#aaaaannnnd PART TWO :D

[stepintothelimelight]

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ VEGAS VEGAS VEGAS

TRAILER: You know what they say about Vegas…

(Max Verstappen x driver!Reader)(SMAU+written)

WARNINGS: fluff? not really anything

fc: random pinterest couples

Aaaaannnnd ACTION!

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

It’s a close race. 

A nail biter. 

This race, the news outlets have been saying. This is the race that will determine the WDC. 

And it is.

If you finish in even one more place over Max, you will have tied his season points and be in the battle for the WDC.

Mercedes and Toto call for you in your ear as you sail across the finish line with a fine margin between you and Max - your biggest rival.

You climb out, and the first thing you see is your team. There’s this giant, painful smile that’s splitting your face open as they hit on your helmet and you hug and cheer and scream. 

“W-D-C! W-D-C!” they chant. You join them. Toto somehow finds his way to you and you hug him and then Susie, too.

And then the crowd parts and you take you’re helmet off and your balaclava, leaving you with a messy, sweaty head of frizzy hair. That damn smile and the flush in your cheeks refuses to leave, even as you meet the freezing eyes of the one and only Max Verstappen.

He could have been done with the Championship by now if it weren’t for you and your streak of wins in the late season. 

He lumbers towards you and you meet him halfway, hands coming up and - 

His lips meet yours in the most passionate kiss that you’ve ever experienced. Your hands pull at his neck and his at your waist and hips. It’s like it’s just the two of you. 

Of course, there are cameras around. Everywhere. They’re lapping up this opportunity like cats to warm milk. The two of you rarely show PDA in the paddock, preferring to keep professional and personal passions separate. 

He gently pulls away and cups your face, brushing back your damp baby hairs. His full lips curve into the brightest smile you’ve ever seen.

“Hi!” You yell at him over the din.

“Hello!” He yells back. “Next stop, World Champion!”

Because Max isn’t how the media portrays him.

 He’s sweet and soft and he loves hard and fast. He wants a competitor. He wants someone who can beat him at his own game over and over again. 

You pull him in for one last kiss, but both of you are smiling too much for it to be real. 

“Let’s get married!” You exclaim. 

He does a double take, then kisses you again. 

“Let’s get married.”

“You’re doing what?” Lewis demands in the car back to the hotel. You sit in between him and a grinning Max, clutching  your soon-to-be husband’s hand. 

“We’re getting married tonight,” Max affirms. You nod emphatically. 

It wasn’t exactly a spur-the-moment type of idea. You’ve talked about getting married, having kids, growing old together. And now you’re in vegas. Neither you nor Max need an extravagant ceremony. All you need is a room, an officiant and some rings. You would prefer it if all your best friends were there, too, which is why you’re looking at Lewis. 

“We’re need you to get the rings,” You explain to Lewis, who’s in a blatant state of shock. 

“Rings…” he mutters. 

“Yes, rings,” Max tells him. “You’re famous. Extraordinarily, so it should be very easy to acquire two or three rings.”

Lewis sighs and rubs his forehead.

“Alright, then. Text me the time and place.”

The others have a very similar reaction to You and Max’s proclamation. Shock, then excitement.

You’ve set a time and a place for the wedding: 4 am, 24 hour church of Elvis, and sent it to both the drivers and the WAGs group chats. 

whoever can make it should make it, you said.

Individually, you’ve chosen your bridesmaids, Lily, Kika and Alex, and Max his groomsmen - Lando, Checo and Charles. 

“When did he propose?” Lily demands as soon as the boys have left. 

“He didn’t. I did, right after the win.”

“Ah, yes, during the kiss that’s broken the internet,” Alex giggles. 

“Well the internet better buckle down, cause we’re about to break it again.”

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

y/nverstappenl/n

y/nverstappenl/n: 11.24.24❣️

tagged: maxverstappenl/n1 

liked by maxverstappenl/n1, charles_leclerc, francisca.cgomes and 63819 others 

view 1673 comments 

maxverstappenl/n1: Mine 🧡🧡

↳ y/nverstappenl/n: all yours for ever and ever 

charles_leclerc: Beautiful couple, fun night! 

↳ y/nverstappenl/n: still nursing that hangover? 💀

↳ charles_leclerc: I thought being a wife would make you more sensitive 😔

↳ maxverstappenl/n1: No, it means we can bully you as the Verstappen-L/n family instead of Y/n by herself 

♥️ by creator 

user1: SO DID NOT EXPECT THIS IN MY F1 2024 BINGO CARD 

↳ user2: YEAH LIKE WHEN DID THAG HAPPEN??? 

landonorris: here’s to a lifetime of 3rd wheeling 🥂

↳ lewishamilton: 🥂

↳ y/nverstappenl/n: cry about it 

francisca.cgomes: beautiful bride 

♥️ by creator 

user3: max hyphenating his last name is such a power move

danielricciardo: Cheers to the happy couple! So glad I could Facetime in🥂🥂

↳ y/nverstappenl/n: aww we love u danny 

↳ maxverstappenl/n1: what she said 👆

user4: Does this mean the battle for the WDC will be Verstappen-L/n vs Verstappen-L/n?

maxverstappenl/n

maxverstappenl/n: Eternity with you my love

tagged: y/nverstappenl/n

liked by y/nverstappenl/n, lewishamilton, redbullracing and 36722 others 

comments on this post have been limited

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

Aaaannnnnnd scene!

DIRECTOR’S CUT: Just a little fluffy thing to get me back in the mood for writing!

ps about the spitfire saga: i wrote it all on my notes app and then i updated to ios 18 and now i’m locked out 😤😤 so ummm i just have to muster up the willpower to re plan it all but i swear i haven’t abandoned it!!

part2?????

want to join my taglist? dm me or drop a comment!!

[asktheriftwalkers]

Chronicle; 2 - Traces of Shadows

It’d been a week since the heist.

Iolar couldn’t get the woman in the Rift out of his mind. He’d stayed with Jace for a few days, before heading off to a safehouse to clear his head. It happened to be an old clock tower that long since stopped working. Honestly, the gears and old mechanics calmed him, trying to make them work once more. He could think things through clearly while his hands were moving.

Clad in a plain black tank top that showed all too many of his scars, he kept the cut Jace patched up covered and clean while he worked. After two sleepless nights of work, he finally gave in to his newfound obsession.

Grabbing a sketchbook and a few pens and pencils, he took his time and sketched a portrait of the woman in as clear detail as he could.

The woman had had lightly tanned skin and an angular face. Her jaw was prominent, her face long, her eyes slightly hooded and deep set. Her hair was harder, but long enough to be pinned back in a braided bun. All in all, she was beautiful in her own right, but Iolar wasn’t caring much for her beauty.

What he wanted to know was her identity.

So, he booted up his laptop, hacking into the DMV database to see if he got any matches for his sketch. He received a handful of them, and started scrolling through the potential hits. He didn’t linger long on all too many of them.

But one made him stop short. A woman, with a long, four pronged scar over her right eye, leaving it blinded, but her left eye was a cobalt blue. Her hair was silver, parted to cover some of the scars, but starlight silver despite her young age. Glasses framed her face, but she didn’t wear them when he saw her in the Rift.

Ishani Gloswell.

Iolar stared at her scar, instinctively raising a hand to feel his own facial scars. Over his left eye, deep, four pronged scars were present, cutting from his brow to below his jaw. The memories they brought caused a cold feeling to wash over him, a phantom pain aching in his gauntleted hand and his eye. The origin of the artifact, and what brought the Rift crashing in on him.

He pulled out his phone, speed dialing and holding the phone up to his ear. The moment he heard it picked up, he fidgeted. “Eva. I need to cash in a favor.”

“Eh? Alright, Iolar, what’s up? Is it a job?”

“I need you to help me track someone down.” He tapped his finger against his laptop, staring off into the inner workings of the clock tower. “Her name is Ishani Gloswell.”

“Huh, a woman?” Eva’s curiosity was apparent even over the phone. A curiosity Iolar knew all too well.

“Eva.” He spoke warningly.

She laughed, her smile apparent from her voice. “... Alright, alright, I’ll track her down. Though I gotta ask, what’s the significance?”

“... I think she might be like me.” Iolar stood, wandering to a ladder to get up into the inner workings of the tower, climbing.

“Like you? A thief?”

Iolar rested against a support beam, picking at a large splinter of wood. “... No. I think that- I saw her in the Rift.”

Silence came over the line.

“... Eva?”

She let out a breath. “You’re not kidding, are you? You think she’s a Rift Walker?”

“Yes.” 

“... Well then, I’ll see what I can do. I’ll give you a call back when I find something.” She hesitated. “And Iolar? Try and get some rest. I know that tone. When was the last time you slept?”

“....”

“That’s what I thought. Get some sleep, turn up your phone volume, I’ll call you as soon as I have something.” 

“... Fine. Call me.” He spoke curtly, hanging up. Letting out a sigh, he ran a hand down his face. He was tired, but nervous energy pricked at him. The thief crawled back down to where he had a hammock hanging above his work space. Turning up his phone volume, he set it down and laid down to try and get some rest. Eva was more than capable. She would find Ishani if she could be found.

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

It didn’t take long before he had a solid lead. Ishani had been rather hard to track down, according to Eva. She only occasionally used her real name, and had a number of aliases. It took some of her connections in the underground to realize that Ishani was a fence of sorts by the name of Shadow, specializing in old artifacts. She bought and sold, but seemed to have an odd liking for things that were completely unidentified when it came to culture or origin.

Between Iolar and Eva, they tracked her down to a safehouse down by a pier. It was a new development, just waiting for new tenants. 

“Are you sure you don’t want some backup, brother?” Jace’s voice came over the phone.

Iolar sighed. “Jace, I appreciate it, but no. I don’t want to spook her if I can help it. Besides, don’t you have some end tables or a coffee table to deliver?”

“First of all, it’s a dining room table, and second of all-... you’re already there, aren’t you?” 

The thief hung up, slipping his phone in his pocket as he looked at the condo door. Well, here went nothing. Iolar stepped up to knock on the door, straightening. 

At first, it was silent, then he heard rustling from inside. Then silence again.

He quirked a brow, glancing around before leaning up and rapping on the door again.

More rustling, before he heard footsteps. The door cracked open, a chain keeping it from opening fully. A cobalt eye narrowed at him in the opening, a silver brow quirking. “... Who are you?”

“... Someone who saw you in the Rift. That half world with the shadows?” He didn’t back down, staring her down.

Ishani blinked, staring at him for a long moment before closing the door. He heard the chain drop, before she opened the door wider. She was shorter than him by a fair bit, wearing plain jeans and a loose, gray shirt. Her silver hair was down, meeting her waist, and seemed a bit mussed.

“... You know about the Rift?”

“I know more than that, Ishani. Or do you prefer Shadow?” He raised his gloved hand, holding it up as he watched her reaction.

She stared at him, her eyes widening a bit. She held up her own hand, a fingerless cloth glove going up her arm, but sharp metallic tips from a gauntlet were at the tips of her fingers, chains connecting to the hidden parts underneath the glove. But it was unmistakably similar to what was on his own hand. “... You’re-... one of them? Someone like me?”

“A Rift Walker? Yes.” Iolar swallowed his nerves, straightening and gesturing to the inside of the condo. “May I come in?” 

Ishani grinned. “Yeah, yeah, you can!” She stepped back, giving him space to freely enter as she went further into the condo. “I can’t believe this, another Rift Walker. You have a gauntlet? You can go into the Rift? Have you learned to control the shadows at all? What about ruins, have you found any?” 

Iolar felt his mind buzzing a bit from all the questions as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Slow down.” He closed his eyes, rubbing them with his free hand. “... Yes, I have a gauntlet, but- the rest of all that? What are you talking about?”

The woman turned to face him, blinking briefly before chuckling. She tied her hair back into a messy bun, gesturing for Iolar to follow her as she moved to a rather messy table. Iolar narrowed his eyes, examining the contents. There were artifacts on the table, as well as a few open notebooks with a hasty scrawl, and one with slightly neater handwriting, as though compiling the data.

“... What is all this?” Iolar asked, gingerly picking up one of the artifacts, a tablet of sorts. 

Ishani smirked, leaning against the table. “Proof that the Rift Walkers existed a long time ago. Proof that we are far from the first of our kind.”

Iolar examined the tablet closer. He could see a faint depiction of a shadow and a humanoid figure, as well as an ancient language he couldn’t quite identify. It was too faded. “... Controlling the shadows?” He questioned quietly.

“That’s what I think.” She folded her arms over her chest, her eyes sparkling a bit. “Hear me out, okay? The Rift Walkers and the shadows have been connected for longer than I can extrapolate. Most are hostile, yes, but have you noticed some seem to be more- curious about us than anything? It reminds me of feral animals, like they could be domesticated.”

“Domesticated?” Iolar turned to stare at her. “You’re insane. They’re a danger, not only to us, but to humanity.” 

“Some of them, yes, but so are feral animals. If they’re scared, or hungry.” 

The thief shook his head, setting down the tablet carefully before folding his arms over his head. “Okay, say you’re not absolutely insane. How do you find these artifacts?”

“Most of them are in the Rift, some of them I’ve found in the human world.” Ishani shrugged. “I’ve always had a passion for archaeology, and honestly? Seeking out answers to something that no one had even heard of? How could I pass that up?”

Iolar narrowed his eyes. It made sense, despite her- questionable views. From the sounds of it, she spent more time in the Rift than he did. He didn’t envy that. 

“Could I see your gauntlet?” Ishani leaned closer, her eyes bright.

Stunned, he recoiled a bit from her as he stared at her. Hesitating for a long moment, Ishani stepped back and and scratched her head with a nervous laugh. “Ah... sorry. I haven’t even asked you your name. I guess I’m just- excited, to meet someone who actually understands what I’ve been studying for so long.”

He let himself breathe again, staring her down with a calculating expression. “... I would be lying to say I’m not interested as well, to meet another Rift Walker.” He held out a hand. “I go by Iolar.”

“Go by- wait. The Iolar?” Ishani blinked, looking up at him. “Like- the legend, Iolar? You’re kidding, right? Everyone I’ve talked to said Iolar was- a group of people.”

“I assure you, I’m Iolar. Though that isn’t to say I don’t have contacts, just as any thief.” Iolar faintly smirked at the reaction.

Ishani chuckled. “Well- wow. I guess that explains a few of the legends of how you escaped from some of the hairier situations. I guess that also explains how you found me.” She smiled a bit, pulling a card from a messenger bag on the table and holding it out. “But just so you don’t have to commit any other major felonies to contact me, here.”

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

Jace had been concerned when he didn’t hear back from Iolar for a few hours. He did his best to focus on his work, delivering some of his creations to their new owners, but when he drove back to the shop, he couldn’t help but sigh as he slipped in.

“Ey, Jesse, I’m back!” He called, slipping his keys back in his pocket.

“Hey, your friend showed up. He’s in your office.” He heard his friend call back from the inner workings of the shop. Jesse appeared in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe as he dusted off his hands. His hair was held back by a bandana, wearing a tank top and a rolled up flannel, covered in sawdust.

Friend? It had to be either Iolar or Eva. Jace nodded. “Alright, thanks, brother. How’s the dresser set coming along?”

“Slow. I have everything marked out and measured, but some of the mortises are giving me some problems when I’m cutting them.”

“Huh... alrigh’. Well, you can move on to the other cuts if you need to, I’ll come to help out as soon as I can.” He gave a smile, moving to head back into his office. He checked his phone briefly on his way, noticing a text from Eva. He opened it as he slipped into his office.

‘Hear anything from Iolar yet? He seemed really excited to go see that Ishani chick. Well... as excited as he gets.’

Jace glanced up to see Iolar laying down on his couch, plain as day. The carpenter chuckled, shaking his head and quickly typing a response to Eva. ‘He just showed up in my office.’ He sent the text, before glancing to Iolar as he moved to lean against his desk. “... So? How’d it go?”

Iolar looked up. He certainly looked a bit haggard, almost older than usual, his silver-white hair left without a tie and thus hung loosely around his face. His dark skin seemed paler than normal, as though he hadn’t slept in a few days, and even his normally sharp attire of a button up with the sleeves rolled up, suit vest, and professional looking jeans seemed mussed. The thief sighed, running a hand down his face.

“... She’s-... certainly open to the idea of there being other Rift Walkers.”

“That’s a good sign, yeah?” Jace probed, folding his arms over his chest.

“... She thinks the shadows can be tamed. Or at very least coexisted with.” Iolar looked up at him with his sharp, ice blue eye, the other blinded and cloudy since before Jace ever met him. “I don’t like her. But she’s smart, almost ridiculously so. Where I’m a thief and a fighter- she seems to be an archaeologist. A researcher. It’s like she’s studying the Rift, trying to understand it. I’m not-... sure how to think of that.”

Jace blinked, watching Iolar closely. “... So essentially, super smart, but otherwise, your complete opposite?”

The thief stood to pace around Jace’s office, tension in his gait. Jace stayed were he was as Iolar started speaking. “It’s not that I don’t want to understand the Rift, or the shadows, but it’s dangerous. The shadows are hostile, so I tried to limit my exposure. The only thing I knew was that the Rift was dangerous, hostile, so- what was I supposed to do? Be friendly with it?” The more his friend spoke, the more worked up he seemed to get. 

“But she seems to spend a lot of time in the Rift. Could that mean she’s crazy? Or at least partially? Should I even trust her?” Iolar turned to face Jace. The carpenter knew his friend rarely showed trace of what he was truly feeling, but the confusion he saw on his friends face seemed genuine.

Jace stepped forward, resting a hand at Iolar’s shoulder. “... Gypsy, you met her once. First impressions are hard, sure, but can you imagine a single person who wouldn’t go a bit nuts from the Rift? Hell, even you have. Or did you choose to become a thief for the nifty aesthetic?” 

“Come on, brother. She didn’t attack. If she’s coherent enough to create research that impresses you, she might be a few marbles short, but she’s at least as sane as you.” Jace smiled, watching Iolar’s face scrunch up a bit in irritation. There was a bit of the old prickly thief he knew. “Besides... Iolar, you’ve talked about how you’re the only one of your kind since I’ve known you. You never had a chance to even figure anything out about the Rift Walkers, because you were the only one. Now, you have a chance to change that. Why not take advantage of it?”

Iolar sighed, brushing Jace’s hand off of his shoulder and looking away. “... Jace-....”

“... Go on, you can say it. ‘You’re right, Jace.’ ‘Thank you, Jace.’ ‘You’re such a good friend, Jace.’“ The carpenter teased, smirking. He couldn’t help but prod, shoving his own feelings aside for the moment. His friend needed someone to be strong for the moment.

The thief gave a sharp look, but took a deep breath after a moment, closing his eyes. “... I’ll-... think about it.” He took a step back, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his face. “... I’ll be on my phone if you need me.”

“... Ya gonna get your hair cut soon? Or taking after me now? I bet you could rock a braid.” Jace chuckled.

“Lost my hair tie. And I- don’t know. It’s not too bad with it- longer.” Iolar shrugged, glancing back at Jace as the carpenter pulled a tie off his wrist, from under his watch. He held it out with a smile. 

“... Should’ve just asked, brother. Go on, then. Just try and get some rest before I see you next, eh?” Jace offered, watching Iolar take the hair tie and tie his hair back in a low ponytail. 

The thief nodded, not quite able to look up at him. “... Thanks, Jace. Really.” 

He turned to leave, and Jace was left leaning against his desk. The carpenter sighed deeply, before a chime from his phone caught his attention. Eva. Feeling a little lighter, he pulled out his phone to look at the text.

‘Well, at least he’s alive. Let me know what’s going on when you get a chance, okay?’

Jace smiled a bit, starting to type a text before deleting it, hitting the call button instead. “... Hey, how’re you?”

“Still rolling, how about you? Did Iolar just leave?”

“Right on the nose there, Eva.” Jace chuckled, before letting out a breath. “... Ahh... I’m alright. Gypsy needed a therapy session. He seems pretty uncertain about the whole Ishani debacle.”

“You sound pretty tired.”

“I just wish that Iolar would see a bit further than the end of his own nose sometimes.” Jace admitted, moving to sit in his chair. “... For a genius, he can be really dense.”

Eva laughed a little. “Isn’t that part of being a genius, Jace? Their brains have to be a bit dense so that they can hold all the genius?”

Jace hummed, chuckling. “... Mm, if that’s the case, Iolar’s off the charts. Anyways... how’s England? Enjoying yourself over there with tea time and crumpets?”

“Oh hush. You’ve just never had a good crumpet before.”

“That’s true. Maybe one day you could help me fix that, eh?”

“You’re on.”