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kamiversee · 2 months

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➶-͙˚ ༘✶ 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁*𝘾𝙆 𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏

✧.* CHAPTER 49 || The Things You Didn’t Know

[ { SYPNOSIS } ] ➤ A tale in which Gojo Satoru blackmails you into seducing a list of people to clear his debt. Sounds easy enough, right?

[ { CHAPTER CONTENT } ] ➤ language & semi-heavy angst.

[ { WORD COUNT } ] ➤ 5.1k

[ { PAIRINGS } ] ➤ jjk men x f!reader. gojo x f!reader. geto x f!reader. toji x f!reader. choso x f!reader. sukuna x f!reader. nanami x f!reader.

[ [ chapters mlist } ]

——YOUR HEART WAS racing against your chest as you hurried out of the cafe. Despite the stares you got from people given the recent outbursts, the only thing you focused on was catching up with Choso.

He couldn’t have gotten that far, right? God, you were so nervous. What if he didn’t want to hear you out? What if that’s all it took for him to hate you? What if he never talks to you again?

Did you fuck up? Should you have lied? Was this for the best? Shit, tears were blurring your vision as you ran outside and frantically searched the parking lot for any signs of Choso. If he was gone already would he ever answer a call or text from you again?

Fuck. You can’t do this. Anxiety, fear, and a profound rush of pure angst simply crashed over you.

“F-Fuck,” You breathed out heavily. You tried to stop your crying but the tears kept coming and you really couldn’t spot Choso anywhere, even his car nowhere to be found.

It was cloudy and there was this brisk breeze running over you, a distant ripple in the sky heard as the weather decided to match the vibe of everything that’s just occurred.

You swallowed down the lump in your throat and kept walking into the parking lot nonetheless, refusing to give up just yet. What were you even going to say if you found him? What is there to say-

“Why’d you… Why’d you follow me out here?” Choso’s voice hushed out from your left.

Your feet stumble into a halt and the way your head turned in that direction was instant, quickly laying your eyes on the man who was standing in front of his car door that was parked not too far away from where you stood. You must’ve missed it when you first looked that way due to your tears and distraught way of searching.

Your lips are quivering and your heart is simply beating against your chest, “C-Choso, I-“

The sight of Choso’s hand trembling catches your eyes, the key in his hand just barely held up against the door handle of his car. His other hand was balled into a fist and you couldn’t see his face because his hair had fallen into a mess after the way he rushed out of the cafe.

He’s breathing heavily, panting even, as a sudden dribble of water falls from his face. Was he… Was Choso crying?

“Choso?” You voice out softly. Your tone was shaky and almost sappy as you took careful steps toward him.

“Don’t,” He croaks out. You couldn’t tell if he was crying just yet but his voice was definitely trembling with emotion.

You pause in your steps, merely a few inches away from him. Swallowing you try your best to come up with something to say, “I-I’m sorry-“

Choso sucks in a deep breath of air and suddenly his keys slip out his hand, “Fuck-,” He sighs, bringing an arm up to his face and sniffling.

Despite him telling you not to come closer, you do so anyway, inching toward him before crouching down and picking his keys up. After which, you stand up straight and slide the keys into the pocket of his pants before forcing him to turn his body to you.

Then, you place a gentle hand on his arm and pull it away from his face, coming face to face with his flushed expression, saddened, hurt, and tired eyes, frowning lips, and ragged breathing as tears slip down his cheeks.

The water in your eyes just doubles as you get the full and raw view of Choso Kamo crying. Frowning and quick to take the blame, you squeak out a cracked, “M’sorry. S-Shit, Choso, I-“

He starts shaking his head but he doesn’t look away from you. Instead, Choso gazes down into your eyes and for the first time, his eyes are so very dull and just tired. It was as though everything he just learned had completely drained the usually vibrant brown shade that coated his irises.

He sighs shakily and steps closer to you, the tips of your feet touching one another as he just gazes down at you. Choso was confused, tired, hurt, and drained all at once.

You sniffle, “I’m s-sorry, Choso I-I didn’t-“

“Shut up…” He says. However, his voice is void of anything outside of hurt with hardly any strength or anger remaining. Choso then leans down to you and you try to back away a bit but his arms drape around your waist and he pulls you up against him, tipping his head to the side and nearing your face, “B-Baby,” He rasps out, tears still falling from his eyes.

You don’t even know what to feel right now, “Cho, p-please, I’m sorry. I didn’t know-“

“Stop apologizing,” Choso whispers, “S’not ‘ur fault…” He mumbles.

“B-But…” You stare into his eyes, “I…” You could hardly formulate your words properly, “W-Why’re you crying?”

“C-Cause’ you just…” His expression sinks and never before has Choso allowed himself to be this vulnerable in front of anyone, “T-There was the g-guy from before, then Geto, n-now… Now Sukuna a-and you don’t even know-,” He chokes on his words and squeezes his eyes shut, “Fuck, I c-can’t even… I can’t… I…”

He begins to lose his breath and falls into a state of hyperventilating. Choso’s eyes widen a bit and his breathing is panicked all over the place.

Your hands shoot up to his face and you tilt your head, “Choso, hey, Cho,” You call out softly. His eyes are frantic for a moment. “Heyyy look at me, look at my eyes, Cho.”

He does just barely.

You nod and grin, “T-That’s it, now take a deep breath for me,” You whisper.

He tries, inhaling sharply and then exhaling shakily.

“A bit slower than that, c’mon, you’re okay.” You tell him, wiping the tears from his warm face and keeping your voice calm and collected despite your own emotions being jumbled, “I’m right here, okay?”

He’s nodding, steadily controlling his breathing and blinking as he calms himself down. Swallowing, “I-I don’t what that w-was…” Choso huffs out, unsure of the surge of anxiety that ran through him.

“You had a minor panic attack,” You whisper, pulling his face to yours, “But it’s okay, I’m right here, alright?”

Choso moves his hands over yours and squeezes, “Baby…”

“Hm?” You hum, your mind discarding the fact that you just argued with this same man a moment ago.

It was like what happened with Gojo all over again. Yet, this felt different for some reason.

Choso’s voice is low and timid with you, “I’m s-sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” You hush out, “You didn’t do anything wrong, I-”

Your name is hushed out in an almost fractured tone and Choso removes his hands from yours, moving to hold your waist and pull you closer to him.

You drop whatever it is you were going to say at the sound of your name, “Yes?”

“C-Can you…” Choso hesitates, hating how he feels right now and disliking the fact that you have to see him in such a way, “Uhm…”

“Can I what?” You murmur, “What is it, Choso? Talk to me please.”

He leans down and his arms wrap around your waist, “C-Can you just hold me?”

Wasn’t he just upset with you moments ago? Was he not repulsed and maybe even disgusted by you for a second? Did you not fuck things up? Is he not angry with you-

“P-Please,” Choso begs, trying to hold back the rest of his emotions. Never has he felt so conflicted in his feelings before.

You end up nodding and raising your hands up, wrapping them around his neck and holding him tightly. Choso exhales heavily and he hugs your smaller frame tightly, burying his face into the crook of your neck and shutting his eyes.

You don’t know why he wants to hug you right now. You have no clue why he’s not screaming at you anymore when that’s the very thing you expected him to do.

Hell, the man just told you to leave him out of your drama, and yet here he is in your arms not even ten minutes later. You guess this was some kinda sign. Does this show the levels of how much Choso loves you or does this have something to do with his possessiveness?

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆ .　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

What you didn’t know was that Choso needed to feel your warmth to center himself once again. You were unaware of the fact that he’d been so insanely tense for the past few hours. It was a build-up that led to his recent outburst.

All of which started about an hour and a half ago when Yuki first approached him. Choso was trying to draw as he stared out the large cafe window, his thoughts ironically on you since you inspire him to no end, before that annoying blonde approached him with that stupid smile on her face.

His mood soured from the second he made eye contact with her and it only worsened when she sat down across from him and started talking, blabbering about god knows what. Choso allowed most of what she said to go through one ear and out the other, only giving her these half-assed responses every now and then.

Then, to make things worse, Yuki started getting comfortable and despite Choso’s dismissive attitude, she sat there talking his ear off for what felt like forever, even going as far as getting herself food and really comforting herself. Sometime after that, you had called him and Choso’s mood lifted only a bit.

He was confused at first since you’re supposed to be taking a break from him but then as he realized he was with Yuki, he started to panic because he knew how this was going to seem to you. Even so, he answered because who is he to ignore a call from you?

And of course, there was your jealousy that came along as Yuki started pestering him during his phone call. Yuki’s intrusion irked Choso to no end but the sound of your voice in his ear, especially with you growing jealous, was able to help Choso calm himself. After all, he knew there was nothing you needed to be jealous over.

Then you told him that you were thinking about changing the status of your relationship with him and Choso was smiling from ear to ear. Just the thought of you coming to him and telling him you were finally ready for a relationship with him made his heart swell. It had meant that he’d won over whoever his competition was.

But of course, Yuki ruined that moment seconds later when she started talking again, to which Choso had taken a nearby water bottle and tossed some of it on her. You obviously didn’t know or see any of that since you were on the phone but Choso had been fed up with the blonde woman.

But, all of that only led to you sounding upset over the phone since he kept bickering with Yuki. This annoyed Choso even more because he was excited to see you and yet Yuki had ruined something that could've been rather sweet.

What you also don’t know is that once you are off the phone, Choso moderately curses Yuki out, telling her how she’s annoying and he wants her to leave. Of course, she didn’t go anywhere, and after more bickering Choso and her made a deal that Yuki would only be able to meet you and then leave.

As things played out, that’s not what happened but Choso wasn’t expecting that.

To make it all worse, Choso had gone to the bathroom after some time and when he came out he saw the cashier’s eyes not on your face in the slightest as your head had been angled up at the menu. You didn’t know it but Choso wasn’t lying when he said Ino was looking like he wanted to fuck you because it was so obvious.

He saw the way Ino ogled you, licked his lips, and then smiled before looking up to the menu as if he wasn’t just checking you out. This bothered Choso for many reasons.

For one, Choso knew he wasn’t your boyfriend so he couldn’t just come up to you and the cashier and call the guy out for his looks because that’d be him crossing boundaries. So instead, he did the only thing he could think of and approached you from behind, soon making direct eye contact with Ino and giving him the same death glare he gives anyone who checks you out.

You’ve scolded Choso about this look in the past but he couldn’t help himself. So that’s why he continued to stare Ino down before pressing himself up against you and placing his hands beside yours. In his mind, you may not have been his girlfriend but god dammit, he wasn’t going to allow anyone to look at you like that when he’s in the vicinity.

Hence the kisses to your neck, the claiming touches to your waist, and the threatening look in his eyes as he mentally dared Ino to look at you like that again.

But then, when you got bothered by Choso’s actions, it confused him. Could you not tell Ino was into you? Are you actually that unaware of how people, especially men, give such suggestive looks to you?

Choso didn’t understand it at all and knowing he was in no position to say something about it only ate him up inside.

But his mood was lifted for a moment as he then conversed with you. You didn’t know it but you really were the vibrance in this dull man’s life. His heart longed for you at every passing moment so when he noticed you disliked the idea of him being with someone else, even if it were just a friend, he couldn’t help but fall even harder.

It was like you wanted him all to yourself and he would give that to you at any given moment if you asked for it.

In Choso’s mind, he is yours. Whatever you need, he’ll go to any length to provide it for you. Whatever you want, he’ll see how he can get it for you. Choso is so devoted to you that sometimes he doesn’t even feel like his thoughts are his own.

At times, Choso feels as though every inch of his body simply operates under a blind gaze that's clouded with thoughts of you. While he wants nothing more than to be with you, he’s also okay with waiting. He’d do so devotedly until you flat out tell him not to and even then, deep down inside there’s a piece of his heart that’ll always run in your direction.

That being said, to have to reveal you to his ex Yuki who’s attracted to women, it was like he was putting you on the line. As if he were risking his relationship with you by simply revealing the way you look to Yuki.

Choso hated it but he was so damn insecure about losing you, which is exactly why he held onto you so tightly both when he showed you to Yuki and even now as he quietly weeps into you.

The grip he has on your shirt is relentless. He’s so damn terrified and upset right now.

Because after he revealed you to Yuki it all just got worse. Then she wanted to talk to you, she probably told you how she left him, and then fucking Geto Suguru showed up.

By then, just the simple sound of Heyy gorgeous almost made Choso snap. His eye had twitched and he felt like he was on the verge of losing his sanity. It was like what happened with Ino all over again but ten times worse because it was soon revealed that Geto is the man you told Choso you used to sleep with.

Which was one thing in itself but to see how Geto still looks at you just made Choso sick. It was like Geto was undressing you and fucking you with his eyes right in front of him and this dark emotion just swirled around in Choso’s heart.

Many times did Choso stare at the jawline of Geto Suguru, wondering to himself how fast he could reach over and connect his fist to the area without hurting you in any way since you were right next to him.

And to just add onto all of that because the list of emotions Choso just went through is long, the sound of Geto calling you a slut, albeit a way of him teasing you, made Choso lose his shit for a second.

No one at that table knew but Choso was contemplating some dark things the entire time. The flirting, the taunting, the fucking looks, it all made Choso so damn angry. It took every fiber of his being not to reach across the table and wipe that stupid smirk off Geto’s face.

Yet, that wasn’t his boiling point. He let a few things slip when he bickered with you but the second his brother was brought up, Choso just lost it.

He gave up on holding his tongue as he had been the entire conversation. As soon as you looked at him with those pretty eyes of yours, asking him what and who they were talking about, the mere thought of you and Sukuna ever crossing paths just made Choso nauseous.

He quickly got snappy and short-tempered after that, annoyed by how much you kept pushing the subject despite him wanting to move on. Then you had the nerve to tell him that you should know who his older brother is.

He couldn't believe you. Especially after you wouldn’t even tell him about the clear list of other guys you’ve been with? That’s all precisely why he says he felt as though he should know who else you’d been with.

But… to hear you respond to that by saying there’s a chance Sukuna could be one of those people…

Something deep within Choso just broke. He felt said emotion snap in half, the sensation raging through his body. It was his trust. He couldn’t think rationally anymore and both fear and pure anger ran throughout his body.

Everything had gone to shit and his brain was just being overloaded with information.

If it wasn’t enough that every single day Choso had to fear the possible call of you telling him you’d chosen the other guy over him, then he now had to add on the fact that you apparently sleep around. From Choso’s unknown competition to Geto, who he somewhat assumes is said competition, and then to hear about Sukuna?

He couldn’t think straight anymore. Horrid memories of the times he lived with his older sibling just flashed in his mind back to back, each one darker than the last.

Dating back to when Choso was younger and before Yuji was born… He remembered it all like some distorted nightmare. From being hit by Sukuna over the most minor mistake to being straight bullied by the man in the worst ways possible, Choso went through hell growing up with Sukuna.

For the sake of his other two brothers, he’d often take the blame and whatever unjust punishment followed just to protect his siblings. Which is even the story behind the tattoo going across the bridge of Choso’s nose.

You’ve asked him about it before but he never told you how there’s a scar beneath the tattoo that never went away and that’s why he has it in the first place. Of course, said scar was given to him by the asshole Sukuna himself.

And if all that wasn’t enough, what really topped it off was that after Yuji was born, Choso pleaded and begged that Sukuna not put the poor kid through what he endured.

For nothing more than his own amusement, Sukuna went ahead and promised he wouldn’t ever lay a hand on Yuji. Of course, this was only to build up hope in Choso’s heart because the promise was a lie and the things Sukuna had done to Yuji behind closed doors outweighed whatever hell he put Choso through.

This is the exact reason Choso has grown to hate both liars and Sukuna himself. Each time he goes and sees his little brother Yuji, there’s a new bruise on the poor boy’s skin and Choso is only able to do so much.

Genuinely, the only things that keep that man going are the bright smiles that Yuji gives him despite the abuse, knowing that unlike himself, Yuji stands up for himself even at his young age, and lastly, well, you. You make Choso forget about all the dark parts of his family life and essentially free him from it all.

So with all that being said, when you told Choso you had sex with Sukuna it simply broke him into pieces. Why was it that the one woman in which he decides to long for more than ever just so happens to have crossed paths with such a vile man?

He didn’t care that Sukuna was his older brother, he didn’t care that you even fucked him, what made him so angry was the person Sukuna truly is, how blind you were to it, and the possibility that Sukuna could’ve hurt you.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆ .　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

As all of that replayed in Choso’s mind, his tight grasp on the fabric of your shirt came and went as he cried so quietly against your warm body.

The two of you were standing there hugging in silence for roughly twenty minutes. You simply rubbed the back of Choso’s head with one hand and the other caressed his back, allowing him to cry into you for as long as he needed to.

Well, that was up until you felt something wet make contact with the top of your head. It was faint at first so you didn't pay any mind to it. Then, another slip of water is felt, and another, and soon, you notice it’s drizzling.

Light rain makes contact with both you and Choso’s embraced bodies. You didn’t really want to move but the drizzle was steadily getting heavier and you soon shivered against Choso, to which he sniffled and came to with what was going on around him.

“Choso,” You whispered, feeling how he flinched at the sound of his name, “I-It’s raining…”

He doesn’t say anything for a minute, not moving a muscle and just stuck against you.

Then, when the rain picks up just a bit more, he shifts around and finally pries his arms off of you. He lifts his head from your shoulder and god the sight of him makes your heart crease inward.

Damn these men and being the most beautiful criers you’ve ever seen.

Due to the rain, Choso’s hair was getting wet and starting to stick to his forehead, the ends of the strands having this slight wave to them as they decorated his hairline. His eyes that were darkened with those heavy sleepless bags had tears streaming down from the corners and the male bats his soaked eyelashes as the rain falls onto both of you.

Before you could say or do anything else, Choso moved to take off his jacket and hold it over your head, shielding you from the water falling from the sky. Doing so, he remains close to you and takes another long moment taking in your expression.

You do the same, admiring how someone could be so attractive as they wept. Choso was such a beautiful man, someone whose face you think deserved to be drawn and painted the same way he once did yours.

In that moment, you wish you could read his mind and figure out just what he was thinking as he stood under the rain gazing down at you so intimately. Though he was upset and conflicted, Choso couldn’t even hide the love in his eyes.

Your name is uttered again after a long moment and Choso’s voice is deep but so very emotional.

You swallow and just barely tilt your head, “Yes?”

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Choso whispers, “B-But, I don’t think we should uh…”

You moved your hands to his shirt and your delicate fingers clung onto the man as a slight gust of wind blew over the two of you. Was this it? Was he about to say what you think he was?

It’s over, isn’t it? Choso’s about to say he doesn’t think you two should be together anymore right? You’ve fucked up.

There’s nothing you can do. He’s done with you. He’s about to tell you that he never wants to see you again and you don’t know what you could possibly say to change his mind.

Right? Of course, what else would he be about to say?

It’s over. You and Choso are over. Just like that-

He says your name again and you blink, tears dripping down your face unexpectedly as your own thoughts and anxiety overcome you. “I don’t think we s-should stay in the rain like this,” Choso murmurs, sighing, “You’ll get sick.”

You exhale shakily and squeeze your eyes shut, nodding your head in agreement and so beyond thankful he didn’t say what you thought he was about to.

He then carefully places his jacket on top of your head and puts an arm around you, moving to walk you over to the passenger side of his car. When you get there, you slip a hand into his pants pocket and pull out his keys, your fingers slipping over the item to unlock his car.

Doing so, you wonder why Choso didn’t do that earlier. Did he wait on purpose to give you a chance to catch up to him?

Once the car is unlocked Choso helps you get in and tries to make sure no more water makes contact with you, despite himself getting soaked in the process. He even moves to put your seatbelt on for you, regardless of his shaky hand and his backside getting wet from the rain.

You frown, “C-Choso you don’t have to-“

He pauses and looks at you, his tone completely soft and weak as he whispers, “Shut up.”

Your lips pull together and you swallow your words yet again. His face was so close to yours, the mixed smell of rain and his cologne filling your nose. Choso’s eyes narrow as they stare into your own and you can’t even read his expression so you genuinely have no idea what’s going on in his mind right now.

Maintaining eye contact with you, the sound of your seat belt clicking is heard before Choso moves. His hand goes to your face and despite the shakiness of his fingers, he gently places them on your jaw.

Choso moves your head around a bit like he’s inspecting you before he stops and his thumb shifts upward. It swipes over your lips slowly and he stares for a while. Knowing that Sukuna has probably felt these same lips of yours bothers him to no end.

And to make it worse, Choso blames himself because maybe if he opened up to you sooner he could’ve prevented it somehow? Even though he doesn’t know when you slept with Sukuna.

Choso’s thumb taps your bottom lip three times before he opens his mouth. You wish he’d get out of the rain already but he seems so immersed in whatever he’s doing. Whispering your name again, “Has he ever hurt you?” Choso asks carefully.

You shake your head no instead of making your answer vocal in courtesy of recently being told to shut up. Were you that worried that if you didn’t listen to Choso he’d slip away from you? So much so that you couldn’t even speak unless told to?

“Say it,” Choso hums, “Needa’ hear you say it, baby.”

“N-No,” You reply.

“No, what? Please answer my question fully,” He instructs, his voice calmer and a bit dry due to his recent emotional outburst. You open your mouth to do so but he cuts you off, “I just need to be sure, okay?”

Nodding, “No, Sukuna has never hurt me.” You answer completely.

Choso releases a relieved exhale and shuts his eyes, “Okay… T-Thank fuck,” He whispers finally before taking his hand off your face.

He starts to pull away but you grab his hand for some reason. Choso freezes, not at all caring about the rain soaking him and his clothes as your hand grabs his own.

You’re looking up at him unsure of what should be said outside of a simple and heartfelt, “I’m sorry.”

Choso’s brows tense as if he didn’t want to hear you say that but he pulls your hand to his face and leans down again. He kisses the back of your hand, his lips pressing against your skin so long that it seems like he doesn't want to move away from the motion.

“Thank you for that, princess,” Choso says to you, his eyes meeting yours yet again, “But, you don’t need to apologize. We uh…” He swallows, “We’re gonna’ talk this all out, yeah?”

You’re nodding before even mentally rendering his words, “Y-Yeah.”

A small smile, one that barely even shows and seems to lack emotion, spreads across Choso’s face, “A-And uh… No matter what you tell me,” He gulps, wondering if he’ll later regret these words, “I’ll still love you.”

Your heart just swells so much to the point that it begins to hurt your chest. Does he know what he’s about to get into? Does he understand the gravity of what he just said to you?

“As long as it’s the truth,” He adds just in case.

You nod again, “Right.”

“Promise?” Choso asks.

“Mhm, I promise,” You hush out.

He sighs, releases your hand, and finally stands up straight, moving to shut the car door and make his way to the driver's side. Once he does and situates himself in his vehicle, his body is pretty soaked and he’s quick to turn his car on along with the heat.

The two of you were about to be in here for a while.

So many truths were getting ready to reveal themselves.

Does that include details of the list?

…

You had no idea.

GOJO SATORU ✔︎ 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺: 𝙀𝙖𝙨𝙮

GETO SUGURU ✔︎ 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺: 𝙀𝙖𝙨𝙮

TOJI FUSHIGURO ✔︎ 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺: 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙪𝙢

KAMO CHOSO ✔︎ 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺: 𝙎𝙚𝙢𝙞-𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙪𝙢 / 𝙀𝙖𝙨𝙮

ZEN'IN NAOYA ✔︎ 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺: 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙀𝙖𝙨𝙮

ITADORI SUKUNA ✔︎ 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺: 𝙎𝙚𝙢𝙞-𝙀𝙖𝙨𝙮???

NANAMI KENTO ✔︎ 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘺: 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙙

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fettuccin-e · 1 year

Text

Better Than Nine to Five

hi guys i wrote this quite a while ago!! i had trouble with the beginning but, like with most things i write, the words started coming as soon as the characters started coming (get it?? get it cause like cum) but ANYWAY pls enjoy the poly!steddie content!!

Tags: Steve Harrington x Reader x Eddie Munson, established poly, dp in one hole, brief use of sex toys, afab!fem!reader, unprotected piv

Steve can barely ever get off work these days. He hasn’t been as fortunate in the job market as you or Eddie; the both of you have pretty strict 9 to 5 jobs, able to sit and relax after a day at work, knowing what your schedule will be the next week, and the week after that. Steve’s schedule, at best, is random and wildly inconvenient, working late shifts almost every night and waking up the next day with you and Eddie already gone to work, alone in your shared bed.

He hates it, you and Eddie know he does, but he puts up with it, wanting to help all of you save up for a house, a pretty one that’s the exact opposite of the run-down, shitty apartment that you all live in.

You and Eddie also know, however, that Steve needs a chance to fucking relax for once. And if there’s anything you both know how to do, it’s how to make your sweet, loving Stevie let out some steam.

It’s Eddie who calls Keith and tells him to let Steve out early for the day. “He needs tomorrow off too,” Eddie says, twisting his finger around the phone cord.

“No fucking way, Munson. I’m already doing a favor for him by letting him out today, but he’s coming in tomorrow, whether he likes it or not.”

Eddie opens his mouth to respond, eyes narrowed and angry, but you rip the phone from hics grasp.

“Look Keith, either you let Steve off tomorrow, or I'm going to the cops to tell them about the stash of weed you’ve got in your office. That we an smell it all throughout the damn store. And wouldn’t that just be a crying shame?” you snarl into the receiver.

“It was your freak boyfriend who sold me that shit in the first place!”

You nearly laugh at the high-pitched indignance in his voice. “Are you really gonna tell them that, Keith? Maybe I’ll also throw in the fact that they should probably look into your tax records, right? I bet there are some glaring inconsistencies, aren’t there?”

“You fucking bitc-” You hear Keith stop himself, sighing angrily. You hear a loud crash in the background just before he says, “I’ll let him off tomorrow, but you stay the fuck out of my business, you got that? I’ll-”

“Not a chance, maybe try being less of a shit person. Bye Keith!” You don’t give him a chance to respond, slamming the phone down.

Eddie watches you with wide eyes, before smirking, pupils blown and dark as he grabs your waist to pull you in for a hot, messy kiss. “You’re so fucking hot when you’re mad like that, baby.”

You giggle, reaching a hand up to play with his messy curls. “Gotta stand up for my boys, don’t I baby?” You step away from him, grabbing his hand to drag him to your bedroom. “C’mon, Eds, you gotta get me ready for Stevie, right?”

Eddie nearly faceplants into the carpet in his race to get to the bed.

It’s only an hour later that Steve unlocks the door to the apartment, stripping his vest off. Keith had stumbled out of his office earlier that day, mumbling something about, “go home early, Harrington, shit. Just wait till like, six or something, and you can go.” Steve had been confused, but decided not to question it, his heart galloping at the thought of spending the evening with the both of you for the first time in far too long.

Except the apartment seems almost empty when he walks in, all of the lights off and the living room and kitchen empty, devoid of both yours and Eddie’s presence. His heart drops, only for a second, thinking that he’s alone in the apartment, before he hears a loud, keening whine come from the bedroom.

Your unmistakable whine, followed by Eddie’s familiar whispered praises of “shh… baby I know, I know. It’s a lot, but I think he’s home, did you hear the door open baby? He’s gonna think you’re so pretty baby, so good, planning all this out for him.”

You answer Eddie with a choked sob, and Steve’s pants suddenly are far too tight, cock bulging almost immediately. He goes to open the door, and the sight that greets him almost makes him pass out on the spot.

You, with your hips hiked up in Eddie’s grasp, your flushed face pushed into the mattress as Eddie works his cock into you, his pretty hips slapping against your plush ass. Eddie’s head snaps over to the bedroom door, mouth pulled into a self-satisfied smirk while he keeps fucking you.

“Look, baby,” Eddie grunts, lifting his hand to give your ass a loud smack. You jerk, head turning to see what Eddie wants, and smile blearily at the sight of Steve.

“S-Stevie, you’re, ah, home,” you slur, struggling to get the words out between Eddie’s strong thrusts into your needy pussy.

Eddie watches as Steve’s eyes darken, his big hand moving down to palm at the bulge of his cock through his pants. “She’s been waiting for you, Harrington,” Eddie says, sounding almost like he isn’t fucking you stupid. “She had this all planned out, wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, uh, consider-” Steve coughs, eyes trained on Eddie disappearing into your pretty cunt over and over. “Consider me surprised baby.”

Eddie chuckles, and Steve’s eyes snap from where you both are connected. “Steve, this isn’t even the best part.”

“What?”

“C’mere,” Eddie mumbles, and you whine as he stops his thrusts. Eddie beckons Steve over with a playful finger, and Steve moves next to him, kneeling on the bed to see what Eddie thinks is so important.

Steve nearly chokes on his spit. Because there, in your dripping cunt, is a pretty blue dildo, shoved inside you right alongside Eddie’s cock.

“She wanted to take both of us today,” Eddie whispers into his ear, and Steve can hear Eddie’s smug smile. “Been working her open for the past hour, waiting for you to get home.”

Oh fuck. “Oh fuck,” Steve says, echoing his own thoughts. He smooths a hand over the soft skin of your ass, and you whimper softly.

“You like it?” you ask, almost tentatively, and Steve almost laughs at the absurdity of the question.

“Like it?” Steve says softly. His hand moves from your ass to push lightly on the base of the dildo, making you gasp sharply. “Baby, I love it. God, you’re so fucking hot.”

“You gonna take your clothes off, Harrington?” Eddie murmurs. “She’s been waiting so long for us, it seems cruel to make her wait any longer.”

Steve follows Eddie’s vaguely concealed demand at an almost frantic speed, ripping off his shirt so fast it gets stuck on his arm for a second. He ignores Eddie’s tiny laugh. He stands off the bed to untie his shoes and shuck his pants off, his hard cock slapping harshly against his stomach.

“C’mon baby,” Eddie whispers to you, “gotta let Stevie lay down, right? So you can sit on his pretty cock, yeah?” Eddie's mouth waters just a little at the sight of his boyfriend, hard cock glistening and hairy chest heaving. He looks fucking illegal, Eddie thinks. You nod your assent, but still whine as Eddie shuffles back, his cock slipping out of you along with the dildo, leaving you painfully empty for the first time in an hour.

Steve follows Eddie’s instruction, laying down on the bed, while you kneel up, swinging a leg over his hips to straddle him. You lean forward to brush your lips against his, smiling softly.

“Hi, Stevie,” you whisper, and he smiles back at you, curling his fingers into your hair.

“Hi, baby,” he whispers back, before crushing his mouth to yours. He feels Eddie grab his cock, notching it up against the entrance of your pussy, and suddenly you’re sinking down, down, sucking him into your sticky walls, making all three of you moan in unison. You and Steve breathe heavily into each other’s mouths as your ass finally meets Steve’s heavy balls, buried all the way inside.

“God, fucking shit, you both are so fucking hot, Jesus,” Eddie grunts from behind you, and you both can hear the unmistakable sound of Eddie’s hand slipping up and down his cock, still sticky with your juices.

You turn, smiling softly at Eddie’s blushing face, his lips parted as he looks at you both. “Eddie,” you whisper, “You can’t cum yet. Y’gotta fuck me too, right baby?”

Eddie curses again, before kneeling behind you, just like he had been a few minutes before. ”You are a fucking minx, you know that?” He mumbles, and you would giggle if it weren’t for the blunt tip of Eddie’s cock nudging against your opening, right beside Steve.

“Ah- Oh God-d” you whine as Eddie’s fat cockhead pops into your stretched out pussy. You thought you would be prepared for it, with the dildo, but you don’t think anything could’ve prepared you for this. Eddie’s sticky cock nudging along Steve’s as he sinks deep into you, Steve’s warm hairy body beneath you, his big hands on your waist while Eddie radiates heat above you.

Steve’s not doing much better, his eyes rolling into the back of his head at the feeling of Eddie’s gorgeous cock squished against his, the hot walls of your pussy strangling the both of them. Eddie’s hands are clutched into the bedsheets beside your sweaty bodies, and Steve takes his hands off your waist for just a second to grab Eddie’s hands, entwining their fingers together to hold onto your waist at the same time. You all take a minute to just breathe, allowing your pussy to adjust to the stretch of both of them.

They’re both whispering breathless praises into your ears, trying to get through to your cloudy brain. “So, so good for us, baby, taking us so good,” and “Can’t believe we’ve got you baby, you’re so pretty, so, so good for us. Y’feel so good, princess, fuck.” You can’t even discern whose voice is whose anymore, lost in a sea of pleasure and nearly-painful fullness, their cocks reaching so deep inside, pressing into every crevice of your sensitive pussy.

And then they start to move.

You try to gasp air into your empty lungs through your screams and cries of pure fucking pleasure, the both of them thrusting in tandem to bully your pretty pussy open for them again and again. Eddie’s face is nuzzled into the crook of your neck, pressing comforting kisses into your skin between whispers of “doing so good, princess,” and “y’feel how wide you’re stretched baby? Fuck, you’re so sexy, sweetheart, how’d we manage to land you?”

Steve’s groaning praises of his own, primal grunts of “so fucking sexy,” and “our pretty, gorgeous baby. God, can’t believe I’ve got you both,” before licking into your mouth in messy kisses.

You knew, even while planning this, that none of you were going to last long, and you’re a strange mixture of pleased and slightly disappointed to learn that you’re right. The knot in your stomach is tight, tightening and tightening as they rock into you, the overwhelming stretch of both of them keeping them pressing into your g-spot. You’re choking on your own spit as moans try to escape your throat.

It’s going to be over far too soon, but knowing that you can take them both, that you three could do this again, makes your pussy clench, your clit throbbing.

After only a few minutes of Steve’s and Eddie’s strong thrusts into your dripping cunt, grinding overwhelmingly against the spot that makes you sob, you reach your hands into both Steve’s and Eddie’s hair, your hips jerking uncontrollably.

“I’m gonna, oh God, I-I can’t, I’m gonna,” you gasp painfully, tears leaking down your flushed face, not even able to get the words out, before your pussy is clenching hard around both Steve and Eddie. You’re shaking like a leaf, overwhelmed and wrung dry as Steve and Eddie rub their joined hands up and down your waist.

“Shit, baby, you’re so fucking t-tight,” Eddie whimpers, composure fully lost. “Steve, I gotta-I gotta, gotta cum.”

Steve nods frantically, unable to form words, before he’s releasing one of Eddie’s hands to instead cup around his boyfriend’s head, dragging him down to meet his lips, licking into his mouth over your shoulder. Their hips stutter as they finally, finally cum, flooding your dripping pussy with a mixture of both of them.

You all breathe heavily for a moment, the room feeling hazy. Like heaven, Steve thinks, this is like heaven. You know you can’t move, feeling drunk and ripped apart, but your boys know it too. They slip gently out of your used pussy, Steve moving you to his side to cuddle you into him gently. Eddie steps out for just a moment, coming back in with a warm, damp cloth.

“Baby, Eds is going to clean you up real quick, okay?” Steve whispers, and you whimper softly, nodding your head, your eyes still closed. Eddie takes the permission to wipe the sweat off your body, and clean up a little of the mess between your legs.

“Good girl, sweetheart,” Eddie whispers when he’s done, pecking you softly on your sleepy lips, before turning to give Steve a quick kiss. He throws the cloth in the hamper, knowing you would hate to make up to it laying on the floor, before laying on the other side of you, pressing himself comfortingly against your naked body. Steve reaches down to tug to the sheets over each of you, and grabs Eddie’s hand to hold, their palms resting atop your warm body.

“Shit, I’m gonna have t’call off work tomorrow,” Steve mutters into your hair.

“Don’ worry bout it,” you slur, sleep already whisking you away. “I took care of it.”

“She did,” Eddie smiles. “I’ll have to tell you about it tomorrow, she was fucking hot.”

“She always is,” Steve smiles, chest hurting with happiness and sheer, unadulterated love. “Our perfect girl.”

#steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington smut #eddie munson x you #eddie x fem!reader #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x reader #steddie x reader oh yea #steddie x reader #steddie x you #poly!steddie #stranger things smut

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xxcallmemaryxx · 3 months

Text

Vessel x GN reader

Vessel loves you, but he refuses to tell you. So instead, he writes songs about you... you'd never figure out who the songs are really about right? ...Right?

(A fully fleshed out fic of this.)

It's an odd little arrangement the four of you have made. You met the boys after you were hired to help keep things in check for them during tours, kind of like an assistant. The four of them living together on the same bus for weeks? Yeah, they learned pretty quickly things were going to fall apart if they didn't get some extra help real quick. From then you formed a friendship, which has grown into a connection the four of you share that you seriously couldn't picture yourself living without. To say that the four of you are close is a major understatement.

Vessel though… Vessel found himself thinking about you more than what he felt a normal friend should be thinking about another friend. He found himself smiling for ages after every time you two conversed. He found himself trying to quell his trembling hands every time you stood or sat real close to him. He found his heart racing every time you entered the room he was in, and don't even get him started on how long and… weird… his days felt when he knew he wasn't going to see you. He knew damn well what it meant. Of course he knew. So he swore to himself never to tell you. He had well and truly fallen for you, but Vessel knows he is a hard lover. The horrid little voice of anxiety in his head convinced him that it would scare you off. That he would be too much and you wouldn't be able to handle it… that you'd leave. You'd leave him, you'd leave all of them and he would be entirely to blame for it. So he decided he would keep it to himself… as best as he could anyways.

II, III and IV watch the two of you. They sit back and watch him long for you. Long to touch you and hold you and to just whisk you away to love you and keep you all to himself. And they watch as you continue on without a clue in the world. You don't ever catch on to it. Too busy working and keeping the four of them in check, which to be fair… they are beyond grateful for… but they are astonished at how obvious Vessel is being and you just… don't notice.

It gets to a point where Vessel needs an outlet. Something to get the things he is dying to say to you… to do with you… to do to you… out of his head. He fears if he doesn't then he'll break. He will snap and it will all come flying out of his mouth and into the air before he can stop himself. The fear that fills him at the thought of that reality is unreal. So he starts writing it all down.

Once he started he could not stop. Writing songs about you he knew the world would never see. How could he ever let them? How could he ever let the world see you the way he sees you? It's selfish, he knows. But he's almost possessive over these lyrics. They are you. They are you when you're glowing. They are you when you're half asleep on an early morning. They are you when you're absolutely exhausted after a long day. They are you when you're just not doing too well. And Vessel just can't share that with anyone. He can't do it. He wants you to himself bad enough as it is, so the only way he can have that is through the words he writes. Why would he give that away too?

His mind works against him though, trying to see how far he can push this. He doesn't know why he did it… but he'd written something a little less obvious, a verse he’d come up with, something about your voice. How it makes him feel, how he'd never get bored of it. Really, the piece was well written, he knew enough about writing music to know what worked and what didn't, and again, Vessel really doesn't know why he did it… but he found himself standing in front of you with the damned piece of paper in his stretched out hand. Willing you to read it. He watches you take the sheet, eyes flicking over the few lines once, twice… three, four, five times. Taking them in, letting the words process. The way your eyes lit up, and the smile that he watched grow on your lips was all the feedback he needed. Your reaction was so pure, praising him for his talent and gushing about how beautiful the lyrics were. His heart raced as he walked away with an even bigger smile on his face. He can't help but think about how right you are… the words were beautiful because they were you. Vessel stayed awake that whole night. His mind overflowing with thoughts of you, he swears his hand could not keep up with the words he needed to say. His pen scribbling so fast over the papers he had spread around him, he almost tore a hole in them.

This became a dangerous little game he played with himself. The lesser obvious of the lyrics he'd write about you would end up in your hand at some point or another. And he would eagerly stand back and watch you soak the words in, watch as you admire them and in return, admire him. The praise you would reward him with would play over and over and over again in his head. You honestly turned into a drug for him, he had become addicted to how much you loved reading the small things he'd written, yet being so unaware of what the lyrics meant or where they came from. He just wanted you. So bad. So he pushed it a little further…

You're standing at the small kitchenette inside the tour bus the boys share, making yourself a coffee. Vessel's form fills the hallway as he glides through it, his eyes locked on you and a piece of paper clutched in his hand. A smile grows on your face the moment you see him, and then it grows again when your eyes fall to the paper. Your hand reaching out for it before he's even made it to you.

Now, Vessel really should have thought this through… or at the very least taken a few more minutes to triple check the lyrics he'd written about you this time. Because he watches your face fall as you stare at the words. He watches your eyes flick over them two, three, four times before you look up at him in confusion. Vessel hasn't felt fear like this in ages. His heart is hammering in his chest and he feels like he can't breathe, you don't like it. It's the only thing he can think of… you don't like this one and he's gone too far and now you're put off by it and you'll never want to read them again…

His thoughts get cut short at the sound of you speaking…

“Vessel… where did… where did these lyrics come from…?”

It's a simple enough question. He knows that. But it's one he can't answer. And it's that very moment he realises why you are confused… you've figured it out.

His throat closes and any plans he had of trying to explain his way out of this one fly out the window. He stares at you, completely speechless. He doesn't know what to do, he's frozen in place and he can't breathe and he can't think and he's regretting everything he has ever done that has led him up to this point. He feels ridiculous… the only thing he can will his brain to force out of his mouth is an..

“Uhh”

He snatches the paper from your hands, crumpling it and tearing it to shreds with furiously trembling hands. His face is a dark red. He can feel it. His whole body is overheated with shame and embarrassment, he finally forces his feet to move, turn away from you and back down the hall of the bus. He doesn't know why he went this way, he could have left the bus, but it seems he is making really silly decisions today. He listens to your feet hit the floor as you run up behind him following him through the bus.

‘Wait… wait… Vessel just wait I wanna know…I wanna know who the lyrics are about…”

Tears well in his eyes as he continues to walk away from you, beelining to the small room in the back of the bus. Where he knows he can hide there. He can lock the door and stay there wallowing in his shame. He knows you're going to leave now. He knows you know damn well who the lyrics are about… you now know who all the things he's written recently have been about. Why must you make him admit it? Why must you make him watch the disgust on your face as he does so. Why must you make him watch as he loses you forever. How is he going to tell the band? How on earth is he supposed to tell them what happened and why they've all lost you too? The tears fall. They barrel down his heated cheeks as the reality of what he's done sets in. He can't believe he let this happen… It's entirely his fault.

He does indeed make it to the room in time… what he doesn't succeed in is locking you out of it. You weasel your way into the room and force him to look at you.

“Vessel… tell me…”

He can't say it at first. He just spends a few moments taking you in for the last time, admiring everything about you. He's sad he never got to love you properly, but he's grateful he got to experience you at all in the first place.

“I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…. I wasn't going to do anything with them I swear, i am so sorry”

He starts rambling through his tears, the torn up mess of paper twists in his hands. More tears fall and he just can't stop telling you how sorry he is. He needs you to know he is sorry. He is so sorry. He can't even see you anymore. His eyes are so full of tears that everything has turned into a blur. He turns his face away from you in an attempt to hide them, he doesn't want you to see him cry. He doesn't want you to see him at all right now but he knows you're persistent. Should he walk away, you will follow. You put yourself in his line of sight again, and he watches you reach for him, for his hands… with the paper still grasped tightly in them.

He moves his hands away.

“Please don't…”

He's embarrassed by the sound of his own voice, broken and scared. You look up at him, a look he can't read written on your face. His stomach hurts, his chest hurts, his head hurts. Vessel swears he would do anything just to go back to 5 minutes ago, 5 minutes ago when you hadn’t read these lyrics. These damned lyrics. Maybe then you never would have figured it out, and maybe then he would still be able to keep you… even if it meant he stayed longing for you for the rest of his life he doesn't care. So long as you were still there for him to long for.

You realise he's not giving up the destroyed sheet of paper he's holding. So you reach for his arm instead. Gently, you wrap your fingers around his forearm. You don't quite know the words to say to him just yet, because honestly… you can read him well enough to know he is embarrassed… but the reason behind his tears is still unknown to you. You want to reassure him, you're dying to settle him down and tell him what he needs to hear… but you just don't know what it is he needs right now. With his arm in your hands, you lead him over to the small couch pushed into the far corner of the room. He lets you lead him, which is relieving. A big part of you expected him to refuse you all together.

The tension is high, you sit next to him and before you can even stop yourself the question flies out of your mouth.

“Were they about me?”

You mentally kick yourself. You could have waited one more damn minute to let him breathe before asking. And the guilt slams into you as you watch another few tears fall down his cheeks.

“How’d you… how’d you figure it out…?”

He isn't sure if he even wants to know… but he knows that if he doesn't ask, the ‘what-ifs’ will eat him alive. His heart is racing in his chest and he swears he is on the cusp of throwing up. He feels awful. Vessel hasn't felt this horrid in a long time… you being the sole reason for his bright moods.

“Well… you mentioned a setting sun in Hamburg… and uh… well you and I watched the sun set in Hamburg Ves… after the show there? It's one of my favourite memories… so I just, I mean well… I just assumed. I don't know…”

The memory of that night with you floods Vessel's mind. Well after he’d realised he had feelings for you, he couldn't believe he'd been gifted that time alone with you. He spent hours and hours thanking Sleep for it. A memory he will never forget, and like you… it's one of his favourites too. So much so he couldn't not write about it… well, look where that's got him.

“Please believe me when I say I am sorry. I should have asked you… I- I should have asked you if it was okay to write about you like that I am so sorry… I won't blame you at all for leaving I really wont. I just need you to know I'm sorry I'm so sorry I'm sorry I…”

He is rambling now. The truth is out and the only thing that matters to him now is you know he didn't mean anything bad by doing this. And although you understand he is sorry… which you don't even know why because this hasn't upset you at all… the only thing that registered was the fact he thinks you're leaving.

“Wait. Wait what? Leaving? Why am I leaving…?”

His eyes finally meet yours. For the first time since he ripped the paper from your hands… and they're so full of emotion it breaks your heart just looking at them.

“Because you're uncomfortable around me now. It's obvious isn't it… I'm in love with you and you don't feel the same and now you can't be around me and now you can't work with me around all the time so you're leaving. You're leaving us… you're leaving me and how could I ever hold that against you? How could I ever force you to stay somewhere you can't bear to be anymore? I don't want you to hate me too…”

He loves you.

He is in love with you.

You.

For a moment you think you go blind. You can't see him. You can't see anything. You can't hear anything. Those five words slam into you harder than anything you've ever felt in your life. You don't even register the rest of his rambling because he loves you. Vessel loves you back.

“Please say something…”

His broken plea snaps you out of it. You didn't even realise he'd stopped rambling. His terrified eyes watch you so intently. They're so guarded. He's prepared himself for your rejection. Your heart is shattering just looking at him in this state.

“I love you.”

The world honestly stops around you. Vessel stops breathing. He is frozen in place. A valid reaction in all honesty. You let him process for a minute, you have a lot you need to say to him. You have a lot you want to explain. Fuck… you just wanna keep saying it. You love him. You love him and he loves you. You love each other. And you know you'll get there. Give him a few and you'll be able to say it all. But the poor guy was a sobbing mess just a minute ago and now he's looking at you like you've grown a second head.

It hits you finally… the reason behind his tears, you couldn't figure it out before but now you piece it together and your own throat constricts. He thought you were leaving. He loves you and he was willing to watch you leave him. He loves you and he was going to let you go because he thought that's what you wanted. He fucking loves you and he thought he'd ruined everything.

“Vessel…?”

“Say it again.”

He utters it out with what sounds like his last breath. And you know just by the sound of his voice it's taking everything in him not to lose his mind. You still don't know if he's even taken one breath since you said it the first time.

“I love you too Vessel.”

Sometimes you think Vessel forgets just how tall he is. There's been a few times when you've witnessed his affections towards II or IV and he literally knocks them off their feet. They love it, of course, and there was always a small part of you that longed to be on the receiving end of Vessel's affectionate moods… yet now… with you both on the couch, you don't quite have enough time to process how you ended up on your back with a fully grown Vessel throwing himself on top of you. He knocks the breath out of your lungs. His arms are wrapped around your back and you're lifted into his embrace quicker than you can think. He's up off the couch, you're still in his arms. Your feet dangling just above the floor as he holds you. He's breathing now. Really erratically. It's like he can't get enough air into his lungs. He squeezes you tighter against him and his face is buried in your neck. And you realise he's crying again. Holding you against him like you're his lifeline, crying because the person he loves… loves him back. You're not leaving. You love him too. You're not leaving. You love him too. You're not leaving. You love him too.

“Ves…?”

He doesn't reply. He can't. He can't even get words out because you love him too. He's hiccupping and sobbing into the crook of your neck, all while his hands grasp you desperately and hold you so close. You're so close. He is holding you. And you're holding him. And it's okay because you love each other. And this isn't a dream. He's not making it up this time. This is real. You love each other. His knees are going to give out. He falls back into the small couch the two of you occupied just before, except now you're seated comfortably on his lap, his arms keeping you locked tightly against him and you love each other. He pulls back. His face is puffy and red, his eyes are bloodshot and still full of tears but god… he's wearing the prettiest smile you've ever seen. Vessel is just beautiful, you've always thought it. But now, with you holding each other and openly loving each other… Vessel is so full of life again and it makes your own tears spring to your eyes.

“You wrote all of those about me…?”

You ask him quietly, you can't quite believe it now. That all those lyrics, lyrics that were written so incredibly and so passionately were all about you. Your own tears fall when he just nods at you. And there the two of you sit. Wrapped up in each other, crying together, and finally letting it sink in that you love each other. You've loved him for so long. So many nights you've spent lying awake thinking about him, weeks and weeks of admiring him from a distance and keeping your feelings to yourself. You swore to never tell him, or anyone for that matter. Your love for him and for the rest of the band outweighed your want to be selfish with him. You’d accepted the fact that if he didn't know, he couldn't reject you, therefore being able to keep your job and your beautiful friendships with them all. In your head, you'd rather love him from a distance and keep his friendship than risk losing him and the boys all together.

It doesn't have to be like that anymore. It's not like that anymore.

“Please… let me kiss you please…”

Vessel almost begs you, through his tears. Your eyes lock, and right there on that couch… in the little room in the back of the tour bus you press your lips to his. It's everything you'd ever wanted it to be and more. It's so overwhelming in the very best ways possible. It causes you both to shed a few more tears. To anyone else it may seem like you're saying a heartbreaking goodbye to each other, but really this is hello.

This is the beginning of waking up next to each other every morning. Going to bed next to each other every night. Random kisses every single day. Cuddles on the couch. Cuddles in bed. Hand holding. I love yous. No more shying away. No more pretending. Finally.

Because you love each other.

#my first full sleep token fic hello #sleep token #sleep token x reader #sleep token vessel #vessel #vessel x reader #sleep token vessel x reader #vessel sleep token #marys musings

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skitskatdacat63 · 5 months

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Fernando Alonso & His Relationship With Cards

I'm sure we're all familar with the cards on the back of Fernando's Vegas GP helmet by now, but did you know his relationship with cards goes a lot deeper?

I. Magic Tricks

You've probably seen or heard someone at least mention Fernando's propensity for card tricks. As far as I can tell he was doing them(publically) as far back as 2003 all the way to as recently as 2018. Even once performing a card trick, with a condom and a teddy bear(!??!?!??!!), in front of Valentino Rossi who said "How was that possible?"(x)

But how did this start? According to James Allen, "Fernando admits to having been heavily influenced by his grandfather, a mercurial figure, who taught him magic and card tricks, still one of his passions away from the race track."(x) And I'm not sure the validity of this one, because I couldn't find an actual source, but apparently he once said: "My parents are responsible for the two things I like doing most - driving and magic tricks. They bought me my first go-kart and a magician's kit."

In several interviews he described it as his hobby off track, and that he loved learning new tricks and surprising others in the garage with them! So clearly cards are pretty important to him both as a hobby but also to who he is as a person since they've been with him just as long as racing has.

II. Card Symbolism in His Helmets

This is the reason I originally made this post, but I thought I should also explain the origins of his card fascination first. As I said, we probably all remember the cards on the back of his helmet in Vegas, but did you know that wasn't the first time he had cards on the back of his helmet?

From 2008-2013, he used to have a pair of cards on the back of his helmets. The symbolisms of the cards themselves as well as the evolution of their design is really fascinating to me! Even more so with the recent development of the card choice in 2023.

Fernando said he wanted to reference his two titles in some way on the back of his helmet and after his friend sent him several ideas, he decided on having two cards(an ace of clubs and an ace of hearts, sometimes pictured with 05 and 06 on them as well), saying: "I picked the cloverleaf [the ace of clubs - Ed] to give me luck, but the only pity is that it doesn't have four leaves!"(X)

2008.

Here's the very first appearance of the cards! They're displayed flat, with the 05 and 06 clearly visible

2009.

Very similar to 2008, but with a slightly different design, and they're maybe a bit more straight with less shadow?

2010.

This is the first major change! I was sad they didn't have the years on them anymore, but then I realized they're sparkly to match with his signature lightning bolts on the top of the helmet!!

2011.

Honestly I'm still somewhat unsure if this is the actual 2011 helmet? It's pretty difficult to find clear photos of the back of helmets from older seasons. It's easiest to find them on replica sites or auction sites so I'm not 100%? But anyways, I like that this has the championship years on the underside of the cards

2012.

This is when I started getting weirdly emotional about the helmets. Do you see how they've progressed from being a centerpoint to being curled up and sad at the bottom of the helmet? Not listing the year anymore??

2013.

Same thoughts as 2012. And after this season, they cease to exist (just like his ferrari chair in the garage, WOAH CALLBACK), until cards make a reeappearance in his Vegas helmet, albeit in a different form

2013 Monaco(Honorable Mention):

For some reason 2013 helmets were easier to find proper pictures of, so I happened to witness this absolute beauty. The creativity of this helmet genuinely blows me away??? Wanting to keep the card motif, but making sure to incorporate it into the rest of the puzzle piece design?? Mwah! There was another special 2013 helmet but they didn't change the cards at all so I really applaud this one

2023 Las Vegas(The Return of The King):

The magnificent return! But look! The cards are different cards! Instead of being two aces, it's now an ace of hearts, a four of hearts(his driver number of course!) and, the, now iconic, representation of himself as a Joker. I literally could not believe my eyes when this helmet was released and I saw the Joker card, what a fucking silly old man....I really wonder if he felt nostalgic having cards on his helmet again or if he didn't think about it all and was just like, "ah cards because Vegas!!!"

III. Why Does This Matter?

*The rest of the post was factual, this is moreso my personal thoughts on the symbolism of the cards/designs

This post spawned from me recently watching the 2010 Bahrain gp and noticing "hey wait a minute...are those CARDS ON THE BACK OF HIS HELMET!?" It's a really tiny detail that's unfortunately covered up by the HANS device pretty much whenever he's wearing the helmet, so it's really difficult to spot! But I became fascinated with the fact that he had cards on his helmet before that recent helmet, and now here we are!

There's something to me about how the design of the cards evolves over the course of six seasons from the cards being front and center to being smaller, more folded up and closer to the bottom of the helmet. As I said, the 2012-2013 ones genuinely made me depressed because it feels, symbolically, like his hopes for getting another Ace are becoming more and more unlikely and falling away until they eventually fall falt and fade away entirely after 2013 and disappear for basically a decade.

But when they return? They're not the same cards! Instead of representing Fernando's championships, they now represent him as a person, displaying his driver number and his persona of being a Joker!! Though I do think it's interesting he happened to keep the Ace of Hearts, even though he talked more about the Ace of Clubs before. I'm not sure it's actually this deep in reality, but I like to think that it's him not letting his championships(and the lack thereof) define him, but rather letting who he is as a person shine and be the centerpoint instead! But on a sadder note, as @suzuki-ecstar said to me, maybe the Aces aren't there anymore because he's lost all hope for a chance at a third Ace entirely :(

#yes its finals week and im up to my eyes in coursework but instead decided to spend like 5 hours researching and writing this post #nah bcs i actually genuinely put more work into this then I think I have all semester dsfjdskjg #that thing about him using a condom and teddy bear in a magic trick genuinely had me crying with laugher. actual tears rolling down my face #<- HOW!?!? WHAT WAS THE TRICK?? its literally inconceivable to me what he did. oh if only there were pics UGH #anyways!! this post was a lot of fun to make!! i really really love the symbolism and design of helmets so this was a rly fun project #and i also went down a lot of rabbitholes while make this and saw many very weird articles from yore #i feel like i make an equal amnt of deranged posts abt seb and nando but i dont know why nando is gifted w all my well researched projects #<- i.e. chair post. that was the same level of research as this one but at least this one i could find actual sources about....#idk theres smth about the extremely long history of nando's history that evokes research posts like this KLAJSLSKDJ #theres just so much that i dont think I ever really see people discussing! so i must create.#haha what was that joke tag i wanted to make abt my researched posts? I think:#normal posts that catie normally makes in a normal fashion #<- one day ill go back and actually tag posts w that. bcs the amtn of research compared to my actual schoolwork is so unwell #fernando alonso #fa14 #f1 #formula 1 #catie.rambling.txt #we do a little bit of f1

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genshinluvr · 1 year

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Into the Void

Pairings: Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader

Summary: You never had a single thought about falling into the Abyss until it happened to you while you were in Sumeru trying to gather some Viparyas for your research. Who knew that you being a mortal, would be stripped from you so soon all because the Abyss needed a new ruler.

Note: I have decided to combine two requests together because I have been lagging behind on completing requests because of how busy I am with my university. So I've been thinking about posting mini stories (either for the Isekai'd!reader series or for individual characters), but I'm not entirely sure if I should do it because of how busy I am with school. Anyway, I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: Blood, slight violence, but it's just a pinch of violence; other than those two, I'm not entirely sure if there's another warning needed 🤔 it's hurt/comfort

Word Count: 9.7k

You run as fast as you can. Your heart is racing in your chest; your blood is pounding in your eardrums. You’re panting so hard that you can taste the coppery blood in your mouth. You have no idea where you’re running or who you’re running from. All you can do is run and not look back at what’s chasing you through the thick forest of Sumeru. The last thing you remember was having to trek up the mountains of Sumeru in search of the Viparyas to study the mysterious plant, only for something or someone to chase you through the forest of Sumeru.

“Leave me alone!” You screech.

You quicken your pace and dodge the trees; the scenery around you becomes a blur as you race through the forest, trying to flee from what’s chasing after you. All you want is to grab a Viparyas or two, bring them back to the Akademiya, and study the flowers for your botany class. But due to unforeseen circumstances, you will not be able to gather some Viparyas for your studies until you’re able to lose whatever is chasing after you.

It was like you have gotten slower, and the thing has gotten faster. You jump and hide behind the bushes, hoping to catch your breath quickly before having to make a run again. Yes, you do not know what you’re running from or who you’re running from, but alarms go off in your head, telling you to run immediately. You clutch your hands to your chest, press yourself up against a tree behind the bush, and try your best to even out your breath. Your legs are sore, your chest and throat hurt, your head is pounding, and you feel like you’re going to pass out at any moment.

SNAP!

Your head shoots up from the sound of a twig snapping a foot in front of you. Without a second thought, you jump out from behind the bushes and continue to run for your life in the forest. Your heart is racing in your chest so much that it is starting to hurt, causing you to slow down in your tracks, stumbling over vines. The tree branches whip across your face as you race further into the forest, not knowing where you’re going. As far as you know, you’re straying farther and farther away from Vanarana.

You continue to venture deeper into the forest, hoping to catch sight of a familiar surrounding that Tighnari once showed you. Unfortunately for you, with every tree you see and every corner you turn, everything looks the same, and you know that there’s no way for you to get out of the forest quickly without getting caught. Heck, you’re not even sure if you’ll be able to leave the forest and return to the Akademiya.

Your right foot ends up getting caught on a vine on the ground, causing you to stumble and fall into the large crack in the ground. You feel your stomach drop, and you flail your arms to try to get a hold of something so you wouldn’t fall further into the cracks, but you end up grabbing nothing but air. Your hair whips around your face, obscuring your vision, and your heart sinks into the pit of your stomach as you’re free-falling somewhere unknown.

“Xiao!!!” You screamed, hoping the Yaksha would come to your rescue.

To your dismay, the Yaksha never shows up to rescue you from your doom. You continue to plummet into the unknown. Your eyes blur with tears with each passing second. You then land on the hard ground, wailing in pain when you land on your arm, bending it in the way arms aren’t supposed to be bent.

You slowly kneel and clutch your injured arm to your chest, tears rolling down your cheeks as you look at your surroundings. It did not look like an underground of some sort. You’re in an endless darkness of void; there is little to no light. You slowly get up from the ground, your arm still pressing up against your chest. You don’t know what you look like currently, but you’re certain that your Akademiya uniform is dirty and ripped at the ends from running and getting caught onto branches in the forest. You look up, hoping to see the entrance where you have fallen from, but to no avail. It’s like the ground has opened up underneath your feet and swallowed you whole before zipping the entrance away.

You swallow the lump in your throat, wiping the endless tears that continue to roll down your cheeks. “Where am I?” You whisper, your lower lips trembling, your body shaking with fear.

You squint into the darkness and begin to wander around aimlessly, hoping to find an exit. You’re taking baby steps, afraid that you’re going to trip and fall over something that can lead you to another endless void of darkness. You stop in your tracks when you feel something staring directly at you; goosebumps form on your arms, the hairs at the back of your neck stand up, and your heartbeat begins to race against your ribcage.

“Oh, what’s this? I see that we have a visitor from the outer realms.” A deep voice coming from the darkness chuckles.

You freeze and tense up. “Who are you? Where am I?” You squeak, curling into yourself, seeking comfort.

“Oh? You don’t know where you are? You poor thing.” The voice coos mockingly.

This time, the voice from the darkness is closer to where you’re standing. You shrink away from the voice and slowly back up, hoping to find a corner somewhere to hide and seek comfort like a terrified deer that is cornered by a predator.

You grit your teeth together. “Answer my question,” You growl, digging your nails into the palm of your hands as you wait for the voice to give you answers.

A figure is now looming over you, staring down at you with its red eyes. Just the mere sight of the creature made your heart fall out of your ass. Standing in front of you is the Pyro Abyss Lector. You stumble back when the Pyro Abyss Lector hovers closer to you, holding your uninjured arm out in front of you, hoping it would stop the Pyro Abyss Lector from coming any closer to you.

The Pyro Abyss Lector holds his hand out. “I am Enjou, the Pyro Abyss Lector. And you, my dear, are in the Abyss.”

“The Abyss?! How did I end up in the Abyss!?” You whisper to yourself. You continue to back away from the Pyro Abyss Lector named Enjou. “No, no, no, no, no.” You shake your head and pat your cheeks, trying to keep your sanity together. “I fell through the cracks in the forest of Sumeru. There’s no way for me to end up in the Abyss,” You tremble.

Enjou chuckles. “In denial, are we? I can feel your sanity deteriorate as we speak.” From the tone of his voice, you can tell that he is smirking at your misery.

“How do I get out of here?” You demand.

Enjou lets out a snort before bursting out laughing at your sudden burst of confidence and determination to get out of the Abyss. How cute. Now he can see why the former Abyss Prince and Princess were so enthralled by you. Your little burst of confidence is adorable but not cute enough to get you out of the Abyss easily.

You look at the Pyro Abyss Lector with a confused glare, wondering why he finds your comment amusing. Is he mocking you? “What’s so funny!? Do you really think that I’ll be stuck in the Abyss for the rest of my life!?” You demand.

Enjou wipes his imaginary tears, crossing his arms over his chest. You can almost see a smile on his face if he had a mouth. “Your confidence and determination are adorable. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that you’ll be able to make it out of the Abyss, but I can’t promise you anything. Especially when you’re not from this universe.” Enjou squats in front of you and taps on the tip of your nose mockingly.

“What do you mean? I am from this universe. Are you crazy?” You squeak.

Enjou towers over you and slams his hand on the wall behind you beside your head. You flinch and glare up at Enjou, who is drilling holes into your skull with scrutiny. “I know you’re not from this world, human. We all do.”

You look at Enjou with confusion. “Who’s we?” You whisper.

Enjou leans in close to your face; you turn your head and close your eyes. You don’t like how close he’s standing in front of you, nor do you like how close his face is to yours. Enjou reaches forward, grabs you by your cheeks, his palm caressing your chin, and turns your head so you can face him.

“Oh, don’t play dumb with me now, [Y/N]. We’ve been watching you since the beginning; the Abyss is always watching.” Enjou whispers into your ears, sending chills down your spine.

“What do you want from me?” You spat, clenching your jaws while glaring up at the Pyro Abyss Lector.

Enjou tightens his grip around your face, making you visibly wince. “Instead of prancing around Teyvat, how do you feel about becoming the next ruler of the Abyss?”

You squirm in his grasp, grabbing Enjou’s wrist, attempting to pry his hands away from your face, only to fail. “Never!” You grunt, thrashing around in Enjou’s grasp. “I will never rule the Abyss, and I refuse to!” You growl.

Enjou chuckles. “Oh, you think you have a choice! How cute.”

Back at the abode, there is nothing but chaos. People are shouting over each other, pointing accusing fingers at each other. It has been a day since you disappeared out of thin air without a single trace, and no one can track you down. Not even the best Harbingers can track down your location.

“Xiao,” Zhongli says, looking over at the brooding Yaksha, “you said that [Y/N] called out your name, but when you appeared after they called you, they disappeared out of thin air. Is that correct?” Zhongli asks.

Xiao shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know how to describe it. I tried to grab them as they were falling; it was like my hands went through theirs.” Xiao clenches his fist, reminiscing about the horrors a day prior.

Scaramouche narrows his eyes and props his feet up on the ottoman. “How come you didn’t jump in after them when that happened?”

Xiao sighs and closes his eyes. “If I could, I would. But when I tried to go after them, it was like the ground had closed up,” Xiao replies.

“How strange….” Ayato murmurs, crossing his arms over his chest.

Dainsleif looks around the room. “Does anyone know about their whereabouts when they were in Sumeru?” Dainsleif asks.

“[Y/N] mentioned gathering Viparyas for their botany class to study the flower,” replied Albedo.

Tighnari lets out a hum, propping his left hand on his hip while stroking his chin with his right hand. “Viparyas can only be found in Vanarana, in the Grove of Dreams. If [Y/N] were to go to the real version of the Vanarana, they’ll only find the Padisarahs,” Tighnari murmurs.

“Could it be that [Y/N] went to the Grove of Dreams?” Thoma asks, chewing on his bottom lip nervously.

Aether shakes his head at Thoma’s question. “There’s no strange hole that closes up when you fall into it in the Grove of Dreams. It’s possible that [Y/N] could have fallen into a cave, but after hearing Xiao say that the ground swallowed [Y/N] up, I’m not too sure anymore.” Aether sighs in defeat.

“I really hope that [Y/N]’s okay. They’ve been gone for one day, and we don’t know where they are exactly. I’m really worried about them.” Heizou expresses, his shoulders slumping as he holds the throw pillow to his chest.

Cyno crosses his arms over his chest. “One day doesn’t sound too bad, as long as it doesn’t drag on for over a week,” said Cyno.

Venti scrunches his face up. “Being away from [Y/N] for that long and not seeing their face for over a day or almost a week sounds awful,” Venti grumbles, messing with his braids.

“Where’s Childe? He’s been gone for a few hours, and we still haven’t heard anything back from him.” Al Haitham comments, leaning against the wooden pillar in the estate.

Gorou shrugs his shoulders at Al Haitham’s question. “The last thing he said was that he’ll be scouting the area where [Y/N] was last seen. It’s a good thing that Dottore made a bracelet for [Y/N] that has an elemental trace on the bracelet,” Gorou says, sitting down on the wooden stool with a shaky sigh as he runs his hands through his hair.

“Yeah, it’s a good thing that the creepy doctor did that,” Itto says, pointing his thumb over his shoulder to the icy blue-haired man.

Dottore raises his eyebrows at Itto. “Creepy doctor?” Dottore mutters to himself.

Pantalone snickers. “A fitting nickname for the Doctor,” Pantalone whispers to Dottore, earning an elbow to the gut from Dottore.

“I really hope that Childe comes back with some good news. I have a bad feeling about [Y/N]’s sudden disappearance while they’re out in the forest looking for Viparyas. Their disappearance feels intentional,” Baizhu mutters, adjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Diluc raises his eyebrows at Baizhu. “What, like their disappearance was planned, or are you implying that they were targeted by someone?” Diluc asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Someone is targeting [Y/N], for sure. I don’t think [Y/N] would ever intentionally disappear. The only time they “disappear” is to hide away in their bedroom to take extra naps between their studies. Other than that, [Y/N] wouldn’t disappear without a trace,” Kaeya sighs, closing his eyes and resting his head on the palm of his hands.

Kazuha sighs from the comfort of the couch. A throw blanket draped over Kazuha’s legs as he clutches the throw pillow to his chest. “I can’t help but notice that there has been an increase in danger lately,” Kazuha murmurs, playing with the tassels on the throw pillow.

The door to the estate slams open, and Childe runs into the mansion with Ganyu and Lumine following after him; the three of them look frantic and almost terrified.

“Rex Lapis,” Ganyu whispers, breathing heavily as she tries to catch her breath. “We have found some traces of [Y/N],” Ganyu swallows the lump in her throat and nudges Lumine lightly in the ribs with her elbow.

Lumine looks over at Aether, her eyes brimmed with tears as she holds up a blood-stained fabric. Al Haitham snatches the cloth from Lumine’s grasp and examines the material closely, with Tighnari and Cyno standing by his side.

“It’s [Y/N]’s Akademiya uniform.” Lumine croaks, wiping the tears that made their way down her cheeks.

Childe grits his teeth and clenches his hands into tight fists. “I know where [Y/N] is, but you’re not going to like it,” Childe states. Everyone in the room looks falls quiet and over at Childe.

“Where are they?” Cyno asks, crossing his arms over his chest, occasionally looking down at the white fabric that is now stained with dried blood.

Childe takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “[Y/N] fell into the Abyss, just like how I fell into the Abyss when I was fourteen,” Childe says.

“But how? How can we know for sure that [Y/N] has fallen into the Abyss?” Al Haitham demands, clutching onto the torn, bloody fabric tightly.

Lumine lets out a shaky breath. “[Y/N] was being chased by an Abyss Lector. After they have fallen through the crack in the Earth, the Abyss Lector sealed the cracks and disappeared,” Lumine explains.

“Are you implying that they have planned this entire time?” Pierro asks, crossing his arms over his chest with a deep frown on his face.

Lumine shrugs her shoulders. “I can’t say for certain, but what I do know is that the Abyss have been watching [Y/N] since their first arrival at Teyvat,” said Lumine.

Baizhu narrows his eyes, gripping his arms tightly, his nails digging into the skin of his arms, leaving a mark. “I thought the Abyss had been taken down,” Baizhu mutters.

Dainsleif sighs. “Unfortunately, the Abyss is still as active as they were since the beginning. Only they don’t have an Abyss Prince or Princess ruling over them,” Dainsleif replies.

“Oh no….” Aether trails off, his face turning almost as white as Paimon’s hair.

Everyone turns to look at Aether, confused by his reaction. Aether looks visibly sick; he looks like he’s about to pass out or go into cardiac arrest. Aether holds up his index finger and walks over to the wall, and leans against it, trying to steady his racing heart.

“Oh no? What do you mean by oh no?” Venti squeaks, looking at Aether nervously.

Aether looks over at Lumine, who fumbles with her gloves nervously. The two trade looks before nodding their heads as if they were mentally communicating with each other. Lumine takes a step forward and gulps. “Since the Abyss doesn’t have a ruler anymore and they have been watching [Y/N]’s every move since their arrival, there’s a very high chance that the Abyss is going to make [Y/N] the new Abyss ruler,” Lumine says softly.

“What?!” Heizou gasps, looking at Lumine and Aether in disbelief.

Ayato raises his hand, his eyebrows narrowing. “And how are they going to make [Y/N] the new ruler of the Abyss when they’re not even from this world, nor are they immortal or a god.”

Tighnari strokes his chin. “I heard that there was a group of scholars at the Akademiya that tried to make their own archon, but that project was later scrapped twenty percent into the project,” Tighnari murmurs.

“What are you implying, Tighnari?” Scaramouche asks.

Albedo frowns and closes his eyes, letting out a quiet sigh. “Tighnari is implying that there’s a possible chance that the Abyss is going to find a way to make [Y/N] an immortal being before making [Y/N] the new ruler of the Abyss,” Albedo answers.

“Is that even possible? To make a mortal immortal, that is.” Kazuha asks, looking over at Dottore and Albedo.

Dottore hesitates for a moment before nodding his head slowly. “It is possible, but experiments like that take time and many trials and errors. If the Abyss were to find a way to turn [Y/N] into an immortal being in a short amount of time, it could cause detrimental damages to [Y/N],” Dottore says, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“How detrimental are we speaking?” Kaeya whispers.

Dottore presses his lips into a thin line and looks away, unsure whether he should answer Kaeya’s question truthfully or not. Making a human into an immortal being not only takes time, but there are a lot of risks in doing such experiments. One of the risks is the test subject’s potentially losing their life before the experiment is completed.

Zhongli sighs and clenches his jaws. “If [Y/N]’s mind and body are strong enough for it, they will live. If not, then they will die from the excessive experiments performed on them.”

“I’m going to kill them all if they lay a single hand on [Y/N]’s head,” Diluc growls, his jaws tensing up.

Gorou suddenly stands up and begins to pace back and forth in the living room. “We need to find a way to get [Y/N] out of there as soon as possible! I don’t want them to be in the Abyss any longer, or else something bad is going to happen.”

“Relax, Gorou! I’m sure [Y/N] will be okay! We’ll find them very soon, and they’ll be back at the abode in no time, safe and sound.” Itto says, placing his hand on Gorou’s shoulders.

Thoma chuckles weakly, letting his hands fall to his side. “One day is too long. We don’t even know whether [Y/N] is safe and uninjured or not.” Thoma lets out a deflated sigh and swallows the lump in his throat.

Childe clears his throat to grab everyone’s attention. “A day may have only passed in Teyvat, but in the Abyss, a month has gone by,” said Childe.

“So, for us, [Y/N] has been gone for a day. But in the Abyss, [Y/N] has been trapped in the Abyss for a month now?” Heizou asks.

Childe nods his head at Heizou’s question. Childe couldn’t help but think of the time when he was fourteen, the age when he fell into the Abyss himself. Childe spent three Teyvat days in the Abyss but three months of Abyss time. Times pass differently in Teyvat and in the Abyss, and it makes Childe wonder if you knew how much time has passed or not.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Shouldn’t we start looking for [Y/N] immediately if we don’t want them to wait any further?” Al Haitham asks, his gaze falling to the cloth in his hands.

Cyno nods his head. “Right. The longer we make them wait, the more we’re letting the Abyss corrupt them,” said Cyno.

In the Abyss, the sound of metal clashing rings throughout the void. You grunt and grip onto the hilt of the sword with a tight fist, pushing against Enjou’s blade. You didn’t know how you ended up in this situation where you’re sword fighting with a Pyro Abyss Lector in the Abyss. You lost track of time, only to find yourself in this situation where Enjou demands that you fight for your freedom from the Abyss.

“I will never be the ruler of the Abyss! Release me from the Void Realm, or else!” You demand, gritting your teeth together.

Enjou lets out a loud laugh and shoves you back; you stumble and drop your sword on the ground, landing beside the worn weapon. While you’re no fighter, you managed to keep up with thy Pyro Abyss Lector. It was all thanks to Childe and his persistence in getting you to spar with him. Without Childe making you spar with him and the others, you would be in a different situation with the Abyss Lector. You quickly roll out of the way when a ball of flame flies in your direction, burning the ends of your Akademiya uniform.

Enjou stands in front of you, crossing his arms over his chest. “For someone inexperience with combat, you hold up quite well,” Enjou sounds amused.

You wipe the sweat from your forehead and glare at Enjou. “Answer my question: why should I be the new ruler for the Abyss when I’m not from your universe, nor am I immortal?” You get up from the ground and wipe the sweat off the palm of your hands on your sullied Akademiya uniform and take a deep breath.

Enjou snorts sarcastically. “Why would you not want to be the new ruler of the Abyss? You get infinite power.”

You roll your eyes. “That sounds lame and boring,” You said. “Being immortal sounds fun, but it sounds torturous. Imagine watching those die around you while you live on for thousands of years.” You cross your arms over your chest with a dissatisfied frown on your face.

“Then you’ll know how that Bough Keeper feels,” Enjou replies. “He was never immortal; he was cursed with immortality.”

You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose, taking in slow deep breaths to calm your nerves. “I already know that information, Enjou. After all, he is my lover, and I know everything about him.” You look up at Enjou, who is now towering over you. “What’s next? You’re going to force me to become immortal as well?”

“Yes.” Enjou nods his head.

You blink at Enjou. “Wait, what?” You back away from Enjou, only to feel hands grasping onto both of your biceps, keeping you in place. You look up and see two Abyss Lectors holding onto your biceps firmly, preventing you from thrashing and escaping from their grips. You have thought about stepping on their feet to catch them off guard, but you then realize that the Abyss Lector and Herald float in the air. Their feet hardly touch the ground, the tip of their toes grazing the floor ever so slightly.

An Abyss Herald appears by Enjou’s side, tapping him on the shoulders. Enjou turns to look at the Hydro Abyss Herald, who leans in to whisper, “The former Abyss Prince and Princess know about [Y/N]’s whereabouts and are currently searching for a way to rescue [Y/N].”

Enjou lets out a thoughtful hum, almost huffing with laughter. “Take them away. We have no time to waste,” Enjou orders.

The Hydro Abyss Herald and the Electro Abyss Lector nod their heads and escort you deeper into the Abyss. You can’t help but notice that the further you’re led into the Abyss, the more disoriented you’re beginning to feel. Your head is hurting, and your vision will lose its focus and refocus. You shake your head weakly and try to fight back, only to fail.

The Abyss Herald tightens his grip around your biceps. “There’s no way for you to escape the Abyss. Accept your fate, and it will all be painless.”

“Painless? What do you mean by painless?!” You demand, squeezing your eyes shut and grinding your teeth together as the headache gradually becomes unbearable. It felt like you got hit in the head by the Harpastum repeatedly.

The Abyss Lector lets out a sharp “tsk,” and digs his claws into your arms, drawing blood. “You talk too much,” He mutters, dragging you further into the Abyss. The Abyss Lector, Enjou, and the Abyss Herald soon pull you into an unfamiliar environment. The tower in the distance has a bright shine to it, almost blinding if you stare at it any longer. You squint your eyes and look away from the glowing tower. Once your eyes adjust to your surroundings, you realize that they didn’t just drag you to the deepest part of the Abyss. Somehow, they have taken you to Enkanomiya.

“What the—” You did a double take. “How in the world did we end up in Enkanomiya? I thought we were in the Abyss.” You whisper, rubbing your eyes tiredly. You don’t know how many days have passed; you lost track of time because of the sudden sword fight between you and Enjou. You’re convinced that Enjou is testing your strength and skills with a weapon before they can make you “immortal,” if that’s even possible.

Enjou huffs. “We were in the Abyss, but because there are people who are searching for you and have small clues about your location, we have to change the scenery so the experiment won’t be interrupted.”

You slump to the ground, arms still being held by the Abyss Lector and Abyss Herald. Your head hangs low, and you close your eyes. Despite you not being in the Abyss as of now, you can still feel the effects of being in the Abyss for some time. You can feel your sanity beginning to slip away; the pounding headache is getting even worse.

“Fine,” you whisper. “Let’s get this stupid experiment over with so it can end my misery once and for all,” You said.

“Oh? Giving up already now, are we? I didn’t think you were a quitter because, from what I can recall, you were so determined and confident about getting out of the Abyss,” Enjou says.

Enjou walks up to you, the Abyss Herald, and the Abyss Lector. He stops in front of you and kneels in front of you, grabs you by the chin, and tilts your head up. “Where was that spark almost two months ago?” Enjou quirks his eyebrows at you.

You blink at him with bleary eyes. Two months? You’ve been stuck in the Abyss for two months now? “I’ve been gone for that long?” You ask weakly.

You squeeze your eyes shut when the pain courses through your body; you can feel it in your veins, and you don’t like it at all. Yes, you were determined to leave the Abyss, but hearing how long you’ve been stuck in the Abyss made you lose hope. You gulp your saliva and visibly flinch when you taste blood in your mouth.

“Two months, and you struggle to leave the Abyss. Your determination was adorable but futile.” Enjou releases your chin and stands back up. “Come, we must get the experiment over with. We’re wasting precious time,” Enjou says. He turns around and begins to walk.

The Abyss Herald and Abyss Lector follow behind Enjou, dragging you along with them. You let yourself become limp in their grasp, trying to process how time has gone by so fast when it felt like you fell into the Abyss for only a few hours. You shake your head and close your eyes; you know that the Abyss is different from Teyvat, so why are you so surprised to hear that almost two months have gone by? Maybe it’s not actually two months in Teyvat, but it sure does feel like it the longer you’re held captive by the Abyss Lectors and Herald.

Meanwhile, back on Teyvat, the men walk around Varanara, searching for the crack in the Earth that you could have fallen into that led to you being in the Abyss. It was hard to get a precise location on where you could have disappeared off to, but because of the bracelet that is infused with elements, it should make the search a little bit easier. The men stop in front near the entrance of Varanara, peeking inside to see whether there’s an elemental trace or not.

Dainsleif turns to look at the men, crossing his arms over his chest. “How do we know for sure if they walked into Varanara?”

“They were searching for Viparyas to bring back to the Akademiya to study, remember? Viparyas only exist in Varanara.” Aether says, his eyes scanning around for any traces of you.

Heizou nods his head. “While that is true, do you remember what Tighnari said? You can only get access to Viparyas if you’re in the Grove of Dreams. We don’t know whether [Y/N] was able to make it into the Grove of Dreams or if they were in the real version of the Varanara,” said Heizou.

“Well, what are we seeing right now? To me, it doesn’t look like the Grove of Dreams at all. In fact, it looks like the complete opposite of a dream,” Venti comments, peeking from the corner of the wall.

Scaramouche furrows his eyebrows. “A nightmare?” Scaramouche guesses.

Tighnari lets out a long sigh and flicks his ears with his hands out of irritation. “Well, since we’re not seeing any Viparyas and it doesn’t look like the Garden of Dreams, then we can assume that [Y/N] never made it to the Grove of Dreams.”

Something shiny ends up catching Itto’s eyes. He turns to look at the shining object and slowly walks over to where it lies. Itto squats down and grabs the item from the patches of grass, and lifts it up, only to realize that it is the bracelet that has elements infused into the bracelet.

“Uh, guys?” Itto speaks up, slowly rising up without taking his eyes off the bracelet in his hand.

Thoma looks at Itto quizzically. “What is it, Itto?” Thoma asks.

Itto looks over at the men and holds up the bracelet in the air. “This belongs to [Y/N], right?”

“Let me see that bracelet,” Ayato demands; Ayato walks over to Itto and grabs the bracelet from the oni’s hands, holding it close to his face to inspect the bracelet that was once wrapped around your wrist.

Baizhu approaches Ayato and stares at the bracelet closely. “The bracelet is broken, the chains are snapped, and the charm is cracked,” Baizhu murmurs. He looks at Ayato, silently asking if it is okay for him to take the bracelet from Ayato’s grasp. Ayato sighs and hands the bracelet over to the green-haired Dendro user.

Baizhu walks over to Dottore and hands the Fatui Harbinger the bracelet that he has made for you. Dottore grabs the bracelet from Baizhu’s grasp, frowning deeply when he sees the condition your bracelet is in.

“What a shame that someone has broken a bracelet that I have made for [Y/N],” Dottore mutters, tightening his grip around the bracelet.

Kazuha rubs his eyes tiredly, feeling exhaustion and hopelessness hit him all at once. “So, what are we going to do now? We can’t go into the Abyss; it’ll affect us all, and we’re not entirely sure if [Y/N] is still in the Abyss or not,” Kazuha says.

“Wait, we were going to go into the Abyss!? Is that even possible?!” Gorou squeaks, his eyes widening with fear.

Kaeya nods his head. “How else are we going to get [Y/N] out of the Abyss? They can’t escape from the Abyss themself. It’s impossible to do so,” said Kaeya.

“Then how did Childe escape the Abyss? He did fall into the Abyss when he was fourteen,” Diluc says, looking over at the ginger-haired Harbinger.

Albedo hums and taps on his chin. “From what I can recall, someone taught him how to escape the Abyss without getting harmed,” Albedo replies, looking over at Childe, who nods his head grimly.

Zhongli sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “We need to find [Y/N] as soon as possible. The longer they remain in the Abyss, the more corrupted they’ll be. Who knows what’s going on right now in the Abyss,”

Xiao narrows his eyes. “I have a strange feeling that they’re not in the Abyss….” Xiao trails off, stroking his chin while pressing his lips into a thin line.

“Oh? And why do you think that, Xiao?” Capitano asks, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to look over at the Yaksha.

Before Xiao could respond to Capitano’s question, hurried footsteps approach in their direction, causing everyone to freeze and pull their weapons out. Emerging from a distance is Kokomi and the four members of the Watasumi’s Army.

“Your Excellency!” Gorou’s eyes widen as Kokomi approaches the group.

Kokomi stops in front of Gorou and looks at him worriedly. “There’s something going on at the Sangonomiya Shrine,” Kokomi pants, trying to catch her breath.

Ayato steps up and stands next to Gorou. “What’s going on at the Sangonomiya Shrine?” Ayato asks, gazing at Kokomi quizzically.

Kokomi lets out a shaky sigh. “It’s hard for me to explain. Please come with me and see for yourself,” Kokomi says, looking at each man standing before her.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Tighnari whispers to Albedo.

Upon their arrival at Watasumi Island, they walk to the edge of the Sangonomiya Shrine, which looks out to the beautiful island. Kokomi turns to look at the men and points down at the swirling waters down below that lead to Enkanomiya. The men peek from the edge and notice something strange about the once-glowing blue waters.

“There’s a strange glow coming from the waters,” Kazuha murmurs, analyzing the waters below.

Albedo narrows his eyes. “The waters are gradually turning black. As if something is tainting it,” Albedo whispers.

Kokomi nods her head. “That is correct. This leads to Enkanomiya, but because there’s nothing but monsters and spirits in Enkanomiya, we do not know what is causing the water to become this way,” said Kokomi.

“You want us to go check and see what’s tainting the waters of Watasumi Island,” Aether states, looking over at Kokomi after staring at the swirling waters below.

Kokomi hesitates for a second before slowly nodding her head. “That is correct.”

Heizou looks at Kokomi for a moment before looking down at the swirling water that is gradually turning black like the night sky. “Do you, by any chance, know what is going on beneath the waters?” Heizou asks, stroking his chin with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Unfortunately, I do not,” Kokomi says, sighing in defeat while shaking her head.

Kaeya looks at everyone and steps to the edge of the pink seashell. “Well, gentlemen, it looks like we have some investigating to do for Her Excellency,” said Kaeya, a smile ghosting over his face.

“Who will do the honors and jump in first?” Cyno asks, leaning over the edge to get a better look at the waters below.

Al Haitham steps up a foot behind Cyno while Cyno is occupied with looking down at the ominous swirling water. “You will, General Mahamatra,” Al Haitham snorts and kicks Cyno off the edge.

“YOU FUCKING BASTARD!” Cyno screams as he falls to the swirling waters below.

The men stare at Al Haitham blankly, slowly stepping back from the Scribe. Al Haitham smirks and crosses his arms over his chest, and looks at the others. It’s like Al Haitham is telepathically asking if there are any more volunteers.

Venti clears his throat. “You know what, I’ll go next because I don’t want to be kicked into the waters,” Venti raises his hand. Venti runs to the edge and jumps off, canon-balling into the waters below.

Scaramouche rolls his eyes. “The damn kitsune would have the time of her life if she was in your spot and I was in the Mahamatra’s spot,” Scaramouche says, pointing at Al Haitham with a scowl on his face before walking up to the edge of the shell.

“Ah, I forgot that Lady Miko and Scaramouche have an interesting history,” Thoma laughs nervously while scratching the back of his neck.

Scaramouche stands at the edge, turns to look at everyone, and makes eye contact with Childe. The two lock gazes for a moment before Scaramouche raises both of his hands and flips Childe off with two middle fingers. Childe does a double take and blinks at Scaramouche with wide eyes, his mouth agape with shock. The men around Scaramouche and Childe snicker. Scaramouche smirks before doing a backflip off the edge of the shell and dove into the waters.

“That was… something,” Kokomi trails off and looks over at Childe. “Do you two have a history with each other or something?” Kokomi asks.

Childe takes a step towards the edge with his arms over his chest, a bitter smirk on his face. “You can say that we’re both comrades. Well, former comrades, once I catch up to his ass in Enkanomiya,” Childe replies. He waves the other men goodbye before jumping into the water after Scaramouche, determined to smack some sense into his fellow (ex) Harbinger.

After Childe jumps into the water, the other men take that as a sign for them to enter the waters. Aside from checking what is going on in Enkanomiya, they also want to prevent Childe and Scaramouche from killing each other.

“Let’s get this over with,” Xiao rolls his eyes with a long sigh before jumping into the water.

Meanwhile, in Enkanomiya, your arms are bound together by a chain. The same chain is connected to the wall of Dainichi Mikoshi below the tower, where the mechanism that changes the sun and moon is located. You have never felt so weak and powerless before. It’s like the energy in your body is being sucked out of you; every last bit of it is almost gone, along with your sanity. You tug at the chains weakly; you feel your hands trembling each time you pull at the chains.

“How do you feel?” Enjou asks, nudging you with the tip of his foot.

You let your hands fall to the ground and look up at Enjou blankly. “How do you think I feel? I feel like my life and sanity are being sucked out of me,” You spat.

Enjou looks over at the Abyss Herald and the Abyss Lector, motioning them to walk to where you and Enjou are at. The Abyss Herald and the Abyss Lector stand behind you and stare at Enjou, waiting for an order.

You smirk at Enjou. “Since these two listen to your orders, why don’t you become the new ruler of the Abyss instead?” You ask bitterly, glaring up at Enjoy through your lashes. “I’m just a weak, little mortal who doesn’t wield any elements. Surely I cannot rule the Abyss, or else I’ll lead you all into a catastrophic situation,” You said dramatically. You know your dramatic theatrical act wouldn’t get you out of the situation, but it was worth the try. Plus, since you’re going to die anyway, pissing the Abyss Lectors and Herald off is on your bucket list. The bucket list that you have created just now in your head.

“That won’t do,” Enjou says, crossing his arms over his chest. You can almost hear him roll his eyes if he has one. It’s hard to tell from the blood that is rolling down your face from how hard you have hit your head on the ground when thrashing around in the clutches of the Abyss Herald and Abyss Lector.

You growl and stand up, your legs beginning to shake. “I’m going to kill you myself if it’s the last thing I do!” You exclaim.

You run towards Enjou, only to be stopped halfway when the Abyss Herald grabs ahold of the chain and yanks you back. You jerk back and land on the dusty ground with a dull thud, the air knocking out of your lungs from the impact. You wheeze and struggle to get up from the ground, trying to catch your breath.

“Weak and pathetic,” Enjou scoffs, “Start the process now. I sense something in the air,” Enjou grumbles, turning around, and walking away.

Your head perks up. “Wait, where do you think you’re going?!” You try to get up from the ground, but the Abyss Herald grabs onto your shoulders to keep you in place. The Abyss Lector stands in front of you and places his hand over your head, his hand almost engulfing your entire head.

“What are you doing?” You whisper, wanting to reach up and grab at his hand, but your hands are still bound together behind your back with the cuffs.

The Abyss Lector stares down at you. “Stay still,” The Abyss Lector orders.

You stare at him in confusion, and before you can process a single thought, you feel sharp pains in your head and behind your eyes. You let out a bloodcurdling scream and begin to thrash around, trying to shake the Abyss Lector’s hand off your head, only to fail. The Abyss Herald standing behind you digs his nails into your shoulders to keep you still. Warm liquid trickles down your face and onto the pavement below you, staining it.

Your heart clenches in your chest painfully; your throat tightens, and your once bloodcurdling screams are hoarse and choked. The pain in your head increases so much that you almost lose consciousness from the immense pain you’re feeling. You feel your body slump, your head pressing further against the Abyss Lector’s grasp, your visions dotting, and the soft ringing in your ears getting louder and louder.

“So! This is Enkanomiya, huh,” Diluc murmurs, his eyes scanning around the ominous land that is plagued with monsters and devoid of human life.

Dainsleif looks around Enkanomiya and crosses his arms over his chest. “Where do you think the problem lies in Enkanomiya that is affecting Watasumi Island?” Dainsleif asks.

“It’s interesting how Enkanomiya is still part of Teyvat, and yet they’re disconnected from Teyvat by being beneath Watasumi Island,” Pantalone murmurs, tapping his index finger on his biceps.

“Trapped beneath Watasumi Island, artificial sunlight, and plagued with monsters….” Baizhu trails off, clenching his hands into tight fists.

Pierro looks at the men and sighs. “We need to hurry up and find the source of the problem for Watasumi Island. We shouldn’t let [Y/N] wait in the Abyss any longer just to solve another issue that doesn’t have anything to do with us or [Y/N],” Pierro sighs, pinching the space between his eyebrows.

Before the men can start walking around Enkanoiya to search for the cause of the darkening waters of Watasumi Island, Zhongli holds his arm out in front of the others, halting them from walking any further.

“Something wrong?” Ayato asks, raising his eyebrows at the retired Archon.

Zhongli slowly turns his head, deep in his thoughts. “Does anyone hear that?” Zhongli murmurs, turning to look at the men around him.

Dottore raises his eyebrows at Zhongli. “Hear what?” Dottore asks, cocking his eyebrows at Zhongli with his head tilting to the side.

“I hear a scream,” Zhongli states in a low voice.

Al Haitham closes his eyes and focuses on the sound around him, trying to listen for the sound of screaming that Zhongli claims to have heard. Al Haitham opens his eyes and shakes his head at Zhongli, who look around in confusion.

“I don’t hear any screaming at all. Perhaps the screams are from hilichurls in the distance,” Al Haitham suggests.

Venti pats Zhongli on the back. “Blockhead, you’re getting old. Maybe you’re hearing things and are mistaking these noises for screaming,” Venti comments.

Heizou grabs onto the end of Zhongli’s tailcoat; Heizou looks like he’s going to pass out at any moment after realizing something. “There are Abyss Lectors and Heralds here,” Heizou whispers. Heizou’s face is almost as white as paper, gulping the lump in his throat loudly.

Aether pats Heizou’s shoulders. “Enkanomiya has always been plagued with the Abyss here. I’ve been to Enkanomiya a few times in the past, and it was surprising to see them here in Enkanomiya at first,” said Aether.

“Hold on, so you’re telling me that the Abyss Lectors and Heralds occupy Enkanomiya like how hilichurls and mitachurls would hang around in all parts of Teyvat?” Itto asks, crossing his arms over his chest with an incredulous look on his face. “Yes, so be on the lookout for any Abyss Heralds or Lectors. It’s a huge possibility that they are the ones that are tainting the waters of Watasumi Island,” Gorou says, crossing his arms over his chest with a deep frown on his face.

About fifteen minutes into the search for the source of Watasumi Island’s problem, the men come to a halt when they notice the light tower in the distance turning off. Evernight has fallen over Enkanomiya, engulfing Enkanomiya in darkness.

“Did someone happen to switch it to Evernight by any chance?” Kazuha asks.

The men shake their heads at Kazuha’s question. Kazuha looks at their surroundings to find the device that switches from Whitenight to Evernight, only to find no device. It was strange. How is it Evernight when none of them are near the mechanisms? Before Childe can open his mouth to say something, a loud bloodcurdling scream echoes through Enkanomiya, causing the others to freeze in their spot.

“That scream….” Kaeya whispers, his eyes darting over to the central building of Enkanomiya. They are a couple of meters from the building, and yet they’re able to hear the bloodcurdling scream from a great distance.

“We need to get to that tower immediately,” Capitano orders.

Everyone runs to the central tower in the center of Enkanomiya; the screams get louder and louder the closer they approach the building. Below the tower is a small room tucked underneath the floor that has the mechanism. The room can be easily missed if people aren’t keen on searching around the structure on Dainichi Mikoshi.

The men rush into the room before stopping in their tracks when they see what is going on in the room. Blood is dripping down from your face, the whites of your eyes are pitch black, and a stream of blood runs down your mouth and nose. You’re holding onto a blade that was pierced through your abdomen, glaring at the Abyss Herald that stands before you.

“[Y/N]!” Childe screams, grabbing your, the Abyss Herald, and Abyss Lector’s attention.

You push the Abyss Herald back and yank the blade out from your abdomen. Blood immediately gushes out from the gaping wound in your stomach, yet you don’t flinch. If you did, you did really well at hiding it.

“Sorry I took a while to return from the Akademiya. I was…. Busy.” You murmur, tossing the blade to the ground and covering the gaping hole in your stomach. “I don’t feel so good,” You whisper, clutching onto your throbbing head.

“Are you still the [Y/N] that we know and love?” Thoma asks nervously, watching you lean on the wall and close your eyes; blood continues to trickle down your face as you let out a ragged breath.

You laugh bitterly and shake your head. “As much as I want to say yes, I can feel the last of my sanity slipping away from me before I go berserk,” You look up. “I need you to kill me,” You whisper.

Diluc’s eyes widen, and he does a double-take at your statement. “What?!”

“We refuse to kill you!” Xiao glares at you. His eyebrows soon smooth over, and he frowns at you, his hands beginning to tremble.

“Why should we kill you? There has to be another way to save you.” Albedo mutters as Baizhu walks over to where you stand, only to stop in his tracks when you shake your head at him.

“Please don’t come any closer. I don’t want either of you to see me like this,” You swallow a mouth full of blood and wince. “They’re trying to make me immortal, but I know it’s not working because my body is destroying itself.”

You hear a familiar chuckle and see Enjou walking into the room where everyone is standing. “Oh, it’s working. You’re assuming that it’s not working because of the symptoms you’re feeling. But worry not, the experiment is working, and you will be immortal in no time,” said Enjou. Enjou’s eyes land on Aether. “Oh? Well, if it isn’t the former Abyss Prince. What a surprise.”

You grit your teeth together and cough. “Fine, if none of you are going to kill me before I go berserk, then I’ll do it myself.” You spat.

“Uh, what do you mean by that?” Tighnari asks nervously.

You ignore Tighnari and push through the crowd of men and walk out of the room that you were confined in for who knows how long. Dainsleif catches up to you and grabs you by your arm, pulling you to his chest while you thrash in his arms, screaming and crying while covering the gaping wound in your abdomen that is stained crimson and black.

“You don’t have to do this; we can find a way to undo all of this mess,” Dainsleif says, tightening his grip around you.

“I don’t think there’s a way to reverse the damages that have been done,” Dottore comments, accessing the damage that has been done to your body.

You slump in Dainsleif’s arms and close your eyes, wincing every now and then when you feel your heart clench in your chest. “Just end my suffering already.” You grumble, your head lolling back onto Dainsleif’s shoulders.

Scaramouche scoffs. “Don’t be dramatic. We’ll find a way to revert you to a mortal,” Scaramouche says, walking up to you.

You didn’t reply. Instead, you lay there in Dainsleif’s arms, limp and unresponsive. Scaramouche furrows his eyebrows in confusion before lightly tapping you on the cheeks. You didn’t flinch or have any reaction from the sudden contact.

“Are they….” Baizhu trails off, rushing to you and Dainsleif. Baizhu presses his hand on your neck, searching for a pulse. Baizhu turns to look at the men that are surrounding you, Dainsleif, Scaramouche, and Baizhu. Before Baizhu can say anything, the Abyss Lectors and Herald lets out a maniacal laugh. Their laughter filled the once-silent air.

“[Y/N]!” Heizou screams, collapsing to the ground in tears.

Aether shakes his head, tears blurring his vision. “This can’t be real,” Aether whispers, shaking his head as tears cascade down his cheeks.

“[Y/N]!!” Diluc screams at the top of his lungs.

Diluc jolts up from his bed and looks around. He touches his cheeks and notices that his cheeks are wet from the tears that continuously roll down his cheeks. Was it all a dream? Diluc slowly gets out of bed and walks to the door, and opens it. Diluc notices that the others are coming out of their bedrooms, too, they all look distraught, and some even have tears running down their cheeks.

“Why are you guys crying?” Scaramouche asks, quickly wiping his tears away.

Al Haitham furrows his eyebrows. “Was it all just a dream?” Al Haitham asks.

Cyno raises his eyebrows and runs his fingers through his hair. “It seems like we all have the same dream,” Cyno mutters.

“How are we sure that it was a dream and not something that we relived in our dreams?” Diluc asks, pressing his hand against his chest while taking deep breaths to slow his racing heart.

Kaeya looks over at your closed bedroom door. “One way to find out,” said Kaeya as he slowly approached the door. Kaeya looks at the other men as if he’s asking them if they’re going to follow along or not.

Kaeya stands in front of your bedroom door and grabs the door handle, twists it, and slowly opens the door. The men crowd behind Kaeya and peek over each other. Your bedroom is almost pitch black; the only thing that is illuminating your bedroom is the small nightlight that is plugged into the wall beneath your desk.

Kaeya looks towards your bed and sees you facing the door, cuddling up against your body pillow, unharmed, asleep, safe, and sound. The men all collectively let out a quiet sigh of relief. Zhongli walks into your bedroom and sits down on your bed. He reaches towards you and tucks your hair behind your ears. Zhongli hovers his index finger in front of your nose, making sure that you’re breathing. When Zhongli feels your soft breaths on his finger, Zhongli visibly sighs in relief and lets his hands rest on his lap.

You suddenly move around on your bed and crack your eyes open. You rub your eyes sleepily and blink up at Zhongli and the others when you notice them crowding at your bedroom door. You lift your head to look at the clock and notice that it is only three in the morning. “Why are you guys awake so early? Go back to bed,” You grumble, letting your head fall down on your pillow and hugging the body pillow tightly.

“We were checking up to see if you’re asleep or not,” Gorou says, giving you a small smile.

You hum softly and close your eyes. “Well, I was asleep, but I am going back to sleep now. All of you should do the same thing,” you sigh.

“Can we sleep in here with you tonight?” Thoma asks, stepping into your room with a nervous smile on his face.

You slowly open your eyes and blink at Thoma owlishly. “All of you?” You ask.

The men nod their heads at your question.

“How are you guys going to sleep in my room? I don’t think I have space for twenty extra people,” You said softly.

Tighnari waves your comment off. “That’s okay. We’ll bring our blankets and pillows over and will sleep on the floor.” The men nod their heads at Tighnari’s reply.

“But I don’t want either of you to sleep on the ground. It’s uncomfortable.” You frown.

Childe smiles at you and leans on the door frame. “It’s okay! As long as we’re in the same room as you with our pillows and blankets, we don’t mind sleeping on the ground.”

You sigh in defeat and nod your head. “Alright, alright. You guys can sleep in the same room as me for tonight.”

The men cheer and quickly rush out of your bedroom to grab their pillows and blankets. You shake your head with a small smile and snuggle up against the body pillow. One by one, the men start to pile into your bedroom with their pillows and blankets. They all lay around you on the floor, all facing your direction. You were tempted to ask them why they suddenly wanted to sleep in the same room as you, but you decided not to ask after seeing how they were looking at you. You smile at each of them and close your eyes.

“Goodnight,” You said softly, letting out a small yawn before slowly drifting off to sleep.

“Goodnight, [Y/N].” The men whisper.

Before you fall asleep, you hear quiet shuffling in your bedroom. You feel something press against your forehead; you crack one eye open and see the men hovering above you, pressing goodnight kisses on your face before going back to where they laid their pillows and blankets out on the ground.

Once everyone has fallen asleep, Diluc slowly gets up from his spot and gets into your bed, nudging you to the side lightly. You move over to make space for Diluc and let him lay in your bed, his chest pressing up against your back, and he wraps his arms around your waist. Diluc tightens his grip around your waist and presses a small kiss on the back of your neck, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of your shampoo and conditioner. As long as you’re safe and sound, Diluc doesn’t care if he wakes up to twenty-plus other men who are peeved off by him sneaking into your bed while they are unconscious.

Note: Listen, I was thinking about making this an all angst fanfic, but I can't mentally or emotionally deal with angst right now 💀 The Abyss "request" wasn't a request, but I decided to make it into a request because I had ideas for it that are too long. So might as well turn it into a request. I do have some ideas for an angst fanfic, but the person requested it on AO3, and I'm debating on whether I should fulfill it or not ._. Either way, I hope you all like this fanfic! :'> It's almost 2:30 AM for me, and I need to go to bed soon! 💀 Anyway, to my new or returning readers, I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Taglist for "Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader" and my overall taglist: @xxkatsusjinsux, @huboi, @crazyrichdaughter, @sucker-for-angst-and-fluff, @patata52, @honeybedo, @thedivinepriestress, @pencil-of-ashes, @samarill, @bakuhve, @yukima, @chaosinanutshell, @emperatris-rinaka, @neilify, @ksjjkthpjm, @jaisithebird, @mouchie, @emerald-smile, @jixlem, @the-blob-fish, @jiminscarmex, @bananazzzen, @thelost-in-time, @kryloxen, @ayolk, @tomansimp, @lordbugs, @c-camellias, @chihawari, @lilliansstuff, @zhongloml, @sweethcnvy, @wolf-chan2134, @simp4-fictional-men, @dai-tsukki-desu, @trash-queen-af, @tamayakii, @stellaris999, @hispasian-otaku, @stygianoir, @crispynutduck (if you have not been tagged, it's because you have your settings turned off for people to tag you in posts)

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makos-hotbox · 1 year

Note

I need the classic "freezing on a mission so we have to warm up by cuddling" with ghost or könig and fem reader honestly I can't pick when it comes to these to so you get to 💀

Maybe reader falls into a lake by accident so she's extra cold, but it is snowing so that doesn't help on bit.

Bonus if she gets sick and now they have to take care of her <3

LARGE FONT VER. (coming soon)

… 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐄

`⌁ ◜ 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫… 𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞! ◞

Quick and smooth.

That’s how all missions with König were. The two of you had always been the perfect duo for in and out situations. König’s sniping skills were remarkable. Paired with your quick feet and close combat skills? Where there was one, the other was close by. König would stay back and shoot down any straggling enemies while you speed through the compound in search of your target with your K9 in the lead.

Just like you are now. Cold winter air biting at your skin and freezing your lungs. You thanked yourself for deciding to wear the spiked boots this time. The layer of ice on top of the concrete you were running on would have definitely screwed you over if you wore your normal shoes.

“All targets down back here. I’ll start following you.” König’s hushed voice came over the earpiece. You didn’t answer, but none was needed. König knew where you were, and he wouldn’t want you talking and bringing attention on accident. Your job was to be stealthful, get in and out in one piece.

The snow that had made it way into your uniform had melted, leaving you a bit damp under all those layers that were meant to keep said snow out. It was already enough to make you feel gross and uncomfortable, giving you all the more reason to hurry up with this execution. Turning a corner, you finally caught eyes on your target.

He was alone, unaware that all his men had already been taken care of. He thinks he’s safe. Reading up on his history and file made you sick. No man like him should feel safe knowing he’s murdered tons of innocents. With a loud whistle, you sent your dog to go ahead and grab him.

Over the screams and begs for mercy, there was finally an opening for you to sink your knife into his flesh. Bringing an end to the dangers that he caused. Finally. Shadow waited patiently with a wagging tail as you slowly got up from the cold ground. “Gruselig.” Startled, you quickly turned around to see König standing not to far away. He laughed at your reaction, seeing you as a tiny kitten now. No longer a vicious wolf who just executed their target.

“Fuck… don’t sneak up on me like that!” You whacked his arm, which only made him laugh more. “Whatever. Anyways, our targets down. Mission accomplished. Now let’s leave because I am freezing.” König heard your teeth begin to chatter and shook his head. He wrapped his arm around your shoulder to hold you closer to him, as you both walked back to the truck.

Shadow followed as you all left the snow covered compound. Eventually going into the forest, piles of snow everywhere you could see. It looked like every winter wonderland scene in the movies; gorgeous.

Spotting the truck tucked between some trees, you pulled away from König with a sudden burst of energy. “Race you!” And before he could respond, you sprinted through the remainder of the forest. All that was between you and the vehicle was a field of snow.

Hearing König’s loud stomping through the snow as he caught up to you, a scream of excitement left your lips. A large grin on your face as you enjoyed your time with your boyfriend. Still managing to keep your lead, you sped up enough to leave a big gap between you and König.

However, your lead didn’t last long. König was barely leaving the forest just as you finished crossing halfway through the open field of snow. And after one particularly heavy step, a loud crack was heard. Not a moment passed before the ice under your boot broke and sent you plunging into the cold water. A shock immediately hit your spine from the sudden temperature change.

The water felt like needles against your skin as you panicked, trying to swim back up and get out. Reaching a hand out to the surface, you felt something firmly take hold of it. You were immediately yanked out of the water, König being your savior. He held you steady as you tried to regain your composure.

“Holy shit!— Y/n are you okay?” König worried, watching as your body began to shiver even more. You nodded your head, too cold to even speak. “Let’s get to the truck, no more running. We need to be careful.” Instead of letting you walk though, König picked you up in his arms and began carrying your shivering body to the vehicle. Shadow was still a happy dog during all of this. A bit messed up considering his handler just fell under the ice of a surprise lake.

You had no complaints though, all of the shivering was causing your muscles to ache. Once König got to the truck, he placed you in the passenger seat and quickly moved to the driver's side. Turning the heater on, he quickly drove away from the area of your recent mission back to the base so you could change.

»»»

After arriving at the base, König ignored the greeting from Soap. Too busy helping you back out into the cold weather. The snowy wind already making your teeth chatter again. “Woah! What the hell happened to you c/n?” Soap tried to stifle his laughter with no sucess.

“K… kiss m-my ass-ss So…Soap.” You grumbled, shivering jaw making the comment much less threatening. Before Soap could bother you anymore, Ghost shooed him away. Also waving off you and König, urging for you to get inside and take care of yourself.

Grabbing your hand, König led you inside and through the halls of the base. Your legs ached from the uncomfortable feeling of your cold gear pressed against your skin. The feeling in your fingertips had gone away long ago and you were aching to have it back. König still hasn’t said much, just quiet whispers of encouragement here and there.

Finally, the two of you reached your room. As soon as the door was shut, you began to discard your uniform. Yanking off the wet fabric while König searched for some warmer clothes for you. “Get in the shower Maus, I’ll bring your clothes. You get warm.”

He didn’t have to tell you twice. Quickly, you ran into your bathroom and turned on a hot shower. Relief flooded your body feeling your muscles relax and warmth make its way to your fingertips. For a few minutes, you just stood there and allowed for the warm water to just wash over you.

There was a quick knock at the door before it was opened, König’s voice reaching your ears from the other side of the shower curtain. “Your clean clothes are sitting on the counter. Do you need anything else, Liebling?” He asked.

“No, I think I’ll be okay. Thank you König.” You replied, washing the soap out of your hair. König left the bathroom, going back into your room to take care of the dirty uniform.

Getting out of the shower, you quickly threw on your warmer outfit and walked into your room. König had set up your portable heater and some extra blankets on the bed. The man himself was busy looking for a movie on your laptop for the two of you to watch. He had taken off his veil, and also changed his clothes. “Feeling better, Maus?”

You nodded your head with a small smile on your face. Joining him on your bed, the two of you shifted so you could lay comfortably with each other. “Much better. Thank you so much for helping me out of there König… I don’t know what could’ve happened if you weren’t there. I almost couldn’t find anything to grab onto.” A shiver went down your spine at the memory of being in that dark, freezing cold water.

“It’s okay, Maus. Remember, as long as we’re together, I’m never letting a damn thing happen to you. Not a splinter, not a drop of blood.” König said reassuringly, squeezing you closer to him. His free hand played with your hair while the other continued to search for a movie.

The remainder of the night was spent with the two of you curled up in a cuddle pile. Movies playing back to back until the two of you fell asleep. König wanted to stay and also make sure you would be okay after experiencing all of that cold weather. Your body never shivered again, König prevented that with his insane body heat.

Sweet kisses and romantic gestures were shared, while also being interrupted by your jealous K9 who seemed to only ever care about you when you were being loved. It was perfect. And only perfect because this was normal. It wasn’t a special thing for you two to be lovey dovey all night. Daily, endless words of love were shared. And it was your favorite thing in the relationship.

»»»

The next morning, you opened your eyes to see your bedside clock. 9:00 A.M. you slept in longer than usual, and the scratchy feeling in your throat explained why. Bursting into a fit of mini coughs and sniffles as your nose begins to run. Shit.

König ran out of the bathroom, a concerned look on his face. “Oh Gott. Maus, you’re sick.” a loud groan left your lips, sending more discomfort to your throat. “I’ll be back. You stay here. I’m going to go get medicine. Don’t move!” He quickly left the room, not giving you any chance to speak up and tune him down.

He was going to take care of you whether you liked it or not.

REQUESTS:: OPEN

» 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞 … 𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧

#mw2 #mw2 x reader #call of duty #cod #call of duty x reader #cod könig #könig #könig x reader #könig mw2 #cod mw2 x reader #modern warfare x reader #könig cod #cod x reader #könig x y/n #könig x you

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m1d-45 · 18 days

Note

-Pari Anon

Pari!Reader gets sad when their leaf mask gets torn. Whether they were playing too rough or Wei (the cat in the inn lobby) tore it, they lost their mask. They have those sad anime eyes (the cutely exaggerated ones). They want to fix it, but no one else knew about that leaf mask.

They stay gloomy for the rest of the day until Xiao comes back.

The next day, they see a little replica of Xiao’s mask made from wood. It was sitting near their nest. When they tried it in, it was light but sturdy. Who could have gotten it for them? How was it so detailed? Who could have known? Oh well. Time to play, little Pari thinks.

Xiao didn’t have the heart to just leave them after he heard them crying when the leaf mask was ripped. He might have put a charm on this one so it wouldn’t break as easily.

[ previous post ]

xiao was better than this. the last yaksha, conqueror of demons, the bane of all evil himself.. searching the plains of liyue well into the night for a suitable piece of wood to carve. it wasn’t for an offering, it wouldn’t be turned into an incense bowl or statue, it was neither for a critical repair or somehow enchanted to be a danger. no, this wood would be used for a far more frivolous purpose: you.

you, who he’d been watching from the roof as you played on the balcony below. you with your mock spear and wei with his paws, uselessly batting at each other in a play fight. he thought it was ridiculous, really—your thin wings would surely bleed beneath any monster’s claws, better you learn to run away from danger—but had watched. it was harmless fun. you ducked behind the potted bonsai for protection, racing around the trunk and likely making the poor cat dizzy, when a harsh rip echoed into the night. you stopped, looking behind you as the two halves of your ‘mask’ fluttered to the floor, torn by one of the branches of the tree. his only thought was that you weren’t hurt, watching as wei tackled you off the pot and onto the floor, but you squirmed free quickly, floating over to the remains… sadly? wei followed, sniffing the leaves, but you didn’t seem interested in playing anymore. you sat by the leaves for far too long, not even moving when wei curled up beside you.

it was nothing. it was a leaf tied around your head with another’s stem, bound to rot and flake away anyway, but you were sulking the next day. he never thought he’d return to his makeshift room and have you not fly up to him with a cloud of chirps, and he quickly decided he didn’t like it. if you were sad you lost your mask, then he’d just have to get you a new one.

he kicked at the remains of a campfire, stomping out the remaining embers. an abandoned adventurer’s camp of some sort, the air free of any malicious warnings. besides the remains of the campfire were a few stray logs, likely spare firewood. he dug through the measly pile, pulling out a log. there was no rot, water damage, no sign of bugs or anything else that would ruin the wood. without another thought, he tucked it under his arm, turning and vanishing into the wind.

he had left when you were already asleep, so he could go straight to his room, but he made a stop first. yanxiao hardly jumped when he turned from the stove, though he did eye the log in his hands strangely.

“what can i get you?”

“i need to borrow a knife.”

“…” he laughed, propping his hands on the table in front of him, and xiao grit his teeth. an adepti, reduced to this… “what, did you lose your spear?”

“of course i didn’t,” he snapped, “but i’m not foolish enough to think i can use a spear to carve wood.”

yanxiao nodded in understanding, reaching into his pocket for a small flip knife. it was barely as long as one of his fingers, the handle a dark wood. “this should do, i think.” he threw the knife underhand, and xiao caught it with ease. the blade flicked out easily, sharp to the touch. “remember to cut away from you, yeah?”

his grip tightened on the knife, leaving without thanks.

safely in the shadow of his room, xiao finally relaxed. one by one, he removed his guards and charms, quietly setting them in their respective places. you were curled up in your bed as always, none the wiser as he stepped out onto the balcony. he sat facing the moon, setting his mask on the floor beside him. again drawing the small knife, he braced the wood in his lap and began to carve.

yanxiao was many things, but a fool he was not. he had heard from verr about your mask tearing yesterday, about how you sat quietly on xiao’s terrace for the rest of the day in a pout. you were a strange guest, certainly, but you were xiao’s. he kept very limited company, and those he lingered around felt his affections quietly.

when flowers had blown off their tables prior to the reception of an important guest, a mysterious bundle of qingxin had found it’s way onto the reception desk to replace them. when the eccentric xianyun had stopped by for a ‘surprise lunch,’ a small note in familiar writing on his table told him her tastes. when your small, flimsy mask tore in two… well, he couldn’t wait to find out.

he worked as usual, trading guesses with verr as he helped ferry plates back and forth. would he fetch you new leaves in perpetuity? fetch new ones from your home nation of sumeru? find a new toy to distract you? neither of them had ever met a pari before, didn’t know what you wanted or needed to thrive, but they entertained themselves with nonsense speculation nontheless.

xiao showing up in his kitchen without warning was nothing out of the ordinary. yanxiao had learned to pick out the shift in air pressure that signaled his arrival, wiping off his hands and putting the washed vegetables aside. the flat expression on his face was also routine, but the log he held most certainly wasn’t. handcarved offerings weren’t all too uncommon in liyue, especially from an adeptus, but he had a feeling it wasn’t for rex lapis or another adepti.

the next question, of course, was what he would carve. verr suggests a wooden mimic of the leaf mask and he can’t hide the way that makes him laugh, his smile wider than usual as he greets customers.

that night, if you stood just quietly enough beneath the upper balcony and the wind blew the right way, you would hear the quiet scrape of wood and metal. and the next morning, if you were anywhere near the inn, you would likely see a bright pari weaving through the levels, eager to show off their brand new mask carved by the hero of dihua marsh himself.

#m1d : [chats]#m1d : [secrets]#pari anon #WHATS UP CHATTERS #IVE HAD THIS ASK FOR 323 DAYS #FEELING GOOD (LIE)#either next up or the one after is the promised fatuiposting because. because. b. because-#pari anon pretty please dont hate me 🙏#im working on your other asks as we speak xoxo #i finally went through and logged all the asks in my inbox which ive been meaning to do forever #theres like 30+ of them but we ball we ball we ball we ball #feeling motivated n im going to try not to burn myself out again cause ngl? shit sucks #oh also happy 4/20 to those who celebrate

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monikafilefan · 4 months

Text

Jingle Bells and Jealousy 2

Through the years, we all will be together

If the fates allow

Scully is trying incredibly hard to enjoy herself tonight, humming along to Sinatra, doing her best to refrain from scanning the masses in hopes of seeing Mulder’s distinguished profile amongst the crowd. He’d said he wasn’t coming and she unfortunately believes him. Forced merriment hides her disappointment well. Smiling politely behind her wine glass at coworkers she barely knows, going out of her way to wish A.D. Kersh and his wife a Merry Christmas. She prays her cheery disposition shines a positive light upon, not only herself, but her partner as well. Wherever the hell he is, she thinks, frustrated with herself as much as she is with him.

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

She tunes out the music to contemplate whether her unintentional evasiveness with Mulder regarding her “date” is the catalyst they need after his concussed “I love you” line in Bermuda she can’t stop thinking about, or just intentionally deceptive on her part. The flame of possessiveness that flared within his eyes when he’d assumed she was dating had sparked intrigue in her own. The fact that she was initially referring to him as her date to Skinner had flown right over her brilliant partner’s head. Throwing accusations her way should have just pissed her off, but it’s been his heated reaction in the aftermath that’s left her oddly reassured in his jealousy. She’d left the bullpen feeling wanted in ways she only fantasizes about alone in bed at night as her fingers slip between her thighs.

Her heart races at that thought.

Not since her rebellious run-in with Jerse has she seen her partner similarly flustered, and she’d be lying if she said it doesn’t thrill her. With Diana Fowley’s unwelcome presence continuously prodding at Scully’s penchant for jealousy, she’d selfishly allowed Mulder’s imaginative mind to run wild with the ridiculous idea that she has somehow found the will to date someone who isn’t him.

Scully bites her lip as guilt churns up waves of nausea in her gut.

“Merry Christmas, Agent Scully,” Agent Fields, whom she recognizes from the bullpen, interrupts her thoughts. The strong scent of bourbon on his breath makes her rock back on her heels. She supposes he’s been drinking from the punch bowl she’d spotted Tom Colton spiking earlier. “Where’s Spooky?”

“Merry Christmas,” she sighs wearily into her wine glass and walks away.

She’s leaving, she decides, as she squeezes her way through the throng of swaying bodies and twinkling decor. She doesn’t really want to be here without Mulder by her side anyway. She’s turned down three drunken dance offers already and Kersh could care less if she’s here to play nice in hopes of getting off desk duty. The more time she spends at this party, the more she wishes she was lounging on Mulder’s couch, sharing cartons of bad Chinese, and watching A Christmas Story.

“Oh!” she squeaks in surprise, bumping into the stalwart chest of the man moving toward her. Her wine spills over the rim of her glass as they nearly knock one another from their feet. “I’m so sorry!”

“No, no!” he laments, holding her close as she finds her footing. “Agent Scully, it’s me who’s sorry. I saw you coming, but I couldn’t move. It’s like a mosh pit in here,” he laughs.

She chuckles in return. “Well, it seems we both got caught in the crowd.”

Holiday music continues to play far too loudly for those who aren’t three sheets to the wind as the man she now realizes is Special Agent Derek Jenkins from the fingerprint lab leans close to hear. He’s a new hire in the lab. A sweet, handsome man who has flirted shamelessly with her three times in the last week… and still, she remains unequivocally uninterested.

“Agent Jenkins, hello.”

“Call me Derek, please.” He steers her towards an empty corner, cupping her dripping wine glass with his palm. “Let me help you.”

“Oh, that’s not necess-” Before Scully protests further, the agent spins around and snags a Santa-shaped napkin from one of the mini round tables sprinkled about the reception hall, thrusting it her way. “I appreciate it.”

He waves a finger by her head. “You have a splash of wine in your hair there. By your eye.” Flustered, Scully swipes the napkin through her hair. “Missed it. I’ll get it.”

He reaches up to pinch the stray strand soaked with wine between his fingertips and tucks it behind her ear.

“Thanks, Agent Jen- Derek.” Hiding her embarrassment, she takes a step back, her shoulder knocking a bundle of mistletoe to the floor that was taped on the wall. She sighs, “I’m not usually this uncoordinated.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Derek grins brightly and picks up the plastic flower, twirling it around his finger. If she’d met him sooner, say six years and one Fox Mulder ago, she could have easily been swept off her feet by his charm. “Where’s Agent Mulder? I mean, uh, not to be abrupt, but you’re not with someone, are you?”

The hopeful gleam in his brown eyes makes her blush. The earnest, puppy dog look of them mimics Mulder when he awaits her opinion on whether or not a case is an X-File.

“I…” Scully finds she has no idea how to answer that layered question without a hint of honesty, and Christmas seems like a terrible time to lie.

Is she with someone? Her mind rewinds to moments of commitment she’d made in the past: shaking her new partner’s hand, risking her life multiple times to keep him that way, then telling him she wouldn’t change a day.

“I suppose I am,” she finally says.

Scully expects her face to flush at the admission. Expects the entirety of the FBI to turn and point at Mrs. Spooky as they collect their bets. Instead, she’s oddly at peace with her confession to someone she hardly knows.

Derek nods in understanding, as if he’d already known the answer, giving her arms a gentle squeeze. “So for clarity’s sake, you’re not interested in pursuing a relationship with… let’s say, someone like me. Not when you’re already in one.”

Scully licks her lips, her breath catching.

She could deny the unyielding hold Mulder has held on her heart since March of ‘93. They’ve never even kissed, for God’s sake. But after years of living and breathing for only each other, she can’t. She won’t.

So she smiles instead, “I suppose not.”

“Your partner, then?” Derek mumbles to himself when instant awareness pulls his pout into a smirk.

Her silence is all the confirmation they need as she and Derek share a good-natured chuckle. This unexpected run-in has somehow left her more content in her feelings than she has in a while. Despite Scully’s unease of Diana’s position in Mulder’s past, personally and professionally, she can no longer repress the way her best friend completes her.

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock

Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time

Another song reverberates through the loudspeaker nearby. The upbeat tempo matches the buoyant shift in Scully’s mood. She barely registers that Derek’s arms are still bracketing hers, or the swift way he leans down to speak closer.

“I suppose I already knew that, but thank you for being honest with me. And with yourself too, it seems,” Derek says knowingly in her ear before pressing the mistletoe into her hand. “Merry Christmas, Agent Scully.”

At that moment, someone in the crowd loses their balance and bumps into Scully from behind, jolting her forward. Derek’s lips accidently graze the corner of her mouth, and remarkably, they both ignore the mishap as if it never happened. Being bounced around like holiday pin balls seems like a regular occurrence tonight.

“Merry Christmas to you, too,” Scully replies and turns around just in time to see a flash of familiar green eyes narrowing in on hers.

What a bright time, it's the right time

To rock the night away

“Mulder?” Scully blinks and he’s gone, vanishing within the horde of ugly Christmas sweaters.

Scully’s heart hammers harder with every step she takes toward the opposite side of the room.

Mix and a-mingle in the jingling feet

That's the jingle bell

“Mulder!” she hollers, stretching on tip-toe to see where he’s gone. But it’s worthless. The music is too damn loud and the people too damn tall to make a difference.

That's the jingle bell

As she weaves her way through the maze of tinsel and blow-up reindeer decor, she spots Skinner wiping frosting from his candy cane tie at the dessert table. No wonder she’d never seen Mulder all the way back here. She’s trembling, rubbing her arms with worry by the time she reaches the A.D.. Panic at the realization of what Mulder must have seen and misinterpreted practically radiates through the fuzz of her green sweater.

That's the jingle bell

“Agent Scully, glad to see you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Sir, have you seen Mulder?” she blurts.

Skinner frowns down at an ink-stained paper plate he’s holding with black horns drawn atop Santa’s head. “He left already?”

Her eyes slip shut.

That's the jingle bell rooock

***

Scully shivers as she walks down the snow-dusted sidewalk. Her heels clack purposefully along the pavement, her heart beating in time with her vapored puffs of breath. She’s winded by the time she spots Mulder’s car idling at the curbside. The buttery light from the streetlamp above slices through the thick snowflakes pouring from the sky and illuminating his downcasted profile.

Scully knocks on the window.

Mulder startles, turning his forlorn stare onto hers peering in from the passenger side. He mouths her name in confusion and leans across the car to push open the door for her.

“Hey,” he says, surprised, as she climbs in and shuts the door. “Scully, you’re freezing. Where’s your coat?”

She shrugs and flexes her cold fingers in front of the blast of heat coming through the vents. “Inside where I left it.”

He’s silent for a moment. They both are, as a somber tone falls around them like the snow outside. Mulder frowns and reaches over to gently cradle her icy hands between his. They’re big and warm, and God, she practically melts the moment his plush lips drag across her fingertips.

“You came,” she whispers.

Her voice catches the moment she notices through the dimness how impressively handsome he is tonight. His black tux is taut in all the right places, hugging his strong shoulders and toned thighs perfectly.

He rubs the hot huffs of his breath into her knuckles as his honey-green eyes silently study her. “Where you go, I go, right?”

Her stomach twists tourniquet tight.

This guilt and aggravation is making her nauseous. After Antarctica, Scully knows exactly how true his statement is. She also knows she has every right to date whoever she wants and kiss whomever she pleases. But that’s not what she’s been doing, and as much as she has considered that option previously out of self-preservation, she’s never actually done either of those things for a reason. Even during the darkest days of their partnership, she has never yearned for anyone but him.

Scully laces her fingers through his. “I know.”

“Scully…”

“Shh.” She cuts him off with a bold nuzzle of her chin against their tangled hands, her free one reaching up to straighten his crooked bowtie. “You’re so handsome.”

He chuckles darkly. “Seems as though the Christmas casual memo never made it to my inbox.”

“You wouldn’t have read it anyway,” she teases.

“Ah, you know me well.”

They both smirk, their faces only inches apart, their thumbs gliding easily across one another’s. It seems two glasses of wine have softened her edges and weakened her resolve to keep her hands to herself. Wind whistling as it blows over the hood of the car breaks their locked gaze. The snow is falling faster now, layering the Taurus’s windshield in a pillowy white blanket.

Mulder squeezes her hand.

“I’m sorry, Scully.” His voice breaks. She closes her eyes and squeezes right back. “I’m sorry about a lot of things. But about what I said earlier, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to point fingers — pencils, actually,” he chuffs.

“Mulder.” Her tone conveys how much she finds his apology unnecessary in light of her own envious reactions in recent months. “I know that, too.”

“Being honest, all I want is for you to be happy. No matter who you’re with. But I thought after what happened my hallway it would’ve… Well, I was caught off guard by the thought of you dating,” he mutters with a shrug. “That’s my problem, though. Not yours, Scully.”

“I think I know what you saw in there that upset you, Mulder, but I can assure you it’s not what you’ve assumed.” Her tongue sweeps across her lip. “There was no date. There was no kiss.”

“You- there wasn’t?”

She looks him square in the eyes, because there is no one else.

“No, Mulder. I ran into Agent Jenkins — literally, and we talked. And I have to confess that I realized when you questioned me in the bullpen, I liked that you were territorial of me. It made me feel… vindicated.”

“Because of Diana.” It’s not a question but a statement born of recognition.

Scully nods, her face flushing. “But I only ever wanted to spend tonight with you.”

“Maybe Skinner was right. I do need to pull my head outta my ass,” he mumbles. Her brow arches at that. “I just thought I saw you and Jenkins…”

“But you didn’t.”

“Not really my business, though.” His curious eyes search hers. “Is it?”

She leans forward to rest her cheek against the edge of his headrest. He senses her tactile need and palms her jaw with the hand not clutched within her own. She turns into him as she contemplates her response, cascading her mouth across his thumb. It feels so good, but it’s not only his touch that has her pulse fluttering like a hummingbird, it’s all of him. It’s always been him.

“What if I want it to be?”

“That depends… is that you or the wine talking?”

She scoffs, “ Mulder -”

“How do you feel about me, Scully?” His pout twitches as he stares at her. Into her, with such unfiltered affection Scully’s heart can barely endure it all. “Because I know exactly how I feel about you. You’re my favorite person. My best friend, my one and five billion. And, I love you.”

Tears sting her eyes and her stomach swoops to her knees. She’s warm, flushed, as if her partner is the sun and he has finally shone his rays upon her upturned face.

“God, Mulder.”

“ Head injury aside, I meant what I said in Bermuda.” His forehead touches hers. “I fell in love with you, Scully.”

“W-when?” Her chest is suddenly so tight she can barely breathe. “When did you…”

“Uh, I don’t… I’m not really sure. I just know I did.”

She nods against him, because nodding is all she can do as her heart races and eyes blur. Because she’d wanted to believe his endearing words in Bermuda badly, but she was too afraid to risk it all on her misguided hope. Because as intense and frustrating as their inseparability is sometimes, their connection defies the laws of nature: the sky is blue, the sun is bright, and Scully endlessly loves Mulder.

“Scully?”

“I-” Her lashes flutter away tears. God, she’s dizzy, knowing what she’s about to do next. “I think I’ve always been in love with you, Mulder.”

He inhales sharply, maybe a little surprised by her candor. But then his hand is cradling the back of her arched neck and pulling her into a tight hug, his other arm wrapping around to caress the small of her back. “Scully.”

“You’re the only one, Mulder,” she whispers fiercely as she hugs him back, her cold nose pressed into the warmth of his neck. “You’re my one and five billion, too.”

“Never thought I’d hear you say that outside of my dreams,” he whispers into her hair and rocks her back and forth along the seats, quivering in her grip as they cling to each other.

Scully presses a lingering kiss to the humming pulse point in his neck. She can feel his rushing adrenaline thundering under her lips. She smiles, her own heart racing, a little lightheaded after uttering secrets of her heart aloud. But relief of her confession rises like bubbles beneath her skin because she has said it to Mulder: the man she trusts and loves more than anyone.

Mulder pulls back and looks at her. She knows her eyes are wide and wet, her cheeks pink as she tips her chin upward, aching for him to kiss her. “I have mistletoe,” he says wryly.

Scully laughs and reaches into her pocket, pulling out the one she’d knocked from the Bureau’s wall. “Me too.”

He grins, nodding to his own red and green flower shoved in the car’s ashtray. “You think we need them?”

The husk in his voice vibrating against her jaw pulls a deep moan from her mouth. “Mulder, please. ”

He moans back while peppering soft, tender kisses across her jawline, up her cheek, and to the corner of her parted lips. She clutches his tux in her fists and gives it an impatient tug as his mouth finally melds with hers. Their kissing is gentle, insistent, and the way their tongues glide against one another sends tingles straight down her spine.

“Come with me tomorrow,” she mumbles in his mouth. Her eagerness may surprise him, but she wholeheartedly means it. She can’t and won’t hide the thinly veiled tone of desperation. She is desperate for him, after all. “Come to my mother’s.”

“Tomorrow’s Christmas, Scully.”

“I know.” Her hand dips beneath the jacket of his tux to splay her hand over his racing heart. “Christmas won’t mean anything without you, Mulder.”

His chin trembles. “Where you go, I go.”

Scully nearly sobs in relief. She dips her chin to hide her swollen-lipped smirk within the lapel of his tux.

“What're you thinking?” She feels the heat of his breath tickling her skin, his rumbling voice seeping deep into her bones.

Scully thinks that their partnership is not a mundane pairing. That it’s an intricately weaved relationship, a mass of fine-tuned threads tying them together. But she knows she cannot imagine a life without him in it.

“I think…” she lingers with her words, staring at their discarded mistletoe meant for only each other. “I think you should kiss me again, Mulder.”

“Again and again,” he promises before his mouth passionately possesses hers, their bodies tangling like twine.

“More,” she husks, and Mulder’s long leg bumps the radio’s dial, blasting “Jingle Bell Rock” through the speakers.

“And to think I thought I hated this song,” he quips with a nip to her bottom lip, kissing her again and again, just like he’d promised, until the fog on the windows is as thick as the love between them.

That’s the jingle bell rooock

#msr fanfic #chapter 2/2 #scully’s pov #angst #romance #christmas

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jessicaloons · 7 months

Text

Chapter 14:

And it’s coming over you like it’s all a big mistake…

Masterlist - Previous - Next

"That is narrow…" I said as I stopped my bike and looked around.

"Yeah, it’s really tight at some corners, but you’ll be fine!" Charles said and smiled at me encouragingly.

"But the track looks fun…" I began to cycle again, Charles next to me.

"It is! You’ll see! Now come one, the loser will pay for dinner!" he said and took off.

"That was unfair!" I yelled and he just laughed.

"The race leader decides the re-start… so hurry up!" he yelled back and I tried my best to catch up to him.

"That was pretty close, ma belle!" Charles laughed as I stopped next to him, almost out of breath "But I won anyways."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" I mumbled and we left the track, both joining our hospitalities.

I gulped down some water and sat down next to Dad who looked up from his iPad, a little frown visible.

"What’s up?" I asked and he pursed his lips before he handed me the iPad. It was a Twitter feed. People were still discussing why Checo wasn’t able to fight me off.

"I don’t like what they’re implying… how they call you names…" Dad said and I looked at him, he was really tense "You didn’t go through hell and back again for a bunch of idiots to treat you like that!"

"I mean, we knew that this could happen, we saw the backlash throughout the last months since Audi announced me as their driver…" I began but he shook his head.

"Yeah, but by now? They saw how you raced last weekend! They saw how good you are! Podium in your first race!" he was getting mad.

"I know Pops, but we can’t change that… unfortunately. I’ll ignore it and you should too. That’s the only thing we can do." I sighed.

"But it shouldn’t be the only thing we can do… we should do more to protect you! And not just you! Everyone who is the target of these internet elf’s!" Dad said and I started laughing "That’s not funny! I’m serious!"

"And I totally believe you, but they’re called internet trolls… not elf’s…" I laughed and he grinned at me, before gently smacking my arm.

"Stop laughing at me!" he chuckled and snapped his iPad out of my hands, as he did the mail app opened up and I saw a mail from Michael Schüler.

"Why did Michael send you an email?" I asked and Dad looked confused for a second before he swallowed hard "Dad? Why is he writing to you?"

"He umm-… he wanted to check in on you…" he said meekly and looked apologetic "I didn’t answer him or anything!"

"What does he want?" Dad just sighed and shook his head "Michael isn’t the type of guy to just check in on someone!"

"He asked who’s your manager…" he whispered almost.

"Of course… now that I made it to F1 he would love to take me back, right? Unbelievable! After he kicked me out? 3 months after I was almost dying? Because he couldn’t afford to manage someone who wasn’t driving?!" I was furious and Dad took my hand.

"Lizzie, I’m not replying! I don’t care what he thinks he could offer you… he’s out! And with Rita I think we’re good! She takes care of everything that has to be taken care of but stays in the back."

"Yeah, she’s great! And I don’t want anyone else ever again!" I said, thinking of Rita who managed me since the beginning of the season, taking care of everything but staying as far away from everything public as possible "She just looks out for me and not for her own benefits. She’s great!"

"She really is! And we keep it that way, no slimy manager from the past will destroy that!" Dad smiled at me and I nodded "And now go to Julie, she was looking for you!"

"Aye, aye Captain!" I said and mockingly saluted at him, before I left, looking for Julie.

P11. After a penalty and a 3 place grid drop. I shook my head as I walked out of the hearing with the FIA next to Felix and Pete.

"That’s ridiculous and they know it…" Felix said and Pete nodded.

"The data showed clearly that he didn’t slow down like he said he had to, that you were out of his way fast enough… a bunch of idiots!" Pete agreed and I was glad we were speaking German, I didn’t want anyone from the FIA or Ferrari to hear us talking shit about them.

"He’s such a cry baby! He impedes his fellow drivers all the time… and you weren’t even impeding him!" Felix said and I laughed.

"We can’t change it now, I have to make up for it in the race tomorrow! Valtteri is in a good position to get us some nice points, maybe I can snatch 1 or 2 as well!" I said and we kept on walking. In front of us I saw how Carlos, Mattia and Laurent were laughing and having a good time, on my behalf. Nice.

I sat in the car. Unbuckling my seatbelts. That wasn’t the result I was hoping for. Yeah sure, another podium wasn’t on my mind. I knew that last weekend I had some luck with Checo who couldn’t catch up to me after I was overtaking him because of his engine, then the late safety car and my set of new softs, which Lewis didn’t have. But still. P9? It could’ve been a P7 at least, but I made a mistake and my tires locked up. I could only make up 2 positions in the end. And that’s nothing. I slowly got out of my car and saw how Charles was walking away from his team and looking around, because I walked behind Nico and Alex, Charles couldn’t see me and took off his helmet, grabbed the towel to dry his face up. I slowly made my way towards him, following the 2 guys in front of me. After they congratulated him he pulled me into him.

"Well done, Charlie." I said and he shook his head a little.

"I had no chance in the end." he sighed.

"It’s still a P2! And you didn’t make any mistakes… unlike someone else…" I said and he cocked an eyebrow "Doesn’t matter. Go celebrate! I’ll see you later…"

"Lizzie wait!" he said but I shook my head and walked up to Max and Carlos, congratulating them, before I left. After my weighing I walked into my garage, where the team welcomed me warmly. Felix pulled me into his arms.

"I know it’s not the result you wanted. But it’s still in the points, Lizzie! You’re doing amazing! Be proud of yourself!" he said and I only nodded, helmet still on.

I walked into the back, clapping shoulders left and right. Saying we would come back stronger in Australia. I reached my space and sat down. Taking my helmet off.

"You look like you DNFd although you’re in the points!" Dad said as he crouched down in front of me "You did a good job."

"I did a shit job! Dad, my mistake cost me 2 positions! 2! That was just so stupid! I could’ve been in P7…" I rambled and dried my face off and drank some water.

"I know, but it’s only your second race! It’s okay to make some mistakes!" he answered but I shook my head.

"Dad, I can’t afford making mistakes like this!” I mumbled and he gently patted my back "Every mistake I make is another reason for the media to shoot me down…"

"I know Lizzie! But you have to show them that you won’t let them drag you down! Show them how strong you are! Admit your mistake, but it was just that, a simple mistake that can happen, next time you’ll make it better. Period." Dad said and he smiled at me.

"Yeah… maybe you’re right… ok, ok! You are right!" I chuckled a little and he got back up.

"Come on now, Julie is waiting for you, you have some interviews to attend!" he pulled me up on my feet and pushed me into Julie’s direction.

"Hi Lizzie, second race and a P8. Little lock up of your tires towards the end. Talk us through." Natalie Pinkham from Sky UK was the first on my list for tonight and I shrugged my shoulders a little.

"Yeah, it wasn’t the best weekend. The track didn’t suit our car the best I think. I was struggling slightly on Friday, yesterday was better but then the penalty came in… the race was okay, I managed to make up a few positions but then I made a stupid mistake that made me lose P7. I finished ninth so yeah. It’s 2 points but it could’ve been a bit more if I didn’t lock up…" I answered and she smiled at me.

"That lock up looked like you were avoiding making contact with Pierre and Lando?" she asked and I nodded.

"I wanted to overtake Esteban in front of me, but he defended quiet good and the track is pretty narrow, so when I went in for the overtake he closed the door pretty sharply and I tried it on the outside but Pierre and Lando were already next to me and I knew if I’m not braking I’m straight into Lando who would probably touch Pierre in the process so I braked and then locked up… I was too harsh on the brake." I concluded and she smiled at me sympathetically.

"But all in all it was a good performance! From P11 to P8, you gained 3 positions on a track that isn’t the easiest and also new to you?" she said and I looked at her confused.

"I finished in P9?" I asked.

"Yes you did, but Lando got a 5 second penalty, so you’re in P8 now." Natalie said and I nodded.

"Oh okay, yeah well, I only gained 2 positions because of my driving, the one because of Lando’s penalty doesn’t count for me." I answered and she frowned a little.

"You’re very hard on yourself, aren’t you?" she said, smiling sympathetically and I shook my head.

"No, I’m just very aware of my driving… Today wasn’t my best race, I know I can do better than that and I hope in Australia I can showcase that…" I replied and she smiled.

"I’m sure you will, thank you Lizzie!" Natalie waved me off and I walked to the next interview.

Most of them were all the same, talking about the penalty, how I managed to overtake some cars and lastly how I made my mistake. I answered over and over the same things, again and again.

"One last interview with ESPN Spain and then we’re good." Julie said and I followed her, stopping in front of the Spanish tv crew. I immediately recognised the reporter, he was sitting next to Salva Diaz in Bahrain.

"Hola Lizzie, tough weekend for you! First the penalty for impeding Carlos and then today your lock up. Compared to last weekend it’s a little set back, isn’t it?" the reporter asked and I took a deep breath.

"It wasn’t as good as last week, that’s for sure. The penalty was unfortunate, starting from P11 instead of P8 wasn’t optimal, but I managed to gain some positions, but then I made a mistake and that’s it." I answered and he nodded.

"Last weekend looked easier, compared to this weekend? What changed?" he asked.

"The track didn’t suit our car that well. I had some problems with the track. That’s it." I replied.

"It had nothing to do with the drivers and their cars you had to overtake this weekend?" he asked then and I was taken aback for a moment.

"What do you mean?" I looked at him confused.

"Checo with a damaged car was no problem apparently…" he began.

"But Lewis was and I managed to do that, today as well, I might add, I also overtook Pierre and Lando today. It was my own mistake that made me lose positions. Thank you. Bye." I had enough. Julie nodded and we left the slightly mad looking Spaniard behind.

"Sorry, but that was annoying! I’m sick of people telling me that last weekend was not my own doing in some way…" I sighed and Julie just gently rubbed my arm.

"It’s okay, he was an asshole! Let’s get back, have our team meeting and then go back to the hotel!" she smiled at me and we walked back into our garage.

As the door opened and Charles walked in I jumped off the bed and walked to him, hugging him.

"I’m sorry!" I whispered but Charles only chuckled.

"For what?" he asked.

"For walking away, for not attending the podium celebrations…" I sighed.

"That’s nothing you have to apologise for? I know the feeling all too well… after a race that wasn’t that good you just want to be alone for a bit… it’s fine, ma belle!" Charles pushed me a little off of him to look at me "Don’t worry, okay?"

"Okay…" I whispered and walked back to the bed, plopping down.

"I’ll take a shower, I'll be back in a couple of minutes." Charles mumbled and I nodded, switching on the tv.

"Alright, what are we watching?" Charles jumped on the bed, sitting next to me, back against the headboard.

"I don’t know, maybe a movie, I’m not in the mood to party, sorry. But I’m sure you’ll have a good time without me!" I said, zapping through the channels.

"Nope, I’m good. I don’t want to party, staying in sounds perfect. But I’m really hungry…" Charles answered and I looked at him.

"You sure? I don’t want to ruin your evening, just because I’m in a bad mood after messing up my race with a stupid mistake…" I said and Charles groaned a little.

"Come on now! You’re way too hard on yourself! It’s only your second race! And you’re still in the points!" Charles said.

"But I don’t want to be still in the points! I want to be up there! Top 5 at least! Everything below isn’t good enough!" I mumbled and pulled the blanket over my head.

"Lizzie! You’re a freaking rookie! Stop that nonsense! You were good! Maybe not perfect, but you’ll get there! I know it! You made a mistake, now you can learn from it!" he tore the blanket away from my face and leaned over me "And can we now please order some food? I’m starving!"

"You know that you can go party with Max and Pierre?" I asked him but he shook his head "Just because of me you don’t have to stay in as well! You can go!"

"Nope, I’m exactly where I want to be… and now give me the menu!" Charles made grabby hands and I gave him the menu from the night stand.

"Thanks…" I whispered after a while and he pulled me close to his side.

"Always."

"It’s like a family vacation again!" Liam cheered and made himself comfortable in Charles lap "Can we go see Koalas? And Kangaroos? Oh and Wombats!"

"We’ll try to see every animal there is to see in Australia, Bubba!" Charles replied and Liam beamed up at him "It’s really sad that Marcus and Benji couldn’t join in…"

"Yeah, after Lisa had the flu last week, they’re now both sick as well." Mum sighed and I thought about Benjis heartbroken face when we FaceTimed yesterday.

"They’ll join us next time!" Dad said and I nodded, looking out of the window.

"Are you okay?" Charles whispered, when everyone was still asleep and I turned to him.

"I have a bad feeling…" I whispered and he waited for me to continue "I don’t know, it probably is nothing… it’s just. I don’t know! It feels like something is happening!"

"You’re just nervous! That’s okay! You’ll be great! Albert Park is a track that suits not just your car, also your driving style! And you know it! Just relax and let us enjoy some quiet days together, okay?" he said and I nodded, as the flight attendant stopped next to us.

"Excuse me, Sir, we will serve breakfast in the next few minutes." she said, a flirtatious smile on her lips.

"Thank you." he answered and gently stroked Liams back "Hey little man, you need to wake up." he whispered in German.

"Nope, tell Mami I want to sleep a little longer…" he yawned and snuggled deeper into Charles' chest. I had to giggle a little and Charles looked up at me, smiling. I gently tickled Liams side and he sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey Bubba!" I cooed at him and he yawned again, looking around, his look stayed on the flight attendant that still stood next to Charles, glancing at him. He slowly turned around, looking at me confusedly climbing out of Charles lap into mine.

"Who is that?" he asked me and I laughed.

"I think she has a crush on Charlie…" I whispered and although I wanted to make a light hearted joke, there was a tinge of jealousy in my voice and I hoped Charles didn’t hear it. He chuckled at my words and turned to the flight attendant.

"Is there anything else?" he smiled at her and she shook her head abruptly.

"No Sir! Sorry!" and with that she disappeared.

"She’s weird…" Liam whispered and I laughed as Sissy walked up to us "Mami the flight attendant has a crush on Charlie!"

"Oh really? Interesting…" she chuckled "Come on now, they serve breakfast and you need to sit down in your own seat, so Charlie can eat in peace!"

"Okaaaay…" Liam pouted but followed his mum anyway.

"So, are you telling me now, where our first stop will be and why we’re flying to Brisbane first, instead of Melbourne?" I asked Charles and he just shook his head.

"You just wait sunshine, you just wait…" he said and smiled his adorable smile.

"Can we open our eyes now?" Dad said next to me and I couldn’t wait for whatever surprise Charles had planned for us.

"Okay, 3,2,1… open your eyes!" Charles said and I opened them.

I slowly blinked a couple of times to get used to the bright daylight as Dad next to me chuckled.

We stood in front of the Australia Zoo.

"Oh my god…" I whispered and Dad looked at me "Dad! You know where we are, right?"

"I sure do!" he said and he looked at Charles, pulling him to his side "Amazing, Charles! What a great idea!"

"I know that you are huge fans of Steve Irwin and watched his shows all the time and now the new show with his kids. So yeah, welcome to Australia Zoo…" Charles said and a van parked next to us "Oh and look who’s here as well…"

The door opened and Mick got out followed by Seb, Hanna and the kids.

"Heeeey!" I said and hugged first Seb then Mick "What a pleasant surprise!"

Next I hugged Hanna and high fived Emilie, Matilda and Philipp. As everyone greeted each other we headed inside. I was more than excited and the kids almost freaked out when they saw that we were welcomed with a bunch of different animals for us to pet. I crouched down next to Liam and Matilda who both looked at a lizard with big eyes.

"It has a blue tongue! That looks funny!" Matilda said and Liam nodded.

"Yeah! Why is it blue?" he asked.

"It’s a blue-tongued skink, their tongues are just blue, there is no specific reason for that." the zookeeper explained.

"Looks like it licked one of those lollipops that colour your tongue…" Liam chuckled and the zookeeper nodded.

"Exactly!" she smiled at him "His name is Oscar, you can pet him if you want to!"

Liam made big eyes and looked at me.

"Can you do it first?" he whispered and I swallowed, I hadn’t planned to touch that skink but now I had to. I slowly stretched out my hand and petted the back of it and Liam smiled, then he followed my lead.

"Good job, Bubba!" Charles said as he was crouching down next to us.

"Now it’s your turn, Charlie!" Matilda said and Charles' eyes widened "Come on! Oscar is cute!"

"Yeah… he really is…" Charles looked at the reptile and with a not so steady hand he carefully petted Oscar, the blue-tongued skink.

"You’re really brave, Charlie!" I chuckled and he pinched my side. "What about petting a snake?"

"No. Definitely not." he said immediately and I laughed. Charles and snakes. That was a big no.

"We have some special guests with us, I can see!" a young male voice behind us said and we turned around. Robert Irwin and his mum Terri stood in front of us, both with a koala bear in their arms.

"Hi guys, I’m Terri, it’s so good to see you all!" Terri introduced herself and I was a little star struck. We slowly introduced ourselves one by one and Terri and Robert smiled at us.

"Who wants to cuddle with Leia, our little koala joey?" Robert asked and the kids all made big eyes "Come on, she’s the cutest little koala girl."

"And this is Maxy, he’s Leila’s older brother." Terri rubbed the koala boy between the ears and the bear snuggled into her arm. I was in awe as I walked up closer "You want to hold him, Lizzie? He’s a good boy."

"Yes please! Oh god! Look at this cute little fella!" I was over the moon when Terri gently laid the koala in my arms and he snuggled into me "I will never ever let go of him! Oh god! He’s adorable!" I scratched the little head of Maxy and he made a cute little sound.

"He likes you!" Terri smiled at me and as Maxy climbed up a little towards the eucalyptus I held in my right hand, he lifted my shirt with his leg, turning it into a crop top.

"Hey little one, please don’t undress me!" I chuckled.

We spent the whole day with Robert and Terri, they were showing us around the zoo, the animal clinic with hundreds of saved wild animals that they will return back to their natural habitat once they’re healthy enough. The crocodiles where we could watch Robert feed a huge one for us. It was an amazing day and when we were walking out, after saying goodbye to Terri and Robert the kids were chatting excitedly and Dad and I were deep in a conversation about the crocodiles.

"Charles?" he looked up from his phone "Today was… incredible! Thank you…"

"I’m just glad you had a good time." he smiled and I nodded.

"More than a good time… it was perfect!" I replied and he sat up, careful not to wake up Liam who fell asleep after we watched a movie together, earlier.

"You and Pops looked so happy today… the kids loved it too… and you and that koala? Adorable! It was an amazing day for all of us!" he said and I smiled.

"Yeah, it really was! A very long, but incredible day. Thank you so much!" I said with a little yawn.

"You’re very welcome and now sleep! We’ll go to the beach tomorrow and then in the evening we’ll fly to Melbourne!" Charles said and I scooted down, cuddling up next to Liam, Charles switched the light off and then did the same.

The Thursday in Melbourne started with the shooting of an episode of Grill the Grid, I was really excited for it. Watching it the last years was, apart from the races obviously, one of my favourite things about F1. Seeing the drivers out of their element was so much fun, even though some were clearly showing how big of a geek they are, Seb recalling all of the World Champions going back was more than impressive. I stood in front of a camera crew, next to me a chart, waiting for what I had to do, feeling giddy and ready to go.

"We’ve got a height chart for you and we’ve got magnets with all driver’s names and we’ll give you 2 minutes to put them in height order from tallest to shortest." Angelina explained and I nodded, taking the magnets from her "Ready for your first Grill the Grid?"

"Yup! Let’s go!" I answered determinedly and the crew laughed.

"Ok, your time starts now!" Angelina started the timer and I began to go through the magnets.

"Okay, easiest first, Yuki is the shortest, done. Who’s the tallest? Esteban, Alex, Nicholas and George are all pretty damn tall! I’ll put them together… okay then Max and Lance? They look the same? Yeah that’s fine… Charles is 1.80 that I know so I’ll put him here… Danny? He’s the same as Charles, no? Then Carlos, Pierre? They’re a little shorter than Danny and Charles? I think?" I talked more with myself and was trying my best to get through the grid mentally. I looked at the board and the magnets in my hand. "I think after Yuki I’m the shortest? I think Fernando is the same? Or is he maybe even slightly taller? Yeah let’s make him above me, don’t want to bruise his ego…" I chuckled and Angelina and the rest of the crew laughed.

"He’ll be delighted!" she said and I laughed.

"Who do I have left? Lewis? I think he’s also around Carlos and Pierre… yeah that looks about right… ok then I think Seb and Mick? They are the same I think? God! I was just spending some time with them! I should’ve paid more attention to their height! Yeah let’s put them under Lewis anyway… Kevin? How tall or short is Kevin?" I stood there and tried to remember a moment where Kevin stood next to someone else but my mind blanked.

"And that‘s time!" Angelina said and I was shocked.

"What?! Already? Nooo!" I put the last names on the board, in no real order.

"Alright. Let’s see!" Angelina began and looked at her clipboard "So Ocon is the tallest, then we have Albon and Latifi, both 1.86, then George… next we have Max then Lance. So far you were mostly right, technically you put Ocon higher than Albon and Russell and Latifi… so yeah we’ll give that to you. But Charles is taller than Danny Ric."

"Is he? By how much? A centimetre?" I laughed and she nodded.

"Yeah! Charles says he’s 1.80 and Danny 1.79… next up Carlos, then Pierre. Lewis is shorter than our next three drivers: with a height of 1.76 we have Vettel, Schumacher and Norris…" Angelina said and I laughed.

"Lando? 1.76? Did he wear platoon shoes when they were measuring him?" I said and they all laughed.

"That’s what he says…" she said.

"You should give that to the stewards!"

"We might!" Angelina chuckled and looked down on her clipboard again "Now we have Hamilton, together with Magnussen, then Checo and Bottas, there you were correct! And then our bottom three Alonso, you and Tsunoda…"

"I mean I aced that part for sure!" I laughed and Angelina nodded.

"That’s 14, no 15 points for you! Well done!" she said and they all clapped and cheered.

"Easy peasy, Lemon squeezie!" I laughed. When I left for the media pen I felt relaxed and was in a pretty good mood. If the rest of the weekend would go like this challenge, it would be amazing.

Charles POV:

As I walked past the Audi hospitality coming from the press conference, Lizzie walked out and spotted me, her face lit up and she sprinted up to me, hugging me tight and when she pulled away, she kissed my cheek.

"Hi to you, too!" I chuckled and she blushed a little "What was that for?"

"Felix told me… well showed me." she replied, her voice a little shaky.

"Felix told you what?" I was confused.

"The video!" she said and I realised what she meant "You and Seb! Oh well and Joris, of course! I know what your edits look like…"

"I mean, I told you that I would do everything to get you a seat… but funnily enough, Felix said they already chose you before the video, but they liked it, it showed them they made the right decision!" I laughed and she hugged me again.

"Thank you, Charlie! So, so much!" she whispered and kissed my cheek again, my skin tingling and heating up.

"You would’ve done the same…" I whispered back.

"Yeah and I would’ve edited the video myself!" she giggled into the crook of my neck, tickling my skin with her warm breath and I hugged her even closer, our bodies melting together.

After a while someone cleared their throat behind us and we pulled away.

"We want to leave…" Andrea said, grinning like a devil.

"Yeah, umm-I need my stuff…" I began and Andrea held up my backpack "Cool. Thanks Andrea!" I took it from him and looked at Lizzie "You ready?"

"Yup, let’s go…" she smiled at us and for the millionth time, it took me to another planet.

The free practices went by in a breeze, I felt good in the car, the best I felt for a long time. I was confident that this weekend could be even better than Bahrain, not to mention Jeddah…

I waited behind Max at the pit exit. Q3 was about to start and I felt how the adrenaline rushed through my veins.

"Alright Lizzie. You can push a little more in sector 2, data showed that the traction there was good and you could give a little more." Pete said.

"Whole sector 2?"

"Yes."

"How many warm-up laps?"

"Try 2."

"Copy."

The tires felt great, there wasn’t much traffic on the track and after my second out lap I breezed past the track. I almost yelled out in glee.

"S1, PURPLE! S2, PURPLE! S3, PURPLE! LIZZIE YOU’RE P1!" Pete shouted on the radio.

"No way?! Are you sure?!"

"Positive. Max is P2. Perez P3."

"Charles?"

"Starts his warm-up lap now. Box now."

"Copy."

As I drove into the pit lane I saw Charles breeze past me and I hoped he would have an amazing lap as well.

"We use the used softs from this morning, you drove only one lap on them."

"Alright. Where am I now?"

"P2. Charles P1. Max P3."

"Let’s go."

I drove out of the pits. One last warm-up lap.

"With you on track Charles, Max, Perez, Russell."

"Will I get into traffic?"

"Not if you make it through in one go."

"Copy."

Let’s go. One last lap to put my car in the front row.

Sector 1 felt fast, Sector 2 felt even faster, as I breached into Sector 3 the yellow flag was waved.

"FUCK! WHAT HAPPENED!" I was fuming.

"Alonso crashed." Pete said.

"Damn it. Is he okay?"

"He’s okay."

"Is it over?" I was hoping for a no, but then I saw the red flag.

"Yeah." Fuck.

"Charles on pole. And then?"

"Max P2. You P3. Perez P4."

"P3?" I was disappointed.

"You were amazing! You had purple in S1 and 2. Probably could’ve had purple in S3 as well."

"It’s okay." It wasn’t. It sucked. But I had 58 laps to catch up to Charles. But for now I had to accept the defeat. Head back to the hotel and get a good nights sleep to be on top of my game for the race.

"Lizzie! What a weekend! Almost your first pole! P2 today! And it’s only your third race!" Mark Webber had to almost yell his questions because of the noise and I smiled as I saw Dad with Liam on his shoulders standing at the fence hugging Charles.

"Unbelievable! After the quali yesterday I had a good feeling that we could have an amazing race and everything worked so well! The guys at the pit wall, the pit crew, it worked all out in the end!" I answered and my team cheered even louder.

"You almost overtook Max instantly at the race start but then it got a little heated with Max, Sergio, Lando and Lewis?" Mark asked.

"I don’t know what happened exactly but yeah it got a little bumpy and then I had a puncture somehow and had to pit, but again the team did an amazing job and I didn’t lose too many positions." I replied and he nodded.

"What happened with Carlos? It looked like you two had a tough battle? Before his race ended?" he looked at me and I shook my head.

"I will have to check the footage to fully understand what happened… we had a tough battle indeed and when I tried to overtake him back he locked up and lost the rear I think? I don’t know, I have to look into it. But yeah I tried to go through the field as fast as possible and now I’m here." I concluded and he patted my arm.

"And you deserve it! Enjoy your P2!" with that I was ushered directly into the cool down room, where George was already sitting.

"I think after today there is no one who could doubt that you belong here!" he said and watched at the screen that showed how I overtook first Lando and Lewis in one go and later himself "You did amazing!"

"Thanks, George! You too! Checo had no chance!" I smiled at him as Charles walked in.

"I could get used to this. You and I, in here, together!" he chuckled and I laughed.

"Me too, believe me!" I said.

"Can I join?" George joked and I chuckled.

"Guys? Are you ready?" an F1 official picked us up for the podium ceremony. My second one in my third race. I couldn’t wait for the day where I could hear the German national anthem. Rather sooner than later.

"You almost won! You were this close to beating Charlie!" Liam chirped and Charles scooped him up.

"She really was close, right? For a moment there I thought she would overtake me!" he said and Liam made big eyes.

"Yeah sure… how long did you have to wait for that jump scare? 20 seconds?" I asked.

"Something like that…" he laughed and I rolled my eyes at him.

"You’re a jerk!" I whispered and he pulled me to his side, giving me his puppy eyes while pouting "But you’re a cute jerk, I'll give you that!"

"That’s what I wanted to hear!" he answered and I laughed.

"Come on now little man, it’s late and you gotta go to bed!" Dad said and Liam whined a little.

"Can’t we stay a little longer? Mami and Omi are already gone! They won’t miss us!" he asked but Dad shook his head.

"Bubba, Lizzie and I have to go now anyways! We have team meetings! And they will take a long time! So you can go ahead and tomorrow at breakfast we think about what we’re doing until we have to leave for the airport at noon!" Charles said and I nodded.

"He’s right! The team meetings will take forever!" I agreed and Liam sighed.

"Okaaaay…" he said and I gave him a kiss on his cheek and hugged him.

"Good night, little one!" I whispered and Charles did the same, before passing him into Dads arms.

"Good night guys, see you tomorrow!" Dad gave me a kiss on the cheek and a side hug to Charles before he left with Liam.

"I’ll pick you up later and we leave together?" Charles asked and I nodded.

"Yep… see you later!" I smiled at him and walked back into the Audi garage.

After reviewing the fight with Carlos I was in a bad mood, although everyone said it wasn’t my fault, for some reason I wasn’t convinced. Charles opened the car door and looked at me.

"Come on, ma belle… Carlos DNF isn’t your fault!" he said and pulled me to his side "You can’t blame yourself for the mistakes of others!" he kissed my temple and gently nudged me to get in, then he closed the door, walked around the car and sat down in the drivers seat.

"But it was my mistake, I shouldn’t have tried to get past him there!" I sighed and leaned back into the seat.

"You’re too nice, I hope you know that." Charles started the engine and I rolled my eyes "I’m serious, he was this close to sending you into the barriers a couple of times. Wouldn’t you always leave him the space, he would’ve ended both your races."

"How do you wanna know? You were ahead of us." I said and watched how he effortlessly merged into the busy road.

"It has its perks being the race leader with no one behind you, you can watch the race on the screens." Charles chuckled and I boxed his shoulder.

"Ha-ha. Very funny!" I groaned and he just shrugged his shoulders "Do you really think so? That I’m too nice?"

"Lizzie, yes, the part of the track was narrow, but he turned into you when you were leaving him enough space trying to overtake him… and when he realised that this time you won’t back down, he locked up and lost the rear. So yes, I think you’re too nice. It was his mistake not yours. You defended your position like a lioness! And it got you a freaking P2!" Charles smiled at me proudly.

"Maybe I have to get my edge back, you know? Maybe I lost it a little." I said and looked out of the window.

"One thing is for sure, the old Lizzie would’ve eaten him alive… that mistake of his? You would’ve made him do that after his first attempt." Charles said and I looked at him "But it’s okay, it’s only your third race after over 2 years… for now I’m just so proud of you, ma belle!" he squeezed my knee and I smiled. Yeah maybe I had to try and get my edge back "Now we will have a nice shower, then dinner and then we’ll celebrate your P2! You’re coming closer and closer to that top step after only 3 races!"

"We’ll celebrate your win first and foremost! And then maybe my P2!" I laughed and Charles grinned "I would’ve never dreamt that this would happen one day… we’re celebrating your win and my P2 after our race in Formula 1!"

"I never ever had any doubts! You deserve this! And it’s just a matter of time until we’re celebrating your first win! I really believe in it!" he said with such determination that even I started to believe in it "But for tonight, it’s party time!"

And party time it was, the club was full, dark and loud, a whole lot of people grinding their bodies at each other, the table in front of us full of bottles of alcohol. Daniel, George, Lando, Max, Alex, Yuki and Pierre were celebrating with us.

"I’d like to say cheers to Charles for a dominating weekend and an amazing race, congrats winner! Cheers to our lovely Lizzie for defending like a lioness, sorry Max!, securing her P2! And last but not least, cheers to George for his P3, after a tough fight with Checo, you deserve it man! Cheers to that!" Daniel said and we all toasted our glasses. Shortly after we made our way onto the dance floor were I could feel my body tingle from the adrenaline and the alcohol. I felt hands on my hips and as I turned around Charles, with adorably flushed cheeks, smiled at me.

"Hey pretty girl, you come here often?" he said in an overly flirtatious tone and I giggled.

"No, but my best friend won’t like it when you’re coming this close to me, Monsieur!" I chuckled and Charles raised an eyebrow.

"I’m not worried about a best friend… would he be you boyfriend? Then maybe…" he whispered in my ear and his breath on my skin made me shudder.

"Yeah?" I replied and he looked me deep in the eyes.

"Yeah…" he answered, almost breathless, then he took my hand and dragged me with him in a dark corner.

And then it happened. My hands in his hair, his hand on my waist, the other carefully grabbing my chin. Charles pushed me slowly against the wall, his eyes on mine, then he closes them, takes a deep breath and his lips touched mine. I felt a shudder going through his body, like he couldn’t believe that this was happening. His kiss was soft, even a little shy at first and it coaxed a sigh of contentment from my mouth which he breathed in, a low groan emanating from his throat. He pecked my lips again, gently pulling away and looking deep into my eyes, as if he waited for me to pull away. Then he captured my lips in a fierce kiss again, my mind was reeling, breathing stopped, skin burned, butterflies created a tornado in my stomach. His tongue poked at my lips and I allowed him the entrance to my mouth. His tongue tasted like lime and ginger. I was high above the sky and the oxygen level in my body went down, until there was nothing left. And that was when I felt it. Fear. Panic. What were we doing? What the hell were we doing! I loved him, more than just a best friend, yes. But this could destroy everything, our friendship, our families, us. This was just the alcohol taking over. So I pushed him off of me.

"Lizzie…" he began but I brushed past him, he followed me but I was faster, losing him in the crowd. I walked out of the club, across the street and turned right and kept walking, bringing enough space between us. As I got my phone out to order an Uber I saw 5 missed calls and some texts. I ignored them and waited for the Uber.

I closed the door and sank down to the floor, trying to steady my breath. What happened? What the actual fuck just happened? For years I never acted upon my instincts, my feelings, even if they were yearning for me to do it. Even when every fibre of body was screaming at me to finally do it. The alcohol. It clouded my mind. I had way too much. My breathing ragged and I felt sick. Why did he do it? How many drinks did he have? Why didn’t he stop it? My mind was running wild and I leaned my head back at the door and took some deep breaths. I groaned and checked the time on my phone. 03:12. 17 missed calls from Charles, 6 from Pierre. 25+ messages. He would check our hotel first. I needed to get out of here. I had to book another room. I needed space. I threw all my belongings I could see in my suitcase, changed into leggings and a Hoodie, took my backpack and left the room.

"I’m sorry Miss Doetterer, there aren’t any rooms available. I could offer you one of our primary suits if you’re interested?" the lady at the front desk said and I shook my head.

"Can you order me a cab to the airport? Like now? I just book the first flight available at the airport that’s fine." I asked and she nodded and called a cab.

Charles POV:

"Where the fuck is she?" I stalked through our room into the bathroom but she was gone "Pierre, her suitcase is gone? Most of her stuff?"

"What happened back in the club, Charles? You guys were fine and then out of nowhere you weren’t anymore?" he asked and sat down on the bed.

"We kissed…" I sighed and plopped down next to him, my head was pounding, I was tired but also scared, not knowing where Lizzie was, was making me anxious.

"Oh… okay? And?" he asked and I closed my eyes.

"It was amazing… god Pierre! My whole body was on fire! And there was like a million of butterflies or whatever in my stomach going wild and crazy! Everything tingled! Her lips were so soft and that little sigh… It felt natural. It felt right. Like our bodies belong together… I can’t get enough of her… she’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of…" I said and Pierre laughed.

"Oh cabron. You’re down bad! But then again, you’ve always been for her! But it seems like she didn’t like it, or why is she gone?" he asked and I swallowed hard.

"Because she’s scared… I could see it in her eyes. She’s scared of this…" I said and he nodded.

"Let’s call the front desk? Maybe she asked for another room because she needed space?" this time I nodded, sat up and he took the phone from the night stand and made the call.

"Alright. Thank you, you too." Pierre hung up and I looked at him "So she asked for another room. There was non available, so she took a cab to the airport to check into the first flight to Europe, that was around an hour ago…"

"She’s gone?" I whispered and Pierre nodded. I fell back down again. Hands covering my face. I tried to take a deep breath but it didn’t work. My lungs were burning. Eyes stinging with tears. Because I couldn’t control my feelings, my instincts, my whatever, she felt the urge to flee the country. I pushed her into running away from me. Good fucking job, Charles.

"Charles? You ok?" Pierre asked and I shook my head, tears threatening to spill.

"What if I destroyed the one good thing in my life that I had? Lizzie gave her everything for me and I pushed her to the point where she had to flee the country?" I whispered, my voice hoarse, throat dry.

"Maybe she just needs some time to figure out her feelings for you, because even a blind guy could see that you two are in love for… basically forever?" Pierre said and I just nodded "Go to sleep now, Charles. Call her when you’re back home. You two will figure it out."

"Thanks, Pierre." I mumbled and sat up again as my phone rang, I grasped it from the bed and answered it without checking the ID "Lizzie?"

"Excuse me, who is this?" a male voice.

"Who wants to know that?" I ask confused and Pierre looked at me asking so I put the call on speaker.

"My name’s officer Matt Breckman, customs and border control, Melbourne International Airport, am I speaking to Mr. Charles Leclerc?" the male voice asked and I swallowed.

"Yes, Sir, that’s me." I answered "Can you please tell me what’s going on?"

"Are you in the possession of Miss Elisabeth Doetterer’s passport?" he asked then and before I could answer I heard a familiar voice in the background.

"He’s not in possession of my passport, I forgot it in our room when I left!" Lizzie said annoyed.

"Lizzie? What’s going on?" I asked nervously.

"Sir, we had to take Miss Doetterer into our custody after she checked in for a flight to Singapore without showing her passport, as we asked her to present it she broke down in tears. We assumed her passport was forcefully taken away from her as she ran away or something…" Officer Breckman began but Lizzie in the back interrupted him again.

"He’s not keeping it away from me and I didn’t run away from him! I simply forgot it in our hotel room!" she sounded mad.

"Officer Breckman, I can assure you her passport wasn’t taken away from her, in fact, I will get in the car and bring it to you, is that alright?" I offered and the Officer agreed.

"Thank you, Sir! Have a wonderful day!" I said and put on my biggest fake smile and he only nodded and walked away. I looked at Lizzie. Bloodshot eyes, pale, hair disheveled.

"I’m sorry that you had to come here. You probably were still partying or already fast asleep. I forgot some of my stuff while packing…" she began but I scoffed.

"You weren’t packing Lizzie, you were throwing your stuff in your suitcase and fleeing… because of me… look I’m sorry for overstepping the line… no, you know what, scratch that, I’m not sorry that I did what I always want to do near you… and you felt it t…" I began to ramble but Lizzie shook her head grabbing her backpack.

"Stop, I can’t!" she whispered and looked at me.

"Why are you running away from me? From this? What are you scared of?" I asked her but she only shook her head.

"Charles we… I need space." she whispered and with that she turned away, I gently grabbed her wrist, holding her back from leaving me.

"Don’t leave me, Lizzie. Please. Stay. Don’t leave me. Not like this. Please!" I pleaded, but she hung her head low, pulled her hand out of my grasp and walked to the security check in, not once looking back. Leaving me standing alone at the airport. And with my heart shattered into a million tiny pieces, she was gone…

————————————————————————

Little Note:

That's it, chapter 14 is out - it FINALLY happened… Lizzie and Charles kissed… and then she left him 🙈 oooopsie. What will happen next 👀 theories anyone?

Please leave a comment/ like/ reblog/ message and tell me how you liked it! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

If you want to be added to the taglist, drop a comment!

Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@silkenthusiasts @eugene-emt-roe @sunny44 @itsjustkhaos @glitterquadricorn @aundercover @kakorrhaphiphobia @alittlebitofbooksandmagic @ru-kru @glitterf1 @janeholt3

All the images I’m using are from Google, Pinterest and Instagram (or self made).

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goldenhypen · 2 years

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❣︎ ⎯⎯ camping + confessions .

PAIRING ! yang jungwon x reader ; ft. the rest of enhypen // GENRE ! best friends to lovers, fluff, non-idol!au // WC. ! 0.8k

PROMPT(S) ! 9. ruffling their hair ;; 18. putting a blanket on them // requested by a lovely anon // 2k followers event

A/N. ! this was such a fun and cute one to write. i’ve been meaning to write a fic like this ever since i started this blog ,, so i rlly hope you guys like it ^_^ enjoy !! <3

“hey, you two wanna go grab the blankets from the trunk?” jake asked you and jungwon. “we’ll bring them by the lake and stargaze there. it’s the perfect time.”

it was the last night of your camping trip with seven of your close guy friends, including your best friend since childhood, yang jungwon. and at the sound of stargazing, your heart raced with excitement, and you pulled on your best friend's sleeve, dragging him to get the blankets with you.

after just a few minutes, everyone was ready, and you headed to the lake together with flashlights and blankets in hand.

once you got there and set up, you and jungwon sat together—for some reason quite far from where the rest of the group was sitting—but you didn’t mind.

“here.”

“thanks,” you said with a small smile as jungwon gave you a blanket, laying it over top your legs.

he grinned and extended his hand out to ruffle your hair playfully.

“won!” you squealed. “you’re messing up my hair!”

“don’t worry about it; no one can see it in this light anyways,” he teased, followed by a laugh, and you gave him a lighthearted glare, even though he likely couldn’t make it out through the darkness.

with nothing lighting up the area for miles, you looked up at the dark sky and smiled when you saw it filled with bright stars.

“it’s so beautiful,” you breathed out.

jungwon followed your eyes and smiled. he couldn’t help but look back down to face you, for nothing so breathtaking to him could compete with your beauty.

you two had been best friends all your lives, but as you both grew up, it didn’t take long for him to begin developing feelings for you, being around you so much almost every day of the week.

jungwon stared at you from the side and smiled as he saw all the stars that reflected in your cute doe eyes.

“beautiful indeed,” he said softly.

you looked at him, noticing his voice seemed to be projecting toward you.

“won, you’re not even looking,” you chuckled.

“why look at the stars when the one who shines the brightest is sitting right in front of me?”

“what?” you let out, slightly confused.

“y/n, i’ve been wanting to tell you this for a really long time, and it’s taken a lot of time to build the courage to say it to you, but since we’re best friends and tell each other everything, i think it’s about time i tell you–” he paused for many seconds before breathing out, “–i like you–and it’s totally understandable if you don’t feel the same. but i thought you should know, since we are best friends.”

a wave of shock ran through your body, and your heart began to pound powerfully within your chest. though you could barely see his face because it was so dark out, you could read the expression on his face, and you could see now that the love he had for you was no longer just platonic.

jungwon had taken a very big leap of faith and you could only imagine how much strength and courage it took to do so.

…and so you decided to do the same.

quickly, you placed one hand on the side of jungwon’s face, cupping his cheek, while the other rested on his shoulder before placing your lips on his in a kiss you were only ever able to find in your imagination.

you pulled away and sat back where you were previously, leaving you both in a daze.

jungwon’s lips were left parted as you both stared at the water, its reflection projecting the stars.

“how long have you liked me?” jungwon asked, still dazed by everything that just happened.

“too many years,” you laughed.

“me too,” he smiled, to which you did the same.

and with that, it felt as though a gravity pulled both of your bodies closer together as you found yourselves leaning in once more until your lips met one another in the middle, moving in sync with every kiss, making the most of this time to catch up on all the missed kisses you two could’ve had all this time.

“—hyung!”

at the sound of your friend, riki’s, voice, you both quickly pulled away, trying to make out his dark figure who was staring at the both of you.

you could tell by the shock in his voice that he had likely witnessed what just happened between you two. you were most definitely not looking forward to all of the teasing you would receive in the following moments, but if you and jungwon confessed to each other, your relationship would have to become official at some point or another.

and little did you two know, the other guys saw it coming all along and were going to be ecstatic by the news they were about to receive from a little messenger bird by the name of riki.

A/N. interactions and feedback are always very appreciated :) hope you liked this one <3

2K EVENT MASTERLIST.

TAGLIST FORM.

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blurbios · 1 year

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Burdensome [Overhaul x Reader]

cw: self-doubt, loneliness, cursing, food mention

other: gn! reader, angst(?), dialogue heavy so you’ll have to scroll a bit (sorry)

wc: 3.1k

synopsis: you were growing tired of feeling so far away from your boyfriend who was just down the hallway.

The music from your headphones stopped abruptly, causing you to whip out your phone from your pocket, only to be greeted by the no battery sign flashing on your screen. You let out an annoyed sigh and turned around to make your way to your room to charge it. You thought it had to be late or at least getting late because your phone had been fully charged when you started pacing around the compound. You tried to peek into the office as you passed by, but there were two low ranking members of the coveted Shie Hassaikai stationed outside who obstructed your view. “The boss is working.” One dismissed you, his voice gruff.

“Isn’t it past your bedtime anyways?” The two snickered as you stomped past. You contemplated telling them off and whether or not you should tell Kai when you see him next, but you decided against both. You knew he had a lot on his plate and you didn’t want to add to it, more so than you felt you already did. The winding halls were quiet, your steps echoed as you neared your room. You couldn’t remember the last time you did anything with your boyfriend and you felt terrible. That alone caused a pit to form in your stomach. You plugged in your phone and plopped onto your desk chair, shaking your mouse to wake your desktop. 3:42am was displayed on the corner of the screen, it really was late and Kai was still working. You tried to find something to watch to keep you awake until he inevitably came to join you, but nothing interested you. You thought about playing a game, but as soon as you booted one up you no longer wanted to play.

You grabbed your phone and drafted out a text, “hey are you going to be done soon? it’s pretty late and i didn’t see you once today. i miss you, you know.” You furiously backspaced the message, like you always did, because you didn’t want to bother him. You slammed your phone down out of frustration and breathed in deeply to prevent any crying. It had been months since you moved in and you could count on your fingers how many times you’ve actually done anything with Kai outside of the four walls of your shared bedroom, if you could even consider it shared at this point. He was always busy and you understood that, but if he was so goddamn busy all the time why did you have to be so bored out of your mind all the time? You knew you could go out if you really wanted to, but you’d have to tell him first and he’d assign someone to keep you safe if he himself couldn’t. You knew it bothered him when you went out anyways, so you only went out when he’s the one who proposes it. But it wasn’t fair, you only moved in because he was incessant about it, saying how he wanted you close, practically begging. Sometimes when he was laying next to you it felt like he was miles away. You wanted to scream, the tears you tried to shrug off began to form in your eyes. You wanted to be able to help him, he told you in the past that you just being there helps him, but you knew it was bullshit. You placed your head in your hands and let it all out as your mind raced. He wasn’t a bad boyfriend, he did care about you, but he had a goal he was set on before he met you. He did come to bed every night, or at least to your knowledge, he came to bed every night. Most times he just slipped in without waking you and slipped out in the same manner. He had only woken you up a few times and he apologized profusely in those instances. Your eyes started to sting and you could feel the tears drying on your cheeks. You mustered up all your energy to stand up and shuffle over to the en suite bathroom to wash your face.

The cold water was refreshing, but it made you jump a little. You brought both hands to your face and dragged your fingers from the inner corners to the outer corners of your eyes, out to your temples, and down your jaw. You stared at your reflection, you looked drained and you were, rightfully so. You crossed the threshold of your room and scanned the room, looking for something to keep you occupied. Your eyes landed on an old notebook you brought from home, you took it over to the desk and scrounged around for a pen. You figured if you couldn’t say all the things you thought to him, the least you could do was write it to get it out of your brain. Much like your failed text messages, you only wrote a few lines before scribbling them out and ripping out the page, just to crumple it. On your fifth attempt, you actually managed to write the whole thing out. The second you wrote your name at the bottom of the page, you slammed your notebook shut. Again, you checked the time, 4:57am. The sun was going to rise soon, if Kai hadn’t returned by now, he wouldn't. Part of you wanted to bring him a blanket in his office, but the other part of you was far too tired and didn’t feel like trekking back just to be greeted by those two idiots at his door. You tossed and turned for a long while before falling asleep. You woke up to a knock at the door, you sat up groggily to check if Kai was next to you, He wasn’t, causing your heart to sink a bit.

“Y/N?” The familiar voice belonged to Kurono. “You didn’t come for breakfast before, so I figured I’d bring you lunch.” He opened the door slowly, to make sure he didn’t startle you.

“What time is it? You scratched your head.

“Almost 2.” He extended the plate of food to you.

“Where’s Kai? Thanks by the way!” You smiled as you grabbed the plate from him.

“He has a meeting with some on the rise villain soon, so he’s preparing his general spiel, you know how he is.” Of course he was working, you nodded as you rose to walk and set the plate on the desk, pushing things aside to make room..

“Did you see him this morning?” You wanted to stop prodding, but the words left your mouth before you could think.

“Yes. Why is something wrong?”

“Forget I asked. Thanks again for the food.”

“Ah okay, and please refrain from walking around today. We don’t know this guy well and Kai wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” He walked out the door, making sure to shut it behind him. This whole thing was starting to get to you, so much so that your food tasted bland. Even though it was your favorite dish, something felt off. You thought about blowing up his phone again, but apparently it’s an important meeting and you wouldn’t want to ruin it, whatever it was. Confined to your room for the day, you just put on some dumb sitcom and laid in bed scrolling through your phone. You even scrolled through old chat logs between you and Kai, it reminded you how sweet this all felt. A familiar warmth grew in your chest, as you reminisced. You thought moving in would guarantee that you would wake up next to him every morning and that the two of you would tell each other everything, how naive of you. When you started dating the head of a yazuka organization, you didn’t expect much out of it, but you expected something. Hours passed as you wallowed in your room, until you heard a knock at the door again. “Dinner is served!” Kurono said way too cheerily as he walked in.

“Thanks.” You didn’t have the energy to match his demeanor.

“Sorry about you being cooped up in here today, I’m sure he’ll make it up to you.” He picked up your plate from lunch and swapped it with the dinner plate. You felt sick and much to his concern, you looked it too. “Are you feeling okay?”

Of course you weren’t, “Yeah, just a bit annoyed.” A bit. The whole situation was laughable, he couldn’t walk down the halls himself to check in on you, or share a meal. Instead he sends his lackey to feign interest in how you felt.

“Well if there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”

“You can leave.” You knew you shouldn’t take this out on him of all people, but you couldn’t keep the mask on anymore. Without another word, he up and left, leaving you alone once again. You just sat in bed, spacing out, not focussing on anything in particular. The show you had on had stopped playing, who knows how long ago,so the room was quiet. Sitting in bed became laying in bed and at some point you fell asleep, but that was short lived. Kai actually showed up, he was careful to not wake you, trying his best to be light on his feet. He looked over at your sleeping figure and smiled to himself, then gave the room a once over and noticed your dinner untouched. He shook his head, picked up the plate and brought it out of the room, when he came back in he saw that you were sitting upright.

“Kai! You’re back.” You exclaimed, half awake. You quite couldn’t tell if it was a dream or not, so you reached your arms out towards him.

“Listen, I’m sorry for waking you and about today. I know being in here alone all day wasn’t the best, but I had to make sure you would be safe.” You felt the bed dip down a bit as he sat beside you, holding your hands in his.

“Did you send Hari to check on me?”

“Yes. Why?” He tilted his head slightly, raising a brow.

You couldn’t stifle your laugh, “Are you serious?”

There was visible confusion on his face, “Are you suggesting that I shouldn’t have?”

“I’m suggesting that maybe you should have.” Your voice broke when you placed emphasis on ‘you’, causing you to look away from him. He was at a loss for words, you’d never talked to him like that before. You pressed your lips tightly together and shook your head slightly in disbelief when you saw him stop himself from speaking. “What am I to you, Kai?”

“What?”

“Just answer the question.” All the frustration you had felt was pouring out of you, making your words sting.

“Everything.” He locked eyes with you, but you turned away.

“You’re a terrible liar. We both know that isn’t true. If you’re saying it because it’s what you think I want to hear then it makes this even worse. Please, just tell me the truth.”

“Y/N, please. I’m too tired to argue.” He leaned his back against the headboard.

“I’m not trying to argue, I’m just trying to talk to my boyfriend.”

“We can talk tomorrow.” He said as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Oh, can we now? You sure you’re not gonna be busy again?” You could feel the anger building inside of you. He could feel that the energy in the room switched..

“I—“

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” You cut him off and made your way to the door.

He mimicked your actions, “Where are you going?”

“For a walk, you know since I didn’t get to leave this fucking room today.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“No, you’re not because you’re too tired, remember?”

“But—“

“I won’t be long.” You exited the room, chest heavy, legs moving as if you had weights tied to your ankles. You walked to the end of the hall and back, counting your breaths to calm yourself and to prevent spiraling further. You stood a couple of feet before the doorway for a while, contemplating just walking out completely. You let out a deep sigh and stepped up to the doorway. The scene in front of you made you feel as though a ton of bricks had just been dropped on you. There he was standing over your desk, notebook in hand, a small tremor visible in his hands. “What are you–Kai, I, I’m sorry.” He looked so hurt, something you’ve never seen. He looked up at you and tried to collect his thoughts, but as his eyes met yours all he could see was the words he had just read.

Kai,

I don’t know how to say any of this or if I’ll ever even get the chance to say all this. I love you, I do, but it feels like our relationship is just an afterthought or rather I’m an afterthought. I understand that you’re busy with work, that’s why I’ve held on to this as long as I did. It’s also why I try to avoid bothering you. You have so much on your shoulders, I don’t want to be burdensome, but maybe having me move in was a bad idea. We rarely get to see one another and most of the time we spend together is sleeping. I want to be a good partner, I want to make you happy, but it’s hard to do when I’m too worried to even send you a text. I worry about you, you work way too much, and I worry that one day it’ll become so important that you forget about me entirely. These days it feels like you’re some kind of urban legend and everyone I run into around the compound has a story about seeing you, yet I always miss out on the sighting. I don’t expect you to drop everything for me, I don’t want you too, I know how important your work is to you and how important to everyone it will be if it all goes right, but I expect something. I’m not asking for a mile here Kai, just a goddamn inch. God forbid I want to spend time with you or go out in town like a normal person without having to jump through hoops to get permission. You say it’s to keep me safe, so you can have me close, but it hurts. I’m sorry.

-y/n

He returned the book to its former position and sat gently on the edge of the bed, eyes focused on the floor. The room was filled with a sad silence, until he finally broke it. “Is that really how you feel?” He bit the inside of his lip, so he wouldn’t cry in front of you.

“It probably came off too harsh, I–” You felt so guilty for upsetting him.

“Do I really make you feel like this?” He had a pained expression on his face, brows furrowed slightly.

“Yeah, maybe, sometimes, I don’t know.” You rubbed the back of your neck, you couldn’t bring yourself to make eye contact. He looked at you and saw the tears welling in your eyes, his expression dropped even more. You tried to blink them away, but your eyes began to overflow and you couldn’t stop it. “I’m sorry.” You repeated over and over, each time more and more defeated. You couldn’t stand anymore, your chest hurt too much. You dropped yourself on the bed next to him.

“I’m sorry.” He brought your head to his shoulder as an attempt to soothe you. The contact with him made it feel real, he was there next to you, trying to make you feel better. You’ve missed his touch so much that it took everything in you not to fold instantly.

“It’s fine, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have written that.” You said between shaky breaths.

“You don’t deserve this. I’ll be better, y/n.” He placed his arm around your shoulders and began to trace patterns on your arm.

“So will I.” You sniffled, dragging your nose across the back in your hand.

“Huh? You have nothing to apologize for and nothing to be better at, you have done nothing wrong.” He placed emphasis on those last words, saying them slowly, making sure you heard them clearly. He got up to retrieve the tissue box from the nightstand. He handed you a tissue and used another to wipe your tears from your face, flashing you an apologetic smile.

“Thank you.” You blew your nose and tossed it in the bin.

“You know you can talk to me right?” He tilted your chin up so your eyes would meet his. His gaze was warm, no trace of annoyance on his face, just concern and genuine care.

“But you’re always doing something, I don’t want—”

“You could never be a burden to me. Knowing that you’re here puts me at ease, knowing that I can see you whenever I want warms my heart.” He held one of your hands in between both of his.

“Yeah, but I want to be able to see you whenever I want. It’s a two-way street, Kai. It isn’t fair that it’s always on your terms, and only on your terms.” You placed your free hand on top of his.

“I never thought of it like that, I didn’t realize my rules were such a hindrance.” He gave your hand a gentle squeeze before continuing, “I’m sorry, my dear, for these things I've made you feel, for the lack of time I've spent with you, all of it. I shouldn't have let someone so precious to me slip through the cracks. I’m going to be better, starting right now. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, we’ll do it.”

“Really?” You smiled for the first time in days. “Really, but you need to promise me something first.”

“What is it?”

“Promise me that you won’t stop yourself from reaching out to me anymore.”

“But what if you're busy?”

“I’ll let you know when it’s an important client, besides that you can come in whenever you want.”

“Then I promise.” You threw your arms around him and he returned your embrace, holding you tighter than he ever had before.

“Good.”

“But you’re gonna get sick of me quick.” You said as you nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck.

“You’re the one person I could never get sick of.” His words were sincere, he kept one hand on your back and brought the other up to cradle your head.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

a/n: this started out more lighthearted in my head, but as i wrote i got super emo, so i’m sorry y’all. also, fun fact! i got back into mha because i watched the overhaul arc and was suddenly down bad

#bnha x reader #bnha imagines #mha imagines #mha x gn!reader #mha reader insert #shie hassaikai #overhaul #overhaul imagine #overhaul x y/n #kai chisaki #kai chisaki x reader #kai chisaki x you #chisaki kai #chisaki kai x reader #boko no hero academia x reader #chisaki overhaul #overhaul x you #overhaul x reader

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dema-heart · 7 months

Text

Dance class

Hobie x goofy reader

Pole dancing

Slightly teasing from reader

Lightly edited sorry if it flows weird I was adding over months now lol

I did a private pole dancing class for my friends and me for my birthday back in August and had been sitting on this since then 😮‍💨 I just couldn't wrap it up so I kept putting it aside.

Anyways it was a lot of fun and definitely a work out!I'm thinking about going back for classes when I get a more normal work schedule. 10/10 would recommend as long as you're ready to be sore the next day that is 🤣.

Hobie stepped through your window to the sound of music playing. He came to a hault watching you walk in a seductive circle next to the arm of the couch before dropping with a little bounce using the couch arm as leverage.

"Well, now what do we 'ave here?" He gave a low whistle as his eye raked your form. You were in a crop top and shorts looking a little out of breath.

"Hobie!" You smiled, getting up only to proceed to jump on the man, knowing he could catch you. "Hey!" You said, wrapping your arms around his neck and legs around his torso.

"Hey to you too, didn't except such a warm welcome... maybe i should go away for long times more often," he chuckles, his hands rested under your thighs to keep you steady.

He had a habit of coming and going as he pleased that you didn't mind. He reminded you of the stray cat you used to feed when you were younger. As long as he responded to your messages every so often or stopped in, you'd always welcome him. You guys had been in an unlabeled, sorta relationship. You didn't feel the need to pressure him into anything and vice versa. As long as you both were comfortable that's all you cared about.

"Like you don't already," you teased, rolling your eyes before placing a small peck on his lips and jumping down.

"Hm" He hummed shaking his head as he watched you started the music over, getting back into what he assumed was your starting position.

"So what's this about, then?" He took a seat on the ground,placing his guitar against the wall.

"Ah right! Remember how I told you iI wanted to start taking some sorta dance class?" You paused your music talking to him as you stretched. Bending over to reach as far as you could toward your toes, you looked up at him, seeing him nod.

"I decided to take pole dancing classes! They've been really fun! Everyone's super sweet and supportive, and I've never been in a space so body positive before! They accept female and male students at the classes too its really...Hobie? Love? Are you listening?" You stood up looking down at hobie, who seemed to be in a daze.

His mind was racing, the idea of you pole dancing, setting his thoughts...ablaze. The idea had never crossed his mind before. When you said you were thinking of taking a dance class he'd assumed it'd be something like zumba, maybe ballet , even a hip hop class but pole dancing...his eyes focused on your body starting from you thighs up. You were closer than before snapping to get his attention.

As his eyes made contact with your worried face, he Shaking his head to bring himself back to you. He hoped you wouldn't notice the heat burning his cheeks or the way he couldnt quite meet your eyes...and maybe anyone else might not have noticed. However, you always did pick up on these things.

Your hand came to rest on his forehead, checking if he had a temperature before cupping his cheeks and titling his head side to side gently, checking for any signs of injury.

"Are you okay, darling...I didn't even check on you like I normally do when you come back. I didn't see any visible damage so I just assumed..." You voice was sweet and so full of worry as you looked him over only making the heat and his embarrassment worsen as he realized he'd been caught.

"No uh I'm fine luv really just had a moment that's all" his hands came to rest on yours pulling them from his cheeks. His eyes couldn't meet yours as he tried to calm himself down. You looked him over, gaze calculating as you tried to figure out what's wrong or could have happened.

You didn't remember seeing anything major for spiderpunk recently and the sudden change was only after you told him...

oh so that's what it is. You smiled. A mischievous look in your eyes.

"Hobie~ don't tell me you're all flustered because I told you I took up pole dancing~" you teased. You felt his fingers twitch against yours as he still refused to look at you.

"Look at me,love" you laced your fingers with his giving them a squeeze. He gave an embarrassed chuckle before looking into your amused eyes.

"You're getting a kick out this ain't ya" He huffed, feigning annoyance, the sheepish grin on his face giving away his real feelings.

"That I am! You're just so cute like this!" You boop his nose causing him to scoff in mock offense.

"I knew me pole dancing would get a rise out of you but I didn't expect it to fluster you so much mr.cool guy" you snickered before deciding to back off, winking you stood up mentally taking a picture of the obviously ruffled punk.

"Anyway, as i was saying before somebody's mind wandered off on me. It's pretty fun a little bruising, and I've been sore for days now but fun none the less" you chuckled, pointing out your sore muscles as if he could magically see the nonvisble bruising.

"Now i'm gonna go back to practicing beacuse as you know im horrible at staying on beat, " chuckling, you once again restarted the music. Hobie nodded, giving you his full attention as he watched you get into position and start a routine. He watched as you walked in a slow seductive circle, the way your hips moved to the beat ,maybe your own beat, but he wasn't judging, when you swung them from side to side. You gave him a little wink over your shoulder as you bent at the waist, giving your ass a little shake that caused the heat to rush back up his neck, definitely just to his face. He coughed to trying to hide his surprise causing you to laugh before focusing on the next move. He watched the whole time in silence. Watching the way you moved and laughed as you just enjoyed yourself and immersed in the dancing. It was sexy yeah but it was also beautiful to see you so confident and happy in yourself. He could see the moments you'd stumble due to not having the pole, and he pondered in if he could build one for you before an idea hit him.

Your dance came to an end with you sitting back on your knees in front of him. Hobie clapped and whistled, yelling praises, causing you to laugh, grinning widely as you thanked him.

"So whatcha think! It's a bit weird for me. The pole isn't that big a part of the routines, but it's definitely important to it. I'll have to record myself at the next class so you can see the full thing...or maybe I should get one of those poles you can put in your house" You pondered aloud as hobie got up to help you up. You smiled up at him in thanks before continuing on talking about the poles you'd looked up online. You paused as hobie nodded along obviously not listening before he walked to the middle of your living room. He moved your coffee table to the side before looking up to the roof in thought.

"Hobie? Love? Did I lose you again? If I'm boring ya you could just say so..." You voiced your confusion sounding a bit hurt. It wasn't normal for Hobie to ignore you like this. Usually he was hanging onto your every word regardless of the topic but as you watched him stand in the middle of your living room, his brows pinched in thought you realized he definitely wasn't paying attention to your words.

"I'm gonna go get a water then....did you want anything?" At his silence you walked past him toward your kitchen,grabbing a water bottle you leaned against the fridge a clear view of hobie who was still just staring between your roof and the floor in thought.

You huffed, taking a gulp of water only to almost choke when hobie shot his webbing at your ceiling. He continued connecting muiple webs between the ceiling and floor. You watched ,stunned, not sure what was happening.

Your eyes widened as he stood back, nodding with a grin before he jumped at the webbing, using his arms to hold him up as he span around it before letting go landing in front of you.

Your shocked expression quickly became one of laughter as hobie stood up, turning to you with clear pride and accomplishment on his face.

"What...whats so funny,huh?" He grinned coming to stand in front of you. Laughter shook your body as his hands reached for yours wanting to guide you to his masterpiece.

You took his hand finally calming down. Hobie guided you to the webbing in your livingroom excited to show what he'd done.

"Nothing nothing it's just not everyday you see the hobie brown stand in silence only to do parkour in the middle of your livingroom" You teased a few giggles still escaping.

"Well, it's not every day the hobie brown comes up with amazing ideas..actually scratch that my ideas are usually this amazing so you're welcome" He said in a false haughty tone, smiling as you rolled your eyes playfully before looking the webbing over.

"Alright, what's this amazing idea have to do with you webbing my living room. Hm? I hope that comes off without ruining the walls?" You raised an eyebrow at him glaring playfully. This definitely wasn't the first time webbing had made its way into your place but the large amount concerned you a bit.

"I made you a pole! It's sturdy, holds any weight, and is definitely softer on the body than any pole you'd buy. And don't worry I'll get you the dissolvent when you need it. You wont even notice it was there" his grin was wide, he was obviously very pleased with himself and was waiting for you to be too.

"Hmm" You hummed in exaggerated agreement. Placing a hand out you gripped the so called pole surprised by the firmness. It really did feel similar enough to the poles you'd been working with at the class. You leaned against it content as it didn't shift or move against your weight. Nodding in approval you peaked at hobie to see him pretending not to care about your examination.

You walked around it looking it over from top to bottom. The top and bottom were thick and flared wide against your roof and floor boards. As you looked it over you realized he had made it similar to the pole you rambled about earlier.

'Guess he was listening...' You think to yourself a small smile on your face as you look over to him. He was still watching you face relaxed. He gave off an air of nonchalance but you knew better than to fall for his poker face.

"Hobie~and here i thought you were ignoring me earlier!" you said his name in a sing-song voice causing him to crack a smile immediately. He shook his head in amusement as you walked over the smile never dropping.

"So what do you think?" His hands came to rest on your waist as you placed yours on his cheeks, squishing slightly.

"Its amazing hobs. Thank you for making it for me. I'm sure it's better than any I'd have bought especially since my favorite boy made it for me~" you wink at him at the end. You might not see it but his skin warming under your hands and the way his eyes flicker across your face before coming back to meet yours tells you he's flustered once more.

"You'll have to give my thanks to spiderpunk" you tease laughing as you lean up and give him a quick peck before pulling away, excited to try out the pole and put on a hopefully better show for him. You hear him huff, muttering something about tease under his breath.

"Come on I wanna do the dance for you properly now!! At least, to the best of my abilities!" You laugh as you run over to start the music back up. Hobie smiles going to sit down on the couch you'd been using earlier glad to see he was able to make you so happy.

"Alright, let's see it then. You'll have to teach me a few moves, yeah?" He watched you nod eagerly, excited to share your current pastime with him.

#hobie brown x reader #rainbow's bookshelf #spiderpunk x y/n #shameless projecting #i really have been sotting on this forever so enjoy i hope lol

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its-a-snood-silly · 8 months

Text

Wenclair Headcanon 🖤🩷

Wednesday realizes her feelings. Pt. 2

Enid’s POV

I can feel my mouth hanging open, but honestly, I don’t care. THE Wednesday Addams just confessed her feelings for me. My brain feels like it’s spinning with a million thoughts, yet is completely blank all at the same time. My chest feels tight and my cheeks feel hot.

Say something, Enid. Anything.

Why can I not form words right now?

“It would be nice if you could say something right now, Enid.” Wednesday says in a tone that’s way too quiet for her usual demeanor. I’d almost go as far as to say she’s showing some shyness right now.

God, she’s probably feeling totes vulnerable right now, say something you spineless furball!

“I- um… I like you too Wednesday. I have for awhile. I just didn’t ever think you’d feel the same way towards me, so.. I buried it and told myself that I can just work it out with Ajax, but… You’re the only person that truly stays on my mind-“

Really Sinclair, freak-a-zoid much?

“Wait- I uh mean… Um…. I mean, I-“ My palm flies up to my forehead in shame. I can tell I’m nervous from how fast I’m talking. She’s totally going to be weirded out.

“You’re the only thing that stays on my mind as well.” her voice says, her tone a bit more confident this time. I can feel myself blushing. The atmosphere around us feels as though it softens, and just as I sense myself moving closer towards her, the bathroom door flies open. Wednesday instinctively jumps back a couple feet, and I can feel my heart racing as I turn around to see who came in. “What on earth is taking so long? What is going on in here?” Professor Lavinia questions.

Omg… How long have we been in here? Class for sure ended a long time ago.

Before I can even form a sentence, Wednesday has already started. “You’ll have to excuse us, Professor. We got carried away in a debate against the effectiveness of being burned at the stake versus hanged. I’m sure you understand, being a history buff yourself,” she says. Professor Lavinia’s jaw clenches, and in that moment I swear you could visually see her pupils narrow. “Watch it, Miss Addams. Inappropriate wasting of time when you should be in class is not a great way to start off the new school year. You both missed the entirety of the orientation presentation. Go on off to where you’re supposed to be. Now!” Lavinia scolds. I lower my head and follow shortly behind Wednesday on the way out. While we’re walking, a sudden wave of euphoria washes over me, and I can’t help but to add a skip in my walk.

“Sooo…. Where are you off to next?” I ask Wednesday, hoping our schedules for this year line up. She glances at me, and then moves her eyes back to the hallway in front of us. “The main office. I have a meeting with advisory to decide on a focused major,” Wednesday replies. I can’t read her tone this time. “Oh-em-gee, you should totes go for Mortuary Science. It just screams Wednesday so perfectly!” I squeal. Wednesday’s jaw tightens. “Enid, please. Can you take it down a notch?” she says, colder infliction this time. “Sorry.. You’re right. Just kind of feeling giddy. You know, after everything that…. Nevermind. Anyways- Good luck at your meeting roomie! I’ll catch you later!” I say, leaving her with a wink. I notice the slightest upturn in her lips. It makes my stomach flutter. As I turn the other way, I catch a glimpse of Yoko and hurry to catch up with her.

“Hey Yoko! First day going great for you too?” I greet, hoping my manneurisms aren’t more enthusiastic than usual. “Oh, as great as lectures, first-day homework assignments and moody outcasts can be. You’re in a good mood. What’s happening in Enid-ville?” Yoko immediately questions.

Oh hell. Am I THAT obvious?

An uncontrollable smile spreads across my face. “It’s been quite a first day, for sure.”

(aaah i don’t know if this is good, it was a bit more challenging writing from enid’s pov! hope u like, more to come xx)

#wenclair #wednesday series #wednesday netflix #enid x wednesday #wednesday x enid #netflix wednesday #wednesday addams #enid sinclair #emma myers #jenna ortega

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irreplaceable-ecstasyy · 1 year

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beautiful undone

REQUEST: Hi! I have an idea. What if the reader was someone who heard tales of "Monstrous Brienne" or as she was mockingly called, "Brienne the Beauty". But when she finally puts a face to the name, she's all "Huh, she doesn't look that bad. She's actually quite handsome." Then decides to give Brienne a makeover to prove everyone wrong. Like longer styled hair, makeup, fitting dress, and even posture and smile. Like total Princess Diaries. Then when she's done people are all like" Who is this Goddess?!?!"

WORD COUNT: 3309 words

[Every time I try to make something a small one-shot, it ends up being longer than the previous one. oOOP- Anyway, enjoy <3]

Had you been deceived or had you been so stupidly foolish to listen to the harsh whispers in the street of the dreaded Brienne of Tarth? How they spoke of her as though she were a beast. 'Beware the Monstrous Brienne! She's a half-giant! If you anger her, she'll tear you apart.' or 'Brienne the Beauty! You'd scream at the sight of her.' There was not a person in Westeros who had ever said anything pleasant of the woman; it only made sense that the sayings were true. Whenever you walked in the streets, you would keep an eye out for her. You had always wanted to see her for you wondered how a lady could stir such a reputation for herself.

It was on a faithful day when you bumped into her at the marketplace. She was unmistakable. A tall looming woman clad in armor picking fruits for herself at a stall. You knew it was her from her height, one of a supposed half-giant as people said, and from the insults thrown at her. She was not bothered in the slightest by the yells and screams, but she turned to look at you when you found yourself suddenly right next to her. Your feet had carried you to her side to gawk and stare, wonder glimmering in your eyes.

The woman standing in front of you was unlike anyone you had ever seen. The monstrosity everyone saw in her simply did not exist. Beautiful was one way to describe her but a better term you might use was handsome. She was an incredibly handsome lady, and you were far too baffled to speak nor hear when she tried to talk to you.

"May I help you?" It was her third time repeating herself, and her patience was slowly running thin.

Snapping out of your daze, you offered your best smile. "I apologize if I'm interrupting your day but I just wanted to meet you."

"Meet me?" she questioned. "What for?"

"I was curious. I've only ever heard about you," you admitted, and you saw how her face twisted.

"I see," she muttered. "Now that you have, we can get on with our lives." With that, she turned away and you felt your stomach turn. The rumors. What a horrible impression to turn up with.

Before she could walk away, you scampered to her, struggling to keep up with her pace. "No, wait! I apologize if it came off as offensive. I didn't mean for it to sound like I believed the rumors!"

"I understand," she spoke stiffly, not quite breaking her stride.

"No, you don't. Will you let me explain myself?"

"There's no need for that, thank you very much. I must be on my way, and you should too."

"But Ser-!"

"Goodbye."

Picking up your legs, you managed to get in her way, arms spread out to stop her. She stopped in her tracks and stared at you incredulously. If there was one thing to fear about Brienne of Tarth, it was the intensity of her glare. You could feel your heart starting to race in your chest, but you held your ground. If she was not going to listen to an apology, you had to think of something else close to it. You could not let her go with the thought that you were just another person out of thousands who wished to make a mockery of her. But what could be worth more than an apology?

"Will you just hear me out?"

"I already am, so you had better use this time wisely, young one."

"I want to dress you." The words came out faster than your mind ran, but you were confident. Your family dabbled in tailoring, and your sense of style came from observations among the crowds at events. If anything, observation was your strongest weapon and you intended to use it if the lady would allow you to.

Her glare did not waver but there was a brief moment of conflict in her gaze. "And why would I allow you?"

"In all honesty, I don't know. Maybe I want to prove people wrong about you because now I know that everyone's spreading bullshit about you," you admitted.

That was when her features softened, but she was still wary of you. "If you're going to parade me in a dress in front of everyone, you can forget it."

"I don't just shove people into a dress," you interjected. "I make sure it's right for them. You don't fit people into a dress. You fit the dress onto them."

Brienne was slightly taken aback but she was listening properly. "You seem to know what you're talking about."

"My family runs one of the tailor shops. I don't do the sewing but I certainly know how to find a person's style."

Silence passed over the two of you as Brienne spared some time to consider your offer. With the way she had frozen in a pose to think, you could already picture the perfect look for her. A hand on her hip, the other holding onto a basket of fruits, her frame tall and proud. You wanted nothing more than to show everyone that Brienne was no beast of a woman. People always talked. They loved their gossip more than anything and though it was not in your power to stop them, you could put a halt to it by making a statement instead.

You waited in anticipation, your nerves flaring by the minute. Denying you was the worst scenario and you could be on your way but you knew the thought of her would never leave you. No one ever spoke of her inability to carry out her duties, but no one ever gave her the credit she deserved either. You had to do something.

Finally coming to a conclusion, she looked at you sternly. "There's a small celebration coming soon, as you may know..."

"The Winter Solstice, yes."

Brienne nodded. "The Longest Night. You can do it then."

"I'd be honored to."

"It's in a week. Will that be enough time for you to prepare?"

"Of course. We happen to be very efficient," you grinned at her. "I will ask, is there anything I must know before I start designing?"

"Nothing pink and frilly," she answered a little too quickly, but you made sure to take note of it. "Will you run the designs by me?"

"You'll have to see during the fitting." You were already scribbling away at a scrap of parchment you had brought with you.

"And what if I don't fancy the dress you've made?" Brienne prodded.

"Then you'll have to give us your feedback to make necessary changes."

She raised a brow. "Will it not delay us?"

"Not at all. You can come early. Perhaps noon. It will give us more than enough time to prepare you." When you looked up from your notes, Brienne was merely a few inches away from you, eyes bearing into yours. A trial of trust.

"Then I'll see you at noon," she spoke slowly. "I look forward to seeing your work."

"Don't be late."

"You humor me, young one. I will have transport sent for you so don't be late."

"Will you let me do your hair too?"

A pause. "Fine."

You saluted playfully as you stepped out of her way. Much to your surprise, she bowed to you and went on her way. Pausing midway, she turned around, a sudden realization dawning on her.

"I didn't get your name."

"I quite like 'young one'."

Taken aback, she nodded slightly. "If that is what you insist."

Bowing once more, she turned on her heel and proceeded on her way. You observed how she walked with a certain elegance to her. Had it not been for the armor, she would be a little less stiff. It would be liberating to get the weight off her, you could only imagine. No corset then, or any sort of rigid support. You scribbled the notes onto your scrap.

You watched as she disappeared into the crowd, and the bubbling excitement that had been blossoming inside of you exploded. You did not realize how stunned you were by her natural beauty. Without a woman's conventional use of make-up, she was still a sight for sore eyes, and you may well pass out knowing what wonders a bit of make-up could do for her. Her hair was another exciting part to think about. Slicked back or messy tendrils, she could wear any look and it would still go with what you already had in your mind. The thrill was exhilarating and you rushed home to get started on it.

Having consulted your parents, you began your masterpiece with their guidance. They would be the ones making the dress so they followed you through each step of the way. As for the other details that came with it, you knew enough people who could be of assistance. No one questioned who the dress was for which made the job easier throughout the week. Whenever someone dared, privacy was the golden answer.

Day and night, you toiled away with needle and thread, running on a few hours of sleep. Somehow, you could still work your magic. With assistance from your family, your project was soon complete in just a few days, leaving two days to spare to run through the details and consider last minute ideas. You had to find some way to occupy your time while you waited for the knight's visit or you might crash with all the energy coursing through you. But thankfully, the day came quick.

Now, had it been energy keeping you awake or anxiety? You could not tell, but you had not a moment to think about it for the carriage was already waiting for you outside. The ride to the castle was pleasant but your stomach was turning. It did not take long until you arrived and a guard led you straight to the lady's quarters.

A knock on the door and you were welcomed inside. Today, Brienne had decided on a casual outfit instead of donning her armor. Her hair was slicked back but there were a few stray strands over her eyes. She studied the shop with such elegance, it made you feel rather small to be in the presence of someone so majestic.

A cough was what caught her attention as you forced down the last of your worries and she greeted you with concern. "Are you alright?"

You waved a hand at her. "I'm alright, I'm alright." With that out of the way, you graced her with a smile. "I'm here!"

"That you are."

"Shall we get started?" you beamed. "I won't keep you waiting any longer." Motioning for her to follow you, you trotted into another room with the knight at your heels.

Her quarters were simple. Not bare but well decorated enough to be cozy. Simplistic was certainly Brienne's own preference, and you found that it gave you room to breathe. There was a good amount of sunlight and a perfect view of King's Landing from the window. It all felt like a dream. The room you had walked into was her own personal bathroom and you draped the dress over a rail for what you could only assume was for robes and towels.

"You can put it on in here. I'll lace it up once you're done."

You exited the room in a hurry and closed the door behind you. There was a tense silence in the air, only filled by the ruffle of clothes and possibly your heartbeat. You could hear it hammer in your ears as the door swung open and out came Brienne with a pinch of worry.

You noticed that she was avoiding the mirror for her eyes sought for something to stare at as a distraction while she steered herself to stand with her undone laces facing you. You weaved them with trained hands, and when you were done, you continued to style he rest of her. From her hair to her face, you were too focused to realize that her attention had shifted from the wall to you as her distraction.

Her anxiety was crunching but she was grateful that you seemed to have taken no notice of it. Her hands were balled into tight fists, nails digging into her palms to get a hold of herself. She maintained all composure to calm herself. She could be making a fool of herself all over again for taking this chance, for trusting you. But, wthat sort of a knight was she if she were not taking risks? She had taken more life-threatening jobs than go through embarrassing situations. It felt ridiculous even anticipating the terrors of humiliation.

The intensity of your attention and commitment to every detail was comforting, in a sense. No person would waste away their time on another just to make a fool of out of them, right? She eased herself with her breaths, letting her mind empty itself while she focused on you. On the way your lip would curl when you felt triumphant, on the way your brows knitted when you were focused, on the scrunch of your nose as you contemplated. It calmed her down.

What was hours had only felt like minutes and you were done. You maneuvered yourself in front of her to take a look at her. The masterpiece and the dress.

She donned a high collared dark blue velvet dress that reached down to her feet, long sleeves cuffed at her wrists, and no corset but a belt that wrapped around her waist. The belt was embroidered with the symbols of her house, and within its center was the Stark's sigil, for the house she honored. Her hair was curled instead of gelled back, but there was just a bit of gel to maintain the curls through the night. You were not finished just yet. There was still a trick or two up your sleeve but you needed just brief second to see all of Brienne. Giddily, you touched her chin gently, a brush in hand.

"Lower your head a little," you murmured as you assessed the details of your design.

"I'm sure you aren't that short."

"I'm trying to get the light."

And so, she adjusted herself. "How much longer?"

"Only a touch bit..." you hummed. With a few strokes of your brush, you added your finishing touches. "And there."

A beat.

"You can look in the mirror, my Lady."

She looked at you, frozen in place. Taking her hand, you led her to the mirror at the back of the room. She did not look until you stopped, and when she did, she stared at her reflection. That person... That very lady she was looking at was herself. She moved a hand to her cheek as if to check that it was no illusion and when the truth of the situation sank in, you saw her bottom lip quiver.

"I... I look--"

"Beautiful."

She looked at you, eyes glittering in tears, but her blank stare never changed. "I've never felt this way... I.. I don't know how to thank you."

"There's nothing to thank me for. It's all you. All I did was style you up."

"No, you haven't." She wiped her tears away delicately to prevent herself from smudging your art. "In Tarth, I would be fitted into what they deemed the prettiest dresses, be made to look like the picture perfect woman to whosever standard it was... but none of that ever made me feel beautiful. You made me feel more of a lady than I've ever been."

"I often go by the philosophy, 'if you can't fit in, then stand out'. You don't have to look like the other hundred women in the room."

"I'll have to think the way you do more often," she laughed lightly as she continued to dab away her tears.

"I tend to be wise." Your eyes lit up when you spotted a box sitting on your desk and you leapt straight to it. "One last thing."

You brought it over to her and set it on the floor before opening it to reveal a silver wreath of vines with a moon and sun bloomed in the center. You had it made on the day you met her as it was the first idea that sparked in your head for your design. It was simple but it completed the rest of the look. Awestricken, Brienne stared at it and you had to beckon her to lower her head for you to put it on her, like a crowning. It sat atop of her curls, a perfect fit, and she straightened herself right up to look at herself once more.

"It's beautiful."

"Just a finishing touch."

She peered closer in the mirror, fingers running along the lining of her wreath. "I look like one of them."

"Who?"

"The Lords and Ladies. I'm a proper Lady."

"You always were, and still are. With or without the dress."

Brienne looked as if she might faint with how overwhelmed with joy she was but she could only bask in it for so long now that the evening was drawing near. A knight had her duties but at least she was dressed for the occasion. You accompanied her to the door but she did not leave. She had taken ahold of both your hands, her anxiousness returning to her. She would have to face the world in the clothes that made her a ridicule, all on her own. With a few words, her confidence may crumble and she would lose all respect for the knight she was.

Not a lady nor a knight, who else could she be?

She breathed sharply when you drew her into an embrace. "Don't forget to smile."

Laughing softly, she wrapped her arms around you loosely and patted your shoulders. "You are starting to sound like a mother."

You pushed her away lightly and crossed your arms. "Come on."

Sighing, she put on a small smile. "There."

"And there we are..."

The words came quick but she could not hold it in anymore. One second more and she would have doubted herself. "Come with me."

You gave her a look, stumbling back in surprise. "I couldn't possibly! I'm not dressed for it."

"Then stand out." She extended a hand to you. She had used your own words against you.

You stayed true to your philosophy and took the hand proudly. If she was going to brave her fears, it was a good example to follow your own advice. The walk to the ballroom was long but it gave you enough time to muster every ounce of courage in your body to take in the crowd of thousands in the room. You slipped your arm through Brienne's to secure yourself to her as she led you through. As much of a social butterfly you were, you were not willing to get lost in a crowd of strangers, let alone nobles who had the personalities of feral animals, waiting to strike any commoner down.

Heads turned to look your way but their eyes were not on you. They were on Brienne. She towered over most and she met eye-to-eye with a few men who met her stature. There was not an insult in the room, only gaping jaws and astonishment as they came to realize who it was at your arm. Some lords took the initiative to greet Brienne a good evening and compliment her before ladies started following after. A smile looked bright on Brienne but pure happiness looked radiant on her.

Maybe Brienne the Beauty had always been the truth, and you were honored to be the one who uncovered it.

#brienne got #brienne of tarth x reader #brienne #brienne of tarth #gwendoline christie #game of thrones

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primojade · 2 years

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𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄.

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈 : 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐀 𝐈𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐀 𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀. ( the die is cast )

𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐈 : argumentum ad ignorantiam. ( argument from ignorance )

" real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance. " - confucius

𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒' 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 | As a veteran AR60 player of Genshin Impact, you pride yourself as someone who knows the ins and outs of Teyvat, even studiously completing Spiral Abyss every reset, and having 100% exploration to some, if not all, of the released regions so far. Everything is fun and enjoyable, especially since Sumeru just recently debuted so you still have a lot to do!

All that ends though, when a mysterious passerby pushes you off the building of your university while playing Genshin. But instead of meeting your inevitable end, you find yourself waking up in the very world you were addicted to!

It's supposed to be a fun dream, right? Something you could laugh at when you wake up? Right?! So, why is that you were back in AR1 with nothing but a dull blade in your inventory?!

…well, at least you still have those 700+ sunsettias and mints, Timmie's fowls…and surprisingly similar game mechanics you used to merely see on the screen before. But what should you do now? Flirt with the Genshin men??? Good lords...

"Welcome to Genshin Impact, Dreamer. Here, we can show you a happier ever after you've never had before…so, ready?"

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 | In which you find yourself mysteriously waking up in Liyue after running away from Tighnari. Now, two of Liyue's Big Three are hot on your tails, determined to find answers out of you.

𝐂𝐖 / 𝐓𝐖 | Cursing, fainting, Xiao threatening you, a fungi attacked you? Lmk if I missed anything!

𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 | I decided to finished writing the alternate bigger route first instead of the branching narratives in route 1. This route might go a bit more insane-ish and action packed because reader is gonna end up in Liyue...👀👀 and this route is a lot more difficult to write that the first one ngl 🤡 i scraped a lot of ideas and maybe shed a tear or two /j anyhow, reblogs and comments are always appreciated!

masterlist | prologue: that love is a fallacy | (alternate route) route i: argumentum ad hominem

It took almost all your willpower and strength to get yourself out of the bed. Your mind is racing with a lot of possibilities, and your heart is pounding with adrenaline as you successfully leave Tighnari's hut undetected—hopefully.

You need to get out of here.

You don't know when he'll be back from fetching your "medicine" but you really didn't think it would be a good idea to stay in this place, you had a bad feeling something will happen the longer you spend resting instead of finding a way to get back home—or wake up from this dream.

Getting isekicked to Genshin sounds so fun and exhilarating at first, especially with the way the fanfic writers penned their own masterpieces in SAGAU with so much enthusiasm and eloquence. Sure, you wished to meet your favourite characters at first, but now that you were experiencing it for yourself, it brought you nothing but fear and disappointment. Fear for the not-so unknown world that awaits you and the utter disappointment how your AR suddenly regressed back to the start.

And, no. This is not like those SAGAU fanfics on Tumblr you were obsessed with! You were not a Creator or something, not even an impostor! Tighnari doesn't seem like he's about to worship nor attack you anyway. If anything, he just appeared as clueless, if not suspicious, as you about this whole ordeal!

So, now, you have no one you could rely on in order to survive in this not so foreign world. Well, nothing aside from your AR1 account and the game mechanics that seemed to work just the same as before.

After a few more minutes of stealthily sneaking around, you finally had reached the end of the massive tree that held the Gandharva Ville together. It felt so surreal seeing the whole place with your own eyes and despite your fears, you felt the fascination and excitement you initially felt when exploring Sumeru for the first time. Like Tighnari himself, the details of the scenery, the trees, the houses, the leaves and even the grass looked as authentic as the ones in the real world. They don't look even close to being pixels anymore.

Plus, there are even more NPCs that reside in the Gandharva Ville than you remember. You saw Nasrin, Amir and the other Forest Rangers you talked to before in-game when you were bored. And even the researchers and non-hostile Eremites were standing in their respective places, too!

I wonder if I could see Collei. You briefly wondered before sadly shaking your head, you have no time for that. (Maybe in another route LOL).

On the other hand, you would take your sweet time to marvel at this discovery only if you weren't pressed for time. You want to go home as soon as you can, and be ready to put ALL of this as a great dream you can laugh at later.

"That's right. Plus, I still have to take my midterm exams…" You muttered to yourself as you opened the Map and made your way to the nearest Statue of the Seven near Gandharva Ville and the Chasm. You have to see if teleportation would work, and so that you could start lighting up your Map.

Again.

Come to think of it, if you were indeed in Genshin Impact and this is all real…then which part of the Archon Quest are you now?

"Ugh. I forgot to ask Tighnari if he already met the Traveller!" You facepalmed. "Though I wonder who is the Traveller here and one in the Abyss?"

Just as you already see the Dendro Archon's Statue in the distance, a sudden shiver runs down your spine. You don't like this feeling. You swallowed thickly, braving yourself to look behind you.

And you almost screeched in surprise when you saw a Stretchy Geo Fungus aggressively charging straight at you. You threw yourself at the side just in time for it to hit the nearby thick boulder instead. In panic, you summon back the Inventory tab to hopefully find anything useful to defend yourself with.

Another disappointment washed over you. "—a Dull Blade?! Where are my other weapons?!" You exclaimed, horrified. But you have no time to complain further because the Fungus quickly recovers, its beady eyes dangerously (and adorably) narrowed at you and come charging again, spinning its head so you quickly equipped the LVL1 Dull Blade and with all your might, you swung at it before it hit you.

"This is so unfair!" You cried as you blindly smacked the Fungi with the Dull Blade. You repeatedly saw 45, 52, 63 as you dealt Physical Damage on it, literally. Its health (or HP) bar floating above its head decreases little by little. You missed your hundred thousand damage and one shooting these annoying mushrooms.

After forever had passed (it's really only about five minutes) and shedding a tear or two behind physically wrecking the LVL10 Fungus (why is it level 10 already when you're in the WL0?!), you stared blankly at the Mora and Fungal Spores it left behind.

"Huh? So, the game system about enemy loot is the same, too?" You asked yourself in disbelief as the Mora excitedly jumped around you before it vanished in your Inventory (you now have 35 Mora, yay!) You have to grab the Spores yourself before it, too, disappears in your Inventory. In the corner of your eyes, you also saw additional EXP for your Adventure Rank and possibly your Character EXP, too.

It was a huge relief that the Statue of the Seven seems to work just fine. So, when you interact with the Statue in Gandharva Ville, the Map that surrounds it is lit up, including its Teleport Waypoints.

"A-Are you saying…" Your jaw dropped, also dropping the Dull Blade while staring at the Paimon Menu in unbridled rage. "...I HAVE TO FIGHT THE ENEMIES MYSELF TO GET LOOTS? You have to be kidding me!"

The disappointing (again) thing was that…you can't resonate with the Statue like the Traveller does in-game.

"In short, this game is rigged from the start." You frowned angrily as you started to trek away from the Statue. How come it only favours the Traveller to give them cool powers and not you?! Hmp.

In any case, you decided to leave Sumeru for now. This area was too dangerous for your AR1 ass, as you could see with fighting just a single Fungus. Archons forbid what would happen if you encounter those annoying Eremites and Fatui loitering around!

Liyue seems to be more of a safe option compared to Sumeru. If not, you could always go to Mondstadt instead. The starting regions have little to no overall hostility that Inazuma and Sumeru possessed, aside from a few Fatui and stronger hilichurls. Plus, the chests there are easier to find compared to the ones in Sumeru and Inazuma. More chests means more mats. Heh.

If worse comes out, you could always run away with your Physical Dull Blade, no? You sarcastically console yourself.

And that's what you had done for the rest of the day. You tried your best to not disturb any Fungus or any Sumpter Beast nearby, hiding behind trees and bushes to camouflage yourself poorly.

The only thing that you find lucky enough is probably how you manage to locate your backpack hanging on a tree. Thankfully, your phone (who magically seems to have an infinite battery??), your laptop, your textbooks and notebooks and other stuff didn't get wet from the constant rainfall in the Avidya Forest. And who knows what might happen if someone from this world discovered your things!

Anyhow, it must be the most stressful and exhausting two days of your life, and yes, this dream-turned-into-reality is being an absolute nightmare now. You have no proper rest, no proper food, and your flight and fight response is so high that even a slight noise nearby would make you jolt and run for your life, exhausting yourself even further.

You were glad you always brought some painkillers and other medicine and first aid (perks of being a scout during grade school. Hahaha). You could at least tend to your wounds while you were travelling by yourself—still, it's not enough but it would do.

You wanted to cry and curled in a ball and hoped that this nightmare would end soon. It was a bad decision to leave Tighnari's care so soon, yes, but you can't also let your uncertainty hinders you to know what exactly is happening right now. Tighnari may offer protection and safety to you, but that choice would also restrict your actions and discovery if you don't set yourself out.

"I still think I did the right thing…" you groaned tiredly, looking at the hilichurl camp at the distance. "...well, at least I'm in Liyue now. Maybe if I'm lucky, I can see Zhongli or even Xiao soon…welp."

Maybe you shouldn't have jinxed it.

That's all you remember before your stomach rumbles so loudly and everything goes black.

When you thought meeting Xiao would make you feel safe and defend you at least since he's one of your best DPS in-game and could annihilate enemies faster and efficiently both in lore and meta sense, having to feed him with decent to godsent artefacts, and the prospect of meeting him did excites you for a bit, you almost forgot this possibility.

"...Answer me, mortal. Why did you call me and how did you know that name?" The tip of the Primordial Jade Winged Spear that you accidentally pulled in the Standard Banner was pointed at your neck threateningly. You stared wide-eyed at the glinting tip, and as you marvelled at the weapon's intricate design (and its delicious crit rate stat; nevermind its pointing at you), you immediately noticed one tiny detail.

"...Huh…why is your weapon not ascended—" You blurted out, unashamed before you realised you should've been afraid that Xiao himself was pointing his signature weapon at you.

But no, you knew the design of PJWS by heart now. You knew that that is not its ascended form. But aside from that—

"Conqueror of Demons, please do wait a moment. They appeared to be lost and distraught. We must give them time to collect and explain themselves before we come to conclusions." The calm voice of Xiao's fellow 'Big Three' member somehow manage to soothe your confused nerves.

That's the keyword—somehow.

You didn't know if it was because of the grogginess of being asleep for who-knows-how-long had spiraled your initial fear and cautiousness prior to their arrival into confusion and you simply—

"What the actual fuck?"

—cannot function well.

As well as you hoped to be, at least.

You have no idea why Xiao and Ganyu were with you right now! What you remember before passing out from exhaustion (and hunger) is passing by a hilichurl camp at the intersection between Liyue and Sumeru, and after that?

What are you doing in Nantianmen now?! It's impossible because you were certain you haven't unlocked the Teleport Waypoint there yet! But you found yourself waking up with the two of them hovering around you, with one pointing his weapon at you the moment you land your eyes on him.

Xiao didn't seem like he would listen to Ganyu's words though, and his grip on his polearm just tightened with what you just said. "...I have not heard of that language. Explain yourself, mortal, and answer my question before I make a decision for you."

"Conqueror of Demons," Ganyu pleads, kneeling beside you and patting your shoulder awkwardly.

His threats shook you, because you knew if you didn't answer, he would really go with it. Especially since he was seeing you as a threat to Liyue right now.

"W-Wait! I didn't mean any trouble!" You found yourself exclaiming in desperation. "I didn't even know what the fuck is happening!"

His cat-like amber eyes narrowed down at you dangerously, obviously not believing what you said. "That is what every suspicious mortal says when caught in the act. And that did not explain why you know that name."

"Uh…I dunno, are you an Adeptus?" You tried pathetically.

"And?"

"Isn't it only polite to call your name?"

Ganyu answered this time, still as soft as ever, that could've fooled you. "Mortals tend to call him 'Conqueror of Demons' or 'Vigilant Yaksha' instead. Not many were aware of that name so it took us by surprise that you seem to know him."

"Oh…" It dawned on you why he seems so hostile now. You were so used calling him Xiao that you forgot about that piece of lore.

Xiao is a name seldom heard.

Route 2.1: Tell them a lie! Something like your grandparents were once saved by him and he gave his name to them or whatever. Or maybe risk telling them that you knew the Traveller (which may or may not be a bad decision since you don't know what point of time is this now) but as if you have any choice anyway. It's that or die again. Ugh.

Now, you knew where you fucked up.

Route 2.2: Tried reasoning with them as calmly as you could. Explain how you don't remember anything and you seem to have amnesia. Anything that would seem like you were innocent and the only thing you remember is someone telling you to call Xiao's name when you're in danger (which is not a lie in fact, since he did tell you [the traveller] that in one of his voice lines).

TAGLIST (open! Send a dm or ask to be added :3) | @xinii , @maehemthemisfit , @abvolat , @crazypriestess , @ghostsaysno , @kittence , @unabashedlyminiaturetyrant , @xiyanin , @toasterinabathtub , @sketcheeee , @a-single-pizza , @fuoon , @luvwukong , @salty-salty , @rosebatsc , @inky8 , @thegeekact , @almighty-raiden-shogunate , @isuckat-avery-thing , @perhapsabitgirlypop , @2cuteforyourlies , @stxrgxzxr , @elsoleil , @tsukkinoyya , @mkaella , @celi-alika , @tiffthescales , @blurr3db3rry , @messyserver , @shadowmist0706 , @chin-chii ... (if ur username is orange, it means i cant tagged u :(( maybe its in ur settings? Also lmk if i missed anyone!)

Why the two routes are redflags waiting to be a Bad End tho 😂😂😂 i swear there was a reason why this route is called "argument against ignorance" LOL

#genshin impact #genshin sagau #sagau #xiao x reader #tighnari x reader #zhongli x reader #ganyu #gender neutral reader #jaded moments—!#genshin impact x reader #xiao #zhongli #tighnari

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