#Team Building Exercise: the short story

[viennakarma]

Satisfaction [Part 1]

Lewis Hamilton x reader

Summary: Four times you tried to befriend Lewis, and one time you didn't.

Word count: 2.1k

Tags: female!reader, asshole!Lewis (he will get better), physiotherapist!reader, no romance yet, Lewis is being rude, reader is trying, cursing, a bit angsty, not beta read

Note: Lewis is being kind of an asshole, but I promise he will grovel a lot. This is a two part story. Gentle reminder that english is not my first language (so please bear any mistake), I'm also taking requests for F1 drabbles and oneshots (at this moment I'm writing for Lewis, Fernando, Max and Toto Wolff).

Find me on Twitter!

I.

You drank the rest of your iced tea in one gulp, pushing the nervousness away. It wasn't exactly anxiety, but more first-day jitters at a new job. Adjusting your ponytail, you stood up as one of the team approached.

“Y/N? It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Ellie from the HR team, we spoke on the phone. Lewis is around, so we thought we’d introduce you two now, okay?”

“Of course, of course, it’s nice to meet you, Ellie.”

Ellie showed you around, giving you a tour of the entire motorhome. You were aware that it was difficult to join a team after the season had already started, especially to take the place of a person who was very loved by everyone and who had been there for several years, but you were willing to do your best to get along with everyone.

Finally, Ellie took you to a training room, where Lewis was inside. He was sitting in an armchair, drinking water from a bottle when Ellie introduced the two of you. You smiled and offered your hand for a shake, but he just ignored his hand with a blank stare.

“Lewis, this is Y/N Y/L/N, your new physical therapist, you'll be seeing each other every other day” Ellie introduced them, not seeming to notice the cold way Lewis greeted you.

“Nice to meet you,” you murmured, trying to ignore the awkwardness between the two of you. Lewis just nodded his head briefly and turned to pay attention to his own cell phone.

Ellie then went over your entire routine for the next few weeks, as well as giving you a short guide to Lewis's physiotherapy sessions over the past two years, and required exercises from fitness to pre-race and post-race.

Your official working day began the following Tuesday at seven in the morning at one of the Mercedes workstations in Brackley, where the entire team was gathered. You needed to be there to look after Lewis' fitness as he had team meetings, and you needed to follow him wherever he went to be able to do your job. Honestly, it wasn't a big problem since you used to work with the Real Madrid football team, so you were used to the traveling routine.

As soon as you entered the building's small gym, Lewis was already inside, tying the laces on his shoes.

"Good morning!" You walked in with a smile, setting your bag aside and holding the two glasses of iced tea you had purchased on the way, “the weather is kind of warm today, huh? I bought iced tea for both of us.”

“No thanks,” Lewis said, standing up, “can we get started?”

The sharp tone left you speechless for a moment, but you soon recovered, tying your hair into a ponytail. You had hoped that the mood on the day you met Lewis was just because he was stressed or had some problem on that specific day. But it seems that today he also wasn’t very interested in being polite to you.

You took a deep breath pulling your iPad out of the bag where you had prepared the day's entire session. Okay, you were patient, you could win him over with time and maybe you could even become friends, or at the very least, on friendly terms.

“Alright, let’s start today’s session with some intense stretching to prepare your body for the intensity of the next few days’ sessions,” you murmured, pointing to the mat on the floor.

“Angela didn't use an iPad during our sessions,” he commented casually.

“Because Angela had been with you for years and had already memorized her exercises. Can we start?"

II.

“Hey, I’m sorry I’m late,” you said, entering the gym, plopping your bag on a nearby table.

“You could have a little more respect for other people’s time,” Lewis said, suddenly. You froze in place, your eyes fleeting to the watch high on the wall, that showed you were barely ten minutes late for the session.

“Yes, I’m sorry,” you repeated, pulling your iPad open.

You were a few weeks into your new job, and acquaintanceship with Lewis had not gone better in the slightest. If anything, it had gone even worse. Lewis was adamant in not opening up to you, not even in the professional sense of your work relationship. Every time you tried small talk, or even professional talk, he had shut you out barely politely. He was constantly annoyed by your presence, and didn’t engage in anything other than the exercises you were helping him with. You noticed his performance was going bad in the season, and you attributed his bad mood solely to that. That’s why you usually brushed off his rude remarks and his questioning of the quality of your work.

“We’ll do core strength today, Lewis.”

You spent the next two hours walking him through every exercise you had for the day. Sometime during your session, you tried to help him fix his posture by pressing a hand on his shoulder, but he brushed you off, only saying he was able to do it himself.

By the end of your session, he was visibly tired, and you reached in your purse to your small stock of protein bars. You grabbed two and tossed one to Lewis. He caught it in the air, staring at it with a frown.

“It’s a protein bar. It is healthy, vegan, and doesn’t taste like cardboard, for once,” you giggled, trying to strike up conversation, “honestly, I found this small brand from Hungary out of sheer luck and my life hasn’t been the same ever since, now I just order like this crazy-”

“Are we done?” He cut you off, you stopped smiling.

“What?” you said, staring at him going to his bag.

“Is our session done?” he insisted.

“Yes,” you said, deflated. Lewis walked away, and on his way to the door, he dropped the little protein bar you gave him in the trash.

You felt a lump in your throat, defeated. You had never had a client so difficult to deal with. Most of them were usually standoffish in the beginning, but they became friends with time, some of them you had a great relationship even now, years later.

Lewis just- he just hated you for apparently no reason, and it was making your professional life pure hell. It was hard not bonding with someone you work so physically close with. And honestly, you had tried everything in the book to help him acclimate to you, but he was just- immune. He didn’t like you, you had no idea if he even liked your job because he refused to give you any feedback whatsoever.

You refused to go to HR because it would make you look like a kid throwing a tantrum because the other kid doesn’t like you. What would HR do? Force Lewis to tolerate you? He would probably hate you more if that happened.

You just sighed, swallowing the tears as you left.

III.

“I was considering adding pilates sessions once a week, we can do reformer and clinical pilates alternating” you told Lewis as he did the final stretching of the session.

“I don’t like sudden changes in my exercise routine,” he said, getting up.

“Well, I believe it would do you good. And we can start slowly for you to adapt better. Does every other week work for you?” You taped your schedule on the iPad.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he muttered, visibly annoyed now.

“I can forward you a few articles I have been reading to show you, why I think it-”

“No, I don’t want that,” he shut you off completely, “can I go now?”

You sighed, enough was enough. You were pissed at him, being difficult, being annoying, fucking up your routine by being rude and being a fucking asshole.

“No, you can’t,” you said, voice firm, which kind of surprised him, since it was the first time you ever used that tone with him, “what is your fucking problem?”

“What are you talking about?” He folded his arms.

“What is your problem with me? Is it something I did? Or maybe something I said?” You pressed, walking towards him, the closest you have ever been to him.

“I have no problem with you,” he said and you scoffed, “we are not friends, you’re just my physiotherapist, nothing more, nothing less.”

You felt grateful he left as soon as he said that, otherwise he would have seen the tears filling your eyes.

IV.

“I went back to therapy, because I’m feeling like a failure,” you told Angela over the phone.

“Is he being so difficult?” She asked, sounding worried.

“You have no idea…” you whispered, pressing your temples.

“You want me to talk to him?” Angela said, concerned. You stared at your own reflection in the mirror inside the gym, seeing the dark circles under your eyes from lack of sleep. The last encounter with Lewis was enough to take a toll on your mental health and trigger a bit of insomnia.

“No, I think it would make it worse, but I appreciate the offer,” you sighed, exhausted, “I’ll work around these difficulties, and if it gets any worse, I’ll call you so you can talk to him. Deal?”

“Deal. Just- Don’t burn yourself out, ok? I know how he can be hard to deal with. Let me know if you need anything.” Angela offered, and you wanted to cry with the kindness in her voice.

“Yes, of course. Thank you very much for letting me vent, yeah? Talk to you later” You said, and noticed how Lewis entered the gym, seemingly surprised that you even were there.

That would make two of you.

This time you went through your training session in complete silence, only talking about his physicality and the exercises. You didn’t joke with him, nor did you make commentaries on the session. You just did your job silently, staring at him with a blank face.

As you finished, you packed your bag and left without a word, going straight to HR to put in your resignation letter you had written during your day off.

V.

Lewis noticed your absence as soon as he entered the gym for your session. You hadn’t been late ever since that time he called you out the first and only time you were late. Since then, you were always there when he arrived. But you weren’t there and he felt something was off. Maybe you had a cold or something and HR forgot to tell him.

He walked up to Ellie’s office, knocking lightly before entering.

“Hey there, Lewis! Can I help you?” She asked, putting away a few papers.

“Hey. Where is Y/N?” He asked, sitting down.

“Oh, I thought she had told you… She resigned two days ago.” With Ellie’s words, Lewis felt his stomach drop, but Ellie just continued talking, “she said she didn’t adapt very well to the routine, which is sad considering she is such a big fan of Mercedes and Formula 1. And, you know, since she was a recommendation from Angela Cullen, I really thought she would fit perfectly with the team.”

Lewis felt his mouth go dry. He didn’t know any of this. He didn’t know you were a fan of the team, as he didn’t know Angela had put you in her own position after leaving. He felt so, so bad, he was suddenly nauseous.

“Did she say exactly why she was leaving?” Lewis asked, heart beating in his ears.

“She said she wasn’t adapting to the traveling routine and it took a toll on her. She also apologized profusely, but I told her it was alright, it happens more often than she thinks.”

Lewis knew exactly the reason you left. He had made you go through living hell by being a stubborn asshole. You tried to befriend him, to be nice, to start small talk, to be kind and his only response to your attempts were flat out rudeness.

“Well, these things happen, right?” Ellie shrugged, sympathizing with you more than Lewis ever did. “So, while we find someone to fill her position, you’ll do your pre-race and post-race with George and his physiotherapist.”

Lewis didn’t hear any of the other stuff Ellie said, guilt eating up at him with such force he was out of breath. He didn’t even think before treating you that way, his brain just turned to that everytime he remembered he was alone now, that he had lost his best friend and confidante. Stress of the season had also caught up to him making him more irritable than ever.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he whispered as he left Ellie’s office, he needed to do something.

He called your phone, but you had blocked him already.

“Fuck, I need to fix this.”

[Part 2]

[reticent-writer]

Alot of people asked the same thing so I decided to make one big one so as I used this as a reference

✿✼:*ﾟ:.｡..｡.:*･ﾟﾟ･**･ﾟﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*ﾟ:*:✼✿　

Charlie called everyone into the living room for a team-building exercise.

"Before we begin, I wanna thank everyone for coming. Today we are going to talk about our feelings." Charlie happily sat as everyone sat on the floor in a circle. She was really excited because she got you and Alastor to participate. (Alastor was standing ain't no way he was sitting on the floor)

"For some of you, it seems like your life is still affecting your death. sooo, we will try and scratch the surface of that trauma with.... Dolls." She squealed as she pulled out a bunch of ragdolls from behind her.

"You don't have to use the dolls btw." Vaggie commented with Charlie whispering 'but it's encouraged' right after.

"Why don't you go first y/n." Alastor said with the same wicked grin he always had, "You had a lot to say yesterday."

"Oh fuck off." You flipped him off, "You of all people know my background. If you find it so interesting then you tell it."

"Don't be like that, It's your story to tell not mine." He grabbed a few dolls from Charlie and gave them to you but you didn't use them.

You sighed as you started your short story, "My dad was a drunk jerk with anger issues, my mom was also a drunk and Alastor's tailor. Alastor practically to me and my siblings in annnnd the rest is history."

"That's it?" Angel questioned as he leaned towards you, clearly wanted more details.

"That's it. plain and simple."

"So you see him as your father figure."

You didn't say anything as you looked down at the dolls.

"I don't like talking about this." You tried to say with a slightly hostile tone but your voice betrayed you as your throat started to swell.

"I-it's okay." Charlie placed a hand on your shoulder," Who wants to go next."

Angel volunteered and tried to lighten the mood with an erotic story of how he started..... doing what he was doing.

He successfully changed the subject and made every disguested with what he decided to share. In that moment you saw his progress. He came far and you wanted to thank him for it

---------

Later that night you were in your room midlesly scrolling on the phone Charlie gave you when there was a knock on your door.

You got up to open the door.

There stood Alastor with a surprisingly warm smile.

"Ya know when I met you, you were such a sad kid. You hardly ever made a sound, it scared me. A child like you didn't deserve a family that made you feel that way. I wanted to become your family." He paused for a moment to study your expression before continuing, "I know it's a bit selfish but I'm glad you called dad, my (child/son/daughter)."

You felt the years fall from your eyes but you didn't care as you hugged the man in front of you.

"Thanks, Dad."

✿✼:*ﾟ:.｡..｡.:*･ﾟﾟ･**･ﾟﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*ﾟ:*:✼✿　

I just realized Cheri Bob was were Angel started before joining the hotel. 　

art by @ghostly-one

[reasonsforhope]

"[There is] fantastic news for species conservation after new populations of the gorgeous ‘Skywalker’ gibbon, known to science for only 6 years, were recently found living in the politically chaotic nation of Myanmar.

Also called the hoolock gibbon, this dainty vocalist was first described in 2017 living in the extreme south of China on a mountain in Yunnan. Classified as Endangered by the IUCN, the population was estimated to number a paltry 150 individuals, but others were believed to live in Myanmar.

Even before the recent military junta usurped the president and plunged the country into civil war, Myanmar [was a difficult place to conduct field studies, especially extensive or ongoing ones, due to ongoing conflict.]

[Although they are] now in open revolt against the military junta, [the Myanmar states of Shan and Kachin] were nevertheless destinations for an intrepid team of scientists from the Nature Conservation Society Myanmar, Fauna & Flora International–Myanmar Programme, the IUCN’s ape specialist group, and field researchers from universities in England, China, and the US.

Together, they conducted acoustic surveys, collected non-invasive DNA sampling, and took photographs for morphological identification at six sites in Kachin State and three sites in Shan State. With the help of the Myanmar conservationists, the team also interviewed locals dwelling in rural forested areas, small conservation programs, and timber companies about the frequency of sightings and the hunting pressure.

Population estimates of unknown quality and scientific rigor conducted in 2013 suggested there might be 65,000 hoolock gibbons in Myanmar, but the matter became much more complicated after the classification of the Skywalker gibbon as a separate species from the eastern hoolock gibbon—where before they were confused as the same.

“We were able to genetically identify 44 new groups of Skywalker gibbons in Myanmar,” said senior author Tierra Smiley Evans, research faculty at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and contributing author. “This is a huge resource and success story for Myanmar.”

These gibbons sing to each other at dawn for around 22 minutes, and consume 36 different plant species; choosing fruit first, and flowers later. They seldom sleep in the same tree two nights in a row to avoid predation, and can’t swim so are often confined to territories by river systems.

The team that discovered them in China in 2017 loved Star Wars, and called them tianxing which is Chinese pinyin for “heaven movement;” a nod not only to their favorite sci-fi franchise, but also to China’s ancient history. In the famous Book of Change [aka the I Ching] of the Zhou Dynasty [1046 BCE to 265 BCE], a divination poem refers to gibbons specifically, and uses tianxing as a verb to describe their movements.

The interviews were a source of great data for the scientists. For starters, nearly all individuals in both the Kachin and Shan states could identify a Skywalker gibbon by sight and by playback of its singing, lending the exercise a good degree of reliability...

“Biologists did not believe Skywalker gibbons could live in the small remaining patches in Southern Shan State before we started this project,” Pyae Phyo Aung, executive director of Nature Conservation Society Myanmar, told the UC Davis press.

“I am delighted with our field team members who have done an excellent job, within a short period of time, building community trust for further conservation actions. This area is degraded forest. It is really important for Myanmar and China to consider extending conservation approaches for the Skywalker gibbon to this new geographic area.”

Nearly 32,000 square kilometers, or around 8 million acres of forestland in Eastern Myanmar are suitable gibbon habitat, and while existing forest reserves like Paung Taung and Mae Nei Laung are quite large, they remain unprotected. For this reason, the survey team recommended they remain considered ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List until habitat protections improve."

-via Good News Network, February 21, 2024

[dira333]

Head over Heels for you - Denki Kaminari x reader

Denki can still remember it vividly, something he rarely ever manages to do.

First week back in school after the war, everything different and yet still the same.

He had missed half of the explanation on why you were a new student so suddenly, but he caught your name and the way the light caught in your hair. 

Someone mentioned you being quirkless - it might have been Mineta, it might have been the wind - but he couldn’t care less. You were beautiful, in an ethereal kind of way.

And sure, he had more confidence than Bakugo had anger issues, but he knew his limits.

He still didn’t know how he got Jirou to like him to the point she did - maybe it was trauma or something else entirely - but he knew when he was out of someone’s league and you and him were so far apart he couldn’t even see the horizon separating the two of you.

So what did fate do? Fate decided to put the two of you together for team exercises.

“Sorry, you’re stuck with me.” He apologized. “I’ll try not to hold you back.”

You laughed softly and the sound sent a shiver down his back.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Kaminari-kun.”

The mission, as their teacher explained it, was as simple as it was stupid. Get on top of a building, get whatever was hidden up there, and get back down in one piece. Don’t use your quirk.

“Ha?” Bakugo called out from across the field, clearly annoyed at the stipulation.

“Can you catch?” You asked instead, your eyes intense.

“Uh, I think so.” 

“Good. I’ll climb up and throw it down.”

He didn’t even get enough time to process your words before the whistle sounded and you were off, practically throwing yourself at the building before you, leaping from one story to the other.

Some of the other teams tried copying you, but they lacked whatever you had. Talent, maybe? Or some deep knowledge about how buildings worked, because you climbed them like you’d been born doing it.

They won that race and he still isn’t sure how you did it, not even now, years later.

-

“Denki!” Your voice is soft as you pick up the call, he can hear the smile on your lips. “What do I honor that call?”

He stretches in the small hospital bed, still a bit high from the pain meds. At least he thinks he is, because the air around him is filled with glitter and he feels like laughing.

“Didn’t mean to call you.” He says, voice a bit sluggish. It sounds funny so he says it again.

“Are you alright?” You ask, worry creeping into your words.

“Yeah. Can you say my name again?”

“Denki?”

“Yeah.” He giggles. “It sounds pretty when you say it.”

“Are you alright?”

“Mhm… They had to cut me open but I’m alright now. Said I could go home in a bit.”

“They? What are you talking about?”

“I’m at the hopsital. Hotspial. Hospital. What a word. They said I broke a bone. Can you believe that?”

“Do you need someone to take you home?”

“Yes. That’s why I’m supposed to call Kirishima. He said I should call him once I got out. He’s such a good friend.”

“But you called me instead?”

“Yeah. I wanted to hear your voice.”

There’s silence on the other end of the line and he blinks at his phone in confusion, calling your name.

“Did you hang up?”

“No, sorry. No. I’m still here. Do you want me to pick you up?”

“No, it’s okay. You’re busy. I’m just going to talk to you until Kirishima is here.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Do you know what hospital you’re in?”

“It has an s in it’s name.” He says. “And it sounds funny.”

“I’m sure you remember it, Denki. Tell me about it.”

“Your voice is so pretty.” He can’t believe he hasn’t told you that yet. “Everything’s so pretty about you. You wore your hair differently last time, I could have cried.”

-

He blinks against a bright light, his head a fuzzy cloud of pain.

“Ughhh.” He groans.

Someone presses something against his lips, he tastes water and swallows on instinct alone.

“Thanks, buddy.” He groans and hears a snicker.

“Sure, buddy.”

The voice sounds familiar but he’s too out of it to care for it, snuggling into the warmth of a hand on his cheek instead. How nice that his mother is here.

-

When he wakes, his leg feels like someone decided to play trumpet on it, blew up all the skin, and threw away the bones.

His skin feels clammy and icky and his mouth is dry.

The headache, however, is gone, and he can see his room clearly.

Someone must have cleaned it and he fears for the worst.

If Kirishima brought in Bakugo, he’ll never hear the end of it, because Bakugo must have opened the fridge - he always opens fridges at everyone’s house - and found the pound of Tofu that’s going to come alive soon.

“You’re awake.” That voice doesn’t belong to Bakugo.

He turns to see you, sleeves pushed up to your elbows, leaning in the doorframe.

He’s never seen anyone be this pretty in casual clothes but it’s you. He shouldn’t be surprised.

“What are you doing here?”

“You called me yesterday. So I picked you up from the hospital.”

“I was supposed to call Kirishima.” He recalls. “He said he’d be done with the mission briefing by the time I was out.”

“He was. He gave me directions because you couldn’t remember the name of the hospital.”

“Oh shit, I’m sorry. How out of it was I?”

“How much do you remember?”

“I remember that the air was filled with glitter.”

Something shifts in your face and you nod stiffly. “Okay.”

He knows, instantly and because he’s been himself all his life, that he must have said something or done something stupid.

“What did I do?”

“Nothing, really.”

“You’re a worse liar than I am.”

You chew on your lower lip for a second, a gesture so distracting he completely looses focus until you speak up again.

“Apparently I have the prettiest kneecaps in all the girls you’ve ever met.”

He pales. 

“Did I-”

“And my voice sounds like someone filled the taste of hamburgers into words. Which was very creative, by the way.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why?” 

“W-Why?”

“Yeah, why are you sorry?”

He stares down at the blanket covering his legs and wishes for a villain to crash through his window, right now, right here. But nothing happens. Because villains can’t be trusted with important tasks like saving the dignity of a typical twenty-year-old.

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“If you don’t feel that way, it’s okay.” You say, sounding almost shy for the first time ever since he’s met you almost five years ago. “But if the pain-meds made you tell me that you love me because you actually feel like it, I think you shouldn’t be ashamed of that.”

He shrugs helplessly.

“‘s not going to change anything anyway, right? You’ll still be too out of my league.”

You laugh, a sound he’d anticipated but not like that. 

You sound surprised, not disgusted and when he looks at you, you’re smiling like that time you partnered up. When he caught that stupid trophy back in UA and held it up for you to see.

Something like hope blooms in his chest and he cocks his head to look at you.

“Can you say my name again?” He dares to ask. “It sounds prettiest from your mouth.”

“Denki, you dumbass.” You walk around his bed and put your hand on his cheek. “Next time don’t wait until you’re on pain-meds until you tell me something this important.”

-

He’s still on crutches when their class assembles for their next get-together.

You’re half astep behind him, mumbling concerned “Be careful”s and “Watch out for that step”s.

Kirishima is the first to notice you.

“Hey! Good to see you! Did he give you any trouble?”

“Not at all.” You smile and let Kirishima hug you for a second before stepping back to Denki’s side. “He was very talkative though.”

“Did he finally confess?” Bakugo yells from the bar only to be sushed by Momo immediately.

You laugh. “He did.” You say and the whole room falls silent.

“He did?” Mina asks, coming to her feet in an instant. “And?”

You look at Denki who looks at you, before he knocks his head slightly into yours.

“Turns out she’s been head over heels for me all this time.” He jokes lightly.

Somewhere in the back, Ochako calls out a triumphant “I knew it. Pay up sucker!” 

They all turn to watch a redfaced Izuku press money into her hands.

Your hand finds his, squeezes it tight for a second before you release.

He’s never been that glad over a broken bone.

My Kofi if you want to tip me

[munchymuchy]

Elevator-Bukkake

(TW: this story contains facesitting, face-farting,rimming, musk-kink, sharting, soiling, scat in general)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Loud annoying beeps filled Blu's room causing her to put her pillow over her head in desperation to try and not listen to it. Her alarm read 6:20.She knew she had to get up for her 7 a.m. mathematics class. She hated math with a passion and wasn't good with it. Honestly she had no idea how she was still passing but she needed it to be a photographer. She grogalu got up, turned off her phone and got ready for the day.

She grabbed an orange kirby top and some white pants for today. Blu didn't really care how she dressed for her morning classes. She just wanted to get up, do some work and come back to her cozy apartment. She made sure to grab her camera too and put it in her backpack. Her campus was a good walking distance so she didn't need to drive. As she arrived on campus heads started to turn and voices started coming her way.

"Good Morning Blu!"

"Morning Blue"

"Love the shirt"

Blu spoke back with a smile to her fellow classmates and counited into the building to her class. As she went into the room she saw someone she's never seen before. A rather large man wearing a jacket was sitting in a seat next to hers. The way to describe this room would be that there are 8 long desks in the room in total with three chairs behind them. Normally no one sits in her area of the desk but this might be someone new in this class so she just sits in the middle where she usually is. As she unpacks her stuff she takes quick glances at the man. He had his head down but she could definitely see his body shape. She could see how big his ass was and how it hung off the side of the chair a bit. She could feel herself staring at his butt, even spotting his crack expose itself from his pants. As she continued to stare she saw the big mans hand reach over and pull his jacket over his crack.

This shocked Blu causing her to look away and do an awkward small cough. She then did a small eye side to see if he was staring and sure enough the big man was. His dull black eyes were piercing the side of her head like darts and blu kept nervously looking forward not trying to make eye contact with him. What seemed like minutes he put his head back down but blu didn't look back over for the rest of the hours of class.

When class ended blu started to pack up her stuff with her camera in her hand ready to snap pictures of the football players. The football players would do their stretches and exercises at this time, 9:00 a.m. to be exact. At around this time it would get kinda hot, not smoldering, just hot enough to see sweat drip from their bodies. The field was near a place with a bunch of flowers with insects, mainly butterflies or bees, so it didn't seem to suspicion to see anybody taking pictures in that area. Blu used this as opportunity each time to take photos of the players.

She was smart enough to take her pictures at angles that made anybody think she was taking pictures of something else so she knew she would never get in trouble. During this time some of players had their shirts off. She didn't pay attention to that..she wanted all the "bigger" guys. She took some snaps of some of the big players with some with their shirts off, sweat marks appearing under their arms, or sweat in the middle of their ass. Blu was snapping pictures one by one but didn't want to fill her camera up like that..she was waiting for her main two players to step on screen and those players were Eddie Fatialofa and Kofi Samuelu, the biggest players on the team. They were like chunky clydesdales with asses that sat out like 40 inch countertops. "我的天啊...did their asses get bigger?" Blu said, her breathing shaking with her cheeks getting rosey. Eddie was wearing a tank top and some long purple joggers while Kofi was wearing nothing but some shorts..very tight grey shorts. Both of them seemed to be doing some toe touch stretches. Kofi was in a position where his back was turned and blu noticed a huge sweat stain that took over the back of his pants. Blu had her camera ready for him to behind over to see his ass in all its swampish glory until she heard a voice coming from behind her.

"Eexxccusse me!"

Blu almost had a heart and her camera was almost gonna drop out of her hand. She turned around and is face to face with Kenny..Kenny Erickson. The campus asshole who makes everyone around him annoyed by him. He looked at blu and her camera with a look of confusion. Blu held her camera tight and started to sweat bullets knowing she got caught by this jerkwad.

"Whatcha doin with that um...camera there. You out there taking pics of the players?" Kenny said with a grin on his face.

"W-well um, actually I was its for the um...PAPER! yes paper" Blu said hoping this prick would buy it but he just kept asking more questions.

"Hmmm, ya sure? looks like your taking pictures like a peeping tom. are you one of those perverts?"

Blu could feel her face getting hot and her palms sweating. She knew she was caught, Blu couldn't even muster up anything but a stutter. Then she tried one more lie to defend herself.

"L-look I swear it's just for paper. People love sports you know?" Blu gave a slight chuckle to try and throw him off.

"If that's true..lemme see the shots you took"

Blu started at him not being able to move or speak. Her camera wasn't cleared out yet with the pictures she took into her computer. She didn't want the people to know..she didn't want anyone to know. so she stood there. As she was standing there staring she felt a tug at her camera. As a reflex she pushes kenny full force onto the ground. Kenny landed on his butt into a mud puddle. Blu released what she had just done and there were people starting to come around the corner so she started to run away.

"THESE PANTS COSTS MORE THAN YOUR CAMERA YOU WEIRD BITCH!! GET BACK HERE!!!"

Blu kept running and didn't look back and before she knew it she was at her apartment. Thank goodness she only had one class today or else she would've had to miss the other ones. Numerous thoughts went through her head as she just stood in her apartment."Did he really see me take those pictures?" "Is he gonna tell anyone?" "Will I be kicked out?"

"Kicked out....dammit I hope I don't get kicked out. 该死该死该死该死.." Blu kept murmuring to herself in her native language stressing herself out until she remembered she had her camera in her hand still with the pictures on it. She turned it on to flip through the pictures she took. The pictures came out semi-great, a few were blurry and a couple were perfect. She got into her comfy clothes and started her work on trying to clear the blurry ones up so she can use them for "later things."

THE NEXT DAY

It was a free day for Blu she didn't have any classes she could stay in bed all day if she wanted too but she knew she had to go to the library to study so she wore a pink top and pants and put her hair up in a bun and went on her way. As she was making her way into the library she saw a familiar face near one of the bookcases..it was kenny and he was talking to that dude blu saw in her math class.

Kenny spotted blu and turned back to the big man leaning over to whisper to him something. Blu tried her best to ignore the stares they were giving her but she just couldn't just let that scare her away. She plopped down in a seat, pulled out her notes for one of her classes and started studying. Not even a few moments passed and she felt two people behind her, she knew who it was but kept her composure until a large hand grabbed the book making blu jump a little in her seat.

"Well well, look who's back. Taken any pictures lately?...Oh i forgot the players already left this morning."

Blu sat there red faced, she hoped this guy would've left her alone but i'm guessing he didn't want to and he brought that other dude with him. She started to keep an eye on the other dude not knowing what he was gonna do. Kenny took notice of that and chuckled to himself.

"Ooh it seems that you're staring at my jakey boy here, but I think you already know him. He says you were staring at him one day, is that true sweetheart?" Kenny said smugly waiting on blu to answer.

Blu couldn't think in that second, she knew she had been caught. Kenny noticed the fear in the girls eyes and felt bad until he remembered she ruined his pants yesterday.

"Ok ok, I'm not that heartless i'm not gonna tell anybody about your um..hobby but you do need to pay me for the pants."

"YES- i mean yes..i'll give you the money for your pants just don't tell anyone please..please I don't need this getting out"

Blu was desperate she didn't care how she would get the money for this jack-offs pants. Both males looked at each other then kenny laughed quietly. "Ok ok we have a deal but let's discuss this outside first." Both men headed outside and blu quickly followed. The men turned to a corner and blu continued to follow until they turned around to face her.

"Here's the deal,my pants cost $98.75 in exact change. You can make that easy money by ,drum roll please, eating my buddies ass right here."

Blu couldn't believe what she heard..she was gonna get this twats money back by eating his friends ass? really?

"H-huh?! what? how does that even work?"

"Oh my apologies lemme explain, you're gonna eat his ass the best you can, he gives you money, I get the money. Is this simple enough you mutt?"

Blu was stunned to speak..was this pimpin? was she being pimped out right now? She would always fantasize about eating a fat dude's ass but not in this way. She didn't even know the dude!

"Don't worry he's clean, might smell a little sour down there though. Big guy's been walking around campus with me since this morning so its probably like a swamp down there."

Jake started to put his hands on the wall in a pat-down position causing blu to look in his direction. She gulped nervous and looked back at Kenny giving him a worried and angry look.

"Oh dont worry I'll give you all some privacy. Have fun you too"

Kenny said leaving the area to chill on the other side leaving the two there in silence. Blu started to sneak away until she heard jake say something. "Oi, where you going?" The man spoke to blu shocking her because she had no idea that he could speak. When he spoke he had a little accent to his words and stared at blu waiting for her response.

"Look...you don't even have to eat it all the way...you can eat it through the underwear"

"Eat it through...your underwear? O-ok"

"See...making progress"

Blu started to walk behind him and crouched down now at butt height. Blu put her thumbs to the hims of the pants and pulled them down revealing sweaty yellow boxers. She could feel the heat coming off his butt and started to smell the scent of his butt. It wasn't horrible but it really smelt..musky with a hint of cologne. She got her face closer to his ass and started to smell it more, pushing her nose more between his ass cheeks. Jake looked down watching the small girl's head almost disappearing in his butt. She started to drown in his butt smell...it started making her..hungry.

Blu pulled back and spread his ass apart with the underwear still , opened her mouth and dove back in making the man jump a little. Though it was bare butt she was tasting she could still somewhat with the cloth making a barrier. It was like a salty taste, salty like vinegar and a little bitter. Jake was taken aback with how this girl was chowing down on his ass but it felt kinda nice to him. Having a warm tongue against his hole felt like a weird soggy massage. The slickness relaxed his butt so much that he felt a small fart slip out.

"Oh whoops...sorry about that"

Blu pulled back and coughed, even though the fart was small it stunk. Blu couldn't believe it, she was really eating some dudes ass for money but oh boy...she just wanted to keep going that fart just got her hot all over. Diving back in, blu seemed more animalistic and almost was motorboating this man's ass. All the licking and movement made more gas slip out smelling worse. Blu could feel her panties getting soaked and her mouth dribbling spit devouring his ass. Jake didn't really feel aroused from the anal pleasure, like before it just feels like a massage. Blu started to use a free hand and started to rub herself through her pants. Her pants started to look really damp and Jake looked back to see it too. Jake could see there was a huge wet patch on her pants and a crazy doe expression in her eyes.

Jake decided to have a little fun with this and pushed more farts onto the girl making her rub her crotch faster, seemed like she was close to cumming. Jake took it upon himself to make her cum a little faster and took his hand shoving her a bit further into his crack. His stomach grumbled and he let out a 5 second fart onto her nose causing blu to moan and the wet spot on her pants to spread. Blu pulled back, falling on her back with the same doe-expression.

Jake pulled up his pants, reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled $7.00 and laid it on her chest gently before walking away. Kenny seen jake come from the corner and started to smirk at the man.

"Soooooo, you let that bitch have. you shit on her" Kenny was hoping jake made her suffer a little but knowing jake kenny knew he still went a little easier on her.

"Naw...almost did though..if she kept going a little longer I definitely would've."

"Aww you suck, why are you so fuckin soft? she ruined my good pants remember?"

"Yea but aren't those pants like only $20.00"

"Yea yea I know, but she had ruined my good ass pants though. And with the money goal I set for her ass, I could buy more than one pair of these pants, You know they have different colors and a one with a chain-"

Before Kenny could continue on and on about some pants jake had already walked off leaving kenny looking like a madman.

The Next Day

Blu sat on her bed thinking to herself how was she gonna get the rest of this dudes money. She already had $7.00 from eating that big dudes ass and just needed a few more bucks. Blu promised herself that she wasn't gonna do something like that again and was probably gonna just sell some photos she took before online. Right now she had to put her head in the game and go to class. Like any other day she walks to campus praying that nothing was gonna happen until she stepped into the building to see Eddie speaking with a girl.

Eddie was wearing blue shorts and a white top with the college mascot on it. The girl and Eddie seemed to be flirting with one another but that didn't really matter to Blu all that much so she just kept going until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Blu quickly turned around to see Eddie smiling at her and the other girl walking away. Blu was confused on what he wanted and then he started talking.

"Hi there! you apart you uh a photography right? you apart of that class"

"Oh! um yea I am"

"Well I have one question for ya, were you taking pictures of the football field the other day? my buddy kofi says he seen you up at that little garden area with ya camera pointed to the field"

Blu could feel her heart drop into her stomach. She's used that spot dozens of times before and nothing came of it. She clears her throat and tries to respond cordially.

"No! oh no! you see I just pictures of the plants and other small wild life. I'm so sorry if I-it look like I was doing something else"

The big man gave a chuckle to blu and blu nervously smiled back hoping that this wouldn't spread into a rumor. She was about to turn to until she heard him speak again

"Oh another thing, my buddy also said he says you get into some little pull battle with kenny, you ok?"

"Oh yea! I'm fine just uh..er misunderstanding! yea a misunderstanding."

"Oh well i'm glad you're ok, I know kenny he can be a bit of a..dick sometimes."

Blu gave a nervous chuckle to Eddie, she's never been this close to him before. Hell she hasn't even spoken to this dude before all she's ever done is take pictures of his ass in various poses but now she's holding a conversation with him. Speaking of ass blu wanted to get a glimpse of it before she went to class.

So she started to tilt her head to the side slightly and could see it. She could barely see it but she could tell it was there and moving. Blu started to drift off until she realized she was still in front of him. Before she knew it eddie stopped talking and started at her back. Eddie behind himself and chuckled at blu knowing what she was trying to look at.

"Oh haha, you lookin at my butt?"

Blu stood there shocked and started to stammer causing an almost belly laugh from eddie

"Dude, its cool alot people stare at my ass, some people even think its fake haha. You can touch it if you want"

Saying that he turned around offering his butt to blu. This surprised blu..she's never been offenders anyone butt. Blu nervous backed away and gave a half smile.

"Oh i-I think i'm late for class, see ya" Blu said quickly walking the other way leaving eddie hanging and confused. Blu went straight into the bathroom and locked herself in a stall..she could feel herself getting wet. She wanted to try and calm herself down before class. She lowered her pants just a little and stuck her hands in her pants to give herself some relief.

Blu could feel her pussy throb in her hand. It was slick and warm, her clit even felt twice as sensitive while thinking about eddie's huge ass..wiggling..sweaty..musky. Blu could cum right in this stall at this rate until she heard the door swing open. She peeped through the crack of the door to see a giant figure hunched over one of the sinks. Blu fixed her pants, flushed the toilet and opened the door to see Eddie's friend,kofi, in the bathroom. It was shocking to see him in, not because he was man the school had unisex bathroom, but because he was just as big as Eddie upclose. Kofi looked at Blu with an annoyed look but that didn't last because he grabbed his gut and started to whimper.

"Are you...oka-"

"Get out"

Blu started at the big man holding his stomach and...told her to 'get out'. Blu was taken back by the words he said. She wanted to be sure she heard what he just said.

"Excuse me?!"

"Look I said get ou-, hgghh" Kofi couldn't even finish his sentence and grunted.

ppPPHHRRtttt...

A pitiful sounding fart filled the bathroom. Blu looked at the big man and kofi looked back at her with anger. Before he could open his mouth his stomach roared again and he held his cheeks together. He shoves Blu out of the way with his body accidentally letting some small fart fly out in the process.

Blu landed on her back causing her phone to fly out. Thankfully she caught it before it could land on the ground.

"FFFFLLuuurrrRRRRRPppppp..PLOOP"

More fart noises came from the stall Kofi ran in. Seems like he might've eaten something that didn't agree with him. The smell of sour shit started to go into Blu's nose. Blu was surprised at the smell but was more surprised at what it was doing to her. She could feel herself getting wet again listening to the man shitting bricks in the toilet. She reached in her pants again but was AGAIN interrupted but...by Kofi instead.

"Jesus christ, lady are you still fucking in here?!"

Blu panicked and got up quickly fixing her pants on the way to class. Her days were just getting worse and worse.

Couple Days Later

It's been quiet for a few days and Blu has gotten a few bucks since then. she's up to $34.67 now even though she needs 55.33 more dollars to get the complete total. Her selling pictures really did help her and she didn't run into the asshole kenny. She gleefully walked into the building with her camera ready to turn to take some pictures. Those couple days before she didn't take any pictures out of fear she'll get caught but she felt like it was safe enough to start doing it again. She could finally get new jerk-off material because the old ones didn't work anymore, which left her with only edging herself to old photos.

Blu walked out to the garden area to see if the football players were doing anything work out related and sure enough they were. She could feel herself excited for when Eddie and Kofi come out. Though she had kind of a bad experience with Kofi in the bathroom she can still look at him from a distance. Blu pointed her camera readily to the field waiting on them to walk by but only saw Eddie.

"Huh? where's kofi?" Blu said to herself. As she continually pointed to the field trying to find out where Kofi was a strong hand snatched her camera away causing blu to literally jump out of her skin. She didn't have any reaction time and the only reaction she did have was turning around to see who snatched her camera. Blu's blood ran cold when she saw Kofi was the one who snatched it with a laughing kenny on the side of him.

"So you're the one that's been watching us out on the fucking field. You fucking weirdo I knew someone was watching us."

"See I knew you weren't wrong Kofi, she's been the one that's been acting like a perving out raking picture and the one that ruined my pants!"

"Motherfucker I dont care about your dumbass pants, I care that some creep been using us as jerkoff materia-....wait I think I know you"

Blu was shaking when Kofi started to realize who she was. First she fucked up someone pants when she got caught and had to eat ass to get her started with some money and now she got caught again but someone that could easily whoop her ass.

"Yeeaaaaa...I fucking know you who you are..your that weird girl that decided you wanted to stay a little bit longer in the bathroom while I was shittin right?"

Blu felt like her organs were shutting down when some people started noticing the commotion. The whispers and stares were like daggers, it felt like the whole campus had figured her out..the true her is getting found out now. Blu just turned and ran away , far away from campus and all the way to her apartment. She didn't care that she left her camera or school bag she just wanted to be at home.

Her reputation was down the drain, she wanted to drop out right now. Dropping out seemed like a better option but she knew she couldn't so for the time being she just made up an excuse that she had caught a servera stomach bug.

Two Days Later

It's been two days since Blu went to school, she hasn't even been outside at all. Around this time it was a week before her period..she was craving something spicy. Everyone knows when your craving something days or a week before you period its a strong craving. Blu decided to go out to the local mall and try some of those spicy garlic wings.

So she put on a hat, mask and shades to head on out to the mall. Since the mall was pretty far away she drove there. Before she drove off she sat in her car to pray hoping that today was gonna be a great day. To her it didn't have to be great it could just be ok as long as she doesn't run into certain people.

After a few minutes of driving she finally made it to the mall. The mall seemed pretty busy like it always was. The mall was huge having at least 4 floors with different stores on each one it was a popular mall to go to. Blu made sure her disguise made her look hidden enough before going out. She decided to take her shades off but kept her hat and mask on.

Blu missed being outside so much and missed going to the mall so much more. Entering the mall that mall-smell instantly hit Blu with relaxation. Everything from the food court smell, to the indoor fountain and to the chattering of people made Blu's stress go away. Her mouth was ready for some spicy wings but to her surprise it wasn't around the corner like it usually was. Turns out they moved 2 floors up and this area was gonna be for some dumb perfume shop.

"好吧 狗屎...guess I gotta up these floors"

Blu would've taken the escalator but they were under repair so the only option was the elevator. Nothing really bad happens on a elevator right?

As Blu was walking towards the area that held the elevator she saw 4 familiar faces come into her view. It was Kenny, Eddie, Jake and Kofi. They didn't seem to notice blu which gave blu hope that they might not notice her. She put her mask up and pulled her hat down and quickly walked to the elevator doors. She practically pressed the button a thousand times to hurry it up. When the doors opened she jumped in as the group of men walked past.

As the doors were closing Blu felt her relaxation come back to her.....until she saw a giant hand grab the elevator door to make it open again. Kofi appeared to be coming through the elevator along with Eddie and Jake.Kenny stayed on the ground floor for whatever reason which was okay for blu. Blu backed into the corner of the elevator to hide herself more and it sort of worked. though it was big enough to fit at least 12 people, these men would count as a crowd of people. The men seemed not to pay her any mind, blu felt like she could stay hidden.

GuuRRgglrree....

A stomach growl made Blu's head jerk up. "Is that what I think it is?..." Blu thought to herself, it couldn't be what she thought it was.

"Joder… esto realmente me revuelve el estómago…" Jake said holding his stomach catching the attention of kofi.

"Yo man, if you need to shit hold that in. Don't nobody need to smell that" Kofi said with annoyance. He was somewhat right with that statement expect for Blu, she was kinda curious on what it smelled like. She already smelled Jake's sweaty ass one time and even ate from it. Thinking about that got Blu hot and bothered again. Let's not forget she's a week away from her period which means the horniness she was feeling was coming 10x harder.

As kofi was chewing his buddy out on him for holding in he started to notice Blu in the corner. Kofi stared at the girl trying to figure out why she felt so familiar. Blu backed into the corner again trying to hide herself but she couldn't back any further into the corner. Eddie started to notice Kofi approaching the woman in the corner not knowing it was Blu.

"Dude, get back a little bit. Do you even know this girl"

"Ed man listen I feel like I know this chick, she feel really famili-"

PPprrrtTTtt!

A loud squeaky fart erupted from the corner that jake was standing at causing everyone to look that way. Jake looked like he was sweating bullets and was breathing like he was gonna give birth. Eddie and Kofi coughed while holding their noses. It smelled like watered down spoiled milk.

"Christ man! what I just tell you about that"

"Lo siento amigo...just couldn't hold it"

Both Eddie and Kofi were still coughing and pulling their shirts over their noses. Kofi started to take notice of Blu's reaction, she didn't cough or hold her nose she looked to be enjoying it. Like she was really enjoying it even taking some huffs in on purpose. Before Kofi could say anything a sharp pain hit him in the stomach, like a lot of air pressure. Blu took notice of the noises coming from Kofi, and tried to scooch over to the other side of the elevator but felt a hand rip off her mask.

"I knew it! I knew you were that weirdo from the other! Have you been stalking us you sick fuck?! See Ed I told you I kne- HnngH?!"

"BbBbrrpPLLlprrrTTt...PpRootT?!"

Kofi was surprised that something like that came from his ass. He knew his farts stunk sometimes but not this bad and that pressure in his stomach wasn't really letting up.

"Y-you like this don't you fucking weird bitch huh?" Kofi said with an angry look at Blu while she was panicking and felt a little horny. Her hormones were so out of whack that she could probably cum without even touching herself. Eddie was worried for both of his friends, he had no idea what was going on and what got their stomach upset. Then he remembered..before they got into the elevator they ran into Kenny and he brought them some lunch. Some tacos and burritos but they tasted a little funny but kenny reassured them it was just some new sauce they were trying out.

Just then Eddie stomach started to act up and it even almost brought him to his knees until his phone rang. It looked like kenny was calling him, finally he could probably get some answers.

"Sooo hows that 'new sauce' treating yall up in there?" Kenny said practically laughing through the phone.

"So I wasn't crazy, you did put something in our food. Your bitch ass wasn't trying to be nice hnnggh oh god...why man?"

"Well since you asked so nicely, you see that girl in there? that one that looks like a cruddy inspector gadget?"

Eddie looks at the girl that kofi was still angrily yelling face turning beet red. He remembers that girl, he ran into her on campus one day discussing with her about kenny and what he did but didn't really know the full story. Let's get this straight, the three buds aren't exactly friends but they dealt with him from time to time. They never believed what he said most of the time but this time Eddie wanted hear him out.

"Yea? why? look man just leave us out of your plan"

Just then the elevator shook and stopped. Shockingly, the elevator stopped between floors.

"Oh fuck- Please don't tell me what I think happened??"

"Well I won't tell you yall are stuck in that elevator with some pervert who was taking pictures of yall. I'll just hang out here finding some shirts that match. Oh and by the way..kinda sort of knew that elevator was gonna do that just didn't wanna tell yall buh bye~"

Kenny hung up on Eddie with not a care in the world knowing he didn't have to deal with smelling like shit. Blu started to get really nervous now so she just faced the corner. This is a fantasy she always wanted but she was also scared that she might suffocate in this elevator.

"H-hey! you fucking pervert why you trying to hide now. Th-this is your dream right?" Kofi said grabbing Blu by the arm to make her face him. Blu started to struggle out of his grip mushed him in his face to make him back up.

"LISTEN!!-...Im not a perv ok..I just..like taking pictures"

“Don’t f-forget hnng..you ate my ass too” Jake said letting off some small farts out while trying to keep a smirk on his face. Eddie was shocked to hear this from his friend. He didn’t seem like he was the freaky type nor Blu.

“So…Kofi was right?!”

“Ofcourse I was jackass!! Hnng why would I lie??”

Eddie was really shocked, he thought Kofi was having one of those hunches. He realizes now that he was right about this but he couldn’t understand how a pretty girl like Blu would be so nasty.

Blu felt like she was gonna loose her mind but was scared to death that Kofi would probably kill her and not in a fetishy way either. She watched as the big men groaned and yelped with ever fart that came out. Blu could almost feel her pussy drip and Kofi started to take notice again of her reaction so he wanted to give in and see her reaction.

“You must really be enjoying yourself huh?? You sick fucking hgnn bitch.” Kofi said trying to maintain eye contact with Blu. The smell was starting to suffocate Blu a bit that she started to cover her nose a bit.

“Hey now…don’t you dare cover your nose..this is your fantasies right?? You’re gonna smell this you weird bitch.” Kofi grabbed her face to make her face him and started to grunt.

“PpppRrrrRRbbbRRrrrrtttttTT!?”

“BrrbBrbrBRRRrrrrrrtttTtttt..PrrTt!”

“BrRroOoOott..ssSRPPTt”

That last fart sounded a little wet causing Kofi to let go of Blu’s face and grabbed his butt to not let anymore gas out, he didn’t want to ruin his pants. It smelt like rotten eggs and sulfur, causing everyone to gag and cough. Blu herself knew the smell was awful but it awful in a good way. She could start to feel her pussy throbbing and her knees buckling.

Kofi grabbed on her face again and looked over at Jake wallowing in the corner of the elevator holding his stomach.

“Hey amigo! Turn around, search style I think this little freak right here has the munchies again”

Jake stared at Kofi but did as he said. Kofi started to dragging Blu over to Jake so she gets a face full of his ass. Blu started to tell him wait but in the back of her mind she wanted her face up his ass again. Eddie got inbetween Kofi and Jake trying to stop whatever he was doing.

“Eddie move”

“No”

“Eddie stop trying to save this perv”

“Hold that thought”

Kofi gave a confused look to Eddie. Eddie usually is the good guy or desolator and it seemed like he wanted to do something else.

“She’s already been up Jake’s ass, so put her in mine”

“What?? Really?” Kofi was shocked by Eddies answer but he could tell by the smirk on Ed’s face that he wanted to punish Blu for taking pictures of them or anybody else for that matter. Eddie switched place Jake and Blu started to get a little scared, she had no idea how Eddies ass smelt like or taste like. Blu tried to pull Kofi’s hand off but he was stronger than her.

"W-wait! I thought you were one of the n-nicer ones??!"

"Oh, I am...but I can also be pretty mean too when I encounter liars. Don't worry though it'll be quick and easy...just relax"

Ed gave Blu a smile but not just any smile a more villainous smile..like a snake watching their prey walk dumbly towards them. Kofi took his foot and lightly, not very lightly, kicked the backs of Blu's knees to bring her down to Ed's butt height. It was a lot bigger up close, and even gave off a little heat.

"Oh! just before you put your head in there lemme just.." Eddie proceeded to pull his pants down, he was wearing underwear but it looked like the bikini kind. It looked like his butt was practically eating his underwear, hungry for something more. Blu felt intimidated from his ass until Kofi grabbed the back of her head and shoved her face in his butt. His butt scent filled her nose quickly, it smelt like cheese and a bog. Blu let out a muffled yelp and tried to pull back but Kofi kept her head in place, he wanted her to huff all the fumes that settled In his friend's crack.

"PpppPprrttt!.."

"Mmph!?"

"PPpPPrrrBbbrrttt...BBbrrTTTt?!"

"MMpph..cough..Mph!"

Blu's lungs felt like they burned, her eyes were watering with all the gasses passing through her system. Her pussy started to throb again, since only her head was held by Kofi her hands were basically free. Blu started to slide one of her hands down her pants. She could feel her pussy was so flooded with her juices on her fingers.

"Wow..you're seriously touching yourself to this? you are some sick freak" Kofi said putting her head a little further up Eddie's farting ass. Ed's stomach made a deep dropping sound signaling there were more farts. Eddie looked down at Blu's face, she looked too high off his ass to care what was coming out next.

"BBbbrrRRRPPpttttTTTtt...SLRrppt-"

A rancid shit smell went into Blu's nose and caught her off guard. It had a strong scent and was really squishy against her nose but she kept fingering herself faster..she was close. However she was pulled back from his butt. Seems like he didn't mean to push that hard because as soon she left his ass he grabbed the back of his ass, groaning in disgust and semi-relief.

"Damn dude..did you just shit yourself? cough cough"

"Querido dios, hombre..that smells worse than mine"

Both Jake and Kofi were overwhelmed by the smell until their stomachs made the same deep dropping sound that eddie's did earlier. Kofi looks down at a Blu who was still looking like a deer in the headlights and then got an idea.

"Hey guys..I got an idea but first lemme just-" Kofi dragged Blu to the middle of the elevator. Jake and Eddie realized what they were gonna do to this girl now. Blu was starting to get off some of her high and started to see how all three men were now standing above her really close...then they started to turn around. She was now surrounded by three huge asses she's taken pictures for half of the semester. Her face was engulfed by Kofi's ass, Jake's ass was on the side of her head and Eddie's ass was on the other side of her head. Another bubbly stomach growl filled the space again and then..

"FRRrrrRRRRSSSSTTtttt"

"PPBbBBRRRTTTTTTT?!"

"PPSSsssSSSHHHHHHRRRrrrtt"

"BRrroooOOTT!"

"SspprRRRTTT..PRRRRTTTttttt!"

Blu's senses were overrun by the sound and smell of farts. They were a lot wetter than before, especially Eddie's butt. She could feel his shit spread on the the side of heard a lot more as he continued to fart more, thankfully he still had on underwear. It seemed like Eddie wasn't gonna be the only one with shitty pants though. Blu started to a small squishy pudge on her nose and it started to grow.

"HnnGg..oh fuck~ you like that don'tcha Mgghn..you like me shitting your face?~" Kofi said pushing out more farts along with shit into his pants on Blu's face. Blu's hand was still in her pants, somehow she completely forgot and started to get back to business. Blu pulled out her fingers, slapped her clit and squirted into her pants and fingers. She started to hear warmth and hear crackling on the other side of her head, seemingly Jake shat himself too. His shit felt like a liquid more than a solid.

Blu took her hand out of her and groped at kofi's butt while diving deeper into his ass sniffing it. The amount of gas and shit filled the elevator could kill an elephant, hell it was starting to even get the men sick a little. She turned her head to sniff in Eddie's butt now while still groping at Kofi's butt. Blu's brain started to go overboard and her body couldn't handle it anymore. She wanted more and she didn't care that she was on the brim of blacking out. Just then the elevator kicked back on surprising the men while Blu was in the mists of blacking out.

"Aw fuck I forgot we were in this elevator"

"Mierda, what are we gonna do now. Our pants are ruined now"

The elevator doors opened and all three of them practically ran out from the scene leaving the girl to lay face down on the elevator floor. Thankfully there weren't a lot of people on that particular floor but the people that were there could smell something so awful in the air that they had to turn around. As people were turning around and leaving the area here came the master mind behind this all..it was kenny.

Kenny came prepared because he was wearing a gas mask. He walks into the elevator to see poor Blu on the floor, pants wet with a lobotomized look in her eyes. Trust, blu was still conscious but not fully there. She could still move her eyes, she spotted kenny standing over her and even with the gas mask on she could tell he had a smirk on his face.

"Sooo....how'd you like it? didn't know they'd all shit themselves so that was an extra surprise for ya." Kenny said snickering as he lightly kicked the girl to see if she'll answer. All blu could do was breathe and watch him stand over her until he started to crouch closer to the girl

"Just so you know....I don't need your cash anymore kinnndddaaa lied about the pants price but like at least you could experience your favorite fantasy but you can still give me the cash if you want."

All blu could do was still lay there looking at the man wanting to kick him but she didn't have the energy. Kenny figured he couldn't really just leave her there so he grabbed both of her ankles to drag her out and sat her up on a bench to look like she was just resting. Before he could leave though, he pulled out some cologne from his pocket to spray her with. She did smell like death so this was his way of doing a half-assessed sorry to her.

With a couple of sprays she smelled...okay? she didn't smell as bad anymore so kenny just left without a care in the world while leaving Blu halfway awake on the bench, safe but still semi-blacking out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok whew! this seems like one of the longest stories I've written. this has been in the works for maybe days or like a week. I genuinely hope you all like it 😭, if I see mistakes I might make some changes. Thanks everyone. Also if you can't tell I have put onomatopoeias, I'm currently trying to do something new.

[beelmons]

My name is Morgan, I write for the many, many things I like. For short stories and blurbs, check out this post!

Criminal minds

Spencer Reid

One shots:

In short, I love you: Prompt | Tag

Christmas like no other | Comfort Fic challenge by @imagining-in-the-margins

The weight of presence (Angst)

If every book is a world, an Amazon Kindle is an entire galaxy (TIR 1)

No one is as hot, happy, or cool as Instagram shows, some people are bald (TIR 2)

Love comes in moments (Heavy angst, no happy ending)

⤷ Aftermath (light angst, blurb)

The mistakes of a lonely heart (NSFW) - Collab with loml @ihavemanyhusbands

Series:

Escapade (NSFW): 1 | 2 | 3 / 3: Bonus | 4 | 5 | 6

Technophobe in recovery (TIR): Series of unchained episodes about Spencer becoming more and more tech savvy. Tagged as: #TIR

Interactive (New! Stories you can control):

The downfall of Spencer Reid (NSFW) - Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader (4 possible endings)

Aaron Hotchner

Golf lessons pt. 2 (NSFW)

Not your subordinate (Light angst, happy ending)

Other Pairings

[Valentine's Special] Dr. Reid's Lonely Hearts Club (NSFW) - Spencer x Hotch x Fem!BAU!Reader

Games we play pt. 1 (NSFW) - Spencer x Hotch x Latina!Reader | Collab with my sister wife @ihavemanyhusbands

Mandatory team-building exercise (NSFW) - BAU x Fem!BAU!Reader (Hotch centered at the end)

Luxury Poker Nights pt. 2 (NSFW) - Hotch, Reid, Morgan x Fem!Reader

A different kind of teacher (NSFW) - Spencer x Hotch x Fem!Reader

Interactive (New! Stories you can control):

[belltari]

Happy (early) Halloween!!

I finished editing this today but I couldn't wait until Halloween to post it so here it is, an EXTREMELY self indulgent ghoap sex-in-the-closet Halloween fic.

If you're under 18, you shouldn't be reading it.

warnings & tags: plot with porn (a halloween party, its what the boys deserve), terrible dad jokes, flirty banter, established relationship (I'm imagining that it's still new, like only Price knows and Gaz is putting the pieces together), some dom!ghost tones (nothing too dominant), pleasure dom!Simon (that man just wants Johnny to feel good), public sex (it's a blowjob in a closet), face rutting, cum eating, someone gets called a "good boy" a couple of times

it's about 3 thousand-ish words

This was my first time writing something this explicit, so please keep in mind that I have a lot to learn. The other writers in the cod fandom are excellent teachers and inspire me a great deal.

If you just want to read the porn, start reading after the ' -- '

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and have a great rest of your spooky season!

Approaching the mess hall, Johnny chuckles at the purple and orange 'Happy Halloween!' banner hanging above the doorway, it's very clearly homemade with streaky paint and clumpy glitter making up the words and what looks like an old, tattered tarp as the banner. He wonders if it was a team-building exercise for the recruits, as this whole party was a mixer for them to get to know each other better.

Paper party streamers act as a curtain on the wide doorframe, blocking Johnny's view of the interior of the mess hall, he can feel the bass of the music thumping in his chest and hear cheerful laughter from the other side. Pushing the curtain aside, he steps through to see the short corridor has been decorated. Plastic bats with light-up red eyes hang on strings from the ceiling, jack-o'-lantern string lights flickering along the walls accompanied with signs with sayings like "enter if you dare" and "turn back" written on them. When he gets to the end, he surveys the now-repurposed dining hall, more streamers, banners, and cheap plastic decorations decorate the room. The lights have been turned off and the windows covered, floodlights and spotlights covered with coloured transparent pieces of plastic are the only lights illuminating the room creating a dramatic scene.

Several tables are being used as pumpkin carving stations, one of the recruits is ripping the guts out and complaining about the smell, and another is stabbing their pumpkin with a hunting knife. Gaz is there, dressed as a vampire with a long cape and plastic fangs in his mouth, to supervise. He's laughing with them telling them they need to work on their techniques a bit more when he catches Soap's eye giving him a smile and a quick wave, he returns the gesture and continues scanning the room.

He turns to where the music is coming from, tables cleared from the corner creating a makeshift dancefloor. Recruits dressed as ghouls, goblins, witches, and all sorts of different costumes grind and dance together to the music, drinks in hand, and smiles on their faces. 'No better team bonding than getting absolutely shit-faced together' Soap thinks to himself with a grin across his face. He notices Price standing with a group of other captains and lieutenants, he's got a glass of whiskey in one hand and is using the other to help animate whatever story he's got everyone laughing at. Price is dressed in a tri-corn hat with a tall feather sticking out of the side and a knee-length red coat with gold adornments on the sleeves and lapels. 'Gotta be Captain Morgan' Soap smiles, shaking his head. Price notices him, giving Soap a smile and a quick nod which Soap returns.

Finally, he spots the man he was looking for, his broad back facing away from him. Soap approaches walking up to grab a drink next to Ghost. He has his balaclava rolled up to his nose, a half-eaten cupcake in one hand, and a plate of other confections in the other. "Thought you'd put a little more effort in L.T.." Soap says as twists open the bottle of beer he's picked up and turns to smile at Ghost.

Ghost is wearing his normal skull balaclava and skeletal gloves, but his 'costume' has the addition of a hoodie with the skeletal system of a torso and arms.

"Didn’t put much effort in 'cause my heart just wasn’t in it." Ghost response points to his chest where his heart would be.

 Soap snorts. "Bet you've been waiting to say that all night."

"Gotta 'nother one for ya."

"Go on then."

"Why are skeletons so calm?" He pauses. "Because nothing gets under their skin."

"Ugh please no more." Soap says in a playful tone shaking his head.

"What are you supposed to be then?" Ghost asks, pointing to Soap while eating the rest of his cupcake.

"Thought it was obvious? The fluffy tail and ears, the roguishly good looks?" Soap pauses, looking at Ghost with a wolfish grin. "C'mon Ghost, I thought you were good at this?"

Ghost eyes rake over Soap’s form. Starting at his furry-eared headband, then down to his bright red collar around his neck. He pauses there for a second, Soap can see his Adam’s apple bob under his balaclava, before continuing further down to his distressed dress shirt that he’s left open at the top exposing his chest, he’s half tucked in his shirt to his jeans that he often wears on ops, the ones that hug his hips and thighs just right. And between his legs, a dark furry tail hangs ending just above his knees.

"Oh, I see you're one of those yappy little lap dogs."

"Oh aye. I'm very territorial and I never shut up. Watch your ankles L.T., I always go for those." Soap says stepping closer to Ghost. He looks down at the collar he's wearing, lifting his eyes back up, over Johnny's chin, to his smirking lips then setting on his bright blue eyes.

"Hmm" Ghost hums. "And is he a good boy too?" He said as he bites into a ghost-shaped sugar cookie.

"Depends on who's giving the orders, sir." Soap looks up through his lashes at Ghost, taking a swig of his drink.

Ghost looks around to make sure no one is paying any mind to them. When he's sure no one is, he hooks a finger under the collar pulling Soap even closer. He then leans into Soap's ear and whispers "Be a good boy then and go to the utility closet, lock the door, and don't open it until you hear three knocks of a beating heart." He doesn't wait for Johnny to respond before pulling away and walking over to Price, where Gaz has now joined him at the other end of the room.

Soap takes a deep breath, downing the rest of his drink, and grabs another one before joining the rest of 141.

When he approaches, Gaz is in the middle of telling Price about the pumpkin carving recruits and their 'interesting' techniques. But Soap's not listening, he's watching Ghost eat another cookie, licking the crumbs from the corner of his lip, laughing at something Price had said.

Soap's face gets hot, he downs a couple mouthfuls of his beer to try and cool down. "You good, Soap?" Gaz asks smiling at him.

"Aye, but this beer isn't. Has to be the weakest thing I've ever drank."

"It's probably a lot better than at piss tequila you drink." Ghost jokes.

"Think I'll go find ya some then LT. Maybe I can get you to come round to it." Soap winks at Ghost and turns to leave, only to be stopped by another captain holding a camera. "Group shot for the books, boys?" She asks. Soap looks over his shoulder at Price as he answers "Alright, come on then," waving the boys closer.

Price throws his arms over Gaz and Ghost's shoulders, Ghost rolls his balaclava back down over his jaw and Soap takes his place on the end next to him, snaking an arm around his back placing his hand on Ghost's waist.

"Say 'Happy Halloween!" The captain says as she readies to take the picture. Soap throws up the peace sign and the boys say the words the captain wanted when the camera flashes.

She comes over to show them the picture, they all look happy, even Ghost looks like he's smiling under his mask. They deserve a break like this after their last op. They move apart and Soap tells them he is going to find that drink for Ghost and excuses himself.

"Ma'am, could I get a copy of that picture?" Soap taps the captain with the camera on her shoulder on his way out. "Of course, hun! I'll make sure to give Price a few extra copies once I get them printed."

"Cheers!" Soap says raising his bottle in response "Enjoy the rest of your night."

"You too!" She says, giving a short wave to Soap.

'Oh, I will.' Soap thinks as he makes his way out of the mess hall and into the corridor leading to the utility closet Ghost wants him to wait in. He walks as fast as he can without looking suspicious, a tightness growing in his stomach and a heart wanting to break free of his ribs in excited anticipation of what's to come.

Rounding a corner, he meets a group of recruits.

"Leaving the party already Sarg?"

"Don't cha worry I'll be back, I'm only out looking for a little something stronger to drink." Soap responds with a wink as he walks backward down the hall coming to a corner. "You lads better get back there, don't want the captain to catch you out here." He turns the corner, hearing the recruits retreating footsteps as he approaches the utility closet door.

When he's standing in front of the door, he grips the handle, checking both ends of the hallway to make sure he won't be seen entering. Taking a deep breath through his nose, he opens the door and steps inside, reaching to his left to flick on the light and shutting the door behind him locking himself in.

--

He waits for what feels like ages. He finished the last of his drink a while ago and is now pacing around the small room.

"The things I do for this man." Soap signs. "This is ridiculous, what am I even doing in here?"

He checks his watch, 20 minutes have passed.

He's been waiting in a closet for Ghosts for twenty minutes.

"Oh, I'm so making you pay for this LT." He leans against the wall, readjusting his headband to distract him from the tightness in his pants that has been there for the last 15 minutes.

'Fuck it' he thinks, 'I'm not waiting any longer.' He reaches to palm himself through his jeans, moaning at the feeling of finally being touched. His briefs are wet with precum and creating a slick surface that his cock twitches against earning another sign from him. He reaches into his shirt to grab his nipple when a knock from the door startles him.

Knock-knock

Knock-knock

Knock-knock

Soap takes two long strides to the door, unlocking it and flinging it open. Ghost pushes his way in, closing and locking the door behind him.

"Jesus Simon, I thought you were going to make me wait here all night," Johnny says moving to stand chest to chest with Simon. He places one hand on Simon's waist and moves his other to take off Simon's mask.

Simon grabs his wrist and moves away. "Thought you were being a good boy? Think you need to learn some patience."

"My patience ran out 15 minutes ago." Johnny groans, freeing his wrist and ripping Simon’s mask off, throwing it somewhere on the floor behind him. His hair is an absolute mess, sticking up in all directions and a smirk is plaster across his face, he's looking down at Johnny hungerly.

Johnny smashes his lips onto Simon's in a desperate sloppy kiss, tongue and saliva pushing into Simon's mouth. A moan escapes Johnny. Simon reaches one of his hands up to the back of Johnny's head, caressing his nape first then gripping the back of his mohawk to deepen the kiss.

Johnny pulls away breathing hard when Simon's other hand touches his cock through his jeans. "Fuuuuck" he moans into Simon's neck, placing several open-mouthed kisses there and bringing his hands to wrap around Simon's broad back grabbing fist fulls of his hoodie.

Johnny ruts against Simon's hand earning a chuckle from Simon, "Desperation looks good on you, Johnny."

"Can think of a couple other things that might look even better."

Simon pulls away from Johnny, placing a hand on his chest pushing him away, "Stay." He says as looks down at him with half-lidded eyes. His gaze wanders down Johnny's face to the collar he wears on his neck, then to his chest that heaves in excitement, shirt half unbuttoned showing off his well-defined pecs that are covered in dark hair. Simon takes his hand and brushes Johnny's shirt where he knows his nipple sits underneath, drawing a shutter out of him. He smiles, looking up to Johnny's eyes that are already staring back at him. Simon looks down to see Johnny has clenched his fists that hang by his sides and sees that he's straining against his jeans, a wet spot has formed where the head of his cock has been twitching, wishing to be free from the confines of his jeans.

"You gonna me show how good you are?" He asks Johnny.

"Simon, please I-"

Simon walks Johnny backward until his back meets the shelf full of cleaning supplies behind them, shaking when they collide with it. Simon goes to plant a kiss on Johnny's mouth when Johnny tries to meet him halfway, "Ah-ah, I said stay" he scolds as he grabs Johnny's jaw with a firm grip. He places a gentle kiss on the corner of his mouth, then on the scar on his chin, and then one more on the pulse on his neck, he can feel it racing under his lips.

He suddenly pulls away and crouches down to settle on his knees in front of Johnny. Simon reaches for Johnny's belt unbuckling it, he unbuttons his jeans pulling them and his boxer briefs halfway down his thighs in one fluid motion, letting Johnny's cock spring free in front of his face.

A string of precum hangs from the half-covered head of his cock, creating a string that connects to the inside of his briefs. It twitches and another pearl forms under Simon's gaze. The pearl drops to the floor when Simon's gloved hand connects with his shaft, slowly moving his foreskin back to reveal his glistening, swollen head.

"Ahh, fuck" Johnny sighs, throwing his head back to smack against the self with a bang, knocking over a couple of the bottles.

"Careful, Johnny. Need to stay quiet, don't want anyone finding us do ya?" Simon teases as he starts lazily stroking his cock. He gets a hiss from Johnny, as he slides his gloved hand down his shaft to the base, creating a rough sensation for Johnny.

Simon's hand slides back up to his leaking head, thumb going to Johnny's frenulum drawing agonizingly slow circles on it. Simon looks up at Johnny to see his face contorted in pleasure with the overstimulation he's causing and that his headband has been knocked out of place. He brings his other hand to grip Johnny's balls, pulling them down gently. Johnny's chest heaves in when he releases a heavy breath, his hand shooting out to grip the edge of the shelf he's leaning on, his other hand hovering over Simon's head, hesitating to grip his hair. He looks down to Simon for permission, to which Simon responds by releasing his hand from Johnny's cock and catching it on his tongue.

"Yer gonna kill me." He breathes, getting a open-mouthed grin out of Simon. He wraps his lips around him before sucking on his head, flicking his tongue on the underside.

"Simon." Johnny warns.

Simon sinks his whole cock into his mouth, nose pushing into Johnny's pubic bone, a burning feeling in the back of his throat. He sticks his tongue out to caress his balls while he starts messaging them with his hand. Drool drops into his palm helping ease the rough feeling of his glove for Johnny. He slides Johnny's cock out of his mouth to take a deep breath.

"Think yer enjoying this more than me." Johnny chuckles at Simon looking down at the saliva dripping from his wet lips. Simon only looks up at him in response before pulling his cock back into his mouth, sucking and bobbing up and down his cock with a relentless pace this time. He never breaks eye contact with Johnny as he starts playing with his balls and moving his forefinger to brush against his taint. This makes Johnny buck forward deep into Simon's mouth and grip his own pec, wanting to place pressure on his nipple. Simon pulls Johnny's hand away, ripping his shirt open making a couple of the buttons fly free. He finds Johnny's nipple and pinches. Hard.

"I'm- I’m gunna-!" Johnny pants out. Bucking forward once again, pushing his cock farther down Simon’s throat, making his eyes water.

Simon can feel him twitching and pulsing inside his throat. He pulls his head away quickly just as Johnny starts to come, he tastes it briefly on his tongue before releasing his cock with a pop and feels Johnny's cum land on his face. One release squirts up his cheek stopping on his cheekbone and another across the bridge of his nose just missing his eye. More oozes out as Johnny grips the sides of Simon’s head to rut through his orgasm, rubbing and grinding his cock against Simon's face, his balls slapping against his jaw with a wet sticky sound. Simon closes one of his eyes as Johnny’s cock gets dangerously close to it, even more cum is leaking out of the tip as Johnny overstimulates himself. When he stops, he's breathing hard and hunching over, shaking from his orgasm, his cock jumps against the bridge of Simon’s nose. The cum pooled there drips down his face and over his chin, dripping onto his neck and disappearing under his shirt.

"Good boy." Simon says as he pats Johnny's thigh.

"Lemme be even better than,” he says, as he unsteadily crouches down in front of Simon, “and help clean you up." He sticks his tongue out, licking the cum off Simon’s neck, trailing up to his chin, then up and over his cheek. After he's collected it all in his mouth he kisses Simon, holding eye contact when he pushes it into his mouth with his tongue, smiling when he accepts it. Johnny pulls away, looking very impressed with himself, a string of saliva connects them and Simon swallows what he’s given him. Wiping his mouth with the back of this hand, Simon stands them both up, pulling Johnny's pants up, tucking him back in his briefs, and making his best attempt to fix his shirt.

Johnny places an arm around Simon's neck pulling him into a sweet tender kiss. "Let's get you sorted then." He smiles into Simon's lips, he reaches underneath his hoodie to brush along Simon’s abdomen, running his fingers through his happy trail, flattening his hand to slide into the top of his cargo pants.

Simon pulls away slightly, reaching up to fix Johnny’s fluffy-eared headband. "You know I don't need that."

"I know" he pauses "but I want too," Johnny whispers into his cheek. "I'll come to your room later. This time you'll have to wait for me." He smirks looking up at him.

"I'll be waiting." Simon kisses Johnny one last time, then steps out of his reach, picking up his discarded mask from the floor and slipping it over his head back into place. He grabs Soap's long-forgotten empty bottle and says, "Wait five minutes before leaving, yeah?"

"I know, Ghost. This isn't my first time." He smiles.

"And remember that piss tequila you were supposed to be findin'."

"You won't be callin' it that by the end of the night."

"Mmm, I doubt that." Ghost opens the door quietly to listen for anyone outside, when he hears nothing, he looks back at Soap over his shoulder and nods a 'see you' then steps out closing the door behind him.

Soap takes in a deep breath. 'Think I gotta start wearing a collar more often.' He thinks. 'Maybe I should start wearing the throat mic again?'

[disconnected-from-reality]

Fanfic rec: Bones B&B

Hi~! After so many years, I'm back with a new set of fanfic recommendations! This time it's for a different show, one near and dear to my heart, which is pretty much a give away from the title of this post. I've been a fan of Bones for more than a decade now, I've known the show way before I've known Sherlock. But it has only occurred to me this 2024 that Bones might actually have some fanfictions out there. Lo and behold, there are quite a number around, and the next thing I know, I've read enough for a post like this!

For now, I'm listing some of the fanfics that really spoke and hit my heart. Maybe in my next post I'll try to categorize them in some way.

As usual, all works are complete unless stated otherwise. Happy reading!

Quicksand by MoreBonesPlz [Words: <46,783 | T: Suitable for teens] What if after the infamous B&B conversation in the truck during The Doctor in the Photo where Booth told Brennan she'd missed her chance, Brennan didn't acquiesce? What if once opened, she no longer found it possible to close the Pandora's box with respect to her feelings for Booth?

The Whole in the Sum of the Parts by fourth_rose [Words: 21,933 | Mature | Also available in Ao3] Children change things – sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, and sometimes from the very beginning. Season 1 AU.

The Passenger Seat by cortexx [Words: 3,345 | Teen And Up Audiences | Also available in FFN] Four times someone adjusted Brennan's seat in Booth's car over the years, and the one time she did it to Booth.

Servare Vitas by newscaper [Words: <101,948 | T: Suitable for teens] To Save Lives. A Bones Novel. Brennan helps Booth try to lay old ghosts to rest as he becomes a sniper for the FBI, a decision with life and death consequences that could change everything. 

The Science Teacher in the Public School by FictionWriter91 [Words: <47,114 | T: Suitable for teens] Story is AU with a mix of canon. What if Temperance and Russ were taken with their parents instead of being left behind? What if Brennan is now a well loved science teacher at a public school like her father used to be? Brennan loves her work and her students, especially Parker Booth, who is very talented and adores her. Things couldn't be better. Then she meets Parker's father.

Right from the Start by Christi Whitson [Words: <265,871 | M: Mature] Season 1 re-write, tweaking the details and one of the tertiary characters. Because I think that under the right set of circumstances, BB would have fallen for each other right from the start. Peter is a threat to Brennan, and Tessa doesn't exist. More drama than angst. 

An Aggregation of Maladjusted Companions by jazzyproz [Words: <251,013 | M: Mature] Suffering from a declining solve rate following their returns to DC, Booth and Brennan are forced to attend a team-building convention. Neither of them think they need the workshops or exercises, but it's apparent to everyone around them that if they don't do something, the whole team will soon be falling apart. Can they fix their broken partnership?

Stupid Alpha Male - Ardialene [Words: <9,292  | Suitable for more mature childen] No matter how many times Booth denies it, Brennan knows that her partner is a true alpha male. And she has evidence to prove it.

Let the Games Begin by TRUSSELL33 [Words: <159,075 | M: Mature] What would Booth do if Brennan suddenly came on to him? Written as a challenge on another site but am thinking of turning it into a short story. Let me know if anyone is interested.

Wise Mind by naelany [Words: 13,416 | Teen And Up Audiences | Ao3 Account Required] Temperance had made the - perfectly logical - decision to rebuff Booth’s advances not once, but twice. After all, she was a mundane and he was an online, high order Sentinel and would one day find his Guide. To her mind, there was no point in starting something with the man, no matter how attracted they were to each other, because in the end he would leave her.

Confessions from a Bottle by MoreBonesPlz [Words: <27,052 | T: Suitable for teens] Booth believes he is happy in his relationship with Hannah until an intoxicated Brennan reveals her true feelings for him and makes him question what happiness really means.

Problem Solving, the Booth and Brennan Way by Hannah Taylor1 [Words: <384,802 | T: Suitable for teens] Brennan has a problem she's not sharing.Booth wants to help fix things,as always,only to find the conversation skewing in a direction he'd never expected. Set several months post-The Boy With the Answer.

How My Heart Behaves by mia101 [Words: <57,376 | M: Mature] Brennan thinks she understands what sex is all about...until Booth gives her a glimpse that makes her think otherwise. But who's teaching whom? And what will they learn...?

The Heart Won't Lie by razztaztic [Words: 16,531 | T: Suitable for teens | Also Available in Ao3 | Ao3 Account Required] Alternate ending for 6x09 "The Doctor in the Photo." What if Booth hadn't been there to save Brennan and she was hit by the car?

The Heart of the Matter by fourth_rose [Words: 7,546 | Mature] "What do you mean, you know you can't have me? It's not like you've ever asked!"

The Intern by cortexx [Words: 1,766 | Teen And Up Audiences | Also available in FFN] Brennan is trying to choose a new intern, and is slowly weeding out the ones who are unacceptable candidates. A case of mistaken identity narrows down the competition when one candidate makes an inappropriate comment to Parker about Bones.

Maternal Instinct by tempecameron [Words: <20,878 | T: Suitable for teens] Dr. Temperance Brennan can handle remains that are thousands of years old, but can she keep up with one small child? BB fluff, Parker cuteness, relationship drama, weird author's notes.

Snowed In by Imagination-Parade [Words: <23,752 | T: Suitable for teens] Booth and Parker get snowed in at Brennan's apartment after Parker insists that they spend Christmas with her. Set after 3.09 "Santa in the Slush"

Let me know what you think of this list. I'd love to have some feedback! I'll be back with a new list soon, hopefully!

Looking for other fanfic recommendations? I might have something you're interested in, or if you have requests feel free to ask!

[ssahotstuff]

i have an uber specific request for a fic, or whatever you’re willing to do, if you’re down

i’m going on vacay soon - camping - and i thought it would be adorable to see that hotch and fem!reader dynamic. tbh i could see the team organizing a group camping trip in their down time, maybe as a way to let lose and get their minds off the job for a while, but also simply because they’ve grown to be such a close knit family. it’s just the sort of activity that would bring them all that much closer.

so, in my mind, reader sees herself as hopeless (to put it nicely) and actually has 0% camping experience. she arrives late (followed right after by hotch), it’s dark out and she’s trying and failing (struggling really) to set up her tent - it’s really not a one person job. in the camp site beside her, hotch hasn’t even started setting up when he notices her struggling. without even needing to be asked, not that you would’ve asked anyway, not with the way you’re crushing on your boss, he wordlessly helps you out. you hold the tent while he erects it, the two of you nail in the stakes, voila! and then “you’ve got to be kidding” to which hotch’s response is a concerned “what is it?” as his eyes scan your face. of all the unnecessary things you brought, you forgot the thing that you arguably needed the most - your sleeping bag. followed by aaron being quick to offer up his, to which you insist the two of you share. long story short, hotch won’t need the tent he brought, so he doesn’t bother. the one bed trope but ~ spicy ~ because no you didn’t think this through, sleeping bags are really only made for one person, and you’re pressed so tightly against him that his heartbeat feels like your own and you feel his chest pressed against you… among other things.

basically i’d just be a sucker for seeing hotch take care of reader. i could see him making a fire, and the two of you just sitting there, flames reflected in your eyes, as the two of you talk late into the night. i’m also a sucker for lots of fluff and mutual pining. bonus points if reader gets to steal hotch’s quarter zip !!

just some late night thoughts <33 sending you lots of love !! your writing is lovely

Oooh camping Hotch and reader below the cut!!

Minors DNI! Smut below the cut

You'd been buying things for a month, gearing up for the teams newest tradition: a camping trip. JJ and Derek had been planning everything for weeks, getting everyone to agree to it, even Hotch. Derek suggested it could be a team building exercise, and you couldn't do it without your fearless leader.

You had secretly been dreading the entire trip. Each time you bought something to take with you, you'd sigh heavily just thinking about being stuck in the woods with no bathroom and less than favorable sleeping conditions. The place they'd chosen was nice, but it was still outside, and you weren't excited for that part.

You were almost the last to arrive. Hotch pulled into the clearing right after you. There was a trail near the tree line that would lead you to the campsite, but you didn't want to walk alone, so you decided to wait on him.

"Remind me again why we agreed to this?" He groaned, slinging his backpack over his shoulders before he grabbed the rest of his things.

"Derek guilted us, remember? I wanted to go to the casino," every time you could all get a weekend off together, you were making group plans. Derek's bright idea had been camping.

"You can't get this kind of experience at the casino," he countered, and he was right. The woods were buzzing with animal chatter, and the leaves were ever changing, yellows and oranges around you. You'd brought your camera hoping you could get some good shots of everyone and some photos of the beautiful scenery.

"I'm just not the outdoorsy type," he waited for you to finish grabbing your things and the two of you took off towards the trail. It was a bit rocky, so he held out his hand so you wouldn't get tripped up, helping you down the steep terrain. You knew he was just trying to keep you from falling, but it made your heart skip a beat to hold his hand for any amount of time. You couldn't recall a time when you'd wanted anyone as badly as you wanted Hotch.

With a little encouragement from Emily, who thought he felt the same way about you, you'd began to open up to him more, started getting to know him. He'd been doing the same with you, late nights when you were both finishing reports, you'd talk for hours in his office, until the two of you were too tired to write anymore. It had become a part of your office routine—if you weren't working a case, you were usually on the couch in his office, helping him out.

He didn't mind the company, you brought him coffee and made sure he ate, and in return, the two of you got to where you knew secrets about one another. There was an established level of trust between you, and it only grew stronger as the months passed.

"I think we'll all have a good time. I just hope somebody remembered to bring the tequila," he joked, and in no time you made it to the clearing where everyone else was setting up. You picked a spot further away from everyone, and Hotch opted for the spot right next to you. You grabbed the instructions for your tent and set to work.

A half an hour later, Hotch was coming to the rescue. He started connecting the rods and had the tent slid on them in no time, letting you help to set the stakes in the ground while he did the rest. When he was finished, you stepped back to admire his work, your fingertips brushing against his for just a moment as he handed you the instructions.

"Thank you," you said softly, and he nodded, unzipping the flap so you could climb inside and check it out. You'd just started to unpack your bag when you realized you were missing the most crucial thing of all.

"You've got to be kidding me," you muttered mostly to yourself, but Hotch heard you and was poking his head inside.

"What's wrong?"

You nodded to the lumpy ground, which would be your bed for the next two nights.

"I forgot a sleeping bag."

You couldn't help but laugh at yourself, but Hotch was immediately offering up solutions.

"Just take mine," he said, but you shook your head at him.

"And then where will you sleep, silly? Unless—do you want to just share it with me? You can sleep in here, if you want to." You felt your cheeks go rosy, but he quickly handed you his bag and climbed in, sitting next to you on the ground.

"I think we'll both fit."

Once you had your sleeping arrangements figured out, you joined the others, and Reid was at Hotch's side immediately.

"Don't tell him I said anything, but you may need to start the fire," Derek was struggling by the looks of it, sweat on his brow and his face furrowed in frustration.

"Need a hand?" Hotch offered, and Derek let him have at it. You found a log to use as a makeshift bench and you took a seat so you could watch Hotch work. He looked just as glorious as ever, his usual attire swapped for a long sleeved navy blue shirt and jeans. Emily sat down next to you, her eyes darting between you and Hotch.

"You should tell him this weekend."

You looked at her like she was crazy, shaking your head.

"I can't. If he doesn't feel the same way, it'll ruin the whole weekend."

Emily gave Hotch one last look before she pulled you away and towards her tent, her arms crossed over her chest.

"We're profilers, Y/n. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the way he looks at you. You should go for it."

You thought about her words but saw flames in the corner of your eye, Hotch and Reid sharing a quick fist bump after he got the fire going. He shot you a quick smile before taking a seat on your log. Emily nodded toward him, silently beckoning you to join him.

"Think about what I said," she whispered as you walked away, so you shot her a thumbs up, and debated how you'd let him know about your feelings.

A few hours later, everyone was tucked into bed except for you and Hotch. You wanted to sit by the fire, and he didn't want to leave you alone.

"Feels perfect. It's kind of chilly but the fire is so nice," he said, leaning into you slightly. You took a second to admire the way the flames danced in his deep, almost hazy eyes, the faintest of smiles on his lips.

"I agree, this is really nice." You we're enjoying the alone time with him more than anything, trying to work up the bravery to say something to him. He silently slid his arm around you, rubbing your arm with his hand to warm you up. You couldn't tell if your face was hot from the fire or if it was because he was so close to you.

"Want to head to bed?" He stood up, offering you his hand, his fingers lacing through yours as he led you to the tent. You climbed in, letting him get situated before you got in the sleeping bag. You had changed into shorts earlier, which is the only reason you felt his jean clad legs in the first place.

"Really? You'll be miserable in jeans all night. Take them off, Hotchner."

He let out a light laugh so you unzipped the sleeping bag to give him more room.

"You sound an awful lot like me right now, just so you know," you heard the metallic slip of his zipper coming down before he shimmied out of his jeans. You zipped the two of you back up and your original plan was to give him space just in case he was uncomfortable being around you, but his arm wrapped around you and pulled you in closer. He smelled like heaven, a mixture of his cologne and the outdoors. You didn't mind his legs tucked into yours, his tight grasp on your body.

"Isn't that much better?" You could already feel him relaxing into you, heaving a sigh of relief to finally be laying down, even if it was on the ground.

"Better by far. I'm not used to sleeping in so many layers," he still had his shirt on but you wouldn't mind if he took it off too; your imagination was running wild at the thought of being pressed to his bare chest through the night.

"I'm not used to sleeping on rocks," you wiggled against him, trying to get comfortable when his palm met your thigh, just below your shorts. He was trying to keep a few inches between your bodies, but that didn't stop his thumbs from pressing into your sensitive flesh.

"Sweetheart, you've got to stop moving or we're going to have an even bigger problem," it took you a second to process what he meant, but you didn't stop moving—instead you pressed your backside against his crotch deliberately, his cock already stiff against you.

"Oops," you teased, in love with the sound of him chuckling back at you. You rolled over, trying to get your eyes to adjust to the darkness so you could make out his features. He found your face immediately, his fingertips tilting your face upward to meet his lips.

"What should we do about this?" His voice was barely above a whisper but it made your blood run cold nonetheless—judging by the current state he was in, you guessed he'd wanted you just as badly.

"I have a couple of ideas," you shot back before leaning forward to capture his lips. His mouth was greedy against your own, his tongue slipping past your teeth to collide with yours, nearly taking your breath away. You could feel his hands behind you working to unzip the sleeping bag so you had more room, but right now you didn't mind being pressed against him, close enough to feel his entire body radiating warmth.

"You're sure about this, right? Because I've wanted this for a while now," the slightest hint of worry was laced behind his words but you kissed him and assured him you were around to stay. You'd wanted him just as long, maybe longer. You'd never question it now that you had him, you'd only cherish him as much as possible, give him everything he needed.

"I'm positive. I wasn't sure how to say anything," your pajama bottoms were quickly being tugged down your legs, his fingers slipping past the waistband of your panties to be met with the warmth of your arousal; he audibly groaned when his fingertips collided with your clit, delving between your slick folds so he could show you how badly he'd wanted you.

"You don't have to explain it to me, sweetheart. I understand. I need you to be quiet, okay?" His free hand pushed his boxers down as he got ready to give himself to you for the first time. His fingers left your center long enough to pull your panties down the rest of the way as he crawled between your legs, propping himself up so he could line up with you. Nothing about it was ideal--you were on the ground and you couldn't see him, but it was still perfect, because it was him.

"I can be quiet," you whispered as he gripped your thighs harshly and pulled you closer to him, your back sliding against the fabric of the sleeping bag, making you move with ease. Your legs were swiftly being tucked together so he could press them back against your chest, leaving your mind reeling at the possibilities of your first time with him, if it would be rushed or slow and gentle. He teased your slit once more before slipping into you, taking your breath. There was a lot of him to get adjusted to, so he was careful not to go too fast; he simply pressed into you until he was tucked fully inside of you, letting out a shaky breath above you.

"You feel so good, my god," not being able to see him only made the experience more erotic--you could feel his large hands on your thighs, keeping them together as he struggled to keep it together; his knees shook as he began to move, tentatively and careful at first. You let out a breath at how good it felt, how whole he made you feel now that he was finally inside of you. Each stroke of his thick cock inside of you had pressure building from the very beginning, so you darted out and took his hand in yours, squeezing lightly as you came, trying to keep quiet.

"So good," he mumbled as his hips met yours, but you couldn't even form a thought, you were too busy thinking about how an hour ago, you were merely tent mates, and now there was much more going on.

"Wanted you for so long," you whined as he slammed into you, the fabric of the tent rustling below you. It wasn't loud, but it was enough to make Hotch slow down considerably, groaning from above you.

"I'm yours now," he assured you, the fluid motion of his hips driving you crazy; you needed more of him, as deep as he could possibly go. Your hands moved to the back of his thighs, so he'd get the hint that you wanted him closer, and he obliged happily, burying himself inside of you. It was a lot to process, your boss having you on your back with your legs in the air, but he'd been a lot more than just your boss for months now. You cared about him and his well-being, and you wanted to keep him as safe as you could, even though he didn't need to be protected. Hotch could certainly hold his own, but anyone could see that he'd really benefit from having someone that wanted to take care of him, and you were hoping he'd let it be you.

You knew it wasn't an ideal first time, but there would be plenty of others, and frankly, you had been so tired of waiting--despite your conversation with Emily, you truly had planned to talk to him this weekend, whether it ruined the good time or not. You couldn't hold your feelings in any longer, and from the looks of it, neither could he.

He blindly reached for your hand, lacing his fingers through yours as you came together, the two of you a sweaty, shuddering mess as you tried to calm yourself. Hotch was busy between your legs, cleaning you up before he came to lay next to you, letting you zip the sleeping bag back up around you now that you were missing a couple of layers. He seemed more comfortable, he settled into you quick, tossing his arm over you and pulling you closer.

"I'm really glad you forgot a sleeping bag," he whispered teasingly, kissing your cheek in the darkness as the woods chattered around you.

"I'll leave remembering stuff like that up to you," you joked, since he'd came so well prepared compared to you.

"You can always share a bed with me," he muttered sleepily, exhaling deeply before he went still and fell asleep and you did the same, the sound of the crickets and owls making you fall asleep quickly. The next morning, Aaron had let you sleep in, because when you woke up, you were alone in the tent and it was freezing. He'd left his quarter zip out for you though, so you quickly slipped it on, shrugging on a pair of jeans and your shoes before you went to find Hotch.

You found him building a fire, Reid and Derek at his side. The inferno was ever growing as you approached, taking a seat on the same log as before when Derek asked how you slept.

"Like a rock," you giggled, and considering the less than favorable conditions, you'd managed to get a solid nights rest thanks to being in Hotch's arms all night. He caught your gaze and shot you a soft smile, taking in your attire before he blushed like mad, his cheeks going red in an instant.

Once everyone was awake, Emily was dragging you towards her tent, eyeing your jacket curiously.

"Did you tell him?"

You shrugged, not wanting to give your secret away just yet.

"I didn't have to, he already knew."

[legendofzoodles]

The Chain in an Escape Room

Crackpot modern AU version of this post. 

Time helped set this up as a team-building exercise and starts regretting it seconds after the door shuts behind them. He knows most of the solutions and tries to hint at them as a passive observer but lord help him no one listens. Or if they do it’s in the complete opposite way he meant. Trying to keep things together is outside his range of skills, so whatever happens, happens. 

Warriors bragged that a friend of his did it and it was super easy, but doesn’t end up contributing much. In fact he’s the opposite of helpful. He would call the friend who’s completed it for ‘hints’, but would end up having them tell him everything and use that knowledge to mess with the team. Adding red herrings and false clues, drawing attention away from the real solutions and more importantly, wasting time. Don’t worry, the rest eventually catch on and end him, if Time doesn’t put a stop to it first.   

Twilight would be the theorist. He doesn’t actually try anything or do anything practical, he’ll just throw ideas out there based off the most irrelevant stuff and look for a deeper meaning in everything he sees. “Is that painting of a cat playing with string a clue?” “This shelf is missing a ledge could that mean something?” “That mirror has a crack in it...maybe...”

Sky, bless him, will leave helpful notes for the next group of people. He’ll have post-it notes out and ready (just because), so whenever the chain finally makes a breakthrough he’ll jot it down and leave it somewhere not to obvious. He’d also write down little compliments and motivating things like: “You can do it!” and “Almost there!” though it would get confusing when they inevitably backtrack:

Legend: [picking up a post-it note] Guys I found clue!

Note: You look nice today! :)

Legend: [scrunching it up] Dammit Sky!

Legend, will hoard anything and everything he thinks ‘might’ be useful. That random chess piece, that picture frame, maybe those marbles, all vital items. The others will help him break stuff without him even needing to ask. So long as they’re not damaging anything too expensive, Time will allow it. 

Wild will take pictures, selfies and videos of everyone suffering. He wouldn’t help since Time won’t let him cheat or break themselves out, so he’ll just enjoy himself by documenting the chaos for everyone to look back on and cringe. Or maybe he’ll live-stream the whole thing to his 10 followers.

Four will constantly remind people of the time. If they’re taking too long on a puzzle he’ll be literally counting down the seconds insisting they think faster. He won’t take any kind of goofing around because that’s wasting valuable time. When they do eventually figure something out he’ll be the one to lament how easy it was and how it shouldn’t have taken them that long.

Hyrule, the oddball, will try to get into the mind of the creators. Start psychoanalysing them from the word ‘go’, and try to figure out the thought process that went behind the puzzles. He’ll look at suspiciously places objects and clues and think, “That has Time written all over it” or “Yeah I can see him doing that”. When that predictably fails, because he’s terrible at it, he’ll ask Time roundabout questions to try and see into his mind. That doesn’t work either. 

Wind, when he isn’t co-hosting Wild’s livestream, helping Warriors mess with the chain or collecting items for Legend’s hoard, like the tiny gremlin he is, will be opening the nearest window and screaming for help into the street. 

This, to Time’s horror, actually works and a random pedestrian hears the boy and calls the fire brigade thinking they were actually trapped in the building. 

~~~

Thanks for reading!

Masterlist 

Headcanons: Parkour team, Honorary Gorons, How each member of the chain laughs, Flora is Feral, Is Malon Real?

AU Ideas: Midsommar AU, Hyrule centric idea

Short Stories: Smoke Signal (LU Wild x reader), Ancient Masonry (Sky and Wild), Blunt Crown (Wild and Flora)

[pics-and-fanfics]

Mud

Pairing: Wanda x F!Reader

Warnings: 😐😐😐 Fluff

Summary: You convince your girlfriend to have fun with you in the pouring rain.

Word count: 400

The word I got was “mud.” Here’s my short drabble based on the prompt!

other works here! ---> >:)

You looked out the window, smiling as the rain poured. “Are you listening?” Steve says, and you feel your face turn red. “Huh?” you say, turning back to the meeting. Just more about stupid “team building exercises,” and “dating in the team is a bad idea” and whatnot.

“I give up. None of you listen anyways.” Steve threw his hands up, and you smiled a little. “Sorry Steve! It’s just really boring.”

“Boring?” “Yeah. I’d rather be outside right now, even though it’s pouring, and it takes forever to do my hair.”

🌧️

Wanda grabs her umbrella, slipping into a pair of boots. “Don’t forget-” you start to say, and Wanda laughs. “I won’t forget my jacket this time, babe. I’ll be back in a bit.” Wanda looks down at your smile, unable to contain hers as she kissed the top of your head.

“Be safe!” you shout, and Wanda rolls her eyes.

You sigh, flopping backwards on the couch. You look back outside. It was still pouring down. You wait for a few minutes while you debate with yourself before making your decision.

Grabbing your rain boots, you slip them on your feet, tossing on your flimsy raincoat. You smile, dashing out the door and down the hall. You see heads turn towards you, and smile.

Sprinting down the stairs, you can practically feel yourself floating, you were so happy.

As soon as you burst out of the Tower, you see that it wasn’t very busy, which was weird, you were in New York, one of the busiest cities in the world.

Oh well, whatever. You dash down the sidewalk, splashing through puddles while you hold down your hood with your hand. You make your way to Central Park, nearly falling on your face after you slip. You laugh at yourself, and dash into the grass.

Slipping off your shoes, you dance through the mud, your heart feeling like it was going to beat out of your chest, you were so happy.

“Y/n! What are you doing!” Wanda’s voice shouted, and you dash towards where you heard her, grabbing her hand.

“Come on! Come dance with me!” you say, and Wanda smiles at the way you were absolutely beaming. She laughs as you drag her into the mud with you, spinning and splashing through the puddles.

Maybe the rain wasn’t so bad, especially when it made you this happy.

🌧️

This is my warm up post for the slumber party starting soon, and i’m so excited! I hope that everyone who decides to participate has fun, and for those who don’t want to, or can’t, I hope you at least enjoy this short story! Have a great day, and thank you for reading.

(thank you for the opportunity!)

@the-slumberparty @vbecker10 @silverfire475 @huntress-artemiss @vickie5446 @sheris532 @lokixryss @lokidokieokie @stupidthoughtsinwriting @crimson25 @peaches1958 @iamlokisgloriouspurpose

[littlemisspascal]

Part 1: Hello, My Name Is...

Summary:

“Hey.” A hand lightly grabs onto your elbow just as you turn to leave. You turn back, butterflies fluttering in your stomach at Javi’s proximity, that same soft look in his gaze. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you. I think we’ll make a great team.”

It takes a second for the words to register and when they finally do—

Oh.

You nod your head, smiling wide, a surge of excitement washing over you. “Me too, Javi. Me too.”

Pairing: eventual Javi/Fem!Reader "Oddball" (OFC)*

Word Count: 7000+

Rating: T

Warnings: Formula One AU ft. multiple Pedro Pascal Cinematic Universe characters, Human AU, Canon Divergence, Switching POVs, Worldbuilding, Social Media Fic, Headlines inspired by true events but edited for this plot, Slowest of Slow Burn, Language

Author Note: So excited to begin the next arc of this story & for Javi and Odds to finally meet 😊 Thank you everyone who's given this series a chance, I appreciate all of you!

Winter Banners credit here!

A03 Link | Series Masterlist

*see series masterlist for more info

[Collection of sticky notes pasted on bathroom mirror in your handwriting]

It’s a beautiful day

Remember to smile!

Breathe in, breathe out. Repeat.

[A new note with hastily scribbled words is added to the bunch]

I can handle this

There are many perks which come with being an F1 driver besides being paid to do what you love. Getting to travel across the world nine months out of the year; 5-star hotel accommodations; free clothes and accessories to represent your team from head to toe. But your brand-new Vulpecula GT is the gift that keeps on giving, especially when the cold winds of winter blow into Altair, dropping the temperature significantly. What would have been a miserable journey on your bike to HQ is a pleasantly warm and comfortable trip in your beautiful silver baby with padded leather seats.

You may or may not press a kiss against the steering wheel after parking, your heart growing just a little bit larger to accommodate this wonderful treasure.

The clock chimes nine as you step through the entrance doors, letting out a relieved breath when the heat of the building melts away the chill that nipped at your exposed face on your short walk up the pathway. You’d been a nervous wreck this morning, rifling through your closet for an outfit that was professional yet warm at the same time. Vivian had explicitly told you no when asked if hoodies or sweatshirts counted as business attire which meant your options were frustratingly few. 

You tug on the collar of your turtleneck sweater, then spare a subtle glance down at the rest of your outfit, praying there aren’t any toothpaste stains anywhere. Once on your crotch area during your high school years was embarrassing enough to live through.

It’s been awhile since you’ve felt this level of nervousness before. The kind of nervousness where your fingers can’t stop fidgeting and your heartbeat resembles a dull roar of thunder and time has two speeds: a cheetah or a snail, no in-betweens. You wish you had someone to distract you from your spiraling thoughts. Your friends, your parents, even Diana would be welcome despite her usual method of making you do squats or jumping jacks or another equally annoying exercise. 

You’ll have Vivian as one familiar face during the meeting at least. You’re on good terms with the older woman, admiring how she can switch aspects of her personality from friendly and wisecracking to fierce and competitive on the spur of the moment. She’s been patient with you during your journey to this point, and now that you’re here, an official driver for her team, you want to make her proud. You want to silence any possible doubts that all the time, energy, and funding spent on you weren’t gigantic wastes. 

Photographs of past Vulpecula drivers line the white hallway walls as you head to the conference rooms, footsteps echoing off the concrete tiled floor. The images remind whoever sees them of the team’s long history and its accomplishments. For some viewers they stir feelings of nostalgia, but for you they fill you with the desire to become a part of the Vulpecula legacy. To one day see your picture hanging there and maybe, if you’re lucky enough, a championship trophy in your hands.

Inside the main meeting room you discover a small group already seated at the long wooden table taking up the majority of the space. Vivian’s at the front, some executives and engineers you vaguely recognize meeting once or twice sitting on either side of her; then there’s the pit crew chief, Melshi, and the number one mechanic, Cassian, sitting side by side, attached at the hip just like they are in the paddock garage during race weekends. 

Vivian stands up and pulls you into a bear hug when you draw closer, her favorite greeting style, squeezing you so tight you swear you hear your ribs groaning like they’re on the verge of snapping. She’s in high spirits, smiling widely and looking mere seconds away from bouncing up and down with giddy excitement. 

“I have such a good feeling about you two,” she says, never one to beat around the bush, hands squeezing your shoulders once, twice, and then bobbing her head affirmatively. “2023 is going to be a great year, I just know it.”

Her positive vibes are contagious, bringing a smile to your own face that lingers even as you take a seat and notice for the first time the last empty chair remaining is right across from you. Clearly it’s meant for Javi. The seating chart most likely designed to force you and him to talk to each other.

And there’s that nervousness again, back with a vengeance.

It’s just…meeting Javi, officially face to face, right here in the beating heart of your career, makes everything seem overwhelmingly real all of the sudden. You’re an F1 driver. You’ve made it. Everything you’ve done, all the blood, sweat, and tears have brought you to this moment. You’re half-tempted to pinch yourself, one last test to confirm this isn’t all an elaborate dream.

You can blame the chill that runs down your spine on the weather, but it’s not so easy to explain away the heavy weight settling in your stomach like a stone.

The door opens, thoughts falling silent as you look up to meet brown eyes.

“Javi!” Vivian calls out, standing and gesturing him over. “Come on in, don’t be shy. Everyone’s excited to finally meet you.”

The man steps further into the room, flashing a dimpled grin that leaves you a little stunned. You thought it before, a couple months back in the paddock, and you think it again now: Javi is even more attractive when seeing him in person. He could have easily been a model in another life—warm brown eyes resembling melted caramel when the light hits just right, a strong nose and chiseled jawline, disheveled curls giving the impression he just rolled out of bed and yet somehow he makes the look work. Plus, nobody should look as immaculate as he does in a black puffer jacket and matching trousers. 

Your eyes follow him, watching Vivian introduce him to everybody, handshake after handshake, polite nice to meet you’s falling off his lips and do your ears deceive you or does he actually sound sincere? He wears an easy smile, if perhaps a little nervous looking around the edges (or maybe that’s wishful thinking), shoulders drawn back and brow pinched in concentration as he engages in conversation with the higher-ups. A professional, that’s what he looks like. And you? You’ve just realized your socks don’t match.

The age gap of five and half years suddenly seems massive between you and Javi. You have a lot of growing to do, a lot of learning, and not just when you’re behind the wheel of the car. It takes all your self-restraint not to slump down in your chair with the desire to disappear from view.

Finally, after his introductions to Cassian and Melshi have wrapped up, it’s your turn. Brown eyes momentarily pin you in place, body glued to the leather seat, and you think your heartbeat can be heard by the whole room, seconds away from bursting out of your chest and making a bloody mess on the tabletop. 

He steps closer, grin widening, as warm and bright as fireworks during New Years, and says, “Oddball.”

The sound of your name jerks you out of your daze, standing up so fast you nearly send your chair toppling over. You wince at the loud noise, embarrassment flooding your system. Somewhere from the other end of the table, someone (probably Cassian, the jerk) barely conceals their snort of laughter behind a cough.

It’s just shy of mortifying.

Javi doesn’t stop smiling. Doesn’t laugh, either. The only change is his eyes—a subtle softening with an emotion you’d label as fondness if you actually, like, knew the man. Since you’re barely even acquaintances though, you’re uncertain what the look means. If it even means anything at all.

You run your hands over the front of your turtleneck, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles, and fumble for words that won’t make you sound like a complete idiot. “Yo.”

Wonderful. You’ve made it officially mortifying now. 

He chuckles and holds out a hand. “It’s great to meet you.”

Growing up, one of your father’s life lessons was how to give a proper handshake. First impressions are important, he’d always say, and every night you’d practice until it became second nature: keep it firm, keep it dry, and keep it short. Also a smile goes a long ways.

“Yes it is.” Your eyes widen. “Oh, no, that’s not—I meant, it is great, like, in general!” you say hastily, dropping his hand and doing some sort of childish thumbs up gesture you immediately regret. “Great to meet you! Like you said. Face to face finally. It’s super…great.”

You’re honestly beginning to think you’ve been cursed to forever make a fool of yourself in front of Javi.

“Well said, Odds. Well said,” Vivian laughs. She gestures for Javi to take the empty chair you’d predicted was his. “We’ve just got a few things to discuss, some dates to go over. Then we’ll take a couple of photos and both of you will go on with your day, alright? Oddball, sim work as usual. Javi, a tour to get you familiar with the place.”

“Sounds great,” Javi agrees. 

You just give a wordless nod, sitting down again and avoiding looking up from the very interesting grooves in the wood even when Javi tries to catch your eye across the table. Embarrassment clings to your skin, teeth worrying your bottom lip. Your anxiety has always been a fickle beast, refusing at the worst of times to be pushed to the back of your mind where you’d prefer it to be. 

Vivian’s talking, saying something about data and statistics, but between your rampant insecurities and Javi’s nearness, it’s a hopeless cause paying her any attention. If there’s anything really important being said you’re sure someone else will repeat it later or pass the info on to your manager. So in the meantime, your gaze flicks between the table and your fiddling hands in your lap, leg bouncing a restless rhythm, riding out the anxious wave until it’s over and calmness returns. It’s fine. You’re fine. Everything’s fine.

When it’s time for photos, Vivian stands in-between you and Javi, arms thrown enthusiastically around your shoulders. You smile at the line of people with their phones out, looking like a room full of proud parents taking pictures of their kids’ first day at school, and you realize for Javi, that’s exactly what this is. Day one in a brand new town in a brand new place with brand new people. For all your teammate’s experience and skills on the track, he severely lacks your knowledge and familiarity of Vulpecula. 

Which means you both have some learning to do. And that is a surprisingly gratifying thought.

“Hey.” A hand lightly grabs onto your elbow just as you turn to leave. You turn back, butterflies fluttering in your stomach at Javi’s proximity, that same soft look in his gaze. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you. I think we’ll make a great team.”

It takes a second for the words to register and when they finally do—

Oh.

You nod your head, smiling wide, a surge of excitement washing over you. “Me too, Javi. Me too.”

Vulpecula HQ is massive, a labyrinth of hallways and offices and staircases Javi knows will take him weeks, possibly months to memorize. But it becomes abundantly clear during his tour with Vivian—a CEO who’s blunt, loud, and so totally unlike his previous team principals he can’t help but marvel at her—that should he ever find himself lost, there will always be someone nearby to point him in the right direction. 

People here actually seem to care about each other. About him, even, and they’ve only literally just met him. They talk to him like he’s a person, not a driver or pawn to manipulate. Ask him how he’s settling in, what he likes to do in his free time, if he has any holiday plans. They seem genuinely interested in his answers too, not politely faking it out of professional courtesy like they did at Triple Frontier and Crane. At Black Gold the staff only cared about his hobbies if they negatively affected his results, telling him to quit them if they did. And back then, young and eager to please, he obeyed every command without question, no matter the personal sacrifice.

It’s…nice to be heard for a change. If he’s honest, he thought it would be a struggle to connect with Vulpecula. Oddball is the rookie on the grid, but around here Javi’s the newbie at the lunch table. A newbie who just last month was their competition. The warm welcome by a building full of strangers was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise. It has made the nervous knot of tension in his chest loosen for the first time since he signed his contract, replacing it with a budding sense of belonging he’s never felt during his years in F1.

And as for Oddball—she’s the biggest surprise of all, he thinks. She’s got more layers than an onion. He’s seen her own personal videos, how she acts around her friends and the press, never did he anticipate her to be shy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, no. He actually found himself rather endeared by her awkward fumbling, like witnessing a baby horse learning to stand up on wobbly legs. It’s just…he’s a little unsure how their relationship will progress from here. Her determination to avoid eye contact with him wasn’t exactly inspiring.

She’d smiled at him at the end, at least. Bright and excited and so very, very young. Me too, Javi. Me too. 

He doesn’t know much about Vulpecula yet, doesn’t know what the future will bring either, but what he does know from personal experience is that teammates who can get along with each other have better seasons than those who don’t. And if he can be a good teammate for Oddball and vice versa, then he thinks there’s no reason why they can’t maybe one day be good friends as well.

SPORTS: THE VROOM ZONE

Exclusive: Ahsoka Tano Discusses Formula 1’s Heavy Toll on Mental Health

By Poppy Adams | December 5, 2022

 In a city of dome-roofed, adobe buildings all the same shade as the encompassing sandy desert, Ahsoka Tano is just as instantly recognized by her white-and-blue dyed hair here as she was in the F1 paddock six years ago. Remembered fondly by the racing community for her sharp moves on the track and even sharper tongue in the media pen, Tano has settled down in Mos Espa (a favorite spot for retired and current F1 drivers alike) and enjoys a peaceful life after successfully securing the world champion title back in 2016 she’d been chasing since she was a youngling.

I meet with her at the Mos Espa Grand Arena, the site of several world-famous races from pods to swoop bikes, but most importantly to the present company, it’s also where the Mos Espa Grand Prix has been held annually for almost a hundred years. There are no events this week, no 100,000 fans screaming their lungs out in the stands. It’s just Tano, me, and two delicious cups of Deychin tea. 

Tano, dressed in a blue tank top and matching leggings, spares a moment to gaze at the starting grid below, no doubt remembering the days when she was down there looking up at where we sit now. “I’ll never forget it,” she says, tapping her temple with that famous crooked smirk of hers. “The good, the bad, and the ugly.”

The “ugly” side of F1 is why Tano and I are meeting this December afternoon. The Outer Rim native twice made history in the sport by being the second female driver to compete and also by being the second female driver to win a world championship title, but her rise to the top wasn’t an easy one. Looking back at old interview footage will show a young woman fearless of her competition and full of a passionate love for racing, but off-camera she was plagued by anxiety and insecurities. “It’s still a little hard to process at times. How some of my darkest moments are so deeply intertwined with some of the best years of my life,” she says. 

She tells me about the way she was encouraged to never let herself appear weak when cameras were around, “to maintain this image that I was invincible, the definition of confident.” In the aftermath of making mistakes on track, where every 10th of a second can determine where a driver ranks against their competition, Tano would spend hours worrying about the potential consequences on her career, if they would set off a domino effect ultimately leading to her downfall. “I would just keep on spiraling and spiraling deeper into this horrible pit,” she explains. “And I couldn’t tell anyone about it.”

When Tano sought out therapy at the end of 2015, she did so feeling burnt out and at the end of her rope. “I considered quitting racing. I talked with my manager about buying my way out of my contract and everything, but he convinced me to give therapy a chance first.” She smiles then, a beaming grin brighter than the overhead sun. “Thank the Maker I listened to him.” Therapy gave Tano the outlet she desperately needed, a place where she could “open up about my darkness and find the light again.” She returned to the grid in 2016 as a proud advocate for mental health awareness, breaking protocol by candidly discussing anxiety and depression during press conferences and on social media to her millions of followers. “I refused to be silent anymore,” she tells me. “The more I spoke up, the more people I impacted, the more acceptable a topic it became to hear about in the paddock.” Since Tano’s retirement, drivers continue to be inspired by her transparency and speak about their own fears and vulnerabilities, a development Tano hopes will continue for decades to come.

Recently Tano has begun planning to start a charity called Fulcrum devoted to helping people, especially athletes, with depression, anxiety, and other mental health related conditions. “It’s a slow process, but if I can help even one single person then all this hard work will have been completely worth the effort,” she says. In spite of the challenges she faced and the dark pits she had to mentally crawl out of, she remains thankful of her accomplishments and for everyone who supported her every step of the way. 

“Formula One is not for the faint-hearted. It’s constant pressure, constant eyes watching your every move, constant judgment and opinions,” Tano says. 

“Why compete then? Why stay in such a hostile environment?” I ask. 

Tano sips at her tea. Her eyes drift to the starting grid again, lips curling into a soft smile, an expression on her face I have a feeling not many can claim they have been fortunate to see.

“For every driver, there will come a moment when you’re driving down a straight at 200 miles per hour, preparing to brake for the corner up ahead, and all of the sudden, every thought fades from your mind. You’ll forget your training, your strategy. All that remains is pure instinct. And you’ll learn in that exact moment, in that fraction of a second, who you are and what you’re made of,” she says. “We compete for the fun of it. We stay to discover more about ourselves.”

The next time you see Javi is at simulator practice two days later. It’s still a bit of a jarring moment seeing him at HQ, even more so finding him dressed in cobalt blue racing gear while talking to one of the simulator operators. Maybe you’re a bit biased, but you can’t help admiring how much better he looks in Vulpecula’s colors than Triple Frontier’s.

You offer a timid smile when his gaze flicks your way, trying to keep your tone light rather than weak and shaky like the rest of you. “First time on the sim?”

He turns towards you, giving you his full attention in such an easygoing, yet intense way it does little to soothe your frazzled nerves. “That’s right. It’s really quite something. A lot bigger than I’m used to.”

“That’s what she said.”

There’s a beat of silence, just Javi staring at you wide-eyed like he can’t believe you quoted Michael Scott in front of him and you staring right back, unable to believe you quoted Michael Scott in front of him. And then, the moment dangling on that thin cusp between hilarity and mortification—a laugh bubbles up out of Javi’s throat, loud and infectious, and you’re both done for. Hysterically giggling like a pair of idiots, like it’s the funniest thing in the universe, like whatever remaining ice between you has officially and eternally been broken.

“Sorry,” you say finally, manic laughter fading into something lighter, friendlier than before. “I watch way too much TV.”

“Inconceivable.”

The familiar word elicits another laugh out of you. “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Javi smiles, a radiant and genuine thing, nothing like the stiff, polite ones PR managers insisted drivers learn. “We should watch the movie together sometime. Maybe on our next day off, when this,” he gestures towards the simulator, “isn’t requiring all our time.”

“Think you’re ready for it?” you ask, and you’re surprised by the note of cheekiness slipping into your tone, because this easiness, this playfulness, you’ve only known it with Eggsy and Ben before. And that came after months spent together, after years of building a solid friendship week by week from the ground up—not this fast, not after only one previous meeting.

“Am I ready for it?” he replies, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “You’re the rookie around here, no? Shouldn’t you be asking me for tips?”

Your good mood dims a little, thinking about the high number of crashes you’ve experienced these last few months. He’s right, even if he said it jokingly, that you should be asking him for tips. You could most likely learn a lot from him.

But your stubborn pride dismisses the notion with a scoff, reminding you that you didn’t come this far in your career by asking men for advice.

“Nuh-uh,” you say instead, crossing your arms and jutting out your chin. “I’ve got skills that’ll blow your mind.”

He leans forward, mirroring your pose, confidently rising to the unspoken challenge. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

“Prove it.”

Your lips mouth silent words, mind struggling to keep up with the verbal tennis match, ultimately coming up with an intelligent, “Huh?”

“You heard me,” is the swift reply, one eyebrow arching up pointedly. “I wanna see the legendary rookie Oddball’s skills. Impress me, rarita.”

In an effort to pretend his unwavering stare isn’t turning your mind to mush, you make an exaggerated show of rolling your eyes and swatting at his shoulder. “Challenge accepted, curls. Step aside and watch the master.”

Snorting, Javi obeys and goes to stand with the rest of the staff half-hidden behind an array of computer screens, who blessedly keep up their professional personas and pretend they haven’t been listening to your exchange. The chief simulator operator gives you a thumb’s up to get in the sim and you grab your spare helmet from the nearby shelf, feeling a pinch of nervousness ache inside your sternum. 

It’ll be fine, you think, positioning yourself in the simulator seat, hands grabbing the steering wheel. Just do your best.

~~

Your best is your best until it’s not. 

You start off well, braking and accelerating at precisely the right moments, the trees and bleacher stands mere blurs streaking by in your peripheral. You’re in the zone, that precious driver headspace where the only thing you know, the only thing you feel is the car, the car, the car. 

And then you’re spinning off track.

For a long moment, all you can do is stare, dazed as if you really had just collided with the barrier. And then comes the sickening bite of disappointment and frustration because you can see the finish line. It’s right there. Right fucking there and you failed to reach it. Again. 

Simulation over, silence floods the room. The air seems to turn frigid cold, felt even beneath the thick material of your suit. You want to scream, to curse, to hit something. But you’re a professional driver now, F1 career in its infancy. You can’t risk the bad reputation of throwing a tantrum.

After all, this is just a practice run. No harm, no foul. Except…if you were to crash like that for real, you would have just cost your team not only desperately needed points to stay ahead of other teams, but also hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of repairs, possibly millions. Your team is counting on you not to make dumb mistakes and lately that seems to be the only thing you’re capable of doing. And if you don’t get your shit together by pre-testing…

Your jaws clenches, unable to finish the thought.

The worst thing is, Javi’s staring. Unlike the rest of the room’s inhabitants who devote their focus to pouring over the data, muttering amongst themselves, he’s watching you like you’re a rare bug under a microscope, something peculiar and puzzling. It’s unbearable.

You climb your way out of the simulator, head ducked, jaw clenched. When you turn around, when the helmet comes off, you’ll paste a rueful grin on your face. You’ll accept the pats on your shoulder, the repetitive phrases of better luck next time and we’ll keep practicing, don’t worry. You’ll make fun of yourself, pick apart your mistakes until their sting is gone. 

You’ll make everyone believe you're fine. That your anxiety isn’t a problem. That you’re more than capable of representing the team (and womankind) on the grid. 

It’s a good plan. A solid plan. A plan that has worked over and over again ever since you signed on as Vulpecula’s reserve driver what feels like a hundred lifetimes ago. 

What you don’t count on is Javi approaching you, blocking your view of the strategists and operators with his broad shoulders almost like he’s purposefully trying to spare you from their prying eyes. You slowly slide your helmet over your head, blinking at him, fighting to keep your carefully composed mask in place.

“You weren’t kidding,” he says, tone light yet your spine tenses all the same. “My mind is blown.”

“Right, very funny,” you reply sourly, rolling your eyes. 

His hand reaches out and brushes against your elbow, a reassuring touch your anxiety-stricken mind doesn’t know how to process. “I’m serious. If not for that last corner curb, turning just a hair too early, you would have beaten the fastest lap record by three seconds. You’re quick, Oddball. Smart, too. You’ll learn from these mistakes, become a better racer.” A pause, another soft nudge against your arm. “Maybe even better than me if you’re really lucky.”

You don’t realize you’ve been holding your breath until a choked laugh escapes you. Sounds more like a wheeze, actually. High-pitched and painful and all wrong. But it cuts through the anxiety, takes you out of your head for a blissful moment. 

Javi, the dear man you’re beginning to suspect doesn’t have a mean bone in his body, makes no comment on it.

“Okay, curls,” you say, and you’re not ready to smile yet, but you’re definitely closer to feeling like your usual and real self than you were before he came over. “Your turn. Let’s see what you got.”

He moves to grab his own spare helmet from the shelf. And there’s a moment, barely a glimpse, where your eyes lock with his, and somehow you know he hears the unspoken thank you lodged in the back of your throat. 

With a great promotion comes a greater responsibility. Now that you're an official driver for the team, you’re not just expected to race for them, you’re expected to promote them too. Which means a whole new intense level of media and sponsoring obligations you never had to deal with when you were in F2. 

Vivian assigns you a PR manager—a blonde named Barbara Minerva with a friendly smile and a penchant for wearing animal print—to help you prepare for the big adjustment, training you on what and what not to say as well as how to control your facial expressions when the press are shoving microphones at you. The last thing you want is your pineapple face witnessed by millions of people worldwide. 

You like Barbara, you really do. She used to work for Black Gold so she’s an expert on handling pretty much every type of media scandal or drama outburst one can imagine. She instructs you on when to be serious and when to be coy with the reporters, how to neutrally navigate uncomfortable topics without pissing anyone off, and even comes up with a hand signal to use when you’re feeling overwhelmed and need her to intervene. Barbara’s great, but that doesn’t change the fact media training is fucking exhausting. Brain working overtime, critically analyzing every word that comes out of your mouth, every facial tic and flutter of your eyelids with a giant magnifying glass, alarms blaring with every perceived flaw. You start dreading the hour each day, counting down the minutes until you can escape and give your pounding head a break from the information overload.

And this is just the training. It pains you to think about how much worse the real thing will be, even with Barbara swearing she’ll be by your side through it all.

After media training, you fall into a routine of grabbing a snack from the mess hall on the third floor, usually an apple or a granola bar, something Diana wouldn’t give you the stink eye for discovering, and then finding a quiet corner to sit and decompress for a few minutes.

This isn’t a new thing—this desire for privacy, for solitude. You used to do it back on Sorgan, too, when the bullying from the other kids got under your skin, self-doubts bubbling to the surface. It became increasingly harder to find a quiet space once you switched from karting to formula racing, more eyes and more judgment seeking you out, and it's kind of funny how your world became so much larger and so much smaller simultaneously. 

You’re musing over this thought, chewing on an apple while nestled in a lounge chair, minding your own business, when you’re interrupted by the soft clearing of a throat. You look up, nearly choking on your mouthful when you find Javi staring down at you, dressed in a flannel plaid shirt that’s tight around his broad shoulders and carrying an apple of his own. 

One day you hope the sight of him will stop sending your heart into cardiac arrest. Preferably soon, because you’re really not sure how much more you can take.

“Mind if I join you?” Javi asks, gesturing to the other lounge chair. He’s looking at you with those doe brown eyes all round and full of hope you’d have to be a heartless monster to deny him, so you just nod your head.

For a long moment neither of you say anything. It’s not an awkward silence, but it’s not comfortable either. Just two people existing in the same time and space. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch Javi leaning back in his chair, feet propped up on the table, and it’s a little unfair how easily he can settle into new places, blending in like he was always meant to be there. 

“So,” he starts, mouth curling into a grin when you look over, “you come here often?” 

“It’s nice,” you say. “I like the quiet.”

“Oh.” Javi tenses, spine straightening. “I-I can go, if you want me—”

“No!” You throw out an arm as if to physically grab him. He freezes, one leg raised off the table, blinking at you. Oh, God. You’ve really made it weird now. Licking your lips, you lower your tone back to its usual pitch, reassuring him, “It’s fine, really. I don’t mind you being here.”

It startles you to realize you’re not lying. 

The reason you seek out alone time is just that, to be alone. When you’re in these moods you don’t like anyone invading your space. Not your friends or your parents. Nobody. It’s an unspoken rule of yours.

But then there’s Javi, settling back into his seat with a warm, dimpled grin, looking so strangely content to be allowed to stay, and it doesn’t seem so bad making an exception for him.

“I like the quiet, too,” Javi admits. “Back home, there are these cliffs overlooking the ocean for miles and miles, endlessly blue. It's my favorite sight on the whole island. I could spend hours up there…”

He trails off, lost in a memory, and for the first time since arriving at Vulpecula he seems dejected, eyes dimming. You’re familiar enough with the look of homesickness after seeing it in the mirror a dozen times to recognize it on someone else’s face.

“There aren’t any cliffs or oceans in Altair, but there’s some pretty great restaurants and bakeries,” you say. There’s a French café down the street from your apartment which you can confidently claim makes the best croissants in the whole world, buttery and flaky and oh so delicious to enjoy on your cheat days. “Festivals and concerts, too, if you’re interested.”

Javi looks at you, a mix of interest and surprise. “Are you offering to be my tour guide, rarita?”

“Only for the sake of the team, of course,” you tell him with mock seriousness. “Can’t have you winding up lost in some back alleyway before a race weekend.”

“The press would have a field day,” he agrees, voice just as deadpan. His eyes widen with alarm. “Ay, Dios! Think of the fans! Their memes will be absolutely merciless. I’ll never leave my apartment again.”

You can’t keep up your straight face, laughing and shaking your head. “Exactly. Lucky for you, Altair is basically my second home. I know it like the back of my hand.”

“Lucky me.” He nods, running a hand over his curls, and, okay, maybe you really do have a serious heart condition because what is happening. Distracted by the frantic beating, you nearly miss him asking, “You grew up in the Outer Rim, right?”

“That’s right.” Pride slips into your voice, gesturing towards yourself with a thumb. “Straight outta Sorgan.”

Javi chuckles. “Do your parents still live there?”

“Yep. They’re krill farmers, just like everybody else in the village. They fly out to races when they can, and when they can’t, well,” you shrug, “there’s always phone calls, right?”

His lip twitches, an aborted frown. “Yeah,” he says after a moment’s hesitation.

Okay. There’s obvious tension there. Curiosity prickles at the back of your mind, but when you notice the way his gaze has fallen to the floor, resembling a kicked puppy, you decide you don’t want to ask about it if it makes him look this sad. 

Your fingers drum against your forgotten apple for a few seconds, then go still as an idea occurs. 

“Hey, um,” you say tentatively, leaning forward with your elbows on your knees. “I know you already got a tour of HQ from Vivian before, but how would you like a proper one? Oddball style?”

Javi blinks, eyebrows scrunching together, and the look really shouldn’t be as cute as it is. “Do I dare ask what ‘Oddball style’ means?”

“Nope. You’re either in or you're out, curls.”

“In that case,” Javi says, a smile spreading over his face. “Count me in.”

F1 Driver Javi Gutierrez Moves to Altair Ahead of Upcoming Season with Vulpecula

Written By: Raquel Wilde

 "I'm looking forward to making memories here," says Javi Gutierrez, born and raised in Mallorca. "Altair's a nice place with nice people. It's starting to feel like a home away from home."

Gutierrez, who began racing in Formula 1 in 2018 when he was 21, has always felt drawn to the world of motorsports, claiming there's "no better feeling in the world than being behind the wheel". He will join Vulpecula in 2023 after finishing 11th in the driver standings this year with Triple Frontier.

He'll be paired with rookie driver known to Altair locals and the world as Oddball. Together they'll train at Vulpecula Headquarters these upcoming winter months to prepare for pre-season testing in February.

"I'm already planning on showing him all the best restaurants and sights," Oddball says, who has called Altair home for the past two years.

Oddball has become a familiar and much-loved presence to locals, often spotted buying groceries, biking around the park, and attending special events. In response to Gutierrez's arrival, signs of support have begun appearing in shop windows and on front lawns, welcoming him to the community and the massively adored F1 team.

Vulpecula CEO Vivian Etten has said Gutierrez is the leader the team needs to overcome their recent struggles. "He's made a lot of progress since his rookie year," Etten claims. "He's got the skills, the knowledge, and the right attitude."

If Gutierrez had not pursued racing, he would have tried to become a professional swimmer. It remains a favorite exercise and pastime of his. Perhaps when the weather turns warm, he might give the local rec center pool a visit when he’s not busy up at Vulpecula HQ.

Only time will tell what next season will bring for Gutierrez and Oddball. I imagine readers are hoping for podium finishes just as much as I am. In the upcoming weeks, Vulpecula's new drivers will be attending the Drive Awards and also enjoy some time off from their F1 duties to celebrate the holidays with their families.

“Gabriela!”

The brunette PR manager turns to find Barbara Minerva half-running, half-stumbling towards her in leopard print high heels. Memories of their shared seasons together at Black Gold come rushing to mind, leaning on each other when it felt like everything else was falling apart, and Gabriela can’t help opening her arms to embrace the other woman.

“Long time no see,” she says when she pulls back. Friendships are hard to maintain in the world of F1, especially when drivers are no longer on the same team. Gabriela can only recall seeing Barbara once during Javi’s time at Triple Frontier, and that had been just a passing glimpse across the paddock. “I love what you’ve done with your hair.”

“Aw, thanks. I like it better this way too.” Barbara smiles, eyes crinkling behind her glasses, and reaches up to touch the shoulder-length blonde waves. She then gestures towards Gabriela. “You look just as fabulous as I remember. How have you been?”

“Highs and lows. Mostly highs, thankfully,” Gabriela answers. A staff member walks by then, neatly sidestepping around them before carrying on down the hallway and the interruption reminds her exactly where they are. “Wait. Barb, what are you doing at Vulpecula?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear? Ballard isn’t the only one Black Gold gave the boot.”

“They what?” Gabriela’s jaw drops. She might be a kickass PR agent (in her opinion, at least), but that doesn’t always mean she has full control over her own reactions. Case in point.

“It’s all good though,” Barbara reassures her, pointing to a pin on her shirt Gabriela had failed to notice before. It’s the Vulpecula constellation logo. The same one Gabriela’s wearing beneath her coat. “Vulpecula reached out much more nicely than Black Gold ever spoke to me. Offered me more money too,” she adds with a conspiratorial wink.

The brunette starts to laugh, but then understanding fully sinks in. PR managers are brought onto F1 teams to handle the drivers, and since Javi already has one, then that can only mean—

“You’re Oddball’s manager?”

“That’s right.” The two women trade matching smiles. “She’s adorable. A giant work in progress, but adorable.”

Gabriela winces sympathetically. She remembers her early days with Javi when he made his rookie debut, how eager he’d been for people to like him, how hard she’d had to work to prevent the light in his eyes from disappearing completely after critics started dismissing him as an insignificant presence on the grid. He’s grown up since then. He’s put up walls too. And she wants to be proud of him for not letting the negativity drag him down, but the thing about walls is that they keep him safe, yes, however they also prevent people from getting close. She hates to think of Javi as lonely, not someone as sweet and considerate as him.

“Speaking of Oddball,” Barbara’s voice shakes her out of her head. She blinks back into focus, finding her friend holding out a torn piece of paper with numbers scribbled on it. “This is her cell number. Vivian told me to make sure Javi had it.”

She takes the paper from her and stares down at it for a second before neatly stuffing it in her pocket, unsure whether to feel confused or offended Vivian didn’t reach out to her directly. Maybe the team principal wanted the two PR managers to meet up, aware of their history with each other. What’s done is done now, Gabriela supposes, shoving the mixed emotions aside as quickly as they sprung up.

“Thanks. I’ll make sure he gets it,” she tells Barbara. “You know, it really is great to see you again. I’ve missed having someone to gossip with over a drink.”

“Wine nights!” Barbara cheers, then immediately slaps a hand over her mouth when her voice echoes loudly off the walls. 

They both burst into laughter not even a second later, so loud a couple of heads poke out of nearby offices to see what’s going on only to then shake in amusement at the pair. 

And for the first time since Javi signed his contract with Vulpecula, the nervous knot in Gabriela’s stomach doesn’t seem so big anymore.

From: Unknown Number (7:15pm)

Hey Oddball it’s Javi! Gabriela gave me your number, hope you don’t mind! 

To: Javi (7:18pm)

Not at all! Text me if you ever want any restaurant recs

From: Javi (7:19pm)

Only if you come along too :)

To: Javi (7:19pm) (unsent)

Really? You sure?

To: Javi (7:20pm) (unsent)

Ya! Sounds like fun!

To: Javi (7:21pm) 

You drive a hard bargain curls…

To: Javi (7:22pm) 

But I guess I could be persuaded. Wanna get lunch tomorrow?

From: Javi (7:24pm) 

Tell me when and where, I’ll be there!

[fieldofdaisiies]

Meet Me In the Woods Tonight

This is part of a collaborative project - the writing circle by @azrielshadowssing . Part 1 has been done by @foundress0fnothing and was so wonderfully written. If you haven’t read it already you have to check it out as soon as possible, it was amazing and I really hope I did the storyline justice. A big thank you to @autumndreaming7 for beta-reading this story💛

Part 2:

Eris was sure the spymaster was staring holes into his back when he strutted ahead, over the rusty pine needle carpet beneath him. The weathered trees surrounding them were large, brushed the sky and made the temperature in the forest feel comfortably cool. 

“You know Moreno, you can have a little trust in me.”

Eris could perfectly hear the snort that left his colleague — Azriel Moreno, head of the IT department of VelTech. 

Biting down on his own lip, Eris stopped himself from grinning. God, did he love to annoy his co-worker. For two reasons actually: one was that Azriel Moreno was too much of a brooding person and Eris really wanted to crack through the surface to see what was lurking behind this stoic expression and the cold demeanor. And secondly, Azriel Moreno was damn hot and definitely the most attractive man he had ever seen and god, did he love to tease him.

“I don’t know you, so I don’t trust you,” Azriel answerd matter-of-factly.

Well, that somehow hurt a little, Eris concluded. His thumbs pressed into the map he held in his hands and he stopped, glimpsing at Azriel over his shoulder. “Bummer,” Eris muttered. “Seems like you really weren’t paying attention during team building.”

Azriel slid his hands into the pockets of his pants when he finally met Eris’ gaze. “And you were paying attention because you care or to pass the silly exercise? Short term memory to show off, huh?”

A cold chuckle left Eris at that. “Saved in my long term memory.” He paused for a moment. “You like computers, you have two half-brothers and you have definitely broken more than two bones.”

His brows laying in furrows, Azriel stepped over the pinecones scattered across the path and he walked up to Eris. “You are speaking in riddles.” “No, I am showing you that I paid attention in order to remember things about my colleagues. Other than you I care about what people said during this icebreaker game.”

Eris could practically see how awareness dawned on his colleague, more than earlier during the exercise. For a moment his eyes widened, his lips —god, those plump and perfect lips— parted and Azriel looked stunned. 

“So am I correct?” Eris pushed. He knew he was right, had done enough research on all his co-workers. He was the company’s lawyer, he had to know things. 

“You are,” Azriel grumbled. “You are right.” 

Eris tried to hold his gaze for a little longer but suddenly Moreno looked past him, up a tree and the corner of his mouth curled up.

A warm tingling sensation filled Eris’s chest at that — that damn smile would be his end. That smile was barely there but Eris assumed that it could already light up this rather dark forest. 

It was only when he caught himself that Eris as well looked up to where his partner was looking and—

“Flag!”

“Flag,” Eris repeated, his own astonishment just as acute as Azriel’s. 

“Who knew this would be so easy?” Azriel flashed Eris an incredulous look and gave his head a tiny little shake. 

The lawyer smiled brightly. “I told you that you should trust me.”

The head of IT brushed his hand through the air and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “You did nothing, Eris, you just walked straight ahead and we stopped.”

“Maybe we are just a good team and incredibly talented?” 

There was a smirk on Eris’ lips and he loved the sound of ‘we are a team’. 

Even Azriel’s mask broke a little at that and the most adorable snicker left the man. Eris’ heart made a tiny happy skip at that noise and he knew he would love to hear this more often. 

“You are taller, try to reach up and grab it,” Azriel suggested. The two men looked around them, making sure they were really alone and the flag would not be stolen from them. 

Eris watched as Azriel narrowed his eyes at the distance, but they were truly alone. 

Idiots, the lawyer thought, the first flag was so easy to catch but apparently all the others walked in the completely wrong direction. Azriel should really have more trust in him, Eris concluded, but had to admit that finding this first flag was pure luck. 

“Good, I’ll do it.” He liked it that Azriel had obviously been examining him as well. How else would he know that Eris was just a little taller? That made some male pride appear in him, knowing that the head of IT might also be a little attracted and that—

Fuck, did his cheeks just warm? God, that was not good. 

Eris quickly turned his back to Az, nearing the large tree, the flag dangling from one of the branches a little higher up. With narrowed eyes, Eris glanced upwards, looking at the sun covered by branches, tree tops and leaves, and he thought to himself what a lovely day it was.

He took the map in one hand, went onto his tip toes and stretched out to his full length, reaching upwards. His fingers brushed the flag, but it slipped.

“Try again!” Azriel pushed and Eris liked how eager he was. Azriel's sudden determination was attractive and surprising. Where did that come from? 

He reached even further upwards, catching the flag between his middle and index finger, and pulled on it until it was free and he proudly held it in his hand. 

Lowering himself to the ground and looking over his shoulder, he shamelessly caught the head of IT staring at him. Azriel’s lips where slightly parted, eyes darkened, fixed on Eris’ midriff where the shirt had slipped upwards. 

Internally the lawyer thanked himself that he had dragged himself to the gym four days a week and that for the past six months– these abs could definitely be shown off and he loved that Azriel apparently appreciated them.

“Take a picture, it lasts longer,” Eris drawled, drawing Azriel’s attention back to his…mouth. Did Azriel just look at his mouth? Or was he mistaken? Maybe it had been wishful thinking as now Azriel was staring — glowering— straight into his eyes.

“Don’t blabber and rather focus on the map. Where do we have to head next?” “So you do trust me now?” Eris said, smiling brightly. “With the map and leading the way?”

Azriel waved his hand through the air and stalked forward. “Whatever. Just keep going.”

His question why he was so eager and trusted him all of a sudden, Azriel masterfully ignored. And Eris also did not question further, his eyes trained on the map, coordinating the way they would be heading. 

He knew exactly where to go next, but he chose to go a longer route. He just wanted to…he actually did not know what he wanted and why he had chosen the longer route. Maybe spend more time with Az?

He did not really care about winning for the first time in his life. There was now a new priority and that somehow scared him. Especially since he had no idea if Azriel even liked men. Yes, he caught him looking but still…

The second flag was once again surprisingly easy to find and Eris really questioned if Helion should have put more effort into it. This was silly? How was it so easy for them to find the flags - the second one had just been dangling in a bush. 

But he soon got his answer when they started looking for the third. 

The sun moved over their head, signaling them that a lot of time had already passed and so it was time for a little break. They had taken two water bottles along with them and slouched down against trees, taking five minutes to rest a little. 

“Are you and your half-brothers close?” Eris questioned out of the blue, hoping he could make some conversation. He himself had a half brother, Lucien. They had not always had the best relationship but now they were close, very close, just like normal brothers. Lucien was over ten years younger than Eris and so they hadn’t really grown up together - that didn’t matter anymore, they shared similar interests now. 

Azriel’s head lolled back and he just looked at Eris for a long moment, then unscrewed his bottle and took a sip. “No.”

His answer left no room for further questions. It was so cold, so tight, that Eris’ heart squeezed and he felt sympathy for the broody male. 

The lawyer inclined his head slowly and also sipped from his bottle. “Anything you would like to know, Moreno?”

Azriel slowly shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment, relaxing against the tree. 

That landed a little blow to Eris’ heart and he gathered that he might have mistaken Azriel’s former signs. It seemed like the IT male truly had no interest in him. 

Eris himself closed his eyes and leaned back against the tree, listening to the chirping birds around him. 

“Are you married?” 

For a moment, Eris’ blood ran cold, surprise over the sudden question and the topic of it causing him to be caught in a stupor. When he blinked his eyes open, Azriel was already looking at him, his face as stoic as usual. But something —something like fear— flickered in the man’s eyes and Eris wondered where that might come from. 

“I am not, no,” Eris said and added, “I am not in a relationship.”

It seemed like some kind of happiness filled Azriel, his eyes softened a little and the corners of his mouth tipped up the tiniest bit. But Eris could be mistaken again. The head of IT dipped his chin and then brushed his hands down his thighs. “I think we should carry on. We want to win after all, don’t we?” “We do?” “Haven’t you already pointed out that you noticed how eager I am to win?”His tone was on the edge of sly, almost feisty, his eyes sparkling. 

So Azriel was actually paying attention to what Eris said? The lawyer slowly got up, the gleeful smile returning to his face. “I did, but I just wanted to have a confirmation for my observation.”

“Well, you have just received your confirmation. Let’s go!”

And so they kept walking, suddenly so much less distance between them. If Eris only moved his hand a little it would brush Azriel’s and that thought made all rational thoughts vanish from his mind and his heart skip one or the other happy beat. Damn, was he truly falling for Azriel Moreno?  Yeah, he definitely was. 

What was it about this man? Of course, Eris thought, Azriel was very easy on the eyes. He was an extremely good-looking man, there was no doubt about that. But there was more to him – the way he smiled (the few times he did), the way he observed and assessed things, how attractive he looked when he focused on something. When he focused on something with those stunning hazel eyes. They often reminded him of heated honey which again reminded him of Autumn, his favourite season. 

But Eris was not only attracted to Azrie’s looks. There was also more to Azriel’s character, Eris gathered. He somehow knew that Azriel had a soft, warm heart beneath his icy cold demeanor. Eris all of sudden wanted nothing more than to break through this shell and find out what lies beneath it. 

“Why did you ask if I was married?” Azriel lifted one shoulder and shrugged. “Just curious.”

“You could have asked anything.” “Maybe I did not want to know everything. Maybe I just wanted to know that,” Azriel said matter-of-factly, his lips pressed in a thin line when he looked at Eris. 

And there his heart went skipping another beat and Eris had to hold back from chuckling, still a little snicker escaped him and his skin warmed. 

“You only joined the company about two years ago,” Eris pondered and gave Azriel a sideway glance. 

“I worked as a freelancer before. It got too much and Rhysand offered me a job.”

That was the longest Azriel had ever spoken in one answer and Eris liked this — liked that the broody man somehow seemed to get more comfortable. 

“Makes sense.” “It does.” 

Eris smiled to himself, his eyes moving back to the map in his hands. “We should be there in a few steps.”

“And we are not the only ones who are on the right path, I think.” Azriel pointed forward and Eris follows ed the direction of his finger. Still in the distance but getting closer were Rhysand and Feyre, practically running through the woods and this was when also Azriel and Eris — no conversation needed between the two partners— start running. Eris set out for the target, Azriel in tow, following Eris blindly. 

They tried to go unseen by Feyre and Rhys, and it seemed to work. Rhys and Feyre must have made a wrong turn somewhere. 

Cool air wheezed in and out of both their lungs while the dashed over the pine needles covered ground, through the bushes and trees, shielding their faces with their hands. 

They both panted heavily when they came to a stop in front of probably the largest tree and—

“Idiot,” Azriel breathed through gritted teeth, bending over, his hands braced on his thighs, and staring up at the flag that seemed to be around five metres high in the air. Eris followed his gaze, his own hands braced on his hips, his chest heaving with deep inhales. “That is fucking high.”

“It is,” Azriel said and gave his head a little shake. “I gather there is no ladder anywhere nearby?”

“Well, Sherlock, I don't think so either.” And now it was Azriel who smirked, his eyes glowing when they met Eris’. “Are you Watson then?”

Chuckling, Eris gave Azriel the thumbs up. “Works for me. But now we need a plan.”

The lawyer looked around, listening for noises – the crunch of pine needles, the snap of a twig, anything that would signal that someone is close. Feyre and Rhysand were near and it would only be a matter of time for them to arrive. And then he had an idea. 

“I am hoisting you up, Moreno,” Eris suggested. “Or you hoist me up?”

“No.” Azriel’s stare was cold. 

“Then name a better plan?”

It seemed like Azriel’s brain was working on high speed, he fumbled with his fingers, looked up the tree, down to the base of it, then to the other trees, and finally at Eris. Az was looking him up and down, eyes slowly roaming over his body. Eris let him do so, enjoying it somehow, and then said, “When you are done checking out my fine body, tell me about your plan. Or are we going to stay here until Rhys and Feyre steal the flag right in front of our eyes?”

Azriel only glowerd for a moment.“Fuck it.” Azriel clasped his hands together. “Yeah, let’s go with your plan, but I am hoisting you up. I already said you are—“ “Hot and stunning? No, I don’t think you have mentioned that yet.” 

Azriel chuckled lowly. “You really have a silly remark for everything, huh?”

“For you, Moreno, always,” Eris cooed. “Now come here.”

Azriel did as he was told, his feet somehow moving of their own accord. “How am I supposed to lift you up?”

“Curl your arms around my waist and lift me?” 

Azriel raised a brow. 

“Or crouch down and let me climb onto…I don’t know? Your shoulders? Your back?”

“My shoulders?” “Yes, Moreno, you have strong shoulders and a broad back, I am sure you can carry me.”

And that— Did Azriel Moreno truly blush at this comment? He totally did but shrugged it off with a light chuckle and then moved into a crouching position in front of his colleague. 

One could definitely mistake the position they were in for something else. The lawyer found himself rooted to the ground for a hot second, his traitorous brain wandering to a dark place where Eris imagined them being in that sort of position in his office with Azriel–

Fucking hell!, Eris internally cursed himself and his hand formed a fist at his side. He definitely had to get a grip on himself - they after all wanted to win this. 

So Eris quickly walked behind Azriel, placed the map and his bottle on the ground and…hesitated.

He was going to touch him, would get closer to him than he possibly ever thought he might. This was odd. How would even he touch him now? Where? 

His hands slowly lowered to the crouched male in front of him, paused, then moved again, palms ever so softly touching Azriel’s shoulders when he reached him. He wondered how someone’s shoulders could be so solid and soft at the same time, and he curled his fingers around them, slowly nearing Azriel who smelled so blissfully sweet like cologne, a little woodsy like cedar, but also fresh like peppermint and just a tiny little bit musky, maybe from the sweat? Eris inhaled once and then climbed onto his colleague’s back and that was strange. 

Azriel’s body stiffened when Eris moved fully onto him and he braced his feet on the ground, slowly standing up with his colleague on his back.

Cocking his head, he tried to look back at Eris, “You alright?”

“Perfect,” Eris hummed, smiling brightly while practically every fiber in his body was on high alert, his skin tingling where it was in contact with Azriel’s. He suddenly felt the urge to brush his hand through Azriel’s silken strands and that was so…so out of place in that moment, so he fought the urge. 

Azriel moved them closer to the tree but it was useless, Eris could not reach it. Azriel tumbled slightly, moving backwards and forwards, trying to steady himself again. 

“Change of plan.” Azriel stepped away from the tree and crouched down again so Eris could climb down. “Let’s build a leg-up. I am hoisting you up that way.”

That could work, Eris thought, and Azriel’s plan was quite good. Well, it was quite good until Azriel first came face to face with Eris' groin and then Azriel’s face was pressed against Eris thigh. Azriel’s heels pressed into the ground, using all his strength and power to hold his colleague up, breathing in and out through his mouth. Eris could practically feel Azriel’s strength and god, that was once again incredibly attractive. 

Eris could not focus on a single thing but his strength…and his low, guttural sounds when breathing in and out. But he had to reach the flag — Azriel wanted to win this after all, so they had to win. What the hell? the lawyer thought to himself and internally smacked himself in the face. They wanted to win, he was not doing this just for Azriel, was he?

But he reached it, pulled on it and freed the flag. Azriel let him down and both men —typical male behaviour— released a victory shout. Eris lifted his hand and Azriel gave him a high-five, both of them grinning brightly and—

Was Azriel truly grinning? Eris couldn’t really believe his eyes, but he relished in the moment, devoured it, euphoria filling his chest — his whole body.

Azriel looked a little ruffled, his shirt had moved a little, revealing some of the stunning tattoos on his chest, his hair was ruffled, his cheeks a deep red. 

“Can you believe we got all four of them?”

“As I said we are the best team and very talented.”

“We really are,” Azriel hummed and clapped his hands. “And now?”

“Now we go back, show that we did it, celebrate our win and then—“ Eris grinned, his face glowing brighter than the sun herself. 

“And then?” Azriel chuckled and raised his brow. Amusement was etched into his features.

“Then you are allowed to kiss the winner.” Azriel’s lips parted, surprise spreading over his face. Chuckling lowly, he shook his head. “You are so full of shit, Vanserra.”

“So no kiss?”

~~~~~~~~~~~

azris taglist: @azrielsbabyg@lady-riel@moonlightazriel @aayo-whatt @brekkershadowsinger @ladyelain @banasheefan56

[dohaerislykiri]

Why am I Team Green? Short answer, I support the tradition and customs of that time and respect the precedent that was set by the Great Council of 101. Westoros is not an absolute monarchy. If Viserys wanted to break from tradition he should have done more in codifying a law that allows for 1st born to rule regardless of gender across the kingdom. But he didn't do that. He was only thinking about Rhaenyra.

For me, it's not even about Rhaenrya vs Aegon, and who would be a better ruler. I think both would be/are terrible options mainly due the choices, poor judgment, and decisions they make. Neither were prepared to rule nor took duty seriously. Rhaenyra spent most of her years doing what she wanted on Dragonstone. During the times since being named heir, Rhaenyra did nothing to build or grow her relationships with the lords of the realm. She again used Viserys connections as a proxy instead of laying the groundwork for herself, especially since they were breaking precedent and changing the culture. Aegon was ignored and made to feel unworthy. He had a king for a father, but a father who showed little interest in grooming, raising, and teaching his 1st born son how to lead, politic, or rule. Viserys was a bad father who showed favoritism and exercised neglect. Both Aegon and Rhaenyra probably should have been skipped over with either Aemond or Daeron being the king (let Aegon abdicate and sail away or live his life wherever and Rhaenyra can stay at Dragonstone or go into exile with Daemon).

Being with the Greens does not mean I condone everything they do (because I dont), same if I were Team Black. Neither side are spotless.

I also, don't dislike all the Blacks. I like Jace, Luke, Corlys. Others, I'm indifferent towards at this point in the story.

Being for the Greens IS NOT about Aegon individually for me. He just happened to be the 1st son. It could literally be Aemond or Daeron in Aegon's spot and I'd feel the same.

Speaking of Aemond, he hadn't done anything wrong up until the last scene of episode 10. All the other times he was the one being picked on for not having a dragon, the pig dread incident, being spoken too rudely (it's him), he's the one he gets physically assaulted (by Rhaena and Baela 1st then it's Jace who punches Aemond at the dinner toast). At 10, he gets his eye sliced and permanently blinded, but his own father just ignores it. Viserys in all his weak leadership avoided confronting a problem yet again. Luke should have been punished...stripped of his titles, removed from inheritance, loss of his dragon...something instead of nothing. Viserys inaction solidified the division between the family. The Greens saw that their lives and safety is secondary and not important when it comes to Rhaenrya and the Blacks.

The Strong boys got dealt a crappy hand by their mother...and father... being born in time where bastardy had consequences. It absolutely matters. If it didn't matter Rhaenrya, Viserys, and Daemon wouldn't go out of their way to insist on torturing, mutilating, and killing people for speaking the truth. Those are not Laenor's biological children. It's obvious he wasn't that attached because he took the deal to fake his death then abandon the boys. Another selfish act on the behalf of Rhaenyra and Daemon. So the whole "he's the legal father" argument just doesn't hold water.

Same with Aegon, Aemond, and Daeron. Viserys sired Rhaenyra's direct competition. It's not their fault. Despite Viserys saying Rhaenyra is his heir, many in the realm just flat out don't agree with it. If Rhaenyra ascends, her challenge is still alive. Greens saw the problem and wanted to act, Blacks would do the same. With Rhaenyra being the elder sibling, she couldn't even be bothered with establishing a better connection with her younger siblings. She went as far as suggesting 10yo Aemond should be "questioned sharply", meaning tortured. Do I think she would have personally come for them? No. But there are certainly some close to her who would have no problem solving the problem...looking at you Daemon Killagain Targaryen.

Rhaenyra did not visit Viserys for years despite knowing he was sick. Six years she was gone, but returns only because she wanted him to back her in the Driftmark conversation. Then complains about Alicents redecorating. And then they looked at Viserys condition but concluded he didn't need to be on milk of the poppy.

Otto is a villain in a way that any feudal lord who is that close to power would see how much more he could get. Him pushing Alicent seems foul when looking at the situation through modern eyes, but given the time, it's not out of sync with the those customs. Children of nobilty were pawns used to marry for status, security, alliances. If Viserys intention were to not name his children heirs, then he shouldn't have even remarried. But Viserys is weak and passive. Otto saw the door open and went for it. Part of the game. He wasn't wrong to tell Alicent they would come for her sons if Aegon isn't king.

I like Alicent. I like her for her duty and doing what was asked of her. She was already an anxious and stressed young lady, then she becomes queen. She loses a most of her friends and has very few allies. She loves her children, and really has been the main advocate for their well-being when Viserys couldn't be bothered. Sure Otto wants the power, but he's limited in that regard. Criston trains them to be disciplined, effective fighters and warriors.

Criston broke his vows as member of the kings guard sleeping with Rhaenyra. If he got caught, that's death for him. He loses everything. He had to work for his achievements. Rhaenyra was simply born into it. Rhaenyra wouldn't suffer any consequences. He caught feelings, but she just wanted to use him as her f-boy. She broke his heart and part of him died inside and now he's cold and calculating. He was on the brink of death until Alicent saved him. Again, another example of Rhaenyra just being selfish in not caring about who she hurts.

If I step back, what I see happening is a battle of the 2nd sons: Otto vs Daemon; Aemond vs Luke; Daemon vs Aemond; Vaemond vs Luke. In each of those standoffs, I find myself identifying with the Greens more. I'm not blind to seeing the Blacks perspective either. Ultimately, these are all men with no inheritance in a time where inheritance is everything. So they will fight to the death to get it. 💚💚

[oscar-piastri]

short scenes of a love story

iii. showing off

Cassy followed the players as they headed to the gym, her phone ready to capture some behind-the-scenes footage for the club's social media. Since joining the team, she had been brainstorming ways to revamp the club's content strategy to engage more fans.

Feeling a bit like an outsider, she had asked the players for permission to film them. To her surprise, they had all been enthusiastic about the idea. She walked around with her phone to film the players, trying to capture the most gym exercises she could get. The players were actually playful as most of them were putting on a show and winking to the camera.

She ended up at a station where Melvyn, Charles, Baptiste Serin, and Gabin Villière were lifting weights. Melvyn was on the bench lifting the heavy weight, with Gabin standing behind as safety. 

“Cassy, you really should come over more” Baptiste quipped, earning a laugh from Charles Charles. She looked at the duo and raised her eyebrows in confusion. 

“Shut up” Cassy heard Melvyn mumble with pain, as he was still lifting the heavy weight; talking was making it harder for him. Gabin also noticed the pain and helped him put the weighted bar away, before Melvyn sat up, catching his breath.

“Melvyn’s suddenly inspired to show off,” Baptiste giggled “Dude is always pushing away the gym, barely doing any exercise but you show up with a camera and he’s acting like he can lift the building, apparently finding a new motivation”

“Cmon, Melvyn, show us what you can do,” Charles said, gently hitting Melvyn’s shoulders to motivate him back on the training bench.

“Well, now that would be rude of me to disturb Melvyn’s newfound motivation” Cassy teased “I’ll leave you to it. I need to go make our fans swoon over those biceps.” she joked before waving goodbye to the quatuor, while Melvyn forced himself to lift weight again.

Before leaving the gym, Cassy turned around one last time to face the players training. “And don’t forget to like the reel when I’ll post it! That will show I’m doing a good work”

Cassy spent the rest of the afternoon in front of the screen, editing the many footage she got to create the perfect reel. She saved all the goofy parts aside for a potential ‘behind the scenes’ later, thus showing a fun part of the club later. After posting the reel and working on the match day graphic, it was finally time for her to go back home.

As she made her way out, she crossed paths with the team, also leaving the training center for the day. She waved goodbye to the guys while some of them stopped her to thank her for the video because it ‘made them look good’.

“Well I must say I’m not sure I’m still thinking straight after spending long minutes looking at big arms” she joked around.

“Well, wait until you get footage from the locker room” one of them said; Jules she remembered. She felt her cheeks turn to red, Cassy felt a bit uneasy about filming in the locker room but brushed it off.

She tried to think fast of a reply to show she wasn’t destabilized but Charles was the first one to react as he gently slapped the back of Jules’ head before dragging him away. Cassy was starting to feel worried for the team’s brain cells because they must be losing them a lot if they keep hitting each other like that for fun.

Before walking away, she looked around her and noticed Melvyn on his way out. He quickly noticed her and jogged in her direction.

“Is this what you meant, Melvyn? When you told me that some guys would be some sort of annoying?” She asked as she walked with Melvyn towards the exit.

“Nah, they’re just teasing you, they don’t mean any harm” Melvyn assured her. “But it’s a good thing you have charles to protect you” 

Cassy raised her eyebrows and looked at Melvyn playfully “Jealous much?”

“Nah, I’d also want Charles to protect me” he said before they both burst into laughter.

“You know you can protect me anytime when you get the same arms as him” Cassy said giggling and winking, thinking she was still teasing Melvyn but she quickly felt bad when Melvyn didn’t say anything. She was like that, joking around, teasing the person she was with, until she said one joke that can be seen as a hurtful comment and thus, make things awkward. And then it hit her, she remembered an interview she read about Melvyn and his insecurities with his body, as he was quite short and skinny as a kid; which made his rugby days even harder as a teenager. “You know I’m kidding right? I think your body is perfect as it is. I mean arms! Arms are good! Not like I was staring or anything, I’m so not obsessed with your arms, I just…. You know, the TV when I was watching you play”

“Staring? Like you did the first time we met?”

“Oh my god…. You noticed? God this is so embarrassing, I was just-”

“Hypnotized by me?” Melvyn laughed.

“You wish! No, I was just mentally shocked it was you. You know, having to work with you soon and randomly meeting you during my holidays.”

Melvyn kept walking in silence before looking at Cassy and laughing again at Cassy’s embarrassment, watching her struggle to defend herself. “Just teasing you, we have to tease the newbies in the team. It means we want to keep you around.” Cassy hadn’t noticed but she had kept walking with Melvyn until she reached his car, where the parking lot was already empty because everyone rushed to leave. “You’re funny Cass’, I feel like we’re gonna have a lot of fun with you on the team.”

[juantheashura]

So I gotta ask and I don’t remember if anyone asked before, but was it originally planned for Ignis to always end up with Seeker or do it change overtime?

This is a bit complicated, but the short answer is 'Yes-ish'. Let me explain.

Ignis was always meant to be in love with Seeker. This has been the case since the very first draft I posted of the game back in 2021, one of the very first things you learn about her is that she is attracted to him, and he has yet to reciprocate.

And their relationship has always been an integral part of the story. The way Ignis and Seeker trust each other, the way they interact, and, being honest, and the way they both care for each other more than for the rest of the League combined has always been something I intended to be part of the story. Ignis and Seeker have the deepest relationship of the whole cast, they have changed each other, and, in more than one way, they complete each other. Ignis is the first light in Seeker's life since Victoria stopped being around, and Seeker is... probably the only reason Ignis is even around.

At the point the MC joins the team, I don't believe Ignis or Seeker could function without the other. They don't know how to not need each other any more.

There are two big reveals in Book 1 of AToH. One of them has to do with Aki and Forlorn, but the other is Seeker's, and approximately half of it is dedicated purely to Ignis's reaction, to her proving how inexorably the two of them are tied, and to showing that there exists nothing in the universe that will make them ever let go of each other.

And I made a mistake.

Originally, AToH was only going to have three romances: Aki, Latooni, and Nova. A lot has changed since that idea, but those are the three I always knew I wanted to write. I received a bit of backlash because of that, stuff like 'too few options', 'only one male RO?', and even complaints that Aki and Lat were too basic, or... too overused (I have played every game on Jason Hill's platform. There is no character in there like Aki).

I don't begrudge people who made those comments. Criticism is how authors grow, of course, and those comments helped me grow. I ended up creating Iris, expanding Mars' role, and sidelining Dark Star.

But I overcorrected. I began to consider if Ignis and Seeker's relationship couldn't be written platonically- after all, plenty of superhero stories make a big point of the bonds of friendship. Ignis and Seeker didn't have to be a successful Batman and Wonder Woman, they could just be Goku and Bulma, right?

Wrong. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the climax, the reveal, the characters themselves don't work without both being desperately in love. If I don't have Ignis and Kratis declare they love each other at the game's climax, then there is no point to writing the story. It took me a while to understand that, but I did, eventually.

But as you can obviously see, that didn't mean the MC's relationship with Ignis was scrapped.

And the fandom has a lot of takes about that. Some are subtle, some are not. Some are hostile, some are not. Some are rational pieces, others are impassioned comments.

But the one thing they all have in common is that they're wrong.

I am not writing the path as some sort of punishment, or exercise in hurting the reader. It's certainly not done because I want to scam whoever ends up reading the story, or because I 'don't understand what a RO is'.

I'm writing the Ignis RO because it serves the narrative. It is probably the path I spend the most time thinking about, it has the largest build-up, and it is the path that has the biggest pay-off in narrative weight.

If AToH was to have anything close to a 'canon' path, Ignis would be it.

I hope that answers your question. Thanks for the ask.