#Predestined Rivals

[justwritesstuff-xox]

BANDORI X PERSONA 5 CROSSOVER

Title: Ran teaches the art of Flower Arranging

A.k.a During the early October, Ran passed the Flower Arranging Instructor’s Exam, making her able to assist her father in teaching Flower Arrangement. The Girls Band CIRCLE gals (Poppin' Party, Roselia, Pastel Palettes, and Harohapi) and the Phantom Thieves join. Yukiran heart to heart. Exhibit 2 of The Phantom Thieves finds out Ran is the vocalist & guitarist of Afterglow, and Minato Yukina is her Rival. 

She did it, she passed the Flower Arranging Instructor's exams. Ran was officially recognized as not only an instructor but also a wakasōshō, a successor of the iemoto, her father. Of course, her father did expect her to inherit the School one day. She is starting to show interest in flower arranging. Moca even jokes that she lives and breathes flower arranging as she did with singing. The bread-loving girl did get a glare from Ran, promptly shutting her up. 

Anyways, after her “ascension” as an Instructor as well as a wakasōshō, Ran was then given the opportunity to teach. Opportunity is an overstatement, her father dragged her to it, and she agreed on it. Well, she was brought to an event at Aurum City, where she will be demonstrating her flower arranging skills, whilst her father explains. Not only that, it would be a large workshop for people her age. 

Ran knows that the members of Afterglow will be there. Not only to support her, but to tease her. It would be those rare moments where she would wear her kimono in public. Her new kimono, the one she got days ago with her father insisting for a new one. God knows that the vocalist of Afterglow has a lot of kimonos and yukatas for any kinds of traditional events. She got a sky blue kimono, decorated with flower and leaf decorations. It is simple yet elegant, although Ran prefers her normal outfits better. Teaching Flower Arranging also forced her to use those kimonos, something that she is trained to learn to use herself. The young heiress of the Mitake School of Flowers sighs, as she was decorating the area used for the workshop. Of course, her father is the Iemoto, which makes him busy, and entrusted the decorations to her. It was a good thing she was used to it, making sure that her stage is perfect before the performance. The lighting, the discussed setlist, and so on. She was able to finish it before it's late before going home.

The event itself was set the next day afternoon, with Ran in her kimono and her hair decorated with several flowers.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤

Kitagawa Yusuke had dragged his fellow Phantom Thieves (except Ran & Moca) to the auspicious event. He found a great opportunity to see the art of Ikebana, and apparently there is a workshop that interests him. Hence, all of the Phantom Thieves choose to join. Except for Sakura Futaba, who begrudgingly joined them. Well that until, she saw all the bands from the Girls Band Party coming. Pastel Palettes are there talking to a camera, seemingly happy and content while reviewing the area. Until they stopped at a booth covered with flowers and a Japanese themed household. Futaba wouldn't lie, it felt somewhat home, a special place that drowned her in. The rest of the thieves seemed to also feel that way, as the went to the booth. 

They saw a woman, wearing a beautiful flower covered kimono, who gave them a card for the workshop, and escorted them to the table. The booth itself is large, decorated with more flowers as the went it, it felt like a special place. Futaba saw as more and more people come in, until familiar group of people, a part of the girls band party arrives. The members of Poppin' Party, HaroHapi, as well as Pastels Pallettes seemingly talking to each other as if they were close. Then again, they all performed together onstage after all. Then Roselia came in with those super mysterious vibes. Futaba noted that the vocalist, Minato Yukina seemed to note the area, as her friend, the bassist, Imai Lisa seemed to be smiling. Everyone seemingly went to their group bubbles until. . .

“Ooo~ like who it is, hi everyone~” A lazy familiar voice, until Ann exclaimed, “Moca-chan!”

“Hohoho, so you do remember me~” Moca chuckled, “You should be rewarded~”

“Moca-san, what are you doing here?” Haru asks curiously. With Morgana adding, “You don't seem to be the type to be here,”

“Ooo, that's because Moca-chan is here to support a certain someone~” Moca smugly said. 

“Moca-chan!” A girl with brown short-hair exclaimed to Moca, and then saw the rest of the Phantom Thieves, “Oh hello, Moca-chan’s friends? My name is Hazawa Tsugumi. I apologise on her behalf,”

Another girl, now in pink, then came, “Moca, hurrah! We need to be on our spots! I already got us a good one near the stage!”

“Coming Hii-chan,” Moca exclaimed, “See you later~” then Moca left to join her group of friends. 

Kurusu Akira watched everything unfold. Flower Arranging is a unique culture in Japan, according to what he learned from Yusuke. A beautiful traditional art, now mastered by a family of flowers. Then the event started, with the host starting, then introducing the Iemoto, the headmaster of the prestigious School of Flowers, who will be teaching the workshop. 

“Greetings everyone,” The iemoto said, “My name is Mitake Ryuu, I am the iemoto of the Mitake School of Flowers, a flower arranging school that has been existing for 100 years,” 

The man was in his 50s, having the elegance of the old samurai artists decades ago. The man was wearing a black traditional kimono, as well as wearing glasses. Although, that's not the only thing that Akira saw. The man looked familiar, as if he had met them with similar looks. 

After that, a blur of a blue kimono is seen, a young girl with black hair and that unmistakable red streak. Her burning purple eyes bore into people’s souls. “What is Ran-chan doing in that stage. . .unless. . .”

“. . .alongside me is my daughter, Mitake Ran, the heiress to the Mitake School of Flowers. She will be demonstrating while I will explain, please listen carefully,”

Everyone then went to observe as the head of the Mitake School of Flowers explained. Ran seemed to know what she's doing, arranging the flowers one by one, using techniques he had never known before. The arrangement itself was using Sasanqua, and flowers that Akira assumed to follow the idea of sunset. As the father explained, the daughter finished the art. A magnificent piece is made for everyone to see.

Akira saw Moca and her friends smiling as they seemed to be teasing Ran, as the girl onstage blushed and became flustered because of them. Before he could continue, they had started to try to learn to arrange flowers themselves.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤

Learning the traditional Japanese Ikebana wasn't easy. But it was an interesting experience, according to the eyes of Okumura Haru. Even when she saw Akira, who was well-versed in flower language,.had a difficult time grasping it. Nevertheless, it was an interesting experience. Haru gained a lot from it. She watched her fellow thieves being taught the art of flower arranging by an instructor.

She watched Ran, who was also teaching, but the girl with the red mesh seemed to know the members well. Like, she had known them somewhere and they are close, but not that close.

“Ano~ sensei, would it be okay if you explain to me how to do this part?” A cheerful yet mature voice asked. Haru looked at them, it was a girl, a year younger than her, seemingly having brown-hair and tied. The instructor seemed to nod as she assisted her. Haru watched as Futaba was then next to her, “That's Imai Lisa of Roselia! She's like the big sister bassist of the band,” Futaba said as she saw the girl talking to the instructor.

“Now that I think about it, most of the people here are a part of the bands,” Ann said.

“Even better! These girls are a part of the Girls Band Party! They usually have concerts in this livehouse called CIRCLE,” Futaba excitedly explained.

“Ya-hoo! Sorry about taking your Instructor,” The girl suddenly said, as the Instructor walked away, “Imai Lisa, nice to meet you, and this is my friend, Minato Yukina,”

Minato Yukina looked like an intimidating person, her silver hair and her eyes looking at them as if she was judging them. Although, then again, she seemed to be quiet, unlike her friend, Imai Lisa.

“Y-you’re the vocalist of Roselia!” Futaba exclaimed looking at Minato Yukina, “This is so cool! M-my name is Sakura Futaba, I am a huge fan of both Roselia and Afterglow music!”

“Well, not only her, we all are,” Makoto added, “Nijima Makoto, and these are my friends, Okumura Haru, Kitagawa Yusuke, Takamaki Ann, Sakamoto Ryuji, and Kurusu Akira,”

“Hey you forgot me!” Morgana meowed.

“Neko,” Minato Yukina said as she carried Morgana and proceeded to pet him. The not-a-cat ends up purring after that.

“That's Mona-chan, he’s Akira-kun’s cat,” Haru added, “I apologise,” Akira added.

“It's alright, I'm sure Ran-chan would be fine about it,” Lisa chuckled.

“I know right, Ran-chan is so cool!” A girl with purple hair, the drummer of Roselia, Udagawa Ako exclaimed.

“Udagawa-san, you should be careful,” The guitarist of Roselia, Hikawa Sayo came, with Shirokane Rinko, the pianist of Roselia came. Futaba couldn't believe it was happening, all of the members of Roselia is here. Of course, their music are so cool.

“Sorry sorry, Sayo-san. But Ran-chan is so cool, Onee-chan is also cool!” Ako exclaimed, “Onee-chan’s drum would always give a bam and oomph, which is super cool,”

Lisa chuckled, “That's Ako for you,”

Then a group of steps seemed to came into their general area. Futaba wouldn't lie, the tallest seemed to be a big scary delinquent. Udagawa Ako who seemed to look at the tallest exclaimed, “Onee-chan!”

“Yo, Ako! Hope you like the workshop,” Ako’s older sister said.

“Ako-chan, your here,” Tsugumi smiled, “I hope this workshop is memorable for everyone here,”

“Tsugu-chin! I made a super cool arrangement, even Ran-chan has approved of it!” Ako exclaimed.

“Heeh, Ran approved of your arrangement~ Moca-chan is so sad, she couldn't give her undying love to Moca-chan, boo hoo~” Moca came out of nowhere.

“That's because you kept teasing Ran onstage,” The pink-haired girl dubbed Hii-chan said.

“But Hii-chan, Moca-chan has collected many pictures of Ran in Kimono~” Moca said showing the picture. “Woahh, Tomoe! Look, Ran is so cute!”

The red haired girl, Tomoe, seemed to join the girl, “Woahh Moca, we can collect this some how. Himari this will be a good collection!”

Tsugumi smiled, “Those are me and Moca's childhood friends, Udagawa Tomoe and Uehara Himari,” then looks at Moca, “But Moca-chan, won't Ran-chan get mad at you,”

“Nah it's cool, Moca-chan still has more at home, Ran can't stop me,” Moca shrugged.

“Ne, Onee-chan, let's have a drum off back home!” Ako exclaimed. Tomoe seemed to smile and said, “Let's go, I'm going to show you what I've got!”

“Gambare, Tomo-chin~!” Moca exclaimed.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤

Kurusu Akira merely watches the conversation happening. He didn't realize that both Ran-chan and Moca-chan seemed to know them quite well. Mostly Moca who seemed to be talking to Imai-san. Minato-san seemed to be looking at Morgana, petting him besides the not-cat adamantly saying he is not a cat. Morgana meowing seemed to make Minato-san more content in petting him.

“Akira-kun,” A calm yet cool female voice, a familiar one seemed to come to him. Next to him was none other than Mitake Ran. The girl was wearing a beautiful blue kimono, which made her utterly breathtaking, and different. Now that he thinks about it, Ran-chan seemed to have the demeanour of a cool person, with a hidden fiery passion. Her passion can burn everything in seconds. Even with her wildcard ability, he can sense that Ran-chan's fire burns brighter, especially when she is passionate about something. Like a fire ready to ignite, glowing brighter than the surrounding area.

“Ran-chan, what are you doing here?” Akira asked, the girl merely shook her head, “I'm assisting my father for this workshop,”

“Yaho! Ran, woah, you look super pretty today!” Imai-san exclaimed and Minato-san suddenly stood up, looking at Ran-chan with a calm expression.

“Mitake-san,” Minato started.

“Minato-san,” Ran-chan said, looking at the vocalist of Roselia cooly.

“Oho~ is this another classic Roselia x Afterglow fight?” Moca-chan exclaimed, with Hazawa, the older Udagawa, and Uehara walking straight next to Ran-chan, with the rest of Roselia walking next to Minato-san. Akira wouldn't lie, he didn't realize that a tense atmosphere is brewing. But then a statement shooked almost everyone. . . from Minato-san’s mouth.

“Mitake-san, Afterglow, I want to congratulate you all for winning GBT,”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤

Mitake Ran didn't expect that, folding her hands she merely nodded, “Thank you, Minato-san,”

She remembered working hard, practicing her guitar and singing at home, going to CIRCLE for rehearsals each day, spending hours after hours focusing on music. She wouldn't lie, it became rare for her to do flower arranging at the very last month, until her father said that she should also focus on the Instructor's exams that she also do flower arranging. Ran remembered barely sleeping that month, dedicating herself for the band, hoping to win the GBT. Everything became worth it in the end, and that final concert in GBT Ignited the fire in her. One Of Us became a hit with everyone there.

Ako then exclaimed happily, “Onee-chan's drums are super cool and bam, it was so cool, Ran-chan's singing is also cool, I saw it, it's like so cool!”

“Ako-chan,” Rinko smiled, looking at the members of Afterglow, “But yes, Afterglow's performance at the GBT Finals is so powerful, I can't help but feel at awe and intimidated. Hazawa-san’s piano is beautiful, it made me want to improve more,”

“Rinko-san. . .” Tsugumi’s eyes widened, then she smiled, “Thank you so much, it means a lot coming from you. I will also improve a lot, I still want to catch up with the rest of Afterglow,”

“Ooo~ Tsugu is being Tsugurific~!” Moca said with glee.

“Aoba-san’s guitar has a unique sound,” Hikawa-san added, “As well as the rest of Afterglow has created a beautiful and powerful performance, even the audience agreed,”

“Oh I remember,” Himari said, “The audience keeps yelling Encore, it sounded like music in the ears. We end up having to bring up another 3 songs,”

“I won't lie, I still wanted to perform more songs ya’know,” Tomoe chuckled.

“Tomo-chin was banging the drums as if there is no tomorrow, and Ran on the other hand is singing so deeply~” Moca said.

“That is true,” Minato-san said, “Mitake-san, your music is the same as always, and your performance has left an impression to all of Roselia, and we as a band, are aiming to the top, but cannot stop to think that Afterglow has always been and always will be Roselia's band rival,”

“Yukina?” Lisa-san looks at Roselia.

“Roselia, of course, will not go down and lose, that is why, we Roselia wanted not only to congratulate you, but to request for a joint-concert,” Minato-san said, her eyes looking serious.

“FOR REAL?!?!” Ran can hear Ryuji in the background, exclaiming. She looks at the rest of Afterglow, before nodding, “Minato-san, I accept, may the best band win,”

Minato-san nodded, “I will be informing you when and where, although I believe we will be performing at CIRCLE as usual. That will be all,”

The silver-haired singer turned heel and was going to leave before being stopped by Ran. “Minato-san, about the question you ask back then, I like singing, no I love singing. Being in a band, Afterglow, has always been everything to me. Many can say, I have a passion in music, in being in a band. Afterglow has always been home to me, creating a song for Afterglow, playing on stage with everyone. Yes, I like, no, love singing and being in a band, because Afterglow has always been my version of the same as always,” Ran explained, “Minato-san, the question you ask back then, that is my answer, but I won't be only say in through words, but through music. Minato-san, thank you for being my rival,”

Minato-san looked at her, before nodding, “I felt it, when you sing, that burning passion that I feel can consume me. Nevertheless, it made me want to move more, to improve, to be the top, just as I want it,”

“That is why,” Ran gave a challenging smirk, “Afterglow will win against Roselia, we won't go down that easily,”

Minato Yukina seemed to smile, but her eyes burning, as if she was challenging Ran also, “Of course, Roselia also won't lose,”

A handshake from the two vocalists seemed to semen the two rivals, a burning rivalry that is ready to bring the others, a drive to improve and perform the greatest performance they have.

Hikawa Sayo seemed to nod approvingly, “A healthy rivalry between both bands, one that strives to improve to best one another, that is a foundation of a perfect rivalry,” Hikawa-san then looks at Moca, “Aoba-san, I won't lose against you,”

“Alright, Sayo-san~ Moca-chan is ready to shred some guitar in the stage,” Moca smugly said, crossing her arms.

“Rinko-san, I will try my best!” Tsugumi said with a look of determination.

“Of course, we will see what we got,” Shirokane Rinko smiled.

“Himari, Roselia's bassist vs Afterglow’s bassist, let's see what we got!” Lisa-san said.

“I won't lose that easily, Lisa-senpai!” Himari said.

“Onee-chan, it's another drum off again, I, the great demon princess Ako, shall win this fight with the power of music and drums!” Ako dramatically said.

Tomoe smiled, her eyes burning in determination, “I'm fired up, I could do this for hours!”

Both bands nodded and shook their hands once again. Let the world see what their made of.

Then one of the instructor went to Ran, knowing that she was called by her father. She bowed before leaving them.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤

“Chotto, Imai-san, you know Ran-chan?” Ann asked.

“Yep~, Moca is a fellow part-timer at the convenience store, and knew her from Moca. While I personally met Ran-chan when we're both having a rivalry. I didn't realize, we've been rivals for so long, months after the creation of the GBP,” Lisa said, “But having rivals are good, makes me want to improve more,”

“I remember that joint concert well, Afterglow went all out, and we're both tied,” Ako exclaimed, “But it was so cool, like the whole audience are burning!”

“Roselia and Afterglow went to a tie, but it's insane. I can't wait to see after this,” Lisa smiled, “I won't lie, I am looking forward to see how much Roselia has improved, as well as Afterglow,”

“Woah, I didn't realize it's like that,” Futaba said. 

“But well, after the incident with Kamoshida, they went on a hiatus, went back again because Himari and Tsugu. Their re-debut was so cool, Onee-chan was even cooler, Ran-chan's singing was insanely cool, like Afterglow went bam and burning!” Ako exclaimed. 

Himari then chuckled, “Its insane that Ran was able to keep up, especially with those techniques. I'm surprised that we were able to go this far. If I could remember, Ran never had sang for those months when I was in the hospital. When we practiced together for the first time, Ran’s voice felt like the same as always,”

Lisa then nervously chuckled, “That's because Yukina has been dragging her alot, especially after that visit from the hospital. Yukina literally brought Ran to CIRCLE, just to sing,”

Himari's eyes widened, and so is the rest of Afterglow, “Wait? Really?”

“Maybe that is why Ran suddenly felt determined to sing~ Moca-chan throught it was for Moca-chan~ you know, like a love song~” Moca thought, looking innocent as she said so. 

“Moca-chan,” Tsugumi quietly warned.

“Kidding~ kidding~ just classic Moca-chan joke~,” Moca said with a smile, “But, Ean and I, have been playing the guitar after that, especially after a certain situation,”

“But I didn't realize that Ran-ran is in a band, especially Afterglow,” Ryuji said.

Neither does the rest of the thieves knew about that either. Mitake Ran, is after all, an enigmatic figure to them, with a fortress surrounding her. It was after Moca joined the Phantom Thieves when Ran’s walls are starting to fall. “Maybe one day, she could trust us. . .” Kurusu Akira thought as he watches. 

Author's Notes: Kinda focused on Ran's Flowers Arranging stuff and Roselia-Afterglow rivalry. Thought it would be nice for once, to see Ran's friends teasing her about wearing a beautiful Kimono. I have a feeling Afterglow has a whole album on that. The story was directly inspired from "Vow of the Orchid" by PtRanlover12, focusing on the chapter "Predestined Rivals". I just need Platonic YukiRan content I guess. And in my defense, AkiRan is a good ship (P5 Protag x Mitake Ran).

Also I named Ran's dad, Mitake Ryuu, the meaning is actually unique, and I thought it fits well lol.

Please listen to KYOUEN REDXVIOLET, it's actually bangers, as well as IGNITE GLOW by Afterglow and PASSIONATE ANTHEM by Roselia. Anyways, wish you all a great day!

[v-t-holmes]

good evening bandori tumblr guess who is going slightly insane about yukiran's rivalrly again

[happyfirstpri]

Nothing more homo than having parallel or mirroring nicknames with your rival since childhood

Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. Also known as:

the phoenix and the dragon

the sun of maranello and the rain of milton keynes

il predestinato (the predestined) and the inevitable

eterni rivali (eternal rivals)

Eterni rivali is so sexy, like imagine signing off letters with that?

“Il tuo Eterno Rivale,

[insert name]”

HOT. SEXY. I’D KISS YOU ON THE LIPS.

[ladysomething]

Tbh my take is that charles rated the inchident 3/5 because he still feels totally justified in what he did so that’s why he doesn’t laugh at it as much as max

«Unfair» he mutters, mate, that absolute menace absolutely backs his 14 year old self and would probably do it all over again

he absolutely looks back at the inchident and is like "and I'd do it again right now. 3/5 because I wish I'd made him cry actually."

meanwhile Max is giggling and kicking his feet any time the inchident is mentioned (mostly by his very own self) because he's like "Charles and I are predestined. he is my ultimate rival. do you remember that time he PUSHED me OFF track? I do. in fact he's the only person in this godforsaken place that can actually drive. I WISH he'd push me off track again because then at least he'd have a good car."

[valyrfia]

(edited it some so it’s actually closer to 700 words but it’s me the hypothetical anon. uh. yeah. not sure where this came from. or why i let the real life stats play such a huge role in my rpf analysis lmfao)

hi i have a lot of thoughts about charles and oscar also. especially what you said about oscar being one of the first to grow up with charles’s legacy. i was thinking about how like, f2 doesn’t really have legends, not yet. however, charles leclerc is sure as hell the closest they’ve got. to this day, no one has beaten his point rate (oscar is the closest, 51.6 to 53.4) or his pole record. no one has surpassed his win record or his win rate. and he did that in the inaugural season. charles leclerc haunts the halls of prema racing etc etc.

speaking of chronically haunting the narrative i do not think choscar are sebmark pt2 but i do think they are kind of like mirrors with fucked up reflections of each other. mark webber looked at oscar and knew why he’d never won a wdc and simultaneously sebastian vettel looked at charles and knew he’d never win one again. 

oscar entered the junior series just as charles was graduating; he won his first championship as charles won his first f1 race. and then he signed with charles’s former team and he kept on winning until he set a career record that’s unbroken to this day. but oscar *still didn’t beat charles.*

finally they were in the same series, but it wasn’t going as well as f2 had for oscar, or as 2022 had for charles. in their first race, neither of them even finished, and oscar spent most of the season multiple places lower than charles, slowly closing the position gap. 

but when oscar got his first GP podium, a third place finish, what position was charles in? fourth, of course. following closely. oscar has stood on a GP podium 10 times; in half of them charles has been there with him. and yet, they have *never* split the podium. they’re always 1-2 or 2-3, following each other the way oscar has been following charles since he was sixteen and watching him set the standard, since he was eighteen and racing with his former team, since he was twenty-one and sharing the grid with him for the first time. charles makes jokes on twitter and seeks oscar out to talk with him and inevitably they are in each other’s orbit, not magnets, but circling, following.

oscar is calm, cool, collected; charles is charming, a PR team’s wet dream. except oscar happily declared that he loves charles during a radio interview, and charles used to talk about how much oscar deserved an f1 seat. except oscar’s entire face lights up when charles approaches him after the race, and charles puts his hand around oscar’s waist like it’s natural. except there was Monaco, and Monza, and Baku, and Qatar.

it’s hard to imagine they would be predestined. they aren’t childhood rivals like max and charles; barely gave the other so much as a glance last year. but, well, they race against each other like it’s natural, instinctive until it’s not, learned somewhere but never consciously taught. charles calls oscar’s bluff, nurtures his tires through an impressive one-stop and makes oscar work to stay on him; oscar takes the long way around, dares charles to hold off on the brakes for as long as oscar dared to in order to get past him, and they’re both attached to the other when they get out of the car, following them to the cooldown room or the weighing station. talking or maybe just soaking it in.

not fated, not intentional. just, well, oscar has been trying to beat charles leclerc in some way since he signed with prema. just, well, charles has been able to win over oscar without even having to try since at *least* their Monaco shenanigans. (and don’t even get me started on how MAX haunts this fucking narrative).

so like. it’s papaya and rosso corsa but it’s also bold overtakes and fierce defending but it’s also just oscar and charles. despite my rambling I think that is the core of it; together, they are simple. oscar and charles easily become oscarandcharles on the track, in the cooldown room, outside of the paddock. etc etc

Choscar anon, welcome. You are music to my ears. I think the brilliant thing about Choscar which you've summarised so beautifully in this ask is they are the ship for the pure F1 rpf ENJOYER. They are made so much better by the intertwining narrative and parallels to all these other ships (and if you ever want to come back with a part 2 as to how Max haunts the narrative....I WILL be seated).

[p4nishers]

*crawley voice* oh heyyy my predestined rival angel my angel i mean *mumbles vaguely* anyway thanks for believing in me i will repay this by showing you what real pleasure is then watch hornily as u devour an ox bc i can't express my feelings like a normal person haha yeah sure go ahead and lie straight to ur bosses face it's not like i was salivating over u enough before or anything *makes some random noises* 's cool angel i wont take u to hell but i might take on a date if u ask nicely oohhh no dont cry u r so sexy ahaha ugggghhhhhhj man there there it's lonely as fuck my guy yeah shhhh

[hyacinthsdiamonds]

I think part of the reason why I find Max and Charles' dynamic so fascinating is because if anybody created original characters with their basic backstory they would be called out for pushing the narrative too hard but it's literally just basic well known facts about them and things we've seen happen, it's insane like

They're born sixteen days apart.

Their star sign is Libra, the sign of balance, equilibrium.

A complete and utter coincidence and Charles of course had his own personal reasons for choosing his number, but his number also happens to be the same about days that separate their birthdays.

They literally grew up racing each other.

They hated each other as kids.

"I am just as good as him/we're equals in experience etc"

The way they talked about each other to journalists and in their blogs while they were karting lmao.

The incident!

The comparisons since the beginning to Senna and Prost, two of the sports goats and one of the greatest rivalry in F1's history.

Max recommended Charles to be his replacement when he left his team to move onto to the next stage.

There's something poetic about them being born in the year of the ox and Max driving for red BULL. Also 2021 in which Max won his first championship was also the year of the ox and I am completely normal about it after just finding out about five minutes ago -

The slowburn of the relationship, lifelong rivals but friends now too.

The way they talk about each other.

The fact they're each other's biggest defenders.

I am sorry but Charles running off track after getting distracted by Max and then hitting his head on a golf cart again after getting distracted by Max is something I expect to see in romcom or a fic but no both of these things actually happened in Abu Dhabi 2021 on the same night lmao.

The fact they don't follow each other on Instagram and yet interact with posts about the other that someone else posted.

The reason why they don't follow each other lmao, I still cackle thinking of Charles - literally on Max's freaking plane going home to Monaco after Austria 2019 - looking over at Max to see if he noticed that he'd unfollowed him.

Max was known as the inevitable. Charles is the predestined one. Like hello?!!!

There's more but like??!!! The fact this is real life and not a movie is insane sometimes - Guess it's true what they say, truth is stranger than fiction

[souvenir116]

Being new to lestappen and I'm like holy shit the lore these two have is truly incredible. I feel like I'm watching a sports anime or something but no, it's real life. But they're such rivals-who-believe-in-each-other trope it's actually insane

you can't make anyone believe that in an anime or movie there are two man born between in 16 days, grew up together, hated each others guts as kids, the predestined and the inevitable, at their sports top two teams, backing each other up like married couples against anyone else but fighting tooth and nail on track, "I hated him as much as he hated me" You just can't make anyone believe it, in a scenario, it would be too forced. Too impossible to exist together. Only exists in movies. Yet.

[goldengirl-116]

Sometimes Max's and Charles' dynamic is wildly misinterpreted, because while most of the fans think that Max is probably more dominant due to his aggressive nature on track and his unforgettable Mad Max era, he's actually a softy with a huge heart that is too nice and cares about his friendships with other drivers even when they don't say nice things about him. Meanwhile, Charles is a menace, chaotic and adorable but also quite the troublemaker, being shit at other sports but always claiming, for the life of him, that he's the best. Charles is extremely competitive and wants to be the best at everything even when he's not (adorably so), and even though he speaks French and is widely loved by Italian men, he has quite the strong character, fiercely loyal and very protective of the people he loves.

And while Charles listens to the maxplaining because he can't deny that he lives for those debriefs, he will carefully listen to every word Max says to him and immediately clarify any points he disagrees with, insisting on his opinion until he can make Max see what he sees because he needs it. Charles is also aware that he's pretty and while he's humble, but not shy about it, he won't stop himself from batting his eyelashes at Max when he wants to get his attention because he knows Max can't resist him.

And Max really can't resist Charles when he's near him and probably goes home and thinks of things that he can say to Charles and get away with like if the Singaporean flag is actually Monaco's; and when his mind goes blank because Charles is too pretty and Max forgot the list of things he had prepared, he asks him about the weather and tells him about how he hurt his elbow.

Baby girl Max is probably Charles' favorite and while Max is a champion on track and probably turns Charles on when Max gets all aggressive with him while they're battling wheel to wheel, because yeah, Charles wants to win and Max is his biggest rival but also...he knows Max the most and he's secretly so proud of him when Max doesn't budge an inch and that's the most fun he has in races. As payback, though, Charlie likes to tease him, naming his dog after him and giving him lopsided winks because it gets Max all flustered and bothered.

There are moments, of course, when Max's feelings are too much to handle and calls out to him, "Charlie, I have space for you" because of course, he fucking does. They reminisce about the good old days, the inchident that they refuse to let anyone forget about, when the fire inside of them flamed so high that they almost burned themselves. However, Max will always talk about Charles' racing and use it to flirt with him because racing is his element and if there's one thing he's absolutely sure of, it's that Charles' driving is beautiful and if Max got into F1, then so would Charles.

Charles, on the other hand, knows how to sweet talk his way out of anything and works the crowd so well that when the fans boo his baby, he immediately quiets them down, because if you love Charles, then you have to love Max, it's a two for one kind of deal. And Charles Leclerc will always be the so-called Monaco prince and maybe this is why Max secretly moved there, where the color of the sea reminds him of deep green eyes.

Max...he's a three-time world champion and the only person that can really take him on is Charles; born only sixteen--yes, sixteen, no relation to the Ferrari boy's number--days apart to challenge each other into one of the greatest mechanical love stories of their generation, it was predestined and inevitable.

Off track, though, he's actually Charlie's baby girl, soft and sweet with clear ocean eyes and a sharp tongue that wraps around Charles' name like a prayer.

The point is, their dynamic is like this:

Charles is the dominant one, often playing Max the same way he plays the piano, focused and attuned to him; and Max likes to dive headfirst into Charles, because he's most alive when the sun shines through the rain.

[aithusarosekiller]

Imagining a pirate au with two infamous ships captained by each black brother respectively and they're forced to join together because they know they're being sought out by a common enemy. They both have reputations for being violent and ruthless but they have a sense of camaraderie and love for their crew so they both go into it expecting the other to be fucking awful only to realise they seem to be the only two pirate ships out there with any level of trust and loyalty. Because of this, it's easier to assimilate because they already work well among their own crew.

And at first they all hate the decision but eventually it becomes a beautiful found family thing where they all find a home with each other and choose to stick together for the rest of their lives. One ship gets badly damaged and they help to save what they can before moving in to the other.

There are so many petty rivals to lovers arcs too. Dorlene both bicker over being in control of arms while trying to ignore the fact they're clearly interested in each other and it drives everyone else insane. MarPanLily have a weird competitive relationship going on that none of them understand but they get strangely protective of each other during raids.

Jegulus take FOREVER to get over themselves because Regulus heard stories of James from word of mouth and James heard about Regulus from Sirius so they've both told themselves for years that they'd have nothing in common and hate each other, only to realise they were painfully wrong when they actually meet and have to talk to each other about course planning.

Something about pirate aus make my fav ships seem so timeless and predestined to me idk. Like other aus are fun but something about meeting under such unusual, brutal circumstances and ending up travelling across the vast ocean together forever feels like peak romance to me even if it would be kinda sucky in real life bc pirates were not a fun happy healthy bunch. Still, the beauty in going to the ends of the world with someone and being apart from society is so beautiful for my little gay ships. Someone do that with me :(

[heliads]

Ok so I saw how you said you wanted to write for narnia in your request guidelines so, imagine if you will:

Reader and Caspian with a sort of rivals to friends to lovers. Charting the transition from "My prince" (Sarcastic) to "My prince" (playfull, joking) to eventually "MY prince" (loving). Hope this makes sense, lots of love <3

when people check the request guidelines <333 also this request was so good that i had the people vote upon it. soldier reader for the win

masterlist

You’re not sure what makes you more angry, the fact that you broke your sword or that the prince was there to see it. If it were not enough of a ruination to your day to have your blade break in half like a child’s wooden toy, if it were not enough to have to retreat through the storms of other fights and clashing metal and skulk to the background to get another, you were witnessed by the one person you detest most of all.

You should not be hating Prince Caspian. He just makes it rather easy to do so. He is the physical embodiment of this world, the crown on high, the savior of your every waking hour, all because he happened to be born into the right family at the right time. It is not his fault that he is one of the most powerful men in all of Narnia, but it is not the result of his labor, either. He is simply the prince, and there is nothing more to say on the matter.

That is quite different from you, then. You had to claw your way up through the ranks, sacrificing skin and sweat so you could eke out a win time and time again. Your trials served you well, gilding your brow with the title of captain of the guard, but it wasn’t like anything was handed to you. No, not at all. Yet, by virtue of his predestined position, Caspian technically has control over every soldier in Narnia. He outranks all of your efforts by the crown put on his head when he was just an infant.

This is the way of the world, and the way that it has always been. It makes no sense for you to hate him so fervently over something he cannot control. Caspian is an easy scapegoat, though, a figurehead for you to heap your regrets upon like laurels. It is not his fault that he was made prince. It is not his fault that you despise him for being one.

You’ve had time to grow accustomed to your life of blood and sweat, however, and today should have been no different. This morning was an amalgamation of at least a dozen different mistakes, though, and that ruined your day before it hardly even started. You woke up a little too late, you snapped at your friends then regretted it half a second later, and now you’ve gone and broken your blade, too.

It wasn’t your best weapon, at least that counts for something. Your finest sword is your most prized possession, and lies in careful hiding back in your quarters. This was merely your practice weapon, one designed to be battered and beaten all in the means of furthering the skills of you and your men.

Still, it stings to see it lying on the dusty ground of the training yard, shiny metal fragments already beginning to cloud over with grime. You sigh, signaling to your partner that you’ll have to abandon the match for now, and carefully pick up the pieces. When you stand, cradling the shards of your sword like a child, you look up and see Caspian of all people staring at you from across the training yard. Evidently he’s arrived just to see your sword fail.

Wonderful timing as always from him. You have to marvel at how he does it. You half think Caspian carefully plans his excursions into the swordsman's arenas when he believes you to be least ready to see him. You meet his gaze for a moment longer, then turn, heading back towards the rows of equipment on the far side of the yard.

You murmur at least half a dozen curses as you go, running them over your tongue like a prayer. The broken pieces of your sword can be turned into the armorer in the hopes that something will become of them, but you highly doubt that. In the meantime, you’ll have to dig up the coin to buy yourself a new sword, and risk damaging your primary weapon in the meantime. How splendid.

A voice sounds from behind you, one that makes you grit your teeth despite the soothing intonations. “You know, if you’re stabbing our own men so hard your weapon shatters, I’m afraid to see what you’ll do to our enemies.”

You grimace to yourself, then turn around to face Caspian, expression resolute. “Fear not, my prince, your men will be spared from me today. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to break swords when a battle arises.”

Caspian arches a brow, perhaps at the tone you direct towards his title. “If you speak with that much thrill over the thought of war, I’m beginning to fear that you may not be my best advisor regarding the maintenance of peace.” 

As if he’d ever listen to you long enough to consider you an advisor. The two of you snap at each other’s throats every time you get within shouting range. “Perhaps I just like a chance to fight.”

“I think I’ve noticed that,” Caspian murmurs, bemused.

It takes great strength to keep from glaring at him, strength that fails you by the second. “You’ll have to excuse me, I must go to the blacksmith for repairs.”

His face falls. “You won’t be continuing in the ring today? I had hoped to best you yet again.”

His lips quirk up as he says it, making the insult lose some of its barb, but it still makes your temper flare. “I’m afraid not. Blades are not as easily bought by soldiers as princes, I must see if I can salvage this one before going to the trouble of a purchase.”

Caspian seems half a second of self control from rolling his eyes. “There are more swords in the yard, L/N. Simply select another and we can go for a round or two.”

He gestures towards the training yard expectantly, and you feel the weight of your difference in stations come crashing down around you. Caspian will not stop asking until you fight him, that is his birthright. He does not know what it means to be disobeyed. And, as the captain of his guard, you cannot argue. This you know to be true, even if Caspian is unaware of just how he’s wielding his influence. There is nothing you can do to circumvent him.

You force your expression to go icily cold, devoid of any and all emotion. Even the anger, which was sparking through you so readily before, vanishes from your disposition. Caspian blinks in surprise at the sudden change, more so when you abruptly drop the pieces of your broken blade to the ground, where they send up a small storm of dust.

“Of course,” you say, even-syllabled, “how could I ever think to do anything else? Your word is my command, my prince.”

You pack as much loathing as possible into those syllables. Caspian flinches as if you’ve hit him, and then his confidence is gone, his eyes downcast. “If you don’t want to–” He begins in a whisper, but you’re already moving briskly towards the rows of extra blades.

“I most certainly want to,” you answer him, the borrowed blade seeming to cut into your hand despite the smooth leather grip, “you have asked, and that is all the motivation I should ever need.”

Caspian swallows hard, opens his mouth to say something, but you swing your blade at his head before he can manage it. This is utterly wrong behavior for a soldier towards a prince, but Caspian has never seemed to have a problem with your actions before, no matter how challenging. It’s as if both of your prides are so strong that they could overcome any class barrier set in your way.

Caspian barely parries your sword before it cuts into his head. Grunting with effort, he twists his weapon, forcing you to step back as he disengages, striking towards you in return. Seizing the opportunity, Caspian presses his advantage, taking a few quick steps and maneuvering the two of you further into the training yard and into the designated spaces for fighting.

Words are clearly still clinging to his tongue, begging to be spoken aloud, but this is no longer a place for conversation. It takes everything in you to counter his attacks, to spot when he’s off balance and lunge with piercing precision towards every gap in Caspian’s defense. You may hate the dark-haired prince with every fiber of your being, but you cannot deny that he is skilled. He might be the only one here capable of providing a challenge to you. You might hate him even more for that, or worse, not at all.

Caspian feints to his left, then his right. You ignore both distractions and plunge your weapon straight towards his heart. Expecting your belligerence in regards to his ploys, Caspian parries the strike and returns it with one of his own. You move to take a quick sidestep, but the ground is slick beneath your feet with mud from yesterday’s rain and you stumble. It’s the slightest of missteps, but for someone at Caspian’s level, it is enough.

He lunges forward, and you feel the shadow of the stone wall on your back before he pushes you into it. The rock is cold against your back, driving the air from your lungs. You try to force your way towards the center of the yard again, but Caspian has his sword at your throat, and any movement would lead to you cutting your own neck.

Unwilling to yield quite yet, you stay silent. You and Caspian breathe in and out, the deep gasps for air first discordant and then slowly, steadily, joining in a shared rhythm.

Caspian speaks first, you know he’s been waiting for it. “You hate me.”

You scoff. “You hate me. This is not an exclusive feeling.”

He exhales harshly, exasperated. “Stop deflecting everything onto me. We could have been friends.”

You laugh, tilting your head back to give him a better chance to slit your throat. “You are a prince. I would never have been anything but nothing to you.”

Caspian’s eyes widen. He moves away from you unsteadily, first closer than he’s ever been, then gone, halfway across the yard in what feels like just a second. You let your eyes shudder closed, exhausted from the intensity of the fight but perhaps something more as well. When you open your lids, he is gone. He had just arrived, but he is nowhere to be seen now. That could be no one’s fault but yours. He is not your friend. But. He could be so, so much more. 

Three days later, a gift arrives in your quarters. You unwrap the cloth bindings to reveal a sword nestled within the folds. You can tell at once that it has been perfectly selected for you– the heft is just right for your level of strength, the grip matches your hands exactly, and the edges are razor sharp, ideal for those slashes towards the forearms you’ve been so fond of as of late.

It comes swathed in a rich purple cloth, the sort of color you’ve only ever seen decorating Caspian’s frame as he walks with his troops or speaks to his nobles. An angrier, more bitter part of you wants to reject the gift entirely, to toss it from your room like refuse or return it back to him at once. Still, it is a fine blade, and you know that were you to just pick it up, it would feel exactly right, an extension of your arm into shining metal.

So, the sword joins the rest of your collections, and the purple linen ends up tucked away in your desk, carefully folded into a neat square of color and creases. You cannot explain why you do either, not even to yourself. 

The next time you’re called out with your regiment to guard the prince and some foreign powers on a diplomatic mission, the sword is on your belt, your hand resting on its hilt. Caspian sees and something changes in his expression; a deepening of a smile, a pleased spark in his eyes. For some reason, you cannot hate him for being proud. Not today.

He finds you later, once the crowds have dispersed and he doesn’t have to be a prince, just a man. “What a fine sword that is,” he remarks pleasantly.

You narrow your eyes. “Don’t. Don’t even.”

Caspian spreads his hands, the picture of innocence. “I have no idea what you could possibly be talking about.”

“You had better not,” you grumble.

He nods solemnly. “Of course. Just a random thought, however, it really is a nice blade. It must have been picked out by an exceedingly good swordsman. Perhaps even the best in the castle.”

You should be irritated with him for being so bothersome again. Instead, you find yourself fighting a smile. “It’s a shame, then, that the only swordsman here worth his salt is me.”

Caspian’s mouth drops comically. “That cannot be true.”

“It is,” you reply as casually as you can, “I come to you with only the best information, my prince. Only the best.”

He starts to respond, but something stops him, something that makes him smile quietly. Your stomach flips with the unsettling feeling of having missed out on a joke, but for once, you don’t entirely mind it. Instead, the two of you walk all the way back to the castle, and only when the diplomats arrive again must you be parted. It is not the worst use of your time.

Caspian finds you again two nights later. You’re on a shift guarding a section of the castle walls, which gives you an excellent view of the foreign powers riding away into the darkness. They’ve been here for days now, testing Caspian’s patience like no one else, not even you.

He joins you soon enough, exhaustedly leaning his arms up against the stone battlements. “I think I hate politics,” he murmurs into the night air.

You chuckle, the quiet sound abnormally loud in the darkness. It should make you self conscious, and it does, but not as much as it would for anyone else. The hot prick of awareness in your stomach is both doubly strong and doubly weak because you are next to Caspian; why, you cannot explain, but it is true.

“You are a prince,” you point out, “politics was always something you would have to do.”

Caspian groans. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it. That’s why I always envied you, you know. You got to carry the banner and fight the battles without any political conniving.”

You stare at him in shock. “That cannot be true. No future king could ever want to be a mere soldier.”

He laughs derisively. “As if you’ve ever been a mere soldier. Not to me,” he adds on afterthought, and you’re not sure that it was even meant for your ears, “no, not to me.”

You shake your head slowly. “But I thought you hated me. All this time, you’ve merely wanted to join me in fighting without a care?”

Caspian’s brow furrows. “Hate you? No, no. I never hated you. I never could hate you.”

He straightens up, slowly walking over to you. There is no one else on the castle wall to see you, no one below. Even still, your eyes feel like more than enough of an audience to find some reason to stop this before the pounding in your heart blocks out your ability to breathe properly.

“My prince,” you say, a warning. It doesn’t make him flinch like it used to, a blow grown familiar, worn down to the weight of a feather instead of that of a blade.

Caspian sighs, the listless air leaving him and vanishing just as quickly on the wind. “Don’t tell me you haven’t wanted this. That you’ve never thought about it.”

“I couldn’t,” you whisper, and something in you cracks in half when his face falls, “but you could.”

Caspian’s eyes dart cautiously up to you again. “Are you sure?”

Neither of you have to specify what he means for you to know. “Yes,” you breathe.

You did not anticipate this night to end with you kissing the crown prince of Narnia. That being said, you would not want to have it any other way. There may be foreign dignitaries out there plotting the end of his reign, or political turmoils present to claim most of his time, but tonight, Caspian is yours and yours alone. It makes you smile into him. It makes everything that much better.

narnia tag list: empty for now!

[rnnsdrms]

f1 drivers and popular romance tropes: charles leclerc !!

DEAREST READER. hello there! while waiting for the two-week break to end, i needed a little f1 headcanon/scenario to heal me from the famine. anyway, here’s for the leclerc fans out there! it’s funny that i’m posting his first when i actually finished oscar’s first 😂 i hope you’ll enjoy~ for more drivers, you can see my masterlist at the end of the post !

CONTENT WARNINGS. no warnings. just a heads-up that i am an 18+ blog and i prefer only adults visit my profile page. if you’re a minor, you can still read this work since it’s sfw. so, i hope everyone out there is being honest with themselves. oh, probably my fucked up english grammar because why do i care it’s pure vibes !

WORD COUNT. 998 words (ugh, so close to 1k) !

I debated with this idea, but after some time, I decided that mutual pining suits Charles Leclerc better. There is so much potential for slow-burn and comedy. It’s the kind of story where there’s already an established sense of familiarity between you and Charles, one that has existed for as long as either of you can remember. But it has never crossed into anything as intimate as being ‘lovers’. Sure, both your groups of friends always comment about how the two of you argue like a married couple and suggest you should just make it official already, but you and Charles dodge these accusations as swiftly as an F1 driver dodging a collision course.

While you and Charles may eye-roll or stick your tongue out at the sight of each other, both of you secretly wish for something more. Yet, neither dares to make a move, fearing the loss of the bond binding you and him. The platonic relationship between you and him feels comfortable, and disrupting that would seem like the foolish move of the century. So, to preserve it, you’re quick to ignore your feelings, and he does the same. As a result, pent-up, endearing emotions often spill out in the form of silly banter and subtle jealousy. The sneaky glances across the room and the lame lies told when either of you got caught staring seem endless. This routine is no different to playing a song on repeat: it’s the only thing that you’re both fixated on, apparently. At this point, provoking each other just to see what kind of reaction the other can elicit can be considered a love language. You think he’s just being annoying as usual, while he thinks you’re unbearably nosy–and it doesn’t help that he has heard of the ‘you want to kiss me so bad’ meme and he has used it against you every single time you are about to start an argument with him.

Charles Leclerc, despite being a multiple Grand Prix winner and has earned himself many titles–The Prince of Ferrari, The King of Monza, The Sun of Maranello, The Predestined–he still can’t officially call himself ‘your boyfriend’. It’s pathetic and it pisses him off. Currently one of the best drivers on the F1 grid, he has placed himself among legendary rivals, and yet, he can’t seem to place himself on the same bed as yours. Although his fame attracts the attention of high-profile celebrities and influencers, Charles has his thoughts and eyes only on you, even when he is currently surrounded by them. You, on the other hand, love to torture yourself by watching him sitting and talking with glamorous models–or just pretty women in general. He says it’s an occupational hazard, but the way you see it–or rather, feel it–it is more of an emotional hazard to you. But you’re not just going to sit around and drink your sorrows away. No. You’re going to greet and chat with his driver friends … but him.

His eyes narrow dangerously whenever he sees you hanging out with another man, even with his fellow F1 driver friends. But he starts losing his cool when he sees one of them initiate physical contact with you. While you’re giving them your best smile and laughter, Charles is already plotting how to commit a massacre on the next circuit. When you notice that he’s beginning to space out, you decide to approach him, incoming snide remarks already up your sleeve to torment Ferrari’s golden boy.

‘So,’ you start, taking the long-awaited empty seat beside him, ‘is she going to be your next in-chi-dent? Or just another pit stop?’

‘What? I’m the most charming guy in the room. I can’t help if all the ladies want a piece of me.’

‘Oh, please.’ You roll your eyes, ‘you’re about as charming as a stalled-out engine on a race day.’ You add, taking a sip of your drink.

A grin spreads across Charles’ thin lips as he leans closer to you–his chin barely above your shoulder. ‘Is that so? Funny, because I thought I’m just like Ferrari–impossible to resist.’

You try to repress the blush that is beginning to creep up your cheeks by staring at him dead in the eyes. ‘Well, since you are a Ferrari, then I guess I’m the safety car. Always having to slow you down when you get too full of yourself.’

The slight shock on Charles’ face gives you immense satisfaction, and you don’t try to hide it. But he is also quick to gain composure.

‘Or maybe, you’re just the chequered flag I’ve been racing toward all along ...’ He said, but his words seem to trail off in the wind.

It catches you off guard, and you stare at him with a questioning look, only to see Charles’ green eyes gazing at you tenderly. Oh, you hate it so much when he looks at you like that.

‘Nice try.’ You quickly cover your raging emotions with a smirk. ‘But you’re still stuck in the pits.’

• ───────────────────────────•

[ SONGS FOR THIS TROPE: Taylor Swift – Dress ✦ Sabrina Carpenter – Nonsense ✦ Arctic Monkeys – I Wanna Be Yours ✦ Gracie Abrams – Feels Like ✦ Lana Del Rey – Say Yes To Heaven ✦ Ariana Grande — goodnight n go ]

• ───────────────────────────•

˗ˏˋ MASTERLIST ˎˊ˗ ˗ˏˋ KO-FI ˎˊ˗

RNNSDRMS™. SUPPORT WRITERS BY REBLOGGING THEIR WORK. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE, TRANSLATE, OR POST MY WORKS ON ANY SITE. I WILL POST MY POSTS ON OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA SITES MYSELF AND THAT’S ALL YOU GET.

[countingstars-17]

the inevitable and the predestined, the eternal rivals and now we have the dragon an the phoenix

[dreamsy990]

not to get all analytical about a ship that is at the end of the day the consequences of our desire for toxic yaoi but i think the reason shuake works so well (even in a platonic context) is that it just. works well with the themes of the game. like in a game about defying authority and ideas of predestination ofc the idea of the "fated rivals" deciding to be anything else is good. its a strong thematic choice! enemies by fate and friends by choice is actually a very good dynamic in that context i think. anyways thats it just saying things

[laura1633]

What is the name of the kink where you get off on telling people how talented your predestined rival is?

Asking on behalf of a Dutch man.

[verstppism]

Boy's Talk (About You) - Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - take me anywhere but home

word count: 1957

masterpost.

synopsis everyone has their secrets, a group chat formed by charles leclerc, pierre gasly, alex albon, lando norris and george russell knows all of them. the 'kill the grid' chat has only one purpose: gossiping about other drivers' lives, romantic and social

or, a casual chat leads to charles confessing a crush on max, who's has been his rival since childhood

If Charles was still half asleep, the iMessage notifications coming from Max definitely woke him up. All the nervousness and anxiety from last night made sense: Max was leaving Brazil and his girlfriend to spend New Years in Monaco. But what were his intentions behind such a sudden decision? If Max really broke up with her, then he wouldn’t be texting the older one on a cold December morning. Or would he? Max Verstappen was a confusing person. One night, he says he’s not happy with his girlfriend, the other he goes on a private padel match with his ex-rival. Things seem to go well between them.

It’s when he posts a photo with his girlfriend after the race that tears everything apart. Still in his racing suit. Messy hair. Still sweating. Everything that belonged to Charles and to him only. In fact, Max was his. Who does she think she is? Charles only thought about how he could talk so casually about Kelly right before calling him “Charlie” and pushing him as far away from Lance as possible in the sprint podium. It was driving him insane — More than he already is. After eternal minutes discussing his own love life and its frustrations, Charles notices he left Max on read, he had accidentally opened the app and his conversation with the other one.

“charlie: good morningg “

“charlie: i am! are u okay? “

Charles was really at a loss at words, so he decided to pretend that he didn’t know where Max was nor that he was a few meters from the blonde’s house.

“maxiee: yeah “

“maxiee: just had a little change of plans and came back to monaco “

“charlie: oh really? “

“charlie: did anything happen or? “

“maxiee: can we talk about this in person? “

“maxiee: we can go to that café you mentioned in the padel match “

He… Remember. Their meeting (date?) was months ago, and he remembers it. Something he slightly mentioned once in a lifetime, and he recalls it in perfect detail. Charles wonders if Max remembers everything that pondered his mind. He asks himself if he recalls their discussions back in their karting days, or when they slowly started to use pet names for the first time. In the end, did Max realize that they were made for each other, even though they were predestined to fight for a whole life?

“charlie: of course! what time? “

“maxiee: im just getting ready, i’ll be there in a couple minutes “

“maxiee: nothing is too far here “

Charles giggles at the last message, like he always did when he exchanged messages with his beloved. After all, it was more of a date orchestrated by Max — he is good at setting up dates so subtly. Or maybe Charles just accepts every invite from the other. — and again, alone together. A more casual reunion this time: without any sport or anyone that could get in their way. It seemed like a dream, Charles hoped it wasn’t.

He didn’t even mind telling his friends of such an important event, just got up from his bed and quickly got ready. Casual clothing and sunglasses to go unnoticed. It wasn’t easy to go on a date in broad daylight in a city as small as Monte Carlo.

—————

It really didn't take long for them to meet. That little cafeteria was one of the secret gems of Monaco, hidden between beautiful historic buildings. As Charles arrived, he already could see Max, stirring coffee and sugar on the delicate little cup. He was looking down, his face with little to no emotion, more like hesitant of… something. 

The doorbell ring filled the quiet place when the older entered the place getting the other's attention, which gave a soft and kinda sad smile to him. A smile that wasn't common as the post race ones or those shared in press conferences. ‘This is not the moment to overthink your relationship with him.’ Charles thought. 

“I’m not late this time. '' Leclerc broke the awkward silence between them as he sat down. “Yeah… I mean, you live around here, no?” Max sounded somewhat different. Nervous? Sad? Reading his feelings through his face wasn’t Charles’ best ability. “So remember when I told you I would spend New Years in Brazil?” 

“Of course! I was also about to ask you about it. Why did you come back home?” He said as he sat down. Home. Not the best wording at the moment, given that he’s actually Dutch and we are somewhere around near South France. It’s what they say: ‘home is where the heart is’. “Like… Did anything happen?”

“Yeah, uh…”  Apprehensive. A worried tone filled his voice. “Me and Kelly had a little fight right after Christmas and I thought it would be better for us to part ways. She wasn’t very willing to but… Can I be honest? I was growing tired of being stuck with her.”

Stuck with her. Stuck. Max was tired. Max doesn't like her. At All. Charles felt like his chest was collapsing in the best way possible. How was he supposed to act normally and feel pity for them when butterflies filled his stomach?

“And you know, I only kept the relationship up because of her daughter…” Verstappen smiled while looking at the cup. The older’s intrusive thoughts were telling to adopt a child with that man. He was such a good dad after all! “And PR too. I think our love wasn't reciprocal… I was there for the kid and she was for the status of being a Formula One driver's girlfriend.” 

“Oh Max… That's too bad. I’m so sorry for you” A pitiful look surged on Charles’ face, trying to show empathy and not that he was going insane over all of this. “I’m sure you and her will be able to meet again.” A shy smile appeared on the younger’s face when ocean and emerald eyes met. A comfortable silence surrounded them, only the ambient sound and smell of fresh coffee filled the empty café.

“Now that we are on the topic, it may sound rude but I need to get this off my chest. I doubt you two would still be together if you didn't win in 2021.” Still apprehensive, Charles felt safe to talk shit about Max’s ex-girlfriend. When he saw the other’s eyes glitter at the comment, he was sure: the blonde has been waiting forever to do this. “You doubt? I'm 100% sure! After we left RedBull’s party she started talking about marriage, mate. Can you believe that!?” 

Minutes that felt like hours passed by. Charles and Max talked about many secrets they've kept for each other for the mere thought of “this is not something you usually tell your best friend, especially when he’s dating a person you don’t really like”. In fact, they would never get to these specific topics – mostly about relationships. Maybe both were scared of oversharing and confessing their true love, ruining it all for once. The older didn't know if delusional thoughts took over, but he felt things were getting intimate, at some point, their feet touched and so their legs proceeded to slightly intertwine. 

They didn’t even bother to order food or anything. — and so the waiters did not ask them to. Perhaps it was an obvious date to whoever passed by. When leaving, Max only paid for this coffee cup that was now cold, half drunken and long forgotten on the table. Both got so deep in conversation they forgot the world keeps spinning, and the day goes by, like they always do. Like it always happens. If you didn’t know, you would guess that they were long-distance boyfriends meeting for the first time.

It was almost dusk when they left the café. The orange-ish colors in the sky implied the sun was setting, and so Max and Charles decided to walk home. Staying side by side on a very narrow sidewalk made their shoulders brush at all times.  

As they got closer to Leclerc’s house, he noticed that Max started to tense up. Was he scared of something? Scared of leaving Charles? That reaction started to worry him but as soon as they got to the older’s doorstep he spoke up, point blank:

“I… Charlie, the true meaning behind this all-of-a-sudden meeting is that… You are the love of my life. I’m sorry for not noticing it earlier.” Max stuttered, a subtle way to let the other know it was hidden and buried deep inside with fear for years and years. Maybe even his whole life. It drove Charles insane. It’s like he was feeling every single emotion at the same time. He swore he was dying or something. The older man fought every desire to kiss him right here in the middle of an empty sideroad right in front of his house, but he knew it would appear in every headline in worldwide newspapers. “Charles ‘il predestinato’ Leclerc is found kissing Life-long rival Max Verstappen”. That is not the best way to be in the news, probably something that would end their careers or worse: their friendship. With no words left to say, Charles just hugged him tight as if he would disappear at any time. “Je t'aime moi aussi, mon amour” He said as one or two teardrops slid across his cheek.

Feeling something wet hit his shoulder, Max broke the hug but still kept their bodies suspiciously close. He held the other’s face with both big hands as their eyes met once again, but now with much more compassion. After all they’ve gone through, all their ups and downs brought them to this moment. What they’ve been waiting for. 

“Wait wait wait.” Charles popped the little bubble they builded to protect themselves from the rest of the world. “Can we get inside first? I mean, it’s very romantic to kiss in the middle of the crosswalk I know but we’re kinda famous so yeah…” Max chuckled at the comment. “Of course we can, schatje”

He unlocked the door and let Verstappen enter as if nothing almost happened a few seconds ago. “Uh… So are-” He’s interrupted by the softest of lips crashing into his own, almost cornering him into a wall like a (ironically) raging bull. For the very first seconds they are both surprised by the feeling but locked in very quickly. This kiss felt like heaven, the way both mouths swayed together felt like they were pieces to a puzzle, just waiting for it to be finally found and placed together. It was definitely not what Charles thought it would be like but it was good nonetheless. 

They only broke the kiss when there was no oxygen left in their bodies still, they stayed close, panting and hanging on by a thread of spit. Leclerc hid his face on his lover’s shoulder and started giggling, ending up with a lowkey confused Max.

“Why are you laughing?” He said, with a broad smile on his face. Charles’ laugh was contagious.

“This is so stupid. Why did we take so long to do this?” 

It all came down to them snuggling together in Charles’ bed. The moonlight that invaded the room through a slightly opened window shines in their features, giving both an godly look. After a whole day spent with Max, Leclerc seemed to forget about his friends, who might’ve gone insane by his disappearance. So he was right: when checking his phone he’s welcomed with 86 missed calls, – all coming from 4 different people – and at least 300 messages coming from his group chat, Kill the Grid. Charles opens it, doesn’t read any of the past messages and starts typing.

“charlie: guys, youll never know what just happened '' Send it.

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