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#sarcasm is my only defence
pcrfectstorms · 2 years
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cursedrelics asked: ❝ i think maybe a part of me died that day too. ❞
from @cursedrelics​​ [ stiles + cora ] 
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              HE DOESN’T TALK OF HIS MOTHER EITHER, there’s an ache deep within his chest that tightens even thinking too much about her death, how he watched her fade out, become someone he no longer recognised, and the grief gets easier to manage over time; but it never truly goes away -- so he gets it, when cora speaks of what she lost, how much she lost, his grief by comparison doesn’t begin to compare, but that wasn’t the point was it? trauma wasn’t something to win, no one came out on top.
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               A hand tentatively reaching out to hers, an offer of comfort that stiles half expects to be swiped away. “𝚑𝚎𝚢 -- 𝚒 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝, 𝚒 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚒 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 -- 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 -- 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚖 ---𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚖 𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚍,  𝚒 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚘, 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚢𝚊’𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠? 𝚒 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚋𝚞𝚝 -- 𝚒 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚕𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚢’𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠? 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞.”
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holllandtrash · 1 year
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6 to 1 | lando norris (part 6)
pairing: lando norris x leclerc!reader part 6 in the 6 to 1 series (read part 1 here)
days off mean lounging around, sharing meals and potentially sharing intimate movements? it's getting harder and harder to push your feelings for lando aside, even if there is a voice in the back of your head reminding you getting involved with a british driver (but that voice sounds a lot like charles' so its easy to ignore)
word count: 5.8k tags/warnings some social media aus
if anyone read this part when it was originally posted im so sorry, something got messed up and like half of the chapter didnt post sooo here it is now
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“I am not watching another one of these stupid vampire movies.”
Lando had kept his mouth shut all day. He didn’t complain when you put Twilight on, craving a bit of nostalgia and a reason to lounge on the couch for the foreseeable evening. He didn’t say anything when you put New Moon on, he just gave you a questionable look when you spoke in unison with Jacob Black when he said the iconic ‘Bella, where the hell have you been loca’ line.
By the time you started Eclipse, the third in the series, Lando stood up from the couch. Your attention had been divided between your phone and the movie for the majority of the day so you really weren’t paying attention to Lando until you realised he was spending a good chunk of time in the kitchen.
You lifted your head, “What are you doing?”
“Driving a race car,” Lando called back, tone dropping with sarcasm, as he pulled out a knife to start cutting the vegetables he had taken from the fridge. 
You sat up a bit straighter, eyeing the red pepper on the cutting board, “I don’t like red peppers.”
“There were peppers in your omelette this morning,” Lando scoffed, turning to look at you.
“Those were green peppers. I don’t like red ones.”
“They are literally the same thing.”
“Not to me.”
Lando held the pointed end of the knife in your direction, “You are making my life very difficult right now.” When you just flashed him a smile and turned back to the movie, Lando put the red pepper away and swapped it for a green one. 
You weren’t even sure what he was making, but it smelled good so you kept quiet for the most part. 
You tried to tell him you were allergic to whatever seasoning he just pulled out of the cupboard and in response, Lando put a handful of it in his hand, walked over to you, and blew it directly into your face.
You sat up, rubbing your eyes as you grabbed a tissue to rid your face of what you assumed was some sort of combination of dill and garlic powder. 
“You should be thanking your lucky stars this recipe didn’t call for cayenne pepper, you ungrateful shit,” Lando laughed as he returned back to the kitchen. Now you really stayed quiet. 
When he returned, you had your defences up, flinching as he approached you as you were scared he was going to throw something else in your face. Lando only rolled his eyes and handed you a bowl and a bottle of sparkling water. 
You sat up and took a look at the Greek inspired chicken bowl. With layers of rice, protein, a variety of vegetables topped with feta cheese, it made your mouth water before you could take the first bite.
“Maybe you should open up a restaurant,” you suggested when he sat down next to you. 
“Let’s just open one together.”
“In your dreams.”
Lando took a sip of his Perrier water and nodded in agreement, “Sounds like a pretty good dream to me.”
You ate dinner and kept watching the movie, choosing to ignore that comment. Lando asked a couple questions here and there, needing clarification on who some characters were that he had missed when he was making dinner, but you had the feeling he was as into these movies as you were.
Until it was nearing eleven and you had just put the final movie on. Breaking Dawn Part 2. And Lando snatched the remote from your hands, pausing it at the opening credits. 
“I am not watching another one of these stupid vampire movies.”
You stared at him in shock, “You said we could do what I wanted today!” 
“I didn’t think that would involve ten straight hours of a vampire-werewolf love triangle that is making me want to rip my eyes out,” Lando exclaimed with a laugh, his words cutting right through your heart.
You ripped the remote from his hands and sat up, pointing at the tv, “The Twilight Saga is a cinematic masterpiece.”
Lando threw his head back and laughed, “Oh really? How many Oscars has it won?”
“It won MTV’s Best Onscreen Kiss in 2009.”
“I feel like this isn’t information you should just know off the top of your head.”
You groaned and pressed play, “Can we just watch it? It’s the last movie.”
“You watch it, I’m getting ready for bed.” Lando tousled his hand through your hair before using you as a crutch to stand up. You pushed him out of the way as he walked in front of the tv and he made another comment about how this was one of the worst series’ he’s ever seen before walking into the bathroom.
You turned your attention to the screen, but when your phone started to ring you turned it down and saw Arthur was calling you to check in, ask if you’d be at Silverstone and what not. It was an innocent enough conversation, until he asked where you were.
“At a friend's house,” you sat up a bit, thankful that Lando wasn’t anywhere near you to make this conversation more difficult.
“Oh, which friend?”
Fuck your mind went blank.
You said the first name that came to mind, “Laura.”
Arthur laughed, “Who the hell is Laura?”
“Oh you’ve met her before,” you lied through your teeth. “Blonde, has the piercings-”
“That describes about half of your friends,” Arthur cut you off, probably not caring too much who you were with, as long as you were somewhere safe. “Have you talked to Charles lately?”
Aside from a few texts, you really hadn’t heard from your brother since you left Canada, “Not much, why?”
There was a bit of hesitation, “No reason, just wondering.”
Any other day you would have called Arthur out on withholding information from you. Something must have been going on with your brothers for Arthur to even ask if you had spoken to Charles, but Arthur ended this phone call almost immediately after, making up some bullshit training excuse.
You made a mental note to call him out on it next time you spoke, but until then you returned back to the vampire-werewolf love triangle Lando despised so much.
When the bathroom door opened, you glanced in that direction in time to see a cloud of steam protrude into the hallway. You wouldn’t have paid any more attention to it, had Lando not immediately followed and stepped out of the bathroom.
With nothing but a towel hanging around his hips. 
You really tried to focus on the movie. You would have been fuming if you stepped out of the shower in nothing but a towel and Lando couldn’t stop staring at you, but this was the first time you’d seen him like this and it was quite distracting.
You’d seen his shirtless pictures on instagram. You’ve seen clips of him changing shirts in Lando edits on twitter or tik tok, but this was different. Holy fuck was this different. 
Beads of water clung to his skin, accentuating the dips and curves of the muscles in his back. He shook out his head, running his fingers through the wet strands of hair to try and keep the curls from sticking to his forehead. 
And then he looked at you and you knew you had been caught staring.
“I’m just going into the room to change,” he told you. It had been your room for the last few weeks, but he still had all of his clothes in the closet. You nodded, mentally telling yourself to not look down at where the towel sat on his hips. 
But you couldn’t do anything about pulling your eyes off his body as he walked down the hall and shut the bedroom door behind him. 
It took you a second to pull yourself together after that.
Lando was hot. 
You knew he was attractive, everyone who had eyes would agree to that. He had cute, boy-ish features and a magnetic smile that made it hard to look away. Like a lot of the drivers on the grid, Lando was good looking, he had that going for him.
But he was hot.
Hot enough to make you temporarily forget about one of your favourite movie series, hot enough that you couldn’t say a single word to him when he told he was just going to change, hot enough that you were now imagining what he might have looked like without the towel.
You sat up straighter, forcing these thoughts out of your mind. You knew you shouldn’t be thinking about Lando like that so when he walked out of the bedroom, you didn’t even let yourself look at him as he sauntered down the hall. In the corner of your eye you could see him make himself a cup of tea in the kitchen. When he asked if you wanted one, you could only shake your head.
It was hard to focus on the movie knowing Lando was right there. You weren’t even watching, you were just pretending to because you needed something to look at that wasn’t him. 
When he sat down next to you, he carefully put his cup of tea on the coffee table and leaned against the back cushions with a heavy breath. He was sitting a few inches closer to you now than he had been before, you weren’t imagining that. He had the hood of his jumper pulled up around his head, his arm resting behind his neck and neither of you said anything for a little while.
Until Lando, not even pulling his eyes from the screen, asked, “Were you checking me out?”
In response, you grabbed the pillow that had fallen on the ground and smacked him right in the face with it. Lando laughed, but he couldn’t dodge it, instead letting it fall to his lap and eyeing the way your cheeks turned red and how you refused to look at him.
“That’s a very violent way to say yes,” there was a smugness to his tone. You didn’t have to look at him to know he was smirking.
“I wasn’t.” You practically hissed, “I looked at you, there’s a difference.”
You were definitely checking him out when he stepped out of the bathroom.
But he didn’t need to know that.
Lando wasn’t going to let this go, “It’s okay, I check you out sometimes.”
You rolled your eyes, deciding that if he wanted to start this game, you would play dirty. “Yeah I bet you absolutely drool at the sight of me in the Ferrari garage talking to Carlos.”
But that didn’t deter Lando like you thought it would. He shifted on the couch to face you, arm resting along the back of it, “Okay can you tell me about that? Like is there something going on there?”
You finally looked at him, eyebrows raised, “Going on with…?”
“You and Carlos.”
You snorted, “No.”
“But you guys are close.”
“We’re friends.”
“Nothing more?”
“If we were more I probably would have called him last night instead of you, don’t you think?” 
It was a sentimental thought, but your tone was bitter and Lando caught it, like you couldn’t believe you were actually talking about this. But Lando didn’t know that this was an ongoing conversation with those that were close to you and Charles. People jumped to their own conclusions and while you did like Carlos, you would never see him as anything more than a friend. 
“So what are we?”
Now you felt forced to pause the movie. You turned on the couch, crossing your legs underneath you as you stared at the British driver, “Are we really having this conversation?”
“I just want clarification, is all,” Lando said, a hand held up in defence before you could give him any more attitude. “You didn’t call Carlos because you guys are just friends and nothing more, but you called me.”
“You’re thinking too much about this.”
“I’m thinking about it the right amount,” Lando retorted. Still, you were unimpressed and he could see that. Through your blank stare and semi-scowl, Lando got the impression that this was not how you wanted the night to end.
But he had a point, whether you admitted it or not. 
Lando was who you called. Even if you didn’t remember it, he was who you wanted to be with last night, he was who you missed. 
However there was something he seemed to be forgetting.
“I don’t date drivers, Lando.”
“I know, I know, and I don’t want to keep having this conversation but I also don’t know where we stand,” he tried to reason with you, he wanted more than just the same rejection you’ve been giving him for a while now. Flirting was fun, hanging out with him was exhilarating and while you knew it couldn’t turn into anything more, Lando wanted you to think otherwise.
“We’re friends,” you said, point blankly. You needed to remove yourself from this situation so you grabbed the empty bowl that had been sitting on the coffee table and you walked to the kitchen. 
You shouldn’t have been surprised when Lando followed.
“Friends who kiss?”
“Once,” you pointed out, dropping the bowl into the sink, making sure your back was towards him. “We’ve kissed once and it didn’t mean anything.”
Lando scoffed, you could practically hear his eye roll as he stood behind you, “It didn’t mean anything? Really?” 
No, but that’s what he needed to hear. You didn’t want Lando to know that you were conflicted, torn between knowing that you shouldn’t want to hang out with him as much as you did and wanting him to kiss you again. You didn’t like the level of comfort you two had reached and you hated that his presence made you as happy as it did.
So he needed to believe the kiss didn’t mean anything and maybe if you said it enough times, you’d believe it to.
“It didn’t mean anything,” you repeated, hands resting on the edge of the counter. “It was the thirty second deal. Once you reach zero you’re done.”
But Lando wasn’t as naive as you were.
“And how many seconds do I have left?” He asked, standing mere inches from you. If you looked up and to the right even slightly, you’d catch his eyes.
A sharp exhale passed through your lips, “Eleven.”
Lando gently took hold of your wrist and spun you around to face him. With your back pressed up against the counter, you were limited to what you could do or where you could look. You were practically forced to meet his hazel eyes and you were frozen when he lifted his hand up to the side of your face.
His fingers were gently, resting right where your neck met your jaw as he closed the gap even more, dropping his face to yours. He didn’t kiss you, but he came horribly close. Instead, letting his nose nudge yours as his lips parted. 
You found yourself reaching for the front of his jumper, curling your fingers around the material to hold him against you. Each breath carried more and more anticipation, your heart nearly pounding out of your chest as Lando hovered his lips right above yours. 
He had eleven seconds left, but he wasn’t going to rush into them. He just wanted to prove a point. 
You wanted to kiss him. 
“Lando,” you were so quiet. You weren’t even sure what you were asking from him.
You were frozen in place and Lando’s breaths were in sync with yours and each second that passed where he didn’t kiss you only drove you more and more insane. It wasn’t fair. 
“You can’t tell me this doesn’t mean anything,” Lando’s words were laced with timid desperation. He wanted you both to be on the same page and as terrifying as it was to admit, that build up, the moment before the kiss, meant something. You shouldn’t have wanted him as bad as you did.
You applied the slightest bit of pressure to his chest. Lando got the hint and stepped backwards, giving you the space you needed to think clearly.
“I just-” the fear of Charles finding out flooded your mind, followed by the media spinning this out of control and then images of a Ferrari-McLaren crash were at the forefront of your thoughts. You shook your head. “I need to go to bed.”
Lando wasn’t going to push to get anything else out of you. He watched as you slowly walked down the hall. You didn’t dare give him one last look before collapsing on the bed and calling it a night.
——————
3
The upside to yours and Lando’s friendship, or relationship, was that each new day was exactly that. A new day. 
You woke up in the morning and neither of you addressed the almost kiss you shared last night. Lando didn’t ask again if it meant anything and you were able to focus on getting ready and doing your makeup without any intrusive thoughts. 
Because you had watched most of the Twilight movies yesterday and that was all you wanted to do, it was Lando’s choice today. He had been texting furiously all morning and even stepped outside to take a few calls, leaving you with more questions than answers.
And he wouldn’t give you any hints. It was a surprise, apparently. He even asked if he could blindfold you before you got into his car and a simple glare in response told him that that would never happen.
During the drive, you both took turns picking the song. Lando would question most of your choices, mostly because a lot of the artists you liked were French, but in return you would judge the majority of the British rap that he chose. 
“Can you please just tell me where we’re going?” You asked, noticing you were driving further and further out of the city. “You’re not kidnapping me are you?”
“I’m not kidnapping you.”
“Is this another date?”
“Not a date either,” Lando answered. 
You couldn’t imagine what the outskirts of London had to offer. You tried to ask more questions, but they were all shot down. And when the road you were on turned to dirt and gravel and you could no longer see any sign of city life, you turned to him again.
“I need a hint or something.”
“You are so impatient,” Lando laughed, reaching over the console to give your leg a playful squeeze. “We’re almost there. I promise- well, I think you’ll like it.”
Almost was a stretch. It took another fifteen minutes before he turned down yet another dirt road, thick forestry on either side. You couldn’t begin to imagine what he had in store. 
And then you saw a few trailers parked in front of a steel dome with a garage door. It took a second for you to realise there was a dark green car parked in the garage and a few people hanging around it.
“What is going on?” You asked him, but you weren’t surprised when all he did was smile.
Lando pulled his car off to the side, using a few fingers to wave at the other people who were apparently waiting for him. He then turned the car off and gave you one of his familiar, charming grins. 
“Ready?” 
“I don’t know what you signed me up for, so no.”
Lando didn’t let you ask any more questions before he opened the door, quickly scurrying to the other side of the car to open yours as well. He helped you out and you watched as two of the people that were in the garage started making their way over to you.
You recognised Max Fewtrell, Lando’s best friend. You’d never actually met him before, but you’d seen him at races and all over social media. The girl next to him was also familiar with dark brown hair and beautiful features, but you couldn’t place a name.
With his hand on your back, Lando and you took a few steps forward. He gestured towards Max first, “This is Max, that’s Ria-” he looked at you to introduce you to his friends. “This is Y/N.”
Ria Bish, now you knew where you recognised her from. She was part of Lando’s Quadrant team. 
And both her and Max were wearing Quadrant merch. Merch that you hadn’t seen before. And usually Lando made a habit of wearing his own clothing whenever he could. Behind them, you finally spotted a skeleton crew of camera operators.
You looked up at Lando, “What the fuck is going on here?”
Ria sort of chuckled, “You didn’t tell her?”
“He doesn’t tell me anything,” you shook your head. 
But now you were able to figure it out. The new merchandise. The Quadrant team. The camera set up. 
“You’re dropping a new collection,” you said, finally it wasn’t a question.
And that wasn’t the only surprise.
Lando was positively beaming, “And I want you to model for the photo and video shoot.”
Your jaw dropped as you tried to tell if he was playing some sort of joke or not. The way he looked at you told you that he wasn’t lying. Ria and Max wore similar excited expressions, clearly you were the only one left out of this decision. 
Modelling wasn’t new to you, but usually your agent contacted you when you had a new job. You didn’t show up to a set with no warning and by the looks of it, this wasn’t even a professional set. This was something Lando had set up with members of his own team.
“I’m not-”
“You don’t have a choice,” Lando interjected before you could turn this down. “I’m pretty sure we agreed that today we did what I wanted to do.”
You thought about it for a moment before a new concern came to mind, “How long have you been planning this?”
Lando scratched the back of his neck, “Honestly, I always knew I wanted you to model this collection. It just worked out that we could do it today.”
“But why-”
“Danny’s never asked you to model one of his collections, has he?”
Oh.
Oh. 
That’s what this was about. Your driver ranking. You told Lando to get creative and he was doing exactly that. He knew you lived in your DR3 merch, he knew you admired the third Red Bull driver, but Daniel had never given you the opportunity to be part of his collection drop. 
Max handed him a purple top which he just handed over to you, looking quite proud of himself as he draped his arm over your shoulders, tugging you against his side.
“Come on, Y/N, it’ll be fun,” Lando encouraged. You held out the t-shirt to look at the design as Lando kept trying to talk you into it. “The fans will love it.”
“Charles will not.”
“Who cares what Charles thinks?”
You tilted your chin up, eyebrows raised, “You know, usually I get paid for these types of jobs.”
And it was your fault, really, for using a suggestive tone. For letting your gaze drop to his lips. For forgetting that two of his friends were literally standing right in front of you, watching this interaction.
Lando ran with it. He just dipped his head towards your ear, using a volume that only you could hear, leaving Max and Ria to wonder what they were missing.
“I’m sure we can figure something out later.”
Thank god for Ria catching the way your cheeks turned red. She grabbed hold of your wrist and pulled you away from Lando before the innuendos could get any worse, “Come on, I’ll show you the trailer to change in.”
You walked with Ria, waiting a few seconds before looking over your shoulder at Lando who had jumped right into a conversation with Max. But he was watching you too, his gaze darting towards you as he spoke, but trying not to make it obvious. 
Ria unlatched the door to the trailer and stepped back for you to walk in, “Can I ask how your brother feels about all of this? About you and Lando?”
“Oh he doesn’t-” you paused on the steps, sending one more look towards the British driver. 
You should have said, there was no ‘you and Lando’ but instead your instant response was to say that Charles was unaware. And even though you had no idea what was going either, there was certainly something. 
But you just shrugged, “Charles doesn’t know anything.”
Ria eyed the merch in your hands. You were both thinking the same thing, but she was the one to voice the thoughts, "I guess that's about to change."
ynleclerc
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liked by maxfewtrell, carlossainz55 and 25,351 others
tagged: landonorris, team_quadrant
ynleclerc quadrant OFF ROAD* collection drops soon i think?
view all 2,197 comments
landonorris nice
riabish ♡♡
danielricciardo this feels like a betrayal?
ynleclerc still love u ❤️
inthepaddock that last pic is my 13th reason
usersainzz carlos has been awfully quiet
charles_leclerc what is this
landonorris merch drop mate
You told Lando not to respond to Charles’ comment, it would only feed the fire. But then you saw him click ‘reply’ and you weren’t quick enough to snatch the phone out of his hands. You tried, but Lando just held the phone way out of reach.
The photoshoot had been fun, you could admit that, but the entire car ride back to his place, your stomach filled with nerves as you debated posting a collection of photos from it. You wanted to support Lando, you wanted to show off the new clothing, but you were terrified of what Charles would say. 
Lando held the door open for you to step into his flat and he could see you were still fighting with yourself. He snatched the phone out of your hands and swiped through the pictures.
“If you’re so worried about what he’ll say, don’t include the last one.”
“But I like the last one,” you admitted with a shy smile. It was one that Ria had snapped when you walked out of the trailer in the all purple attire. And maybe you were the one that pulled Lando to your side to get a photo of the two of you matching but he was the one who dropped his head right next to yours. 
And then you were the one who held the side of his face, resulting in a pose that looked very…
“We look like a couple,” Lando voiced your concern as he sat down on the couch, pulling out his own phone. “I love the picture, I do, but if it's causing you this much anxiety, don’t post it.”
When you sat down next to him, you glanced at his phone screen and saw that he was swiping through the photos as well. Taking a few extra seconds to examine the ones of just the two of you. When he zoomed in on your smile you rolled your eyes and playfully pushed your hand against his face.
“You had fun, right?” Lando asked, turning his attention to you. Not the you on his phone screen, the you that was sitting so close to him that he could feel the faint movements of your body with each breath you too, so close that he could see the worry lines in your forehead and guilt in your eyes. 
But you nodded, “I really did.”
He grinned from ear to ear, “So am I up to third now? In your driver ranking?”
You sighed heavily, “It appears so.”
Lando curled his hand into a celebratory fist. You ignored his childish ways and looked at your Instagram post again. You really did have a good time today. Getting to know some of Lando’s friends was entertaining, especially when they were able to tell you all of the stories that Lando wouldn’t ever share himself. 
It shouldn’t have mattered how your brothers would react, you were happy. You had a really fucking good day. 
So you posted the four pictures.
Lando commented immediately. When you asked him if he had your post notifications on he just muttered a quiet ‘no’ and tried to hide in the hood of his jumper. 
And then Charles saw it. His ‘what is this’ comment made you feel sick and you begged Lando not to respond but Lando loved making your life difficult and even though his response was innocent enough, you weren’t surprised when Charles’ name appeared on your phone a few seconds later, his ringtone burning through your ears.
“I’ll answer it-”
“You absolutely will not,” you snapped at Lando. “You will stay quiet. If you so much as breathe too loudly I will shave your head in your sleep.”
Lando believed you. You weren’t one to bluff.
You stood up and answered the call, mentally preparing yourself for a scolding. 
“Hey Cha-”
“Why were you with Lando?” He asked. Not even a hello or a how are you. Just straight to the point. “Why are you promoting his brand?”
“It was a job,” you looked at Lando, but there was enough space between you that he couldn’t make out what Charles was saying on the other end. “Lando was in the city, he asked if I wanted to participate and I said yes. It’s not a big deal.”
It was a lie. It wasn't a real job and Lando didn't force you in front of the camera. If you wanted out of the photoshoot, you could have said no.
But you wanted to be part of it.
“It’s kind of a big deal, Y/N,” Charles didn’t sound annoyed, he sounded genuinely mad at you. “You’re my sister and you’re promoting another driver's merch? How do you think that makes me look?”
“I don’t think people are thinking about that,” you scoffed. Charles wasn’t one to have selfish tendencies, so this was really coming out of left field. “It was a photoshoot, Charles. Don't try to create a problem when there's not one. You don't care when I wear Daniel's merch."
"Daniel isn't driving."
"That's not the point and you know it."
Charles had something against you
There was silence on his end. You thought about just hanging up and ending the conversation there. Otherwise this would have turned into an argument that neither of you would win. 
But then he just had to keep it going.
“Do you-” Charles paused again. You knew where he was going and you really regretted not hanging up when you had the chance. “Do you like him?”
Even though Lando had no idea what sort of conversation you were in the middle of, he was still watching you carefully. When you turned your head to look at him, you felt stuck. Conflicted. This was not how you wanted to feel. 
“Peut-être,” you said, eyes locked on Lando’s. Maybe. Maybe you did like him more than you were willing to let on, more than you wanted to. 
Making the switch to French was a dead giveaway for Charles, “Are you with him right now?”
Again, all you could say was, “Peut-être.”
Lando was trying to piece together what you were saying. With his eyebrows pinched together and jaw tightened, you could see he was concerned. The photoshoot was his idea and now Charles was taking his frustration out on you, he felt responsible. 
“Je dois partir,” I need to go. You said quietly. “I’ll see you Sunday.”
“No, don’t hang-”
You pulled the phone away from your ear and left it on the counter in the kitchen. Lando stood up and walked over to you as soon as he knew the conversation was over. He gently put his hand on your back and kept it there as he turned you to face him.
“Look I knew Charles wouldn’t be happy but I didn’t think-”
“Don’t,” you shook your head, rubbing your hand over your face in distress. “It’s not your fault. None of this is and I shouldn’t even care what he thinks.”
“But he’s your brother, so you’re going to care.”
All you could do was shrug your shoulders. This was a lose-lose situation for you. If you distanced yourself from Lando, you wouldn’t be happy. If you stayed with Lando, if you let yourself be happy with him, Charles would distance himself from you. 
Lando lifted his hand to the side of your face, thumb brushing over your cheek, “Can I ask- what does ‘peut-être’ mean?”
You leaned into his touch, “It means ‘maybe’.”
“Maybe what?”
God were you really going to tell him?
It was hard to keep your eyes on his, every voice in your head told you to just turn around and walk away. Leave this conversation now otherwise you’d be digging your own grave.
But it was so easy to tune out those voices when the whole world stopped as he looked at you. 
“Maybe..." you started, taking a breath, “maybe I like you.”
Lando smiled, well it was a mix between a smile and smirk, hearing the words that he'd been waiting for. “Maybe?” He asked, heavy on the sarcasm. “Only maybe?”
You rolled your eyes, “Yeah don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late,” he licked his lips. That fucker knew what he was doing. His gaze dropped to your own lips for a second, “I have eleven seconds left, yeah?”
You nodded and the last thing you caught was the devient glint in his eyes before he connected his mouth to yours, making the move that you were reluctant to.
Your lips moved in slow synchronisation, there was less of a hurry this time compared to at the hotel, both of you wanting this moment to last. Lando’s fingers slipped into your hair, your hand found his chest before it slid up towards his neck instead, bringing him closer to you, if that was even possible.
Lando’s grip tightened on your side and every thought in your brain, the countdown that you should have started, Charles’ disapproval, all of it vanished and instead there was him and only him. 
It was like Lando was kissing you with every inch of his soul. Like he was trying to use this moment to replace all of the words he couldn’t say because he knew you wouldn’t listen anyway. It was the kind of kiss that you could get used to, that you wanted to get used to. 
Breathlessly, you pulled away. Lando rested his forehead against yours, the pads of his fingers brushing against your cheek as he swallowed.
“Times up,” you whispered, both of you aware that it had been a little longer than eleven seconds.
“It doesn’t have to be, you know that right?”
You could have more than just those expired thirty seconds. You could have every day with him if you wanted, Lando not only hinted at that but he had also made it so blatantly obvious that he wanted you. 
This wasn’t about a stupid driver ranking anymore. 
Somewhere over these last few weeks, there was a shift. Lando didn’t just care about working his way up, he cared about you. He wanted to make you happy, he wanted to see you smile, be the reason for your laugh, spend every possible minute of the day with you if it wasn’t a race weekend, and even then, he wanted to see you at the Paddock more than anything. 
Lando liked you. 
And it was terrifying, but you couldn’t deny your feelings anymore. You couldn’t mask them with sarcasm and eye rolls. You couldn’t hide it anymore. You wanted more than just those thirty seconds.
You wanted him. 
masterlist here
taglist: @moneymasnn@thotd-f1 @masonspulisic @mcmuppet@f1-futurewag-16-3-4-63 @alilstressyandlotdepressy @themisric @happydazzz123 @moonxblossom @norrisleclercf1 @scarlettisconfused @sbgal @e-lisa-bettan @harrysdimple05 @ophcelia @alesainz @fandomxs1 @majx00 @sbgal @mehrmonga @themockingjayreader if i forgot anyone im so sorry
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cherrylovelycherry · 2 months
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Clumsiness
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pairing. Dr. Ratio x gn!reader cw/genre. slight angst, fluff, comfort, microwave explosion, use of the word "Idiot". masterlist! requests open!
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It was known that his partner was not the brightest star in the sky. One might ask: but how had he come to love this person? After all, Ratio had always claimed aloud that he despised idiots. Well, in short, he didn't see you as a simple, ignorant fool, just adorably unintelligent.
Your partner had a great mind, incredibly knowledgeable, with a memory capable of storing unquantifiable information, or a creativity that no normal human could ever hope to comprehend. But you were still an idiot. Unable to solve simple tasks, too gullible to be left alone and too clumsy for basic security.
And right now it was a perfect example. Ratio stood there, in the doorway of his kitchen that no longer looked like one, for the simple reason that the microwave was in a thousand pieces, black trails rising from the walls to the ceiling, fragments of wood scattered everywhere.
"You're an idiot." Was the first thing that came out of his half-open mouth after contemplating this catastrophe for already two minutes. "Everyone knows that metal in the microwave is a warned and extremely dangerous hazard." Ratio sighed from the depths of his longing, not only because he was exasperated with these wild experiences his partner always brought into his daily life, but also because he was inevitably very worried.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." You spoke in a hurried manner. You felt ashamed of what you always did, this was nothing new, one way or another you always had to get something wrong. Or, as in this case, you forgot that you shouldn't put something metal in the microwave.
""Oh, I'm so sorry" Really? You know what would have been nice? Not to destroy my microwave. He said with a heavy dose of sarcasm and condescension in his voice. "I guess I should at least be grateful that you didn't accidentally kill yourself with this. But still…" he groaned in exasperation, now looking irritably at the broken microwave.
"Besides, what would have happened if you were alone, eh?" He spoke again, running a hand over the bridge of his nose. He was scolding you.
You couldn't find an excuse, he was absolutely right. You had been careless… Again. You bit your lip and remained silent at his annoyance, while he stared at the broken microwave. After a minute, you finally responded:
"It was an accident, I was just trying to heat up my lunch". That was all you were willing to say in your defence. Even if you had tried, you couldn't find a single argument in your favour, so you simply waited in silence as you listened to the man's reprimands.
"It's always the same story! You always do something that puts you in danger, you know you're doing something stupid when you do it, you say you're sorry and you keep doing the same stupid things over and over again" Ratio's tone became harsh and accusatory, his expression changing from frustrated to irritated.
"But at this point, is there really any hope left in that head of yours? Should I just prepare for the day when you set off an explosion that kills us both?"
You shuddered and felt a shiver run down your spine. Was this what you had always been? A fool? A danger to life and your environment? An idiot? You felt all those words echoing in your mind, filling your heart with trepidation. You let out a small sigh, closed your eyes and leaned against the wall. You felt like crying, but you refused to cry in front of him, so you answered quietly, trying not to let him hear your trembling voice.
"I'm sorry…"
The sudden sight of you trying to hold back tears was something he hadn't expected at all, after all, he thought you was used to his harsh words. He felt a pang in his heart, as his mind filled with conflicting emotions.
"Damn it…" He uttered, before letting out a frustrated sigh. But then he looked down and his expression softened.
"Y/N…" he said, his tone suddenly kinder and gentler, just a little.
He walked over to you and wrapped his arms around you, hugging you in a comforting way. His breath caressed the top of your head as he buried his face in your hair.
"I know I can be… harsh with my words sometimes." He spoke softly. "But you must understand that it's tiring for me too." He said, his tone now serious and more vulnerable.
"Please be careful, that's all I want from you."
His words had a powerful effect on you and you could not find a way to respond to it. You simply closed your eyes, silently thanking him for not scolding you anymore, besides his words were comforting in one way or another. But in that moment of peace, a new question popped into your mind. A question you always asked yourself but never dared to ask.
"Why are you with me… Why are you with an idiot who always ruins things?"
A second passed, then another, while Ratio simply remained silent as if contemplating and evaluating what his answer might be. Finally he spoke:
"I love you, with your faults, with all your faults. You're a complete fool, and that's precisely what makes you, and only you, special." Veritas gently pulls away from the embrace, taking your face in both hands and stroking it with his thumbs.
"Hmm… yeah, also, I wouldn't consider the term 'Idiot' good for you, for me it's more 'Clumsy' and 'Adorable'." He finished saying smiling slightly.
His sweet words and gentle caress on your face made you blush, feeling the skin on your cheeks redden. It took you a few seconds to recover and then, with an excited tone, you replied.
"Wait, wait, are you saying that… that you actually like my awkwardness? That you even think it's cute?" you chuckled. "Then why are you always mad at me?"
His expression softened even more as he continued to caress your cheeks, his warm breath blowing lightly against the skin of your face.
"Because I do care about you, and, you know what, it's not really anger, it's more like…. Anxiety…" He confessed, lowering his hands as his gaze returned to your eyes. "I love you, but I'm also very worried about you, see? I'm always afraid you'll get hurt," he added, speaking softly and sincerely.
You remained silent, letting the words penetrate you. You finally understood. His "anger" was more a symptom of his love, more of worry than exasperation.
"Ohhh, I see…I promise I'll try to be more careful." You said, with a bit of firmness in your voice, keeping your words more of a promise to yourself.
His eyebrows arched a little when he heard your promise, as he was impressed by your determination. It was good to know that you were willing to make an effort for yourself and your relationship. Ratio stroked the side of your face again, his thumb gently brushing your lips. He had this expression of tenderness and joy in his eyes, which then brightened as he added in a soft tone:
"But you know, I'm not going to complain too much if you keep messing up. I like being your saviour, you know…"
Laughing a little and with some mockery in your tone, you said; "So, my savior, help me pick up the pieces of your destroyed microwave."
He laughed quietly at your banter. You sure were witty, he had to admit. Then he nodded his head and his gaze softened even more with affection. You were an absolutely adorable idiot.
"Of course, my clumsy princess," he gave you a playful smile, before walking over to the pieces of the microwave. He picked up several broken pieces and looked at you expectantly as he put them in the rubbish bag.
"And let's hope you don't explode your fingers while we're at it…"
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©cherrylovelycherry do not repost, copy, translate, modify
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lcandothisallday · 10 months
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auston leaving the arena and noticing you and your friends waiting outside to meet the players or sum and he’s literally like love at first sight and starts flirting and gets ur number 😭 lmao for us realistic toronto girlies obvs - ⛽️
hehe obvs😋❤️ thanks for feeding into my delusions🥰 Auston Matthews x f!reader
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You stood next to your friends, your hands in your jacket pocket as you shivered from the cold. It was near the start of the season and the weather in Toronto was getting colder by the day--fitting for the sport, but not for you as you stood outside the arena in hopes of meeting the players.
"Guys--I don't know if it's worth it anymore--"
"Y/N I don't think you get it," your friend Emily started. "If I don't meet Mitch Marner before I go back to BC--I'm gonna dig my own grave," she said with such seriousness in her voice--yet her teeth were also chattering from the cold. Emily had moved to BC soon after she got her masters and she was only back in town for a little bit for her mom's birthday and to watch the game.
She was a huge fan to say the least. Growing up watching the NHL and even playing for her local girls team. Unlike you--you had only got into it recently, never having that same influence while growing up.
"You can't reason with a girl in love," your other friend Olivia mused with a laugh. You merely roll your eyes and dig your hands further into your pocket.
"I just don't think they're gonna come ou--oh my god," you breath our, your jaw dropping as you see two men resembling Mitch and Auston in the distance coming out of a back door.
"Oh my God!!" Emily screeched, jumping up and down. "Miiiitchhh!"
Mitch being the ever sweet golden retriever he is, excitedly walked over while Auston begrudgingly dragged behind him with a sigh. He was tired, his body aching from a harsh slam he took and all he wanted was to grab dinner with Mitch at their favourite restaurant before going home and collapsing into his bed with Felix by his side.
Mitch with a wide smile, approached Emily, feeding off of her excitement as he spoke to her and entertained her with a selfie.
Meanwhile, Auston was about to let out an annoyed breath when his eyes wandered over to you, unable to tear his gaze away. He was captivated by your beauty, your warmth radiating even in the chilly evening air. As Mitch continued chatting with Emily, Auston excused himself, making his way toward you where you stood off to the side watching your friends interact.
"So you're not a fan of Mitchy's?" he teased in question playfully, causing your eyes to widen in panic.
"Oh no I--I am!" you stutter in defence, your cheeks burning up at the accusation. "I'm just a new fan and didn't wanna seem like...a fake one," you admit bashfully, looking away.
Auston smirked, his confidence radiating off of him as he watched you squirm. If he was honest, he thought it was adorable and he loved how sincere you sounded.
"You didn't grow up with the game I'm assuming?" he asked, wanting to know more about you.
"Yeah...my parents are from a hot country...hockey is probably the last sport they'd be interested in," you say with a laugh. "So that's why my knowledge is limited."
He laughed and gave you a slight nod. "Well, you don't have to worry about that with me," Auston replied, leaning casually against the wall next to you. "I won't judge you for being a new fan. In fact, I think it's great that you're getting into the sport."
You couldn't help but feel a mix of nervousness and excitement as Auston continued to flirt with you. His charming smile and the way he effortlessly carried himself made it hard for you to resist his charm.
"Thanks," you replied, trying to hide your growing smile. "You're a lot more cute in person," you breathed out, your cheeks heating up immensely at your admission.
Auston's smirk widened, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, so now we're moving on to compliments, huh?" he teased, his voice laced with playful sarcasm. "Well, I have to say, you're not so bad yourself. Actually, you're more than just cute. You're downright stunning."
Your heart fluttered at his words, a blush spreading across your cheeks. You had never expected Auston Matthews, a professional hockey player and known heartthrob, to flirt with you so openly. It was an exhilarating feeling, and you found yourself getting caught up in the moment.
As you go to respond, Mitch walks over and interrupts. "Hey--I made the rounds. We can go now."
You reluctantly tore your gaze away from Auston, feeling a mix of disappointment and anticipation for what could have been. Mitch's interruption reminded you that this encounter was likely just a fleeting moment, and you had to make the most of it.
"It was nice meeting you," you smiled.
Mitch looked between the two of you with an amused smirk and a raised eyebrow, catching on to the flirty tension. "Wait--aren't you gonna introduce me to your new friend?" he teased.
At that, Auston's eyes widened. "Shit--I never caught your name," he pointed out with a bashful smile. Mitch rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Y/N," you giggled in response.
"Did you at least get her number?" Mitch asked, Auston shaking his head no. "Dude! It's like you have no game!"
"I was working on it!" Auston exclaimed.
Mitch scoffed and shook his head in feign disappointment as he snatched Auston's phone out of his hand, unlocking it and opening up his contacts. "No clearly you've lost your skills and I gotta be your dating coach now," he continued to tease, before he handed the phone to you to put in your information.
You continued to giggle as you did just that while Auston blushed madly.
As you entered your name and number into Auston's phone, you couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. Mitch's playful teasing added to the lighthearted atmosphere, and you found yourself growing more comfortable in their presence.
"There you go, Auston," you said with a mischievous smile as you handed the phone back to him. "Now you can call or text me anytime."
Auston's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, but he flashed you a grateful smile. "Thanks, Y/N. I'll definitely be in touch."
Mitch raised an eyebrow and nudged Auston. "See, buddy? It's not that hard."
Auston rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of amusement in his expression. "Yeah, yeah, Coach Marner. I'll try to step up my game."
You looked off to the side, noticing your friends were now the ones waiting for you. "I think I've gotta go...like I said, it was nice meeting you," you smiled, taking the courage to step forward and press a light kiss to his cheek. "You guys played amazing tonight," you say softly and with sincerity.
As you pulled away from the gentle kiss on Auston's cheek, you noticed a flicker of surprise in his eyes, followed by a genuine smile. "I'll text you."
"I'll hold you to it, Matthews."
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genieofthebooks · 1 year
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Ghostly Memories
Pairing: Anthony Lockwood x Fem!reader [Not established but Established at the same time, Its confusing]
Part Two: Family Line
Reader gets sent into a vision of how someone died through touching the source, body or something close to them in their past life.
Warnings: Swearing, Angst, Reader's parents especially mother (Sorry if you are close to yours),mentions of death of someone close, ghostly activity, sadness, description of death, hints of abuse, Panic attack, Some comfort.
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It was early hours in the morning in London and all of Lockwood and Co. were awake, sat in their pajamas staring at a client who decided to come at the ungodly hour of Four in the morning. George was picking at the loose thread on his oversized shirt, Lucy was perched on the edge of the sofa leaving a gap between her and Lockwood as they all were waiting for you to get back from the kitchen with the tea they offered the client.
You walked into the living room balancing five cups of tea on a tray, your hair in a messy plait as it was way more messy if it was loose. You placed the tray of Tea on the table in front of the client giving him a tense smile as the three behind you lunged for their tea to give them a boost of energy to wake them up, leaving two mugs on the table. You picked up your tea and sat between Lucy and Lockwood, not relaxing fully into the seat unlike Lockwood who was lounged backwoods with his ankle resting on his other leg. 
“I apologise for the early intrusion” The client gestured between the quartet who were still in their pajamas looking at him as if he was insane, you were avoiding eye contact with anyone just looking at the floor trying to ignore the pain that was shooting down your back because of how tense you were. “I just didn’t want my wife to realise I had left, she would always get angry whenever I suggested that we extract the ghost that currently has been haunting us because she has an unhealthy attachment to the person the ghost used to be” 
You started to wring your hands in a pattern to soothe you but it was not working as you were under the watchful eye of the client who was someone you desperately tried to forget when you moved to London.
Lockwood spoke up watching you out of the corner of his eye but also wanting to know why the client was avoiding his wife and why she had an attachment to a ghost that their client was asking for them to remove so he turned to the client with a grin on his face. “May I ask why your wife has an attachment to the ghost”
That was the dreaded question you did not want Lockwood to ask, but the client happily answered it. “Well it is the ghost of my son who died when he was twelve, he is probably agitated that we kept him this long but my wife could not move on and his twin sister ran away a year after I think she was overcome with grief and didn’t know how to talk about it, so she ran.” The client looked straight at you when he uttered the last sentence, you still avoided eye contact with him but you felt his eyes on you.
Everyone knew that something was wrong with you because by now you would have had a few sarcastic comments about how early it was but you haven’t said a word, choosing to keep your eyes either trained to the floor or your tea. Lucy and Lockwood shared a concerned look behind your head when George was getting the address from the client. Lockwood placed his hand on your knee as a comfort even though he was puzzled on why you were acting so weird. If they didn’t know you they would have chalked it up to you being tired because of how early it was. But they know you, they know that you don’t put your defences up for any old reason. Well your sarcasm was a shield in itself but that was soon just a part of you.
You finally looked up from staring at the design on the inside of your mug as you had stressfully downed your tea very quickly. You locked eyes with the client meeting his eyes that he shared with the only person in your family that you truly cared about. 
“What, are you going to ignore your old man this entire time?”
“Well I was trying to” you retorted, slowly bringing your sarcastic shield up and not staying silent like you did when you were a child being berated by your parents for doing a simple thing wrong. You opened your shoulders up after gaining a boost of confidence and stared right into the clients eyes. 
“I’m sorry what is going on here?” George asked looking between you and the client.
“Hello, Father” You finally stated clenching your jaw because you thought you would never have to refer to someone as that again.
“Hello, my little hunter” He responded surprised you actually acknowledged him with a title. You frowned at your childhood nickname, it was lost after the death of your brother.
“Don’t call me that” You leaned forward and rested your elbows on your knee as you stared your father down. Lockwood’s hand slid to your thigh so that it would not get stabbed by your elbow and he gripped it slightly so that you would not bolt. Lucy gently rested her hand on the small of your back in a comforting manner because she was the only one who knew nearly the full extent of what happened before you arrived at Lockwood and Co. however you withheld some information because it pained you to talk about. You two shared a bedroom which used to just be yours but then Lucy arrived but you both spent many sleepless nights talking, her about Norrie and you about your twin brother. “Now why are you here?”
Your father took in a deep breath frustrated at your hostile behaviour towards him however in the back of his mind he knew that he deserved it. “The ghost in our house is your brother”
You scoffed in disbelief that he has only now wanted to get rid of your twin’s body “Of course it is him. You kept his body in a bloody locked room because you and mother refused to move on and he is haunting you because you won’t let him go to rest.” Your voice started to raise in frustration, a small sense of comfort was coming from Anthony but you turned your voice steely. “But why did you come here, not the other agencies and how did you fucking find me.”
Your father hesitated before continuing but treaded carefully with his words knowing the wrong thing could set your anger off. “I thought your mother would allow it if it was you.”
You stood up, glaring right at your father, your chest heaving as you were trying not to either start crying or punch him. “Bullshit. You know damn well that she wants it to be me that was dead not Jace.” Your voice cracked and quietened as you finally spoke the name of your missing half, your better and more kinder half. You spun round not able to look at your father any longer as you tried to contain your emotions but they betrayed you and tears started to stream down your face. you lifted your head and dug the palm of your hands into your eyes to contain the tears, because it was too much. 
Lockwood stood up and gestured towards George who was looking at you in concern as you were one of his best friends and he has never seen you like this. No one has. “George, Lucy why don’t you show Mr L/n the Kitchen”
Once they had left and it was just you and Anthony in the main room. Anthony slowly walked up to you like you were an injured wolf and slowly pried your hands away from your eyes, he noticed how glazed over they look as if your body was in the room but your mind was in a cavern. 
“We can do it” You broke the silence, shocking him with your answer and for the first time in a while his face didn’t hold the smile you had come to love instead he was deep in thought contemplating if they should do this case because even though he had missed being in the field while his legs and shoulder was healing he knew that you would never be the same after. 
“Are you sure?” He questioned holding onto your wrist to keep you in the present.
You ran your hand across your face because it was still early and you were already exhausted by the events that had occured in just the span of half an hour. You knew you were going to regret your answer because deep down you knew your parents no longer loved you but you wanted to grasp on the last sliver of hope that was drifting further and further away. “Yes”
Anthony placed his hand on your shoulder and you would not have believed that it was there if you did not feel the heat of Anthony’s hand against your cold and trembling skin. “It would mean-”
“I know what it means and I am up for it” That was one of the biggest lies that you have ever told.
Anthony patted your shoulder after a little while and then walked into the kitchen to tell George the news that you have accepted. Leaving you alone in the Living room to question your own stupidity.
It was now the evening where the sun was setting over the countryside outside of London and Lockwood and Co. were stood outside of your family home. The Dahlias and the violets were the same as when you escaped.
“Well it is good to be back” You sarcastically muttered walking up the cobblestone steps that wound up to the front door, so you could escape Lucy asking if you are okay for the hundredth time.
“Really” George questioned his tone laced with surprise, staring at you from the bottom of the steps.
“No” you breathed out when you arrived at the wooden door, seeing the grain of the wood and the circular pattern of the stained glass would have been a home to some but to you it was a void of what should be a home. No sentiment was rising in you but instead the happy memories of the only family member you loved turned bitter and painful like a hot knife being driven into your chest.
“Nice House” Lockwood commented giving you a smirk that fit his face perfectly but at this point you wanted to smack it right off his face.
“Shut the bloody hell up” you muttered while kneeling down and making sure your rapier sword hit his ankle. It’s the house making you mutter, you only ever muttered when you were talking to your mother. You felt underneath the ribbing of the doorframe looking for the cold touch of a key. “I would rather be ghost-locked than go in this house again, sorry luce” you added when you saw her wince out of the corner of your eye. She waved you off knowing that even though you meant it you did not intend for it to bring up painful memories for her.
“Y/n really, too extreme” George looked at you with an incredulous expression, you have always been a pessimist and it worked well with your sarcasm and you have often spoke of death but after the recent events that occured between all four of you everyone wanted to make sure everyone was alive.
“No, not extreme enough. Aha found the key” You stood back up and faced the three who had actually no clue what they were getting into. Rolling the key in your fingers before placing it into the lock and turning it until you felt a soft click.
Stepping into the threshold of your childhood home, you froze as you heard the sound of laughter. Two children came into view running around the hallway, the young boy held a small item that looked like a phone but was pretending it was a sensor and the young girl held a wooden sword slashing and stabbing at the air as if a monster or a ghost was in front of her. You couldn’t make out their faces but as they ran towards you you knew immediately who they were. The disappeared just as they were going to collide into your legs. It was you and your twin when you would pretend to be fighting ghosts.
You shook your head releasing a shaky breath before continuing into the hallway, photos filled of your parents and brother, hardly any of you. It was like you never existed at all except there was one photo of you aged ten where you held your wooden sword proudly and your brother was standing next to you with his arm round your shoulder. “I loved  that sword. No clue why though,”
Lockwood found another photo of you that you wouldn’t have seen as it was right at the back of the sidebord sheilded by photos of a happy family that did not have room for you. “Hey look it is a baby Y/n” 
"Aww you were adorable, What happened?" George teased and acting dramatic when you swatted him on the shoulder.
Lucy walked into the centre of the hall, trying to focus on what she can hear, blocking out the sound of the boys teasing you and you threatening. "Will you three shut up!"
You jokingly saluted her while spinning around making sure to hit George with your hair as you turned. "Yes Ma'am"
"Y/n!"
"Sorry, sorry." You stepped backwards into Lockwood who stedied you while George was laughing his head of at you getting scolded.
Lucy closed her eyes and was able to focus after the three had shut up. "I hear laughing, children laughing"
She opened her eyes and looked to you"Your brother is a very happy ghost"
"He was a very happy child" You shrugged your shoulders.
"The complete opposite of you then" Lockwood asked.
"Pretty much. Now follow me" You walked up the stairs without another word. Your combat boots echoing against the light wooden flooring. Leading the trio to the only closed door in the house as every other door was open for ventilation. The door was decorated with faded signs of names, Your name had faded ghosts and swords and your brother's name had books lettering his name. Lockwood noticed how similar it was to the door that he kept locked in their house, both doors containing a secret. Except you both have different ways of opening the truth.
You rammed your shoulder into the door not being bothered to look around for another key and it swung open and slammed into the back wall with a large crash. Your breath caught in your throat as the bare room that used to be filled with imagination had a lonely bed in the middle of the room.
"Friends! New Friends!" Before anyone could speak a small figure of a ghost started circling the agents who were broken out of their stares at what rested upon the bed. All three drew their swords and only you were unprotected as you started walking towards the bed slowly.
You walked as if you were in a trance eyes fixated on the closed eyes of the body. When you reached the neatly made bed, your body fell to the floor with a soft thud
In front of you was your twin brother. Still frozen in time at aged twelve which differed from your Sixteen year old form. The ghost of your brother had stopped flying around your friends and was floating inbetween Lockwood and Lucy and all four of them were staring at you.
"There is something about her that is familiar, but I can't put my finger on it" He floated over to George who looked at the ghost is shock that there was actually making conversation with them instead of attacking.
"Jace" Lockwood started but when he said your brother's name his ghost started buzzing.
"How do you know my name? Have you met Y/n?" At Lockwood's nod and his eyes flitted over to your knelt form next to your brother's body. The ghost finally caught on.
"Oh she is Y/n, She looks so different." The ghost mumbled quietly realising how tired and worn out you look. "But she got her job as an agent that she has always wanted."
"Yeah, she did" The four were staring at you again where you had now broken your gaze of the body and was looking around for something but your hand accidentally brushed against your brother's arm and you were pulled into the moment that you never wanted to live again.
It was if you were watching an immersive play, you were right in the action but when in an immersive play the actors could see you. The children couldn't see you. Your eyes couldn't focus and your chest felt as if it was being hit by a bat and with every hit getting stronger, and stronger. You couldn't leave until the death has been completed.
"Y/n!" Anthony ran next to you and knelt down next to your now shaking form. He hated the white glazed look in your eye. You looked like you were in ghost-Lock but with the ghost still over with Lucy and George they knew that it was just the curse of your talent.
"Y/n, Catch me if you can" Jace exclaimed running away from your tweleve year old form that had her beloved wooden sword attached to your hip with vines. The kids had ran out of the house and towards the woods. Unaware of the danger that lied waiting for them. Unaware that soon their bond will be ripped in half with one in death and one in life.
"I'm coming Jace, but please don't run off too far you know how dangerous the woods are at night." Your twelve year old self ran into the woods after Jace, muttering about his selective hearing that he must have picked up from their father. You slightly laughed at yourself when you were younger with how bossy yet caring you were. Now people would just say you are bossy and Sarcastic. You chased after the two children, who were cheerfully cheering when they tore down the brambles. The three of you ran into a clearing, Jace climbed up the hight tree. Your heart froze. This was it.
Anthony pulled your shaking form into his body your back against his chest. He caressed the side of your face, rocking you slightly so that when you awoke you would have a comforting presence. "You're okay Y/n" He muttered into your hair even though he knew that you could not hear him.
Your brother's ghost floated up to you with Lucy and George. "Is She okay... What's happening"
Lucy and George looked at each other with a solemn look, knowing Lockwood was trying to make sure you were okay so they decided to gently explain to the ghost. "Her Talent takes her to someone's time of death, did she not tell you"
Jace's ghost shook his head. "She was not allowed to talk to me about her talent, Mother and Father banned her fron talking about it and if she did well it would not end well for her." Jace muttered the last few words holding a resentment to his parents that they were fine with threatening and hurting their own daughter, his sister. "But I had a hunch as we went to our Grandma's house after her funeral, and she bumped into the wall and her eyes went white, but then a few seconds she awoke screaming and we had to leave the funeral quickly, she would not tell anyone of what she saw but the next day I saw she had a black eye and a cut on the side of her face but again she would not tell me who gave it to her but I knew who it was."
Anthony's head snapped over to the trio who were whispering. "Jace did they ever show this in front of you"
Jace's ghost shook his head. "Not when I was alive and by then I did not know how to leave this room but I heard shouting and screaming and dad had to stop mother from cutting Y/n out of the pictures when she ran away. I wish I could have protected her better but she was the stronger one of the two of us."
"You did the best you could, Jace."
"Y/n!" The scream that haunted your nightmares echoed throughout the air, Your brother's foot slipped from the tree. He opened his arms in front of him but they missed the branch by an inch. His body fell backwards as if it was in slow motion. His body hit the ground with a sickening crack.
"NO!" You shot out of Anthony's arms as you were brought back to reality. You pressed your hand to your chest to add a counter weight to your hyperventilating. Anthony motioned for the three to exit the room once again like this moring but instead of you just staring at the floor you were clawing at your chest and your breathing was shaky. Anthony placed his hands on the side of your face and brought his forehead to yours. "Come on Y/n breathe" He moved one of his hands from the side of your face to your shaking hands and rested it on top of them gently.
Your breathing started to even out and Anthony pulled his forehead away from you to make sure you were still okay. He kept his hands in your still trembling hands until you nodded signifying that you were okay.
Lucy ran into the room and encased you in a hug from what you went through as a child, because even though you told her about the death of your brother you had never told anyone or her about the mistreatment from your mother and your father just watching and not doing anything to help. His silence was what betrayed you more with your family. "I'm so sorry Y/n" she mumbled into your hair. She helped you off the floor where George pulled you into a side hug to make sure you were alright as your hands were slightly shaking.
"I know what the source is I just don't know where it is." You said after a while, remembering what you guys actually came to do. "It is my wooden sword but I have no idea where it is." You spoke to the other three but then Jace popped back through startling you.
"I know where it is, It is in the fireplace, Mother tried to set fire to it but I started to haunt her to make her leave the room" Jace Innocently stated with a giggle remebering what he did to her. You looked back on all the times that Jace played a prank on your parents slightly smiling at the innocence of him but you remembered feeling worried that if you played a prank on them the consequences would not have been a laugh and a pat on the head.
"Thanks Jace, yet I am not at all surprised" You walked over to the fireplace and crawled into the pit area of it causing soot to fly up and rest on your face, you found the sword and crawled back out but when you came out you started coughing as the soot flew up into your lungs causing a suffocating feeling to encase you some more but this time it faded.
You were met not with the faces of your friends but the hostile face of your mother who held a gun directed at your forehead. "Leave Jace alone"
"I could say the same to you mother" you spat out, not phased that she was holding a gun to you as she had attempted this once before but you were no longer a scared twelve year old. Lockwood, Lucy and George were also shocked as they had not heard another person come into the room.
"It should have been you and not him, He was just a child. My Child" She stalked up to you and placed the barrell against your forehead, you closed your eyes as if you were encouraging her to shoot. Lockwood stepped forward to quickly knock the gun out of your mother's hand but at a small signal from your hand he stayed put but his hand still rested on his rapier sword to draw it at any needed moment. Lucy and George were trying to distract Jace because even though he was twelve and a ghost no one should have to witness their own mother try to attack and kill their twin.
"I was also your child. But you never wanted me so go ahead. Shoot me" You spoke to your mother keeping your gaze hard, looking straight into her eyes. Her hand started to shake. "You can't do it can you? but you could hurt your own child with a straight face so what is stopping you from killing your daughter. Shoot me!"
Your mother lowered the gun after considering what you said and walked from the room without another word. Lockwood ran up to you and pulled you into an unexpected hug. "Never ask to be shot again. You are better off alive"
"Ironic, coming from you" you mumbled into his shirt causing him to let out a small breathy Laugh.
"Not to break up the sweet moment but it is nearly morning and If we are going to do it. We need to do it now" George interrupted while holding up the iron cloth.
You let go of Anthony and kissed his cheek briefly catching you both of guard, before taking the iron chain cloth out of George's hand and walked up to your brother's body and ghost who were next to each other. "It was nice seeing you again. Big brother"
Jace's ghost spun round in joy that you finally admitted that you were the younger twin but you were the twin that got to age.
You placed the wooden sword next to his body before throwing the irom sheet over his body. Jace's ghost dissapearing forever.
The four of you walked out of your childhood house where DEPRAC was waiting to collect your brother's body to finally put it in a grave and to arrest your mother for attempted murder of an agent.
"This was a weird day, For the first time a ghost did not try to kill us" George commented before seeing you wave mockingly at your mother and then stick your middle finger up at her where she glared at you from the back of the police car but lockwood pulled your hand down but instead of letting it go he held on.
"Yeah, That is why I called him casper the friendly ghost even when he was alive"
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half-dead-ham · 1 year
Text
With chaos brings Justice
My last entry for the DpxDCshipweek, sad I couldn't get through it in it entirety, but happy I made some for it at all!
links: [Ao3] Wc: 6656 Cw: implied/referenced torture
John Constantine was a man of few pleasures. He liked booze, nights with a full bed and belly, and keeping his head attached to his shoulders.
 So when he felt a surge of chaos magic flood the board room of the Justice League Watchtower one long morning into their bi-monthly meeting that for some reason he decided to show up to, he felt any chance of him recovering this day with booze or food leave the solar system entirely.
 Before the other Leaguers even felt the pressure change that came with teleporting magics John was on his feet, readying a defence spell just in case who (or what) decided to attack first, talk second. ‘Course the other gits just saw him knock back his chair with a flask of whatever he’d poured himself last night and thought for a second he was trollied.
 He always loved it when the other blokes did that. Fuckin’ hell, where was Zatanna when you needed her?
 He would’ve cracked a smile when the rest of them finally got the memo that sumthin’ foul was afoot, but John was too focused on the fact that he recognized the magic to try and play this off as anything but deadly serious. Why was he the only one here that was able to deal with this particular brand of chaos? Why couldn’t he have bloody stayed home like all the other bloody times he’d missed a meeting?
 The magic was perceptible now, a swirling red cloud hovering over the conference table like it might start raining blood, a static in the air, the smell of lamp oil and chaos magic making John's nose twitch. There wasn’t any use in trying to fool himself as a figure formed in the cloud, and any trace of those lovely effects of his bevvy of choice went straight out the airlock.
 A pale-faced child emerged from the mist, curly black hair with two styled points partially obscuring a set of beady black eyes that looked down their nose at the group surrounding the table.
 “Klarion,” the teen turned to John, expression unusually flat. The witch boy Hadn’t yet said anything, and his blasted familiar kept its place on his shoulder, hissing but not leaping into action.
 Now that John got a good look at the chaos magic user he almost wanted to look surprised. Klarion had changed his style; no longer was he dressed in puritan settler chic, now he wore dark jeans with black converse, a white t-shirt with the runic symbol for creation in red, and a black sleeveless overcoat. It looked grunge, and John could almost appreciate it.
 Almost.
 “Now what does the infamous Witch Boy need that he’s ‘ported in 'on our lovely gathering?” John asked, seeing as the teen (an’ he looked like a proper teen now, didn’ he?) wasn’t feeling especially chatty. His defensive spell was almost complete, if John could just keep the lil shit distracted for a little longer-
 “Stupid heroes, I have come because I have a task for you,” the Witch boy announced, looking like he sucked a lemon while saying it.
 John could see a few others in the room looking at each other in confusion, but he kept his eyes firm on the brat in front of him. “Oh? An’ what task would require our services, oh mighty mage?”
 The Witch Boy’s eyes narrowed at him, clearly not liking the sarcasm in his tone. Surprisingly, to him at least, Klarion turned to Superman, not falling to the taunt like he would’ve before.
 “Someone I respect has been captured by the American government, and while I would have no problem raising the place to the ground myself-” more than a few of the heroes present tense at that, “-this person would only find more trouble in me doing so.”
 Now that brought up a nice heap of questions for the surrounding men in tights. Why, or better yet how does Klarion know someone that needs help from the Justice League. Someone who he apparently respects enough to go for help from a group of stuffy adults with sticks shoved so far up their-
 "And why should we help you?" The big ol' Bat asks what's on the tip of everyone's tongues.
 Klarion turns to the Caped Crusader with the most serious expression John had ever seen on the Witch Boy. "Because the High King of the Dead needs help escaping the living, and you guys love to make sure this stupid plane of existence doesn't fall to war."
~~~~~
   "You seriously aren't helping, Witch Boy!" Danny calls out to the cackling teenager as he evades yet another tentacle from the thing coming out of the side of a large floating island. More of a mountain, really, but Danny's a little too tied up to care.
 "Hit 'em again!" The pale-faced teen on the sidelines jeered as the ghost boy shot off another volley of ectoblasts towards what he's starting to dub as a hermit-ectopus. Grimacing, Danny did just that, raining a hail of green towards the writing mass of tentacles, finally pushing the thing back in its cave enough so that he could seal the entrance with ice.
 With that out of the way, Danny could finally take a breather. He put his hands on his knees for stability as he panted, annoyed. Ancients curse that stupid Witch Boy, he may not need to breathe in this form, but that was one hell of a workout. 
 The cackling to his left was finally starting to die down, but not before he heard the idiot making his way closer. One final exhale and he straightened back up, giving the other teen a side glare Mr. Lancer would be proud of.
 "Give me one good reason I shouldn't soup you right now, cat boy," he demanded with a scowl as he crossed his arms.
 "'Cause you still need me to help you get that stupid antidote for your stupid friends!" Klarion quipped back immediately, smug smirk stuck on his face. "Besides, it's not like your weak little can'll be able to do anything to me."
 "You're the one who poisoned them in the first place," he sneered back, letting his hatred of the other boy leak out through his aura while trying not to worry himself over Sam and Tucker back home.
 Klarion got closer, smirk growing menacingly wider, "Well who was the ghost that kept ignoring me? This is your fault and you know it."
 Danny said nothing, just punched Klarion in the face before flying off into the mountain grumbling, leaving the Witch Boy to deal with the blood falling onto his tie by himself.
~~~~~
   "Constantine, what do you know about this 'High King of the Dead'?" Batman asked after pulling the mage into the hall. They had left Superman to deal with the details and negotiations. He's always been better at that.
 "Not much, Batsy," John sighed, really wishing he could pull out a smoke. If it weren't for those blasted 'no smoking' rules the furry in front of him enforced, he'd be chugging like a train right 'bout now.
 Batman simply glared at the man for a moment before John got the unsaid ‘well, get on with it’. “Alright, alright, I do know some things, but I don’t know how useful they’ll be!”
 “Explain.”
 John sighed, “Not much information about the ruling body of the dead gets through to the realm of the living, that whole ‘dead men tell no tales’ bit. What I know of a King of the dead was that he was a right bastard that wanted his cake and e’ryone else's. Got locked in some coffin or what have you by his ruling court, and hasn’t been heard from for about two millennia ‘til the new one came about.”
 “And this new king, is he anything like the last one?”
 Before John could confirm or contradict the question a sharp laugh came from the other side of the conference doors. The two detectives looked at each other before heading back in, Klarion watching from his seat on the table as they rejoined the group.
 “The new High King of the Dead is nothing like the last one,” the Witch Boy stated with a sneer.
 Batman turned to Superman, asking with a silent tilt of the head. He got a head shake and shrug in return. “We were talking about why he would need us specifically when he just started laughing.”
 “Oh?” The occult detective spoke up, “And what makes you say that? If you respect him he must be pretty similar, eh? Why do you or him need our help?”
 Klarion looked down, a pinched expression taking over his face. “He’s nothing like me. He’s good.”
~~~~~
   Wind tore through Danny’s hair as he flew up to the massive Vortex rampaging through mid- America. He could barely see five feet in front of him before a tree or the rare car nearly takes him out of the sky. Klarion’s magic could be seen on his ten o’clock, trying to stop the raging wind before it throws something at him too. Danny dove to grab onto the magic caster, turning him intangible before the broad side of a barn could crash into him.
 “What did you even do to make him this angry‽” Danny yells over the wind, pulling the concentrating Witch boy to another spot so they could be harder to hit. It doesn’t help, as half a tree still nearly decapitates them.
 “Absolutely nothing!” Klarion ground back through his teeth, “He just started chasing me through the Realms! I thought I could lose him in this plane but he just followed me!”
 Another tree sailed their way, and Danny had to drag the other teen out of its path. He shot a volley of ectoblasts at some clumps of dirt launching themselves at them, breaking them up before they were close enough to hit them.
 “How long ‘til your spell finishes‽” Danny asks, throwing more ectoblasts into the swirling vortex of carnage. The tornado consumes them greedily, returning fire with debris from an old storage barn it had picked up.
 “Not fast enough!” Klarion shouts back, now flying under his own power as the harder parts of the spell conclude.
 They weave through projectiles after that, Danny obliterating the larger objects thrown their way so Klarion could focus more on his spell. They were at least lucky enough that they had lured Vortex out to farm country, where they could easily provoke him out of the way of any towns. That left just the crops and their tools for the weather ghost to throw.
 At least, until Danny spotted some larger buildings.
 “Better speed that spell up, Witch Boy!” Danny urged, realizing they were heading towards the city, and fast.
 “I’m going as fast as I can!” Was all the other teen could retort as he ground his teeth further, doubling his efforts anyway. Red light swirled fiercely around the pale boy, encircling him and his familiar before suddenly launching outwards to wrap around the tornado. The wind picked it up easily, quickly turning the angry winds and clouds above a sickening blood red colour. A triumphant grin spreads across Klarion’s face at the turn of events, a giggle bubbling up before being stolen by the wind. Danny would almost be scared at the situation if it were him that smile was going against, but right now he was just a little relieved.
 Klarion spoke one final word to his spell, and with it the red smoke pulsed bright, lighting up the whole cloud before the funnel just disappeared, leaving some dark yet still clouds above them. Danny could only stare at the sight in awe.
 “What did you do dude?” He asked, noticing the odd change in the air around them. It was strangely still, almost-
 “I froze the air in place, of course,” Klarion huffed hotly, and Danny turned his awed gaze to the teen next to him.
 “You froze the air?” 
 “Well,” Klarion’s cheeks started to gain an almost normal complexion as his blush rose at the attention. “It’s not frozen frozen, but I made it so it wouldn’t move. So yes, I froze the air.”
 When Danny didn’t move or change his expression Klarion’s blush only grew. Teekl gave a lax “meow” from the Witch Boy’s shoulders, breaking Danny’s trance and allowing Klarion the time to unruffle his proverbial feathers. The witch Boy coughed lightly in his hand as he turned away.
 “Teekl’s right, shouldn’t you be doing your job now? I’ve done all the hard work, pick up the slack Ghost Boy.” Only his familiar saw the light green blush spread over the ghosts cheeks before he gave a nod and flew off towards where he could sense the weather spirit.
 “Meow,” Teekl commented playfully.
 Klarion blushed harder, “Oh shut up you hairball.”
~~~~~
   The Javelin was speeding into earth's atmosphere towards the Americas, half of the Leaguers who had been in the meeting previously plus one chaos mage nestled inside. They had decided an impromptu rescue mission was in order, despite some worries of the Witch Boy leading item into a trap.
 Batman remedied this by keeping Superman on standby, Shazam on call, and taking Manhunter with them to catch any lies the teen might be telling them.
 The plane was dead quiet, and it was honestly making Hal antsy, especially sitting so close to someone they consider an enemy. His solution? Small talk.
 “So,” the green lantern drawled as he swiveled his chair to face the teen. “From the way you talk about this King it sounds like you have something a little more than ‘respect’ for the guy. Care to elaborate?”
 Klarion gave the Green Lantern a long side eye, making Hal even antsier in his seat. Seriously, how can a kid this dorky be this creepy?
 A terse meow from the cat in the boy’s lap and the stare broke, and suddenly Hal felt he could breathe again. Klarion sighed heavily, like the topic exhausted him before he even started, but before Hal could rescind his words the Witch Boy was talking.
 “The King of the Dead and I have known each other for a few years now,” he started. “And while at the beginning we were basically at each other's throats, after his coronation we figured out we didn’t really want to be enemies anymore. Looking back we had probably already decided that without saying anything, but it just got awkward to think about after.”
 “This king was crowned recently?” Batman asked from his place at the wheel.
 “Within the last three years, if I remember right,” Klarion replied flippantly. The Bat nodded, taking his focus back to flying to their charted destination. Not wanting more stifling silence, Hal picked the conversation back up.
 “If you’ve known the King of the Dead for over three years you guys must be pretty close, huh?”
 The Witch Boy huffed, “Yes, you could say that.”
 “So could you maybe tell us more about him? What’s he like? Does he have a hobby? Don’t leave us hanging man!” Hal was encroaching on a jeer with his tone, though he died down quickly at the flat stare he received from both mage and familiar. If Diana hadn’t spoken up he might've been afraid of turning into a toad.
 “I am also curious, Klarion. You haven’t told us much about someone you seem to care greatly over, anything you could tell us about them would help us settle whatever dealings they have with the American government.” At the moment the princess mentioned the government Teekl was on alert, Klarion’s expression soured with the change.
 “The ‘dealings’ they have with your stupid higher powers is that they want to hunt his kind for sport and resources,” He spat, to the astonishment of the league members. Bruce and Diana shared a glance from the front seats, dread seeping into Bruce’s gut at the news.
 “Could you explain that further? We need to know if we want to fix this,” Diana asked more seriously, motioning for Hal to take her seat as copilot so she could focus more on the conversation at hand.
 (Hal was thankful for the distraction.)
 “Your government,” the teen hissed, eyes glinting dangerously red before settling back to their eerie black. “Has been trying to catch Phantom since before I met him. They’ve deemed anything that holds ectoplasm in their body as unfeeling and mindless, and deemed them worthy of extermination and experimentation.”
 “That can’t be legal, non-humans are protected under the Metahuman rights acts.” Diana comments with a frown.
 Klarion rolls his eyes at the princess, “Everyone says that when they hear it, but I assure you, Phantom has talked my ear off about the Anti-ecto acts more times than I care to count. They’re real, and heavily enforced.”
 Diana gave a sidelong glance to the front of the ship, noticing Batman already searching for these ‘acts’ while ever so slightly speeding up their flight. It was worrying that even Bruce didn’t know about this, considering his incessant need to keep up with things that could inevitably cause harm to those he wants to protect. She left that for him to deal with, refocusing the conversation back to lighter topics. “You mentioned ‘Phantom’, is this the king’s name?”
 The Witch Boy gave a small hum, hand moving to idly stroke Teekl’s fur as they settled with the change of topic. “He told me it was originally the name he chose for himself when he started protecting his little town, and by the time he was crowned the ghosts all knew him by that name and it stuck.”
 “Oh? The king is a hero?” Aside from Deadman, she had never heard of any spirits calling themselves heroes. Though it wasn’t entirely a surprise that another spirit wished to help others from beyond the grave.
 Another hum from the teen in front of her, face reading more thoughtful as he presumably went back to the first time they had met. “Yes, he was doing something incredibly stupid, though he called it ‘heroic’ at the time. I still don’t see why he needed to destroy that artifact after he rewrote reality, but then again he was still a boy when he did that.”
 …
 “Pardon?” Diana said, stunned. Klarion either didn't notice the stunned silence he had created or didn’t care as he continued.
 “After that I went to play with him every so often, sometimes playing a few pranks so he would stop ignoring me. He absolutely hated me when we first started, but I like to think I grew on him,” the Witch Boy gave a smirk at the memory, still not noticing the silence in the shuttle.
 She could feel Hal’s eyes on them, incredulity practically oozing from his seat in front of her. Instead of meeting the Green Lanterns with one that was sure to match, she looked to J’onn, who had quietly been assessing their guest the whole flight. He had his head cocked as he faced the teen, but nodded when Diana turned. The boy told no lies.
 They might need to reassess this King of the Dead’s threat level.
~~~~~
   A cacophony of cheers resound in the courtyard of Pariah’s Keep, now renamed officially to Phantom’s Fortress with the crowning of the new king. Danny peered out from beyond the curtain to the courtyard, his ascendance ceremony freshly ended and a crown of arora and ice twirling lazily over his snow white hair.
 “I still can’t believe this many ghosts want me on the throne… I thought everyone hated me with the way I chase them out of Amity all the time…” He marveled to himself, still not quite believing what just happened. He was a King now. He had people to rule. And they actually liked him.
 Though with the reputation of the last king, he supposed that a potato could’ve taken the throne and they would’ve been happy.
 “Is it that hard to believe that maybe you aren’t that hard to like?” A voice jokes from behind the new king, and turning from his peeping spot he couldn’t help the grin that spread. Klarion was standing not too far behind him, one arm behind his back in the clothes they picked out together. He looked good, like he belonged in this century now, and even with his posture radiating nervous energy, Danny could tell he was a lot more comfortable in a t-shirt and jeans than that stuffy puritan suit.
 “I was thinking those odds were in-phantasmal, but I guess the chance was higher than I thought. I’m glad you could make it.” His smile grew slightly at the pink tint to the Witch Boy’s ears, but he went against the thought of pointing out how cute it was.
 Klarion scoffed, as though the notion of not coming was even something that crossed his mind. “As a lord of chaos, it would be remiss of me to not show up for the coronation of a potential fellow lord. Besides, you asked me to come specifically, it would be impolite to refuse.”
 Danny gave a snort at the response, he knew very well that if the other teen didn’t want to be here he would’ve refused the invitation outright. It was nice not having to fight the other anymore, after the battle with Vortex they started fighting less and hanging out more, Danny could even take him to the mall now without a struggle. Sure, Klarion was still trapped in the past with his underground village, but slowly he was starting to relax, have some fun that didn’t destroy everything around him.
 It was nice to hang out with someone he didn’t have to hold back with.
 “So, is there a reason you’re just standing there awkwardly?” Danny asked, letting a chuckle escape at the flat stare he received. A year ago he would’ve gotten a magic blast to the face for that.
 Instead Klarion sighed, eyes glancing around the ornate hall before sighing again. “I figured- I mean- I- ugh…” the Witch Boy kept stuttering before petering off into a grumble. Danny accidentally let another chuckle escape at how cute the other teen was being, causing said teen to glare a hole into the carpet, before letting out a growl. He stomped up to Danny, so close he had to back up a step or they would be in each other's personal space, and suddenly his vision was full of orange and purple with a spatter of red.
 Another step back put the colours in focus. A bouquet of flowers was being thrust towards him by a furiously blushing Klarion, whose eyes were currently on a rather interesting vase.
 “What are these for?” Danny asked as he relieved the bouquet from the others' vice grip.
 “For you, to congratulate you on becoming king. The orange ones are lilies, the purple flowers are irises and gerberas, and the little red ones are bloody williams. The lady at the store said they say “I’m happy for your success” in flower language.” Klarion looked like he was ready to say more, he probably had a whole speech about these, but Danny just couldn’t get over the fact that one of the biggest (previous) pains in his ass just started blushing and gave him flowers.
 “Thank you,” he said, cutting off whatever Klarion was rambling about with a genuine smile. Klarion stared for a second, before blinking and clearing his throat.
 “Of course,” he replied, blush spreading all the way down his neck.
~~~~~
   The Javelin touched down a ways off of a squat white building. It was rather nondescript, save for the perimeter fencing circling the compound lined with guards.
 “This is the place?” Batman asked tersely as they disembarked the plane. None of the armed men had seen them yet, it would give them the advantage in the infiltration.
 “I wouldn’t lie to you about something so important,” the Witch Boy replied, narrowing his eyes at the compound before them. He could feel Danny in there, the strange mix of life and death energies radiating off the half-ghost was an ever present comfort to the Witch boy by now, and he was especially glad for it now.
 He wouldn’t have been able to find him so quickly without it.
 “I sense something heavy in the compound,” Manhunter noted with a frown.
 Batman, ever the detective, wanted to know more, “Elaborate.”
 The martian’s face twisted as he focused, reaching out with his mind to better read the heavy -no, oppressive- cloud that covered the compound, before gasping, recognition and anguish passing over as he physically recoiled. Green Lantern was there to steady him by the shoulders before he could so much as stumble.
 “What did you feel?” The Dark Knight compelled once it was clear there were no lasting effects of his reaching out.
 “Pain,” he replied shakily. “So much pain and suffering, hanging over the building like a fog. It is unnaturally powerful, if I hadn’t known beforehand, I would assume an entire city was under attack and not a single building.”
 The Dark Knight said nothing, simply taking what was said to heart. He moved forward with purpose, but before he could get too far a hand held him back. “Wait.”
 Batman looked down at the chaos mage, a single hand splayed out over his chest. “You need to know some things before I take you in there.”
 The  miniscule tilt of the taller man’s cowl was all Klarion needed to continue. “The facility is phase proof, the martian won’t be able to density shift through the walls, and the nature of their weapons are similar to Green Lantern’s constructs. You won’t get hurt badly if they hit you, but I’ve been told they burn.” All vital things to know. Batman's strategy would have to account for this, but he could still sense something from the teen, and so kept quiet.
 “And when we find Phantom? Get every agent you can out of there. He doesn’t like senseless killing, but I will not leave that building standing.”
 Batman gave a single nod, and with that Klarion enveloped the five in the red mist of his magic.
 ∆•∆•∆•∆
 The plan was rather simple, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern were to be dropped off at the entrance to the building as a distraction and to round up the agents while Klarion, Manhunter and Batman were to use Klarion’s magic to infiltrate and locate the King. Klarion’s mist acted as a memetic, letting the gaze of the agents fall past them on their way through the building as they ran deeper to where he could feel Danny. They had to be careful to not touch anyone though, as the moment they did they would be able to see them.
 “Why can’t you teleport us in?” Baman asked as they rounded another stark white corner into another stark white hall.
 “Death energies, do strange things to magic,” Klarion panted his reply. He was not used to actually running, and he couldn’t figure out why some humans actually liked doing the activity. “With so much, charged death and ectoplasm in the air, better to not cause an explosion. So soon.”
 Another swerve and he could feel Danny more, could almost taste that distinct flavour of citrus and menthol, the strange combination of ectoplasm and life that surrounded his ghost. The smell of citrus was strong though, and Klarion was desperately hoping he wasn’t too late with this rescue. The first real good thing he tries to do and he ends up a moment too late.
 “The source of the pain is drawing nearer,” Manhunter informs them as they pass a windowed room. Batman breaks off to take a look inside, calling to the other two to keep going. Klarion never stopped.
 One more corner and the acidic sour smell of citrus was assaulting their noses, and they started passing doors more resembling operating room entrances than offices. Lights were still on over a few as they passed, and Klarion made sure to snake a coil of mist into those that did, leaving screams and indistinct, cut off pleas in their wake. Those ones especially could rot in hell for all he cared, the smell of everdeath roiled off those rooms, alluding to whatever horrors might have been performed in them. He knew only a fraction of the ectoplasm spilt in there was from the one he cherished, but that made them no less guilty.
 The final turn led them to a hall lined with a different type of door, these ones steel grey tinted green. Klarion loathed to see the colours he associated with his spirit used in a mockery against him, keeping Danny away from him. He stalked down, using his magic to blow every door off its hinges as he passed until he hit the one his beloved was in. Turning to face it, he held up his hand, willing his magic to grasp it and tear it from the wall, throwing it down the hall and uncaring what was in the way.
 Emotion charged ectoplasm rolled out of the small cell, settling around their feet like fog and weakly intermingling with klarion’s magic.
 The sight made the mage want to puke. And weep. And decimate this measly world that would dare touch his soul like this.
 Were it not for the Martian's presence he just might have.
 Danny was there, shackled to the wall with chains at his wrists and ankles, head weighed heavy by the collar around his neck and the fucking muzzle on his face. The ghost made no move to the light that now filtered into the space, he hung limply from his chains, lifelessly. Only the faint glow around Danny’s frame gave away that he was not yet truly ended.
 But the green.
 A shaky breath from behind the mage reminded him where he was, and he urgently entered the room. He went to work on the manacles, seemingly seamless, but with one whispered word they were releasing Danny into his arms.
 “Is he?..” The martian started, too afraid to finish the sentence lest it become a reality.
 “No,” Klarion breathed out shakily. “No he’s still… He’ll recover.” He has to.
 “He’s so young,” Manhunter observed with a pained face as Klarion lowered to the floor of the cell, turning the ghost so he could hold him by the shoulders while he worked on getting his ankles freed.
 “He was even younger when he started,” with Danny's ankles freed, all that was left was the inhibitor collar and that damned muzzle. He did away with the muzzle first, desperate to see his cherished spirit's face. No magic was needed for it, thankfully, just a simple lock keeping it around the halfa’s face. Klarion gingerly removed the offending device, tossing it at a wall and making a note of obliterating it before he left. There were already chafe marks around Danny’s cheeks and on his nose, green and nearly raw from it pressing his jaw shut.
 How long has he been here for them to look so raw?
 Klarion had only been away for two months at the most, off on some insignificant errand after finding the piece of an artifact drifting in the Realms. Insignificant because apparently while he was away, his cherished one had gotten captured trying to save one of his people from this moronic group. When he had finally returned, he had to be informed about his capture. The rage he felt then… He hopes Danny wouldn’t be too mad at him for the damage he caused to the Fortress.
 A breathy groan followed by a sharp intake of breath and subsequent coughing brought Klarion out of his what if spiral. Danny was waking up, bleary eyed and confused at first -no doubt concerning his orientation- but a few seconds after the couches settled green eyes focused on black.
 “Hey, Rion,” the ghost king gave a small watery smile. “Glad you could finally make it. How was  your adventure?”
 “Stupid ghost-” Klarion has to reel back the power he was putting behind his voice with a breath that came out more like a sob. “Do you know how worried I was when you weren’t in Amity? In the Fortress? I was away for two damn months and you almost got yourself ended Danny!”
 Danny gave a chuckle that teetered into more of a cough as he weakly wiggled in Klarions lap. “They tried to grab Lunch Lady and Boxed Lunch, what was I supposed to do? It's my job as king to keep them safe-”
“NOT AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE YOU MORON!”
 The outburst silenced the ghost with a small snap of his jaw, followed by a cut off groan at the soreness from its disuse. A light cough broke the tense silence, and Danny sat up slightly to see what made it, eyes immediately sharp with alertness for any possible danger. His eyes landed on Martian Manhunter and that sharpness melted away to confusion.
 “Is that- why- Am I dreaming?” He stuttered, looking between the Justice leaguer and his lover. “Did I pass out so hard I’m actually dreaming my boyfriend came to save me with Martian Manhunter right now? Someone pinch me.” Klarion obliged the request and Danny yelped in pain. “Yep, okay, not a dream. Cool,” He whimpered, eyes now glued to the martian.
 Klarion went back to the task of freeing the ghost from his restraints, but hesitated before taking the collar off. “Do you have enough power to stay in this form if I take this off you?” He asked cautiously.
 Danny looked down, trying to see the band of metal around his neck, but quickly gave up with a sigh. “Probably not, it's taking most of my energy just to stay awake and talk right now.” He looked ashamed to say it, but Klarion was relieved to get a straight answer about his condition for once.
 “I’ll leave it on until we get you somewhere safe then,” Klarion whispered before readjusting his hands and standing up with the ghost boy bridal-style. The energy must have been draining from his cherished, as he only jolted at the movement. He could see Danny's eyes getting heavy, his head pitching forward before righting itself a few more times.
 “You’ll be there when I wake up… Right?” The Ghost boy asked, voice slurring with the effort to remain conscious. Klarion nodded once as he kissed the ghost's forehead -warmer than it should be- and walked back out of the cell. “Of course, my spirit. Rest.”
 One more wobbly nod and the ghost’s eyes closed. Klarion straightened, reigniting his magic with the help of Teekl and pushing it to blow the rest of the cell doors off their hinges. A few other ghosts floated out, and Manhunter helped a few more into the hall. They left slowly, with magical fire crackling in the prison that once held his spirit, catching the ectoplasm alight as the Witch Boy’s face contorted.
 ∆•∆•∆•∆
 The trip back to the Javelin was shorter than the trip into the facility, without the need to be covert they were able to retrace their steps through the building at a much faster pace. Batman regrouped with them just before the exit, and out in the grounds Green Lantern and Wonder Woman had done a great job of distracting and subduing most of the agents. One of them must have gone in and rounded up the scientists too, because they were tied up in a neat little pile a ways off.
 Good, he could burn this place to the ground without worry then.
 Klarion didn’t stop his stride out the compound as his magic spread to lick the walls, fire sparking to life where it touched. He didn’t stop to watch as the fire spread up the walls unnaturally fast, as it spread into the building through the holes it was melting in the reinforced glass. He didn’t pause when an explosion hit the air, the fire most likely finding the medical wing or the weapons vault.
 Klarion only stopped once Danny was securely in the small medbay of the Javelin, held securely in place for takeoff.
~~~~~
   Danny came to slowly, letting the ectoplasm of the Ghost Zone fill his lungs as he breathed deeply… Wait. Ectoplasm? Ghost Zone?? Lungs???
 Screw waking up slowly, Danny bolted up from wherever he was sleeping… and immediately regretted it. A massive headache assaulted his senses, along with about a dozen other aches and pains from his capture, most notably his jaw and starving stomach. Still, assessing the situation came before anything else, so he tried to make himself vertical despite his body's protests. Until a hand on his chest stopped him.
 Klarion met his bleary eyed confusion with a stern stare. He pushed down once more and this time Danny didn’t protest the movement. “It wasn’t a dream?” Danny croaked out, only a little bit surprised at how dry his voice sounded.
 “No it wasn’t a dream,” Klarion replied softly as he pressed a straw to Danny's lips. He was grateful for the first full drink of water he’d gotten in… he doesn't remember how long.
 “And Martian Manhinter? Was he real too then?” Danny asked when his throat no longer felt like sandpaper. Klarion hummed an affirmative as he put the cup back on the nightstand, idly stroking Teelke with his offhand. He takes a second to process that before he nearly bolts up again, startling the familiar and mage alike.
 “Is the Justice League here‽‽”
 A pregnant pause followed the exclamation before the Witch Boy gave a snort, snickering to avoid outright laughing at the bedridden ghost. “No, I left the little humans to fly back to their clubhouse while I took you back to the Realms with a portal.”
 Deflating with the explanation, Danny’s eyes travelled the embroidered constellations on the canopy of his bed, finally relaxing enough to appreciate where he was. Home. He took another deep breath, feeling his ectoplasm replenish itself more than it had in the last month in the GIW facility. The ectoplasm combined with the pine and fire smell of the mage sitting beside him only enforced the fact that he wasn’t there anymore. Tears threatened to fall with that thought.
 His boyfriend came for him. He didn’t doubt he would, but the days passed along and he was starting to lose hope. But not only did Rion come for him, he brought the Justice League, a group he knows Rion has beef with. Traitorously, a tear managed to escape and roll down into his hair.
 “You know, I’ll have to go talk to the League now that you’ve told them about me,” Danny commented, desperate to get out of those thoughts and ignoring the way his voice wobbled.
 “I’m sure you will,” Rion replied, no doubt with a roll of his eyes. “But you need to heal first. You’re in no shape to go talk to a bunch of stupid humans right now.”
 Danny gave a snort, “Those ‘stupid humans’ helped you get me back, right? Maybe drop the stupid when we see them next.”
 Rion only grunted in reply, and so they lapsed into silence again. Danny felt sleep pulling at his mind again, now that he knew he was truly safe with his beloved mage beside him. He didn't fight it for long, but he needed to say one more thing before he truly allowed himself to start healing.
 “Rion,” he mumbled out, getting the attention of the mage with a hum. “Thanks for coming to get me, love you.”
 A rare kind of smile passed the pale teen’s lips then, soft and kind. “I love you too, Danny.”
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Text
𝐸𝑦𝑒 𝑂𝑓 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚
Part 1
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Aether, after witnessing the most bizarre things in the whole world when no one else did and was often watched with slacked jaws at how he could still be alive, couldn't help but look at himself and then the taller, blue haired man before him with a blank stare.
Did he look like a stupid boy?
"You don't expect me to believe in this, right? Even Y/N says more logical things-"
"Paimon wants to disagree! Wanting to adopt slimes and petting hilichurls even though they don't attack Y/N but only us is no good thing!"
Yeah... That happened, BUT! In your defence, those slimes were cutely nudging your leg with a smile and one of them even offered a pretty-shaped, shiny rock to you as a gift! ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ
( And most of the "New recipes" you learnt were from the Hilichurls, who suprisingly made amazing food and didn't attack you but... patted your hair? Even braided it even if it was a tiny one??Sat with you and ate whatever you cooked?? You though they were not that smart, according to what Aether told you but now, you strongly disagreed! They were great companions! Aether didn't know that you already befriended most of them and learnt their recipes, and you intended it to be this way hehe 。⁠◕⁠‿⁠◕⁠。 God knew what their reactions would be and that was enough to make you want to spill the beans while smiling cheekily)
"Hmm? What's that cheerful face you are making, you think I'm making this up?"
Kaeya: ಠ⁠ω⁠ಠ, Aether: ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ
Duh, so much so as being discreet Aether ರ⁠_⁠ರ
Kaeya, as the man who often hides his true feelings and thoughts behind a flirty and careless attitude, whined and pointed to his eye-patch with a pout
"Look at my eye-patch! It's a heirloom from my grandfather, It's a solid proof that we are blood related! Let's ask your friend what they think!"
Home boy was so sure you would side with hım just to annoy your companions LoL 😝
"Okay... Hey Y/N, is having an eye-patch a hereditary things?!"
*cue you looking around like a dog trying to determine where you were being called suddenly while cradling the PRETTIEST jewelry you had ever seen, zero-ing on to your friends up near the headquarters of the Knights*
"Nah, whoever says that bullshit is one hell of a Himbo and stupid!"
(did you... just call my precious main "a stupid Himbo"?? ಠ⁠ಗ⁠ಠ)
The Second Trait Aether Loved The Most About You: Brutal Honesty
It hurt whenever you said exactly what's in your mind okay?? ಥ⁠_⁠ಥ
That's why you toned it down, especially for Aether and Paimon, even if sarcasm was your love language... NO LONGER SAD AETHER AND PAIMON!
Now though, as they stared at Kaeya who was trying to hide his embrassment... It was only a source of joy for them
"My, my I didn't know that friend of yours had such a... brutal honesty." *Crying internally and trying to piece his shattered ego back together all the while pretending like it didn't hurt*
As much as Paimon was delighted to see the embrassment on Kaeya's face, since for once she wasn't the one on the receiving end of your honest remarks, she... wondered something none of the males did as she stared at your form down near the entrance of the city where you were waving excitedly at her with earrings on your other hand, purchasing them and speedwalking to where they were and slightly panting from the amount of running you had been doing.
Paimon turned to look at Aether from her shoulders with a confused face, pointing with her tiny finger to your form as the boy still didn't look at her
"Uh... Aether, how was Y/N able to hear us down there?", "Down there? What do you mean they were just... here..."
Aether was once again shocked to his core as he leaned over the balcony and stared at your form which was ... way too far away from where they were. Seriously, how did you hear him? You said you didn't have any powers!
And what gained your attention again?
"Hi! You know what, this place is amazing! I hadn't felt that alive in a long time! So... Where is the person who thinks eye-patch is heredi-" you exclaimed happily as you stepped up on the opening where the three were, playing with the shiny stones you got and the necklace you for for yourself while not holding back from insulting whoever that person was. Even those adults in your world was much smarter than that! But as often as it happened to you, you failed to take a look at the person who said that and see him and make the biggest mistake of your life...
By not realizing the hottest person you had ever seen in your entire life.
Was he really that handsome in the game too? The graphics surely didn't do enough justice to the gorgeous sight before you.
He was taller than you imagined, with those cool and perhaps exquisite clothing alongside the clinking sound his vision made against his leg. But perhaps,the tanned skin and with navy blue hair with lighter streaks waswhat made him even more cute in your eyes. Yes he was hot, obviously, but as he was looking at you with that teasing yet welcoming eyes of his... He looked so damn cute!
How could he both be masculine and feminine?! Why the hell did I fall for him as soon as I entered the city? No wonder he is "the top candidate for grandson-in-law"... *dreamy looks at him while planning 20 years from now on*
Kaeya, unknowingly but also having a gutfeeling about your flustered state at his body, bowed down slightly as he took a hold of your hand and kissed the back of it with that charming, side smile of his and let his lips linger there for a moment to watch your blush deepen slowly.
"It would be me, my lady/lord, I hope I didn't disappoint you with being... a stupid Himbo, I believe?" *Catsmiling at you with that flirtitous voice and rubs your knuckles*
*blushing while looking at the said person who cocked a surprised eyebrow at you who was blushing and looking at him- and the chest window obviously-with an open mouth, clearly down bad for him*
"Here we go again..." Aether, who definetly wasn't jealous of the sight before him and blushing at how intimate it somehow looked, facepalmed at yet once again... your attention being taken by a hot person. He only hoped that wouldn't occur again because he really didn't know what to do to get you away from them since you cried softly at being "seperated" from your true love or whatever.
*spoiler alert: it would only get worse as each day went by hehe*
"I'm surprised you didn't know such common knowledge, darling... Name is Kaeya Alberich, the Cavalry Captain. At your service."
"More like we are at your service!", "Stop flirting with my friend, Captain." A jealous Aether and Paimon exclaiming angrily with a hmph and you turned to look at the taller one with a quirked eye brow.
And absolutely confused at what was going on.
Can a person not have some fantasy world where they can live with the Prince charming for a little while? Why were they acting-
"Aww, are you jealous? Don't worry, you two will always be my favourite person!"
Aether: *smug smirks while being hugged to your chest* Paimon:* holds onto your sleeve as you pat her softly, also smug smirks* Kaeya: *defeated yet makes a new plan to gain your attention back*
Aaand that was how your first meeting went by. You having a raging attraction on Kaeya, him both flirting with you and trying his best to stay strong at your honest comments, Aether tugging on your sleeve to get you away from him (jealousy who?) and Paimon... Begging for food.
Except, all you three got was a mission... even if you also agreed with Paimon with needing food.
"You know what? We can use an ice blade to kill them and later put them out in the wild! That way, the sun would melt the ice and the murder weapon would be poof!" ☺️😁
Paimon: EEEEHHH?! (⁠‘⁠◉⁠⌓⁠◉⁠’⁠) 😳😨😧
Aether: (⁠´⁠⊙⁠ω⁠⊙⁠`⁠) "Please don't handcuff me, I don't know them." and Kaeya: (⁠✷⁠‿⁠✷⁠) "I found my friend!"
Aether was so sure that he could end up in some kind of jail, just by listening to you say this shit but... well, you were his bestie, he had to roll with it.
"Don't you feel... I don't know, even slightly disturbed at the way your mind works sometimes?", " Half of my intrusive thoughts are 'Stab yourself with that knife.' while the other half is 'Stab that person with the knife.' What do you think?" ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ
Kaeya, ASF: Note to future self, don't anger the one with Aether *writes down, mentally scared and sweating*
"Sooo... what's in that treasure? Gold?" *Huge gasp* "Maybe even better, jewelries!" You side-eyed Paimon harshly while rolling your eyes. Sometimes, she really forgot that none of you were much of jewelry people and that she shouldn't get too excited over a "suspicious mission".
"The only jewelry you wear is a hairclip."
"Paimon thinks you are being a meanie- Oh, what's that pretty flower in your pocket Y/N?" Aether slapped his forehead for what seemed like the hundreth time at Paimon, who much like you was easy to loose her track, but still raised a brow at you, just like Kaeya who also eyed the slightly peeking flower in your pocket.
And the sight made him almost choke on air, as his eyes slowly drifted up and he finally looked into your eyes.
Star-shaped ones, much like his, staring right at him with wonder... Face flush with embarrasment and running, all alive and lively, without a worry or a simple knowledge about the significance of your eyes and... the five petaled flower, four white and one blue, you held between your lithe fingers with a soft smile.
And with one look at your glimmering eyes, came another set of headaches to him and you. One that he wasn't able to conceal and groaned in pain, but you did behind a kind smile.
"I'm not so sure... A girl came up to me, just before I came here, and told me that a man in a dark armor, blonde hair and a mask wanted her to give this to me." You shrugged your shoulders noncholantly as your eyes stayed fixed on the pretty flower. Even while playing, and watching some edits about the game, you have never seen such flower except on Lumine's hair. The flower almost seemed like a stone, so dull and colorless though there was some sparkles when you touched its petals. Maybe it was because the flower was away from its homeland, as cliche and naive as it was...You didn't know where it came from or what was the meaning of it, but for some reasons...
The flower made you feel nostalgic and left you longing for... something.
What was it? Why couldn't you exactly say it? Why were you not bothered or slightly scared that someone gave you flowers in a world unkown to you? Why would someone fancy you at the same day you came to Mondstadt? Who was that man?
"I wish I saw them... It's so unrealistic that someone would-"
"It looks like the one on my sister's hair..." your attention was immediately on Aether and how sad he looked. Your heart broke for him, while scolding yourself for straying from your real mission on hand which was getting somehow a clue about his sister, and as the caring and motherly person you were...
You hugged him thightly to yourself. He was a "cutie patotie" in your eyes, not that these people would understand your affectionate terms. And for now, this mysterious person could wait: You had more important matters, such as coddling the boy between your arms!
"Well, maybe, we will see that man again and he might know something about her! Maybe this is a good omen!"
I highly doubt it, considering where it comes from, Kaeya bitterly thought to himself with his fingers playing with his chin thoughtfully. He couldn't help but wonder if you were a spy sent here but quickly dismissed the idea since you weren't even aware of the Seven Nations yet alone Mondstadt or the visions. You seemed like someone who didn't have any powers, except knowing when Aether was in danger as Paimon said, super-hearing and being a skilled swordfighter.
And where you came from seemed like a mystery to you as well. He knows Aether said you two were from another world, but in a way... So was Khaenri'ah, and he had to know it...
Know if you were... another survivor that might have just forgotten who they are as a result of erosion.
As Kaeya was deep in his thoughts, Aether hummed thoughtfully as he hugged you back, though you three were in public, even if there was a cute pink tinting over his cheek. He really didn't want to "ruin" your mood with how crestfallen he had become at the sight of that flower but he just... couldn't help it. With the way he parted ways with his sister, no the way he was forced to, always left a bitter taste on his tongue. He felt like he had failed her, they had never parted before and they never had to go for such a long time with no communication...
He missed her so much... But still, he didn't feel the longing and missing feeling so much with your and Paimon's presence: By the way you always hung out with them, took care of them by trying hard to learn how to cook, watch out for both of them as they slept (even if he made you think they were safe and sound sleep and not awake making sure you were safe too), how you always praised him for his hardwork, patted his head and even helped train with him...
And the best part was perhaps letting you comb through his hair and re-braid them. He didn't let you, for the longest time. Since you two just met, and he didn't know anything about you when he asked and you only said you didn't "remember" much, he didn't want to show a vulnerability to you. Whether you would stab him from the back, tug him back harshly from his hair and kill him... He wasn't sure of what to think about you, considering the life on the wild was already dangerous, but when he saw you begging him to go over a "baby hydro slime" to pat "him", cooing at it from a distance as he held you back with tears in your eyes as a result of "cuteness overload" as you ran at him as soon as he let go of you and watched with a soft smile...
He really liked you a lot... As a friend and companion of course!
Seeing his face contorted in a frown, you pouted and pondered for a few seconds for a way to change the subject and a bulb lighted above your head, visibly brightening your face.
"So... what's the 'super secret' mission you had for us again? I hope it's something risky!" you turned with your whole body to Kaeya with your arms still holding onto Aether thightly, as the man in question raised a brow at how... content you three looked.
A weird trio indeed...
"Why, if I may ask?" he, just as chivalrously as expected of him, asked. He smirked under his breath at how you flushed, even though this headache of his was starting to get him irritated but still... couldn't help but soften when you look down at the blonde in your grasp with obvious tenderness and familial care and then-
"So that I can come close to-hmph!" *harsh slap by none other than a blushing Aether and a bonk by Paimon, who were done with your dying tendencies*
"Nothing... Just explain it, Kaeya."
*Kaeya, shocked... But still gives a long and detailed explanation of the mission and what you three were supposed to look for and overly exaggerating the story while you three are like this*
"The sky used to roar with the thunders as my grandfather would grasp the handle of the sword, the waves get stronger and the sky was covered with the black clouds and strong storms! My grandfather, with the power of the sword, once killed a silver-haired fairy, an abyss dragon-"
"This seems like a huge lie." You, deadass serious: Ehe , ehe
"We can't let the sword to get on wrong hands! We need to get to it first!
"Are you for real? Really Paimon? You believed in his words." As Kaeya watched you bicker with the "floating baby" with a pout while she yelled at you, he hummed to himself and silently made plans for what to do with you and his mission as you three slowly walked away from him.
He had to watch out for you... especially since you seemed like you didn't know about your roots and what potential danger you were in.
At all.
"Perhaps, I should scout the area more... Can't have our guests in danger, now can we?" he said to no one and went to his own office, where he could find some silence, plan his next move on the "secret mission" he gave you and hope to spend some more time with you and Aether, hoping that him and you two...
Ahh, never mind... He was used to loneliness anyways.
But well... Would you look at that! Things, just as usual, didn't go according to plan, as usual, and now you three were tied up together- Wait, Paimon could fly? Why was she here? (ಠಿ⁠_⁠ಠ)
"I thought you could fly away Paimon!", "Paimon got panicked, okay?!", "Of all times... Now?!" (⁠θ⁠‿⁠θ⁠)
For Aether, the worst part wasn't being tied down with you two... It was the constant corny jokes you made, and the most-irritating-yet-funny-statements-that-he-definetly-didn't-find-funny you did.
"You know what, mister treasure hoarder? This is the most I've seen a guy putting in efforts to get me... Are you sure there isn't a sparkle between us?"🫦☺️
"Singing in the shower is fun.... Until you get soap inside your mouth, now it's soap opera!"/ "What did the ocean say to the beach?.. Nothing, it just waved!" 。⁠◕⁠‿⁠◕⁠。
Yeah, you get it. The pain of Paimon and Aether is real. ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ
Spoilers Alert: Your very much so bestfriend was already waiting in the Dendro Archon's land, who went by a certain name such as General Mahamatra and his ears ringed "without a reason" 😋
Boy was having the hardest time of his more than 3000 life ever by having to conceal his giggles and not irritate people even more. ಠ⁠﹏⁠ಠ
"Look Bro, I'd have reallyy wanted to act like a cute and girly girl who guys like you loves to prey on but It's against my codes, my morals! I just can't be one, just like you can't be smart enough to tell that I'm already outta the shackles~" you shook on tandem with the shackles between your hands and giggled before sprinting up towards them with Aether's sword that laid idly on the ground, fast on your steps.
*evil giggles, and proceeds to knock out them all in two simple blows and sitting down to munch on the snack you brought* "We should make more of this one! It's yummy!" 🤤😋☺️
Aether, to his future self: Don't tempt Y/N's wild tendencies or anger ✍🏻
He was impressed tho, he never would have thought that you were a strong person, that much at least. He never ever thought of seeing you jumping up and down between enemy like it was a game for you, swinging a bat you found on the corner after letting go of his sword... How did you even find it? How the hell did you get out of those shackles?? Yet alone beat those buff men twice, maybe thrice your size??
"It's a trick I learnt in my world! You see, these little shits are not that hard to-"
"Oh, I see that our newest Honorary Knights are feisty~" *Kaeya fucking Alberich who entered dramatically clapping his hands as a look of confusion yet teasing in his eye, smirking*
The ungodly shriek you and Paimon let out at the sight of him ☠️😅
"Hmm... Remember what I said back when you two beat the StormsTerror?" he asked as he tidied around for the last time, sending the hoarders and thieves into jail with other knights. Aether looked at him for a few seconds, then his face lightened up visibly at remembering it as he picked his sword up from the ground.
"That whether we are a new ally or a new storm?" Kaeya nodded and for a second, turned to look at your form that was now petting a cyro slime cutely, cooing at it as the slime gurgled and made cute sounds to you. He chuckled under his breath at how cute and oblivious you were, and how different you were than the rest who would usually go for killing it rather than adopting them, and how people gravitated towards you naturally... Even though you had the potential to become so much more...
He wondered what your story with him, and with Teyvat, entailed...
Of what you would become.
"I think you are a new ally... Welcome, to Mondstadt." He said looking directly at your face when you turned to look at him with a shocked yet happy smile, knowing full well that he wouldn't leave you alone and you would indulge with any kind of shenanigans with him... By flirting back! ヾ⁠(⁠・⁠ω⁠・⁠*⁠)⁠ノ
You had to take your revenge on him for making you feel like that😤
For now though... You had to have a good rest, preferably on a bed, so that this annoying headache ever since you got that flower would go away. Besides, as much as sleeping on the wild, cuddled together with the other two was cute and wholesome -except the times you watched over the two with a keen eye, draping your cape over their figures to warm them more- you desperately needed a good sleep like you used to have in your world.
"FINALLY! I'm so tired and I want to eat something! I'm literally craving and this close to cook Paimon-"
"Paimon is not an emergency food!" All of you chuckled at her answer as Kaeya helped you up and promised to treat you with Mondstadt's national foods as a special thank you which made your heart literally skip a beat at the flirty voice... Someone had to stop this man.
How did he always find a way to flirt?? Does he not run out of ideas?? Ahh, he knows the effect he has... Dangerous indeed, you sighed but nodded anyways. A little bit of fun wouldn't hurt anyone, right?
*cue the "Careless Whisper" entering your mind as he helped you and you both looked at each other for a few seconds and Aether butting in and pushing Kaeya out of the way to lead you himself, while the man was left dumbfounded but even more determined*
"So, how about we go and eat together Y/N? What did you say you were craving again?"
You were definetly going to be the Storm that caused havoc and turned Teyvat upside down.
For now though... You had to meet with some new people, after arriving to the city of course.
Oh boi, you weren't ready to meet all those hot people that would come across you lol
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dominos-palast · 9 months
Text
Lessons on flirting
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Fandom: XMen
Pairing:   Kurt Wagner x fem!reader
Characters mentioned: Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Peter Maximoff
Used Pronouns: (she/her)
Warnings: none
Request: yes
Part: 1/3
A/N: I made an exception and did a fem!reader one since it was requested like that. I will eventually upload a gn!reader version
P.S.: I decided to split the request into 3 because I wanted to post something since it’s taking longer than promised :’)
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Summary: Kurt has a crush on one of the best fighters in the institute, but doesn’t know how to approach the situation. Thank goodness that Peter and his friends are there to support him.
Word Count: 1k
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“I did not get my ass whooped.” Scott walked between Jean and Kurt, trying to defend himself from Jean’s accusations.
“Of course not. How could you ever? We all know how strong the great Scott Summers is.” Scott would have felt flattered by such a response if it weren’t for the sarcasm behind her words.
“Yeah, yeah. Keep making fun of me. As if you had done it better,” he said eyeing the ice pack Jean pressed to her shoulder, only gaining a slight strong nudge on his bruised arm.
Kurt couldn’t help but snicker at their bickering. They had been on it since their last class. The topic had been self-defence. The catch: The use of powers was strictly prohibited. This type of class had become more frequent since the rumours of a new power suppressant circulating in the black market started. The professor wanted all students to be able to defend themselves, with and without powers.
“You sure can laugh,” Scott glanced at Kurt. “We aren’t allowed to use our powers, but you still can use your tail to fight.”
Kurt smiled proudly and swung his tail from side to side, mocking him even further.
“These classes are stupid. I have literal lasers for eyes. I can fry anyone even miles away from me. Why should I train in close combat if no one can get close to me anyway?” Scott let himself fall on the couch, resting his feet on the table in front of him. Jean already knew it was his frustration talking. They all had been lectured enough to understand why such classes were necessary.
Jean followed Scott’s lead and made herself comfortable beside him. Kurt leaned against the armrest of the couch.
“He indeed has an advantage, but I wasn’t expecting him to be that good.” She directed her eyes toward Kurt “You put up a pretty good fight against her, considering she is top of the class,” said Jean approvingly.
Kurt’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned toward them.
It was clear to him who she was talking about.
You hadn’t been in the institute for long but you managed to make a name for yourself right away. You hadn’t lost a spar in the self-defence class until now, making you one of the strongest fighters in the class.
“But how come she’s so strong? Does she have enhanced strength or something?” asked Scott raising an eyebrow.
“No. Her power is to transform drawings into solid objects,” Kurt responded.
Jean nodded and added, “I saw one of the spars she had with an older student. She pulled out a literal sword from the tattoo on her arm and beat his ass right in front of everyone. But do you know why she really is so strong?” Scott looked up at Jean’s questions with expectancy. “It’s because she is not a couch potato. Unlike you, Scott”
Scott threw a pillow at her, which she quickly stopped with her telekinetic powers.
The conversation went on with more complaints and remarks about the self-defence classes.
Kurt's mind drifted away, thinking of today’s class. More specifically the spar you had with him.
The first time he met you was in the self-defence class where he has been witness to your many wins. He has seen how graciously you can move and how powerful every single punch of yours is.
His admiration for you grew further and further from that day on. Not only because of your abilities but also because you remained humble and kind instead of letting your accomplishments get to your head. You were someone Kurt looked up to because you didn’t simply knock your opponent down. You gave hints and advice on what the correct stance is, how to throw a proper punch and so on. After every spar, you helped your opponent up and cheered them up like a football team’s coach would do. And you did exactly the same thing with Kurt after sparring with him.
He had lasted longer than the majority of the students you had gone against, but you still managed to make him eat dust. He lay on the ground as you approached to lend a hand. Kurt noticed your hand and was about to accept your help, but then hesitated. He was sure you would feel uncomfortable, considering Kurt’s unusual handshape. But to his surprise, you grabbed his hand and pulled him onto his feet. He felt his cheek burn when he noticed the short distance you had between each other, but you kept your grip on his hand. The words you said stuck to Kurt like glue: “That was amazing. Just as expected. We have to repeat this sometime soon”. That along with your beautiful, bright smile made his heart beat unusually fast.
“Earth to lover boy, are you listening?”
Kurt turned his head toward Scott and Jean. Both were staring at him with sneaky smiles on their faces.
“Entschuldigung?”, asked Kurt clearly confused.
Jean and Scott exchanged glances in amusement.
“You’ve been smiling like an idiot since we mentioned her”, Jean said raising her eyebrows.
Kurt felt his cheeks grow hotter. “Oh, I was thinking of- you know, class- I mean-”
“Dude, it’s so clear you have a crush on her. You drool every time she is near,” Scott said rolling his eyes.
“It’s not like-”
“You have a crush on her” Kurt yelped at the sudden presence behind him, teleporting onto the spot between Jean and Scott on the couch on reflex. “Like, totally obvious” Quicksilver took a long sip from his apple juice, only to look disgusted at it. “What’s the expiration date on this?”
“I didn’t- I didn’t realise.” Kurt looked worryingly at Peter. “Do you think she noticed? Oh no, what if I weirded her out?”
“Well, only one way to find out.”
Everyone stared at Peter expectantly as he sipped his juice with risen eyebrows.
------- Part 1/3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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394halfbloodprince · 1 year
Text
Severus: I’m 147 pounds of pale skin and fragile bones okay? Sarcasm is my only defence.
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jenosbliss · 2 months
Note
Hi could I request 5 & 19 with Doyoung for female reader please? 😋
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paining. fem!reader x coworker!doyoung | genre. fluff | wc. 1.3k | warnings. none
a/n. hey anon, hope you like this one!
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The clock strike 11.09 pm when you clicked the shutdown tab on your P.C. sighing in relief as your work for today and this week was finally over, so you can spend your weekend peacefully now. No more calls to answer, files to go through, screen to stare at… just a weekend filled with sleeping in late, Netflix, junk greasy food, and calmness.
It was pretty late at night and way past working hours which meant that almost everyone on your floor had already left and the only source of light on the floor had been previously from your dimly lit screen and the night lights on the ceiling. There wasn’t a single sound on the floor except for your steps hurrying towards the elevator.
“Y/N? You’re working overtime again?” a deep voice from behind you asked. A voice which made your eye roll out of annoyance as if on cue. “Hello to you to Mr. Kim. And yes, I am working overtime again. Are you surprised?” turning around scoffed at his fake concern. Both of you were now waiting for the elevator.
“Amused. I thought after becoming the head of R&D you’ll cut some slack… guess I was wrong.” he whispered the last part right above your ear, heat spreading to your cheeks at this action of his. “You’re becoming quite bold nowadays” chuckling nervously as you took a step away from him. A smirk unbeknownst to you adorning his lips at your nervousness.
“Guess I’m following in your steps. You’re working overtime too.” Your eyes searched his tired face as you waited for a reply, he looked worn out and eye bags under his eyes reflected the lack of sleep in his daily routine. His skin also looked paler than usual and- why the hell am I noticing so much?
“Well…yes but it’s not because of work.” He turned his head to look down at you sideways. The look in his eyes made you even more nervous, you felt like a prey, and he was the predator ready to pounce at you any moment. It was hot, hell he was hot, the hottest man alive…get yourself together y/n! 
The safe distance you had created between both of you was intruded by him as shifted closer to you, eyes not leaving for a moment. “What man in his right senses would work overtime without any reason?” opting to sarcasm was your defence mechanism, ever in a situation you can’t escape? Be sarcastic or so you thought because what Doyoung said next made your eyes almost pop out.
“Who said I’m in my senses? For a while now I am going insane because of you-” he was interrupted mid-sentence when the elevator doors opened, and you almost jumped inside. “It’s here!” To say the least, Doyoung was disappointed with the timing of the elevator and how you avoided him in the elevator as if he was a stranger.
“Will you please stop staring?” you had tried your best to ignore him but just couldn’t. “Why? Does it make you nervous when I stare?" A devilish grin made its way to his lips, contented with the effect he had on you. “Doyoung please! What’s gotten into you? Did the work toll on your mental health or what? You weren’t like this before.”
A childish glint appeared in his eyes at the mention of the name. Not Mr. Kim or Sir but Doyoung, he never liked the sound of his name like this before. “I was always like this, it’s just you took time to notice.” again he shifted closer to you making you trapped between him and the wall.
“I’m done okay, do whatever you want.” his laugh reverberated throughout the small space as you scoffed. “Sorry, let’s change the topic.” “Thank you.”
“I liked hanging out with your friends the other day.” he confessed out of the blue. It has been three weeks since that unfortunate event and he just had to bring that up now?
Liked meeting your friends even if you had asked him not to? Accepted he meant no harm and was there just to return the pen drive you left behind but his presence and the tension between both of you had led your friends to assume there way more to the relationship you strictly labelled as coworkers.
“I’ll let them know.” you answered in a monotonous tone. “By the way, that Kiho guy… are you two seeing each other?” baffle would be a predicament to his statement, you were shocked. Firstly, because who was he to ask such a personal question, and secondly how could he think you would date Kiho? 
You had better type than Kiho, and thought Doyoung must be aware that he’s someone you’re interested in- what? Is this the moment of realization for me? WHAT!? 
“No, we’re just friends, not even best friends.” you explained while trying to not focus on the feelings which were surfacing for the man beside you. “You know he was being very touchy and flirty considering you’re just friends.” maybe you’re being delusional or was Doyoung actually jealous?
“It’s because he’s single and we met for the first time after long that he suddenly found me attractive to be his girlfriend. You know Glow Up.” You chuckled, remembering his behaviour during the hangout. “Didn’t he have eyes to see your beauty?” Doyoung grumbled. “I- did you just call me beautiful?” unable to believe your ears you questioned. “Pretty cannot define your beauty because everything about you is beautiful.” 
“Are you doing drugs?” you laughed walking out of the elevator. “Y/n believe me, I saw your college pics, your friend showed them to me while you were away and if I had been there… I would have fallen in love with you way earlier.”
“You can’t be serious right now…” it was happening, Doyoung was confessing his love for you, something –no matter how much you try to deny– you waited for all these days. “Do you trust me?” you nodded your head as he pulled you closer to him, a hand resting on your back while he gently placed the other on your cheek, his breath hot on your face.
“Then trust me in showing you how beautiful you are. I’m so thankful to Kiho and every other guy who didn’t see you the way I do, because I can’t risk losing you. Trust me y/n in worshipping you and loving you. Will you trust me?” he was holding himself from showing you just how much he loved you, how he had loved you all this time, he waited for so many days, but these few seconds felt the longest.
“I trust you.” the moment you said this, Doyoung didn’t even waste a heartbeat before he kissed you, pulling you even closer than before, if that was possible. He kissed you with passion, lips against yours in a heated deep kiss, just perfectly showcasing his undying love for you.
You were the first one to break the kiss in order to breathe but he chased after your lips, laughing as you placed a hand on his chest “Leave something for tomorrow.” He placed a delicate kiss –unlike the previous one– on your forehead before pulling you in a hug.
“I have to make up for all the days I was supposed to be kissing you” he kissed the top of your head as you hid your face in his chest trying to hide the blush. “Are you free tomorrow?” he asked, running his hand through your hair. “Why? Are you gonna kiss me all day?” 
“Hmm… doesn’t sound like a bad idea but I was thinking about going on a date.” perking your head up you smiled, “This is the perfect idea.” he leaned down to kiss you again as he whispered, “I love you.”
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masterlist. nct127 | nct dream | wayv
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lilacsnid · 2 months
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𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 | 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘹 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳
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𝙎𝙐𝙈𝙈𝘼𝙍𝙔: Y/N is leaving work from Slough House rather late one evening and passes River's office to find him still sitting at his desk. She persuades him to not be so uptight & to come have a drink with her at the pub. She learns a bit more about him that night - including the fact that River Cartwright is a massive lightweight.
𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨: she/her pronouns used, some dialogue in this fic is from slow horses season one, mentions of sexualization/slut shaming, fluff, river being a precious baby. in a world of boys, river cartwright is a gentleman.
𝙣𝙤��𝙚𝙨: this is a work of fiction; any names, characters from slow horses, places & incidents will either be a product of my imagination or used fictionally (5.8k words)
✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
Y/N sighed heavily as she finally managed to shut her computer down for the day, feeling the strain in her shoulders. She rubbed her temples, squinting tiredly as she began gathering all of her belongings together. She had opted in staying back a couple of hours to complete some paperwork, wanting to ensure that Catherine wouldn't be burdened with it in the morning. She switched off the lamp on her desk before making her way out of the office she shared with Louisa.
On her way out of the building, a faint glow caught her attention, causing her to stop in her tracks. Intrigued, she followed the light down the hallway that led to River and Sid's shared office.
She had initially assumed that she was the last one in the building, yet she was proven wrong when she peeked through the glass window and spotted River sat at his desk, bathed in the soft glow of his computer screen.
He leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed and a discernible frown etched on his face as he remained absorbed in whatever was on his computer. The black earphones that were placed in his ears suggested to her that he was engrossed in watching something.
His tousled blonde hair fell over his forehead, and in the faint lighting, his normally bright blue eyes appeared darker and wearier than usual. Y/N couldn't help but notice the fatigue evident in his slow blinks as his attention remained fixed on the glowing screen in front of him.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as she moved towards the door. Leaning against the frame, she took a moment to watch him, wondering if he would notice her presence eventually. Unsurprisingly, he remained completely oblivious, engrossed in whatever he was watching. 
Biting her lip, Y/N’s eyes quickly scanned around the room before grabbing a book from a nearby shelf. With another quick glance at him and a mischievous smile, she slammed the book down on the table near the door, creating a harsh noise that cut through the silence.
The abrupt sound drew River's attention like a magnet, his eyes snapping up from the computer screen. Despite the initial harshness, his gaze softened slightly once he spotted her in standing in the doorway. 
“Fuck,” He sighed, reaching up to take his earphones out.
Y/N tried to suppress a giggle as she held her hands up in defence.
 "Sorry," She apologised, taking in his slightly dishevelled state. "What are you still doing here?"
He met her gaze, taking in a deep breath in. "Just... sorting through some stuff."
“Such as?” She questioned, crossing her arms and giving him a skeptical look.
"None of your business," He shot back, a hint of sarcasm underlying in his voice.
She rolled her eyes at him before pushing herself off the door frame, sauntering over to where he sat at his desk. River rubbed his hands over his face, attempting to massage away the aches as he sensed her starting to make her way over to him.
“Seriously though, it’s 8:00pm,” She remarked, scrunching her eyebrows as she stood next to him. She leant back against his desk as she faced him. “I thought Lamb was the only one who practically lives here. Don’t you have a home to go to?”
He let out a small, sarcastic and dry laugh, leaning back in his chair to face her. “Says the one who is literally sitting on my desk. You should ask yourself the same thing.”
“God, you’re hard work,” She sighed, throwing her head back in annoyance.
“All right,” He sighed, shooting her a look that she couldn't quite place. “What’s your excuse for being here after hours, then?”
She crossed her arms as she spoke, “I finished up some extra paperwork from today so Catherine wouldn’t be swamped with it in the morning.”
“Wow,” River drawled out, fiddling with his earphones, “What do you want? A medal? Pat on the back?”
She groaned at his teasing. “You know what? I would settle for anything other than that contemptuous look you always have on your face.”
His face scrunched up as he squinted at her. “That’s a big word, Y/N. You sure you know what that means?”
She shook her head at him, sighing in defeat after attempting to lighten his mood.
“God, lighten up, Cartwright,” She quipped, reaching out to playfully tap her hand against his leg, “This whole 'I hate the world' attitude you’ve got going on is really starting to piss me off.”
“Well, any time you wanna leave, feel very free,” He joked, gesturing towards the door while still holding a straight face. “You know the way out.”
She shot him a pointed look, shaking her head as he raised his eyebrows at her.
“What? You planning on staying here all night?” He asked, challenging her.
“Nope, I give up,” She scoffed while standing up properly and began making her way towards the door. “I might go for a drink somewhere.”
River swivelled on his office chair, raising his eyebrows slightly as he nodded.
“Thanks for the invite,” He muttered, a hint of disappointed in his tone.
She rolled her eyes at him as she turned back on her heels to glance at him, “This is me inviting you, idiot.”
His eyes shot up at her words, making him tilt his head in surprise. He tried to act like he wasn’t flattered by the request and maintained a carefree expression in hopes she wouldn’t notice.
“You know what? I think I would rather sit here in the dark all night, thanks all the same,” He countered, pulling himself closer to the desk and picking up his earphones.
“River Cartwright, ladies and gentlemen,” Y/N mumbled, loud enough for him to hear. “Hard working MI5 agent but always the prude.”
He crossed his arms at her and raised his eyebrows, “A prude? I am not.”
“Oh, you’re not?” She questioned, walking back up to his desk and leaning over it from the front, maintaining eye contact with him. Her eyes took him in as she tapped her fingers on the desk. “Then prove it.”
He held eye contact with her as he inhaled deeply, trying to refrain from letting his gaze wander up her body.
✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
The two of them left Slough House, making their way a few minutes down the road to her favourite pub. She crossed her arms over her chest as River walked alongside her with his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his corduroy jacket.
As she walked beside him, she glanced up at River as he managed to catch her eye. 
"What?" He inquired, his face deadpan.
She shook her head as a small smile slowly creeped onto her lips. "Didn't think you would actually come."
"Yeah, well," He was quick to respond, "Maybe that’s because I'm not actually a prude."
She shrugged playfully, "Could have fooled me."
"You're unbelievable," He groaned, looking down at the cobblestone path beneath their feet as he shook his head. 
“You love it when I’m hard on you,” A chuckle escaped her as she bumped her arm against his. She briskly rubbed her hands together, a futile attempt to ward off the chill that lingered the air around them.
After strolling for a few more minutes, they finally reached the pub, the welcoming glow drawing them in. River stepped in front of her, gracefully swinging the door open and gesturing for her to step inside before him.
"Thank you," She breathed out, revelling in the comforting warmth that enveloped her as they entered, the gentle sound of conversation buzzing around them.
River took in the ambiance of the place to where she had brought him and sidled up beside her as they approached the bar. She watched as he glanced over her shoulder and leaned down slightly so she could hear him over the chatter, “What would you like?"
She was caught off guard and opened her mouth in surprise. "Oh, you're buying me a drink?"
He nonchalantly nodded, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. "Yeah. What, would you rather I didn't?"
She chuckled, "Hey, no complaints here. I'll have a beer, please."
River shot her a playful glance, eyebrows raised as he tapped his fingers on the marble counter. "Wow, you're cheap."
Feigning offense, she gasped and playfully slapped his arm while shooting him a pointed look. He scoffed, rubbing his bicep for a moment as he glanced around. "Want to find a table? I'll bring the drinks over."
"Alright," She nodded, gracefully moving away as her eyes scanned the pub.
She soon spotted a snug corner table nestled towards the back of the pub and made her way over there. Taking a seat, she placed her bag beside her on the floor. As she settled into the chair, she let out a content sigh, not being able to resist stealing a glance over at River, who still lingered at the bar.
A subtle smile played on her lips as she watched him. His tall figure leaned casually against the bar, and she couldn't deny the particular kind of allure about his presence. Unbeknownst to River, his attractive good looks were well-known among those in the service. Despite his inclination to act as if the world were perpetually against him, she couldn't help but acknowledge the undeniable charm he possessed.
She reached for the hair tie around her wrist, skilfully securing her hair into a casual half-up, half-down style just as River approached the table with their drinks. Glancing up at him, she found him holding a beer in one hand and a whiskey in the other.
"Of course, you’re a whiskey drinker, how original," Y/N teased, her eyes bright with amusement as he set the glasses down on the table.
River let out a sigh, "You’ve always got something to say, don't you? Give me a break."
She chuckled and thanked him as he placed down her drink. However, as he set it on the table, she couldn't help but notice his hand – red and showing signs of a recent burn. Her eyes widened, a tinge of concern in her voice as she looked up at him, "What happened to your hand?"
He closed his eyes momentarily, a slight groan escaping his lips. He had attempted to keep his injured hand discreetly tucked away in his pocket, but it seemed he was now unable to let it escape her notice.
"Nothing, just," He began, then stalled for a second as he settled into the chair across from her, scrambling for a quick excuse, "Burned it on a grill."
Her head tilted inquisitively, and she shot him a pointed look, "Yeah right. So, are you going to tell me what actually happened?"
He let out a heavy sigh, his long fingers wrapped around his glass, deliberately avoiding eye contact. He could feel her gaze burning through him, making him shift uncomfortably in his seat.
After a brief moment of silence, he noticed her extend her hand, a silent request for him to reveal his injured hand that he was still trying to hide. He met her expectant gaze with a sigh and a sense of defeat as he reluctantly extended his hand towards her. With a gentle motion, she cradled his hand in both of hers, taking notice of the subtle tremor that seemed to steady in her grasp. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself softly at the size difference between her delicate hands and his own.
As she studied his hand with a caution, he found himself completely captivated by her focused attention. Strands of her hair fell over her face, framing a look of concentration. His eyes remained fixed on her while she examined his hand.
"Did it hurt?" She asked, her tone careful.
He felt her fingers tracing patterns on the skin of his palm, causing him to lose his train of thought for a second. 
"No. Well, yeah, a bit," He admitted, with a sheepish glance.
She nodded, letting go of his hand to reach for her drink. "Yeah, I guess opening a flash box without the code will do that."
A quizzical look crossed his face as he glanced at her. "I never told you that."
"You didn't have to," She responded, taking a sip of her beer.
River scoffed softly, shaking his head. It seemed as though she had him all figured out.
"Why would you even do that? You are many things, but I didn't think you were stupid," She teased, arching her eyebrows as he met her gaze again.
"It's nothing to worry about," He dismissed, waving her off as he took another sip of his whiskey.
Y/N observed him for a moment, her gaze following the amber liquid as it passed his lips.
"What was in the box?" She couldn't resist asking.
River sighed, briefly glancing behind her before answering, "A laptop. With files taken from Robert Hobden."
She nodded knowingly, "Do The Park know that you opened a flash box?"
"No," He briskly shook his head, "And they aren't going to find out, are they?"
She shook her head in response, a silent confirmation of her discretion. He appreciated the unspoken trust they seemed to share between them.
"Was it worth opening a flash box over?" She teased, a playful smile tugging at her lips.
"Stop interrogating me, okay? Can we just not talk about it right now?" River redirected, tapping his glass with his pointer finger. "I thought you dragged me here to get away from work."
"I didn't drag you here," She chuckled. "And if you feel trapped here, you know the way out," a hint of jest in her voice as she playfully repeated his words from Slough House earlier.
He huffed at her, "Touché."
"I'll drop it," Y/N promised, lifting her glass again. "But you know I'll grill you about it later."
He nodded, letting out a scoff at the pun she managed to slip in. "Oh, I know you will."
They settled into a comfortable silence for a minute, during which River studied her again. Sensing his gaze, she looked across at him quizzically before asking, "What?"
Biting his lip, he contemplated the question that nagged at him in the back of his mind. Deciding to bite the bullet, he took a short breath in, leaning against the table on his elbows as he crossed his arms. "Why are you here, Y/N?"
She shot him a confused look, "Uhm-"
"Not at the pub," He corrected himself in a teasing manner, "At Slough House."
She sighed, "I thought Slough House was like prison. You're not supposed to ask what you're in for."
He sensed her attempt to sidestep the question, but it didn't seem to stop him. His curiosity got the better of him and he couldn’t deny the subtle soft spot he harboured for her, something in which he often struggled to hide.
"Well, you know why I'm there," River stated.
"Yeah, but everyone knows why you're there," Y/N countered with a smile.
She laughed as he rolled his eyes, "I was gonna give you a compliment, but you can shove it now," He said, looking unamused.
"Suit yourself," She smiled, finding amusement in how easily she could tease him, "I get enough flattery from everyone else."
"But that's what I mean," River said softly, "Everyone can see that you're different. Because you are."
She glanced up at him, a gentle smile gracing her lips before she looked down again, avoiding his intense gaze.
"I mean," He continued, breaking the intensity of his gaze, "Min, Struan, Roddy—maybe not Louisa, but definitely Moody. They were always headed for the skids. They're useless. But you're…"
She looked up at him again as his words trailed off, and they shared a momentary glance, one with an unspoken meaning as River continued to speak.
"You know," He breathed, shaking his head slightly, "It just doesn't make sense. But whatever the reason for being put in Slough House, it must have come out of nowhere, right?"
She chuckled softly, taking a swig of her drink, "Always the MI5 agent, hey?"
"Sorry," He apologized, backtracking, "I'm just letting my thoughts do the talking. You don't have to tell me. It's your business."
"No, it's okay," Y/N smiled, but he watched it quickly fade as her mind ticked over. "Yeah, it did come out of nowhere."
She took a deep breath before continuing, "I was put in Slough House because of a rumour about me, that wasn't even true, got spread around at The Park."
"What kind of rumour?" River asked, dumbfounded.
"Wow," She expressed surprise, "I'm surprised you haven't heard about it already."
He gestured for her to continue, giving her his full attention.
"Someone came onto me, rather forcefully, one day at the office. And because I turned him down, it hurt his feelings. He couldn't accept it, so the next day, he went around to all of his mates at the office, telling them that I was a slut and that I basically begged him for it. His mates then proceeded to tell everyone at Regents Park, which marked me down massively. No one would even look at me after that. And because everyone took his word as gospel, I was shipped out to Slough House," Y/N explained, her emotions surfacing as she spoke the truth she had tried to bottle up for so long.
River was shocked to his core. The revelation left him not only astonished but also infuriated at how someone could do that to someone as honest and kind-hearted as her.
"I’m so sorry," He consoled.
She shrugged nonchalantly, attempting to downplay the impact, but he could sense that it bothered her deeply. Understandably so.
"I heard you worked at The Park," He said, before pressing further, "Was it anyone I know?"
Y/N stayed silent for a moment before nodding, releasing a sigh, "It was Webb."
River raised his eyebrows before scrunching them together in a frown, "Spider?!"
"Yep," She replied curtly, downing the rest of her drink.
He scoffed in disbelief, finding yet another reason to dislike James Webb. "What a dickhead. How is it that he is able to get away with something like that? It's bullshit."
She nodded, "Yeah, it was shitty. But I got my revenge on him."
He shot her a pointed look, "What do you mean?"
"I'm not usually the petty type..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced down at the table.
"Oh, come on," River encouraged her, "What did you do?"
Biting her lip, she tried to hide her smile, "On my last day at The Park, I broke into his office while he was at a meeting and went through his computer. I wasn't even looking for anything in particular. But then I found some rather revealing pictures he had of himself. So, being as pissed off as I was at the time, I sent them as an email to everyone in the building. I did it in a way that no one could trace it back to me."
River couldn't stop himself from bursting into laughter, hastily covering his mouth as he began to worry he was making too much noise.
"That is priceless," He chuckled, "Who is dumb enough to even have photos like that when working in the service? Let alone on your work computer."
"Clearly Spider," She grinned, propping her chin onto her palm.
River's laughter eventually subsided, but his smile remained, "So he never found out?"
She shook her head, "Nope. But I'm sure he won't forget it anytime soon."
"I saw him today while dropping something off at The Park," He said, thinking out loud, "I should have knocked his lights out."
"Can't change anything now," She said, "Just gotta keep moving forward."
He glanced at her, shooting her a sympathetic but genuine smile.
His chair scraped across the wooden floor as he stood up to go and get another drink, "You're one of the good ones, Y/N L/N," River smiled, tapping her shoulder as he walked past her and made his way over to the bar.
✘ ✘ ✘ ✘
A couple of hours had drifted by since Y/N and River had first stepped into the pub. Conversation flowed between them quite effortlessly as they both enjoyed the opportunity to unwind outside the confines of Slough House. Y/N decided to grab another drink after her first initial one, opting to nurse the second glass River had kindly bought for her. She observed him from across the table as he indulged in several glasses of whiskey.
She furrowed her brows, finding it quite amusing to witness his demeanour shift from serious to carefree within the span of just a couple of hours.
"You gonna finish that?" River mumbled, eyeing her half-empty glass. Without waiting for her response, he quickly snatched her glass from the table and downed the remaining liquid in one gulp.
She watched him with wide eyes, shaking her head at his audacity. Leaning forward on her elbows, she tapped her finger against the silver watch on his wrist that caught the light, quickly managing to glance at the time herself. "It's late!"
"What? Tired, are you?" River asked, tilting his head at her.
"You should be," She retorted, "It's a school night."
He groaned at her words, screwing his eyes shut at the thought of having to get up for work tomorrow morning while nursing a potential hangover.
She leaned over the table, concern etched on her face. "I think you've had enough, River."
His head suddenly shot up at the use of his name. He narrowed his gaze towards her cheekily before also leaning over the table, mirroring her actions. His eyes very obviously trailed over every inch of her face as he studied her features.
"You never call me River," He whispered, his voice low, unaware of the subtle hitch in her breath caused by the close proximity of their faces.
She shook her head, her reply soft, "I never call anyone River."
"Yeah well," He cleared his throat, "You can thank my mother; it was her hippie phase."
Y/N couldn't help but chuckle as an unfamiliar feeling of warmth washed over her. It felt strange to her to witness River in such a drunken state, considering his usual serious demeanour that he held. She took in the blue of his eyes, the scruff of his beard, the way his hair fell over his forehead—absorbing every detail possible.
He glanced around, taking notice of the nearly empty bar they still sat in before mumbling, "I reckon we should go."
"Good call," She agreed, standing up and pulling her coat back on.
As she grabbed her bag, she watched River skeptically as he slowly rose to his feet. He tapped his jacket a few times, feeling to make sure he still had his keys and his wallet.
The two quietly made their way out of the pub, the cool night air hitting them instantly as they stepped out onto the quiet streets of London. Y/N stood beside River, casting a sidelong glance at him, unable to shake the amusement present from her expression.
"So, reckon you’ll be fine to get home?" She teased him.
He glanced down at her from his tall height as he towered over her, nodding as he swayed on his feet slightly. "Yeah."
"Okay," She smiled up at him, "Thanks for tonight, I'll see you tom-"
But he was quick to cut her off, "Walk with me?"
"Huh?" She questioned him, pulling on her coat tighter around her frame as she craned her neck to look up at him.
River chuckled slightly as he casually shrugged his shoulders. "I wanna keep talking to you, so will you walk home with me?"
Y/N narrowed her gaze at him, reminding herself of the fact that he had managed to drink a whole lot more than her tonight. Without stopping to give it much thought, she found herself nodding and shot him a smile. "Alright, fine."
While they started walking together, side by side,  down the street, River stumbled a bit, causing Y/N to reach out and grab his arm in order to steady him. "Easy there, Cartwright. Don't want you face-planting on the pavement."
"I've got it under control," River assured her, though the grin on his face betrayed a different story.
As they continued walking, she could feel him subtly starting to lean against her small frame slightly. His head was spinning, and to him it felt like he was floating due to the amount of alcohol he had consumed. She stole another glance at him, observing the longer strides he took compared to what he usually would. There was a peculiar bounce in his step, and the usual frown that often adorned his face was long gone which amused her with every passing minute.
"How is it that I'm smaller than you but can hold my alcohol better than you can?" Y/N teased him, leaning against him slightly as the wind crept past them.
"Shut up," He breathed, while shaking his head and licking his lips.
Before long, they arrived at a set of apartments. She stopped in her tracks, watching as River walked ahead of her, towards a flight of stairs. It was only a couple of seconds before he noticed she was no longer following him. He turned around slowly, gesturing towards her with a confused look on his face.
"You coming?" River asked, tucking his hands further into the pockets of his jacket. 
She curled her lips into her teeth, contemplating for a moment before she gave in, starting to follow him up the stairs which led to his apartment. He had slowed his pace down on the steps in front of her as he waited for her to catch up with him.
Once he had felt her place her hands onto his back, he sensed the warmth through the material of his jacket. She carefully guided him up the stairs, her presence a reassuring anchor until he stopped in front of his apartment door. He reached for his keys and fumbled with them, struggling to keep his eyes focused.
Y/N eyed him warily, observing the effects the alcohol had on his coordination. "Hey," She stepped closer to him, and spoke softly, "Give me those."
He chuckled, giving up almost instantly and passed her his keys. They stood close together, their fingers brushing against each other as she grabbed the keys from his hand.
"Which one is it?" She asked, glancing up at him with expectant eyes.
River leaned his head against the brick wall in front of him, turning slightly to look down at his keys before pointing to the right one. "That one."
She chuckled at him, biting her lip in concentration as she unlocked his front door. She could feel his eyes burning a hole into the side of her head, yet she tried to ignore it. As the door creaked open, she held it open for him, maintaining a watchful eye as he stumbled through his entryway. 
His studio apartment was dimly lit, the soft glow revealing the lived-in but tidy space he occupied.
"Alright, Cartwright," She teased, handing him back his keys. "Get some rest and maybe lay off the whiskey next time."
River chuckled, giving her a nod of agreement. "Thanks, Y/N. And thanks for walking with me."
Y/N smiled with a genuine warmth in her eyes. "Well, you did buy me a drink. Consider it payback."
He stared down at her intently as he came to stand in front of her. He drew in a few deep breaths, the sound filling the silence that enveloped his apartment. River narrowed his eyes gently at her as a sheepish grin tugged it way onto his lips.
“What are you looking at?” She asked him, feeling a warmth beginning to appear across her cheeks.
With a nonchalant shrug, he maintained his silence as he simply shrugged his shoulders in response.
Y/N knew she should take her leave, but there was something about him that made her want to stay. He didn’t seem to mind as he tripped over the mat, and he kicked his shoes off. He managed to shrug off his jacket as he made his way over to the bathroom to  brush his teeth.
Deciding to stay, she placed her bag beside the lounge as she let her eyes wander around curiously, absorbing the surprisingly cozy charm of his apartment. The warmth enveloped her, leaving her torn between the sensible impulse to leave and the pull she was feeling that made her want to stay a little while longer.
River emerged from the bathroom, keeping quiet as he sauntered his way to his bed. As he settled down onto the edge of the mattress, he couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh, a release of tension he seemed unaware of carrying. Y/N approached him slowly, as she tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat, her gaze fixed on him.
“You alright?” She asked him, taking notice of the slump of his shoulders and the  frown on his face that had managed to return.
There was a brief silence that lingered before she pressed on, concern evident in her voice, “What’s up? Hmm?”
She swore she could hear him sniffle slightly and watched as River reached up to run his hands over his face. He soon lifted his head to meet her gaze, shaking his head, a look of weariness etched across his features.
“I just…” He sighed, deliberately trying to hold back, leaving an unspoken weight lingering in the air.
Y/N found herself witnessing a side of him she never would have anticipated – vulnerable, burdened by the weight of emotions he desperately tried to hide. . Without hesitation, she extended a comforting hand, placing it gently on his shoulder. "You can talk to me, you know?" She reassured, offering him with a supportive presence.
River sighed, his gaze remaining heavy and fixed on the floor. "I just want to be actually useful, Y/N. Do something, I mean – I could not be more bored if I tried, and I have actually tried. It feels like I’m drowning there in Slough House."
She listened attentively, allowing him the space to voice the thoughts he'd been holding back. It was clear to Y/N in that moment that opening up like this wasn't something he was accustomed to. He had a perpetual need to prove himself, a persistent desperation that echoed in his words. The weight of expectations seemed to be wearing him down, and the vulnerability he displayed was both unfamiliar and exhausting for someone who typically guarded his thoughts so closely.
“I just feel like a failure, and it’s all my fault,” River murmured, completely defeated, his frustration evident as he began to rub at his eyes with his knuckles.
A brief silence hung in the air before Y/N gently placed both of her hands on his shoulders. "River," She whispered into the quiet, watching as he glanced up at her from where he sat in front of her.
She offered a soft smile once their eyes met. "When was the last time you had a hug?"
He looked away for a moment, genuinely trying to recall the last time he embraced someone. What shocked him was the realization that he genuinely couldn't remember the last time he had been hugged.
“I don’t know,” He mumbled, shaking his head.
Y/N frowned, taking a tentative step closer, as if testing the waters. “Can I hug you?” She whispered.
River nodded, with the word "Please" escaping his lips, quiet and hushed.
Without any hesitation, Y/N stepped forward, closing the gap between them and positioning herself between his legs. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she pulled him into a comforting embrace. At first River was initially unsure, but gradually surrendered to the solace of the moment, reciprocating by enveloping her in his arms. His head found a resting place against her stomach, and a contented exhale escaped him as he felt her nails tracing patterns on his back through the fabric of his shirt.
Her perfume acted as a subtle anchor, which grounded him, preventing him from falling apart completely. They lingered in their embrace, the gentle swaying of their bodies providing a soothing rhythm.
“Hey,” She whispered, her hands tracing up the sides of his face, forcing him to look at her, “You’re not a failure, I promise.”
River, too tired and fatigued to muster any words, flashed her a lazy smile as his eyes started to grow heavy. Resting his chin against her stomach, he glanced up at her. The effort to stay awake was a struggle for him, and her thumbs, rubbing soothing circles into his cheeks, only added to the struggle he faced.
“I think I need to sleep,” He mumbled, burying his face against the fabric of her shirt again, savouring the warmth of the hug for a few more precious seconds.
Reluctantly, he pulled away and settled back against the mattress. Y/N observed him, grateful that he was home safely.
"You need anything before I leave?" Y/N offered, lingering near the end of the bed, her gaze briefly caught by the city lights beyond his window.
One of his eyes opened, heavy with drowsiness, as he glanced at her from where he laid. It didn’t take long before he spoke up.
“Stay for a bit?” He asked, his voice sounding small and muffled against the pillows.
Without hesitation, she nodded towards him, slipping off her shoes and coat. Her body dipped against the mattress as she crawled up to the top, leaning against the headboard of his bed. To her surprise, she felt River shift closer, lifting his head to glance at her for a moment.
“Is this okay?” He asked, a vulnerable note in his voice that made her heart surge.
She nodded, motioning for him to come closer. River slumped down beside her, allowing her to hold him. Grabbing a blanket from the end of his bed, she draped it over the top of them. With an arm wrapped gently around his shoulders, she began playing with his soft, blonde hair.
“That feels good,” He hummed in content, draping an arm across her torso. The sensation of being held felt overwhelming to him, but in all the right ways.
As River slowly drifted into a peaceful slumber, Y/N felt his body starting to become heavier against her. In the quiet of his room, the city lights outside casting a gentle glow across his apartment, she continued to hold him, providing the comfort he needed in that vulnerable moment.
©𝙇𝙄𝙇𝘼𝘾𝙎𝙉𝙄𝘿
5801 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨
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pcrfectstorms · 2 years
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kitkween asked: ❝ don’t look at me like that. ❞ for stiles
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            DENIAL HIS BEST WEAPON OF DEFENCE, next to sarcasm of course, both of which she can see right through, and that’s a little terrifying how she could read him to filth with just one look and all stiles could do in response was some weird as fuck giggle, shrugging as if to plead ignorance to the fact she’ fully just CAUGHT him checking her out shamelessly, he looks around as if she’s talking to anyone  but him, a sheepish smirk on his lip as he STRUGGLES to make eye contact for longer than a few seconds.
              “ like what? -- i have noo  idea what you’re talking about...” he trails off, a nervous laugh echoes in his throat as he shifts his weight from side to side anxiously on the spot. there was something about kat that both intrigued him and terrified him - maybe it was that she was like, really fucking hot, in a scary intimidating kind of way, plus her smarts and sarcasm a match for his, which again -- really fucking hot. 
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            he’s a little confused, cause SURE he’s followed her private instagram fully expecting to be declined, and yet he WASN’T -- so oh stiles has seen things, wonderful, magical things -- mostly her booty, which he’d totally been caught STARING at more than once. “ see you say you don’t want me to look BUT -- you accepted my follow request sooo -- maybe you do --”  tripping over his words, he’s laughing, but he’s a clusterfuck of nerves right now, thankful it’s just the two of them in the hallway so no one else needs to see how much of a disaster he is; bad enough he’s embarrassing himself in front of kat right now. 
// @kitkween​  // euphoria meme // accepting! 
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shakespearean-snape · 8 months
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I’m rereading OOTP right now and I find that scene between Severus and Sirius in the kitchen to be highly relevant in the context of Severus as a feminine-coded character (and Sirius as a representation of toxic masculinity). Sirius is very outwardly aggressive in this scene in a conventionally masculine way, while Severus weaponizes his sarcasm and wit in a way that could be thought of as a more “feminine” form of defence. While Harry describes Sirius’s voice as getting progressively louder and angrier, he describes Severus’s voice as “soft” in contrast (as he usually does, which is also interesting in the context of Severus as a feminine man/GNC character). Sirius gets up and tries to intimidate Severus physically, and Severus grips his wand inside his pocket in a way that reminded me of a victim of domestic violence preparing to defend herself against her abuser.
I’m not sure how much of this was intentional considering how rigid JKR’s views on gender have unfortunately turned out to be, but I can’t help but read Severus as a feminine character, especially since he’s meant to act as a stand in for Lily in the same way as Sirius acts as a stand in for James. It’s very easy to read Sev as gender non conforming and/or LGBTQ, although given JKR’s own views it’s doubtful she meant for us to read him that way (but fuck her, she’s a massive transphobe, the characters are ours now, we can do what we like with them).
Note to self, start checking your inbox regularly. These changes to Tumblr are killing me because the notifications when I get messages or asks are hit-or-miss at best.
Anyways, this is such a great observation! I'm only just learning about coding and that that is even the term for it from reading about it from other Snape bloggers like @idealistic-realism00, @raptured-night, and @professormcguire since I only took the required English courses both my undergraduate years and beyond that my major was in sociology.
So, I'm not really any kind of expert but I do have a lot of personal experience from being biracial and queer myself just with learning to read between the lines and find representation for myself where I can and I think that is the case for a lot of people from less represented, marginalized backgrounds. We have a certain instinct for these things so even without any kind of formal study we sort of know the "codes" (for better or worse depending on what the author's intent is and if it's a negative dog-whistle or something more positive to get around censorships of the time) if that makes any kind of sense.
For me, I always saw Sirius and Snape as two sides of a coin. There were some very obvious parallels and contrasts between them and this really goes to that in a lot of ways for me. Both Sirius and Snape are two men who made pivotal choices in their youths that very much define them and have led to a great deal of internalized guilt and impacted their behaviors as adults. Both Sirius and Snape find themselves confined to their childhood homes at different points, Sirius at Grimmauld Place with Kreacher and Snape at Spinner's End with Peter Pettigrew (both Kreacher and Peter are characters that also are known for betraying Harry and costing him someone he loves at different points and making a turn around in regards to Harry because of kindness or mercy he showed to them).
Where Sirius made the choice to make Peter the Secret Keeper with only James, Lily, and Peter knowing and it ultimately led to the death of the Potters and him being sentenced to twelve years in Azkaban, Snape also unwittingly delivered part of the fated prophecy that led to Voldemort targeting the Potters. Most interesting for me is that Snape's friendship with Lily and Sirius's friendship with James could be read as either platonic or a case of unrequited romantic feelings. There is the observation in SWM made by Harry that while Sirius was clearly a looker who attracted the attention of girls, his attention was fully on James and not on those admiring glances. So, when looking at Sirius's relationship with James through a comparative lens to Snape's with Lily they could be platonic friends or both Sirius and Snape could have had romantic feelings for their best friends while, ironically enough, Sirius had to watch James fall for and succeed in winning over Lily just as Snape had to do the same.
In the case of Snape and Sirius there is also a degree of regression and arrested development stemming from trauma (and both men at different points make the clear mistake of seeing Harry as a stand-in for James as a result of said trauma). Where Sirius spent twelve years in Azkaban able to hold onto his sanity against the Dementors in part because he knew he was innocent and the truth of what happened was a deeply unhappy thing for him, Snape spent decades in Dumbledore's service at Hogwarts (a place with its own unhappy associations for him having found it was not a refuge from life at Spinner's End with Tobias as he had hoped but another place where he would be bullied relentlessly, overlooked by his Head of House and housemates for being a poor half-blood with no status, subject to institutional failures resulting from yet more adult authority figures in his life not protecting him, groomed by Voldemort's followers and responsible for alienating his closest friend as a result) teaching children when clearly he does not have the temperament and, courtesy of his role as a spy, concealing his own truths and intentionally not allowing people to know the best of him. In a sense, both men had a negative public image that ran counter to the full truth about them and both of them died without being able to see those misconceptions vindicated (Sirius died still presumed by the Ministry and general public to have been the traitor who turned his friends over to Voldemort and murdered innocent people and Snape died knowing he had delivered information to Harry that would lead to his death and unsure of the outcome of the war with everyone thinking him a coward and murderer).
There's just, a LOT of parallels there between the two when you start to unpack them as characters. Even the fact that they both came from domestic dysfunction and unhappy home lives. It makes their mutual antagonism all the more of a tragedy because if not for Sirius's prejudice (which is arguably more understandable given his family and their long tradition of being sorted into Slytherin) against Slytherins and antagonism of young Snape on the train and the years of bullying and bad blood that followed, these two men had the most potential to understand each other. Alas, they do not, but it is their likenesses that makes their differences in how they clash all the more interesting because, as you noted, there are stark differences there. Sirius is all overt masculine energy; hot-headed and physically imposing while Snape is more strained, the ice to his fire.
Most striking to me was always the difference in how little respect Sirius showed to Snape's body while he was unconscious (further demonstrating how little Sirius has changed from the teenage boy who once stood with James and exposed Snape to laughing schoolmates) versus how Snape conjured a stretcher while still under the impression he was the one responsible for betraying the Potters (and the death of Lily). In that way, we get to see how Snape has developed as a person away from his past choices and learned from them. He may still regress, as he does quite plainly when forced to return to the Shrieking Shack and is confronted by Sirius and Remus there, but he isn't quite in the full state of arrested development as Sirius (but given his circumstances in Azkaban that isn't entirely surprising either; there is a tragedy to Sirius's character for all that there is as much of a darkness as there was in Snape during his time as a Death Eater and the fact so many Marauder apologists who double as "Snaters" refuse to acknowledge that outside of romanticizing the angst of it all while vilifying Snape is quite possibly an even greater tragedy, imo) which is why Sirius's death came in part due to his inability to move beyond his past and find it within himself to treat Kreacher with a modicum of understanding or empathy (in addition to his desire to be part of the action again and recapture his lost youth when it was him and James in the Order together) while Snape's death came only after he had to reconcile with the fact his original raison d'être for becoming a spy (to protect Harry for Lily as penance) ran counter to what was needed to defeat Voldemort for good and he still chose to stay the course instead of pursue his own agenda and act on his own self-interests.
In short, Sirius's death was partly due to the fact he couldn't move beyond the past. While Snape's death came as a result of the fact he had grown enough as a character to set aside his past motivations and see things through because he had become someone who conjured stretchers even for hated enemies and risked his life to save all those who he could save (including Sirius and Remus).
Thanks for the ask and I'm so sorry it took so long to respond but it gave me even more to think about. The masculine vs. feminine coding just adds an extra element to Snape and Sirius's dynamic when it was already interesting to me and I've always had a lot of thoughts about how those two were written with so many parallels and points of contrast. Love this ask!
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she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 11 months
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Absolutely banger content!! Love it! When Kaz calls Inej "treasure of my heart" he's cheapening an otherwise meaningful phrase. Do you think he is being totally sarcastic or is he deadpanning his feelings to a degree? Because a little later he describes another time he said something cold-blooded to Inej and says to himself "in moments like that he thought she might hate him." Can the second quote be used as context to explain the "treasure of my heart" quote?
Hi, thank you so much!
I definitely think that this is a prime example of using sarcasm as a defence mechanism, so although he comes across completely sarcastic - as confirmed by Inej’s reaction, which is to look pointedly at his cane and wish him a long trip down the stairs before she herself slides down the bannister - I would agree that to some degree he is voicing his genuine feelings. It could be viewed in a somewhat self-destructive nature, because by voicing these feelings in a manner that he knows will elicit a negative response from Inej he can use it as evidence for her not returning his affection and therefore use it as a reason not express his feelings in any real way - claiming that she won’t be interested, when actually he simply has a massively debilitating fear of being vulnerable bred in him by Rollins and the general attitudes/environment of the gangs in the Barrel (and arguably to some degree Jordie as well; by trying to protect his younger brother he doesn’t necessarily convey the full severity of their situation when they first arrive in Ketterdam, inadvertently leading to the belief that such vulnerabilities should never be spoken of or discussed becoming a highly complex and difficult aspect of Kaz’s character)
When Kaz comments “in moments like that, he thought she might hate him” it’s coming off the back of him effectively defending the appropriation of Inej’s culture. She is horrified to see the Suli Jackal masks on sale and being worn by pleasure seekers in Ketterdam, because they should only be worn by Suli seers and are “sacred symbols”. In return, Kaz says that he’s seen the seers “ply their trade on party boats and in pleasure houses” and that “they didn’t seem very holy”, and when she says that “they are pretenders” and “they’re laughing at you behind those masks” he responds coolly that he would never pay to have his fortune told, whether it was from a conman or a holy man. When Inej is visibly upset by this conversation, he comments that he wonders if she hates him, and I think that a large aspect of this is because he is the only person who knows what she went through to its fullest extent. And the specifically relevant aspect of what he knows here, is that Inej was forced to appropriate her culture herself when she was at the Menagerie (slight tangent, but so was Nina, it’s very interesting, I’ve mentioned it in a post before). Inej describes her room at the Menagerie to be a farcical mockery of a Suli caravan, she was forced to “donn false Suli silks”, and it’s even mentioned that the only reason she was ‘the lynx’ is that the Jackal masks were seen as unattractive - “but what man would want to bed a Jackal? So instead, the Suli girl - and the Menagerie always stocked a Suli girl - wore the lynx”. What a quote. What. A. Quote. Starting with the Jackal, it makes it clear that there are no lines that won’t be crossed, and that’s emphasised by other girls at the Menagerie wearing animals sacred to their countries such as the Fjerdan woman being the wolf, and that the only reason Inej didn’t have to wear an outfit similar to the one she’s so horrified by here is that it couldn’t be sexualised and exploited the same way the lynx could. And then we have “and the Menagerie always stocked a Suli girl”. Wow. That gets me every time I read it. There are two main things I want to comment on in this quote, so I’ll start with “stocked”. This singular world is so dehumanising; the idea that the women and girls at the Menagerie are seen as stock, produce, literal consumables that can be bought and traded and sold. There’s also the point that Inej herself is the one using this word, and I think it’s left purposefully ambiguous as to whether this is a satirical usage of the word on her behalf as a criticism of the culture surrounding pleasure houses and cultural appropriation in Kerch (although more specifically Ketterdam), or if it’s the product of indoctrination to this toxic culture - similar to Nina’s horror at releasing that the appropriation and disdain for foreigners she’s been surrounded by has actually led her to judge traditional Ravkan dress as old-fashioned in Crooked Kingdom (I think it’s chapter 13). The second thing about this quote I want to mention is “always”. “Always”. It so subtly introduces so early on in the books the deeply ingrained over-sexualisation of Suli culture, which is evidenced time and time again but most specifically in the ‘Rare Spices’ billboard that Inej describes un Crooked Kingdom. I could talk about that billboard for DAYS so I won’t go into it here because this is already a long post.
But I think it’s incredibly important that Kaz knows all of this when he makes these comments, every time he mocks her gods or her “depressing Suli wisdom”, he knows that he is part of a culture that dehumanises and sexualises and appropriates and reduces everything about who she is, and he knows that it’s hurting her, of course it would hurt her anyway, but especially hurting her because she was forced to do it herself as a cherry on top of the worst year in Inej’s life, a year made of unending pain and terror. But arguably this is once again all that self-destructive nature; the pushing her away, similarly to the sarcasm as a defence mechanism, because it is easier to hate than to love, and because if she hates him then he never has to be vulnerable with her.
Oh wow I just looked at that and realised it’s way longer than I thought, sorry about that… Thank you for reading it, and thank you so much for the question this was really interesting to think about! :)
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synthleeius · 6 months
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Tickletober day 1 - anticipation
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hi omg. i absolutely hate this but i wanna try and to tickletober this year since ive never done it before and it feels weird if i dont do the 1st one so ☹️☹️ and just know its 2am and im tired but i wanted to get this done so if its shit literally jusy dont read it
pairing; lee!reader x ler!venti
Venti huffed, letting his hands rest on his hips. He had been looking for his hat everywhere, but to no avail. And he swore he left it riigghhtt on his lamp before he went to bed last night! How strage..
“Windblume!” He called out from his doorway, before beginning to make his way to your room in the teapot you two shared. “Have you seen my–”
He couldn't help but smile when he saw the same hat he turned his room upside down for, sitting lopsided on your head. He moved to stand in front of your sitting figure, then spoke; “My hat, love?”
“Huh?– oh! Yeah, I borrowed it.” You replied, looking up at your beloved with a casual expression. You didn't think he would really mind when you did take it.. but in your defence, he was asleep! And you were going to return it.. eventually.
“..Oh come on, here.” You rolled your eyes lovingly when you saw the stern look on his face, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down on you. “Better?” You asked after had taken the hat off of your own head and placed it onto his, just the way he liked it.
“Almost,” He said with an innocent looking smirk, (well.. innocent enough.) taking the book you were previously reading and placing it to the side. “Just one more thing you can do. Yknow, to make it up to me!”
“And that is..?” You asked, your attention fully on the bard in front of you now. “Stay still, is all. Surely you can manage that, my beloved~” He said in a dragged out tone, moving to push you down onto your bed, a singular hand of his holding both of yours above your head.
“..Venti? What are yo– no.”
“And that's what I would've said if you had asked to try my hat on!” He huffed, lowering his free hand to the side of your torso.
You jerked your body away, a soft squeak leaving your lips. “hah– I didn't think yohou’d mind! I swear!” In all honesty, you knew if you had asked he would've said yes anyways.. What a dramatic little bard you had.
“Oh, now you're laughing at me are you?” The bard in question spoke in a ‘stern’ tone, “Now I really have to get you~” His signature giggle filled the air, looking up at your flushed face to make sure your eyes weren't on him, but his fingers instead.
He let his fingertips rise near your ribs, resulting in another jerk away and a gasp on your side. “Come on, this is ridiculous. I didnt even do ahanyth– can you stop doing that already?!”
You huffed the words out when his nails wiggled towards your stomach, slowly dropping down until they were inches away from the skin. Only then would he pull back, returning to his previous position above. “What? Does it tickle, windblume~?” He questioned with a genuine tone, but that shit-eating smirk on his face told you he knew what he was doing.
“No, I'm just laughing because I feel like it. Yes, it fucking- ohokay ohokay! I'm sorry! God, somebody's sensitive..” You began to return the sarcasm, before he simply tilted his head and moved his hand to rest on your inner bicep. “Uhuh, that's what I thought, my love. Now.. where was I?”
You slightly regret the words you spoke that made him switch to a different spot, because this was arguably worse. He was repeating the same spidering motion, directly above your underarms. Your senses set off, causing you to lean back into the bed and attempt to tug your arms down to cover the sensitive area.
“Bad spot?” He asked, “By how much your giggling, I think it iiiss~”
You simply whined in response, rolling your eyes away from his hand and turning your head to the side to try and get rid of the tingling sensation. Though, it didn't help much. His hand being blocked from your view did not block out the slight graze every few seconds, maybe even made the feeling worse. “You're the worst.”
“Yknow what else is the worst?” He said in a sigh, tilting his head away from you in a fake thinking look. As he did, his hand suddenly squeezed onto your sides, causing electricity to shoot into your nerves. “Waking up and looking for your hat, only to find out a special somebody took it after spending 10 minutes trying to find it!”
“Ohohonly 10 mihinutes? Yohour just inpatient!” You giggled out, his movements causing your body to reflectivity twist away from him. “Yeah, and I'm not the one pinned down right now. Maybe you should learn to watch your tone, my love~”
“Maybe yohou shou- fuhuhuck, ohokay! Ihi give, juhust stohop!” You couldn't help but give up when he began to scribble his fingers along your stomach, causing him to laugh at your quick efforts to escape the feeling.
“Mm.. fine, fine~ Just one last thing though..” He let his grip off of your wrists, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek as he did. “If you’ll allow me, of course.”
You slowly quickly moved your arms to the sides before he got anymore ideas, letting out soft breathy giggles and turning to look at him again. "Hah.. your already here, aren't you? ..Fine, make it quick."
He didnt respond in words, but rather by hiking your shirt up to your upper waist and sliding his hands down to your hips. While pressing his thumbs gently into the skin as small circle, he leant down to press a soft kiss to the middle of your stomach.
“Ah.. yohour so sappy, Venti.” You responded with a soft gasp and giggle, not being able to help the small shuffles your body involuntarily did after. “I know I am.. But you looovee it~”
He spoke his words into the skin of your torso, only making it all the more worse for you. He let out a soft giggle, before looking up at you. “Okay, okay.. Actual last thing. You ready, windblume~?”
You couldn't suppress the giddly smile that formed on your lips, nodding before letting your head fall back onto the blanket. “Yeheah..”
You listened to him take in a deep breath, before pushing his lips into your stomach and blowing a raspberry directly in the middle.
"AHahah- aharcons, yohour hohorrible!" You whined out, shoving his hands off of your hips and turning onto your side.
"Mm, the archons have heard your complaints love.." He said in a played on uninterested tone, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "Now, I trust you'll be getting ready? After all, were going out to Mondstadt.."
"..Ugh, yeah.." You groaned, moving to return the kiss on his cheek. "I will.."
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Stiles Stilinski 🩷🍟🥍
“I’m 147 pounds of pale skin and fragile bones okay? Sarcasm is my only defence”
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