#Big Sound 2018
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ahappyphjl · 1 year ago
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wanna pass? // gamingmas 2018
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aleeyenn · 2 years ago
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Can you talk about more your headcannon about Tree and his relationship with Leafy
sure!!! i’ll try to keep it short (also shout out to my friend max for a bunch of these ideas he’s the one who made me like this headcanon and gave me all the juice max if you’re reading HAAAY!)
i like to think of tree as an older sibling to leafy but he’s super protective of her they’re close and love each other a bunch but they have disagreements especially revolving around firey because tree thinks firey is a bad person/influence on leafy because of what happened between them even after their problem was solved leafy of course still goes out with firey even tho tree disapproves and he is always sour about it but deep down he’s only like that because he’s worried firey is gonna take leafy away from him But of course! the problem will be solved eventually and they’ll talk it out and it’ll all be happy and nice i can never leave a story with a bad ending TEEHEE but yeah…
here is some old stuff i did with tjem!
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comradecowplant · 2 months ago
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I was on board for the season 1 nostalgia circle jerk (ily Seven ❤❤❤), I could even overlook the Interesting "put him in a scifimagic flesh & blood android body that will have zero further consequences to either Picard's personal journey or the greater scientific reality of such an invention" choice, but season 2 skywalker family legacy "Picard's ancestor is so important that she needs a secret time agency body guard thatfornoreasonlooksliketheladyhehasawilltheywonttheywith" baloney is not doing it for me. The entire season so far coulda been a TNG Q/time travel shenanigans 2-parter. Best part is the toxic yuri between Borg Queen and doc "we've got bad Marvel one-liners at home" jurati, otherwise I'm sadly getting pretty bored with Picard.
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yume-fanfare · 1 year ago
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youtube
you guys should check this out. btw.
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weirdlizard26 · 1 year ago
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so bizarre to me that my love language is apparently recording music for people. how did this even happen
#wl26#<- little weirdo#SORRY I LIKE MUSIC AND THE ACT OF SHARING IT!!!!!!!!!!#i feel rly guilty abt it sometimes bc it feels so selfish. like hi i made art and im showing it to you so you can look at or listen to it#and you might not like it but i made it for you specifically because its related to something you enjoy#but its not actually the thing you enjoy. its just something that i made about it because i also enjoy it#and im scared the ways we enjoy it are completely different which means youre gonna hate the thing i made#but i will show it to you anyways because i love you and its the only way i know to say it#n a couple of time ive wanted to write a song for someone and gotten so excited about it and then had the horrible realization that#this is so. so oddly specific to me and this is just something i do out of love for friends#and it really isnt any bigger of a deal than any other handmade gift#and i think it can easily qualify as a handmade gift even though it doesnt involve making anything with hands#except for sounds i suppose#but yeah its just something i do. but. outside of my tiny little world. writing a song for someone might seem like such a huge gesture#and i dont want to make anyone uncomfortable or have the wrong idea about me or think that im doing a big thing to get something in return#and idk why im so scared of that like ive never been in a situation where people misunderstood me like that#but i guess. the very concept of being misunderstood is so painful to me gdfkgjd#this wasnt supposed to turn into a big post sorry. just want a normal brain that doesnt make me feel guilty abt everything please#wouldnt that be so nice#this isnt rly abt anything btw i was just going through my music folder. listening to my stuff from 2018#5 years... god
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cephaloph0re · 5 months ago
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im really going to do it this time satosugu is so god damn orpheus and eurydice coded.
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frobby · 7 months ago
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Wrong ryoko kui should have given marcille a gun
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from my last few posts
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potofsoup · 6 months ago
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Happy July 4th, everyone, and good luck to the UK voters out there!
Wow it's Year 11 of doing these!! Here's the AO3 link to the past 10 years, and here's the tumblr link.
Reminder that this is a long game -- some of the judges making decisions were appointed back in the 80s. Many of the cases that were decided this round were from Trump's term. So it's going to take long-term, consistent voting over a decade to start tipping things in the other direction. (Which I talked about in 2018 re: Trump shenanigans and 2022 re: Dobbs).
A lot has been done by the Biden administration (I'm assuming most folks have seen this post by boreal-sea with their very helpful sources), and much of that will be overturned by Trump, especially if he gets the Senate, and especially now that he would have a blank check for anything "official". So let's make sure that doesn't happen.
And even if Trump does get elected, your decisions down-ballot might effect control of the House or Senate, or might make it easier to vote next time, plus the whole plethora of state and local issues. It's Republican state attorney generals who are challenging climate regulations, for example.
Plus, when you really get down to it, only one of the candidates plans on pardoning himself and all his friends if he wins, and attacking the government if he loses. Maybe that guy shouldn't be the President.
If you're new to voting, remember to check voter registration deadlines! I'm a permanent vote-by-mail voter and it's so nice. :)
Transcript under the readmore
Page 1: Sam and Bucky meet up with Steve for a picnic. Steve: Thought you guys were still in Sudan? Bucky: I’m forcing Sam to take a break.
Sam collapses onto the picnic blanket. Sam: Oof, it just never stops, does it? Steve: Nope.
Bucky hands Sam an orange popsicle. Bucky: Eat and relax for a bit, Sam. Sam: Thanks.
Page 2: Bucky asks Steve: How are things state-side? Steve responds: HORRIBLE. Bucky: I thought you’ve been tentatively hopeful about what Biden has been able to achieve? Steve: I was! Student loans, child care, climate regulations, infrastructure, labor, trans rights … he’s quietly done a lot through regulatory improvements and congress bills. But now all people will talk about is how he’s OLD. And then there’s the Supreme Court’s decisions … Chevron and immunity… Steve puts his head in his hands, while Sam and Bucky look on with some concern.
Page 3: Bucky hands Steve a blue/raspberry popsicle: Steve, take a deep breath, and a popsicle. Sam: Sounds like we missed a lot. What’s going on? How bad is it? Steve: Pretty bad. The Supreme Court has made some decisions that give the Court and the President A LOT of discretionary power. Sam: Yikes, that doesn’t sound good. Steve: Well, the Chevron thing means that judges with life-term appointments can override policies made by government agencies. And now it’ll be harder to hold a President accountable because he will have immunity for any “official” actions.
Page 4: Sam: So if the President tries to, say, overturn a democratic election result, he’ll be allowed to as long as it’s in his job description? Steve: I don’t think threatening state electors is “official” business, but that will be decided by federal judges. Who get their jobs by approval from both the President and the Senate. Bucky: Yeesh. No wonder you’re stressed. Any good news? Steve: Well, thanks the Biden and the razor-thin Senate majority, the newer bills don’t rely on the Chevron deference. Still not great but not catastrophic. Sam, squirting ketchup on his hot dog: So what I’m hearing is that it’s now more important than ever to have a President and a Senate who you can trust to appoint fair judges, pass bills, and not commit crimes.
Page 5: Steve: Plus all of the state level offices, now that more and more deciding power has been thrown back to the states — abortion, LGBTQ rights, voting access… Bucky: Hey, at least this is a big election year so we can actually do something! Steve, with his arms crossed, looking surly: Except that all people want to talk about is how Biden is “too old” and “not doing enough,” as if that is on par with Trump’s desire to dismantle basic rights! As if the candidate who doesn’t embody ALL their ideals is not worth voting for! Bucky interrupts with a smart and a loud “PFFT.”
Page 6: Bucky: Um, Steve. YOU were like that in 1940. Sam, nudging Bucky: “Oh, this I gotta hear. Spill, Barnes.” In sepia, Steve is pacing around their apartment while Bucky is sitting and reading a newspaper. Steve: I can’t believe he’s running for a 3rd term! we need a fresh candidate to vote for! This is hardly a choice at all! AND he refuses to engage in Europe! All of Europe under fascist control and we’re just twiddling our thumbs? He’s letting millions die through his inaction! Bucky: Most people don’t want another war, Steve. If he came out for it, he would lose. Steve, indignant: But Buck, it’s your Polish relative who are in danger! Bucky, closing his newspaper and looking at Steve: Yeah, and between FDR and Willkes, I trust FDR to help if he could.
Page 7: Steve, in sepia, looking away: Should he be encouraged to do more? Maybe I should vote for Browder. The Communists have historically be Anti-Fascist.
Sam interrupts off-screen: Waitaminute! STEVE was going to PROTEST-VOTE? Steve: We were in a Blue State, Sam! Sam: But what about the down ballot races?! Steve: RELAX, I did my due diligence down-ballot. I wanted a senate that’s more progressive than the President.Voted LaGuardia for Mayor, too. Steve hesitates: Then, when I got to the President… I realized that the Best case scenario would be that my vote did nothing, versus if it actually spoiled the election. And when I asked myself who I could trust to work with my Senator… well, FDR had a good record with Labor. (sepia shot of young Steve voting) Bucky interrupts: Hold on, Steve.
Page 8: Bucky, eating a cookie, arching an eyebrow: You didn’t vote for Browder? Why didn’t you tell me? Steve: And have you say “I told you so” for the next century? Bucky: Heh.
Steve, with hand on his chin: What’s weird was that, despite everything, I still felt HORRIBLE when I ticked that box. Sam: Sounds like you built up the meaning of that vote far too much in your head. Logically, we know that a single box can’t represent all of the complexity of a whole system, but the desperately WANT it to. Just look at how people have built up so much around the term “Zionis” that it’s made productive conversations difficult.
Page 9: Sam and Steve speak in the background while Bucky reaches into the cooler and pulls out a box. Steve: Sigh. And that’s something that goes beyond the election. Sam: Which is why we need to vote, AND do other things. Bucky, looking at Steve and Sam: Like how Steve works to push organizations on the local level? Or like all the work you do as Captain America? Sam: Exactly. Vote AND.
Sam looks at Bucky fondly: Like how you vote AND make me and Steve take breaks. Bucky, looking stern because he can’t handle compliments: Shush, Sam.
Bucky holds up a cake that has the number “107” on it: It’s time for cake. Happy Birthday, Steve.
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sunrizef1 · 8 months ago
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Speak for Yourself
Pairing: Oscar Piastri x reader
Authors Note: not edited woohoo, back to your regularly scheduled programming, planning to shut up now lol
Word count: 4.6k I think
Warnings: light cursing, AUS 24, not edited, inaccurate information regarding f2 seasons for the sake of the plot
Summary: You’d been around as long as Logan had, it was no time until one of the drivers developed a crush on you. Oscar had thought it was obvious you weren’t single. Guess not.
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Growing up, Oscar had always known he was quieter than a lot of his friends. He’d just rather keep to himself than be loud in his day-to-day life. Even Logan was considered loud when around the Aussie, and considering Logan was pretty quiet himself, that was impressive.
Everyone around him knew he preferred to be private. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to share things with his friends and family, it was just that having his own life was more convenient.
One of the things he’d always been private about, was his relationships. He’d had girlfriends growing up, none of them really sticking around too long as the times changed.
But then he met you. 2018. Logan had introduced you as his best friend, Oscar decided not to be offended. You were the opposite of the Australian. You were loud and happy and Oscar was absolutely captivated by you. He’d asked Logan if he was allowed to ask you out and the American had just laughed with a nod, Oscar practically running over to you the second the race was over.
Of course, you were 17 so Oscar didn’t exactly have the emotional maturity to realize he was in love with you at the time. It only took him six months to say it out loud, though. Three years later and you two were still going strong, Oscars career only moving upwards as he raced through the 2021 F2 season.
Logan had been trying to find a way to get you a job with him the whole season. You’d just agreed, choosing to follow him around for a whole year as he moved through different series. He’d never have told Oscar but he’d needed your support more than anything. Just having to cycle through seats and races and series had drained him, you needing to practically talk him off the ledge multiple times throughout the year.
But you did get a few races with Oscar. Toward the end of the year, Logan got to race alongside his friend, meaning you got to hang out with your boyfriend. Your boyfriend, who was looking likely to win the entire championship.
“Are you nervous?” You hummed under your breath, your words echoing around the silence of the dark hotel room. You feel Oscar shift behind you, his arm tightening around your torso. The next morning, he’d be racing to win the championship, hopes and dreams laid out before him.
“I don’t think so,” he pauses, contemplating his words, “I think I was. Not anymore though, I’ve got you with me. That’s enough for me.”
You take a second to think through his words before a grin splits your face, skin heating up as the sentence sinks in, “I love you, Osc.”
The man in question shifts again, swinging his other arm around to wrap you tighter in his hold, “I love you too.”
You eventually fall asleep, letting the quiet of the room paired with the sound of the beating heart behind you, lull you to bed.
The next day, Oscar wins the championship, your loud yells sounding uncharacteristically quiet in the cacophony of screaming voices that surround you. He doesn’t sprint over to you or anything, big gestures not really his style. But he does make eye contact with you with a warming smile once he steps out of the car and that’s enough for you to know exactly how he feels in that moment.
Logan, though, is being very weird. You were sat in your boyfriend’s room, watching Logan practically wear a hole in the carpet with his constant pacing. He walked back and forth through the room with an absent mind and shaky hands. Throughout the year you’d been forced to follow him around, you somehow hadn’t seen him this nervous the whole time. Impressive considering he’d met about 100 very important people in the span of about two weeks.
“What’s your problem?” Logan’s eyes snap toward you, eyebrows shooting up as he looks at you with wide eyes.
“Nothing,” you roll your eyes at his quickly worded response, he didn’t seem to be in a too concerning state of being so you opted to leave him alone. He’d be fine eventually. He’d also looked about the same last week when the Dolphins had almost lost. He’d recovered from that too.
Your head instead turns toward where the door has just opened. You watch your boyfriend walk through, his gaze immediately catching on the weirdo pacing in the corner.
“Hi, Logan?” Oscar hums with a confused look on his face. Logans gaze locks onto the older Aussie, a stupid grin splitting the Americans face.
“Congrats, Oscar. Have a great evening,” Logan says, slapping his friend on the shoulder. The dumb grin is back on the blond man’s face, proving your earlier hypothesis that he’d heal from his paranoia relatively quickly.
Oscar, on the other hand, is surprisingly quick to take over Logan’s role as village weirdo, moving to rush Logan out of the room. Logan leaves, not before he gives Oscar a suspicious glance but Oscar just replies by shoving him out. You dismiss it as annoyance at the man for intruding, though your eyes do stay trained on the door Logan had just left though for more than a few moments.
“He’s so weird,” you mumble, a confused look on your face as you think back to your friends actions.
“Yeah, he is,” Oscar replies, rolling his eyes. There’s a second layer of agreement laced through his words, though you don’t catch the fact he might have a different reason to agree. You hum, still trying to decode why your friend had been acting like that, not even figuring the cause might be the man in front of you.
Oscar pulls your attention back toward him as he rests a hand on your face, gently tilting your head toward him, “I have dinner reservations for tonight. That place you’d talked about this morning.”
You smile, completely forgetting about Logan’s loser behavior, “Sounds great.”
Oscar grins before letting go of your face, the feeling of his grasp still lingering on your skin, “I’m gonna take a shower, then we can go back to the hotel.”
You laugh, pushing him away from you gently. Oscar stumbles dramatically, causing your laugh to get louder. You don’t notice how Oscar’s smile gets bigger in sync with your happiness.
“Go, then. You stink.”
Oscar pulls a face, offense painting his features, “Rude.”
You snort, rolling your eyes as he moves toward the bathroom, “Go, nerd!”
Oscar laughs a final time before finally stepping into the room, shutting the door behind him. You collapse onto the couch you’re sitting on, mind running with thoughts of the dinner you were about to go to and recent memories of the pure elation you were feeling after Oscar’s win. Content fills your body as you relax, faint sounds of the shower the only sound filtering through your ears.
A few hours later, you’re sat across from your boyfriend, laughing over your food while sharing anecdotes back-and-forth, laughs probably a little too loud for the really nice restaurant.
Oscar grabs the bill from the waiter, smiling politely as the man walks away momentarily. Oscar pulls his card out and slides it back in his wallet before putting it in his back pocket, moving to stand up afterward. You grin as he holds a hand out to you, helping you to your feet.
You hum warmly, tiredness spreading through you as you approached the conclusion of a pretty long day. The food had been delicious and the atmosphere was wonderful.
You had thought you’d be going straight back to the hotel, considering Oscar still had to race again tomorrow.
But as you exit, Oscar pulls you away from the car, interlocking his fingers with yours. You shoot your eyebrows up as you glance at your boyfriend, a tight smile on his lips.
“I thought we could go for a walk on the beach, maybe? It’s really pretty,” Oscar stares straight ahead as he says the words, gaze seemingly avoiding yours. But when you don’t answer for a second, he does glance over to you and you finally nod with a small smile.
“Sure, I’d love that.”
Oscar gulps, a big grin splitting his face. He looks back toward the sand a bit ahead of you, moving to slowly stroll down it with you by his side. You let out a relaxed sigh, head falling into his shoulder. Oscar had been right, this was very pretty. Lights lit up the sand around you, reflecting off the ocean waves that crashed toward you. The sun is starting to set in the distance, casting warm hues over the sky.
You do stop to pull of your heels and Oscar is quick to hold them in his hands, resuming in his passive, slow walk.
You make bare comments about how pretty your surroundings were, the sound of silence just not satisfying you. Although you do leave enough time between sentences to truly take in the calmness that comes with the ocean scenery, wave sounds in the silence and all.
You eventually come to a point some ways down the beach that has more lights than the rest. They form a little semi-circle that perfectly light up the area. Oscar pulls you to a stop in the middle of them and he turns you both to look out at the ocean. You swear you hear a sound from behind you but when you glance over, the beach is clear of anyone else so you turn back around to gaze toward the sunset.
The sun is about halfway down in the horizon and you find your gaze locked on the pink and orange that fades through the sky. You’re so focused that you don’t notice that Oscars grasp on you disappears. When you turn around to point out the colors to your boyfriend, a sharp gasp leaves your throat.
“Oh my god, Osc-!”
You cut yourself off with a hand over your mouth as you look down at your boyfriend, kneeling in the sand, a small box clutched in his hands.
You don't remember much of his speech, too busy trying to not start absolutely sobbing. But you do remember the last words that leave his mouth before the ring is slid onto your finger.
“Will you marry me?”
You nod quickly, hands shaking as Oscar stands up to put the ring onto you. You stare down at it for a few seconds as Oscars hands rest on your waist, waiting for your reaction. You look up, moving through the shock in your veins. You grasp his face in your hands and pull him down into an emotionally-charged kiss, feeling his arms wrap around you tighter.
He smiles into the kiss, head resting against yours once you finally pull away. You look into his eyes for a second before laughing and leaning away, tears dripping down your face.
“That was so wonderful, Osc,” you say through your tears, wiping your face with the back of your hand.
“I’m glad you liked it,” Oscar smiles before it drops slightly, a grimace pulling onto his face, “because Logan’s been in that bush the whole time.”
Your head whips toward the bush Oscars hand is outstretched toward, eyebrows furrowed as you search the greenery.
An incredulous laugh leaves your throat as Logan pops his head up, a sheepish glance in your direction being all he offers in response. You snort, grinning as you notice the nice-looking camera in his hands.
“Come here, idiot,” you smile, waiting for your friend to emerge from the bushes so you can share this moment with the man who’d been your closest friend for your entire life, “‘At least, now I know why you were acting like that.”
That was, of course, 2021. Now, two years later, you were still following Logan around. But now, with the Floridian entering F1, you had a contract and a paycheck that came with it. Anyone who didn’t know Logan would think you were his assistant. Which you technically were. But anyone who did know Logan, would instead refer to you as his paid-best-friend, many jokes about him paying you to hang around being thrown his way from fans and fellow drivers alike.
It was very convenient that your husband was entering F1 at the same time as the man who employs you, opening up so many more chances to spend time with Oscar.
No one really questioned Oscar’s continued presence in the Williams garage. Everyone knew that him and Logan had always been close so when he was spotted in the white and blue, no one batted an eye.
Not even his new teammate, who claimed to know the Aussie better than anyone else on the grid. Lando just assumed Oscar was really eager to see his friend every day. Lando didn’t consider that he saw Logan every weekend anyway and that maybe the speed with which he got to Williams might be a little too fast to just be for a close friend.
No one from Williams questioned it either. They all knew that Logan and Oscar had grown up as friends. So when Oscar seemed pretty close to one of Logan's closest friends, they didn't question it. It only made sense.
You didn’t hang around the rest of the grid very often during Oscar and Logan’s first season. You didn’t really know any of the other drivers so you, instead, spent all your time in Williams, Alex and Lily becoming fast friends of yours.
But in 2024, you started to come around more, choosing to venture out of the garage and talk more to the drivers you’d met over the past year. One of the garages you had started to frequent more was McLaren, your husband quite excited to have you in the Papaya as opposed to your usual blue.
You went to the garage purely for Oscar. But he wasn’t always the only driver hanging around. The papaya garages were often frequented by drivers from other teams. Specifically, the Ferrari drivers loved to make their presence in the garages known.
It was the Australian GP, Oscar’s home race and only the third race of the season. You’d only came over to McLaren a few times over the past three races, but you were currently occupied with Logan after his car had been taken away so you were nowhere to be seen.
Oscar was sat with his teammate in hospitality, talking about pretty much anything as they waited out the few hours they had before they had to do anything.
“Lando!” The voice of a loud Spanish man has Oscar’s face splitting into a grimace. He turns his head to see none other than Carlos Sainz making his way toward the pair in papaya, Charles Leclerc in tow behind him.
Lando grins beside him, eyes lighting up as he looks toward his friend. Lando glances down toward his teammate to assess the look on the Aussies face before he stands up and clasps Carlos on the shoulder, “Hey, Carlos!”
Oscar looks away from the two of them, gaze landing on Charles who stands awkwardly to the side. Oscar catches his eye before gesturing for him to sit down in one of the free chairs around the table the McLaren boys had been occupying . Charles smiles gratefully, happy to break the strange stance he’d been stuck in previously.
After successfully bro-ing it out, Lando and Carlos eventually sit down at the table, chairs sliding against the grown loudly as they shift around.
“How are you both feeling about the race?” Carlos asks, eyes shifting between Lando and Oscar, though his gaze does stop on the Brit.
Oscar, though, pipes up to answer the Spaniards question before Lando can, “We feel pretty good. It’s a home race so that’s always great.”
Carlos hums absently, eyes seemingly searching for something behind Oscar. Oscar glances behind him quickly to see if there’s anything worth mentioning but is met with nothing but Papaya shirts. He turns back around. Weird.
Lando seems to notice Carlos’ weird behavior as well, his eyebrows furrowing as he glances around as well before looking back to the Spaniard, “You looking for something, Carlos?”
Carlos’ eyes snap back to the curly-haired man, heat rising to his cheeks as he realizes he’s been caught, “No, nothing.”
Charles snorts from beside his teammate, sticking a hand over his mouth in an attempt to stifle the laugh threatening to leave his throat. Carlos glares at the Monegasque lightly, only making Charles laugh harder before Carlos leans forward to explain.
“Where is that Williams girl?” Carlos asks with a small smile and a confused look passes over Oscar’s face. Who the hell is he talking about?
Charles seems to catch the matching confusion on the McLarens face, rolling his eyes at Carlos’ blunt delivery before starting to explain himself, “Carlos in love with that girl Logan hangs around with. The one that’s always in McLaren for some reason.”
Carlos nods in agreement, leaning back in his chair with satisfaction. Oscar feels his stomach drop.
“I’m not in love with her, I just think she’s really pretty.”
Charles laughs, eyes going wide in response, “Carlos you look for her every time we’re in this garage. You’ve been asking to come over here just so you can see her.”
Lando gasps dramatically, a big grin painting his face, “And here I was, thinking you’d been coming around so you could see me!”
The other three drivers at the table laugh but Oscar stays quiet, teeth digging hard into his bottom lip. An unreasonable annoyance filled him at Carlos’ words, eyes rolling as he watches the Spaniard go on about his love for you, Oscar’s wife.
“Why’ve you never gone to Williams to look for her?” Lando interjects after a few more seconds of mindless rambling from Carlos about you. Carlos glances sideways at Charles, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
“Never wanted to bother Logan, I guess. We’re not really friends,” Carlos shrugs.
Lando tilts his head, shaking it slightly, “I’m sure Logan wouldn’t mind.”
Oscar has to stop himself from scoffing at Landos words. If only he knew how much Logan would mind.
“Yeah, I’ll go over there in a minute. Maybe I’ll actually shoot my shot this time.”
Oscar stands up suddenly, chair screeching against the floor as it pushes backward.
“Where you going, mate?” Lando goes to ask but Oscar’s already practically ran away, feet carrying him quickly toward the Williams garage.
The three drivers he’s left behind look between each other with confused faces, all having no idea what made the Aussie leave so quickly.
Oscar, though, makes it to Williams in record time. Running between employees and the like, weaving his way to Logan’s room. He slams the door open, ignoring the strange glances from Williams employees around him.
He pauses as he sees the sight in front of him, Logans head resting heavily in your lap as you run a hand through the blonds hair. The dejected look on Logans face is enough to make Oscar grimace and move quieter as he enters the room. You glance up with the concerned expression still painting your features. Logan doesn't look up, eyes closed tightly and pure distaste clearly present.
“Hey Osc,” you practically sigh, eyes shifting back down to Logan for a moment. Only after hearing your words does Logan open his eyes, looking over toward the Aussie.
“Hey guys,” Oscar says carefully, his previous reason for rushing into Williams now momentarily forgotten.
Logan mumbles under his breath and closes his eyes again, nodding at Oscar before he does. You pat his head softly and he rolls over, moving his head away from you so you can stand up and talk to Oscar.
“Whats up?” you try to smile through your obvious grimace and Oscar smiles painfully in response.
He nods his head toward Logan who's now lying face-down on the couch, “Is he okay?”
“No, not a great weekend with the whole chassis thing,” You reply, trying to keep your voice low enough so Logan doesn't hear.
Apparently you weren't quiet enough as you hear a muffled shout echo through the small room.
“Im fine!” You can barely hear through the couch cushion but he’s just audible enough.
You shake your head at Oscar, sighing deeply, “Did you need something?”
Oscar nods slightly, grasping your hand in his and pulling you out of the room and away from Logan. Not that Oscar didn’t want to support his friend but he honestly didn’t know what to say. And he was obviously okay with you leaving or he wouldn’t have rolled away from you.
“Do you wanna come back to McLaren hospitality?” Oscar asks, dragging his finger over the wedding ring sat proudly on your ring finger. You notice his attention on the ring and tilt your head slightly.
“For any specific reason?”
Oscar shakes his head innocently, trying to take any look of suspicion off his face. Though it seems you know him too well as you raise an eyebrow and tilt your head, not believing his story.
Oscar rolls his eyes, admitting defeat, “Fine. Carlos was talking about how in love with you he is and I was getting annoyed about it.”
You laugh slightly, not expecting Oscar to claim that the Spaniard was in love with you. But when you see the blush on your husband’s face, you grin softly and pull him into a hug, grasping his face in your hands, “It’s okay, Osc. I only have eyes for you, darling.”
Oscar blushes harder, letting out a small laugh as you pepper his face with kisses and he reaches up a hand to bat your face away from his.
“Come on, let’s go show Carlos what he can’t have,” You laugh, marching forward with Oscar’s hand wrapped tightly in yours. Oscar laughs, following along behind you. But he’s secretly grateful you were willing to shut Carlos’ pining down, not sure if he could take Carlos, of all people, talking about his crush on you for any longer, “Even if he’s not there I’ll still get Logan something to eat.”
You reach the McLaren hospitality quickly enough, garnering some strange looks from people around you as they see your clasped hands. But you pay them no mind, more focused on getting to the food. Oscar drags along behind you, watching as you grab two plates of food, careful not to spill as you balance the plate for both yourself and Logan. Oscar untangles your fingers from his so he can grab one of the plates out of your hand, leading you toward a table so you can eat the food you’ve grabbed for yourself.
Oscar sits across from you as you start to pick at the food lazily, stabbing a lone grape with your fork before bringing it to your mouth. You seemed to have stopped caring about the potential Carlos sighting but Oscar was on high-alert, eyes trailing over the room.
His eyes catch on a scrap of red fabric over your shoulder and he moves his chair slightly closer to you, praying the Spaniard doesn’t catch sight of you. Oscar moves his knee to knock against yours and you smile warmly through the bite of watermelon you’d just taken.
You sit peacefully for a few minutes, eating quietly as Oscar seemingly keeps watch. You don’t ask him why he couldn’t just tell Carlos you were married himself but you don’t question his motives. Men were confusing.
Both of you are surprised when a figure walks up to stand above you. You glance up and see a grumpy-looking blonde man with tousled hair and a disgruntled face looking down at the two of you, exhaustion clear in his eyes.
“Hey, lo. Gotchu food,” You say, sliding the plate toward the American. He hums, glancing around the room. Oscar watches as he sees Carlos and then looks back, glancing between the Aussie and the enemy he had decide to make today.
“Brb,” Logan mumbles with crossed arms, slinking off to a destination you can’t see. But Oscar can, and he watches as his friend slides up to a certain Ferrari driver, his usual shy attitude abandoned due to his already-shit race weekend.
Oscar takes the opportunity to fully move his chair next to yours, grasping your open hand in his, passively fiddling with your wedding ring. You roll your eyes but relax your hand in his, allowing him the chance to be as possessive as he wants.
“Hey, man,” Carlos says as Logan reaches him. Really good timing actually, he’d been wanting to talk to him about you.
Logan blinks through his tiredness, frowning at the older man, “Hey, Carlos.”
Carlos grins, deciding to stick through the poor attitude from the blonde man in front of him, having no idea just how poor this was about to go for him, “I was actually going to ask you about that friend of yours. The pretty American one you’re always with.”
Logan blinks again, glancing back toward the papaya polo sat next to you before he looks back, “Y/N?”
Carlos shrugs, smile unfaltering, “I guess so, any way you could get me her number?”
Logan chews his cheek a bit, eyes quickly switching between the ground and Carlos’ face, “Nah, man. She's taken.”
Only then does Carlos’ face falter, his eyebrows furrowing slightly with confusion, “Really?”
Logan holds back his laugh, rubbing at his eyes as he starts to lose the tiredness he'd previously had, “Yeah, yeah. Married actually.”
Carlos’ head snaps toward the Williams driver, mouth opening slightly as he shakes his head, “No way, mate. You’re joking.”
“I don’t think I am,” Logan smirks, head tilting toward where you’re sitting, “You could ask her but I don’t think he’d let you get within 10 feet after this morning.”
Logan watches as Carlos’ gaze lands on you and your husband, mouth gaping as he catches Oscar’s hands fiddling with the ring on your finger, “Shit…”
“Yeah, shit indeed,” Logan nods, starting to walk away and leave the Spaniard to revel in his shock, “Have a good race, Carlos. I won’t be seeing you out there.”
You finally look up to see Logan sit down across from you, sliding his own plate over to himself and starting to munch down on the food you’d picked for him.
Oscar raises an eyebrow as he catches the incredulous look on Carlos’ face, “What was that about?”
“Just told him you’re married,” Logan mumbles through a mouth full of strawberries, chewing passively, “Had to spell it out for him, been dropping hints for months.”
You glance toward you friend with confusion painting your face, “What do you mean?”
“Yeah, I’ve been scaring him off from Williams since last October. Don’t think he even realized I was doing it on purpose.”
You and Oscar catch eyes, small grins breaking out on your faces as Logan continues to stare intently at his snack.
“Thanks, Logan,” you smile, happy to hear about your friends committed defense of your marriage.
“Don’t thank me, I’m still in a bad mood,” he says as he stabs a grape violently, biting the green sphere with a crunch.
Oscar hums, pulling you into him and resting his head on top of yours, eyes falling closed momentarily, “Sure, Logan. Eat your food, you’ll feel better.”
Logan just replies with a stab of his fork and you laugh, relaxing against your husband behind you, grateful for the great friend you’ve got in front of you.
————————————————
Tags: @casperlikej @evie-119
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joeys-babe · 5 months ago
Text
Joey B Imagines: Simply Shady I*
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Summary: The following events of Joe changing up his hair, along with both you and your fiance gearing up for the start of the season.
(Part 1 to - Part 2)
Warnings: Fluff, Smut (male receiving oral)
Pairing: Joe Burrow x reader
Imagine Universe: Misc.
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August 1st, 2024 - First day of pads at camp
I was woken up in a way that I would usually love, but the fact that it was insanely early made me more annoyed than anything.
“Mph. Not now Joe.” - you mumbled
He didn't say anything in return, and the slow movements of his hips grinding into my behind kept going.
Joe’s body was pressed flesh against me. His chest to my back and his crotch to my ass. Because he was rubbing himself into me, I thought he was awake. But as I froze up in shock, I heard a snore leave Joe’s lips.
He's asleep. He’s asleep and grinding into me.
As Joe continued his movements in his sleep, my mind went wild. Throughout the dirty thoughts, I remembered a conversation that Joe and I had a couple of weeks ago.
Joe had asked me if I'd ever give him head while he was asleep, a different way to wake him up if I was comfortable doing it. I had said yes, that I would, but there was never a day where I woke up first since that conversation.
Today, though, was a perfect chance to try it out.
After deciding that I was going to suck him off while he was still sleeping, I slowly and quietly scooted away from him. Joe had always been a deep sleeper, so it was easy for me to pull the covers off of him and lightly shove him onto his back.
I couldn't help but sit there and admire him. Joe looked like a wet dream, and he was all mine. My personal 220 pounds of pure sexiness.
Joe was wearing nothing but his black boxers, and my mouth watered as I stared at his toned torso, sculpted chest, and perfect arms.
This off-season, one of Joe’s workout priorities was to gain weight to be bigger and stronger by the time football season came around.
He achieved that completely, and the outcome was one of the hottest states of his body that I had ever seen. Don’t get me wrong, as his partner, I've never not thought he was the most attractive man on the planet, but I love it when he beefs up.
I believe it’s because it reminds me of how he looked when I first fell in love with him, back when we were both freshmen at LSU.
——
Flashback - 2018 - LSU
“This date is awful! Please, please, please come pick me up?” - Lyla
After accepting a phone call from my best friend, she enlightened me that she was currently in the bathroom of the restaurant where she was on a date. She went on to say that her date was a weirdo and nothing like how he was over texts.
It was later in the evening, and I was studying in the library for my first big test of the semester, but I had to save my girl.
Still on the phone with her, I grabbed my laptop and textbooks super fast before darting out of the library.
Lyla was still ranting on the phone, telling me to please hurry, and I was focusing hard on not dropping my belongings. As I rounded the corner of the sidewalk, I looked over at the parking lot, trying to remember where I parked my car.
Since my eyes weren't on where I was walking, I gasped when I smacked into a hard body, dropping everything I was holding and my phone.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
“No. No. I should be.” - you
I immediately lept down and started to grab my things, not paying attention to the person that I just ran into. It sounded like a man, and I didn't exactly have time to put up with a college male right now.
To my surprise, though, he crouched down as well, stacking up some of my books as I focused on making sure my laptop screen wasn't broken.
After seeing that it was fine, I finally looked up at the man crouched down next to me who was holding my stuff.
My mouth dropped open, and my eyes widened.
Joe Burrow.
He was the starting quarterback for the football team, and because he had just transferred from Ohio State, his name was known.
I had only seen a couple of blurry pictures of him before as I listened to a couple of my guy friends rant about the incoming QB. In pictures, I wasn't exactly attracted to him, but seeing him in front of me right now, I completely understood why girls all around campus were obsessed with him.
“Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost.” - Joe chuckled
My cheeks turned red when I realized I had zoned out staring at him. This cannot be happening right now.
“I- I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting you.” - you
Joe cocked his head to the side, not exactly understanding. To him, he was a normal guy who just loved to play football. He didn't exactly love all of the publicity.
In the end, he shrugged and looked down at my books that were in his hands. Most of them were for classes, but a couple were for my personal reading.
“In Plain Sight? Do you believe in aliens?” - Joe
I nodded my head with a soft smile on my face, completely in shock that I was talking about aliens with Joe Burrow.
“That’s cool. I do, too. My friends all say that I'm crazy to believe in them. Oh, I’m Joe, by the way.” - Joe
Joe shifted my belongings into one arm before reaching out with his now free hand. I reached out, too, putting my hand in his and shaking it.
“I know who you are. I'm y/n.” - you
“That’s a pretty name. Only fitting for a pretty girl, though.” - Joe winked
My stomach dropped, and reality hit. He’s a jock college football player. Only one thing on his mind.
I stood up and recollected everything into my arms, and Joe immediately noticed my change in body language. When he handed me my books, I noticed that the pretty smile had dropped from his face, a disconcerted look left in its place.
“Did I say something wrong?” - Joe
“No. I just need to get out of here. Thanks for the help, it was lovely to meet you, Joe.” - you
I started speeding down the sidewalk once again, but Joe called out for me to wait. Oh, fuck this.
“You forgot your phone!” - Joe
Mentally cursing myself, I turned around and walked back up to Joe. He was fully standing up now, and he towered over me.
“Thanks..” - you
“You’re welcome. Maybe I'll see you around campus?” - Joe grinned
I looked up at the stupid smile on his face and wanted to claw my eyes out. Why is he so cute? He’s just wearing athletic shorts and a Looney Tunes sweatshirt, but he looks perfect.
“Mmm. Probably not. I'm more into school than all of the partying.” - you
“I’m not into partying either. I’m taking all online classes, so unless I'm at football practice or working out, I'm usually at my apartment.” - Joe
Why are his stupidly perfect lips still moving?
“Okay? Thanks again. Bye.” - you
I started walking off again, and this time he didn't stop me. Once I got into my car, I laid my head back against the headrest with a deep sigh. That did not just fucking happen.
Why was he being so oddly persistent?
Probably looking for a quick fuck.
“That’s what they all want.” - you whispered aloud
I was lost in my thoughts. The thoughts being the image of the pretty quarterback crouched down while examining my alien book, the skin at the corner of his eyes crinkling up when he smiled.
God he was so-
My train of thought abruptly stopped when I heard a quiet voice. I looked around, confused, before my eyes landed on my phone. The call with Lyla was very much still going.
I remembered why I was rushing in the first place, and my eyes went wide. After quickly grabbing my phone to my ear, I realized just how crazy I was about to sound.
“Lyla, you will never guess what just happened. It sounds crazy.” - you
“You can tell me after you fucking pick me up!! Come on!” - Lyla
——
Flashback - still 2018 - LSU
“Are you excited to watch your man play?” - Lyla squealed
I rolled my eyes at her words. We were currently sitting down in our seats for the first home game of the season.
My run-in with Joe was months ago, and I hadn’t seen him since then, not like I expected that I would, but Lyla swore up and down he was into me.
She hadn't let the interaction go, and when I perked up at the mention that she had an extra ticket for the game since her boyfriend bailed, it only made it worse.
“You know he's still single. Maybe he's waiting to see you again.” - Lyla bumped your shoulder
I stared at her for a few seconds, narrowing my eyes at her dumb assessment. There was no possible way that was true.
Joe and I were strangers. We only knew each other’s names and the fact that we both believed in aliens. To be frank, he's probably long forgotten about our encounter. There were girls constantly throwing themselves at him, so why would he pay attention to me?
Up til the team ran out, Lyla was talking about nothing but Joe.
“Lyla. He doesn't even know who I am. He's probably long forgotten about bumping into me. Even if I wanted to say something to him, which I don't.” - you
“Sure. We’ll see if that changes after you watch him play. Those football pants might do something to you.” - Lyla
“Stop saying things that make me roll my eyes. I'm gonna get a headache.” - you
“Or… stop fighting the fact that he was into you and one thousand percent recognize you if he saw you again. He called you pretty! And when you freaked out, he immediately got worried that he said something wrong.” - Lyla
Before I could say anything, the team ran out. Lyla immediately jumped up and yanked me up with her. I have to admit, the electricity running through Death Valley as everyone was on their feet cheering was an adrenaline rush. I couldn't help but jump and cheer as well.
My eyes landed on Joe fairly easily as he was leading the pack as QB1. And for a split second, he looked at me too. His eyes were scanning the crowd before looking away, but he did a double-take.
Unfortunately, Lyla noticed and shook my shoulder. We were in the bottom row of our section, so there was a chance he was looking at someone behind me. Right?
-
Joe’s POV - Same flashback
While running out with the team, I looked over at the crowd just to see how big it was. It was my first home game as a Tiger, and Death Valley already felt like home.
As I looked around, my eyes scanned over a familiar face. I looked away and realized, so I did a double take to make sure I wasn't seeing things or my mind was playing tricks on me.
It was her.
My eyes weren't deceiving me. It was y/n. The beautiful girl I had the lovely opportunity of gracing paths with. Quite literally.
When I first bumped into y/n, it felt like everything around me disappeared and that it was just us on that sidewalk, much like how it felt as our eyes met through the crowd.
I only knew this girl's name, but I’ll never forget how I felt crouched down on that sidewalk with her. Everything felt right. Like everything was still and at peace.
I never thought I’d see her again with how quickly she took off running after I called her pretty. Looking back, I could see why it freaked her out. Our personalities were meshing super well before I said that, and I know the reputation of college athletes. She probably thought I was trying to get in her pants, only to be gone by the morning.
I'd never been that kind of guy anyway. I had hooked up with a couple of girls while at Ohio State, but I got attached too easily and could never leave it as just a one-night stand.
Maybe I could talk to y/n more and show her that I wasn't the average college athlete fuckboy. That is if she'd even talk to me or even remember that we'd bumped into each other.
After Game - Same flashback
LSU won the game, and Joe was impressive, to say the least. Lyla nudged me after every good play he made, making sure to call him ‘my man’ when she was talking about him.
Everyone was filing out of the stadium, but Lyla and I stayed back to take a couple of pictures and wait for the crowd to die down.
We had our backs to the field, our noses buried in our phones as we looked at a few selfies we had taken.
“Okay, let me get a good pic of the field.” - Lyla
I wasn't exactly paying attention to her, but I noticed that she had turned around to take a picture of the stadium. When she did, though, she paused and gasped.
“Y/N… turn around.” - you
Sighing as I slipped my phone into my pocket, I turned around. My eyes went wide when I looked down and saw what - or who - was standing on the grass looking up at us.
“Hi.” - Joe smiled
Joe was in regular clothes now since the game had been over for about thirty minutes. He was all that was left on the field other than the training staff cleaning up and a few janitors.
“Hi?” - you smiled back
“Did you enjoy that game? I know you said you don't go out, so this must be a different environment for you.” - Joe
“It was so fun. You're crazy good, by the way. I'm impressed.” - you
Joe felt his cheeks heat up a little at the compliment, and it didn't go unnoticed by me. I saw the way his face turned a little pink.
“Thank you. It was awesome to see your pretty face again. That might be your queue to runaway, but that's how I feel.” - Joe smiled
My stomach filled with butterflies at him calling me pretty again, along with a feeling of slight embarrassment from his joke. Something about him making light of the situation gave me closure, though. He wasn't looking for a hookup.
“You’re pretty good-looking yourself.” - you grinned
“I’m glad you think so, y/n. But I didn't just walk over here to call you pretty again. I wanted to know if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight. I’d love to get to know you.” - Joe
I looked at Joe’s gorgeous face in shock before looking over at Lyla. She nodded and bumped my elbow with hers.
“I can get home just fine by myself. You get him, tiger.” - Lyle whispered
Looking back down at Joe, he looked up at me with hopeful eyes. His gaze shifted to Lyla, trying to read her expression before looking back at me.
“Sure. I'd love to have dinner tonight.” - you
Joe’s anxious expression broke into a huge smile, the nervous feeling in his stomach immediately going away. You said yes.
“Okay, great. Can I get your number? You know, so I can text you when I'm pulling around to pick you up.” - Joe
I nodded my head, the smile never leaving my face, and handed Joe my phone for him to put his number in. Once he was done, he handed me his phone to do the same.
After handing his phone back to him, Joe nervously rocked back and forth on his feet. Saying he was giddy was an understatement.
“So I’ll see you in a little bit?” - you
“Yup. It’s a date.” - Joe smiled
As soon as the words left his lips, he spun on the balls of his heels and walked back toward the tunnel. I slowly turned my head to Lyla, my eyes wide, and my jaw dropped.
“That did not just happen.” - you
“Oh, it so did! And he walked over to you. He initiated all of that. Not to mention, he just said that dinner with him tonight was a date. Y/N, that's your man!!” - Lyla
We both grabbed each other’s forearms, jumping up and down and giggling at the fact that Joe, a desirable starting college quarterback, just asked me on a date. Out of all of the girls who wanted him, Joe chose me, the girl he bumped into once.
——
Back to present day
Obviously, the first date went amazingly, and Joe and I have been together ever since. Joe always says that he knew I was the one when he first laid eyes on me, and the fact that his body immediately relaxed on that sidewalk was a sign of things to come. I was home to Joe, sometimes described as his everything.
Since the moment Joe and I started to get to know each other, he became my best friend. Well, I’d say that to everyone but Lyla. She would get a little salty if I told her that.
I remember thinking that Joe was cute the first time we crossed paths, but when he ran out of the tunnel that day, and we made eye contact, my insides melted. No other guy I had been with before was able to make me feel the way he did in that second.
Call it love at second sight.
For the rest of Joe’s time at LSU, before he graduated, we were stuck to each other at the hip, completely and utterly inseparable.
We had to do long distance for a year because I was still at LSU, and Joe got drafted by the Bengals. It was arguably the hardest year of my life.
As soon as Joe entered my life, he became the anchor that kept me grounded. I’d never been happier with someone, and we were together practically every moment that we could. So, to be living in completely different states was tough.
Once I graduated, though, I moved in with Joe. It was the house he bought with his rookie contract, and it was perfect for just the two of us. I ended up getting a marketing job in Cincinnati, just like I had planned when it was announced that Cincinnati had the first pick of the draft. Joe always told me that I didn't need a job since he was getting paid millions to play football, but I wanted to work. I didn't want to mooch off of my boyfriend.
But, a few months ago, I ended up calling it quits at that job. The workplace grew increasingly toxic under a recently hired new boss, and I found myself crumbling under the workload. Joe had been present for a few of my work-related breakdowns, and he finally put his foot down one day.
——
A few months ago
“I don't know if I can do it anymore, Joe. I feel like she's setting me up to fail.” - you
I was having yet another breakdown over work. Second time this week, and it was only Wednesday.
Joe was holding me as tight as he could, listening to every word that left my lips. We were lying on the couch, and I was cuddling on top of him, my face buried in his neck as I tried to calm down my crying. Joe had his arms wrapped around my waist, rubbing my back and kissing my head now and then. He hadn't said a word yet.
After my crying started to slow down, Joe abruptly rolled onto his side and unwrapped his arms from me. He stood up from the couch seconds later and grabbed my phone off of the end table.
“Joey? What’re you doing?” - you
“I can't do this anymore, y/n. This job is breaking you down, baby. I can't just sit here and hold you and then send you back just to have to do it again tomorrow. It hurts me to know you're hurting. I hate it.” - Joe
I stared at him dumbfounded. I knew he detested my job, but he respected my decision to go back every time.
“I’d be a terrible boyfriend to let you stay in that environment y/n.” - Joe
After sniffling a few more times and wiping my eyes and nose on the back of my sleeve, I finally spoke up.
“So what are you gonna do?” - you sniffled
“I’m calling your boss. I’ll try to remain calm, but when it comes to you, I can't control if I lose my shit. You’re the most important thing to me in the whole world, and to see you get treated like this is pissing me off.” - Joe
You could practically see steam coming out of Joe’s ears. I knew he was mad, but I didn't expect him to get this worked up. In another way, though, it made sense. I was the woman that Joe loved, and he took his responsibility of protecting me very seriously.
“What are you gonna say?” - you
“I’m telling her to put your two weeks in. Do you have two weeks of vacation days? I’m not letting you step foot in that office building.” - Joe
“You’re making me quit?? I need that job, Joe. How am I gonna pay for stuff?” - you
Joe did a massive eye roll before plopping down on the couch next to me. Here we go.
“That might just be the dumbest question you have ever asked. Baby, do you know how much money I make? It’d be stupid for you to keep that job that makes you feel like shit when your boyfriend is making millions to play football. No, you aren't mooching off of me, and I don't want to hear that. I want nothing more than to take care of you, y/n. You just have to let me.” - Joe
I stayed silent for a few moments, my anxiety and a feeling of guilt creeping in. My eyes welled up with tears again from Joe’s generosity and the fact that a bunch of fear came with it.
“I need a job, Joe.” - you mumbled
“Why? Why do you need one?” - Joe
It was gonna sound bad to say out loud, and the last thing I wanted was for Joe to think I had doubts about our relationship, but I was just being reasonable.
“What if things go south? I don't want to, and I don't think we will, but what if we break up? Then, I don't have anything to fall back on.” - you
“Are you being serious? We’re not gonna break up, baby. You’re it for me. Do I not make it obvious enough that I'm all in?” - Joe
“I know, it’s stupid. But I still worry.” - you
“You have no reason to. I'm not going anywhere, and that's a promise.” - Joe
——
Back to present day
So, that's when I finally agreed and decided to quit my job. Joe and I were able to spend a lot more time together, and we grew closer than ever before. I was putting full trust in him, and after a while, the thought wasn't scary.
I lay in bed for a while longer, just watching Joe as he slept peacefully. He just looked adorable.
My more innocent thoughts changed, though, as my eyes wandered over his perfect body once again. God, gaining weight was the best decision he's ever made.
Time to get down to business, I thought to myself.
I shoved the covers farther down the bed and gently spread Joe’s legs before kneeling in between them. After getting comfortable, I reached out for the waistband of his boxers and slowly pulled them down and over his perfect butt.
Joe stirred once he was fully exposed, probably feeling a draft but not fully waking up. Once he stopped moving around, I reached and wrapped my hand around his semi-erect cock. He always woke up a little hard, and right now, I was silently grateful for that.
Slowly pumping his length, I felt Joe harden and grow in my hand, and yet his face still showed zero tension. Once his erection leveled up to fully erect, I removed my hand from his length and slowly leaned down.
I wrapped my lips around his tip, watching his face the entire time I slowly inched my mouth down his dick. Joe let out a little whimper when his tip hit the back of my throat, but as I watched him, I noticed that he was still asleep.
After that, I doubled my efforts in hopes of drawing another sound from his lips while he was still out cold, and it was easier than expected. I sucked on his length as I bobbed my head, trying to give him the sloppiest head that I could conjure up. Joe would let out a little whimper or a quiet moan now and then, and I could tell he was close to waking up.
A minute later, with my eyes glued to Joe’s face, his mouth dropped open, and he moaned out. Louder than before. He’s awake.
Joe’s eyes fluttered open, and when he looked down to see my mouth around his cock, his eyes went wide, and he sat up straight. Joe’s cock got impossibly harder at the sight, and he buried a hand in my hair when I pulled off of him with a pop. I immediately wrapped my hand around him, stroking him fast with a grin on my face.
“Morning, Joey.” - you grinned
“Holy fuck, baby. I- I… fuck, I can't.” - Joe moaned
His raspy morning voice only made the experience hotter, so I took his length back into my mouth. Joe’s head was thrown back, and his grip on my hair got tighter. He's so close.
Joe continued to moan as I sucked him, his thoughts going crazy at the fact that he just woke up to me giving him head.
“So hot, baby. Oh god.” - Joe whimpered
A few moments later, Joe only started getting louder, his built chest heaving as he panted.
“Fuck, I'm cumming.” - Joe moaned
Joe held my head down and bucked his hips up, stilling as he exploded in my mouth.
“Fuck- fuck- fuck.” - Joe
It took a few minutes for Joe to gain his composure back, along with his breath, and I pulled off of his length. I rolled over back into my spot and cuddled up to Joe, pulling him into my chest.
I went to play with his hair before awkwardly stopping, remembering the fact that his curls were no longer there. Joe had recently changed up his hairstyle, and though it was hard to get used to at first, I loved it.
——
Flashback to a couple of months ago
“Hey.” - you
“Hi, baby.” - Joe
I was currently driving home from doing a few errands, including picking up dinner for Joe and me since he said we should just eat at home, though he didn't feel like cooking.
“Whatcha doing?” - you
“Nothing much. I'm looking at clothes for game day fits.” - Joe
“Sounds like fun!” - you enthused
Joe went silent for a couple of seconds before letting out a sigh, my eyes narrowing at his change of attitude.
“Sure. When are you gonna be home? I miss you, and I have a surprise for you.” - Joe
“You miss me? It’s only been a couple of hours, Joey. And I'm pulling onto our road right now. What'd you say about a surprise?” - you
“I have one for you.” - Joe
“Oooo. Am I gonna like it?” - you
Joe was freaking out just a little bit. Sure, what he did was what he wanted, but he was realizing now that it was a little impulsive, and he was worried about what you would think of it.
“Uh. Hopefully.” - Joe chuckled
We ended the call a few minutes later since I was literally in our garage. After grabbing all of the bags that I could, I walked into the kitchen through the mudroom. Joe was sitting at the counter, a grin forming on his lips when he saw me.
“Hey, gorgeous.” - Joe smiled
After placing the bags down and setting the food in front of Joe, I walked back around to the other end and up to him. Joe swiveled the barstool around, opening his arms for me once I stepped between his spread legs. He pulled me into a hug, and my head fell onto his shoulder, Joe’s arms wrapped tightly around my waist.
“Hi, handsome.” - you mumbled into his neck
Joe stayed silent for a few moments, rubbing his big hands over my back before pulling away and doing the same to my hips.
“Is there anything left in the car?” - Joe
“Just a couple more bags. I can get them, though.” - you
I went to turn around and head back for the mudroom, but Joe grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him.
“How about you get dinner out of the bags, and I’ll go get ‘em? - Joe
“Alright.” - you smiled
Joe pecked my lips before getting off the barstool. I watched him walk away till he disappeared from my sight, my eyes lingering on his ass for a few seconds before I looked away with a giggle.
-
Thirty minutes later, Joe and I had just finished dinner when I realized something. Ever since I got home, Joe’s been wearing a hat with his hood up over the top of it.
Joe cleared his throat to say something, looking over at me to see that I already had my eyes narrowed and staring at him.
“What?” - Joe chuckled
“Why do you have a hat on and your hood up? New questionable fashion choice?” - you
I giggled when he rolled his eyes, but his tone quickly switched back to serious.
“That’s what I was about to tell you. Close your eyes.” - Joe
“Is your hair my surprise?” - you
“Uhm. Basically.” - Joe
Please tell me he got the modern-ish-looking mullet that I've been begging him to do.
I closed my eyes, a grin on my face as I prepared myself. He's gonna look so hot.
Meanwhile, Joe’s heart was beating out of his chest. It was silly to be nervous about, but buzzing his hair, which he knew you loved, was almost a recipe for disaster.
Joe took his hood down before popping his Bengals hat off, running his hand over his spikey hair. He took one last deep breathe, mentally preparing himself for what you're reaction would be.
“Open.” - Joe
I opened my eyes, immediately jumping back with a scream. That’s not a mullet. He's fucking bald. Joe immediately started biting his cheeks and playing with his fingers.
“Is it that bad?” - Joe mumbled
“Joseph Lee. Your hair is gone. It’s gone.” - you
“Can you answer my question? I’m super scared right now.” - Joe
I stared at his head for a few more seconds, my eyes going between his practically bare head and his worried face. He looks so nervous.
Because I hadn't said anything yet, Joe dropped his head, unable to maintain eye contact with you because he was worried you weren't attracted to him.
“You hate it.” - he mumbled
My bottom lip stuck out in a pout as I pushed off of the barstool, wrapping my arms around Joe’s shoulder as his head ended up on my shoulder.
“Aww. Baby, I don't hate it. You know I love your hair, but there's so much more to look at than it. Look at me.” - you
I gently patted the back of Joe’s neck, and he leaned up. I cupped his cheeks, placing a kiss on his forehead before pulling back with a grin on my face.
“Your pretty face is the star of the show now. I can focus on your perfect nose, your baby blue eyes, and these perfect lips.” - you
When I mentioned Joe’s nose, I pecked the tip of it, rubbing my thumbs under his eyes when I mentioned them, and I pressed a kiss to his lips when I talked about them as well.
Joe’s cheeks turned pink at the overwhelming compliments, a cheeky grin forming on his lips before I returned his head to my shoulder.
“You’re so cute.” - you giggled
I rubbed his back as Joe giggled into my neck, his hot cheeks easily feelable on my neck.
“Hair or no hair, you're the hottest man I've ever seen.” - you grinned
Later that week - Same flashback
I was sitting on the couch when Joe got home from his workout. I was neck-deep in a conversation about Love Island USA with Lyla, so I didn't even look up when Joe loudly shut the mudroom door.
Truthfully, he shut the door loudly on purpose to try to get your attention. When you weren't already looking up at him when he entered the house, he attempted to slam the door so you'd look up, but you didn't.
“I’m homeeee.” - Joe
It was adorable how he drawled out the word, but I was too busy ranting about my least favorite person on the show to acknowledge Joe.
“Baby?” - Joe
“Hi, Joe.” - you
Joe walked into the house, dramatically dropping his bag on the floor before basically throwing himself down on the couch next to you. And yet you still hadn't looked up at him.
“Are you gonna ask me how my workout went..?” - Joe
“How’d your workout go?” - you sighed
He had to grin. He loved messing with you.
“Good. Can I have a kiss?” - Joe
All I did was pucker my lips, my eyes still not leaving my phone as I sent a frantic paragraph in response to something Lyla said.
Joe leaned over and craned his neck to give me a kiss, my eyes going wide when his head came into view. I immediately jumped back, our lips barely ever touching.
“Oh my god. You bleached it?” - you chuckled
I watched Joe move back to his seat so that he was comfortable and not straining his neck. He nodded with a grin, and my eyes were stuck on his bleached + buzzed head.
“What do ya think?” - Joe
I couldn't lie. As bizarre and silly as bleaching and buzzing his hair was… he looked hot as fuck.
“You look good. I kind of like this more. You look less intimidating.” - you giggled
With how bright his hair was, it brought out his blue eyes. One of my favorite features of his and something I could find myself getting lost in.
I moved over after setting my phone down, eventually straddling his lap as Joe’s hands found their place on my hips.
That hair made his perfect face the star of the show, and his built chest and sculpted arms were a sight. I was getting worked up, and he was just sitting here.
“I'm not gonna lie, you look hot.” - you
“Yeah?” - Joe
I nodded, my arms going around his neck as I slowly ground down onto his crotch. Joe groaned, leaning forward and smashing his lips into mine.
“Fuck.” - Joe groaned
After a few minutes of making out, I pulled away from his slick, reddened lips. God, he looks so hot right now.
“We should probably stop. We have to tour our possible wedding venue in less than two hours, and I need to go get ready.” - you
Oh yeah, Joe and I got engaged right after his trip to France! We were planning our wedding for the next off-season, and today we were going to tour a venue with both sets of our parents.
I grinned at Joe’s pout, sad that I was leaving him hanging because he was very hard. But he couldn't get too upset. Not when we were about to tour the place where we were possibly going to get married.
“Are you not excited?” - you chuckled
“No, I am. I just don't want to have to go take a cold shower. And alone.” - Joe
Chuckling as I crawled off of Joe’s lap, I couldn't help but bite my lip at the sight of the tent in his pants.
“Stop that!” - Joe
I only laughed louder before Joe got up from the couch, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“I'm excited to see the venue, though. It’ll make everything feel a lot more real.” - Joe
“Me too. The thought alone makes me giddy. I can't wait to marry you.” - you
“I can't wait to marry you more. I've been waiting for that moment since I bumped into you on that sidewalk.” - Joe grinned
I laughed at his over-the-top statement, finding it both endearing and silly.
“Okay, I think you need that cold shower now. You need some blood flow to go back to your head instead of your dick.” - you chuckled
“Why do you say that?” - Joe laughed
“You’re starting to say some questionable things.” - you
Joe cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes at me because he was confused.
“What have I said that's questionable?” - Joe
“Saying that you've been waiting for us to get married since we met.” - you
He rolled his eyes when I left his arms and gently started pushing him towards the stairs. Joe argued that he meant what he said our entire trip into our bathroom.
“Okay, okay! Get in the shower, goofball.” - you
I threw a towel at Joe before turning to the sink, going to grab my face wash before doing my makeup when a cloth fabric hit my face. I put the bottle down to pull the garment off of my head. Lo and behold, it was Joe’s boxers.
Turning around to glare at him, all I'm met with is the sight of Joe butt naked. The only thing he's wearing is a cheeky grin that makes the corner of his eyes crinkle up. If he wasn't so perfect, I’d slap him.
“Ya know… I’m still pretty horny from that make-out earlier…” - Joe
“Get in the shower.” - you
“Yes, ma'am.” - Joe sighed
I watched him climb into the shower with a smile on my face, shaking my head at his antics.
At least I know I'm marrying a man that always keeps me on my toes, I thought to myself.
“Baby, are you sure you don't want t-” - Joe
“Yes, Joe! Shower.” - you
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Authors note: The next part will go back to present-day! Or August 1st. This part was just kind of setting the stage for the real stuff!!
Requests;
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HOPE YOU ENJOYED!!! 💕
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cheriladycl01 · 1 year ago
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Baby, can you call me back? I miss you... its so lonely in our mansion - Lewis Hamilton x Model! Reader
Plot: You are the 'IT GIRL' of celebrities right now. Dating older F1 driver cooks up a storm.
Warnings: Age Gap, Established relationship, Smut (Consisting off Unprotected Sex, Fingering, P In V etc.) Minors Do Not Interact 18+
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You were currently waiting for Lewis to come home, it was the Monaco GP and you'd left early during his debrief as you were sporting a slight headache from all the excitement.
He knew you'd be there and he knew you were waiting for him. You were sort of a current century IT girl.
That happens when you are on the cover of vouge and in big blockbuster movies alongside modelling for Versace and other big brands that wanted your name.
You were all the talk in the media for the past few years, especially where you were dating Lewis Hamilton. He was 10 year older than you, but he treated you well. Even though you were 23 when you and Lewis started dating, people still seemed to treat you like you were made of glass. Yes, that was probably more to your high profile status and the fact that you're in the public eye.
Lewis treated you like an adult and you loved it, he wasn't in the relationship for publicity or just for a quick time. He had met you at exclusive party that you happened to be at as well as some of the 2018 F1 drivers.
Now in the middle of 2024 and Mercedes had a rocketship for a car, Lewis was on track for winning his 8th World Champion, you and Lewis had been together for 7 years now and what an interesting 7 years it had been. You'd been there for him winning 3 of his championships, seeing him get robbed of his 8th and then have a shit car for the next two seasons while Red Bull seem to be in a horrible sort of domination.
He'd won in Monaco today sharing a Podium with Lando Norris, who was actually his biggest competition this year. Mclaren came out on top, right now it was Mercedes Mclaren and Ferrari dancing around each other and then Red Bull who focused on their 2025 car too early and didn't do enough work with the 2024 car.
The door to the home opens and in walks your beautiful husband.
"How's my race winner" you smile at him, walking over to him slowly. He hangs the keys up to his car on the hook before his hands wrap around your waist pulling you into a hug. He nuzzles his face into your neck, his arms travelling up to stroke your soft hair, running down to the side of your face to hold your face steadily in his hand.
"I haven't stopped thinking about you all day!" he offers, pushing your hair back behind your ear before leaning in, kissing you softly.
"You were thinking about me when you were racing?" you ask with a smirk, stepping closer into him so your arms are able to hold his upper arms, helping you lean up to place a soft, yet sensual kiss on the corner of his mouth.
"I'm always thinking about you baby" he mumbles looking you up and down.
"Well, I think my World Champion deserves a reward!" you smile, grinning at him.
"Mmmmm what kind of reward, I can think of 20 things I'd settle for right now" he admits biting his lip.
"Well, I don't know about you but your fav vegan dish is in the oven. I can run you a nice hot bath and give you a massage, or we can take Rossi on a walk, or we can watch a movie and cuddle.." you say leaning closer into him.
"Hmmmmm, that all sounds very good. But first i want you!" he says pulling into you. He pulls you up so your legs are wrapped around his waist and your arms around around the back of his head. He holds you up while pulling you into a kiss.
He walks you into the bedroom and places you down on the bed, making you bounce into the plush duvet and cushions. You lean up and you elbows moving back a little while Lewis crawls on top of you.
"Such a pretty baby!" he says, as he reaches round the back to unzip the black silk dress you were wearing. He tugs it down, throwing it onto the bedroom floor, a groan coming from him as he sees the matching black set that was on underneath.
He couldn't help but think that you'd been looking that delectable all day, and it didn't help and wouldn't help any future thoughts of what you wore on race days.
"God, Y/N!"
"Lew, come on" you groan, as his hands run up and down the curves of your body. Eventually his fingers work their way around your underwear, while his other hand goes behind you arching back to undo your bra. He skillfully undid it with the one hand while his other focused on your clit.
Your thighs squeezed together in anticipation as you feel his finger on your clit speed up. A gasp comes from you and your hand reaches down to hold his wrist.
"Lewis, i need you please!" you groan as his mouth encases around your left nipple and starting to suck and bite at it leaving hickies along the curve of your breast.
You feel movement on the bed, you look down to see him grinding against the mattress.
"Come here..." you moan and he crawls up the bed. His hand doesn't leave, going the step further and pushing one finger in. You reach down palming him through his trousers.
"Fuck baby, just like that" he groans adding another finger while leaning into your neck and kissing up and along it.
"Just take those pants off" you moan, looking up at him. He shakes his head, adding a third finger going faster.
"You gotta cum for first darling" he breathes out, you gasp watching him closely.
Lewis always put your pleasure first, that was one of the highlights of your relationship is that he always wanted you happy and content, as he would say that it made him happy and content.
He lived by the happy wife happy life memo religiously.
You feel that familiar coil built up and with the way you start moving Lewis speeds up knowing that your close.
"Lewis, Lewis fuck" you gasp as that sensation is released. You breathing slows as you come down.
"Okay, my turn" you say sitting up on your knees, squishing your thighs together.
"I can't wait, for that baby. Gotta be in you now!" he whimpers. He pulls you up so that your against the headboard, he lays you down before positioning himself above you.
He sinks all the way in, the both of you moaning and groaning as you feel every inch of him inside of you. Each ridge, every edge you can feel against your walls as you push further against him to get him deeper. He bottoms out with a sigh of happiness partially collapsing against you.
"I love you Lew, and im so thankful I'm yours" you admit with a gasp as he starts moving back and forth, the thrusts making lewd noises as he grips your hips.
"Say it again!" he exclaims looking at you in the eyes, one of his hands moving from your hip up to your cheek.
"I'm yours Lew, all yours!" you moan arching up into him and clenching.
"I love you so much darling. Fuck" he moans, nipping and biting against your collarbone as he starts to thrust quicker into you. Your own grip tightens on him as that same feeling from earlier resurfaces but more violent.
Your eyes screw shut, the moans coming from you mouth is like music into Lewis' ears. He wishes he could have it as his ringtone, or playing to him before a race. Even during a race, that for sure would make him finish a race quicker knowing he could see you quicker and stuff you full.
"Baby I'm gonna cum" he groans right into your ear making you twitch and attempt to thrust up into him. He holds you still putting pressure on your stomach making you gasp loudly and try to sit up.
"Cum baby, cum in me" you cry, tears start to stream down your face.
"Oh fuck baby" you cry and clench hard round him as he hits that spongey spot that just feels so good. You release with a whine and head thrown back, while Lewis follows helping you both ride out your high.
He collapses on top of you staying sunk inside of you. He kisses you, whispering stuff to you about what he loves, making little plaits in your hair as he goes.
Maybe waiting for Lewis in your mansion wasn't so bad after all.
A/N: This is my first smut on this account, so it will get better when i know what i feel comfortable putting out there!
Taglist:
@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @kapsylia @laneyspaulding19 @lazybot @malynn @cassielikereading @viennakarma
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corseque · 1 year ago
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hot take incoming but I’m upset on Trevor Morris’ behalf.
Someone on reddit discovered a hidden track in their boxset for Dragon Age and it's creepy af
It's most likely for DA:D.
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freckliedan · 1 month ago
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i'm sorry but if you've only been a phannie since the reniassance you really have no right to be criticizing dan gender posters.
i don't think anyone who got here post revival understands the distinction between "fans crossing the line" vs "fans listening to what dan and phil tell us even before announcing things explicitly and celebrating that". and the way people act like they need to defend dan from people who think he could be trans makes that abundantly clear.
dan especially has been so open about how this community's support is what made it possible for him to accept himself and come out, and that wasn't support that magically appeared the second BIG dropped. it didn't exist only after we got told officially.
the community support of dan and phil's queerness was the way people noticed and celebrated and understood the way they increasingly chose to be vulnerable with us over the years, and the way we shared how they made us feel safe in our identities.
they came out a million little ways before they said the words, but dan did especially: wearing nail polish, going curly, an earring in the gay ear, liking tweets that said he was gay, making increasing gay jokes. the winter before they both came out they tweeted about the bbc calling them a couple and didn't correct it. dan TOLD us in march of 2018 that he had a video planned for june that was relevant to the month but not because of his birthday.
they do the telling us with their actions before announcing it in so many other contexts too: moving, announcing tours, etc.
if you trust in and pay attention to their consistant patterns of behavior it's hard to be surprised by dan and phil.
so why is it that this one fucking thing—dan's gender—is not allowed to be posted about in the same way as everything else? those of us who do take so much care in what we say, too, if we ever do anything other than post jokingly. both for dan's sake (nobody forgets this is a public forum) and because the transphobic backlash is constant.
dan has been saying he sometimes wishes he was a girl since manchester. talking about gender since 2009. the gender conversation has been constant as long as dan's been online and we know it's been a constant since early childhood too.
dan said after BIG dropped in 2019 that he considered coming out in 2014 but then started thinking about gender and needed more time to figure it out. and you know how that ended? he did NOT say "i came out because i figured it out". it ended with dan saying that thinking about gender culminated in realizing it's okay to come out and change your mind. that you can be a formless blob. (quote)
and then sister daniel happened, and dan has been increasingly openly talking about questioning gender ever since. and hey: dan and phil commented on the possibility of a gender video from dan during dan's bday livestream. doesn't that sound familiar.
this isn't different from when dan and phil claimed heterosexuality and then were openly not in the lead up to coming out. this pattern of behavior is the same, and the way people are posting is the same, and i've never fucking once seen a dan gender poster cross the line the way people used to.
it's just a different subject.
would the people who get pissed at dan gender posters have been doing the same thing to people who thought dnp were queer before they came out? did you not realize what an rpf community is like because you got here after the fact, or are you being transphobic hypocrites?
why is the possibility of transness something dan needs to be defended from, anyways? it's a compliment and we know dan takes it that way.
figure your shit out. i'm sick of it, especially coming from other trans people. i've had so fucking many trans mutuals bullied off this website and out of this space for openly talking about the possibility that dan might not be cis over the years, and when the same transphobic talking points come from a trans sibling's mouth? it disgusts me.
you don't have to like it or agree with it or engage with it. but can you PLEASE stop acting like you have a moral high ground and are doing something beneficial to dan that he'd thank you for? just fucking block and blacklist and move on.
and know that if dan someday turns out not to be cis, you're gonna have to live with the knowledge that you made things harder for him.
us dan gender posters? we all know we might be wrong and we've had to think about whether we're happy with our actions if that's the case. and i know damn well we'll all be celebrating dan's gender nonconformity just as much for the rest of time if dan remains cis.
we're under constant scruitiny so we've had to self reflect. but i really don't think any of you have. think about your underlying biases. consider the impact a vehement defense of cisness would have on dan if he isn't. and please, for the love of god, let that impact your actions.
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solecize · 8 months ago
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  𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 (4)
ten years of being one and the same with jungkook as the country's it couple is the perfect disguise for the reality of a tumultuous relationship hidden behind the scenes.
𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: a party at the notorious hotel azure, the hot-spot for the top names of south korea's entertainment industry, goes awry. in front of everyone, your relationship reaches it's breaking point - except, it doesn't. 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒: idol!jungkook/female idol!reader and fictional versions of various idols 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄. idol au, on-and-off relationship, angst, i swear there's fluff, fake dating, and themes of first love, growing up, struggles with fame, and marriage (ish) 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒. portrayal of a toxic couple (implications of emotional abuse and control), both main characters are very flawed, violence, infidelity, foul language, substance use (illegal drugs) 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄. based off of "you're losing me" by taylor swift. this is a fictional portrayal of real-life people that implement some aspects of real-life events. extra warning for heavy substance abuse in this chapter - the usage of this is not meant to be glamourized in any way. i don't want anyone to get the wrong idea, so please note the underlying commentary on idol life and substance use. as someone who has been diagnosed with substance use disorder, i encourage learning about its complexities and ending stigma around it. there is also a quick note at the end of the chapter regarding its ending. ㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤjoin the taglist here! ㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤm.list | previous | next
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you might just have dealt the final blow stop, you’re losin’ me
TOP HEADLINE TODAY: big hit entertainment releases a trailer on official youtube channel, announcing bts’ upcoming world tourㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤapril 2018
  two years made a night and day difference in your relationship. after the highs and lows that brought several short-term breakups, 2018 was supposed to be your and jungkook’s year. it was a fresh start and the turn of your early twenties was the world at your fingertips. young, beautiful and wealthy - it was a dream for any idol in south korea. 
  a fresh start wasn’t always easy when skeletons lurked in your closet, though. watching your boyfriend pace back and forth in his kitchen, a glass of whiskey on the rocks at hand, jungkook looked completely different. you weren’t sure if you’d finally snapped out of the daze that framed him as a teenager, bursting with energy, but things hadn’t been the same in a long time.
  “yeah, y/n is coming with me,” you heard him say, your ears perking up at the sound of your name. it was hard to read his tone, but something told you that the person on the other end was surprised at his statement.
  he finally noticed that you walked into the room, having finished slipping on your coat. jungkook sighed, tilting back the last of his drink and telling the person on the phone that he had to go. his furrowed eyebrows were telling enough that he was annoyed with you.
  “what? i only took an hour,” you said, walking over from the doorway of his bathroom.
  jungkook rolled his eyes. “an hour after the party started. let’s get going, the boys said they’re waiting for us,” he complained. “you’re the one who insisted on coming with me, anyway.”
  at that, you didn’t say anything because you knew it would only escalate into an argument. jungkook had been recently accusing you of being overly controlling when it came to hanging out with his friends, which led to an invite to tonight’s party to be extended to you, as well. 
  however, parties at places like hotel azure were now a routine for you and jungkook, which was one of the only things that was constant against change in the past two years. with fame came notoriety and after clawing your way up the social ladder amongst the country’s musical elite, invitations to galas and lounges and the vip section of the club came left and right. everyone now knew you as one of the idol power couples behind the curtain and your respective presences were expected at events. 
  a molasses-like tension sat in the air when it came to this. although you and jungkook were known as one, it wasn’t easy to ignore jungkook’s individual stardom that garnered mass attention. his biggest supporter, you loved this for him - until you didn’t. he would jet off to tokyo and shanghai to party with a-listers and meet new people everywhere he went. he was rising before your very eyes and you couldn’t help but feel left behind.
  “did you not tell them we got back together?” you suddenly asked, trailing out the front door with an impatient jungkook.
  he only shrugged. it was hard to keep up when you and jungkook had taken several sporadic “breaks” over the last year. as a couple, you showed your best and smiled in front of everyone. however, your friends were the ones who would witness arguments in the corner of the room or furious frenzies of text arguments whilst working. 
  it was hard to manage a relationship that was akin to a fire - passionate, but ready to set ablaze at all times. 
  you weren’t sure how you and jungkook got to this point. you were no longer kids who only had each other. it could’ve been so many things - age, fame, money. there were other underlying issues that came with all these things. after all, by the time you were sat in the car, the first flask was already finished between you and him.
  the drive to hotel azure was a blur and before you knew it, you were taking shots with kim yoojung and suzy in the penthouse suite. jungkook had walked away with his friends upon entering the party and it was already a lost idea to find him. you exchanged few words on the way to the venue, as he seemed to still be frustrated with you for a variety of reasons.
  besides, it was a jackson wang party. the suite was filled to the brim with the who’s who of the entertainment industry, all mingling and dancing in an exalted existence that only celebrities enjoyed. others were outside at the rooftop pool, basking in the first of the year’s warm air. there were too many things going on at once.
  the only warmth you were concerned with was the hot sensation spreading throughout your body from hennessy. “how’s the filming of your new show?” you asked suzy, who was now flushed from the round of drinks.
  “exhausting. how’s the recording of your new album?” she sighed.
  “exhausting.”
  a murmur of agreement ensued. that was why everyone was gathering - an escape from the fastlane of their lives. the industry was draining and every forced smile for the cameras only weighed heavier on someone.
  “that nct member your boyfriend is friends with was passing out xans,” warned yoojung, poking your side.
  a year ago, you would have made a scene. now jaded and long given up on trying to knock some sense into him, you peeked over yoojung’s shoulder to check out the hallway ahead. turning back to the other two women, you already made up your mind.
  “the bathroom over there is free,” was all you had to say and with you swiping your clutch off the counter, they knew what you were thinking. they knew what was in its contents.
  you had to - it was a jackson wang party. ironically, you were never able to recall actually seeing jackson at his parties. really, you weren’t able to recall much in general the day after for certain reasons and tomorrow was looking no different when you busted out of the bathroom minutes later, giggling and brushing off your clothes. at the very least, you knew that you weren’t looking out of place, especially if what yoojung said was true. everyone in the room could afford the best to use, so why wouldn’t they?
  “we should go to the pool!” 
  it didn’t take much convincing for you to be dragged outside, as the high was settling in and you suddenly became a social butterfly. the three of you arrived poolside, where you were greeted by more of your peers. you wouldn’t call them your friends. 
  the exception was jimin, who you were surprised to see. he was very amicable and well-liked amongst social circles, but wild parties were never quite his scene. some of jungkook’s group mates had an affinity for nights out, but you and jungkook attended a specific genre of parties that the others didn’t vibe with on the regular.
  you smiled a little too wide. “jimin!”
  the group you approached sat poolside on a couch, as jimin scooted over to make room for. you barely fit, but he made sure to make it work for one of his best friends’ girlfriend. stumbling a bit when you squeezed past others’ knees, he offered his arm to help steady you.
  “hey, y/n. jungkook went somewhere else?” he asked slowly, examining your face. 
  jimin had a beer in his hand and appeared significantly more sober than the other partygoers, who were now immersed back into their previous conversation after your arrival. suzy and yoojung were laughing with the others, probably now too high and drunk to even remember that they walked over with you. meanwhile, jimin had his jacket on, as if he was right about to leave until you came outside. his mind was changed when he saw how wasted you were.
  you looked around, hoping the fresh air would help you focus. “mmm, yeah. think he’s with jaehyun.”
  it didn’t. it also felt like hours since you last spotted your boyfriend, but you were having fun. however, that wasn’t what jimin was concerned about.
  “you’re doing okay?” jimin questioned, a frown tugging at his lips. 
  if it wasn’t someone like jimin who knew you well, it wouldn’t be so obvious that you were now quite inebriated. your giggles were a little too loud and you would never stumble in high heels sober. 
  when you didn’t answer, jimin finished the last of his drink and set it on the table in front of you before standing up. there was a glint of worry in his eyes. 
  he said, “stay right there. i’m going to get you some water and find jungkook.”
  truthfully, you didn’t want him to locate your boyfriend, but jimin was already off. you huffed some hair out of your face. you didn’t think you were in that bad of a shape. 
  now that there was room on the couch, you were able to move over. when jimin left, you noticed that the girl next to you was watching the interaction the entire time. she was young and the doe-like expression on her face read that this was her first time at hotel azure. she was dressed to the nines and carried herself with energy.
  “hi, you’re nova!” it was more of an exclaimation than a question, when she smiled at you.
  your mood dampened at this. you did not have time to be entertaining whatever lucky rookie idol she was, probably scoring a luky invite. you also despised being called your stage name when you weren’t in front of a camera or fans. however, you put on your best plastered on smile.
  “hi. you are?” you asked, wanting to try to be polite.
  she ignored it. “wow, so it’s true then?” she asked. “you’re dating jungkook! and you were just talking to jimin, you must be so close with all of bts!”
  it was like an immediate headache onset, as you tried not to wince at her nearly screaming into your ear. the music was loud, but not that loud. at least she acknowledged you first, some people often went all in by just talking about jungkook. you would have engaged in actual conversation with her if she didn’t ignore your first attempt.
  “y/n, try this!”
  a red solo cup was pushed in front of your face and you didn’t think twice about taking a sip. anything to not hear the girl drone on about your boyfriend. it was sour and medicinal at the same time, causing you to make a face. the actor who passed it to you chuckled, as you gave it back.
  you coughed. “that was disgusting.”
  for some reason, the smell of the drink alone made your head hurt. you mumbled an ‘excuse me’ at the young idol, who was still talking about bts the entire time that interaction with the drink happened, and got up. your legs were weak. 
  for a while, you were walking around with no purpose, observing those around you blankly. when the drinks and the drugs and the desire to fit in faded away, it was boring. 
  you wondered if you actually liked being at these parties or if you were there just because. the “just because” could have been anything - just because it was expected by your circle, just because it was the only way to let out steam from the demands of your job. maybe even. . .just because of jungkook.
  “looking for your boyfriend?”
  at some point, you wandered over to the shadowy corner of the rooftop, where someone was smoking a joint. you tried your best to recall his name, as you’d just been on a variety show with him, but the best you could do was remember that he was a member of winner. you winced at yet another mention of jungkook, but ignored it again.
  he held the joint out as an offer and you accepted without hesitation, letting the smoke fill your insides. it was easy to ignore the burn in your throat when you’d already been putting random substances into your body since the night began.
  “not really,” you admitted, though you did scan the crowd when you did.
  he cocked an eyebrow. “oh? aren’t you two always hand in hand at these things?” he made a gesture, referring to the party as a whole.
  a year or two ago, you would have spent the entire party on jungkook’s lap and exclusively mingled and drank from that same spot. as time went on and jungkook began attending parties and clubs without you, it was a growing occurrence that you began doing your own thing when you appeared with him.
  “dunno,” was all you could say, not wanting to talk more about it.
  it appeared that he got the hint, dropping the subject of jungkook. instead, he failed to hide the once over he made of your appearance and you fought a shiver. you felt like you were naked under his stare, as your skin-tight maxi dress didn’t leave much to the imagination. you never felt unsafe to wear what you wanted on a night out - albeit, your boyfriend was usually with you.
  “you cold? want my jacket, sweetie?” he asked, sugar lacing every one of his words.
  that’s when you became alert, despite your body’s lack of sobriety working against you. he had taken a half-step towards you and you instantly stepped backwards. you’d never been so uncomfortable, but it was a struggle to steady yourself.
  you mustered up some solidity in your voice. “no. you can back up now,” you said, handing the joint back to him. “thanks.”
  he didn’t get the hint. “then, do you wanna go inside with me? where’s it’s warmer?”
  the smirk on his face sent off alarms in your head, as you continued to walk away, he still remained close to you when you did. 
  “i said i’m good. you’re getting weird, so back up,” you repeated, eyes darting around to see if anyone would step in.
  instead, everyone was still lost in their own worlds. some people were laughing away, trashing the bar on the other end of the rooftop. the people you were with on the couch were taking shots. nobody was noticing the interaction between you and this man.
  when he took a firm grip on your arm, you thought you were about to throw up. you noticed that you hadn’t even been walking straight and when you blinked, he was already in front of you. your words couldn’t find themselves when you saw double everywhere you turned. you were fucked and you couldn’t even defend yourself.
  then, it happened.
  when you jumped at the sound of a sudden impact, you thought that you were the one who fell down. but, there was no pain. there was a round of gasps. there was yelling. there was a body on the ground and it was the man’s.
  “are you fucking crazy?! don’t you put your dirty ass hands on her ever again or i’ll kill you with my bare hands, asshole!”
  the voice belonged to jungkook. it was the first time you’d seen him all night. he was standing over the man’s body, yelling further profanities at him. you saw red - both on his knuckles and in his bloodshot eyes. 
  you let out a scream when the man suddenly got to his feet, lunging at jungkook. this was when others ran in, straining to peel their two bodies away from each other. 
  people stopped to watch, but it was almost dystopian to see that some didn’t even care. they continued taking shots and smoking their joints. it was a daze of glimmer and drugs that only existed in the penthouse suite of hotel azure - where the rich and famous didn’t have time for scuffles. 
  “jungkook, stop!” you screeched, your voice cracking and tears welling up in your eyes.
  it took three people to pull jungkook alone, as others also came to the rescue of the other man. jaehyun and yugyeom each clutched onto one of jungkook’s arms, while bambam stood between the two. it looked like they had all chased jungkook from inside the penthouse, who had slammed the sliding door open.
  when jungkook picked up a glass beer bottle in his rage, you almost ran in yourself. he’d swatted jaehyun and yugyeom’s grips away to do so. thankfully, it was jimin who dashed in to swipe the object away from jungkook’s grasp, before the situation escalated to disastrous.
  if jimin didn’t wrestle the weapon out of jungkook’s hands, it would have been detrimental beyond saving. 
  “you piece of shit!” snarled the man, who spat in jungkook’s direction. “your little girlfriend should know how much of a piece of shit you are, too!”
  at that, you froze. jungkook only narrowed his eyes at him, as if daring him to continue. the next few moments didn’t seem real. his friends took the opportunity to take hold of him again, now with bambam joining in and trying to talk some sense into him.
  “kook, calm down. seriously, you need to just - “
  jungkook shot back, ignoring bambam. “you better shut your fucking mouth.” through gritted teeth, he kept urging for jaehyun and yugyeom to let go of him, which they thankfully didn’t.
  he only chuckled and your heart dropped when he turned to you. “nah, you must already know he’s a piece of shit. you must be cool with that and with the fact that he’s fucking his backup dancer.”
  what he said was loud and clear, but you didn’t even register it. you thought you were dreaming. you didn’t know what to do.
betrayal had a funny effect on people and on you, it was seething fury.
  if you were sober, it would have been your turn to lunge at someone. you considered it and decided that it wasn’t a bad idea. taking off your heels and making strides towards the man, nobody expected you to clock the man right in the jaw. he yelped, stumbling backwards from the impact. in your state, you only just realized that you’d actually hit him with one of your shoes.
  “that was for me, you creep,” you hissed, as he cussed loudly at his now bloody nose. 
  you even pondered pushing him into the pool, but decided it wasn’t worth it. the adrenaline in your veins - and whatever other substances were in there - wasn’t enough to distract you from the pit in your stomach from what the man said. something in you didn’t even consider the possibility of it being untrue - your gut told you otherwise. 
  you stared at jungkook, searching for any rebuttal. however, you knew the look on his face. it was the truth. not once did jungkook even try to dispute the accusation. your anger died down now and you were left feeling like you were floating. this couldn’t be real.
  it was now jungkook’s turn to stand frozen. you didn’t have time for this or for him. even his friends were frozen and you didn’t know what emotions were on their faces. shocked, but at what? that he was cheating on you or that he just got exposed? reality was beginning to sink in and the only thing you knew was that you needed to get out of there. you thought you looked like the biggest joke in the world, whether his friends knew about it or not.
  “what do you think you’re doing? go after her!” 
  that was jimin’s voice, horrified that his friend was just passively watching you run out of there. jungkook finally made a sprint for it. you’d pushed past several people and jungkook didn’t catch up to you until you reached the elevator.
  your vision was waning and the source could have been either the situation or your body finally giving up on you from what you had consumed all night. you needed to sit down. hurriedly, you jammed the button to close the elevator door, but a hand stuck out to force it open.
  jungkook was pleading. “y/n, just one second - “
  “no, get away from me.”
  “look, let’s talk! please!” he cried, trying to enter the elevator with you.
  at this point, you were shoving him away. you didn’t care, you needed him out of your face before you began crying. he wasn’t fighting back at all, letting you continuously push him, but didn’t move an inch. 
  “you’re scum to me,” you growled, eventually giving up and tripped backwards from your own force.
  the elevator closed and for thirteen long floors, it was just you and him in that one space.
  “please, let’s communicate - isn’t that what you always wanted for us?” jungkook said and did his best to get you to meet his eyes. “bug, come o -”
  the fire in your eyes was nothing like he’d ever seen before from you. “don’t you dare call me that ever again!” 
  bug was his special name for you, short for lovebug. you used to get upset when he would call you your full name over bug. in that moment, it sickened you to hear it.
  everything began clicking in your head. the way he rarely called you when he was on tour. the slow buildup of disinterest in your wellbeing. going to places that he always went to without you. being secretive of what he was doing on his phone. this behaviour multiplied recently and with another world tour for bts lined up, you now knew why.
  jungkook was living an entirely different life away from you. you just thought he would never have it in him. not the kind and sweet jungkook you met all those years ago.
  you ripped off the tennis bracelet from your wrist, which jungkook had given you for your eighteenth birthday. a look of defeat rested on his face when you hurled it at him, which he didn’t even bother to dodge. he knew he deserved it. 
  the elevator dinged and you made a beeline for the first door you saw. you weren’t even running, but jungkook dashed to meet you there. you let out a cry of frustration when he stood right in front of you, blocking the entrance. 
  “move or you’ll regret it.”
  he ignored you and you instead side-stepped away, using all your energy to exit through the next door before jungkook could realize. he tried blocking you again, but only caught a bit of your force because you were too fast.
  the entire time this was happening, you’d been trying to dial someone, anyone. none of your group mates were answering. you didn’t have any friends that weren’t at the party upstairs. the last resort was your manager, who you were about to call, when jungkook stood in front of you again.
  “y/n, please. i’ll get on my knees if i have to,” jungkook begged and you could see that he was fighting tears. “please, i just want to talk.”
  however, you could also see that jungkook was far from sober. he was in a worse state than you were. a bruise was to soon form on his jaw and his hair was disheveled. it was the lowest you’d ever seen him.
  for a split second, you tried. you wanted to try and see the boy you fell in love with all those years ago. you searched and searched. 
  “what? i’ve asked you for years to communicate in this relationship and it only becomes important after you cheat on me?” 
  jungkook knew he was defeated, but he still looked at you with those same pleading eyes. “i know i don’t deserve you - “
  “i don’t even recognize you!” you interrupted. “i don’t even know who you are!”
  both of you knew that you were right. something went wrong along the way. you were barefoot and exhausted, no longer with light in your eyes. jungkook was pitiful and lost - lost in his fame, in the parties, and from you. 
  that night at hotel azure should have been the end. the storybook fairytale should have been over. in that moment, you would have even moved as far as you could and ran away from the dread of the life you were living. you gave up that night.
  unfortunately, in the craze of the night’s events and the substances swimming in your bodies, both you and jungkook forgot who and where you were.
  TOP HEADLINE TODAY: breaking news! dispatch releases exclusive photos of bts’ jungkook and s.iren’s nova, reveals that they are dating
  you’d been in the big hit company building countless of times over the years, but would have never imagined yourself sitting in their board room with their most senior executives. to make matters worse, several high-ranking representatives from your company sat in the same room, including your ceo and your own manager. at the head of the table were you and jungkook, both stone-faced and unable to look at each other. 
  entering the room, you considered yourself all alone. your manager was pissed off at you. your group mates hadn’t spoken to you since the news broke, except for sooah. she only warned you to make sure that nobody knew you were high when it happened. the last thing the group needed was an additional scandal where their main vocalist gets sentenced to prison for possession. and, of course, you now had no boyfriend. there was nobody there for you.
  “they’ve been building evidence for a long time now, clearly.”
  to make matters more humiliating, the company executives were broadcasting the dispatch article on the big screen in front of everyone. the head of public relations, mr. lee, swiped through each photo released like a slideshow.
  the first picture was you and jungkook outside of your building complex. another was a sneaky shot that barely captured you and jungkook in the same taxi. it went on and on, until the last photo that depicted you and jungkook standing in front of hotel azure, which was less than twenty-four hours ago at this point. 
  after escaping the party and jungkook, you spent the rest of your night crying and throwing up at home. it was late when you left and you knew you couldn’t sleep a wink after what transpired. you tried your very best and it was seven in the morning when you thought your eyes were finally closing, until your phone began blowing up. 
  at first, it was just your manager and you didn’t want to hear about how she found out that you were partying late again. then, not even an hour after, your social media began blowing up with notifications. 
  i was trying to warn you, the last text from your manager read. you realized what she was talking about, as dispatch probably gave the “courtesy” to inform the company before the article went out. 
  you thought about your group members, feeling nothing but guilt. you saw what happened to other female idols, whose dating scandals tarnished their “sisterhood” with their members forever. you were terrified of that happening to you.
  now, you sat in this suffocating board room, still hungover, and your entire future at stake. the only thing you felt regretful about was not just the impact of your choices on both your group members, but the rest of jungkook’s. they were one of the, if not the, most popular groups in the country.
  while the room went over the pictures that were released, you were silent. you long understood the consequences of the relationship and accepted the risk. when the scandal actually broke, though, the fear you felt was unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. on the other hand, jungkook was only apologizing profusely and was in tears. you didn’t realize it until then, but there were also streams of tears running down your face. 
  you weren’t sure what the main reason for your tears were. something told you that you’d yet to process the grief of jungkook’s betrayal because sitting next to him felt numb. last night, only anger settled underneath your skin. now, being inches away from the man you called your best friend and partner for years, you felt nothing. it was almost an out-of-body experience. 
  the only way to not replay every single moment he was with her and not you, was to repress the grief. you pretended like it was invisible and out of reach. with that, you figured the tears were for the innocent third parties that were going to be dragged down by the scandal - the executives in the room, jungkook’s group, your group, all of them.
  “quit crying! we have no choice, there’s too much evidence - we must publicly confirm the relationship.”
  you took a deep breath. right now, you had yet to actually tell anyone that you and jungkook were no longer together. a part of you was too embarrassed to admit that you were cheated on. you also figured that word from the scene at the rooftop party likely already spread throughout social circles. you decided to swallow it down and finally say it aloud.
  this was the first time that you spoke up. “but,” you started, “jungkook and i. . .we broke up last night.”
  the last thing you expected was a round of laughter. you thought you were imagining it, but when you looked up, the board members were indeed doing so. you were suffering enough, but now you were getting laughed at. your fists were balled up underneath the table.
  “are you kidding me?” mr. lee said. “i don’t care. years ago, you and jungkook agreed that, should your relationship be exposed, you would face the repercussions of its reception.”
  “mr. lee - “ jungkook started, but was hushed by his company executives.
  when mr. lee tapped on his laptop again and cut to the comments section of the article, you thought you would see hate comments. death threats, even. but, you were stunned to face waves of positivity. 
  the tone he used, though, was devoid of any. “oh, i love this couple so much,” mr. lee began reading the comments in a monotone voice that only made the situation feel even more of a joke. “wah. they. are. such. a. beautiful. couple. i’m not even mad.”
  you swore your eyes were deceiving you. stealing your first glance at jungkook since walking into the room, he, too, was shocked and his jaw hung low. 
  “talk about a power couple, congratulations! here, someone said: hope this is true, nova is luckiest girl in the world - love this. then, a bunch of good luck’s, and blah, blah, blah.”
  there was a wave of anger when most of the comments called you the lucky one and not once the other way around.
  regardless, the reception of international fans was generally uplifting, which was no surprise to you. what really got to you was that it didn’t stop there - the screen scrolled past dozens and dozens of korean comments that exemplified full support towards the relationship. this was a true mark of positive reception, as they were the fans you feared the most.
  as the years went on and jungkook rose in popularity, you became increasingly nervous about your relationship. you watched so many of your peers receive horrible backlash from fans after being exposed for dating, especially the women. being a female in the industry was hard enough and you weren’t sure if you were going to be one of the strong ones in this situation. 
  “so that your fans don’t feel ‘betrayed’, we are going to let the media know that you have been dating for a few months - don’t even think about telling people that you’ve been together since 2013,” mr. lee announced, which snapped you back to the conversation.
  you dared to speak again. “mr. lee, jungkook and i have broken up,” you reiterated, wondering if nobody heard you the first time.
  he rolled his eyes. “i understand. do you also understand that this reaction is basically unheard of? have you noticed that you’ve gained almost a million followers on instagram?”
  this time, it was the public relations representative from big hit that cleared her throat and stood up. she joined mr. lee in front of the board members, who began murmuring in approval amongst themselves.
  “jungkook. y/n. as you know, the love yourself world tour was just announced. s.irens is also preparing for a major comeback and potential tour. this relationship,” she said, “will be used to accelerate the successes of both of your groups.”
  a chart appeared on the screen. it showed data from the last twenty-four hours, including both group’s increase in social media numbers, streams, and search engine hits. 
  “consider it an exchange for breaching your no-dating clause five years ago. until further notice, this relationship, at least in the eyes of the public, will remain.”
  this had to be a joke. however, you remembered what you and jungkook were. you were idols. you were puppets of the machine that was the korean entertainment industry. chess pieces. no matter how rich or famous either of you got, it all boiled down to this. 
  the fame game was one that was never won.
  jungkook said, slowly, “you’re asking us to date. . .as a publicity stunt?”
  at this, you had no choice. a few individuals in the room, including jungkook, jumped when you shot up from your seat. you rose in order to bow at a ninety degree angle in front of all the senior executives, ignoring how sick you were to your stomach.
  “please,” you began, eyes squeezed shut. “i want nothing to do with jeon jungkook.”
  of course, the decision was already made and your pleas were dismissed. however, you didn’t see the way jungkook watched you beg your company to not force you in a relationship with a man you no longer loved. his mouth went dry and there’d never been such a moment in his life where he hated himself more. he did this. he pushed you to this point and he betrayed you.
  from that moment on, jungkook saw this as an opportunity. he destroyed everything that you and he had ever built. now, the only thing he ever sought from this point on, was redemption.
  even though your companies informed you two that you could publicly “breakup” following a year post-dispatch release, jeon jungkook never lost sight of the redemption he sought. they wanted you to be the so-called it couple of the industry and he decided he would do them one better and make it real. for the next year, jungkook would do everything in his power to win you back.
  LATEST NEWS: bts’ jungkook and s.irens’ nova confirms their relationship! read more about big hit’s response: “they met as friends and the connection blossomed from there”
  𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄. for clarity purposes (because i feel like the non-chronological format may get confusing), y/n and jungkook get back together during this publicity stunt and are 100% for real dating in chapter 1. the publicity stunt arc is covered in chapters 6-8, as the next chapter focuses on why/how their relationship began breaking down before the hotel azure incident.
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leclucklerc · 10 days ago
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Hard Carry CL16 - 04. Life of a Party
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Pairing: Charles Leclerc x driver!reader
Summary: More fateful encounters happen and y/n attended a party where she accidentally met Ferrari's next golden boy
Word Count: 5.2K
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Drive to Survive season 1, episode 3
It’s all about Porsche
“2018, is an interesting year for Formula One,” started Will Buxton in the dark interview room. “After all, this year is the year where Lewis Hamilton can tie the race towards driver championship.”
A montage appeared after that, of Sebastian Vettel winning the championship from the year 2010 to 2012. Then, a montage of y/n winning the 2013, 2014, and 2017 championships was also played. The last montage to be played is of Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 and 2015 win.
“This year, there are many world champions racing in the grid,” continued the man as clips of all previous champions, such as Fernando and Kimi, played across the screen. “It’s a whole lot of talent, a whole lot of ego.”
Clips of crashes or swear words being yelled out across the driver’s radio could be seen.
“But amid such talented drivers, the three standouts that people think will win this year’s championship.”
A clip of Sebastian Vettel being interviewed appeared. The man is wearing the Ferrari team kit, completely bathed in red. 
“Sebastian,” asked the interviewer. “Do you think you will win this year’s driver championship?”
“Yes,” answered Sebastian Vettel.
Another clip of Lewis Hamilton being interviewed appeared. Same as Sebastian, he’s wearing a white Mercedes team kit.
“Lewis,” started the interviewer. “Do you think you will win this year’s driver championship?”
“Yes,” answered Lewis Hamilton.
And finally, a clip of y/n l/n being interviewed appeared. The woman is wearing Porsche’s team kit, bathed in black.
“Y/n,” said the interviewer. “Do you think you will win this year’s driver championship?”
Y/n stared at the camera. “Yes,” she answered, fully confident.
The screen turned towards Will Buxton in the darkroom once again. The man is staring straight at the camera, too, sounding fully convinced. “This year, the battle between the three world champions will be intense.”
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Y/n is leading the driver’s championship, and yet Porsche is not leading the constructor championship.
How absurd, she sneered internally.
This circumstance almost makes sense, considering the crash that y/n and Henry did back in the Spanish GP, Mercedes managed to overthrow Porsche’s reign as the number one in the constructor championship. A sour feeling made its way into her mouth. It’s unfair to put a big expectation on a rookie driver who is still in the process of adjusting their way into Formula 1. It’s a bit unfair to have a too big expectation for a driver who is still doing their first season in Formula 1.
And yet, the female can’t help the annoyed huff that she lets out. At the start of the season, y/n had vowed to make Formula 1 a place where rookies can thrive. A place where drivers can continue to develop themselves without any oppressing external force. However, she really couldn’t help the annoyance that blossomed inside of her chest.
This year, Porsche has an amazing car. A really amazing one. It’s fast – faster than any other car on the grid.
So, it should be easy for Henry to at least stand in third place.
But no, the little shit is currently barely at the sixth place of the driver’s championship.
Truthfully, during the start of the season, the woman really doesn’t have any bad blood with the younger. While it’s true that she was a bit wary, considering how bad her past teammates were, she just saw him as a starry-eyed rookie driver. A young driver plucked straight out of F2.
He’s green. He’s naïve. It’s clear that his racing experience dwarfed by y/n’s. She was prepared to guide him throughout the season, hoping that she’d give Herman one less headache by finally managing to have a teammate who would last more than one season.
But no, the little shit just had to act like a little shit.
Fucker, she thought, as she closed her phone and continued her walk towards the meeting room.
Inside, Herman is already there, talking with someone through the phone. Henry and his manager, too, could also be seen talking about the papers in front of them. Not caring, y/n immediately announced her presence by opening the door to the meeting room loudly.
Glancing up, Herman murmured a goodbye before giving her a nod. “You’re here,” said the man. “Good.”
She laughed at that, “Am I late?”
“No,” replied the German, glancing at the clock. “We’re just early.”
Y/n knows that she’s 5 minutes late, but whatever.
“So,” said the team principal, turning towards where the two drivers were sitting. “We have Monaco next on the calendar,” said the man.
“Home sweet home,” whistled y/n. “You are thinking of moving to Monaco too?” she asked, turning her head towards where Henty sat.
Henry clearly didn’t expect that she would address him, the younger man flinched a bit in surprise. “Sorry? Ah- yeah, Monaco. The country,” He stuttered.
“Half the grid lives there,” said the woman. “You know, no taxes and shit.”
The man nodded at that. “Oh… yeah, I was thinking about it,” said the man. “I’m- well, we, me and manager – are going to look into some apartments a day before practice.”
Y/n nodded at that. “You know the good neighborhood already? I mean, it’s not a big country, but there are some places where the real estate prices are actually worth the money.”
Henry gave her a small nod at that. “I researched it already,” he answered. “And my manager came from Monaco, so I’ll put my faith in him.”
“Good for you, you got a hefty signing bonus, eh?” asked the woman playfully.
“Well-“
“As I was saying,” cut Herman, gaining both of their attention once again. What an attention whore. “Monaco is next on the calendar. I just want to remind the both of you that we didn’t have significant upgrades on both of your cars, considering the tight time frame.”
They both nodded.
“That’s why I expect the both of you to be already familiar with your cars during practice, especially you, Henry,” said the team principal, turning his head towards where the younger sat. “In Monaco, qualifying is important. Because of the narrow roads, almost no overtakes usually happen during the race, so I want you to gain a top-three finish in the qualifying.”
Henry balked a bit at that. “Top three? I-“
“No excuses,” said Herman, tapping his iPad. “We’re behind Mercedes right now. If we want to be number one in the constructor, we must gain as many points as we can immediately.”
The kid looks constipated. People like to point out that y/n is a bad teammate, that she’s the driver killer. The bitch who waved goodbye to all of her past teammates on top of her carefully built tower.
What they forgot to point out is, well, Herman, too, is a bastard.
Which makes sense, considering he is the team principal of Porsche, the team that always races for championships. The man needs to be a bit of a bastard sometimes. If it means that he has to put massive pressure on a rookie in order to win the constructor, Herman will absolutely do it.
What a unit they both have. The bitch and the bastard of Porsche.
“… yes,” said the kid, finally. His throat bobbed nervously. “I’ll- I’ll try my best-“
“No,” said Herman again. “I don’t want you to try, I want you to show your best,” said the man. 
The already chilly meeting room turns even more cold at that demand. She could see Henry’s eyes waver at that, going back from where Herman stood to where y/n sat. The woman merely gave him a shrug, not helping him the slightest. 
Said kid frowned at that, though he let out a nod.
“And as for you, Y/n,” said the team principal, addressing her. “I expect you to get pole.”
She grinned at that. “I’ll get pole then,” said the woman. “Just for you, babe.”
Herman rolled his eyes at that. “Please,” groaned the man. “And you’re leading the driver championship, good. The gap between you and Hamilton is big; please keep up with that. Also, please keep in mind that Hamilton, too, will vying to be number one, possibly to tie the number of world championships that the three of you have.”
Y/n nodded at that. Both y/n and Sebastian are tied at three world champions, while Lewis is trailing at two. There’s no doubt that the Mercedes driver desperately wants to tie that championship number. 
“Sebastian is pretty insistent, too,” muttered the female. “Ferrari is really fast this year.”
The older man nodded at that. “And I don’t think I can say this enough,” said the man. “But I don’t want what happened at the Spanish GP to happen again,” he said. “At all.”
“Yeah, yeah,” drawled out y/n. “You got that, Henry?”
“Y- yeah.”
“Good,” nodded the man. “Now I want to talk about some upgrades that had been installed on your cars-“
Y/n blanches at that.
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Monaco is home.
While it’s true that she was born and raised in France, the moment she got her first real check from Formula One, y/n immediately bought an apartment in Monaco. She didn’t really have any reason to move to Monaco back then, there was just some kind of itch under her skin when she saw the sum of money that she got when she signed that Porsche contract.
Maybe it’s her desire for freedom, to finally leave her childhood home. Maybe it’s just her impulsiveness, not really caring where she lives somewhere in the world. All in all, it had been a correct decision back then, considering that, well, a lot of the drivers lived in Monaco. It’s also a tax haven, which helps considering the hefty sum she got from Porsche.
All in all, her decision to move to Monaco years ago is something that she will never regret. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful weather. She loves going to the sea, just sunbathing under the sun before walking around the shopping district, ready to spend an unfathomable amount of money on bags.
That’s why every time the Monaco GP comes around, she can’t contain her excitement.
After all, she’s finally home. She can sleep on her bed, work in her private gym, doesn’t have to see prissy drivers 24/7-
Y/n stopped on her jogging track.
“Charles?” she called out.
The male, also equally startled as her, stopped on his jog. “Y/n?” he said, almost choking on the water bottle that he was holding.
A smile appeared on her face. Charles is a nice guy, after all. He was a bit skittish, but he had been a sweet guy during their previous encounters. “Oh, you’re in Monaco already?” she asked, giving him a fist bump. “Didn’t expect anyone to arrive here this soon.”
“I live here,” he blurted out, eyes widening a bit before he added, “I mean, I’m Monegasque.”
She blinked. “For real?” she said. “I thought you were French.” The last part was spoken in French.
“I mean, I do speak French,” replied Charles, also in French. Y/n thinks that this is the first time that both are speaking in their mother tongue. “But I was born and raised here.”
“Oh my,” said the female as both fell into a light jog. She could see the sea beside them as they continued their path through the uphill. “It’s not every day that you’ll see someone that’s actually Monegasque.” 
Charles laughed at that. “There’s no way you’ve never met a Monegasque before. You lived here for a few years, no?” At this, he blinked before a flush overtook his face. “Wait- I’m not a stalker or anything, I just know that you’ve been living in Monaco because of some news articles- “
“Eh,” chuckled y/n, amusement evident on her face. “You’ve been following my career, huh?”
He didn’t answer that, though he did speed up, clearly way too embarrassed to answer that question. Y/n let out a laugh as she also tried to increase her pace. It flattered her, really. Most of the newer drivers don’t really wear their emotions on their sleeve like Charles is, so it’s a bit hard to tease them.
“Oh, are you a fan?” she said. “I remember Herman did say that you asked to meet me during the pre-season testing- “
“Okay!” Yelled Charles, face red. “I am a fan! Stop embarrassing me- “
Y/n laughed at that, putting her arm around Charles’ shoulder in a friendly gesture. The man is taller than her, so it’s a bit of a struggle, but she still manages to do it. “Aw, that’s sweet,” the woman crooned. “Want an autograph?”
She didn’t think that Charles’s face could be any redder, but the man spluttered before he, once again, tried to jog past her. It soon became a little game of tag, where Charles tried to speed off, and y/n caught up to him with an easy grin on her face.
What was supposed to be a light jogging session became a full-blown one as both she and Charles wanted to be the first ones who backed off. During their mini-game of tag, she could feel some fellow joggers raising their eyebrows and staring at them. Confused why two adults would chase each other on a hill in Monaco.
The game ended when y/n finally caught up to the male, slinging an arm around his shoulder once again to make sure that the man didn’t run off again.
“Fuck,” she wheezed out as her hair stuck towards her forehead. Y/n feels sticky. The woman certainly didn’t expect the light jog that she intended to become a full-blown marathon in the hills of Monaco. “I win.”
Charles, also panting, doubled forward as he regained his breathing with his hands on his knees. The motion almost made y/n stumbled, though she managed to regain her footing at the last minute.
“Yeah,” he said between his labored breathing. “I think we should stop.”
At this, they caught each other’s eyes as silence fell between them. However, it soon was replaced with the sound of loud laughter from both.
She can’t believe this. It’s been years since she did a game of tag – something that she didn’t even do during her childhood years, considering how busy she was with karting and everything – and she just played it with someone that she barely knows.
It was a bit odd how Charles could bring out her lighthearted side.
They decided to sit near the edge of the hill overlooking Monte Carlo. Charles did offer her his bottle of water, something that she was grateful for, considering that she forgot to bring her own.
“So, it’s been a few months,” she started, handing the bottle back to Charles. “How is F1 so far?”
“Great,” replied the man before also chugging down the water. Y/n took note of the indirect kiss, though she didn’t make a fuss about it. She’s not in middle school anymore, after all. “It’s all I’ve been dreaming of.”
Y/n hummed. “So far, you had a pretty great season, I’m glad,” she answered. “Still in Sauber next year?”
Charles tilted his head at that. “Well, that’s the plan, yeah,” he answered. “But it’s still early in the season. Who knows what will happen.”
“Ah, you’re expecting other teams to reach out?” she asked. When she said that Charles had a great season, she was not lying. After all, from her observation, Charles managed to maximize the hell out of Sauber’s car – even outperforming his much more experienced teammates.
She knows that the bigger teams have started to set their eyes on Charles’ potential. Porsche included.
Y/n had seen the way Herman watched Charles’ performance. She knows that the man is considering all kinds of possibilities for the better of the team. She knows that a talented rookie driver – still naïve, doesn’t have a strong personality, talented as hell – is practically equal to gold in Herman’s eyes.
Charles Leclerc is one hell of a driver.
An image of Charles in Porsche’s driver’s suit appeared on her head. Hm, she thought. That’s not a bad look.
“I’m not expecting,” answered Charles. “I know they will.”
A bark of laughter appeared in her throat. “You’re really confident, huh?” she said, grinning. 
“I think a Formula One driver has to be confident,” replied the man. “I’ve tried to show the teams my best. I can only hope that it’s good enough for them.”
“I see,” she said. “And you think it’s good enough?”
“Well, it’s only the start of the season,” shrugged the man. “But so far, it has been growing great.”
She laughed at that. “That’s nice,” said the woman, leaning back on her hand. Her gaze dropped towards the view of Monte Carlo in front of them. “I hope we can share podiums soon.”
There is silence between them after that as y/n continues to watch the sight before her, and Charles falls silent. Before long, she could hear a soft sound of laughter from the rookie driver.
It’s a nice sound, she idly thought.
“Yeah,” said Charles. “I, too, hope that day will come soon enough.”
Podium with Charles Leclerc. That doesn’t sound bad at all. 
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Y/n had always thought that love was not something for her.
Maybe it’s the way she grew up and watched all the women who came and went from her father’s bed. Maybe it’s the fact that she never knew her mom, which makes her not know how love or marriage works. Or maybe it’s more of her fear of long-term commitment.
The media or maybe Formula One fans would call her a hypocrite if they heard that, considering her pretty extensive dating history throughout her career. 
Still, the thought of having to spend the rest of her life shackled with only one person is a bit terrifying. She can’t imagine loving someone so much that she decided to make him a constant presence in her life. To have someone to share her personal space with.
While it’s true that she has her own flings and short-lived relationships, love had not been something that she put much effort into. Finding someone to share her bed with had always been way too easy. Finding someone who wants to have a long-term relationship with?
Yeah.
No.
With her busy schedule and the fact that she was flying to a different country every week, love had never been her priority. Why should she be focusing on something like love when she can be productive? Why should she be focusing on something like love when there’s a race to win and other shit tons of things to do?
That’s why she found herself a bit shocked that she accepted Max’s invitation to a party in Monaco.
Well, it’s not like Max invited her per se. More like begs her. 
“You’re so friendless,” said the woman, crossing her arms together.
The man merely glared at her.
Contrary to popular belief, she and Max are actually pretty good friends. After all, both of them have plenty of things to connect with. They’re Formula One drivers; they were thrust into the sport at a really young age, and they practically carry their teams on their backs, yada yada.
(Daniel would probably kill her if he heard her saying that, but whatever.)
It’s a friendship that she was a bit surprised with but welcomed, nonetheless.
“If I could, I wouldn’t even be here,” growled the man. “But it’s for one of our sponsors.”
Y/n blinked.
“Our?”
“They’re planning to sponsor Porsche next season,” answered Max. “Maybe you would know if you actually checked all of the emails that Herman sent you.”
The female waved him off, “I have a personal assistant that does that kind of thing,” she replied. “But ah, now that I think about it, Dad did say something about a new sponsor.”
“It’s an investment company; they’re trying to gain “Whatever Max was about to say was cut off as the man suddenly stopped his sentence, staring at one point of the room pointedly.
Raising an eyebrow, y/n asked, “What did you say- “She, too, stopped, staring at the same spot as Max.
Charles Leclerc stares at both. Eyes wide in surprise.
“Ah,” said them both.
“Ah…,” said Charles, though she could only see his mouth move.
Max immediately turned his head towards her, eyes widening in horror as he grasped her arm. “Y/n, don’t you dare- “
“Char!” she greeted with a wave of her hand. “Fancy meeting you here!”
The said man flinched, clearly, he didn’t expect y/n’s loud greeting. Taking a hesitant step, the younger man approached the both of them cautiously. She could see that he was a bit nervous as his eyes darted everywhere in the room.
“Y/n! and… Max,” he said after a slight pause. “I didn’t expect to see you guys here together.” There’s something strained about his tone; maybe it’s because of his past rivalry with Max? she remembers reading something like that about them.
“Max dragged me here,” she replied. “What about you?”
“The company holding this party is looking to invest in Sauber next year, one of the drivers was asked to participate,” he explained.
Damn, Red Bull, Porsche, and Sauber? Are they going to invest in the entire grid? But then again, the company probably heard their deal with Netflix and concluded that there will be a whole lot of exposure regarding F1 next year.
“You’re not drinking?” asked the woman, staring pointedly at Charles’ empty hand.
“Ah, tomorrow is the media day so…,”
“You shouldn’t be drinking either,” said Max, snatching the glass of alcohol that she managed to grab earlier. “You’ll be completely wasted by tomorrow morning.”
Huffing, she glared at the Red Bull driver, “I was not going to drink that, you know?” she said. “It’s all about the appearances, as if I’m enjoying this party.”
Max rolled his eyes as if he didn’t believe her.
In front of them, Charles silently stared at their interaction. “… Are you guys like… together, together?”
Both y/n and Max turned their heads so fast towards where Charles stood, eyes wide and complete shock painted across their face.
“What!?” she screeched out. “No- we’re not together!”
“Yes,” hissed out Max. “We’re not together, Leclerc.”
Charles blinked; tension seemed to seep out of his shoulder. “Oh, I thought because you attended this party together- “
“The company is also looking to sponsor both Red Bull and Porsche,” replied Max, cutting Charles as if he didn’t want to listen to his explanation. Which, honestly, is valid because y/n had never been more horrified before, too. “I just thought that it would be logical for us to attend together.”
“Yes,” replied y/n with a nod. “And Max here is friendless so-“
“I’m not!”
Just the thought of dating someone on the grid terrifies her. After all, ever since her debut, that’s the one accusation that keeps appearing under her name.
Truthfully, it’s something that should’ve been expected, considering she’s the first female F1 driver in years. She’s the first F1 female world champion. Considering all of her achievements in the sport, she thought that the baseless accusations of her sleeping with the entire grid should’ve been gone by no.
But no.
Despite everything. Despite her already proving her worth to the entire world, that specific accusation keeps haunting her.
Whore.
Slut.
She will sleep with the entire grid.
Horrible fuckers, she thought. She hopes they all will choke and die. 
“I see,” said Charles with a nod before a smile bloomed on his face. “I’ll hang out with you guys then; I don’t know anyone here.”
Max rolled his eyes at that. “Y/n here knows everyone,” replied the driver. “So, if you want to make connections, you should stick by her.”
“And Max here doesn’t know anyone,” added y/n.
“Shut the fuck up.”
Y/n laughed at that, slightly leaning towards the table beside her. “Come on, Char, I’ll introduce you to everyone,” she said. Despite her reluctance to go to the party, Max was actually right. She knows a lot of the people here.
There’s a lot of people from the entertainment circle as well as sports. Mainly F1, but she can see some other athletes from different sports. 
“Go ahead,” said Max. “I’ll wait here.”
“Boo, boring.”
Going around the room with Charles was quite easy. Unlike Max and his tendency to stay quiet, Charles was a really sociable guy. He’s very friendly, always finding topics to talk about, as well as knowing the appropriate cues to laugh or not. He looks as if he had been media-trained for years.
Knowing Sauber and their budget, the guy probably never did any media training. So, all of this is his natural charisma.
He’ll be good for PR. FIA probably will do something with him later on.
So far, everyone that she had introduced to Charles had been positively charmed by him. Some even asked for his phone number or social media. He had looked unsure initially, though y/n gave him a small nudge and loudly claimed that Charles would love to give them his Instagram.
Giving strangers your personal phone number sounds icky, but Instagram should be okay, right? He should built connections for the future in this party after all.
They’ve been talking with the other guest for a couple of hours when she can feel her phone buzzing.
Glancing at it, she sees that it’s a text from Max.
‘Got called for an emergency meeting for tomorrow. I’m going home first.’
Fuck, she thought. This asshole.
“What’s wrong?” asked Charles as they separated from the small group with a laugh and a small wave.
She showed him the message. “Max already went home.”
“Ah,” said Charles, glancing at his watch. “It is already pretty late. Do you want to go home, too?”
“Sure,” answered y/n. Tomorrow is the media day, after all. She needs a good night’s sleep. “I’ll call my PA first to pick me up.”
Charles tilted his head. “PA?” he asked as she began dialing the numbers.
A minute passed, and her PA didn’t answer her phone. Glancing at the time, she internally cursed. She’s probably asleep by now, considering she will have to wake up early to prepare for the media day.
“Is she not answering?” asked Charles as they walked near the entrance.
“She’s probably asleep,” answered y/n with a frown.
“Do you have a car?”
“I went here with Max’s car,” she muttered in irritation. It’s a bad call on her part. She should’ve used her car instead of Max’s, knowing the other driver’s personality.  “But it’s okay, Monaco is a small country. I’ll just take the cab or walk-“
“I have a car,” cut Charles, though he immediately looks embarrassed. “I mean- I went here with my own car. I can drive you home.”
Y/n stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s not a ploy so that I’ll know your address, I swear I’m not creepy!” he begins rambling. At this point, he’s looking downright panicked. “It’s just that- it’s already late at night, and it’s dangerous for a woman to be alone during the night! And- uh- calling your PA probably takes time, and tomorrow is media day, so it’s better for you to go home early-“
“Charles,” she said before the man could continue her ramble.
He immediately shuts up.
With a tilt of her head, she asked, “Is it really okay for you to drive me home?” glancing at the party that was still happening in full swing, she turned her attention back to the driver again. “If you still want to stay, it’s okay. I’ll figure everything out by myself.”
“Of course!” replied Charles hurriedly. “It’s- it’s not like I know anyone there without you, and well, tomorrow is the media day, I guess it’s time for me to go home, too.”
She pondered the answer for a bit. Really, if Charles still wants to stay, she’s okay with it. It’s easy to call a cab or just ask someone from the party for a ride to her apartment.
But the look that Charles is wearing – the determination – is pretty endearing to look at. It’s cute, she thinks. He still has all of that empty chivalry that men his age usually have. The determination to always protect and accompany a woman to safety.
Not that she’s complaining.
Finally, she let a grin appear on her face. “Well, take me home then, Romeo.”
If it’s possible, Charles’ face had gone redder. However, the Sauber driver lets out a nod and begins escorting her to where he parks his car.
It’s a bit odd to see someone in Monaco not using the valet, but considering he has lived here since he was born, he probably knows every spot this country has to offer. They walked together for a small distance, making a small chatter here and there. Charles still looks a bit nervous, it’s funny.
“Sorry, it’s a bit small,” he said, stopping by a white FIAT 500 that was parked on the side of the road. “I didn’t think that I would bring anyone.”
“It’s cute,” replied y/n with a smile as she entered the car.
The car is a bit cramped, something she should’ve expected, considering how small the car is from the outside. This is actually the first time for her to ride on a car this small – besides a kart, if that actually counts.
“Any preference for music?” he muttered as he fiddled with the stereo.
“Nah, let’s just talk,” she replied, grabbing his arm to stop him. “So, why did you go to the party alone?”
“Ah,” replied the man as he began driving. “I was supposed to go with my older brother. He’s also my manager, but he got sick.”
“You have a brother?” asked y/n. Outside, she could see the night view of Monaco blurring past them. “How many siblings do you have?”
“Two,” he replied. “I’m a middle child.”
She laughed. “Middle child? Have you ever experienced the middle child syndrome?”
Charles raised an eyebrow at that. “Middle child syndrome? What’s that?”
“You know, feeling as if you’re forgotten, left out, stuff like that,” she said with a hum. “I’m an only child, so I never experienced something like that.”
Furrowing his eyebrow, Charles seems to be thinking about his answer. “No, I never felt anything like that,” he finally replied. “Instead, I think my family put me as their priority sometimes.”
Another bark of laughter escaped her. “How can I forget? You’re the prodigious F1 driver, after all.”
Charles’ face reddened at that. “No, I’m not,” he said, sounding embarrassed. “But I think my parents never did anything like that. They love me and my brothers equally.”
They continued their small chatter throughout the drive, and before long, they arrived at y/n’s apartment.
Stopping at the lobby, she turned towards Charles. “Thanks for the ride,” she said, smiling. “It was nice of you.”
“It was my pleasure, actually,” he replied with a small grin.
Stepping out of the car, she stared at the smiling Charles in the driver’s seat. Hm, she thought. It would be a bit of a shame to let him go home now.
However, they do have the media day tomorrow. It’s best for them to immediately go rest because they will obviously have a long day ahead of them. But still-
Well.
“Want to come up?” asked y/n, leaning towards the small window of Charles’ car.
Charles spluttered.
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mariacallous · 8 months ago
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In a product demo last week, OpenAI showcased a synthetic but expressive voice for ChatGPT called “Sky” that reminded many viewers of the flirty AI girlfriend Samantha played by Scarlett Johansson in the 2013 film Her. One of those viewers was Johansson herself, who promptly hired legal counsel and sent letters to OpenAI demanding an explanation, according to a statement released later. In response, the company on Sunday halted use of Sky and published a blog post insisting that it “is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice.”
Johansson’s statement, released Monday, said she was “shocked, angered, and in disbelief” by OpenAI’s demo using a voice she called “so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference.” Johansson revealed that she had turned down a request last year from the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, to voice ChatGPT and that he had reached out again two days before last week’s demo in an attempt to change her mind.
It’s unclear if Johansson plans to take additional legal action against OpenAI. Her counsel on the dispute with OpenAI is John Berlinski, a partner at Los Angeles law firm Bird Marella, who represented her in a lawsuit against Disney claiming breach of contract, settled in 2021. (OpenAI’s outside counsel working on this matter is Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati partner David Kramer, who is based in Silicon Valley and has defended Google and YouTube on copyright infringement cases.) If Johansson does pursue a claim against OpenAI, some intellectual property experts suspect it could focus on “right of publicity” laws, which protect people from having their name or likeness used without authorization.
James Grimmelmann, a professor of digital and internet law at Cornell University, believes Johansson could have a good case. “You can't imitate someone else's distinctive voice to sell stuff,” he says. OpenAI declined to comment for this story, but yesterday released a statement from Altman claiming Sky “was never intended to resemble” the star, adding, “We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better.”
Johansson’s dispute with OpenAI drew notice in part because the company is embroiled in a number of lawsuits brought by artists and writers. They allege that the company breached copyright by using creative work to train AI models without first obtaining permission. But copyright law would be unlikely to play a role for Johansson, as one cannot copyright a voice. “It would be right of publicity,” says Brian L. Frye, a professor at the University of Kentucky’s College of Law focusing on intellectual property. “She’d have no other claims.”
Several lawyers WIRED spoke with said a case Bette Midler brought against Ford Motor Company and its advertising agency Young & Rubicam in the late 1980s provides a legal precedent. After turning down the ad agency’s offers to perform one of her songs in a car commercial, Midler sued when the company hired one of her backup singers to impersonate her sound. “Ford was basically trying to profit from using her voice,” says Jennifer E. Rothman, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, who wrote a 2018 book called The Right of Publicity: Privacy Reimagined for a Public World. “Even though they didn't literally use her voice, they were instructing someone to sing in a confusingly similar manner to Midler.”
It doesn’t matter whether a person’s actual voice is used in an imitation or not, Rothman says, only whether that audio confuses listeners. In the legal system, there is a big difference between imitation and simply recording something “in the style” of someone else. “No one owns a style,” she says.
Other legal experts don’t see what OpenAI did as a clear-cut impersonation. “I think that any potential ‘right of publicity’ claim from Scarlett Johansson against OpenAI would be fairly weak given the only superficial similarity between the ‘Sky’ actress' voice and Johansson, under the relevant case law,” Colorado law professor Harry Surden wrote on X on Tuesday. Frye, too, has doubts. “OpenAI didn’t say or even imply it was offering the real Scarlett Johansson, only a simulation. If it used her name or image to advertise its product, that would be a right-of-publicity problem. But merely cloning the sound of her voice probably isn’t,” he says.
But that doesn’t mean OpenAI is necessarily in the clear. “Juries are unpredictable,” Surden added.
Frye is also uncertain how any case might play out, because he says right of publicity is a fairly “esoteric” area of law. There are no federal right-of-publicity laws in the United States, only a patchwork of state statutes. “It’s a mess,” he says, although Johansson could bring a suit in California, which has fairly robust right-of-publicity laws.
OpenAI’s chances of defending a right-of-publicity suit could be weakened by a one-word post on X—“her”—from Sam Altman on the day of last week’s demo. It was widely interpreted as a reference to Her and Johansson’s performance. “It feels like AI from the movies,” Altman wrote in a blog post that day.
To Grimmelmann at Cornell, those references weaken any potential defense OpenAI might mount claiming the situation is all a big coincidence. “They intentionally invited the public to make the identification between Sky and Samantha. That's not a good look,” Grimmelmann says. “I wonder whether a lawyer reviewed Altman's ‘her’ tweet.” Combined with Johansson’s revelations that the company had indeed attempted to get her to provide a voice for its chatbots—twice over—OpenAI’s insistence that Sky is not meant to resemble Samantha is difficult for some to believe.
“It was a boneheaded move,” says David Herlihy, a copyright lawyer and music industry professor at Northeastern University. “A miscalculation.”
Other lawyers see OpenAI’s behavior as so manifestly goofy they suspect the whole scandal might be a deliberate stunt—that OpenAI judged that it could trigger controversy by going forward with a sound-alike after Johansson declined to participate but that the attention it would receive from seemed to outweigh any consequences. “What’s the point? I say it’s publicity,” says Purvi Patel Albers, a partner at the law firm Haynes Boone who often takes intellectual property cases. “The only compelling reason—maybe I’m giving them too much credit—is that everyone’s talking about them now, aren’t they?”
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