#Stylish wheels

[cherrywheels]

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[keferon]

Man, I was thinking of your Jazz mech au and then you called it Space Ratatouille and I was thinking. What if Prowl was Jazz's mech instead of Jazz having is own. Prowl is sentient but maybe he has a cockpit that allows Jazz to control his movements. Now that's some real funky ratatouille.

I just like the idea of Jazz poking and pulling random things in Prowl and poor Prowler is doing his best to look normal infront of others.

I NEED YOU TO HEAR ME OUT ON THIS ONE BECAUSE I HAD THIS IDEA SINCE THE VERY START OF THE AU

So!

Prowl can’t just be Jazz’s mech because he already established as a normal Cybertronian right

But you know what he can? He can scan a piece of technology and then transform into it. That means he absolutely can scan Jazz’s mecha. And then become mecha himself. You see where I’m going with it YOU SEE RIGHT?

[highladyluck]

I just imagined "Selene" dressed in an outfit entirely composed of red flags

[krumpkin]

Triumph Thruxton 900 😎

[dimalink]

Excellent cool retro car! Maybe, it is something from legendary 80s. Or maybe already from 90s. I can remember how in first part of videogame Gran Turismo – I select  Toyota Supra. Maybe, I am not sure, it is 80s years. I also select a white color for it.

Excellent retro with the wheels. White color. It looks very effective, stylish! I like a lot this design for myself. Little car stands good in a park. In a little forest. It has a free time from racing. And in autumn it will be there – also a yellow leaves. It will be more beautiful. So, it is an inspiration for simple racing game! And photography – it is already made! Something like first Need For Speed. Photo materials it has too.

I can see a labels very good - Toyota Corona. 1.8 Select Saloon G Maybe it is a car model. And it is very valuable and cool!

[dashligne]

Suitcase WanderWorld Travel Mug

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[henrywbblogs]

UPVC Window Spraying Services for a Stylish Home in Manchester

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[chocodile]

Worldbuilding time! Let's talk about vehicular travel in modern day Amaranthine, using the snowmobiles from this recent comic as a jumping off point.

"Prowler" - Ironfrost patrol snowmobile - (year of manufacture: 1912)

These half-track all terrain vehicles are used by Ironfrost soldiers to travel long distances over the tundra. Originally adapted from older, four-wheeled automobiles, the half-track Prowler design became increasingly standardized over the years as eternal winter continued to creep southward. They are capable of operating in a wide variety of terrain conditions and are fairly modular. Common mods include removable skis, hardtop and softtop roofs, gun mounts, and towing attachments.

Like all vehicles, Prowlers are steam-powered. The external combustion engine runs on kerosene. In snowy conditions, feedwater can be obtained automatically through a scraper port on the underside of the vehicle, though manual feeding is required in muddy or dry conditions.

Though not as fast, reliable, or efficient as trains, their agile nature have made them an essential part of life in the far north… and, increasingly, in the middle country as well. The Rising Dawn have stolen several Prowlers for their own usage.

"Aspire" - Classic automobile (year of manufacture: 1890)

Four-wheeled vehicles are an unusual sight in the modern day. Ironfrost-made cars were in vogue among the southern rim upper class for many years, but the worsening climate has made them more and more niche as road conditions outside of major cities deteriorate. The majority of higher horsepower automobiles were converted directly into half tracks, while older, lower-end vehicles were generally scrapped for parts.

The Aspire was the last four-wheeled vehicle widely available to the public. Advertised as a stylish, powerful, modern vehicle for the elite on the go, it boasted a sleek, classy aesthetic, a removable softtop roof, and a powerful steam engine with a large kerosene tank suitable for travel between cities. Preorders were advertised to southern rim wealthy in local papers. However, a series of unusually bad winters soon after its debut scared off buyers, shutting down production early and ultimately spelling doom for the entire four-wheeled automobile industry.

One of those Aspire preorders went to Baroness Jocosa North. Though she has since passed away, her son, Theopolis North, still maintains the now wildly impractical car in near mint condition. It is almost never seen outside of its garage.

"'Icebreaker' Class E 250" - Northern cross-country train (year of manufacture: 1903)

The majority of modern-day overland travel is accomplished via train. Massive long-distance rail lines, laid before the world became quite so cold, connect the remaining cities, allowing (relatively) safe travel and trade across vast expanses of tundra.

Southerly locomotives typically operate with only a basic wedge plow attachment. However, trains that run further north must be fitted with gigantic rotary snowplows. These complex machines require significant maintenance. Though they can and will chew up most things that get in the train's way, encounters with particularly large and bony beasts have been known to jam them.

Ironfrost's line terminates in a massive, sprawling rail yard where Icebreakers are fitted and maintained. Those who have visited it tell of a dark, dreary wasteland of twisted scrap metal and ice where coal dust and smoke have turned both the sky and ground black. All northern trains must pass through that place eventually.

"Chariot of the Dawn" - One-of-a-kind luxury automobile (year of manufacture: 1920)

The only place where four-wheeled automobiles still thrive is the City of the Sun. The eternal summers and paved roads are well-suited to cars and trolleys, though they are, of course, still something of a luxury good. Licenses for ownership and operation are ultimately controlled by the church, with His Radiance having the final say. (His most devout followers, of course, tend to get preferential treatment here.)

The City of the Sun manufactures its own vehicles, adapted from Ironfrost designs in a sort of divergent evolution. Freed from the road and weather concerns of the outside world, their automobiles favor sleek, swoopy body shapes, ornamental trim, low-slung bodies with limited ground clearance, and pastel paintjobs. Additionally, the engines are far less powerful and far more finicky, requiring regular maintenance.

His Radiance himself owns several custom automobiles, all of which are egregiously bedazzled to a degree that would look grotesque to anyone who wasn't used to it. Some are open-top, allowing his loyal followers an audience with his beautiful face and glittering halo, while others feature tinted windows. You know, in case he wants subtlety.

[kianamaiart]

I just wanted to tell you that I love idwtbamg and am especially blown away by the character designs for aika and zira!!!!!! their colour palettes compliment each other really well and are soft while still having some contrast and I would love to know how you came up with the designs or if you don't feel like sharing that, your favourite parts of their designs and what you're most proud of? Good luck with the pilot, by the way!!! ^^

Aw thank you so much! Character design was initially what I wanted to do when entering the industry so I love whenever I'm able to do it~

I talk about my process for picking colors here a bit!

Design process under the cut (loooong post ahead)

Whenever I'm designing a cast of characters I always start with the main character and build off of them. I started specifically with Aika's normal girl design. I wanted a star theme, and the star hair was the first thing I knew I needed. With her hair being the most eye catching and important part of her design, I wanted to make sure whatever else she had going on wasn't gonna distract from it too much. So I went for a more top heavy, but simple look with a big tshirt, small black pants. Aika was initially fully blonde but the stark black pants was starting to pull the eye. That gave me the idea to use the stark black in her hair (for the bottom half)! Made her hair even more eye catching and highlighted the star pigtails in a nice way.

For her magical girl design, I wanted to make it feel over the top and overwhelming to contribute visually why Aika wouldn't want to be a magical girl. Big poofy dress, ribbons poking out everywhere for a crazy silhouette and tall, tall platforms. I also wanted to give her longer hair in this form so I went with goddess locs! I was able to do an easy shorthand with it (long thick strands with lil curls at the end) I like the kinda biblically accurate angel look she has. My favorite part of this design was the ribbons in her hair that make the star pigtails look like shooting stars heehee

With Zira I knew I wanted her to be opposite to Aika. So sticking with the space thing, I gave her a moon motif and that was my jumping off point. With Aika having high pigtails, I decided to give Zira low pigtails and give them a vaguely crescent shape (like crescent moons get it?). Continuing with the opposites thing, I wanted to make Zira's design bottom heavy as opposed to Aika's top heavy one, and also color-wise, go on the opposite side of the color wheel from yellow for its complimentary color, purple! I didn't want Zira to feel too stylish (she's a loser after all) but also didn't wanna make her design ugly. I tried toeing the line of out of style but lowkey trendy with the grungy skirt, jeans combo. Also went with the stark black shirt under the tshirt to lean harder into the 2000s look. On top of that it helped tie her design to Aika's more (this is where I decided the stark black was gonna be an essential part of the design language of this show). My favorite part of her design for me is the mangled ends of her pants. It's a small detail but I think it says a lot about her as a character (she drags her feet, she's a little careless, kinda messy, etc.)

Hoshi is star. There's not much more to their design haha. I did give them wings to mirror Aika's dress ribbons. With their human design though, I just knew I wanted to make sure that they'd be able to make a star shape with their silhouette. Thus the hoodie and stubby limbs. Gave them the stark black pants (again at this point, it's part of the design language of this show). I tossed around the idea of giving them eyes that matched more with Aika and Zira, but it just didn't look like Hoshi so I stuck with the same face in their star design and I just thought that was funny hehe. My favorite part of Hoshi's design is just the overall fact that I managed to make them look like a star in their human form still haha

Eclipse was the hardest design for me. You would not believe how long it took me to decide whether I wanted to make him a boy or a girl. Eclipse was also gonna be named Void (and DeVoid was gonna be Eclipse) but it didn't feel quite right. I knew I wanted him to ALSO be opposite from Aika, but in a different way that Zira is. Looking at it that way helped me land on the name Eclipse because I thought it'd be fun to give both Zira and him moon motifs (as Aika's love interest and alleged love interest respectively). Similar to Zira I wanted to have purple be in his design to contrast the yellow in Aika's design. Due to his name now being Eclipse, I figured going dark with his design would make the most sense but my friend/roommie Bri @/ghostbri (who is a professional painter/color designer) suggested going pastel instead and it worked perfectly. It matched his personality and also plays on the fact that he cares more about theatrics and aesthetics than actual villainy. He completely misses the point of being the servant of darkness. He's heavily inspired by Tuxedo Mask. I wanted to make it feel like he saw a cool character once in a tv show and he decided to make it his whole persona. So he's got the suit, he's got the cape and he's got the mask. My favorite part of his design is his cape, intended to also have a crescent moon shape but then also have that stark black on the inside so his silhouette really pops against it. It's funny bc it ended up being like a reverse eclipse where the light is blocking out the dark.

DeVoid was the easiest for me to come up with the design for LMAO. Like obviously. I wanted to make her feel slick but prickly but also slightly over the top like a lot of old school magical girl villains. I thought it'd be a difficult balance to strike but it actually wasn't too bad! I gave her a sort of form fitting cocktail dress and at this point the stark black was a must so it worked out that the "void" character would just be in that all black look. It really helped her feel slick like I wanted (also gave her the slicked back hair for this reason). To give her some edge, I gave her the giant pointy shoulder pads, giant pointy horns, pointy ears, sharp nails and bat wings! Oh also worth mentioning she's the one main cast character I didn't use Aika as a jumping off point for. I designed her to look good next to Eclipse since they'd be the ones interacting the most. I made her wings white to contrast with her black dress (opposite to how Eclipse has a black cape but then mostly white outfit). To ensure that her design wasn't too dark and that her arms would read against her body, I gave her those bright silver bracelets~ While her design was easy for me to come up with, my god figuring out what color to make her hair was killing me. Tbh I was avoiding pink/red like the plague. I didn't want her to look toooo much like Jessie Team Rocket LOL. I tried white, I tried purple, I tried a more pastel pink but none of them worked well in a lineup with the rest of the characters. Bri helped talked me through all this haha. Pink/red worked the best especially there was no pink/red in the entire lineup. The Jessie influence is still there but I feel like she looks different enough! Favorite part of her design is her big ass horns)

Finally Miss! Miss was an interesting case because I designed her as I was storyboarding the pilot. She was intended to be an incidental character that we'd only randomly see once in a while. She had a veeery generic teacher design in my first pass but then as I was hiring VAs I got the idea to cast Michele Knotz to play her and that was enough for my brain to start going and come up with a backstory for her and a role that could tie in with the rest of the cast in a more meaningful way. Because of this, I designed Miss to the voice I imagined Michele would use for her. She does a great groggy and tired voice so I gave her those tired eyes, she has a darker color palette, her posture's a little more sluggish, etc. Her design still felt bland in the board so I gave her a couple piercings which helped. But then! The stark black! I gave her the half dyed hair which worked phenomenally and is probably my favorite part of her design. It leans into the tired feel (too tired to dye her roots) and also was a nice way to get the black in her design without just having to give her black pants or a black shirt or something. I'd only figured out her color palette way later and after recording Michele. The VA announcement image was the first time I'd fully drawn and colored Miss. I went with green since there was no green in the lineup! Also green's my favorite color so I had to.

PHEW that's it! Hope it was an interesting read and look into my brain.

[thatstonedwriter]

⋆｡˚ 「 Stepping Up 」 ⋆｡˚

◉ Sinopsis; Reader acts as Octavia's step-parent

◉ Warnings; none

── ˙•˚∘✮🌙ᯓ🪐˙•˚∘ ──

Initially, Stolas was nervous about you meeting Octavia. Getting into a relationship with someone who has a child is a big step.

His divorce with Stella certainly doesn't make things easier. Because stolas is so focused on trying to ensure Via's comfort, he keeps her out of the loop- but that only leads to more issues (as we've seen)

It takes a while before Octavia trusts you enough to feel comfortable or let her guard down around you. She does appreciate how genuine you are with her dad, and decides to give you a shot (much to Stolas' relief)

You often take Octavia to Stylish Occult, and if y'all can get your hands on Stolas' grimoire, maybe you can sneak up to some stores in the human world (cough hot topic cough)

Surprisingly, Via would actually be willing to go to LooLoo Land with you and her dad (once its rebuilt). If you're up for it (Satan knows Stolas isn't), you and Via go on the crazy rollercoasters together. If not, everyone sticks to the carnival games Ferris wheels.

Family. Movie. Nights. Stolas will let you and Octavia decide on what movies y'all watch (usually Octavia picks cult classics and supernatural documentaries).

Stargazing nights!! Stolas and Via are obsessed with the night sky; it's only natural y'all go out on clear nights to go stargazing. Stolas will portal everyone to a distant moon far in the cosmos so you can get views of new constellations and nebulas.

I think Via would be a bit of a theatre nerd (partially because she's voiced by Barrett Wilbert Weed), so if you're down, Via wouldn't mind singing along to soundtracks with you!

When Octavia warms up to you, she sees you as the second parent she never really had. You've put in the effort to connect with her, and not only do you get to parent an exceptional kid, you get to live out domestic dreams with Stolas.

── ˙•˚∘✮ 🔭๋࣭ᯓ🌙˙•˚∘ ──

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: The Arcana Interpretations

symbolism for your next poem/story (pt. 1)

1. The Magician

The beginning, the first cause, Mercurial influence

Good: Dexterity, ability, diplomacy, eloquence, convincing ways, an alert mind, a quick mind, business acumen

Bad: A persuasive boaster, an illusionist, intrigue, careerist, politician, charlatan, imposter, liar, a crook, an exploiter; an agitator, a lack of scruples

2. The Priestess

Mystery, intuition, devotion, passive Saturnian influence

Good: reserved, discreet, quiet, meditation, faith, patient, religious feelings, resignation, modesty; necessary inaction

Bad: hidden intentions, dissimulation, hypocrisy, inaction, laziness, sanctimonious, holds a grudge, an indifferent disposition, interest in the mystical

3. The Empress

Prudence, discretion, idealism and intellectual solar influence

Good: Understanding, intelligence, instruction, charm, courteous, sociable, elegance, distinction, politeness; domination by the mind, abundance, riches; servility

Bad: Affectation, poseur, stylish, vanity, pretentious, disdain, frivolity, idleness, luxury, extravagant; sensitivity to flattery, lack of refinement, ways of nouveaux riche

4. The Emperor

Firm, positivism, executive power, Saturnian-Martial influence

Good: Right, rigid, certitude, fixed ideas, realization, perseverance, strong willpower, acts on decisions; powerful protector

Bad: Tenuous opposition, stubborn, hostile prejudice, opinionated, bad government, big risks of failure; tyranny, absolutism

5. The Pope

Duty, morality, conscience, Jupiterian influence

Good: Moral authority, respectability, teaching, good advice, goodwill, indulgent, generosity, forgiveness; meekness

Bad: Papal sentence, strict moralist, strict teacher, small-minded theorist, bombastic preacher; an adviser with a lank of practical sense

6. The Lovers

Feelings, freewilled, testing, double influence of Venus or more exactly Ishtar the war like star of the morning, then amorous as the stars go down

Good: Voluntary determinism, choice, wished, aspirations, desires; examinations, deliberations, responsibility; affections

Bad: To go through doubts and indecision; dangerous temptation, the risk of being seduced, misconduct, liberty, weakness, lack of heroism

7. The Chariot

Triumph, command, superiority, Martian-solar influence

Good: Legitimate success, deserved advancement, talent, health, aptitudes put to good effect; governmental tact, diplomacy, efficient direction, appeasement; progress, mobility, journeys on land

Bad: Unjustified ambition, lack of talent, usurped situation, illegitimate government, dictatorship, harmful concessions, dangerous opportunism, worrying about which way to go, preoccupations, overworked, feverish activity without rest

8. Justice

Order, regularity, method, equilibrium, placid lunar influences

Good: Stability, conservatism, organization, normal functioning; law, discipline, logic, coordination, adapting to necessities, moderate opinions, practical sense, reason, administration, economy, obedience

Bad: Bourgeoisism, submission to users, lack of initiative, slaving over books, functionalism, papers; police station; legal dispute, law suit, quarrel, exploitation of the legal system

9. The Hermit

Prudence, reserve, restriction, Saturnian influence

Good: Isolation, concentration, silence, profoundness, meditation, study; austerity, continence, sobriety, discretion; doctor, discreet occultist

Bad: Timid, misanthrope, mute, exaggerated circumspection, lack of sociability, sullen character; avarice, poverty, celibacy, chaste; conspirator

10. The Wheel of Fortune

Destiny, instability, lunar-Mercurial influence

Good: Sagacity, an opportunist, luck in all undertakings, luck, fortuitous success; spontaneity, an inventive disposition, liveliness, good humour

Bad: Carelessness, speculation, game, insecurity, unserious, the unexpected, gypsy character; unstable situation, sudden change, winnings and losses; adventures, risks, minor fortune

11. Strength

Virtue, courage, Jupiter-Mars influence

Good: Moral energy, calm, intrepid; mind over matter; intelligence conquering brutality; subjugation of passions; success in industry

Bad: Anger, impatience, immoderate enthusiasm, insensibility, cruelty, fighting, war, conquering with violence, a surgical operation, vehemence, discord, fire

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ On Tarot

[formulaisa]

So I saw you were taking requests for Franco and i thought I would share my idea!

How about Mexican reader where she is like a fan of formula 1 and goes to one of the gp (any of them). And like she is there minding her business in the paddock (like asking drivers for photos and autographs) and Franco sees her and is like 😍😍😍 immediately and when reader goes to ask for a photo he starts like actually interacting with her (more than the polite thank you for being a fan talk) and idk you can take over from there.

Don’t feel pressured to write this! I just think is a cute idea and definitely not self protecting

The Signature | Franco Colapinto

Summary: Growing up watching Formula 1 with your dad made you dream of attending a Grand Prix, but you never imagined your first paddock experience would lead to catching a certain Argentinian rookie's attention.

Warnings: some spanish (with translations)

Author's note: Sorry for the inactivity! I've been busy with my family for the holidays. If you have any feedback or suggestions, I'd really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy! <3

F1 Masterlist / homepage / main masterlist

You had always dreamed of attending a Grand Prix. Ever since your dad introduced you to Formula 1 at a young age, you were hooked. The roar of the engines, the speed, the energy of the crowd—it all fascinated you. But the problem was, you lived far away from any Grand Prix, and the costs for tickets, travel, and hotels made this dream seem impossible.

That all changed when you went to college in the US. You were awarded a generous scholarship to a school in Texas, conveniently close to the US Grand Prix. Juggling a waitressing job and school, you worked hard and finally saved enough money to attend a race. To top it off, you earned enough to afford a paddock pass. There was only one thing that could make this experience even better: having your dad with you. Though he couldn't be there, you had a plan to make it up to him. You'd bought him a blank hat and set out to get as many driver autographs as possible for him.

It was a scorching Saturday in Austin. Qualifying was starting in just a few hours, so you arrived early, hoping to catch some drivers for autographs and photos. The paddock was already buzzing with activity—mechanics wheeling tires, engineers huddled over laptops, and the occasional flash of a driver's race suit disappearing into a garage.

By now, you'd been surprisingly lucky. You'd gotten photos and signatures from three drivers: Carlos, Yuki, and Nico. Their signatures decorated the pristine white hat, each one making you imagine your dad's face lighting up when he saw it. But you wouldn't be truly satisfied until you got signatures from your two favorites: Checo and Lewis.

The Texas heat was beginning to wear you down. Your outfit, a cute dress and cowboy boots, looked stylish but weren't exactly built for the sweltering weather. Sweat beaded at your temples, and you could feel your hair starting to stick to the back of your neck. You stopped by a kiosk to grab a water bottle, then took a quieter shortcut back to the main paddock area, hoping to bump into a driver.

Just as you rounded the corner, you spotted him. It was hard not to. Franco Colapinto was strutting through the paddock in his navy blue Williams polo, his trademark smirk on full display. The young Argentinian driver had been making waves in his rookie season, his natural talent and charismatic personality quickly making him a fan favorite. Now was your chance.

Suddenly, a small lump filled your throat. It was a strange sensation, one you hadn't felt with any of the other drivers today. Your hands felt clammy, and your heart began to race. You found yourself nervous in a way that had nothing to do with meeting a Formula 1 driver and everything to do with meeting him.

"Umm, hi, Franco?" you asked, your voice hesitant. "Could I get a picture?"

He paused and turned around, pulling an AirPod from his ear. His dark eyes met yours, and his smirk softened into a genuine smile that made your stomach do a little flip. "Yeah, of course," he said, his Argentine accent adding a musical quality to his words.

You pulled out your phone and went to take a selfie. As you did, you noticed Franco adjusting his hair in the camera, running his fingers through the dark waves with practiced ease.

"Sorry, it's just so hot here," he explained quickly, before leaning in and flashing a smile for the photo. As you snapped the picture, you caught him glancing down at you, his eyes lingering for just a moment longer than necessary. The subtle cologne he wore mixed with the mechanical scents of the paddock, creating an oddly intoxicating combination.

"I know. I feel like I'm melting," you said, tucking your phone back into your purse. A bead of sweat rolled down your temple as if to emphasize your point.

Franco hesitated for a moment, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His eyes sparkled with interest as he asked, "¿Hablas español?" [Do you speak Spanish?]

"Sí, sí," you replied with a small smile, pleasantly surprised by the question. [Yes, yes.]

"¿De dónde eres?" he asked, his signature smirk returning. [Where are you from?]

"México," you said, "pero voy a la universidad aquí." Your voice grew more confident as you spoke in Spanish, and you noticed how Franco's posture relaxed, his shoulders dropping slightly as he leaned in to hear you better. [Mexico, but I go to college here.]

“I could tell from your accent,” He nodded, clearly interested, still not in a rush to leave. The bustling paddock seemed to fade into the background as he focused his attention entirely on you. He glanced around the paddock, then asked, "Are you here by yourself?"

You sighed lightly and nodded. "Yeah, it's just me." The admission made you feel suddenly vulnerable, but there was something comforting about the way Franco listened, his eyes never leaving yours.

"Paddock pass all for yourself, huh?" His voice carried no judgment, just genuine curiosity.

"I saved up all my tips from work," you said, absently playing with the lanyard around your neck. "I originally wanted to surprise my dad with tickets for his birthday, but I couldn't afford a flight and hotel from Mexico, so it didn't work out."

He looked at you with understanding, his expression softening. "Where do you work?" he asked, genuine curiosity evident in his voice.

You shrugged slightly, a little embarrassed. "Just some restaurant... I'm a waitress." The words felt small compared to his profession, but his interested expression never wavered.

"What's it called?" he asked, taking a small step closer.

"Trust me. You wouldn't want to go there," you replied with a self-deprecating laugh, knowing Franco wouldn't be interested in the casual, country bar you worked at.

"Still, I’m curious," he asked, the same flirtatious tone in his voice. “Besides, I’m more interested in the service.”

"It's called Buck Wild," you said with a small laugh, watching his expression for any sign of judgment. “It’s a very Texan country bar.”

"I think I'd learn to like it," he teased with a smirk that made your heart skip a beat. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, you noticed. “When do you work there?”

"Tuesdays and Fridays," you answered, still smiling, trying to ignore the flutter in your stomach at his continued interest.

He nodded, clearly thinking. "I leave on Thursday..." he muttered to himself, his voice soft and thoughtful as he created a mental plan. The words hung in the air between you, heavy with possibility.

Your heart began to race, and a warm blush crept up your neck. The way he was looking at you, the casual tone of his voice, the fact that he was even asking about your work schedule—it all pointed to something more than just a typical chat with a fan. You found yourself hyper-aware of every detail: the way his polo shirt stretched across his broad shoulders, how he kept shifting slightly closer to you, the warmth in his dark eyes.

Then, reality crashed back in as you remembered why you had actually approached him. The hat for your dad was still tucked away in your bag.

"I-I know you probably have to go soon, but before you leave, could you sign this for me?" you asked, pulling the hat out of your bag. Your fingers trembled slightly as you handed it to him.

He smiled warmly and took the sharpie and hat from you, his fingers brushing against yours for a brief moment. "Wow, you've got quite a few signatures already, huh?" He examined the other drivers' signatures with interest.

Franco signed the hat, moving slowly, almost like he was savoring the moment, stretching out the conversation. His signature was deliberate and careful, unlike the rushed autographs you'd seen him give to other fans earlier.

You smiled and explained, "I'm trying to get Lewis and Checo too. They're my dad's favorite drivers." Your voice softened when you mentioned your father, and Franco seemed to notice.

"Ah, Good taste," he said, nodding. Then, his expression shifted slightly. He glanced at the hat, pausing. A look of realization and minor panic appears on his face. 

“Wait,” he gestures to the hat “This isn’t for you?” 

“No, it’s a gift for my dad,” you explain “Why?” 

You look down at the hat in his hands and see his scrawled out signature. Underneath you see something else he had started to write. “+54 2322…” 

Your eyes widened as you realized what he'd done. "Joder," he muttered under his breath, quickly scribbling over the numbers, a faint blush creeping up his neck. Despite his embarrassment, you noticed he didn't step away.

You couldn't help but laugh softly, a warm smile spreading across your face as you looked up at him. The moment felt surreal—here was Franco Colapinto, Formula 1 driver, getting flustered while trying to give you his phone number on what he thought was your hat.

"I can just give you mine," you said shyly, still flustered but charmed by his awkward attempt.

Franco pulled out his phone, opened a new contact, and handed it to you. His phone was warm from being in his pocket, and you noticed his lock screen was a picture of his dog. Just as you were typing in your name and number, his phone buzzed with a message: 'Where are you, mate? Meeting started ten minutes ago.'

Franco's eyes widened with panic, and you could tell he was starting to realize just how much time he'd spent talking to you instead of attending his meeting. The easy conversation had made you both lose track of time completely. You handed him back his phone, but before you could say anything, he quickly added, "Let me give you my number too."

You began fumbling through your purse for your phone, your fingers clumsy with nervous energy, but before you could find it, you were interrupted by a loud voice from the Williams garage.

"Franco! Stop flirting and get over here. You're late, and James is pissed!" the mechanic yelled, his voice cutting through the paddock's ambient noise.

Franco looked over, frustration and guilt crossing his face in quick succession. "Sorry," he muttered to you, grabbing the sharpie back from your hand and hastily scribbling his number on your arm. His touch was gentle despite his hurry, and you felt goosebumps rise on your skin.

Before you could even react, he gently handed you back the sharpie. "I'll see you around..." he said with a wink and a grin, before turning and jogging off toward the Williams garage. You watched him go, admiring how he somehow managed to make even a rushed exit look graceful.

You stood there for a moment, your heart racing, the cool sharpie mark on your arm tingling where his fingers had just been. The numbers were slightly smudged but still legible, and you couldn't help but trace them with your finger.  You smiled to yourself, looking forward to the next time you'd see him and happy with the most special signature you’d gotten that day.

✩₊˚.⋆ all work belongs to formulaisa. please don’t modify, translate, or share my writing, and don’t feed it to AI.

[sillymommy6969]

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ 𝕾AY PLEASE

Lara Raj x bestfriend!fem!reader

summary: your best friend lara has always been a tease, but when she spots you getting close and personal with one of her friends at a party she invited you to, she’s acting… off

warnings: slight!nsfw, making out, player!lara, manon being a flirty princess, harsh language

Parties had never been your thing, not to this degree. The occasional house party? Count you in. Crazed school dance with booze snuck in? They could count on you being there. But a birthday party thrown by the Queen-bee of your university with fireworks and an ice sculpture? It was a first for you.

Thankfully, Lara—your best friend since the day you two tumbled into each other in middle school—was good friends with said Queen-bee, securing the both of you an invite. It was weird everybody you knew seemed to have an invite, but you just assumed Manon’s list was a little too long to keep track of.

So after a couple hours of picking the right outfit that was just the right amount slutty and stylish, and doing your hair and makeup all nice, you got the text from your best friend saying she was here. Outside your house, she leant against her car, a shiny black Jeep she had gotten from her parents for her 18th. Sporting a pair of Baby Monster sunglasses, a baggy black jacket over a sheer red tube top and some ripped black jeans, she scrolled through her phone, waiting for a text back.

You, a stark accessory to what she was wearing, had a black leather jacket on over the white laced corset top you wore. A jean skirt seemed the way to go, with high leather boots.

Upon hearing the door slam shut, her head shot up, her sharp eyes spotting you over her shades. Her stoic expression brightened, her glossed lips curving into a small smirk as she shoved her phone in her pocket. She eyed you up and down, her action prompting a quick, teasing spin from you. She raised an eyebrow, her tongue sticking out her inner cheek.

“Damn, doll. Who you getting all dressed up for?”

You rolled your eyes at her tone, walking past her and around her car towards the passenger side. You glanced at her over your shoulder, your smile inviting. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I would, actually.” She turned to say through her open window on the driver’s side, pulling the door open to hop in. You pulled the visor down, checking yourself out in the mirror as you fixed your smudged lipgloss. “Since when do you go all out in your nicest getup for these parties?”

You knew she was teasing, but a small part of you wanted to ask her about that possessive edge to her words. But you brushed her off as being her usual judgemental and protective self. “It’s an excuse to look good, Raja. For myself.”

She chuckled at the nickname. Lara held her hands up, sighing. “Fine. Keep your secrets, doll.”

You flipped the visor back up. “So don’t lie to me, but who are you really going to this party for, hm? Last time I checked, you don’t even like Manon that much, so it’s very out of character for you to be this eager for her birthday party.”

Lara’s hand tightened its grip around her steering wheel as she backed out your driveway. “Jenna’s making me go. So I thought since I was going and you’ve been pestering me about not getting an invite, I would take you too.”

“Really?” you asked, “And you’re sure Jenna’s okay with you not making her your plus one for the party?”

The Indian shrugged, “She’s not the boss of me. Y’know, and she definitely knows you come first.”

Ironic, because when you had arrived at the party and both of you hopped off Lara’s car, Jenna was already standing at Manon’s front door. The party was pretty packed, people scattered around the front yard and through the open doors, you could see a crowd inside. Lara nodded in greeting at her girlfriend, not sparing you a second glance before walking off to hook an arm around Jenna’s shoulders.

You opened your mouth to call after her, but decided against it. You wanted to give them their space.

Luckily, a familiar face was quickly scouted from the crowd, and upon spotting you, she jogged over with a high squeal.

“Dang, baby, you are smoking in that fit,” Daniela whistled, sighing as she checked you out theatrically. She backed up, her fist over her mouth in a stunned manner. “Putting boys and girls in graves by how drop-dead gorgeous you look.”

You playfully shoved the Latina in her arm. “I get it, Dani.”

“Hey, I’m just playing. Lara let you out the house like this? Since when?” she joked, snorting at her own teasing remark but letting out a small ‘ow’ when you slap her in the chest. “I’m just sayin’, she loves wrapping you up in clothes like a burrito.”

“Yeah, well, she was excited to come see Jenna, so she didn’t really notice when she left me alone,” you said, pointing over at the two chit-chatting in the corner of the room. “Between you and me, that’s her latest conquest. So, I’m basically gonna be alone for the night.”

“Well, I can keep you company, mami. Come on, let’s go get a drink. Megan’s bartending tonight.”

Said redhead was standing behind the bar outside, behind the pool of high and intoxicated university students. Greeting Daniela, Megan shot you a smile, shaking the mixer in her hands. “Aye, Y/N, what’s good!” Her whisker dimples etched into her cheeks. She smirked cheekily, “Hey, if you go shirtless for me, your drink’s on the house.”

“Woah, boy, hold it.” Daniela held a hand up, “Get our girl a good starter, yeah? She needs to let loose.”

“What’s the occasion today, eh? What’re we looking for? Love? Sex? A new friend?” Megan asked, handing some man his drink. She grabbed a couple bottles from under the bar, pouring them into a new shaker.

“Hm… surprise me.” You said, “I trust your judgment.”

“Heard Manon’s been scouting you out in the crowd, mami. Maybe you could jump on that.” Daniela nudged you with her elbow. “It’s her birthday… maybe you could call it her gift.”

“Sex with Manon? Lara would choke the European out her body, Dani. Besides, I don’t think Manon’s into me like that, she’s just overtly friendly.” You caught the two of them giving each other a knowing smirk, “What? What am I missing?”

“Well, a little birdie told me Manon’s lookin’ to give you a little house tour, if y’know what I mean.” Daniela raised her eyebrows up and down.

Megan set a glass down in front of you. “Yeah, babe, haven’t you heard? You’re the princess’ new suitor.”

You raised an eyebrow in skepticism. “Really? Don’t you think Manon of all people would’ve made a move by now?”

Daniela shrugged, “Maybe she hasn’t had the chance.”

“Speaking of, she’s right over there if you wanna say ‘hi’.”

You glanced over at a group of people, some of which were familiar faces. She seemed to notice your gaze, as her head turned to meet your eyes as some man spoke at her.

“Happy birthday, princess!” You waved at the Ghanaian woman. She was in a silk cream dress, ending mid-thigh with matching heels. A pink sash hung across her body, a thin tiara resting on her princess braids. She waved back, the previous look of disinterest turned into genuine excitement, perking up and sending you a wave back. She immediately excused herself from the conversation she was having.

“Oh, it’s so nice to see you, Y/N.” Manon smiled, giving you a hug. You definitely did not miss the way she checked you out, her hands sliding from your back down to your waits, lingering a little too long on your hips. “I didn’t think you’d come. I’m sorry I never sent you a formal invite. Lara told me you’d be busy tonight—but I’m super glad you’re here.”

You brushed off the things Lara told Manon. It wasn’t the first time you found out she’d made plans on your behalf, so you didn’t want to say anything about it in front of other people. You shoved her lightly, giggling. “You’re too much, Bannerman. The party looks amazing, how’s being the star of the night?”

“You tell me, honey, you just walked in.” She added, “Party just got a whole lot better with you here. Actually, I needa get a couple more packs from my car… would you mind giving me a hand? My car’s just in the driveway.”

“Anything you want. Lead the way.”

Across the yard, Lara’s attention seemed to be anywhere but on the woman talking in front of her.

“Lara, babe, you listening?” Jenna asked.

Lara snapped herself out her daze. “Hm? Yeah, I’m listening.”

Manon slid a couple cases of beer from her BMW, organizing them into a neat pile. You stood behind her, your arms crossed, awaiting instructions. Manon bent to lean deeper into her trunk, her hips swaying in your face. Knowing the Queen-bee, you knew this was definitely some sort of ploy to flirt. And truth be told, it was distracting you from the fact your best friend had dropped you for her new girl.

“I’m actually really happy you’re here, I can’t stress it enough.” Manon giggled, pulling herself back out her trunk. She turned to shoot you a smile, “I’ve had my eye on you a while now.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?” you challenged, “I’m flattered, Bannerman. But, I thought you were with Stephanie?”

Manon waved a hand, handing you a case of beer. “No, we were never a thing. People just can’t keep their mouth shut.”

You hummed. “So… why were you hoping to see me?”

She smirked, eyeing you with half-lidded eyes. “Come on, babe, I know you’re smarter than that.” She briefly took the case of beer from your arms, setting it back down. “I’ve been meaning to get to know you better for a while now, but I don’t ever get a chance to talk to you alone. Lara’s always looming over your shoulder.”

It was true. The Indian singer would rarely let you have a moment alone, definitely not enough to get to know new people. But you didn’t mind. Lara was your best friend and you usually enjoyed her company. Knowing Manon had been interested for quite a while though, it gave you a thrill you couldn’t quite describe.

“She’s not my warden,” you chuckled, “I wish you would’ve told me earlier, Bannerman. Maybe I wanna know you better.”

Manon smirked, leaning in, her hand reaching for yours. And just as you were about to close your eyes, feeling her fingers entangle in yours. The front door’s loud slam caught both your attention, and upon seeing who it was, Manon’s hand slipped from yours. She nodded at the woman in greeting, turning away from you to tend to the boxes of beer. “Hey, Lara.”

The Indian nodded back, her hands in her jean pockets. She glanced between the two of you. “What’s good, Manon? Happy birthday. I haven’t gotten a chance to say thanks for the invite yet.” she said, with no hint of a smile.

Manon scoffed softly, shooting the younger a small grin. “You’re so welcome. Everything okay inside?”

Lara furrowed her eyebrows at the question at first, but immediately shook her head. “No, yeah, everything’s all good. I was just looking for Y/N, I need a word with her real quick.”

The Ghanaian woman hummed, smiling at the apologetic look you shot her. She picked up two cases of beer. “Yeah, no worries, I’ll bring these back in.”

When Manon slammed her trunk shut and disappeared into the door, Lara turned towards you with a hard expression. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Taken aback, you said, “What? What’re you talking about?”

“Really? I talk to Jenna for two seconds and you throw yourself at Manon?” Lara scoffed, shaking her head. “You’re so desperate, I should’ve known.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, crossing your arms. “Excuse me? You’re the one who ditched me the moment we got here, I have friends outside of you, I don’t need you helicoptering me like we’re in a relationship, okay?” You held a finger up, “Y’know what? Manon told me you said I wasn’t gonna be free this weekend to come. That’s the reason I wasn’t invited, so do you have something you wanna tell me, Raja?”

She gulped, rolling her eyes. “Didn’t think this would be your scene, I know you don’t like places that are too crowded—I ended up bringing you anyway, what’s the big deal?”

“I think I should get a say in what I like or not. I don’t want you making any decisions for me again, okay?”

“Oh my God, it’s not that big an issue. The problem here is you getting all up in Manon’s business—she’s one of my best friends, but she’s such a heartbreaker, I don’t want you getting too close to her, okay?” Lara waved her hands, her lips pressed into a thin line. “That’s all I wanted to say. I just wanted to warn you before you got your pretty little ass hurt again.”

You scoffed in disbelief at her words, a hand on her chest keeping her from walking past you and back into the party. “Excuse me? I can judge for myself. Who knows? Maybe I just wanna hook up too—whatever it is I want to do, and whomever I want to do it with isn’t your decision, Raja. You can justify this in as many ways as you want, but you’re doing too much.”

“No, I’m not. I don’t wanna see you talking to Manon again tonight, you understand?”

She was acting like such a jealous boyfriend, you hated it. The mixed signals, you can entertain. The making plans on your behalf, you can handle. But the control, the possessiveness she had despite not being your handler was getting suffocating. You hadn’t had sex in so long because Lara would drive away anybody who tried coming onto you.

You were really hoping Jenna would take her mind off you and give you a chance to get back onto the market, but she seemed more hyper vigilant than before.

“God, why’re you acting like such a freak?” you spat, clicking your heels as you stormed away from the taller woman. She watched your retreating figure with a clenched jaw, her hands finding their ways into her hoodie pockets.

When you returned to the lively party in Manon’s backyard, you immediately found the latter playing some sort of drinking game with Daniela, Megan and some other friends. The blonde waved you over, which you happily accepted as an invitation. They made space for you beside Manon, who welcomed you with a red cup of the Megan had made for you.

She watched you chug the entire cup in mere seconds, eyes widening. “Woah, honey, talk with Lara didn’t go well?”

You grimaced, shaking your tongue of the burning aftertaste, then setting the cup down. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Manon nodded, her arm finding its way back and around your neck to lay just behind your head. “No worries. We’re playing seven minutes in heaven, wanna throw your hat in the ring?” Walking around and collecting people’s phones in a big empty liquor box was Sophia, who shook it temptingly before you.

“Come on, Y/N. Get with the times!” The Filipina encouraged.

Looking around at the group’s encouraging faces, you pulled your phone out your jacket pocket, setting it into the box. The girls cheered at your participation.

“Okay… since Manon’s the birthday girl, we’ll let her be the honorary beginner.” Sophia announced, “And the lucky guy or gal spending the next seven minutes in a closet with Manon, is…” Everybody began drumming their hands against their laps or stomping their feet. Sophia rooted through the box and pulled out a familiar phone with a leopard print case, she tapped the phone screen, a mirror picture of you standing in a bathroom at a nice restaurant. Lara was behind you, a hand subtly creeping around your hip as she stared down the phone.

“Looks like it’s… Y/N?” She said in a questioning tone. She held your phone up, flashing your wallpaper to everybody. “This is your phone, right?”

Everybody ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’, wolf-whistling and hollering at the two of you getting up. Manon stood first, holding out a hand for you to take. The cheering grows louder. "Seven minutes, you two!" Sophia called. You eyed Daniela and Megan, and with the two nodding at you, you took Manon’s hand.

As the two of you walked your way back into the house, a pair of unforgiving eyes glared daggers at the back of your heads. Lara was no longer interested in whatever Jenna was talking about, watching her best friend walk off hand in hand with the woman she had just told you to stay away from.

You let her lead you where to go. The door to a jacket closet by the door closed behind you, and the sounds of the party were muffled, replaced by the silence of the small, dark space.

"Not how I imagined our first time actually alone together," Manon teased, leaning casually against the wall, her eyes glinting even in the dim light.

You huffed out a laugh, trying to ignore the heat rising to your cheeks. "Yeah, definitely not what I pictured either.”

Manon's expression softened slightly, her smirk giving way to something gentler. "Rough night? You looked kind of upset when you came back in, is everything okay with Lara?”

The reminder brings back the sting of your disagreement with Lara just moments ago. You hesitated, unsure of if you wanted to bring it up, but something about Manon's steady gaze made you feel like you can. "Lara and I... had a fight," you admitted quietly. "It was stupid, but I walked off before it could escalate any further. She can just be very… controlling sometimes."

Manon tilted her head, her voice losing its teasing edge. "What happened—if you don’t mind me asking.”

You explained, stumbling over your words as you recounted the argument. It spiraled into something beyond what it was, with frustrations and feelings you hadn’t realized had been building for weeks. Manon listened, her expression unreadable but focused. She stayed quiet, urging you to answer. “Nothing. It’s nothing, I don’t wanna bore you with the details.”

When you finish, she steps closer, the space between you shrinking. "Sounds like she cares about you a lot, but maybe she doesn’t know how to show it without getting defensive."

You blinked at her. "How’d you get all that from what I said?"

She shrugged, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I’ve been in my share of fights. And I’ve got a knack for reading people."

You laughed softly, the tension in your chest easing. "Yeah, you seem like the type who likes to win arguments."

Manon grinned, but then her gaze drops to your lips, lingering just a second too long. "Only when it matters."

The air between you shifts, heavier now, charged with something unspoken. Her hand brushes yours, and your breath catches. For a moment, it feels like the rest of the world has fallen away, leaving only the two of you. It was such a rush of adrenaline, finally being able to have a moment of privacy to be in such proximity with anybody but Lara. Such bliss.

Her voice is softer when she spoke again. "Y/N..."

Before either of you can close the gap, the closet door bursted open. Light flooded in, the two of you flinching at the sudden glare blinding you. When you had a chance for your eyes to adjust, Lara stood there, her expression tight and unreadable.

"Y/N," she said briskly, grabbing your arm. "We’re leaving.”

You blinked at her, disoriented. "What? Why?"

She doesn’t answer, just pulled you out of the closet, her grip firm. "We have to talk. Somewhere else."

You glanced back at Manon, whose expression has shifted back to her usual smirk, like some part of her expected this to happen. Though there's a flicker of something else—a faint hint of disappointment—in her eyes.

"Guess our seven minutes got cut short," Manon called, her tone light but her gaze lingering on you. “I’ll call you.”

You're too stunned to respond as Lara dragged you towards the front door, muttering something about needing to find your jacket. The warmth of Manon’s presence fades, replaced by the chilly night air as you step outside.

Lara dragged you out into the quiet street where her car was parked. The faint hum of music from the party faded into the background as she finally releases your arm, crossing hers tightly over her chest. She opened the passenger side of her car door, ushering you in before slamming it shut. The sheer volume of the sound made you jump, watching her walk around the front of her car. You could see her jaw lock, her face tense, lips pressed into a thin line, but her eyes are what catch you—darkening with something you can’t quite place.

“Okay,” you began, exhaling sharply. “What the hell is going on with you? What did you cause a scene for?”

Lara scoffed, her laugh short and humorless. She ran a hand through her bright red hair. “You were in a closet alone with Manon Bannerman. What else was I supposed to do?”

You blinked, caught off guard by the edge in her voice. “Uh, let me stay and finish the game? It’s not like anything happened ‘cuz you barged into the closet like a Christian father.”

“Not yet,” she snaps, the words cutting through the chilly air. “But it would’ve if I hadn’t stopped you.”

Her tone ignites something in you—confusion, frustration, a lingering sting from your earlier fight. “And what if it did, Raja? Why does it matter? I don’t get you, you get here and drop me for Jenna, which I’m fine with. You have your own life, your own friends and your own girlfriends, I’ve never ever held you back from any of it. But when I find my friends and try living without you breathing down my neck, you yank me back.”

Her jaw tightened, swallowing. And for a moment, she looked away, staring down the empty street as if searching for words. “Because...” she began, but then shook her head. “Because I warned you about Manon. She nabs at new people and then drops them the moment she gets bored of them. Manon... she’s not—she doesn’t care about anyone but herself. You’re better than that, but you’re not thinking straight.”

“That’s not an answer,” you countered, crossing your arms. “If you’re trying to slit-shame me, it’ll take a little more than some lame excuse of a diss, Raja.”

She stuck her tongue against her inner-cheek, running a hand through her hair, her frustration simmering just below the surface. “You don’t get it, doll. I’m just looking out for you—!”

You stare at her, disbelief rising. “And that means you can judge who I talk to? That’s rich coming from you, considering you fuck around more than a gas station gloryhole.”

“That’s not fair,” she mutters, her voice softer now, though the crack in it hits harder than her anger did. “I—I said some things I didn’t mean, okay? But this isn’t about that.”

“Then what is it about, Lara?” you press, your voice growing louder. “Why’re you being such a control freak about this?”

For a long moment, she’s silent. Her teeth catch her bottom lip, and her arms drop to her sides, her shoulders slumping. When she finally looks at you, there’s a vulnerability in her expression you don’t see often. Lara had always been the hard-hitting badass between the two of you. No matter it be standing up for you against haters, being the shoulder you cry on when you needed or defending you against men who would shamelessly take advantage of your kindness. In rare times she would show you that soft, vulnerable girl within that tough, cool exterior, you would be sure to listen.

“I just—,” she halted, biting her tongue, her voice barely above a whisper. It was like she was biting back whatever she really wanted to say. But you laid a hand on her thigh, encouraging her to open up. One look up into your soft eyes was the push she needed. “It makes my fucking blood boil seeing Manon try and get all close and personal with you. I didn’t wanna say anything, ‘cuz I know it’s your life and you’re allowed to live it however you want, but I can’t. I just can’t watch.”

The words hit you harder than you expected. Your anger ebbed, replaced by confusion and something softer, something hesitant. It took you a moment to process her words a second time, really taking in what she meant.

“Look, I know she’s heartless or whatever, but...” you started, but she shook her head.

“You’re my best friend,” she added quickly, as if trying to cover something up. “And if Manon—or anyone else—does something to hurt you, I... I don’t think I could handle it.”

Her words hung in the air, fragile and raw. You wanted to press her, to ask if this is really just about friendship or if there’s something more to her possessiveness, but you don’t. Not yet. If you pushed too far, you could increase the fragility.

“I can take care of myself,” you said gently, lacing your fingers into hers. “And I’m not going anywhere, okay? Even if we fight, or if I get hurt, I know you’ll be here. And I will be too.”

Lara nodded, her lips curving into a small, almost reluctant smile. It faltered as quickly as it came. She glanced down at your hands, her thumb lightly grazing your knuckles. “Yeah, well... can I tell you something?”

You laughed softly, in attempts to lighten the thickening tension. “Of course, Raja. You can tell me anything.”

She swallowed thickly, feeling the silence in the car weigh on her. She caught your eye, her sharp tawny ones relaxing when she caught yours. Your hands still drawn together, you could feel her pulse quicken between her fingers. “I don’t like Jenna. She’s annoying and a real jerk to everybody.”

You nodded, pursing your lips. “Okay, no worries, we can find a way for you to let her down gently—!”

“But it’s also because I really, really love you.” She paused, searching for any sign of discomfort or disgust in your eyes. Your hands froze in hers, and she only drew you closer. “There is not a single person I can fuck that could get your out my mind. It doesn’t matter who I’m going out with, where I’m going or what I’m doing, I’m always thinking about you. I just want to be with you, watch you try on those pretty little outfits or listen to you talk about those stupid shows you love so much—I’d much rather just sit in your room with you next to me than be out drinking and letting some girl feel me up.”

The world feels like it stops for a moment. It was such a cliché; your best friend was in love with you all along? She was such a party animal, with a new conquest every couple weeks. She was exactly the type of woman she tried keeping you away from. You blinked, sure you’ve misheard her. “What?”

“Look,” she sighed, her gaze unwavering. “I’ve been in love with you for—hell, I don’t even know how long. I’ve tried getting myself out of that headspace ‘cuz I don’t think you have ever showed any interest in me. But the more girls I kissed, the more I thought about you. The more I thought about kissing other people. And the more I wanted to just pull you behind me and love you the way I want to.”

Her voice cracked on the last word, and the vulnerability in her expression cuts through you like a blade.

“Lara...” you started, but the words catch in your throat. You’re not sure what to say, how to process this sudden confession. So, in the heat of the moment, you decided to go along with your body’s desires—grabbing her cheeks and leaning in.

Your noses brushed, and you can feel her breath, shallow and uneven, mingling with yours. Her gaze fell to your lips and her hand found your waist. And then it happened.

Her lips met yours, tentative at first, soft and searching, like she’s afraid to push too far or you would disappear. But the moment you responded, tilting your head slightly and pressing closer, the hesitation melted away. Her free hand came up to cup your cheek, her thumb brushing lightly over your skin as she deepened the kiss, slow and deliberate.

It’s not rushed or frantic. It’s gentle and raw, every movement filled with unspoken emotion. Her lips were warm, and the faint taste of mint lingers from the drink she was having earlier. You leant into her, your hands finding their way to her shoulders, grounding yourself in the solidness of her presence. Eventually, she guided you over the console, throwing your leg over her spread thighs as you sat atop of her.

The kiss feels like a confession in itself, a culmination of everything she hadn’t been able to say and everything you were just beginning to understand. It’s both unfamiliar and comforting, like something that was supposed to happen.

When you finally pulled back, your foreheads rested together, her hand still caressing the skin beneath your jacket. Her eyes searched yours, filled with uncertainty.

“Lara,” you say again, your voice softer this time.

She wet her lips, panting. “What?”

You reached out, gently placing a hand over hers. She tensed, her eyes flicking to yours cautiously.

“You’re such a fucking idiot,” you chuckled, feeling her shift beneath you. “Maybe if you’d just used your big girl words and just told me, you could’ve avoided causing a scene in front of Manon at her own birthday party.”

She scowled, “She wanted you. I’m gonna kill that—!”

You grabbed her cheeks tightly. “You’re not killing anybody. We’re going back in, you’re breaking it off with Jenna and I will go apologize to Manon for doing that at her party, okay?”

Lara smirked, “Don’t get me wrong, I like this side of you, doll. But remember your manners and say please.”

You adjusted yourself in her lap, your hands sliding down to tug at the collar of her hoodie. Your tongue slid across your teeth teasingly, glancing back up at her. “Please, Raja?”

You two wouldn’t make it back into the party for a while. Upon hearing your whining, she popped the seat back. At least this time around, you won’t have to justify your ‘best friend’s’ possessive edge to everybody.

[dat-town]

one look (and it's over)

Characters: student representative!Leehan & content creator!female reader

Setting & genre: high school au, fluff, coming of age, fake dating for like 30 seconds

Summary: You took one look at Kim Leehan and thought you had him all figured out. But oh he was so much more than that and somehow he became a stable point in your uncertain future.

Warnings: stage names are used, OC refers to Leehan as pretty boy and is annoyed by him in the beginning, OC has one neglectant comment about harassment against boys but regrets it immediately, Leehan has this popularity thing going on with all its consequences, people tend to touch him without his consent and it does bother him but tends to play it off, he also reveals an insecurity about his looks at one point

Words: 7.8k

Author’s note: this is also the product of the amount of Ann Liang books i binge read recently, the instagram algorithm and @restlessmaknae’s marketing for Zico’s kids. partly inspired by who! trailer film and Leehan’s iconic “how can she not like me when i look like this?” title is from Leo’s One Look

despite all the spoilers i hope you like it @restlessmaknae <3

read Taesan’s companion piece here

The first time you met Leehan, he said you were his girlfriend.

Not to you but to another stranger, a girl very obviously flirting with him and you felt like an awkward third wheel standing there with your camera in hand.

“Oh,” the girl with thigh socks and manicured fingers pouted after giving you a once-over as if cataloging what she lost against but then she mumbled out a sorry and made a beeline towards her friends in the back of the room.

The boy next to you let out a relieved sigh and that was what managed to snap you out of your stupor.

“Did you just use me to get out of having to say no?” You hissed and glared at him despite the height difference. Lucky for him you weren’t a fan of public humiliation, so you didn’t call him out on the lie loudly while the girl from before was still so close but it didn’t mean you supported his rude behavior. However, the boy didn’t look like he was feeling guilty.

“I did say no. Twice. She was being pushy,” he explained, letting out a frustrated huff as he looked down at you. “I know her type, this was the easiest and kindest way to let her down.”

“You talk as if you had so much experience,” you snorted, the urge to roll your eyes too strong but nothing could have prepared you for the boy’s reaction.

“Well… yeah,” he simply confirmed with a small nod after barely hesitating and just pointed at his face. His stupid handsome face because if you wanted to be honest, he looked exactly like the type of guy girls your age would be daydreaming about. His hazel brown, longer locks framed his freckled face nicely and his orbs reflected the blue lights of the aquariums around you behind his stylish glasses. You weren’t even sure he needed those or if they were just a fashion item like his baggy jeans and plaid shirt were. He looked like the kind of boy who thought they were too good for everybody.

“Alright,” you muttered, sarcasm dripping off your tone before turning your back on him and heading towards the tunnel under the shark aquarium because you wanted nothing to do with the likes of him. Briefly you wondered whether the girl from before saw this and thought you were the jealous kind of girlfriend but you had better things to do than worrying about that.

Unfortunately, the pretty boy didn’t get the memo and managed to catch up to you quickly. His stupid long legs easily kept up with your steps.

“Hey, wait up. It would be weird if we went separate ways and she found me again.”

“Not my problem,” you reminded him and the guy had the audacity to look like a kicked puppy with his doe eyes. It was unfair. You sighed. “Whatever. Just stay quiet.”

The guy did not in fact stay quiet. He babbled about random fun facts about the sea animals you were seeing, pointing out cool hiding ones you would have missed otherwise and he seemed to know more fish species than you ever heard of in your life.

“How do you know all this?” Your curiosity got the worse out of you at one point when he was talking about the coral reef and star fishes in such detail your past Biology teachers would have been ashamed of their own knowledge.

“Oh. I come here a lot,” pretty boy answered with a shrug and a big smile, his pearl white teeth glittering under the fluorescent lights. “Would you like me to take a picture of you? It’s one of the last rooms.”

Out of instinct you were about to tell him no because you were used to taking your own pictures but thinking about it for a moment, it was only right. He lied about you being his girlfriend and stuck to your side, so you couldn’t film like you planned. The least he could do was to take some pictures.

“Sure,” you handed him your camera and stood in front of the colorful aquarium, posing naturally, then you turned towards the fish and poked the glass between you. The boy didn’t even complain and later you had to admit that he did take it seriously. The photos came out nice enough to set one of them as your new profile picture.

“I’m Leehan by the way,” he said as he handed back your camera and as if on cue, your phone started ringing. You glanced at the caller’s handle before answering, sandwiching the phone between your shoulder and ear to take the camera back.

“Hi, mom. I will be out in a minute,” you said, waving the guy goodbye just to not be rude while you listened to your mother explaining the location of the parking spot she found. You might not meet ever again but you could be well mannered about it even if his previous attitude still bothered you.

When you were younger, you wanted to become many things: idol, actress, tv show host, news anchor… You had always had the passion of performing and ever since you had won the beauty pageant in your region when you had been 4 years old, you had kept hearing that you had the face for these things, too. As if having been a pretty baby helped much with teenager pimples and acne scars.

It was a bit more than three years ago when you decided to take your fate into your hands and do something with this interest of yours. During the summer after your middle school graduation, your family moved to Jeju, so your parents could oversee the opening of the new branch of their business. Not knowing anybody around there but loving the beautiful spots, you started making weekly videos about your days, studying, discovering bakeries and stationary stores. A term passed and life brought you to Gwangju, then Daegu, then last time Daejeon. Over the years your content changed a bit focusing more on realistic high school life portrayal, aesthetics vlogs going around new towns and skincare tips you learned while your subscriber numbers increased gradually. By now, you were an established content creator with a loyal following and some long term sponsors. You only had one more year to graduate and then you could do this full time.

Unsurprisingly senior year had found you in a new city too, this time Seoul, and your viewers had been eager for new exploring types of content, so you had done your research and headed out to look around a bit before the upcoming term made you busy. That was how you had ended up at the aquarium too, not that you could salvage any footage from that day after meeting the arrogant pretty boy.

But oh, how wrong you were about not seeing him again. He was literally on the poster advertising your new school when you went to pick up your school uniform with your mom. Suddenly Seoul seemed to be a much smaller city than you expected it to be.

Small mercies though, at least you weren’t classmates. Not that it saved you from hearing the girls gush about him or his other popular friends. It was a typical high school thing, everywhere you went, school cliques and dynamics were all the same. As the new transfer student you fit in alright, but you had experience in that, in being the new kid in town. You got yourself some popularity too after one of the girls asked for your IG and saw your followers’ number and another classmate was watching your Youtube channel apparently. You didn’t become an outcast nor were you caught up in classroom drama, so it was all good just how you liked it to be.

It happened a few weeks into the term, on a nothing special Tuesday. You were sitting in the canteen with some of your classmates you befriended, spooning fried rice into your mouth and listening to Eunjoo squealing about the new Olive Young discounts, when you looked up and your eyes met a familiar set of brown eyes. The first thing you noticed was a sly smile on the boy’s lips then the second that he wasn’t wearing glasses, so either you were right about them being fake or he wore contact lenses.

You forced yourself to look away despite feeling his gaze on you and focused on the girls’ chatter about Innisfree’s new skincare collection, agreeing to go with them later to check it out. Suddenly, you heard a creak of chair legs dragged across the floor and the canteen quieting down for a long moment before the murmurs picked up. Then an empty tray with only remains of the daily lunch menu was slid onto the table across you and Wonhee on your left gasped.

“Hello, girls. Hello… Y/N,” came the now familiar smooth voice and you caught Leehan pointedly looking at the name tag over your uniform before locking eyes with you. “I didn’t know you go here.”

“I just transferred this year,” you said, unfazed but you couldn’t help but observe how different vibe did the boy give off now compared to the aquarium. Maybe it was the circumstances or maybe it was the uniform’s doing, the suit well-fitted, his necktie nicely made and the fabric’s tight stretch empathizing his broad shoulders. Nothing about him now indicated how laid back he had been back at the aquarium, how relaxed, if not for his lazy smile. Here he was composed, seemingly aware that each of his movements were followed by curious eyes. Huh, maybe he did have as much experience rejecting girls as he had claimed despite his age.

“Do you know each other?” Eunjoo chirped in, cutting your train of thoughts short.

“We ran into each other before,” you explained briefly and while it didn’t seem to satisfy the girls' curiosity, luckily Leehan didn’t seem keen on elaborating either.

“Well, it was good to see you again,” he nodded towards you then flashed a charming smile at your entire table before taking off, leaving a trail of whispers and gossip in the wake of his steps. You looked after him and wondered what Yongsan High’s prince wanted from you.

That could have been it. Acknowledging each other’s presence, greeting each other on the school hallways, nothing less, nothing more. That was until Principal Im called you into his office, offered you tea and mentioned that ‘it was brought to his knowledge that you were some sort of Internet persona’, his words, not yours. It felt weird talking about it with a teacher because none of your previous schools had a problem with it. But as it turned out it was quite the opposite. The principal wished to use your ‘expertise with standing in front of a camera’ to the school’s benefit. So that was how you ended up doing a photoshoot for the school’s Open Day with none other than Kim Leehan.

Although you had no actual modeling experience, the principal reassured you that you didn’t need to be professional for this kind of shoot. He was even delighted by the idea of you vlogging the experience for more exposure. So on the day of the shooting, you headed to the classroom assigned for the shoot right after classes and talked with the photographer about recording the entire session and set up your camera. You were doing last minute adjustments with the brightness and white light with the new angle after filming getting your hair and ‘no makeup’ makeup done by the stylist the school hired (like woah, they took it seriously) when Leehan showed up.

It was obvious that he had experience, he moved around the lighting and photography equipment with ease, charming everybody with his easy smile and kind greetings. He sat through getting his makeup to not glow or look tired on camera without a word of complaint and instead chatted with the woman about her dog. You caught yourself staring at his genuine smile a little too late.

“Y/N!” Leehan’s smile widened slowly, a little cheekily, showing his dimple and he shot up from his chair to walk up to you and your camera. “So it’s you.”

“It’s me,” you confirmed but you weren’t sure why he looked so giddy about it. Was he worried it would be some clingy fangirl of his?

“I heard you’re Internet famous,” he noted and then looked pointedly at the camera. “Are you going to film the shooting too?”

“That’s the plan. If that’s alright with you,” you looked at him, questioning. Even if he said no, you could record your solo parts and use just that and the preparation during editing. You wouldn’t have wanted to make anybody uncomfortable with your filming. Leehan however didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Sure, you can even put my face on the thumbnail,” he winked at you, teasing, right before the photographer called for you.

Even with all his playfulness, Leehan took the job seriously. Whether it was experience or natural talent, he had a knack for easing into natural behavior despite the constant click-clack of the camera and knew how to smile into it when it was needed to make the photographer satisfied. You took a bunch of photos depicting school life at Yongsan High: flipping through text books, fake writing essays, solving equations on the board and working in pairs on a task. You honestly weren’t sure why they needed so much for a simple Open Day brochure but it was a one of a kind experience and not at all bad.

“Thank you for your hard work,” the principal’s secretary distributed drinks for everyone when the shooting was wrapped up and you bid goodbye to every adult with polite bows before dismounting your own camera.

You didn’t expect Leehan to wait for you but for some reason, you weren’t all too surprised either.

“Want some?” He held something out for you and looking down you saw that it was a pack of shark shaped gummies. So random.

“No, thanks,” you shook your head and put your tripod and camera into your bag, ready to go. But you couldn’t without making a comment. “You’re pretty good at this. Modeling, I mean.”

“Hm. It’s good for extra pocket money,” Leehan shrugged between chewing two pieces of gummies. You were sure it wasn’t the first time he heard it from somebody. “And no, before you ask, I wasn’t paid for this either. I mean in general.”

With his face and overall good looks you weren’t surprised to hear that. Not to mention it was a positive thing that he had already found something to earn money with.

“Do you wanna do this after graduating?” You asked, suddenly curious because you realized that you didn’t know anything about him other than his fascination with sea animals, that everywhere he went girls just fell in love with him at first sight and that he acted like you were friends for a while when you had been nothing but strangers.

“Nah. Maybe as a side gig but hopefully I will get into a uni with marine studies,” he said and you knew that it was very judgemental of you to be surprised at his career choice, especially after seeing how enthusiastic he was at the aquarium but it only proved your stance that you barely knew each other. And apparently Kim Leehan kept surprising you.

“That’s cool,” you mumbled, not wanting to voice out your surprise in case he would think you thought of him as an air-headed pretty boy even if there would have been a tiny bit of truth in that.

“What about you? Will you turn content creation into a job?” He nodded towards the tripod in your hands. He didn’t ask about it in a way some of your more distant relatives did, condescending, like you were a child they needed to warn about how unstable of a career it was. He seemed genuinely curious, so you gave him an honest answer too.

“Well, I will try to. But I plan to get certificates for digital marketing too and maybe help others boost their online presence too,” you said because while your plans might not have been unheard of in this time and age, you knew that it was far from what your conservative country encouraged. If nothing worked out, your parents would have been glad to welcome you at their company too but you didn’t voice that out because you would have preferred paving your own way.

“That’s pretty cool, too. What’s your account’s name by the way?” Leehan asked, fishing out his phone ready to look it up and his eyes sparkling with curiosity which was unfair really because it made it hard to say no to him. “Oh come on, I’m sure I could ask any of your friends.”

You knew he was right, he could even just search your name on Naver and find it. You weren’t sure why you felt so self-conscious thinking about him checking out your channel or other socials. Plenty of other people did.

“Fine,” you sighed, telling the boy your IG handle and in a weak attempt of not seeing his reaction, you swung your bag onto your shoulder now that you were all packed up and headed towards the classroom exit.

“Cute,” you heard Leehan’s comment, quiet and unexpected, from behind you just before he caught up to you with his long legs. “You set the photo I took as your profile picture.”

You hummed because what else could you have said? It was pretty obvious. Leehan seemed surprised at first though but then his mouth tilted in a teasing way.

“Where’s my credit?” He singsonged, easily keeping up with your walking speed.

“In your dreams. I don’t want dating rumors,” you told him. You weren’t famous in a way you would have to worry about people dissecting your life but so far you had managed to keep your family and relationships out of the public eye and you wanted to keep it that way. If you captioned the photo with ‘taken by the pretty boy I met at the aquarium’ some of your followers surely would have gotten way too invested in your non-existent love life. Plus, you had thought you wouldn’t see each other again.

“What if it’s not a rumor?” Leehan asked just to tease. It was easy to tell from his tone or the way his eyes glinted when you looked at him.

“Says the guy who lied about having a girlfriend when asked for his number,” you deadpanned with an eyebrow raised, challenging him to disagree with you but the boy only cackled.

“Touché.”

He followed you on Instagram and after one cute animal post in your DMs, you followed him back. You didn’t text much at first, just sharing some memes over Principal Im’s mild reactions to your photo shoot and random sealife content. Then the principal asked the two of you to greet the parents at the school gate on the Open Day which made you bond over mutual annoyance over responsibilities like this. You would never understand what difference it made to have two students offer brochures by the door instead of stacking them on a table free to take to the overall experience of parents, but there you were, on brochure hand out duty on a fine Friday.

“Do I have a sign over my forehead saying ‘touch me’ or something?” Leehan grumbled after the nth parent thought it was appropriate to place a hand over his shoulder or touch his cheek just to coo about how handsome boys attended this school. You got some comments on your looks too but the aunties were impressed by Leehan’s visuals way more and neither of you could say anything because that would have come off as disrespectful and wouldn’t have done any good for the school’s reputation.

“Do you want to take a break? I can cover for you,” you offered because seeing him at unease twisted something in your stomach. Honestly, both of you were there mostly just to look pretty, so if he left to be alone a bit, you would have been fine still.

Leehan seemed taken aback by your offer though if his widened eyes and slow blinking was anything to go by.

“No, it’s fine. Thanks though,” he shook his head eventually and put on his fake smile when the next batch of parents filed through the entrance.

But something shifted then between you, some sort of unsaid understanding over vulnerability. Something that made you think that maybe you could be more than just two people in the same boat. You could have been friends talking about stuff friends did.

Maybe that was why, when you were done and ushered to your respective classrooms, you brought up the first neutral topic that you could think of to fill the void while walking on the empty hallways.

“Hey, are you friends with the school radio club leader?”

Leehan seemed lost in thoughts, so your question made him falter a bit, his eyebrows creasing, confused about the sudden topic.

“Taesan? Yeah, why?” He asked tentatively, turning to look at you briefly and see your expression.

“Is he dating my class’ president?” You asked because even though you weren’t one to bump your nose into others’ business, based on what you saw, you could barely believe it wasn’t common knowledge. Leehan must have been on the same page because his eyes immediately shone with excitement.

“Oh, you noticed too!” He pointed out, giddy, and it was nice to see him smile so wide after how uncomfortable he had looked before.

“It was kind of hard not to. I was at the senior interview last week and they kept glancing at each other,” you said because honestly, they must have thought that they had been subtle about it, always looking when the other hadn’t but it made you feel like a third wheel.

“That’s just great! I can’t wait to tease Taesan with it,” Leehan grinned, bouncing a little on his feet, his soft-looking hair falling into his eyes behind the glasses he decided to put on that day too. “They aren’t official or anything. Taesan was actually convinced for a while that pres hated his guts but as far as I know there has been progress.”

You weren’t an expert at love by any means but based on what you saw, your class president was far from hating the other guy, so you just hummed in acknowledgement. Leehan misunderstood your silence though.

“Are you jealous?” He asked, more astonished than teasing as he jogged in front of you, so he could look at your face while walking backwards. An unnecessarily hazardous thing to do, so you halted your steps when you reached the corner of your classrooms' hallway.

“What? No,” you furrowed your eyebrows because where the heck did he take that from?

“So you don’t like Taesan?” Leehan asked as if it was something he needed to confirm, best friend duties or whatever. Even if you liked his friend, you wouldn’t have talked about him with Leehan. That kind of behavior just didn’t make sense to you.

“No, gosh, I was just trying to start a conversation,” you sighed exasperatedly which exuded a chuckle from the boy.

“Cute,” he noted and absentmindedly reached out towards your head. You froze in your spot the same moment his hand stopped mid-air too having caught himself. You felt heat rush into your cheeks thinking that he wanted to… what? Ruffle your hair or pat your head? Either way, Leehan smoothly recovered as he pulled his hand back and ran his fingers through his own silky locks, waving goodbye to you before heading off to his class.

It was silly how something so small and insignificant like that suddenly made you nervous around the boy. Well, nervous might not have been the right word. You would have liked to think that previously you were indifferent or slightly intrigued at most when it came to Leehan. He was just another boy after all, just one more face that you wouldn’t see anymore when your family moved again. You had become great at not getting too close with anybody after the constant goodbyes had become too much to handle. Yet, you caught yourself waiting for the boy’s random animal fun facts and felt yourself getting flustered when you caught him as much as looking in your direction at the school canteen. It was getting ridiculous.

When you mentioned to Hyewon that one guy made you feel this confused, she told you that it could be just because you weren’t used to being friends with boys and that you needed to get out more. That's how you ended up at Wonyoung’s house party that weekend. The cheerleader welcomed you with a wide smile despite not talking more than ten words with you before but you guessed that it was normal. The more the merrier and all that jazz.

You had never been a party person, it was too loud, too chaotic. You weren’t sure how this was supposed to help with your problem but Hyewon seemed to have fun, especially when she made Gyuvin dance on the dance during a round of truth or dare. You talked with some people from class and strangers both and it wasn’t bad, you did have a good time but after a while it was a bit too much. Very unlike your usual Saturday night when you usually edited your videos to the tunes of your feel good Spotify playlist.

You needed some fresh air after being in the stuffy house for hours among dozens of other sweaty bodies and luckily Wonyoung’s parents’ house had a back garden, perks of living in the suburbs. From outside, the party’s music was muffled through the walls, toned down but still audible. You closed your eyes and let the night breeze cool your face. You only snapped out of it when you heard the sound of movements from the other side of the terrace. Initially you thought that it must have been a cat, so you were quite surprised when behind the huge kimchi jar there was none other than Kim Leehan.

“Jeez, what are you doing here?” You put a hand over your rapidly beating heart after such a jumpscare and eyed the guy sitting against the wall.

“What does it look like?” He asked, sheepishly for once with a scratch on his nape. It was so unlike his confident persona that charmed half the girls in your year. There was something lovely about it though, that he allowed you to see him like this.

“Don’t tell me you’re hiding? From girls?” You asked in a hushed voice and at first it was supposed to be a teasing joke but considering Leehan’s silence there must have been some truth in it. “Seriously, you are like 180cm, what can a bunch of girls do to you?”

You blurted it out without thinking but the moment it left your mouth, you realized how ridiculous that sounded. It didn’t matter that he was a guy or he was this tall, nobody deserved to be made to feel uncomfortable.

“Sorry, that was insensitive of me,” you apologized immediately, not wanting the boy to get defensive or hurt due to your unnecessarily harsh words. “But if they bother you so much, I’m sure there are better ways to deal with it.”

Obviously you had never been in his shoes but you wanted to help, you wanted him to feel comfortable enough around you to share the burden, to not play it off when things got like this.

“Most girls are fine, they are respectful and I don’t mind being looked at,” Leehan sighed wistfully, leaning his head back against the wall, looking up at the sky, starless from all the light pollution in the big city. “But… some are too much.”

You felt your fingers twitch, sudden anger rising in your chest thinking about scenarios of what could have happened that made him come out to hide there. Did they grab him or touch him in a way he didn’t want to? Did some drunk girl force themselves upon him when he just wanted to have fun with his friends?

“Are you okay?” You asked, worried, keeping an eye closely on the boy’s facial expressions.

He hummed. It was not a very elaborate response but it was better than nothing. In the following silence though you weren’t sure what to do with yourself. You looked back at the door, wondering when tipsy high schoolers would stumble out to smoke and to break this idyll. It must have looked like you were about to leave, not wanting to bother him because he spoke up, rushed as if he could miss you any minute.

“Can you stay?”

The depth of his voice was more apparent when he talked quietly. Or was it because of the dim light and the open space? You could practically feel it vibrate through your cells. There was no way you would have said no to that.

It was you who just hummed this time, not trusting your voice, and you squeezed yourself next to Leehan, into the space between him and the kimchi jar, the house wall cold against your back. It made you shiver lightly because in the recent lovely spring weather you forgone wearing an extra layer. The boy noticed though, he shrugged off the plaid shirt he wore over a white tee and covered your back and shoulders with it.

“Thank you,” you mumbled, suddenly surrounded by his warmth and the smell of sea salt even after he pulled back his hands.

“Tell me something,” Leehan whispered and despite initially not knowing what to say, you ended up telling him about your inexperience with parties and how moving around a lot affected your relationship with people and your sense of home. You told him that you were thinking of getting your own place instead of moving with your parents to a new city next time but you were afraid because you had never lived alone and you weren’t sure what your parents would have said either. You were so young yet the last few years had been so uncertain, a constant countdown until the next destination and you wanted to settle down for a bit, to call a place home for more than a few months. You wanted to get to know people without the constant fear of eventually losing touch with them.

Leehan was a good listener. He asked the right questions and shared his own perspective of things. There was nothing arrogant in the way he said that distance didn’t matter with the right people. At one point, once the heaviness of the topic subdued into a lighter conversation about your favorite places to be, he leaned his head on your shoulder, his locks tickling your ear and his closeness turning your cheeks rosy.

It was cozy, staying there with him, just talking. You didn’t even notice the party sounds dying down until Haewon called you to ask if you had already gone home without her. It could have been embarrassing how you didn't even notice time passing in Leehan’s company but you felt nothing of that sort. Shyly, you handed him back his shirt and wished him good night before catching up with Haewon.

You should have known that the girl famous for her intuitions wouldn’t leave it just like that. You were ambushed the moment the two of you were alone on the night bus.

“Sooo… where did you disappear off? Were you with Leehan?” She singsonged casually while you almost choked on your spit because you had never told her that the boy making you feel conflicted was Leehan. The pretty, popular boy of your grade, the prince of Yongsan High. The one almost everybody wanted. So cliché, so unnerving. And yet…

“Wh– what? How?” You spluttered, flustered but it only made Haewon giggle and coo at you.

“Please, I have seen how you look at him.”

“Oh, gosh, is it that obvious?” You groaned, hiding your face in your hands. You didn’t think you were that gone. Scratch that, before the party you wholeheartedly believed that it was just curiosity and being friendly on your part. Maybe Haewon was right and you had no idea how simple friendship worked with boys.

“It’s cute. And don’t worry, I don’t think Leehan noticed. He’s used to more… aggressive type of love declarations.”

“I’m not declaring my love for him!” You objected because that was too much, too soon. You just realized that you liked him and you haven’t decided yet what to do with this new, fuzzy feeling spreading in your chest.

“Why not?”

Why not indeed? Was it not wanting him to lose this fragile safe space he found with you just because you couldn't stop yourself and fell in love when all he needed was a friend who understood? Or was it your usual mindset of keeping everybody at an arm’s length to not get too emotionally attached?  You had no idea and it was too late into the night to figure it all out then.

Summer was approaching fast. It meant humid and sunny days, and way too many term end tests. It also meant two months without seeing Leehan which planted a kind of dread in your chest whenever you thought about it. At least you weren’t moving this time, not with your CSAT exams coming up in the second half of the year, so you had a bit more time to decide whether you wanted to stay here even if your parents moved away after your graduation.

Things only subtly changed after that party at Wonyoung’s. You didn’t necessarily look for each other’s presence at school, probably because both of you knew the rumors would be a pain to avoid if you did otherwise. You did text more though and not just about the previous neutral topics. Having been in Seoul for longer, Leehan started recommending places for you to visit for your YouTube channel and he knew that you wouldn’t belittle his complaints when he was annoyed by the way he was treated. He was also the perfect person to turn to when you had a bad day because he would listen and then he would make you feel better with his odd little jokes. He was such a dork under that popular pretty boy surface and you loved being able to see this side of him too. He also made sure to keep you updated about the school radio leader’s and your class president’s progress.

On a particularly hot June day, it was Leehan who nudged you in the side when he walked past you in the hallways.

“Let’s get ice cream after school,” he suggested casually as if it didn’t make your heartbeat go crazy, so you walked two blocks down from the school while arguing about the best Baskin Robbins flavors and went over the popsicles section of the corner convenience store only for Leehan to dig out the most artificial green colored one for its alien packaging. You laughed about the color of your tongues and the icy dessert melting all over your fingers and you had so much fun that for those few minutes you forgot about all the uncertainties in your life. Nothing mattered, just that moment with Leehan.

Haewon’s question (why not?) echoed in your ears at times like this.

It became a new habit sweeping well into summer: hanging out outside of school, looking for places with refreshing desserts to beat the heat. It was Italian-style gelato one week then bingsu or hwachae the next. You didn’t film but you kept posting pictures on your Instagram and you really underestimated the curiosity of your followers because one blurry reflection on the window was enough for people to conclude that you were on a date.

You knew for a fact that Leehan had the habit of stalking your comment section ever since he got so worked up about somebody making a mere comment on you gaining weight, but he didn’t say anything about this incident, which was probably for the best because honestly, you weren’t sure you could have played it off as coolly as when you had talked about not wanting dating rumors back in the day. Because what if it wasn’t rumors?

Next time you met up, Leehan pointed a finger at you in accusation even before he sat down at the table you already occupied.

“You went to an ocean-themed cafe without me?”

You blinked up at him in surprise, trying to make sense of what he was talking about when you remembered what you posted earlier to your Instagram.

“I was cafe hopping and found it by accident,” you explained that it wasn’t planned. If you knew, you surely would have told him about it. Even when you found the pretty coffee shop, you were so excited to tell him about it but then you had to remind yourself to tone it down, to not make your feelings too obvious.

“Still… Next time, you should take me with you,” Leehan said, pursing his lips a little child-like and you wanted to pinch his cheeks just above his adorable dimples. You curled your fingers into your hand to stop yourself.

“I’m not used to filming in company,” you told him because it was kind of a principle you had to fully pay attention to the people you were with instead of focusing on snapping pictures or recording. Maybe it was because your parents didn’t like it that you had your camera on you when you went out with them on those rare occasions they were free to give in to your request. With Leehan though, he might not have minded it but you were sure he would be distracting in the most heart-fluttering meaning of the word. You couldn’t take your eyes off him and it would be a mess. Your viewers would notice the same way Haewon had noticed too.

“Please~” The boy pouted (unfair!), fluttering his eyelashes under the loose strands of his long grown fringe and you felt your resolve weaken immediately.

“Just because you are pretty, it doesn’t mean you can just do that and I will give in,” you blurted out a protest in a weak attempt of keeping your composure. You didn’t even notice your subscious slipping through until Leehan’s pout turned into a content smile.

“Oh, so you do think I’m pretty.”

“I… that’s not the point!” You protested but Leehan seemed oddly satisfied with the new knowledge. He was whistling to the tone of a 2nd gen kpop song under his nose when the ahjumma came to take your orders and both of you were embarrassed because you didn’t bother looking at the menu since you arrived. The ahjumma smiled fondly and mumbled something about young love which turned you crimson but you hoped Leehan didn’t hear and didn’t notice. Luckily (or not), he was still hung up on your previous slip up.

“I thought you were immune to me,” he mumbled and he sounded so serious that you couldn’t even find it in yourself to joke about what kind of virus he would like to be then.

“What?” You blinked at him, not sure what brought this up but while you were confused, Leehan looked like this was something that had been on the tip of his tongue for so long and now that it was finally out he had a lot to explain.

“I mean, it’s not a terrible thing I guess. I like it that you treat me like a normal guy from day one, that you don’t swoon just because I walk past you on the school hallways and you aren’t afraid to call me out on my bullshit when I’m too much but then I kind of want you to be swooned by me. I know it doesn’t make sense but sometimes it bothers me so much that you don’t like me the way I like you.”

“I…” You gaped at him like a fish, speechless, but couldn’t even finish your clumsy excuse of sentence because Leehan was still rambling.

“Like look at me. How can you not?” He finally looked you in the eye and pointed at his face.

His all too lovely face with the warmest shade of brown in his playful eyes, the prettiest hair you would like to ruffle and the smart line of his rosy lips. At that moment he looked so young, so boyish, the teenager blemish barely visible on his face because in your eyes even the flaws made him more handsome.

“Leehan,” you said his name slowly, forming each syllable like it was an answer itself. Suddenly it wasn’t so scary to be honest because you now knew that he was just as unsure around you as you were with him. “I do like you but no offense, it has nothing to do with your looks.”

If you wanted to be honest, his looks were one thing you disliked about him in the beginning. You had known popular boys before who knew they looked good and they had always had the kind of ego that made their handsomeness turn sour in your mouth. But it became clear over time that he wasn’t one to use his good looks to get away with things and take advantage of girls’ feelings.

“Y/N,” Leehan called your name in a similar manner to the way you had done, a confused little frown sitting on his forehead and you wanted nothing more than to smooth it out. “There’s so much to unpack in that sentence.”

“Like?”

“Like when you say you like me, do you mean it in a friendly way?” He asked and he sounded so nervous asking it that you couldn’t help but giggle. He had said it first in his ramble, he wasn’t weirded out by your confession either nor did he brush it off and gosh, he sounded outright hopeful, so the relief made you feel giddy.

“Sure,” you smiled before casting your eyes down. “If wanting to hold hands with you and going on cheesy dates is a friendly thing to do.”

There was a moment of silence that made you so nervous you had to look up again and what you saw was better than seeing any breathtaking sunrise.

“Really?” Leehan whispered, his eyes shining with little stars in them.

“Really,” you nodded shyly before remembering his previous claim about so much to unpack and you cleared your throat. “What else?”

The soft smile melted off the boy’s face and something insecure flashed through his eyes as his fingers fumbled with the napkins on the table.

“And… does it mean that you like me but not the way I look? Like… am I not manly enough or–?”

“Hey, no, that’s not what I meant,” you interrupted quickly but not quickly enough because you never wanted him to feel that way to begin with. You scrambled to find the right words to explain this time. “I like you because you are caring and kind, you listen to my vents and try to help, you make boring stuff fun, you make me feel at home with you in a way I haven’t felt in a long time. It doesn’t matter how you look but to tell you the truth and not just to boost your ego, you are the most beautiful boy I have ever seen.”

“Oh, okay,” Leehan muttered but then giggled and the tips of his ears peeking out from between his wavy locks reddened adorably. You couldn’t believe what you were seeing. Kim Leehan getting flustered in front of you, because of you?

“Hold up… are you blushing?” You teased, softly, playfully and wholeheartedly smitten.

“Shut up,” Leehan mumbled but there was no edge in his tone, just a smile playing on his lips. So cute. “I like you too. A lot. In a friendly way if walking you home and kissing you goodbye is something friends do.”

This time it was your turn to flush, a cherry color appearing on your cheeks. You were pretty sure that that’s why the ahjumma turned on her heels when she walked up to your table again without asking about your orders. The menu cards were still untouched next to you.

You got to hold Leehan’s hand that day when he did good on his promise and walked you home. He also kissed you on the cheek by the gate because you both got shy but it was fine, you had the entire summer and all the time in the world. There was no need to rush anything.

Your first official date was at the aquarium for old time’s sake and it was the second time Leehan called you his girlfriend. You got distracted reading about the ‘Nemo fish’ and you didn’t realize that the boy wandered further away staring at a big tank full of fluorescent jellyfish as if it hadn’t been there before. By the time you caught up with him, there was a girl there, handing him her phone, smiling coyly. Last time you didn’t feel anything if not mild annoyance for being dragged into it but now you could feel your chest swelling with a new emotion. You had thought before that you would be jealous but what you actually felt was pride. That there was this beautiful, amazing boy and he liked you and he seemed proud of it too as he shot an apologetic smile towards the girl then saw you over her shoulder and his forced smile softened, its edges lifting up until his dimple showed.

“Sorry, I have a girlfriend,” he said and this time it was real.

He bowed politely towards the stranger then reached for your hand, lacing his fingers through yours and you hid your smile in his arm as he pulled you farther away.

“Are you good?” You asked quietly, just to make sure that the girl didn’t make him feel uncomfortable because otherwise you might have had to go back and lecture her on basic manners.

“Never better,” Leehan replied, smiling against your temple with a brief kiss before pointing at a tank you passed by. “Did you know that angelfish mate for life?”

“No, I had no idea,” you chuckled and listened to your boyfriend tell you all about this species of fish you had never heard about before. It was perfect. You could have listened to him all day.

[swiftiethatlovesf1]

Back home p.4

Hey guyss, I hope you enjoy this part, here's part 3 if you've missed it.

You hesitate for a moment, fingers hovering over your phone screen before finally typing out the message to Charles.

Hey Charles, it’s Y/N. I know this might sound a bit silly, but I was invited to a party tonight for the first day of school. Since they saw me getting a ride from Arthur, they figured out I know you, and they asked me to invite you. No pressure at all, I totally understand if you have other plans or don’t want to go.

You hit send, not really expecting much. Charles is busy—always has been, always will be. Arthur, on the other hand, had already agreed to come without hesitation. He'd said he didn’t want you to go alone, insisting with a protectiveness that made you feel a bit more at ease about the evening.

You sigh, standing in front of your closet, trying to figure out what to wear. The party probably wasn’t anything too fancy, but knowing Monaco, you didn’t want to underdress either. You sift through your clothes, settling on something casual yet stylish—a dress that’s just the right balance between effortless and chic.

As you start to get ready, you catch a glimpse of your phone lighting up on the bed. You reach for it, surprised to see Charles’s name pop up on the screen.

Hey, Y/N. I’m not sure if I can make it, but I’ll try to swing by if I can.

You smile at the message, a small flutter of excitement in your chest. The fact that he even responded, let alone might come, was unexpected.

You type a quick reply: No worries at all, I totally get it. But if you can come, that’d be great!

You finish getting ready, slipping into the dress you picked out. It hugs your figure just right, and with a final glance in the mirror, you add the finishing touches—some light makeup and your favourite earrings. Just as you’re adjusting your hair, a knock sounds at your door.

When you open it, Arthur is leaning against the doorframe, dressed casually but effortlessly cool, as usual. For a moment, his breath catches as he takes you in. His eyes sweep over you, lingering a little longer than usual, and a wave of possessiveness surges inside him.

"God, she looks stunning," he thinks, jaw tightening slightly. He can't help the feeling that bubbles up every time he’s near you—the desire to keep you close, to have you all to himself. It’s more than just friendship, and he knows it. But it’s easier this way, staying in the space between, rather than risking it all by making a move.

“You look…” he starts, clearing his throat, his voice softer than usual. “You look gorgeous.”

You smile, brushing off the compliment as you grab your bag. “Thanks. You clean up pretty well yourself.”

Arthur flashes a grin, but inside, all he can think about is how tonight, he’ll have you by his side. At least for a little while.

As you pull up to the party, you’re expecting something laid-back, a small gathering of students at someone’s house. But when you arrive, your eyes widen in surprise. The “house” in question is a massive mansion, lights twinkling, and music pulsing from inside. Cars are lined up out front, expensive ones, and you can already hear the hum of a crowd, loud and lively.

“This… is not what I was expecting,” you mutter, glancing over at Arthur, who smirks, not surprised in the least. “I should’ve known it’d be something over the top.”

Arthur chuckles, keeping his hand casually on the steering wheel, but his focus is still on you. “Welcome to Monaco parties, chérie. "

As you step out of the car, Arthur stays close, his hand gently guiding you by the small of your back. You don’t think much of it—it’s just Arthur being Arthur, always looking out for you. But as you walk through the entrance, heads turn, and you can feel people watching, murmuring as you and Arthur make your way through the crowded space.

Girls start to notice Arthur, their eyes lighting up as they recognize him. A few begin to make their way over, smiling, calling his name. You watch, amused, thinking it’s funny how much attention he gets in a place like this. But Arthur seems less entertained. His hand at your back shifts, his touch firmer, guiding you more directly through the crowd.

You don’t notice the way his jaw clenches, or the way his grip on you tightens slightly as if he’s making sure you don’t slip away. To you, it’s just Arthur being protective, the way he always is.

“You’re really popular tonight,” you say with a light laugh, not noticing the flicker of tension in his eyes as more girls try to catch his attention.

He smiles down at you, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Let’s find somewhere quieter,” he says, his voice low, almost like a suggestion, but there’s a firmness to it that you don’t pick up on.

You nod, completely unaware of the possessiveness behind his actions, assuming it’s just his usual concern for your comfort. As you walk together through the party, Arthur keeps you close, his protectiveness wrapping around you like a shield.

You feel safe, never suspecting that to him, this isn’t just about keeping you safe—it’s about keeping you his.

The evening progresses, and despite the overwhelming size of the party, you find yourself having a good time. Arthur stays close by your side, making you laugh, sharing stories, and keeping you entertained. Every now and then, more people approach him, eager to talk or catch his attention, but Arthur barely engages, always redirecting the conversation back to you. It feels comfortable, easy—just like old times.

After a while, though, you feel the need for a break. “I’m going to grab a drink,” you tell Arthur over the music, gesturing toward the bar. “Be right back.”

He hesitates for a moment, as if he wants to go with you, but then nods, giving you space. “Don’t be too long, okay?” he says with a grin, his tone light but his gaze lingering on you as you walk away.

You weave through the crowd, making your way toward the bar, and when you finally reach it, you order something simple, grateful for the moment to catch your breath. As you take a sip, you turn to head back to Arthur, but suddenly, a guy steps into your path.

“Hey there,” he says, his voice slurred slightly. He’s too close, his eyes roaming over you in a way that makes you instantly uncomfortable.

You try to move around him, but he steps in front of you again, blocking your way. “Why don’t you stay and chat for a bit?” he suggests, a smirk playing on his lips.

“No, thanks,” you say firmly, trying to keep your tone polite but strong. “I’m with someone. I need to get back.”

But he doesn’t back off. Instead, he leans closer, his breath smelling of alcohol. “Come on, don’t be like that. Just a quick drink, huh?”

You take a step back, your heart starting to race as you glance around, but the crowd is thick, and no one seems to notice what’s happening. “Please, let me through,” you say, your voice more insistent now.

The guy chuckles, clearly not getting the hint. “You’re too pretty to leave alone. Come on, sweetheart, stay a little longer.”

Before you can respond, a sharp voice cuts through the noise behind you. “She said she’s not interested. Move along.”

You freeze for a moment, recognizing the voice immediately. Slowly, you turn around, and there, standing just behind you, is Charles. His expression is calm, but there’s a dangerous edge to his tone, one that leaves no room for argument.

The guy glances at Charles, clearly recognizing him, and for a second, it looks like he’s going to say something snide. But Charles steps forward, his presence commanding. “Leave,” he repeats, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The guy mumbles something under his breath before stumbling away, finally leaving you alone. You exhale, the tension in your body slowly releasing as Charles turns to you.

“You okay?” he asks, his voice softer now, his concerned eyes meeting yours.

You nod, still a little shaken but grateful. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks… I didn’t expect you to be here.”

Charles smiles slightly, but there’s a seriousness in his gaze. “I told you I’d try to come. Seems like I showed up just in time.”

Tag list: @iamapersonwholikesunicorns, @janeh22, @victoriaholland, @abq654, @iamapersonwholikesunicorns, @anaferreira-4, @larastark3107, @itgirlofthecenturysposts, @boherahpsody, @iamkaku, @jz12

Here's part 5

[aventurineswife]

can you do aventurine with a teen!reader and aventurine is the reader's uncle and he takes them on a day out? (shopping for clothes, sushi place), gn!reader please

“Magnificent, But I'll Take 'Nice'”

Summary: Aventurine takes you on a spontaneous adventure through the streets of Penacony. From shopping for a gala outfit to indulging in sushi, his playful antics and theatrical flair create an unforgettable day. Beneath the bravado, however, there’s a surprising depth to Aventurine, as he shares a rare moment of sincerity with you. The day ends with a mix of humor and quiet reflection, leaving you appreciative of your uncle’s unique presence in your life

Tags: Aventurine x Teen!Reader, Family Bond, Adventure, Humor, Sincerity, Lighthearted, Personal Growth.

The sun cast a warm glow over the towering buildings of Penacony as you followed Aventurine’s figure through the bustling streets. Your uncle, ever the picture of elegance and flair, stood out like a peacock among pigeons. His overcoat shimmered faintly in the sunlight, and his earring danced with each step he took.

You weren’t entirely sure why Aventurine had decided today of all days to take you out. Your parents had warned you about his flair for the dramatic and his tendency to turn even mundane outings into high-stakes games, but there was something magnetic about him. When he showed up unannounced at your doorstep, his charismatic smile and smooth pitch for a “day of indulgence” had been impossible to resist.

“So,” Aventurine said, breaking your thoughts as he turned to face you, eyes glinting with mischief. “What’s the first stop, little protégé? Clothes, sushi, or something else entirely? The day’s your oyster, though I might just toss in a pearl or two of my own.”

You chuckled. “Clothes first, I guess. I need something decent to wear for the school gala.”

“Ah, a gala! Perfect. I’ll make sure you’re dressed to outshine even the most ostentatious stars in the room.” He placed a hand over his heart, feigning deep contemplation. “But don’t worry, darling—I’ll keep your budget intact. Probably.”

Stepping into the boutique felt like entering another world. Racks of glittering fabrics, sleek silhouettes, and bold designs stretched endlessly before you. Aventurine clapped his hands together, surveying the store like a commander inspecting his troops.

“Alright, strategy time!” he declared, his tone brimming with theatrical enthusiasm. “The goal: find you something that screams confidence, elegance, and just a dash of rebellion. Something that says, ‘Yes, I’m amazing, but you may approach if you dare.’”

You laughed, rolling your eyes. “I just need something nice, Uncle Aventurine. Don’t overthink it.”

He winked. “Overthinking is my forte, sweetheart. Now, go forth and browse! I’ll be your ever-diligent consultant-slash-devil’s advocate.”

True to his word, Aventurine offered commentary on every piece you picked up. Some of it was genuinely helpful “The tailoring on this one is impeccable”, while other remarks were pure flair “This jacket? Darling, it’s as lifeless as a busted roulette wheel!”.

Eventually, you settled on a sleek, well-fitted ensemble—a blend of classic and modern, understated yet stylish. Aventurine’s grin widened as he inspected your choice.

“Perfect,” he declared. “It’s you. Confident but unassuming. Bold yet refined. I approve.”

“Glad to know I’ve passed your fashion test,” you teased.

“Not just a test, my dear—a triumph.”

Your next stop was a bustling sushi bar tucked away in a side street. The warm aroma of rice and fresh seafood greeted you as you took a seat at the counter. Aventurine leaned back in his chair, glancing over the menu with an expression of mock seriousness.

“Now, the key to sushi,” he began, “is to approach it like a gamble. You never know what you’ll get with some of these exotic options, but isn’t that half the fun?”

You raised an eyebrow. “You mean to tell me you don’t just pick the most expensive thing on the menu?”

He gasped, clutching his chest in mock offense. “How dare you, little protégé? I’ll have you know I pick based on taste and flair.”

In the end, you both opted for a mix of classic rolls and more adventurous options. Aventurine’s charm was in full force as he chatted with the chef, weaving tales of daring exploits and high-stakes deals. You weren’t sure how much of it was true, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

As you shared a plate of dragon rolls, Aventurine leaned closer, his playful demeanor softening slightly.

“You know,” he said, his voice quieter now, “I don’t get to do this sort of thing often. Too busy climbing the ladders, playing the game. But I’m glad I got to spend today with you.”

You blinked, surprised by the sudden sincerity. “Me too, Uncle Aventurine. It’s been... nice.”

His smile turned wistful. “Nice? Darling, it’s been magnificent. But I’ll take ‘nice’ if that’s what you’re offering.”

As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of pink and orange, you found yourself walking back to your apartment. Aventurine carried your shopping bags with an exaggerated air of nobility, drawing amused glances from passersby.

“You know,” you said, glancing at him, “for someone who’s supposed to be this big-shot strategist, you’re surprisingly good at just... hanging out.”

He smirked, tilting his head. “Why, thank you. It’s all part of the act, of course. But I’ll let you in on a little secret.”

“What’s that?”

He leaned in conspiratorially. “The best strategies aren’t about outsmarting your opponent—they’re about knowing when to just enjoy the moment.”

For once, there was no trace of his usual bravado. Just a quiet honesty that left you with the feeling that, beneath all the flair and theatrics, your uncle Aventurine was someone worth knowing.

As you reached your door, he handed you your bags with a flourish. “Well, my darling protégé, I must bid you adieu. But fear not—this won’t be our last escapade.”

You smiled, watching as he turned to leave, his overcoat billowing dramatically in the evening breeze. “See you soon, Uncle Aventurine.”

And as he disappeared into the night, you couldn’t help but think that, despite all his flaws and theatrics, you were lucky to have him in your life.