#rox writes

[offside-the-lines]

tell me who i run to (if not you) | anthony beauvillier

"The first sip is joy, the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness, the fifth is ecstasy." - Jack Kerouac

Summary In July of 2023, Evie looked at a list of cities in North America and rolled a die. Just like that, she packed up her life and moved to Chicago, a fresh start. The 2023-24 NHL season started well for Tito; he did not expect the call on November 28th telling him that he was being traded. To the worst team in the league. And just like that. 10 months after being ripped from his home, he had to pack up and move again. To an unfamiliar city, and to unfamiliar faces. Which is why, when Tito and Evie ran into each other, quite literally, on Christmas morning, they both latched on to a familiar face. Over the next few months, they became close friends. They didn’t talk about the nights shared in Chicago clubs.  They didn’t need to. Because they're just friends.  Right?

This is a completed fic split into episodes for easier reading. It was written for @bqstqnbruin as part of the Winter Fic Exchange 2k24 hosted by @wyattjohnston.

Episode 1. Blue Christmas (4.9k) Episode 2. I. Winter (4.4k) Episode 3. Pal-entine's Day (4.8k) Episode 4. Four-leaf Clover (5.5k) Episode 5. Evie's Birthday 🌶️ (5.6k) Episode 6. II. Spring (4.8k) Episode 7. Not Goodbye 🌶️🌶️ (5.4k) Episode 8. III. Summer (4.8k) Episode 9. Tito's Birthday (4.2k)

Read it in full (44.5k)

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Under the cut: author's notes, tropes, warnings & disclaimer, fun tidbits, chapter summaries

Author's Notes: This fic was written for @bqstqnbruin as part of the Winter Fic Exchange 2k24 hosted by @wyattjohnston. It got so out of control long so quickly. I genuinely had so much fun writing this, it's basically my magnum opus; if you look closely, I think you can probably see my soul in there somewhere. I would like to thank @devilssacrament, @wyattjohnston, and @forgottenflowers for being my editors, holding my hand and keeping me sane in this. Also, thanks to @swissboyhisch, and @imperatorrrrr for being a sounding board for ideas . All of your help and support has meant so much to me. You are all just the fucking best, I am sorry this has been my entire personality for the past month, I will probably return to normal soon. Probably...

Tropes: a gut-wrenching mix of angst and fluff with a happy ending, slow burn friends to lover (tbh, idiots to lovers let's be real), alternating POVs

Warnings: alcohol (one instance of alcohol poisoning by side character), mature content bordering on smut (mostly occurring in clubs/public), references to a toxic past relationship. Disclaimer: This series is set in Chicago but does not mention the name of the team based there. Only other Chicago players mentioned by name are: Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson and Connor Bedard. Other notes: NHL players featured Mat Barzal (a heavily featured supporting character/bestie) and brief mentions of Zach Hyman and Matt Martin. Assume that Tito and Evie are always speaking in French with each other.

Face claim for Evie (if you want one, but you can imagine whoever you like): Adeline Rudolph

Fun Tidbits: Original Character (she/her) called Genevieve Gignac or Evie (pronounced eh-vee) is the oldest sibling of Tito's juniors teammate and friend Brandon Gignac. Along with their other sibling Wiliam, they grew up in Montreal. Evie had been living in Toronto for six years, before moving to Chicago in the summer before the fic starts. I did way too much research so a lot of the little facts are true. Nicknames: (ma) chouette (shoo-wet): owl (mon) chou/chouchou (shoo): in practice, honey, sugar, baby, sweetheart // by definition, my cabbage or my profiterole/cream puff (depends who you ask) Solours (soul-oars): the Québécois name for the yellow Care Bear with the smiling sun on its belly Solou’ (soul-oo): a diminutive Evie decides to use

Cook, Cook, drink your tea, But save some in the pot for me. We'll watch the tea leaves in our cup When our drink is all sipped up. Happiness or fortune great, What will our future be? -- "Afternoon Tea at Pittock Mansion" by R.Z. Berry

Episode Synopses:

Blue Christmas Evie and Tito are both starting life anew in Chicago. It's an unfamiliar city with unfamiliar faces. They're both alone on Christmas. Maybe it's fate that brings them together. Jason and Alandra Dickinson are already smelling smoke from this fire.

I. Winter Tito injures his wrist in the first game of 2024, he’s out for 6-8 weeks and then his car breaks down. He thinks maybe he’s cursed. Evie becomes a shoulder to lean on. Barzy gets suspicious.

Pal-entine’s Day Tito returns her kindness by being a shoulder Evie can lean on when she is having a hard time after all-star break. She tells him it’s anxiety about work. He brings her a box of pastries and they cuddle on the couch all day; he doesn’t realize it’s Valentine’s Day. Later, a hook-up goes very wrong.

Four-leaf Clover Tito’s been playing again, and during his first stretch of away games begins to miss home. Well, Evie’s home anyway. When he sees her in the bar, he can’t help but show it. Barzy calls him out on his lies.

Evie’s Birthday Sometimes the music moves you. Sometimes the bass pounding in your chest makes you do things you wouldn’t do. Fuck it, it’s your birthday. That’s what Evie tells herself anyway. There are gifts given, but there are also secrets kept. 

II. Spring Tito tries to tell her— he does— It’s just he needs to find the right time, and something keeps coming up. Evie’s honest with herself. But does that even matter? Mat decides maybe it is his time to intervene.

Not Goodbye Evie realizes that her time is running out. To do what? She doesn’t know. But she has one last night to find out. That is until— Well. It’s too late now. Tito flies home and wonders if that will be the worst mistake of his life.

III. Summer They try to get on with their summers as if nothing is wrong, convincing no one. How long will it take them to realize they can’t keep pretending like everything’s fine? And who will finally take the leap of faith?

Tito’s Birthday Tito receives the best birthday present he has ever gotten: the girl he loves standing at his parent’s front door. It was never destiny or fate; it can only be by choice. And they’ll choose each other every time. Eventually, anyway.

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[roxetteblack]

Snow ~ S.B

Summary: Sirius decided to take you on a small weekend getaway in a cabin during winter, he then found out when everyone warned him.

Warnings: Fluff

Mutual Tags: @sagesworlddd @mad-elia

It was a cold winter morning as you awoke in Sirius' arms, the fire opposite your bed was roaring and snow was falling softly onto the ground. You turned your head to your sleeping husband and smiled, pushing his long hair from out his face you leaned down to press a small kiss on his forehead.

You always know he's half awake when you move at any time so you knew he felt the kiss being laid upon him. You watched his lips curl into a smile as he attempted to pull you closer to him, using your body heat to keep him warm.

Laughing to yourself you put your head on his chest and started tracing patterns onto his stomach. After the fifth circle, you felt his fingers wrap around your wrist stopping all motion.

"If you keep doing that then we'll never get out this bed." He said with a deep chuckle. His voice was still dry and scratchy from sleep.

You shook your head and sighed, "We have to go for a walk today, it's beautiful," you sat back up and looked out the window, admiring as the snow fell slowly yet quick despite there not being any wind. "Come on Sirius, get up"

You put your hands on his shoulders and tried to shake him awake, you were only met with his closed eyes and a slight smirk on his lips. What you didn't notice was his hands coming up the back of your thighs, pulling you at your waist. You ended up on his lap and sighed with disapproval.

Not until then did Sirius open his eyes to look a you. Seeing his wife on his lap right in the morning was the only thing he could probably wish for, and lucky enough he got his wish.

"Get. Up." You said through slightly gritted teeth but when he didn't budge you let out a groan and flopped back onto his chest. His hand was fast to move in circular movements on your back, soothing you and your want to go swimming in the snow.

"You need to be patient." Sirius whispered in your ear, kissing your forehead softly.

"But it's so pretty, we have to go outside right now" You whined, looking up at Sirius, trying to persuade him with puppy eyes.

Of course it worked, he sighed deeply and told you to get dressed and have something warm to eat and drink whilst he had a shower. As he sleepily walked into the cabins bathroom he made a mental note not to take you anywhere with drastic season change.

It only took you thirty minutes before the two of you had your gloves and woolly hats on. Sirius locked the cabin door as you took in the beautiful snowy air.

"Happy?" He intertwined your covered hands. You nodded and thanked him before setting down the covered pathway down to the small town.

[rox-and-prose]

[right-agent]

i got your back, if you got mine

a bunch of doodles about an idea of mine

[incorrect-fnaf-quotes]

There’s an idea that’s been on my mind for the last several months, and while it’s not FNaF related at all, I still want to share it because I like it.

It’s entirely fantasy—it would be surprising if it wasn’t, given everything that’s involved it, but, Anyways-

It follows Binx—an (anthro) jackalope, their sibling Rox, and a few others that I’ll eventually get to. But, for right now, I’m going to focus on these two. Getting straight to the point... Rox died.

Some time before the main plot would start happening, Rox proceeded to get captured by someone, lost her antlers and an arm, and then was killed. Binx found him—but it was too late.

And while, at first, Binx doesn’t do anything major, and simply grieves over their sibling, until they remember something—resurrection. Rox is gone for about a month before it happens.

Basically stealing something that can actually cause the revival, Binx immediately went into the process of trying to revive their older sibling, not wanting her gone any longer.

However, here’s the thing about resurrection in this world. It’s obviously a thing that can be done—it can be successful—but it’s not an easy thing. You could have whatever to cause a resurrection, but it has the possibility to not work.

There’s only about a 9% chance of any revival/resurrection actually ever succeeding—and Binx just happened to get lucky. But even then, there’s more problems going on.

While it brought Rox back, and healed the bare minimum, one: she’s still needing time to to actually recover. Two: Rox can barely remember anything after being brought back.

He still remembers certain things—who he is, going on adventures—dying, etc. However, Rox is unable to remember Binx at all, among other people and other certain things.

And then comes another problem. While actually being alive now, the whole resurrection doesn’t seem to be a permanent one. It basically worked, but only a little bit?

Think of it as a spell—Binx revives their sibling—she’s alive again—not a sort of zombie or anything—but slowly, the spell is disappearing, and soon, Rox will die again. But, clearly, Binx doesn’t want that.

...But, in other words: Never try to resurrect anyone here. It just sucks.

So, what follows is basically: Binx must try to find a way to fully save their sibling before it’s too late, as well as wanting to get Rox’s memories back—while Rox himself... doesn’t really want that.

I don’t think I’m doing that great at describing this—but, trust me, there’s a lot to it, but I just don’t know how to describe it the best.

That whole situation isn’t the only thing going on—because, at the same time as that, there’s a villain (of course) going around, and the siblings need to be protected.

Uhhh... yeah. That’s all I have to say.

[thegreatyin]

gotta say after playing through a good 40-50 hours of it at this point im really not understanding why people say guild wars 2's story is bad. it's a pretty good 7/10 so far

[fruit-of-infidelity]

Somehow, Scarlett made her way into Ryuuto’s house. Maybe the few black feathers under the open window was enough of a clue… However, she spotted him earlier than expected, his silhouette sitting on an armchair (reading? Sketching? Pondering?) with his back facing her forced her to freeze in place for a whole second, but she couldn’t back away now!

And so, assuming he already felt her presence anyway –either by instinct or by her perfume–, she simply walked over to him. Quickly. Soon enough, a pair of gloved hands covered the Vampire’s eyes from behind, “...hello~” the soft voice of the redhead Ghoul greeted him, “ha~ppy birthday~ Did you miss me? Well, you don’t get to see me just yet—” Admittedly, there was something she ultimately regretted bringing along, but it was too late to get rid of. In the meantime, she gently but firmly covered his sight from her spot behind the seat, trying to add some mystery while she still could.

“... it is a little embarrassing. I haven’t come bearing gifts this time, but… you see, the bakery was closed, I don’t know how to cook, there’s no way I’d bring a whole musical instrument all the way here by myself to play something, and—… sigh. Gifts are getting harder and harder to make, and it’s all your fault.”

Despite the pouty tone of her ramble, there was a little disappointment hidden in that sigh, directed to herself for the most part, of course. Nevertheless, she quickly recovered. The hands that held his face tilted his head back just as gently, enough to ensure that her eyes would be right above his when she finally allowed him to see again.

“...But I won’t let that stop me from trying. So, I thought…” looking into an upside down version of Ryuuto’s green hues, she offered a cheeky smile, “...what if I spoiled you myself today~? You get to choose how, but don’t make me regret this and take too much advantage of my special gift, okay? It so happens to be something I rarely do for anyone, as well... fufu, so? Do we have a deal? Or should I come back tomorrow with a cinnamon roll instead?”

Her hands slowly lowered to rest on his shoulders. Her own hair, despite her attempts, did not completely hide or exhibit the particular choker she decided to wear for that occasion...

[ Ryuuto's head lifted as he sensed her movement. Dropping by without so much as a warning? How inconsiderate~. Still, his patience served him well; As she covered his gaze, in anticipation of what was to come next, a smile snuck upon his lips. ]

"I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me."

[ Despite this taunt, he didn't interrupt her further as she spoke thereafter. Instead, he was willing to sit back and let her explain herself, and this surprise visit. There was oh-so many quibs that danced on the tip of his tongues at her excuses, but he repressed his desire to be a complete pain-in-the-ass, and - instead - found himself without any need to speak as he was directed to gaze into those all-too-familiar purple eyes. ]

"Ambitious~. You think you can spoil me... all on your lonesome? I'm a hard man to please, you do realise? Fufufu."

[ His eyes flickered down to that choker the very moment she let it come into view, and he drew in a breath. Not because he needed to breathe, oh no... But something about the sight before him suddenly urged it from him. ]

"You know, I rarely say no to a cinnamon roll..."

[ Biting at his bottom lip oh-so softly, pretending to contemplate her offer - although he doubted he was fooling her - he finally found just the right words to answer her. ]

"But, I suppose that depends on how you taste."

[moremysteriesthantragedies]

Valentine’s Day According To God

Here, have a little snippet from character's currently in development for the season:

Rox was led outside by a trail of petals, going behind the apartment building and into the gardens. He soon found those gardens had been filled with roses of the white and pink variety, and that a few stones had been crafted into a makeshift table where a chocolate heart was placed on a plate. That elusive, glowing figure stood to the side, gesturing to the makeshift table. “I made this for you,” he said in his deep, velvety voice, Rox smirking. “Aw. I knew through all our fighting you loved me really.” The figure rolled his eyes playfully at that.

Tag list: @perasperaadastrawriting, @caxycreations, @profoundlyhauntedclaws

[carry-on-my-wayward-gays]

Just After Sundown: a Bird Of Prey spinoff

Hello :) just one of many spinoffs inspired by @roxie-roo 's Double Life au, Bird of Prey! Hope you like this one bestie :D

It had been a long day. Bordering on near endless.

To say Tango was exhausted would be the understatement of the year. As he stretched at the foot of his bed he felt like he could sleep for a hundred years once his head hit his pillows.

He lifted the hat Shelby had gifted him off his head and placed it gingerly on the little bedside table placed next to his bed. The hat comically engulfed the table, and Tango tiredly chuckled at it.

The ladder creaks with the weight of someone climbing up. Tango doesn't need to turn around to know who it is.

"You getting settled alright?" Jimmy asks once up through the floor.

Tango hums, "Yup. The place is cozy, thank you for letting me stay."

"I built it just for you, Tangs. Of course you get to stay here." Jimmy sits at the end of the little bed and shucks his dusty boots off.

Tango sits next to Jimmy, resting his cheek on Jimmy's shoulder blade. There's... a distinct lack of two extra limbs under the leather of his vest and cotton of his shirt.

Tango's a little confused at the discovery. Sure, when he hadn't seen them at first he assumed Jimmy was hiding them under his clothing. Bound together and held flat down. That thought made Tango's skin crawl.

But now that he could feel there was nothing else there? It confused him. Almost worried him.

"Sorry, sunshine, could you sit up for a second?" Jimmy spoke gently.

Tango grunts but sits up, watching as Jimmy shrugs off his leather vest.

"What happened to your wings?" Tango asks. He notes how Jimmy freezes up and he panics that maybe he said something he shouldn't have.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry if that's sensitive." He rushes to fill in. "It's just- ya know you don't just go around losing limbs every day." The laugh carrying his words was nervous and forced. Jimmy's demeanor doesn't change.

Tango swallows thickly.

When Jimmy does move again he's silent, and unbuttoning his cotton shirt.

"When Double Life ended," Jimmy starts lowly. "I wound up in the void. I uh.. met a few friends there."

Tango nods. But... friends? In the void? You don't find other people in the void. If you did then... then Tango could've found Jimmy. But he didn't because you're alone in the void. Right?

Jimmy takes in a breath. His shirt hangs loosely at his shoulders.

"I thought I'd be free, finally. And well... I mean I technically am but- Heh, you know most things come with a price."

White fabric falls. It takes Tango's tired brain a moment to process what exactly he's seeing but when everything clicks, oh boy does it ring loud and clear.

Two scars run parallel down Jimmy's back. They start just above his shoulder blades and reach to the middle of his ribcage. Something rightly disgusted churns in Tango's gut.

"I think it's punishment. It has to be, right?" Jimmy turns to look at Tango over his shoulder. Tango doesn't know what to do, or say.

"When you break such a rigidly set status quo, destroy your fate like that? There's going to be harsh consequences." Jimmy's back muscles flex like the wings were still there and he was fluffing them up.

"I'm sorry." Tango whispers. He reaches up and presses a gentle hand to one scar. Jimmy shivers, goosebumps appearing over his skin.

"S' not your fault, honey." Jimmy assures. And sure, it isn't. Tango knows it isn't his fault, or his doing, but still.

"You still shouldn't have lost your wings."

Jimmy laughs wetly. "I'm not a canary anymore though, am I? What non-canary needs wings."

Tango loops his arms around Jimmy's torso, resting his face between the scars. "Doesn't matter. You lost a part of you."

It gets quiet after that. Tango would say he almost fell asleep like that, but his mind was too full. He was buzzing with questions, and it felt like a dick move to fall asleep when your soulmate just shared something so world shattering with you.

"...Did it hurt?"

Jimmy barks a bitter laugh.

Did it hurt? Like Hell it did. He still remembers leaving the void, beginning the journey to Empires, when something grabs him.

He's terrified. So so scared and alone at the halfway point between servers. He's held as something digs into the flesh on his back, searing pain shoots through his whole body as his wings are stripped from him.

He remembers waking up crying, in Tumble Town. His back still aching like everything was still happening. It hurt for days afterwards, no matter how many potions he drank or gapples he chugged.

"So much.." Jimmy settles on. He can feel Tango making a face on his skin.

"I'll kill whoever did this to you. Say the word and I swear I'll do it." Tango hugs his soulmate tighter. Something protective boils in his chest, ready to spill over.

Jimmy just placed a calloused hand over Tango's. "I know you will. I know you will."

Tango growls under his breath, being cut off by a yawn.

"I'm so tired." Tango mumbles. "Server hopping takes a lot out of you."

When Jimmy giggles it's real. It's not ironic or bitter. It's fond and benevolent.

"I can imagine. Let's get to bed then. Cuddles?" Jimmy wiggles free of Tango and stands up to completely discard his shirt.

"Of course, you owe me so many cuddles, dude."

[princessg3rard]

me and baby sis were talking about how we’d kill to have mcr come here and preform, and the conversation immediately derailed to “wouldn’t it be so fucking funny if they end up coming over here but staying in one of the periphery cities instead of like Jerusalem or tel aviv ??”

and honestly ?? I’d fucking kill to see that. the things I would do to see frank push off annoying kids to the water in the aqua-kef in tiberias or like gee jumping off the tarzan in the kibbutzim stream… can easily get me lifetime in jail :)

[offside-the-lines]

Right Where We Left Off | Nico Hischier

Summary: It’s September in NYC and Ana finds herself unexpectedly face-to-face with her ex-boyfriend, Nico. They finally have the conversation they should’ve had seven years ago. But, where does that lead them and what does this mean for her future— their future? After all, who are they to question fate?

This fic is dedicated to @fallinallincurls for her birthday bingo. Happy birthday, Bre! I am always so grateful for the incredible comments you leave on fics. Pairing: Nico Hischier x F!OC Word count: 2.5 k No warnings (as far as I know). Bingo card tropes: Second chance romance, invisible string theory, they’re both idiots; it's always been you. Masterlist

Ana’s exhausted. After ten days of straight work and travel, she just wants to sleep and hide in her expensive hotel room. It’s a gorgeous day in New York City, not sweltering and muggy as it often feels in the summer, and she doesn’t want to waste the opportunity to actually explore the city she has visited many times but never enjoyed.

She turns her face up to the sun and closes her eyes. The sounds of the city carry on around her, and it’s strangely calming— it probably should be unnerving. Besides, she has to make a decision soon about whether she is going to move here, the offer letter taunting her from her email inbox. 

Her mind wanders across the Hudson for a brief second before she catches herself, eyes flying open. She takes a sip of her mocha, savoring the drink that she hopes will bring her some energy. 

It isn’t often that she has a chance to take a day off. Well, no, that’s a lie. She could take any day off if she wanted to. After all, she works for herself. But she usually never lets herself, always working through weekends in an effort to get ahead— of what, she’s not quite sure. 

She has always been a workaholic: working two jobs in college, graduating a year early, and starting and selling her own company before the age of 25. She tells herself that her hard work has given her the happiness she has now. She now has the freedom she always wanted— independence.

Ana’s mother always points out that she’s rushing through life because she doesn’t have an anchor. She always goes on about how the stress and inability to relax is going to take her to an early grave. Ana always sees it for what it is: an unwelcome probe into her dating life. 

She’s doing quite fine on her own, thank you very much— that’s what she always retorted anyway. She can't tell her that the only stress relief she needs is the occasional hookups from the fancy bars she goes to— a series of tall men with brown hair, warm eyes, and a good smile.

Before her mind even has a chance to ruminate on that again, a little boy bumps into her leg— causing her to spill her coffee a little— and runs to hide behind the chair opposite from her.

“You won’t tell him where I am, right?” he whispers. He startles her, and it takes her a few seconds to realize he’s probably playing hide-and-seek. It takes her even longer to realize this child is speaking in her native tongue. He peers up at her with pleading eyes. 

“Of course, sweetie,” she replies, pushing past her confusion. He has big brown eyes and the cutest dimples— it makes her heart ache. She presumes the little boy is hiding from his father and scans the cafe for him. Having not seen anyone looking for a child, she turns back to her coffee and continues to drink it, observing the little boy. “I’m Ana. What’s your name?”

“I’m Jan. I can’t talk right now because I’m hiding, see?” he whispers.

Ana can’t help but let out a chuckle at the earnestness in the kid’s eyes. “Okay then.”

She’s just about to take another sip of her coffee when she hears a gentle voice behind her. “Jan, where did you go?” There’s a pause, “Oh! There you are!” The boy giggles and moves to hide under the table.

Her smile freezes— her whole body freezes. The hairs on the back of her neck prickle, and she feels her cheeks grow warm. It might’ve been seven years, but she’d recognize that voice anywhere— Nico. She doesn’t turn around, praying Jan will just run to his daddy and leave.

She is not that lucky. Footsteps approach her chair, his voice getting closer and closer to her as he says, “Oh my god. Come on, Jan. Get out of there!” 

She closes her eyes and holds her breath.

“I’m so sorry if Jan’s been bothering you, ma’am. I—” His gentle, accented English stops abruptly, and a silence hangs in the air as she slowly opens her eyes. When their eyes meet, Nico lets out a barely audible “Oh.”

“Um,” her gaze darts around, trying to avoid the warm brown eyes that still haunt her dreams, “Hi?”

“My god, is that you?” he mumbles, barely audible. He stares at her, the color draining from his face. 

Jan finally emerges from beneath the table, his curiosity piqued by this stilted exchange. Beaming at her, he reaches up for Nico’s hand— his father’s hand? It had to be, right? The resemblance— she cuts her thoughts off.

“Um... yes?” she manages to say.

“I feel like I’m hallucinating. You’re really here? It’s been so long.”

“Well, yes, Nico, it’s been about seven years.”

“That’s a really long time.” There’s silence as they just stare at each other, neither knowing what to do, neither moving.

“Yes. It is,” she says cautiously.

He rests a hand on Jan’s shoulder, holding him close. “Why did you never call me?” he asks, looking down at his feet.

“Why would I have called you Nico?”

“You left for London without telling me. You told everyone else. I had to find out from Nina.”

“I had no reason to tell you, Nico. We weren’t together anymore,” she scoffs, “You moved too. And besides, you found someone to ‘replace’ me, clearly.” 

She looks at Jan, bile rising in the back of her throat. Nico responds with a puzzled expression before deciding to return to his original line of questioning.

“Why did you leave?”

“I had to go to university, start my career… I have dreams too, remember? Ones that are just as important as yours?” She shudders at the memory of their fight, the fight that broke everything. Her heart races; she can hear the blood rushing in her ears.

“I was young, stupid and immature. But, I swear to God, I loved you so fucking much. You should’ve told me you were moving to London… I would’ve—”

“You would’ve what, Nico? You broke up with me. What was I supposed to do? Stay at home? Or should I have followed you to New Jersey like a sick puppy? Continued wasting my time like I clearly did when you were in Halifax? Watching any and every opportunity— watching my future—  fly by me as I waited for and supported someone who was no longer mine?” 

“I said that we should take a break to figure things out. Figure out what to do long-term. I never meant to suggest that we break up forever. You just assumed— You left. You didn’t even give me a chance to—”

“Look at you, Nico.” She was struggling to keep her voice under control as it wavered and threatened to break. “It’s always someone else’s fault. Nothing’s changed, huh?”

He looks at her, his face shutters with an unreadable expression, before pulling out the chair opposite her. He sits and lifts Jan onto his lap. The little boy looks between them in confusion, ultimately deciding that playing with the wooden block table number is more interesting.

“I’m sorry,” he says, “I didn’t mean for it to sound so— I was heartbroken that you weren’t there anymore when I came back after the draft.”

“What about me? What about how I felt when you asked me to just drop my plans for my future like it was no big deal? Or when you suggested we take a break? When you never called me after that summer?” She studies his face, seeing his genuine sadness, and sighs. “We were so young, Neeks. What were the chances it would have even worked out anyway? Even if you had cared to fight for us.”

“I thought that you took the space and realized— I thought that maybe you didn’t want me anymore. I thought that maybe you hated me. I thought that maybe you realized that you were just too good for me. So, I thought that maybe I should let you go, live your life, and find your career like you said you wanted to,” he says, voice thin and reedy before he clears his throat and laughs humorlessly. “I guess I was right, huh? I mean, just look at you now. You’re pretty incredible. Forbes 30 under 30.”

He smiles at her, a small fragile thing. It’s only because she has known him her entire life that she is able to spot the pride that shines through the pain and regret. Her thoughts are crashing inside her mind.

He knows and has clearly been following her career.

In the delicate silence that stretches between them, the storm inside her head is able to bring something else to the surface: the loneliness of her success— the gnawing feeling that something is always missing.

“What about how I felt when I kept hearing our friends talk about every new girlfriend you had?” she whispers, staring into her coffee cup. She has no control over the way her throat tightens over something she’d finished crying over a long time ago.

“I never loved any of them,” he answers without missing a beat; his voice is firm and sure.

“It’s been seven years, Nico. How could you say you never loved any of them?”

“I mean, I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t date some great people because I did. But they were always just— I cared for them, sure, but I was never in love with any of them.” He looks down at the boy sitting in his lap.

“Not even the mother of your child?” she blurts out, outraged.

“The who?” His eyebrows are scrunched low on his face as he studies her.

Ana rolls her eyes and gestures at Jan. “His mother?”

“His— Oh! No, he’s not—” he exclaims before laughing. 

“He looks just like you,” she says, confused.

“Aww,” he coos, tightly clutching the little boy to his chest, “Jan’s my nephew— He’s Luca’s.”

“Oh.” 

Something about her expression sets him off again, throwing his head back as he laughs. Against her will, the sound nestles deep in her chest, filling her with warmth.

“I’m babysitting him today so Luca and his wife can explore the city a bit. I won’t be able to do much once training camp starts next week. And I want to get as much time with this munchkin as possible,” he explains, tickling Jan’s belly to his delight.

Ana feels her chest constrict as she watches them interact. It’s a glimpse into the future she could’ve had, and it hurts in a place so deep in her chest she’s not sure she’s ever going to be able to unearth it. After their first moment of comfortable silence, Nico looks up at her with a soft smile.

“You know, I got you a ring.”

“Y-you w-what?” she says unsteadily as she feels the world stop around her.

“Yeah.” He looks back down at Jan and fidgets with his shirt. “I bought it with my signing bonus. I was going to ask you to marry me when I came back if we had worked things out, which— I know, it was so stupid. We were, what, 18? Like, what was I thinking, right? It wouldn’t have solved anything. But I just wanted— needed you to know how much I loved you and… ” 

His voice gets tighter as he speaks, and he lets the sentence trail off. His eyes flash to hers, holding them so briefly before looking away again. He clears his throat, “I guess we never made it there.”

Ana’s silent for a moment that feels like it stretches a lifetime— or at least, it feels like time has warped and dumped her back into her 18-year-old self, seven years ago. Her heart was pounding so hard that it made her feel faint.

“I would have said yes,” she realizes with a start, the words tumbling out before she has even fully formed the thought in her mind.

“What?” His eyes snap up, finally looking at her again.

“If you had asked me, I would have said yes.”

It was his turn to stare. “Really?” he whispers.

“Yes. Despite our fight, I still loved you. I was waiting for months for you to call me, to tell me that we would work it out, that we were going to be okay long distance for however long it took. I would have— If you begged — Hell if you had just asked...”

Nico just stares, flabbergasted. Neither of them even hear the tapping of Jan’s block on the table. “I still love you,” he says.

“What?”

“What I mean is, can we try again? It may have been seven years, but I still love you.”

“Are you insane?”

“I don’t think so. It has always been you; it will always be you. I have known that for a long time now. There has to be some fate or God or something to bring us back together, right? I feel like it’s a good sign, anyway. I’m sorry for being the idiot I was back then, but I promise I’m ready now. I’m ready to be whatever you need me to be. It won’t be the exact same, but it will finally be us again.”

Ana is stunned, speechless, as she blinks at Nico.

“Nicki?” Jan interrupts their silence, snapping them out of their bubble.

“Yeah, Jan, what’s wrong?”

“Can I have a cookie, please?”

“Sure, bud.” Nico sets him on the floor and stands up. He smiles at her cheekily, “Don’t you dare leave before I get back. I will chase you this time. I’m fast, you know.”

“I’ll be here, I promise.” She feels a bubble of tension burst as she laughs, shaking her head as she watches him walk to the counter holding Jan’s hand.

The seven years apart has worn down her willpower. She gave up on love years ago when she realized that she was probably going to dream about Nico every night for the rest of her life. She’s always known that she would cave if asked; she just never thought this day would come.

She looks at him now. She sees the boy she grew up with and the teenager she fell in love with. But there’s also a sadness behind his eyes that she doesn’t remember being there. The corners of his eyes are worn and weathered in a way that’s unusual for a man in his mid-twenties.

There’s a voice in her head— it sounds eerily like her mother— that points out that she’s always known the truth: Nico was why she was always working, pushing away everyone and everything. It was some twisted self-punishment; if she lost Nico, she had to make the sacrifice worth it.

But maybe— Maybe, she can have both. Ana thinks about the job offer from the company that acquired her start-up— a job based in NYC. She thinks about all the hundreds of coffee shops they could’ve gone to. Maybe there was some fate at play. And who was she to question fate.

Nico sits back down, a tentative smile on his face that makes Ana’s heart flutter for the first time in seven years, and says, “So, Ana, will you pick up where we left off?”

Requests (open) | Masterlist

[roxetteblack]

Concussion - E.M

Summary: You suffer a concussion and Eddie promises he’ll aid you back to health.

Warnings: None.

Mutuals Tag: @mad-elia @garfieldsladybird @lalaland06 @sagesworlddd

Darkness surrounded your eyes as you felt into what felt like nothing, your head hitting the ground.

Not long after being rushed to the hospital you awoke in what looked like a hospital bed, your clothes had been removed and replaced with what seemed to be a hospital gown.

Slowly you attempted to lift your head up to look around, your neck ached as the muscles were pulled.

“Hey hey, don’t,” you heard a soft voice coated with panic next to you. “It’s Eddie.”

You managed to turn your head in the direction of his voice, “What happened?” Your voice came out scratchy and sore.

His eyes bored into yours searching for any reaction to pain on your body. “You fainted, don’t know what happened actually.” He scratched the back of his neck.

You felt a sharp discomfort in your right arm looking down at it you noticed an IV poked through your skin.

As you became to scratch the area Eddie grabbed your wrist pulling it away, “Don’t play with it.” He pushed out a forced laugh seeing your state.

“It’s itchy though.” You mumbled back, pulling your arm back to your chest. “Where’s everyone else?”

Looking around you noticed Eddie was the only one sat in the hospital room with you.

Eddie gave you a small smile, “It’s just me here, everyone else went home. Told them i’d take care of you.”

You smiled back and nodded, “Yes, Eddie Munson you are now my personal maid.” He laughed at your words leaning back in his chair in relief you were alright.

“That I can do,” he paused holding eye contact with you. “Your majesty.”

Eddie stood up quickly only just to kneel in front of you, with a small chuckle you gave him your hand to which he responded with a kiss on the top.

You weren’t worried anymore, you knew Eddie would take care of you and nurse you back to health as best as he can. You weren’t worried anymore because you finally realised he cared about you as much as you cared about him.

[celestial-thoughts]

role model

Pairing: platonic Roxanne Perez & Bayley, romantic Cora Jade x Roxanne Perez

Word count: 1.1k

Summary: Bayley takes her job as Roxanne and Cora's role model very seriously. That doesn't stop outside of the ring.

Author's note: shoutout to @this-is-my-bisexuality for writing an awesome fic for Cora/Roxanne last month for thirsty thurday (read it here, it is so good), because it sparked this lovely idea in my head.

Eighteen minutes. That's how long Roxanne has been pacing back and forth across her apartment. She pauses her pacing and looks at the vase of sunflowers she had found sitting on her kitchen table when she woke up that morning, picks up the note that had been attached to the flowers.

She has already read the note a dozen times, but she reads it again.

Sunflowers for my sunflower. I love you Roxy. xoxo, Cora.

Roxanne's eyes linger on those three little words: I love you. Three words that Cora and Roxanne have never spoken to each other. They've been dating for three months, and she has yet to take that leap, to tell Cora how much she truly cares about her.

So Cora takes the leap first.

And now Roxanne is pacing her apartment, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Bayley, who she texted in the midst of her panicked spiral.

The knock at her door pulls Roxanne out of her thoughts, and she opens it to find Bayley standing there, with a grocery bag in one hand. "I come bearing snacks," the older woman says, walking past Roxanne and into the apartment. She starts to cross the room to the couch, when suddenly she stops at the sight of the worn path across the carpet. "How long have you been working on that?" she asks, nodding at the path of Roxanne's pacing.

"Since I texted you," Roxanne manages to say, and despite her best efforts to keep her voice steady, she feels her throat begin to close up.

Bayley moves quickly, setting down the bag of snacks and wrapping her arms around the 21 year old girl in front of her. She holds Roxanne close, keeping her own breathing steady. "Just breathe for me Rox. Can you do that?"

Bayley's voice breaks through the haze of panic, and Roxanne feels her heart rate return to normal. "Thank you," she whispers, looking up to meet Bayley's eyes.

"Anytime," Bayley replies. "You know I'm always here for you." She keeps one arm around Roxanne's shoulders, guiding her to the couch. "So," Bayley begins, reaching into the bag of snacks and pulling out a box of chocolate chip cookies. "What exactly has you anxiously pacing?"

That's when Roxanne realizes that she's still clutching the note from Cora in her hand. Wordlessly, she hands the card to Bayley as she takes a cookie from the box. "You got the good kind," she remarks, nodding at the box.

"Of course I got the good kind," Bayley says. "I know the drill." Her eyes fall to the card that Roxanne had placed in her hand. She reads the short note, and her eyes go wide. "Oh."

Roxanne nods, hugging her knees to her chest as she nibbles on the cookie in her hand. "Yeah," she whispers. "I don't know why I freaked out when I read it. I just—"

"You just started panicking?" Bayley finishes Roxanne's thought. The smaller girl nods, and Bayley sets the card down on the coffee table. "Okay. Can I tell you what I think?"

"Yes please," Roxanne answers, eyes focused on the half-eaten cookie in her hand.

"Well for starters," Bayley says, taking a cookie for herself. "Do you feel the same way about her?"

Roxanne lets out a sigh. "It's... complicated," she says.

"Is it?" Bayley asks. "Or have you just convinced yourself that it's complicated because you don't want to think about your feelings?"

Roxanne shoots her a look of annoyance, and Bayley can't help the laugh that escapes her lips. "It is actually complicated this time," Roxanne says, resting her forehead against her knees.

"How so?" Bayley asks, gently squeezing one of Roxanne's hands.

"Because," Roxanne begins, letting out a sigh. "Because I want to feel the same way about her, Bayley. And I think I do. But I'm just..." she trailed off.

Bayley wrapped an arm around Roxanne's shoulders. "But your anxiety is stopping you from being able to accept that she really feels that way about you?"

Roxanne looks up at the older woman. "How did you know?" she asks in surprise.

"Lucky guess," Bayley replies with a small, knowing smile. She's silent for a minute, before she speaks again. "I think you're just afraid to be happy," she says. "I think you want to be happy, but you still don't think you deserve it."

Roxanne nods, nervously biting her lower lip. "It's just hard to believe that she feels that way about me," she whispers, just barely loud enough for Bayley to hear.

Bayley nods in understanding. "Do you trust Cora?" she asks.

"Of course I trust Cora," Roxanne replies immediately.

A soft smile appears on Bayley's face. "Good. Then trust that she wouldn't write that unless she meant it." She nods at the card sitting on the coffee table. "She's crazy about you, kid. I know that you don't see it, but trust me, she is."

Roxanne lets out a shaking breath. "Okay," she says quietly, more to herself than Bayley.

"So, do you feel the same way about her?" Bayley asks again.

Roxanne feels her lips curl into a small smile. "Yeah," she says. "Yeah, I do."

"Then you should tell her," Bayley says. "Trust me, you'll feel better once you do."

(What Bayley doesn't tell Roxanne is that she knew what the note said before Cora ever left it with the flowers on Roxanne's table. Because as much as she's Roxanne's role model, she's Cora's as well. So when Cora called her the other night, stressed about whether she should write those three words on that card, Bayley was right there to help. But Roxanne doesn't need to know any of that. Just like Cora doesn't need to know that Bayley was the one who helped Roxanne work through her anxiety about asking her out. Bayley is always there behind the scenes, making sure that Cora and Roxanne have their role model in their corner.)

That night, as Roxanne and Cora walk back to Roxanne's apartment after dinner, Cora takes her girlfriend's hand in her own, lacing their fingers together. "Did you get my present?" she asks, as they walk down the sidewalk.

Roxanne smiles. "I did," she says. "Thank you. It was a great surprise to wake up to." Suddenly, she stops walking, pulls Cora so they're standing face to face. "I got your note too," she says.

In the fading evening light, Roxanne can just make out the faintest glimmer of uncertainty in Cora's eyes. "And?" Cora asks, her voice soft.

Standing on her toes, Roxanne pulls Cora in for a kiss. When they break apart, she rests her forehead against Cora's. "I love you too."

[draguuula]

semi-hiatus! fandoms updated!

RULES.

no matter whether reqs are closed or open, i'm always open to talking to y'all!

as for actual asks, just don't send in anything that has to do with fetishes or nsfw.

pretty much the same old rules as any other ask/hc blog! no proshippers or similar creeps. feel free to ask if you have any questions!

i do write yandere content, but only for established/canon yandere characters.

GTKM + FANDOMS.

i'm a tired student who stays up all night either playing maplestory, exploring new indie romance visual novels, or daydreaming about fictional characters lol

i write for resident evil, mushroom oasis, and dead by daylight.

TAGS.

rox rambles - mod speaking

spare a moment - asks

ate ur heart - headcanon

[monty-glasses-roxy]

I've noticed I seem to be the only one on Tumblr that actually talks about Roxy specifically. I feel like that can't be true yet I've so rarely seen it anywhere

Like maaan I'm sat here thinking about the possibilities of what Glitchtrap would learn getting control of Mimic's security node Roxy and yet I've basically never seen anyone else mention it. This is actual canon that she's Mimic's security node. It's implied an entire team of people from the Raceway died to Mimic and that she's keeping the Raceway closed on purpose.

Did no one else notice? Or am I just not seeing the other people talking about it?

[carbonateddelusion]

what is the worst possible way to boil down the 80s universe into concentrated cringe bs.

OBVIOUSLY Eddie is a helpless pathetic tiny little baby meowmeow that is hyper-feminized (because he has long hair and he's gay and that means he's girly !!!! /s) and Isaac is boiled down to big buff strong hardass (I'm not even gonna like. touch the racism part; I am not equipped to unpack how turning the darker skinned male protagonist into a big buff brick wall is a problem)

but I'm not sure where to go from there

I can see Eli ALSO being a poor little meow meow and pretty much being what the ex third member of the Jack and Eli crew was- child killer but OHHHH he feels so bad about it he can't control himself!!!!!!! the victims should forgive him 🥺🥺🥺🥺 also Edgar would 100% fully be his mom because of course he would. and that would be treated as a good thing by the narrative

I'm not too sure about Jack or Noah though