#Champions One-Day Cup 2024

[kinichval]

pro-valorant player!kinich loves it when you cook him a meal when he's in the midst of practicing for an upcoming tournament. always, he'll kiss you right after you set his plate on the table beside his computer setup. oh, he won't forget to say 'thank you', 'i love you', and a praise or compliment.

pro-valorant player!kinich who likes having you sit on his lap when he plays casually, at times that he's not streaming valorant gameplays just because, he's more than glad to have you giggling on his lap trying to understand whatever is going on in his screen. sure enough you know he's the best player with the straight victories and mvps.

(oh and when he sees the bloody red 'defeat', he instantly hides his face on some part of your body—your neck, chest, back, shoulder, arm—or you'd catch his lowering head with your hands, cupping his face and kissing him. "they suck, babe.")

pro-valorant player!kinich who desperately wants to have you beside him on stage when he's declared to be the most valuable player in the competition. but, of course, kinich respects your preference to not have your name and face out there in public where who knows what fans are capable of scheming?

his eyes would always wander in the crowd as he delivers his speech, his gaze would linger a little longer when he finds you smiling at him with a big banner. his cheeks would flush with the known amount of "go kinich" and "kinich my duelist" banners inside your room. (talk about being his number one fan, no one can do it like you.)

pro-valorant player!kinich who always gets asked about his dating life, oh how badly does he want to just spill it right then and there that he's madly in love with his number one fan. you, of course, who would it be?

"my dating life is personal and private. whether i have a partner or not is none of the internet's business, i will share to the world when i want to."

(oh he definitely wants to.)

pro-valorant player!kinich who gets to roam around the tournament host country's tourist spots with you. he may not look like the type of boyfriend to screencapture each frame per second, but the candid photos of you in his phone argue to believe otherwise.

and it's those (selected) photos that pique his fans' curiosity—who is that hand in his vct champions 2024 in japan post? or those extra snacks because kinich doesn't enjoy those kinds of delicacies on a normal day?

or to who does he dedicate the songs in his instagram stories to? seems like those places in his highlights weren't just a scenery to kinich when the songs are all romantic, is this a glimpse of what it's like to be loved by kinich?

[megwritesriddles]

Your Champion ༊*·˚

18+ MDNI !!!

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Fem! Reader / You

Summary: Kinktober 2024 Day 16 - Shower sex. Reader waits for Draco in the changing rooms during his match, ready to celebrate with him when he wins, and celebrate they do, in their usual fashion.

Tags: Shower sex, P in V, Handjob, Semi-public sex, Established relationship/Friends-with-benefits, Miscommunication, Cocky!Draco, QuidditchPlayer!Draco, Not canon compliant, Cliffhanger (minor).

Word count: 2.6k

Read it on ao3! | Masterlist

Authors note: Surprise!! Two fics in one day!! This is short (ish) and sweet!! Hope you like it mwah ( ◕◡◕)っ ♡

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The game was louder than usual. The stands were more lively, the buzz of the players as they flew by amplified somehow by the stakes of the game. Even in the player's tent, it was nearly deafening. You sat on the bench under Draco's locker, reading your book, waiting. You were interested to know how the game was going, but Draco had asked you to stay in the tent and wait for him, so you did. 

You and Draco were… undefined, even though everybody knew there was something going on. As you’d walked into the tent with him earlier today, not even for the first time, other members of the team had wanted to make comments, but Draco had told them in no uncertain terms to keep it to themselves. He wasn’t shy of you in the slightest. Before walking out onto the pitch, he’d given you a kiss and a playful smack on the ass. He was never shy to let people see the two of you were involved, but the way you were involved was never discussed between you. You had decided a while ago to just interpret it as friends with benefits to prevent yourself from being let down. Draco had asked you to wait for him in the tent when you last saw him, telling you he’d want to ‘celebrate’ when Slytherin won.

“And if you don’t win?” you’d asked softly, his arms tightly around your waist. He scoffed at you. 

“Oh, we’ll win,” he grinned, placing a kiss on your lips. “And if somehow not, then I’ll need you to comfort me,” he smiled slightly softer. It’s these little glimpses of vulnerability that keep you running back to him. You live for them, every drop of his true self he gives you just keeps you addicted. Which is why you sit for potentially hours alone in a tent that smells lingeringly sweaty for him to finish his game. You’re lucky your book is interesting. 

It’s the final match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Stakes are high, even higher for Draco as it’s his last game at Hogwarts and, more importantly, his last game against Harry Potter. He has something to prove, and for his sake, you really hope he proves it. You don’t care much about your house, but you care about him. Slytherin hasn’t won the cup, even if they win this game, but for Draco, this match is bigger than that. He has to prove himself over Potter, it’s an odd compulsion he’s always had. He insisted you had to be in the changing rooms as you’re his good luck charm, which you had to admit, while cheesy, had really enticed you. 

There’s a massive eruption of cheers, you try your best to guess which house they’re coming from, but you’re unsure. From your position near the ground, you can’t hear the commentary over the roar of the crowd so you’re unable to figure out what’s happened. You slowly close your book on the bench beside you and wait. There’s a chant forming, still obscured to your ears by clumsy timing, but slowly and surely it morphs into the word ‘Slytherin’. They’ve won. You smiled to yourself, cheering on your own in here feels silly. You slump slightly against the lockers, having won means the team will be out there celebrating for the while, talking to the school newspaper, being forced, with little luck presumably, to shake hands with the Gryffindors. You resign yourself to wait, but quite quickly, the fabric of the tent parts and Draco bursts in. He looks smug and he’s grinning wide, so you grin back. He comes over and picks you up with ease, clearly hopped up on adrenaline. You wrap your arms around his neck, giggling at his excitement.

“We won, love,” he tells you, even though this much is obvious. He presses a hard kiss to your lips before withdrawing again. “Fuck, you somehow look even more hot than when I just saw you,” he chuckles.

“That’s all the dopamine speaking,” you laugh softly, caressing his neck, his chest currently out of reach due to his quidditch uniform. “Aren’t you supposed to still be out there?” you question.

“Yeah, but I needed you, what are they gonna do? Kick me off the team? That was my final game,” he dismisses, holding you closer and kissing your jaw. You giggle a little.

“I suppose not,”

“Come on, I need a shower, love,” he carries you over into the shower room, gently setting you down by the bench. He makes quick work of his quidditch gear, but it still takes a while. Once he’s left in his undershirt and boxers, he dives for you. He kisses all over your neck, his hands sliding under your t-shirt and onto your back, caressing gently. “My good luck charm,” he hums against your neck. “You did me well today, I really showed Potter,” he hisses the last word and you almost laugh at him, but frankly you’re too used to this. He helps you to strip down, his hands absolutely everywhere on you. You take turns until you’re both stark naked. He is already half hard with anticipation, grinning lazily at you. You hear some of the other team members entering the tent and he guides you to one of the shower stalls so that you’re out of view. “Remember to be quiet for me, okay?” he grins cheekily. He turns on the shower and the stream of water crashes over you. It’s initially cold and you jump into his arms instinctively for warmth. He chuckles lowly and holds you while the water warms, seeming unphased by the icy shower falling over him. His wind-tousled hair becomes saturated with water, slicking down onto his forehead. He kisses your neck at a leisurely pace, rubbing his hands over you to soothe away the goosebumps until they’re finally gone. 

“Do you wanna wash first?” you enquire in his ear, otherwise you would have needed to shout over the pounding of the water in the enclosed space. He nods in response, stepping back and retrieving some soap from the magical dispenser. You watch him as he scrubs himself down, his lean body highlighted by a long tough quidditch season. He keeps his eyes on you too, enjoying the sight of your wet glistening body. He’s seen it many times before, but he never seems to tire of ogling. It’s slightly flattering, but it also makes you want to roll your eyes. He grins, sensing your annoyance. 

“What? You’re stunning, love,” he coos, leaning in to press his lips to your ear. “Making me hard just by standing there, no other girl can say that,” he nips your earlobe, leaning back to wash the last of the soap off of himself. He’s right, he’s much harder than he was when you entered the shower, his body knowing what’s coming, or rather, who is coming. He’s back on you in mere moments once he’s sure he’s free of soap. One arm settles around your waist, holding you close, the other takes your wrist and guides your hand to his erection. “You wanna spoil the victor, don’t you?” he teases against your ear. “I think I deserve it, and you’re always so good at it,” you roll your eyes again at his cocky behaviour, leaning up to kiss him as your hand wraps around his length. He hums in pleasure. His hand remains at your waist, slowly sliding down. You know where it’s headed, but don’t object. You pump his length gently in your hand, keeping a slow pace to start, aware that you can’t get him too loud where you are. His free hand cups your jaw as he kisses you, open-mouthed and desperate.

“You’re excited today,” you mumble teasingly against his lips. His hand squeezes the flesh of your rear. It’s a miracle he hears you. 

“Been thinking about you the whole match, surprised I was able to win when all I was thinking about was you,” he admits, softly sucking on your bottom lip. You slightly tighten your grip on his cock and he groans quietly. Your motions speed up ever so slightly, you add a little twisting motion as you go, one you know he loves. He holds you tight against his lips, using the kiss to muffle the needy noises escaping his lips. You thumb his tip gently and he bucks into your hand, another groan escaping him.

“I thought it was me that was supposed to be quiet,” you taunt, still working your hand in the way he loves. He grunts. 

“Brat,” he grins. “I’ll have you struggling in a second,” he promises between choked sounds. He reaches down, gently removing your hand from his cock, which is now weeping pre-cum. You know what he’s about to do, but somehow it shocks you anyway. He grabs your waist and spins you around, pressing you against the cool tile wall of the shower cubicle. His hands brace on either side of your head, his body pressing into your back. “Be quiet for me, won’t you, love?” he teases, kissing your cheek lingeringly before reaching down to align himself with you. You bite your lip, moaning softly as he runs his tip up and down your folds. You can tell without looking that he’s smiling his arrogant little smile, but it hardly matters to you when he’s rutting so deliciously against your clit. “While everyone’s distracted by the celebrations, I’ll take you to my room and please you nice and proper, yeah? A thank you for being my lucky charm. Eat you out until you cry? Do you like the sound of that, love?” he taunts. He knows you like the sound of it, you can practically hear the smirk in his voice. You whimper your soft agreement. “And then tomorrow, you can spend the day pleasing me, your champion, can’t you?” he prompts, grinding against you deliciously. “Can’t you?”

“Yes,” you exhale shakily. 

“I can have you all to myself tomorrow, all day, a perfect Sunday," he muses, kissing the crook of your neck. You whine, pressing back against him needily, the thoughts of what the two of you might get up to exhilarating. It’s not often you spent the whole day together, and you were surprised it was what he wanted, rather than basking in his victory with the team, but you were happy to comply. 

He finally begins to sink into you and it’s sweet relief. You bite your lip hard to keep quiet, wanting to moan out a string of colourful expletives to demonstrate how amazing this feels. He pants harshly against your ear, bottoming out and staying still for a little while. In this brief pause, you hear distant voices, a reminder that, though enclosed from view in these four walls, you are not completely alone. He braces against you and starts to pump his hips. You don’t need much warm-up since you’re quite used to his cock by now from months of taking it, but you’re still squeezing him the perfect amount and he makes sure to let you know through the soft growls leaving his lips. He rocks faster against you and it’s a battle to remain quiet, but you have no choice, even if you’re sure people have noticed your discarded clothes on the bench and put two and two together. His hand snakes down, rubbing gentle circles on your clit, you’re grateful for it, but you always wonder if it’s really a selfish action, as it makes you clench around him and his breath shudders with each clench. With him, it’s probably a bit of both, a favour for you, perfectly calculated so it benefits him too. You spread your legs a little more so he has better access to caress you. For the most part, the patter of the shower water against your skin and the shower floor drowns out the slap of skin against skin, but you hear it, travelling up through your body. If Draco hears it too, he doesn’t let it slow him down even slightly. He’s relentless in chasing his release, pressing firm kisses to your neck and shoulders, each a promise of a more relaxed experience later, a promise to lavish you in ecstasy, now and later. He’s mumbling something, but you can’t hear it, it’s not frantic enough to be an announcement of his orgasm, so you let yourself ignore him. The coil in your belly tightens and tightens until it’s almost painful, your whole body going tense. He realises it and speeds his fingers up on you, fucking into you faster. 

“That’s it,” you hear him coaxing over the various noises clouding your senses. “That’s it, love, you’re right there,” he whispers. The coil in your belly snaps in an instant, forcing you to bite down on your lip hard. You close your eyes in ecstasy, feeling your body pulsing pleasurably, tingling all over. Your legs shake and Draco holds you up as he rams into you a few more times before pulling out to spill his seed all over your lower back. You feel the warm liquid land on your back only for a moment before he shifts you under the spray of water to wash it away.

You gasp for breath in his arms and he does the same behind you, both overwhelmed by your first time together in a little while. Draco had recently confessed that he no longer touches himself as he has you, but with last-minute practice, the two of you have been apart for a while. It’s oddly flattering to realise from the intensity of his release, that he’s still using only you as an outlet. He wipes your back gently, making sure you’re free of his cum before loosening his grip on you carefully. He’s worried you’ll collapse, it happened once, and he’s been overly careful since. You stand shakily on your own two feet. He guides you around so you’re facing him and then wraps his arms around your waist. 

“I reckon I’m the champion at that too,” he grins smugly. You roll your eyes, leaning into his arms as he pecks your cheek and pats your ass affectionately as if to say ‘good job’.

“Merlin, your ego has been so inflated by that match,” you chuckle.

“And you want to stroke it,” he mutters the double entendre cheekily. Another glimpse at his genuine self, less vulnerable this time, but still true and seldom seen. You gently smack his chest and laugh at him and he laughs back. He turns off the shower and you listen. It’s mostly silent outside, you wonder idly how long you’ve been there together, and how obvious it might have been to the others what was going on. Draco seems unbothered, cracking the door to the cubicle and checking the coast is clear before ushering you out. He brings you a towel from his locker, which has been housing two towels since you began whatever this was. Once you’re wrapped in it, he smiles at you. “My beautiful good luck charm,” he murmurs, pushing your wet hair from your neck to press a few kisses there. 

“Oh shut up,” you giggle, slightly flustered. It was moments like these that really made you want to ask him what you were. He was always so sweet and tender after sex, it felt like something more than it probably did.

“No really,” he insists, pulling you closer again. “I wish we could just apparate to my room, but I suppose I don’t mind showing you off in the common room first, showing everyone those cute little marks on your neck, especially Potter! Hah! Imagine his face, I won the match and fucked you all within the hour, he’ll be green with envy,” he traces the few soft pink spots on your neck, chuckling to himself.

“People might think we’re dating,” you dismiss a little, though you find his comments amusing. He tilts his head at you. 

“Aren’t we?”

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xoxoxo

[f1version]

11. “am I your favorite?” “I like your dog a bit more than you I won’t lie” with max but instead of dog it’s cats🫶🫶

P1 IN YOUR HEART ★ MV1

pairing: max verstappen x fem! gf! reader

summary: 5 times you told Max his cats were P1 in your heart, and 1 time he did a Grand Slam.

warnings: 5 + 1 format ( it’s my first time doing it ), fluff, teasing & joking, established relationship, sassy and jimmy are the favorites ( duh! )

word count: 1.7k

note: this just reminded me how much i LOVE writing fluff, thank you kay <3

general masterlist ★ 1k special

1. SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

The first time it happened, it was Max’s birthday. It wasn’t race week and the obnoxious party Red Bull was going to throw him, was the following day. That left you, Max, Jimmy, and Sassy against the world.

“You are so pretty,” Max said while petting Sassy. You smiled, he loved those little beings so much.

“They may be my favorite thing on this house” You answered jokingly, Jimmy crawling into your lap “Taking P1 indeed”

Max looked at you funny because was he really behind his cats? You bet. Max Verstappen loved being first, even if it meant fighting his cats to be P1 in your heart.

“Oh really?” the Dutchman teased “I’ll be the judge of that” He finished as he picked up Jimmy from your lap and ran away.

2. NOVEMBER 28, 2023

The second time it happened, it was Tuesday, two days after Abu Dhabi. Max had already secured his third world championship back in September, but RedBull had kept both of you there until Monday for partying.

You had just arrived at your shared apartment in Monaco, Jimmy and Sassy surprisingly purring at your arrival, tangling in your feet.

“Hi lovelies!” you said softly, petting both of their tiny heads “How are my favorite beings in the universe?”

“Oh, now they’re your universe?” Max complained, leaving his bags on the floor to pet his cats too “I figured a three-time world champion would be”

You just laughed at his childish behavior “Oh shut up, Maxie. Let them have their moment”

3. DECEMBER 31, 2023

The third time, was on New Year’s Day. You were at a party in Monaco, the sky adorned with stars, and the place was full of friends, family, and colleagues; One minute away from giving a warm welcome to 2024.

Max was holding you close, one arm around your waist, the other one caressing your arm. Your arms were wrapped around his torso, eyes focused on the stars before they drifted to him.

“Maxie” You called, he hummed, his arm around your waist losing a bit. “What’s your year's resolution?”

You and Max usually took that question as a joke, even after you achieved the majority of last year's. Max thought about it for at least 8 seconds before a grin popped on his lips.

“That one’s obvious. I will overtake the cats and become P1 in your heart,” He said, unserious. You laughed.

“Hard one. They will always be my favorite”

Max rolled his eyes, bringing you close one more time that year, his eyes shined with happiness and little mischief.

His temple met yours.

“Well, they don’t get to kiss you right…three, two…now”

Cheers and celebrations were shared while Max cupped your cheeks, kissing you sweetly.

“Happy new year, schatje”

4. JANUARY 29, 2024

The fourth time was on purpose. Max was away in Milton Keynes for testing and practice, you were home with two little creatures.

It had been a long day at the office and you missed Max, so around dusk, you decided to tease him a bit with a picture of the cats.

you: [ 1 image attached ]

you: actually my favorites ever EVER

Max laughed at loud when he saw it, getting a whistle from Christian and a pat on the back from Danny (they had just wrapped up a meeting). Max rolled his eyes, focusing back on your messages. He could win this one.

max: you know what’s my favorite EVER?

you: what?

max: [ 1 image attached ]

max: the new car😍😍😍

you: i could fight you and your vroom vroom AND win

max: good luck with that schatje

5. FEBRUARY 14, 2024

The fifth time was on Valentine’s Day. That morning, when buying groceries, you found yourself in the middle of the pet section, buying a couple some cat accessories and costumes for Valentine’s Day.

You were so eager to try it on the cats that when you got home, you discarded the other bags in the kitchen knowing Max would organize everything while you styled the two furry demons.

“Max! Look at their little costumes!” You said picking up Sassy, she had a heart-shaped antenna headband and a tutu.

“I’m one hundred percent sure she will hate you for the rest of her life” Max answered picking up his phone to take a photo.

“Oh yeah?” You challenged, picking up Jimmy so Max could take a photo of him too. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, since I’m hers and Jim’s favorite… and they’re my favorite”

“Really, schat? On Valentine’s Day?” Max said in faked disbelief “I knew you hated me, but this is heartless”

You just laughed, turning around so you could take off the costumes before they were destroyed.

“I love you, babe!”

“Blah, blah, blah,” Max said “I love you too”

+1 . . . CLOSURE

Finally, it was a “normal” Sunday. Max had a two-week break before the next race, so he took one week off the factory to be with you.

But the thing is, Max, had been acting suspicious. All week long he had been so secretive but also so loving and touchy. What made you realize something was a bit off was his attitude around Friday, Saturday, and today.

On Friday, he decided to go hiking with you, gifting you a beautiful bracelet with three charms: A cat that looked just like Jimmy, a second cat that looked like Sassy, and a couple for both of you. You were used to Max gifting you things, usually, they were simple, handmade items, but he also bought you expensive stuff. You loved everything he gave you.

Then Saturday came. He prepared a dinner date in your favorite Monegasque restaurant, where he gave you flowers and a necklace, it had a heart with an M engraved on it. You loved it.

Even after two days of wonderful gifts and sunshine, Sunday morning was still a surprise. Max decided to wake you up with breakfast in bed and tons of kisses, a lovely morning of you asked anyone.

After that, he said you had to be ready for a picnic at 4 PM, you could have begged him to tell you why but you knew he was stubborn enough to resist everything.

Either way, that’s why you found yourself at the top of Monte Carlo, having a picnic while the sun was burned by the ocean.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s been this weekend?” You asked after taking a sip of wine, it was enchanté.

“Why? Is it out of character?” He asked back jokingly, you rolled your eyes, smiling. “I’m joking”

“I know”

“Follow me”

You grabbed Max’s hand, getting up from the floor. He started walking towards the sunset, golden light shining on his face, blue eyes turning green.

“This past month, we have been talking—daydreaming about a life together” Max started, you nodded “And, yes, we already live together but remember how we wanted more?”

You nodded again, your chest growing warm, this had to be going the place you wanted it to. This had to be the moment you had been waiting for. Max got close, taking your other hand in his as the sky turned pink.

“Well, I figured a couple of months ago before the season started,” He continued “That I want to spend the rest of my days, nights, years, life, and eternity with you”

He started to move away, making up space for a final movement.

“So, I wanted to know,” He knelt “Would you marry me?”

The world stopped. It stopped and even if the sun was setting, daylight had just sprung out from the bottom of Earth.

You started shaking your head yes.

“Yes! Yes, and a million times yes!” You exclaimed, wrapping your arms around him.

Max let out a loud sigh, laughing a bit before sliding the ring into your finger and launching himself at you “Thank you, baby. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you so so much”

“I love you so much more, Max”

There were hugs, kisses, laughter, and the dizzying feeling of adrenaline drove the car to the top of the podium. Max, drunk in happiness, cupped your face in his hands.

“Now that's out of the way. Am I your favorite?” He asked, almost laughing, but so hopeful. He was so cute.

“Max Emilian Verstappen!”

“I’m just joking…” He laughed, hugging you for a second and then holding your waist “But am I?”

“I like your cats a bit more than you, I won’t lie”

“Oh for fu-”

That’s when this whole situation clicked for you. Max had started all of this on Friday so it could be like a race weekend, finishing P1 on Sunday’s race.

“Schatje, I’m kidding, you’ve always been my favorite,” You said, now you were cupping his face in your hands “And you just did a Grand Slam,” You said, kissing your future husband.

[musicforastylesrestaurant]

your harry, your winner!!

or peaky blinders!! <33

Euro 2024. Two Wins In One Night.

masterlist || ask me anything <3

authors note - this is a check in for this fic. ive wanted to write a part two of sorts to this for a while so enjoy hunnies.

word count - 1.2k

July 2024.

England were champions of Europe.

Holy shit.

Holy Shit.

The final whistle echoes through the stadium, and suddenly, the roar of the crowd is all you can hear. England has done it—they've won the Euro 2024 final.

The dream of bringing football home is finally a reality. And at the heart of it all is your husband, Harry, the team’s captain, who played a pivotal role with a perfect assist to Cole Palmer in the 25th minute and then scored the winning goal in the 75th.

The energy in the stadium is electric, with every fan on their feet, celebrating this moment that will go down in history.

You sit in the stands, next to Phil Fodens girlfriend Rebecaa, whose little boy Ronnie has been playing with your little one Hunter.

Throughout the match, he held up a sign that read "Bring it home, Daddy," and now, as the victory sinks in, you feel an overwhelming surge of pride and emotion.

After the trophy ceremony, where Harry had lifted the Euro 2024 trophy high amidst a sea of teammates, you and Rebecca made your way down to the pitch, the atmosphere still buzzing with celebration.

As you approached the field, Hunter, bursting with excitement, broke free from your hand and sprinted ahead, his little voice ringing out,

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Harry, turning at the sound of his son’s voice, immediately dropped to one knee, his face lighting up with pure joy.

“Buddy!” he called back, his arms wide open as he prepared to catch his little boy.

Hunter didn’t slow down, running straight into Harry’s embrace.

“Daddy, you did it! You really did it!” he shouted, his voice filled with awe and pride.

Harry scooped him up, holding him close as if he never wanted to let go.

“We did it, buddy,” Harry said, his voice thick with emotion as he kissed the top of Hunter’s head. “I told you we’d bring it home, didn’t I?”

Hunter nodded eagerly, his small hands gripping Harry’s jersey. “You’re the best, Daddy! You’re a hero!”

Harry laughed, a sound full of warmth and love.

“No, buddy, you’re my hero,” he said softly, looking into his son’s wide, admiring eyes. “You gave me all the strength I needed out there. That sign you made… it made all the difference.”

Hunter beamed, his pride shining brighter than the stadium lights. “I knew you could do it, Daddy! I knew it!”

As you watched Harry spin Hunter around, the joy on their faces was everything you had ever hoped for.

You took a few steps forward, your heart full to bursting with pride and love. Harry caught your eye and gently set Hunter down, still smiling as he straightened up and reached out for you.

The distance between you vanished in an instant, and before you knew it, you were wrapped in his arms.

He pulled you close, his embrace warm and strong, the scent of sweat and victory clinging to him. You looked up into his eyes, the same eyes that had captured your heart years ago, now shining with triumph and love.

Without a word, you leaned in, pressing your lips to his in a kiss that was filled with everything you felt—pride, joy, and an overwhelming love that only deepened with every passing day.

When you pulled back, you rested your forehead against his, your hands still on his chest.

“I’m so proud of you, H,” you whispered, your voice full of emotion. “You were incredible out there. You made history.”

Harry smiled, his eyes softening as he looked at you.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” he replied, his voice equally tender. “You and Hunter… you both gave me the strength to push through.”

You shook your head slightly, your eyes welling up with tears of happiness. “No, this was all you. You led them to victory. You brought football home. And you did it with so much heart.”

Harry’s hand cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing away a stray tear.

“I wanted to make you proud,” he said softly, his gaze never leaving yours. “More than anything, I wanted to do this for you and Hunter.”

You smiled, feeling your heart swell even more. “You’ve always made me proud, H. Today, you just reminded the whole world why.”

You pulled back slightly, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

“Harry,” you began softly, your voice full of warmth and excitement. “There’s one more thing we need to do before we can really celebrate.”

Harry raised an eyebrow, his expression curious but still glowing with happiness.

“What is it?” he asked, his hand still resting on your waist.

You bit your lip, your heart racing as you looked down at Hunter, who was still beaming with pride.

“Look at the back of Hunter’s jersey,” you said, your voice trembling just a little with the anticipation of the moment.

Harry’s brow furrowed in confusion, but he turned to crouch down beside Hunter, gently guiding him to turn around. At first, he just stared at the back of the tiny jersey, reading the words out loud without fully processing them.

“Big Brother…?”

He paused, the words hanging in the air as his mind started to catch up. For a moment, there was just silence, his eyes still on the jersey as the realization slowly dawned.

Then, like a light switch flicking on, his head snapped up to look at you, his eyes wide with disbelief and hope.

“Wait… does this mean…?” he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

You nodded, your eyes brimming with tears of joy, a wide smile spreading across your face.

“Yes, H,” you whispered, your voice full of emotion. “I’m pregnant. We’re having another baby.”

For a second, Harry was completely still, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. Then, in an instant, his face lit up with the purest joy you had ever seen.

He scooped you into his arms, lifting you off the ground as he spun you around, laughing with sheer happiness.

“Oh my God, are you serious?” he exclaimed, his voice cracking with emotion.

You laughed, nodding as he set you down, his hands still holding your waist as if he couldn’t bear to let go.

“I’m serious, H. We’re going to be a family of four.”

He let out a joyous shout, his eyes glistening with happy tears as he pulled you close again, pressing his forehead to yours.

“I can’t believe it… This is the best day of my life,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “First we bring football home, and now this? I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

Hunter, who had been watching the exchange with wide eyes, finally caught on and tugged on Harry’s sleeve.

“Daddy, I’m gonna be a big brother!” he declared, his excitement bubbling over.

Harry crouched down again, pulling Hunter into a hug, his voice filled with pride and love. “Yes, you are, buddy. You’re going to be the best big brother ever.”

He looked back up at you, his eyes still shining.

“I don’t even know what to say,” he admitted, shaking his head in amazement. “You’ve made me so happy, more than I ever thought possible.”

You leaned in, kissing him softly, your heart full to bursting with love. “You deserve it, Harry. You’ve given me everything, and now our family is growing.”

Harry’s smile was so wide it looked like it might never fade.

“This is our moment,” he said, his voice full of certainty and joy. “Our family, our future… I can’t wait to do this with you.”

[disneyprincemuke]

a feeling so peculiar * fem!driver

the new season is finally starting and it doesn't start out as great as she'd expected

pairings: sebastian vettel x fem!driver, logan sargeant x fem!driver, mick schumacher x fem!driver, oscar piastri x fem!driver, liam lawson x fem!driver

notes: whatever is on the masterlist for the 2025 season is all i'm going to write for the 2025 season (i think) and it's all angst so sry in advance

(series masterlist) | (📂 2025: fall from grace)

for starters, she’s never been shy of being on the receiving end of bad news. or devastating news, or ones that feel earth-shattering.

she knows that because growing up in a male-dominated scene has prepared her for that. people used to tell her to give it up because she wouldn’t get anywhere with it, or not to get her hopes up expecting something from a place where she’s clearly not wanted.

but she’s made it this far to formula 1. with her best friends.

her first year in the sport, she climbed to a mere 6th place and ended 4th in her sophomore year. just months ago when the 2024 season had wrapped up, she was on top of the world. a woman in the top 5 of the driver’s championship — it’s definitely something.

to her, she expected that the only way was up.

she could not have been more wrong about that.

the lights have just gone out, the cars on the grid have just skidded off for the evening and she’s… in the garage? in liam’s garage, to be exact.

noise-cancelling headphones on her ears as she stares dreamily into the screen of data of liam’s car. realistically, she should be helping out because she’s always been big on numbers, but not today. something didn’t feel right.

she’d been so excited all winter break to get back into the car, hopping from all the adrenaline and glory she put in her pocket from the year before. only for her car to have an irreversible problem that would force her out of the race before it even began.

she didn’t even have a chance to participate in the first race of the season. no way to shut down all of the unwanted background noise of the critics of her involvement still in the sport.

“hey.” she feels a bump against her hip, flinching at the sudden intrusion of her thoughts. “brought you ice cream.”

her eyes flutter close and a sigh of relief passes her lips. she smiles and takes a small cup into her hands. “i was wondering where you’d run off to.”

matt grins. “you looked pretty upset so i went ahead and got you some ice cream. does it at least make you feel a little better?”

“yeah, a little,” she says softly, pursing her lips. “thank you.”

but there’s still a yearning in her chest to be the one in the car to race tonight. that’s not fair — how come liam gets to race this weekend and she doesn’t?

she thought about politely asking for his car, but she couldn’t get herself to do that to him. he’s now become one of her best friends after all.

“rocky.”

she tilts her head at the call of her name, turning around to meet a familiar pair of eyes. one that she’s honestly been avoiding all day from the turnout of the weekend.

sebastian had been the one to break the news to her: that she wouldn’t be able to participate in the race due to a fault in the car. she had simply nodded while tears formed in her eyes and turned to walk away from him.

if you were to ask sebastian, the lack of a response from her scared him.

“ice cream?” the girl offers with a small smile, extending her hand towards him.

sebastian glances down at the ice cream before lifting his hand to reveal a cup of himself. “matt got me a cup too,” he admits with a small grin. “i just wanted to check if you’re okay. with the car and the pulling out of the race…”

she smiles politely, lips pressed into a thin line. what exactly is she supposed to say to someone who doesn’t really have anything to do with the development of the car? well, he does have involvement in it — being a retired world champion warrants that kind of valuable input — but she hardly believes it’s his fault.

“it’s okay,” she says softly, feeding herself another spoonful of ice cream. she blinks as her answer registers in her head. she shakes her head with a small laugh. “i mean– i’m okay. it’s just one race.” she glances at matt, standing next to her. “right?”

matt blinks at her. caught off-guard by her sudden want of his opinion; he’s an actor, not a race car driver. he only knows more about one of the two and it’s the answer that his girlfriend wants to hear. so he nods, “right.”

she turns back to sebastian. “a little frustrating,” she shrugs, “but things like this happen. that’s what you always say.”

sebastian smiles. “you learn quick, kid,” he pats her head endearingly. “that’s a good grasp of the concept. you’ll be back on the track next week good as new, i promise.”

she nods, forcing herself to swallow down the words that sebastian spoke to her. but there’s a churning in her stomach that she cannot seem to ignore as she feels her appetite come to a halt suddenly.

she huffs softly as she turns back to the screen. things like this happen, she repeats in her head. surely it can’t get any worse than this.

so it apparently can get worse.

she sits in the car slightly longer than she needs, eyes staring intensely at the steering wheel in her hands.

something’s not right, something’s off. something doesn’t feel okay.

she wants to blame something — rather someone — that isn’t the car. perhaps, she’s suddenly become the problem without her knowledge? it feels like something has shifted in the air recently because nothing seems to go her way anymore.

“is everything okay?”

she flinches at the sudden voice that fills her ears, reminded that she’s still sitting in her car in parc ferme. “yes,” she answers softly at first, “yeah. i’m okay. sorry. it was just a long race. i’m quite exhausted.”

“copy. let me know if you need help, okay? or if you need to talk. it was a tough race.”

a finish out of the points feels so foreign to her. to be two races into the new season and not be in the top 10 of the driver’s championship. this time last year, she was at least in the top 8 in the standings by the second race of the season.

not this time.

but a slow start isn’t so unheard of for her. it feels like the only thing she can do now is hope that everything gets better eventually. it can’t stay like this all year, right?

when she does arrive at her garage, though, it seems that sebastian is not the only one concerned about her first finish out of the points in almost a year. a crowd has formed in her garage, her friends all staring at her cautiously as they await to see the big reaction that they’ve been expecting from her.

“what?” she asks softly, putting her helmet down on one of the vacant tables. “why are you all staring at me like that?”

the silence doesn’t stop. eyes dart all over the garage, some avoiding her gaze and some staring right at her every couple of seconds.

logan is the first to step forward; the boost from mick prompting an annoyed click of his tongue as he throws his arms into the air. “you uh,” logan blinks at her, “didn’t finish in the points today. how are you feeling?”

she blinks back at him. “i’m,” she trails off and catches oscar’s stare, to which he immediately looks away, “okay?” she tilts her head and furrows her eyebrows. “are you guys okay? you’re acting kind of… weird.”

her friends’ consideration for her feelings during this trying time is valid. once upon a time, she couldn’t handle the outcome of her not finishing in the points. she just had — has — so much to prove.

but it’s just one time out of her many races.

liam smiles. “we’re just concerned.”

“well your concern is concerning,” she laughs sheepishly, now tearing the velcro from her neck and unzipping her race suit. “i’m 22 — i can handle my emotions when i finish outside of the points. also, not my first time.”

a lie. she actually wants to start throwing things around. perhaps the steering wheel since it’s the only part of the car that she could actually detach and yank around, unlike others.

but it’s just one race.

“yeah, but we’re just saying,” mick speaks with a smile, “if you need to scream and cry and vent because you were out of the points — you can talk to us.”

“i won’t even take it personally if it was because of the team orders,” liam adds with a grin. “you know what? i’ll even scream with you.”

there’s only one person she wants to scream with right now, and it’s the only person that isn’t directly involved in whatever the hell this is.

“as will i,” logan presses his lips together, “i feel like i need to scream into the void until my lungs give out actually.”

she runs a hand through her hair. “i’m okay,” she holds her hands in the air to stop any more chatter from her friends who decided they know her better than herself. “let’s freshen up and regroup at the mclaren camp. ice cream, right? maybe dinner? oscar made podium — we need to celebrate!”

oscar shakes his head, taking a step forward. “we really don’t have to. it’s okay, it’s not even a big deal.”

“no,” she says firmly, head snapping over to the australian. oscar flinches back at the way she’d turn to him with his hand pressed against his chest. it’s silly that after all these years, he still tries to minimise achievements when she’s not had the share of the glory. “i’ll see you guys in a bit. 40 minutes?” she looks around. “where’s matt?”

“in my garage getting ice cream,” mick smiles. “40 minutes, right?”

“yes,” she mutters, quickly dismissing them as she heads for the exit to the paddocks. “i’ll see you then.”

the air feels thick when she steps into the paddocks. the whispers are louder than they used to be and the stares are boring holes into her again.

a heavy sigh passes her lips as she picks up her feet into a run, heading straight for her racing home. she just needs to be alone; be by herself.

because surely, it can’t get worse than this.

right?

taglist: @wcnorris @treehouse-mouse @laura-naruto-fan1998 @mindless-rock @vellicora @ironmaiden1313 @angsthology @cherry-piee @christianpulisic10 @elliegrey2803 @33-81 @darleneslane @nikfigueiredo @happy-nico @namgification @localwhoore @notawc @sadg3 @kazuha-pista-badam @mellowarcadefun @megatrilss1885 @peqch-pie @woozarts @meadhbhcavanagh @2bormaybenot @a-disturbing-self-reflection @mclarengf @inejismywife @love4lando @louvrepool

[meazalykov]

Teammates, or lovers?

emily fox x uswntplayer!R

summary: after moving to Europe, the rumors surrounding you and your girlfriend died down. what if they come back during the gold cup?

warnings: none

Emily Fox and Y/n L/n are in a year long relationship together. The 25 and 23 year old first met when they both played for North Carolina Courage in 2023. Since then, Emily moved to London and Y/n L/n moved to Lyon to continue their football careers. So, their relationship turned into a long distance relationship. 

The two lovers were sad about it, and the first two months were pretty hard to adjust to. However, they both moved to the same continent so it was easier to see each other during small breaks in their careers. Y/n made the effort to visit London to see Emily, even if it's only a day trip. Emily made the same efforts as well, coming to Lyon to watch Y/n play with their USWNT teammate Lindsey Horan whenever it's possible. 

You remembered the night in North Carolina when you cried to Emily about your career. For a while, you lost your passion and struggled to find a challenge in the sport. Everyone involved in the NWSL knew that you were one of the best left wingers out there. You moved to North Carolina from the Chicago Red Stars to see if the team was the problem, it wasn’t. 

Emily understands your feelings completely. She cried with you as well since your feelings with the sport related with hers.

The next day, Y/n’s agent told her that ​​Olympique Lyon wanted to offer her a contract. The girl’s jaw dropped at the news. Lyon is one of the most developed clubs in the world, in terms of women’s soccer. She knew Lindsey Horan, her friend and USWNT teammate, transferred there after a year long loan deal. Y/n accepted the offer, hoping that Lyon would give her the passion she wanted back. 

“Emily, I have to tell you something.” Y/n sat down beside Emily as she held her hands. The brunette swallowed in nervousness, wondering if her girlfriend saw the rumors about her on instagram. 

“I am transferring clubs–” Y/n confessed, before Emily had the chance to talk, the left winger cut her off. 

“Not a NWSL club.. Um.. I signed a contract and I’m moving to Europe—-France specifically.” Y/n frowned. She looked at Emily and saw a look… of relief?? 

“Em what's the matter?” Y/n questioned Emily’s expression.

“Nothing n/n. I was going to tell you this soon but maybe I'll tell you now too– but I am moving to Europe as well. A club offered me a contract and I signed a few days ago.” Emily confessed. 

Y/n raised her eyebrows, she knew Emily wanted to transfer clubs, but wondered which lucky club signed Emily. 

“Where?” Y/n asked. 

“England...well London to be exact.” Emily answered. Y/n smiled and the two girls embraced each other in a hug.

When Emily and Y/n played at Courage, many fans started to suspect that they’re a couple. Many WOSO fanpages shipped the duo due to their close proximity at events. The girls decided that they didn’t want to go public with their relationship until a few years in, since they’d be established enough to not let external factors affect them. 

As the two girls moved to Europe, they found their love for the sport back. Y/n fits into Lyon perfectly, being the highest goalscorer in France and in the Women’s Champions League. Emily is considered to be one of the best defenders in England since her transfer. The “rumors” about their relationship died down completely, but some fans do miss the duo at Courage.

Now it's March 2024, the USWNT faces off Brazil in the 2024 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. Y/n L/n and Emily Fox were both on the roster for the tournament which excited the couple. The couple excited the fans too, as Emily and Y/n’s pictures together during training practices excited the fanbase. 

At halftime, the score is up 1-0. Y/n’s Lyon teammate Lindsey Horan scores a header that gives the United States the lead. Emily started the match but Y/n didn’t, but the forward subbed on and replaced Trinity Rodman in the 61st minute. 

In the 79th minute, Emily fox gained possession of the ball after an error caused by a Brazilian midfielder. She passes the ball to Sophia Smith, seeing the striker in a nice path free from the opposition. 

Sophia Smith struggles with keeping control of the ball when she found contact with a Brazilian defender, so she looks forward seeing Y/n L/n onside and free to receive a pass. 

Y/n L/n is known for her dribbling and perfect finishes when she shoots from outside the box. The crowd knew this, so the screams got louder as y/n moved the ball to her left. She looks up to see that the Brazilian defender in front of her didn’t move quick enough at her move, so she goes to take a shot. 

The soccer ball goes up high in the air and curves, the Brazilian goalkeeper jumps up and the ball barely grazes her fingers before it lands in the net. Goal!

Y/n jumps in excitement before she runs to the corner of the pitch, the crowd erupts and y/n has her arms spread out in celebration. 

USWNT 2-0. 

The forward turned around and saw Lindsey Horan running to her, y/n jumped up on the blonde girl in excitement. The rest of the team on the pitch gathered around the girls as they’re guaranteed to win, unless Brazil had a miracle. 

As the group disbanded from the celebration, y/n saw her girlfriend who smiled brightly. Not caring about the amount of photographers that could capture the moment and the crowd as witnesses, the forward hugs the defender in a tight embrace. Emily accepted it, naturally putting her head on y/n’s shoulder for a few seconds before letting go and tapping her on the lower back in praise. 

Twenty minutes later, the game ended 2-0. The USWNT wins the first women’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. Y/n and Emily run and give each other a hug. Well, y/n jumped on Emily who held her as the two celebrated their win. This didn’t go unnoticed by fans and shippers. 

The team knew about their relationship, so they gave the girl’s their own moment before the whole team celebrated. This is before going up to receive the trophy and gold medals. 

Emily and Y/n stayed side by side the entire night. The idea of hiding their relationship wasn’t ideal to them anymore, now they wanted the world to know about their love. 

(pretend this is you in all the pictures below)

y/n.l/n

(tagged: naomi_girma, y/n.l/n, ___emilyfox)

(tagged: 100purcent, y/n.l/n)

(tagged: y/n.l/n, lindseyhoran10)

(tagged: olivia_moultrie, y/n.l/n, lindseyhoran10, emilysonnett)

liked by ___emilyfox, sophsssmith, and 33,987 others

a month of hard work ended in victory 💙 forever proud snd grateful for being with this team.

comments

alexmorgan13 🇺🇸🔥🏆

___emilyfox I love you!! ❤️

wosofan OH MY GOD???

y/n_lyonfan I CANT BELIEVE MY EYES

100purcent gold cup champs!! so proud 🥹

sophsssmith 🤍

trinity_rodman I had such a fun time! 🏆

y/n.l/n same!!

--

an: my first uswnt centered fic! hope you enjoyed <3

[pedripics]

IBAI x PEDRI - January 2, 2024 (summary)

He’s doing okay but things are a bit tough at the moment

He spent Christmas at home in Tenerife with his family

They play 'Suika Game' a lot in the dressing room (but on the phone and not the PC because it's free there lol)

He laughed a lot with Piqué in the dressing room. Piqué didn't really like training sessions but he was very good in the matches

Have you ever looked at Pique and thought that if you wanted to, you could dribble past him 7 times? - "Yes (laughs)"

Ferran has supported him a lot and is always there for him

Ferran takes the shark mentality very seriously, so Pedri gave him some shark slippers and now Ferran wears them in the dressing room

He tries to help Gavi every day because he knows what it's like to be injured for a longer time and he's confident that he will come back in great condition

Pedri does pilates now after Puyol recommended it to him

Pedri has Aleix García in his Fantasy team (his brother is first, he is second)

He rarely uses Twitter, he uses Twitch and TikTok more

They are behind Xavi 100%

In his opinion, Neymar looks good with every hairstyle

Girona are playing very well and he thinks that they could win LaLiga

Jordi Alba and Piqué were always fighting but that's how they got on. They just liked to fight lmao

Vitor Roque is wonderful, he is always happy, whenever Pedri sees him he is smiling

He doesn't like press conferences at all because they are a bit disturbing as all the journalists stare at you while you just sit there

In the Premier League, they are able to spend 80 or 90 million for players which is unbelievable. In La Liga, academies are what makes the difference

They don't really talk about the Super League in the dressing room

Boca Juniors or River Plate? - He's only watched one game and Boca won, so Boca

For Pedri, Busquets is the best No. 6 in history

His favourite player is Iniesta (in case you somehow didn't know that yet)

His favourite XI in history: ter Stegen, Jordi Alba, Piqué, Ramos, Alves, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo (after being forced by Ibai), Messi and Luis Enrique as a Coach (he changed out Ronaldinho for Neymar later)

Luis Enrique doesn't have What's App. If you want to talk to him, you need to send him an SMS

He was nervous when scoring the decisive penalty against Real Betis because the goalkeeper was a giant

Hardest defeat: penalty shootout against Italy (Euros 2020)

He supported Argentina in the WC final (for Leo)

He would like Haaland to sign for Barça (in his words "as a replacement for Lewy because he won't play for us until he's 60") and he also really likes Julían Alvarez (agent Pedri 👀)

His first friend at Barça was Trincāo

A dream: to win the Champions League and the World Cup

Before games, he likes to listen to slow Spanish music (Julio Iglesias? - "Maybe (laughs)")

His favourite singer is Quevedo (everyone act surprised please)

Vitor is only 18 years old, you cannot ask him to be the new Pele, but he has a lot of confidence from the club

He normally always stops for fans but there are always the same 5-6 TikTokers in front of the training ground so he sometimes doesn't stop if it's just them

He is rewatching Prison Break at the moment, even though he's seen it two times already. The first season is the best one in his opinion

He used to watch anime but not anymore

Kounde has the confidence to wear anything

They should listen to the players more because the calendar is so tightly packed right now and there are too many injuries

He would like to score more goals

He found scoring goals strange when he was younger because he never knew how to celebrate and all he did was run and look stupid

Ibai breaks his computer mouse and engineer Pedri tells him to plug it out and in again (Pedri indeed managed to fix it)

Favourite place in Barcelona? - Camp Nou ❤️

Ibai and Pedri played 'Guess these 100 Players' and Pedri guessed 94/100 right (and Pedri realised he doesn't know enough South American players)

[diarioculto]

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY ( sebastian vettel x fem!reader )

notes: hey everyone, and happy new year! that 2024 is a marvelous year for all of you ♡ here’s that piece that i’ve been promising you for all this time as a celebration for 200 followers! thank you so so much and i love ALL of you ♡ enjoy!

you had first met sebastian many years ago, when you were both kids.

he was quite the ambitious kind, always defying the laws of everything with his big desire to be the greatest, mainly in the field he loved: formula one.

you were more down to earth, the quiet girl who spent hours in her little corner, secretly wishing for a more exciting life. that’s why you followed the blonde everywhere to every little adventure he had set up, to every karting competition where you cheered him on and on as the chequered flag declared him champion. even to those playdates at the center of the city, chasing him around the water fountain, where he promised to never leave your side.

but you eventually grew up, the boy now taller than you. much to your appreciation, sebastian still had that childish spirit within him, but much more mature now. deep down, you wished that he was still a kid, so that he could forever stay with you.

especially when he told you that he was moving away.

“ i got a contract. bmw sauber. they want me to race for them next year. ”

you were both at the water fountain, like the old days, panting from running around.

you quickly turn to him, heart clenching inside your chest. sure, you had done bad things over the course of the years but this punishment was way worse than all of them.

“ oh, that’s— that’s great! i’m happy for you. ” you throw him a quick smile, adverting your gaze to your lap, playing with the bracelets on your wrist. sebastian cocks an eyebrow at you, cheeky grin on his face.

“ really? you don’t seem very ecstatic about it, schatz. ” he chuckles at you but you don’t respond, still focusing on your hands as they rested on your lap. the laughter around you quickly dies down, the boy taking one of your hands on his own.

“ hey— hey. it’s not the end and you know it. this isn’t a goodbye. ” he reassuringly squeezes your hand, trying to get you to look at him. you sigh, scared that it was all going to be a lot harder than you could deal with.

“ i’m afraid it is one, sebastian. ”

the whole world around him stops moving. his breathing gets heavier. he feels his chest eating him alive as his ears ring louder and louder.

in all the years you have known each other, not once have you called him sebastian. sure, he was your seb, your sunshine… geez! even vettel when you were mad at him. but never sebastian.

“ don’t call me that. ” his voice is just above a whisper and he isn’t sure if you heard him, your gaze still avoiding his. “ schatz, look at me. ”

you finally turn to him, tears in your eyes as you bite your bottom lip. you smile softly at him, and for a brief moment, he thinks it will all be okay, that you can get through this together. before he could promise you anything else, you gently cup his face as you kiss his cheek, leaving a wet spot right below his eye.

“ maybe it’s for the better. ” in that shaky voice, even though you were trying to reassure him, it feels like you’re doing it more for yourself. with no other spare second, you get up and leave him all alone by the water fountain. he just watches as you walk away, mind hazy and confused.

you didn’t dare to look back. he didn’t care enough to run after you.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

“ last day in formula one. how are you feeling? ” he gets pulled out of his thoughts by britta, who looks at him with sad eyes.

“ nervous. ”

he wasn’t sure how they were supposed to go, the last days. hell, the whole thing hadn’t quite sunk in yet.

for many years, the only thing above everything else for him was formula one. he lived, breathed and bled formula one. it was his only ambition, his true desire.

from a young talent to a four time world champion, just to end up as a failed star and ending his career at a rookie team, doing more of a consulting job than exactly racing.

he had once ruled the world, got thrown away and tried to climb his way back up, enough to realize that it wasn’t worth it and it was time to give up.

he still loved racing like it was his first day, like he still was the young sebastian vettel, bright talent who could once continue michael schumacher’s legacy. the one who everyone looked at with hopeful eyes and hearts. but it was time to give the seat to someone else who truly deserved it. a young talent like he once was.

“ don’t worry. everyone’s out there ready to support you and cheer for you one last time. no one resents you for choosing what’s best for yourself, y’know. ” britta squeezes his shoulder reassuringly and all he can do is smile appreciatively at her. britta has been nothing but his supporting rock all these years, and he couldn’t be any luckier to have her by his side. “ you haven’t even left yet but i think i saw lewis throwing away a couple tears outside, by the mercedes garage. ” sebastian chuckles as he looks away and britta smiles, feeling happy to do the same.

lewis was the hardest one to convince once sebastian announced his retirement. who would’ve thought that, who was once his biggest rival on track, would be the one to say “ he will be back. ”

sebastian now looked at lewis like one of his best mates, and he was sure the champion felt the same way.

“ well— everyone is waiting for you outside. come out once you’re ready. ” britta squeezes his shoulder one more time before leaving the space, leaving him all alone in his old driver’s room.

sebastian sighs deeply, thinking back to how it all began. how he wished that a certain person had been by his side this whole time — you.

he wasn’t mad nor resented you for walking away, he understood it. you were hurt and the knife would only cut deeper if you hadn’t ended things before he left. the last thing he wanted was for you to suffer, but maybe he had done it without realizing.

there was nothing left to do besides trying to find you once he got back home. but for that, he needed to go outside and give a final goodbye to his friends, team and thousands of fans who were patiently waiting for him.

just as he was about to leave the room, he hears excited voices on the outside and before he can do anything else, the door swings open, revealing a smiley britta.

“ calm down, b. i’m not gone yet. ” he tries to crack a joke, which only gives him back a deadpan from britta, as she shakes her head. “ is everything alright? ”

“ uh— yeah! there’s just someone here to see you. ” she smiles as she moves to the side, revealing the mysterious person behind her.

and then, the whole world around him stops moving. his breathing gets heavier. he feels his chest eating him alive as his ears ring louder and louder. if it wasn’t for all the commotion outside, he would’ve surely thought that he was dreaming.

“ hey, seb. ” there you were. in all you glory and beauty, standing there right in front of him; angelic as ever, just how he had dreamt of all these years.

you were all grown up now, slightly taller but still shorter than him. you still had that childish glint in your eyes, but you were much more mature now.

you step further into the room with sebastian still paralyzed in shock as he stares at you dumbfounded. “ schatz. ” his voice is nothing but above a whisper as he calls out for you.

“ i’ll leave the two of you alone. ” britta winks at sebastian, who doesn’t quite pay attention to her, and closes the door before walking away.

you keep your chuckles to yourself has he hasn’t moved yet since he saw you. putting all you anxiety to the side, you become the bigger person and step closer to him, involving his body into a warm hug. and just then, you both realize how much you’ve missed it during all these years.

“ and before you ask me about why i’m here, it’s pretty obvious that i’m here to see you. idiot. ” he chuckles and finally hugs you back, your sweet laugh just beside his ear.

you stay like that, in silence, just absorbing each others presence for a while. a couple tears rolling down your cheeks and sebastian finally understands it all. nothing is a goodbye forever; there’s always a hello after it. maybe he could be back one day.

“ i’m sorry i didn’t run after you that day. ” he finally breaks the silence as you both pull away with runny noses and wet cheeks. you just smile fondly at him, cupping his cheeks so you could wipe away his tears.

“ i didn’t want you to run after me. i just wanted you to stay, but that wasn’t my choice to make. ” as his blue eyes stare into yours, everything finally feels okay again, and sebastian feels like he’s ready to face it all one last time.

just as you approach his face to plant a kiss to his cheek, a distant voice breaks you away from your transe.

“ hey seb— oh, sorry. i didn’t realize you had your lady with you. ” lewis walks into the room but quickly stops on his tracks as he sees both of you together.

“ she isn’t my lady. yet. ” you just laugh as you look to each other and sebastian swears he saw some kind of blush creeping around your cheeks, even though you denied it later on.

“ uh— okay. i just wanted to let you know that we’re ready for you outside. ” lewis says quite hurriedly before looking at you with an awkward smile. “ hi, i’m— i’m lewis, by the way. ”

you shyly greet him back before sebastian speaks up. “ i’ll be there in a minute. ”

lewis only nods at him and says his goodbyes to you before running away, leaving the both you alone again.

“ you should probably go out there. they’re waiting for you. ” you mumble while turning at him, swiftly patting his shirt. a big “ danke seb ” text was plastered at the front, which made your heart warm.

“ yeah. ” he looks at you with loving eyes, but is still a bit hesitant to leave. he wants, he needs more time with you.

“ i will still be here when you’re done. ”

“ i know. ”

and right there and then, he knows exactly what he didn’t that day, by the water fountain, where all his love flourished for you.

[kellyvela]

Sophie's Hon Vol. VII Hot Girl Summer Edition 🔥🍹☀️

It's a Hot Girl Summer as Sophie's living an idyllic Summer with her Hon & best friends 😎

SPRITZ UP YOUR SUMMER

In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, while promoting St-Germain's Hugo Spritz, Sophie told us her recipe for a Hot Girl Summer:

“My recipe for a hot girl summer is pretty much playing with my kids [Willa, three, and Delphine, one], hanging out with my best friends, drinking some cocktails—you know, which ones—and enjoying the sun, long may it last. As long as the sun’s out, I’m a happy chap,” Turner says, looking, indeed, like a happy chap. —Harper's Bazaar

And that's precisely what she's doing this Summer, enjoying the sun at green polo lawns, presenting trophies to polo winners, having barbecues and lot of spritzes with her besties, and canoodling with her boyfriend in corners at music festivals. Let's see:

PIGGYBACK RIDE 🏇

Short after Sophie posted a few pics of her romantic picnic with Perry in the English countryside, the British & international press made public more pics from that day.

The pics are from June 29, 2024, during a day of polo at Cowdray Park Polo Club, part of Perry's family estate in West Sussex.

In the pictures we can see Perry taking Sophie on a piggyback ride across the polo lawns, joined by one of Perry's sisters:

Ahhh the perks of having a very tall boyfriend . . . .

~~~

It's worth to note that the last picture went viral on social media!!! 👏👏👏

~~~

The lovebirds were also seen holding hands & hugging:

~~~

PAPA SALT

On July 10, 2024, Sophie and Perry were seen leaving Margot Robbie's launch party for her new Gin brand "Papa Salt" at Roof Gardens in London:

Perry's bestie & roomie Sascha von Bismarck and girlfriend Ella Richards were there too.

~~~

QUEEN OF LOVE AND BEAUTY 👑🏆🏇

Rowena had no sooner beheld him than she uttered a faint shriek; but at once summoning up the energy of her disposition, and compelling herself, as it were, to proceed, while her frame yet trembled with the violence of sudden emotion, she placed upon the drooping head of the victor the “splendid chaplet which was the destined reward of the day, and pronounced in a clear and distinct tone these words: “I bestow on thee this chaplet, Sir Knight, as the meed of valour assigned to this day’s victor.” Here she paused a moment, and then firmly added, “And upon brows more worthy could a wreath of chivalry never be placed!” The knight stooped his head and kissed the hand of the lovely Sovereign by whom his valour had been rewarded; and then, sinking yet farther forward, lay prostrate at her feet. —IVANHOE: A Romance

There are not medieval tourneys anymore, but I think a polo match is close enough!

On Sunday, July 21, 2024, Sophie and Perry were seen together again at Cowdray Park Polo Club, in West Sussex, attending the final match of the British Open for the Cowdray Gold Cup.

The event was so packed that Sophie had to sit on Perry's lap 🤭

A very comfortable seat it seems . . . . 😉

Which reminds me of a funny interaction I found on twitter about the last picture, where someone mentioned that Perry "is touching some sideboob" 😜😂 But they are right 👀🤭

~~~

During the half time the lovebirds were seen is high spirits and chatting with friends.

Here with Tabby Doherty:

Here with Taura Lamb, Rupert Gorst and Ella Richards:

Here with Taura Lamb and Ellie Johnson:

Here with Taura Lamb (*) and Tabby Doherty:

(*) Taura Lamb's fiancé, Jesse Burgess, was also there.

Also in attendance were some of Perry's closest friends since childhood.

~~~

At the end of the match Sophie and Perry approached the podium to watch the awards ceremony . . . .

~~~

. . . . And here came the biggest surprise of the day: Sophie was in charge of presenting the Gold Cup to the winners, as well as other prizes to all the players.

Indeed! Emulating the fair ladies awarding the jousting champions from medieval times, Sophie played the role of the Queen of Love and Beauty and presented the Gold Cup to the champion team:

~~~

Among the former female presenters of the Gold Cup we have:

The Viscountess Cowdray on duty, like Perry's mother and paternal grandmother.

Members of the Pearson Family like Eliza & Emily Pearson (Perry's sisters) and Amanda Pearson (Perry's sister in law).

Sarah (Ferguson), Duchess of York.

Diana (Spencer), Princess of Wales.

Elizabeth (Windsor) II, Queen of the United Kingdom.

Sansa Stark is proudly smiling somewhere!!!

~~~

After presenting the Gold Cup, Sophie and Perry stayed a bit longer watching the end of the prize-giving ceremony, and later left the green polo lawns hand in hand:

~~~

In these videos you can see the whole award ceremony:

The gentleman walking behind the lovebirds is Perry's father, Michael Pearson, the Viscount Cowdray.

Also in attendance were Perry's younger brother, as well as some of his auncles, aunts, cousins and nieces.

~~~

At the end of the previous video a fan runs to Sophie to ask her for a picture. In this one you can see the fan getting his picture with Sophie, while Perry waits for her:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Surrey Magazine (@surreymagazine)

I can't get over the hand holding 😍

~~~

Months later, Tatler Magazine reported about Sophie's presenting the Gold Cup Trophy in its November 2024 issue:

KNACK IN THE SADDLE ‘She brought the glamour,’ a socialite gossiped about Sophie Turner, who attended the Gold Cup Final at Cowdray in a chic Louis Vuitton shorts suit and heels alongside her boyfriend, Perry Pearson. Indeed, the Game of Thrones star was the talk of the town, the toast of which had gathered at the Pearson family seat to watch the Dubai polo team take the win. The great and good of West Sussex had turned out in force, including Clare Milford Haven and her newly married daughter, Louisa. Hedgefund billionaire Louis Bacon arrived in style, helicoptering in with his wife, Gabrielle, and his Alsatian. Meanwhile, Aidan Christofferson’s glass-bubble chopper had the polo set buzzing. But Turner stole the show, receiving a great whoop from the crowd as she presented the cup. Queen in the North? More like Queen of Cowdray. —Tatler UK

And thanks to the camera of Hubert Cecil we have a new pic of the lovebirds:

Queen of Cowdray, indeed!

~~~

A TOKEN OF LOVE ❤️

On a recent Q&A with The Cut, Sophie talked about having a Brat Girl Summer:

Are you having a hot-girl summer? I mean, I’d like to think I’m having a hot-girl summer. But I don’t know if you can say that about yourself. I feel like I am, though. Or maybe even a Brat-girl summer?  Yeah, I think I’m having more of a Brat-girl summer. I don’t fully understand what it means, but I am listening to the album. So I guess that counts as me having a Brat-girl summer. —The Cut

And indeed she's listening to Charli XCX's "Brat" Album: On Saturday, July 27, 2024, she posted an IG story titled "Brat Summer Unlocked," where we can see her dancing to the rhythm of Charli XCX's Apple with her besties:

~~~

I was super glad to know that Sophie was having quality time with her best friends, but what really caught my eyes was the long, gold necklace she was wearing in the video. Because I think that's Perry's Cowdray necklace, the one with his family estate sigil logo:

But the really cute detail about Sophie wearing her boyfriend's necklace is that, according to the tale a little bird told me, Perry wasn't in the UK that weekend, since he was staying with his family in another country. So he basically left his necklace with his girl as a token of love during his absence.

They are too sweet, I swear I can't 😭

~~~

A WEEKEND IN THE WILDERNESS

On the first weekend of August 2024, The Gentleman's Journal hosted a Summer event that started with a Lunch at Blenheim Palace, a visit to the Wilderness Festival, and accommodation at Estelle Manor.

There's no pictures of Sophie and Perry at Blenheim Palace, just a few pics of Perry with some of his friends, including Rupert Gorst and Sascha von Bismarck. But Rupert & Sascha are precisely the ones that Sophie captured on an IG Story at the Wilderness Festival:

~~~

Later, thanks to the Daily Mail, we got some pictures of Sophie at the IHG Hotels & Resorts “Into the Wild” bash at the Wilderness Festival:

~~~

And we may not have pictures of the lovebirds during that weekend, but thanks to British Vogue, The Standard and HELLO! UK, we have a few reports of them together at the Wilderness Festival:

Sophie Turner, for her part, picked a low-key combination of linen shirt, tiny shorts and trainers, her blonde hair thrown up in a claw clip. The former British Vogue cover star was keeping a low-profile at the festival with her boyfriend, Peregrine Pearson (“I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time,” Turner told Chioma Nnadi in June – and she looked it), but her denim Louis Vuitton shoulder bag was a dead giveaway. —Vogue

While cerebral literary talks and panels took place on one side of the festival, most celebs were to be found at an array of VIP events held by Wilderness sponsors. IHG Hotels threw a daytime bash on Saturday complete with a roving fortune teller, a silhouette artist and two tiny people dressed up as topiary hedges. Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner was canoodling her aristo boyfriend Peregrine Pearson in one corner, while Professor Green held court in another.  —The Standard

Other hot contenders for best celebrity spotting was Audi’s space, where James Norton, Professor Green and Millie Mackintosh bunkered down, as well as the IHG Hotels & Resorts “Into the Wild” bash, graced by Sophie Turner and her aristo boyfriend Peregrine “Perry” Pearson, Cara’s sister Chloe Delevigne, Jaimie Winstone and dancer Eric Underwood.  —The Standard

Stars embraced whimsical chic during a weekend of luxury escapism at the annual Wilderness Festival, held in Oxfordshire’s Cornbury Park. Actress Jaime Winstone, socialite Chloe Delevingne and Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner, with her boyfriend Peregrine Pearson, were just some of the famous names enjoying music from Michael Kiwanuka, Faithless and Jessie Ware. (...) Guests later danced the night away at the festival’s music venues The Hustle and The Valley, as well as celebrity spot The Riddle, where Sophie and Peregrine were seen looking loved up among revellers including model Jodie Kidd and presenter Natalie Pinkham. —HELLO! UK

Keeping a low profile and canoodling in corners, huh? 👀🤭

Good for them!

~~~

And finally, a few days later thanks to Sophie's friend Taura Lamb's fiancé, we got a better picture of Sophie at Estelle Manor during that weekend:

~~~

Actress Nadia Parkes, another one of Sophie's best friends, was also at the Wilderness Festival with her boyfriend during that weekend.

I hope they all had a blast!

~~~

And this is all for this report. I will be updating this post as new Summer content appears!

~~~

You can read the previous editions here: Vol VI - Vol. V - Vol. IV (Appendix) - Vol. IV - Vol. III - Vol. II - Vol. I

Until the next report 👋

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: Charles Leclerc

Hello, this is part of a series where I focus on one driver on the current (as of Oct 2024) grid and give an overview over their career and driving styles. I will be going in championship points order. Enjoy!

Name: Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc

Age: 26

Nationality: Monagasque

Years in F1: 7 (Alfa Romeo Sauber 2018, Ferrari 2019-Present)

Number: 16

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: Leclerc is a very strong racer, known for his raw speed, aggression, and talent on street circuits. He is famous for his late braking overtakes, and for holding off on overtaking until the perfect moment. There have been times in races where he has chosen not to overtake/let someone by because he was biding his time for the most strategically sound moment. Often, commentators refer to him sitting behind drivers as 'prowling' due to his later actions. Like Verstappen he can be very aggressive, and he pairs it with a strong instinct and technical skills which leads him to be a very clean overtaker. The only criticism I would have is that in his nature to wait for the perfect moment, he often lets opportunities slip by. Other than that, he's a particularly well rounded driver, and when placed in a solid car is a regular on the podium.

History: Born into a racing family (his father Hervé raced in F3) Leclerc first drove a cart when he was 5 years old, and started his karting career in 2005, winning the French PACA Championship in 2005, 2006, and 2008. In 2009 he became French Cadet champion before moving up to the KF3 class in 2010, where he won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup. He continued in the KF3 class for 2011, winning the CIK-FIA KF3 World Cup, the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the ERDF Junior Kart Masters.

(Leclerc in 2009)

Leclerc graduated to the KF2 category in 2012, winning the WSK Euro Series title, and finishing 2nd in the CIK-FIA European KF2 Championship and the CIK-FIA Under 18 World Karting Championship. In his final year of karting in 2013, Leclerc won the South Garda Winter Cup and finished second in the CIK-FIA World KZ Championship, behind Max Verstappen (his childhood rival).

(unknown on left (got lazy), Leclerc middle, Verstappen right)

In 2014 Leclerc started in single-seaters where he took seven podium positions, to finish runner-up in the championship behind Nyck de Vries. Leclerc also won the Junior Championship title in the last race of the season. He graduated to Formula 3 in 2015, and had a successful stint, earning multiple podiums, but finished 4th in the standings. In 2016 he moved on to GP3, where he took his first championship win.

(Leclerc in 2014)

Formula 2 was where Leclerc really shined. He joined in 2017 for PREMA Racing, one of the best F2 teams. In his rookie year he dominated the track, regularly getting pole positions and wins. This led him to earn the championship title before the season even ended, and made him one of a short list of drivers who won F2 in their rookie year. To this day that season is seen as one of the best performances F2 ever saw. During GP3 and F2 he was a testing and reserve drive for both Haas and Ferrari, after joining the Ferrari Drivers Academy. In late 2017 his contract with Alfa Romeo Sauber (Ferrari's junior team) was announced for the 2018 season.

Leclerc had a strong season with Sauber, regularly finishing within the points in a midfield car. It was his performance at there that made Ferrari take the plunge and choose him for the 2019 seat. This would be one of the rare times that Ferrari had actively gone after a driver, and they offered him the longest contract in Ferrari history; 5 years.

(Leclerc in his year with Sauber)

Unfortunately this year for Ferrari were not all that great. While Leclerc clinched his maiden win at Spa, and a massive win at Ferrari's home in Monza, there were multiple car failures that held both him and his teammate back. However, he did end the season at 4th in the championship, and ahead of his teammate 4x WDC Sebastian Vettel.

(Leclerc winning in Spa 2019)

2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 will all carry similar dark clouds for Leclerc. Only in 2022 was he truly battling for the championship, and by midway in the season the battle was already lost. But still, Leclerc is a regular on the podium and has won multiple races in his time with Ferrari. His 2024 season has been strong, but with a few unfortunate placings. Most people believe the fight for him this year will be getting second in the championship.

(Leclerc's on top step in Monaco 2024)

Major Races:

2019 Bahrain GP - This was almost Leclerc's first win, and where he secured his first ever pole position. Unfortunately a late race engine problem cost him victory and he would finish 3rd.

2019 Spa GP - Leclerc's first win, after snatching pole and keeping his lead, he held off Lewis Hamilton in the final laps. An especially emotional win, as his good friend Antoine Hubert had passed away in a F2 accident the day before.

2019 Monza GP - This was the first Ferrari home win in nearly 10 years, and was a very emotional one for Ferrari and Leclerc. Starting on pole, he drove a highly defensive race and held off the two Mercedes the whole time.

2022 Australian GP - By far Leclerc's most dominant win, he started the race on pole and had incredibly fast pace the whole time. He also snatched fastest lap (a grand slam) and crossed the line with a significant gap to second.

2022 Austrian GP - One of his more overtake heavy races, Leclerc won the race after passing Verstappen multiple times, then holding him off until the end, a feat most drivers would say is not easy.

2023 Vegas GP - While Leclerc only finished P2 in this race, his last lap overtake on Sergio Perez wowed the crowd. This intense last-minute lunge got him up to 2nd. He stated he chose to take this risky move because he had seen Perez make a mistake on that corner a few laps earlier.

2024 Monaco GP - When Leclerc won his home GP, there wasn't a dry eye in the city. Taking pole in qualifying, he drove a level-headed and strong race, making zero mistakes the entire time. He finished with a solid lead and became the first Monagasque in 90 years to win in Monaco.

Alright that's it for Leclerc. Next up is Oscar Piastri.

Cheers,

-B

[todaynewspakistan0]

🏏 Champions One-Day Cup 2024: Full Match Schedule & Key Playoff Details! 🏆

The Champions One-Day Cup 2024 is here, and it’s time to cheer for your favorite teams! Check out the complete match schedule and key playoff dates for this exciting cricket event at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.

📅 Qualifier: 24th September 📅 Eliminator 1: 25th September 📅 Eliminator 2: 27th September 📅 Final: 29th September

Join us as we witness thrilling matches, nail-biting finishes, and the road to crowning the champions of this prestigious tournament!

[louistomlinsoncouk]

Louis Tomlinson and his sister Lottie delighted England fans at the Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, ensuring they wouldn't miss out on the Three Lions' last-16 tie against Slovakia.

Fans attending the festival in Worthy Farm were devastated when organisers announced they wouldn't be screening any Euro 2024 matches, over fears they would clash with planned performances.

However, Louis ensured fans wouldn't miss out, by setting up the TV in the middle of his campsite, drawing in hundreds of fans to watch the tense game unfold.

Speaking to the BBC, Louis admitted that fans had branded him 'the god of the festival' adding it was 'a little bit touch and go at times' due to the TV's glitchy signal.

'Luckily we got the win, we pulled it off,' he said. '[I'm] made up.'

As the game headed into extra time, Louis also told The Guardian: 'It's the second screen I've bought. The first got cracked. 

'I wasn't going to take credit for it because it looked like we were going to lose in normal time, but now that we've equalised I'm happy to.'

The match wasn't short of drama, with England coming dangerously close to crashing out of the tournament, before a moment of magic from Jude Bellingham brought the team level.

Manager Gareth Southgate's men looked on the brink of an embarrassing Euros exit in Gelsenkirchen, only for Bellingham's spectacular overhead kick to salvage an equaliser deep into stoppage-time. 

And skipper Harry Kane delighted the England fans who made up the majority inside Gelsenkirchen's 60,000-capacity Arena AufSchalke with the decisive goal - as the Three Lions turned their Round of 16 showdown on its head in 196 seconds.

England had been jeered off at half-time as they went in a goal down to Ivan Schranz's 25th-strike for the unfancied Slovakians, who are ranked 45th in the world - 40 places below England.

And there was evident disbelief as Southgate sent the same eleven back on to the field for the second period, with boos ringing out within two minutes of the restart.

But the mood dramatically changed with Bellingham's stoppage-time equaliser, which sent the game into extra-time - followed swiftly by Kane's bullet header to put England in front. 

England's victory means they will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals next Saturday in Dusseldorf, again at 5pm.

Switzerland progressed by triumphing 2-0 over reigning champions Italy, who previously beat England on penalties in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.

The Three Lions' Gelsenkirchen clash came one day short of 18 years since England were knocked out of the 2006 World Cup in the same Arena AufSchalke venue, defeated on penalties in a quarter-final against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

Sunday's game was broadcast live on ITV1, whose punditry team included former England players Gary Neville and Ian Wright.

Footage of Neville and Wright's reaction to Bellingham's goal was shared by ITV on X, and it is fair to say that they enjoyed it as much as any other England fan.

Both men initially celebrated by running around with their arms raised before Neville jumped into Wright's arms.

Neville then let out multiple high-pitch screams before shouting: 'We're not going home!'

Despite his boisterous reaction to Bellingham's moment of magic, Neville was later critical of England's performance in his post-game analysis.

He said: 'Getting over the line and winning in tournaments is all important.

'But to think you can go through a month-long tournament playing like we are doing and get through to the end... I think is unrealistic.'

[alexbkrieger13]

These new FC Bayern stars only come in a double pack

The top soccer players Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson are moving to Munich on July 1st. What connects the two privately and on the pitch.

On her first day on Grünwalder Strasse, Pernille Harder internalized what was faltering at FC Bayern Munich . She had hardly signed the new professional contract when the Danish record striker reminded the fans of the club's motto in Bavarian: "Mia san mia!" Interestingly, "mia" is short for "billion" in Danish. The FCB men's squad is worth almost a billion, but as is well known, it has often lacked the much-vaunted Munich feeling of togetherness. 

Just as close as the men, the women's team of the record champions also won their fifth title this year, but with significantly less noise. In the 2023/2024 season, the championship is again the declared goal of the women - and in 30-year-old Pernille Harder they have signed one of the best offensive players in the world. She doesn't come alone: ​​Swedish defensive expert Magdalena Eriksson, Harder's partner, has also signed a professional contract with FC Bayern until 2026 . Both were previously on the pitch at Chelsea, winning the English Championship and the FA Women's Cup with the Blues. 

Harder and Eriksson are used to playing together – privately since 2014, twice in the same team on the pitch: in 2016 they won the Swedish championship with Linköpings FC, in 2020 Harder followed her friend to London .

She knows the Bundesliga from her time at VfL Wolfsburg: Between 2017 and 2020, Harder shot the Wolves to the championship and the cup four times. When she moved to London, she was the most expensive soccer player in the world at a transfer fee of 330,000 euros. Both players are coming to Bayern Munich on a free transfer.

Leaving Chelsea was a tearful one, especially for Magdalena Eriksson. For four years she was captain of the blues. When she was presented with the framed jersey with the number 16 in the Kingsmeadow stadium with its 4,800 seats in mid-May, the 29-year-old lost her voice. "I love you guys," she said to the fans, "and I want to say thank you for everything." It's good that her friend was standing next to her at that moment, grabbing the microphone and completing the parting words. Since the time at Chelsea, the two have only been in a double pack. "It means a lot to me that we can move here together and stay together," said Harder in Munich , "we already had a long-distance relationship, we don't want that again."

Off the pitch, Harder and Eriksson campaign for LGBTIQ rights

The sporting director of the FCB women, Bianca Rech, is convinced that these two can "make the difference" in the Munich game. Harder and Eriksson are also "incredible personalities" off the pitch. Anyone who follows them on Instagram knows about their commitment to LGBTIQ rights. Incidentally, her beliefs flow into the posts, Eriksson wears them as a tattoo on his shoulder. "We are all human and we shouldn't judge anyone," it says in Swedish. Among her followers is world-famous British top model Cara Delevingne , herself a queer activist. In addition to the square, the boulevard has long since discovered the two, but the couple rarely gets involved in advertising deals and photo shoots:in pink tulle skirts and hoodies. They have been moderating the talk show “The Hangout” for Sky Sports since 2022. Soccer stars like Megan Rapinoe talk about their experiences as queer athletes. 

In the Bundesliga, both also want to develop individually. "Seeing the German national team play at the European Championships last summer shows how the Bundesliga is developing"Harder says in the welcome video on Bayern's YouTube channel. "I'm excited to be back in the league." Her partner has no experience of the Bundesliga. In European football, however, she is a star and was nominated for the Ballon d'Or in 2021 and was voted into the Women's World Cup that same year, which she attributes to her hunger for wins: "One of my greatest talents as a footballer is that I've always had this urge to constantly improve", says Eriksson in the video. "Taking on a new challenge only makes me hungrier for success and for learning more." But she can also be modest: "Coming into a new football culture and a new team, that makes me humble."

[chompinatthebit]

Team USA has their man?

The search for the next leader of the US Men's National team is over, as Mauricio Pochettino is the next man to try and send the US men's team to the top of the soccer world. The US dismissed Gregg Berhalter for the second time after a poor showing at Copa America, with the consensus from critics that they needed to make a big name hire.

The former Chelsea coach comes in with an impressive resumé, probably the best the US has ever seen. He is known for a high pressing 4-2-3-1 attacking style of play and development of young players, which does sound like a good change for the national team.

Pochettino started in La Liga with Espanyol back in 2009 where he dealt with reported financial restrictions but established a system from the youth academy to the senior team which drew praise.

He then made the move to Southampton in 2013 where he lead the team to an 8th place finish which was the Saints best finish and highest point total in several years.

2014 saw him move over to Totthenham, the move that really made him a big name coach. They were immediately in contention in 2015, finishing the season 3rd in the table. The following season they had a second place finish, another great finish for the squad. His best season was 2019, where the Spurs made the Champions League final but lost to Liverpool.

In 2021, Pochettino found himself at PSG which saw him lead the team to a French Super Cup win, loss in the Champions League semis to Manchester City, Coupe de France title and second place finish in the league by a single point behind the champions in Lille. He did get PSG the ligue1 title the very next season, though.

In 2023, he was back in the Premier League as the coach of Chelsea, immediately taking the team to the EFL cup final but lose to Liverpool. He had issues with management over strategy and squad management that did lead to his dismissal in May of 2024

Pochettino has coached many big name players, that have been very successful under him, some of them you may have heard of: Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Messi just to name a few. Pochettino hasn't been officially named yet as their is an issue with his Chelsea contract that the US have to figure out first but I doubt it isn't one that wouldn't be solved soon.

So do you like the move to get Pochettino and his attacking style of play, working the ball out of the back trying to work passes into the box?

I appreciate you for reading...enjoy your day!

[across-violet-skies]

Febuwhump day 27: left for dead

Whumpee: Four

Whump Rating: 5/10

TWs: violence, being unable to defend yourself

Wild ran through the battlefield, gripping a rusty sword. “Wizzrobe!” He shouted, waving an arm in the direction he came from. “Purple!”

Four frowned, stabbing his sword through a Bokoblin. “Purple?”

“Purple!” Wild repeated, slashing at a Darknut. His sword shattered, but he pulled out another and continued fighting. “I’ve never seen a purple one before!”

“Me neither,” the smith remarked, eyes narrowed. “I’ll go check it out; you hold them back.”

Wild nodded, giving Four cover to escape. The smithy ran through the woods, finally spotting the purple Wizzrobe Wild had mentioned. It was almost like the blue ones from Wild’s world, but with a much more sinister glow that made the normal Wizzrobes seem friendly.

Four was stealthy, and he crouched down in the bushes to avoid being spotted. The Wizzrobe danced merrily, swinging a wand that sparked and fizzled dangerously. Needless to say, getting hit with that thing was bad news. And the fact that it was purple rather than an identifiable elemental variety meant there was no way for the smithy to know the best way to combat it.

Oh well. Traditional means it was, then.

“Hey! Over here!” Four popped out of the bush, waving a hand before diving back down. While crouched, he was small enough to run through the bushes virtually undetected, and he gladly took that opportunity.

With the Wizzrobe searching a different spot, Four crept behind it, raising his sword. He plunged it into the monster’s back with enough force to drive the blade right through.

Black blood seeped from the stab wound as Four pulled his sword out, expecting the Wizzrobe to collapse, dead. Instead, he was taken by surprise as it whipped around, grinning menacingly as it cast a spell.

The smithy yelped, closing his eyes in expected agony. It never came, however, and he was left confused as to what the spell had done to him.

Opening his eyes made the answer clear.

Four was tiny. And not his regular, “I’m-short-for-a-reason” sort of tiny, either.

He was the size of a minish.

While the prospect of being on a battlefield as a minish-sized hero would usually cause alarm, Four found himself oddly relaxed about it. The only thing around him was the Wizzrobe anyway, and those things didn’t touch the ground. He wouldn’t be stepped on, at least not for now.

The tiniest hero scampered through the forest, hacking and slashing with his sword at the blades of grass that towered over him. But it was fine– he would find a minish portal and grow back to his normal size again, no problem. The portals were everywhere, after all, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find one.

Four was starting to panic.

He had been searching for nearly ten minutes now, and there was still no sign of a minish portal anywhere. The smith had wandered quite far from the rest of his brothers, too… he and Wild had already been on the outskirts of the battle when he went to find the Wizzrobe, and now he had run even further from where he should’ve been.

Four took a deep breath. Okay, it wouldn’t do him any good to panic… his brothers would come looking for him, right? Someone would realize he was missing, and they would find him! With Hylian-sized legs, it would be much quicker to find a minish portal.

So the smithy ran back through the grass, waiting close to a tree in hopes of being found. It didn’t take long for someone to come stomping through the grass, making the ground shake with each thunderous footstep.

“Four!” Wild called, cupping his hands around his mouth to make his voice travel further. “Smithy! Where are you?”

Four jumped, waving his arms and making as much noise as he could. “I’m down here! Wild! Over here!”

The Champion’s ear twitched, but he didn’t look. “Four!”

“Cub, he’s not here,” Twilight murmured, placing a hand on Wild’s shoulder. The rest of the group wandered into the small clearing, glancing around.

Warriors shook his head. “There’s no sign of him. We’ll have to keep searching.”

“We should make camp,” Time decided. “Not here, but somewhere close. Smithy will figure it out.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty smart!” Wind agreed, nodding.

Wild sighed, shrugging. “He should be here, though… I don’t know where else he would’ve gone.”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight soothed. “You said there was only a Wizzrobe, right? I didn’t see any around, which means Four probably managed to take it down.”

“He could be hurt,” the Champion argued, grimacing. “I should’ve gone with him…”

Time placed a hand on Wild’s other shoulder, sighing. “No amount of ‘what-ifs’ will change the past. Let’s just keep going, and we’ll look for him after camp is set up.”

The group murmured amongst themselves as Wild trudged along, following as they left the small clearing.

“Guys! Wait! I’m down here, please don’t leave me!” Four jumped and waved and tried his very hardest to be noticed as they left him behind, but to no avail. His voice cracked with fear as he screamed at the top of his tiny lungs, desperately trying to be heard. “GUYS!”

Nobody even batted an eye as Four was left behind, tiny and lost in an unfamiliar world. No matter how loud he screamed, they just kept walking, getting further and further away from the minish-sized hero.

Four crumpled with a terrified sob. Even if he knew it wasn’t purposeful, his brothers had left him to die, scared and alone and oh-so small. If a monster found him like this, he was done for.

Four took a deep breath, closing his eyes. No. He was stronger than this. He would find his brothers, and return to full size. He would be fine. Everything would be fine.

He would not be left for dead.

–> support me on ao3!

[citycircuit]

okay bad bitches we did it we made it through the indian wells round of 32! some thoughts on the upcoming matches:

also these are not technical notes i do not have the capacity to do that just yet i'm just rambling don't take it too seriously LOL

atp

lehečka/tsitsipas — you all know i want jiri to win this but i fear it is not happening and my boy is getting beaten down first thing in the morning. then again i haven't been watching stef lately so idk how he's playing but it feel silly to hold out any real hope

maroszan/alcaraz — carlitos straight to the qfs please Next

z****v/de minaur — okay listen i know their h2h isn't great but alex does have the most recent win over the rat (davis cup), not to mention he's been playing absolute lights-out full-dark no-stars tennis lately. like we have a chance. it's slim and i know this match is going to do terrible things to my heart rate but We Have A Chance

shelton/sinner — the main event! i'm not going to lie i am genuinely more interested to see how this goes than in who wins... ben being the only person still in the tournament to have beaten jannik AT ALL recently. this one's going to be a good one i'm excited

ruud/monfils — casper is looking in better shape but monfils is always something of a wild card... lowkey i will be happy no matter how this one turns out i just hope both teams have fun [heart]

nardi/paul — i'm mad at tommy paul for defeating ugo humbert even though i'm still mad at ugo humbert for deafeating daniil in dubai Whatever. luca nardi indian wells champion 2024

fritz/rune — okay listennn i have to support fritz as a fellow californian at the california tournament but also i think rune tennis is some of the silliest shit available as entertainment to the people. i could go either way on this one

medvedev/dimitrov — of course i'm rooting for daniil but this one should also be fun to watch

wta

potapova/paolini — jasmine paolini indian wells champion 2024 Next question

pavlyuchenkova/kostyuk — i am not kostyuk's biggest fan i fear

kerber/wozniacki — throwback match... honestly the fact that we get to see this as a r16 matchup in 2024 is kind of crazy (positive) i am quite looking forward to watching this one

światek/putintseva — listen on any other day i'd say iga's taking it but the last time she was in a wta 1000 she got knocked out fairly unexpectedly.... i do not know enough about putintseva to really say anything though so i could also just be loud and wrong

parry/sakkari — maria sakkari my icon my good friend... please avenge leylah for me thank you

mertens/gauff — coco 🔛🔝

yuan/kasatkina — i'm hoping for either dasha or jasmine to win the whole thing ngl so i fear i am on her side for this one

navarro/sabalenka — i like emma navarro but i am quite sure sabalenka is taking it