticing the little things he would do and what was even worse was the way these things were effecting you.
These touches would leave your skin feeling tingly and your head fuzzy to the point your mind just turned blank and now whenever he was so much as in the same room as you, your mind became hyper-fixated on his presence to the point it felt like you were compelled to constantly glance in his direction.
You had worked for him for nearly eight years and not once had you even considered looking at him in any other way other than as your boss and a friend.
You acknowledged that he was handsome and had the charisma to match but you had never been attracted to him up until now, how was this year any different to the last seven?
Hands slamming down into your desk startled you from your thoughts, you looked up wide eyed at the grinning face of your younger brother causing you to grumble in annoyance and throw the pen that was sitting on your desk at him.
"What’s wrong with your face?" Mick easily dodged your attack and asked.
"What do you mean?" You asked.
"My big sister always has a smile on her face and for the last twenty minutes you’ve been sat there staring at nothing with a frown on your face."
"Nothing," you muttered, turning back to your laptop screen that had long since shut off.
"Right," Mick replied sarcastically, "Come on, tell me what’s wrong."
You pursed your lips as you debated telling him or not. "You promise not to tell anyone?"
Mick’s face lost its teasing look as he realised you were actually troubled. "Of course." He replied sincerely.
You hesitated for a moment longer before asking "have you noticed that Toto has been acting strange lately?"
Mick looked at you surprised for a moment before smirking and nodded, "you mean the fact that the entire season he’s been staring at you like you’re the finest piece of meat he’s ever seen?" He asked teasingly.
"I wouldn’t have worded it that way but yeah," you responded.
"Then yes, I’m surprised it took you this long to acknowledge it."
You shook your head, "I noticed it at the beginning of the season but I thought I was imagining it and now I can’t stop noticing the fact that he-"
"Fancies the hell out of you?" Mick finished, a shit eating grin on his face.
You groaned and placed your head against your desk. "This is wrong, he’s my boss!"
"Tell me about it, he’s mine too and he fancies my sister!"
"Stop saying he fancies me!" You told him resulting in him just laughing at you. "Seriously Mick, what am I supposed to do?"
Mick sighed and looked at you seriously, "Do you like him?"
"I dont know," you replied honestly, "before this season I wouldn’t have even looked at him as anything but my boss and a friend but now he keeps looking at me and taking any opportunity to touch me and it’s confusing me."
Mick pulled an uncomfortable face at your words but gave you some advice. "Then do nothing until you know for sure."
You nodded and he smiled before walking around your desk and wrapping you in a tight hug which was more like a headlock but it was a hug nonetheless.
"Smile! We’re in Abu Dhabi and we’re partying tonight," he fake cheered as he walked away causing you to laugh at his behaviour.
And that’s exactly what you did. It had been a tough season for Mercedes, the team hadn’t nearly performed as well as they were used to but through a lot of hard work the season had ended on a high note and and no one was going to dwell on this years difficulties tonight.
You were definitely allowing yourself some freedom tonight to drink away and forget about the confusing thoughts that had been swimming around in your head all season.
The club was dark except for the colourful flashing lights that were roaming the entirety of the room that the FIA had rented out for all of the f1 teams celebrating tonight. You were already feeling more relaxed from the three drinks you hadn’t wasted time on consuming and had dragged poor Bono, who had zero rhythm, to the dance floor.
The man looked traumatised as he simply stood there awkwardly with you holding onto his hands, swaying his arms to try and encourage him to dance and have a bit of fun.
You kept him there for an hour before eventually taking pity on him and letting him go, you walked over to the bar to get another drink, not seeing the person approaching you until he was right beside you.
"You look lovely."
You turned to your right in surprise, Toto was mimicking your stance, leaning his side against the bar as he looked into yours eyes. "Thank you," you replied, a little shocked at his words.
"I see you were having fun with Bono," he commented absentmindedly.
You laughed, "Me? Yes. I don’t think he was having as much fun as I was."
"He’s not much of a dancer," Toto smirked.
"Oh, I know. He can’t move to save his life but it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t try."
The bartender placed your drink in front of you and you took a sip after giving him a thanks. "Have you been having fun?" You asked.
Toto tapped his fingers against the bar top and signed. "As much as I can after the shit season we’ve had."
"We’ll be better next year," you replied confidently.
He simply nodded in response, dragging his gaze down your body and back up again.
The feeling of his eyes trailing you left a burning heat on your skin and an unfamiliar fluttering in your stomach.
"I like this dress," he told you, nodding at the tight fabric that clung to your figure.
"I got it yesterday," you knew he didn’t care but for some reason you felt inclined to share that information with him, fighting the urge to look away and hide a smile.
"You picked wisely," he immediately responded and this time you didn’t fight the smile, his smooth responses settling within you exactly how he wanted.
"I’m glad you like it," your voice was quiet in the midst of the loud music and voices but it didn’t prevent him from hearing you words.
The way he smirked down at you made you feel much smaller than you were, the idea of how his stature and strength would help with the power he held over you made you burn with need and the want to find out for yourself.
You huffed out a breath.
You needed another drink.
You threw your head back into the pillows and gasped as Toto thrusted into you, pulsating pleasure rushing through your body with every movement.
You didn’t know how you got to this point, the night was a haze of drinking, close dancing and longing looks but the one memory that stood out was the warmth of Toto’s hands against your hips, after that everything blurred up until this moment.
Your arm wrapped around the back of his neck, your hand burying itself into his hair as you tried to ground yourself but you were hopeless within the haze of his kisses against your throat and hands holding your thighs spread for him.
"Toto!"
His breath was heavy against your skin. "You feel so good, schatz." The guttural groan he released sent you feral, you tightened your grip on him and pulled him closer so your chests pressed against each other.
Your vision went white as Toto just grazed that sweet spot inside you with one particularly hard thrust before he angled his hips in a way that with each bruising snap of his hips he made, the tip of his cock would brush against you just right.
As you felt yourself approaching your release, your back arched and the air remained trapped in your lungs, your grip tightened on Toto’s hair causing him to groan into your neck while your other hand shot up behind you and grabbed onto the headboard.
Just as you were at the precipice of your release, Toto reached down and circled your clit with his fingers providing the last bit of stimulation needed for you to let go and dive into a river of overwhelming pleasure.
The sight of your face completely blissed out made Toto’s cock harden more inside of you, he continued to thrust and work you through your orgasm whilst chasing his own, chasing his release as he felt his body fill with an indescribable need to continue rutting into you.
The groan of relief he let out followed by a warmth in your core brought you back to reality, Toto allowed his body to collapse onto your own and simply lay there as he caught his breath and recovered from his own orgasm.
Your hand continued to run through his hair, grounding his mind to reality and encouraging him back from his high.
Moments later, Toto removed himself from you and curled up behind you, wrapped an arm across your stomach and pulled you into his chest.
Both still feeling the haze of the alcohol in your systems, no words needed to be spoken between the pair of you as you both succumbed to much needed sleep.
You woke up feeling as though your brain was swelling beyond the capacity of your skull and dehydrated to the point you felt like you could drink about forty litres of water.
Every part of your body ached as you moved beneath the covers, flashes of last night flickered through your mind causing you to groan at the reminder of your drink choices.
You were definitely regretting it now.
A particular memory caused you to pause and look beneath the sheets, grimacing as you realised you were naked.
Then you froze, Toto.
Your head shot to the side and instead of laying your eyes upon your boss’ 6ft5 frame you were greeted by an empty half of the bed with only crumpled white sheets.
Your heart dropped as you looked around the room, there was no indication that anyone else had been here but the ache between your legs made it very clear that last night did in fact happen.
He had left.
After an entire season of fighting with your feelings and the way he made you feel, you had given in to him only for him to leave.
You felt sick and dirty and disgusting and used.
You pulled yourself into the shower and tried to to push down the need to cry but you were filled with an overwhelming sense of betrayal and couldn’t stop the rogue fear that fell down your cheek.
Waiting to board the plane back to England, you looked down at your phone, you had a feeling Toto was already there by now and you had messaged him ages ago but no response.
Had you been crazy believing that he could have feelings for you?
You were so mad at yourself for being as affected as you were by his actions, it felt like someone had your heart in their fist and found amusement in squeezing it, filling you with the need to just let go and allow your emotions to flow freely.
You didn’t need to be back at the factory until after Christmas so you went straight home and unpacked your bag before repacking to go and spend your time off in Switzerland with your family, Toto still hadn’t responded and you were positive he was just ignoring you now and you didn’t try to get a response.
You’d deal with that after Christmas.
Normally you’d wait a week or two after the season ended to go back home but you really had no reason to stay, you’d changed your mind on attending the FIA awards which had confused Mick when you told him but he could tell something was wrong and chose not to pry.
You seriously didn’t think the year could get worse, you were so wrong.
The last three weeks in Switzerland had been hell to put it lightly, Christmas was just around the corner but it was hard to be excited when you had caught the sickness bug, the amount of time you spent in bed throwing up was disgusting at this point and the coddling of your family wasn’t helping.
You knew they loved you but you wish they’d just leave you alone to wallow in misery.
Toto was still a lingering thought in the back of your mind and it was only adding to how rubbish you felt but you hadn’t made any other attempt to get in touch, he hadn’t tried either so you knew where you stood with him and that was enough.
New years had passed and you were now back in England to go back to work, you had never dreaded going to work in all the years you’d worked for Mercedes so the unsettling feeling in your stomach was new.
But that could also just be nausea.
You still hadn’t completely recovered from your sickness over the holidays, you were no longer bed bound but the urge to throw up and the loss of appetite was still there, the loss of weight was visible in the sickly paleness of your face so you had booked a doctors appointment for the upcoming Friday.
Your stomach churned as you walked through the doors of the Mercedes headquarters, as the daughter of Michael Schumacher you got a lot more attention in the building as you would’ve if you were just a race engineer so the nods from almost everyone as you walked in weren’t strange to you but the sympathetic looks were.
You hoped it was just because you looked as if you hadn’t seen sun for the past ten years.
Deciding to stop by hospitality on the way to your office for a bottle of water, you paused in the doorway at the sight of Toto and didn’t hesitate to turn right back around before your mind even processed his presence.
You got a few funny looks by the people in there but you truly didn’t care.
It stayed like that for the rest of the week, whenever you found yourself in the same room as your boss there was no time wasted before you left even if there were still things needed to be done in that room, you didn’t even try to be subtle about it either.
As soon as he entered the room you immediately took your leave, it was rude but you couldn’t find it within yourself to care and you doubted he cared either.
You had taken the day off work today to attend your doctor’s appointment so thankfully you didn’t need to waste your efforts avoiding him.
"Symptoms are nausea, sickness and weight loss," The doctor listed and you nodded in clarification.
She looked at you knowingly, "When did your last cycle finish?" She asked.
You pulled a face and leaned your head back in thought, it was probably before Vegas, but that was….. your face grew even paler than it already was.
"November," you whispered, your body filling with complete and utter horror.
The doctor’s face grew sympathetic at your reaction, "and you’ve had unprotected sexual intercourse since then?" She asked though your face gave her the answer.
You were at a loss for words so you resulted in nodding; the idea of you being pregnant only made you feel more sick.
"Okay," she replied softly, "We’ll have you take a test to confirm."
You didn’t even register the next ten minutes, lost in your own mind as an emptiness settled within you, your chest ached with pain at the idea that your whole life could be changed in just a few short minutes.
"Miss Schumacher, are you okay?" The doctor asked worriedly.
You snapped back to reality and nodded numbly.
"The test came back positive, Y/N, so I’ll refer you to a midwife and during this time you should think about what you want to do, okay?"
How you didn’t crash on the way home was a miracle because you definitely weren’t concentrating, you carried your body straight to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, you looked like hell.
Just the sight caused your eyes to well up and this time you didn’t fight the emotions, you welcomed the tears and allowed the pain to consume you, the pain of realising just how alone you were in this moment.
You slid down against the bathroom door and curled yourself into a ball, buried your face into your knees and sobbed until you no longer could.
The weight in your chest was still present as you walked into work the following Monday but you no longer had any tears to spare, you had made up your mind about what your future would consist of and today would mark the beginning of it.
Knocking on the door to Toto’s office, you waited for confirmation to enter and he clearly hadn’t anticipated you on the other side from the look of surprise on his face but you didn’t mention it and closed the door behind you.
"We need to talk," you wasted no time in pleasantries and sat down in the seat opposite him.
"Is there a problem with the car?" He asked, his formal tone cut through you like a knife but you refused to show the effect it had.
You wouldn’t have thought the pair of you were friends just two months ago.
"There’s nothing wrong with the car," you told him.
"What do we need to talk about then?" He asked.
He was royally pissing you off with the way he was pretending to be ignorant. "We need to talk about what happened between us-"
"This is unprofessional," he interrupted and you scoffed in disbelief.
"Unprofessional?" You laughed in his face. "Do you know what else in unprofessional? Sleeping with your employee."
His face dropped at the bluntness of your words, "look, you shouldn’t be bringing private matters into the workplace."
"How else am I supposed to bring them up? Over text message where I never get a response?" You looked at him incredulously. "This is important-"
"I don’t want to hear it, Y/N," he cut you off harshly. "What happened between us shouldn’t have happened, it was a moment of weakness and it will never happen again."
You looked at him stone faced before nodding, "fine." You got up from your seat and left without another word, not bothering closing his door.
You didn’t go to your office, instead you went to HR.
Walking past the different offices you went straight for the head of HR. "Chloe?" You knocked on the door quietly, opening it once you received a response.
She smiled at you in greeting, "Y/N, can I help you with something?"
You nodded softly and sat down on the sofa she had against the wall. "How many holidays do I have?"
She looked at you suspiciously, "All of them, you didn’t put one in for Friday so that went unpaid."
"Okay," you muttered under your breath, "I want to cash them all in, starting from tomorrow."
"What?" She looked at you shocked. "Are you sure? If there’s something going on we can figure out a better solution for you."
You smiled and shook your head, "Uhm no I’m sure, I want to use them all and then after that I’ll be taking early maternity leave."
Chloe’s eyes widened in shock. "Wow, okay, congratulations."
"Thanks, I want to spend my pregnancy in Switzerland so you won’t see me around."
You could see that she had questions but didn’t ask them and you appreciated it, "I understand, I’m happy for you Y/N, I’ll get it all sorted for you."
"Great," you stood up and headed towards the door.
"Y/N?" You turned around, Chloe looked at you sincerely, "Give me a call if you need someone to talk to, yeah?"
You probably wouldn’t but you nodded and left.
To say Toto was surprised when he found out they were down their usual race engineer for the season was an understatement.
It was completely unexpected and he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t happy about it, George was not at all in agreement to having a new voice in his ear.
It wasn’t even for a couple races either, it was for the entire season.
No one in the team had any information on what had happened except two people, Mick and Chloe.
No one could ask Mick because he had left to do the world endurance championship and when Toto had went to ask Chloe all he got was a shrug and words that sounded as though they’d been read from the companies handbook.
"It’s against an employee’s confidentiality rights to discuss the matters with you, even if you are the boss, all I can tell you is she’ll be back at work next year."
Meanwhile, in Switzerland you were slowly but surely feeling much better.
You were putting the situation between you and Toto behind you, you were recovering and as you did, your bump grew and the sight made you smile.
The horror and fear you felt when you found out about your pregnancy had dissipated weeks ago, leaving you filled with excitement and love for the journey you had ahead of you.
With your mother and sister around you, the loneliness you felt had evaporated as well.
You were doing good and felt amazing and that’s all that mattered right now.
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d0wnb4df0rf1cm3n · 1 year
Text
Let me
Anthony Lockwood x F!Reader
Summary: You got hurt. It was his fault. And he feels absolutely awful.
Word Count: 3.4K
Warnings: Angst, Claustrophobia, Near-death situations, Some lightly mentioned family issues, Arguing, Couples? Quarrels, ANGST.
AN: The summary is awful - I feel like I say this every time. Idk if Reader and Lockwood are a couple, they don't have to be, but they can be if you want to. Love you all! (BTW I have not read the books in years so creative liberties were taken - I'm sorry for any and all book inaccuracies.)
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The body of one 'Sergeant M. Bowers' floated precariously towards Lockwood. He backed up against the door of the bedroom, eyes darting between you and Bowers, rapier extended in front of him. You rifled through the bedroom, looking for anything precious or valuable. You had to find the source for Lockwood.
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Lockwood had taken the case of this particular house out of pure greed. Mrs. Miller was willing to pay a pretty price to take care of her 'little problem' as she called it. You had warned him against it - the Bowers' manor was about a mile outside of the town you grew up in and you'd heard almost every story there was to hear about the house. About the family that inhabited the house. Lockwood hadn't listened.
He'd convinced you to come, saying the stories were 'probably just stories told to children to scare them away.' He assured you they weren't true. After George had done his research, you were more confident - apparently, reports of apparitions of children predated the problem and were therefore hoaxes.
The Bowers were an affluential aristocratic family before the war - the First World War, that is. "They were known for hosting Gatsby-esque parties to celebrate the most menial of affairs - like their dog turning one." George had rolled his eyes at that pushing the picture of the newspaper your way. April 6th, 1912. A week before the Titanic sank.
The sinking of the Titanic began a series of unfortunate events for the Bowers family, starting with the death of the youngest son, James. James and his to-be wife, Miranda, died aboard the ship, thrusting the family into a long period of mourning. In the following two years, 6 of the 12 members who lived in the house had passed away, forcing the rest to flee the countryside manor, claiming it had been cursed - which brought about the misfortune of the family.
The last of the family to inherit the manor was Sergeant Michael James Bowers, who was the youngest nephew of James. He had lost his life in the second World War; after being shot in the arm and leg, he had been honourably discharged and sent home. He succumbed to sepsis not long after, surrounded by empty halls and unhappy memories. Apparently, he had never left.
You shook your head in discomfort - dispelling the dark feeling that had crept over you since reading about the family's terrible fate. Something seemed off about this case - something seemed to have been omitted from all the research you and George had done.
At first, you disregarded it as nerves. The Bowers manor was big - bigger than any other case you had taken. Plus, it was close to home, which was full of unpleasant memories. Maybe the added pressure was playing on your mind. You tried to explain yourself to Lockwood, who dismissed you. Apparently, Lucy had to help Kipps with some research, and George was working on another case. There was no point in arguing with Lockwood when he had made up his mind, and he was not going to budge on this case.
Which led you to your current predicament.
There were many ghosts haunting the halls of the Bowers manor. It seemed that everyone who had died here didn't want to leave. You had rid the house of most of the ghosts - sealing almost ten sources in different iron boxes. Lockwood had danced his way through the Type Ones that he was dealing with - he was evidently the better agent out of the two of you. You had lucked out - you came face to face with a Type Two. The small girl kept repeating about her teddy which you had found in an upstairs bedroom covered in filth and cobwebs. You threw an iron net over it before leaning against a wall to catch your breath. You were exhausted - and you hadn't even dealt with the real problem.
Sergeant Bowers.
Sergeant M. Bowers was a lot more tortured than you had initially thought. His wife left him when he left for the war, leaving to follow her true love into the country - countless correspondences scattered across the rooms told you as much.
Then came the matter of a child - Timothy. Pictures of him were littered through the halls - toys left to rot in the hallways. Clearly, no one had cleaned it until Mrs. Miller bought it at that country house auction. Except the trace of him ended there. There was nothing in your research to tell you about him, nor any sign of him outside the walls of this home.
It was peculiar.
You had tried to tell Lockwood, but he brushed you off. "The kid must have died - explains the tortured relationship between his parents."
It seemed odd to you. What kind of mother would run off without her child?
A glint caught your eye. A small jewellery box lay on the vanity, dust laid over it as if it hadn't been touched in decades. You dashed towards it, opening it quickly to find a simple silver band inside. A wedding band. A source.
You placed the ring in a small iron box - one of your many engineering feats that made your job safer and easier to do. Bowers disappeared from over Lockwood and you ran over to help him up.
"See? Not too bad, was it?" Lockwood joked, taking the box from your hand and putting it in his bag with the rest of them.
"The only reason I'm glad we don't work with Fittes is the paperwork. We'd be drowning in it after tonight. Can you imagine? With all those Type Ones and the two Type Twos. I'd be crying into my pillow for weeks." You grabbed the rest of your equipment and headed towards the stairs. Lockwood's fingers wrapped around your arm, pulling you back sharply.
He pulled out his rapier and pointed it toward the woman - an apparition of a young woman, dressed in a maid's uniform and carrying a basket, seemingly full of laundry.
"Another Type Two. Great." Lockwood sighed, "You check downstairs and I'll check upstairs. She's a maid. Look for... maid things? I don't know." You nodded before hopping downstairs, armed with your rapier.
You went down to the servants' quarters, which you had seen on the blueprints of the house. The room was small, just off the side of the kitchen - and was perhaps the cleanest room in the house. The maids had been let go long before Sergeant Bowers had inherited the house. Clearly, they had taken the cleanliness with them.
You looked around for anything that could be a source. Why would staff die here, you thought, when the Bowers were known for treating staff well? And why would she choose to stay? You walked around the room, running your fingers over the sparse wooden furniture around the room, leaving trails in the dust in your wake. You tripped by the door to the bathroom, cutting your hand on a small loose nail by the door - probably used for hanging coats or aprons. You winced as you stretched your hand, closing your fist to stop the blood from dripping all over the floor.
You heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Did you find anything, Lockwood?" No response. "Lockwood?" The door to the servants' quarters slammed shut. You pressed up against the door, trying to force it open. "LOCKWOOD? LOCKWOOD, HELP!" You screamed, trying to push the door hard. "LOCKWOOD, PLEASE! I NEED YOU!"
Lockwood called to you from the landing, telling you he's found something interesting. You tried screaming for him again, but he was too far away to hear you, just like you were too far away to help. Ghostly yelling startled you as you turned around. The maid was here, clearly oblivious to you in the room. She was humming softly as the ghostly yelling continued.
You watched her from a distance as she folded some invisible clothes, her humming still ringing out around the room. She laughed at nothing, before turning towards the door, expectantly. You turned towards the door, expecting to see some other apparition in the doorway but there was nothing. She seemed to get frantically worried by the lack of whatever presence she is expecting, her humming becoming erratic and eerier by the second.
Her eyes grazed over you, and she seemed to relax. She spoke to you gently, reaching her hand out to you, "Come, Elizabeth. There's no need to be scared." You felt the effects of Ghost-lock wash over you, as lethargy numbs your senses. You saw her drifting toward you, but you had no energy to run or even to poise your rapier in front of you. And she seems so nice.
You heard the door fly open and felt someone grab your arm, tightly. You were pulled out of the room and back into the kitchen. "Thanks, Anthony." You whispered, resting on the kitchen counters.
"Anthony? Who's Anthony?" You looked up, unamused by Lockwood's attempt at a joke.
Your jaw dropped. In front of you was a man that you thought you may never see again, "Grandpa? What the hell are you doing here?"
"I heard you screaming. Just wanted to make sure you're okay?" He said, eyes looking you over, searching for injuries. You hid your arm further behind your back, not wanting to worry him more.
He brought his hand up to brush your cheek, staring down at you lovingly. "I'm sorry about this, kiddo."
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You felt hands pulling you up off the floor, and a strangely familiar voice whispering soothing words in your ear. You struggled in the grasp of this strange person, trying - unsuccessfully - to flee. They held you firmly, arms tucked neatly beneath you.
Tired from your busy night, you gave up, resting your head against the person's chest. You knew this cologne. It was Anthony's - you teased him for putting on too much and the scent lingers in the hallways some mornings. You settled, seeking his warmth and his comfort.
"Nice to have you back. You worried me for a minute back there."
"Lockwood? Worried? God, are there pigs in the sky?" You bantered back, your voice weak with exhaustion. He laid you down on the stairs, running back to grab your rapier and your flares. You must have dropped them when your Grandpa showed up. Grandpa?
Where did he go? You stood up trying to walk back to the kitchen. Grandpa couldn't see any apparitions - if one came for him, he'd be as good as dead.
"Whoa, slow down, Usain Bolt." Lockwood caught you as your legs folded beneath you. "You took a nasty hit to the head, plus you might have had a bit of ghost-lock as well."
"Lockwood, my grandpa," You said, looking past him, and back at the kitchen door, "He can't see them. We have to help him."
"Your grandpa? Honey, there's no one here." The nickname fell on deaf ears. You tried to scramble back towards the room, but Lockwood held you tightly.
He walked with you back to the kitchen - to prove there was no one there. There was no sign of anyone being there - nothing at all.
"Look - there's no one else here. You must have hit your head while getting away from the maid. Just," He huffed, pulling you closer to him, "let me get you home. Let me check you over - make sure you're alright."
You let Lockwood drag you towards the taxi and push you inside. You let him maneuver your body so that your head is resting on his chest and your legs dangle over his. You let him carry you like a rag doll into the house and set you down in the kitchen.
You shivered slightly - involuntarily - but Lockwood noticed. He draped a large blanket over you, boiling some water for hot tea. He grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink and sat down in front of you.
He held out his hand for yours, "Let me clean it for you." So you do.
He spent the better part of the next hour meticulously cleaning every scratch and scrape he can find - only slowing down when you wince, or to pour you more tea. He makes it how you like it - a spoonful of sugar and a dash of milk
Once he's done, he lifts you again and carries you to bed, tucking you in like a mother would their child. He turns out the lights with a soft goodnight and crosses the landing to his own bedroom. The first floor is plunged into darkness, but you stare up at the ceiling.
Sleep doesn't come to you easily. When you close your eyes, the maid's face is above yours - her hand reaching out to you, beckoning you. You want to take it. You see her holding Elizabeth, cradling her as she cries. Your grandpa's face comes up next to the maid and you see your grandpa die. How he screams for you to help him as the plasm burns through his skin. Your mother blames you - tells you that she should never have let you go to Fittes. The maid shields Elizabeth from the loud arguing coming from upstairs. No, not from upstairs. The arguing is happening below you. You shake yourself awake from your restless night, wincing as you contort your bruised body. You slip on your Fittes hoodie and creep downstairs.
Lucy and Lockwood are facing off in the kitchen. Again. You sit on the step, listening in.
"She told you she didn't want to go! And now, there's a chance she won't be able to go into the field."
"She'll be fine. She's tough, she'll get through it."
"You don't know that, Lockwood! You can't just assume that everything will be fine just because you want it to be." You could hear Lucy's voice breaking as she fought back tears.
"Maybe, she won't want to go on missions anymore," George piped up. Clearly, he'd been forced to sit there through breakfast and listen to the argument, "After all, you didn't listen to her doubts when she said she was scared."
"No, she didn't. She just had nerves."
"No, Lockwood. I was terrified. And you didn't hear me out."
"You're awake!" Lucy threw her arms around you, hugging you tightly. "God, I'm so happy you're okay!" You smiled at her warmly, hugging her back. She moved past you, saying something about needing to meet Kipps to finish their case.
"I'd hug you too, but you should probably shower first. Who knows what kind of bacteria fester in hundred-year-old manors? I'll see you after lunch - heading to the archives." George walked out quickly, almost as if he was being chased out by rats.
Lockwood stood in front of you, straight as a board, "You look like you've been electrocuted. Sit down. I'm not going to bite." Lockwood sent a weak smile in your direction.
You poured yourself a mug of tea and put some bread in the toaster. You made a mental note to send George a shopping list before he came back.
"So..." Lockwood started, and you wanted to laugh. In the almost three years you'd lived with him, you'd never seen him so nervous.
"So?"
"We should probably talk about what happened back there." Ah. He wanted to do this now.
"Yeah. We probably should."
"What happened? I mean, one minute you were fine, the next you were unconscious in the kitchen?" Lockwood said, leaning back in his chair slightly.
You grabbed your mug and sat in the chair opposite him, "Was I, though?" Lockwood raised his eyebrows, "Was I really fine, Lockwood, or did you just want me to be fine?"
"I don't understand?"
"Lockwood, I voiced my doubts to you! I told you to let it go! That this was a case we didn't have to take! That we'd find something better." You were standing now, leaning over the table, staring Lockwood down.
"Worth more than 90 grand? Do you have any concept of how much money that is?"
"YES! YES, LOCKWOOD, I DO! IT'S NOT NEARLY ENOUGH MONEY! We fought how many ghosts? 10? 12? Do you even consider that?"
"14, actually."
"YOU ARE NOT HELPING YOURSELF. YOU MAY BE THE LITTLE PRODIGY OF FITTES, BUT SOME OF US ARE NORMAL. SOME OF US ARE AVERAGE." You sat back down, your legs shaking. You were still too weak to force this argument. Your voice trembled, "I can't keep up with you, Lockwood, none of us can. Lucy, maybe, but even she needs a break. Hell, even you need a break sometimes."
"We're fine, aren't we? We're all alive and kicking, still fighting ghosts another day?"
"Yeah, but for how long? How long do we keep getting to cheat death?" How long until one of us gets buried for the unnecessary risks we keep taking? You didn't say it but the question took root in the back of your mind.
Lockwood sighed, "I don't know where this is even coming from. We survived. We did the job. We got our money. Aren't you happy-"
"HAPPY! HOW CAN I BE HAPPY, LOCKWOOD? I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT HOUSE YESTERDAY! One minute, we were sealing up a source, the next I was being lured in by a Type Two, ghost-locked and bleeding. Somehow, my GRANDPA WAS THERE, AND THEN I'M UNCONCIOUS ON THE FLOOR. NONE OF IT MAKES SENSE, nothing - nothing makes sense. I feel - I feel like my brain's been scrambled. It just - I can't - I don't-" Lockwood kneeled next to you, his palm gently cradling your face, and let you cry. You stayed there for a few seconds before you looked up into his face, eyes brimming with tears, "You know what the - what the worst part was?"
"What was the worst part, honey?" There it was again, the nickname. Your heart skipped slightly at the sound of it.
"That you couldn't hear me." Lockwood looked at you, pain sweeping over his expression. "I called for you. In the servants' quarters. I needed you, but you couldn't hear me. I screamed and I cried and I begged and I- I needed you, Lockwood."
He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his lap, before stroking your hair. You cried into his shirt, the white fabric turning translucent in the dampness.
"I will always come." He whispered to you, eyes bright with determination. "I may not have always been there before, but I will be now. I promise. No matter where or when, if you call, I will come to you." He cradled your face in his hands again, thumbs gently rubbing away your tears, "I will listen to you - and George, and Lucy. If you tell me you're scared, I'll hear you. I won't take jobs out of greed, we'll make decisions together. We're a team. I'm sorry I haven't been acting like it."
You wrapped your arms around his neck, tucking yourself into his neck, "I like the sound of that."
You felt Lockwood smile against your neck. "I'll take care of you. If you'll let me."
You pulled back, "Taking care of each other goes both ways. You have to let me take care of you too." He scoffed lightly, but you knew that he had agreed. He couldn't ever say no to you. Not even at Fittes.
"As much as I hate to ruin the moment, George was right. I don't want to think about how much bacteria was probably growing in that house." Lockwood helped you up, "You should probably shower." You nodded your head, chuckling lightly. You grabbed Lockwood's phone from the table and before he could steal it back, you sent a text on the group chat.
"We need food. PLS. WE HAVE NOTHING." You threw him his phone as you ran up the stairs. Lockwood laughed at the text.
"They'll know it's you." He said waving his phone as you grabbed your towel.
"Or they'll have a heart attack knowing that Frosty can change his mind."
fin.
584 notes · View notes
vettelsdarling · 11 months
Note
Heyyy I’m the one who req the Instagram ff and I loved it so muchhhhhh and I want to ask for another but where it’s like a mix of an actual ff but also an Instagram ff? So here’s my prompt: Mick and Reader are both going through tough times regarding their dads because Michael isn’t doing well and readers dad passed away when she was in her mid teens. She and him are best friends because of her dads connection to his dad and they grew up in close proximity. She comes to all his races (can u do it so that mick is racing for Mercedes instead of George??????) and she is his biggest supporter. After a lot of time, Mick confesses to reader because he’s liked her for a long time and reader agrees to date and they make like a soft reveal on Instagram! Thank youuuu Elllll
𝑫𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒚 𝑰𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔
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➪Interesting plot, I like it!
➪Again, I'm pretty new to instagram fics, so I hope I succeeded in bringing your vision to life.
➪Wasn’t completely sure what you meant by “mix”, but I hope this is what you meant!
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Things to note:
❥I took some inspo from “Daddy Issues“ by TNBHD
❥You’re a famous ballerina, daughter of a famous lawyer and business man, Erik Klum (name is made up btw.)
❥You and Mick are 2 years apart
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Pairing: Mick Schumacher x Fem!Reader
Warnings: Tooth-rotting fluff, a lot of angst, a lot of daddy issues
Word Count: 4.1k+
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“𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒚 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒐𝒐.”
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Euripides once said, “To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter.” The saying might've been true, but you never got to experience it for yourself. You never saw him grow old. Your dear father never got to see his sweet little girl grow old either. You missed him every single day.
Backstory
Your father, Erik Klum, was a famous lawyer, who handled Michael Schumacher’s monetary belongings. That's how you got to meet Mick Schumacher. The famous Formula One driver's son. The two of you practically grew up together. His mother, Corinna, was like a mother to you. Your own died when she gave birth to you. Mick and Gina were like your siblings. They were near your age, so the three of you had no problem getting along.
Your father did his best to provide for you. He funded your dream. Ballet. Your mother was a ballerina who travelled the world to perform. That was how she met your father. He also funded any extracurriculars you had time for along with whatever pampering he believed you needed. He wasn't a mother, so he never really had a clue about what a daughter would want, but he always tried his best. Corinna was there to help him out at times, which you also appreciated more than anything.
When you were coming into your pre-teens, you were sent to a ballet boarding school. Your father had set aside enough cash to get you there, as it was a part of your dream to be just like your mother.
At the airport, everyone came to say goodbye to you. You were moving all the way to France to pursue your ballet. Mick and Gina both cried, but Michael assured them it’d be alright. Your father only cried tears of joy. The way he saw your mother in you made his heart give out. You didn’t think the last thing you’d ever hear him say was,
“You look just like her. I’m so proud of you, my little girl.”
You spent the first couple of years training hard and working your way up the ranks at the academy. The process was halted, however, when you’d gotten a phone call from your father followed by a message.
You couldn’t believe what you were reading. Michael was in a coma. Your father explained it’d happened due to a ski accident. He’d booked you a ticket home so that you could go visit. After all, Michael was like a second father to you.
When you got there, you saw the immense grief etched on everyone’s faces. It happened so suddenly. Nobody had seen it coming. Your heart ached, but you knew it was nothing compared to what Mick and Gina were feeling. The three of you hugged and cried for the most part of that day. You stayed for two more days, grieving with everyone before you inevitably had to go back to France.
You managed to keep your composure whilst at the academy. With the updates you’d get from Mick and Gina, you were reassured. Some time passed, and you’d heard that Michael was out of his coma. It sent a huge wave of relief and helped ease your mind when you were alone. You’d been prone to panic and anxiety attacks.
A couple of more years flew by, and you suddenly got a phone call from Mick. He never really called without texting you first, because he knew you had a strict schedule. Luckily, you had your phone when he called.
“Hello?” You heard from the other end of the line.
“Hey, Mickie, what’s with the sudden call?” You asked.
“You have to get home right now. I’ll explain when you get here. We bought you a ticket, your flight leaves early tomorrow.” You felt anxious. Fear started eating away at your feet, making its way up your legs to your stomach and to your throat.
“Okay,” you croaked. The line disconnected and you immediately ran off to administration to tell them you had a family emergency and had to go home for a while. They gave you two weeks, which in retrospect, wouldn’t be enough for what was to come.
When you came to the airport, you realized your father wasn’t in sight. It was just Corinna, Mick, and Gina. Your heart sank. Had something happened to your father? Your head started pounding.
“Hi darling,” said Corinna and tried to keep her composure.
“My dad… where is he?” You asked with a shaky voice, scared of what her response would be. Much to your dread, your suspicions were confirmed,
“I’m sorry, my sweet girl. I’m so sorry.” She didn’t even have the heart to tell you the words. He was gone. You broke down. Mick and Gina looked absolutely devastated for you. Your only driving force was gone. You were all alone. You couldn’t think straight. All you did on the car ride home was cry out to your father. You couldn’t believe that he was gone. It didn’t seem real to you.
When Corinna pulled into the lot of their place, soon to be yours as well, you got out with the help of Mick. Your head was too cloudy to walk by yourself. You could barely form a coherent sentence.
The funeral was the worst part. You watched as they sank your father’s mahogany coffin into the ground.
“Papa! No! Please don’t leave me, papa!” You screamed as you fell to your knees. You couldn’t take it. You never got to say goodbye to him. You never had the chance to say a few final words to him. He’d been taken from you without warning.
Mick and Gina helped you through the first two weeks, as you had to go back. Since you weren’t an adult yet, your aunt had gained custody of you, and you had to move from Switzerland to Germany. Moving away from all you’d ever known was tough on top of the death of your beloved father.
Years passed by at the academy, and you were a full-fledged Ballerina. You performed in various theatres and at famous events. You’d become somewhat of a household name in ballet. Many called you a prodigy, which you were. Your upbringing was based around ballet.
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Present
You'd still kept in contact with the two Schumacher siblings during all the years you spent in France and Germany. You visited them sometimes for minor holidays, which always lifted your spirits.
Mick had started a career in racing, just like his father. He told you that he'd earned a seat at Mercedes. You had come to his races before. Several times, in fact, when he was with Haas. You were beyond ecstatic when you heard he'd earned a place in a dominant car for the new season. Next to Lewis Hamilton, no less.
You wore one of Mick’s shirts when he came out of the shower. His hair was dripping onto his chest, and he had a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Hey, you should wear one of my new Mercedes shirts to the race today,” suggested Mick. For a while, you’d had growing feelings for Mick, and coming to all his races only made him admire you that much more. He’d come to your performances as well, and it always made you happy to see him amongst the huge audience you normally had.
“Hmm, maybe. Won’t people be suspicious though? I mean, I’d look like your…” you trailed off, hoping he’d finish off.
“No, don’t worry about it! Everyone already knows you’re like a sister to me,” He chuckled and threw you one of his shirts. It had 47 on the back of it. Your heart stung briefly when he said that you were like a sister to him.
The Australian Grand Prix was a strike of luck for you, as your performance was in the same city. You were performing in Her Majesty’s Theatre later that day. You’d practiced ever since you heard about the gig.
“You should wear one of my leotards for my performance tonight. It’s only fair!” You joked, watching as he laughed along with you. Domestic moments like this were what had made you fall in love in the first place. You travelled with him constantly. It was hard to not catch any feelings. You could only wish for him to one day feel the same.
“You’re coming to my dad’s 50th birthday luncheon next week, right? Gina said she’d come. Corinna too,” you asked. There was no race the following weekend, so he agreed to come with no hesitation. You always baked a cake on your father’s birthdays to celebrate for yourself. Sometimes Mick was there to join you. This time was different. It wasn’t just baking a cake and singing a gentle birthday song for your father. You wanted to go all in. He deserved it.
“Klum… I don’t want you to overwork yourself with the luncheon, okay? Let me help you.” Mick was always really considerate of you, which was enough to make your heart melt into a bowl of soup. You wanted nothing more than to spend every single birthday of your dad’s with him.
“Mickie… you know how much it means to me. 50 is a special number. That’s you know… halfway.” You mumbled the last part, but it was loud enough for Mick to hear it.
“I know, I know. If you really think you can do it on your own, of course, I’ll let you. I’m just saying, if you need help; I’m here for you.” You nodded and smiled at him. He gave you a warm smile back. It felt like it hugged you.
“We should probably hurry up, though. We have to be there in time.” Mick quickly found some boxers and other articles of clothes to wear for the day. The two of you were used to seeing each other without any clothes on. It felt natural. Yet, your cheeks were still dusted pink. Whilst he got into his clothes, you found a skirt to go with his shirt. It was barely visible due to the oversized shirt, but you wore it anyway. With the outfit, you wore a pair of white satin high heels you’d been gifted by Jimmy Choo. Because you were wearing his shirt, Mick had coordinated his outfit to match yours. You knew the media would try to gossip about it, but in all honesty— you wanted them to.
When the two of you arrived at the paddock, cameras were already everywhere and ready to snap photos of you and Mick in matching outfits. The paparazzi were ruthless. Anything to get the latest inside scoop. Even though you were used to the attention, you hated having your private life revealed. It was the main reason you never told a soul where you lived. Only the Schumachers, your aunt, and some of the drivers knew. You had a long-time friend from the academy who also knew because she often came over to your place to take care of it whilst you were gone.
Luckily, behind you was Lewis. He got all of the attention with his fashion statement. You adored his sense of fashion, and so did the media.
“Viel Glück, Mickie,” you said when Mick got into the car. You gave him a hug and stepped aside for the engineers and strategists. You were incredibly proud of Mick for landing a place with the silver arrows.
It was lights out and you saw all the cars race almost as if they were synchronized. It reminded you of some of the dances you’d done in the past. Before you mostly did solos, anyway.
You watched as Mick went from P13 and worked his way up to P1. You couldn’t even believe your eyes. It was incredible. With only a few laps left, he was able to fend off the driver behind him and go on to finish on pole. Everyone went to the celebration and when Mick came over to hug all his coworkers, he saw you in the midst and pulled you in for a big hug.
“This is for Erik and my dad. I did it!” Out of excitement, he kissed your forehead harshly and went on to hug the rest of the crew. Though the kiss didn’t have any meaning other than that of Mick’s elated state, it meant the world to you.
The interviewer was none other than Nico Rosberg. He came up to Mick and asked a couple of questions about the competition and whatnot, before moving on to ask about you. Mick was a bit surprised, but he answered with what media training he’d been through.
“I think Klum and I both have a lot in common and we grew up together, so I see her as a little sister. She’s very supportive of me.” It was a perfect response in his mind.
“This is your first win, you must be very excited!” Said Rosberg.
“Naturally. I’m dedicating it to Erik Klum and my father. They are both such important people to me and have shaped me into becoming the man I am today. Well, the man who just won this race.” It was sentimental and all the tabloids would be sure to latch onto that.
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A week later, you were out shopping for ingredients with Mick. You'd spent the night before decorating your house. Apparently, you hadn't been discreet enough.
Sportsgossipc
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47,221 likes
sportsgossipc Ballerina Y/n Klum spotted grocery shopping with Formula One driver Mick for Erik Klum’s death anniversary. Are they cosying up together with a celebration?
user1 Is it just me or is this sort of disrespectful to “gossip about”
user2I was about to say the same thing…
user3 This is wrong… Erik died in January. It's for his birthday probably
user4 Leave them alone lol they already got so much shit to handle
user5 First of all: it’s Erik’s birthday. Second of all: If it were his death anniversary, why would you make it into a gossip story??? Third of all: “cosying up together with a celebration”? What is that supposed to mean?
When you came home and went to post a happy birthday post for your dad, you saw a dm from your friend. It showed you and Mick shopping. The photo itself wasn't upsetting in particular. No, the caption is what got you. Mick walked up behind you to see what you were doing. When his eyes locked with the screen, he was shocked.
“They have no right,” said Mick and hugged your waist. You tried to not let it bother you too much and instead posted a story about it, followed by a birthday post for your father.
y/nklum posted a new story, mickschumacher posted a new story
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y/nklum✔︎
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Liked by mickschumacher and 233,754 others
y/nklum You would be 50 today. I miss you every day. I know it’s been a while, but I will always mark my calendar on this day. Thank you for everything you’ve sacrificed and done for me, happy birthday papa❤️
mickschumacher Happy birthday, Erik❤️
ginaschumacher ❤️❤️❤️
You put your phone aside and started cooking. Gina and Corinna were going to arrive precisely at noon, so you had a good 3 hours to finish everything. You ended up letting Mick help you, as you realized there were way too many things to do.
As time passed, you got the food ready and the guests arrived. Everyone sat down by the table you had in your dining room. Next to you, you’d placed a nice portrait of your father. Before eating, a birthday song was sung in his honour.
“This is amazing, kids. You know what you’re doing!” Corinna complimented your cooking. Your usual meal was hotel food or restaurant food, but if there was one thing you could do well; it was cook. Your father had taught you from a young age, and the academy also required you to start cooking your own meals as you grew older.
“Thank you so much, Corinna, I’m glad you like it.” You smiled. Corinna was more of a mother to you than your aunt. You barely ever saw her even though you had to move all of your stuff over to her place. You spent most holidays with the Schumachers when you weren’t in France. After France, you got a house close to your second family.
“That reminds me! I found your father’s old wedding band in our storage. I figured you’d want it.” Corinna gave you a small box which contained the ring. You couldn’t stop the tears from falling down your cheeks. It was a beautiful gold ring with a tiny diamond in it. You hugged it and thanked her for it.
After everyone went home, you were left with Mick. He offered to clean everything so that you could take a breather outside on your patio.
After he’d finished cleaning, he met you outside. You sat on a wooden porch swing. Before taking a seat next to you, he admired how the sunset hit your face perfectly. You were beautiful. Your legs were crossed over each other and the way your face lit up when you saw him… he could barely contain his feelings for you.
“He was a great man.” Mick finally took that seat next to you.
“I miss him.”
“It’s only natural. I miss him too,” he replied calmly.
“I want him to know how I’m doing,” you whispered, trying not to cry any more than you’d already done.
“He knows. Trust me, he does.”
“Do you think he’s disappointed? Because I can’t sleep alone? Because I can’t sleep without having nightmares of him?” You leaned into Mick’s chest, hearing his heartbeat.
“Not at all. I think he’s proud of the incredible woman you’ve grown up to be.” He rubbed your back and pulled you closer to him.
“Will you stay with me forever?” You asked.
“Of course, Schatz.” Your heart started beating fast. It was the first time he’d ever called you a pet name. Usually, he resorted to your name, a nickname, or your last name. You acted as if you hadn’t heard it so that it wouldn’t create any embarrassing tension between you.
“I’m sorry. I’m being clingy and needy, aren’t I?” You sighed and looked up at the setting sun.
“Never, Liebling. I know that you’ve got daddy issues because I do too.” Hearing him say the actual term out loud made you want to bury your face in his chest and cry until you no longer had any tears left.
“My dad is still… well, you know.”
“Yeah… it must be horrible. I don’t know how it feels, but I’m always here for you.” You snuggled into him.
“I don’t know what I’d do if I had lost him that day. You’re really strong. You should know that. I will always be by your side,” Mick spoke softly.
“If you were mine, I would run away and hide from all of this fame and attention with you. We could enjoy our lives to the fullest extent.” You felt like your heart had stopped. You pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes,
“If I was yours?”
“I tried to keep it to myself… I know you probably don’t feel the same way. I’m an older brother to you, right?” He said with a hint of regret in his voice. You immediately cupped his face with both of your hands,
“You have no idea how happy I am right now.”
“You feel the same way?”
“Of course, I do! I’ve been in love with you for a while now.” You smiled.
“I’ve loved you since you first took off to the academy. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you.” He pulled you over his lap and hugged you tightly as if you were a fragile little thing.
“I love you, Schatz.”
“I love you too, Mickie.”
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A few months had passed before the two of you agreed to go public with your relationship. The timing was perfect because you attended the last race of the season. The two of you still had your reservations about going public, so you played a little game with your fans to see if they could figure it out from subtle pictures. Of course, many of the drivers knew a few weeks after it’d happened, but you’d asked them not to tell.
y/nklum✔︎
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Liked by mickschumacherand 355,860 others
y/nklum Came to the show with flowers and carried my heels home for me after❤️
lewishamilton Show was great, keep it up!
landonorris I fell asleep but the parts I saw were amazing👍
y/nklum Why am I not surprised😒
charlesleclerc I know, I'm such a gentleman
y/nklum Hmmm🤔
user1 NOOOOO WE LOST HER😭😭😭 MOTHER NOOOO🙏🙏🙏
user2 crying rn
user3 my parasocial relationship is quaking💔
user4 It's Charles😭👍
user5 How do you know?
user4 Didn't you see the comment he made? It's definitely him💀
user5 Oh💀😭
user6 what in the soft launch-
user7 LMAO I CAN’T WITH CHARLES BEING SO OBVIOUS
user8 What abt Mick😭💔
user9 He said several times he sees her as a sister💀
user8 Could be lying🤷
mickschumacher✔︎
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Liked by y/nklum and 538,924 others
mickschumacher Watched another amazing performance❤️ Had to leave early to prepare for a date though…
charlesleclerc Cool, wish I was that flexible😅
y/nklum Thanks💖
user1 Mick???? Soft launching???? Under a y/n post???? This makes no sense
user2 Wait is he referring to y/n or someone else wtf
user3 I thought y/n was dating Charles💀
user4 Bro everyone thought that
user3 Isn’t she though?
user4 Personally I think she is but idk
user5 Why is Mick soft launching at the same time as y/n😭
user6 Lmao he went to a friend’s performance and ditched it for a date💀
user7 rip y/n
user8 Charles is there for her though🥹❤️
y/nklum✔︎
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y/nklum Thank you to the random stranger who offered to take a picture of me and him together❤️
landonorris That random stranger was me🙄
y/nklum No, you were the third wheel
user1 Nah that definitely doesn’t look like Charles
user2 Nvm that ain’t Charles unless he dyed his hair💀
user3 isn’t that Mick😭
user4 It looks a lot like Mick. I think it is him…
user5 But didn’t Mick say that he left her performance to go on a date?
user4 No, he said he left early to go PREPARE for a date. It could’ve been a date with her.
user6 I love the subtle Lando slander for no reason😭🙏
user7 If Mick posts something like this, we’ll know what’s going on and who’s dating who💀
mickschumacher and y/nklum
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Liked by landonorrisand 836,190 others
y/nvettel Spending our 6-month anniversary skiing ⛷️ Happy 6 months, Mickie❤️❤️❤️
mickschumacher Happy 6 months, Liebling, I love you❤️
y/nklum I love you more❤️
landonorris Should’ve invited me when I actually wanted to third wheel smh
y/nklum Go skiing with Carlos
charlesleclerc Finally I don’t have to keep quiet about it anymore
y/nklum You came close to revealing it one too many times
lewishamilton Enjoy your vacation guys, congrats🙌
user1 I KNEW IT. FROM THE FIRST SOFT LAUNCH POST I KNEW IT.
user2 Jeez okay we get it💀
user3 I really thought it was Charles lmao
user4 I always thought they looked good together🙏
user5 childhood friends and now dating? This is the sweetest🥹❤️
user6 I can’t wait for the wedding pics
user7 They better get married
user8 Lando in the comments again😭��😭
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You thought back to when it all started, as you sat in the ski resort’s outdoor hot tub. It was just you and Mick in a hotel room, both hoping the other felt the same way.
You knew that your father would be proud. You’d fallen in love with a respectable man. A man that he got to meet and know before he passed. A man that you could call home because you could be in any hotel and still feel at home as long as you were with him. With Mick.
You also knew that if you ever were to have children, you and Mick would be sure to tell them all about their grandfathers. How one was a former world champion, and how the other was an unbeatable lawyer. They were both heroes. You’d convinced yourself. You could convince a couple of toddlers.
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𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻...
𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚!
𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩
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©vettelsdarling
𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺— 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
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downbadf0rficppl · 4 months
Text
let me
Anthony Lockwood x F!Reader
Summary: You got hurt. It was his fault. And he feels absolutely awful.
Word Count: 3.4K
Warnings: Angst, Claustrophobia, Near-death situations, Some lightly mentioned family issues, Arguing, Couples? Quarrels, ANGST.
AN: The summary is awful - I feel like I say this every time. Idk if Reader and Lockwood are a couple, they don't have to be, but they can be if you want to. Love you all! (BTW I have not read the books in years so creative liberties were taken - I'm sorry for any and all book inaccuracies.)
Repost
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The body of one 'Sergeant M. Bowers' floated precariously towards Lockwood. He backed up against the door of the bedroom, eyes darting between you and Bowers, rapier extended in front of him. You rifled through the bedroom, looking for anything precious or valuable. You had to find the source for Lockwood.
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Lockwood had taken the case of this particular house out of pure greed. Mrs. Miller was willing to pay a pretty price to take care of her 'little problem' as she called it. You had warned him against it - the Bowers' manor was about a mile outside of the town you grew up in and you'd heard almost every story there was to hear about the house. About the family that inhabited the house. Lockwood hadn't listened.
He'd convinced you to come, saying the stories were 'probably just stories told to children to scare them away.' He assured you they weren't true. After George had done his research, you were more confident - apparently, reports of apparitions of children predated the problem and were therefore hoaxes.
The Bowers were an affluential aristocratic family before the war - the First World War, that is. "They were known for hosting Gatsby-esque parties to celebrate the most menial of affairs - like their dog turning one." George had rolled his eyes at that pushing the picture of the newspaper your way. April 6th, 1912. A week before the Titanic sank.
The sinking of the Titanic began a series of unfortunate events for the Bowers family, starting with the death of the youngest son, James. James and his to-be wife, Miranda, died aboard the ship, thrusting the family into a long period of mourning. In the following two years, 6 of the 12 members who lived in the house had passed away, forcing the rest to flee the countryside manor, claiming it had been cursed - which brought about the misfortune of the family.
The last of the family to inherit the manor was Sergeant Michael James Bowers, who was the youngest nephew of James. He had lost his life in the second World War; after being shot in the arm and leg, he had been honourably discharged and sent home. He succumbed to sepsis not long after, surrounded by empty halls and unhappy memories. Apparently, he had never left.
You shook your head in discomfort - dispelling the dark feeling that had crept over you since reading about the family's terrible fate. Something seemed off about this case - something seemed to have been omitted from all the research you and George had done.
At first, you disregarded it as nerves. The Bowers manor was big - bigger than any other case you had taken. Plus, it was close to home, which was full of unpleasant memories. Maybe the added pressure was playing on your mind. You tried to explain yourself to Lockwood, who dismissed you. Apparently, Lucy had to help Kipps with some research, and George was working on another case. There was no point in arguing with Lockwood when he had made up his mind, and he was not going to budge on this case.
Which led you to your current predicament.
There were many ghosts haunting the halls of the Bowers manor. It seemed that everyone who had died here didn't want to leave. You had rid the house of most of the ghosts - sealing almost ten sources in different iron boxes. Lockwood had danced his way through the Type Ones that he was dealing with - he was evidently the better agent out of the two of you. You had lucked out - you came face to face with a Type Two. The small girl kept repeating about her teddy which you had found in an upstairs bedroom covered in filth and cobwebs. You threw an iron net over it before leaning against a wall to catch your breath. You were exhausted - and you hadn't even dealt with the real problem.
Sergeant Bowers.
Sergeant M. Bowers was a lot more tortured than you had initially thought. His wife left him when he left for the war, leaving to follow her true love into the country - countless correspondences scattered across the rooms told you as much.
Then came the matter of a child - Timothy. Pictures of him were littered through the halls - toys left to rot in the hallways. Clearly, no one had cleaned it until Mrs. Miller bought it at that country house auction. Except the trace of him ended there. There was nothing in your research to tell you about him, nor any sign of him outside the walls of this home.
It was peculiar.
You had tried to tell Lockwood, but he brushed you off. "The kid must have died - explains the tortured relationship between his parents."
It seemed odd to you. What kind of mother would run off without her child?
A glint caught your eye. A small jewellery box lay on the vanity, dust laid over it as if it hadn't been touched in decades. You dashed towards it, opening it quickly to find a simple silver band inside. A wedding band. A source.
You placed the ring in a small iron box - one of your many engineering feats that made your job safer and easier to do. Bowers disappeared from over Lockwood and you ran over to help him up.
"See? Not too bad, was it?" Lockwood joked, taking the box from your hand and putting it in his bag with the rest of them.
"The only reason I'm glad we don't work with Fittes is the paperwork. We'd be drowning in it after tonight. Can you imagine? With all those Type Ones and the two Type Twos. I'd be crying into my pillow for weeks." You grabbed the rest of your equipment and headed towards the stairs. Lockwood's fingers wrapped around your arm, pulling you back sharply.
He pulled out his rapier and pointed it toward the woman - an apparition of a young woman, dressed in a maid's uniform and carrying a basket, seemingly full of laundry.
"Another Type Two. Great." Lockwood sighed, "You check downstairs and I'll check upstairs. She's a maid. Look for... maid things? I don't know." You nodded before hopping downstairs, armed with your rapier.
You went down to the servants' quarters, which you had seen on the blueprints of the house. The room was small, just off the side of the kitchen - and was perhaps the cleanest room in the house. The maids had been let go long before Sergeant Bowers had inherited the house. Clearly, they had taken the cleanliness with them.
You looked around for anything that could be a source. Why would staff die here, you thought, when the Bowers were known for treating staff well? And why would she choose to stay? You walked around the room, running your fingers over the sparse wooden furniture around the room, leaving trails in the dust in your wake. You tripped by the door to the bathroom, cutting your hand on a small loose nail by the door - probably used for hanging coats or aprons. You winced as you stretched your hand, closing your fist to stop the blood from dripping all over the floor.
You heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Did you find anything, Lockwood?" No response. "Lockwood?" The door to the servants' quarters slammed shut. You pressed up against the door, trying to force it open. "LOCKWOOD? LOCKWOOD, HELP!" You screamed, trying to push the door hard. "LOCKWOOD, PLEASE! I NEED YOU!"
Lockwood called to you from the landing, telling you he's found something interesting. You tried screaming for him again, but he was too far away to hear you, just like you were too far away to help. Ghostly yelling startled you as you turned around. The maid was here, clearly oblivious to you in the room. She was humming softly as the ghostly yelling continued.
You watched her from a distance as she folded some invisible clothes, her humming still ringing out around the room. She laughed at nothing, before turning towards the door, expectantly. You turned towards the door, expecting to see some other apparition in the doorway but there was nothing. She seemed to get frantically worried by the lack of whatever presence she is expecting, her humming becoming erratic and eerier by the second.
Her eyes grazed over you, and she seemed to relax. She spoke to you gently, reaching her hand out to you, "Come, Elizabeth. There's no need to be scared." You felt the effects of Ghost-lock wash over you, as lethargy numbs your senses. You saw her drifting toward you, but you had no energy to run or even to poise your rapier in front of you. And she seems so nice.
You heard the door fly open and felt someone grab your arm, tightly. You were pulled out of the room and back into the kitchen. "Thanks, Anthony." You whispered, resting on the kitchen counters.
"Anthony? Who's Anthony?" You looked up, unamused by Lockwood's attempt at a joke.
Your jaw dropped. In front of you was a man that you thought you may never see again, "Grandpa? What the hell are you doing here?"
"I heard you screaming. Just wanted to make sure you're okay?" He said, eyes looking you over, searching for injuries. You hid your arm further behind your back, not wanting to worry him more.
He brought his hand up to brush your cheek, staring down at you lovingly. "I'm sorry about this, kiddo."
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You felt hands pulling you up off the floor, and a strangely familiar voice whispering soothing words in your ear. You struggled in the grasp of this strange person, trying - unsuccessfully - to flee. They held you firmly, arms tucked neatly beneath you.
Tired from your busy night, you gave up, resting your head against the person's chest. You knew this cologne. It was Anthony's - you teased him for putting on too much and the scent lingers in the hallways some mornings. You settled, seeking his warmth and his comfort.
"Nice to have you back. You worried me for a minute back there."
"Lockwood? Worried? God, are there pigs in the sky?" You bantered back, your voice weak with exhaustion. He laid you down on the stairs, running back to grab your rapier and your flares. You must have dropped them when your Grandpa showed up. Grandpa?
Where did he go? You stood up trying to walk back to the kitchen. Grandpa couldn't see any apparitions - if one came for him, he'd be as good as dead.
"Whoa, slow down, Usain Bolt." Lockwood caught you as your legs folded beneath you. "You took a nasty hit to the head, plus you might have had a bit of ghost-lock as well."
"Lockwood, my grandpa," You said, looking past him, and back at the kitchen door, "He can't see them. We have to help him."
"Your grandpa? Honey, there's no one here." The nickname fell on deaf ears. You tried to scramble back towards the room, but Lockwood held you tightly.
He walked with you back to the kitchen - to prove there was no one there. There was no sign of anyone being there - nothing at all.
"Look - there's no one else here. You must have hit your head while getting away from the maid. Just," He huffed, pulling you closer to him, "let me get you home. Let me check you over - make sure you're alright."
You let Lockwood drag you towards the taxi and push you inside. You let him maneuver your body so that your head is resting on his chest and your legs dangle over his. You let him carry you like a rag doll into the house and set you down in the kitchen.
You shivered slightly - involuntarily - but Lockwood noticed. He draped a large blanket over you, boiling some water for hot tea. He grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink and sat down in front of you.
He held out his hand for yours, "Let me clean it for you." So you do.
He spent the better part of the next hour meticulously cleaning every scratch and scrape he can find - only slowing down when you wince, or to pour you more tea. He makes it how you like it - a spoonful of sugar and a dash of milk
Once he's done, he lifts you again and carries you to bed, tucking you in like a mother would their child. He turns out the lights with a soft goodnight and crosses the landing to his own bedroom. The first floor is plunged into darkness, but you stare up at the ceiling.
Sleep doesn't come to you easily. When you close your eyes, the maid's face is above yours - her hand reaching out to you, beckoning you. You want to take it. You see her holding Elizabeth, cradling her as she cries. Your grandpa's face comes up next to the maid and you see your grandpa die. How he screams for you to help him as the plasm burns through his skin. Your mother blames you - tells you that she should never have let you go to Fittes. The maid shields Elizabeth from the loud arguing coming from upstairs. No, not from upstairs. The arguing is happening below you. You shake yourself awake from your restless night, wincing as you contort your bruised body. You slip on your Fittes hoodie and creep downstairs.
Lucy and Lockwood are facing off in the kitchen. Again. You sit on the step, listening in.
"She told you she didn't want to go! And now, there's a chance she won't be able to go into the field."
"She'll be fine. She's tough, she'll get through it."
"You don't know that, Lockwood! You can't just assume that everything will be fine just because you want it to be." You could hear Lucy's voice breaking as she fought back tears.
"Maybe, she won't want to go on missions anymore," George piped up. Clearly, he'd been forced to sit there through breakfast and listen to the argument, "After all, you didn't listen to her doubts when she said she was scared."
"No, she didn't. She just had nerves."
"No, Lockwood. I was terrified. And you didn't hear me out."
"You're awake!" Lucy threw her arms around you, hugging you tightly. "God, I'm so happy you're okay!" You smiled at her warmly, hugging her back. She moved past you, saying something about needing to meet Kipps to finish their case.
"I'd hug you too, but you should probably shower first. Who knows what kind of bacteria fester in hundred-year-old manors? I'll see you after lunch - heading to the archives." George walked out quickly, almost as if he was being chased out by rats.
Lockwood stood in front of you, straight as a board, "You look like you've been electrocuted. Sit down. I'm not going to bite." Lockwood sent a weak smile in your direction.
You poured yourself a mug of tea and put some bread in the toaster. You made a mental note to send George a shopping list before he came back.
"So..." Lockwood started, and you wanted to laugh. In the almost three years you'd lived with him, you'd never seen him so nervous.
"So?"
"We should probably talk about what happened back there." Ah. He wanted to do this now.
"Yeah. We probably should."
"What happened? I mean, one minute you were fine, the next you were unconscious in the kitchen?" Lockwood said, leaning back in his chair slightly.
You grabbed your mug and sat in the chair opposite him, "Was I, though?" Lockwood raised his eyebrows, "Was I really fine, Lockwood, or did you just want me to be fine?"
"I don't understand?"
"Lockwood, I voiced my doubts to you! I told you to let it go! That this was a case we didn't have to take! That we'd find something better." You were standing now, leaning over the table, staring Lockwood down.
"Worth more than 90 grand? Do you have any concept of how much money that is?"
"YES! YES, LOCKWOOD, I DO! IT'S NOT NEARLY ENOUGH MONEY! We fought how many ghosts? 10? 12? Do you even consider that?"
"14, actually."
"YOU ARE NOT HELPING YOURSELF. YOU MAY BE THE LITTLE PRODIGY OF FITTES, BUT SOME OF US ARE NORMAL. SOME OF US ARE AVERAGE." You sat back down, your legs shaking. You were still too weak to force this argument. Your voice trembled, "I can't keep up with you, Lockwood, none of us can. Lucy, maybe, but even she needs a break. Hell, even you need a break sometimes."
"We're fine, aren't we? We're all alive and kicking, still fighting ghosts another day?"
"Yeah, but for how long? How long do we keep getting to cheat death?" How long until one of us gets buried for the unnecessary risks we keep taking? You didn't say it but the question took root in the back of your mind.
Lockwood sighed, "I don't know where this is even coming from. We survived. We did the job. We got our money. Aren't you happy-"
"HAPPY! HOW CAN I BE HAPPY, LOCKWOOD? I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT HOUSE YESTERDAY! One minute, we were sealing up a source, the next I was being lured in by a Type Two, ghost-locked and bleeding. Somehow, my GRANDPA WAS THERE, AND THEN I'M UNCONCIOUS ON THE FLOOR. NONE OF IT MAKES SENSE, nothing - nothing makes sense. I feel - I feel like my brain's been scrambled. It just - I can't - I don't-" Lockwood kneeled next to you, his palm gently cradling your face, and let you cry. You stayed there for a few seconds before you looked up into his face, eyes brimming with tears, "You know what the - what the worst part was?"
"What was the worst part, honey?" There it was again, the nickname. Your heart skipped slightly at the sound of it.
"That you couldn't hear me." Lockwood looked at you, pain sweeping over his expression. "I called for you. In the servants' quarters. I needed you, but you couldn't hear me. I screamed and I cried and I begged and I- I needed you, Lockwood."
He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his lap, before stroking your hair. You cried into his shirt, the white fabric turning translucent in the dampness.
"I will always come." He whispered to you, eyes bright with determination. "I may not have always been there before, but I will be now. I promise. No matter where or when, if you call, I will come to you." He cradled your face in his hands again, thumbs gently rubbing away your tears, "I will listen to you - and George, and Lucy. If you tell me you're scared, I'll hear you. I won't take jobs out of greed, we'll make decisions together. We're a team. I'm sorry I haven't been acting like it."
You wrapped your arms around his neck, tucking yourself into his neck, "I like the sound of that."
You felt Lockwood smile against your neck. "I'll take care of you. If you'll let me."
You pulled back, "Taking care of each other goes both ways. You have to let me take care of you too." He scoffed lightly, but you knew that he had agreed. He couldn't ever say no to you. Not even at Fittes.
"As much as I hate to ruin the moment, George was right. I don't want to think about how much bacteria was probably growing in that house." Lockwood helped you up, "You should probably shower." You nodded your head, chuckling lightly. You grabbed Lockwood's phone from the table and before he could steal it back, you sent a text on the group chat.
"We need food. PLS. WE HAVE NOTHING." You threw him his phone as you ran up the stairs. Lockwood laughed at the text.
"They'll know it's you." He said waving his phone as you grabbed your towel.
"Or they'll have a heart attack knowing that Frosty can change his mind."
fin.
buy me a coffee
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hotchs-bitch · 2 years
Text
Hold On
Summary: When a case hits a little too close to home, it’s time for Aaron to face the music and be honest about his feelings after the breakup
Pairing: Hotch x blank slate Fem!Reader (no use of y/n), Hotch x Beth mentioned, Emily Prentiss x mentioned oc (aka @leftoverenvy)
Word count: ~12k (the girl cannot shut up) (it’s closer to 13 but it’s worth it I swear to god it is)
Warnings: hotch pov, case-compliant violence/injuries, mentions of suicide, mentions of pregnancy & pregnancy scares, domestic actions without fluff, relationship talk/references to relationship, angst angst angst, deep delving into their feelings, this is basically a case study, I once again leaned way too heavily on song lyrics so pls listen to it
A/N: As Taylor Swift said…. Dear reader, if it feels like a trap, you’re already in one. Mwahaha. Anyways I hope you enjoy this. Massive shoutout to @munsons-curls and @doctorstethoscope for fixing my many mistakes and validating me, and to everyone who has let me take them on this little ride. I can’t express how much I’ve enjoyed writing this fic, or how excited I am to write the epilogue
Find it on ao3 here and as always, happy reading <3
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—————
There's so many dreams that we have given up
Take a look at all we've got
And with this kind of love what we've got here is enough
So hold on to me tight, hold on, I promise it'll be alright
'Cause we are stronger here together than we could ever be alone
Just hold on to me, don't you ever let me go
Once upon a time, Aaron had considered himself lucky. He had a steady job, as dangerous as it was fulfilling, with the BAU. He had a son, energetic and joyous despite all he’d been through. He had you, beautiful and strong and endlessly supportive of him. He had a version of the life he had always wanted, the normalcy of family game night and someone else making Jack eat his veggies. It had been perfect.
But then, he’d screwed up. Hadn’t he? He had opened up, just a bit too much, and told you something you didn’t want to hear. Scared you off.
Instead of spending the rest of his life with you, as he’d planned, Aaron found himself alone. He tried not to blame you, tried not to feel bitter about the inevitable result of finally opening up to someone so wholly. 
He bit back every thought of how conditional your love turned out to be, every scathing remark about how Biometrics was one of the most useless departments in the Bureau. He pretended not to care when he overheard that you were dating again, courtesy of JJ and Prentiss’ water cooler gossip.
He’d done what Aaron Hotchner always did; he’d buckled up, lifted his chin, and done what was expected of him. He’d found a nice girl, one that fell for him quickly, and he wished he could return the depths of her affection. He’d continued to work, putting away bad guys with Morgan and Reid while missing the easy way you’d always been able to read his mind in the field.
He moved apartments as soon as it became apparent that the ghost of you would never leave; he just wished that it hadn’t followed him, haunting him with thoughts of you dancing around the new stainless steel kitchen, or flopping onto the brand new suede couch.
He’d done what you asked him to, two years ago when you’d walked away from him and left him to pick up the pieces of his son’s broken heart and ignore his own.
Everyone has a breaking point, though. Aaron, to his credit, hadn’t reached it many times in his life.
There was the first time his father hit his little brother; the first time Aaron fought back. Open-handed slaps, broken noses, Sean screaming. He had never regretted it, not even when he wound up in the hospital that night.
There was George Foyet, dead on the blood-soaked carpet after a blur of a fight. Bloody knuckles, blurry vision, Haley’s blood flecked on her killer’s face. He’d do it a hundred times over if he had the chance.
There was the breakup, the one that simultaneously snuck up on him and had been inevitable. Crumpled flowers, Aaron yelling, you packing your desk. If he hadn’t snapped, would you have stayed?
And then there were the breaking points Aaron never expected to reach.
Leaving for a case the day you broke up with him, only to return to a half-empty apartment. Empty closet, the ‘hers’ sink from the his-and-hers themed bathroom scrubbed clean, your favourite mug left in the dishwasher. He had shattered the mug, thrown it off the balcony where you liked to drink your coffee in the mornings.
The first time you’d come along on a team outing after the breakup. Laughter, avoiding glances, ignoring how good you looked. He had taken home the first woman who caught his eye that night, learned her name- Beth- and given her a place in his life, like that would solve anything.
No matter how many breaking points he experienced, Aaron could never be sure about when the next one would occur. His saving grace through it all was that at least he could keep his composure at work. 
Where Aaron failed, Hotch wasn’t allowed to.
Maybe that’s why it’s such a shock when the team gets news of a bombing in New York, just days after Emily’s wedding, and Hotch nearly keels over at his desk. 
You’re in New York.
— — — 
The drive to the airstrip is a blur; the whole team is worried, of course, but Aaron can hardly see straight until he’s on the plane with a file in his hand and Emily is squeezing his arm. 
He remembers giving a quick and quiet order to Garcia, to call you and find out if you’re okay, and it doesn’t help his nerves that all she could tell him was, “Her phone is off.”
“She’s okay, you know,” Emily murmurs, discreet enough that no one else can hear. “It’s a big city. She’s just fine. We’ll catch this guy, and then you can see her. We just need to work the case first.”
Aaron- Hotch, now- takes a deep breath and does his best to hide that those words are exactly what he needs to hear right now, even if he doesn’t plan on seeing you. She’s right; they just need to work the case. “Alright. Okay,” he says a little louder, “What do we know?”
“Not much,” Morgan frowns at the file in his hand. “A bomb went off at The Vessel. It was a structure, I guess, but no one was allowed inside and that’s where the bomb was. Makes sense with the casualty numbers- Seven wounded, two dead.”
“Probably nearby tourists, taking pictures with it,” Prentiss says thoughtfully. “Maybe he’s sending a message to outsiders, but didn’t want a high body count.”
“That could be it,” Rossi agrees. “‘Stay out of my city’.”
“There’s been no communication to any news outlets so far,” JJ chimes in. “I don’t think we’ll learn much more until we get there and have a chance to check out the scene.”
Reid adjusts a few papers so they align, most of his attention focused on the task. “You know, most seemingly random bombings have a high chance of being followed up with a string of serial bombings, for a number of reasons. Sometimes the unsub gets addicted to the attention, or the feeling of killing, or the initial bomb doesn’t impact the intended target,” he continues, not noticing the look Rossi is shooting him.
Hotch takes a deep breath and tries to push back the feeling in his chest that resembles a brick being crushed into his sternum. “Alright. JJ is right. There’s not much more we can do with no signature and no other bombings. Everyone, just try to relax; I have a feeling we won’t be getting much rest in New York.”
He watches as the team follows his instruction. The tension is palpable but they know there’s nothing they can do; the waiting is everyone’s least favourite part of the job. Still, they try to relax. Morgan pulls on his headphones and closes his eyes, JJ and Reid start to play cards, and Prentiss and Rossi re-open their file folders to review case details.
As much as he’d like to do the same, Aaron can’t bring himself to move. He sits there, head against the window, and he wonders if you’re okay. Were you caught in the blast? Did you become one of Reid’s bombing statistic numbers? Or are you perfectly fine, content somewhere in the city with no idea that Aaron is on his way there?
He wonders, briefly, against his will in a moment dripping with guilt, which potential is worse.
———
Aaron Hotchner is something of a practiced master at hiding his agony. Maybe that’s why his voice is so level when the plane starts to descend, and he finally speaks to do the one thing he knows how; direct his team.
“Morgan and Rossi, go to the bombing site. See what you can find. Prentiss, head to the hospital with Reid and start talking to victims, and JJ, see if any news outlets have been contacted yet. We’ll meet at the station later.”
As though on cue, Garcia’s computer screen against the wall of the jet lights up. The tech analyst looks a bit paler than usual, and Hotch crosses his fingers and chalks it up to bad lighting until she speaks.
“Sir, there was another bombing. Three minutes ago, in a grocery store near the Village. There’s no casualty numbers yet.” She looks like she might cry now, and it’s not hard to figure out why.
“A grocery store is a serious escalation,” Rossi says, opening the file folder he’d just closed. “There’s locals, long-stay tourists, families shopping. Big jump from a tourist trap.”
“So we know he’s not possessive of the city. At least, he isn’t just trying to get rid of perceived outsiders,” JJ offers, and Morgan shakes his head.
“If this guy is looking for the homey-cozy ‘love thy neighbour’ deal, he’s not about to get it in New York no matter what he bombs,” he points out.
When the plane jostles them all a little, Hotch takes the moment of silence to re-assess assignments. “Garcia, is search and rescue at the second bombing site?”
“Yes. Well, sort of. The team is split between doing recovery at both locations,” she says, and one nod from Rossi means Hotch doesn’t hesitate to reassign.
“Morgan, you’re with me at the new site. We’ll be assisting with search and rescue before anything else. Rossi can handle the first scene by himself. Everyone else, stay as assigned.”
“Hotch, are you sure about that? I might be able to…” On what was probably going to be an offer of how he can assist at the original scene, Morgan falters. Of course he does. There’s nothing to be done when the bomb’s already gone off.
“I’m sure. There are people out there, and they deserve to be saved.”
———
When the plane hits the tarmac, his team is ready. It’s like watching a well-oiled machine, the way they pair off and head off to their assigned zones. The only pause is between Aaron and Rossi, when he grabs his friend’s arm on the way off the plane. “Dave…”
“I’ll tell you if she’s there,” Rossi promises, and then he’s gone in a black SUV while Hotch climbs into one with Morgan and heads to the Village bombsite.
“So, search and rescue,” Morgan says, raising his voice to speak over the sirens that Hotch has turned on. “Are we heading in, or assisting from the sidelines?”
“According to Garcia, the ambulances aren’t able to make it out to the grocery store. There’s too much rubble blocking the roads that aren’t under construction, and it’s New York traffic in addition to the media outlets swarming the place.” Hotch lets out a concentrated breath. “It’s going to be all hands on deck. Look for survivors, get them to an ambulance.”
“Got it.” The second Hotch throws the car into park, Morgan is sliding out of his seat and onto the sidewalk. Both men make their way through the media storm, past the ambulances that managed to park closer than they did, and into the store.
Search and rescue is there already, along with the SWAT team. They’re moving debris, lifting fallen shelves, and occasionally carrying people out to the ambulances waiting for them.
Hotch sets into motion instantly. He breaks off for the frozen food aisle where he doesn’t see anyone searching. “Is anyone over here?” He calls out, but there’s no answer.
The bomb must have come from across the store; there’s less debris here, but the shelves are twisted and collapsed all the same. Shattered glass from the freezer doors covers the ground, and he tries to avoid it as best he can as he walks down what once was an aisle.
He steps around stray items- a warped metal freezer door frame, a pile of frozen pizza boxes, pints of melting ice cream- while keeping his eyes trained for any sign of another person anywhere.
When he finally does see something, it makes his adrenaline spike. It’s a leg, poking out from under a freezer shelf. If he has to venture a guess, he’d say that someone is pinned under the bent freezer frame, but whether they’re merely unconscious or dead remains to be determined.
“Hello? Can you hear me?” Hotch raises his voice a little and gets closer to the figure. He can see the leg a bit more clearly now, and a hand poking out from under the side of the freezer. The fingers twitch slightly. Thank god.
The sweatpants the person is wearing look vaguely familiar, and Hotch can’t place them until he sees the image of Nemo on them, and it clicks. As soon as he realizes, his stomach drops. His hands go clammy, the blood rushes from his face, and it’s all he can do to stay on his feet.
When the dizziness hits him, he wants to throw something and scream and maybe sink down onto the floor and cry, but he can’t. 
He can’t, because he remembers when Penelope made sweatpants out of quilts for everyone on the team four Christmases ago. He can’t, because she’d had more than enough Disney quilt for two pairs, and had given you and him matching pants.
He can’t, because he recognizes those pants because they’re in his closet at home, but the only other person who owns a pair like this, obviously handmade, from a quilt covered in Disney characters, is…
It’s you.
Aaron can’t help himself, couldn’t stop it if he wanted to; he turns his head, bends over, and throws up on the grocery store floor, on layers of glass and rubble and thawed boxes of Pizza Pops. Right there, staring at your leg and hand, Aaron almost breaks.
But where Aaron has chinks in his armour, Hotch has none. Hotch is the one who takes a deep breath and wipes his mouth and straightens up, the one who uses every bit of strength to lift a warped freezer shelf up and reveal you, with a mangled wrist but looking generally otherwise unharmed.
You look terrified.
Not that Hotch can blame you, of course.
“It’s alright. You’ll be okay,” he says, and he doesn’t know if it’s Hotch or Aaron talking, because he sounds calm but he has no idea what happened or how hurt you are. “Were your neck or back hurt? You need to answer me.”
You’re looking up at him, gaze half-lidded, and he doesn’t know if he should be scared or relieved when you shake your head and croak out, “They’re fine.”
He knows it’s risky, knows he should call for Morgan or a member of SWAT or anyone with a gurney to transport you safely. But you’re in front of him, dazed, grimy and half-conscious with your wrist bent at an angle, and all he can do is pick you up and hold you close to him. “Hold on,” he instructs, and he feels your arm wrap around his neck.
“Aaron…” you whisper, and he strains to hear you as he makes his way towards the doors with you in his arms. No words follow, though, and he looks down to see you crying against him, silent with tears slicing through the coat of dust on your face. Your arm starts to slip, and he squeezes you a little.
“We’re going to get you out of here,” he promises, “But you need to stay with me. You’ve probably got a concussion, so don’t close your eyes. Hold onto me, tight. I’ve got you.”
When your grasp tightens again, he resumes moving towards the exit. The first breath of fresh air must invigorate you, because he feels you tighten your grip even more. “Aaron,” you repeat, less feeble than before, but he doesn’t want you wasting an ounce of energy.
“I know, but it’s going to be alright,” he shushes you as gently as he can until you arrive at the ambulance, and he passes you off to two paramedics who slide you onto a gurney.
He tries to step back but your hand shoots out and grips his dirtied suit with more strength than he thought you had. “Will you visit? At the hospital?”
The correct answer is no. No, there’s a case to work. No, you’ll be fine. No, we broke up and that’s weird. “We all will,” he promises instead without a hint of regret. “Just let them take care of you, and we’ll be by when we can.”
Relief shines in your eyes, and it’s the last thing he notes before your grip loosens on him and you’re wheeled up into the ambulance.
A minute or so passes before Aaron senses someone behind him and turns to see Derek, who’s watching the road the ambulance disappeared down. “She’s gonna be okay,” he says to Aaron, offering him a nod of support. 
Hotch doesn’t know who he’s trying to reassure.
— — —
They reconvene at the station a few hours later, and Aaron sits mostly silent while his team discusses victimology, motives, and the chemical makeup of each bomb. He tries to contribute once or twice, but he falls quiet every time he recalls the way you’d looked up at him. 
There had been fear in your eyes, of course. You’d been in a bombing, and he knows how natural fear is after traumatic events. But there had been recognition there too, a solemn kind. He wonders to himself if you wish anyone other than him had found you and brought you to safety, or if he’s worrying about nothing.
You’re safe now, and that’s what’s important. Even if you recover and stay in New York and Aaron never sees you again, at least you’re safe.
Who is he kidding? He can’t go along with never seeing you again, safety be damned. And yet…. He clenches a fist, ignoring Morgan and Reid’s discussion about chemical compounds. And yet, you’d been so close to dead. An aisle or a footstep away, and you could have been ripped away forever.
It makes him sick to think about.
He’s thinking so hard about it that he’s got no idea how long he’s had his gaze fixed on the table before JJ’s sharp “Hotch!” breaks through and gets his attention.
He clears his throat, embarrassed to be caught off guard. “I’m sorry. I was… elsewhere.”
“Did you hear what Emily said?” She asks, and he shakes his head. When he makes eye contact, JJ’s features soften. “You should go see her.”
“No. No, that’s unnecessary. We have a case to work,” he says, and Morgan scoffs at that. “We need to work it like any other case.”
“Any other case? Hotch, you carried her to the ambulance! It’s first aid 101. She could have had a broken spine, and you threw protocol out the window,” Morgan says, staring his boss down. “This isn’t any other case. You guys were in love, man. Go see her.”
Hotch sighs, wishes that the floor could open up and swallow him. Of course he wants to see you, buthe needs to catch the person who did this, first. “It’s not my priority. There are people dying, and we need to stay focused on that. I told her that we would all come visit her after the case is closed.”
“We are focused,” Emily points out. “You aren’t. You’re not helping anyone like this. Just go talk to her, see how she’s doing.” When Aaron opens his mouth to protest again, she cuts him off. “I’m not saying you should live at her bedside or propose to her, but just go say hi. It’s going to help both of you.”
When he looks to his right, Rossi has one eyebrow up. “You know you aren’t winning this one, right?” he asks, and Hotch sighs again. “Bring the girl some flowers, too.”
Aaron closes his file and stands up. “I’m not bringing her flowers,” he mutters. “I’ll be back in forty-five minutes. If anything else happens, keep me updated.”
——
When he gets to the hospital, flowers in hand, Aaron finds your room almost immediately. He knocks twice on the door, is greeted with a soft, “Come in.”
“Hi,” he says gently, leaving the door open. He watches, waits while you do a double-take like you can’t trust your own vision when Aaron Hotchner is standing at the door.
“You came,” is your response, and he can’t decide if your voice is coloured by exhaustion or disbelief. Maybe it’s both, but he doesn’t like the idea of not being seen as dependable to you, even now.
Encouraged slightly, Aaron takes a further step into the room. Maybe you do want him here, and you weren’t delirious when you asked him to visit. “You asked me to; of course I came. How do you feel?”
While he waits for an answer, he observes you. You’re in a fresh pair of clothes, and before he can enquire about it you’re speaking.
“I’ve been better.” You hold up one arm in a cast. “But I’ve just got this and a concussion, so it could be worse. Remember that case in Kansas where I broke my leg? That was way worse.”
Aaron shakes his head, wanting to scold you for speaking so lightly of an event that had very genuinely terrified him, but he stops himself. It’s not his place. In lieu of conversation, he raises the vase of flowers slightly.
“I, uh, brought you these.”
In the two long years that you’ve been gone, Aaron has never stopped reading human behaviour. More than anything, he has experience with your body language, and he looks over you with a familiar eye.
He sees the tension in your shoulders, your eyes narrowing slightly in the direction of the arrangement, and he knows that you’re remembering the last time he brought you flowers. “Thank you,” you say after a pause that’s almost too long. “What kind are they?”
“They’re Gladioli,” he says, and the words are fully out of his mouth before he remembers that he should have lied.
When you were dating, he had always brought you flowers. On your birthday, when you solved a case, when you just felt down; Aaron was there with a bouquet, one that always meant something. Celebration, or supportive love, or some other flower language message that he knew you would understand even when he couldn’t say it out loud.
He’s pretty sure that by the time you broke up, you had memorized the whole flower dictionary. But it’s possible, he hopes, that you never came across the Gladiolus flower. Hope. Love. Remembrance.
Why he bought them, he can’t say for sure. Maybe old habits die hard. Maybe he wants to know what you’d do if you recognized the flowers.
When you finally speak, it’s with an indecipherable voice. He’s got no idea whether or not you know what these flowers mean. “They’re beautiful. Can you just put them there?” You point one finger at the windowsill, and he follows your directions to place the vase down.
“Of course.” He sets the flowers down in a beam of sunlight, adjusts them this way and that until he’s satisfied. Once he stops moving, a heavy silence falls over the room.
What is there for you to discuss?
He’s racking his brain looking for something, anything, to talk about, until you speak bluntly.
“What do you know about the bomb?”
“What?” He hadn’t even considered that you might want to talk about the case. You’re a former agent of his unit, so ethically, it’s fine to discuss this with you. Still, he’s concerned about the trauma to your body and mind. Before he can speak again, or protest, you’re already talking.
“The bomb,” you repeat. “Do we know who it was placed by? Is it connected to any other bombs? What was it made with?”
This is familiar. This is okay. This is something Hotch knows how to talk about, even when you’re laid up in a hospital bed and he’s only talked to you a handful of times since you broke up two years ago.
At least it’s not awkward anymore. He can read it in the way you sink back into the bed, and how his own shoulders release a bundle of tension that’s been there since he initially heard that there was a bombing in New York this morning.
“We’re still trying to figure that out,” he admits. “It was made with the same chemical compound as the one that blew up The Vessel this morning. It was a homemade compound, nothing that could have been acquired naturally without extensive knowledge of bombs.”
“The Vessel? That’s a tourist attraction.” You sit up, but Hotch shakes his head.
“A closed one,” he corrects. “People just go there to take pictures outside the structure, now. That’s why there’s such a low body count.”
“Well, yeah, but it’s not just closed. The Vessel is the attraction that closed after a string of suicides,” you say, and Hotch’s head snaps up in attention. “It was a big thing on the news. Have you looked into anyone related to any of those suicides?”
“No, we haven’t.” He’s already fumbling for his phone. “I’m going back to the station. Just… keep us updated on your condition, okay? We would all like to know how you’re doing.”
“Absolutely not.” Hotch can’t decide if he’s more annoyed, impressed, or concerned when you stand up. “I’m coming with you.”
“You aren’t a part of the BAU anymore,” he reminds you. “You made that choice.” 
“Yeah, well, there weren’t any lives at stake. He went after a grocery store, Aaron! What’s next, the Empire State Building? Times Square?” You grab your bag of possessions collected from the bombing and rustle through for your purse. “Did you drive here?”
“You can’t come with me. You’re in the hospital for a reason.”
“For a concussion! People are dead.” You stride towards the door, holding your purse and jacket in the hand that doesn’t have a cast around the wrist. “Can you bring the Gladioli, please?”
Is he caught? Do you want to bring them because you know what they mean, or just because they’re nice flowers? With a sigh, Aaron picks them up and pulls his car keys out, knowing that you’ve won this one. “We aren’t putting your name on any reports,” he warns, taking your jacket and bag of possessions in his other hand. “Strauss would kill us both if she thinks I’m borrowing agents from other units.”
“I don’t need credit. But we need to find this guy, before he hurts anyone else.”
———
When Aaron gets back to the station, he thinks that his agents probably expected him to come back with something like Thai food, or information about a new bombing.
They likely weren’t expecting him to bring you with him. Or maybe they were, because the response of greeting waves and murmured ‘hello’s are less surprised than he had expected. 
“How are you feeling?” Prentiss asks casually, but Hotch can see the flicker of panic in her eyes when she glances at your cast.
“I’ve been worse. Listen, Aaron told me about The Vessel…” you start talking to the team as Hotch calls Garcia to loop her in, and suddenly everything feels more normal than it has in two years.
When you’ve finished filling the team in, Hotch starts to speak. “Garcia, we’re going to need history on the deaths that occurred there before it was closed down. Rossi and Prentiss, go through medical reports. Reid, I want you going through any written notes or other evidence found with the bodies.”
While he talks, he notices you slipping out of the room out of the corner of his eye. Morgan grabs his phone and calls Garcia, trying to help her comb through articles for a list of suicides that occurred at The Vessel.
Hotch sits down with Reid, paging through suicide notes and crime scene photos sent by Garcia until he feels like his head is spinning. 
That’s right around when you come back, your presence subtly announced with a cup of tea placed in front of Hotch and a gentle squeeze of his shoulder as you pass.
When he brings the cup to his lips, he smiles. It’s English Breakfast tea with a dash of sugar in it; his beverage of choice when it’s too late in the day for coffee. “Thank you,” he says, and you just give him a grin before going to assist Rossi and Prentiss.
After a few minutes of idle work and murmured discussion, Derek shushes everyone and puts his phone on speaker. “Okay, baby girl, tell us something good.”
“None of that, crime fighters. After a truly depressing deep dive through news articles, I’ve got 37 names belonging to people who… you know, died at The Vessel.”
“That’s not workable,” JJ remarks, “We need to narrow it down.”
“We said he has a protective, low body count style. Could be the family member of a suicide victim. One who doesn’t have the guts to cause the maximum amount of carnage,” Rossi suggests.
“That’s good,” Hotch hears himself say, like he’s hearing it from a distance. “A parent would show aggression. Garcia, look for suicide victims with surviving siblings in the area. Focus on the ones with older siblings.”
The click-clack of her keys is the only audible sound before she reports, “16 left. Still too many names.”
“Do any of them work in auto mechanics, or in proximity to cars?” Reid asks. “There’s a specific compound in the bomb that’s almost impossible to come by unless you have access to garage-grade chemicals or a specialized lab, and the lab is unlikely for him.”
“Two names. Anything else?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Hotch sees you perk up. “Did any of the victims work at that grocery store?”
“Uhh…. One! He wasn’t on our list of two, but his name was Jackson Moyer.”
“Wait, I’ve got something here.” Reid sorts through papers- suicide notes and similar images sent from Garcia, and Hotch doesn’t know when he had time to get them printed out- until he pulls out a sheet of paper. “Jackson Moyer. It says in the note that his girlfriend broke up with him on the same day he got fired.”
Emily leans over to look at the note. “It’s dated nine months ago.”
Nine months. “She was pregnant,” Hotch blurts out, and a heavy silence falls over the group.
Moments later, Garcia gives the confirmation. “Nora Carr, Jackson’s girlfriend, had the baby…. Three days ago, but she gave it up for adoption,” she reports. 
“Right before the bombings started.” Rossi’s observation sits heavy for a second until you speak again.
“Back to the victim. Does he have a surviving family member matching the description?” You hold the end of a pen in your mouth, worrying it between your lips while you look at your files. “A sibling or close cousin, maybe.”
There’s a moment of typing before Garcia says, “Bingo. His older brother, Jeremy. It looks like they were really close growing up; same sports teams, friend group, classes, you name it. He doesn’t work at any kind of auto shop, though. He works in retail.”
“He felt betrayed when his brother killed himself,” Hotch starts.
He’s caught off guard when you continue his train of thought for the first time in two years. The ease with which you take over his idea is one that he’s missed; sometimes, when he’s having difficulty going somewhere with a profile, he misses working with you. It’s like you hold the other piece of the puzzle.
But now, even if just temporarily, you’re here and you’re fitting the puzzle piece into place
“And he saw giving away Jackson’s child as the ultimate betrayal. Does he have a boyfriend or girlfriend with access to the chemicals used?” You ask.
“Yep. Her name is Erica Harmon and she’s a grad student at Columbia. She’s a TA in a load of undergrad chem classes, too.”
“He’s got access to the chemicals through her,” JJ says, frowning at her list of materials found in the bombs. “Almost all of this is lab-grade, and the rest of it wouldn’t be hard to find at a supermarket.”
“And he’s probably going after Jackson’s ex-girlfriend next,” Morgan says, already grabbing his gun as the rest of the group stands up.
Prentiss looks at her boss. “Where do you want us?”
“You and Reid, head to Jeremy’s house. Rossi, Morgan, JJ, I want you at the ex-girlfriend’s apartment.”
“Where am I going?” You ask, using one hand on the table to steady yourself when you stand up and wobble slightly. “I need a gun.”
“No, you don’t. You need to stay here, and I’ll stay with you.” Aaron sits back down, pulls you into your own chair with both hands on yours while he ignores the team’s stares.
“Hotch, are you sure?” Morgan asks, but Aaron doesn’t even look over. 
“Go.”
He hears the sounds of rustling to his side, his team leaving as fast as they can while Garcia says something about sending them the addresses, but he can hardly focus. “Are you okay?”
“A little…” You bring a hand to the centre of your forehead. “A little dizzy, that’s all. Are they going to be okay?”
“They’ll be just fine. We profiled that he targets the buildings themselves, not the people in them. He won’t be able to take a hostage successfully.” Aaron promises. 
He hopes he’s right.
He hopes he hasn’t lied to you yet again, especially when you give him a hopeful smile.
“I missed this,” you say, so casually that his heartbeat falters before you continue to speak, giving him clarification that he doesn’t want. “Working with everyone, being on cases. Biometrics isn’t nearly as interesting.”
The confession cracks his face into something resembling a smile. “Never a dull moment here,” he agrees before the two of you fall into a silence that he can’t decipher.
Should he have said something else? We missed working with you, or I missed having you around, or Biometrics is practically an entry-level unit. Maybe even, Are you thinking of rejoining the team?
He still doesn’t know why he lied to you on the day of the breakup, why the words ‘it’s not reversible’ had ever left his lips. You could have come back to the BAU at any time, Strauss be damned. Of course, it would be his head on the chopping block, but still. You deserved to know.
He doesn’t say anything.
“How’s Beth?” You blurt out, and he wonders how long you’ve been holding onto that question before you asked it.
He wishes you hadn’t asked. He has a moment of panic, gives you a reaction he already hates himself for before he does it. Instead of answering, he stands up and picks up his now-empty mug of tea. “I’m going to get another. Do you need anything? Some water?” He suggests, brushing the back of his hand on your forehead the way he does when Jack is sick.
The look in your eyes is unreadable when you slump down into your seat further, staring at the table. “I’m okay,” you mumble, and Aaron hates himself even more for the familiar way he caresses your hair before he walks off.
His return a few minutes later finds you curled up in one of the large office chairs, your head leaned back while you speak into your cell phone. “… not sure when I’ll be back,” you’re saying, and you glance up when he enters the room. “I’ll call you back later, okay?” 
You hang up and tuck the phone under your leg before you look up at him. You don’t say anything. 
He doesn’t say anything.
You don’t say anything.
“I brought you tea,” he blurts out. 
Aaron Hotchner, ex-prosecutor, Unit Chief of the Behavioural Analysis Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, well-known in more than one elite circle for his nuanced understanding of the human mind and what makes it tick. That’s him.
Or maybe it’s not, because after two seconds of awkward silence he’s offering you the mug of tea he made for himself.
“I thought you went to get yourself one,” you say, but a barely-trembling hand reaches forward to accept the mug nonetheless. Thank god he’d grabbed a clean one.
“You need it more. How’s your arm doing?” He asks, and you shrug.
“It’s been better, but it’s been worse. Hurts less when I don’t think about it.”
Aaron has always prided himself on giving you what you need. If you’re telling him that you don’t want to think about it, he can work with that. He can distract you. “Who were you on the phone with?”
It’s excruciating, the length of time that he sits in silence before you answer. It feels like he’s waiting for a signed murder confession. He sits there and waits for what feels like days, weeks, maybe a month or two to hear you say, “My friend.”
“Garcia said you were visiting a friend. That’s why you bought the onesie, isn’t it?” He guesses, remembering that awkward run-in with Beth and Ella at the museum gift shop.
He can’t believe he brought it up. Can you see the shame for it on his face, or the tips of his ears red with embarrassment?
It had been a great day. He had had a rare day off, and he and Beth had taken the kids to the park. They’d gone out for ice cream afterwards, and finally for a tour of Jack’s favourite museum that ended with the museum gift shop. It’s almost a perfect memory, a day that he would fit into a snow globe to preserve if he could.
He knows that if he did that, somehow preserved the day in a sphere full of glycol, he would just remember the look on your face in that gift shop. He still can’t put a name to the emotion other than ‘torn’.
Aaron Hotchner; the master of understanding every human mind except yours. 
“She just had a baby,” you respond, and he blinks twice before he remembers that you aren’t in the gift shop anymore and that he asked you a question. 
You’re here in front of him now with a broken wrist and a concussion and you finally seem to be opening up to him, and he doesn’t want to risk missing it by staying in his own head.
“Boy or girl?” He asks while you sip the tea. It's an English Breakfast with nothing but a bit of sugar, but you don’t seem to mind.
“He’s a boy. His name is Tristan and he’s cute, too. Do you want to see a picture?” You’re already eagerly reaching for your phone, and he couldn’t bring himself to stop you now whether he wants to see the pictures or not.
When you show him the screen, a part of him wishes he had stopped you.
The baby is tiny. Tristan is swaddled in a blanket, the top half of his head poking out just for tiny eyes to squint at the camera. Aaron can see the top of a scrunched nose, maybe the beginning of a cry or a yawn. He examines the details, the obviously-plush blanket with grey-blue floral detailing.
Aaron does his best to fixate his attention on Tristan and ignore the fact that the photo is of you holding the baby, looking almost maternal and definitely happy and…
He looks away.
He can’t help it; he hardly stops himself to consider whether it’s rude of him to actively dodge the photo. Instead, he clears his throat. “Very cute,” he agrees, “You’re right about that.”
“Yeah. He was born a little premature, so I thought I’d take some time off of work, come up and help her out for a little while.” You look down at your cast and let out half a scornful laugh. “Some help I am. I don’t even think I could hold him now.”
“I’m sure you’ve been plenty helpful,” he assures you without a thought. After all, for years you had as much of a hand in raising Jack as Aaron did. “It just might have been cut short a little.”
“Yeah, a little. I’m probably going to have to head home after this. It doesn’t make sense to stay when I can’t do anything.” You look glum at the prospect, and without a thought Aaron reaches a foot out to bump against the roller wheels of your chair. It’s a gentle tap, one that just serves to get your attention.
“Talk to your friend,” he advises. “Maybe you can still cook, or help her clean up around the house. There’s no need to cut your time off short just because you can’t hold a baby.”
Your head tilts just a bit, and your eyes narrow as though you’re looking at an equation in the air that Aaron can’t see, let alone guess the factors of. He hopes you can solve it, whatever it is. “Maybe,” you say, and that’s when he hears the conference room door open.
“Hey, double trouble.” Morgan has a trademark grin from ear to ear as he sits down at the table, and Hotch swivels in his seat to face the team as they file into the room.
How did it appear to them? Him close to your chair, you tucked into it with one leg under you and the other hanging off the side. Did it seem uncomfortable, like you didn’t want to be there? He wishes he could have taken a picture of the two of you, somehow, something he could study and examine and hope to understand.
You’ve been alone in a room for… well, he’s lost track of time, but it’s been a while and he still can’t tell if you’re comfortable or not. He’s got no clue until you pipe up and wheel your chair closer to the table.
“Dibs on being ‘double’. You can be ‘trouble’.” You nudge his shoulder with your own, and Hotch does his best not to smile. There’s no use in encouraging you, after all. Still, he can feel some of the tension drain from his shoulders at the light tone; you’re happy to be here, happy to work on this case and to talk to him.
“Actually, you can’t assign nicknames based off of a group nickname when the name itself is a play on how many members there are,” Reid corrects as he sits down with his case file in hand. “You can only do that if each nickname is a separate title.”
Morgan groans out loud at that and reaches over to swat Reid’s arm. “C’mon, man, you’re taking all the fun out of it,” he complains, leaving Reid with a mildly perplexed look on his face.
“We can try again,” Prentiss offers, slipping out of her bulletproof vest. “Hey, sugar and spice.”
Aaron can feel your reaction before you can even open your mouth, and he beats you to it by a half second by warning, “Don’t say that I’m spice.”
The look on your face tells him that that’s exactly what you meant to say. He pushes away thoughts of Look how well I know you in favour of We’re at work.
“How did takedown go?” He asks. The debrief usually happens on the jet, but it feels wrong to discuss the case without you now. Debriefing is an essential part of each case for everyone who works on it, and he does his best to make sure that each member of his team- past or present- can leave each city with a sense of closure.
If anyone needs closure on this case, it’s the woman wearing a cast who hasn’t had to face the horrors of the BAU in two years.
And maybe Aaron, because it’s just as important to him that you feel okay after the events of the last day. Maybe you need to know that the unsub is behind bars, but Aaron needs to know that you know.
Dave, who has been smirking ever since he saw Hotch quickly wheel his chair away from yours upon the team's arrival, speaks first. “Nice and easy. We caught him while he was assembling a bomb in the apartment complex's boiler room. Taking a hostage never crossed his mind.”
“He didn’t even go to Nora’s apartment. She had no idea what we were talking about when we tried to interview her,” JJ says. She hasn’t sat down yet, and is already working to gather up the metric ton of paper covering the conference room table.
Maybe Hotch should have thought to do that.
“Good. And Erica, the girlfriend?”
“She had no idea about any of it. Morgan found a copy of her keys on the unsub’s keyring, and her best guess was that he copied them right out of her purse.” Prentiss passes JJ a stack of papers and sighs. “I feel bad for that girl. She had no idea what was happening right under her nose.”
“She had no way of knowing that her boyfriend would be pushed over the edge like he was. She’s gonna need help after this, for sure,” Morgan says thoughtfully, and the group mumbles out a collective agreement.
“Either way, mi bellos,” Rossi stands up to clasp his hands together, “The case is closed and we’ve got someone in cuffs. All’s well that ends… well, you know.”
It catches Hotch off guard when his stomach pangs at the thought of leaving. Boarding the jet and heading home. Leaving New York, leaving Jackson and Jeremy and their girlfriends in the past, leaving you to deal with the aftereffects of being injured on your own.
He can’t stop himself from speaking, even if just to re-think his words before they become law. “We can stay the night.”
There’s no subtlety to the rise of Morgan’s eyebrows, or the glance that Prentiss and JJ exchange. But there’s nothing he can do about it now. The words are out there. It’s already done.
“Why would we do that?” Reid asks, always one to voice the question no one wants to vocalize. Hotch has always loved his curious mind and his need to understand every aspect of something.
Even if he kind of wants to throttle the kid right now, because how the hell is he supposed to answer that?
“Because you all did some good work today,” he answers after a painfully long minute, “and deserve a night off. We can all go out for dinner and be on the jet early in the morning.”
That answer seems to satisfy the room, and Aaron ignores the look Rossi is giving him as he glances over at you and drops his voice. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” you promise. “Do you, you know, maybe have an extra seat at that table?” You look nervous; he can read that clear as day. The idea that this could put you on edge almost makes a laugh bubble up in his stomach but he shoves it down in favour of a smile.
“I’m sure we can pull one up,” he assures you in a murmur. “We’d love to see you a bit more before we leave.”
“Oh.” You sound almost surprised, and he’s glad that he thought to hide behind the royal ‘we’. “Okay. Can I ride there with one of you?”
“Of course.” Aaron stands up and pulls your chair away from the table so you’ve got room to stand. Unnecessary chivalry; he has to remind himself to cut it out. “We can take a taxi.”
That’s how, fifteen minutes later, he finds himself in the passenger seat of a cab with you, JJ, and Garcia squished together in the backseat.
He wonders what you’re talking about back there behind the partition in low whispers, the occasional giggle, and one or two sharp “Shh”’s. The taxi stops too soon for him to find out, and your little group finds the rest of the team at a table already.
You slide into a seat and Hotch unconsciously moves to take the seat farthest from you- a habit he’s built in the last two years- only to find Morgan already sitting in it. “Sorry, Hotch. You snooze, you lose,” he defends with a wide smile.
By the time he turns to see what other seats are free, the only one left is right next to you. “Aaron, over here,” you say, and with all eyes on him there’s nothing to do but come around the table and sink into the stiff chair.
The waitress comes by to take drink orders a minute later, and Hotch orders himself a water. He’s here on official business, and he refuses to get drunk. It’s what his father did, and that always ended up in violence or big scenes made in public. Hotch does everything he can to avoid that side of himself, especially when he’s representing the government.
“What kind of wines do you have?” He hears you ask, and he turns his head to see the waitress produce a menu from what must have been thin air.
“She can’t drink,” he says loudly, putting out a hand like he can stop the menu from making its way to you. “She has a concussion.”
Speaking around you, to you, for you, is a dance, as Aaron is slowly learning.
You frown, and he hopes he hasn’t overstepped. You don’t say anything, and he holds his breath. You finally look up at the waitress and order a water, and he sighs in relief.
“Thanks, it slipped my mind,” you murmur once she’s walked away, and he gives you a tight smile before getting dragged into an argument between Morgan and Reid.
Dinner, for the most part, passes in a blur of quiet conversation and polite laughter. It isn’t until everyone is eating dessert, half the team feeling the effects of the wines they’ve been indulging in, that everything goes to hell.
He really shouldn’t be so surprised. The evening has gone without a hitch so far- Aaron’s left arm occasionally bumping your right when you try to eat at the same time has really been the only obstacle- so he figures that you’re about due for something to go wrong. Some event to stir up the peaceful bubble he’s stumbled across.
It happens, as many things do, in the form of Emily Prentiss opening her mouth. She leans over you to speak to Aaron, and it’s like he’s watching the train crash in slow motion when she says to him, “So, how’s the single life?”
He can feel the way you stiffen up next to him, white knuckles on your fork, peering out of the corner of your eye. Do you want to hear the answer? “Prentiss, please. That’s hardly appropriate.” His voice is being held together like it’s wrapped in duct tape, but it comes out steady enough.
Emily sighs at the scolding. “I just wanted to know,” she grumbles, pushing a piece of cheesecake around on her plate. “You and Beth broke up a week ago; I’m just curious.”
“Good question,” JJ says. “Have you talked to her since? Wait, is that why she wasn’t at the wedding?”
“You told us she was sick, but statistically this is the least likely time of year for someone to experience cold or flu related symptoms.” Spencer frowns down at his rootbeer. “Did you lie? You could have told us that you broke up. We could have helped.”
“Same way I got over the second Mrs. Rossi,” Dave jokes, lifting his glass in a salute. “I don’t think I left the strip club for a month.”
“Please,” Aaron repeats, raising his voice slightly. “This isn’t appropriate.” He directs it primarily to Emily, who started this whole thing, and he notices the shell-shocked look on your face out of the corner of his eye.
“I just wanted to know,” Emily repeats, as petulant as a stubborn child.
She wanted you to know, more likely. Aaron has been careful about not talking about his relationship- Emily only knows because he developed a case of drunkenly loose lips the night of the wedding and overshared to her wife, Katie- and now you know the one thing he didn’t want to become widespread. There’s no way that wasn’t intentional.
“I should…” You push your chair back with a ‘screech’ and stand up, hurrying out of the restaurant in the direction of the lobby without further excuse.
Hotch watches you go, lets out a groaned “God.” while he pinches the bridge of his nose. “I need to- I’ll be back.” He tosses down his napkin and takes off in the direction you exited.
“Now, that wasn’t too nice,” Derek points out, and Emily shrugs.
“I didn’t like the tension. At least now they’ll talk.”
Meanwhile, Aaron finds himself rounding the large fountain display in the lobby to talk to you. “Are you leaving?”
When you look up, there’s vague surprise on your face. Did you think he wouldn’t follow you? If there’s one thing Aaron knows about himself by now, it’s that he would follow you to hell and back.
“I think I should. I think that would be best.” Instead of looking at him, you fiddle with your keys and look everywhere else. The chandelier, fountain, reception desk; everywhere except at Aaron himself.
“Just… just hold on, a couple of minutes. I didn’t mean to upset you, by not saying something. I thought it would be… easier.”
That gets a reaction. Your eyes snap to his, and he can see something like hurt swimming in them. “Easier?”
“Yes. You didn’t have anything to do with it; why should I have to tell you?” He challenges, even though it’s half a lie. You weren’t faultless in the breakup, but he’s not going to be sharing that fact.
“You don’t think I would want to know?” You take a small step towards him. “Even just so I could be there for you?”
“That’s not a good idea,” he counters. “I have friends I can speak to about breakups.” He regrets his words the second that he sees the pain in your eyes. Oh, because you’re supposed to be friends now. That’s right; his last breakup was with you.
Three feet away, perched on the edge of the fountain, an older woman is watching the two of you intensely. She’s obviously listening, and that’s something that Aaron doesn’t want to deal with. “Look,” he says, his voice low and quiet, “Will you come up to my room? We can talk there, but I’m not doing this in public.”
The conflicting emotions on your face seem to be going to war until you take a deep breath and take Aaron’s hand, your fingers wrapping around his as you board the elevator.
He hopes you don’t notice David Rossi standing near the elevators. He hopes you don’t notice the thumbs up that the older man gives him, or the middle finger he gives in return.
The elevator ride is silent and long, almost excruciatingly so, and he’s half relieved once you get into the hotel room and take a seat on separate beds facing each other. His suitcase is against the wall, zipped up, and the desk is covered in various writings and readings that he doesn’t even know when Spencer had time to unpack.
You break the silence first, your face expressionless like it’s an interrogation. It feels like he’s on the wrong side of the interrogation table for once when you speak. “You and Beth broke up.”
“We did,” he agrees, and that’s when he wonders if he made a mistake bringing you up here. He doesn’t want you to hear the whole story; why not just confirm the breakup in the lobby and send you on your way?
Well, he couldn’t have done that, and he knows why. It’s still a half-decent alternative to this, though.
“Why?”
“Why… did we break up?” He clarifies, and you nod. “We wanted different things.”
Finally, emotion crosses your face; a flicker of anger. He doesn’t blame you, especially when he remembers the sacrifice you made. “Different things? So, she didn’t want more kids? Or was it work-related?”
He isn’t going to get through this without telling you the whole story; he can see that now. As hard as it is, he knows you aren’t letting this rest until you get a comprehensive answer.
“She had a pregnancy scare.”
Your sudden bark of laughter is hardly a surprise, but it makes him wince all the same. “You broke up because you don’t want to have another kid? Are you serious?”
He tries to answer. Instead, memory hits him like a brick wall, wraps its arms around him and drags him down into it.
“Aaron? Honey, where are you?” Beth’s cheery voice entered the room before she did, and Aaron looked up at her with a smile.
“Hey, sweetheart. How was your day?” He asked. He hated this domestic part, the part where he had to pretend to be just as in love as she was.
But love grows, he knew. Just as flowers could blossom from cracks in the pavement, love could develop with time and affection. It wouldn’t be fair to her, to not return the open affection she gave him.
He always wondered why it never felt easy or effortless, why he often felt like he was just a young boy playing at being in a relationship, instead of an adult who was actually in one.
“My day was good,” she said, a barely-contained smile on her face. “So, you know how I’ve been under the weather lately?”
That was an understatement. She’d thrown up more than once in the last couple of days. Love or not, Aaron cared enough that he was on the verge of taking her to the emergency room himself. “Of course. Are you feeling any better?”
“Not really. But my period was late yesterday, so I thought, why not?” Why not, what? She wasn’t making any sense, and it wasn’t until Aaron saw the little stick in her hand that the pieces flew together for him, like a puzzle begging to be solved. “And, well…” 
He stared down at tanned hands presenting him the stick, two tiny lines deciding his future for him. “You’re pregnant.”
“I’m pregnant,” she confirmed, throwing her arms around his neck. He slowly brought both arms up to hug her- a facade of excitement, even though his face would certainly betray him if she were to look at it. “Isn’t that great?”
“That’s… wow.” It was as honest of an answer as he could give. “Are you going to see a doctor to make sure?”
“Of course I am.” She pulled away just enough to kiss him, but he broke away soon enough. “Aaron? This is great, isn’t it? Aren’t you excited?” There was an edge in her voice, one that told him that his face- expressions of shock, uncertainty, certainly no joy- was giving him away.
He couldn’t dodge the direct question, the look in her eye. She already knew the answer before she asked the question, and they both knew that this was his chance for redemption.
He didn’t take it.
A week later, the doctor confirmed the false positive. Aaron couldn’t have brought himself to be upset if he tried. 
The same afternoon, Beth packed up hers and Ella’s things, and they were gone.
He wanted to feel sad. He wanted to feel heartbroken. He wanted to punish himself, for knowing that he had missed out on the closest chance he had had to a real family in years. 
It was the reason you left; your sacrifice, the heartache you’d both been left with, everything you’d both gone through was deemed useless in the deciding moment. It was his one chance, and he hadn’t taken it.
He just felt numb.
“Aaron.” Your voice, pitched sharp, manages to pull him out of his trance. “Are you okay?”
He doesn’t know why you’re asking. He wants to know if you’re okay. He wants to apologize, to fall to his knees and hold onto you the way he should have two years ago.
“I’m fine.”
“So, Beth had a pregnancy scare,” you prompt. “And that’s why you broke up?”
He hesitates. “Yes.”
He hesitated too long. 
“Why?” You ask.
He knows that you’re only pushing it because you know him.
You know him better than anyone; you know that he doesn’t walk away from things that he wants, not when he has a choice.
And wasn’t that what he wanted? Didn’t he want Beth, more children, a family of his own?
“Don’t do this.” It’s a plea, and it goes unanswered.
“Why did you break up? Aaron… come on.” The desperation in your voice kisses his ears. It reminds him that you’ve been hurt at least as badly as he’s been. It tells him that you aren’t there as a concerned friend; you’re there as someone who deserves the answer to the question you asked. Someone who’s a part of the twisted equation, who fits into the formula of the last two years. Someone who’s been hurt by him, for him, only for him to throw that sacrifice away.
He replies by just saying your name, the name he’s spoken so many times. He’s said it before with love, playful annoyance and affection. After the breakup he said it less often, and it was often delivered with spite or tears of proportions that he didn’t know he would, or could, shed.
This time, when he says your name, he thinks he sounds… broken. His voice cracks, his face flushes, and he looks down at his feet. He’s still got his dress shoes on, and he counts the eyelets- 3, 4, 5 pairs of them, black laces looped neatly through- without saying another word.
Your name, as broken as it is between his lips, is an admission of guilt. It’s a confession, an entreaty for you to stop pushing, and it contains unspoken defeat.
“Aaron.” Your voice is firm when you repeat his name, and his eyes snap up from his shoes- 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5- to meet yours. “Don’t I deserve to know?”
You do. He knows you do. The ‘don’t I deserve?’ angle is never something you’ve used, and he knows this is a last ditch effort to get the truth out of him.
You do deserve to know.
How can he say it? How can he tell you the truth? How can he possibly look into your earnest eyes and pretend that he can defend himself and the decisions that he’s made?
He can tell you that more kids doesn’t make sense; he knows that, in a factual sense. He wasn’t around enough when Jack was little, is hardly better at being around now. The job is priority; he could get hurt or worse, and leave behind a widow with more mouths to feed than she can handle. He could become a twisted version of his father, pitting his children against each other. He’s too old to run around with toddlers for the next ten years.
He can tell you any number of things that make sense, but you won’t accept anything less than the truth. That, at least, is written plain as day on your face.
“She isn’t you.”
His words hit you like a bucket of ice water. They slap you so hard that you have half a mind to bring a hand up to your cheek and check for sore spots. “Aaron-”
“It’s true. I’m sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear, but you wanted the truth and that’s it.” His breathing sounds more ragged now, like he’s fighting to stay collected. 
He doesn’t know what he was thinking, telling you. He isn’t trying to get you back. You made your choice, you walked away, and that’s that.
“Aaron. You want a family,” you remind him, your voice cracking. How can he not remember? How can he throw away the last two years, disregard your sacrifice like this?
Hadn’t that always been his dream? A positive pregnancy test with a woman who loved him? And yet, in the final hour, he’d walked away. He’d made a choice, one that he has to face now, with you.
“I know. God, I know, but it just… it couldn’t happen.”
“Because she’s not me? Are you serious?” Your voice is hardly above a whisper, fraught with disbelief and maybe a hint of fear at the potential weight of his answer, and you wish that Aaron were speaking even quieter when he responds. You wish you couldn’t hear him at all.
“Because there’s no family without you.”
The dry scoff that escapes you is answer enough, especially once it’s paired with your head dropping into your hands. “Then what the hell have we been doing?”
“I tried,” he defends. Desperation is poured into every syllable, filling in the spaces of the things he can’t say like resin on wood. “I gave it a chance, she was happy. But when I saw that test…”
Neither of you knows if he’s stopped to figure out what he should say, or if it’s because he can’t say it. He looks small, appears defenceless in a way that he never lets himself.
“I couldn’t do it,” he finishes. He spreads his hands out, a placating gesture. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want a family with her. When I saw that test, I was scared. Terrified. A baby is a commitment, and I don’t- I can’t- see myself making that commitment with anyone but you.”
“You know how I feel about kids.” For a moment his eyes flicker down, to where your phone sits on the bed, and you have half a mind to wonder if he’s going to bring Tristan into this.
Maybe he’s settled more into this conversation. Maybe he’s realized that he doesn’t have much to lose here. For whatever reason, his rebuttal to you, perched facing him on the opposite bed- worlds away, yet only mere feet- is more of a challenge than a question. “When did I ask you to have any?”
“What?” You tilt your head the slightest bit, stray hairs illuminated in the yellow-grey light, and he thinks his heart skips a beat when you blink.
“I didn’t ask you to have kids. I never asked for that.” He knows it for a fact; that simple thought has been his port at sea more than once, on the nights where he wondered exactly how things had gone so wrong.
You blink again. ‘I want us to get married, have as many kids as we can, I want all of that and I want it with you.’ Those were his words, spoken so passionately two years ago.
But there were other words, too, and they fly back into your mind like they’re trying to haunt you. Words that circle you, remind you that you were the reason he couldn’t have that life.
‘I’ve been thinking, and you’re more important to me than having more kids.’
‘Just say the word, and I’ll never bring it up again.’
‘I’m not going to sit here and tell you what I want, because I’m not forcing you into that. You don’t want it, fine. We don’t do it.’
You remember him confessing what he wanted, so earnest and unexpecting of you to go along with it.
Phrases swirl your head, sentences that haven't done so since the breakup.
Sentences that you hadn’t let yourself understand until now. 
‘I would be happier knowing that I’m in a relationship with someone who wants the same things I do. I want that with you, I want you to want it, but that isn’t happening.’
‘I want us to go back to normal. How we were.’
‘You’re all I need. I mean it.’
“You want a family. That’s what you want.” Your protest is weak, and you don’t know if it’s a protest for your self-protection or his feelings.
Maybe it’s both.
“You were my family. You and Jack. I was so happy with you.”
“Not as happy as you could have been,” you counter. Aaron visibly hesitates, a moment of back-and-forth sway before he crosses the room to sit next to you on the other bed.
“You…” the breath he takes is deep and rattling. “You made me happier than I could ask for.”
You move back and he does too, kicking off his shoes to mirror your crossed legs. The two of you sit and face each other. The headboard sets the scenery behind him, cheap hotel wall art behind you. When you take a breath, so does he.
“You walked away,” you remind him. It isn’t a show of blame; it’s a reminder, pure and simple, that he wasn’t happy with you. 
“No, I didn’t.” He reaches out, one of his hands trembling as it grasps yours. “I wouldn’t have.”
He doesn’t say anything for a minute. Instead, he watches as his hand wraps around yours, squeezes it once.
He’s just about to let go when you squeeze back.
“You told me to go,” he whispers, staring down at those linked hands. If he looks you in the eye now, he doesn’t know what he’ll do. “It’s what you wanted.”
You laugh, and the sound is humourless and dry. “What I wanted? Aaron, you only stayed past that first day for me, to make me feel like I wasn’t ruining your life. I didn’t kick you out; I let you go.”
“I didn’t get a choice. I chose to stay, I chose you above a bigger family, and you didn’t let me,” Aaron says, and your hand tightens on his. “I tried, okay? I- I found Beth, we moved in together. For God’s- Ella called me ‘dad’. I did my best to have that life. I tried. It didn’t work.”
“I don’t know what you want,” you confess, and he hates himself a little more when he sees the heartbreak in your eyes. “I just want you to be happy. I thought I was giving you that.”
Aaron shifts himself, moves a little closer to you. He thinks he might be about to say the wrong thing, the thing that destroys whatever tentative relationship the two of you have built.
He doesn’t care.
This relationship, this dance of overdoing and understepping and caring too much without saying enough? He doesn’t want it.
He doesn’t care about throwing it away.
“Nothing,” he vows, extending one hand to raise your chin when you look down, “Nothing has ever made me as happy as you did. That’s all I wanted. You.”
You avert your gaze, and you feel your face grow warm. It’s been a long time since he looked at you like this, with all of the care and attention in the world somehow pouring from the gaze of warm hazel eyes locked on yours.
“What do you want me to say?” You ask after a stretch of silence. Not even the sound of breathing dares to disrupt the quiet; neither of you want to make the wrong move right now, not when you can see the crossroads ahead. 
“Whatever you want to say. Just not what you think I want to hear.” 
That’s what it’s come down to, at the root. Both of you lying, sneaking, saying and doing whatever you can to protect the other’s feelings and do what you think is best. He’s tired of it.
You did what you thought was the right thing, and let him go. He did what he thought was the right thing, and chased the life you made possible by leaving. But neither of you are happy, and he can admit that now.
“I still don’t want kids.”
“I’m still not asking you to have any.” He waits two beats, unsure if he can even bring himself to ask what he knows he has to.
“Does Jack count?” He’s breathless as he waits for the answer. You could have found freedom in the last two years, after several spent living a mother’s schedule. Maybe you don’t want a hand in any child’s life, and he won’t begrudge you that.
“He’s… no,” you say, and Aaron exhales in what might be relief. “But that doesn’t mean I want more. You want more.”
“I want you,” he corrects, the same way he did two years ago. Maybe this time you’ll listen, and accept his words for the truth that they are. “I had more. I didn’t want it, not without you.”
Your breathing, shallow and timid, hitches at his words. He notices the slip-up in a heartbeat, wants to trip over himself and correct it. Before he can, you say, “But the future-”
“The future,” he interrupts, clasping one of your hands in both of his, “My future, it only matters if it’s you.If you’re happy with Jack, I’m happy. You’re what I need. You’re all I need.”
“Aaron, please.” Your voice is small, and that’s when he realizes that he’s been trailblazing this conversation with hardly a thought about what you want. Maybe you’ve moved on, or fallen out of love.
He doesn’t think you have, though. Between your conversation at the wedding and the fact that you’re still here, both hands now holding onto his, wide eyes peering into his own, he thinks he’s made a safe bet.
“Please, what?” He murmurs. He can defer to you now, let you approach this at your pace. He’s said his piece.
It’s not until he sees your eyes squeeze shut that he remembers your concussion, and he’s sure that this conversation isn’t helping what must be a painful headache.
“I… it’s getting late. And I really should sleep. My head...” 
Every instinct in Aaron’s body is well-honed, trained to take opportunities that might pass him by otherwise. It’s what got him Haley, what got him into the BAU, and now it’s what might get you back.
Every instinct is screaming not to let you leave. 
“Do you want to talk more about this later?” He offers, his right hand releasing your left. The other two stay linked, his fingers brushing the cast, and you make no move to loosen them as you nod.
He waits. He isn’t sure what he’s waiting for, but he waits.
You close your eyes, already on the verge of rethinking before you speak. But you’ve got instincts, too, and they’re all telling you to stay in this room. Your future is in this room, and you aren’t about to close the door on that. Even if the conversation can wait, you know exactly how it will end.
It’s clear to you now that Aaron only left because he did the same thing you did, tried to protect your feelings. He never would have left if you hadn’t forced his hand and left first, and the thought of the time that you lost makes your chest seize unpleasantly.
It’s not too late to undo old mistakes, though.
“Can I sleep here? It’s not really safe, getting a taxi this late.”
Aaron lets go of your other hand first. “Of course, you can.” He’s half situated to go to sleep already, just has to take off his tie and loosen his shirt. He doesn’t get off the bed, and that’s why it surprises him when you lay down in the same bed, on your side.
“So you don’t have to share with Spencer when he gets here,” you explain through a yawn, and his heart hurts when he sees the way your nose crinkles. He’s missed it, missed you.
Sleep comes quickly, somehow. The exhaustion of the day, of the conversation, overtakes you both in what feels like mere moments.
-
When Aaron wakes up, it’s with his arms around you and his nose pressing into your neck. He holds on for a moment before he has to let go; you’ll have time later, and the team is waiting.
Getting out of bed, Aaron finds the other queen bed- Spencer’s- empty, untouched.
When the two of you arrive at the jet, late with your suitcase, he says, “I stayed with Morgan and Rossi. We thought you could use some privacy.”
You let go of Aaron’s hand to reach out and ruffle Spencer’s hair, ignoring the look he gives you when you mess up his curls. “Thanks, Spence.”
If the team is anything, it’s ‘respectful when the time calls for it’. No one says a word when you and Aaron sit next to each other. No one blinks when your hand slides home into his.
His fingers lace around yours. He squeezes once, and you squeeze back. As the jet takes off, soaring towards DC and your new future, you hold onto him. It’s going to be alright.
Once upon a time, they always said that you and Aaron were the lucky ones. Maybe they were right.
Tags: @crowfootwrites @abschaffer2 @jaspxr @angelfxllcm @spacecowboyhotch @ssamorganhotchner @sadgirlml @sunshinemunchkin @wheelsupkels @ashhotchner @laurensprentiss @hotchnerxo @strange-mischief @helmihotchner @dontcallmekittens @ssacharcoalgrey @allthefandomstogether @pandorasdreamings @hotched @scargarcia-magshotchner @multiverse-mxdness @nevillescomslut @queenofthepouges @ivanaplvc @itseightbeats @justreadingficsdontmindme @jareauswife @reidselle @rousethemouse @mojo366 @anlin2058 @realdirectionx @feedthemadness-sweetie
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unluckyhoneybee · 1 year
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F1 Blurbs. The Masterlist.
#Blurbs I have written about F1, F2, ...
Best Friends to Lovers (Mick Schumacher)
Fluff.
Comforting Charles after Imola [CL]
First time in Monaco with Daniel [DR]
Reconciliation after a fight with Marcus [MA]
Smitten at first sight with Arthur [AL] 🌻
You are the bane of Arthur's existence [AL]
Stepdad Charles [CL]
Comforting Liam after a crash. [LL]
Danny loves your hairstyle [DR]
Danny dating an introvert. [DR]
Fake-dating Lando [LN]
Danny comforting you after losing a race [DR]
Lando is in love with Zak's daughter [LN]
Danny is really proud of you [DR]🌻
Pierre teaches you how to flirt with Arthur in French [AL]
You and Charles take a few laps together [CL]🌻
Michael comforts your son [MI]
Liam is terrified when you crash (angsty to fluff) [LL]
Danny dating a normal girl [DR]
About Max V and Alex A friendship. [MV & AA]
You and Danny take your twins to the beach for the first time. (fluff x3) [DR] 🌻
Max taking care of your daughter at a family event [MV]
You take care of Marcus after an accident [MA]
Danny meets your son two weeks late [DR] 🌻
Danny gives you your well deserve trophy[DR]
Lando helps his baby daughter at 4 am [LN]
You comfort Danny after Silverstone (fluff) [DR]
Marcus helps with your social anxiety (fluff) [MA]
Danny is the best dad and your son the best big brother (fluff x3) [DR]🌻
Poly relationship with Danny and Charles (smutty) [DR x CL]
Michael and Danny are the best dads [DR x MI]
Your son wants you and Danny close🌻 [DR]
Michael helps when you faint [MI]
Your first Mother's Day with Danny [DR]
Danny is dating Toto's daughter [DR] 🌻
First time on the paddock with Arthur [AL]
Danny talks to the baby in your belly [DR]
Comforting Danny during silly season '22 [DR]
You and Danny go public [DR]
Dad Pierre on holiday [PG]
You cheer Danny before the drivers parade [DR]
Danny helps you with beer pong[DR]
You, Danny and your son get temporary tattoos. [DR]
Charles takes care of you when you get hurt [CL]
Grumpy reader and Sunshine Mick [MS]
Proud Pierre dating a UFC fighter. [PG]
You, Danny and his thigh tattoos. [DR]
You take care of drunk Marcus. [MA]
Learning French with Pierre [PG]
Felipe is a bit jealous [FD]
Michael confesses to you [MI]
You comfort an insecure Fabio [FQ]
Museum date with Lando [LN]
You take Daniel to a rage room [Dr]
After care with Daniel [DR]
Daniel falls in love with an interviewer [DR]
Charles it's not very touchy but you are [CL]
Charles and you ditch an after-party. [CL]
You meet Danny's son [DR]
Alex takes care of you when you have migraines [AA]
Lando gets jealous of Charles [LN]
Danny and your son love sharing apples [DR]
How would they react when you say "I love you" for the first time.
Your first kiss with Charles [CL]
Danny and his newborn baby[DR]
How would they flirt
How would they react to your pregnancy
How would they be as stepdads (🌻
How they show love
How they take care of you [With a special appearance of LH&SV]
Smut.
George making you pay for bad behaviour [GR]
Teasing Max by flirting with Pierre[MV]
You lend a hand to Pierre [PG]
Arthur and you have some time alone on a balcony [AL]
You have your first time with Danny [DR]
Danny congratulates you after your first win [DR]
Congratulating George for his pole [GR]
Spending your birthday with Danny[DR]
You and Danny have some fun while baking [DR]
Pierre and you are fwb but your friends don't know [PG]
You take care of Charles. [CL]
You always cry when you finish [CL] (not actually smut)
Danny is a good friend and helps you[DR]
Shower fun with Mick [MS]
Mirror fun with Mick [MS]
Mick loves your mouth [MS]
Angst.
Marcus and you crash [MA]
Michael is protective of you [MI]
You comfort Danny on his future[DR]
Lance gets tired of your games [LS] 🌻
Mick and you are secretly in love and dating other [MS] 🌻
Felipe dating a Diver!Ricciardo!Reader [FD]
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twwpress · 10 months
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Weekly Press Briefing #56: July 16th - July 22nd
Sorry for the technical difficulties: tumblr's new post editor hates us apparently, but we love you and we are glad to be baaaaack! Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from July 16 - July 22, 2023! Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing! 
Challenges/Prompts:
No challenges or prompts that we know of this week. Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.
Photos/Videos:
Here’s what was posted from July 16 - July 22. 
Allison Janney posted graphics and photos of herself in SAG-AFTRA gear and on the picket line in support of the SAG-AFTRA strike: 1 | 2 | 3
Amy Landecker posted photos of herself with Brad and his daughter on the SAG-AFTRA picket lines. 
Bradley Whitford posted a photo of himself with his daughter and his wife Amy on the SAG-AFTRA picket lines. 
Dule Hill posted a photo of himself and his wife Jazmyn out with other actors on the SAG-AFTRA picket lines. 
Janel Moloney posted photos from her vacation in Brazil, including a selfie and photos of the Caiman Ecological Refuge. 
Josh Malina posted a video of himself in support of other SAG-AFTRA strikers from the picket lines. 
Marlee Matlin posted a video of herself at a Chicago Cubs game calling for the use of captions at Wrigley Field.
Marlee Matlin posted photos of herself and her son Tyler in celebration of his 21st birthday (and also a photo of how Gen Z celebrates). 
Mary McCormack posted a photo of herself with Beth Ostrosky Stern, her Private Parts co-star Howard Stern’s wife. 
Peter James Smith posted a photo of a residual check for $0.00 that he received in 2015 in support of the SAG-AFTRA strike. 
Richard Schiff posted photos of himself and his wife at a restaurant in Italy. 
Rob Lowe posted a throwback photo from the 80s of himself with George Michael and Demi Moore. 
Rob Lowe posted a photo of his wife in celebration of their anniversary. 
Donna Moss Daily: July 16 | July 17 | July 18 | July 19 | July 20 | July 21 | July 22
Daily Josh Lyman: July 16 | July 17 | July 18 | July 19 | July 20 | July 21 | July 22
No Context BWhit: July 16 | July 17 | July 18 | July 19 | July 20 | July 21 | July 22
@twwarchive: July 16 | July 17 | July 18 | July 19 | July 20 | July 21 | July 22
Edits/Artwork:
TWW x #Barbie [Josh x Donna] by @kennyharperz [PHOTO EDIT] #joshdonna: i just want to see you shine by @anidalakins [VIDEO EDIT] #joshdonna: come on baby come on over, let me be the one to show you by @iheldontoyou (twitter) / @sweetsouldhavernas (tumblr) [EDIT GIF SET]
Miscellaneous:
Happy birthday to Twitter user @schwifts! 
Editors’ Choice: 
Dear Readers, This week’s theme is epistolary fiction, or stories that are told in the form of letters, notes, messages, emails, or other written communication. We’ve also included some fics that are centered around correspondence, even if they are not only in letter form. If you want more, you can find stories we weren’t able to include this time under the Epistolary and Letters tags on AO3! 
24 Post-Its by isquinnabel for miss_slipslop | Rated G | Ainsley Hayes/Sam Seaborn | Complete | The last of Ainsley's cookie stash mysteriously vanishes.
dear donna by swancharmings | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Josh tries to find the words.
The Inscription by sempreinsieme | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Donnatella, As you may have noticed, this is not a pair of skis. A peek inside the front cover of The Art and Artistry of Alpine Skiing.
With or Without You by kiss_me_cassie | Rated M | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Sleight of hand and twist of fate; On a bed of nails she makes me wait [Ed. Note: This is a story told in emails]
People Underestimate the Value of a Good Deputy by raedbarde | Rated T | Sam Seaborn/Toby Ziegler | Complete | An unsent letter from the Seaborn files: being Toby Ziegler's deputy has its own rewards
An Open Letter to the Man Who Loves Him Next From the Man Who Loved Him First by Lily_Padd_23 | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | Complete | Josh writes a letter. Just in case.
for you i would ruin myself a million little times by crossingdelancey | Rated M | C. J. Cregg/Toby Ziegler | Complete | She’s in love with him, and he knows that well. He knows this from across the country, and when she kisses Danny Concannon, she’s kissing Toby Ziegler. They write letters, because emails are too easy. Too impersonal, and too traceable. She’s always been a writer. Not in the way Toby writes; eloquent and neat, but in scribbles and post-it notes and reminders to pick up oat milk. Danny hangs over her when she’s writing emails, but when she’s pressed into the side of the couch scribbling with a biro, he leaves it alone. —— the letters across the country, and the moments in between
Please hold for a reblog with this week's fics coming in the next minute or two - it seems we have run up against the maximum length for a tumblr post and tumblr is no longer letting us post the newsletter in full in one post! We know it's a bit of a hassle, and we apologize. If you happen to be a tumblr wizards and know of ways we can troubleshoot us, please send us a message! Thank you! This week's fics incoming:
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mychemicalimagines · 4 years
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Guys there’s only a few hours left to follow and be part of the celebration. there’s 4 hours and i need 3 more followers!!! we can do this guys!
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𝐒𝐨, 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞?
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pairings: rich kid!bucky x shy!reader
warnings: fluff, cursing
summary: your boss’ son comes in and things don’t go the way you expected it to - in the best way
a/n: just a small blurb to get me back into the mood of writing. :)
************************************************************************
As much as you loved your job, you hated the uniform. Tight, white skorts that barely covered your ass and almost see through white shirts. Sure, it was hot as fuck, but you felt as if you were parading around the place half-naked.
If the customers don’t complain, then don’t change.
That was your boss’ saying. George Barnes. The millionaire who made his money from country clubs. Though, he didn’t seem to notice that his members were rich old guys who liked ogling at young women like yourself.
Creeps.
......
As you got ready for the day, the early morning sun illuminating the fields and reflecting in the pools, you hummed a random tune as you moved between places, straightening the furniture and making sure the golf clubs were accounted for.
You mostly kept to yourself, enjoying the peace and serenity in a beautiful setting, not really speaking to anyone, unless of dire emergency. 5 minutes until opening time. 5 minutes until the beginning of yet another long-ass day.
4 minutes.
3 minutes.
2 minutes.
1 minute.
“Hi. Welcome back to Barnes and Sons, Mr. Thompson, would you like the same area as last time?
......
A couple hours into your shift and you were getting bored. Staying at the register was not fun what-so-ever, but one of your colleagues were off, so you were assigned their job. You found a piece of scrap paper and was randomly doodling on it when a shadow was cast over your hunched form.
Most members had already arrived, so you looked up in surprise. You were met with three guys who looked slightly older than you, but your focus was on the one in the middle. He had short, dark brown hair, a strong jawline and the prettiest blue eyes you had ever seen.
No kidding.
Leaning on a golf club, he winked at you before speaking up.
“Hey, doll. Any chance there’s some free space by the courses?”
“I-I think there should be, sir, if you would like to follow me?”
You felt heat rush to your cheeks and you inwardly cursed yourself at stuttering.
You heard choruses of ‘Yes!’ as you led the men out back. The sun shone down in beautiful, light rays as small droplets of cool water hit your skin by the pool.
You reached the empty course, looking around at the other families laughing, playing and having fun, happy noises filling the air.
“This course is free. Um, if you need anything, just let me know.”
You gave the three guys a smile before turning around, though you abruptly stopped once you heard your name being called.
“Yes, Mr...” You trailed off, realising you hadn’t taken their names. Oops.
“Just call me Bucky, doll, and this is Sam and Steve.”
He pointed at the dark-skinned man beside him and then at the blonde on his other side.
“Also, I was wondering if you could stay with us?”
“Um, I’ll have to check if there is anyone who is able to take the desk. I’ll let you know as soon as possible.”
You skipped off, nearly running in your excitement to spend some time with the handsome guy.
Bucky.
......
It took almost 15 minutes to track down someone who could take over and you were getting worried. In the end, Michael, one of the friendlier staff, agreed as you thanked him a million-and-one times, though he just smiled and waved you off.
You smiled giddily as you made your way back. You reached the guys and found them bickering with one another.
“...no way.”
“Watch me.”
“Fine, but we gotta make a bet.”
Bucky and Sam were facing towards each other as Steve stood between them, looking like a mother tired of her children arguing. He locked eyes with you and rolled his eyes, making you giggle. Bucky detected the sound and turned towards you, a mischievous smile breaking out on his face. He beckoned you over and you slowly walked towards them.
“Hey! We thought you abandoned us.”
“Sorry, there was no one to take over the register.”
“No worries, doll, your here now.” He gave you a smile which made butterflies erupt in your stomach as you smiled shyly back at him.
“Anyways, Sam thinks I can’t get this ball into that hole in one shot, what do you think, doll?
He pointed towards the bright red flag at the far end of the field, indicating a hole and you swallowed nervously. There was no way he could get that in in one shot.
“U-um, yeah, you could probably get that in.” You were used to telling people what they wanted to hear, but you slightly hesitated with Bucky.
“You’re lying, doll.” Bucky spoke up, staring at you intensely, a smirk on his face as he looked at your flushed face.
“Um...” Your eyes avoided his, looking everywhere but in front of you. You contemplated on persuading him that you were telling the truth, but you knew that would fail; he was too observant. You ended up telling Bucky that there was no way he could get it in, it was too far away as he scoffed and Sam laughed.
“Okay, doll, we’ll see... but, if I do, I get to take you in a date.”
Before you could reply, Sam spoke up.
“And if you don’t?”
“Then...” Bucky trailed off, evidently thinking hard.
“Then, you have to be nice to Sam for a month.” This time, Steve spoke up, while Sam clapped Bucky on the back laughing as the man in question threw his head back and groaned.
“A week.”
“A month.”
“A week.
“Two weeks.”
“A week.”
“Ten days.”
“Deal.”
Both Bucky and Steve smiled at their own little victory as you rolled your eyes and giggled at their childish antics.
“So, how does that sound, doll.”
“It’s a deal.”
Bucky winked at you once more before lining the ball and club up. Everyone’s eyes were trained on him and there was no sound coming from the four of you, only the slight laughter and chatter from the families in the distance.
With one swift hit, Bucky hit the ball with his club as it soared through the air before...
You giggled when Bucky caught your eye and stuck his tongue out at you. He sauntered forwards in your direction, before rubbing the back of his neck, nervously.
“Shit!” Bucky yelled as the ball continued rolling on the grass, away from the hole.
Sam and Steve laughed at the pout on Bucky’s face before taunting him about how hard the next ten days would be for him. Bucky rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face as he pretended to be angry at his two friends.
“So, about that date?”
You laugh slightly at Bucky’s nervousness and he raises an eyebrow, apprehensively.
“Of course I’ll go on a date with you.”
************************************************************************
I kinda had this in mind for the country club, but smaller!
PS: I have no fucking idea how country clubs work. :)
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chaoticforever · 3 years
Text
End Of The Line | Yandere Steve Rogers x Male! Reader
A/N: Got a request for a Teacher Steve x student male reader. Reader is 18 and Steve is 22.
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"C'mon dude. We have to leave now, especially if the Janitor comes in here." 
You stood up from your position on the floor as Michael pulled his pants up, zipping it up as he shook his head, rubbing your slightly hard member over the thick fabric of your pants. 
"Don't worry, he won't be coming back any time soon. 20 bucks is all he needed to let us use this room," He told you as he continued to rub his hands over the outline of your member, sucking on your neck, "Just relax for me, babe. You gave me a blowjob, so I want to return the favor. Please let me blow you. I'll make you feel good and I know you want it." He whispered in your ear. 
Ugh, you hated the way he made you feel because you did want it. Very bad. 
He unbuckled your belt and your senses came rushing back to you, causing you to back away from him as he pouted.
"Unfortunately, we can't." You insisted, buckling your belt back up and grabbing your bag, watching as he did the same, "You know that Principal Fury is waiting for a chance to bust us for skipping again, so we can get kicked out of school during our senior year. He's always hated us and wants us gone." 
"But he can't kick us out! Were seniors!" 
"Despite us being seniors, he still can," You sighed and Michael pouted very cutely, "Stop pouting so cutely, okay? We can finish what we started at my house. My parents will be out until pretty late." 
Michael grinned and planted a kiss on your lips, "Okay, I'll hold you to it." 
You rolled your eyes and took a note out of your pocket, handing it to him as he took it, looking confused, "That note will excuse you for being late for class. I forged your mom's signature and don't question how I did that." You added in, seeing the questioning look he sent you. 
Michael read over the note and he was amazed how much it looked like his mom's handwriting, "I have the coolest boyfriend in the world. Were gonna forge signatures more often." 
"Uh-huh, sure. Go to class now, Mikey."
You gave him a kiss and left the janitor's closet, heading to your first period. 
You opened the door and walked inside, "I'm sorry that I'm late, Mr. Evans, but-" You paused, finally seeing that the teacher was not Mr. Evans but someone else, "You're not Mr. Evans." 
The blonde teacher shook his head, "No, I'm Mr. Rogers. You're new teacher. Who are you and why are you late for class?" 
Oh fuck. Guess you had another strict teacher. Though, you found it a little strange that his eyes seemed to look over your form, and also seemed to be outright gawking at you. 
You placed the note that had your mom's signature on the desk and walked over to your seat, giving your friend your bag as he took it gracefully. 
"Sorry, for being late, sir. I had a doctors appointment." You sat down next to Matt and totally missed the way Mr. Rogers' whole body tensed at the word sir. 
"Yeah, and I bet this appointment involved having your dick examined." George Brockers said from the other side of the room, knowing where you really were.
Everyone in this class knew that you were in the Janitors closet with Michael.
Some of the class snickered along with George. 
"Yes. That's right, George. And while I was there I ran into your gynecologist, who told me to remind you to keep your vagina clean unless you want a foot up your ass." You responded without looking at him, as laughs and giggles filled the room and George stayed silent.
"Alright class, settle down! Get back to work now!" Mr. Rogers ordered sternly, as his baby blue eyes looked at... you? 
XXXXX XXXXX
Three months have passed since Mr. Rogers became your new teacher and he was...something. That's the right word for you blonde teacher. 
Strange is a word to describe him, too. 
For starters, he had decided to place you in the front seat of the classroom, away from Matt and Harry, despite you all being seniors and he seemed to stare  at you a lot which creeped you out. 
There's also the fact that he managed to show up wherever you were. At the restaurant where you worked and would sometimes stay until closing, somehow  he got to stand near you at the carnival when you were there with Michael, and that his arm seemed to graze over your arm when he tried to help you with work. 
When you brought it up to Michael, his only response was that you were just overreacting, and you may have been overreacting a little now that you thought about it, so you decided not to think about Mr. Rogers anymore and spend time with your boyfriend. 
You two spent some time together at the park, eating ice cream as Michael kept trying to steal some of yours, before deciding to head back to your place. 
Once you entered your house, the smell of food immediately entered your nostrils and you knew that your mom was cooking some tasty food. 
"Hey mom! I'm back and something smells really good. What are you cook-" 
You stopped midway and closed your mouth at seeing Mr. Rogers sitting on the couch with your mom and dad. 
Did you forget to mention that you and Mr. Rogers were neighbors, too? 
"What are you doing here, Mr. Rogers?" 
Mom stood up from her spot on the couch, "Steve has brought up some concerns about you and we would like to talk to you alone. Michael, I'm sorry you came here, but we really need to speak with our son alone. Can you leave now?"
"He doesn't need to leave. You can say what you have to say in front of him." You stated firmly, tightening your grip on his hand as your dad shook his head, standing up as well. 
"I don't want that son of a bitch corrupting my son anymore! Get out of my house, Michael!" Your Dad shouted. 
"Whoa! Dad don't shout-" 
"Don't tell me what I can do in my house, okay?" Dad exclaimed, turning to face Michael, "Now get out of my house!" 
Michael released your hand and walked towards without saying a word as you ran after him.  
"Wait Michael!" You called out after him, but he didn't stop walking. He walked out of your house and hopped into his car, taking off down the road. You sighed and walked back inside your house to face your parents, and your teacher, "Well, he's gone. Now talk." 
"Look son, we think it's best that you stop seeing Michael immediately."
"Why would I do that?" You questioned, "And why would you even ask me to do that when you know that I love him?" 
"Sweetie, we have noticed how different you've been acting lately and we know that Michael is the reason for it," Mom spoke up next, "Mr. Rogers has informed us about you skipping class, your grades dropping to a low percentage, and that you have been making out with Michael along with drinking alcohol."
You now turned to face Rogers, "Oh, so you're telling my parents about all the things I do now, huh? Do you do this with other students, or is it just me?" 
"I'm only expressing my concerns to your parents the same way I do with my other students as well," He told you, but you didn't believe him, "And if I'm being honest with you, Michael isn't the greatest of all guys to be with."
"Hmm, well good thing I didn't ask for your honesty on my relationship!" 
"Don't raise your voice at adults, Y/N!" Dad scolded, "Now, Mr. Rogers has a point. That boy has corrupted you. Changed you completely. And I'm not going to stand by and let this continue."  
"You know, I don't get y'all. Out of all people, I thought that you both would see that Michael is a good person, and makes me a better person. He makes me happy and I thought that would be enough for you guys to like him, but looks like I was wrong. Once again." 
You walked upstairs to your room, but not before shooting Steve a glare as you retreated to your room, ignoring your parents. You flopped on your bed angrily, as you closed your eyes. 
"That damn Rogers." You muttered angrily, as your eyes remained closed and soon you drifted off to sleep. 
XXXXX XXXXX
Steve stood inside your bedroom, watching as you slept. 
He managed to come in here by telling your parents that he had to use the bathroom along with trying to see if you would be okay with being tutored, and they agreed to his request. 
God, you looked so cute when you were sleeping, but you looked even hotter when you were upset which he loved watching you being angry downstairs. 
The blonde haired male had become obsessed with you ever since he saw you on his first day of school. 
He knew that it was wrong. 
You were his student and he was your teacher. Relationships between the two were forbidden. But you were both adults. He was only 22 years old, and you were 18. Only a four year difference. You were an angel. His angel. 
Steve unbuckled his belt and slid down his jeans along with his boxers. 
He wrapped his hand around his cock, and stroked it slowly at first as images of you entered his mind. 
The blue eyed male imagined you bent over the counter as he plunged his dick into your juicy, delicious hole. Him dominating you, as you cried out his name, him stroking your cock. Or him plunging his finger into your tight hole, watching as he had you pinned under him, looking so helpless and desperate. 
All of those dirty thoughts ended up becoming filthier and filthier, causing Steve to pick up his pace. He strokes himself harder and faster, letting out a little moan. Luckily, that moan wasn't loud enough to wake you up. He guessed you were a deep sleeper. 
"Oh, Y/N..." He stroked his cock harder, thrusting becoming more rapid, heart rate increasing as his chest moved up and down. He reached his orgasm, "Mine." White come got all over your sheets and some of your body, as you face twitched slightly in response. 
Steve ran a hand through his hair,  pulling his pants and boxers up. 
He needed to leave for two reasons. 
To change his clothes, and get out of here before either you or your parents saw him in here. He left, but not before grabbing your dirty underwear in the hamper. He needed something of yours until he takes you for himself. He needs you now and he's going to have you. 
...By hook or by crook. 
XXXXX XXXXX 
You blinked your eyes open after some time and sat up with a groan. The first thought running through your mind was, 'What the fuck is on my face?' 
You lifted your hand to touch your face and some sticky, white substance was on your face. What the fuck is this? 
When you looked down at your light blue sheets, you saw how it seemed to be drenched in something. 
Did you masturbate? No, you didn't. And you didn't have a wet dream cause you would have remembered it, and there's no way that it could have got on your face. 
Deciding not to dwell on this anymore, you went to your bathroom that was connected to your room and washed your face really good since you didn't know what the hell it was. 
Upon returning to your room, you peaked out your window to see that your parents car wasn't here. Good. You took your phone off the charger and called Michael. 
"Hey N/N." 
"Hey Michael. I'm so sorry for the way my parents acted towards you today." 
"Don't worry about it, love. It's okay." 
"But it's not okay. You've been nothing, but a good boyfriend to me and you didn't deserve any of that." 
"Seriously man, it's alright. Your parents were just being overprotective of you, and I understand where they're coming from." 
You smiled on the other side of the phone. You had the best boyfriend and also the toughest boyfriend ever. 
"Well, I'm really glad you're ok after all of that. And do you wanna pick me up and hang out today, or have you had enough of the L/N family for one day?" 
"I'll come pick you up and hopefully your parents aren't home because there is something I want to do to you that your parents wouldn't appreciate." 
You grinned, "Lucky for you, they aren't here right now and probably won't be for a while. Wow Michael, maybe you really are corrupting me. You're a bad boy." 
"Oh, I'm the baddest and I plan on corrupting you to the fullest," You both laughed and the sound of his laugh was so soothing to your ears, "I'll see you later, sweetcheeks." 
"I'll see you later, tree biscuit." 
You hung up the phone and placed it on the bed. You couldn't wait for him to get here. 
Until he arrives, you decide to watch TV and put on one of those Marvel movies. To be quite honest, you found it awfully strange how Mr. Rogers and your chemistry teacher, Mr. Stark looked a lot like the actors in the movie, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. Almost identical. 
Weird right? 
XXXXX XXXXX 
You paused the movie midway when you got a text message on your phone. 
Open the door. ~Michael. 
Excitement fluttered through you like a drug and you ran downstairs, opening the door. You frowned, not seeing him anywhere, but his car was parked in front of your house, his dark windows made it impossible for you to see him through it. 
You made a mental note to talk to him about that. You went over to his car and opened the door, "C'mon Michael, let's-" You paused midway, finally getting a good look at your boyfriend and you screamed. 
His body was in the front seat of the car, blood covering most of his body with a knife jammed into his side. You checked his pulse and let out a little sigh of relief that he had a pulse. A fading pulse, but a pulse nonetheless. 
He could be okay. But you didn't understand who would do this to him, but you didn't have time to dwell on that because you'd have to hurry or he would die. 
You ran back inside and upstairs to get your phone, but it was gone. What? You left it on the bed. You were sure of it. 
Music suddenly started playing throughout your house and it was a song you knew all too well. This was you and Michael's song that you both listened to when he asked you out. 
You walked down the stairs cautiously, but not before grabbing the emergency knife you kept in your closet for safety reasons. 
"Hello Y/N," Steve's voice came from behind you, causing you to turn around. He stood there with flowers in his hand as he sent you a dashing smile, "I got you your favorite flowers and I know that this is your favorite song." 
"What are you doing in my house?!" You screamed, holding the knife in front of you defensively when you saw him take a step forward. 
"I'm here for you. I'm here to show you how much I love you and how much you mean to me. Despite being my student, I know that you are the one for me. We are meant to be together. I know it. Will you go out with me?" He asked, taking another step forward. 
You shook your head and watched as his face morphed into anger real quick,  "No, you sick fuck!" 
You stabbed him in the thigh as he winced in pain. You ran to the door, but was yanked back into his chest with one hand as he dropped the flowers on the floor with his other hand and used it to take the knife out of his thigh, wincing. 
He turned you around to face him and gripped your arms possessively. 
"You are so damn lucky that I love you. Even when you stabbed me, I can't hate you. I love you too much. I killed Michael for us to be together and I'm not letting you leave me," He kissed you forcibly, sucking on your earlobe, "Can't wait to breed you. You're going to be a good boy for me and let me breed you like the good bitch you are. To suck on your cock will be a dream come true for me and I won't have to imagine myself with your dirty underwear I stolen from your room or the cameras I had installed here." 
Of course, it wouldn't actually work because you were two guys and couldn't have a child, but what made it hotter was the fact that you couldn't. 
He loved the feeling of having complete control over you right now. It brought him great joy since you now knew who was in charge here. 
"You're mine, Y/N. You're mine as much as I'm yours and as you know, I'll kill anyone who dares to take you away from me. It's gonna be me and you until the end of the line." 
XXXXX XXXXX
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lucyrose191 · 6 months
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•·.·''·.·• F1 MASTER LIST •·.·''·.·•
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S E B A S T I A N V E T T E L
•·.·''·.·• A shared History , Part 2 , Part 3•·.·''·.·•
(fluff)
Moments that Sebastian Vettel and Y/N have shared throughout their careers together both on and off track. Sebastian Vettel x fem!driver!reader
•·.·''·.·• Looking at her •·.·''·.·•
(fluff, suggestive at the end)
Reader has grown to love the feeling of Sebastian’s eyes on her but not everyone understands. Sebastian Vettel x shy!girlfriend!reader
•·.·''·.·• Come back to me •·.·''·.·•
(angst, fluff)
Sebastian’s world is turned upside down when he finds out the reason behind the red flag, the aftermath is just as torturous as the moment he got the news.Sebastian Vettel x wife!driver!reader
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K I M I R Ä I K K Ö N E N
•·.·''·.·• The Icebreaker •·.·''·.·•
(fluff)
It never fails to amaze the formula one community just how much of a difference there is in Kimi’s attitude whenever his wife is around. Kimi Räikkönen x Fem!Wife!Reader
•·.·''·.·• Silent Admiration , Part 2 •·.·''·.·•
(Implied age gap, fluff)
Kimi’s got some deep feelings for the reader but plans to do what he does best, keep silent. Until, Sebastian manages to persuade him that maybe melting his icy exterior might work in his favour. Kimi Räikkönen x Fem!Driver!Reader.
•·.·''·.·• Protective Shield •·.·''·.·•
(fluff, mistreatment of women)
You always have a smile on your face, even through the struggles of being the only female driver but when it feels like the entire media is against you it’s hard to keep that smile on your face but Kimi won’t allow it to disappear, he’s always there protecting you. Protective!Kimi x Sunshine!driver!reader
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J E N S O N B U T T O N
Pending….
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M A R K W E B B E R
Pending….
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M A X V E R S T A P P E N
Pending….
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C H A R L E S L E C L E R C
Pending….
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C A R L O S S A I N Z
Pending….
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O S C A R P I A S T R I
Pending….
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L A N D O N O R R I S
Pending….
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F E R N A N D O A L O N S O
Pending….
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G E O R G E R U S S E L L
Pending….
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T O T O W O L F F
•·.·''·.·• No longer his •·.·''·.·•
(angst, heartbreak)
Toto now has to face the consequences of his actions that tore your family apart. Toto Wolff x Ex!wife!reader
•·.·''·.·• Tame the Wolff •·.·''·.·•
(angry Toto)
A few scenarios in which Toto is angry and frustrated and you’re there to calm him down and save his poor team from his wrath. Angry!Toto Wolff x Calm!Wife!reader
•·.·''·.·• Broken Decisions , Part 2•·.·''·.·•
(angst, light smut, heartbreak, pregnancy trope)
The news of Toto Wolff divorcing from Susie has just hit the media and you, Michael Schumacher’s eldest daughter and George Russel’s race engineer, are beyond shocked, even more so as your relationship with your boss begins to evolve. Divorced!Toto Wolff x fem!engineer!Schumacher!reader
•·.·''·.·• Take it easy •·.·''·.·•
(fluff)
Your stubbornness to admit you may be feeling unwell might just be your downfall one day but your husband will always be there to catch you, as will your son. Toto Wolff x Wife!reader
•·.·''·.·• Clingy Boys •·.·''·.·•
(fluff)
It’s both yours and Toto’s day off but both your boys are sick and wanting your attention. Clingy!Sick!Toto Wolff x Wife!reader
•·.·''·.·• Caught In the Act •·.·''·.·•
(fluff, teasing)
The stresses of work have your mind running a million miles an hour but your husband knows how to slow it down.
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comfortwriting · 3 years
Text
A Triwizard Baby - Final Part - F.W
Fred Weasley x Fem Reader
Masterlist, Requesting Rules, Writing Prompt Masterlist
Final Part of the 'Triwizard Baby' mini-series.
Please Read Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 if you haven’t already.
A/N: Thank you ever so much for loving and for showing so much support and excitement for this mini-series, it has been one of my favourite things to have ever written and I'm so sad it's coming to an end, but I hope you enjoy it <3
Warnings: Implied Smut, swearing.
Mr and Mrs Weasley were slowly approaching the hospital wing, George following not far behind.
“Yeah, which I’ve only just found out are mine!”
The hospital wing doors opened, Molly and Arthur standing in the doorway, staring at you, their son, and their grandchildren.
"Mum!" Fred smiled "Dad!"
You looked up and swallowed hard at the sight of your child's confused grandparents, they were just as clueless as Freddie with this whole situation, but when Molly's eyes landed on the smaller and sleeping twin, her heart burst into flames.
"Oh, congratulations dear!" she smiled, starting to tear up, you encouraged Fred to hand the baby over for her to hold.
Molly cradled the bundle of joy in her arms, counting his fingers and toes, stroking his soft hair as tears filled her eyes "he looks just like you, Freddie when you were a baby."
"He finally knows," George smiled, approaching you, planting a friendly kiss on your head and sitting next to you "I'm sorry I couldn't be here."
"It's okay," you sigh, the corners of your lips curling up into a smile "but it's okay, everything has worked out perfectly in the end, better than I ever thought it would."
“I’m sorry for crashing into you” he frowned, sitting next to you on the train “is your head alright? I can try and make the bruising go away.”
You couldn’t stay mad at him, you chuckled and shook your head “It’s okay but thank you for offering” you smiled.
His twin brother entered the carriage, “Fred-” he stared at you “what’s happened to you?”
“I wish you were coming with us” Fred sighed, grumbling to himself.
“Oh don’t be silly, you’re going on holiday!” you beamed “just make sure you take plenty of pictures, I’ve heard Egypt is lovely!”
“I’ll write to you and I’ll send the photos through the owl post if I’ve got enough time.”
“We’re supposed to be studying for our O.W.Ls!” you hissed at Fred, hiding your answers from him as he continued to make your stationary levitate and drop onto your head.
“Please take part in this prank, Y/N” he begged “I promise I won’t ask for anything ever again.”
“But you always do, Freddie!”
He stared at you, pouting and making puppy eyes.
“Fine” you sighed, giving in “Let’s go and do it then.”
Fred punched the air and grabbed you by the hand, pulling you away from your desk, the two of you smirking and giggling with excitement.
“I didn’t realise it would be this cold” you shivered, standing outside of Honey Dukes, snow falling from the sky and sticking to the pavement.
Fred pulled off his knitted jumper “Put this on love, don’t want you freezing now do we?”
“I want you.” you breathed, pulling away from the kiss “I want you to fuck me like you do everyone else.”
“I want you too” Fred replied, taking your hand and fleeing from the party.
“Are you going to tell him?” George asked.
You shook your head “No, and the both of you aren’t going to tell him either, you need to promise me.”
“I’ve got plans!” Angelina smiled, unable to hold her emotions back, the bottle lid slowly starting to tremble as the liquid inside bubbled up.
“What’s going on?” Fred asked again, slightly puzzled as he had never seen her so excited.
“You don’t know?!” Angelina gasped “Me, George, and the girls are planning a surprise baby shower for Y/N!” she beamed.
“I’m ready to tell you” you sighed again “who the father is.”
They all stayed silent except Matt’s little sister, “who is it?” she asked quietly.
“Fred,” you blurted out, unable to hide his name for much longer “Fred Weasley is the father.”
"Y/N Y/L/N, will you marry me?" he asked, opening the ring box
You and George smirk at one another and laugh, shaking your heads, you partner Fred watching you and his newborns full of life - he had never felt this heavy strike to his heart before - but he couldn't mistake it anymore, he knew - he was truly in love.
Flickering your eyes open, you smirked at the open wide brown eyes staring back at you, the peppered freckles sitting across his nose and face which you slowly stroked with your index finger.
You didn't need to speak, you could just live in this moment forever, with him, your husband.
Your bedroom door slowly creaks open, you and Fred quickly cover your faces with the bed covers so only your eyes are visible, and the two of you chuckle when you hear the pattering of feet thunder across the room, only to be followed by another pair of feet, less thundery and more stumbly.
Your two boys pounce on the bed, full of energy and mischief, you and your husband jump up and lift up your children in your arms, pulling them into the soft and cosy sheets, tickling them, the room filling up with their laughter.
"Gideon! Fabian!" Molly yells up "Get down here now! Leave your poor mother and father alone to sleep!"
"Go! Go!" Fred whispers "Uncle Ron won't show you any magic if you don't listen!"
"Listen to your dad!" you smile "Or Uncle George won't show you any magic either!"
Your twins quickly pull shocked faces and scamper away, hurrying downstairs to finish packing with Molly to go to her house for the weekend as you and Fred were getting ready to go away for your honeymoon.
"Last night was the best night of my life," you kiss Fred softly, bringing up your hand in the morning light, examining the beautiful ring.
Hearing the door close downstairs and many feet storm away from the house, Fred wraps his arms around you and he pulls you into him, kissing your neck, his hot breath now tickling your ear.
"You won the bet" Fred whispered
“So, when can we make another one?” Fred winked.
“When we graduate from Hogwarts!-”
“Next year?” he raised an eyebrow.
“You didn’t let me finish! We need to graduate, get stable jobs and have a house with enough room!”
“So next year then?” Fred smirked, still cradling the baby.
Your furrowed your brows, unsure whether or not he was bluffing.
“Okay then, since you’re all confident, let’s make a bet.” You smirked back.
“If I win, we make another baby, if you win… we get married,” Fred said softly as the baby opened his eyes and let out a cry.
"Even if I did," Fred sighs "I still want to make another one."
You ponder the thought for a minute, "So why don't we?"
Sharing a glance, your husband attacks your lips with his, his hands roaming all over your body and pulling off your pyjamas whilst you take off his and get your hands lost in his golden hair. Life had finally worked out for you, for the twins, for Fred, you were finally a family - you never thought that you would be here now compared to the situation you were in three years ago.
Fred's eyes admire your naked body basking in the beam of sunlight that burst through the gap in the curtains, his finger traces your stretchmarks and he places small kisses across every single one of them, the reminder that you created and nurtured two lives inside of you, two lives he had helped you create after a heated makeout session at a party.
Fred didn't want anyone else but you, and the thought of him being present for the whole nine months to see another life blossom inside of you, gave him one more reason to thank the world for being in it.
taglist: @amourtentiaa @alwaysnforeverfangirl @horrorxweasley @inglourious-imagines @reeophidian @sebby-staan @onlyfreds @pandaxnienke @xmalfoyweasleyx @onlyfreds @manuosorioh @cosmiccomicloverqueen @the-romanian-is-bae @fhhsposts @cavalinhox @purple-vodka-99 @simpforweasleys2 @dracoismybabey @xuminghoasworld @michael-loves-chickens @freddie-weaslebee
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promenadewithme · 3 years
Text
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First of all, I want to thank all of you so much for the follows, likes, comments, reblogs and support in general! I can't believe I hit 50 followers so soon! I know it’s not much, but I actually didn’t expect any at all so I’m so happy!! Thank you ❤️
Now, this is how the celebration is going to work: first you chose a song and a character. Then send it to my requests with your pronoun of choice, along with any other specifications and I'll write you a fic based on the song! You can either send the song or specific quotes as prompts
To find the fics I will write, use the #Anastasia's 50 followers celebration
This event starts today (May 20th) and ends June 10th
Support Me on Ko-Fi - if you’re feeling generous 💕
Songs:
Fluff (Romantic)
Paper Rings - Taylor Swift
London Boy - Taylor Swift
Love Story - Taylor Swift
Lover - Taylor Swift
King of My Heart - Taylor Swift
Willow - Taylor Swift
Crazier - Taylor Swift
New Year’s Day - Taylor Swift
Daylight - Taylor Swift
Jump Then Fall - Taylor Swift
How You Get The Girl - Taylor Swift
You Are In Love - Taylor Swift
It’s Nice To Have A Friend - Taylor Swift
Today Was A Fairytale - Taylor Swift
State Of Grace - Taylor Swift
Mine - Taylor Swift
Delicate - Taylor Swift
Say You Won't Let Go - James Arthur
Naked - James Arthur
Rewrite The Stars - James Arthur + Anne-Marie
I Won't Give Up - Jason Mraz
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
Tenerife Sea - Ed Sheeran
How Would You Feel (Paean) - Ed Sheeran
Kiss Me - Ed Sheeran
Afterglow - Ed Sheeran
Lego House - Ed Sheeran
Dive - Ed Sheeran
Galway Girl - Ed Sheeran
Everything Has Changed - Ed Sheeran + Taylor Swift
I Was Made For Loving You - Tori Kelly + Ed Sheeran
Make You Feel My Love -Adele
One Call Away - Charlie Puth
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars
Count On Me - Bruno Mars
Little Things - One Direction
Night Changes - One Direction
Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley
Andante, Andante - ABBA
Waterloo - ABBA
All Of Me - John Legend
Ocean Eyes - Billie Eilish
Snowman - Sia
A Thousand Years - Christina Perri
Arms - Christina Perri
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
Halo - Beyoncé
The Only Exception - Paramore
Dandelions - Ruth B
Someone To You - BANNERS
Would You Be So Kind - Dodie
Someone You Like - The Girl and The Dreamcatcher
If I Could Tell Her - Ben Platt 
Absolutely Smitten - Dodie
How Long Will I Love - Ellie Goulding
Angst (Romantic)
Good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo
Drivers License - Olivia Rodrigo
Deja Vu - Olivia Rodrigo
Brutal - Olivia Rodrigo
Traitor - Olivia Rodrigo
Enough For You - Olivia Rodrigo
1 step forward, 3 steps back - Olivia Rodrigo
Happier - Olivia Rodrigo
Jealousy, Jealousy- Olivia Rodrigo
Favourite Crime - Olivia Rodrigo
Hope Ur Ok - Olivia Rodrigo
Betty - Taylor Swift
Exile - Taylor Swift
Teardrops On My Guitar - Taylor Swift
Wildest Dreams - Taylor Swift
Tolerate It - Taylor Swift
You’re Not Sorry - Taylor Swift
Should’ve Said No - Taylor Swift
White Horse - Taylor Swift
You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift
My Tears Ricochet - Taylor Swift
Back to December - Taylor Swift
Breathe - Taylor Swift
The 1 - Taylor Swift
All Too Well - Taylor Swift
Invisible String - Taylor Swift
Evermore - Taylor Swift
Lose You To Love Me - Selena Gomez
The Heart Wants What It Wants - Selena Gomez
When I Was Your Man -Bruno Mars
Someone Like You - Adele
Hello - Adele
All I Ask - Adele
Let Her Go - Passenger
Say Something - A Great Big World
Stay With Me - Sam Smith
California King Bed - Rihanna
Take a Bow - Rihanna
Broken Hearted Girl - Beyoncé
Tonight I Wanna Cry - Keith Urban
The Winner Takes It All - ABBA
SOS - ABBA
One Of Us - ABBA
Half a Heart - One Direction
Yesterday - The Beatles
If The World Was Ending - Julia Michaels
Colors - Halsey
Happier - Ed Sheeran
One Last Time - Ariana Grande
Why’d You Only Call Me When You High - Artic Monkeys
Play Date - Melanie Martinez
Just a Friend to You - Meghan Trainor
All I Want - Kodaline
Love You From A Distance - Ashley Kutcher
Potential Breakup Song - Aly & AJ
I Don’t Wanna See You With Her - Maria Mena
Let Her Go - Passenger
All My Tears - Ane Brun
Always On My Mind - Elvis Presley
Someone to you - Lewis Capaldi 
Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi
Others
Sit Still, Look Pretty - Daya
How To Be A Heartbreaker - MARINA
No Body, No Crime - Taylor Swift
Look What You Made Me Do - Taylor Swift
Blank Space - Taylor Swift
You Need To Calm Down - Taylor Swift
Getaway Car -Taylor Swift
Gorgeous - Taylor Swift
Bad Blood - Taylor Swift
The Man - Taylor Swift
22 - Taylor Swift
Dorothea - Taylor Swift
Marjorie - Taylor Swift
The Best Day - Taylor Swift
Mirrorball - Taylor Swift
I Forgot That You Existed - Taylor Swift
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things - Taylor Swift
The Lakes - Taylor Swift
The Last Great American Dynasty - Taylor Swift
Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
When I Kissed The Teacher - ABBA
I Have A Dream - ABBA
I've Been Waiting For You - ABBA
You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins
Titanium - David Guetta (feat. Sia)
F**ckin' Perfect - P!nk
New Rules - Dua Lipa
IDGAF - Dua Lipa
Bad Guy - Billie Eilish
You Should See Me in A Crown - Billie Eilish
COPYCAT - Billie Eilish
Count On Me - Bruno Mars
Stand By You - Rachel Platten
Firework - Katy Perry
Because You Loved Me - Céline Dion
See You Again - Wiz Khalifa + Charlie Puth
NO - Meghan Trainor
Skyfall - Adele
Gasoline - Halsey
Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran
Save Myself - Ed Sheeran
Supermarket Flowers - Ed Sheeran
Small Bump - Ed Sheeran
Growing Up - Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Ed Sheeran
7 Rings - Ariana Grande
Bad Liar - Selena Gomez
Rare - Selena Gomez
Who Says - Selena Gomez
I Turn To You - Christina Aguilera
Till There Was You - The Beatles
Sweetest Devotion - Adele
ps: sorry, I'm a Swiftie and a Sheerio <3
Characters
Character x fem! or GN! reader (ROMANTIC)
ACOTAR: Rhysand, Cassian, Azriel, Lucien, Helion, Tarquin, kallias and Tamlin.
BRIDGERTON: Anthony Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton, Colin Bridgerton and Simon Basset.
GRISHAVERSE: Nikolai, Mal, The Darkling, Kaz, Matthias, Jesper, Wylan and David.
THRONE OF GLASS: Dorian Havilliard and Chaol Westfall.
HARRY POTTER: Harry, Ron, Neville, Draco, George, Fred, Oliver, Cedric, Young Sirius, Young James and Young Remus.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley.
MARVEL: Steve, Bucky, Sam, Pietro, Loki, Thor, Peter Parker, Ned, Tony, Bruce, Vision, Clint, T'Challa, Scott Lang, James Rhodes, Peter Quill and Stephen Strange.
THE HUNGER GAMES: Peeta, Gale and Finnick.
GREY'S ANATOMY: Derek Shepherd, Andrew DeLuca, Alex Karev, Jackson Avery, Mark Sloan, George O'Malley, Link, Koracick and Ben Warren.
TEEN WOLF: Scott, Stiles, Derek, Isaac, Liam and Jackson.
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Damon, Stefan, Matt, Klaus, Elijah and Kai.
NARNIA: Peter, Edmund and Caspian.
STAR WARS: Anakin, Obi Wan, Kylo, Han, Luke, Poe, Finn and Din Djarin.
Character x platonic!/sis!/bro!/enemy!/daughter!/son!/mentor!/or anything else platonic Reader
ACOTAR: Rhysand, Cassian, Azriel, Feure, Nesta, Elain, Mor, Amren, Nyx, Lucien, Tarquin, Helion, Kallias, Tamlin, Ianthe, Suriel and Bone Carver.
GRISHAVERSE: Nikolai, Mal, Darkling, David, Alina, Bahgra, Zoya, Tamar, Tolya, Apparat, Kaz, Matthias, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, Inej, Tantee Heleen and Pekka Rollins.
THRONE OF GLASS: Dorian, Chaol and Aelin.
BRIDGERTON: Anthony, Benedict, Colin; Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, Hyacinth, Lady Violet, Simon, Lady Danbury, Penelope, Lady Portia Featherington, Marina, Sienna, Genevieve, Cressida and Queen Charlotte.
HARRY POTTER: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Luna, Draco, George, Fred, Oliver, Cedric, Cho, Seamus, Fleur, Pansy, Myrtle, Sirius (old or young), James (old or young), Remus (old or young), Lily (old or young), Molly, Arthur, Bill, Percy, Charlie, Xenophilus Lovegood, Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid, Moody, Flitwick, Umbridge, Bellatrix, Voldemort, Lucius, Narcissa, Peter Pettigrew, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Dobby and Nearly Headless Nick.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Mr Darcy, Georgiana Darcy, Mr Bingley, Caroline Bingley, Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Bennet, Mary Bennet, Lydia Bennet, Catherine Bennet, Charlotte Lucas, Wickam, Mr Collins, Mr Bennet, Mrs Bennet.
MARVEL: Steve, Peggy, Sharon, Natasha, Bucky, Sam, Carol, Monica Rambeau, Pietro, Wanda, Agatha Harkness, Loki, Frigga, Odin, Hela, Thor, Heimdall, Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, Valkyrie, Peter Parker, Ned, MJ, Tony, Pepper, Morgan, Happy, Howard, Bruce, Vision, Clint, T'Challa, Shuri, Scott, Hope, Hank, Cassie, James Rhodes, Peter Quill, Gamora, Mantis, Nebula, Groot, Rocket, Drax, Stephen Strange, Wong, Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, Maria Hill, Thanos, Ancient One, Red Skull, Ultron, John Walker and Zemo.
THE HUNGER GAMES: Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Finnick, Haymitch, Rue, President Snow, Primrose, Effie, Cinna and Johanna.
GREY'S ANATOMY: Meredith, Derek, Andrew, Alex, Jackson, Mark, Lexie, Cristina, April, Izzie, George, Callie, Owen, Addison, Arizona, Miranda, Amelia, Link, Burke, Teddy, Maggie, Richard, Carina, Ben Warren, Megan Hunt, Ellis Grey, Catherine Avery and Tom Koracick.
TEEN WOLF: Scott, Stiles, Malia, Lydia, Allison, Derek, Isaac, Liam, Jackson, Peter Hale, Chris Argent, Sheriff Stilinski, Kira, Melissa McCall and Noshiko Yukimura.
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Damon, Elena, Katherine, Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie, Jenna, Klaus, Elijah, Rebeka, Sheriff Forbes, Kai and Lexi.
NARNIA: Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, Caspian and Aslan.
STAR WARS: Anakin, Padme, Yoda, Jarjar, Obi Wan, Kylo, Rey, Han, Leia, Luke, Poe, Finn and Din Djarin and Grogu.
No pressure tags: @venuswritesfanfic @for-bebbanburg @maggiescarborough @multifandomfix @sweetnspicysimp @lazypeachsoul @magravenwrites
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richincolor · 3 years
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Learning About the Present Through Our Past
There are people who would say that students in the U.S. do not get a comprehensive education when it comes to history. So how can we understand our present and work toward our future without a clear view of our past? There may be some schools or teachers who are doing an excellent job, but in many cases we still have a very long way to go. This makes access to thorough and accurate accounts all the more important for young readers. Here are two recent books that could help fill in some gaps.
Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon [available Sept. 28] (Review copy provided by Candlewick)
Publisher summary: In this comprehensive, inspiring, and all-too-relevant history of the Black Panther Party, Kekla Magoon introduces readers to the Panthers’ community activism, grounded in the concept of self-defense, which taught Black Americans how to protect and support themselves in a country that treated them like second-class citizens. For too long the Panthers’ story has been a footnote to the civil rights movement rather than what it was: a revolutionary socialist movement that drew thousands of members—mostly women—and became the target of one of the most sustained repression efforts ever made by the U.S. government against its own citizens.
Revolution in Our Time puts the Panthers in the proper context of Black American history, from the first arrival of enslaved people to the Black Lives Matter movement of today. Kekla Magoon’s eye-opening work invites a new generation of readers grappling with injustices in the United States to learn from the Panthers’ history and courage, inspiring them to take their own place in the ongoing fight for justice.
A few thoughts: Aside from the middle grade book One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia and Kekla Magoon's own teen novels The Rock and the River and Fire in the Streets, not much literature exists for young readers featuring the Black Panthers. That was why I was very excited to see this available for teens, but I think adults will also appreciate it. Revolution in Our Time begins with one of the events that brought the Panthers to national attention, but also goes back hundreds of years explaining many actions and events in history that led to that moment. Readers can see how the organization came together, shaped their collective identity, and got to work.
It's a very comprehensive look at the members and their day-to-day activities, victories, losses, and the many challenges they ran up against. It also includes a look into the many instances of governmental opposition. The Panthers were strong and did want to be seen that way, but their opponents painted them as violent and dangerous and that image is the only picture that many folks still hold in their memories. Here people can see a much more complete and accurate view.
The actual details and the stories are awesome by themselves, but the way that Magoon connects the past to our present makes this an incredibly powerful work. The final sections of the book are a call to action. The Black Panthers' average age was 19. Young people can do amazing things. There's a lot to learn by looking at the past and there's so much potential and opportunity for young people to make change happen today.
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo Norton Young Readers
Publisher summary: America in 1982: Japanese car companies are on the rise and believed to be putting U.S. autoworkers out of their jobs. Anti–Asian American sentiment simmers, especially in Detroit. A bar fight turns fatal, leaving a Chinese American man, Vincent Chin, beaten to death at the hands of two white men, autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz.
Paula Yoo has crafted a searing examination of the killing and the trial and verdicts that followed. When Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter and received only a $3,000 fine and three years’ probation, the lenient sentence sparked outrage. The protests that followed led to a federal civil rights trial—the first involving a crime against an Asian American—and galvanized what came to be known as the Asian American movement.
Extensively researched from court transcripts, contemporary news accounts, and in-person interviews with key participants, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in civil rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism.
A few thoughts: It's clear that Paula Yoo did an incredible amount of research and she carefully unraveled many layers of this complicated story. Vincent Chin was brutally killed and though to some it may seem like an isolated event, it happened during a time when there was increasing anti-Asian sentiment brewing. Yoo takes the time to explain many things that had happened contributing to the creation of this environment. She uses the personal history of Vincent's family and even goes back through U.S. history as a whole to see the threads of hatred and racism that had been there over time.
The narrative includes many people involved in the case and explores their lives and actions--and where possible--their motivations. Seeing Vincent's friends and family up close makes the loss very difficult to witness even just via the page.
A powerful aspect of this book is seeing the way people pulled together and spoke up. They formed Asian American advocacy organizations and some aspects of the justice system were even changed as a result of the work done around Vincent's case. Unfortunately, this book is very timely. It was published during a time of rising violence and racism against people of Asian descent in the U.S. Yoo shows readers that our present has come about because of our past, but our past can also inform and inspire us.
Here are links to a few more YA nonfiction history books that we've featured in the past:
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz adapted by Debbie Reese and Jean Mendoza
We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi
A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 by Claire Hartfield
Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles by Tanya Stone
Infinite Hope: A Black Artist's Journey from WWII to Peace by Ashley Bryan
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, & Harmony Becker
Pipestone: My Life in an Indian Boarding School by Adam Fortunate Eagle
Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White by Lila Quintero Weaver
The March graphic novel series books 1-3 by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell
In addition to books written specifically for the YA market, there are also some fantastic historical picture books for children, teens, and even adults. Here are a few that are exceptional:
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom by Teresa Robeson illustrated by Rebecca Huang
Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford and R. Gregory Christie
I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis and Kathy Kacer illustrated by Gillian Newland
Twenty-two Cents: Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank by Paula Yoo illustrated by Jamel Akib
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Tradition by Kevin Noble Mailland illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Hong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung illustrated by Chris Sasaki
A Day for Rememberin': Inspired by the True Events of the First Memorial Day by Leah Henderson illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome
Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War by Duncan Tonatiuh
If you are aware of other books we should watch for, please let us know.
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unluckyhoneybee · 2 years
Text
Blurbs Masterlist
In this Masterlist, you can find all the blurbs I have written. I try to keep a short story format or HC but sometimes I get carried away. Everything you will find here is requested, also BFTL, the Mick Schumacher story I have been building based on prompts and requests you send me. I have so much fun writing and I hope you enjoy it.
Not important, but my fave parts are marked like this:🌻
Smut/smutish: 🍒
Fluff:🍭
Angst: 🍋
All the blurbs:
Motorsports.
Best friends to Lovers (Mick Schumacher) MASTERLIST
All drivers.
🍭Comforting Charles after Imola (fluff) [CL]
🍭First time in Monaco with Daniel (fluff) [DR]
🍭Reconciliation after a fight with Marcus (fluff) [MA]
🍒George making you pay for bad behaviour (smut) [GR]
🍭Smitten at first sight with Arthur (fluff) [AL] 🌻
🍭You are the bane of Arthur's existence (fluff) [AL]
🍭Stepdad Charles (fluff x3) [CL]
🍒Teasing Max by flirting with Pierre [MV]
🍭Comforting Liam after a crash. (fluff) [LL]
🍭Danny loves your hairstyle (fluff) [DR]
🍒You lend a hand to Pierre (smut) [PG]
🍭Danny dating an introvert. (fluff) [DR]
🍭Fake-dating Lando (fluff) [LN]
🍭Danny comforting you after losing a race (fluff) [DR]
🍭Lando is in love with Zak's daughter (fluff) [LN]
🍭Danny is really proud of you (fluff) [DR]🌻
🍭Pierre teaches you how to flirt with Arthur in French [AL + PG]
🍭You and Charles take a few laps together (fluff) [CL]🌻
🍒Arthur and you have some time alone on a balcony (smut) [AL]
🍒You have your first time with Danny (smut) [DR]
🍭Michael comforts your son (fluff) [MI]
🍋🍭Liam is terrified when you crash (angsty to fluff) [LL]
🍭Danny dating a normal girl (fluff) [DR]
🍭About Max V and Alex A friendship. (fluff) [MV & AA]
🍭You and Danny take your twins to the beach for the first time. (fluff x3) [DR] 🌻
🍭Max taking care of your daughter at a family event (fluff) [MV]
🍭You take care of Marcus after an accident (fluff) [MA]
🍭Danny meets your son two weeks late (fluff) [DR] 🌻
🍭Danny gives your your well deserve trophy (fluff) [DR]
🍭Lando helps his baby daughter at 4 am (fluff) [LN]
🍋Marcus and you crash (angsty?) [MA]
🍋Michael is protective with you (angsty) [MI]
🍭You comfort Danny after Silverstone (fluff) [DR]
🍭Marcus helps with your social anxiety (fluff) [MA]
🍭Danny is the best dad and your son the best big brother (fluff x3) [DR]🌻
🍭🍒Poly relationship with Danny and Charles [DR x CL]
🍭Michael and Danny are the best dads (fluff) [DR x MI]
🍭Your son wants you and Danny close🌻 [DR]
🍭Michael helps when you faint (fluff) [MI]
🍒Danny congratulates you after your first win (smut) [DR]
🍭Your first Mother's Day with Danny (fluff) [DR]
🍭Danny is dating Toto's daughter [DR] 🌻
🍒Congratulating George for his pole (smut) [GR]
🍭First time on the paddock with Arthur (fluff) [AL]
🍭Danny talks to the baby in your belly (fluff) [DR]
🍭Comforting Danny during silly season '22 (fluff) [DR]
🍒Spending your birthday with Danny (smut) [DR]
🍭You and Danny go public (fluff) [DR]
🍭Dad Pierre on holiday (fluff) [PG]
🍭You cheer Danny before the drivers parade (fluff) [DR]
🍭Danny helps you with beer pong (fluff) [DR]
🍒You and Danny have some fun while baking (smut) [DR]
🍭You, Danny and your son get temporary tattoos. [DR]
🍭 Charles takes care of you when you get hurt [CL]
🍭 Grumpy reader and Sunshine Mick [MS]
🍭 Proud Pierre dating a UFC fighter. [PG]
🍭You, Danny and his thigh tattoos. [DR]
🍭You take care of drunk Marcus. [MA]
🍭Learning French with Pierre [PG]
🍭Felipe is a bit jealous [FD]
🍭Michael confesses to you [MI]
🍭You comfort an insecure Fabio [FQ]
🍋You comfort Danny on his future [DR]
🍭Museum date with Lando [LN]
🍭You take Daniel to a rage room [Dr]
🍭After care with Daniel [DR]
🍭Daniel falls in love with an interviewer [DR]
🍭Charles it's not very touchy but you are [CL]
🍭Charles and you ditch an after party. [CL]
🍒Pierre and you are fwb but your friends don't know [PG]
🍒You take care of Charles. [CL]
🍭Mick helps you when you get overwhelmed [MS]
🍒You always cry when you finish [CL] (not actually smut)
🍭You meet Danny's son [DR]
🍭Alex takes care of you when you have migraines [AA]
🍒Danny is a good friend and helps you [DR]
Various guys:
🍭How would they react when you say "I love you" for the first time. (fluff)
🍭How would they flirt (fluff)
🍭How would they react to your pregnancy (fluff)
🍭How would they be as stepdads (fluff)🌻
🍭How they show love (fluff)
🍭How they take care of you (fluff) [With special appearance of LH&SV]
Others.
NHL.
🍭Ryan helps you skating after a long time [RG]
🍭Jack comforts you when you are not feeling well. [JH]
🍭Fake dating Jamie. [JD]
🍭Quinn teaches your son about hockey [QH]
🍭You take care of Arber's wounds. [AX]
🍭Mitch deals with his son's jealousy [MM]
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