#GP talks shop

[gear-project]

No te mentiré, si quisiera que hicieramos otra una prueba de conexion en la versión de switch. El problema es que si bien aun tengo varios meses del NSO, aún me falta comprar el juego y un adaptador LAN, porque no pienso usar wifi 😂😂😂☠️😂😂☠️

I’m told the Switch version of Strive is slightly more optimized compared to the PlayStation 4 version, but since I don’t have much plans to get a Nintendo Switch, I doubt I’ll ever know for sure.

Optimally, I would appreciate a version of Strive where Survival Mode has zero load times between fights, but even Xrd struggles to load assets, so what can you do?

As for Ethernet versus WiFi, even Ethernet can be unreliable at times, so I don’t judge WiFi Warriors in online netplay unless their ping makes them teleport (and teleportation ISN’T part of their movelist!)

Honestly, the people who say Rollback is better than Delay-based Netcode just haven’t experienced a decent Delay match. Delay matches feel much more stable than Rollback.

I say so, because in Rollback is the only situation where I had a Gold Psyche Burst get turned in to a Blue Burst, and the time that happened really made me upset!

At any rate, I’m glad to see people enjoying Strive on Switch, now if only they’d make a perfect port of Guilty Gear X Plus 1.5 or something.

On a related note, Nintendo is a decidedly strange name for a game company, I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand, unless a Japanese Developer explains it to me. Family Computer Famicom I get, but what does Nintendo even MEAN AS A WORD???

[stevie-baby]

Some pictures I got at the Western Edge exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame

They haven’t finished installing the exhibit yet (I think Michael Nesmith’s suit, The Hat™, and a few other pieces are still on display at the Troubadour for the remainder of the year). I have more in my camera roll, but I had to post Gram’s iconic white suit (plus Sneaky Pete & Chris’ suits) and his International Submarine Band era jacket. It was such a good exhibit and my poor friend had to listen to me tell every bit of history and fun fact I had because this era and niche of music has been my special interest for years. I also actually accidentally started leading a tour through the exhibit because a few older people started following to listen to all my history rants lol.

[syluslnd]

heyyy I love your writing 🫶🏻

can I request Sylus with reader who completely stops using their brain around him?

(I hope it makes sense 😭)

when you become too comfortable around sylus

•You have a habit of clinging to Sylus’s arm whenever you’re out together, leaning into him without a care in the world. You rarely even look ahead, too busy talking or laughing with him to notice your surroundings. Sylus has gotten so used to this that he’ll gently steer you both out of harm’s way without a word, guiding you around obstacles or other people. Sometimes he’ll tease you about it, saying “Glad I can double as your personal GPS.”

• Every time you both approach a crosswalk, you get so distracted talking to him or looking around that you always forget to watch for cars without missing a beat, Sylus instinctively wraps an arm around your waist to pull you back, shaking his head with an amused smile. “You’d think by now you’d remember these things” he chuckles, ruffling your hair as he waits for the light to turn green before guiding you across safely.

• When you’re out to eat, you always end up deferring to Sylus, letting him order for both of you. He’s so familiar with your tastes that he’ll just smile and place your order without asking, knowing exactly what you’d like. When the waiter leaves, he smirks at you, saying, “What would you do if I wasn’t here to remember your favorites?”

• If you’re at the mall or a busy place, you tend to space out while window-shopping, paying more attention to the displays than where you’re walking. Sylus will always be a step ahead, keeping an eye on you so he can grab your hand and gently tug you back if you wander off. You’ll blush when you realize he’s been guiding you this whole time, and he’ll just laugh, saying, “Good thing I’m here to keep you out of trouble sweetheart”

• Sylus has learned that whenever you’re out together, you often forget the essentials—keys, phone, wallet. Before you both leave a place, he’ll casually ask if you’ve got everything, already knowing you’re going to pat your bag with a blank look. Sighing, he’ll hand over whatever you left behind, rolling his eyes playfully. “One of these days, I’m gonna make you start a checklist sweetie” he jokes, giving you a fond grin.

• Sylus always opens the car door for you but you’re so used to it that you’ll stand by the door, not even trying to open it yourself if he’s around. He finds it both hilarious and endearing, teasing you as he opens the door with a smirk, “You’d be absolutely helpless without me, wouldn’t you kitten?”

• When you two go somewhere new, you’re totally reliant on Sylus to figure out directions, even if you have the GPS. You’ll get lost in conversation, forgetting you’re even supposed to be navigating and he’ll just sigh, patting your head. “Good thing I know how to read a map” he says, guiding you both effortlessly.

• If you’re going somewhere that has a strict schedule, you never even bother looking at the clock. You know Sylus will handle it, so when he tells you it’s time to go, you don’t question it, just following along happily. He’ll smirk and say “I’m practically your personal alarm clock now, aren’t I?”

[bytemee]

۶ৎ A DREAM WITH A BASEBALL PLAYER — yu jimin.

⌗ in which— karina’s a shy, socially awkward girl with a huge crush on you, the campus's popular baseball player. she’s never had a real conversation with you, but with all her embarrassing attempts to get your attention, she can’t help but wonder—how did she fall for someone who doesn’t even know she exists?

pairings. loser!college student!karina x gp!baseball(softball? baseball for the plot)player!reader

warning(s). 18+ (smut), loser!karina...shes like really down bad (anon dis is 4 u), minor injury (karina gets hit with a baseball, but she’s fine!), secondhand embarrassment, mutual pinning (kinda? ur nonchalant), drunk sex/drunk reader ☹️, dry humping, pet names (pretty girl & baby), finishing inside bc why not, and let me know if there's more!

word count. 7.7k

authors note. happy 800 chat

karina had seen you around campus, of course. how could she not? you were everywhere—on posters for your team, casually chatting with her inner circle of friends, and always looking good doing it.

she was a senior in college and had a lot on her mind, but somehow your name had a tendency to float into her mind more often than she wanted to admit. and not because she thought you were a great baseball player but because… well, she might have had a little crush on you.

she’d tried to ignore it at first—tried to focus on her own life, her studies, and the fact that graduation was creeping up on her faster than she’d liked. but every time she saw you on campus, every time her eyes accidentally locked with yours during a class, her heart would skip. it was like a punch to her gut, and she hated how giddy it made her feel.

at first, she tried to chalk it up to being starstruck, to the fact that you were the school's top baseball player, one of the best, and everyone knew who you were. it wasn’t anything serious, she told herself. just a passing fancy. but that didn’t stop her thoughts from wandering back to you when she should’ve been doing something else. she’d catch herself imagining what it would be like to casually run into you, maybe sit next to you at a coffee shop, or even get invited to one of your games.

you would have conversations inside her head. ones that would last for hours as she imagined all the different things you two would talk about. sometimes they were deep and thoughtful; other times they were silly and fun, and sometimes you would say things to her that made her heart pound and her cheeks flush.

she tried to brush it off, to tell herself it was silly—you probably didn’t even know she existed. you probably didn’t even think twice about the random girl who always seemed to be watching from a distance.

but one day, everything changed.

you’re late—shocker, right? it’s always the same story: running from class to practice, your mind racing with plays and strategies, your feet pounding the pavement of campus. it’s the first day of the semester, and you're already behind.

of course, as if on cue, someone steps right into your path.

you crash straight into her, your shoulder knocking hers as you both stumble. her books tumble to the ground in a flurry of papers, and you mutter an apology as you bend down to help her gather them.

it takes you a moment to realize who she is.

her dark hair falls in waves around her face, obscuring her features as she frantically grabs at her scattered belongings. you can tell she's frustrated, but you don't really understand why until your eyes fall on the cover of the book you'd picked up—it's a college textbook, one for a class that you just so happen to be enrolled in.

which was also kicking your ass.

she freezes as your eyes meet. you recognize her instantly—she sits near you in class. she's quiet but always seems to pay attention, taking notes with pen and paper instead of typing away on a laptop like everyone else. she also stares at you sometimes—or, at least, you think she does. sometimes it feels like you're being watched, and when you look back, you catch her quickly glancing away.

“uh, sorry about that,” you say, your voice a little more tense than usual as you hand her the book.

she seems to snap out of her trance and takes the book from your hand, still blushing slightly. “it’s… it’s fine. really.”

a moment of silence passes between you two as you both stand there awkwardly, neither sure what to do next. then, you start walking away, but just before you turn the corner, you look back, and there she is again—staring at you, her eyes wide and startled, like a deer caught in the headlights. you raise an eyebrow before continuing on your way.

after that day, karina can’t stop thinking about that moment. she knows her friends are starting to catch on to her little obsession. they’ve all seen how she gets when your name comes up in conversation.

at first, giselle was the only one who seemed to notice. she’d raised an eyebrow when karina mentioned you, casually saying, “oh, so the baseball girl, huh? the one you keep staring at from across the room?”

karina had brushed it off, but giselle’s knowing smile lingered. “it’s so obvious, rina. you’ve got it bad.”

karina had laughed nervously, refusing to admit it out loud. “i don’t have it bad. i just—she’s cute, that’s all.”

giselle just grinned wider, not buying it for a second.

then there was winter, who was the more analytical one.

karina knew it wouldn't take her long to notice something was up, so she did her best to keep her feelings to herself. but that proved to be impossible, and when winter had quietly said, “you know, you always seem to gravitate towards the baseball field when we’re deciding where to study outside.” karina knew she was doomed.

she was blushing so much that even she noticed. she stammered a little, trying to explain, but winter just laughed and gave her a knowing look. she patted karina's arm reassuringly. "it's fine," she assured her. "we all have crushes sometimes, even me."

karina shook her head and muttered something about not knowing what she was talking about. winter gave her another sympathetic glance and didn’t press the issue further.

the final nail in the coffin was when ningning, bless her heart, bluntly asked, “are you, like, in love with that baseball player?”

karina had nearly choked on her coffee. “what? no! of course not!”

but ningning just shrugged, unfazed. “okay, just wondering. you talk about her a lot.”

so, yeah, her friends knew. and they weren’t exactly subtle about teasing her. but despite their teasing, karina couldn’t shake the feeling that she was completely invisible to you.

until the jersey incident.

it was a saturday morning, and karina was rummaging through her closet, trying to find something comfortable to wear to the library. finals were looming, and she was determined to spend the entire day buried in books. she grabbed the first thing that felt soft and oversized, a faded jersey she’d found at a thrift store, and threw it on without even bothering to look at the name on the back.

she met winter at the library, and as soon as she sat down, winter’s eyes widened, and she burst out laughing. “oh my god, rina, you’re not serious, right?”

karina frowned, confused. “what are you talking about?”

winter pointed at her back. “turn around and look at the mirror.”

karina reluctantly got up and walked over to the nearby restroom. she caught sight of her reflection, and her jaw dropped. emblazoned across the back of the jersey, in bold letters, was your last name.

her face burned as she realized what had happened. she’d been so oblivious that she’d accidentally worn your jersey to the library. again! not just any jersey—one with your name plastered on the back!

she didn’t even know that it was yours.

“i can’t believe this is happening,” she muttered to herself, mortified. she briefly considered taking it off and braving the cold, but she had nothing else to wear, and she really needed to study. so, with a sigh of resignation, she returned to her table, trying to ignore winter’s amused grin.

the entire day was a blur of anxiety. every time someone walked past her, she felt like they were staring at her, judging her for wearing your jersey without even knowing it belonged to you. she kept her head down, trying to focus on her books, but her mind was racing with thoughts of you seeing her and thinking she was some kind of obsessive fan.

then, as if summoned by her own paranoia, you walked into the library.

karina’s heart skipped a beat. she tried to shrink into her chair, hoping you wouldn’t notice her, but it was too late. you’d already spotted her, and a look of surprise crossed your face. she gulped nervously and averted her eyes, desperately praying you wouldn’t recognize your own jersey. but no such luck—you were already walking towards her.

your face split into a grin.

"hey," you said, coming to stand beside her, “nice jersey.”

karina’s cheeks flushed red. “oh, uh, thanks,” she stammered, avoiding eye contact. “it’s just… comfortable.”

you chuckled, and karina wanted to disappear into the floor. “yeah, i can see that. i didn’t know you were a fan.”

“i’m… not really,” she mumbled. “i just found it at a thrift store, and i didn’t even realize it was yours until today. i’m so sorry.”

you grinned, and karina couldn’t help but notice how cute you looked when you smiled. “no worries,” you said. “it’s actually kind of funny.”

you lingered for a moment longer, and karina was sure you were about to say something else, but then your friend called your name, and you turned away, waving goodbye. “see ya around.”

as you walked away, karina’s heart pounded in her chest. you thought she was a fan. and you had smiled at her. it was a small interaction, but it was enough to make her float for the rest of the day.

the next encounter was even more embarrassing.

you were working with giselle on a project, and for some reason, giselle’s apartment had become the designated workspace for your group. karina, not even getting the slightest heads-up about that you'd be coming, had walked into their shared living room, ready for a casual movie night, wearing that same jersey again.

you were sitting in front of the couch, your legs crisscrossed applesauce in front of you, your head bent over a laptop, and your brow furrowed in concentration. you looked up when you heard the door open, and when you saw her standing there in her oversized jersey and fuzzy slippers, you glanced over at giselle, raising an eyebrow.

karina froze, her mind blank with panic. she hadn’t expected to see you here, especially not again so soon after the first time. she stood awkwardly by the door, trying to think of what to do next, but it was too late—you had already spotted her, and there was no way to get out of this without seeming like an absolute weirdo.

you stared at her for a long moment before recognition flashed across your face.

"oh! karina, right?" you said, a very small, almost teasing smile forming on your lips.

she nodded slowly, feeling the blush rising on her cheeks.

karina’s eyes darted between you and giselle, a silent plea for escape radiating from her. "uh, hey," she stammered, her voice barely audible. "i… i didn't know you guys were here. i was just, uh, gonna watch a movie." she gestured vaguely towards the tv, a pathetic attempt to salvage the situation.

giselle glanced at the screen and then back at her. she was obviously fighting the urge to laugh, but karina appreciated it nonetheless. "yeah," she said, giving her an amused look, "we're working on a group project here, if that's okay with you. or, well, i guess y/n is, technically. i'm just sitting here and making sure she doesn't fall asleep."

you rolled your eyes at that, but karina could tell from your tone that it was all in good fun. she'd heard you bicker like this before—in class, between practices. giselle always teased you, but it seemed to go both ways. you always seemed to give as good as you got.

you shrugged. "yeah, it's okay with me." you turned back to karina. "you can watch your movie here if you want. i don't mind."

karina hesitated, unsure what to do next. it would be weird to say no, but she was still a little flustered by the fact that she'd worn your jersey two times in a row. and now she was about to be forced to watch a movie in the same room as you while wearing that very same jersey. it felt like her whole world had been turned upside down in just a few days, and she wasn't quite sure how to deal with it all.

but you just smiled, gesturing towards the empty seat next to you on the couch.

karina slowly made her way over and sat down beside you, trying not to look as nervous as she felt. she felt incredibly self-conscious in that moment. the rest of the evening was a blur of awkward small talk and forced smiles. karina tried to focus on the movie, but her mind kept wandering back to you. she was painfully aware of your every move, of the way you chewed on your pen when you were thinking, of the way your eyes crinkled when you laughed.

she couldn’t help but wonder what you thought of her. did you think she was trying to get your attention? did you even care? or were you just being polite? she could barely concentrate on the movie, her mind racing with questions and fears.

okay. maybe the last encounter wasn’t that embarrassing. maybe. because even if it was awkward, you seemed to be fine with her.

karina wasn’t supposed to be here. ningning had practically dragged her to your baseball practice, saying something about her "lack of fun activities" and that she needed to get out of the house on a nice, sunny saturday afternoon. but then, just before they left, ningning had whispered with a mischievous grin, "and so you can make a move on y/n." karina's face instantly went hot, and she knew—she knew—that ningning was up to no good.

it's not that she didn't want to ask you out or that she hadn't considered it before, but the thought of doing it in front of an audience was mortifying. what if you said no? or what if you said yes but only because everyone was watching? what if she said something stupid or made a complete fool of herself? she wasn’t ready, so instead, she decided to stay quiet and avoid making a scene.

she knew that it probably wasn't a good idea to come to your practice after all the embarrassing encounters you had shared; she was probably actually starting to seem like an obsessed fan, but there she was, watching you pitch in the field, sweaty and focused, your hair falling in your face as you wind up, the ball leaving your hand at just the right moment and hitting the center of the catcher's mitt with a loud "thwack" as it came crashing down.

"go talk to her," ningning whispered again, practically bouncing beside her.

karina shot her a panicked look. "no way. i’m not—"

before she could finish, you made eye contact with her. karina froze. she gave a stiff wave, offering a nervous smile, but when you didn’t approach her, she quickly looked away, fidgeting with the strap of her bag. she was hoping you would approach her first. or that you would be so distracted by practice that you wouldn’t notice her. or that maybe—just maybe—she was being paranoid and you wouldn’t think twice about it.

ningning was still pushing her forward, and she knew that there was no way she was getting out of this. but as she watched you run and swing and laugh with your friends, she knew it was only a matter of time until you saw her. she could feel it in the pit of her stomach—like a storm brewing, an electric charge building.

your eyes locked once again, and her stomach did a somersault. this was it. she couldn't hide any longer.

she took a deep breath and gathered her courage. she was going to have to make a move, no matter how humiliating it might be. she wasn’t sure where this boldness came from, but she took a deep breath and strode forward. she didn’t stop walking until she reached your side. you gave her a questioning look, obviously surprised by her sudden approach, but karina wasn't about to let herself be intimidated.

"hey, i, uh," she stuttered, trying to keep her voice steady. "i wanted to say, um, and, well… did you want a water?"

that wasn’t exactly the question she was planning on asking, but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. she cursed silently. why did she always end up sounding like an idiot around you?

you blinked. “i’m good, karina.”

that was all you gave her before tossing the ball to one of your teammates.

she deflated slightly, trying to hide it behind a forced grin, nodding. her cheeks felt like fire. she turned away, but just as she started walking, she heard you call, "actually, wait! uh, could you pass me some water?"

"yeah, sure!" karina spun back around, nearly tripping over her own feet.

you held out a hand, and she placed the bottle into it, careful not to touch you. she didn't want to make things more awkward than they already were.

"thanks," you smiled, taking a sip.

karina nodded again, feeling a little bit ridiculous. was she imagining it, or were you blushing too?

you cleared your throat awkwardly. "so, are you coming to the game this weekend? it's the final."

"oh, yeah." she perked up at the mention of your game, eager to continue the conversation, and you visibly relaxed. "we're all gonna be cheering you on."

your lips curved into a smile. "that's cool. i could use the support."

karina grinned back. "we wouldn't miss it for the world."

you laughed. "good to know."

the two of you stood in silence for a moment before karina spoke up again, her nerves returning. "well, um, i'll see you at the game, y/n."

"see ya," you replied, giving her a small wave.

she turned and hurried back to her spot, her heart pounding against her ribs. had that been enough? was it too much? had you noticed the way her hands trembled or the fact that she was sweating despite the cool breeze? did you know that she couldn’t stop thinking about you, even though you barely knew each other?

she tried to shake off the doubts, but it was hard not to feel a little embarrassed. she had been so desperate to talk to you that she'd ended up sounding like a total dork. she was sure you were probably laughing about it now, telling your friends what a weirdo she was.

but before she could dwell on it too much, the sharp crack of a bat meeting a ball rang out across the field.

karina barely had time to register the sound before something hard smacked straight into her shoulder. she gasped in pain, instinctively clutching the spot where the baseball had made contact. she yelped, stumbling backward as pain bloomed across her arm. "ow—what the—"

ningning gasped dramatically. "oh my god, karina!"

you spun around at the commotion, eyes widening when you saw her clutching her shoulder. "shit—are you okay?"

karina barely had time to respond before you jogged over, concern etched across your face. she felt her heart slam against her ribs. great. not only had she embarrassed herself earlier, but now she was getting pelted by stray baseballs in front of you.

"i'm fine," she mumbled, trying to wave it off despite the throbbing in her arm. "it's just a bruise, i think."

"hyunjin was supposed to be watching where he was hitting!" you glared in the general direction of your teammate, a tall guy with a sheepish grin, before turning back to her, the worry still evident in your eyes. "let me check it out."

she hesitated, but before she could protest, you reached out, gently taking her arm to inspect the damage. karina swore her brain short-circuited at the contact. you were touching her. you were touching her.

"doesn't look too bad," you said, thumb grazing lightly over the spot. "but you should ice it later."

karina swallowed. "y-yeah. good idea."

your teammates, however, had no intention of letting this go. a few whistles rang out across the field, accompanied by hollering and laughter.

"get a room!"

"hey, y/n, you should kiss it better!"

"looks like y/n's got a girlfriend now!"

your face went red as the taunts continued. you rolled your eyes, dropping her arm and taking a step back. karina missed your touch immediately.

"ignore them," you muttered, glancing back at her with an apologetic smile. "they're just messing around."

karina, still reeling from the fact that you’d touched her, felt her cheeks burning, even more so when the laughter intensified. she could barely look up at you, embarrassed to the core. she almost wanted to disappear into the ground.

the weekend came, and karina was in the stands at your game, bundled up in her jacket, shivering slightly against the cool air. the stadium was packed with people, cheering and shouting as the players warmed up. she had never been to a game before, and she had to admit, she was a little excited.

ningning sat next to her, grinning widely. "this is so exciting! i can't believe we're actually here!"

giselle nodded. "me too. i've never been to a college baseball game before regardless of how many times y/n tried to convince me to go.”

winter smiled, leaning forward. "same! i hope they win! i heard the other team is undefeated."

karina could barely focus on the game itself as her eyes kept drifting to you on the field. you were out there, throwing some warm-up pitches, looking good in your uniform, your muscles flexing under the jersey. she had seen you play before (through videos), but up close, it was a whole different experience. it was hard not to be impressed.

when the game finally started, karina was on the edge of her seat. she didn't even realize she was gripping the edge of her seat until ningning whispered, "relax. it's only the first inning."

the game went on, and as it did, karina couldn't help but notice something was different. every time your eyes locked, you'd flash her a smile. a small, shy, almost hesitant smile. but a smile nonetheless.

and she'd smile back, feeling the butterflies in her stomach flutter wildly.

then came the final inning. your team was behind by just one point, and the crowd was on edge. it was your turn to bat, and karina could feel her heart hammering in her chest. she bit her lip, gripping her jacket nervously. this was it. this was the moment.

the first pitch came, and you swung—missed. the crowd groaned in disappointment.

you stepped back, adjusting your grip on the bat. karina’s palms were sweaty as she watched you prepare for the next pitch.

second pitch. you swung again, and this time, you made contact. the ball soared through the air, and the crowd went wild as it sailed toward the outfield. karina stood, her heart pounding, watching as the ball seemed to hang in the air forever. but then—it landed right into the outfielder’s glove.

she fell back into her seat, deflated. it was over. you had lost.

ningning slumped. "oh, well."

"maybe next time," giselle said.

but winter, ever the optimist, nudged her, giving her an encouraging smile. "i'm sure they'll win next time."

karina just nodded, not quite believing it herself.

"well, i guess that's that," giselle sighed.

you stood there for a second, disbelief crossing your features, before you took off your helmet and walked back to the dugout, head hanging as your teammates patted you on the back and murmured words of encouragement. she had really wanted you to win, and the way your expression had shifted after missing the second pitch broke her heart.

she wanted to go to you, but what could she say? she didn’t even know if you’d want to talk to her.

as the crowd slowly began to leave, karina stayed behind, watching as the other players headed off. she noticed you standing by yourself near the edge of the field, staring down at the ground. she hesitated for a moment before gathering her courage.

"y/n?" she called softly, stepping toward you.

you looked up, your face a little red and sweaty, but when you saw her, a small, tired smile tugged at your lips. "hey, karina. thanks for coming."

karina smiled awkwardly, then bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say. "you played great, even if… you didn’t win."

you chuckled. "thanks. i guess it just wasn't my day."

there was a pause, and she didn't want the moment to end, so she decided to go for it. "so, um, if you want to hang out—y’know, after the game? i could get us something to eat or ice cream or whatever. it might help?" she offered, biting her lip nervously.

you looked at her, eyes widening in surprise, and karina's heart dropped. had she been too forward? were you just being polite earlier and didn't actually want to spend time with her?

she opened her mouth to retract her offer, but before she could say anything, a smile spread across your face.

"i'd love that," you said, and she swore her heart skipped a beat.

karina felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

it’s strange how quickly things change.

the first time she calls you just to talk, you think it’s a mistake. you’re halfway through lunch when your phone buzzes, the vibration against the table pulling you from your thoughts. you glance at the screen, and the name staring back at you is karina. for a split second, your mind goes blank, and you freeze.

why would she be calling you? you can’t figure it out. you and her… you’re just figuring this out, right? you’ve been dating for about two months now, but still… you were expecting the casual texts and the occasional cute little memes she sends you, but a phone call? out of nowhere? that wasn’t on the schedule.

your first instinct is to ignore it. you tap the screen, ready to swipe it away without a second thought. it’s probably just a mistake—maybe she’s calling someone else and accidentally dialed you. it happens.

but then, for some reason, you hesitate. maybe you should pick up. what if it wasn't a mistake, and she was really calling you? what if she was trying to ask you something and didn't want to do it over text? what if there was an emergency? you can't help the small bubble of curiosity rising in your chest, so you hit the answer button and press the phone to your ear.

"hey, y/n," karina's voice greets you cheerfully, and you feel your heart flutter at the sound of her voice. "sorry for bothering you."

"no worries," you manage to reply.

"i was just thinking about you. i wanted to hear your voice.”

the way she says it catches you off guard, and for a second, you think she’s joking. but no, she sounds serious. she was thinking about you? like, genuinely thinking about you? you try to laugh it off, but it comes out more awkward than anything.

“uh, okay,” you respond, swallowing thickly, unsure how else to respond.

karina thinks it’s kind of unfair how you make her feel things like this.

you’re not flashy. you don’t say much. you never have. she knows this. but still, sometimes it gets to her — the way you can be so quiet and still make her feel like her whole chest is full.

like that night last week.

you’d had a game, and she knew you’d be exhausted. so she stayed up the entire night — grinding oats and mixing protein powders, googling “energy-boosting snack ideas athletes like,” and watching five different videos until she got the recipe right. she shaped every bar by hand, wrapped them neatly, and even wrote little notes on the bags, just something dumb like good luck today, don’t skip stretching.

you didn’t even look at the notes.

you had your earbuds in when she showed up to hand them over to your team, looking bleary-eyed but proud. all you did was thin out your lips, nod once, and mutter, “thanks.”

and then you kissed her forehead so quick she almost missed it and walked off like you didn’t just turn her insides to glitter.

she stood there, holding the tupperware lid, heart thumping against her ribs, unable to stop the grin spreading across her face.

it was embarrassing.

like when she helped you finish that impossible assignment. you’d been half-dead after practice, forehead pressed against your laptop while groaning like a wounded animal. she told you to go nap. you didn’t argue.

and when you woke up, groggy and blinking, she’d already finished it. sorted the references, checked the formatting, and saved everything neatly on your desktop.

she was actually kind of excited. proud. nervous.

but you looked at her like she’d just handed you a baby goat.

“why would you do that?” you’d asked, blinking hard.

she shrugged, cheeks burning. “i thought it’d help.”

you stared at her a beat longer before muttering, “you’re weird.”

but then you reached out and tugged on the sleeve of her hoodie so gently she barely noticed until your fingers brushed hers.

it’s the small things, really.

like how you always walk on the outside of the sidewalk, even when you don’t realize it. or how you’ll sometimes wordlessly pull her in by the strap of her bag when a bike rides too close. the way you toss your keys into the same bowl in her apartment even though you don’t live there. how you sometimes lean against the kitchen counter while she talks about her day, eyes half-lidded, like you're only half-listening—but then you’ll say something hours later that proves you heard every word.

how you never say i love you, but once, when she was stressed and crying over a project she thought she ruined, you wordlessly pulled her into your lap and said, “don’t be dumb. you’re the smartest person i know.”

and she knew, somehow, that that was your way of saying it.

her friends don’t get it. they ask why she’s so into you.

“she doesn’t even post you,” ning pointed out once, half-joking, half-serious. “is she even into you like that?”

karina had smiled, soft and small, and just said, “you don’t see the way she looks at me.”

because they don’t.

they don’t see how you never let her walk home alone, even if it means waiting an hour. or how you always notice when she forgets to eat, sneaking an extra granola bar into her bag like she won’t find it later and blush. they don’t see the way you fidget when she’s upset, like you’d do anything to fix it even though you hate talking about feelings. how you always, always pick up the phone on the first ring, even if all you say is a low, gruff, “what’s wrong?”

they don’t know how many quiet nights she’s spent curled into your side on the couch, your thumb brushing over her knuckles without a word. how you let her decorate your desk with tiny, sparkly trinkets even though they don’t match anything. how you’ll kiss her wrist when you’re half-asleep, like it’s a reflex, like loving her is something you do without even thinking about it.

"i just think it's weird how you basically obsessed over her for months, and now that you're together, she acts like it's nothing. i mean, don't get me wrong, i'm happy for you guys. but i'm just surprised, i guess. that's all."

it's not a fair comparison, and karina knows that. because it's different now. she's not obsessing anymore.

she's just falling.

karina is more shy than people think. she doesn’t throw herself at you. she just… gravitates. her pinkies always finding yours. her head always leaning toward your shoulder. she lives in the tiny pockets of space around you, content just to be near.

it drives her crazy because karina doesn’t like inconsiderate things.

not big, dramatic betrayals. just the little, accidental kinds. the ones that sting in ways you can't really explain out loud.

like when she brought up her study plans earlier in the week, fingers loosely laced with yours as you walked her across campus. her bag was heavy with textbooks, and she was talking about how she had two essays due, a group presentation, and an exam in the next five days.

you’d frowned at that. hummed once. she thought you might say something about how she needed to rest more or offer to make her coffee in the mornings again.

but you just hummed. and that was it.

you never brought up your game.

you didn’t even ask her to come.

she told herself not to be upset. that ningning was getting in her head. that you were probably distracted. focused. she knew how seriously you took baseball, how tunnel-visioned you got before games, and how sometimes even brushing your knuckles against hers was the most affection you could offer when your head was crowded.

still.

she watched it live on her laptop anyway. volume low. hoodie sleeves pulled over her hands. she saw your team win. she saw you run the bases with that crooked grin you always wore when you were proud but trying not to show it.

she smiled, too. softly. alone.

and then she turned the volume off again and went back to highlighting her notes.

you don’t text her after.

not even a we won. not even a you up.

she tries not to mind. earbuds in, another textbook propped open.

she thinks about sending a message first. congrats! or that was amazing. i saw the whole thing. or, even, i miss you.

but it feels a little silly. a little desperate.

so she doesn’t.

it's not like she's clingy.

she's really not.

she knows how it can look. how she always finds excuses to be near you, how she leans her head on your shoulder during movies and laughs too loud at your dumb jokes, and how sometimes she just can't help herself and has to tell everyone in earshot that you're her girlfriend.

no, no, no. enough of that. she's supposed to be studying, burying the almost-message. the wish that you’d notice how tired she is too. how stressed.

she spends the rest of her night studying in bed, hair pulled into a messy knot, black glasses sliding down her nose, highlighters bleeding through flashcards. her room is a mess. empty mugs stacked on her windowsill. papers crumpled at the foot of her bed. her laptop fan is wheezing because the piece of shit is nearly on its last life.

she doesn't move much, except to flip through her annotated reader or scrawl out the answer to another practice question with a pencil that’s down to a stub.

she’s halfway through rewriting her presentation outline for the third time when the knock comes.

a sharp, clear sound at the front door of her apartment.

karina jumps a little, startled out of her haze, blinking at the sudden silence that comes when she pulls one earbud out. she glances at the clock. it’s late. too late for a package, and her roommates aren’t expecting anyone.

she rises cautiously, stretching out her stiff legs as she pads through the hall in her socks. the knock comes again, knocking like they're trying to break the door down. karina almost doesn’t open it—because honestly, who shows up at a stranger's apartment at midnight without any warning?

but then you mumble her name through the door like a whine, and she’s gone, flipping the lock with a sigh and a half-smile already tugging at her mouth.

“there she is,” you slur, leaning against the doorframe. “my girl. you look—oh my god. you look so cute. are you real?”

“shh—” she hisses, yanking you inside quickly and shutting the door before your noise wakes the rest of the apartment. “y/n, it’s like two in the morning. can you not be so—”

“you didn’t come,” you say, suddenly pouty. “i looked for you.”

her stomach sinks. oh.

you had wanted her to be there.

she wants to slap herself. she shouldn’t have doubted you. she shouldn't have assumed you didn't want her there.

but why couldn't you have said something before?

she sighs, hands on your shoulders as she tries to steer you toward her room. “come on. you’re loud. everyone's sleeping."

you grin like a troublemaker. “but i won.”

when you reach her bedroom, karina flicks on the little lamp by her desk. her bed’s a war zone—notes, open notebooks, uncapped pens. her laptop’s still glowing, half an article pulled up, highlighters scattered across the sheets.

you’re already pulling off your hoodie, shirt riding up your back as you do, and she tries not to look because you’re still muttering nonsense and swaying like a tree in the wind.

she sets her jaw, quick to start gathering the mess. “seriously. go take a shower. you’re not crawling into my sheets like that.”

you laugh, and she hates the way her cheeks go warm. you shouldn’t be able to do this, even drunk.

you just blink slowly, fingers working the buttons of your jeans now, and then—quietly, like it’s muscle memory—you wrap your arms around her from behind.

mid-reach, her hand falters on a notebook. the warmth of your bare arms snakes around her waist. your chin settles on her shoulder.

“y/n,” she says, a gentle warning.

you ignore it. “you smell like rosemary shampoo.”

she closes her eyes. “that’s because it is rosemary shampoo.”

“you smell nice.”

she’s not used to this side of you.

you’re quiet most of the time. touchy, sure, but usually in a blink-and-miss-it kind of way—a hand on her lower back, a brush of pinkies, the way you pull her into your side during movie nights like it’s an afterthought.

you never do this.

never press up against her and say her name like it's the only word you know.

and she should really keep picking up the highlighters. she should really not melt.

but your nose nudges her neck. “missed you today. you always look pretty, but, like, tonight i kept thinking about how your ears turn red when you get embarrassed. did you know that? you get so flustered, and then you try to pretend you’re not.”

the words curl warmly down her spine, and she feels herself lean back against you.

“you didn’t ask me to come,” she says finally, the words coming out smaller than she intended.

you pause.

“didn’t wanna distract you,” you mutter. “you’ve been so busy.”

“but i wanted to be there,” she whispers.

“next time,” you say. “please come next time.”

karina nods, throat tight.

and then your hands rest on her waist, and she can feel the heat of them through her shirt.

it makes her breath catch, her skin buzzing under your touch. she tries not to squirm, but then you murmur, right against the shell of her ear, "you feel so good in my arms…my pretty, smart girlfriend…"

karina shivers, heat spreading across her cheeks. "i love when you say that," she breathes, voice shaky.

your lips brush her neck. "say what?"

"that i'm your girlfriend."

you chuckle, low and deep. "but it's true."

she bites her lip. "yeah, but it's still nice to hear." you let out a long sigh, trailing your hands up her sides, your palms warm even through the cotton, fingers slipping beneath the hem of her shirt, just barely grazing skin.

"fuck, i missed you."

she swallows thickly. "you did?"

"yeah," you breathe. "so much."

she turns around to face you, still pink-cheeked, eyes bright with anticipation. you smile, and she can't help but smile back, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. neither of you says anything as you press forward, mouths meeting in a kiss that starts soft but deepens fast—your hands finding her lower back, her fingers curling into the fabric of your shirt.

it doesn't take long for the kiss to become heated, and soon you're tugging at pants, trying to undo the singular button as quickly as possible, and then she's falling back onto her bed, laughing and breathing hard, her lips swollen from kissing, her glasses askew.

and then you’re on her. kissing her again, messier this time. hungrier.

your hands settle on her thighs first, then slide up, coaxing her legs open just enough for you to slot yourself between them. she gasps into your mouth when your hips press down. your weight against her feels so good, so perfect, that she can't help but grind her hips up, trying to chase the friction.

"you're so pretty," you mumble against her neck, lips brushing her skin as you speak.

"oh god," she whispers, arching into you.

you smile, nuzzling her jaw, hands squeezing her hips as you press down harder. "feel good?"

"so good," she says, her eyes fluttering closed. there’s barely anything between you—just the fabric of your boxers and her underwear, but she can feel the way you harden, the way your cock twitches when she rocks against you.

she lets out a quiet moan, fingers tangling in your hair, tugging slightly.

"god, i'm so lucky. i get to have you all to myself." you kiss down her jaw, her neck, and her collarbone. her hands grip your shoulders tight. her thighs instinctively squeeze around your hips. "i love having you all to myself."

and when you do it again—grinding down slow, right where she needs you—she whimpers, hiding her face in your shoulder.

you press a kiss to her temple.

“my pretty, smart girlfriend,” you whisper again. “so good for me.”

she knows you care about her, but hearing it, feeling it, is something else entirely.

"please," you whine, hips rutting against her desperately. "i need you so much."

karina's breath hitches at the sound of your voice, low and raspy with lust. she knows she shouldn't give in; you're drunk, after all, and she has work to do. but when you look at her like that—eyes half-lidded, cheeks flushed—she can't bring herself to resist any longer.

"okay," she murmurs, cupping your face in her hands and pulling you down for another kiss. "i'm yours."

the words send shivers down your spine. you've been dreaming about this moment for weeks now, imagining what it would be like to have karina all to yourself. and now, finally, here you are—alone in her apartment, wrapped in each other's arms, ready to take things to the next level.

you smile against her lips, your hand moving to slide her underwear to the side, too caught up in the moment to even bother taking them off completely.

karina didn’t seem to mind either, her lips parting slightly at the feeling of the cool air.

you pull away just enough to pull down your own boxers, freeing your hard length before lining it up with her entrance. she moans softly as you start to push inside her, savoring every inch as she stretches to accommodate your size. once you're fully sheathed, you pause for a moment to let her adjust, kissing along her jawline and murmuring praise into her ear.

"fuck," you groan, hips rolling slowly, "you feel so fucking good."

she gasps as you fill her up, fingers digging into your shoulders. the pressure is almost unbearable; your cock seems impossibly large inside her, stretching her walls until she thinks they might burst from the pleasure. but then, without warning, you begin to move—thrusting in and out of her at an agonizingly slow pace.

every time you bottom out, you hit that spot deep within her that makes her see stars, leaving her shuddering and whimpering beneath you. her body trembles with each thrust, legs wrapping tightly around your waist, trying to draw you in deeper. it feels incredible; your skin is pressed flush against hers, hot and slick with sweat, and your breath ghosts over her neck as you pant and moan in her ear.

and when she opens her eyes, she sees you looking down at her with such raw adoration that it takes her breath away. "i love you," you whisper hoarsely, gazing into her eyes as if you want to memorize every detail of her face. "so much."

karina hides her face in your shoulder again, too shy to look at you while saying what she wants to say. "i love you, too."

the words tumble out of her mouth before she can stop them, but she doesn’t regret them one bit. they feel right, natural, like they've been waiting on the tip of her tongue for years. and maybe they have—maybe she's loved you since she saw your face around campus but was too shy to admit it to herself.

but now, here, with you, there's no point in denying it any longer. she loves you. every part of you. even the parts that drive her crazy sometimes.

your hands slide down her sides, gripping her hips tightly as you increase the speed of your thrusts. "i love you," she repeats, softer this time, her voice muffled against your neck.

"god, karina," you breathe, "you have no idea how long i've waited to hear you say that."

she laughs, but it comes out more like a moan as you hit that spot inside her once again. you let out a shaky breath, trying to control yourself, but she knows you're close—she can feel it in the way your cock twitches inside her, the way your fingers dig into her skin.

"you're so fucking perfect," you murmur, your thrusts growing sloppy and erratic. "i'm never gonna get enough of you."

and then, with one final thrust, you come undone—spilling inside her, filling her up completely. she gasps as your warmth floods through her, her own orgasm hitting her like a tidal wave. your name escapes her lips in a choked sob as she clings to you, nails raking down your back as the pleasure crashes over her.

you stay like that for a moment, basking in the afterglow, before finally pulling out of her and collapsing onto the bed beside her. she immediately curls into your side, watching as you drift off, a contented smile playing on your lips.

your fingers absently curl around hers, your breathing evening out. karina smiles softly, pressing a kiss to your cheek, feeling her eyelids grow heavy with sleep.

falling asleep next to her favorite baseball player—it feels like a dream.

[yourlocalsmutwriter]

You, the driver and the horrible no good day

cw: for once, wardrobe malfunctions work for you, not against you. Accidentally flashing your driver leads to smut ft. oral (f. receiving), titjobs, 69, age gaps, praise and cock warming.

Lewis Hamilton- Lewis was taking his job as your very new, very rich boyfriend very seriously. When his schedule is free enough to finally ask you out, he's low-key concerned. Why were you suggesting seedy bars and cheap sandwich places? When he found out that's where your exes had taken you, he had to do something. So he went ahead and booked a restaurant on the Michelin star wait list. It was mostly to impress you. And he also wanted to have a good meal.

You were never late. Especially for a day you had been anticipating. But also you had no dresses for a fancy restaurant. An impromptu shopping trip that included Victoria's Secret. Time to shower and glam up. Unreliable transport. And that all amounted to trouble. Thankfully the restaurant was right in front of you. With a minute to spare, you broke out into a little sprint. You could feel your panties being a bit too big. They were sliding down your body, but you were too focused to care. Lewis was also in your sights now. He's leaning against a pillar, smirking at you, looking delicious. You stop right in front of him and your panties land squarely on his expensive shoes.

"Nice to see you too." He says through a smile. You both bend down to fix it, cause otherwise it would look more awkward. Once you're decent you go to apologize, but as soon as you look at your date's eyes, well. You're not sure who started the kiss, or how you end up pressed against a wall right in front of the high class restaurant. His lips are on your neck, and you're already starting to feel something in your stomach. Then your brain makes the connection where you are.

"Our reservation" you exclaim.

"Honey, did you forget who I am? They can wait. Don't make that face. When you still hadn't arrived, I went in and it's fine." He places a quick kiss against your cheek and leads you in the restaurant. He was definitely starving now, but not for anything to eat.

******************************************************

You two had already broken so many rules of first dates already. Having been speaking for a few months already, your meal wasn’t filled with ice breaker questions and shyness. Maybe it was that comfort that eased you. Or the very expensive glass of wine your boyfriend recommended. But you had ended up in his hotel room, wearing only your thong, with Lewis between your legs asking ‘’Is this okay?’’.

As soon as you said yes, he was kissing up your thighs. The driver was so pretty, you couldn’t help but just keep looking at him. Him, moving your thong aside, but not taking it off. Him holding eye contact as he places his lips on your clit. Him, holding your legs, open wide.

Him, replacing his mouth with his fingers, so he can talk you through it. Him, forehead pressed to yours, telling you, ‘’Don’t hold back. Listen to your body. It’s telling you what you need’’.

Him, moving his fingers faster. Him, saying  ‘’That’s it, come for me.’’. You got to see his pretty face become even more handsome as you palmed his cock. Going down on him, you were looking for a little dessert of your own. The perfect finish to an unforgettable meal. 

Daniel Ricciardo- Attending any GP was a dream come true for you. But the Australian one was the most special. Not because it was gonna be your first one. But also because it was a certain Alpha Tauri driver’s home race. And you were gonna cheer him on extra loud, because he was your boyfriend, albeit a secret one.

Danny had gotten you paddock passes. You were well known and successful enough in your area, so it made sense for you to be invited. But the actual processing kept you on your toes. You couldn’t justify your boyfriend paying for your flight or anything else.

Thank God for flash sales. Everything was very last minute, and in the mad rush to the airport, you forgot your suitcase. Thankfully your passport was in your bag and you managed to board the plane. Danny picked you up, because you texted him in your frazzled state. Jetlagged you and your over excited boyfriend went shopping and got you a cropped white office shirt. Along with navy blue summer pants, you were ready for tomorrow. Or so you thought.

Apparently, you had underestimated the number of critters around you. Even in the paddock, you could see some of the big bees flying around. Someone around you swore that there was a giant spider crawling out of the grass. Suddenly, you wish you were with the groundhogs in Canada. At least Daniel drove like he was back in his prime. You’re so focused on watching him that you don’t feel the huge spider getting snug on your chest. When the driver is done with his quali, he walks over to you. ‘’Guess I’m not the only Aussie that likes you, huh.’’, he notes, motioning to the creepy crawly. You completely freak out, trying to get the spider off you.

The victim of this wasn’t the insect, but the integrity of your shirt. Your buttons scattered on the ground. Like the proverbial pears of viewers if the director pans to you. Thankfully, no one sees your exposed chest, but your boyfriend. Who quickly spins you around and glues you to his back, like you’re a koala on a branch. You’re pressed up so tightly that your nipples are hard, making you both groan. You basically barricade yourself in the driver’s room until the admin brings you an Alpha Tauri shirt. You secretly wonder if Danny likes you wearing it or finds it cringe.

*********************************************

When your boyfriend pulls you into his hotel room and immediately takes it off your chest, you don’t have much time to reflect. While usually your makeout sessions had remained pretty PG (leaving you pretty sexually frustrated), this one was all bites and hickeys, tinged with desire.

‘’Get on the bed’’ Danny said as your head was still reeling from his forwardness. Where was this guy when you were wearing your shortest dresses, intent on sleeping with him, only to be wished goodnight with a peck on the cheek. And now his hand was smacking your other cheeks, mumbling something about impatience. As you laid down, you watched him take off his pants, hard cock popping up in your view. You guessed he’d heard your soft ‘’Fuck, it’s so big’’ by the signature smile appearing on his face. As if intent on making you explode on the spot, he adds.

‘’You know, darling, I'm usually a gentleman. But your tits have been driving me crazy this whole day. So I’ll use them to get off. Can’t say I usually finish first, but I need you so bad. But I promise I’ll make it up to you, a couple of times even. So can I?’’. After letting you finish saying yes, he straddles you, tongue and teeth all over your breasts. His cock was rubbing against the sheets, reminding him of the need to get off. He asks you to hold your palms flat against the side of your chest. Your boobs are pressed together and he slides his cock between them.

Danny catches your eyes and sees that you look confused.

‘’Does this feel good’’ you ask, followed by ‘’Should I be doing something more?’’ and ‘’I could stick out my tongue,so it feels like a blowjob.’’

‘’I know what I’m doing.’’ he practically barks at you, and makes a mental note of how your eyes glaze over in pleasure. You now just stare at him in fascination now, mesmerized by his flushed, pretty face, how he’s put his large hands over yours, how his cock fits perfectly like this, even though the precum is making you sticky. Daniel pulls away and jerks himself off over your chest, making your pretty tits even prettier by covering them with his cum. You, dipping your finger and tasting it, is the last thing he sees before he sets off to make sure you at least come second.

Oscar Piastri- ‘’Oscar, it’s hot’’, you say for the upteenth time. When your boyfriend had the bright idea to bring you to Australia for the summer break, you agreed. Maybe it was the curiosity to go to a new place, maybe you were wondering how he would introduce you to his friends. You didn't anticipate that it would be spent on beaches or indoors. Oscar somehow neglected to tell you about his broken AC. You were practically daydreaming about the ice bath from Singapore. And not just because Oscar was sitting in front of you shirtless. To beat the heat, he claims. What you do next is pure muscle memory. With all the activities lined up, you're always wearing a sports bra or a bikini top underneath your shirt. Maybe it was the climate fogging up your brain. Maybe it was the fact that you were living out of a backpack and clothes were everywhere. But today, of all days, you aren't wearing anything. So there you are, not only flashing your boyfriend, but also not being aware of it.

****************************************************

"Um, honey. This isn't gonna help me much with the heat. In fact, it's gonna be worse.”. You're surprised that he would get so flustered over what you had on and glance down. With a quiet yelp, you cross your arms over your chest. Oscar moved next to you, rubbing your back and reassuring you that there's nothing to be embarrassed about. He gives your forehead kisses,his lips trail to your cheeks and your mouth. One thing leads to another, and his face is practically buried in your neck. Between bites, he'd say you have “perfect fucking tits”, calling you stunning and breathtaking. Oscar pulls you into his lap, and you see that he's not all talk, but also all action. As you grind against his hardon, he tells you.

“Well, that's not gonna fix itself, is it?”. You go still for a moment and he thinks he's fucked it all up. His horny brain took over the rational one, but now he had to dial it down.

“I mean, it could fix itself, if you need. It's totally okay if you aren't ready to go any further.” he backtracks.

“No, I mean, it just took me by surprise, that's all. Now I'm short circuiting between all the things I've been fantasizing about. And apparently I'm not shutting the fuck up, despite being so embarrassed I wanna die.” you reply, obviously really excited by this development.

“Yeah? Tell me what you want from me. Please, wanna hear you.” he asks and you're reminded why you like him so much.

“Is this a time to quote Mark Webber about the Australian kiss? I mean, when in Rome, right?”

“Never thought I would be having to think about my mentor with a raging boner. Okay, now that I've said that, it's cursed, let me just shut up and do what I've been wanting to do.”

Oscar's rambling ended with kisses from your chest down to your cunt. When his lips find your clit, it's electrifying. Yet, he's there, making sure you feel good, while getting nothing in return. You know sex doesn't have to work like it always does. You know that it's not always an equal amount of pleasure distributed even among the people having it. Yet, you know that if your boyfriend keeps eating you out, you'll have the best orgasm of your life, followed by the best sleep of your life. So you take matters into your own hands. Or should we say, mouth?

“Oscar, come here. As hot as it is to see you between my legs, let's change up this position, shall we?”

He agrees because he doesn't really care about the logistics of this, he had a taste of you, and now he's starved. So you move your thighs on either side of his head like earmuffs. You wait, just a moment for him to make the first move. As you lick a stripe down (or is it technically up here?) his cock, you feel him groan against you. God really has favorites, you think as you slowly tease the head with your tongue. But your wonderful boyfriend isn't about to make this into a long session. Nope, he's frantic, intense, hands on your thighs, spreading you open. His tongue is more than enough, yet he adds a finger and you're ready to just come right there. Well two could play at that game.

You take him deeper, slightly gagging as he hits the back of your throat. And that makes him even more insatiable. His touches slow, yet his hips move up ever so slightly. Absolutely filling your mouth with his cock. It's a bit rough, but exactly what you need to come on his tongue. He fuck you through it, not pulling away until his own cum is in your throat.

5 minutes and some post sex boring stuff later, and you're in his arms, as he praises you for being so good and doing so well for him. This was a trip you'd definitely remember. It's quiet but filled with crackling energy, like Oscar himself.

Fernando Alonso - You and Fernando had a bet. It was a bit unusual, but he requested to have you go out clubbing with him and the team after his DNFs. Normally, you and him interacted in two ways. The first was you doing your job as his assistant, keeping him on track about his commitments. The second was behind closed doors. Where the older man would be busy pinning you to a wall and kissing you. The club would be a dangerous threshold. Who would you be there? Well, in Mexico, you found out. 

Nando's weekend was shaping up to be unpredictable. From missing media day, to celebrating his 400th Grand Prix, to the quick end of said race. As soon as he retired to the garage, you were there, asking how you could be useful. You swear there's a mischievous glint in his eyes, yet you brush it off.  He just reminds you of the party bet and asks you to fetch his phone. You comply, and the two of you sit side by side, not talking. You're drafting press release statements and tweets. He's  shopping? When you look his way and ask how he's doing on his post race comments, you see him just close his banking app? Fernando's antics stopped surprising you long ago. Or so you thought. 

You're back at the hotel with half a mind to just lay down in the nice bed and not move until the flight. But someone from reception hands you a luxurious shopping bag and says that this was just delivered for you earlier. You thank them and bring it up to your room. You take the elegantly crafted Channel box and open it. You don't wanna think what just the shipping on this thing was. It's a dress. A gorgeous, Aston Martin green dress. That looks like it could be used as a fancy cocktail napkin. You look at the note "For tonight, - F". You really cannot say no to this. 

Yet you barely have it on your body. Nando bought this with only himself in mind. He didn't consider that it had thin straps and a plunging neckline. Which you could live with, if it wasn't also riding up every time you took a step.And of course, Nando picked a practically backless number, so you couldn't even wear a bra. 

You don't belong. In the taxi with your boss, who's also your boyfriend, Lance and his "new female friend". You're kinda squished in the back between the two men, as Fernando can't help but pull you closer to him. You'd be in his lap, if it was up to him. But even though his teammate could keep a secret, the girl in the front seat was worrying you. 

"Why did you pick up a grid bunny before your breakup with Lou was announced? Lance, I don't wanna see cheating rumors tomorrow on Instagram. " you say, in French. Thank fuck for your parents pushing you to learn that in school. 

"She's gonna pose as your friend when we walk in. After that, I can be sneaky. And you? Did Nando give you a big tip to get you here tonight, or what? You never come out with us." the young man implied something. You chose to ignore his innuendo. 

"He has his traditions, I don't wanna upset him. You know how he gets when he's sulky." 

You also dismiss that Fernando had wrapped his arm against your waist and that his grip had been tightening ever since you mentioned his name. 

"You're gonna crease my dress, Mr. Alonso." you commented. 

"Look who speaks English. Thought French was the official cab language." he's mad and you can sense it in his tone.  

"I'm sorry sir, we just needed a quick word about security. Figured it was best not to bother you. As I said to Mr. Stroll, we don't wanna be spotted and all over social media tomorrow." you clarify.

"Of course. But some things you have to let everyone know. Or else they might get the wrong idea. Besides, don't I pay you to tell me things" He continued. You were gonna need to also use your broken Spanish, you guessed. Duolingo had nothing on you. Taming your boyfriend was on your bingo card, but not like this. Not in front of an audience. You pray that the girl can't focus on both giving directions and snooping on you.

"Are you jealous? Over him? " you ask.

"I'm gonna ruin you tonight" he states, then his words consisted of something about everyone and seeing. Before you could probe further into his head, the cab driver stopped. He dropped you off on the empty street, far away from the lights or a queue. After a bit of a walk and through a back door you found yourself in the club. 

Fernando was a party animal(we've all seen the NYE pictures with George Russel). You left him to be in his zone. You, on the other hand, glued yourself to a bar seat, slowly getting through a cocktail, water, water and then another cocktail. You occupied your hands with incessantly checking the gossip sites. So far, you were in the clear. 

"You gonna spend all night here? Shame, when you look like this." a familiar voice says next to you.

"Lance, what a surprise. I'm sure your companion is also dressed nicely. You should tell her this." you reply, not willing to entertain him.

"She's not much of a talker. Anyway, she went to the bathroom." You glance at the line and spot the girl there. You will her to come back and ask the driver pestering you to take her home. She, unsurprisingly, cannot read your mind. 

"Dance with me." He continues. It's no use for you to argue when you know just how rarely he hears no. Besides, you could use some movement. You stand up, and don't miss his eyes trailing up your legs as you pull your dress down. You sway your body to the rhythm, a little stiffly, but you get it. For a good minute you forget all your worries. You're just dancing with a very drunk coworker. That's normal. The strap of your dress falls down your shoulder, and Lance reaches out to fix it. You think nothing of it. In a second, you feel a hand on your waist, pulling you away from the driver. You're frozen, not knowing whether to scream or try to fight. Then the man behind you says 

"Why was he touching you, doll? Why did Lance have his hands on what's mine?". It's Fernando. He had been the one pulling you away. You're still too stunned to speak. When you finally go back to your senses, you reply. 

"You can't just do that, you grabbed me, I was terrified. What if it hadn't been you,what if it was some stranger." Tears are on the corners of your eyes and he just takes you outside through the same back door you came in. 

"I'm sorry." he says as you're still crying outside. He's calling a taxi and you still can't calm down, won't get close to him or touch him. "I'm sorry for not thinking. I'm sorry for letting the jealousy get to me. I'm sorry for not telling you it was me and that we're going. I'm so scared of losing you that I didn't care.". Your hiccups dissipate and you finally look at him.

"It's gonna be okay, Nando. Just the whole thing has been fucking insane. Can you come here and hug me? This fucking stupid dress of yours is making me so cold." you reply. 

"It's a pretty dress. And you wear it well." he notes, as he wraps his arms around you.

"Can't fucking believe you had to drag me out of the club because Lance was drunk and sad about his breakup.". You're ignoring his flirting, because you know you'd melt back into his arms soon. And you're not sure if he deserves it. 

"You didn't seem to be having much fun there anyway." He observes and you're happy that he's had the time and decency to check up on you. Suddenly you realize that all he's done tonight is try to show you off and care for you. 

"Well, I never got to dance with you. Or have you sneakily pull me off to the side and kiss me. Which you can still do." You say, suddenly in a good mood. 

"You sure you want a kiss now? I can wait, if you're still upset at me, doll." He asks. 

“Well aren't you so chivalrous. Kiss me, Fernando. Before our can driver comes and sees.” you whisper, your words only between him, you and the night air. 

Not needing you to tell him twice, he tilts your chin up and kisses you. In a second, it's all tongue and bites and his hands move to your ass. The fucking dress he bought you was paying off by the minute. He had agreed with you to wait before making your relationship physical. Tonight, he would try to not wait anymore. But it was all up to you. You who was currently gripping his shirt like your life depended on it, trying to get your hands under it. Maybe Lance did you both a favor. Nando would have to send him a candy basket or something. 

The Uber Black honked his horn and caused you to break apart. You got in first. The makeout must have been too heated. Or maybe it was your flats tripping you up. But the second you tried to get in the backseat, you face planted. Your legs akimbo gave your boyfriend the best view of his life. You, in the dress he picked out, with no fucking panties. You righted yourself and managed to sit down properly. Fernando got it next to you. When the cab driver gasped in recognition, your boyfriend just sighed, got out a pen from his jacket pocket and offered to sign anything for all the friends and family. 

"Hey man, look if you put on the music really loud, so me and my assistant can discuss work and put up the privacy screen, you'll be lucky you drove me tonight.". The other man silently agreed and as soon as you couldn't be seen, Nando's lips were on your neck. 

"You know, doll, you shouldn't be so clumsy. Because now that I've seen you, I don't think I can hold back from touching you. What do you say? Do you wanna feel good? You want me to make you see stars in this cab?" 

You nodded, all worries gone. Your body needed him. And it was gonna get him. 

As soon as he got a yes, Fernando's hand was between your legs. His fingers expertly rubbed your clit as he told you how wet you were for him, how good you were, how he was gonna make sure your greedy pussy was gonna get what she needed. His fingers were moving in and out of you, and just about as you were going to cum, the car stopped. The music lowered. The driver simply said "Sir, we've reached your destination.". Fernando groaned and slipped all the bills from his wallet. 

"Look, there's a great 24h restaurant right next to the hotel we're currently behind. How about you grab yourself something to eat and I'll come back when we're done with the car. " . Again, the driver agreed and silently tossed the keys in the back. Nando caught them and pulled you into his lap. Undoing his jeans, and boxers, he holds up a condom. Reading your mind, he explains "men's bathroom in the club" and then asks you "Wanna do the honors, pretty girl? Wanna feel my cock before I put it in?". You did, so you acted. As you roll on the condom, you move and also sink down on his cock. You try to move, but his hands grip your hips and stop you. 

"No, doll. You're just gonna stay like this for a while and feel me inside of you. As a little reminder of who you're dating." 

"Nando, again with the dick measuring contest?" You say, your face scrunching up. 

"I don't need a contest to know, I'm big." He fucking moves, jackhammering into you, making you feel him deep. "Now, I just like to admire you, is that a crime? Don't think so. Let me clear up a few things and I'll make you come so hard you forget about everything else. Lance Stroll doesn't fucking intimidate me. I know he cannot fucking compare to me on any level. Same goes to any other man that tries to hit on you. Right now you are mine. And since I can't show you off, they have no idea who they're dealing with. But you do. So every time someone else tries to get what's mine, you'll be getting a reminder just like this. That Fernando is better than them." . With the last sentence he starts moving again. With one hand on your waist and the other on your clit, he makes you cum, and he follows about a minute later. 

The next morning, you regroup at the airport. Lance is so hungover that he has absolutely no recollection of last night. Nando says that the night was great, but he really enjoyed the taxi back home, too. He winks at you, and you swear that was a premeditated murder. 

[verstappensrealwife]

Teammate’s sister - Oscar Piastri x Norris!Reader

[oscar piastri masterlist  / f1 masterlist]

ʚɞ in which... oscar has crush on lando's sister. ʚɞ fluff  ⋆⭒˚.⋆ 1100 words ʚɞ warnings: boobs, bimbo!reader also.

-୨♡୧-

You and Lando were worlds apart in terms of style and interests. You had your hair done religiously every month, your nails and lashes tended to bi-weekly, and you shopped for clothes with an almost impulsive fervor. Your wardrobe was a parade of skimpy outfits and vibrant hot pinks, drawing attention wherever you went.

Lando frequently invited you to his races, though you didn't always make it. He didn't mind much; you were there for his first podium, his first pole, and his first win—those moments were what mattered to him.

In your own way, you were part of his triumphs, a bright spot in the whirlwind of his racing career.

However, it was more than common knowledge that Oscar was practically in love with you. He would go to any lengths, even risking his health, just to be in the same room as you for a moment. The truth was, he'd gladly trade his own comfort, his own needs, just for a chance to catch a glimpse of your smile or hear your laughter. It was as if being near you filled him with a sense of purpose that eclipsed everything else in his life.

He'd sit through long, grueling days of racing with a knot in his stomach, unable to eat or drink, all for the hope of running into you in the paddock. His heart raced at the thought of you, and he found himself lost in daydreams about what it would be like to hold your hand, to share a quiet moment away from the chaos.

For Oscar, it felt as though he would gladly die for you, surrendering everything just to keep you close. He'd stand in front of any danger, facing it without a second thought if it meant protecting you. Your happiness was his sole reason for being, and he would sacrifice anything—even his own heart—to see you smile.

At the Hungarian GP, the paddock buzzed with frenetic energy. Mechanics swarmed around the cars, making last-minute adjustments, while the roar of engines warming up filled the air. The scent of burning rubber and fuel permeated the space, mingling with the tension and excitement that crackled like electricity.

Cameras from Sky and F1 TV frequently cut to you, capturing your every move. You were fairly certain this was because audience attention spiked whenever you appeared in your little outfits, your bright smile lighting up the paddock. Amidst the organized chaos, your presence was a splash of color and warmth, drawing eyes and increasing viewership with every glimpse the cameras caught.

You watched intently as Lando breezed through to Q1, finishing on pole position and greeting him as he got out the car with a running hug.

Oscar watched as you ran, your tits bouncing with each step. God he loved your boobs. He was zoned out... thinking... when he noticed you were getting closer. Now running towards him in your mclaren jersey with the number 81 on the back.

You had his number displayed prominently on your body.

He could have died right there and then. The fabric of your tight-fitting jersey clung to your curves as you surged toward him, pressing your body against his with a forceful, yet intimate impact.

"Well done!" you breathed, your lips close to his ear as you wrapped your arms around him.

"You raced really well!" you whispered.

He could feel your tits pressed against him, the sensation overwhelming.

"I'm really proud!" you murmured, your voice low and sultry.

His heart raced, his face flushed with a deep crimson. "I- erm- yeah- thank you," he stammered, trying to regain his composure. "Your brother did better, though..."

You shrugged nonchalantly, a playful smirk curling at your lips. "But I'm not talking to Lando, I'm talking to you," you purred, your eyes locked onto his with a mischievous glint.

It took every ounce of restraint for him to release your waist, where his hands had lingered a moment too long. When he finally let go, it was with a reluctant, almost desperate reluctance, his fingers brushing against your skin as they withdrew.

You smiled bashfully, your gaze dropping to your feet as you blushed.

"Go out with me," he blurted out abruptly, his mind racing to catch up with the reckless words he had just thrown at the most captivating woman he'd encountered in his 23 years. "Sorry! Oh god, sorry. I didn't mean to say that." He stumbled back, almost as if trying to escape his own audacity.

He didn't get far before your giggle stopped him in his tracks. "Sure," you said softly.

He spun around in shock, his heart pounding as he took a few quick strides back toward you. "Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm," you nodded, your smile growing warmer.

All he could manage to utter was, "Wow," his voice barely above a whisper, before his manager swooped in, dragging him away for interviews. The sound of your laughter lingered in his ears, making his heart race with anticipation and excitement.

#

Oscar couldn't focus on the questions being thrown at him by reporters. His mind was spinning, replaying the moment over and over again. He kept glancing over at you, where you stood chatting with Lando, your smile brighter than ever.

As soon as he was free, Oscar made a beeline for you. He found you leaning against the McLaren hospitality suite, sipping a drink.

"Hey," he said, trying to sound casual but failing miserably.

"Hey," you replied, looking up at him with a knowing smile.

"So, um, about what I said earlier," he began, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"You mean asking me out?" you teased.

"Yeah, that," he said, his face flushing. "I wasn't kidding, you know. I'd really like to take you out. Properly."

Your eyes softened, and you nodded. "I know, Oscar. And I'd like that too."

"Really?" He sounded almost incredulous.

"Really," you confirmed.

He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Okay, great. How about dinner tomorrow? After the race?"

"Sounds perfect," you said. "I'll be waiting."

Oscar couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "I'll see you then."

As he walked away, he felt lighter, like he was walking on air. He had a race to focus on, but now he had something even more exciting to look forward to.

#

The rest of the day passed in a blur. The next day, Oscar raced amazingly, but his mind kept drifting back to you. When the race was over and the celebrations had died down for his first win, he found you waiting for him, just as you promised.

"You ready?" he asked, trying to keep his nerves in check.

"Ready," you said.

As you walked out of the paddock together, Oscar couldn't help but think that this was the start of something incredible. And for once, he didn't feel shy around you.

[dxxdhood]

Okayyyyyy your sub!Wade Wilson fic literally destroyed me and I need like a million more consider yourself my new dealer

(If reqs are open can I get uhhhhh Wade Wilson where he's needy but has no idea what he wants so reader has to shut his brain off and figure it out for him pls and thanks)

hi anon, i love this idea so much omg! i may have played around with it a bit but i think i still kept the same core idea. i went with fem! reader on this, but if you want a similar request with gn! or male! reader, let me know! pls enjoy!!!

rough night

pairing: wade wilson x fem!reader

summary: wade needs your love and attention, and luckily, you're always there to help him out.

tags: smut (18+), sub!wade wilson, dom!reader, dirty talk, praise kink, light bondage, grinding, clothed sex, oral (f receiving), exhibitionism, car sex

wc: 2.0k

“Okay, babe, hear me out: the ending to the stage version of Little Shop is leagues better than whatever deus ex machina crap they had to throw into the last two minutes of the movie. Cowardly movie-goer audiences can not handle true stage-level tragedy–”

“Wade!” You shout, nearly swerving the car as you double check the directions. Past midnight on the freeway after a long day, you barely had the concentration to drive in silence– much less in a car with your partner in it. “Can you help me get us home first before we start arguing over musical movies again. Please?”

Wade hums, tapping his scarred hand against the console, “That’s a big ask, I’m not so sure I can, to tell you the truth. You wanna talk about musical movies? Can we talk about how big The Greatest Showman got when the score is nothing but pop songs? Look, I get the lead actor looks like my crazy-hot new best friend, but the 2010s had way better stuff coming out.”

Turning his head so you could see the shit-eating grin plastered on his face, he whistles a note before speaking. “You missed our exit, by the way.”

“What?” You double check the GPS to make sure he’s not lying. Sure enough, he’s right. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

“Oh, you know. Typical Deadpool, just pissing off everyone around him all the time for no reason,” he chimes in again, and something about his tone sets you off. You speed across the next available ramp, and after the few seconds it takes for you to end up on a deserted road, you stop the car.

Taking a deep inhale, you make sure to hit the inside light so he can see you properly, and you grab the arm still fidgeting next to you. “Wade, what’s up with you?”

His eyes go large, and his expression loses all the mischief immediately. Shaking his head a little, he purses his lips. “Nothing. Nothing’s up.”

“Let’s just get home,” he says after an empty moment, almost like he’s booting up again. “You can yell at me the entire way back, okay? I was being a pain in the ass. I’ll take it lying down, promise.”

Seeing him in the dim, yellow lighting, he’s trying to retreat into his hoodie. He’s pulling away from you even as he speaks, and it makes your stomach turn.

“Let’s–” you start, unbuckling your seatbelt before gripping the door handle.  “Let’s just take a second first.”

You catch a wash of confusion on his face, but you exit the car and walk over to his side before he voices his thoughts out loud. Opening his door, you quickly envelope him in a hug before he can try to pull away again.

You swear you heard a whimper, but it was so quiet, you nearly missed it. Almost instantly, Wade buries his head in your neck, and his arms wrap around your middle tight. 

The two of you stay there, alone, with the gentle sound of crickets chirping in the background for what feels like a small eternity. You know it must have only been a few minutes, because shortly, your thighs burn from the angle you’re bending at, so you gently pull away. You decide not to mention the wetness left on your shirt.

“What do you need?” You ask.

He shakes his head again, but faster this time. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t even know why I was trying to piss you off.”

“Today was fine, right? I thought so, but all of sudden everything felt like it was going to shit. In my head, I just started going around in circles, going over all the little ways I kept fucking up, and – I don’t know – it got to me.” Wade brings a palm to his forehead. “It’s just one of those hate-yourself days, I guess.” 

You nod, taking one of his hands in yours as you stand on the dying grass surrounding the road. Rubbing his palm with your thumb, trying to transfer some of your warmth to him, you’re suddenly met with an idea so good, you can keep inside the chuckle. 

“Sorry, sorry!” You choke. “Not laughing at you, I just– I just think it’s funny where my brain goes.”

“What do you mean?” He looks up at you with pupils so big, you just want to go back to squeezing him. 

“Well, we’re all alone out here.”

You can almost see the loading screen in Wade’s mind when he breaks out in a laugh. “No way, I finally found someone worse than me.”

“Would you want to?”

He’s nodding before he can even process, but after a second a frown sets in. “You know I’m always down to clown around, but I’d just be a burden right now. I’m all sad and icky and touchy-feely. I don’t even know what I–”

“You want me to handle it?” you interrupt. “I’ll just do stuff we’ve liked doing in the past. You don’t have to worry about a thing, I’ll make it all good for you.”

Wade turns his head away, and for a terrifying moment, you believe you’ve made him uncomfortable. But a part of him wins whatever fight is going on eternally, and when he faces you again, a blush coats his cheeks.“You’d do that?”

“You think I’m offering ‘cause I like hearing myself talk?”

“You have the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard,” he smiles, and not having learned anything, you bend down again to kiss him. He responds fast, bringing a hand up to cup your cheek as he pulls you in closer. No matter how much of you he gets, he always finds himself needing more.

You push his hood down and you carefully run your hands across his scalp, cradling his head, as you deepen the kiss. Licking inside his mouth, you feel more than hear a rumble build in his chest.

Breaking away, you pull your sweater off before laying it on the ground in front of the passenger seat. Stepping to the side, you give Wade a second to process before you order him.

“Kneel.”

He definitely mumbles a soft “holy shit” as he slips out of the car and drops to his knees. Briefly, you run your hands across his shoulders, kneading at the intersection between his shoulders and neck, feeling the tense muscle there. Typical Wade to cause problems instead of talking about his own. Just how long was he carrying around all of this tension? Maybe when you’re both home later, at what will probably be the crack of dawn, you can run him a warm bath or give him a better massage.

For right now, you slip past him and sit in the car seat above him. Angled so your legs dangle out the car door opening, you place a hand around the back of Wade’s neck and urge him closer.

“You ready?” You whisper. “You want to eat me out, Wade?”

He buries his head into your thigh at your words as he lets out a groan, “Yes, please, oh my god.”

Grabbing both of your legs, he lifts them onto his shoulder and he already starts to move his head closer in between them.

“Hold on,” you grab one of his hands, interlocking your fingers. “Here, help me move one of my legs off your shoulder and against your dick.”

To his credit, he does, even as he shivers at your words. As he scooches around, trying to get comfortable or maybe just hungry for more sensation already, you feel his cock half hard.

“You’ve been wanting this, huh? Wanting me to boss you around a little,” you whisper, inching your head closer to his so you can whisper in his ear. “Wanting to hear dirty things in my voice?”

“Yes!’ he shouts. “Yes, please! Can I eat you out, babe? I’ll be good!”

“”Course you will be,” you smile. “You’re always so good for me.”

With a little maneuvering around your legs, you manage to slip your shorts and underwear off, accidentally tossing them into the darkness.

Wade frowns, his brow creasing, “No, I haven’t been very good lately–”

On command, you grab his chin and tilt it so his gaze rests on yours. There’s no hiding from your words now. “Don’t say that. Stop talking.”

“You don’t feel good?” you smirk. “Then prove to me right now how good you can really be.”

He needs no further encouragement as he buries his face between your thighs, already licking across you, teasing you even now. His pace is quick, desperate, but he’s still careful to avoid where you need him most.

With one hand perched at the top of his head, you scratch the other down his neck as a warning, but all it does is draw a moan from him. You can feel the vibrations through you, and it causes you to grind across his mouth.

Panting heavily, you decide to even the score. You press your calf up against his hard cock, inching it backwards and forwards, bit by bit, and that’s all it takes for Wade to remember his own needs. Wanting  you already, he slowly grinds against your leg, and though it feels harsh through his pants, from past experience as well as the wet groans filling the air, you’re sure Wade enjoys it.

Suddenly, he decides to circle your clit in earnest, and it draws a loud moan from you. You begin to grind yourself against his tongue, still somehow working you with coordinated movements despite how out-of-control he humps your leg.

His whimpers slip out of him, as if he’s been completely fucked dumb just by getting off on your leg. The power is heady, and you move your hands to his, wrapping them around his wrists and bringing them in front of him to settle right in front of his stomach. Once you’re sure you’ve got a secure grasp, you bring one of your hands away to tilt his face up to yours so you can kiss him again.

You taste yourself warm on his lips, and the thought causes even more heat to pool at your core. All too soon, you pull away from him and shove his head back between your thighs. 

“Fuck, Wade, so good. You’re so good for me.”

He’s whimpering right into your core and involuntarily, the hand restraining his wrists clenches. The harshness only turns him on further, and he continues rubbing himself along your leg so quick, you’re sure it must be starting to sting.

“Yeah? You like fucking my leg, Wade? I love seeing you grind on me, sweetheart, you’re so pretty.”

His pace increases, and he starts letting out frequent moans in between the warm breaths he exhales onto you. Your thighs are shaking – his speed for you has never faltered – and you shove his face towards you with the palm against his head.

“I’m gonna come. You wanna be my good boy and come with me, huh?”

At that, he releases a loud groan into your pussy, and you feel yourself coming, dripping onto his already soaked face. At your wetness, his grinding only increases, and after only a few more seconds, Wade finishes, cum seeping from his pants onto your leg. 

The two of you stay silent with only your breaths slowly returning to normal to fill the air. Wade’s eyes are large, gazing at you like you’re all he could ever want, and it’s almost too overwhelming for you to return.

Shakily, he pushes off the ground and makes it to his feet before he stumbles to the side. On instinct, you jump from the seat outside to catch him, your arms wrapped around his waist. You’re still afraid that he’ll fall, but Wade lets out a light giggle.

“If you couldn’t drive us home before, I’ve got no clue how we’re making it back now.”

You lightly slap his arm, “You could be nicer to me after I made you come, bitch.”

He lets out a groan that would sound exaggerated if it came from anyone else, “Shit, call me that next time!”

“Next time I wreck you in the middle of nowhere?” you smirk.

“Just name a time and place.”

[cressidagrey]

The Queen of Romantasy and the Race Car Prince - Chapter 22

Pairing: Lando Norris x Elizabeth "Lizzie" Treshton (Original Character)

Summary:

Elizabeth Treshton—bestselling romantasy author, queen of fae heartbreak, and sworn devotee of a carefully structured routine—never expected her service dog to abandon protocol and diagnose a Formula 1 driver with something. But that’s exactly what happens when Mara the wonder-dog ditches Lizzie’s side to aggressively alert to none other than Lando Norris in the middle of a coffee shop.

Warnings and Notes: 

Mention of epilepsy and service animals. I don't myself suffer from epilepsy, so I asked my IRL friend, who thankfully was nice enough to let me ask her all the questions I could come up with. The rest I asked Reddit. So everything that's wrong...that's totally my fault and not on purpose.

We are wrapping up loose plot threads so: Hungary 2024, WHICH I FIXED (kinda). My questionable understanding of racing strategy? Crocheting.

As always big thanks to @llirawolf , who listens to me ramble

Radio Transcript – Hungarian GP 2024 Driver: Lando Norris (#4, McLaren) Lap: Mid-race, after McLaren undercuts Oscar Piastri

RACE ENGINEER (Will Joseph): “Lando, box this lap. Box, box.”

Lando: “…You’re kidding. You’re actually kidding.”

Will: “Lando, we need to cover the undercut. Box now.”

Lando: “Yeah, I bet we do.”

[Lando enters the pits, swaps to fresh tires, and rejoins ahead of Oscar Piastri.]

Will: “So, uh, we’re seriously doing this? We’re actually undercutting Oscar?”

Will: “Affirm. We need to consolidate track position.”

Lando: “Oh yeah? That’s what we’re calling it? Consolidating?”

Will: “Lando, we’ll discuss later. Focus on your out-lap.”

Lando: “No. I want you to tell me right now why we did that. Because Oscar was ahead. Oscar was faster. So tell me why we just screwed him over. 

Will: “It was the best call for the team.”

Lando: “Oh, was it? Because last I checked, ‘the team’ includes Oscar, and you just threw him under the bus. And for what? Because from where I’m sitting, you just played us against each other for no reason.”

Will: “Lando, we need to manage the race. We’ll discuss later.”

Lando: “No, we’ll discuss now. Because Oscar went to bat for me when it mattered. He stood up when you lot wouldn’t. And this is how you pay him back? By screwing him on strategy?”

Will: “Lando—”

Lando: “I’m giving it back.”

Will: “Lando, we need you to maintain position.”

Lando: “Like hell I do. Tell Oscar I’m lifting into Turn 1.”

Will: “…Understood.”

Lando: Oscar— (lifts off the throttle, lets Oscar pass him back easily before Turn 1) —deserves better than whatever the hell that was.

Will: Lando, we didn’t ask you to do that.

Lando: Yeah? Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you made me the bad guy.

Will: This isn’t necessary—

Lando: No, what wasn’t necessary was playing stupid games with two drivers who actually trust each other. Fix your priorities.

***

Lando Norris – Post-Race Interview | 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix

Interviewer: Lando, P2 today after a tough fight with Lewis Hamilton. It was an intense battle right to the end—how are you feeling?

Lando: Yeah, I feel great! It was a proper race, a hard fight from start to finish, and I loved every second of it. I mean, Lewis is one of the best to ever do it, so going wheel-to-wheel with him like that, having to really work for that P2—it’s what racing is all about. I think we put on a good show today.

Interviewer: We heard some interesting radio messages during the race, especially around the swap with Oscar. Can you talk us through that situation?

Lando: Honestly, I just want to talk about how incredible Oscar was today. He’s been mega all weekend. He got pole, he had insane pace, and to take his first win—it’s so well deserved. I’ve been saying it forever: Oscar is that guy. He’s quick, he’s consistent, and I’m just really happy for him. It’s a huge moment.

Interviewer: Of course, but just to clarify on the swap—there was some tension on the radio. Did that impact your race at all?

Lando: Not really. My focus was on getting the best result for the team and making sure we maximized what we could. At the end of the day, Oscar won fair and square. I had my own battle with Lewis, and that’s where my head was. We went at it for a good chunk of the race, pushing each other to the limit, and I managed to come out on top. That’s what I care about—proper racing on track. That’s what people should be talking about.

Interviewer: Still, there were some discussions about team orders—

Lando: Listen, I’m not interested in making a big deal out of radio messages or politics. What matters is the racing. And today, we had an incredible race. Oscar got his first win, McLaren got a 1-2, I had a great fight with Lewis, and we showed what we’re capable of. That’s what people should be focusing on. That’s what matters.

Interviewer: Fair enough! A brilliant result today. Congratulations, Lando!

Lando: Cheers, mate!

Comments: 

@/F1Fanatic99: Lando just straight-up refusing to engage in drama and instead hyping up Oscar and talking about racing? That’s my driver. 🧡 @/HamiltonGOAT44: Lando vs. Lewis was the battle we all deserved! Absolute class from both of them. @/NorrisNation: Lewis made him work for it, but Lando held his own. That was racing at its finest. @/PiastriP1: Lando literally said “I’m here to race, not talk” and I respect that so much. @/WDCOscar: We should be talking about how good Oscar was today, not team orders drama. Lando gets it. @/DriveToThrive: Lando dodging those drama-baiting questions like he's defending P2 against Lewis Hamilton. @/TeamOrdersSkeptic: I mean, it’s cool that Lando’s focusing on the positives, but McLaren kinda did him dirty, no? @/NotABot23: Maybe, but Lando said he didn’t want a free pass. He’d rather earn his position. @/OscarWins: At the end of the day, Oscar won fair and square. Even Lando said it. @/F1Conspiracies: He’s dodging the team orders talk because he doesn’t want to cause problems, but let’s be real—McLaren needs to sort their priorities. @/AntiTeamOrders: Lando acting like nothing happened when McLaren literally screwed him over lol. @/JustHereForDrama: He’s so media-trained. Wish he would just say what he actually thinks. ↳ @/McLarenStan: Or maybe he actually thinks Oscar deserved the win and doesn’t care about the radio stuff? @/HungaryGP2024: The real headline should be "Lando Norris beats Lewis Hamilton in an on-track battle," not whatever drama people are trying to stir up.

@/GridGossip: “He stood up when you lot wouldn’t.” 👀 Lando, bestie, you can’t just drop that and move on like it’s nothing. ↳ @/McLarenMafia: WHO didn’t have your back, Lando? Say names. ↳ @/F1Conspiracies: I wonder what that is about…and I have the bad feeling it’s the whole Lizzie situation… @/OversteerAndTea: So we’re all just supposed to ignore that Lando basically said McLaren didn’t back him up, huh? @/FormulaWhispers: What was going on behind the scenes that made Lando say that??? ↳ @/InsideThePaddock: Oscar has more backbone than people realize. Him going to bat for Lando is NOT nothing. @/F1InsiderTea: McLaren’s PR team is SWEATING right now. ↳ @/OrangeDrama: Like, are they just hoping we all move on??? Because I have QUESTIONS. @/PitWallMess: Oscar and Lando are such ride-or-dies for each other. It’s everyone else I’m side-eyeing. ↳ @/McLarenMasterplan: We need the full story. Spill, Lando. Spill. @/TeaAndTelemetry: Lando is never that blunt unless something seriously pissed him off. ↳ @/DataDorkF1: Oscar was the only one on his side and Lando made sure we knew it. That says A LOT.

@/DTSWriters: This better be a whole episode in the next Drive to Survive season because I NEED DETAILS.

@/OscarPiastriUpdates: This is the first time in history a driver has voluntarily unfucked a team’s strategy mid-race. Historic behavior.

@/TireDegEnthusiast: McLaren really thought they could manipulate their drivers like chess pieces and Lando just said ‘no ❤️’

@/F1TeaSpiller: This isn’t just about the race. That “Oscar stood up for me this week” line? Oh, Lando’s making a STATEMENT.

@/PurpleSectorStan: The way McLaren’s radio was DEAD SILENT after Lando gave Oscar the place back. They knew they fumbled.

****

The apartment was dimly lit when Lando stepped inside, exhaustion settling deep in his bones. He set his bag down by the door, stretching out his shoulders as he made his way toward the living room. Lizzie was curled up on the couch, her laptop open in front of her, but her fingers weren’t moving across the keyboard. Instead, she was watching him.

"Hey," he said, offering a weary smile as he settled down beside her. Her gaze trailed over him from head to toe, taking in every little detail. He'd never quite appreciated how perceptive she was before.

“Hey,” she said softly.

He leaned back into the couch, closing his eyes and exhaling. For a few moments, silence filled the space between them. He could hear the hum of the laptop’s fan, the distant sound of cars from outside, the sound of their breathing.

Finally, Lizzie spoke. “You were brilliant this weekend.”

He cracked an eye open, looking over at her. She was watching him with something akin to awe, her expression almost reverent. He wasn’t quite sure what he did to warrant that look. “Was I?” he asked, trying for nonchalance but lacking even half of the energy to pull it off.

"McLaren 1-2," she told him softly, one hand reaching out to cup his jaw and he leant into her touch.

Yes. McLaren 1-2.

Not thanks to the team.

"I watched everything," Lizzie admitted quietly. "The radio. The interviews."

Lando inhaled sharply but sighed. "Figured you would," he told her.

She ran her thumb over his cheekbone, a simple touch that made his exhaustion recede just a fraction. "You were incredible," she repeated softly. "Even when you were getting screwed over on strategy and had every reason to be angry, you just..." She exhaled. "You handled it so well. You were incredible."

She hesitated for a moment. "Did...McLaren didn't have your back." It wasn't a question.

It shouldn't surprise him and it didn't. Liz was too smart for her own good. Of course, she would pick up on that. Just like the press had picked up on it, even when he hadn't outright said what it was, that had happened...people weren't dumb. They would put together the pieces into something resembling the truth.

Still.

Lando sighed, running a hand down his face. "Liz-"

She shook her head. "I thought...I don't know, that maybe they just wanted to take their time to handle things after Silverstone. But that's not what happened, is it?" she asked him softly.

Lando clenched his jaw, looking away. He didn't know how to explain it without making her feel worse.

Lizzie’s voice was quieter when she spoke again. “Did they… did they try to stop you from saying anything?”

He swallowed, trying to figure out how to answer. “I-” he stopped, biting his lip. Honesty was the best option, wasn’t it? He took a deep breath.

“They tried. It was...it was a bit of a clusterfuck.”

Lizzie’s breath hitched slightly. “And Oscar?”

Lando huffed a small, almost amused breath. “He blackmailed them.”

Lizzie blinked. “What?”

"He told them that if they didn't release a statement condemning the abuse, he'd go back to tweeting like he did for Alpine," he recounted with a snort.

Lizzie stared at him before bursting into a fit of giggles. She covered her mouth, trying to keep herself from laughing. Her laugh was like music to his ears and some of the tension left him.

He grinned at her. “Yeah. And you know the funniest part?”

Lizzie shook her head, biting down on the edge of her hand to suppress a laugh. She looked adorable like that, her cheeks flushed from her little bout of giggles, and he was struck with the sudden urge to wrap her up in a tight hug. So he did.

She melted into his arms, burying her face against his shoulder, her giggles muffled. It took her a moment to regain her composure, and she gave a little sigh, pulling back just enough to look at him. “What's the funniest part?”

Lando grinned, shaking his head a little. “It worked.”

Lizzie stared at him, mouth parted.

“He actually threatened a multimillionaire team with Twitter,” Lando snickered. “He threatened to unleash an online world war and they caved like that.” He snapped his fingers, making her laugh again.

Lizzie ducked her head, her shoulders shaking with suppressed snickers. “Oh my God.”

Lando laughed helplessly, pulling her back toward him, wrapping his arms around her waist. She was warm, her body pressed flush against his. He took a deep breath, the scent of her filling his nostrils.

Lizzie grew quieter and looked at him. "Did...did they...was it because of me?"

Lando felt something twist in his chest. “What?”

She swallowed. “Did all of this—did they hesitate because of me? Because I’m the one people were targeting?”

Lando immediately reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly. “No. No, Liz, don’t do that. Don’t make this your fault.”

She looked down at their intertwined fingers. “It just… feels like I made everything harder for you.”

Lando’s grip tightened. “You didn’t. They did. The people who went after you, the ones who treated you like shit—they’re the problem. Not you. Never you.”

Lizzie let out a shaky breath. “I just… I didn’t want this to be a thing. I didn’t want you to have to put out a statement or make it worse—”

“You shouldn’t have to,” Lando interrupted, his voice firmer now. “You shouldn’t have to explain yourself, or justify your existence, or convince people that you’re worthy of basic human decency. That’s not your job.”

Lizzie bit her lip, still looking uncertain.

Lando exhaled. “Liz, Oscar didn’t do that because of you. He did it because it was the right thing to do. Just like I spoke up because it was the right thing to do. And if McLaren didn’t have our backs, then that’s on them. Not on you.”

Lizzie nodded slowly, eyes shining. “I just hate that you had to fight for it.”

Lando lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I’d do it again if I had to.”

Lizzie let out a shaky laugh. “You’re stubborn.”

“You love it.”

She sighed. “I really, really do.”

He shifted a bit, pulling her onto his lap without thinking about it. She came without a second thought, settling on his thighs with ease. He wrapped his arms around her waist lightly, feeling the warmth of her seep into his skin.

She let out another shaky exhale, letting her head drop against his collarbone. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, wanting to soothe the worry out of her.

She felt so small in his arms. It made him want to cling to her, to shield her from the world and all of its bullshit. The urge to protect her was almost overwhelming.

"I made something while you were gone," she admitted, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

Lando quirked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Lizzie hesitated for a second before reaching behind one of the couch cushions. When she turned back, she was holding something small in her hands—something that made Lando blink in surprise before bursting into laughter.

It was a tiny crochet version of Oscar Piastri.

Complete with a McLaren race suit and a little black and orange Pirelli cap.

Lando took the tiny Oscar from her hands, holding it up to inspect it. “No way.”

Lizzie grinned, a little sheepish. “I was stress-crocheting. And, well… given everything, I thought it was fitting.”

Lando laughed again, shaking his head as he turned the little figure in his hands. “He’s gonna lose his mind when he sees this.”

Lizzie smirked. “You think?”

“Oh, definitely,” Lando said. “He’ll pretend he doesn’t care, but he’ll be secretly obsessed with it.”

Liz looked pleased with herself. She leaned in to get a better look at the little figure in his hand. "I think it might be my best one yet," she told him with a smile.

Lando grinned, gently placing the little crochet Oscar on the coffee table before pulling her close again. Lizzie went easily. She draped her arms around his shoulders, her legs resting on either side of his. She draped herself against him like she always does, her body melting into his.

It had been a long few weeks. But somehow, sitting there with Lizzie—holding something she made with care, thinking about the people who had stood by them—it didn’t feel quite so heavy anymore.

***

Lando should have realised that it was going to happen one of these days.

So he wasn't that surprised, when the door to the McLaren Sim room swung open, and Oscar stepped in with a purpose. He barely acknowledged the engineers outside, his usual easygoing demeanor absent. The door clicked shut behind him, and the air in the room felt heavier.

Lando spun around in his seat, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. Oscar’s eyes pinned him to the spot, laser-focused on his every move. Lando couldn’t quite read the expression on his face, but there was something serious in the set of his jaw and the gleam in his gaze.

“Hey,” Lando said cautiously. “What’s up?”

Oscar folded his arms, leaning against the wall. "I heard the radio."

Lando shifted in his seat, feeling the back of his neck prickle. “Yeah. That.”

Oscar didn't say anything, just watched him with a hawk-like gaze. It was making Lando’s nerves itch.

He cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice even. "So you heard all of it then, huh?"

Oscar nodded, his eyes never leaving Lando’s face. "Yeah. Every word."

Silence fell between them, thick and heavy. Lando fidgeted with the hem of his hoodie, his fingers drumming an anxious rhythm against the fabric. He knew Oscar was waiting for him to say something, but the words felt stuck in his throat.

Lando ran a hand down his face. “Look, mate—”

“I didn’t do anything special.”

Lando blinked, caught off guard by how bluntly Oscar said it. “What?”

Oscar pushed off the wall, shaking his head. “You made it sound like I did something extraordinary, like backing you and Lizzie was some massive thing. But it wasn’t, Lando. It was just the right thing to do.”

Lando didn’t respond right away. Instead, he stared at the dashboard of the sim rig, feeling the weight of the last few weeks pressing on his shoulders. “Look,” he finally said, “whether you think it was special or not, you had my back. And I need you to know that I’d do the same for you. Always.”

Oscar scoffed, almost amused. “I know that.”

“No, I mean it,” Lando insisted, standing up. “What happened in Hungary? That’s not how I want to race you. If I gain a position on you, I want it to be because I overtook you—not because the team screwed you over.”

Oscar raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth tugging up into a small smirk. “Are you worried you won’t be able to overtake me without a little help?” he asked, a mocking tone in his voice.

Lando shot him a look. “You know that’s not what I mean, you muppet.”

Oscar rolled his eyes. "You know, It wasn’t exactly hard. Lizzie’s great. And you…” Oscar hesitated before adding, “You’re my teammate. That means something.”

Lando swallowed, something settling in his chest. “Yeah. It does.”

A moment passed, quiet but not tense. Then Lando leaned over, rummaging in his bag. “Anyway, I got you something.”

Oscar raised an eyebrow. “If this is some weird way to thank me, I swear—”

Lando pulled out a red-and-white packet and tossed it over.

Oscar caught it, glancing down. Tim Tams. His eyes immediately lit up. “No way.”

Lando grinned. “Figured your maiden win deserved a proper celebration.”

Oscar inspected the packet like it was the best gift he’d ever received. “Alright. You’re forgiven for embarrassing me on the radio.”

Lando smirked. “Knew that’d do the trick.”

Oscar was already tucking the Tim Tams under his arm when Lando pulled out something else.

“Oh, and—Lizzie made you this.”

He handed over a tiny crochet Oscar, decked out in a McLaren race suit with a perfectly detailed little Pirelli cap.

Oscar stared at it. “She made this?”

Lando nodded. “Yeah. She crochets when she’s stressed. Said she needed something to focus on.”

Oscar turned the tiny figure over in his hands, running a thumb over the stitches. It was absurdly detailed—clearly made with care.

“She really didn’t have to,” he muttered.

Lando shrugged. “You didn’t have to either. But here we are.”

Oscar glanced up, expression unreadable, before slipping the crochet figure into his pocket. “Well,” he said, smirking slightly, “at least I got Tim Tams out of it.”

Lando rolled his eyes. “Never doing anything nice for you again.”

Oscar tore open the packet, popping a biscuit into his mouth. “Sure, mate. Whatever you say.”

***

YouTube Transcript - Belgian Grand Prix Fan Stage 

Interviewer: "Lando, Oscar, after Hungary, there was a lot of speculation about your dynamic, especially with the radio messages and post-race comments. Can you clarify—was there any tension?"

Lando: [shrugging] "We talked. We’re fine."

Oscar: [grinning] "Yeah, Lando even got me Tim Tams and a tiny crochet Oscar, so I think that settles it."

Interviewer: [laughing] "A tiny crochet Oscar?"

Lando: [smirking] "Yeah. Well, technically, Liz got it for him. She crochets when she’s stressed, and I guess Hungary was stressful."

Oscar: [holding up a hand] "For the record, it’s actually very impressive craftsmanship. It even has little details on the race suit."

Lando: [mock serious] "Yeah, she put more effort into it than McLaren did into our strategy."

Oscar: [choking on a laugh] "Jesus, Lando."

Interviewer: [laughing] "Okay, so no hard feelings?"

Lando: [firmly] "Oscar deserved that win."

Oscar: [grinning] "And now I have a tiny yarn version of myself to prove it."

Interviewer: "Alright, good to know things are all settled!"

Comments: 

@/F1Fanatic99: Crochet Oscar is probably better at strategy calls than McLaren. Just saying.

@/GridGossip: Someone better crochet a tiny Lando next so they can be besties IRL and in yarn form.

@/WheelToWheel: If Oscar doesn’t start bringing Crochet Oscar to every race, we’re gonna have a problem.

@/McLarenUpdates: Crochet Oscar is just proof that Lizzie is the best thing to ever happen to the McLaren garage.

@/EpilepsyAwareness: Imagine explaining to someone in 2018 that F1 Fandom would one day be obsessed with a crocheted version of Oscar Piastri.

@/SilverstoneStan: Crochet Oscar is a cultural reset. Every driver needs a tiny yarn version of themselves.

@/SpeedDemon19: New F1 tradition: every race winner gets a crochet version of themselves. Make it happen, FIA.

@/McLarenSuperFan: The fact that Lizzie made that is so cute. She really said 'supporting my boyfriend and his bestie through yarn.

@/MaxsOrangeArmy: Oscar got a trophy AND a tiny crochet version of himself? Peak career moment.

@/PitStopChaos: Lando’s next merch drop better include tiny crochet drivers or I’m rioting.

@/ChaosInTurn1: Lizzie is out here supporting Oscar more than McLaren did. Queen behavior.

@/F1Wifey: McLaren strategists should fear the WAGs, they have more team loyalty than half the pit wall.

@/WheelToWheelGirl: The fact that Lizzie crocheted through the McLaren strategy disaster is sending me. How much yarn do you think she used during Hungary?

@/RacingLogic: Oscar acting like a proud dad over his little crochet Oscar is the most wholesome thing to come out of this entire mess.

@/ToxicMcLarenFan: I NEED TO SEE THE TINY CROCHET OSCAR, PLEASE, OSCAR, I AM BEGGING.

@/SilverstoneElite: McLaren PR scrambling to figure out how to monetize Crochet Oscar as we speak.

@/PaddockInsider: Not Lando shading McLaren’s strategy while handing out handcrafted emotional support Oscars.

@/PitLaneDrama: The way Oscar is so proud of his tiny crochet self… we need a picture IMMEDIATELY.

@/FIAConspiracyTheories: Okay but McLaren better start strategizing as well as Lizzie crochets.

@/FastAndFearless: Petition for Lizzie to start selling crochet F1 drivers because I NEED ONE. @/McLarenPanicDepartment: Lando: ‘She crochets when she’s stressed.’ How much yarn does she go through dating him???@/MaraForPresident: LIZZIE MADE OSCAR A TINY CROCHET OSCAR??? SHE’S THE REAL MVP.

[imaginesig]

Left my heart in SoCal

SMAU

Arthur Leclerc x Surfer!reader

What happens when you add surfer + racer?? Oh and Danny Ricc is there too

Doesnt line up with reality, whoops

yourusername

liked by outerknown, bff_username, user5, and 374,839 others

yourusername: Outerknown not only has my back for the summer, but warm SoCal winters as well #sponsored

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user1 LMAO GIRLIE YOU'RE IN A FOREIGN PLACE ALONE AND LET A STRANGER NOT ONLY TAKE YOUR PHONE (where they could've easily run away with it) BUT ALSO TURN YOUR BACK

yourusername he had a cute French accent it was fine

bff_username Y/N NO

user2 omg did you go to the GP??

user3 imagine if she was ever a celebrity guest

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user5 why am I not surprised that you went to another country entirely and still managed to find and post a beach

youusername 🤭

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arthurleclerc posted a story!

caption: 📍 Zandvoort

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yourusername: California Christmas, 1954

tagged: bff_username

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Charles_leclerc @/maxverstappen1 @/carlossainz55 @/lorenzotl this is her I'm sure of it

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Arthur_leclerc: Joyeux Noël🎄

tagged: Charles_leclerc, lorenzotl

lorenzotl I See you were in the sprit of family Arthur

Charles_leclerc so glad to know our short time together was spent disappearing for a girl

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tagged danielriccardo

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user1 soft launch??

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user5 but she put Australia and Monaco

danielriccardo hope the Aussie oceans didn't disappoint 🤙

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user4 girlies has a busy off season

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yourusername: back to Cali and I'm proud to announce my newest sponsor Sex Wax!! My favorite brand for keeping my board grippy 🫶🤙

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Charles_leclerc Arthur Leclerc.

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Arthur_leclerc

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Arthur_leclerc: Left my heart in SoCal 🩷

tagged: no one

yourusername bit obvious no??

Arthur_leclerc I was sick of assumptions 🤷‍♂️

user1 Arthur said Daniel?? Really??

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Arthur_leclerc "bit obvious no??"

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Arthur_leclerc: no need for Red Bulls of any form here

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user2 the matching jackets 😭

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Arthur_leclerc

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Arthur_leclerc: I take my job as a wag very seriously

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yourusername and what a wonderful job you've do!!

Arthur_leclerc ❤️❤️

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yourusername

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yourusername: my good luck charm has brought me so much support, confidence, and many wins!! I'm so sad I have to give him back to @/scuderiaferrari. Arthur, je t'aime

tagged: Arthur_leclerc

Arthur_leclerc Je t'aime aussi

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[gear-project]

I’m not gonna lie, listening to Dizzy’s theme actually brought me to tears.

Aisha's getting pretty good at this, it seems.

Still, in case you didn't know, the theme is also a hidden nod to her Xrd theme "One Dawn" (and they probably hid a few references to "Awe of She" in the song too.)

Still, SAME ENERGY, LOTS OF ENERGY:

[loveluvrs]

not enough l max verstappen x reader

request/summary – Hi! Can I request for an angsty Max Verstappen x Reader where she is just a normal girl y’know not the “supermodel” type like the other WAGs and she also leads a normal life with a normal job, thus why she got so much hate from the media and the fangirls. Never quite fit in with the other WAGs either. At some point it’s all getting too much and she decided to break up with Max because she truly believes that she’s not meant for this life but then she saw Max stands up for her during a press conference?? I had this scenario in mind while listening to Gold Rush by Taylor Swift, if that also helps! Thank you <3

author's notes – HELLO??/ LANDO WIN??? IM SO PROUD OF HIM! do expect another fic coming out this weekend around lando's win. it will be self indulgent about reader missing the race 🤕 keep an eye out but enjoy this in the meantime and keep sending in requests!!

Max and I sat in our hotel room the night before the race weekend started. I was sat on the floor as I tried to help Max with unpacking his suitcase. I had, by some miracle, convinced my lovely (but not exactly fashionable) boyfriend to wear some non-Red Bull clothes for once to the paddock. He reluctantly agreed, since he knew I barely come to races with him due to my tight schedule, and this was the least he could do for me. 

“Okay, idea. How about, you wear the Miami GP button up…and then the black jeans I bought with you, the baggy ones, and then your usual shoes? Not too much out of your comfort zone, I hope?” I ask with excitement as I look back up towards him. 

“And what if I don’t like it?” He asks, clearly unsure of the whole idea. I nod understandingly. “Well, I mean, of course you don’t have to, Maxie. But I just thought it’d be fun. But you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” I say softly as I try and search his face for any signs for the reason to his reluctance. 

I watched as his head dropped down to his lap. “And what if I look stupid in it?” He asks quietly. I immediately felt my heart melt. “Baby, why ever would you think that? You’ll look great in it, promise. But it’s okay if you don’t want to, we can try again some other time, okay?” I say softly as I interlock our hands to comfort him. He nodded. 

——

When we got to the paddock, I felt a little out of place, knowing all the other WAGs would be there. Max notices me fidgeting nervously with my fingers, and he brings my hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on it before intertwining our fingers. During all the practice sessions, quali, and the race, I felt awfully like an outsider. All the other girls were supermodels, and very conventionally attractive. I felt like the stand out amongst them, and not in a good way. They all talked with each other earnestly about the newest dress shop they just found, and while they had no malicious intentions of leaving me out, it just didn’t work with my humor and their tastes. 

With a sigh, I go roam the paddock. Max finds me afterwards, a little confused. “Hey schatje, I thought you were with the other girlfriends?” He asks softly as his arm slings around my shoulders to bring me with him as he walks to the garage. I try and brush off the left out feeling I had from earlier and just shrug. “I was just getting a little bored, nothing much,” I say as I shoot him a quick smile. “You sure?” He asks with raised brows as he looks at me knowingly. I nod with a hum, giving him a kiss before I send him off to his meetings. 

After the race, Max flies to Monaco for the next race, and I fly back to the UK to my place as I didn’t have any more days off. I open my phone a few days after, scrolling on twitter as usual. I felt my heart sink a little as I see a tweet with all of the WAGs being spotted hanging out. I felt my stomach churn at the way their skin glowed, and their clothes hung off their figures so delicately yet so effortlessly. It was stupid to feel jealous of them, I knew it was. But it was also stupid of me to think I could ever have been a part of the same category they were. And unfortunately, the replies to the tweet all agreed. 

maxfan93739 – I wonder why max’s girl isn’t there? 

georgeschassis – why would she be there? she’s not even a model?

dutchlion – I don’t even think she’s talked to them before

landosbandage – yeah she’s not like the other gfs, she usually keeps to herself

I turned off my phone, unable to think straight. Max called me that night to let me know that he got his schedule cleared by some miracle and was gonna fly out to be with me in the morning, but I had already fallen asleep from exhaustion. I hadn’t ate the whole day, staying in my bed under the covers, burying myself from everything and everyone until my eyes closed from fatigue. 

I woke up the familiar sound of Max playing with my cat in the morning, a few laughs from him. I felt like I was going to throw up, so dizzy that I didn’t even question the fact that Max was at my place so suddenly. I opened up my phone to the usual tweets, and I couldn’t stop myself from searching up my name, seeing what people were saying about me. 

she’s so much fatter and shorter than the other gfs, don’t know why max is with her….. 

annoying people attract annoying people ig……. 

Max is a three time world champion, he shouldn’t be with an ugly girl whose using him for his money and fame……

we’ve never even seen her support him in public, she plays it off as being introverted and shy as if we don’t know what she’s doing. 

I slam my phone face down as I hear Max’s voice. “Schat? Hey, I didn’t know you were awake. I called you last night to tell you I was gonna fly in last minute, but I think you already fell asleep, right?” Max asks with no suspicion of what I was just doing. I nodded. “You want some breakfast, love? I ordered in some waffles from that place you love?” He asks excitedly. 

I stay silent for a moment, thinking of the tweets. “Uh, you know what? I think I’ll skip out on breakfast today,” I say with a nonchalant smile. His smile falters. “Baby, you need to have breakfast or else you’ll be hungry. It’s not healthy,” he says as his voice softens. “No no no, I know, Maxie. I just had a really heavy dinner last night. Like really heavy. If I need a snack before I’ll lunch I’ll take it, don’t worry,” I say to try and convince him. I hold my breath as he scans me, thinking about my answer, before finally nodding and accepting it. “You tell me if you need a snack, alright?” He says as he presses a kiss on my forehead. 

This kept going on for many days, me making excuses about my meals like me eating when he was working out, or having a snack earlier, or that I felt super full from the last meal. Finally, one morning Max confronts me. 

He walks up to me while I’m sitting on the couch, my cat in my lap as I’m petting it. “Schatje, we need to talk. I know exactly what you’re doing. You’ve barely been eating, my love, what’s going on?” He asks with concern lacing his voice as he sits down next to me. 

I stiffen slightly, my stomach knotting up as I think about what he’s referring to. “Why don’t you ask twitter?” I say coldly. I see him sigh immediately, pursing his lips. “You know twitter isn’t good to listen to. It’s all bullshit, love,” he says as he tries to reach his arm out to me. I pull away, letting my cat go as I stand up. 

“Max, this is exhausting. I cannot constantly feel like every part of me is ugly because of the other WAGs being so stupidly beautiful because they’re models. I cannot handle being in the spotlight and having every single mannerism of mine criticized, every fluctuation in weight pinpointed and spotlighted for the world to see. I can’t do….. this,” I say with a sigh. 

He takes a few minutes to process what I’ve just said. “You can’t do…. us? Is that what you’re saying?”

I gulp, my silence being enough of an answer for him. “Oh come on, you can’t be serious. You’re gorgeous, and I don’t care that other girlfriends are models. I only care about you. Please, we can make this work,” he pleads softly. 

I shake my head. “I’ve been trying, Max. I’ve been trying to make it work this whole time. It’s just not happening. It’s too much for me. I need time away from it all.”

“You’re doing this to yourself, it doesn’t have to be like this,” he mutters with a voice of frustration.

I felt my eyes roll in frustration. “You just don’t get it! I wish so badly the I could just, not care the way you do, but unfortunately I care very very much about what they all say! And don’t you fucking dare blame this on me!” I snapped at him unintentionally, hurt that he’s blaming me right now when I very clearly needed him right now.

“I’m not trying to blame you! But why don’t you believe me? That I’ll protect you from it all like I have been doing! You don’t need to break up with me for this, for fuck’s sake,” he mutters out, his voice slightly raising now. 

I felt myself hold back tears in the back of my throat, not used to the angry tone my boyfriend was using, as I flinched at his tone. I sniffled, trying to hold back the tears with a shaky breath.

He takes a few seconds before he sighs, unable to change my mind. He clenches his jaw, slamming the door to our bedroom. By morning, all his stuff, including him, were gone from my place. 

Soon enough, the fans noticed. Noticed that I was no longer liking and commenting under Max’s posts, that I was no longer interrupting his streams, that Max didn’t talk about me much anymore. 

 A media reporter came up to Max during the race weekend for an interview. At the end, he asked, “It looks like you and your partner are not talking anymore, no?”

Max brushed it off casually in the way he always does about private matters to the media. “Uh, well, every relationship has its ups and down, you know? But that is something I prefer to keep private.”

“Well, better to be rid of her,” the reporter says jokingly. Max’s eyes suddenly shifted into a more serious tone. “No? She’s amazing and gorgeous and kind and intelligent. So no, it’s my loss, really. And either way,  you have no right to talk about any woman like that,” he says firmly before walking off. 

[kawhh]

Saw a post talking about how instead of being a mom friend, they're a child friend. Talking about how their phones always dead, they always wander off, their friends have talked abt getting them a leash backpack, they never have money and they accept stuff from strangers at parties and they always need a nap. Just. Quinn with someone like that, even if he isn't dark!Quinn, but bonus points if he is. That poor man lmao

He swears you're doing this shit on purpose to drive him insane.

The GPS tracking suddenly dies. He's freaking out, thinking something horrific's happened to you. His calls aren't going through. You aren't responding to his texts. Driving all the way to your house, slamming on the door.

Your phone had just died.

He's out shopping with you, making sure you're next him at all times, making sure you're getting all the ingredients you need because you forget often and get distracted. He turns around for one second to grab something off the high shelf. You're gone when he turns around.

He's panicking thinking someone's taken you. Did you walk off with someone? What if they hurt you? What if someone knocks you over?

You've just walked over to the next aisle.

He's told you to wait for him somewhere warm until he can pick you up from work. Knowing he's going to be a little longer than usual because of practice. You're not answering his texts asking if you're okay and comfortable.

You've fallen asleep in public.

He needs physical trackers on you now. On your person, in your car, in your bag. Charging your phone at night. Buying you a phone case with a battery pack. Holding your hands while you shop.

[cup1dluvhss]

‎𓈒 ˖ ࣪ 𝜗𝜚 INTO YOU, (P2), written by cup1dluvhs

‎𓈒 ˖ ࣪ 𝜗𝜚 four years have passed since you last spoke to hamzah, and you still think about him. claire and you remained friends, and one day you decided to to meet her to collaborate with another vlogger you had never heard of before. somehow, it all led you back to him.

| warnings: flirting, fluff, kind of dirty talking (subtle) bad language

| taking requests!

four years had passed since your appearance on freakshow, and you still thought about that day. not because it was the best day of your life or anything, but because it was the day you met him. maybe it was weird the way you still thought about hamzah the way you did, but you had never had a crush like that before.

yes, you were completely over it, but a part of you will always feel sad or uncertain when you remember how he never dm’d you, or made any effort to still talk to you, which would of been easy considering you and claire had gotten closer and closer as the months went by.

speaking of claire, her voice rang out from the other side of the room in a scream-yelp which had you jumping out of your skin.

‘fuck, claire!’

claire had come to toronto from the us to hang out with you for a little bit, and to make some content together. she was currently staying in your apartment, and she was making her presence known.

‘sorry, this fucking straightener….burned me.’ she said, examining her hand which was in front of her face, before shaking it in the wind, hopping around a little. whatever makes the pain go away, then.

today, you’d be meeting up with claire’s friend mandy to do a shopping vlog, which was convenient considering you were in desperate need of new clothes.

you’d never heard of mandy before, but you only hoped she was nice and claire wasn’t lying about her to make you tag along. but, you weren’t going to let her down and you knew she hadn’t just come to toronto to see just you.

‘you ready?’ you asked her, her head nodding as she grabbed her purse off the table and followed you out the door, and to the elevator.

the two of you got into your car when you made your way down into the car park, and put in the directions into the gps, claire instantly connecting her phone to the bluetooth to play music.

when you arrived, mandy, claire’s friend, was already waiting in the mall for the both of you.

‘hi, i’m mandy!’ the brunette girl said enthusiastically as she made her way up to the both of you, engulfing claire in a hug as she introduced herself to you.

‘y/n, it’s so nice to meet you.’ you said sweetly, the three of you turning your backs and beginning to walk, claire and you fixing your hair as mandy pulled the camera out.

the next two hours were spent laughing, filming, and doing stupid shit purely for the sake of the vlog. it was safe to say you loved mandy, and you could definitely see why claire liked her and talked about her so much. you were disappointed when mandy’s boyfriend had arrived, you all had to make your way back down to the car park.

‘we have to do this again sometime.’ mandy said, giving you both a one-handed hug as she opened the car door and stepped inside, before it drove off leaving you and claire behind.

‘well, he didn’t want to stop and chat i guess.’ you said through a laugh, acknowledging how fast the car had drove away.

‘who, martin?’ claire said, turning to you as you both walked toward your car, opening the passenger seat as you went around the other side and hopped into the car.

‘—is that his name?’ you asked, and claire nodded, a smile on her face.

‘y/n, he’s hilarious. that was probably a joke or something, the whole car thing. he has a youtube channel.’ claire said, buckling herself in as she handed you her phone with a youtube profile open on it.

you eyes scanned the page, and you almost choked on the air you inhaled when you saw who was next to martin in all of the thumbnails that were shown. it was him, after four years, still looking the exact same.

‘claire, is that?—‘ you asked hesitantly, pointing at the screen as she looked away for a minute, as if contemplating answering your question.

‘hamzah? yep. that’s how i know mandy. i met her through martin and hamzah after i played fortnite with them this one time for a video.’ claire said, playing with her fingers, her voice barely a whisper.

‘why didn’t you say anything?’ you asked her, turning your body toward her, your eyes narrowing at her slightly.

‘because i know you kind of like him, y/n. and i don’t want you to because i honestly think you could do so much better. i told him that when we had you on freakshow years ago, and that if he dm’d you i’d murder him.’ claire said, her words making your eyes widen every time she got a new sentence out. you hated to say it, but you were mad.

‘are you kidding?’ you asked her, and she shook her head to say no, and you simply leaned back in your seat and scoffed.

‘for fucks sake.’ you muttered under your breath, rolling your eyes as you pulled out of the parking space.

‘y/n, i’m sorry. i was fifteen and stupid. i still think you could do better, but i shouldn’t have gotten involved. i—‘ claire began, getting ready to continue, before stopping abruptly.

you turned to her, waiting for her to continue, your eyes glancing from her to the road, hands gripping the steering wheel.

‘he knows i’m staying with you, and he wanted to see you again. i didn’t want to tell you, but now i guess i have to, don’t i?’ she said, running a hand through her hair as your heart began beating.

‘he wants to see me?’ you asked again, your brows furrowed as you continued your glancing back and forth at her and the road.

‘yeah, like—tomorrow.’ claire said, letting out a snicker as you turned to her with a look of disbelief on your face.

‘and you tell me this, what, now?’ you said frantically, knocking your head against the back of the seat in frustration.

‘he invited us over to film something, mandy’ll be there too.’ claire said, clearing her throat to make it a bit less awkward for the both of you.

you were beyond pissed at her, but that feeling was slowly dissolving as you thought more and more about the fact that hamzah wanted to see you. after not a word exchanged for four years, all of a sudden he wants to meet you in person for the first time?

‘claire, i’m gonna kill you.’ you said, giving her a serious look after she burst out laughing so that she’d know you were serious.

the following day rolled around, and it was safe to say you don’t think that you’d ever put this much time into your appearance before. everything was perfect, your hair, your makeup, and your outfit. you knew claire would give you a bunch of shit for how good you were looking for something so casual, but you couldn’t have cared less.

‘he is so not worth all of that, y/n.’ claire said, rolling her eyes as you grabbed your keys and gestured her to follow you, choosing to ignore her for your own sanity.

the whole drive over you were at serious risk of crashing due to how nervous you were. all you could think about was how he’d react to seeing you, what you’d even talk about— the rest you didn’t wanna think about.

you’d just try to engage in conversation every now and then but talk to everyone else. laugh when everyone else does, and not be too bold with the niche tiktok references.

when you pulled into the apartment block parking lot, you took out a small mirror and made sure you were still looking the same when you left, claire letting out an exasperated sigh as she climbed out of the car.

‘oh, shut up.’ you said to her, following her as she made her way through the building and up a few stairs until she landed on a particular door, giving you no time to prepare yourself before she was knocking on it.

mandy opened the door, a wide smile on her face the second she saw the both of you standing there, opening the door wide enough for the two of us to step inside.

‘hey, thank god your both here. those two are driving me crazy.’ she sighed, running a hand through her hair as she led you and claire through the hall and into the main kitchen/living area.

your heart quickened pace when you saw hamzah standing in the corner of the room with martin, the two talking and chatting among themselves. the minute they heard claire clear her throat, both of their heads snapped in your direction and in that moment you wanted to run out of the room.

martin was the first to come up to the two of you and introduced himself to you before greeting claire. you felt even more nervous when you realised you were the outsider and they all knew each other, but martin was kind and threw in a few jokes here and there in your thirty second conversation.

hamzah stood awkwardly next to martin as he spoke to claire, and the minute your eyes wandered over to him his own met yours at a rapid pace. you smiled at him, biting the inside of your cheek when he copied your action.

‘long time no see.’ he said, zoning you out of martin and claire’s conversation as you both began your own. you nodded, clearing your throat.

‘well, we never actually met. but yeah, it’s been a while.’ you said, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear as he nodded in agreement, a moment of silence falling between the both of you before he spoke again.

‘i wanted to talk to you, you know.’ he said, his brown eyes locking onto yours again, making it difficult for you to register what he had said. when it took you a second to respond, a small smile appeared on his face.

‘claire told me that she told you she’d murder you. why were you so scared of a fifteen year old girl, can i ask?’ you said, earning a laugh from him as he looked at the floor, before his eyes found you again.

‘i still don’t know, actually. i beat myself up over that a lot.’ he said, his voice not breaking for a second almost as if he didn’t realise exactly what he’d said.

did he just admit that he thinks about the fact he never talked to you regularly? you kept replaying his sentence in your head again to see if he meant something else, but no. nothing else came to your mind, and there was nothing else he could’ve meant by that. maybe he did mean it like that, and he was flirting with you, and suddenly, a surge of confidence overtook you, and you felt the need to flirt back.

‘really? you think about me a lot?’ you said, your sentence catching the attention of claire who was now speaking with mandy, her back turning to watch how hamzah’s mouth formed a smirk, his eyes widening slightly.

‘does that bother you, y/n?’ he asked you, your cheeks going a dusty pink the second the words left his mouth, his arms crossing over his chest. it was only now that you realised the height difference, which made you even more flustered.

‘only a little, considering you’ve done nothing about it.’ you said, surprising yourself even more than you already had with your first remark.

‘i’ll do something about it, if that’s what you want.’ he said, taking a step closer to you, only for claire to grab your arm and drag you away from him, into the kitchen area with mandy and martin.

‘hey, i was trying to have a conversation, if you hadn’t noticed.’ you muttered, earning an eye roll from claire as she bit her lip.

‘by conversation do you mean eye-fucking?’ claire said, catching martins attention as he briefly looked up at claire and offered you a look of fake-seriousness accompanied with a head shake which had you letting out a giggle.

within the next thirty minutes, mandy had decided to bake something and asked you and claire for help, and eventually hamzah and martin joined in too. now, there were five of you around a crowded counter top, each either mixing, blending, or cutting something.

you were working away at cutting strawberries when all of a sudden hamzah came back from washing his hands after an incident with one of the mixtures, his body positioned behind yours.

you hadn’t noticed he was behind you, so you backed up into him and let out a yelp, his hands instantly going to your waist to steady you. you swallowed, the feeling of his hands holding you tight sending shivers up your spine.

‘you can let go of me now, hamzah.’ you said, turning around to face him with the bowl of strawberries in your hand, ready for washing.

‘not a single thank you?’ he said, putting one of his hands on his chest dramatically as you scoffed, scooting past him to the sink with a smile on your face.

you were disappointed when claire got too tired and asked you if you could both leave. you had enjoyed hanging out with mandy, martin, and especially hamzah. everything that came out of his mouth felt like it was intricately designed to make you flustered.

you hugged mandy, and gave martin a smile before turning around the hamzah who was giving claire a hug.

‘thanks for saving my life earlier.’ you said sarcastically, watching him in awe as he looked at the floor with a smile, clearing his throat.

‘no problem. so, what do i get in return?’ he asked, catching you off guard slightly as you bit your lip, noticing how his eyes flickered down to your action for a split second.

‘my gratitude?’ you responded, hoping that was the answer he was looking for, fingers instantly going to your rings to play with them as a way to ease the tension that you felt in the air.

‘hm, how about your number instead? so you know i’ll actually talk to you this time and won’t regret it in the future.’ he said, watching as you smiled slightly, nodding at him as you took his phone out of his hand and typed out your number, entering it with a now wide smile on your face.

‘talk to you tonight, then.’ he said, giving you a wink that reminded you of the same one he gave you on that zoom call all those years ago.

the minute you stepped into the car, claire already in there waiting for you, you erupted into conversation as you opened your phone and told her all about what had happened.

‘oh my god, your totally hooked now, aren’t you?’ she said, slumping back in her seat as you bit your lip, starting the engine and rolling your eyes at her annoyed yet happy expression.

[solaireverie]

cl16 | salute to me, i'm your american queen

pairing: charles leclerc x f!sargeant!reader

summary: [ social media au ] what the fuck is a kilometer?!?! or: charles and his girlfriend's adventures

warnings: language

faceclaim: elle fanning + pinterest

author's note: i can't explain this except that it was funny in my head. i should probably be working on the next part of deep blue but ehhhhhh. enjoy!

liked by charles_leclerc, logansargeant, vogue and 763,913 others

yourusername Overjoyed with becoming an official @.tiffanyandco ambassador 🩵 Shop the Formula 1 Commemorative Grand Prix collection on their website, now available worldwide.

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charles_leclerc so this is why you couldn't come to monza? 😨

↪ yourusername sorry babe it was scheduled in advance 🥲

user damn tiffany's marketing department really popped off with choosing THE y/n sargeant to rep this line 💅

↪ user like if you think about it it's really smart, y/n isn't just one of the most popular models rn, she's also directly connected to the sport bc of logan and charles

↪ user she is literally all i want to be in the best way 😤

logansargeant where's my charger y/n? i know you have it

↪ yourusername this could've been a text message logie boy

↪ logansargeant wtf don't call me that

↪ logansargeant also you haven't unblocked me yet from that time i stole your life-size cardboard cutout of charles and brought it to williams hospitality

↪ yourusername you're not helping your case here 😒

↪ carlossainz55 silvia was looking for that y/n 😱

charles_leclerc has added to their story

seen by yourusername, arthur_leclerc, pierregasly and 7,159,233 others

694,332 likes

f1wagupdate @.yourusername is in the paddock today for the US GP after being spotted yesterday in a hotel near the track! She has been seen in the Ferrari garage.

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user uhhh why isn't she in the williams garage???

↪ user uhhh probably cause she's dating a ferrari driver???

↪ user chill 😭 i'm sure she'll drop by

↪ user just say you're a hater and move on bro

charles_leclerc has added to their story

seen by yourusername, maxverstappen1, carlossainz55 and 2,392,106 others

yourusername has added to their story

seen by logansargeant, charles_leclerc, landonorris and 1,985,274 others

logansargeant replied to your story

liked by logansargeant, landonorris, yourbestfriend and 4,128,293 others

tagged: yourusername

charles_leclerc Happy birthday my love 🥳❤️ I'm glad you had fun at your party 😉

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yourusername DELETE THE THIRD PICTURE

yourusername HOW COULD YOU

yourusername WHAT IS THIS BETRAYAL

yourusername count your days, charles leclerc

↪ logansargeant she just left the restaurant, i think you need to take her threats seriously dude

user charles is just like all the other sassy boyfriends out there 😂

user damn the road's looking real comfy tonight (i want what they have)

↪ yourusername oh dear don't do anything rash please 😭

↪ user this is why i love y/n lmao even when she's pissed at her bf she finds time to be the nicest human being ever

liked by charles_leclerc, logansargeant, yourbestfriend and 6,129,320 others

yourusername just a bit older 🤟

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gigihadid happy birthday darling 🥰

↪ yourusername thank you gigi!

logansargeant happy bday sis :)

↪ yourusername AWWWW LOGAN 🥹

user is charles still alive??? 😭😭😭

↪ yourusername who knows? 🤷‍♀️

↪ charles_leclerc i already said i'm sorry!!!

↪ yourusername do y'all hear something?

↪ charles_leclerc we're literally on instagram y/n... 😐

carlossainz55 y/n, charles says that he'll do anything if you'll talk to him again...

↪ yourusername he knows what i want 😪

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tagged: yourusername

charles_leclerc Thank you for making my life so much better just by existing in it. I love you more than words can express. At the end of the day, you're who I want by my side. I'm so glad that I'll get to call you my wife for the rest of my life 🤍

💍 11.11.23

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yourusername je t'aime 🤍

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[dilemmaontwolegs]

Not A Verstappen: Away We Go {1}

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x fem!driver!reader x Lando Norris Summary: Autumn has been introduced to the world but there’s something more special for a first appearance: Monaco GP Warnings: 18+ only, nsfw, angst, fluff WC: 3.7k F1 Masterlist NAV: Sibling Rivalry || One || Two || Three NAV: Gridlocked || One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six || Seven || Eight || Nine NAV: A New World || One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six || Seven || Eight || Nine || Ten NAV: Lights Out || One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six || 6.5 || Seven || SMAU || Eight || Nine NAV: Away We Go || One || Two

The white noise in the nursery threatened to put you to sleep too but there were still dozens of messages to get through. There had been a constant stream of well wishes to your inbox since the announcement to the world but one had been left on read for three days now and a little rage built each time you reread it.

It didn’t take long for new ‘exclusive’ information to pop up in the gossip pages, along with the photo you had taken and sent to Jos. It wasn’t a surprise at all, but it still hurt to read what he had said. Trusted sources close to Y/N say she is being monitored for Post Natal Depression and Psychosis, as it is no secret she has had trouble with mental health in the past.

“You are lucky, my love,” you whispered to your daughter who slept soundly in your arms. “Your fathers love you so much.”

You carefully stood up from the rocking chair beside her cot but the moment you started to lower her to the mattress she began to stir.

“Already a little arm princess, aren’t you?” you chuckled, settling back into the chair to start rocking again.

You didn’t mind getting these rare moments alone with her, even if you were exhausted from waking up to breastfeed her all through the night. As soon as Charles and Lando finished their Zoom Meetings with their teams they would be stealing her away for their own snuggles. It was safe to say everyone was smitten with her. And that wasn’t an exaggeration. The front door barely closed before another visitor came, and Max had taken up permanent residence on the couch when he wasn’t needed elsewhere.

“Is she sleeping?” P whispered loudly as she stuck her head in the door.

“She is, but you can come in.”

Max trailed in after her having let himself in the apartment with his spare key. Your mother was out grocery shopping again so she could do more baking for the visitors of the day. You had told her she didn’t need to but she was enjoying the company and feeding a small army.

“Have you eaten?” Max asked as he knelt down beside P who gently stroked the blanket Autumn was swaddled in.

“You’re as bad as my mother.”

“I’m just checking. Kel said everyone comes to see the baby but no one asks how the mum is doing. I want to make sure my sister is okay too.”

“Now you’ve done it,” you croaked as you started to cry. “I’m over these damn hormones. I was fine until you arrived.”

Max laughed and rocked side to side. “You’ll get over it. Should we go to the living room or do you like sitting in the dark?”

You accepted his hand and let him pull you to your feet since he had long ago mastered the art of carrying a baby one-handed. “You’re going to have your hands full when Vicki drops.”

“I have two arms. Unless you're planning on having another one right away?”

“Max, I love you, but I will punch you if you ask that again. I am still having to sit on ice pads because no one warned me about the goddamn haemorrhoids-”

“Okay, okay, fuck, stop!” he begged with a disgusted look on his screwed up face. 

Satisfied he wouldn’t make the same mistake again, you went to the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water and a juice box for Penelope. 

“So Toto still hasn’t confirmed anyone for Lewis’ seat next year,” you said, passing him one bottle before taking a seat with P. 

“You’ve been talking to him?”

“And others,” you admitted. A few more of the Team Principals had sent their congratulations and the ones with empty seats for 2025 expressed an interest, asking what your plans were. “As soon as my six week check up gets signed off Kristian is going to become my worst nightmare again.”

“Do your boyfriends know that’s your plan?”

You shrugged. It had been spoken about before Autumn was born but they all thought having her in your arms would change your mind about returning to racing. None of the other parents on the grid gave up their careers to grow their families, and while there were still empty seats in the teams you were going to shoot your shot until every last one was taken. 

“Never let them know your next move,” you joked before sobering up and sighing. “Working mums are normal in every other business. Plus, I’m only talking about sim racing this year and if I can impress someone with the data then we can go from there.”

Max nodded along as his eyes traced over Autumn’s features, finding Charles’ dimples when her lips pursed with a soft whimper in her sleep. Penelope had finished her drink and turned all her attention to your daughter, giggling whenever Autumn sucked on her own lip.

“Can I have a baby sister?” she asked Max with bright, hopeful eyes.

“Maybe one day, P. You would make a great big sister.” She grinned at the compliment and snuggled closer until she was half on Max’s lap and holding Autumn too.

Monaco GP

“Ma fifille, tellement belle,” Charles gushed as Lando stepped out of the nursery with Autumn in his arms. She smelt sweet from the baby oil that hydrated her skin and fresh since Lando had changed her diaper before finding the prettiest dress in her closet for her first paddock entrance.

“I’m surprised he didn’t try to sneak her into McLaren gear,” you commented as you packed the baby bag with extra supplies for the day. Gone were the days of arriving at the paddock with just your phone, now there were a million things to remember since no one wanted to try to return home with the insane traffic that came with the road closures for the Monaco race.

“I hid them all,” Charles confessed with a sly smile before stealing a kiss from Lando’s pouting lips. “If she can’t wear Ferrari then she definitely isn’t wearing McLaren, mon cher.”

“One day when you are at Maranello…” Lando warned with a wink.

“You can finish this squabble later, we have a whole camera crew waiting outside.” The tone wasn’t quite as light as you hoped and it drew the attention of both of them straight to you. The joking smiles fell and Lando lay Autumn in her stroller and clipped in the buckles with a frown. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m fine.”

“You only gave birth four weeks ago, love, it’s okay if you’re not ready to go to the track yet.”

“We wouldn’t be upset if you watched from here,” Charles added.

“It’s Monaco and I am fine, just a little nervous.” Your blasé shrug didn’t fool either of them.

“Of what?”

Charles took over rocking the stroller back and forth so Lando could pull you into his arms. The warmth and security of his embrace was always enough to spill whatever was on your mind.

“The crowd, the cameras, your fans - take your pick.” You looked down at your clothes. They weren’t the designer dresses the other women would wear to the paddock but the maternity jeans and breastfeeding friendly shirt were tidy enough. You couldn’t help noticing the pouch where your belly sagged like a deflated balloon.

“Hey,” Lando murmured, catching your chin with his finger and guiding your head back up to face him. “Do we need to remind you how beautiful we think you are? I don’t mind being late. Charles?”

“I am more than happy to take a penalty.”

You chuckled at the enthusiasm but shook your head. “I would love nothing more than to drag you both back to the bedroom but save it for the six week sign off, you horny devils.”

“We can still show you how sexy we find you without fucking you,” Lando whispered in your ear and Charles’ eyes darkened at the little catch in your breathing.

“Don’t tempt me, but there’s still the problem of the camera crew outside and you’d be on your own explaining to them why we were late.”

“Mon amour, that is the man who asked Stroll if he could wank after breaking his wrists. Would you really trust him with that task?”

“I mean…I would find it funny. Zak might blow a gasket though,” you admitted with a grin. Feeling a bit more at ease after a laugh, you stepped out of Lando’s arms and took a steadying breath. “I’m going to grab a hoodie and we can go.”

Neither commented as you hid your body in an oversized Quadrant hoodie despite the summer heat but you barely made it halfway down the street before you asked Charles if you could push the stroller. There were too many people and too many screams for autographs that your heart started to beat erratically and your breath burned in your lungs.

“Are you okay?” Charles asked, ignoring the people beyond the security team that surrounded your group.

“Let her push, Charles,” Lando urged as he saw a sight he was familiar with in the mirror. It was rare for him in recent years now that he had you and Charles but he could remember the feeling of being out of control and the panic that came with it.

You grabbed the handlebar of the stroller and held on with a death grip in case someone broke through the security guards and knocked into it. Your knuckles changed colour from how tight you handled it and your legs pumped faster with the urge to get to the track and inside the walls of a team hospitality.

From the corner of your eye a shadow slipped through the bodies and your elbow flew out as your mind went straight to the worst case scenario. Was it an overzealous fan wanting a picture or a fanatic wanting to hurt your family?

“Ow, zusje, what the fuck?” Max asked as he rubbed at his ribs.

“Jesus Christ, Max, what are you doing? Don’t jump out at me like that.”

“She’s a little on edge right now,” Charles said quietly, acutely aware of all the cameras pointed their way.

“I can see that. Is it the crowd? Do you want me to call in reinforcements?”

Charles shook his head and walked quicker to catch back up to you. “We would probably be there by the time anyone came.”

Lactic acid burned your calves and reminded you just how hard you were going to have to work to get back to your pre-baby fitness but it felt good too. It brought you back to yourself in a way you had forgotten since becoming a mother and the endorphins from the exercise began to relax your body and mind.

Your pace began to slow and Lando smiled proudly like you had won a world championship. “Now can I hold your hand, love?”

You shifted your hold to the centre of the handlebar so you could still navigate the stroller and placed your hand in his. “Thank you,” you murmured as he kissed your knuckles.

“I would tell you not to worry but I don’t think it will make a difference,” he replied between waving to his fans.

“Aren’t you worried? There’s so many things that could go wrong.”

Lando stopped and turned with a serious look on his face that was only softened by the untamed curl that fell over his brow. “Of course I’m worried too, babe, this is our family and Autumn is the most precious part of it. But, I have to trust that we have done enough to protect her and you and Charles,” he said with a wave towards the security guards. “Do you remember how nervous you were before your first race? You could barely keep your food down and Pierre thought you were actually going to pass out during the Anthem.”

You rolled your eyes but a small smile leaked through. “Don’t remind me.”

“I would have caught you.”

“You were six inches shorter than me.”

Lando stood straighter and looked down at you. “That’s beside the point, I’ve more than made up for it now.”

“Yes, you have,” you said with a wink. “Much more than six inches.”

Charles interrupted the appreciative gaze you dragged over your boyfriend’s body. “Will you two please behave?”

A devilish smirk grew on Lando’s face. “Never, but I will go and sign some autographs before I get in more trouble.”

“Is it me or is he even more cocky?”

“Winning does that to a guy.”

Charles scoffed and curled an arm around your waist. “I will have to remind him what second place feels like, it’s my turn to win Monaco.”

Max laughed, reminding you that he was still there as you approached the paddock gates. “Half the grid thinks the same thing.”

“Well they have a chance with you starting P2,” you teased your brother before grinning at Charles who took pole position. “Take that chequered flag.”

You scanned your ID and the pass for Autumn too as everyone else did and clustered together on the other side again.

“Where are you going to be watching from?” Max asked as you approached his hospitality first.

“Homeboys box, but Toto wants a word so I’ll take bub there first.”

Max looked like he wanted to say something but his name was called out from his team waiting by the dark blue entrance. Instead he stepped forward and kissed your cheek before kissing Autumn’s and tickling her toes. “Tot zeins, mooi meisje.”

“She’s going to speak Dutch before me at this rate,” you complained as he walked away, still not knowing what he said to her.

“Learn quicker then.”

You threw him the middle finger that made him laugh before he disappeared and then it was your turn to say goodbye. Mercedes was the next garage followed by Ferrari then McLaren.

“We will see you before the race,” you promised as you unbuckled Autumn from her stroller and held her to your chest. The garages were tight enough as it was without trying to fit the pram inside too. “Say bye-bye daddy,” you said with a wave of Autumn’s little hand as she woke from her nap. “Love you.”

Charles and Lando both kissed her cheeks and said their goodbye before you received your own chaste kiss on the lips. “Call us if you need anything, I will keep my phone with me,” Charles promised before stepping away.

“Same, and these guys are going with you too,” Lando said with a nod to the security shadowing your sides. Your entourage joined you in Mercedes but thankfully took a wider perimeter since there was a fairly strict policy in who could enter the garages. Toto didn’t seem to mind the additions since you came bearing a pretty great gift.

“You are a beautiful time waster,” he said sweetly as he cradled Autumn to his chest. “I have work to do, little lady, yes, I do, but I’m not ready to hand you over, no, I am not.”

“I get the feeling that Jack will be getting a sibling soon enough,” you said to Lewis who swung back and forth on his chair with his headphones half on his head.

“I don’t think it’s Toto that needs convincing,” he said with a laugh. “It’s not his career that goes on hold, you know that.”

“I never would have said it before, but she’s worth it,” you admitted. “Still not sold on doing it again though, got one more championship to win.”

“I know that feeling,” he said wistfully. “Charles had better bring her to Maranello too.”

“I don’t think much work would get done if she was there,” you pointed out. “And like you said, you have a championship to win.”

Autumn suddenly decided that she was starving and started to cry as she nuzzled into Toto’s shirt and you laughed as you got up to retrieve her. “Sorry, bub, there’s no milk in those titties,” you teased as you picked her up. “Is there somewhere I can feed her?”

Toto looked around and shrugged. “Wherever you’re comfortable. There’s rooms down the hall if you want.”

“I’ve learned it’s not about my own comfort.”

“If anyone’s got a problem they are free to leave,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear and return to their work.

You took your seat again beside Lewis and unzipped the discrete opening on your shirt before unclipping the small window on your bra.

“Come on, man, she’s just trying to feed her baby. Get those cameras out of here,” Lewis said as he blocked the lens and started to herd the Netflix crew back out of the garage.

It had taken a week of trial and error before mastering the art of latching but now you had a routine and Autumn quickly fell back to sleep despite trying to keep her awake. Lando had joked he would sleep better if that was his routine too, at least you thought he was joking.

“Can you hold her please?”

Lewis didn’t need to be asked, he had been patiently waiting his turn since you walked in the garage. He even knew to draw soothing circles and pat her back to bring up her wind. “There’s those famous Uncle skills you bragged about.”

“Told you, I’m just down the road if you guys want a babysitter for date night.”

“I might take you up on that in a few weeks.” You looked over to Toto who was speaking to Bono and jutted your chin his way. “Has he mentioned anything about who’s in line for your seat?”

“Nothing set in stone, just lots of talk - or at least that’s what he told me.”

“Fair enough, you’re the enemy now,” you teased.

“Netflix is going to love this season. Did you see Nando re-signed?”

“Mhmm, I sent him a pot plant and instructions to wipe the floor with Lance. I think he’s taken it on board.” Fernando already had nearly four times as many points in the driver championship so far and you expected that to increase after the race.

“There’s rumours Lance is going to WEC next year, maybe there'll be another seat opening.”

“Fuck that,” you scoffed. “If I get a seat it’s going to be with a team that has some sense of loyalty. I’m sick of being dropped like a hot potato the second anything goes wrong. I’m desperate, but not that desperate.”

Lewis was about to be called for the driver parade and you realised just how quickly time had passed. “I should let you finish your rituals, we still have a few stops to make before the race.”

He handed Autumn back and gave you a hug. “Don’t lose that glow stressing about getting a seat, mama, enjoy your time with this little beauty. Che sarà, sarà.”

“Practising Italian already, huh?” you teased as you buckled Autumn into the stroller where she promptly fell asleep after the movement disturbed her. “I will keep your wise words in mind.”

The paddock was quieter as you made your way down the line of garages. Most guests would already be in the viewing spaces above the pit lane to watch the drivers parade so there weren’t many people for security to part.

“Ma’am,” the head guard called as he stood in front of an imposing suited figure. “He wants a word.”

You nodded your head and he moved to let the man through. “I’m kind of running late, Lawrence.”

“I just want to say congratulations,” your old boss said as he looked into the stroller and removed his sunglasses. “She’s very cute, you must be proud.”

“You could have sent a text message.”

Lawrence sighed at the frosty tone. “In hindsight things may have been handled a little callously but you should understand it was for your own good. This isn’t an office job that can be worked while pregnant, it would have been irresponsible as an employer.”

“I understand that, it was the fact you fired me without even talking to me first - I had to find out through the tabloids - and before that the way you let your son get away with treating his team is actually despicable.”

Lawrence pulled a white handkerchief from his breast pocket and cleaned his glasses as he stared off into the distance. “You’re not wrong, but we are working on his attitude and behaviour - discreetly.”

You raised an eyebrow but he wasn’t going to share anything further, instead he took one last look at Autumn and put the aviators back on his nose. Maybe there was some weight behind the rumours.

“Hopefully we’ll see you back on the grid at some point. You were one hell of a racer.”

“Am, Mr Stroll,” you corrected as you turned the brake off the pram. “I am one hell of a racer.”

Click here for the next part.

[rkvriki]

PAIRING ! rich jock!jake x mechanic!reader

SYNOPSIS ! Always having had this passion for cars and fixing them, you found the perfect summer job as a mechanic! Working in a mechanic shop where everyone that worked there was friends with each other was perfect until the friend that didn't work there showed up to get his car fixed.

WARNINGS ! i don't understand a single thing abiut cars or how to fix them it was all googled; jake has daddy-ish? issues; horrendously written angst; reader and jake get pretty heart broken but i cant write angst so its awful; reader thinks jake cheated yikes; curse words; drinking alcohol; reader and jake both have anxiety; reader talks about her past and not having many friends; slighlty suggestive talk but minor friendly! i think it's all, warn me if otherwise!!

word count : 18.9k lol PLEASE READ! so i want to warn everyone that reads this that this story is not my best. I wrote this during a huge writers block and I've never written something as long as this. I know there are flaws and things that could be better, so I'm all open to tips and advice on how to be better at this kind of stories. I would love to write more of this lenght fics even if my blog was not created for that but its a path i would like for it to take. I really apologize if this story doesn't reach your expectations, but I'm only starting so please be nice patient with me. i hope you enjoy this at least a little bit !

Summer jobs were a student’s worst enemy. The desperation of wanting money to go on a trip with friends led anyone to get the first job they could get their hands on. That’s how you end up at your friend's boyfriend's mechanic shop. Sohee told you about his shop when she found out you were looking for summer jobs to get money for your long-planned trip and knew her boyfriend was looking for employees. Everyone who knew you well enough knew you had a special love for cars and were good at fixing some car-related problems. Ever since you were a little child you were always running behind your father when he did some fixing around his car and as you grew up you learned a few things, enough to have friends call you occasionally to fix their cars. You were a little hesitant to accept this job, you had never fixed any big thing in a car and this job looked like it required more knowledge than you had, still after considering how much you needed the money you accepted your friend’s offer. 

Sohee explained that only a few people were working around and they were all her boyfriend’s, Heeseung, friends. Heeseung, who ran the shop, does any kind of job around and fixes business and partnership offers, Jungwon worked during the weekends in class months and worked full time during summer break and usually worked in simple things like changing tires and cleaning the cars, Sunghoon who polishes the cars along with Sunoo who also paints and wraps them, Jay worked with changing heavy car pieces and finally, Ni-ki who was friends with all of them and the youngest amongst them all, was also doing this as a summer job and he was in charge of painting costume designs in cars. The 6 of them formed a friend circle along with another one, Jake – who didn’t seem to be working here since he most likely didn’t need to, seeing that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has always been more privileged than the rest of them in Sohee’s words.

Putting on your jacket and grabbing your keys you made your way out. The weather was hot and you were already regretting putting a jacket on as soon as you entered your car and felt how hot it was inside. You started the car, turned the ac on, waited until you could breathe properly, and felt like you wouldn’t melt in the car seat. You grabbed your phone and pasted the mechanic shop address in the GPS app. It wasn’t too far from your house, which you were grateful for since it meant you didn’t need to wake up extra early to reach the shop in time. The drive was quiet, the traffic was low, and deep down you wished it was high just so you could have time to calm your nerves. The app indicated that you were a minute away so you looked around the street until you spotted a sign that read Gearbox Garage. You made a turn and pulled into the small driveway the shop had to park cars. You turned your car off and took a deep breath as you pulled your keys out and got out of the car. You walked to the front of the shop and it looked empty, making you think that maybe you should’ve given Heeseung a call before coming. Looking at the time on your phone, it marked 2:30 pm meaning they could be on lunch break. You walked into the shop and looked around, the shop was well organised for a mechanic shop, it wasn’t as dirty as you expected it to be but small oil puddles and thrown cloths could be seen here and there. There were only a few cars, not that you expected more since the place wasn’t the biggest. Taking one more look around, you saw a door with a sign that said staff only, you walked towards it and knocked, hoping somebody would open it and it would be Heeseung. You waited a few seconds until a tall man opened it with a sandwich in his hand and sauce and bread crumbs in the sides of his mouth. He looked at you with a confused expression as he leaned in the doorway.

“Um I’m here to talk with Heeseung, I’m friends with his girlfriend and she told me he’s looking for one more person to work here so-” you were cut off as the man walked away and shouted, “Heeseung hyung, there’s someone for you!” a faint coming could be heard in the distance as another figure started approaching the door. Said Heeseung appears in front of you. “So you must be the y/n Sohee’s always talking about?” he said looking at you with an extended hand, waiting for you to shake it. You took his hand in yours as you shook it, hoping he didn’t notice how sweaty it was from your nerves. “Ah yeah, that’s me! I’m assuming she told you how I wanted the job, right?” “Oh yes, she did tell me about it and I just need you to answer a few questions to know whether you can get the job is that ok?” Shit, smile and nod y/n. You quickly nodded at his words, hoping he wouldn’t ask if you knew how to do complex things. “I just need to know what kind of things you can fix or have done.” “Oh! I have done quite a few things, I’ve changed oils, fixed engine chains, changed batteries, changed tires and other small fixes.” you nodded and fiddled nervously with your fingers, silently hoping this was enough to have him accept you to this job. Heeseung nodded and slightly smiled at your words and extended his hand again. You looked at his hands and then at him and he laughed at your confusion. “Seems like you’re our newest employee, welcome!” you let out a breath of relief and shook his hand again. “Oh my god, thank you so much! I promise I'll try my best.” you said firmly as you offered him a smile. “No need to thank me. We really need one or two more employees so you’re big help right now. Anyways, you can start maybe tomorrow at 9 am?” “Oh sure, I can, see you tomorrow then!” Heeseung nodded at you and went back to the staff room as you made your way out to your car.

As soon as you sat in your car you immediately texted Sohee, thanking her for having such a nice boyfriend. You put your phone down and sigh happily. You got the job now, what could go wrong? Now you just need to focus on working hard and getting that money to go on that trip.

The sound of your alarm made you stir awake. You groaned as you stretched out and let your arms fall limp in bed with a loud thump. You closed your eyes as you let out a sigh, getting mentally ready for your first day at work. Getting out of bed, you made your way to the bathroom to take your morning shower. You turned the water on and let it warm a little bit before you went in. The warm water felt relaxing against your skin, an almost therapeutic feeling. As you washed yourself you started thinking about how would your first day at work, hoping you wouldn’t embarrass yourself in front of the rest of the boys and could get along with them. Now, it wasn’t like you had a hard time making friends, quite the opposite. Still, you were always a little awkward when you first met people, all thanks to your constant overthinking, never knowing if people enjoyed talking to you or not. You could say you had a pretty vast friend group but you weren’t as close with anyone as you were with Sohee. She has been your best friend for as long as you can remember. She’s been there for you anytime you needed and you for her. Sohee was the one who helped you come out of your comfort zone and try new things. Without her, you wouldn’t enjoy your teenage years as much as you did, hell, if it wasn’t for her you wouldn’t even dream of going on the damn trip.

You got out of the shower and stepped in front of the mirror, wiping some of the steam off of it. You started doing your normal skincare routine that, normally, would be a relaxing moment for you, but now you were only thinking about how you could be getting ready to head to the beach with your friends and drink a cocktail while tanning, and now you were only harshly rubbing the products on your face with irritation. Taking a deep breath you moved to your room to finish getting ready so you could leave the house as soon as you could. You looked in the mirror, taking in your appearance one last time before leaving the house, not that the way you looked right now mattered because you were more than sure that sooner or later you would be covered in oil and car fluids so you opted for your old overalls with an old shirt underneath.

The drive downtown was quiet and easy-going, still, there was some traffic since everyone started their work around the same time. The car’s clock indicated that it was 8:50, making you relieved that you weren’t gonna be late on your first day of work. Making the already familiar last turn, you reached the shop, parking in the lot it had inside. You got out of the car and instantly felt the slight summer breeze that ran through the morning air. Walking inside the shop, you could already hear some shuffling going on around the shop. As you got in further, you saw Heeseung who probably hasn’t noticed your presence yet from his crouched position, cleaning up some tools and putting them in a separate box. 

“Good morning, Hee!” you greeted, startling him. He got up and turned to face you with a surprised expression. “Oh hey, y/n! Wasn’t expecting you to be this early, though.” He said, chuckling as he wiped his hands with a cloth. “Well, you know, didn’t wanna be too late on my first day of work, I guess,” you said, swinging yourself back and forth, avoiding his gaze, feeling kinda awkward with yourself for worrying so much about being on time. “Usually the other boys come super late since they come all together so you shouldn’t worry about being on time here. Also, we’re supposed to be all friends here, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself about working here, it’s all chill here!” Heeseung said, trying to reassure and comfort you. “I guess it’s just a matter of time for me to get used to it.” you clapped your hands behind your back as you finished talking. “Anyways, should I start working?” you suggested. “Oh, yeah. Actually, there’s a car that needs an oil change, so maybe you could start by doing that.” Heeseung said, pointing to a red car that was already up in the hydraulic lift. “Sure thing!”

You put on some gloves that Heeseung gave you and started getting to work. Changing oil was something you did quite a lot, it was one of the first things your dad taught you, something that was so hard for you back then is now a piece of cake for you. Having a passion for cars made learning things way easier for you. Obviously, this old passion of yours wasn’t seen as a good thing for some people. Some would tell you girls shouldn’t be working with cars as it was the role for the boys or that you should be playing with your dolls instead of getting in your dad’s way while he was fixing his car. Of course, your little kid self felt awful hearing such things, but your parents would always reassure you that it didn’t matter what they said and that it was okay to want to learn those things. As time went by, people stopped commenting less and less. As you grew up you learned how to stand up for yourself and you wouldn’t leave those people without a response, and with time they learned how to mind their own business.

As you waited for the oil to fully drain, you heard a car pull up in the parking lot and the rest of the five boys arrived together, just as Heeseung had mentioned previously. You got up from your kneeling position and turned to look at them as they all got in and greeted Heeseung. Their loud voices quickly filled the place that was once only filled by the quiet tunes from Heeseung’s playlist and the occasional clanking of tools hitting the floor. You went back to work as they all talked with each other and started getting ready to work. You heard steps coming in your direction, making you look back to where it came from, seeing Jungwon walking towards you with his dimples on display.

“Good morning, y/n! You know it’s weird seeing someone who’s not Heeseung working here this early.” Jungwon said as he walked towards you, chuckling to himself. Stopping what you were doing, you turned all your attention to him. “Guess someone needed to give him some company, no?” you said putting your hands on your hips. “Keep going like that and he might give you the “employee of the month” title,” he said, making you laugh at him. “Anyways, what are you doing?” he asked, nodding at the car above you on the lift. “Oh, changing some oil, was about to put a new filter on.” you said as you pointed at the car’s oil pan, “Shouldn’t you get to work as well?” you asked, raising an eyebrow at him, making him scowl at you. “Don’t remind me, Heeseung gave me a shit ton of cars to clean, got work for a whole week,” he said rolling his eyes. Jungwon walked away to start working on his cleaning duty and you put your focus back on the oil filter.

Soon enough, it was lunchtime and the seven of you were all gathered in the staff room. You were all talking about multiple things and something that came to conversation was how they had never seen you around campus.

“I mean, I guess I’m not necessarily a social butterfly and we might not even have classes in the same place, so that might explain why we never crossed paths.” you explained as you ate some of your tuna-mayo wrap you brought from home, they all hummed in agreement. “What are you majoring in, though?” Sunghoon asked you as he looked up from his lunchbox. “Oh, I study computer science!” “Oh really? Then you must know Jake? Jake Sim? He shares a few classes with comp sci students” Heeseung asked, surprised to know you were in the same major as his best friend. You hummed in thought as the name sounded familiar. “It does ring a bell but I’m not really adding a face to the name though.” You said slightly tilting your head to the side as you tried your best to remember who the hell was Jake Sim. “Yeah, let’s just say his attendance isn’t exactly the highest…” Heeseung said as he hissed quietly. “Oh… yeah that must explain why I don’t remember him then.” You said chuckling. “Don’t misunderstand it. It’s not like he doesn’t care about classes, I mean he kinda doesn’t, but he is much more focused on football.” Heeseung paused as if he was in deep thought. “Jake knows if anything school-related goes wrong for him he can just take over his dad’s business, which most likely will happen.” You hummed, understanding what he meant.  

It wasn’t rare for jocks like Jake to skip classes and ignore the fact that they need to graduate. Still, some of them were lucky to have successful family businesses, like Jake was. His father was one of the most prestigious CEOs and businessmen of Seoul and even the whole of South Korea. He led one of the most famous costume software development companies around, starting in a small office in Seoul that, over the years, grew all over the country’s most famous districts. Jake obviously was following his father’s steps, deciding to follow the computer science field so one day he could take over his father’s business. Was this his dream? No. Did he really wanna be a future CEO? Also no. He was doing this solely because he knew his dad would never approve of his younger son pursuing a football career. His older brother, Jaewoo, was already following the business field and Jake was just expected to do the same as him and since the older sibling decided not to work in his father’s company, he was the last hope to keep the business going so he felt like he had no other option. He felt suffocated knowing that everyone had high expectations for him, having people constantly asking him if he was happy to know he would take over the oh-so successful business, to which he obviously smiled and nodded but deep down he felt mad, almost furious, that people only expected him to do that. No one ever asked him about football, even though everyone knew he was good and even the best in the team and could grow so much more in that field if it weren’t for people like them who only cared about status and money. That’s not who Jake wants to become, selfish and greedy.

The day came to an end, the sky had a pink and orange hue to it, creating a beautiful painting, pleasing and conforming to gaze at. You started organizing all the tools you had used, placing them in their respective place in the toolbox Heeseung had lent you. Distant chattering could be heard from the other boys playing around as they had also finished their work for the day. You were walking towards the bathroom to wash your hands when you heard someone call your name. 

“Hey, y/n!” You looked back to see Sunghoon, who called you, and the rest of the guys looking at you. “Come out for dinner with us, we’re going to the barbeque place downtown.” “Um, I don’t know guys, it’s gonna get late and we have work again tomorrow…” You said, scratching the back of your neck, suddenly feeling shy, not being used to going out with people you barely knew. “Oh come on, to celebrate your first day being one of us! It’s on Heeseung tonight!” Ni-ki said patting the older man on the back, who was about to complain but quickly agreed with the younger one as he felt him pinching him. “Yeah, y/n, don’t even worry about coming late tomorrow.” Your eyes flickered between all of them until you decided to agree with them, realizing that maybe you need to loosen up a little and stop being such a pussy. You sighed, nodding your head at them “Ok, fine! But I’m not paying!” You said raising your hands. The boys cheered dramatically, making you roll your eyes but laugh nonetheless. “Anyways, I’m going home to get ready, just text me later with the address.” Everyone bid their goodbyes and you made your way back to your car, ready to go home.

As you entered your house, your mom came to greet you, kissing your cheek in the process. “Hey, dear. How was your first day at work?” she asked you, grabbing your jacket and putting it into the coat hanger at your entrance. “Oh, it actually went really well. Wasn’t expecting to work as much as I did, but I’m proud that I could do that much.” “Ah, you must be so tired, honey! Was the lunch I made enough? Oh, maybe I should’ve-” “Mom,” you said laughing “It was more than enough, don’t worry about it, ok?” you reassured her, rubbing her arms that rested on her side as she looked tense. “Anyways, they all invited me to dinner so I’m gonna shower and get ready.” You kissed her cheek and ran upstairs towards your room.

Dinner yesterday went smoothly. All your worries about not being able to get along with them were quickly thrown away when you found yourself talking with them like you’ve known them for ages. The night was filled with laughter, maybe because of the funny stories being shared or maybe it was the alcohol that everyone- except Ni-ki- had consumed. You were glad you were able to let yourself loose and enjoy the night to the max, you couldn’t remember the last time you had that much fun since you were always so busy with college and finals were kicking your ass. The last thing you remember doing that night was texting Sohee that you had gotten home safely and you had enjoyed the night.

Now you were waking up with the buzz of your alarm, opening your eyes only to close them right away when the bright sun rays hit your face. You sat up on the bed, feeling your head pound making you hiss at the strong feeling. You got up and walked to the bathroom scolding yourself to never drink on a work night again.

Driving to work today was painful, no matter how strong the medicine you took was or how much orange juice you drank, the pounding headache you got was not going away and the dark circles under your eyes also weren’t a very pleasant sight to see so you opted to wear a pair of sunglasses. You looked at the time and it marked 9:40 am, definitely not on time but no one could really blame you for being extra slow today and your mom also made sure to take a few more minutes from your time to scold you about being late out and drinking when you had work the next day.

Arriving at the shop, you saw everyone already there making you sigh, hating yourself for being the last one arriving at work. Walking inside you saw that no one was working, instead, they were all sitting at a table near the entrance, some of them laying their head down on the table and others drinking energy drinks to be able to go on with their day. “I don’t even know if it’s safe to say good morning.” you said sitting down next to them, plopping down on the chair, hissing at the quick movement that made the pounding sensation in your head stronger. No one was able to say anything so you were all sitting down in silence, looking at the cars driving by the shop. Any passer-by would think you had nothing to do when in fact there was way too much to do than any of you could. 

“Remind me to never do this again, please.” Jungwon said referring to going out until late, making everyone hum in agreement. Suddenly, Heeseung gets up, clapping his hands and then rubbing them together “Let’s get to work. These cars aren’t gonna fix themselves.” Everyone groaned at the older man’s words, some complaining, saying it would be fair to take a day one, only receiving Heeseung’s glare in return. “Anyways, y/n, I know you just got here, but I really need you to do me a favour,” Heeseung said, turning to you. You stared at him through your glasses in response “Pretty please?” He said lacing his hands together, making you sigh and roll your eyes. “Oh my god, fine! What is it then?” You said putting your hand on your hip with a sigh. “I need you to go downtown to pick up a parcel at the post. It has some pieces that I need for the car I'm fixing.” You said nothing in return aside from an I’ll be back soon as you entered the car.

The drive back to the shop was awful, you were stuck in traffic for almost an hour and about to burst in anger. “If it wasn’t for Heeseung and his stupid parcel…” you said, talking to yourself. When you arrived back at the shop you were more than ready to throw hands at Heeseung, if the parcel weren’t so heavy you would be running in his direction. “I swear to God, Heeseung, if you ever, but ever make me go through all this traffic again, man, I swear on my life I won’t-” You stopped in your tracks when you saw what was in front of you. “Oh my good God, what in the good earth, I- oh my goodness.” you dropped the parcel on the floor as you approached Sunghoon who was near the entrance. “Hoon, please tell me I’m not seeing things and my eyes aren’t deceiving me.” You exclaimed, your eyes never moving away from the car in front of you. Sunghoon swore he never saw your eyes shining so brightly “Hoon, is this a freaking Ford Mustang from ‘69?” you said in a high-pitched voice as your hands made their way to your face, cupping your cheeks. It wasn’t until you heard a deep chuckle that you noticed a figure next to Sunghoon. You looked in the person’s direction and you were met with a beautiful, almost ethereal, face that was already looking at you, sporting a smirk, making you feel nervous under his strong gaze. Your eyes looked him up and down, noticing he was dressed in designer head to toe. His face was familiar to you but you couldn’t grasp any memory with his face on it.

“You like it?” he asked, nodding his head towards the car before you. You nodded at him with a hum, words suddenly stuck in your throat and you didn’t even dare to try and speak, fearing your voice would fail you. He chuckled at you, finding amusement in your shy behaviour. “You wanna touch it?” he asked raising his brow as his smirk turned into a beautiful grin. You felt your cheeks grow hotter than before and Sunghoon decided to intervene before Jake could keep going, sensing his suggestive undertone. “Ok, that’s enough for you two, geez!” he said rolling his eyes, before speaking again “Anyways, you can leave the car here and Heeseung or anyone will take care of it, you already know you’re in good hands here so no need to worry.” “Alright then, just call me when it’s done, yeah?” Jake said as he and Sunghoon dapped each other up before he left, not forgetting to wink and wave at you, to which you gave a small wave back. “Kids these days.” Sunghoon said sighing and shaking his head at you, making you frown at him. “Shut up!” you said slapping his arm as you walked past him to pick up the parcel you left on the floor.

You walked back inside the shop, finding Heeseung crouched on the floor as he cleaned some rims he just fixed. “Hey Hee, got your parcel here. Do you want me to put it somewhere or should I just leave it here?” you said as you approached his figure “Oh, you can just leave it in that chair, I’m gonna need that in a while.” he said getting up as he wiped his forehead with his arm. “By the way, Jake’s car, the one in the entrance, needs to get the left view mirror changed, he broke it while parking somewhere. So, since I'm working on this car and it’s gonna take me a while, you’re going to be the one fixing it.” Oh! That was definitely interesting and caught your attention. “Oh, sure, no problem. It shouldn’t take too long.” This was only great. Not only were you fixing one of your dream and favourite cars but you were fixing a hot guy's car. 

Later that day you arrived home with a happy sigh. Even though you were feeling extra tired from the hangover and work altogether, you could only think about your new acquaintance, a hot one. It has been a long time since you’ve felt like this for someone or especially for a boy. After your most recent ex-boyfriend, you tried to focus more on yourself and your friends since he hadn’t allowed you to do so. Those were times that were long gone and you wanted to erase them from your memory as you moved on.

You had dinner with your parents and went upstairs to get ready to go to bed earlier than usual to recover those lost hours of sleep. You showered and did your usual night routine, being extra careful and allowing yourself to relax. As you sat in bed, you grabbed your phone, seeing multiple notifications, since you don’t use your phone during work, from texts from your friends and social media ones, but there was one that caught your attention. For a moment you thought you were having delusional visions, but as you clicked on it it took you directly to Jake’s Instagram profile and the top showed the Accept and Decline button. He had found his way to your profile and it had you giggling silently, making you feel like you were in high school all over again. It had been about 3 hours since he sent the request so it was safe to accept without looking like a creep. Taking a deep breath to calm yourself, you proceeded to answer your texts and update Sohee on the tea, so you called her.

“Sohee, I kid you not, he is so attractive, I can’t!” you heard her sigh for the nth time on the phone, feeling her eye roll through the screen. “Y/n, I’ve seen him plenty of times, and trust me, I know he is, but be careful, I heard some things about him, though.” “Don’t worry about that, it’s just a silly crush. I’ll be over it sooner or later.” Sohee sighed again and you could hear her moving around in her bed sheets. “Yeah, whatever. We’ll talk later. Heeseung is calling me.” After talking with Sohee you were left alone with your thoughts as you scrolled on your phone but you weren’t really paying any attention to any of the posts, as you were thinking about Sohee’s warning. You decided to put your phone down and go to sleep to calm the thoughts running through your mind. As you were feeling yourself fall into a slumber, you heard your phone buzz but you chose to ignore it. You turn to the other side, getting comfortable to fall asleep again but again, your phone buzzes making you sit up and grab it aggressively. You turned it on, the bright light making you squint your eyes as you turned the brightness down. You unlocked it, checking who was texting at this hour. You felt your heart pound, getting nervous, as you saw Jake had dmed you. You click on his text, not caring if it had only been seconds from his last text. 

simjaeyun_: hey :)                                                   11:37pm             

simjaeyun_: ignoring me now mnh?                        11:46 pm    

youruser: stalking me now huh?                              11:47 pm

youruser: didn’t take for the stalker type tbh          11:47 pm

Your heart started beating quicker when you saw how fast he started typing an answer.

simjaeyun_: then what type do you take me to be? 11:48 pm 

youruser: well                                                           11:48 pm

youruser: definitely the one who makes other people stalk you not the other way around. 11:48 pm 

simjaeyun_: maybe you just caught my attention like that ;) 11:48 pm

youruser: oh? did i now?                                           11:49 pm

simjaeyun_: maybe, find it out yourself :)                  11:49 pm

You looked at the texts, feeling a soft blush creeping on your cheeks as you hugged your knees to your chest. You decided to leave him on read, not really having an answer to his text but Jake himself wasn’t expecting to get one back. You looked at the ceiling, having lost all your sleep by now. You closed your eyes and sighed as you slid down your bed until you were laying down. You turned to the side, watching the moon from your window, which you usually left open since it helped you wake up. You closed your eyes, trying to sleep, as the image of the texts kept appearing in your head, keeping you awake for a while.

The next day you woke up, remembering last night's events, making you clutch your sheets closer to your chest. You sat up on the edge of the bed, as you sighed and rubbed your face with your hands, making your way to the bathroom to do your routine and maybe it would help you keep your thoughts away from him.  You looked in the mirror as you brushed your teeth, glad to see your dark circles were already gone. You did your usual skincare routine and headed down to the kitchen to have breakfast, seeing your mom had made you some pancakes and a black coffee, which were placed neatly on the table where she was already eating.

“Good morning mom!” you greeted her with a smile as you sat in front of her. “Good morning, dear! Did you sleep well?” “Oh yeah, I did! I went to sleep earlier to recover from the hangover…” She sighed at your words as she gave you a warning look, reminding you of her scolding. “Is there a special occasion for you to make me breakfast?” You asked as you took a bite of pancakes. “Not really, can’t I be sweet for my daughter once in a while?” She answered and you squinted at her, knowing there was a reason behind it, she wasn’t one to do these things just because. “You came home smilier than usual. Anything special happened at work?” She asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as she could. You stopped your movement for less than a second but enough time for her to notice. “Um, not really, was just happy.” You said after taking a sip from your coffee and putting the mug down. “Are you sure it was just that?” She propped her elbows on the table with her hands intertwined, looking as if she was questioning you for a crime you did. “Yes, mom. I’m pretty sure.” She hummed, taking a sip from her tea. “Is that why you were squealing with Sohee on the phone last night?” You gasped at her words. “Mom! Were you eavesdropping on me?” You asked her shocked that she had heard you talking with Sohee. “Oh no, dear. You know I’m not one to do that. I just happened to be walking past your room and heard you all excited about a certain- oh what was the name?” She stopped, trying to remember “Oh! Jake! Yes, Jake. Now, you wanna tell me about that?” You blushed at her words as if you were caught doing something bad or she heard a secret of yours. “Mom! No!” You said getting up from your chair, leaving a small bit of pancake on your plate. “I’m leaving. I need to go to work. Bye, love you!” You started walking faster, rushing to the door after picking up your house and car keys.

You entered the car, thinking about the conversation with your mom, reminding yourself to be more careful when talking with Sohee on the phone. You reached the shop just on time, parking your car in your usual place, which by now, you claimed as yours. You walked inside, seeing Heeseung and Ni-ki talking about something about a car.

“Good morning guys!” you greeted as you put your lunch bag down. They both looked back at you, seeming relieved you were finally there. “Oh thank God you’re here.” Ni-ki sighed. “Yeah, what’s up?” You asked, intrigued as to what they needed you for. “So, we were discussing car designs for me to do in the car Heeseung is taking care of, but the problem is that we can’t agree on one design.” He started explaining as Heeseunf put his hands on his hips, rolling his eyes at the younger male. “So tell me. in between these which one is better?” He finished, showing pictures of different designs. You hummed in thought as you looked carefully at the pictures and the car behind them. “I think for this car these two thick stripes would fit the best, but that’s my opinion!” “See! I told you! You won’t listen to me. Y/n, he won’t agree with me, please help me.” Ni-ki said as he put his hands together in a plea. “Sorry, Hee. Gotta agree with him in this one.” Heeseung looked at you with a dumbfounded expression. “Don’t fire me?” You said shrugging your shoulders at him. The older man rolled his eyes, sighing as he finally gave in. “Fine, but only because it's two against one.” “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say hyung.” Ni-ki said leaving the area, you looked at him shrugging at him, “Kids these days.” he said under his breath in a mumble. 

You grabbed your stuff from where you had previously put it and took it into the staff room. Coming back to the area, you grabbed some gloves and put them on, ready to start working on Jake’s car. Heeseung had already put it in a space for you to fix it and besides it was a box with the side view mirror to replace to broken one. You’ve never changed a mirror before, but you remember one time when your dad did when your mom hit it on the wall while she was parking the car in the garage. It wasn’t much of a hassle, it was easy and simple. You opened the car’s door and you were met with the beautiful interior, which Jake had most likely renovated into a more modern one, but still had a vintage touch to it. The car smelled like a man’s perfume, probably his own, mixed with a leathery scent that came from the beautiful black leather seats with red details. Snapping out of your daze with the car’s interior you went back to work. You started by carefully taking out the mirror’s trim cover and removing the screws that were hidden.

As you were taking out the screws and putting them in a spare box, you felt a presence coming up behind you. Looking up, you found Sunghoon looking at you as he leaned on the car door. “Hey there!” you said as you kept doing your work. “Enjoying yourself, huh?” He said with a smug smirk adorning his face, making you roll your eyes. “Go away Sunghoon.” You said but still, you had a smile on your face. “It’s nothing special.” you finished. “You can’t be saying that when you acted how you did yesterday when you saw the car, practically fangirling over it. I mean, not to mention how you were fangirling over Ja-” “Shut up!” you said looking at him. “I wasn’t, you were seeing things.” Sunghoon laughed at your behaviour. “C’mon, no need to act shy now.” He started “You know, he texted me yesterday.” “Ok? And why should i care?” You said raising a brow at him. “He was asking me, or better, begging me to give him your Instagram.” You looked away from him as you felt your cheeks heat up. “I don’t know why he would do that!” You said, pretending to be interested in those screws. “Eh, you’ll eventually find out, I guess.” He said making you look back at him. “What is that supposed to mean.” You asked suddenly interested in what he had to say. He started walking away, his back turned to you “Nothing you should worry your pretty head about.” He answered, making you tilt your head, confused at his words. You sighed as you went back to working on that mirror.

It wasn’t too long after your conversation with Sunghoon that little by little everyone started gathering in front of the staff-only door to eat lunch. You got up and joined Jungwon and Sunoo, who was engrossed in a conversation about the latest tea about someone on campus. You were so focused on observing and listening to them talk that you didn’t notice an extra someone entering the shop until Jay mentioned it.

“Jake? What are you doing here man?” That made your ears perk up, but you pretended to still be listening to the gossip you were previously listening to. “Your mirror still isn’t fixed, so no luck for you today.” Heeseung said also greeting him with the handshake their group shared. You looked at them at the mention of the mirror, so it wouldn’t look as suspicious. “Yeah, I figured. Just wanted to join you guys for lunch.” He said raising his take-out bag. You heard someone gasp, looking you saw Ni-ki looking with heart eyes at the take-out bag. “Is that for us?” He said with his boxy smile. Everyone looked at Jake with hopeful eyes. “What? No, it’s mine! And no way in hell I’m sharing this with you guys.” Jake said in a warning tone. Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes at him “You’re literally no fun.” Sunoo said giving him a judging look. Jake simply shrugged as he looked around the room until his eyes met yours, making him bite back a smirk. Sunghoon, who was watching carefully and aware of the situation, nudged you slightly when Jake looked away, making you mouth a what? at him which he only answered with a smirk.

You all moved inside the staff room, sitting around the round table. Jake was sitting across from you and you were sitting in between Sunghoon and Ni-ki. Every time you looked up you would be met with Jake’s eyes staring into you shamelessly, making you bounce your feet nervously. Your eyes drifted towards Sunghoon and you were able to see the smirk he was hiding with food while looking between you and Jake until he finally noticed you looking at him, making him raise his eyebrows at you to which you answered with a shrug as you looked back to your food. You wondered if Jake was going to talk to you anytime today. Since he arrived today he hadn’t even spoken a word to you, not even a simple Hi, making you wonder if he was only the all-talk type through social media or if he just didn’t have the guts to talk to you personally, but still, he had no problem flirting and teasing you when you guys first met.

Lunch was over and you got back to work. Jake hadn’t gone away yet, lingering around the shop, mainly around Heeseung as they talked about things you couldn’t listen to. The sudden realization that you were working on his car hit and you wondered if he was gonna approach you in a way. Snapping out of your thoughts, you went back to finish fixing the mirror, already more than halfway done. You were putting everything back in place, with the mirror already replaced, when you saw Jake walking towards you from your peripheral vision. You felt your breath hitch as your shoulders tensed the closer he got.

“I see you finally got to touch it, huh?” He said, putting his hands in his pockets. “Oh! Yeah, I did.” You answered with an awkward laugh, feeling your palms getting sweaty. “Like what you felt, sweetheart?” Your eyes widen at that, suddenly feeling at a loss for words. You were more than sure if any other man would’ve said that to you, you would’ve cringed right away, but not when said man looked like Jake did. “I- well-” Jake started laughing, making you feel somewhat embarrassed. “I’m just playing around. You’re not that shy through texting.” He said reminding you of how confident you may have sounded through texts. “Well, I guess it’s not the same as talking face-to-face, right?” You stated, looking up at him in the eyes. His mouth opened to say something but closed right away. “Yeah, you’re right.” He took a breath in as he straightened his posture.  “Anyways, is the mirror any close to being done?” He wondered. “Oh yeah, actually I just need to test it and it’s all ready for you to take it home!” You said while smiling at him, proud that you were able to do something new quickly yet carefully. “Oh really? You were pretty quick. Can’t say I’m not impressed, though, in a positive way, of course.” You giggled at him. “Thanks, Jake. I appreciate that.” He smiled warmly at you, nodding your way as he walked away from you, leaving you alone to finish your work.

It was almost time to go home when Jake and Heeseung approached you next to Jake’s car, where you were slightly bent over, as you were touching up some scratches near the mirror area with touch-up black paint. You finished the work, smiling proudly at yourself, as you turned around to face the two boys who were watching you silently as you worked. You sighed happily at them, adjusting the oversized overalls that you wore for work. “I’m officially done!” You exclaimed as you stretched an arm towards the car. Heeseung patted Jake in the back signaling him to get him and his car home. “You can pay me later.” Heeseung said walking away, knowing if he stayed Jake would insist on paying. Jake sighed as he looked at you. “Thank you for doing this, by the way.“ He said with a smile, making you shrug. “You’re welcome, Jake. After all, it’s my job.” You answered, looking down as you kicked non-existent rocks. Jake gave you a wide grin, watching your face, appreciating the way your lashes touched your cheeks when you blinked and how you bit your lip when you were nervous. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, he walked towards his car. “Tomorrow?” You tilted your head to the side but you got no response as he got in his car. The engine purred as he drove out of the garage, leaving you standing dumbfounded. “Will I ever figure him out?”

Jake got home with only one thing, or rather someone, going through his mind. As cliché as it felt for him, he couldn’t understand what was in you that made him want to stay glued to you forever. He wanted to get to know you, know what you liked and disliked, and what were your hobbies. Did you have a pet? You didn’t really look like you had one. As soon as he entered his penthouse, he made his way to his room, falling into his bed with a thud, sighing as he felt his head make contact with his fluffy pillows. He still could feel his heart thumping in his chest, quicker than it ever beat. It felt weird, a good weird. He liked the feeling. One he only ever felt with his high school crush who had rejected him in his junior year. Jake groaned out loud as his arm fell to his face, covering his eyes. “What have you done to me?”

The past week was full of work. Everyone barely interacted, focused on getting everyone’s car fixed since it’s vacation season and everyone needed their car as soon as possible. Still, one thing everyone found weird was how Jake came to visit almost every day, something that never really happened through all these years everyone had worked there. Sunghoon always made sure to point out to you that Jake was always lingering close to you, making you give him annoyed remarks. Deep down you were glad he stood close to you as you got time to know him better and to your surprise he was more interesting than you ever thought a jock would be, no offence. You two would laugh with each other for hours until Heeseung needed to scold you to go back to work, hiding his smile as he watched you two playfully fight each other. His presence made work hours go by quicker and you started enjoying his presence a little bit too much, noticing the way your heart would beat a tad bit faster when you heard him laugh at something you said.

When you were done with work Jake would take you out and grab convenience store food for you two to eat in the park. It was in those moments that you both got vulnerable with each other, sharing all of your life stories, good and bad ones. Every night you call Sohee and rant about how scared you are of catching feelings for him, even though you knew you were already in deep, and she always reassured you that you shouldn’t feel like that as it’s only natural and what has to happen, will happen. Whatever you were feeling with Jake, is something you never felt with anyone before, as cliché as it can be, but your past dating history left a huge mark on you and you had a tendency to shut people out when they got too close, until now. The boys noticed a subtle shift in the way you and Jake interacted, but still, they only observed from afar, never intruding on whatever was happening between you two. It felt kind of weird for them to see Jake behaving that way around someone who wasn’t part of his friend group or more specifically with a girl, but deep down they felt happy seeing their friend finally letting himself loosen up.

The day at the shop was going smoothly, it was a bad day of work for Heeseung. There were no clients coming up and everyone except him was sitting around playing cards or just talking to each other as he finished fixing one car. You were sat at a table with Sunoo and Sunghoon, your hands covering your ears as they kept asking questions you didn’t wanna hear and less likely answer. “Come on, y/n!” Sunoo said pulling your hands out of your ears, making you roll your eyes. “I don’t like him, ok?” You sighed, “I literally met him, like, not even two weeks ago. I don’t even know him like that.” “y/n, you know damn well it’s not like that.” Sunghoon said leaning back in his chair. “Just admit you like him!” “Like who?” The three of you looked back to find Jake walking towards you with his hands in his pockets. “No one, I don’t like anyone.” You said closing your eyes as you propped your head in your hand. Jake looked at Sunghoon, as the latter smirked at him, making you glare not-so discreetly at him. Jake sat in a free chair next to you and the two other men thought it was a good idea to stand up and walk away, leaving you two alone.

“Bad work day?” He started. “Yeah, something like that.” You sighed, playing with a paper cup in front of you. “It’s just the end of the month and most people are on vacation by now so it was expected.” Jake hummed, an idea coming up to him. “So you have nothing to do, right?” You looked at him wondering why he was asking that. “Uh, yeah, I don’t.” You answered nodding at him. He got up, extending a hand to you. “Come.” He said as he smiled and nodded his head towards his way. You hesitated in grabbing his hand and getting up as he dragged you to his car. “But, the other we need to tell-” “Don’t worry ‘bout that. We’ll be quick.” Jake said as he opened his car door for you. You looked at the car and then at him, making him nod at you, urging you to get in. Jake sat in the driver's seat with a happy sigh. He looked at him, watching as you admired his car, gently touching the leather seats, feeling the wealth in your touch. You looked around the car in awe, making him giggle at your antics. You turned to look at him with a blush and a small smile, feeling shy he caught you as you admired his expensive car. He turned the keys, making the engine purr as you felt the seats vibrate with the loud sound. “Wow!” You said with a gasp “It feels so different when you’re actually inside the car.” You looked at him as he drove out of the shop’s driveway. “Yeah, I felt that too when I first drove it.” He said with a chuckle. “Where are you taking me?” You asked curiously. “You’ll see, princess. Enjoy the ride for now.” He answered as he chose a song to play for the ride. 

You looked out of your window, seeing the sun almost setting, making the sky turn into an orange explosion. The ride was silent, a comfortable silence, and you found yourselves in an empty road, no words needed to be spoken as you admired the view ahead of you. You rolled your window down, laying your head on the edge of the door. Jake looked at you, admiring your hair that flew freely with the wind and how your eyes were shining in awe and you wore a smile. He looked back to the front and he bit a smile back, failing to do so as the corners of his lips curled upwards. Jake was now driving towards a kind of abyss. He stopped the car, turning off the engine. “Is this it?” You asked making him nod at you with a smile. You both walked out of the car and sat in its hood. You gasped at the view in front of you. You could see the whole city from above. All the tall skyscrapers looked tiny and the street lights were only small dots on a canvas. The sky above showed a pink and orange painting, and the sun had almost fully set.

“Jake” he looked at you, admiring your side profile “This is beautiful.” You finished, looking at him with a big grin, making him mirror your actions. You looked back ahead as you scooted closer to him in the hood of the car, feeling your shoulder touch his. Jake smiled to himself, not daring to look your way to avoid doing something he would regret. “Thank you.” You said looking at him, seeing how his eyes slightly widened. He looked down at his feet, feeling his ears get hotter “It’s nothing really.” “How did you even find this place?” You wondered. “This is gorgeous!” Jake finally looked at you, examining your face, sensing you were asking a genuine question and not just a rhetorical one. “Well,” He started with a sigh. “I usually come here to kind of unwind a little.” He said kicking some rocks on the floor. “It just tunes me out the rest of the world. I feel the best when I’m here.”

He felt the urge to keep talking as he felt you still looking at the side of his head. “Normally when I have a big argument with my dad I just come here and let everything out. No one comes here since it’s far from the city so now it’s my comfort place and I’ve never brought anyone here except for you.” He stopped talking, looking at you, seeing you with empathetic eyes. “Thank you for sharing that with me Jake.” You rubbed his back in a comforting way “I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me all that, I know it’s not easy to deal with those kinds of problems, even if I never went through them myself. I hope you know I’m a shoulder you can lean on when you need one. You shouldn’t keep those thoughts to yourself.” Jake felt his eyes getting teary as he heard you talk. “I really appreciate that, y/n. I just feel like you give me so much of you and I never really shared something really intimate, so I thought this would feel just right.” He said holding his tears. You smiled at him, pulling his arm, grabbing it as you leaned your head on his shoulder, looking back to the view as a comfortable silence fell over you two. Jake’s head leaned in yours and he felt a soft bubble form in his chest, making him close his eyes and take a deep breath in of the fresh air that danced around both of your hairs.

The sun fully set after a while. Stars started appearing in the dark sky. “Look,” You said pointing to the sky “The first star of the night. Make a wish!” You finished as you looked at Jake. “A wish?” You nodded “Alright if you say so.” Both of you closed your eyes and put your hands together as you made your wishes. Jake opened his eyes to look at you, seeing you with your eyes closed and a giddy smile on your lips. You opened your eyes, looking at Jake only to find him already looking down at you, the summer breeze made his hair move beautifully. “What did you wish for?” he asked “Can’t tell you, it won’t come true if I do.” Jake chuckled at your answer, making you do the same. You both stared into each other eyes, not daring to look away as if you were in some trance with each other's eyes, giving you time to appreciate each other’s features. You couldn’t understand how people could view Jake as a bad being. Since the moment you both started getting closer, he was nothing but a sweetheart to you and besides that, you saw how he treated the other boys as well, always being caring with them, giving them food when one of them didn’t have enough or going as far as secretly ordering take out for Ni-ki when he had forgotten to pack his own lunch. They didn’t know him in reality. If they had seen him with your eyes they would know he wouldn’t do anything to hurt anyone or anything purposely. They couldn’t see the sparkle in his eyes when he saw dogs playing in the park or the way his tongue would slightly poke his pouty lips when he focused on something. If only they could see him the way you do.

Your phone suddenly buzzed in your pocket, making you break the intense eye contact that seemed to last an eternity. You looked at the contact ID seeing it was your mom calling you, making you silently curse under your breath. “Hey, mom.” You turned to Jake, mouthing him a Sorry which he dismissed with a shake of his head. “Uh…” Your eyes started moving around nervously “I, uh, I’m with Jake, Mom.” You hissed, scratching the back of your neck. Your mom started going off excitedly about how she was right about him, making you roll your eyes, hoping the said man couldn’t hear what she was saying. “Um, Mom, I don’t- okay wait.” You turned to Jake with a sigh “You wanna come over for dinner?” You asked him, making him still for a moment. “Uh, sure, I mean, why not.” He answered shrugging, something you weren’t really expecting, but deep down you were kind of glad he had accepted. “Okay, he’s coming. Yeah, see you, bye Mom.” You hung up, standing up and looking at Jake. He only looked at you, not knowing what to say. “C’mon.” You pulled him off the hood “We got dinner waiting for us.” 

You were driving back to the city, immersed in a conversation about various topics. “Also, I’m gonna warn you about my mom, she can be a little too much sometimes, so sorry in advance.” Jake laughed at your words. “Don’t say that. I’m pretty sure she means well.” He said looking at you. “If that makes you feel better about meeting her, then sure Jake, whatever you say.” Shortly after, Jake was pulling into your house’s driveway, making you feel nervous, the fact that he was meeting your parents finally sinking in. You don’t know why you felt like this, you two weren’t even dating. You walked to your front door and searched for the keys that were somewhere lost in your bag. Suddenly the door burst open, making you squeal in surprise as you almost tripped and if it weren’t for Jake you would’ve fallen on your butt. “Oh, what gentleman he is!” The door was fully open, revealing your mom who was now cooing at Jake. “Mom, don't.” you said in a warning tone, making her wave her hand at you dismissingly. “Oh, you must be Jake.” She said grabbing him by the arms “Come in you two.” She invited, making space for you to enter the house. “How was day, dear?” Your mom asked, making you break the mad face you were making at her with a small smile. “It was okay. We didn’t have any clients today which is not good for the shop.” “Oh, that must be really frustrating for you guys.” She said furrowing her brows in a worried way. “Anyways, let’s get to the kitchen. The food’s getting cold.” She smiled warmly at you two as she dragged you both to the kitchen. “Is dad not home?” You said with a small pout. “Oh no, he’s out for that company dinner he had. You know it.” You nodded at her letting out an Oh as you remember your father talking about it.

Jake tried to hide it, but as small as this interaction was, it was still a very domestic one. Those were the interactions he longed for but they never came to him. He felt a pang in his chest but your mom’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Give me your plate, dear. I’ll serve you.” She said smiling warmly at him, making him mirror her expression. Your mom seemed so sweet and he genuinely wanted to enjoy this small moment. 

The three of you talked comfortably throughout the night. Jake was able to get those negative thoughts out of his head for a while as he interacted with you both. He loved watching you talk with your mom, seeing the way your eyes light up when she says something that makes you laugh. Just watching that made him smile, which didn’t go unnoticed by your mom. Jake saw his phone light up on the table with a text from his dad asking him where he was and another from a contact he promised himself to never answer again. This made his whole good mood disappear and he just felt like going home. He felt guilty to do this but felt the need to be alone and forget about those texts.

“Everything alright?” you asked with a worried expression, just then he noticed he had his brows pressed tightly together. “Oh um, yeah, just my dad texting me.” He said smiling at you, guilt eating him up, but deep down he wasn’t lying, just not telling the whale truth, which made him feel shitty. “It’s getting late so maybe I should go. Thank you for the meal, it was really good!” He got up, grabbing his jacket from the chair. You got up as well and followed him to your front door as your mom stayed in the kitchen cleaning up. “Hey,” You said grabbing his attention “Are you sure you’re alright? You looked pretty tense back there.” You asked in a worried tone. He sighed, nodding at you. “Yes, princess. Don’t worry about it. I’ll text you when I get home, yeah?” You nodded at him and you bid your goodbyes. Before he could leave, you grabbed his wrist. “Thank you for today, really.” You smiled widely at him, making him chuckle at you “You’re welcome, princess. Good night.” You let his hand go as you waved at him before closing the door. You turned around to see your mom leaning on the kitchen door. You held your hand up “Don’t even start, ok?” you said not wanting to have that conversation. “Dind’t day a word, honey.” She said smiling at you. “Whatever. Goodnight, Mom.” “Goodnight, dear.”

You let yourself fall into the comfort of your bed with a sigh. You grabbed your phone, seeing a notification from Jake, making you quickly tap on it. 

jake &lt;3: thank you for tonight, princess :)

jake &lt;3: sorry for leaving so suddenly. my dad texted me and you know how it is…

you: jake you don’t need to thank me 

you: we were both glad to have you eat with us and dont worry about that i totally understand

you: im gonna head to sleep now. goodnight jake :) 

jake &lt;3: goodnight princess:) 

The next day at work you felt kind of uneasy. The way Jake left your house yesterday left you with an unsettling feeling. You didn’t know what his dad had texted him and you surely weren’t gonna ask him, you were in no place to do that. It was already 5:30 pm and Jake still hadn’t stopped by the shop, something unusual since he always comes by lunchtime. You didn’t want to think too much of it and tried to convince yourself that he was just busy. As you were cleaning up a car you just finished fixing, you heard footsteps coming towards you, making you look to see Heeseung and Sunghoon. “Lover boy didn’t come today, huh?” Sunghoon said making you roll your eyes before turning to look at them, now standing up from your crouching position. “He’s not my lover and you know that damn well.” you said propping your hand on your hip. “Yet!” Heeseung says with a stupid grin on his face.

“Anyways, we’re going to this party tonight and we wanted to invite you so you better be there.” the older male said. “Uh, I don’t know, guys. I’m not really-” “Not in the mood, yeah we know. Same story and it’s not working today. You are going today, no excuses.” Sunghoon paused for a while “You know, Jake’s gonna be there.” he said with a smirk. You lightly tapped your foot on the floor, knowing you didn’t really have a choice other than going and if you ended up going you would see Jake. Not that you missed him, maybe just a little bit though.  “Fine, I guess I can go.” you sighed, crossing your arms “Where and when?” Heeseung gave you the details about the party, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad with Jake there. Even if you were still kind of sour about him not coming, you were sure he had a good reason not to, right?

You walked up to your mirror, checking yourself out one last time before leaving. You lightly rubbed your finger under your lips, cleaning a lipstick smudge. You looked at your outfit, a simple lace, black corset-like top paired with some black leather pants and black heels. The top felt a little too revealing for you, but you decided to come out of your comfort zone for once and try new things. You felt pretty. Your hair was just right, your makeup looked flawless and your outfit was tight just in the right places, flattering your silhouette. Tonight was the night and you were going to enjoy it to the fullest. Sohee had previously texted you, informing you she would also be there with Heeseung, which made you less stressed about this party. You drove to the address Heeseung had texted you, the clock showed 11:45, a reminder that you were 15 minutes late. “Typical y/n, am I right?” you mumbled to yourself when you stopped at a red light. Taking one last turn, you saw a sign with the name of the bar Hee had told you. You parked your car and walked towards the entrance, feeling the biting wind hit your skin, making you regret not taking a small coat with you. You entered the bar and it was already almost full since it was almost midnight. You passed and pushed through the crowd of people Excuses me’s and Sorry’s leaving your lips as you did so. Finally, you were able to spot a tall ash blond who could only be Heeseung and walked towards him.

“Hey and before you scold me, yes I know I’m late.” you said as you and Sohee hugged before taking a seat next to Jay. “Wouldn’t expect any different from you.” Sunghoon said making you let out Shup up to him. You looked around and saw everyone there except for one person. “Where’s Jake?” you asked still looking around, failing to notice the exchange of looks between the four of them. “He’s- Well, he is with some guys from the soccer team, yeah.” Sungoon said, a nervous smile dancing on his lips, making you tilt your head at him “Weird.” you thought out loud. “But don’t worry!” Sunoo said, making you look at him “He’ll probably be here… soon.” “Okay?” you answered, looking at Sohee who was just as confused as you were. There was an unfamiliar tension in the booth and before you could think further about it Heeseung spoke up “No more talking. Let’s get the night started and get drinks!” Everyone got up, greedy to finally get some alcohol in their systems, maybe that’s what you needed. You reached the counter and Heeseung ordered tequila shots for everyone. The shots were gone as quickly as they came and everyone was thirsting for more so Sunghoon ordered six more of the same. 

You and Sohee made your way towards the dance floor full of sweating bodies. You were buzzing inside with the little alcohol in your system and the lights were making you dazed in the best way possible. It had been a long time since you and Sohee hung out like this and you were enjoying this just as much as she was. You had your arms thrown over her shoulders as she hugged your waist and you both swayed to whatever music was playing. The boys were looking at you with pure amusement on their faces, never having seen you like this but they were glad you were enjoying this night so far. Your body felt hot from the heat radiating from everyone around you. You saw couples kissing and grinding against each other and it made your mind wander to Jake and wonder if you and he were ever gonna dance like that like it was just the two of you in the room with no one to interrupt you both. You and your best friend went back to the counter to order drinks for yourselves while the boys went back to the booth.

“Can I get two Pink Whitneys with Sprite, please?” the bartender nodded at you before leaving to prepare the drinks. “Was wondering if you could still party, y/n” Sohee told you laughing. “Oh, shut up. It hasn’t been that long.” You both turned back to the counter when you heard the bartender speak. “For the pretty ladies.” He said putting the drinks in front of you, both of you mumbling Thanks in return. You closed your eyes as you savoured the drink you hadn’t tasted in a long time. “God, I forgot how much I love this.” You said taking a big sip of the pink drink. “Brings back old memories doesn’t it?” Sohee said leaning back as if she was having a flashback. Even though you were a stay-at-home person, back in the first years of college you went partying almost every night since Sohee was a social butterfly and always made sure to bring you along to whatever party she was invited to. Every time Heeseung would host a party, he made sure to have a hidden bottle of Pink Whitney in a small fridge that only he and the boys knew of for you and Sohee. You laughed at her as you tilted the cup towards her for a toast. “For old time’s sake.” She clinked her glass with yours “For old time’s sake!” she said before finishing her drink in one big gulp as she did the same. 

You two got up, making your way to the booth the guys were at. Your vision was starting to blur from all the drinks you had. Only had your low alcohol tolerance to blame. You were trying to walk through the crowd when you spotted a familiar brunette in the middle of it. “Look! Jake’s there, let’s say hi!” you said pushing Sohee towards his way. The grin you had on your face started to slowly fade as your steps got slower. The closer you got to Jake the stronger the pang in your chest grew. You squeezed Sohee’s hand trying to get her attention but she had already seen enough. You two stood there watching as a girl eagerly kissed Jake’s neck, his face was hidden since he was looking opposite from where you were. “Jake?” You felt a pull on your heartstrings and a whimper left your quivering lips when Jake turned his head to the side and made eye contact with you. His face wasn’t showing any emotions previously, quickly contorted with shock as a gasp left his lips, making him immediately push the girl away. Still, Sohee was quicker to pull you away from where you were standing. She was letting out some curses on her way to the booth, something that you couldn’t hear.

When you finally reached the other boys they all were looking at you with worried expressions. Their eyes flickered between each other and you were finally able to catch on what was happening when you arrived. “You guys knew?” you said with a choked sob. None of them were saying a word, making your blood boil when you got your answer. “You all fucking knew this whole time.” you screamed, pointing your finger at them accusingly. “How long has it been going on?” Jay was quick to speak up. “It was just today.” he started. “We didn’t know she was gonna be here and I don’t think Jake knew either.” You were starting to get even more confused “What do you mean she?” you asked shaking your head. They all looked at each other not knowing what to say. “Heeseung, did you know about this?” Sohee asked her boyfriend, and he quickly shook his head no. “No, i swear. None of us knew and as he said it was probably a not-so-pleasant surprise for Jake as well.” Knowing that everyone knew who she was and they weren’t explaining it to you was leaving you irritated and you just wanted to leave. “Sohee can we just go home.” you quietly asked and she ran a hand down your back in a soothing manner. “Yeah, give me your car keys, I’ll drive.” You both turned to leave, no words were exchanged apart from a Drive safely from Heeseung.

When you sat in your car you felt like something exploded inside you as you started sobbing uncontrollably. You hid your face in your hands as you started sobbing. Sohee reached for you, holding you in her embrace. “I don’t even know why I’m crying it’s not like we had something.” you said trying to wipe your tears but they just kept coming. “Y/n, it wouldn’t take a genius to see that something was going on between you two. I can’t honestly understand why Jake would be with someone else, especially her.” “Will anyone ever tell me who she is?” you said in an annoyed tone. Sohee sighed as she sat back in the driver’s seat. “That girl was Aerin. Jake and her were in a weird situationship, kind of friends with benefits but not quite that. They had that going on for almost a year but he eventually broke it off because he finally opened his eyes and realized how much of a bitch she was, even though we were warning him since the beginning.” she paused with a sigh. “She didn’t take it very well since she had always been possessive with him but we thought she finally had gotten over it, it’s been, like, a year and something?” she turned to look at you, seeing you with your head propped in your knees. She raised her hand to cup your cheek, brushing it softly with her thumb.

“I just don’t understand why he would do this, after all that we’ve been through.” You said feeling tears coming back, pooling in your eyes. “Sohee, I let all of my guard down for him, I told him my everything and this feels like history is repeating itself, you know?” You told her as memories from your history with your ex brought you a sour feeling “Y/n, whatever happened between you and Jeno is long behind, I thought we had already talked about this.” “I am over it, Sohee! But seeing Jake do this is just bringing all those feelings back. Six months right after I opened up to Jeno I find out he was cheating on me with the girl I shouldn’t worry about and now when I finally feel like I can commit to someone again, I see Jake like that, how is that fair to me?” you said turning into a sobbing mess again. Your whole body was shaking and Sohee felt her heart shatter seeing her best friend like this.

“Y/n, I know this really isn’t the right time to say this but I’ve known Jake for as long as I’ve been dating Heeseung and I can’t understand why he is doing this. This really isn’t like him, at all.” She rubbed your back “I’m more than sure he will explain himself to you soon. This just doesn't sit right with me.” You wiped your eyes as you sniffed “I don’t want to see him anytime soon, Sohee.” She smiled sadly at you. “I know, honey, But you know it will eventually happen right? It’s inevitable.” You nodded at her, knowing she was right. “Let’s go home yeah? You can stay at mine today. Don’t want you dealing with this alone.” 

Sohee drove off as you stared out the window. Millions of thoughts were running through your head and you felt like it was about to explode. Eventually, you fell asleep during the ride and only woke up when Sohee softly shook you when you arrived. You both entered her apartment, being immediately greeted by her cat who was rubbing herself in your legs. You crouched down to her level, rubbing behind her fluffy white ears, making her purr. Oh to be a cat. Sohee gave you one of her pyjamas for you to sleep in and some makeup wipes, knowing you probably wouldn’t even bother to take it off. You both slipped into her bed, sleeping together like you two would back in the day. You laid back against the headboard as she texted Heeseung to update him. Your own phone buzzed on the bedside table. You grabbed it and saw a notification that normally you would be excited to answer, but not today. You read the texts Jake had sent you.

jake &lt;3: y/n please                                                   

jake &lt;3: i know what it looks like but it isn’t like that 

jake &lt;3: let me explain please                                     

jake &lt;3: you know id never hurt you.                        

You dropped your phone in your lap as you rubbed your eyes with your hands, starting to sniff again. You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to stop the tears as you sighed and leaned back against the headboard. Sohee looked at your phone and then at you, making her sigh. “Where did i go wrong? I must’ve done something really bad in my past life to deserve this.” “Y/n, cut the nonsense, you don’t deserve this, ok?” she said grabbing your arms and turning to look at her. “You’re gonna get through this with me and when you’re ready you’re gonna go back to work and maybe talk with Jake, yeah?” You took a deep breath before nodding at her. “Good. Now you’re gonna rest and tomorrow we’ll see what’s gonna happen.” She grabbed your phone and turned it off, putting it on her bedside table. She turned the light off and you let your head fall into the pillow with a sigh. You stared at the ceiling, trying to shake off all the thoughts going through your head until you felt your eyes closing on their own.

The weekend had gone by slowly. You had texted your mom after everything happened to tell her you were gonna stay at Sohee’s for a few days. All you did was mop around the house and lay in your friend’s bed all day, only getting up when you really needed to. You were sure you were sleeping more than 12 hours a day and still felt like the energy was drowning out of you. Sohee tried to get you to go out and encourage you to go to work to help you forget things but the anxiety you felt at the possibility of encountering Jake was keeping you from doing so. You knew that staying home all day and doing nothing until Sohee came back from work wasn’t gonna help you in any way and you honestly wanted to do something about it but you had no energy to do anything. You walked to the kitchen for nth time that day, placing your cereal bowl on the sink with an accidental loud thud, making you hiss. You sighed as you looked at the mess of plates and cutlery you had accumulated in the sink within just a day. “God, what am I doing.” You said talking to yourself. You stared into nothingness as you got in deep thought. Being like this wasn’t gonna take you anywhere and avoiding situations where you might meet Jake won’t either. So, you made the final decision that you were going to work tomorrow, no matter what. You looked at the clock on the kitchen’s wall and saw it was already 6:30 pm, so without any more self pity you walked to the bathroom to take a shower, determined to get back to your usual work routine. You stared at your figure in the mirror and almost apologized to yourself as you took in your messy and unkempt appearance. You entered the shower and let the warm water fall on your tense shoulders. Sighing, you let your head lean into the shower wall as your body shook with a sob when Jake filled your mind again. Had he tried texting you anymore after that night? You couldn’t really know since you had blocked him on your social media. Was he hurting the way you did? What had really happened? Maybe you were overreacting all this. You should’ve let him explain himself. Dumb y/n, so dumb. 

Jake felt horrible. You really had to come near him at the wrong moment and see something that really wasn’t what it looked like. But he should’ve known the moment she texted him the night he was at your house she was serious. Why couldn’t Aerin just get over the fact they weren’t together anymore, as if they were ever actually together. In his head, it was starting to be too good to be true. As if he was ever gonna get lucky with someone like you. Of course, he had to fuck it up in any way. It’s all your fault, Jake. This was all you. Those words kept repeating themselves in his head as he laid in his bed as his whole body was filled with piercing anxiety. He didn’t know what else to do. He called Heeseung and said you still hadn’t gone to work that week.

The boys knew about the situation and Jake always tried to explain himself while he cried on the phone with any of the guys, even if they reassured him they believed him every day. He should’ve known better than to get involved with Aerin in the first place. He had always been warned about it so why did he still do it? Why couldn’t he just do anything right. The past few days were spent with Jake lying in his bed as he cried and cried for as long as he could. All the feelings he bottled up for so long left his body, making his whole self shake. When he finally was able to open up fully to you, he had it all taken away, knowing you had let your whole guard down for him. He knew you weren’t doing any better than him and that hurt him even more. Knowing he couldn’t be the one to hold you and comfort you was killing. Jake knew he couldn’t stay like this forever and all he wanted to do nothing more than reach out to you and tell you his truth but he knew he had to give you space. So he waits for as long as he needs to because he is not letting you go because of her, he wasn’t letting that happen.

You woke up at the same time as Sohee. The moment you opened your eyes you instantly felt a pang in your chest, knowing you had to go to work today. You threw your arm over your eyes as you sighed. Sohee looked at you as she rubbed her eyes to wake herself up. “Good morning.” she told you to which you only answered with a grumble making her chuckle at you. She got out of bed, opening her curtains, making you squint at the bright light invading the room. “C’mon, get up. You need to get ready.” You sighed again at her words before sitting up on the bed. After you both got ready for work, you sat down at the table as you had breakfast together. “So,” Sohee said mid-chew “are you ready for today?” You looked at her as you sipped on your coffee. “I mean, no. But as you said I can’t keep avoiding him and it’s better if we talk already than not.” You answered as your fork played with the blueberries on your plate. “You got this, yeah?” Sohee reached for your hand across the table. You inhaled as you felt your eyes water but you held yourself back. You nodded at her as you whispered a Yeah in response to her.

You left around 10 am which was the time Sohee usually left for work. As you made your way to the shop, anxiety started bubbling up in your chest, making you take deep breaths to try and keep yourself together. There’s nothing to worry about. If Jake ended up showing up at the shop you guys were just gonna talk, or maybe not. Maybe he will explain to you and assure you it was not what it looked like or maybe he wasn’t and it was exactly what it looked like. “Well, shit.” you said to yourself as you arrived at the shop. You parked your car, seeing everyone already there. You stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air breeze around you. You walked inside and there stood Heeseung and Sunghoon staring at you with warm smiles. “Hey guys!” you greeted. You walked towards them and Sunghoon pulled you into a hug, making you let out a shaky breath. “How’ve you been, dummy?” He asked, letting you go of his arms. “Well, y’know, not good. But! I’m here to change that and yes I’m going to avoid that conversation, if you don’t mind.” They nodded their heads at you, Right and Of course! were their only answers before you asked Heeseung if there was any work for you to which he assigned you to check a car’s engine and gasket. 

You got right to work and you were glad you could distract yourself for most of the time. The car needed to get his gasket changed and it wasn’t an easy task so you needed to have your full focus on it. Working made the day go by faster and you barely had time to lunch as you were so immersed in the task you were assigned to do. Sometimes Ni-ki would linger around you, mostly joking around as you worked, keeping you company, which you were glad he did. If anyone had told you you would’ve ended up getting a summer job at a mechanic shop and befriending the six workers you wouldn’t believe it. But you couldn’t be more glad that you did, you had quickly made six precious friendships with six boys who were all you could ask for in a friend. As someone who never found befriending people easy, you were quite proud of yourself as you had found six treasures in only a lifetime. You knew you could always rely on them, and despite the age gap between the two younger ones, you still would trust them with your life nonetheless.

You felt sweat dripping down your forehead as you worked, making you get up from your bent-over position to wipe the sweat with your forearm, adjusting the strap from your overall that was slipping off your shoulder. “God.” You sighed loudly. Heeseung slid from underneath a car to check on you, “Everything ok?” he asked sitting up. “I guess. Just this thing is harder than I thought it would be.” You said putting your hands on your hips as you stared at the engine in thought. You knew this was gonna be hard, but one wrong move you would need to do it all over. Heeseung got up and walked to where you stood staring at the car. “I think you’re going on the right path. Nothing is looking wrong or weird so keep going.” He said patting your back “You’re doing well, you always do.” You chuckled at his words “You flatter me, Lee.” He laughed at your words “All for the best of my wor-” 

His words were cut off by the roar of an engine. A familiar Ford Mustang pulled up in the driveway.  Your breath stopped for a while until you felt Heeseung get his hand off your back. “I think I should go somewhere else…” You nodded at him, fully understanding why he was doing it. You pretended to go back to work, trying to convince yourself that Jake wouldn’t come over to you if you did that. You heard footsteps getting closer to you and you felt your breath pick up its pace. You got this. “Hey…” You heard the deep yet soft voice say. You looked up to see Jake smiling softly at you and you almost teared up at that. You tried to reciprocate the smile but you were sure it came out shaky. “Hi, Jake.” You said nodding at him. Your gaze drifted from his figure, trying to look at anything but him, as you fiddled with your fingers. “Nice patch!” He said chuckling, making you blush as you stared at the Care Bears patch placed upon your knee. “There was ripped so my mom put it on for me.” You said still not looking at him, making him mutter a Cute under his breath, which you almost missed. “Why are you here?” You asked, looking at his face, but you knew damn well why he was here. Jake took a shaky breath in as he leaned against the wall behind him, his own gaze now avoiding yours.

“I guess- No, I know and I need to explain myself to you.” He started, gulping his anxiety away. “What you saw that night wasn’t something anyone would expect that would happen. I mean, I should’ve had to be honest. The night I went to have dinner with you and your mother I told you I had received a text from my father. Which isn’t a lie, because I did, but you also deserved to know that Aerin had also texted me.” His eyes finally met yours with an apologetic gaze. Your face was contorted in confusion and you waited for him to explain it further. “She somehow found out that you and I had been hanging out and that there was something between us and she texted me some nonsense about knowing I still wanted and was using you as a rebound.” You stared at the ground hearing those words. “Was I a rebound to you Jake?” You asked quietly “No!” He answered with no hesitation “Of course not! And I hope you never felt that way because all I did for you was genuine.” his hand twitched, Jake wanted to reach out to you but he knew he still had further explaining to do. “Going on. That night I was supposed to go out with guys from my soccer team as well as the guys here but Aerin somehow was involved with some of the guys in the team and joined as well. The moment you started approaching me she threw herself at me and started doing whatever she was doing and before I could react and push her away you had already seen it.” His voice became shaky as he played that moment back in his head. “And I would and never will blame you for reacting the way you did. If I was in that position I would do the same, most likely.” Tears started falling from your eyes as you heard him talk. 

Your chest was tight with guilt. You felt bad for what you did to him. He didn’t deserve to go through what you made him go through. You sniffed as you tried to wipe the stubborn tears that kept falling. Jake took a step closer to you, feeling his own eyes water at the sight of your miserable state. “Baby, please don’t cry.” The pet name left his lips before he could think about it but you didn’t seem to have heard it or mind it. “Jake I’m so sorry.” You said between hiccups of sobs “Please, please forgive me. I probably made you go through hell when you didn’t even do anything. I was so selfish.” Your cries got louder as you spoke and you didn’t even care if the boys could hear you. “Y/n, no! Stop apologizing. It was not your fault, ok? You aren’t the one to blame. You weren’t the one causing this, Aering was.” He said pulling you into his embrace. The knot on your chest broke as you finally felt his comforting touch and scent that you loved so much. “I would forgive you in a heartbeat if you had anything to apologize for, but you don't, you hear me?” You looked up at him, sniffling softly as you nodded at him. Jake cupped your face to wipe your tears as he smiled softly at you. “I’m sorry I made you go through all of this.” You saw the tears pooling in his eyes, making you cup his cheek.

“Are we ok now?” He asked, worry still lingering in his tone. You smiled widely at him as you furiously nodded your head “Yes! God, Jake, of course!” You said chuckling between sniffs. He laughed along with you as he stared into your eyes endearingly. Your breath calmed down as you both stared into each other eyes. None of you making a move to look away. Your eyes drifted from his eyes to his lips and you caught a glimpse of him doing the same. You don’t know who was the first to move but suddenly your lips were on his as you two share a long-awaited kiss. Your arms went around his neck as his hands were still cupping your cheeks. You leaned your head to the side to deepen the kiss. Jake let out a happy sigh into the kiss, making you smile against his lips. You both pulled away and you let your eyes look around the room to avoid his gaze. Jake laughed at you and you buried your face into his neck to hide the crimson red spreading on your cheeks. Jake pulled you off of him and held your hand as he started pushing you outside. “Let’s go.” He said nodding towards his car. “Jake I can’t I have to finish-” “Don’t worry about that. I’m pretty sure Heeseung won’t mind.” You were hesitant but still let him drag you to his car. “Ok- wait. Slow down, oh my God. Isn’t this kidnapping? Geez!” You said scowling lightly at him at the eagerness he was pushing you with. “Stop talking nonsense, silly.” 

The boys finally gathered around the entrance as they heard Jake’s car leave with you both inside it. “Well, it was kinda awkward.” Jungwon said breaking the silence. Sunoo rolled his eyes, slapping the boy's arm. “What? It’s true!” He said raising his hands in surrender. Silene took over again as everyone tried to process what had just happened. “If all it takes to leave work early is to argue with my girlfriend then I’m down.” “Ni-ki, shut the fuck up.”

You were anxious for today. Even though Jake has been countless times at your house and had dinner with your parents just as much, you’ve never been at his house, let alone met his parents. But it would change today, Jake had called you today, inviting you to have dinner with his parents at his house. As much as you wanted to refuse, you knew you couldn’t, you couldn’t delay this moment any longer, sooner or later it was gonna happen and it was happening today. You didn’t know how to really feel about it. From what Jake told you, you knew his dad wasn’t the best person but you didn’t know much about his mom. You felt anxiety creeping up your body as you got ready for the night. You tried to look the most presentable you could for Jake’s parents, not wanting to leave a bad first impression.

Your phone buzzed in your bed, you picked it up and saw Jake’s text telling you he was outside. You looked at your reflection one last time before grabbing your purse and leaving. When you got outside you were met with the breathtaking sight of Jake leaning against his car, looking like he just came from a cliché teenage movie. His skin was glowing with the bright sunshine, complementing his skin colour to perfection. His full black outfit was hugging in all the right places, making him look like a runway model. Jake noticed your staring, making him laugh silently. “You know you can take a closer look, right?” His words made you roll your eyes, despite feeling your cheeks grow hot. “You’re so cocky, Jake.” You said as you walked towards him, stopping in front of him as you leaned in for a peck. Jake hummed against your lips, holding your face to kiss you deeper. You tapped his cheek and pulled away, eyeing him with a warning stare. “We have places to be, young man.” Jake sighed at your words and you both got in the car. 

Throughout the car ride, Jake noticed your fidgeting hands and he knew you were nervous. He put his hand on top of yours, still looking at the road ahead of him. “There’s nothing to be worried about, y/n” He said in a quiet voice, making you look at him at the sudden words. You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding, looking back to the road. “I know. It’s just- I don’t even know why I’m nervous.” You answered chuckling humorlessly. Jake gave your hand a squeeze, giving you a silent reassurance. “I know that from what I say about my dad he sounds scary but he can be nice sometimes and I’m sure he will be pretty okay with you, so don’t think too much about it, yeah? Besides my mom’s gonna be there so it won’t be as bad.” You nodded and smiled at him, leaning on the center console to peck his cheek, making him smile.

Soon enough, you both reached his parent’s house. You felt your heart starting to race as soon as you stepped out of the car. Jake walked beside you, grabbing your hand, holding it tightly against his. Something in him was telling you he was nervous as well and it made you look at him with worried eyes. You both stopped at the front door, looking at each other. Jake smiled at you, nodding his head towards the door, making you take a deep breath as you nodded back at him. He rang the doorbell, the sound echoing in the loud silence as you both waited impatiently.

The door finally opened, revealing a beautiful woman. She didn’t look any older than 45, her skin was smooth with barely any wrinkles adorning it, only faint ones that marked her joyful smile. Her hair had a chestnut tone to it and the perfectly styled curls reached her shoulders. “Jake, my love.” She said as she pulled the said man into her embrace. “I’ve missed you so much!” Jake smiled as he looked at her with a grin. “Missed you too, mom.” He said lovingly pecking her forehead. “Oh, goodness. You must be y/n, I’m Sooyoung! So glad to meet you dear!” She said pulling you in a hug, making you smile at her as you felt the nerves slowly leaving your body. “Yes, I am! It’s so nice to finally meet you!” You told her, as she held your hands in her’s. “You know, Jake sounded so excited to finally introduce you to us, he would always talk about you when he called.” You heard Jake groan beside you. “Mom!” “What? I’m just saying!” She said laughing at his son “Anyways, come inside. Dinner is almost ready!” She leads you both inside the house. “Do you need help with anything?” You asked her “Oh no, dear! Don’t worry, everything’s almost done. You both wait in the leaving room while I finish it.” 

Jake took you to the living room, where his father sat on the couch as he watched whatever news channel was playing. He cleared his throat, making his father loom at you both. “Hey, dad. This is y/n, my girlfriend.” Jake said introducing you to the older man. “Hi, sir. It’s nice to meet you!” You said bowing slightly at him, wiping your sweaty hands in the back of your pants. Jake’s father got up, walking towards the both of you. His straight lips formed a slight smile as he pulled you into a hug, making you let out a surprised sound. “It’s nice to see the girl my son can’t shut up about. Can’t say I’m not surprised to see my son could keep up with a girl like you.” You felt shy at his words, not really knowing what to say. “Ah, I’m sure it’s not like that.” You said rubbing your arm anxiously. He then walked to Jake, shaking hands with his son, giving him a tight-lipped smile. “Hope you’ve been behaving well, son.” He said patting his son’s head. “Dad..” Jake said rolling his eyes. The three of you sat on the couch, Jake's dad’s eyes were on the TV but his focus was somewhere else.

“So,” He started. “Where did you two meet?” He asked, turning to look at you two. You looked at Jake and then at his father “We met at my workplace.” You said nodding at him. “You work?” He asked curiously. “Well, it’s a summer job, but yeah I do. Been there for about two and half months maybe?” You smiled at him, rubbing your hands back in forth on your thighs as you tried to ease the nerves. He hummed “And what do you do, may I ask?” “Dad, it’s enough questions.” Jake said but you stopped “It’s okay, Jake.” You said smiling at him. “I’m working at a mechanic shop, which I know it’s not usual as a summer job, but I enjoy it a lot.” His dad opened his mouth to speak but before he could do so, Sooyoung called everyone to the table.

You were all sat at the table peacefully, immersed in a casual conversation. “We should totally book a dinner with your parents y/n, Jake talks about how nice they are when he stays at your house. “ Jake’s mother suggested. “Yeah, I think that would be really nice. They would love it!” You told her, smiling at her as you went back to eating. You noticed Jake had been quiet most of the night, only talking when you were the topic of the conversation. It made you worried that he was behaving this way. You noticed the way his hands were trembling and you wanted nothing more than to comfort him right there and then. You put your utensils down when you finished the meal and one of your hands went to his tigh to rub it in a comforting manner. Jake’s movements faltered when he felt it. His free hand went down to where your hand was placed in his thigh and squeezed it in appreciation. You interlocked your fingers with his and his thumb started rubbing the back of your hand. Jake felt his heart warming up at your actions, looking at you as you spoke with his mother. He smiled, looking down at his empty plate as he tried to hide it.

Jake’s mom got up and walked towards the fridge. “If everyone’s finished, I made dessert!” She said as she put a homemade ice cream bowl on the table. She sat back down and the conversation went on. “y/n I almost forgot to ask! What are you studying?” Sooyung asked as she looked at you. her elbow propped on the table. “Oh, I’m majoring in computer science actually!” You answered with a smile. “I actually share a few classes with Jake.” You said looking at him with a smile, seeing him already looking at you. “Oh really! What a coincidence, isn’t it!” His mother beamed at you. Jake’s father scoffed beside his mother making you snap your head in his direction. “I’m surprised he actually attends classes.” He said looking down at his desert. Jake’s hand tightened almost painfully in your grip.

The tension in the room was thick and if you wanted you could cut it with a knife. Jake’s mother scolded him silently for speaking about it when you were present, but the man couldn’t care less. “Soccer, soccer, soccer. It’s all that goes through that head of his.” He said, finally looking up at his son, who stared at him with a stoic expression. “I work hard every day to give him a stable future and yet he doesn’t even think about pursuing that.” He said with an expression that could be read as disappointment. “Look at his brother. Working a high-paying job, a stable one, and yet, you can’t take it as an example to look up to. Do you really think soccer’s gonna take you anywhere in life?” He asked but he wasn’t really looking for an answer. Your heart felt like it could jump out of your chest with how quick it was beating. Jake’s face was emotionless but his hands were shaking as the force of his own father’s words hit him like rocks. It hurt you to see him take all this and you just couldn’t keep yourself quiet any longer

“You know,” You started “Jake’s really good at what he does best, even if it’s at soccer.” You gulped your nerves down as you continued. “If there’s something my parents never did was interfere in my future. They never once told me I should follow this or that, never. Because nothing was more important than them seeing me do something that makes me happy. If soccer is what he loves doing, then why not let him do that? I don’t know a thing about soccer or sports but if he’s known in almost every national university’s soccer team then he must be damn good at what he does. So why not support him in that? Even if it goes bad for him, which I must say I doubt, he’s going to graduate so there’s always a plan b. Have you ever considered your son’s happiness? I genuinely don’t intend to be disrespectful to you or your company, but is your business more important than your son? You have a son working in that field so why not make him take over it instead of Jake, who clearly doesn’t want to do it?”

You looked at Jake, seeing him look at you with tears pooling in his eyes, making your own eyes water. “Jake deserves nothing but to be happy. If you only could see how much he’s done then maybe you would love him a bit more.” You got up from your chair, the scraping sound made you slightly hiss. Jake understood what you were doing and did the same. “I’m so sorry about this, but I just can’t stand you seeing talk so low of your son. I hope you can reflect a little bit. Again, I’m sorry.” You turned to leave, Jake following behind you.

When the front door shut close, Jake instantly broke down, throwing himself in your embrace. His body shook with broken cries, making you screw your eyes shut as you tried to stop your tears. You held him tightly, rubbing his back in a soothing manner. “It’s alright now.” you said in a whisper, your hand coming up to tangle itself in his hair. When his cries died out Jake pulled out of your arms, looking at you. His hands cradled your face, as his eyes scanned your features. He smiled at you, making you mirror his expression. He leaned down as he pecked your lips and your hands came up to hold his that were holding your face. “I’m sorry for, you know, causing all that. I just couldn’t not do anything.” You said looking down. “Hey, don’t apologize. Thank you for that, really.” he said letting out a breath. “It’s better you saying that than me having another screaming match with my father.” He smiled sadly.

“I didn’t know you liked me that much, though.” He joked trying to lighten the mood. “Oh, c’mon Jake, seriously.” You said groaning at him, feeling your cheeks heat up. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” He said laughing. “Y’know, I like you that much too.” You felt shy under his gaze, suddenly not able to look in his eyes. “Do you really?” You asked as you kicked tiny rocks on the floor. “Yes, silly. Of course I do…” Jake tensed “Even more than liking, actually.” You looked up at him when he said that, seeing him biting his lips nervously. “What?” You asked, surprised as you felt your heart race. “I- sorry I shouldn’t-” “Jake.” You cut him off, laughing at him. He stared at you wide-eyed, his cheeks flushed and his ears red.

You threw your arms over his shoulder, making a slight force to pull him closer. You smiled up at him. “I love you.” Jake almost choked in his own spit, not expecting to hear those words coming out of your mouth. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to say something. He took a deep breath and put his hands on your waist, suddenly feeling like he was in high school again, about to have his first kiss. He leaned in to kiss you, moving his head to the side to deepen it. Both of your lips moving on their own as you shared a passionate kiss. Jake pulled away before he could go further, his forehead resting against yours as he giggled, making you laugh at his behaviour. “I love you too princess.” He finally said, “So much.” He pecked your lips again, and again, and again until you pushed his chest as you laughed at him. He grinned at you, as he grabbed your hand in his. “Let’s go?” He asked and you nodded at him. You both got in the car, ready to go home as some soft tunes played from to radio.

Jake had been trying to make his house a home for a long time, but maybe home was where you were.