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fyodior · 8 months ago

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FUCK YOU, FUCK ME!

pairing: toji fushiguro x gn!reader (no anatomy described)

cw: pegging toji !!!! reader uses a strap, toji is hesitant but goes along with it and ends up LOVING it. anal (m!receiving), missionary and doggy, minor orgasm control, etc. kind of glorified anal so keep that in mind. MINORS DONT INTERACT ILL BITE

notes: this is a sponsored fic for @ficsforgaza, and im so so excited to finally be posting it!! (other wips available for sponsor here) go check out some other great creators on the blog too!! and this is my first time back writing in a bit so pls be kind :") divider by @/cafekitsune!

wc: 2.8k

“Toji, sweetheart, you need to relax.”

“Fuck- I’m fuckin’ trying,” your lover grunts, wincing and sucking in a sharp breath. “I’m not fuckin’ used to things inside’a me like you are.” You choose to ignore that last quip.

Only half a very well lubed finger deep into his tight ass, you figure this is going to be a long night, but you know it’ll be so, so, worth it - for both you and him.

The day you first proposed trying anal to Toji, he was all for it - excited even. Until he found out that you meant he’d be the one receiving, and his face immediately fell.

“No. Nope. Nothin’s goin’ up my shitter,” he had responded, making you roll your eyes and groan. You swore up and down that a prostate orgasm could be life changing for males, but he flat out refused for months. It wasn’t until your birthday when you promised him he didn’t have to buy you a gift if he agreed to try anal just once - and then he was all for it.

He was hesitant as the two of you scrolled through sex toy websites to search for the best possible strap and dildo for him. Pointing out ones you thought he might like only made his face contort in discomfort, haunted by the thought of something going inside his asshole. The list of “hard no’s” grew and grew the longer you searched: nothing longer than 6 inches, nothing girthier than a circumference of 5 inches, no skin colors because that felt too real, and no balls. Toji Fushiguro was a hard man to please.

Finally, finally, after months of convincing, hours of online shopping, and a few more days following the arrival of the package, did you have your lover laid out in front of you, legs spread and hole awaiting. It was the sweetest fucking sight in the world, and you were so grateful you maintained enough patience to get to this moment. Good things really do come to those who wait.

The harness was already strapped around your waist, painfully eager to attach the dildo and get to it, but of course there was ample prep required, especially for someone completely new to anal. Per your request, he had showered prior to you getting home from work and had tried to clean himself out a little bit, which you were very grateful for. Now you were tasked with stretching and prepping his hole. Your mouth watered at the thought of it.

Instructing him to lay on his back, for no other reason than you wanted to see his face, you press his thick, sinewy thighs apart and settle between them. You had done your best to create a gentle, relaxing environment in your shared bedroom, with the lights dimmed low, a few candles flickering on the shelf, and soft music playing from the TV. Yet still, the man was as tense as a clenched fist.

The goal was to get him a little worked up and wanting it, so you start with a little foreplay. Kissing him softly, you jerk him off slowly, getting him hard enough that he wants to cum. His hard cock lays neglected on his belly as he rests on his back, propped up against a horde of pillows, and you could honestly cum just at the sight of him. Toji is fucking beautiful.

But now it was finally time. After dousing your fingers in a thick, goopy layer of lube, you press the tip of your ring finger against his puckered hole, and he immediately flinches.

“Baby, I promise I won’t make this hurt, you have to breathe, though,” you plead, using your other hand to massage his thigh. “Here - take a deep breath with me.”

Motioning for him to follow, you suck in air, watching him closely. After rolling his eyes and deciding he’ll finally play along, he mimics you. The second he releases the breath he was holding, his body deflating, you take the chance and slip in your finger down to just the first knuckle.

He immediately gasps, furrowing his brows and grunting. “Hey! You fuckin’ tricked me!” he accuses, indignant as a little kid.

You chuckle in response. “It got it in, didn’t it?”

You stay like that for a bit, wriggling the tip of your finger purely just to start getting him used to the feeling of something inside him, watching his expressions closely.

“Does it feel good at all, babe?”

It takes Toji a moment to respond, clearly chewing on the idea in his brain. “It… it’s weird,” he finally says, pursing his lips. “It just feels strange - not… bad, though. Yet.”

“Good,” you nod. “Good. Just hang in there, and you’ll feel good soon, okay? Promise.”

He just grumbles before gripping his cock, fisting it a few times before you smack his hand away.

“Hey!” he gasps, jaw wide open. “It’s my dick!”

“No. I said no touching yourself yet,” you bite back. When he looks like he’s about to pitch a fit, you decide to throw in a “please, baby? For me?” and he backs down. Toji is nothing if not a sucker for you.

After warning him, you push your finger in to the second knuckle. He sucks in a sharp breath, but makes no protest - a good sign. Soon, you have your whole finger inside him, and he’s panting a bit.

“See, baby? I knew you could take it,” you smile softly.

“Whatever,” Toji grumbles, avoiding your gaze. He can deny it all he wants, but he can’t hide the fact that his dick twitched every time you pushed your finger in a little further. “Let’s hurry this up and get it over with.”

Your eyes go wide at that, but you nod. “Your wish is my command, sir,” you smirk.

And just like that, your whole pointer finger has bullied its way inside him.

“Fuck!” Toji coughs, lurching forward. “You can’t do that!”

“Oh, but I can,” you grin impishly. “Just lay back and let me work you open, okay?”

Now that you have two fingers inside him, you can actually make some headway. Squirting some more lube around his entrance, you start to very slowly fuck him with your fingers, pumping them in and out at a snail’s pace. Toji stays silent, still refusing to meet your gaze, but his cheeks are cherry red and he’s gripping the sheets with a tight fist.

The quiet music coming from the TV hums softly in the background, and you hope it’s relaxing him at least a little as you slowly spread your fingers apart, trying to scissor them open to loosen the muscles and stretch him out. Toji’s breath hitches when you spread them even past when his hole starts to resist, and you smirk. You guess he likes the feeling of being full just as much as you do.

Time passes painfully slowly while you work him open with your fingers, aching to finally get inside him. To finally fuck Toji in the way he deserves. Finally, you feel like he’s prepped enough to adequately take the strap. It might hurt a tiny bit, but what’s the harm in that?

“Okay, sweetheart,” you start as you fit the jet black dildo into the O-ring connected to the strap. “You okay on your back like this, or do you wanna take it from the back?”

His face burns bright red at the thought of you fucking him in doggy, so he just shakes his head. “ ‘m fine like this,” he mumbles, and you nod.

Once again settling between his thighs, you wrap a hand around his cock and pump it lazily, offering him a small smile.

“You look so pretty laid out like this for me, legs spread and ass spread so wide, ready to take my cock,” you muse, mind in overdrive.

“S-st-stop,” Toji squeaks out, biting his fist. He won’t admit it, he can’t admit it, he’ll die before admitting how much that turns him on. He can’t admit how his ass has started to ache for something to fill it back up again, even though you’re more than willing to oblige.

“Can’t, baby boy,” you frown, leaning in for a kiss. “Not when I finally have you like this.”

The brief kisses seem to relax the tense man just a bit, melting against your lips and kissing back hungrily. You could’ve sworn you caught a just fuck me already under his breath, but he’ll refuse it until his deathbed.

When you make eye contact with him and he nods, you press the well-lubed tip of the strap against his hole, watching with stars in your eyes as it resists, but still tries to spread open. A cough can be heard from near the headboard, but no protests so far. Soft whines fight to escape Toji’s throat as you push in each centimeter of the silicone cock, face burning hot and red. About halfway in, you pause, giving the man a moment to breathe and acclimatize to the intrusion inside him. He’s grateful for it too, huffing and groaning and squirming as he tries to find a more comfortable position, but there is none. Not when there’s something hard shoved up his ass. You just stay as patient as a saint, massaging his muscly thighs and running your hands up his torso, trying your best not to lean too far forward and inch any more of the cock inside him. As a treat, you give his throbbing, aching cock a few tugs with your spit coated palm, and he lets out a sigh.

One more moment of eye contact, and more nod, and you push your hips a little farther forward. Suddenly, Toji lurches forward again.

“Gah!!” he cries out, eyes wide and heaving. “What- what was that? What did you do?” The accusatory questions only make you laugh, leaning in to kiss him sweetly.

“Must be your sweet spot - your prostate,” you chuckle. “Here - let’s try again.”

Pulling out a few inches and thrusting in again has Toji sputtering and groaning all over again. You can’t help but break out into a wild smirk. This is exactly what you wanted. Not only for yourself, as a perfect view to marvel at and take in, but for him - Toji deserves this, deserves to feel good.

Leaning forward, hands braced on either side of his chest, you muster up all your strength and thrust hard. This time his head is falling back against the pillow as he cries out with a call of your name, too.

“It’s all the way inside, sweetheart,” you smile, marveling at how the silicone balls are pressed firm against his ass. “How do you feel?”

“G-good,” he nods, gulping. “Just- let’s just do this- please,” Toji chokes out.

This version of Toji, one so vulnerable and desperate, is one you’ve never seen before. Not even when he’s fucking you - he’ll get desperate to get his dick wet, sure, but this is… different. Sweeter. His dark, unruly hair is matted to his forehead with sweat, and his chest is heaving in anticipation. You simply have no choice than to give him exactly what he wants.

Inching your strap out to where the tip is almost dangling out of his hole, you thrust all the way back in, relishing in the way he once again moans. His reaction is so much sweeter than you could’ve imagined, and you simply can’t help the way you go fucking crazy. Your thrusts pick up speed, anchoring yourself by gripping the sheets hard as you erratically fuck your lover’s ass. The both of you are complete messes, groaning and whining and gasping almost theatrically, chasing a beautiful high.

“Harder,” Toji grunts, pulling you in by your cheeks for a messy kiss as his thick legs circle your waist. “Fuck! Fe-feels so fucking good, fuck, fuck fuck…” he blabbers, your face still in his tight grip. You couldn’t give less of a shit, just want to see him falling apart even more, so you give him exactly what he asks for.

Wet sounds of lube and skin on skin echo throughout the bedroom, mixed with the tunes of both your moaning and groaning. An ache is blossoming in your thigh muscles and you can feel yourself losing stamina but you refuse to give in just yet, using every ounce of your strength to piston your hips in and out of him. Toji can’t help but clench tight around your cock, you can feel it by the increased resistance, and you truly think you must have died and gone to heaven.

“Toji, sweetheart,” you call, trying to grab the man’s attention. “Get on your hands and knees for me, okay?”

For the first time likely ever, the man does as he’s asked with no protest. He hisses a bit as you slip all the way out of his tight heat, but scrambles to flip over and present his ass for you. There’s no way this is your Toji, not when he’s acting like this - but you decide you’ll allow yourself to indulge in this doppelganger, just for tonight.

Some adjustments to his stance are required, as he is taller than you, but you soon find a comfortable position so that your hips can be flush against his ass. His throbbing cock and balls hang heavy at this angle, dangling between his thighs, but he doesn’t seem to mind. At this angle, you have a much better view of his beautiful ass, using two hands to spread his cheeks apart and stare with a slack jaw at his abused hole, puffy and throbbing. It’s mind boggling that you were inside him. And will be again. With one languid thrust, you’re bottoming out again and pressing his face into the pillow, making him cry out.

This angle, while depriving you of your lover’s beautiful face, is much easier for your task. Having his ass presented for you like this makes fucking him a breeze - so you take, and take, and take, and take. Pump in and out of his tight, wet hole, both of your bodies trembling as you’re overcome with so much emotion and overstimulation. You feel like a bitch in heat with the way you’re rutting into him, bottoming out with almost every thrust.

“Fuck,” Toji spits. “I’m gonna fucking cum.”

Your eyes go wide at the realization. He’s going to cum? Just from getting fucked? Holy shit.

“Yeah, baby? Wanna cum? Feels so good getting fucked, huh?” you tease, continuing to fuck him hard and deep. “Want me to help you out, or so how long it takes for you to cum just from getting your ass fucked? Hm?” Your own words are lost on you, seemingly coming from a place of pure lust and not from your rational mind.

“Please help,” Toji chokes out. And he’s been so good, not touching his cock this entire time, taking your cock so well, that you decide to do as he asks.

Your pace slows down some as you wrap a hand around his aching, angry red cock, thumbing at the tip and using his tacky precum to lube up your hand some. It only takes one, two, three strokes before he’s gasping and spurting thick, hot ropes of cum onto the bed, whole body tensing as he cries out louder than you’ve ever heard before. He collapses onto the bed, and you take the message, pulling your strap out from his abused hole. No words come from his mouth, only heaves and gasps for air as he tries to come to terms with what just occurred. You don’t nag him at all, just flop down next to him and push his sweat-soaked hair out of his eyes.

“Did that feel good, baby? Hm?” you ask, smiling softly at him. That’s truly all you ever wanted. You truly couldn’t give much of a shit about your own desires and lust - all you ever, ever wanted in this world was for your lover to feel good.

Toji gulps. “....Yeah. Felt real good.” It’s obvious he’s exhausted, only moments from passing out. You can’t blame him.

“Did so, so good for me, sweetheart,” you coo, leaning in to give him a gentle kiss on the forehead. “Now get some rest. It’s hard getting fucked, isn’t it?” That makes him chuckle weakly.

“Fuck you,” he rasps, but he has a lopsided smile on his face. “Love you. Really. Thank you.”

Your heart soars and you smile widely. “Of course, sweetheart. Always. I love you. Now please get some rest so we can go for a second round.”

#toji x reader #toji smut #jjk smut #toji fushiguro x reader #toji x you #toji imagine #jujutsu kaisen smut #jjk x reader #jjk x you #toji x y/n #jjk x y/n #jjk x gender neutral reader

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nathaslosthershit · 5 months ago

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The Café Boy (LN4)

Summary: The move to Monaco for your new job wasn't going to be easy, even if you had your best friend by your side, but maybe the cute boy you met in a café can turn your luck around.

Moving to Monaco was certainly not on your bucket list. But getting hired as a Director of Brand Communications with an impressive salary, called for the move. Luckily, being best friends with an influencer with far too much money than she was able to spend meant that Annie was happy to move to another country to rent together. You were forever grateful for her, even though it wasn’t like you were forcibly dragging her to the tundra, instead you were offering to rent together in one of the most lustrous countries in the world, but you still felt like you had dragged her there.

The move had been different for both of you. Annie, being the extrovert with a large following, made friends as easy as breathing, while you just focused your energy on your new job. You didn’t really feel the need to branch out when you had Annie.

“This is ridiculous! You can’t keep spending your days working or moving furniture around for the 1,000th time.” Annie huffs when she enters the apartment and sees you on your computer working, just as you were when she left you 5 hours ago.

“It's hard trying to acclimate into this new job, plus I came at a busy time because they are trying to sponsor another company. I have been emailing back and forth with them to get a good idea if this is the right fit but the CEO has been so flaky that it's been hard to get through. Plus we have rearranged meeting dates like 6 times. It's ridiculous.” You rambled as you rubbed your eyes, realizing in that moment just how tired you are.

“Nope, we aren’t doing this. I get that this is mostly remote so your hours work differently and you are trying to find your footing but I am not allowing you to work yourself to death. You are coming out with me and we are going to be social.”

“Annie, please-”

“No! I love you so much and think you are the most wonderful person in the world and that anyone would be lucky to be around so I won’t allow you to self sabotage because you don’t think the same about yourself. Come on, pack it up.” Annie commands.

Giving in, she forced you to shower and get dressed, two things you were certainly in need of doing. Not telling you where you two were going, she dragged you out of the house. Not that you would know anyway, in the time you had been here you hadn’t gone out much.

Turns out, while she was forcing you out of the comfort of your own home, Annie knew and loved you enough to drag you to a sweet little café where the two of you could drink and chat instead of torturing you with activities that were more her speed. Seeing as the café was pretty full, you both had no choice but to snag the four person table that hadn’t even been cleared yet in order to get seating. Having two extra seats you didn’t need made you nervous, knowing that anyone could sit down next to you both at any time, but Annie paid no mind. You both had been there for 45 minutes, giggling and catching up, mostly talking about all the exciting things Annie has been doing while you have been working. But it didn’t make you feel bad to know she was meeting all these new people and going out to have fun because you knew the minute you asked her to hang out with you, or even invite you out, she would be happy to oblige. It wasn’t until you both were interrupted by a man clearing his throat that you stopped talking.

“Mind if we sit down? We won’t be here long, just wanted to grab a cup of coffee.” A man with curly brown hair said, gesturing to him and his friend.

God, was he attractive, like stupidly attractive.

Which made it all the worse when you just starred, mouthing words but incapable of making sound come out.

Seeing you having a hard time, Annie came to your rescue, but not without shooting you a look that said ‘we are going to talk about this later’.

“Of course! We are almost done anyway.”

“No need to rush out, we’d be happy to share in the meantime.” he replied to Annie, but he wasn’t looking at her, instead looking you up and down. Was he sizing you up or admiring?

The pair of boys made polite conversation with Annie, who was always happy and more than able to make friends with anyone. The man who sat down next to you tried to start conversations with you, god he really tried, but you were too nervous to say more than a few words, no matter how many times Annie kicked you under the table.

After they grabbed their to-go cups, Annie, who had noticed the blush that had decorated your face since the moment they came up to you, invited them to sit with you guys for a while.

This time you kicked her under the table.

You loved her, you really did, but she loved to meddle. Even though it was never with malicious intent, she had explained that it just ‘pained her to see someone as wonderful and amazing as you remain a wallflower’. How could you get mad at her for that?

Right now, you were mad at her for that.

“Well, you know my best friend over here is the whole reason we moved.” Annie said, in the middle of a conversation you hadn’t been listening to. “Got a fancy new job as a brand director or something… I always forget what it's called.” She says as she hits your arm. She knew what your job was, she loved to brag about how amazingly professional you were to her amazingly unprofessional influencer friends. She was trying to get you involved in the conversation. “Uh- director of brand communications.” You quickly said. All three people waited for you to say more, but you didn’t bite.

“Ah, well maybe you should come work for my team, we could use uh… brand communicating.” The boy next to you said, his friend kicking him under the table. Even you could tell it was a poor excuse for flirting.

“And what team do you work fo-” Annie began to ask, interrupted by a customer bumping into your table, knocking over the coffee the cute guy next to you had in front of him.

It spilt all over his lap.

You felt bad as you quickly moved away with a gasp, but it was really hot. You could tell it was worse than the few droplets you felt when the curly haired brunette let out a pained groan.

“Fuck, mate. Let's get you to the bathroom,” His friend said as the two quickly excused themselves.

Even though you hadn’t spoken much, you were bummed they had to leave, even more so when Annie said you two should head out, having stayed there way longer than planned.

Not knowing what had come over you, you grabbed a pen from your bag and quickly scribbled your name onto the now empty cup. He probably wouldn’t see it before he threw it out, or maybe he would see and not want to call. But hey, you had come there to try new things, so you might as well try those new things.

Annie waited by the entrance with a knowing smile, excitedly babbling how she was so proud of you for doing such a thing.

You remained pessimistic over your chances, but you wouldn’t dampen your friend’s mood.

He didn’t call or text.

Even your pessimism wasn’t enough to save you from embarrassment, or hurt. Maybe he wasn’t flirting? Maybe he was just being nice? Or maybe he was an asshole who got off on playing with girls’ feelings. Maybe he kept the cup as a trophy so he and his friends could laugh at it and talk about how much of an idiot you were-

“Hey, I can practically hear all the negative thoughts running through that mind of yours.” Annie said, poking your forehead. “Come on, this is a fun and exciting day and we aren’t going to let one idiot man ruin it.”

“Annie, this is for work. I am working. You are here as my plus one, so by proxy you are also working.” You said, trying to stop her skipping down the paddock.

It technically was work but also wasn’t. Your company had been in the talks with Mclaren for a while now and the deal was practically complete. All that was needed today was for you to ‘supervise race day environment’ to make sure it was ‘up to company standards’, which was just a load of shit they used to give themselves more time to look at data. By data, you mean that if Mclaren does well today and looks promising to have a good season thus making your company a ton of money, then the deal is on. If not, it would be a cool experience to see how the teams work behind the scenes.

Too bad the sting of rejection was ruining it for you.

Being in the garage though, the excitement as the engineers, strategists, mechanics, all got ready for the main event of the weekend, got your mind off the boy in the café for a while, till he walked right past you.

Not really past you, more like into you.

Neither of you recognized the other at first, too busy balancing yourselves and apologizing to the other. Once your eyes met the same ones that had you in a bad mood for the past week, you turned around and walked as far from him as possible, ignoring the weird stares as he yelled for you to come back.

At least Annie was amused by it. She practically doubled over with laughter.

“This is such a rom-com moment! Gosh, I am honestly kind of jealous.”

“I am not! It's motifying, Ann.” You say, hitting her on the arm as she continues to giggle. “Would it be wrong if I told my team that the ‘vibes in the garage were bad and there was no way they were going to have a good season’ regardless of results today?”

“Uh yeah, that's psychotic and way too over the top.”

“...fine, I'll just pray that they have the worst race results possible.”

They didn’t have the worst race results possible. Not even close.

The Australian driver, Oscar Piastri, had come in third. You thought that had been a good place, but were surprised when the team was slightly disappointed, thinking they'd do better. Maybe they really were in for a good year if they were aiming as high as possible.

Café asshole, also known as Lando Norris, came in second.

You were trying to get out as soon as you could, thinking luck would be on your side and he'd be too busy to run into you again, or reject you again.

You were wrong.

The moment Annie saw him, standing by himself as he drank from his water bottle, cleaning the champagne from his face, she grabbed you and marched right up to him. You didn’t speak as she congratulated him, trying to ignore the feeling of his eyes staring into you.

“Fuck, its my sister. I have to take this, one second!” Annie said as she ran off.

You and Lando stood in silence watching her fake the phone call.

“Her phone didn’t ring,” He said.

“She doesn’t even have a sister,” you answered. This caused the two of you to laugh, luckily helping to ease the tension.

“I um- I am actually glad you are here. I mean, what are the chances?” Lando said.

He looked genuinely happy, like he hadn’t just rejected you.

As you remained silent, he began to get more nervous.

“I just- I was upset to see the two of you gone after Max and I left the bathroom. I had been telling Max how I was going to get your number before the coffee spilt on me, but he said you didn’t seem interested. That became more clear when we saw you had left.”

Confused and a little scared of where he was going with this, you continued your silence. Was this some cruel joke?

“But you are here, and I was thinking that you know, this is my second chance. I know I rejected your best friend, and that is why you didn’t want to talk to me, but I started to really like you that day, and was hoping that I could get your number?”

“What the fuck?” you said, not the best of responses, and certainly not a response Lando had ever gotten to asking a girl for her number. “What do you- what do you mean you rejected Annie?”

“She… left her number on my cup. I am flattered, she seems like a great girl, but she isn’t really my type…” Realizing the entire miscommunication here, you shoved him, harder than you had intended. You would have felt bad if the ridiculousness of the situation hadn’t made you downright delirious, laughing hard as Lando stared at you in shock.

You tried to calm down, he must have thought you insane, but he started to laugh too even if he didn’t know what you were laughing at, your smile infectious to the Mclaren driver.

“Lando, it was my number.” You said.

Now it was his turn to stare in confusion.

“What?” was all he replied.

“It was my number.” How much clearer could you get?

“But- Max had said that you- but you didn't even- what?” He repeated. Then he rubbed his eyes in frustration, letting out a groan. “Max got in my fucking head about it and convinced me that you had no interest and I believed him against my better judgment. Fuck, I’m sorry. I wish I had just listened to myself instead of that idiot.” Even though he was mad, he too began to laugh at how ridiculous this whole thing was.

“Is it too late to get your number now?” He asked with more confidence than the first time.

“Fine, but you promise not to throw it out this time?” You teased.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, I’m not letting you go this time.”

And you knew he meant it.

#formula 1 imagine #formula 1 x reader #lando norris x reader #f1 x reader #lando x reader #lando norris imagine

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kwisatzworld · 4 months ago

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The first time I actually saw Vale was at a gala in Barcelona for the Sport Awards sponsored by IWC. I was the only journalist in a tuxedo. The editor-in-chief of Donna Moderna had told me to try to snag an interview with him on the sly. So, I kept my eyes on him all night, and when he got up to chat with some friends and Arianna, his girlfriend at the time, I slipped into the group and asked him a question. He turned to me, laughing, and asked, “Who are you?” A journalist, I replied. I was just starting out, a bit naive, thinking of being a journalist as some kind of status. Not for Valentino, though: “Then I’m not talking to you.” He turned away and completely ignored me. End of story.

Then I joined Riders, even though I knew next to nothing about motorcycles. So, I started studying. And only then did everything start to connect for me: his decision to switch to Yamaha to prove he was the best, even without Honda, his rivalry with Biaggi, the tax controversies, his comeback victories, and the antics to celebrate them—all of it was already framing a legend, an incredible story. That’s when I got the idea to dedicate a cover to him and his father, Graziano. They’d only been interviewed together once before, and it hadn’t gone well. I was sure mine would be a hit. We set it up. I interviewed Vale and Graziano separately. I spent nearly four hours with Graziano in the Yamaha hospitality and had 15 minutes with Vale in a small office in the same place. Was I nervous before meeting him? I remember I was—very much so. At the end of the interview, I suggested he pose nude, embracing his motorcycle, both of them lying down, shot from above, inspired by that famous photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. He replied that, no, he’d never do it nude. And then he left. I was left with the impression that he had no real sense of the legendary status he held or of the power his story already had. I liked that, honestly—it made him feel more relatable. Someone you could talk to about Inter and girls, and nothing else.

I reentered Vale’s world when we arranged an interview with Uccio. Uccio was his personal assistant back then; now he’s in charge of the VR46 Academy. In those days, he also drove the motorhome. We agreed to do the interview on the road, so we met outside Milan, and I joined him for the drive to Barcelona. Uccio struck me as a bit of an enigma—a tough guy, not one to warm up easily. We spent the journey listening to Vasco and Cremonini, chatting, and smoking. Vale called him only once, just to ask when his Nike sneakers would arrive. Uccio said to me, “Do you know how many people would like to please Valentino?” Uccio, who calls him “il Capo,” Uccio who, at one point, sang out loud against the windshield to Cremonini’s song PadreMadre: “Padre, occhi gialli e stanchi, cerca ancora coi tuoi proverbi a illuminarmi…”

After reading the interview, Uccio crossed paths with me in the paddock and simply said, “Nice article. Nice.” Then he walked back into hospitality. Only later did I understand that giving that compliment, with the way he is, had cost him a lot.

In the meantime, I got a call from Gabriele Romagnoli, one of Italy’s finest journalists—narrative and romantic. He called me to Rome, and over coffee in a fading bar, he proposed I write a book about Rossi for the publishing house 66thand2nd. The idea was to portray Vale in the aftermath of the accident with Simoncelli. A story of human tragedy and novel-like fate. Life and destiny. The book never came to be. I’d wake up at 5 every morning, writing from 5:30 to 8:30, but what I wrote lacked truth. I wasn’t deep enough into Vale’s mind to pull it off, and the more I wrote, the more I realized that he was slipping through my grasp.

In an attempt to understand him, I even sought advice from an astrologer, Chiara Viola. She told me, “Of course he eludes you—you’re used to seeking the meaning of things in depth. Vale doesn’t even question the meaning of things. He just lives. You’re vertical, he’s horizontal. You live in the past and the future; he seems superficial, but in reality, he’s a constant present.” That description helped me more than anything else in understanding how Valentino overcame everything, especially Marco’s death. And today, as I see him calmly approaching the moment of his last race, I recall that phrase.

What luck I’ve had. What luck we’ve all had to have you, Vale. Luck for those who stood by you every day, for those who admired you only on TV or in the papers, for those who commented on you, interviewed you, and even for those who never missed a chance to give you a hard time. What luck we’ve had. To experience you, to grow up with you. Because that’s exactly what it’s been about. To rejoice and despair with you. Yes, what luck. Today an era ends. A generation comes to a close. It’s been splendid. And that, dear Vale, no one can ever take from us. No one. Ever.

#reading #by moreno pisto

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ultrainfinitepit · 8 months ago

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Pride Angels launches tomorrow! In advance of the launch, here is some information about the campaign, please read the pre-launch page FAQ for more details if you haven't already.

If you have any questions please leave a reply on this post or send an ask and I will answer it as soon as I can.

Pride Angels launches 9AM PST June 24 2024, alongside our partner campaign Pride Potions.

You will need a Backerkit account to pledge, you can make one here.

If you pledge to both Pride Angels and Pride Potions you'll receive a pair of exclusive freebie pins.

There are freebie sticker rewards for Returning and Early Bird backers (who pledge in the first 48 hours of the campaign).

Pride Angel pins will be $14 each, with a discount if you select the pledge tier for four pins or more.

Stickers will be $2 each.

There will be a $5 pledge level available if you want to pledge for just the cross-collab freebie pins and freebies.

There will be ten Design Request pledge levels available. If you pledge for one of these you can request a flag and a theme for a new angel to be added to the roster. This is the final chance to get an angel added to the series, I am not adding any more outside these requests. The Design Request pledge level will be $100 and include merch of the sponsored angel design if funded.

Based on sales from my previous Pride Angels series, only a certain set of most popular flags will be available to fund as pins during the campaign. The rest will be funded in the survey/post-campaign preorder store depending on order quantity.

There will be seven Guest Artist pin designs to fund in addition to my designs.

We have stretch goals to add keychains, patches, and lanyards to the campaign in addition to the initial sticker and pin goals.

The campaign will end July 19 2024 at 9PM PST.

If you miss the campaign, you can preorder the pins in the post-campaign preorder store, but you will not receive the campaign freebies.

I hope this helps prepare you all for the campaign! Again, let me know if you have any questions so I can help make the launch go as smoothly as possible for you.

#pride angels #I had to raise the price of the lower pledge levels and pin addon #to cover the cost of the freebie pins #I hope the new prices aren't too bad

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nana-ur · 2 years ago

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Corruption: Intro.

Pairings: Yandere!Taehyung x Reader || Jimin x Reader

Genre: Yandere, Romance (?), Psychological, Angst, Smut

Disclaimer: I do not condone, nor support or encourage anything I write in this fanfiction. It is purely fiction, means of entertainment, and should be treated as such. I do not think any of the BTS members would act remotely anything like what is represented here, which is why it’s called fiction. Other than that, please enjoy, and read at your own discretion.

Trigger warnings and Tags; +18, Yandere elements, Possessive and Obsessive behaviors, Toxic Relationships, Unhealthy idealization, Drug and Substance Abuse, Mommy/Daddy Issues, Slow Burn, Smut (in future chapters), Artist!Tae, Rich!Tae, Lowkey SugarDaddy!Tae, BDSM, Power Dynamics, Manipulation, Slight age difference, Naive!Reader, Easy to Manipulate!Reader, Virgin!Reader, Virginity Kink, Corruption kink.. (There’s gonna be a LOT of kinks in here for further chapters, so I’ll save the wall of text LOL.)

Intro Part. 1 Part. 2 Part. 3 Part. 4 Part. 5

Boring, he thought.

Everything about this stupid fucking event was excruciatingly boring.

First off, he didn't even want to be here. His mother forced him to come, practically dragging him outside by his own ear.

"If you still want me to sponsor your pathetic little project, it'd be smart of you to come along with me this evening." Ah yes, the typical threats of estranging him financially in hopes of him spending time with her. Typical Mrs. Kim.

The outing was a simple event where selected students who had won his fathers Academic Scholarship were rewarded a ‘party’ for their hard work and efforts. The scholarship was offered to college students who managed to make the highest ranking grades throughout their entire university. Impressive, to say the least, which is why each student present was granted $45,000 USD straight towards their college funds.

That sort of funding was simply pocket change for a man like his father.

His father was the CEO of Kim’s Legal Law Firm. It happens to be the third largest law firm in the country. Taehyung’s father has a tender soft spot for college students, especially ones who attend the same school he graduated from. Which is why he did events like this yearly, specifically for them.

But Taehyung? He could give two shits about a "Scholarly Party". He wasn't in school, nor did he want to be tied down by the ropes of education ever again. High School was more than enough, and that was years ago. He barely graduated. Though, after having his parents ``talk" to the principal of his private school, he suddenly went from having a D grade point average, to being at the top of his class in under an hour. He remembers clearly how Kim Namjoon glared daggers in his skull when he walked up the stairs leading to the stage at their highschool graduation, accepting his honors award that rightfully belonged to him instead. Taehyung couldn't really blame him, either. He'd be pissed off too if someone's rich parents paid off a school to make their irresponsible child graduate, whilst stealing his honors award that would've surely benefited him if he tried to enroll in college.

Taehyung wasn't stupid by all means, no. He was actually pretty fucking smart. It's just he hates doing work, and he hates being told what to do. So instead of attending classes, doing homework, and going to exam days; he skipped classes to smoke weed, do things he wasn't supposed to do, and fuck around. What was stopping him? Surely not his parents. They barely bat an eye when he stayed away from home for days on end when he was only 15 years old. He remembers walking in after being away for 5 days straight to his dad barely sparing him a glance, and his mother wrapping herself up in a scarf so she could go out for the night. She walked right past him, not saying a word.

Easy to say that his parents had their priorities straightened out already, and Taehyung wasn't one of them. But he doesn't care.

Or that's what he tries to tell himself when he has emotional outbursts, or when he gets arrested for DUIs, or when he gets questioned for being under the influence, and more outlandish things his parents had authorities shove under a rug.

His parents had money and generational wealth. Taehyung could do anything, say anything, and be whatever he wanted. So who cares if his parents were a little emotionally unavailable? He didn't care. Nope. Not at all. Not one bit.

But sometimes, just, sometimes, he finds himself yearning for motherly love. He finds himself wishing he had a father to look up to, instead of the stone cold businessman his own father was.

He desperately wanted to be loved by someone.

And he hated that feeling. It made him feel weak.

The feeling that gnawed at the emptiness inside of his own chest. The empty void that hurts and caves into himself whenever he sees someone receive the unconditional love he could only wish for.

Oh, how he wanted someone to love.

To hold, to cherish, to smother with affection, to be loyal to and never let go.

Never let go.

Taehyung has had his fair share of relationships, of course. He was pretty, tantalizing, rich, and he likes to think of himself as quite the charmer.

Those relationships weren’t too serious or noteworthy, honestly. Most of the women he dated were trophy girlfriends his friends set him up with. Most just dated him for status, sex, and money. Surprisingly, he had no problem with this.

It's just how the world works, isn't it?

No matter how pretty or sweet, though, he's never fallen in love with any of those women.

He's never been in love at all.

He’s felt the intense feelings of infatuation and lust, but none of those feelings lasted for more than 2 weeks. He often finds himself getting bored of the same repetitive types of women that came into his life.

There were two categories of women that Kim Taehyung seems to attract.

One being the typical spoiled woman with daddy’s black card. This type didn’t need him at all for financial reasons, they were set for life, and possibly even the afterlife. They always had a certain aura to them, that look in their eyes, that pep in the way they walk. All of which seems to remind him of his own mother. Yeah, he knows it’s weird. It’s weird to date women that remind you of your mother, but Taehyung was the farthest thing from normal.

What did Sigmund Freud say? Taehyung would think about the little bit of psychology knowledge he gained when he used to half pay attention in class often. Something about how mommy issues can lead down an unhealthy path of romantic relationships if not addressed in therapy, and so on. He thought it was quite interesting how he felt called out at that moment, which is why psychology became one of his favorite subjects while he was still in school. He may have skipped a lot, but when he was there, he tried to pay attention to the lectures.

The second category of women who Taehyung attracts were models. Not the runway, nepo baby models everyone sees on social media. No, not those.

The models who were oh so pretty, but also had that vacant lost look in their eyes. They were signed to agencies who barely let them on the runway. Not because of their looks, but because of their raging reliance on drugs and substances. The walking stereotype of a ‘The Weeknd’ song is how he would describe these women.

These women were with him for a completely different reason than the others.

Taehyung was a bit guilty when it came to having a “hero complex”. He isn’t a saint by any means; he’s done his fair share of substances. He was peer pressured to do a lot of things when he was younger.

Though, whenever he gets with these women, his goal is to “fix” them by giving them endless attention, affection, and care. He was always there when they went through withdrawals, when they were puking into plastic bags because they failed to eat prior to drowning themselves in narcotics and powder. He would rub their backs, help them take a cold shower, fix them soup, and hold them until they fell asleep.

Taehyung had a soft spot for these women. Because he understands.

He understood the pain. The desperation to feel nothing.

To fill that empty void with something. Something.

These women were crying for help, so why not help them?

It filled him with a sense of importance after helping these women get clean. It was like he was healing his inner child in a sick, twisted way. Though, like most things, those relationships came to an end.

Although it was never really his fault these relationships would end.

He was too “demanding”, “controlling”, “possessive”, he’s been told by most, if not all, of the women he’s been involved with.

They never truly accepted him for who he was. They were the foolish ones, not him.

If they just understood him, if they would just understand.

Which is why he’s never fallen in love before.

That was the ‘love’ life of Kim Taehyung. It was sad and depressing, but it’s something he had to get used to. It was all he was ever exposed to growing up. It was all he knew.

Maybe one day, things would be different. Happen differently.

Perhaps, authentically, unlike his past.

Perhaps he could fall in love.

He dreamed about such things. It would keep him up at night with a beating heart.

He was a disgusting hopeless romantic.

“Are you paying attention?” Taehyung quickly blinked out of his short-lived daze and cocked his head down towards the voice. It was his mother, looking at him with those judgemental eyes he once used to hide from. Now, it doesn’t scare him anymore.

But it made him feel significantly small nonetheless.

God, he hated being here. It was so tacky.

Everyone was instructed to wear white. Though Taehyung, obviously, chose to be a little shit to piss off his mom and wore a black turtleneck, with a black blazer and even blacker slacks. His black hair was styled to where his fringe was covering most of his forehead, and slightly his eyes which were a light gray today, due to his contacts. Black on black.

He nodded his head towards his mother, ushering her to continue on with what she was saying even though he dissociated for most of it.

Something he learned how to do at a very young age with ease.

“As I was saying,” she snapped, “your father wants you to greet some of the students. It would be beneficial for you to ask questions about college life, possibly even make some new friends tonight," Taehyung groaned internally, rolling his eyes in a way that his mother wouldn’t catch on. Here comes the “you need to go to school and study” talk. He would always shut it down. He’s 27 years old, too old to even be considered a senior at this point.

To please his mother and to make her stop talking, he walked away from the railing he was leaning on and looked down into his wine glass, swirling it around to watch the red liquid create ripples.

Looking up, he immediately spots his father speaking to what he presumes to be a student. The student was dressed in a plain, silky short back-out white gown with spaghetti straps.

With her rear side facing his direction, it was hard to make out what the conversation was about. Maybe his father was being the creep he always was when it came to hanging around girls decades younger than him.

He can usually tell by the look in his fathers eyes, which seemed innocent to others, but Taehyung knew better than that. He knew his father well, even if he had no desire to.

But all he could think about was how enticing she looked, even from behind where her face was hidden. The curve of her torso allowed the silky dress to hug her body perfectly, creating a silhouette that would give any Greek sculpture a run for its money. Dragging his eyes up and down her figure, he finds himself absentmindedly outlining the perimeter of her body with his irises, imprinting it into his own memory.

Taehyung had an excellent photographic memory.

It was strange, really. He was never someone to be enticed by “energy”, and he was never one to approach women. Not that he didn’t want to, it’s just that he didn’t have to. Any woman he was interested in came to him first without fail. But something was pulling him forward, beckoning him to approach the mysterious girl.

Which is exactly what he did.

His steps were calculated, precise. Making good first impressions was a piece of cake for Kim Taehyung, something he was often praised for from time to time. Which is probably the reason why his parents forced him to come to this tedious event. They used him as the token golden boy, utilizing his charms and making him talk to perverted, older guests that came to their events, hoping that he’d win their favor in exchange that his father gets to strengthen his connections. They started doing this when he turned 18, making use of his good looks and people skills.

Earning his parents' respect as their son isn’t easy. Especially a son who belonged to the Kim family. He had to attend the same university as his father, and to not make a mockery out of the family name. In which, he failed to do both. Saying he has their respect now is a stretch, but they found him to be useful when it came to winning over disgusting old CEOs and Chaebols.

His brother, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He graduated from university with high honors, even went ahead and attended graduate school as well, then he went to law school. He completed all of this by the time he turned 30.

Taehyung appreciates that his brother took up all the responsibility, and the burden of expectations off of his shoulders.

However,

Deep inside, real deep inside, he could only dream of being the center of his parents' life the way Seokjin was. They loved him. Doted on him. Spoiled him. Gave him all the extra love and affection that should’ve gone to Taehyung instead.

As a teenager, he was resentful towards his brother for the obvious showcase of favoritism his parents did. They didn’t even try to hide it. They would compare the two any chance they got; rubbing in the accomplishments of his elder brother in his face, reminding him that he will amount to nothing in life.

Nothing but a burnt out artist, is what his father says.

But whatever, Taehyung didn’t care. Not one bit.

“Hello, son,” His father greeted him once he noticed Taehyung's formidable figure saunter over, the tone of his voice evidently curt and strict in contrast to the lighthearted conversation he was having with the young lady.

Ah, great. It was just as he guessed. His father was being a creep, and was actively flirting with this poor girl. Good thing Taehyung was here to save her from his fathers inappropriate stares and invasive questions.

Sparing his father a tight lipped smile, he walks past the young lady to align himself right next to his father, finally.

Finally, he could see her face.

And wow.

Everything around him became blurred, every sound that tried to meet his ears became all jumbled together, like indecipherable radio signals.

All he could focus on was you.

You.

With his unexpected appearance, you instinctively looked up at him, his gray eyes meeting your own. He tilted his head to the side and gave you a cheeky grin, in which you reciprocated with your own, skittish smile.

That smile.

He’ll never forget a smile like that, that’s for sure.

The apples of your cheeks were rosy with dew and the afterglow of being in such a warm venue. Taehyung thought the sight of it was absolutely breathtaking.

His gray eyes stayed on yours, unwavering. He intensely scanned your face, jotting down each little detail into his mind.

Noticing the fervor of his gaze, you tore your eyes away from the fervent unwarranted stare-off and looked down at your feet, your face flushing with heat.

Aw.

He wanted to look into your eyes for a little bit longer.

But that’s okay, he’ll get your attention one way or another.

After all, he just couldn’t help himself.

Your face was just his type.

Would it be a stretch for him to say everything about the way you look was just his type? Perhaps, but Taehyung was known for moving extremely fast.

In more ways than one.

“I’d like for you to meet Ms.____,” his father uttered out your first name. It sounded like a symphony to Taehyung's ears. A pretty face and a pretty name, huh.

How unfair.

Your name began to replay like a broken record inside of his head. Sounding out each syllable internally, his tongue dragged across the side of his cheek before testing the name out loud in a hushed whisper.

The way your name began to reiterate persistently in his head – It would drive any sane person crazy.

Good thing Taehyung was the latter.

“Well, Ms.___,” Taehyung scooped up your hand into his own, hoping the abrupt swift action will bless him with your soft gaze once again.

And it did.

With wide eyes, your neck nearly snapped as you rose your head from its previous position of looking down. You stared at him with big doe eyes, confusion swirling in your irises.

That expression on your face was dangerous.

Especially for a man like him.

He brought your delicate hand up towards his red tinted lips, all while maintaining eye contact. He could feel you trembling in the palm of his hand.

What were you doing to him?

He felt slightly bewitched by you. He’s met his fair share of gorgeous women. Hell, he’s even met some of the world's most infamous models.

But none of them compared to you.

None of them had this effect on him.

None of them took his breath away like this.

None of them at all.

He placed a soft kiss onto the back of your hand, a mellow smile spreading across his face when his lips met your soft, warm skin.

“It’s a pleasure, pretty girl,” He whispered loud enough for you to hear, his breath fanning onto the skin of your hand.

He slowly backed away, not letting your hand go just yet, leading it downwards but still holding it firm in his grip. He had to savor your reaction before he retracts completely.

He could tell you were wary with the sudden public display of affection, especially right in front of his own father. But truly, Taehyung didn’t give a fuck. He was someone who didn’t care if anyone was watching, especially his own father. Social anxiety or upholding social status wasn’t something for him to worry about.

And you’ll come to find that out very soon.

Sooner than you think.

Your eyes glossy, blown out, and your mouth was slightly gaped open from shock; it sent a concealed chill down his spine. Was a pretty girl like you not used to such things? The thought alone baffled him.

Impossible, he thought.

“U-uh–,” you stammered out incohesive words, your eyes darting between him and his father, worry, confusion, and conflicting attraction clear in your eyes. It was cute, how worried you got over something as small as a hand kiss.

“Nice… to meet you too? Mister…” you were dodging every attempt at eye contact Taehyung was throwing your way, but he wasn’t having it. Wherever you looked, his head would follow with a tilt and a smirk, teasing you in a playful way you weren’t used to.

“Taehyung, but for you? My name can be whatever your heart desires.”

He’s used that cringy pick-up line many times. Most of the time it was just to please the other person, give them something they want to hear. Usually never what he wanted.

But he meant it when he said it to you.

That same, irresistible nervous smile crept back onto your face at his words. Your neck once again flushing hot. This time, though, your eyes were focused on how his hand was still grasping yours.

Taehyung took this as an opportunity to grab another reaction out of you, he began rubbing soft circles on the back of your hand with his thumb.

At this, you jumped softly, clearly not used to someone touching you like this.

Or touching you at all.

And for some reason, that thought alone excited him like nothing else.

Suddenly, Taehyung felt his fathers hand creep onto his shoulder.

Unexpectedly this annoyed him.

More than it usually does.

“It seems like you are already acquainting yourself with Miss.___,” his father spoke in a way that seemed placate to others, but Taehyung knew better. He was being a passive aggressive shithead.

“Oh you know, just doing what you wanted me to, Father,” Taehyung quickly retorted back, a tight smile forming on his lips.

His father had the nerve to get pissy as if he didn’t force him to attend this mundane event in the first place? Yeah, sure, Taehyung was grabbing the attention of the girl his father was openly flirting with, but didn’t he see how uncomfortable you were?

He could tell how tense the mood was when he got closer to the two of you earlier. The way you were holding your left arm with your right hand, folding into yourself as his father got closer and closer to your personal bubble.

You clearly weren’t interested.

At Taehyung’s smart aleck comment, his father shot him a look that only he caught, and walked away slowly after retracting his hand from his shoulder.

It was better to not make a scene where people were watching. His father was extremely anal on how he was perceived; he wanted others to see him in a specific type of light. He was probably on his way to bother some other college student, anyway. Either way, Taehyung was glad he left.

Finally, old fuck.

It’s about damn time he developed erectile dysfunction or something, how old is he again?

Regrouping himself, he finally let it sink in that you two were finally alone.

Finally,

“Oh god, did I,” you stammered, “did I just make it really awkward? Oh my god.”

How peculiar. It was obvious that his father was the one who ruined the mood to begin with, but you resorted to blaming yourself instead.

How peculiar.

“Sorry I’m just not, you know… used to this,” you gestured your free hand around the venue you two were currently in the middle of. Everything was glistening with marble, glitter, blinding shades of white, and overly priced furniture. To anyone not used to such a lifestyle, it would of course be overwhelming.

But to Taehyung, it just seemed tacky.

Tacky and distasteful.

If it were up to him, the whole idea of everything being white would be thrown out the window.

What’s up with rich people and their odd obsession with things white and marbley?

“Not used to try-hard rich people and their shitty interior designing?” Taehyung quipped, a smirk present on his lips as he raised his wine glass for a sip.

“What?! No! No. I, well… no!” the screws in your head were visibly malfunctioning, fighting with each other, trying to decide whether or not you should directly insult the interior of the venue right in front of him. Given the fact that he was the son of the man who invited you to such an event, and granted you a scholarship.

And possibly the son of the man who came up with the interior design of everything you’re looking at.

A chuckle rumbled in Taehyung's chest as he watched your internal and outward struggle. He could tell by the quick glint in your eyes that you agreed with him, but were too afraid to say something that would cause conflict. Tilting his head to the side, he raised his wine glass once again to his lips, taking a swig of it while he looked you up and down over the rim.

To his surprise, you still haven’t retracted your hand from his.

Lowering his drink, his tongue pressed to the side of his cheek once again out of habit.

You still weren’t looking at him.

“You know, it’s rude to refuse eye contact, pretty girl,” he said matter-of- factly in a teasing tone, fauxing disappointment.

“Oh,” you breathed out, clearly flustered at the recurring pet name and with the fact that he just called out your inability to maintain eye contact.

With hesitancy, you looked up at him, your eyes shifting left and right a few times before settling on his intense gray orbs.

It seemed to have surprised you that he was staring at you intensely this whole time because the moment your eyes connected with his, your body shifted. To his disappointment, you slowly retracted your hand from his, putting it back to your side.

With his now free hand, Taehyung lifted it towards your face. And like any normal person, you flinched and moved backwards a bit. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

Cute.

But, he couldn’t hold himself back.

He had to do something.

He tested the waters first, nudging his fingers against your jaw, caressing the outline of the bone before cupping your right cheek. His hand gently melts onto your warm, soft skin. He looks at you intently, deep in thought.

You were so beautiful.

Dangerously so. Taehyung wasn’t the type to be bewitched like this.

His fingers caressed your warm face, your wide eyes trembling at him with uncertainty, confusion. He dragged his thumb from your cheek down to the supple lumps of your lips. He began gliding the digit left and right on your bottom lip before slowly pulling down on the muscle, revealing just a peak of your bottom teeth and the soft wet flesh on the inside, your gums a pretty pink.

Even with all of this going on, he still maintained eye contact with you. His gaze never wavering.

And his mind began to wander.

It began to wander to menacing thoughts.

Taehyung was known for having… an acquired taste, when it came to certain things. He’s been told so by many women in his life. It’s not like he wanted to like those things, it just happened by default. Things that excite him, that shouldn’t excite him. Things that he likes to do to others, to the people he’s interested in. Things such as bending and twisting them at his will, pulling a leg here, doing a thing there, just to pull a reaction out of them. He knew such things were red flags, concerning even. But if it was between two consenting adults, what was the problem?

Which is why he began to envision this woman he just met a few minutes ago sucking on his thumb. He imagined the look you would have in your eyes; innocent, glossy, excited, scared, unsure. He imagined the soft, spongy texture of your tongue, slick on his finger, how you’d open up for him like a good girl. And those eyes. They were dangerous, Taehyung decided. Looking at them for too long already had him spiraling with these thoughts.

You knew what you were doing, didn’t you?

Like a twig, he snapped out of his daze. His eyes finally focusing on you quickly taking a step back, wiping away the inkling of spit that dripped out of your mouth as a result of your bottom lip being pried open. With a red face, you looked at him, completely disoriented and confused.

Taehyung didn’t even notice the wetness on his thumb, or the spittle that trickled down the digit onto his knuckle.

Ah, oops.

“W-what was that-,” you stuttered out, your hand clasping against your mouth in shock, eyes frantically looking around, relief sagging on your shoulders when you noticed no one was looking. But there was a cloud hanging over your head, weighing down on you.

A cloud you didn’t quite understand.

Just yet.

“Become my muse.”

“What-,” You blinked at him, completely caught off guard.

“Let me paint you. Be my muse.” He cut you off before you could question him any further.

Taehyung had already made up his mind the moment he set eyes on you. Even when your back was facing him; he already knew what he wanted.

And Taehyung was a man known for getting exactly what he wanted.

#bts yandere #male yandere #taehyung #yandere taehyung #yandere #yandere x reader #taehyung x reader #taehyung x you #bts fic #yandere bts x reader #kim taehyung #taehyung fanfiction

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malusokay · 2 years ago

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How to get the perfect summer tan

If there is one thing I love, it's tanning. Spending hours by the pool, sipping fun cocktails, listening to music, and gossiping with friends?? AMAZING. Here are some of my tips for the PERFECT gold summer tan <33

The schedule:

Tan with a timer!!

Tan front - 15 mins

Tan Back - 15 mins

Tan from - 10 mins

tan back - 10 mins

Go in the water for a while. I usually go in the pool, but ocean water is better(I don't know why lol)!!

HYDRATE

Reapply tanning oil/sunscreen (products listed below <3)

Tan front - 15 mins

Tan Back - 15 mins

Tan from - 10 mins

tan back - 10 mins

Go on the water again and have a drink.

Repeat however many times you want

Products:

Im a Hawaiian tropic girl through and through (please sponsor me), but any recommendations are very welcome!! :)

For tanning:

Hawaiian Tropic Satin Protection Sun Lotion SPF 30

Hawaiian Tropic Protective Dry Spray Oil SPF 8

Hawaiian Tropic Tropical Tanning Oil Dark

After Tanning:

Baby oil (apply on wet skin!!)

Hawaiian Tropic Aftersun Body Butter Exotic Coconut

Victoria's Secret Body Lotion Vanilla

Face:

La Roche Posay SPF 50

Caudalie Sun Protection SPF 50+

Whatever hydrating sheet mask you have lol <33

My current tanning playlist:

Extra tips:

Take proper care of your skin!! Make sure to always use moisturiser and reapply your sunscreen!!

If you don't have tanning oil, you can also use coconut oil, I used it for years, and it works fine.. make sure to use sunscreen tho!!

If you want your tan to look more golden, EAT CARROTS.

Like a lot of carrots, not joking.

Shower every evening!! Especially if you use sunscreen and/or tanning oils <3

Reapply sunscreen after going into the water!!

Check the UV!! 5-6 if you're really just starting, 6-10 during summer <33

Reminder: These are just MY tips; if you disagree, that's okay. Also, Im Spanish, Tan very easily and rarely get sunburned; depending on your skin, this may or may not work for you!! :)

And as always, please feel free to share your own tips in the comments so we can all get the best summer glow together!! <33

✩‧₊*:・love ya ･:*₊‧✩

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sugudoe · 7 months ago

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hi there cutie i hope you’re well! i was hoping i could get a jjk match-up? PRETTY PLEASE AND THANK YOU ❤️

- i’m pretty short, 155cm 🫣 and on the curvier side. i like to wear heels for this reason lmaoo

- i’ve always wanted to be one of those mysterious girlies who have an intense aura and makes others wonder what’s going on inside their head, but i’m too loud, bubbly and expressive to be anything like that 😔

- i’m not a shy person by any means, i love meeting new people and making friends always came easy to me. i can talk someone’s ear off about any and everything, even i’ve only known them for 5 minutes 😭 i’d like to be more reserved in that sense but ITS SO HARD bc i like to say what’s on my mind and always feel the need to put my 2cents in every topic even if no one asked.

- i make myself giggle with my own jokes.

- have been told that being around me can feel like such a ‘rush’ due to how lively and chirpy i am. i try to hold myself back bc i don’t like overwhelming people.

- really into makeup and fashion, and in general just always making sure i look my best. i’ve been told my hair and eyes are my best features.

- i can be a bit of an airhead sometimes, most of the time. i trip over air, have butterfingers, i could be looking for something only for that thing to have been in my hand the whole time, that sort of stuff 😪

- i like collecting plushies, especially cute foodie ones!

- i’m a violinist. when i play, it’s the only time i feel like i have my shit together 🤩

- i love anything taro flavoured; drinks, steamed buns, cakes, etc..

- i buy fresh flowers every week bc they’re pretty and bring life into any room/space 🌸

THATS ENOUGH IM SORRY super keen to see who you pair me with me! 🙈��

OHH, HIII!! i’ve been waiting to do yours since the ask you send me, yayyyy!!!

•⁀➷ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. . . ﹫ 𝘨𝘰𝘫𝘰 ៹ ༉‧₊˚

everyone in jujutsu tech knew that the universe was against them, not because they are sorceress and their life will be short, is more for the fact that you and gojo satoru met, and it became everyone’s problem.

the moment gojo sat by your side, he a second year and you a first, he barely introduced himself before shifting his attention to your heels as part of your uniform.

“how do you run from a curse with this shoes?” he asks.

“i’ll show you.” you got up from the bench and started to run. he was impressed, but thought he could do better.

few hours later, returning from a shopping spree sponsored by the gojo clan, you both are running in stilettos on school ground. sorry to say it, but he won the race.

you can try to be a mysterious girl, and it can work the first few minutes with your friends and strangers, but never with satoru. one look at you, and he knows what you’re thinking. both of you develop this head and eye signs to understand each other, and it creeps geto and nanami a lot.

satoru loves to have you rambling whatever it’s on your mind. you read a newspaper about a random topic, such as the eldest animal alive, and somehow you will start to talk as if you personally knew the creature. gojo, always enchanted, will encourage it.

if no one asks, he does.

gojo knew he had to have you, and so he did. now, years later, when adulthood has reached, the male is still as devoted to you and your babbling as he was before.

you don’t think there has been a day you held yourself back from talking. on your first week living together in a penthouse, gojo came home tired from a mission, you kept yourself quiet while hugging him, until he tugged you along to the bathroom.

“talk to me.” he says while starting his shower, you sat on the floor while whispering of your week, and when gojo was drying himself you were already explosive yapping about anything and him mimicking you.

you’re his energy.

gojo loves to see you walking around barefoot, he is reminded of his first time seeing it. how short you became right away, how he laughed at your cuteness. you told him that it’s not big deal, he is taller than anyone no matter what. but, it’s you — his favorite person in the world, barely reaching his chest.

when you play violin and he is at the house, you know he will drop anything to come your way and sit, staring at you until your cheeks grow red and you have to pause your playing to beg him to stop.

“i’m not doing anything.” he raises his hand, innocent eyes and devilish smirk. “just appreciating the show.

so, you will play again, not daring to look at him but feeling all his six eyes on you. devoted.

a good word to express satoru’s love for you — it’s always for you, always has been and will be.

──── 𓇼 ° ⋆ FUN FACTS ᵎᵎ

۫ ּ ﹗satoru loves that he knows you better than no one, and the best way he found to prove that to himself, others and you is by spoiling. he randomly picks you up from your job and takes you to the mall, anything you stare for more than five seconds will be bought. usually those things are high heels, clothes and makeup.

۫ ּ ﹗you both know he doesn’t need you that to buy it, he knows you’d style and what compliments you the most, and vice versa as well. whenever you both go out to a fancy place, all eyes are on you. two pretty bad bitches.

۫ ּ ﹗weekly dates are a requirement, they aren’t usually fancy, because you both rather be somewhere allowed to be a little weird and loud. so, cute bakeries and picnics are a must. he always buys you the taro flavored, he also likes to ask to taste only to say it sucks.

۫ ּ ﹗you and gojo have a little play fight every week, both coming home with bouquets and trying to out-stand the other. satoru mostly looses, but every month he comes home with the flowers, a taro drink and a new plushie to your collection, so he wins.

۫ ּ ﹗he is a little shit with your antics. you trip over something and he is there to catch you, saying “did you fall for me?” yes, idiot. and if you are looking for something in your hand, he won’t tell you, he will indulge in it, searching with you. such a bitch.

#﹙ 𝑀. ﹚ ⠀─┈ ⭑⠀ ͏͏💍#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #gojo satoru #jjk gojo satoru #jjk gojo #jujutsu kaisen gojo #gojo satoru x reader #gojo x reader #jjk gojo x reader #gojo satoru fluff #satoru gojo x reader

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nanowrimo · 2 years ago

Text

10 Tips for Fast-Drafting

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Freewrite, a 2023 NaNo sponsor, is a dedicated distraction-free drafting device designed just for writers. Today, author Ashley Poston and the Freewrite team share some tips for completing a first draft of your novel quickly:

Hello from the Freewrite team! 👋 Here at Freewrite, we love a NaNoWriMo challenge, because we’re all about getting words on the page. We asked Author & Freewrite Ambassador Ashley Poston to share her best tips for fast-drafting and getting that first draft DONE!

No surprise, one of her secrets is her Freewrite. But what else does Ashley do to get those drafts done fast?

Here’s Ashley:

I have a confession to make: I hate drafting. It’s the bane of my existence. If I could reach into my brain and take out my story, fully-formed, and just work on the editing bit? I’d do it.

But, alas, that’s not how writing works. (Which is a real pity because I really do love editing. The way you go in with a fine-tooth comb and just torch the entire novel, then rewrite it for the third time. It’s truly majestic.)

Though after ten years, I’ve yet to figure out a way to pull a novel, fully-formed, out of my ears. So, instead, I like making the part of drafting as painless as possible… by doing the most painful, maddening, infuriating thing imaginable.

In other words: fast-drafting.

I’ve perfected the art. I can write a book in a week if I have enough caffeine and a death wish, and with these ten tips, so can you.

1. Find your characters.

Truly, the most important part of fast-drafting is knowing your characters from the outset. In a first draft, you usually find your characters in the middle of the second-to-last chapter. (Or is that just me?) So it often helps to know your characters inside and out from the start. Not only that, but know how they’d react in certain situations, know what would be on their Spotify playlist, know whether they’d have a repertoire of Your Mom jokes up their sleeve. How do they take their coffee? If faced with ten seconds to live, who would they call? Most of these questions you’ll never answer in the manuscript itself, but it’s important to know these people in your head on an intimate level.

2. Use your time(r) wisely.

Setting a timer can be a great way to increase your writing speed. Start with a short amount of time—maybe 15 minutes—and write like the wind, Bullseye! Then shake yourself out, set that timer to 15 again, and repeat. (This is SO easy on my Freewrite Traveler, because it has a feature that keeps time for you, making 15-minute sprints easy-peasy.)

3. Outline.

In addition to your characters, you really should get to know your plot, too, and a great way to do that is making an outline! There are a bunch of different tips and tricks to outlining—I personally use Susan Dennard’s 1-page Synopsis whenever I need to hash out a plot, and Rachel Aaron’s 2k to 10k Blogpost from Ye Olde 2011.

4. No distractions!

Writing is already hard enough, but it becomes almost impossible when you have a cat pronking on you every chance they get. Sometimes, life can just be that—distracting—and you can’t do anything about it. But minimize distractions wherever you can, especially if you’re sprinting. Turn off your phone! Disconnect the internet! And here is where I tell you my Freewrite has saved my butt countless times. I’m horrid at the whole “cut distractions!” bit, but with Freewrite, it’s easy as pie. It’s a lot like a typewriter, so internet? Never heard of her. iMessages? iThinkNot. It’s just you, your words, and the mounting existential dread of existence.

5. Compression gloves. (No, seriously, especially if you write every day.)

This is gonna sound like one of those weird ones—and that’s because it is. But if you’re planning on writing every day for at least an hour, please do yourself (and your budding carpel tunnel) a favor and get some compression gloves. Learn some hand exercises. We don’t call writing fast “sprinting” for nothing.

6. Don’t look back.

It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to perfect the prologue, but this can absolutely hinder you. Take it from someone who loves to make the first chapter perfect—you never will. I promise. Instead, focus on getting your ideas down on paper and worry about editing later. I promise that sentence you didn’t like will be there when you come back to it. It’s not going anywhere. This is another area where my Freewrite helps me focus.

7. Use prompts!

Sometimes, your brain gets stuck. If you feel stuck, or in a corner, use a writing prompt to get the creative juices flowing again! Maybe you’ll never use the scene, but that’s OK. If it means you get going again? That’s what matters.

8. Stuck? Hit the bricks! Real winners quit. But like… not forever.

Writing can be mentally draining, so it’s important to not push yourself too hard, and to take breaks when you need it. Take a walk, stretch, dance it out to ABBA—whatever helps you recharge. And then when you come back to the scene, you’re refreshed and rearing to go.

9. Chunk it up.

Breaking up your writing into smaller, manageable chunks can make drafting so much less daunting. Instead of making the goal finishing the novel, just finish the chapter. Finish this scene. Sometimes, it helps if people set a goal for a certain amount of words a day, but I find that this often just leads to burnout a lot faster. Instead of a word count, set a goal for a scene instead. Turn off the word counter. A first draft doesn’t have to hit a certain number of words—it’s called a first draft for a reason.

10. Practice makes more practice.

Like anything else you do, writing takes practice. I know I can easily hit 5k a day, but that’s because I’ve been writing professionally for a decade now. If you’re just starting out, don’t compare yourself to anyone else. (In fact, this is a great rule of thumb regardless.) Everyone writes differently, and everyone writes in their own time. No one ever asked Van Gogh how long it took him to paint sunflowers, did they? No one told Monet he was taking too long on his water lilies. Writing is an art, so let yourself enjoy it.

I hope this helps you, at least a little, write your next sexy dragon-shifter book! (Or whatever you’re working on.) Godspeed, and just remember: only you can write the idea in your head. Different writers can be given the same exact prompt, and every single story will turn out differently. Keep your eyes on your own paper, your heart full of joy, and chase that story only you can tell.

It’ll be worth it, I promise.

—Ashley

Reminder: Camp NaNoWriMo 2023 participants are eligible for a special Freewrite offer. Find all the details here.

Ashley Poston is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of The Dead Romantics. After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s in English, she spent the last decade working in the publishing industry before deciding to pursue writing full-time. When not writing, she likes trying various arts and crafts (she’s currently addicted to building miniature rooms) and taking long walks as an excuse to listen to Dungeons & Dragons podcasts. She bides her time between South Carolina and New York, and all the bookstores between.

Top photo by Djim Loic on Unsplash

#nanowrimo #writing #fast drafting #first draft #ashley poston #by nano sponsor #freewrite

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jessicaloons · 1 year ago

Text

Chapter 17:

But there was one prize I’d cheat to win…

Masterlist - Previous - Next

"Lizzie? Lizzie!" Pete tapped my shoulder. I looked up and took the headphones off.

"Sorry, didn’t hear you!" I said apologetically.

"Could you please take a break? You’re in there for hours!" he looked worried.

"I’m fine. I need to understand why the conditions in Imola had such an impact on my driving!" I mumbled.

"Lizzie, almost the whole grid struggled! It was wet. Raining like crazy at times! You we-…" Pete began but I interrupted him.

"I’m good in the rain, Pete! Damn good! I love a wet track, I was always superior when it rained! I just don’t understand why the car was so… so difficult to drive! Valtteri did good and as we switched my car into the same set up it got only slightly better! The rear felt fidgety…" I let out my frustration.

"We’re on it, Lizzie! It wasn’t you who struggled, it was the car!" Pete tried to reason with me but I shook my head.

"But how can we be sure that it wasn’t me who just wasn’t good enough?" I said, looking down on my hands in my lap.

"Because, as you just said, you are brilliant in the rain and we all know that. The feedback you gave us? As soon as we changed your set up it got better… not perfect but better! And Valtteri had the same problems… so, Lizzie, take a break!" Pete looked at me, reassuringly and I sighed.

"Okay…" I sighed and got out of my seat "Chris? Can you put up Barcelona next? Raining."

"Sure." Chris smiled and I left with Pete.

"You’re expecting rain in Barcelona?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"No, I just want to be prepared for anything!" I replied and he smiled.

"Choosing you as a driver really was our best move!" he chuckled and I laughed.

"If you say so!"

5 days of intense simulator sessions, strategy meetings, brainstorming with the engineers and an event with some sponsors later and I was ready to leave. Only one last meeting with Felix and then I would be on my way back home.

"Lizzie, come on in!" Felix smiled and I closed the door, sitting down "You did a good job in the sim! I think we’re well prepared for Barcelona!"

"Yeah, it was good. We gathered a lot of data." I agreed and Felix nodded.

"So, I wanted to let you know how happy and satisfied we are with your work! You’re doing amazing! You represent Audi in the best way possible!" Felix practically cheered.

"Oh stop it! Thank you, Felix! That means a lot!" it really did.

"As our driver, you should represent us at all times… especially on the streets! That’s why you need an upgrade…" Felix laid two boxes on the desk and I looked at him confused "These are yours. Not company owned. Yours. We would like to thank you and show our appreciation…" he slides the boxes over to me and I opened the first one. Car keys. Then the second one. Car keys.

"What? 2? But… Felix.. I’m umm- I don’t…" I stuttered and Felix laughed and got up.

"Come on, follow me." he pulled me up and we walked out of the building, Dad stood next to Pete, talking away.

"Lizzie? Are you okay?" Dad asked as he saw me, looking confused.

"Give her a moment, she’ll be fine!" Felix said and right on cue a dark grey Q8 e-tron parked in front of us, license plate LB-LD-7398. I almost choked and looked at Felix.

"What the…" I began but then the loud roaring of an engine startled me and I turned around as a white R8 Spyder, license plate LB-L-7398, parked next to the Q8.

"Lizzie, you’re new cars!" Felix chimed and I was overwhelmed, eyes tearing up.

"That’s… Felix… I can’t- I can’t accept that? That’s too- that’s too much!" I stuttered again and Felix just pulled me to his side.

"You deserve it! They’re yours!" he smiled as Dad walked up to us "So you two have to discuss now who drives what car back home!"

"Wow! Thank you Felix! Thank you everyone?! Who do I have to thank? Like seriously? The board? CEO?" I hugged him and he laughed.

"I’ll tell the board that you were overwhelmed and very thankful!" he said and patted my back.

"Thank you, Felix! What a surprise!" Dad side hugged Felix and then looked at me.

"I’m taking the R8." I smiled.

"Good, because I don’t think that I could get into it!" he laughed and I did as well.

"Probably true!" I agreed.

"Oh my god! OH MY GOD!" Daniel almost screamed at me as I got out of my car "Is that? Is that your car? Oh god it is! The license plate! Fucking hell!"

"Yup, that’s my car. One of my cars…" I had a big smile on my face and he looked at me with big eyes.

"One of your cars? What?" he looked confused and excited at the same time.

"Pops has my Q8 e-tron… they just gave me two freaking cars! TWO! Amazing ones! My dream cars!" I jumped excitedly and Daniel carefully opened the door.

"It smells like new car!" he laughed and I nodded.

"Get in, we’re having a ride! Pops will be here in… I don’t know, as soon as I saw the unlimited sign I was gone, 317 kph, could’ve gone faster but there was a little traffic." I was giddy and Daniel whistled appreciative.

"Damn! How far behind is he?" he laughed.

"Well there was a traffic jam, so I lost time as well. He was also driving fast at times. Maybe half an hour?" I said and started the engine. I drove out of the drive way and straight to the motorway "I’ll show you what this baby can do!"

"Please don’t kill us!" Daniel laughed nervously.

"Oh come on! Have a little faith in me! I know how to drive a car!" I replied, pouting a little.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I trust you!" he sighed and that was the moment I spotted the unlimited sign.

"Let’s go!" I pushed the throttle and accelerated, the engine roaring.

Feeling the adrenaline rushing through my veins never felt better. My phone started ringing.

"Pops is calling." a female voice said and Daniel and I started laughing.

"What the fuck?" I accepted the call "Hey Pops! Where are you?"

"I just passed you!" he said and Daniel laughed "Hi Daniel, how is she driving? Like a lunatic? That’s what I thought when I saw her speeding away!"

"Hey Juergen, no it’s alright. She didn’t kill us… yet…" Daniel chuckled and I groaned a little.

"You guys do know what I’m doing for a living, right?" I said.

"Driving around in circles, going vroom vroom?" Daniel asked and I hit his arm.

"I’m not a NASCAR driver you moron!" I said a little agitated.

"You’re not?" Dad teased.

"Ha-ha… you’re so funny boys!" I fake laughed.

"Oh come on! Don’t be sour! Drive safe and come back in one piece! See you guys later!" Dad hung up and Daniel chuckled.

"So, you wanna drive?" I asked and he looked at me.

"No? Definitely not? Not here anyway!" he looked at me with big eyes.

"Alright, let’s get back and then on the fields." I steered the car to the exit and left the motorway, to join it back in the opposite direction again "God I love my job!" and with that I pushed the throttle trough, zooming through the traffic.

I parked the car on the opposite side of the street and got out, leaning relaxed against its side. It was a sunny day and I watched a group of kids play in the courtyard. I pulled my phone out and scrolled through Instagram, as Dad called.

"What’s up, Pops?" I answered the call.

"I was just checking in, will you come home first, or do we meet at the track?" Dad asked.

"Let’s meet up at the track!" I said checking the time "Yeah, we‘ll have some lunch and then we head straight to Hans."

"Alright. See you in a bit!" Dad hung up and I saw 2 men approaching me.

"Hi, umm- sorry to bother you, but… are you the racing driver for Audi? Lizzie Doetterer, right?" the tall, blonde one asked and I nodded.

"Can we maybe take a picture together?" the dark haired one asked.

"Yeah, sure." I smiled, pushing my sunglasses up.

"Cool!" they said and we took a selfie together.

"So umm- I didn’t know you were married and have a kid?" the dark haired one said and I chuckled.

"Me neither…" I answered as the door of the nursery school opened and the teacher stood at the side. Letting the kids out one by one after spotting whoever was supposed to pick them up "I’m picking up my nephew."

"Ah ok. Cool." the blond guy said and I just nodded, pushing my sunglasses back down, waiting for Liam."So you’re single?"

"Sorry?" I looked at him.

"I’m just shooting my shot here." he laughed and I felt a little uncomfortable, not knowing what to answer.

"Nope. I’m in a serious and committed relationship with my car. That’s my number one priority right know. My career." I said tight lipped.

"Come on, you surely could make some room for a couple of drinks, this weekend maybe?" he stepped closer and I saw out of the corner of my eyes Liam walking out.

"Nope. I’ll be driving in Barcelona this weekend. And like I said. I’m focusing on my career. But thank you for asking. That was very kind of you!" I pushed off of the car and crossed to street, Liam spotting me and immediately bolting into my arms.

"Lizzie! You’re picking me up today?! That’s so cool!" he exclaimed and I hugged him.

"You and I will go to Mama Leone‘s for some pinsa and then we’ll meet Pops, Daniel and Shima and her nephew at the karting track!" I said and Liams eyes sparked with excitement "Ready?"

"Let’s go!" he screeched and I sat him down, holding his hand while we crossed the street "Where’s your car?" he was searching for my Mini and I opened the R8. Liams eyes widening "IS THAT YOUR CAR?" he yelled and I laughed.

"Yup. How do you like it?" I asked as I opened the door for him, watching as he climbed inside, sitting down in his child seat.

"What an amazing car! Is it fast?" he asked and I nodded.

"It is. I’ll show you a little later on." I buckled his seatbelts in and closed the door "Pinsa first!"

"You’re brilliant! But you already know that! You have no idea how proud I am of you, Lizzie!" Hans looked thinner, his voice sounded a little breathless, pale face, thinning hair.

"Thank you, Hans! Really!" I hugged him. He felt weaker than usual, his body lean "Are you okay? You don’t look too good?"

"You know, some days are better, some are worse. I’ll be fine! Having my former star driver here is definitely lifting my spirit!" he chuckled a little and I smiled "The kids will have thousands of questions for you!"

"I’m happy to answer them all!" I answered and he nodded a little "But for now, I need to drive a few laps!"

"You go ahead and do that!" he walked over to the group of kids and I watched him closely. He didn’t look good at all. When I heard at the beginning of the year that he was sick, I was hoping he would be fine in no time, but it was quite the opposite.

"Ready?" Daniel approached and I sighed a little.

"Yeah! Let’s go!" I put on my helmet and climbed into a kart.

It was thrilling, exhilarating. I loved every second of it. There was a rare beauty about karting. It always grounded me, soothed me. Although my body was buzzing, I rarely felt this at peace and calm somewhere else.

Next up I buckled in Liam and Josha, Shima’s nephew, and explained them the kart, how they had to drive, before I got back into my kart, accompanying them on their first laps. Both boys started out a little hesitant, careful. But after the second lap Liam pushed the throttle, speeding away. Lapping Josha and me after a while.

"Looks like he has some of Lizzie’s talent in his bones!" Hans laughed as I climbed out of my kart "He’s always welcome to join the academy!"

"Yeah, he’s just as fearless as his aunt!" Dad replied next to him, watching me pulling my helmet off.

"And reckless! Did you see his move on me in turn 5?" I said and Hans chuckled.

"I had a Déjà vu to when you were driving here for the first time! His move looked just like yours!" he said and I nodded.

"He handed me my ass there!" I laughed.

"Dad, will you look out for the boys? I will have a little talk with the junior academy!” I smiled at the kids, waiting in the corner, all sitting on the benches staring at me.

"Yeah, sure!" Dad walked to the track and I followed Hans to the ground of young drivers.

"Kids! Say hi to Lizzie, former WSeries champion, current Formula 1 driver for Audi, first girl to score a podium in a F1 race and former Bircher Academy driver!" Hans introduced me and I blushed a little.

"Oh stop it! When you say it like that, it sounds super fancy!" I chuckled a little bit and the kids laughed with me "It’s really amazing being back here, seeing you guys doing what I was doing all these years back!"

"Was it hard to become a F1 driver?"

"When did you start karting?"

"You really started here?"

"Do you think you can win a race? Or even the championship?"

They bombarded me with questions and I tried to answer them all one by one. Seeing young kids like them being so passionate about racing really warmed my heart, but when the two girls in the team said that they only decided to join the team because they saw me becoming a F1 driver last year, against all odds, as a girl, I almost choked up.

"You are a real role model! You showed the world that girls can race too!" the blonde girl, Chiara said.

"Not just race! No you showed the world that we can be winners too! I told my dad that you would win a race this year! I’m sooo sure that you will!" the other girl, Lena, a bold brunette said.

"I will give my best to win!" I smiled at them and Hans nodded.

"I have a feeling, that win will come faster than you know it!" he said and I chuckled a little.

"If Hans says it, then it must be true! I can only advice you to listen carefully to everything he teaches you! Without him, I wouldn’t be standing here today, as a Formula 1 driver! He’s the best teacher out there! Consider yourselves lucky to learn from him!" I said and the group of kids all nodded in agreement "And now I want so see you kids race! Let’s go!"

"Hi Lizzie, how are you today?" Dr. Lindner asked and I plopped down on the sofa, sighing "Oh, that bad? What happened?"

"Imola happened! I was bad. Like fucking bad." I groaned and he opened up his notebook, reading through his notes.

"Okay, step by step, please. Did you talk to Charles? About why you felt so uncomfortable at his home?" he asked and I started picking at a loose thread at the sleeve of my sweater "I take that as a no?"

"No… I just didn’t know how to tackle it? We had to sleep in the guest room anyway and then I left for home, the next time we saw each other was in Imola and after a Imola I went straight to Neuburg where I was until yesterday… so yeah…" I let out and Dr. Lindner nodded.

"Okay, so you’ve been avoiding the topic, why did you have to sleep in the guest room? Did Charles sense something was wrong?" he asked and I chuckled a little.

"He spilled a whole bottle of water on his mattress… and it was completely soaked" I said and he cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh… well. Good for you. I guess." he wrote something down and I looked at him questioningly, but he ignored it "When will you stay at Charles place again?"

"Probably before the Monaco GP… I always was at his place for it. I guess I have to tell him the truth then." I said and closed my eyes, leaning back.

"Yes, you should. Let’s practice it." he sat up, putting his notebook on the little table next to his armchair.

"Like role playing?" I asked disbelieving.

"Kinda. I want you to sit down with Charles, next to him, not to look at him. Because this is where you always will retreat. Looking in his eyes. Seeing his smile. That’s your biggest enemy. I want you to speak to him in a firm voice. Ask him to not interrupt you, let you speak. And then you tell him exactly what’s going on. Say it in one go. Just let it out. Everything. And when you’re done. I want you to take a deep breath and calm yourself down, before turning to Charles and work together with him through this issue, then when he has an insight of how you’re feeling." Dr. Lindner said and I gulped.

"And you think this will work out?" I asked, voice quiet.

"Only one way to find out." he answered and I nodded slowly.

"Probably."

After the fiasco that was Barcelona, with Charles starting from pole, leading the race comfortably for the first 25 laps just to be forced to retire due to engine issues and myself finishing in P8 after I struggled with the set-up of the car during the whole weekend. I wasn’t really excited for Monaco next. I loved the track and even managed to win the sprint race back in F2 all those years ago. But as it was Charles’ home race, for him it was always the most exciting race of the year, he loved it. The track, the city, the people. But there was also the infamous Monaco-curse. Although Charles said he doesn’t believe in it, I wasn’t so sure about it. As we arrived in Monaco on Tuesday in the morning, our moods weren’t the best and the thought of having now a conversation with Charles about the bed situation made my anxiety level rise dangerously. Charles rolled our suitcases into the bedroom and I stood in the hallway, gathering myself. Open communication. That’s what Dr. Lindner said. I had to just tell Charles honestly how I felt. I could do that. It’s Charles after all. He would understand. Right? Right! I took one last deep breath, then I followed Charles into his bedroom.

"Charles, can we talk?" my voice sounded weak and I cleared my throat.

"Sure, what’s up?" Charles looked up from

the floor where he rummaged through his suitcase. He saw the look on my face and got up, grabbing my hands "Do you want to sit down? What’s going on? You know you can tell me everything?" he lead us to the bed and I stopped abruptly.

"You bought a new bed?" I was shocked when I looked at the new bed frame.

"I overheard a little of your therapy session, I’m so sorry, cara mia! I swear I didn’t intend to! I thought you were done and left the kitchen to talk to you but then you continued and as I silently retreated into the bedroom I overheard what you said and thought about what it could mean… and as soon as I realised it, I made sure that you won’t have to sleep in that bed ever again! I know this was only the easy part… but I want you to know, that I would do everything for you!" he said and I looked at him with big eyes, my breathing hitched. A single tear streaming down my face, that Charles gently wiped away, I sniffled a little and he hugged me close to his body.

"You bought a new bed…" I repeated.

"I would buy a new flat for you, if you couldn’t stand being in here…" he whispered and the tears now fell freely. Charles kissed the side of my head and rubbed soft circles on my back as I started giggling, thinking about his words "What?" he turned me a little so that he could look at my face.

"Did you pour that water bottle on purpose over your mattress?" I asked and Charles chuckled a little.

"Like I said, I would do everything for you!" he whispered.

"I love you… so, so much!" I said and Charles laid a soft kiss on my forehead.

"I love you too, mon amour!"

"People won’t think it’s weird that I stay at your place during race weekend?" I asked Charles.

"No? You’re always staying here when you’re in Monaco! Not weird at all!" Charles answered and switched off the light in his en suite bathroom, then plopped down next to me on his stomach.

"Ok, ok… you’re right!" I sighed and turned on my side to face him. "Hi… how are we feeling about this weekend?" Charles smiled a little and I looked him up and down. He was only wearing grey sweatpants and I started drawing figures on his back with my fingers, I could feel him relax under my touch.

"The car is good. You’re here in my bed. I can’t really lose this weekend." he mumbled and wiggled closer to me.

"So no fear of the Monaco curse this year?" I chuckled and Charles groaned.

"It’s getting out of hand with how often they ask me about it!" he sat up and ruffled through his hair "It’s no curse when I’m at fault for the results! I have to be better this year, there is no room for mistakes!"

I pulled him down on me and he rested his head on my chest, then slung his arms around me.

"You will win this year, pretty boy. I can feel it!" I said quietly, underneath my breath and began to massage his scalp gently. I could see the goosebumps erupt on his skin, his body relaxing into mine, his breathing getting more evenly and quiet, then a little yawn "My sleepy koala." I whispered and could hear his quiet chuckle, after another minute he lifted himself up, holding himself above me with his hands propped up at both sides of my head.

He looked me in the eyes, his smile widening, it was that smile that always made me weak in my knees, my insides melting, body tingling, and I felt myself blushing. He chuckled again and kissed me long enough to drain every bit of oxygen out of my lungs, then he pushed himself up and laid down next to me.

"Come on now pretty girl! We need to rest! It’s media day tomorrow" with that he pulled me into his side and threw the duvet over us, then he turned to the side to switch the light off. I snuggled into his side, head buried in his chest, leg slung around his "I really could get used to this, cara mia." he whispered before giving me one last kiss on the crown of my head.

After the media day we returned back home from the paddock and I had a quick shower. I laid down on the sofa, scrolling through my phone, but after a while I was reading the same page over and over again as because my mind was occupied by Charles. How he sat at the piano, playing a beautiful melody. He was so focused, his fingers dancing over the keys, eyes closed. He looked ethereal. I abandoned my book and just kept on looking at him, listening to his beautiful song.

"I can feel you staring…" Charles chuckled after a while and I sat up. I laid the book on the table and got up, standing behind him. I leaned down on his shoulders and watched him play a melody I heard him play for a while now "Do you like it?"

"I love it!" I whisper and kiss the side of his head and he turns a little.

"Come here." he said and pulled me down on his lap "I’ll teach you…" he laid my hands on the keyboard and guided my hands over the keys, playing the melody from before, slightly off key. With every minute it sounded better and better and Charles decided to take his hands off of mine and I played alone. He began to litter my face with little kisses, starting at my cheek, going down my jaw, then gently tilting my head, exposing my neck and throat where he continued the gentle caressing. Focusing on the piano got harder with each light kiss. I lost myself in his touch and a shriek sound from the piano startled me. I blushed immediately and Charles chuckled "I thought women were masters of multitasking?" he turned my reddened face to look at him and cocked an eyebrow.

"We are, but there are only a few things, that can meddle with it… and you are one of them…" I answered and he smiled, then he pulled me closer, biting his lower lip before he closed the distance between us and pressed his lips onto mine. They were soft and warm. I sighed a little, parting my lips slightly, allowing him to slip his tongue inside. I felt hot, a stirring began in my lower belly. A tiny moan escaped my throat and Charles smirked into our kiss, gently pulling away. I was breathing erratically, cheeks flushed, heart racing. And he just smirked, happy with the effect he had on me.

"Are you okay?" his smug smirk only getting bigger "Cara mia?" he nudged my nose with his a little and smiled, I got up, legs slightly wobbly, but I tried my best to not show it.

"Yup. All good." I breathed out and plopped down on the sofa again, grabbing my phone, trying to calm myself down a little. Charles started to play his melody again and I took a deep breath. I scrolled through some reels and had to stop as I saw one of a girl playing piano. The song she was playing was one of my absolute favourite songs and I looked up at Charles. I googled for the notes and as I found them I put my phone down, watching Charles again.

"And you’re staring again…" he said and I laughed "You want another lesson?" he looked at me, not stopping to play.

"Nope. But I was wondering… can you learn any song?" I asked him and he thought for a moment.

"Probably… why?" he replied and I beamed at him "Oh… what comes now?" he stopped playing and turned on the stool, facing me.

"Would you learn a song for me?" I asked, channeling my sweetest voice.

"Depends… what song?" he said and as my smile grew bigger he groaned "No."

"I didn’t even say what song!" I pouted.

"Taylor Swift… No." he said and I made puppy eyes, pouting even more.

"Oh come on! You said yourself that her music is nice! Which is like the understatement of the century, but I let it slip… but pleeeaaaseee! Please, Charles! For me!" I almost begged and I knew that his resolve was already crumbling.

"Yeah, her music is good. But you know that I’m not playing pop songs and stuff like that! I stay on the classical side, cara mia!" he said and I got up, still pouting, puppy eyes on full display. I straddled him, carding my fingers through his hair. Kissing him slowly. Breathing each other in.

"Please, mon cœur…" I whispered into his ear, leaving tiny kisses just below it, I saw the goosebumps erupting and kissed his jawline "Please…" I saw Charles Adam’s apple bop in his throat and he swallowed hard, as I left light kisses along. I gently rolled my hips against his pelvis and his breathing hitched. He grabbed my waist with both hands, trying to stop my movement "Only one song…" I whispered in his ear, pressing my whole body against his. I felt him shuddering and his grip on my waist got stronger. I raked my nails down his neck over his shoulders, rolling my hips against his tight hold. "That’s all I’m asking…" I sucked at his pulse point, leaving a tiny mark and he groaned.

"One song…" he answered breathlessly and I smiled at him, I could feel his heart beating against my breast and he closed his eyes "Which one?"

"One of my favourite songs… Lover." I said quietly and he nodded slightly, opening his eyes.

"I try my best." he answered and my smile got wider, I sat up a little and froze, his grip on my waist tightening again "Stop moving." he whispered under his breath and I even stopped breathing "Just give me a moment, please." he almost whimpered, the sound sending a heatwave through my throbbing core "Can you get up, please? Slowly…" he pressed out between clenched teeth and I nodded, carefully lifting myself up, the outline of a bulge between his legs clearly visible.

"I umm… I’m going to… umm kitchen. I’ll cook. Yeah… what do you want? Pasta with Pesto and Chicken? Or Salmon?"

"You decide… I need to…" he said and got up quickly, leaving the room. I took a deep breath, feeling more than hot all over. In the kitchen I leaned against the counter and closed my eyes. Trying to calm down a little. As my knees stopped shaking and my breathing wasn’t as ragged as before, I opened the fridge, grabbing the chicken and some veggies. As I prepared our food, Charles stepped into the kitchen, hugging me from behind.

"All good again?" I had to giggle and Charles kissed my shoulder.

"Yup. But just so you know… you’re a tease… and I’ll have my revenge!" with one last kiss on my cheek he left "I’m learning your song now…"

"I can’t wait!"

As we made our way into the paddock on Sunday morning, the buzzing atmosphere was overwhelming. It always warmed my heart to see the support and love Charles received from his fellow Monegasques. But today there were a lot of people cheering for me as well. As we arrived at the paddock entry two little girls were screaming for Charles and me and we walked over to them.

"Oh my god! It’s really you! Charles! Lizzie!" one of the girls screeched.

"You are the best! We love you two! Can you sign our caps?" the second one beamed up at us and we crouched down, the girls blushing a little.

"Thank you so much!" Charles said and signed their caps, then handing them to me, to sign them.

"Can we take a picture as well?" they asked shyly and I nodded.

"Of course!" I said and the girls squeezed in between us and their mother snapped a picture. And the older girl grabbed the phone from her Mum to check the picture.

"You’re so pretty, Lizzie!" she said, showing us the picture and I blushed a little. Charles looked at the picture and smiled.

"Wow! Look at that! How lucky am I to be in a picture with 3 of the most beautiful girls on earth?" he said and the girls beamed at him.

"I hope you can win today! And Lizzie I hope you’re on the podium as well!" the younger one said and looked up at Charles.

"I will try my best! And I know Lizzie will as well! Maybe she’ll win!" he said and I laughed.

"No, no. She’s right! You win, I’m on the podium. That’s a good result." I said and the girls nodded.

"Good luck you two!" they said and we hugged them goodbye.

"That would be a dream result. You win. Me on the podium? I’d take that!" I chuckled as we made our way into the paddock.

"Yeah. Same. But realistically… I don’t know…" Charles sighed and I grabbed his hand, squeezing it.

"Hey! You can do it! You’re fast! You’re amazing at the start! That’s all it takes! And your team not screwing up. But still! Come on! Today is our day!" I said and Charles smiled a little.

"If you say so!" he answered and we kept on walking, hands still intertwined "Oh shit! Sorry!" he let go of my hand and I smiled sadly.

"No, it’s okay. It was nice to hold hands once in public." I chuckled a little. "I’m sorry!"

"Don’t be… it’s okay!" he said and stopped in front of the Ferrari garage "See you later, mon amour." he pulled me into a short hug.

"Yeah… see you later!" I said and walked down to the Audi garage, preparing for the race ahead.

"Lizzie, your first Monaco GP! Tell us, how does it feel? How do you feel?" Martin Brundle appeared out of the blue next to me "First in F1, of course!" he added and I smiled at him.

"It’s different, you know? Different cars, faster cars obviously, different race distance, yeah overall it’s been a good weekend for us, we had a good pace, tires were good. The weather can be a factor. It might rain towards the middle or end, we’ll see what we can do today."

"What does it take, to attack Max today and go for P1?"

"Well, get past Charles first, chase Max, second!" I laughed.

"Yeah, obviously get past Charles first! Thanks Lizzie, have a good race!" Martin chuckled and walked away.

After yesterdays qualifying I was quiet confident, without that stupid yellow flag I might’ve had a chance on P2, Charles on pole, but instead it’s P3 for me and P2 for Charles, Max in front of us. Overtaking was almost impossible in Monaco. It was all down to position, the strategy and gambling of the possibility of a safety car.

I leaned over my car and patted the 7 on its nose, as I always did before every race.

"Ah, old habits never die, you also did it in karting!" I heard Max say in German and turned around.

"Monaco is not the track to try and risk something." I answered and he laughed.

"On a scale from 1-10, how furious is he?" Max asked and shook his head in the direction of the Ferrari in front to our right.

"Where would you be?" I looked at him and tilted my head.

"12. Definitely!" he shot back and I nodded.

"Given the fact that he’s a bit more tame than you, I’d say 11. It was fucked, like come on! 50 metres? Yellow flag in the second sector? He had all purples…" I said as Charles turned his head and looked at Max and me.

"78 laps to take the win!" he answered and walked up to his car, on his way he and Charles fist bumped each other and they started to talk.

"Lizzie?" Felix walkd up to me "How are we feeling?"

"Confident! The car felt good. I’ll give my all, as always!" I say determined and Felix hugged me, before he made his way to Valtteri first and then the pit wall. I took a sip out of my bottle when someone poked my side.

"Hey!" Charles said and I turned around, he hugged me with a clap on my back, a bro hug as Charles calls it.

"Ready, Leclerc?" I asked as I saw a tv crew passing us, he recognised them as well and nodded.

"Always, Lizzie, always." he answered and squeezed my shoulder before he gave me another one of his bro hugs "Take care, cara mia!" he whispered in my ear, his warm breathing tickling my skin.

"You too, mon cœur." I smiled and he walked away, right as Pete came over.

"The rain might come earlier than expected, lap 45-50 probably, we’ll keep an eye on it, but just so you know." he said and I nodded.

"Rain as in droplets or rain as in downpour?" I asked and tucked my braids into my racing suit and moved my head around to check that they’re not disturbing me, as I was happy with the adjusting I put my headphones in and next my balaclava on.

"No downpour, but definitely more than droplets. The rain radar shows some heavy clouds, but they might pass us, if the wind gets stronger. We consider a second pit for inters. We’ll update you." he squeezed my shoulder and left. I took one last sip out of my bottle, giving it back to JK who handed me my helmet in return and I put it on, opening the visor, he adjusted the straps and the HANS.

I stepped to my car and climbed in, my mechanics buckled me in, adjusted the headrest, plugged in the radio and put in my steering wheel. Lastly they handed me my gloves and I put them on. Matt gave me a thumbs up and I tested everything out, then I nodded and gave him as well a thumbs up.

"Radio check." I heard Pete and pushed the radio button.

"Loud and clear." I replied.

The grid emptied slowly and I could see my mechanics preparing themselves to take off the heating blankets.

As the grid was ready, the heating blankets came off, revealing everyone’s tire choices, myself on medium, then the formation lap started and I began to warm the tires.

As soon as we all got back into our spots again I focused on the lights above, hearing Croftys commentary in my head as always "…and it’s lights out and away we go!" I accelerated, Charles in front of me had a phenomenal start and sets Max under a lot of pressure and then even managed to breeze past him, I was more than happy for him. Hoping he had finally a good home race.

Lap by lap I managed to close the gap to Max. Charles, who had more pace than ever as it seemed, stayed ahead of Max with a comfortable gap.

"Lizzie, front tires look good. Spare the rears a bit more."

"Copy. Gaps?"

"P1 to P2 1.6. P2 to P3 0.7"

"Alright." Radio silence again.

Overtaking in Monaco was mostly impossible, the only potential part of the track where I might had a chance was at the chicane, so I tried to squeeze past Max but he defended the attack lap after lap.

"Lizzie, Gap to P4 currently 1.3. Try to push more."

"When I push more I kiss Maxs ass!"

"Don’t."

"Left front doesn’t look good."

"Having a bit of graining. We‘ll keep tabs."

"Stay out?"

"For now."

"Copy."

The next few laps were uneventful. Some more failed attempts to pass Max, Charles gap getting bigger, mine to Max smaller. The rest of the grid far behind as it seemed. I passed through sector two as a yellow flag in sector 1 was shown.

I pushed the radio button.

"PSF?" Potential safety car.

"We‘re checking."

"Ok." I took the next corner, only 2 left before the pit entry, if we make the right call and box before the safety car is officially deployed. We get ahead of Charles and Max if they decide to pit a lap later, one last corner before the entry.

"Box, Box." Hopefully the right call. I steered into the pit lane. The only car for now.

Pit stop 2.3 seconds. Pretty good. I pushed the throttle and right as I’m at the pit lane exit the virtual safety car message appeared on my screen.

"Fucking amazing! Good job guys!"

"You’ll get out behind Russell in P6."

"Alright. Go time."

I entered the track again and as predicted the cars in front of me pitted in the next lap and I was leading the race.

"So Charles behind 1.8. Max behind 1.1."

Could this be my first GP win? Monaco? The most prestigious race on the calendar? And more importantly, could this be Charles' first podium at his home race? Fuck yes.

The next laps Charles came closer and closer. But he never tried to attack, too big of a risk. P2 was better than a DNF.

"Big shunt in sector 3. Lot‘s of Debris. Careful."

Double yellow. In front of me Tsunoda and Latifi, Magnusson in the wall. As the two drivers passed him they drove over some debris and the parts were flying through the air and I felt some hits. I pushed the radio button.

"There’s debris everywhere, I think as Latifi and Tsunoda went through something flew up and hit me."

"Copy. We Check and come back to you."

"Is Kevin ok?"

"Yes, he’s ok."

Safety car through the pitlane.

As I followed the safety car I felt something loose at my thigh but then it was gone. I moved my leg slightly but couldn’t feel anything.

"Prepare for the restart, Lizzie."

"Yeah."

Another 6 laps in and I again felt something loose at my legs and I pushed the radio button.

"I think there is something loose between my legs, guys."

"What do you mean?"

"I felt something at my thigh. Do I have damage?"

"We’re checking."

I waited patiently for Pete’s radio message and kept driving.

"No damage. Keep pushing."

"Alright. Copy."

I still wasn’t convinced but tried to get it out of my mind.

"We’re expecting rain in the next 5-10 minutes."

"Inters?"

"We’ll wait for your input."

"Ok."

"Full stat?"

"You. P2 Max. P3 Sainz. P4 Charles. P9 Seb. Out Magnussen. Tsunoda. Latifi. 27 laps to go." I gulp, Charles was in P2 behind me? How did he end up in P4?

"What happened to Charles?"

"He had to pit again."

"Why?"

"They gave him the wrong tires."

"Fuck off."

"Lizzie."

"Yeah, sorry."

Fucking Ferrari compromised Charles’ race yet again. From Podium to P4. I couldn’t even describe how sorry I felt for him. I just knew he would only blame himself after the race, he still could’ve drove faster and try to overtake or some shit like that. He would never criticise Ferrari, he loved his team too fucking much. But at this point they've failed him one too many times and worst of all, out of all places it had to be here, at his home GP.

It slightly started dripping.

"Go for two laps in mode R62. Rain out of turn 7."

The track got slightly wet, but the traction was still good.

"Inters. What do you think?"

"Traction is pretty good. Track is not too wet. Do others pit?"

"Not yet."

"Copy."

The traction was still considerably good, despite some wet patches on track. Would it keep on raining like this, I thought I could manage without inters. But if the rain picked up, staying out would be impossible.

"Rain picks up slightly between turn 2 and 3."

"Let me try it."

"Copy."

Up the hill the rain did pick up indeed a little and I could feel the track got a bit slippery, but still manageable. The track seemed to be dry besides between the turns 2 and 5.

"Where would I come out if I pit?"

"Between Norris and Ricciardo."

"How’s the rain?"

"Picks up slightly, but according to the radar only couple more minutes."

"Then more or?"

"Should clear up in about 5 laps, but still one more dark cloud front coming up, earliest prob last 5-6 laps.”

"Ok."

With around 20 laps to go, should I risk it and stay out, if I risked it and the rain gets too much at the end of the race I’m fucked. If I pit and the rain comes after the race, I’m stuck behind.

"Box Max, Norris, Daniel, Pierre."

"Ferrari?"

"No."

They gonna risk it, they would have two cars behind me, if the rain picks up they could try an undercut. As I drove up the hill to turn 2 I could see that the sky looked not dark and grey. It cleared up. I took a deep breath and pushed my radio button.

"I’ll stay out."

"Copy."

Please, dear god or whatever is up there, let this be the right call.

"Ferrari called for a double stack."

Great, even more that they could fuck up.

Charles would lose even more time and positions and with only 16 laps to go, the podium was lost.

"Charles stayed out."

"What?"

"P2 Charles, P3 Perez, P4 Max, P6 Seb."

Did he ignore his team’s orders? Holy shit.

As I looked in my mirror I saw him coming out of the chicane. On any other track we could battle this out. But here it was just too dangerous unfortunately. Even though a P2 would be Charles’ best result ever in Monaco, he would see the checkered flag for the first time here, I knew that he would still be disappointed. Winning his home Grand Prix was his biggest wish, a really close second after winning the WDC. And wouldn’t they delete his lap time yesterday, he would’ve started from pole. He could’ve won. No, he would’ve won. If the clownery that was Ferrari wasn’t spitting in his soup yet again.

"How’s the track?"

"Good. Almost dry only out of turn 4 into 5 slightly wet."

"Seems to be your lucky day. Heavier rain estimated 15-20 minutes after the race. 11 laps to go."

Now I just had to calmly manage the tires and all was good. My first win in Formula 1! In Monaco! Monaco. Charles. After so many disappointing races. Still one step away from his dream. One step away from the promise he gave his father, winning his home race for him. And all because his team let him down, once again.

"Lizzie, keep pushing. Charles is catching up. 0.9."

"Alright."

"You’re at 71 % on the throttle."

"Pete, I push it through."

"We’re checking."

Radio silence, I could see Charles coming closer as I’m slightly getting slower.

"Change to mode FX98. FX98."

"Something’s wrong. I push the throttle fully."

"Just keep pushing. Gap to Charles 0.7. 7 laps to go."

Still getting slower, Charles came closer than ever. Something has to be wrong, right?

"Guys what’s happening?"

"Lizzie, we’re checking. Just keep…"

"I AM PUSHING. But there’s just nothing fucking happening!"

"Understood."

Charles was practically at my ass now. I pushed the radio button.

"Am I losing power?" I asked.

"Negative. You’re not losing power."

"Why is the car so slow when I’m pushing the throttle as hard as I can? I’m breaking out of the car that’s how hard I’m pushing!"

"Throttle now only at 67 %"

"FUCK!"

"4 laps to go. Charles behind 0.2 seconds."

As I steered into the chicane I knew he was going for the overtake, he had the speed and I couldn’t do anything at this point, so I let him pass me, without defending. He speeded away.

"2 laps to go, Gap to Perez 1.6 seconds."

"SD?" Striking distance.

"2."

I pushed the throttle through and the next 2 laps were the longest of my life. As I parked my car next to Charles’ I leaned back for a second. P2 in Monaco is amazing. Charles deserved this win more than anything. I unbuckled my belt took the steering wheel off and put it on the bonnet. Then I stood up and felt something fall back from where seconds before my feet were, I spot the carbon part in my seat. I leaned down, took my steering wheel to put it back in, at the same time I took the carbon part and threw it back to the pedals and jumped off the car. I turned around and saw that Charles was still in his car. I took my gloves off and walked up to him. As soon as he saw me he quickly got out and embraced me. I only pushed him toward his team as I walked up to mine, opening the visor of my helmet and jumped into them.

"Sorry Lizzie!" Felix looked disappointed, but not in me, in the car.

"There was something loose! I swear I could feel it." I said and hugged him "P2 in Monaco! Fucking good result, I’d say!"

I hugged everyone before I walked up for my weighing. After that I took off my helmet and balaclava, grabbed a towel and put my helmet down, then I dried my face and neck. Liam cheered from the top of his lungs for me and Charles and I walked up to him and Dad, hugging him tight.

"You almost won, Lizzie!" he almost yelled and I kisser his cheek. "And Charlie won! He won!"

"Yes he did! Isn’t he amazing!" I smiled and Liam waved Charles who immediately joined us, Liam practically jumping into his arms.

"YOU WON, CHARLIE! YOU WON!" Liam screeched and I laughed as Dad pulled me into a hug.

"You did amazing, Lizzie!" he whispered and I smiled, hugging Lorenzo and Arthur next.

"Amazing race, Lizzie!" Lorenzo said and Arthur only nodded.

"Good job!" Arthur smiled and I looked at Pascale, tears in her eyes.

"Oh Lizzie! Congratulations!" she sniffled a little as she held me close.

"Merci, Pascale! You can be proud today. Charles did amazing!" I smiled at her and be wiped away some tears.

"I am proud, mon fille! I’m proud of both of you!" she said and I smiled.

I made space for Charles, who still carried Liam and went back to the tables in front of our cars, grabbing a bottle of water.

"Congrats Lizzie! Good race!" Checo walked up and he patted my back and I smiled at him.

"Thanks Checo, you too!" I replied as Charles walked up to us. I smiled at him and almost jump led in his arms, but could stop myself, instead I hugged him tight.

"You did it, Charlie! You did it! I’m so proud!" I whispered and I heard him sigh.

"You let me win, Lizzie." he pushed himself off of me and smiled, but I could see it wasn’t real. He walked away to do his interview and I stood there dumbfounded. Throughout his interview he had a fake smile and always when he looked my way his smile hardened. Then it was my turn and I had to pull myself together, trying not to think about what Charles said.

"Lizzie, congrats on P2! Phenomenal race! You made some good strategy calls!"

"Thanks! Yeah it was an amazing race, we had a strong weekend, both cars in the points. Overall a good result. As for the strategy, my team is amazing! Shout out to our strategists!"

"You made some good calls yourself!"

"Yeah but only because they give me the confidence to do that."

"But what happened at the end? It looked like a safe win?"

"I really don’t know, we need to check if I maybe had damage at the car from some of the flying debris from Kevin’s crash. But it felt weird."

"You reported twice before that you felt something loose between your legs?"

"Yeah, that wasn’t just a pun to Seb, it really felt like there was something moving around but we need to investigate what happened."

"Thanks Lizzie, enjoy the podium!"

"Thanks!" I gave back the mic and followed Julie, who waited already for me as Sebastian approached.

“Lizzie! What a race! I’m so proud of you!" Sebastian cheered in German and hugged me.

"Thanks, Seb!" I answered.

"Almost your first win!" he said and sighed but I only shook my head and smiled.

"Yeah almost, but a win in Monaco for Charles? After last year? He deserves it so much!" I couldn’t help myself and practically beamed and Seb just cocked his eyebrow knowingly and I chuckled nervous "What?” I asked an Seb just hugged me again.

"It’s good that you two finally realised that you’re meant to be! I told him so many times to make a move, back when we were teammates!" he whispered in my ear and I tensed up "Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me for as long as you want it to be!" he released me and left smiling.

Julie came up to me, ushering me towards the cool down room, where Charles already was waiting, sitting in the chair for the second place.

"I believe you’re in the wrong chair…” I said and walked up to the table with the cap for P2, towels and water. I put my helmet down, grabbed a towel and dried my face off agin, then my neck. I used my visor as a mirror and loosened my braids, smoothing my hair down. Then I grabbed a bottle of water and the P2 cap and walked up to the chairs. Charles didn’t move so I sat next to him on a box, not on one of the chairs for the drivers.

"What are you doing?" he asked in French.

"Oh, so now you’re talking to me?"I answered in French as well "I’m not sitting in P1 and jinx it!" I continued in English and Charles got off of his chair and pulled me up, then pushed me gently into the P2 chair as Checo walked in.

"What a race!" he exclaimed and grabbed a towel and a bottle of water, then sat down in the P3 chair, Charles still standing "They gave you the wrong tires?" he then asked Charles who only nodded.

"Yeah, they gave me softs, planned were hards." he answered and I snorted, but was able to turn it into a cough. "But yeah like this I could go on the mediums again, so I had more pace, not really helpful in Monaco but you never know." Checo nodded.

"You ignored your team orders? When they wanted to do a double stack?" I asked Charles and he shook his head.

"I didn’t understand the radio at first… but I said I think they want me to pit for inters but I want to stay out." he answered "What was with your car? You didn’t put up any fight whatsoever? You just let me pass you!" the last part sounded accusing.

"I don’t know what it was, I felt something loose between my legs before, I thought I had damage from flying debris or something? But they said there was nothing wrong but I don’t know! I pushed the throttle completely through, more and my foot would break out of the car… they need to check what that was before the next race!" I said but Charles wasn’t fully convinced "I want them to run all the tests that we have.”

I tried to reassure him, that this race win was really his, that I tried my hardest to win. The car was lagging. After almost a minute of him looking at me, my every move, he nodded and sat down in P1. I convinced him.

Charles POV:

I stood on the podium, Lizzie on my right, beaming up on me, her cheeks flushed, wide smile on her lips. She looked gorgeous and I would give everything that I owned to kiss her right here, right now. But her smile was enough to make my stomach flutter, my body tingling. I won Monaco. My home race. After so many tries. So many failures. Today I finally made it. And to make this day even more memorable, Lizzie, the most beautiful, enchanting girl, love of my life, stood next to me. Celebrating this milestone. I closed my eyes, taking a moment to fully grasp what just happened. This win was for Dad. For our beloved home. His voice rang in the back of my head, telling me that one day I would win our home race and all of the principality would cheer for me and he would be the loudest amongst them. I could see his face in front of me, his smile, the wrinkles around his eyes, the glasses that were always sliding down his nose and he had to push it back with his finger, his messy hair. I opened my eyes, feeling overwhelmed, throat closing in, eyes teary and as the Monegasque anthem was played, tears began to fall. I looked down and saw Maman, Lorenzo, Arthur, Juergen and Liam smiling proudly at me.

"Congratulations, Charles! Today you’re making yourself immortal! We’re all so proud of you!" Prince Albert hugged me tight, smiling bright as he handed me the trophy.

"Thank you so much!" I replied as he stepped back and I lifted the trophy up above my head, pointing with my other hand in the sky. For Papa. For Jules. I watched as Lizzie lifted her trophy up as well, smiling at me. As soon as all trophies were handed over, it was time for the champagne. Les Toréadors played and I sprayed Lizzie from head to toe, while Checo poured a large amount of champagne over my head and I flinched as the cold liquid trickled down neck into my race suit. We cheered our bottle together, all taking a swig of champagne and then it was time for a picture. I pulled Lizzie close to my side, brushing away some wet strands of her hair, that were sticking to her face and she smiled brightly at me. I felt her love and adoration radiating from her.

"He is so proud of you, Charles!" Lizzie leaned in, whispering in my ear and I choked up a little, she kissed my cheek, a tingling sensation spreading across my skin where her lips had touched me. She then gently wiped away a stray tear that was running down my cheek and I smiled at her. I won my home race. I had the girl of my dreams. Could it get any better than this?

"And you really don’t want to go out and party? Charles, you won the Monaco GP? Your home race?" I asked him laying in his bed, I watched him drying his hair with a towel, another one slung around his hips, body glistening with little droplets of water.

"Do you want to party? We can go out if you want to! But I much rather stay at home and celebrate here, just you and me, a bottle of champagne, maybe watching a movie?" he answered and stepped in front of the bed, I got up on my knees and hugged him. After a moment, he leaned back and kissed me, first slowly and sweet, his hand at the small of my back and at my nape. Our body’s pressed together, the kiss intensified. Only when we were both running out of air we pulled away a little and leaned our foreheads together.

"Nope, this is perfect." I whispered and Charles chuckled. I got up and walked into the bathroom, closed the door and took a deep breath. I felt hot, a quick cold shower would help, when I brushed my teeth I realised that I had forgotten to take my fresh clothes with me, I sighed, putting my hair into a messy bun, wrapped the towel around my body and opened the door. Charles, now in sweatpants and t-shirt, sat on the bed against the headboard shuffling through Netflix as he looked up at me, a smile on his face. I felt my cheeks blushing.

"I forgot my clothes…" I whispered and pointed at the pile on the drawer and he just nodded, as I walked over, took it and went back into the bathroom, where I quickly changed and then walked out "So, what are we watching?"

"You decide, I just want to hold you close and I’m happy." Charles said and I blushed again and he grinned "God Lizzie, I love when you blush like that…" he got up from the bed and walked over to me, putting his hands on my waist, pulling me close and I shuddered "Are you cold?"

"No, it’s just, you make me, I don’t know how to explain… but when you look at me like this, I’m like… I’m getting nervous…" I whispered and looked down and tried to hide my intense blushing, Charles gently grabbed my chin and lifted my head up to look at him.

"Hey, hey… please, don’t hide from me." he said quietly and smiled at me "What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?"

"It’s embarrassing…" I tried to look away but he cupped my cheeks, looking at me.

"What is embarrassing? You know you can talk to me about everything? So what’s going on?" Charles asked and his voice was so genuine and sweet that I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"I’m… I’ve never done it…" I almost whispered it but Charles looked at me confused "I’m still a virgin…" my heart was beating in my throat, skin burning hot, as I looked down ashamed.

"Oh Lizzie, hey, look at me! Please!" Charles smiled at me encouraging "It’s nothing to be ashamed of!"

"I just, I don’t know, deep down I always wanted it to be you and… I don’t know, it’s silly because now that you and I… it’s just- umm… I’m scared because I- I don’t have any experience…" I mumbled and Charles pulled me into his arms.

"I wish I would’ve waited for you…" he sighed and I shook my head "But please, don’t feel ashamed and please don’t be scared! I mean I’m probably not the most experienced as well… but that doesn’t matter! It’s you and me. And no matter when it will happen, it will be perfect. So please don’t feel like to put yourself under pressure or anything! This what we have, it’s perfect, it’s amazing and when you’re ready for the next step, we’ll take it. Together. As always."

I smiled at him and kissed him, tried to show him how much his words meant to me.

"Why are you so perfect?" I whispered and he just chuckled.

"I’m by far not perfect, but I try to be the closest to perfect for you, because you, cara mia, are perfect and deserve it." he answered and by now my face was probably the shade of the darkest red possible.

"Charles, you are more than perfect, I just wished you could see it as well…" I said and kissed him again, slowly and sweet, but as Charles pulled me closer into him, his hands gently stroking my waist, I felt heat rushing into my core.

As he gently pulled away I chased after his lips again, sealing our lips together, fiery, exploring his mouth. My hands started travelling down his sides, gripping the hem of his t-shirt, slowly sneaking my fingers up his skin under it. I felt him shudder underneath my touch and pulled away from our kiss, giggling at his reaction.

"Are you laughing at me, pretty girl?" he whispered, brushing his warm lips over my ear. Now I shuddered and he chuckled slightly. I turned my head, leaving little kisses along his jaw, my fingers running up his back, leaving goosebumps in the process. As I pulled him even closer into me, my breathing hitched as I felt his hard length pressing against my stomach. I slowly pulled away, only to look Charles in the eyes "That’s what you’re doing to me, Lizzie" he pulled me back in, nuzzled his nose in my hair and inhaled deeply "You’re driving me crazy…" I tugged at his t-shirt, making Charles now pushing himself off of me, cocking an eyebrow. I bit my lips, nervously pulling his shirt over his head, revealing his muscular, well proportioned upper body. My hands trailing over his hard chest, down his abs to the hem of his sweatpants, his growing bulge clearly visible. I looked up at him, his eyes full of lust and passion. He captured my lips in a mind blowing kiss, devouring each little sound I made, my body started trembling, heat waves crashing down on me. He held my waist in a strong grip, playing with the hem of my shirt and I nodded. Charles understood and slowly pulled it up, breaking away from our kiss only to let the fabric pass over my head. His eyes wandered down for a moment before they landed back on mine "God, you’re beautiful." He pulled me back into him, our naked chests colliding. Feeling his hard body pressed into mine, I moaned quietly, feeling arousal pooling in my core. He kissed me again, this time more aggressive, messy, his chest heaving. I grabbed his shoulders, to steady myself, rubbing my sweaty palms over his bare skin. I felt myself becoming more eager, hungry even and tangled my hands in his hair, pulling him even closer. I trailed one hand down his chest, over his groin, carefully rubbing his hardened length. Charles groaned into our kiss, pulling away, huffing loud "I can’t control myself if you keep doing that." he muttered under his breath as I kept on rubbing, making him groan even louder.

"Then don’t…" I answered and he looked at me for a moment.

"Are you sure? We can wait, cara mia…" he whispered but I just nodded.

"I love you, Charles… and I’m more than sure."

"I love you too, Lizzie…" he kissed my forehead and my heart swelled at this sweet and sincere gesture. I took a deep breath, pulling his sweatpants down, freeing him from his confines, eyes widening "I’ll be gentle, pretty girl."

————————————————————————

Little Note:

Chapter 17 and we’re racing in Monaco, baby! Giving Charles that win was more than amazing, let’s manifest it, so that we can watch our favourite Monegasque lift that trophy up IRL!

Please leave a comment/ like/ reblog/ message and tell me how you liked it! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

If you want to be added to the taglist, drop a comment!

Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@silkenthusiasts @eugene-emt-roe @sunny44 @itsjustkhaos @glitterquadricorn @aundercover @kakorrhaphiphobia @alittlebitofbooksandmagic @ru-kru @glitterf1 @janeholt3 @maeve-wileyy @18754389 @

All the images I’m using are from Google, Pinterest and Instagram (or self made).

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lobster-tales · 1 month ago

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Lux's Adventures in Underland

Rating: Mature Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 This work is available here on AO3

Epilogue

Ekko had missed the passage of time. Or maybe it wasn't time itself that he missed, since clearly the real world had moved on during their imprisonment. But he had missed the measurement of time: the shadows growing taller as the sun descended towards nightfall, the sound of horns signaling the beginning and end of the workday, the ever growing length of his facial hair.

He flipped open his pocket-watch over and over, watched the ticking hands as they traveled between hours and not days. The tangibility of time, that's what he had missed so much.

Though, he didn't remember time always going so fast. He struggled with rediscovering his daily rhythm, staying up long after the bedtime hour, which in turn caused him to sleep in late. It seemed that everything came earlier than he remembered.

He was late. That was part of the adjustment, always being late to things, but he had improved. In fact, he was only five minutes late today, by the time he arrived at the park bench where he always met this man.

The man in question was broad-shouldered, physically alike to Ekko's friend Jayce, in fact, with his muscled arms and clean haircut. He was paler in complexion, though, and blond. Not white-blond like Ekko's locs: more of a dirty blond.

When Ekko approached, the man stood, too quickly, and only offered a few lines of small talk before asking, "Well?"

Ekko removed a letter from his jacket. "Egypt," he said and handed the letter over.

"Egypt?" The man looked like he might faint. "Why on earth would she go there?"

Ekko shrugged. "It's all in the letter, I'm guessing."

The man frowned at the sealed paper. "Still with that girl?"

Ekko nodded sympathetically. "And having the time of her life."

"I'm sure," he muttered, then sighed. "I just don't understand. Why would she throw it all away? Our name, our wealth, all of it just for some delusional adventure?"

"Maybe she's not the delusional one." Ekko checked his watch and cursed under his breath. "Late again. Well, it's been fun as always, Garen."

Garen grunted in response. "Let me know if you hear anything else from her."

"Oh, I will," he lied.

Ekko just barely managed to catch the train. The wheels thundering beneath always gave him a sick feeling, so he found a spot at the back. A discarded newspaper lay in the seat, and he scanned the headline, Hextech: the Future of Industry! Beneath it was a very flattering, but inaccurate drawing of Jayce and Viktor. The artist had drawn Jayce's jaw too strong, his demeanor too relaxed and confident. They missed the awkwardness of his smile, the giddy curiosity in his eyes. Viktor's likeness was the opposite: his features had been softened, his hair neatly combed. The artist had not captured his knowing smirk, the quirk of his eyebrow, and certainly not the tangled mess of his hair.

Ekko pulled a pencil from his pocket and doodled two rabbit ears over Jayce's head, then etched a set of whiskers on Viktor's face. As he finished drawing the last tufts of Viktor's cat ears, the train squealed to a halt, and he abandoned the altered newspaper on his seat.

Vi and Caitlyn met him halfway to the university. Vi threw an arm around his shoulders and grinned. "Late again."

"Please, they never start on time," Ekko said, checking his pocket-watch out of habit anyway.

Caitlyn added wryly, "And they never seem to end."

Despite their newfound fame, both Jayce and Viktor held weekly lectures at the university to showcase the work of their sponsored students, one of which was Ekko. He never worried about running late to the presentations, though, as both his mentors sympathized with his tardiness and usually scheduled him last. Well, second-to-last: the final spot was reserved for their most talented pupil, who shared Ekko's lack of punctuality.

As the three approached the lecture hall, Ekko lingered at the door. He had a few more minutes to spare. "You two go ahead. I'll catch up."

Ekko spent the short time wandering the campus, watching students rush by to their classes. The biting wind rustled his coat, and he dreamed of white feathers and gliding above the treetops. It was strange being bound to the earth again, after having belonged to the sky for so long.

He stopped on a bridge, leaning over the rail. A creek babbled below, its song swallowed by nearby laughter. He followed the noise to two young women sharing a blanket on the creekbank.

One of the women held the other's hat high above her head, playfully out of reach. Without the hat to keep her blue hair in place, the other woman's braids fluttered in the winter breeze, freckles wrinkled in mock disdain as she grappled for the head-wear.

Unlike her blue-haired victim, the hat thief was blonde, nearly the same shade of blonde as Garen Crownguard. In fact, Ekko might have thought they were family, though Garen never wore a smile as large and beaming as the young woman's, nor did his shoulders ever relax as much as hers.

No, the girl couldn't be Luxanna Crownguard. After all, Luxanna Crownguard didn't have two identical scars on either side of her neck.

#lightcannon #jinx #arcane #lux crownguard #alice in wonderland #arcane fic #my fic

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sfb123 · 2 years ago

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Hands Down - Prologue

Pairing: Liam x Riley

All characters belong to Pixelberry

Summary: Can Liam and Riley still find their way to each other despite Riley turning down Maxwell's invitation to Cordonia?

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,945

Song Inspiration: Hands Down - Dashboard Confessional

A/N: I am participating in @kingliamappreciationweek Day 5 (Friendships/Relationships/AU, all of which apply to this prologue), as well as @choicesflashfics Week 29, "That's all we/they are now. A memory. A faded picture. A failed potential." It will appear in bold below.

A/N 2: It's been a minute since I've posted anything, let alone started a new series. I've had bits and pieces of this story forever, but could never figure out how to put it all together. Then my aunt died (IYKYK), and I've been working on this ever since.

A/N 3: Thank you to those of you that I have been bombarding with ideas, snippets, and complaints. They're still going to be coming, probably now more than ever. But I appreciate you listening and humoring me. Especially @txemrn for looking over this prologue and making sure it was okay.

Tagging my usuals, if you'd like to be added or removed just let me know!

Liam was in a daze as he returned to his hotel suite, still thinking about her. They had only spent a couple of hours together, but it was all Liam needed to know that he was destined for so much more with Riley Brooks.

He fell back onto the couch and pulled out his phone, texting Maxwell to see if he was still up, and if he would join Liam in his room. He was, and he would.

While he had his phone in his hand, he opened his camera roll and looked fondly at the picture that they had taken together. Liam told her that it was because he wanted to remember his trip to the Statue of Liberty, but more than that, it was because he wanted to remember her. Not that she wasn’t permanently imprinted on his mind the second they locked eyes, but he wanted to have a photo of her, to have tangible proof that she wasn’t a dream.

A knock at the door pulled Liam’s attention away from his screen. He stood, returning his phone to his pocket as he answered to find Maxwell grinning on the other side.

“Well well well. Have fun, your highness?” His friends crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe.

Liam chuckled, he couldn’t help it. “More than you know. Please, come in.” He moved aside and motioned toward the sitting area.

“Soooooo… tell me everything. You seemed pretty smitten, I’ve never seen you like that before!”

“Maxwell, I’ve never felt like that before. She’s incredible. I’ve never felt more carefree, more happy.” Liam sighed at the memories of his evening. “That’s why I need your help.”

Maxwell’s head tilted in confusion. “Me? What can I do?”

“Ramsford doesn’t have a sponsor for the social season, correct?” Maxwell nodded slowly, still not sure where this was going. “I want you to sponsor Riley, to bring her to Cordonia.”

“Liam… are you sure? I mean we’re not prepared for that. We weren’t expecting to sponsor anyone.” Maxwell hesitated. He wanted his friend to be happy, but he also knew his family’s financial state, and he wasn’t sure they would be able to support a sponsee.

“Maxwell, I know your house has been having some… difficulties financially since your father took ill. I would be more than happy to pay for anything she needs. Discreetly, of course.”

Maxwell studied Liam’s expression, he had never seen his friend like this before. The textbook definition of stoicism, the young prince was never one to show his emotions so openly. But now? He could see the desperation, the need clear as day on his friends face.

“You really have it bad for her, don’t you?”

“More than I ever thought possible.” Liam answered.

“I’ll find her tomorrow morning before I head back.” He patted his friend on the shoulder.

***

Liam stood in the receiving line greeting the suitors one by one. It was the first night of his social season, but all he could think about was her. She was all he had been able to think about since the night before.

I hope she had a safe trip.

She’s going to look so beautiful.

I wonder if she’s been thinking of me the way I’ve been thinking of her.

I need to move through this line faster. She’s in it somewhere, I need to see her again.

Before long, the final suitor dipped into a courtesy and made her way back to the party. Liam looked around the room. Perhaps she had just gotten caught up in something and didn’t make it to the receiving line in time.

“Liam? Is everything alright?”

He turned around, to respond. “Yes father, I was just taking everything in.”

Constantine chuckled. “Well, enjoy it son. This is all for you. It’s the beginning of a whole new chapter.”

Liam nodded, looking past his father to the bar where Maxwell was ordering a drink. “Father, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.” He didn’t wait for a response before stepping away.

“Maxwell.” Liam greeted his friend as he stood next to him at the bar.

“Oh, Liam. Hey!” Maxwell shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “Happy social season!” He held up his drink, smiling awkwardly.

“Where is she?” Liam asked, anxious to see her again.

“Riley?” Maxwell asked, trying to buy as much time as he could. Dreading having to deliver the news. “She… well, she’s not here.”

“Why not? It’s the first event of the season, is she running late?” Liam began rambling, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. “Was there an issue getting her a gown? I could…”

“Liam,” Maxwell interrupted. “She’s not here as in, she’s not in Cordonia. She didn’t come.”

“What… why?”

That Morning

“Riley!” Maxwell jogged up to the familiar figure as she unlocked the door of the bar.

She turned to face him as the door opened. “Oh hey, Maxwell, right? Did you forget something last night?”

“No, I actually had a proposition for you.” Riley furrowed her brows. “Do you have a minute to talk?”

“Sure, come in. We don’t open for another hour, so I can spare a few.” She walked into the building, and he followed behind.

As she approached the bar, she pulled down one of the stools and signaled for him to sit. He took a seat and she stepped behind the bar, grabbing an apron and tying it around her waist.

“So, you and Liam seemed to hit it off last night.” Maxwell said, wanting to gauge Riley’s take on the evening. He wanted to make sure Liam didn’t misinterpret, or misunderstand her side of the outing.

A slow smile spread across Riley’s face, the same one Liam had on his the night before. That’s when he knew the feeling was very mutual.

“We did. I’ve never met anyone like him before. Hell, I didn’t think guys like him existed in real life. I hope whoever wins that social season realizes how lucky they are.” She said wistfully.

Maxwell grinned, this was going better than he had hoped. “What if you were the one to win it?”

“Ha-ha, yeah right.” She replied, shaking her head and turning to empty the dishwasher.

“No, I’m serious.” He assured her. “Each noble house sponsors a suitor. Since we don’t have any sisters we can pick whoever we want. And I pick you!”

Riley froze and turned back around looking at Maxwell with a shocked expression. “You,” she pointed at him. “Want me,” she turned her finger to point at herself. “To come with you to a county I only just found out about like twelve hours ago, to join some fancy royal version of The Bachelor to try to marry a prince?”

“I wasn’t going to word it quite like that, but more or less.” He shrugged.

“But… why me?”

“Riley, Liam couldn’t stop talking about you. He was so happy last night. Happier than I’ve ever seen him, and we’ve known each other forever. His life is full of meetings, and stuffy dinners, and boring things he does because it’s his duty. He gets to break away and have fun sometimes, but those times are getting less and less now that he’s ramping up to become King. He’s such a good person, he puts everyone else ahead of himself. He deserves to be the kind of happy you make him all the time.”

Riley was silent, examining Maxwell’s expression. He seemed to be sincere. “Maxwell, that’s really sweet of you. Liam’s lucky to have a friend like you looking out for him.” She started. “But be realistic, even if I came with you, I’d have to quit both of my jobs and put school on hold. Basically quit my life to travel halfway across the world for the chance to be with Liam. It wouldn’t even be a guarantee.”

“He asked me to sponsor you!” Maxwell blurted out.

Riley’s breath caught in her throat, she hadn’t been expecting that. “But why? He doesn’t even know me.”

“He knows enough to believe that there could be something between you two.”

She blinked back the tears that had started to rise. She felt it too, but it was a major risk. Riley Brooks didn’t take risks. “Yeah, but even if I did come with you, that doesn’t mean anything. He told me about the social season, it’s not like he’s going to be able to just send the other girls home the second he sees me. Everyone gets a say, and I'm a nobody from America. I know nothing about your country. I don’t know about your customs. Hell, I don’t even like fancy foods, I’d probably make a fool of myself and be laughed out of the country at the first dinner.”

“But Riley…”

“Maxwell,” She reached across the bar, placing her hand over his. “You’re such a good friend to come here for him. But my answer is no. Maybe if we were in a different time, or a different place, but we’re here. These are the cards we were dealt, our lives are just too different for it to work.” She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “I need to get things set up to open. Have a safe trip back.” She turned and walked to the back, leaving Maxwell alone.

“I’m so sorry Liam. I tried, I really did.” Maxwell said sympathetically. He could see the pain in his friend’s eyes, despite his attempts to remain composed. “I don’t know if it helps or hurts, but she had the same dreamy look on her face when she talked about you that you had when you talked about her. Everything you felt last night, she felt it too.”

Liam cleared his throat, “Thank you Maxwell. It was a longshot, but I’m very grateful to you for trying. If you’ll excuse me.” He nodded solemnly to his friend before walking away, moving to the double doors that lead to the balcony.

He stepped outside and breathed a sigh of relief that he was alone. He approached the balustrade, leaning his forearms against it as he gazed out to the garden maze. He thought about Riley, what she was doing right now, if she missed him as much as he missed her.

Perhaps he had just gotten caught up in the magic of the evening, he had overromanticized their connection. He took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up their picture. He examined their faces, they both looked so happy. He placed his thumb and index finger on the screen, dragging them apart to zoom in on her face. He was trained to read people, and everything about her, both in that moment, and in the photo, told him that she had been feeling exactly what he had been. Even Maxwell had noticed it the next day when he went to talk to her.

It just hadn’t been enough.

“That's all we are now. A memory. A faded picture. A failed potential.” He lamented as he continued to stare down at the picture, remembering their night together.

“Liam.” His father’s short tone startled him so much that he nearly dropped his phone off of the balcony.

“Father,” he turned, discreetly returning his device to his pocket.

“What are you doing out here by yourself? You should be in there spending time with your suitors. The season is going to go by quickly, you need to take every opportunity to get to know your potential brides.”

“Yes father.” Liam closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get Riley out of his mind.

**********

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thesupreme316 · 2 years ago

Text

Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side? EP. 6

Summary: After meeting with Triple H, Y/N starts to evaluate her career and where to go next. So what happens when she meets with one of WWE's biggest competitors?

Word Count: 2.1K

Warnings: None I think, isn't proofread tbh

Notes: I FINALLY GOT INSPO AND TIME SO HERE IT IS

Links to other parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

August 31st

“Ms. Y/L/N, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

You smiled as you sat down at the table, across from the other person. “Likewise. I’m happy to have this opportunity.”

“I know you and I am just happy to be in a room with such a legend in the making.”

“Mr. Kahn, I’m sure you are surrounded by legends in the making every day.”

“Well, yes to a certain extent; but none of them have the charisma and charm that you possess. And please call me Tony.”

Could you complain about life right now?

HELL NO

You had a lot to be grateful for like this meeting with Tony Kahn.

Everything was going great after the meeting with Paul. You started to feel like your old self again; you made your first public appearance at a fashion show, you started becoming an ambassador for multiple brand deals, you went viral for sitting next to Rihanna and then became the head ambassador for Fenty, and you were a single pringle.

But most importantly, you began to wrestle and train more. Almost every day, you got in the ring and you saw vast improvements even from the last time you stepped in the ring (which was two months ago). And because you were re-entering the public’s eye, your career and where you would end up as people noticed your contract was almost up at WWE (and the fact they haven’t seen you since July). Many companies have been offering you different amounts for you to sign to them.

Now you were here….at AEW…WWE’s biggest competitor since WCW….just “looking around.”

“Well, Tony, I really do appreciate this hospitality. It just softens the blow when it comes down to business.” You joked, making him chuckle.

“Of course. Well, I would say that we are just like everything you’re used to, but we both know that’s a lie.”

“How would you say that you’re different?”

“A big example is creative freedom; we barely use scripts, it’s just a basis and talent says what they want. Gimmicks, ring style, and creative ideas are mostly from the locker room and then are tweaked to make sure it’s okay with our sponsors. I also would say we have a great checks-and-balances system here as well.” You nodded your head as that was your main concern as you didn’t wanna throw out the things that brought you to your status now.

Since hearing that, your heart rate has decreased. You wanted to be yourself and not have to worry about lessening yourself to make others look good. “But I’m curious, since you’re a hot topic and agent, how much have you been getting offered?”

You discussed the amounts that you have been offered from Impact, AAA, NJPW, and Shimmer. Then, you told him about the arrangement that WWE (specifically Hunter) presented to you. Tony’s eyes went wide as he spoke up again, “That is really a good deal. I think William Regal received the same offer. It seems that they only offer that to those they must really like.” You giggled as he continued, “If you want, we can extend the talk to next week so I can give you a proper figure estimate. Until then, we can roam around backstage and meet the talent.”

“That would be great!”

For the next hour, Tony dragged you around backstage, introducing you to many talents that you haven’t had the pleasure of stepping in the ring with yet. You saw some old faces of people you’ve met and were friends with. Some were happy to see you, others not so much. Either way, you caused a wave backstage, you could even feel the tension to a certain extent. Eventually, Tony allowed you to roam by yourself as he attended to some business, which is how you started hanging out with Daniel (who was surprised) yet again.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that you were coming here,” Daniel said playfully hitting your shoulder.

“Surprise? I didn’t want you to spoil anything, cause you know, you have a big mouth.” You said making him do a fake offended face. It was nice joking with him, it kind of helped relieve you of the stress and tension that you were feeling.

“How dare you?” He said laughing, he gave you a hug. You breathed in his cologne as he breathed in your perfume, both being delighted in the scents. You felt great being in familiar arms, especially of a man who you keep close to your heart. The same could be said for Daniel, he was legitimately grateful and glad to see you, as he normally is. “But I am happy you’re here. Now we can-“

“Y/N!” A voice from behind you cut him off. You broke away from the hug and turned around to see a fluffy-haired Hook with a wide smile walking up. Squealing you ran up to him and hugged him, excited to see him. “I heard that you were around, had to see it to believe it.” He said pulling away from you, allowing his hand to fall at your waist.

“Yeah, I’ve been sitting here catching up with Danny.” You smiled while motioning towards him. Daniel’s face became stoned real quick when Hook entered his view. His eyes traveled and landed on the spot where Hook’s hand was sitting on your waist. It bothered him. It bothered him that you are allowing him to touch you, let alone allowed your attention to go towards him. Daniel smacked his teeth in annoyance as Hook smirked.

“Garcia,” Hook greeted.

“Hook.” He responded.

Hook was loving this; he loved how jealous Daniel was getting and knowing he can’t do a damn thing about it as long as you were here. He loved that he was touching you like this and not him, no matter if it was a small gesture. “How are you, man?”

Daniel shrugged, not allowing his face to fall. “Good. How are you feeling?”

“Comfortable.”

“A little too comfortable,” Daniel said under his breath as Hook’s smirk widened. If anything, Hook tightened his grip around you before moving his hand further down to your hip. Daniel didn’t like that either, and he didn't like how you weren't doing anything about it, as if you were oblivious to everything. He cleared his throat, "So, how do you feel about your big match coming up?"

Hook shrugged and briefly flicked his eyes to you, "Nothing I can't handle."

"To be honest, I think it might be too much for you."

Your eyes widened, you didn't know what was going on but you didn't like the direction it was heading in. Hook squinted at Daniel, making his hand drop from your body completely. "What do you mean?"

"I just think you're biting off more than you can chew. Considering that you are just a rookie after all. Some prizes are just too big for you to win," Garcia said smirking as Hook was now stone-faced.

"Well then Garcia, what about your match?"

"Fine, I'm confident that I'm gonna win and everything that comes with it."

Hook chuckled, "Okay, but what if it's past your time? That you don't even have a chance anymore? Or that the opportunity for you has passed you by." He stepped closer to Daniel, who also stepped forward to the point that they were almost nose-to-nose.

"I still got my shot. I haven't failed-"

"Yet. That is until someone else better comes into play."

The tension in the air was becoming so thick that you couldn't even cut it….without a chainsaw. You couldn't even grab either of their attention as they were silently challenging each other. As the staring contest started between the two men, a stagehand came up to Daniel to let him know his segment was starting. Daniel, without any words, gave you a hug and left to go to the stage.

"What was that about?" You asked as Hook looked at Daniel's figure walking away.

"Don't worry your pretty head about it." Hook said, "Everything's gonna be okay."

September 7th

Today was a great Wednesday…a lot more fun and stress-free in comparison to last Wednesday. That's also probably because you were at a party. Not just any party, but Daniel's celebratory party for winning the ROH Pure Championship. It's been a long day for you as you were stuck in meetings all day, watched Dynamite backstage (which caused an uproar online), explored the locker room, and built and re-established bonds. You were tired, but you put that aside for Daniel because he deserves it; the title, the happiness, and everything else that came with it as he said.

But you still needed to try to get all your ducks in a row for the next major stage in your life. So you were, in the bathroom, on the phone with Mercedes and Trinity, catching them up on everything for the first time in a while.

"Well, this has been a very eventful month for you so far." Mercedes said, "But, hey, you deserve it. You're getting back on your feet and back out in society."

"You say that as if I've been isolated from society." You pouted.

"You basically have been, girl!" Trinity exclaimed, making you roll your eyes. "Now, go enjoy yourself at the party. You're supposed to be having a good time and here you are talking about work and stress. There will be a time for all that later."

Mercedes agreed, "Girl, go! I'm sure that Garcia would like to see you, especially with how you look right now." You were dressed in the best dress you could find with heels that hurt your feet so much.

You all exchanged goodbyes before hanging up. After fixing your makeup, you exited the bathroom to find your best friend on the floor like there was no tomorrow. His eyes lit up even more as he made eye contact with you. Daniel made his way to you, title around his waist and all. "Y/N! I'm so happy to see you! I thought I would have to cancel if I didn't see you!" Daniel said, having his words run together

"First Danny, congrats champ! Second, are you drunk?"

"Nope! Just buzzed, I think." He slurred and laughed, making you laugh. Daniel was so cute when before leaning down. "Do you wanna dance? It's boring without you on the floor."

Laughing, you took Daniel's hand as he lead you to the dance floor. The two of you danced to many songs, twirling and spinning around to the point Daniel gave Isiah his title belt to put away in VIP. You were having a great time, singing at the top of your lungs with him like old times, taking shots, taking various pictures and videos throughout the hour, and not once did you feel stiff or feel any tension. Soon the songs started to slow down, making the dance floor scarce. Daniel and you were still dancing as if no one was watching, but in the meanwhile, gradually getting closer to each other.

You wrapped your arms around his neck as his arms were wrapped around your waist, moving along to the beat. You were trying to look anywhere except for Daniel's eyes, which were glued on you. Soon, his hand lifted to your face, gently lifting your face up to him. As soon as you made eye contact, you could have sworn either Cupid shot you (and or Daniel) in the ass or you were drinking too much cause the way he was looking at you made you feel like you shrunk two sizes. Blushing, you were drawn into his beautiful brown eyes. You saw the same glint in his eyes that you saw when you first reunited. Despite the club having different colored lights everywhere, you could make out the emotions more clearly than ever before; admiration and lust.

As you looked into his eyes, you could feel those same feelings coming to the surface, or maybe it was the liquor coming to your mind. Apparently, that was clear to Daniel as well. "You are so damn gorgeous," Daniel whispered while looking back and forth between your eyes and lips.

"Danny, you're drunk." You said, trying to excuse his words and make the moment less

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I don't know a beautiful woman when I see one. One especially that makes me feel…I don't know how to describe it but just know that I love how you make me feel nonetheless." Daniel finished as he pressed a kiss to your forehead.

"And hopefully soon, you'll feel it too." He muttered in your hair.

Taglist: @triscillal @wwenhlimagines @hooks-martin @hookerforhook @sheinthatfandom @zatarias-pandora @jess95laugh

#aew #all elite wrestling #aew imagine #all elite wrestling imagines #aew hook #aew hook imagine #hook x reader #hook imagine #daniel garcia #daniel garcia x reader #daniel garcia imagine #daniel garcia fic

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