#and tomorrow i'm flying to spain

[rragnaroks]

well i've just seen my first dan and phil show!

[zwiebelii]

I can't sleeeeeeeeep I can't sleep I can't sleep I can't sleep

Also I'm hungry and a bit cold

[landossnorriss]

i see you, the puppy addition - ln x she.

Pairing: lando x she. Summary: with all the stress landos dealt with recently, doesn't he deserve a dog?. series links. Word Count: 1.4ishk Warning: just fluff.

he had wanted a dog for as long as she had been dating him, that much she recalled. it had always been a topic every few months, of whether not they thought that they were in a position to have one yet and they always reasoned that they were both too busy to make such a commitment.

then mclaren had surprised him with damn puppies, she had caught him watching the video at least six times now and swiping past the photos he had taken of the small baby boy that he had fallen in love with. it had been a smart and dumb move on their part, to tempt the man in such a way. their pr team deserved a raise though because she hadn't seen one comment about the rough few weeks that lando had had below the video and instead it was all love for how cute he looked.

crawling onto the bed she spread herself out on top of him, her hand nudging the phone away from him. "you're only going to make yourself sadder if you keep looking at him." she mused, reaching to press a kiss to his chin, her own pout matching his as lando sighed under her. "i just wish it was the right time, but even with summer break coming up..." he trailed off and she knew that he was going through the same string of arguments in his head that he always did.

come the morning they were both meant to go and join martin for a string of shows over the week and she knew lando had a string of friends that he wanted to get time with during the break. "you really don't think between us we could make it work?" she asked quietly as she looked back at him. she hadn't been at MTC with him when he'd shot the promo videos but she had been waiting for him at home and the man that had returned to her was the happiest that she had seen him in, well weeks.

"i just don't know how it would be fair." lando muttered.

"not even if charles and lewis make it work?"

"i don't know...i wouldn't want to be a bad dog dad, besides, i doubt he's still there now anyway." the driver muttered as he pressed his lips to her head. "and we're flying out tomorrow."

"actually...i have a job that i had to rearrange to be at one of the races and they can't wait any longer, so i'm going to be a little late to spain, just a day or so." she confessed quietly as she lifted her head to look at him, eyes rolling at the face he was back to looking at the photos on his screen. "it'll happen when its the right time lan."

lando nodded, putting the phone down and rolling them over so that he was looking down at her. she was right, he was already grateful for so much in his life, and they were young they'd have time to be responsible and settle later. "you're right, i'll delete the pictures tonight." maybe, he'd try anyway, right now he was quite content to distract himself as his kisses trailed down her jaw.

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

there was every chance, that she had taken it too far this time, from the days they had just been friends, she had loved surprising lando. the genuine awe that he wore on his face each and every time even if it was something small had kept her addicted to the habit, but this?

god he was going to kill her.

it felt like she had been travelling none stop all day. on the phone to various different people, bribing the media guys at mclaren for favors and information. bargains made with andrea and zak as she checked a few things over. now she was on her way to greece where she would meet lando and martin and well - he was going to love her or he was going to kill her.

it didn't matter how much the surprise in her hands had cost in large donations and pleading with a family that had been ready to take it that this dog was already spoken for. they had thought she was crazy at first, then they'd bribed her with paddock passes for next years silverstone when she had managed to prove who she was. then lots and lots of paper work had needed to be done so that she could even leave england with her surprise again and it was good job the surprise she held in her hands was cute because she had barely slept with all the excitement.

checking into the hotel, with more bribes to the men behind the counter and promises of very big tips for being such accommodating hosts and she was finally on the home stretch to being able to rest. well, maybe, lando would decide that when she let herself into their room.

"lan? love are you home?" she called as she kicked off her sandals in the door way, her hand clamped over a tiny snout to keep the secret alive for just a moment longer.

"in here!" lando called from the bathroom where he was finishing getting dressed for the day, his attention on the clasp of his watch as the footsteps drew closer to him.

"hi baby." the way in which she said it had lando raising a brow before he had even turned to look at her, she was up to something. spinning in his spot lando paused for a second as he took in her face. guilty. then he heard the small noise that had been ingrained into his brain for the past week and his eyes, shit, they grew misty as he took in the small creature in her arms.

"baby...." he asked cautiously as he took in the sight before him. "what did you do?"

"are you mad at me? please don't be mad, i just, you were so happy lan i haven't seen you smile like that in so long and look." holding up her hands she lifted their new puppy so that he was face to face with lando and she watched as her boyfriend melted before the puppy, hands reaching out to take him from her. "hi little man, i missed you." lando beamed softly as he buried the puppy under his chin, the small creature immediately at ease with the smell he seemed to recognise from lando, little teeth finding the necklace he wore.

"love, we said we didn't have the time for a dog." lando urged but the battle was already won.

"i know i know, but i made a schedule of at least the next three months on the plane over, alex is happy to watch him with leo in the one week that we're both totally unavailable and i spoke to zak and andrea, on the weekends i can't have him, they're happy for him to be at races with you. he's your soul dog lando." she fought back as she stepped into the arm that lando had offered out to her.

"i thought you were flying for work." he chuckled gently as he felt their puppy lick at his hand, moving to do the same to his loves just as quickly. "but i love you so fucking much you know that?" lando wasn't sure, what the hell he'd done in the past to deserve her, but he adored her with his whole heart. "we have a dog. i can't believe you would do this for me."

"we have a dog lan. and i love you, i love you so much there isn't a thing i wouldn't do for you." she beamed, laughing pouring from her as she scratched behind tiny puppy ears. "i also had to give away paddock passes to convince another family not to take him, if you could organise those for me." she muttered quietly earning herself a loud laugh from the driver.

"damn baby, you're something else." but he'd do anything for her, she'd flown for a damn puppy for him. "what are we going to name him?" he asked quietly

"i've been calling him rover, since he's going to be wandering all over the world with us, but we can change it, he's your dog." looking at the pair of them, she knew she had done the right thing, his smile was bad and the puppy was utterly in love with him. now she would always have a little ally in making sure that they kept lando smiling, just the way he was right now as he looked down at her.

"no i love it." lando thought it was perfect, just like his little family. "welcome home little rover, we see you."

[onlyhereforthestories]

Turkey Farm Traditions (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

Day 23! This is a tradition of mine and my dads. I have never not gone to get the turkey with him on Christmas eve, and yes I'm going tomorrow! Anyone got any traditions they love?

The festive season was well underway, and with it came the cold weather. Normally, you thrived in the chill, finding comfort in the crisp air and cozy nights. But this year, the winter cold only made everything seem a little sadder because of the situation you were in.

You had always gone home for Christmas. No matter what was happening in your life, you always made the trip back to England for the holidays, at the very least. But not this year. This year, you would be spending Christmas in Spain with your girlfriend of five years, Alexia.

It was the first year Alexia had expressed her dislike of spending the season apart, and she asked if you would be okay with having Christmas Day at your shared home in Spain. She had even offered to fly your parents and sister, along with her family, out to celebrate together. But you knew that wouldn't be practical.

You didn't want to spend Christmas apart from Alexia either, so you agreed. You also spoke with your mum about visiting them for the New Year instead, since there was a long gap in fixtures for your club team. They were understanding and happy to have you visit then, even suggesting that you could do a little "mini Christmas" together. That idea was more than comforting—it was a lifeline.

With Alexia's help, you managed to get all the gifts for your family sent off in time, so you knew they'd be arriving for the big day. Your joint gifts were all double wrapped for safety by Alexia, as she was always the more organized one when it came to packaging. Once that was done, you felt a little better about not being with them for the holiday.

What also helped ease the feeling was the fact that you would be hosting Alexia's mother and sister for the day. Something that terrified you, to be honest.

Both women adored you, as you did them, but there was something about Christmas that made you want everything to be perfect. The holiday had always been very special to you, and you wanted to honour that, especially in your own home.

The month of December passed in a blur. Before you knew it, you were waking up in the arms of your lover on Christmas Eve morning. The winter sun crept through a crack in the curtains, gently warming your face as you dozed peacefully, your head resting on Alexia’s neck.

“Buenos días, mi amor. We have to get moving if you want food and coffee before we need to leave,” Alexia murmured, her fingers running through your hair, her voice a soft, sleepy hum.

You almost didn’t hear her, still lost in the comfort of her touch. “Good morning, love,” you said, blinking sleepily. “What do you mean leave? Where are we going? I thought I had food to prep for tomorrow.”

You pulled yourself out of the comfortable cocoon of her neck and raised an eyebrow at the teasing smirk on her face.

“I was tasked with the turkey, sí?” she said, her smile widening as you nodded. You'd been so absorbed in your thoughts that you didn’t catch the next part.

“Well, I spoke to your dad because I know you told me you normally drive to the farm to collect the turkey with him on Christmas Eve,” Alexia continued, her voice soft but steady. “He told me he’s done it with you since you were a baby. So, I found a farm about 45 minutes away here that does turkeys. We need to go collect it before noon.”

You didn’t know what to say. A wave of emotion swept over you, and your eyes welled with tears, but you tried to blink them back, not wanting to ruin the moment. You buried your head in her neck again, overwhelmed by her thoughtfulness.

“Thank you… thank you so much,” you whispered, your voice barely audible.

Alexia simply held you closer, her hands soothing as you fought to regain control of your emotions. This was a Christmas tradition you had always shared with your dad, and the fact that Alexia remembered and made it happen for you here, in Spain, meant more than you could put into words.

When you finally pulled yourself together, you kissed her deeply, pouring all your gratitude into the kiss. You knew if you tried to speak, you would only choke up.

Alexia, smiling softly, kissed you back with equal tenderness, pulling you closer when she wasn’t quite ready to let go. You spent a few more precious moments tangled up in each other, sharing lazy kisses and soft touches, until Alexia playfully pulled you out of bed and towards the kitchen.

The trip to the farm was a joy. You sang Christmas carols along with the radio, the warmth of the car and the company of Alexia making the ride feel almost magical. The festive farm was everything you hoped it would be, warm and cozy, with the scent of hay and pine in the air. Alexia’s face lit up as she saw the decorations, and you couldn’t help but smile at how happy she seemed. She even hummed along to a few of the carols as you drove there.

On the way back, Alexia managed to distract you while she dialled your dad's number. It wasn't until you heard his comforting voice, coming through the car’s speaker system, that you noticed the music had stopped.

“Merry Christmas, kiddo,” your dad’s deep voice boomed through the speakers. “I’m guessing you’ve got the turkey by now. Alexia said she’d call when you were heading back. It’s my turn to drive this year, but I’m glad you have someone to share the tradition with. Love you.”

The words made your heart swell, and you spoke with him for a few minutes before promising to call again on Christmas Day. You spoke to both your dad and Alexia until you reached home, where you could hear the turkey cooking already.

When you arrived home, all you could do was launch yourself at Alexia. She had taken a tradition so deeply rooted in your childhood and made it her own, blending your past and present together in a way you hadn't imagined possible. You felt incredibly blessed.

You knew that the present you had for her was the perfect gift, one that you had spent a long time working out. Because she had given you the best present of all: a Christmas that would forever be remembered, not just for the old traditions you’d kept, but for the new ones she had helped you create.

[girlgenius1111]

you aren't a chore...

mapi x ingrid x reader

r tears her ACL. her girlfriends struggle to help her heal. angst + fluff. mapi didn't tear her meniscus in this because i said so <3

Tearing your ACL while on national duty was less than ideal; not just because it was a months long, intense injury that you knew would be hell to go through. It happened while you were in England, and your girlfriends were in Norway and Spain, respectively. You were dreading having call them with this news, news you knew would hurt them almost as much as it hurt you, but there was no avoiding it.

You were at the hospital, and the doctor had just left the room, confirming what you'd known since you'd gone down on the pitch a few hours ago. You were finally alone, and you couldn't put off calling Ingrid and Mapi any longer.

You started a group face time, wincing when you noticed in the camera how red your eyes were from crying. It only rang a couple times before both girls clicked on, almost simultaneously.

"What's happened?" Ingrid asked frantically, not needing to see more than your tearstained face to know that something was wrong. Mapi's excited smile dropped into a frown, too, and you took a deep breath.

"It's my ACL." You told them, swallowing the lump in your throat.

"No, amor," Mapi said in disbelief.

"It's completely torn. I need surgery." You continued, gripping the sheets under you in your hand, not wanting to cry.

"Are you sure?" Ingrid asked.

"Yeah, I just got the scans back and the doctor confirmed."

"How did it happen?" Mapi's questioned, voice shaking as she spoke.

"I planted my foot and twisted I guess, and it just. Really hurt. I heard it pop."

"Amor, I am so sorry. I'll come to you, I'll fly tomorrow," Mapi said, shuffling around, clearly looking for her computer to book a flight.

"No, no, it's okay. They're flying me back tomorrow to Spain tomorrow. They offered to do the surgery here but I wanted to be home. With you guys."

"Love," Ingrid began, and you could tell from the desperate look on her face what she was thinking.

"No, Ingrid. You'll stay with your team, and win for me. Mapi will take good care of me." You insisted. Ingrid's teeth bit at her lip, an anguished expression etched across her features.

"Love, I want to be with you," She said, and you could tell she was fighting back tears.

"I know, I want that too. It's only a few more days, though. The team needs you, Ingrid, you have to stay."

"Y/n's right. You have to stay with the team. She'll be a handful, but I can handle our girl." Mapi joked, face falling when you only cracked a small smile. She wanted to reach through the phone, to call up one of the English girls and tell them to give you a hug, anything to make you feel better. Glancing at Ingrid's face, the Spaniard could tell she felt the same.

"Can we do anything?" Ingrid asked, thinking that she would move heaven and earth to get rid of the sad frown on your face.

"No, I'm fine, I promise." You said, although your voice and expression told a completely different story.

"Cariño, neither of us expect you to be fine." Mapi said softly.

You forced a smile onto your lips, hoping it was convincing. "Really, I'm fine. I have to go though, they're about to discharge me. I love you guys." You hung up, rolling onto your good side, muffling your sobs in the pillow.

Ingrid and Mapi hung up with each other soon after, both agreeing that they needed to keep a close eye on you. You'd never handled injuries well, but the state you were in on the phone was worse than they'd ever seen. This was a worse injury than you'd ever had, so it made sense, but they were still incredibly worried.

-----

Mapi had wanted to pick you up from the airport, but Barca had insisted on you going to meet with the surgeon right away, sending a car to grab you and take you there. Mapi promised to meet you at the hospital for your consultation, and arrived there in the parking lot a full 10 minutes before you did. She wanted to prepare herself for whatever you were feeling. Honestly, she had no idea how to best help you; neither her nor Ingrid had ever had an injury of this magnitude, they couldn't know what you were feeling. The defender had never felt more helpless in her life, watching you slowly get out of the car, grabbing your crutches, and making your way towards the door, where she waited.

"Mi amor," she said as you neared her, moving forward to carefully wrap you in a hug. You were stiff in her arms, jaw set stiffly, as you murmured a greeting into your ear. It became clear to your girlfriend that you had completely shut down, not allowing yourself to feel the intense emotions she knew must be tugging at you. Not wanting to challenge that unhealthy coping mechanism at the hospital, she simply kissed your cheek lightly, before leading you into the building.

You were quieter than Mapi thought you'd ever been in your life as you made your way into the surgeon's office, face pinched in pain as you settled into a chair next to her, moving your crutches to rest next to you with a disdainful look at them.

You waited for the surgeon, turning to the team doctor that had accompanied you and speaking, voice raspy from lack of use.

"When do you think they'll do the surgery?"

"Depends. Some doctors like to do it sooner rather than later, to preserve muscle strength, while others think the more time taken to reduce swelling, the better. This guy did Alexia's, and he only had her wait a week."

You nodded absentmindedly, reaching one hand over to grip onto Mapi's. She squeezed your hand comfortingly, pulling out her phone to update Ingrid.

Your meeting with the surgeon may as well have been 2 seconds, for all the information you absorbed. Once he told you that he'd operate in a week, you couldn't force yourself to focus on everything he said about the recovery process. If you didn't take this one step at a time, you were sure that you would fail. Mapi could tell you weren't all there, and she allowed you the time to process on the way home, not bothering to speak to you until she asked if you wanted to call Ingrid and update her.

"Can you just tell her?"

"Of course, amor. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Thanks Maps."

If this was a hint to how you'd be for the next week, Mapi felt like she'd almost rather have torn her own ACL. She could tell that you were hurting, not just physically, but deep within you. You wouldn't speak about it though, repeating the words "I'm fine" until they no longer sounded like words. You weren't overly upset, nor were you overly happy. Instead, Mapi got used to the version of you that was quiet, giving her only small smiles and chuckles when she tried to joke around, instead of the full laughs that had been part of the reason she'd fallen in love with you.

As the days passed, and your surgery grew closer, Mapi noticed you become more irritable, frustrated more easily. She talked to Ingrid often about it, completely at a loss for how to help you, as nothing she was doing seemed to work. Her and Ingrid agreed that this period of waiting was especially hard for you; you couldn't do any rehab work, nothing at all could be done until after the surgery. The hoped that being able to focus your mind and body on recovering would bring you back to yourself.

Ingrid, for her part, made up her mind to leave the national team and come home to you at least 10 different times, but you and Mapi always talked her out of it. She was due home the day of your surgery, and you both were adamant that this injury not affect Ingrid's playing time with the team. Ingrid was packing one day, after a particularly rough night where Mapi confided that she wasn't sure you'd slept at all, and Mapi was clearly failing at convincing her to stay. You'd grabbed the phone from Mapi's hand, expressing the most emotion that they'd seen from you since your injury.

"Ingrid, please don't do this for me. I love you, and I miss you, but I want you to stay. Coming home now will only make me feel guilty. Besides, watching you play is one of the only things I'm looking forward to right now."

Mapi practically froze when you spoke, waiting to hear Ingrid's response.

"Okay, elskling. If that's what you want." Ingrid sighed, dropping her clothes back into her drawer. She wasn't happy about it, but she trusted that if you really did need her, you'd ask for her.

"Mapi is taking good care of me, anyway. Not as good of a job as you could, but it'll do." You joked, shooting Mapi a smirk. She feigned being supremely insulted, but really, she was just happy to see you smile again, even if it was at her own expense.

"Alright, you can shower by yourself tonight." She teased, and you glared at her.

"I might as well be showering by myself, for all the help you are."

"I shaved your legs for you yesterday!" Mapi gasped.

"That's not the kind of help I'm talking about."

"If I had sex with you while you were injured, in the shower, while Ingrid was in another country, I think she'd kill me." Mapi defended.

"I absolutely would. You'll just have to be patient and wait for me. And till after your surgery. Think of it as a fun challenge." Ingrid smiled, enjoying the glimpse of the you she was used to seeing, not the empty version that you'd been for the past few days.

"What is fun about that, Ingrid, be serious."

"What's fun is that we're all waiting, and we will all have a very good time together once I'm back, and it's safe for you. I promise, you can be a pillow princess the way you like, and Mapi and I will do whatever you want." Ingrid said sweetly, and you tried to ignore the way you felt suddenly warm at her words.

You gave a dramatic sigh. "Whatever I want?"

"Whatever you want." Both girls promised together. Mapi saw the most excitement she'd seen in you all week, and couldn't help but leaning in and leaving a gentle kiss on your temple. You softened at her loving action, growing slightly more serious.

"I'm sorry I've been so awful this past week. I know I haven't been very much fun to be around."

"You have every right to be grumpy, mi amor. You're doing your best, we don't expect any more than that." Mapi promised.

"I can't imagine what you're feeling, elskling. You can act any way you feel like acting." Ingrid assured you. "It'll get easier post surgery, yeah?"

You nodded like you agreed, but you weren't exactly sure about that. You hoped Ingrid was right, you really did. Mapi caught your reluctance.

"No matter what, we've got you, mi amor." She said, tilting your chin to look into your eyes as she spoke.

"Always, kjære." Ingrid echoed, and this time, you felt more confident when you nodded. You weren't sure that you trusted your body anymore, not when it had betrayed you so grievously. You did, however, trust your girls with everything. Everything.

-----

Mapi hated being in hospitals. When she had gone to your initial appointment with you, it was just the surgeons office you were visiting, which was tolerable. But a hospital, with patients and sick people, and doctors and nurses in scrubs, she hated. She always had, and the night before your surgery, you could tell she was getting nervous. You were nervous too, but magically, your stress evaporated when you realized that Mapi was anxious, and all you cared about was making her feel better.

Ingrid was set to touch down in Barcelona after you went back, and she would probably arrive at the hospital right as you were coming out of recovery, which wouldn't be very much help to your other girlfriend who wouldn't hear a word about leaving the hospital while you were in surgery.

You were debating on making Mapi talk about it, when she started bouncing her knee rapidly, and picking at her cuticles; 2 things she only did when she was really nervous. You knew if she continued like this, she'd get no sleep. More than that, she looked miserable, although she tried to hide it, and you hated seeing her upset.

"María," you called softly, getting her attention. She turned to you, and you watched her literally change her face from one of slight panic, to one of reassuring confidence. If you didn't know her so well, you would have bought the second face with no questions asked.

"Come here," you said, gesturing for her to move closer. She must have thought you were seeking comfort, because otherwise there was no way she would have accepted your comfort, and she moved closer, resting her head on your shoulder.

"Are you nervous?" She asked.

"A bit. You seem really anxious though, baby. Are you okay?" At your question, she sat up, leaning away from you.

"I am fine, amor. Nothing to worry about." She said. "I am going to go shower, and then I'll help you to bed, alright?"

"Okay." You agreed, letting it go for now. She smiled at you, pressing a kiss to your forehead, before leaving the room.

You sighed once she was out of earshot. You'd let Ingrid know that Mapi seemed more anxious than normal, but you didn't want to overly stress out the Norwegian, not when you knew she was already kind of freaking out at the thought that you were having surgery before she arrived home. You pulled your phone out, hitting the contact of the one person you knew Mapi trusted almost as much as she trusted you and Ingrid.

"Alexia? I need your help with something."

-----

Worrying about Mapi turned out to be a wonderful distraction for you, as you both woke early and headed to the hospital. You were nervous, but your attention was on your girlfriend, who had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel with one hand, and yours wrapped tight in the other.

"Maps?"

"Sí?" She said, looking at you out of the corner of her eye, her worry evident in her slightly shaky voice.

"Ale is going to meet us at the hospital."

Mapi blinked. "That is nice of her to come for you." She said, although she was slightly confused. You hadn't wanted to see anyone recently, and although you'd been talking to Alexia, as someone who had, and was currently, having issues with her knee, Mapi was surprised that you'd agreed to her being at the hospital, and seeing you in such a vulnerable state.

"She's not coming for me, she's coming for you. I don't want you sitting alone around the hospital for hours, not when you're already nervous." You stated plainly, never having planned on hiding the real reason Alexia was invited.

"Amor, you should not be worrying about me," Mapi complained, although her grip slackened slightly on the wheel.

"Well, I am. So is Ingrid. And with Alexia there, we won't worry as much. Really, you'll be doing both of us a favor."

"You will be unconscious, but worrying about me?" Mapi rolled her eyes.

"I always dream of you, baby. Even when I'm under general." You winked at her.

Mapi snorted, but you were delighted to see a faint blush on her cheeks. She was quiet for a moment.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." She spoke softly, and you could just barely hear her over the sound of the engine.

You pull her hand over, still laced with yours, kissing the back of it. She smiled at you, eyes crinkling the way they did when she smiled really genuinely. You returned the smile, feeling incredibly glad that you weren't really freaking out.

-----

You sat in the hospital bed, all dressed in the stupid gown, feeling significantly less calm and collected. Mapi had settled after learning that Alexia would be around, and her decrease in stress had allowed you to focus back on your own.

You were visibly nervous, hands shaking, teeth chattering, holding rather tightly to Mapi's hand. They put the IV in, and you noticed Alexia mumble something to one of the nurses, who took one look at you, nodded, and disappeared from the room.

"What did you tell her?" You wondered.

"Nothing, just a question." Alexia replied calmly, but the her eyes flicked away from your eyes; Alexia could lie, but she couldn't meet your eyes while doing it. The nurse returned before you could press your captain.

"Something to help you relax, alright?" The nurse said with a kind smile, injecting something into the IV. You didn't know what it was, but the effect was almost instantaneous. Your neck went limp, and your head dropped onto the pillow. Your body drained of tension, and you loosened your painfully tight grip on your girlfriends hand.

"I feel better," you said, fighting back a yawn. The nurse left the room, telling you that they would be ready to take you back in a couple minutes. Mapi was looking at you, amused by the sudden relaxed version of you in front of her.

"Alexia, you really are a great blonde." You said, squinting at her.

"Thank you chica," she said with a laugh. "They gave you the good stuff, huh?

You turned to look at Mapi, raising a clumsy hand to boop her nose. "You're so pretty. Like so, so, pretty."

"They really did give you the good stuff," Mapi laughed. You returned her grin, eyes beginning to flutter shut. You were lightly snuffling against the oxygen tubes not seconds later, out cold, still clinging to your girlfriend's hand.

"What did you tell them to give her?" Mapi asked, turning her attention to her best friend.

"I just asked if they could start her early on the stuff to relax her. My mom had them do it for me when I had my surgery, because she thought I was going to break my sister's hand, I was holding it so tight." Alexia commented.

The nurse entered again, followed by several others, and Mapi knew it was time. She leaned down, placing a light kiss on your cheek.

"Good luck, mi amor. I love you." She whispered the words into your ear, squeezing your hand once more, before allowing them to roll your bed away. She watched as they wheeled you down the hall, feeling a flutter of worry in her chest. They better be careful with you.

Alexia stood next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"She'll be fine, amiga." Alexia reassured, and Mapi nodded, trying to convince herself.

"Thank you for being here. I really appreciate it." Mapi mumbled.

"Of course." Alexia replied. "You better text Ingrid and tell her y/n went back. You know she bought plane wifi, and if you don't update her, I wouldn't want to be you when she arrives later."

-----

Ingrid hated plane wifi, potentially more than she'd ever hated anything in her entire life. All she wanted was to hear that you'd gone back for surgery okay, and also that Mapi was alright, but the wifi was hardly functioning, and Ingrid felt like chucking her phone across the plane. Her texts began to load, finally, as the plane was landing. Perfect timing. She had a text from Mapi, and a text from Alexia.

"They just took her back. She was nervous but they gave her something and she was... no longer nervous. Waiting with Ale now. Fly safe, princesa. Te amo."

"Mapi's alright. Definitely anxious but I'm distracting her by asking her to tell me what her favorite goal she's ever scored is. She's been talking for 20 minutes."

Ingrid relaxed, even cracking a smile at Alexia's text. Her and Mapi's relationship was so entertaining to watch. They spent most of their time together giggling, making fun of each other, but if one of them needed the other, she would be there. No matter what.

Ingrid made her way off the plane, resisting the urge to shove everyone out of her way. She made record time getting to baggage claim, and was just pulling out her phone to call and uber when she felt someone land squarely on her back.

"La princesa! Your taxi service has arrived!" Ingrid tried to be annoyed, she really did, but when Pina climbed off her back, and Ingrid turned around to find her and Patri smiling goofily at her, she couldn't manage it.

-----

Ingrid arrived at the hospital, leaving her bag with Pina and Patri, who had promised to get it home for her, before heading inside. She'd gotten a text from Mapi a couple of minutes ago, one that had worried her.

"Taking longer than they expected. Not sure why. We're in room 402 when you get here."

Ingrid hauled ass to room 402, her stiff legs from playing a full 90 the day before, and then getting on a plane making it rather difficult. She made it at the same time, apparently, as the surgeon, and she felt slightly nauseous as she walked into the room. There were plenty of reasons why a surgery would take longer, but Ingrid could not, for the life of her, think of one that wasn't negative.

She walked right into the room, just before the doctor, quickly hugging Alexia before pulling Mapi into her side. They all looked at the doctor expectantly. He looked frazzled, which didn't make anyone feel better, and he scrolled through your chart for what felt like minutes before finally speaking.

"The surgery was successful, and y/n is in recovery. There was, however, a slight, unforeseen complication."

-----

You woke up slowly, and you could hear before you could open your eyes. You weren't sure where you were, or what was happening. You heard rhythmic beeping, and it sped up as you grew more aware. You shifted lightly in the bed, unable to get your eyes to open. The beeping sped up faster, but someone laid a hand on your cheek, and a soft voice filled your ears.

"You're alright, cariño, we're here with you." You settled instantly when you heard Mapi speak, the beeping that you now realized was measuring your heart rate slowing down again. It took a few more minutes before you got your eyes to open, and, by that point, you remembered where you were, and why you were there.

It was bright when you looked around. Mapi was in a chair next to you, hand holding yours. You looked around, realizing Ingrid was supposed to be there, as was Alexia. Even just waking up from surgery, you wanted to see your girlfriend, more than anything.

"Ingrid?" You croaked out, directing the question to Mapi. She smiled when she heard your voice, and helped you take a few sips of the water on the table in front of you.

"She's just talking to the doctor, she'll be back in a bit," Mapi informed you. There was something off, though, a tightness to her smile that shouldn't be there. It could have been her general discontent being in the hospital, but something in your gut told you that it wasn't that.

"What's wrong?" You asked, forcing your eyes back open when the slid shut again.

"Nothing," Mapi lied, looking at the door almost pleadingly.

"María, what is going on," you said. Before she could lie again, Ingrid and Alexia appeared in the doorway, the doctor behind them. Ingrid smiled softly when she saw you awake, moving forward to sit next to the bed, and kiss your temple. You returned her smile, but focused back on the doctor. He looked... not troubled, but like he was about to deliver bad news.

"What went wrong?" You asked him, feeling suddenly much more awake.

He smiled sympathetically. "Nothing went wrong, the surgery was successful. There was more damage to your surrounding muscles than we expected, so we had to go to the hamstring instead of the patellar tendon for replacement tissue. It means a slightly harder recovery, as you also need to strengthen the area where the graft came from."

You were quiet for a moment. You'd thought so hard about the surgery, considered every aspect, but didn't think that this was a possibility. You weren't quite sure what to think.

"How much longer will recovery be?" You asked.

"The time shouldn't be affected, but you'll be in more pain at the beginning." He explained. You let out a sigh of relief. You could handle more pain, what you couldn't handle was being off the pitch any longer than you already were going to have to be. The doctor informed you that you were free to go once you were more awake, confirming that you'd made a follow up appointment to remove the sutures, before leaving the room.

You looked down then, seeing your leg wrapped up in heavy white gauze, encased in a black brace. Your knee had been swollen before, yes, but it hadn't really looked like anything was wrong with it. Now, though, it was glaringly obvious, a stark reminder of the long months ahead.

"Hey, what are you thinking?" Ingrid asked, tearing you from your thoughts. It took you a minute to gather your thoughts, but when you did, you addressed everyone in the room, trying to put their obvious nerves at ease.

"It's fine. As long as I can get back to playing in the same amount of time, I don't care what they use. I can deal with the pain." You smiled at your girlfriends, and at Alexia. They all returned the gesture, glad to see that you weren't too upset.

-----

You were feeling less confident the next day. The initial drugs wore off, leaving you in considerably more pain than before. Your knee felt hot and swollen, and it throbbed painfully anytime you got up. You were in the extra bedroom, having insisted that Ingrid and Mapi sleep in your bedroom together, so no one would worry about accidentally bumping you. They were reluctant, and Mapi checked on you at least 10 times the first night.

Ingrid had finally managed to get a enough sleep, though, after struggling the whole time she was gone. She was exhausted, and slept for 14 hours. When she woke up, she was furious that you and Mapi hadn't woken her, seeing as though both of you had been up for hours. You, because your knee felt like it had been run over by a snow plow, and Mapi, also because your knee felt like it had been run over by a snow plow. She hated seeing you in pain, and she had hovered over you all morning.

Ingrid shuffled into the extra room a few minutes after finally waking up, curling up next to you in the bed.

"How are you?" She mumbled, looking up at you, face still scrunched with sleep. You smiled down at her, running your finger over the sleep lines etched into her skin.

"Did you sleep well?" You asked, ignoring her question. She yawned, snuggling into your good leg, laying her head on your thigh.

"Slept good. Would have slept better with you there, though." She said, voice muffled against your skin. "You didn't answer my question."

"It hurts." You said simply. You didn't want to talk about it, so you changed the subject. "I missed you." You said. You'd been so out of it yesterday, you didn't really feel like you had enjoyed having Ingrid back home.

"I missed you too, elskling. I'm sorry I wasn't home sooner."

"Don't be. You were where you needed to be. You're home now, that's all that matters." Ingrid smiled at you, eyes fluttering shut again. Sleepy Ingrid was your favorite, and you began to run your fingers through her thick hair, avoiding the tangles. She hummed with pleasure, relaxing further into you.

"How are you feeling, amor?" Mapi asked from the doorway, looking anxiously at you. The smile fell from your lips. Was this what the next 9 months would be like? Every nice moment interrupted by your stupid injury?

"I'm fine, Mapi." You said, voice slightly harsher than it needed to be.

-----

This began a new pattern to your behavior. When you were distracted, you were fine, happy to be with your girls. When you weren't distracted, though, you were miserable. In pain, mostly helpless, and in a foul mood. It only worsened when you girlfriend's asked you questions about how you were feeling; you knew you were being ridiculous, but you felt like the only think you guys talked about was your knee.

Your newfound grumpiness did not, however, mean that you were expressing your emotions. On the contrary, they had never been more inaccessible. Your anger never faltered into sadness; frustration, sure, but neither of your girls could get you to acknowledge that you were upset.

As the weeks passed, and the recovery felt like it was going too slow, you grew more resistant to the help your girlfriend's were anxious to provide. Things were tense around the house, your girlfriends felt like they were walking on eggshells around you, waiting for your frosty exterior to crack, which it eventually did.

-----

You were in the Barcelona gym, 3 weeks post op. You were doing simple exercises, walking from one end of the room to the other, bending and flexing your knee, raising up on your toes. Things that should be easy, but weren't any longer. Alexia was on the other side of the gym, doing a much more complicated exercise. Ingrid and Mapi were out on the pitch, presumably. There was just one physio with you guys today, watching carefully as you did the world's lamest and smallest squats, barely bending your knee, leaning against a table. There was soft music playing throughout the gym, and it was rather peaceful.

That is, until Alexia dropped the barbell she was lifting with a loud clatter. You startled at the sound, twisting without thinking to look towards the noise. As soon as you did, you realized your bad leg was still planted when you turned. It didn't turn much, but it was enough for your knee to erupt in pain.

"Fuck!" You shouted, and Alexia was at your side in a second, as was the physio. "Fuck, something's wrong, jesus," you said, leaning back on the table and taking the weight off your knee.

"Alright, relax, let me look," the physio said, guiding you to lay back on the table. Alexia moved to stand by your head, laying a hand on your shoulder.

"Something is wrong," you said again, even though the pain was rapidly fading. The physio looked at your knee, poking and prodding at it gently, before looking at you.

"How much does it hurt?" He asked calmly.

Tears were stinging your eyes, and your voice trembled as you responded. "Not-not much, it's fading."

"No pain?" He asked again after a minute, applying pressure to each side of your knee.

"No, not anymore," you choked out.

"I don't think anything is wrong. If it was, the pain wouldn't be fading. The incisions look fine. You're okay, you just tweaked it."

"No, no, no. Something is wrong, it doesn't feel right, Ale it doesn't feel right." You cried, turning your attention to Alexia over you, her hand moving up and down your arm. You were fully panicking now, tears falling freely down your face, hands gripping at your shirt as if to tether you to the present. Alexia exchanged a look with the physio.

"Chica, you're okay, this is normal, nothing is wrong." She assured you, but you just shook your head frantically in response.

"No, I messed something up," you gasp. You sat up suddenly, almost smacking your head into Alexia's face. "I need scans, I need to do something," you say, moving to get off the table. Your knee didn't hurt anymore, but you couldn't shake the feeling that you had messed something up, horribly so. Alexia stopped you, resting her hands on your shoulders, holding you down on the table.

"Y/n, you need to calm down. You haven't messed anything up, everything is okay." She soothed. It clearly wasn't working to calm you, so she turned to the physio. "Get Mapi and Ingrid," she murmured before turning her attention back to you.

"Come on, amiga, you need to calm down," Alexia said. You could only shake your head, broken sobs falling past your lips. You hid your face in your hands, completely disconnecting from the world around you. Your ears were ringing, the only thing you could hear was blood pumping in your ears. You didn't know how much time had passed before different set of hands were cradling your face, urging you to look up. You do, and find the worried faces of your girlfriends in front of you. Ingrid has her hands on your face, and Mapi has taken one of your hands in hers, squeezing gently.

"Somethings... wr-wrong, help," you get out, looking between them frantically.

"No kjære, it's okay, nothing is wrong." Ingrid promised. For some reason, you believed her when you hadn't believed the others.

"Are you- are you sure?" You asked.

"Yes, cariño, the physio said you just tweaked it. You are completely fine." Mapi said softly.

"I didn't mess it up?"

"No, darling, you didn't mess anything up."

You nodded jerkily, leaning forward to rest your head on Ingrid's sternum, tugging on Mapi's hand until she moves closer.

"Y/n, I'm so sorry about the barbell, it slipped out of my hands," Alexia begins from the other side of the table, and you can hear the guilt in her voice.

"It's okay, Ale, it's not your fault." You mumbled into Ingrid's chest, reaching a hand out to the side. Alexia grabs it sighing in relief, squeezing once, before pulling away, giving you and your girlfriends some privacy. You stayed hidden away, leaning against Ingrid. You're clearly still emotional, but you don't seem interested in speaking, or moving again. It's quiet for a few moments, before you finally pulling away, wiping at your eyes.

"Can we go home?" You asked.

"Yeah, let's go home." Mapi agreed easily. You stood, taking a tentative step. Your face burns with embarrassment when you don't feel anything out of the ordinary in your knee. You'd freaked out for nothing. Absolutely nothing.

-----

You'd been sitting in silence on the couch since you'd arrived home 20 minutes ago, staring blankly at the dark TV. Your knee was propped up in Ingrid's lap, an icepack wrapped snuggly around the swollen appendage. Mapi was on your other side, resisting the urge to take you by the shoulders, shake you, and beg you to talk to them. Her and Ingrid had agreed to let you come to them, though. There was no use pushing you. Their patience is finally rewarded.

"Sorry I freaked out and you both had to leave training early." You said, raw voice startling your girlfriend's out of their thoughts.

"Don't be so-"

"-Please don't tell me not to be sorry. I've been such a burden for weeks, and you keep telling me not to be sorry about it. I am sorry about it, and I don't understand why you aren't annoyed with me." You cut in, spitting the words with an intensity neither of women was expecting.

"You are not a burden, y/n," Ingrid said, hurt bleeding into her tone.

"Yes I am," you dismiss. "You've had to do everything for me these past few weeks, and all I've done is act like the world has ended. It's just a knee injury, I don't know why I'm acting like this."

"Amor, it is okay if you feel like the world has ended. This is a big thing, and you are allowed to feel things. You don't have to push everything down, it's not healthy."

You shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact. "You already have to take care of me. You shouldn't have to deal with the mess inside my head too."

"You could not be burden, darling, not to us. We don't mind taking care of you, not at all. And we want to know what's going on inside your head. It's been driving us crazy, not knowing what you're feeling. We want to know, y/n, we want to know it all." Ingrid's voice has a clear undertone of determination in it.

"You guys are so busy," you argue weakly. They were; the past weeks juggling you and the team had been draining. It was obvious to you. They hadn't realized how much you'd noticed it.

"We are never too busy for you, amor, and I'm so sorry if we've made you feel like we are." Mapi said gently. "You are our priority."

You finally looked up at them, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "It's just been hard. You guys get to go play, and I stay here, or go to the gym. And you spend all this time together at training. All the time you spend with me is you guys making sure my knee is okay."

Both of your girlfriend's faces are ones of horror at your confession. They hadn't realized you'd been feeling like this, not at all.

Mapi places a hard kiss on your temple, resting her chin on your head. "If I could switch places with you, cariño, I would. Watching you go through this, be in so much pain, has been killing me. I want to fix it, but I can't. All I can do is try to help, try to make you feel better. I didn't mean to make you feel like you were just a task for us, just a chore to be taken care of. You are our girl, nuestra niña bonita, and we love you, more than anything."

There are silent tears falling from your eyes when Mapi is done talking. She's said everything you've needed to hear this whole time, but were too nervous, too worried about being a burden to them to ask for their reassurance. Ingrid's hand lifts, carefully wiping a tear off your cheek, prompting you to look at her.

"No more of this, okay? When you need us, whether it's attention, or our help with something, or just a distraction, you tell us. You tell us, and we'll do it, whatever you need. You're not alone in this, darling. We're here for anything, really. Just like you would be for us if the roles were reversed."

You feel slightly silly when she reminds you of that. Obviously, you would do everything within your power to help one of your girlfriend's if they were going through this. Why you expected them to not really want to do the same was beyond you.

"Okay." You murmur, eyes on Ingrid as she scoots closer, pressing into your other side. You've been reminded of something, something Ingrid had promised you over the phone. Whatever you want, she'd said. You knew what you wanted, and you knew you needed to ask for it.

"Could I ask for something now?" You wonder quietly, and you hear Mapi laugh above you, clearly anticipating what you're about to ask for. Ingrid has the decency to pretend she doesn't know.

"What would that be?" She asks, placing her hand on your upper thigh.

"You promised me something about you and Mapi doing whatever I wanted?" You grin.

"Hmm, do you think you're ready for that, elskling?"

"God, yes. I'm ready, I promise." Your voice is already needy, already desperate.

"Mapi, go get things ready." Ingrid instructed, and you feel Mapi rise from next to you, and walk away into the bedroom.

"How do you know what to get ready if I haven't said what I want?" You questioned, looking up into the Norwegian's dark eyes.

Ingrid leaned forward, pressing light kisses in a trail up your jaw, stopping just by your ear. "I know what you want better than you do, pretty girl. I thought you knew that by now."

You shivered with excitement. "Don't be too careful with me, okay?"

"We'll be as careful as we need to be," Ingrid promised. Ingrid's lips meet yours, pressing harder than she has in weeks. It's the most she's touched you since your surgery, really, and you wrap your arms around her neck, pulling her closer. The wait will have been worth it, you're sure of that.

-----

[colie-nne]

Hello dear writer 👋 there's this reader-insert prompt in my head that I couldn't just get it out of my head. I hope this prompt takes your interest. It's up to you how you will want this to go as whether it be an imagine, headcannon or etc. Thank you, much love 𔘓

Prompt:

Carlos Sainz Jr., the renowned Formula One driver, takes to his social media account and shares a cryptic message that hints about a special someone in his life. As fans eagerly await further details, it becomes apparent that Carlos' significant other is no ordinary person – but is a beauty queen in her country.

my queen

pairing: carlos sainz x beauty queen!reader | instagram au

requested: yes | no

a/n: Hi this is my first in au, hope I did your request justice. I also really really liked the prompt, thanks for the request!! (Requests are open)

+ Valiente will be updated tomorrow so hang tight.💌

carlossainz55

liked by charles_leclerc and 163,452 others

carlossainz55 On a trip with royalty❤️

view all 1,045 comments

user excuse me? Carlos?

charles_leclerc a trip with royalty indeed👑

user what's with all the royalty?

user 😍😍😍

user Carlos is entering his aesthetic era!!!

Daily WAG updates

liked by pierregasly and 217,951 others

Daily WAG updates Ferrari's very own Carlos Sainz is seen with a mystery woman on a beach trip to the Maldives. The source stated that the two have been cozy with each other the entire time. Are we seeing a new wag on the paddock this coming season?

view all 524 comments

user oh carlos has game all along

user lord, i see what you've done for others

user does this have something to do with the royalty thing?

user to be the girls these f1 men date !!!

user girl i don't think that's a mystery woman at all

user care to explain?🤨 user Carlos has been following Spain's winner for some universal pageant or whatever for about a long time now, even before her winning the crown. So I'm not going to be shocked if the mystery woman's her. user reallyy?? what's her @? user its yourusername

user Pierre wtf you doing here?!☠️

yourusername

liked by landonorris, charles_leclerc and 326,803 others

yourusername very late vacation dump 🌶️

user ahhh y/n!! i've missed you

user will you be coming to the show in Paris?

yourusername of course!! can't miss it😊 user oH MY GOD! she responded, Y/n i love you!!

user uhmm... looks like you didn't crop a pic properly🧐

liked by landonorris

user why is lando here😭

user omyy just came here from the wags update!!! the emoji and the cropping error just proved a lot of things

user wdym wag update? user just search it up you'll see the most recent one.

yourusername

liked by carlossainz55, vittoria and 771,218 others

yourusername are you happy to be in Paris? oui...it's good to be back

user the fact that a French designer invited Miss Universe-Spain to their show, shows how wanted the y/n l/n is in the fashion industry. this is coming from a french woman too

carlossainz oui🥐

charles_leclerc no, mate... no yourusername i wholeheartedly agree with you user f1 collab, when?

user CARLOS?! Is this a confirmation?

vittoria looking good 👑❤️

user there's the crown thing again. who is she anyways? user how the hell, don't you guys know who y/n is? she's the reigning miss universe and the most sought Spanish beauty queen after years. user ooh so she's from Spain too. I see now user ☠️

user why am I just realizing the meaning of the crown emoji...

Daily WAG updates

caption: ✈️ >> 👑🇫🇷

331,092 likes

Daily WAG updates Carlos is confirmed to go on his way to Y/n. The story was posted 5 hours ago. He might be in Paris now, update you guys soon.

user the fact that you've typed that so casually just tells me how much you've waited to have a Carlos girl on the paddock

user He be flying to his girl during his supposed time to rest... when will it be my time?

user the fact that we all know he'll be meeting y/n despite them not confirming it yet is so funny.

f1updates

742,663 likes

f1updates Carlos Sainz has landed this evening after being invited by a french-designer in Paris, France.

user ...i see it very clearly now

user the story caption and this just gave everything up. ya'll better confirm it asap

user carlos in a fashion show was not on my 2023 f1 bucket list

user if we see him and y/n together, let's just say that "i told you guys"

yourusername

liked by carlossainz55 and 931,438 others

yourusername Thank you for tonight, Paris (credits: 🌶️)

user the chili🫣

user y/n!! i love your dress so much, thank you for letting me take a picture with you

user saw her being called into the runway so suddenly, the crown fits her so much🫠

user oop y/n in her soft launching era. is it Carlos?? i hope so

carlossainz55 🤍

user it's confirmed guys... user cute🥲 kill me rn

Daily WAG updates

liked by charles_leclerc, pierregasly and 196,582 others

Daily WAG updates UPDATE!!! It is confirmed by multiple sources that the reigning Miss Universe Y/n L/n is indeed Carlos Sainz's mystery woman. Who would've thought that our newest WAG would be the queen of the universe herself, can't wait to see her in the paddock!!! 👑

yourusername

liked by carlossainz55, landonorris, danielricciardo and 907,531

yourusername bebé, hemos sido atrapados... anyways, these are some of the very flattering pictures of us from our trips during the past 3 months. Buena seurte en tu proxima carrera, mi amor!!

(Baby, we've been caught) - (Good luck on your next race, my love!!)

carlossainz55 mi amor, ¿por qué las fotos? (my love, why the pictures?)

yourusername because you look flattering in them🤩 landonorris flattering isn't what I'd call them

charles_leclerc you should have posted what you posted in the other one

user charles? qhat other one!! user this made me curious yourusername the internet might not handle it!

danielricciardo all hail the king and queen👑

user dannyy😭 yourusername says the man who's insisting Carlos isn't fit for a king danielricciardo why'd you have to do me like that carlossainz55 still has a ring in it, no? landonorris we'll have to see you in a dress before we can answer

[bon2bonn]

Change of winds

22!F1!grid X female!driver!reader

Words count : 3.2k .

* I'm so sorry for the long delay 🙏🏻 💔 . 💀🤦🏻‍♀️Life is shit in general and I can't finish any of my WIP list , so this might be the last update for a while until I could make/find the time to breathe and get some proper writing done .

2.october

Stretching after a long dreadful meeting was the first thing she did once everyone dismissed themselves out of the room , suppressing a yawn by covering her mouth as she leaned back in her chair in exhaustion . Today was a full schedule and that means back to back meetings along with legal and audit reviews of months worth of work , not to mention the preparations for upcoming events and gala's due to end of year celebrations back in headquarters .

To say her schedule was packed would be an understatement, but she made sure to not overwhelm herself and made time to check on the guys . she hated how they all got distracted by their busy schedules and lives in general, now they barely got a chance to meet eachother at their Spare time, and that was hard on all of them , the transition of going from spending most of their time working together even spending their off time close by to separate across the globe with them traveling constantly and her tucked away from one meeting to another not to mention the different timezones far away from their reach .

They still made the effort to call and leave voice messages daily, keeping her up with what's happening on the grid, and she in return left them all with voice messages and calls before every race , wishing them luck and a safe drive , religiously tuning in to every quali and race despite the time gaps and the work load , even indulging her now employees to enjoy the sport too , unknown to them how she herself used to race not long ago , some even recognized her but kept quiet out of respect to not get her unwanted attention, so she made most of the time to distract herself from the pit of uneasiness growing in her chest , and her almost overflowing schedule helped in that aspect.

A light knock snapped her out, followed by her assistant Lauren who peeked her head in , giving her an apologetic look making her sigh deeply before ushering her in " what now? " Lauren winced as she briefed her on the situation " you remember Mr Solly ? , head of the Australian branch is outside waiting on for an urgent meeting, something to do with the recent changes regarding the finance and marketing department " she tilted her head at the name " he came all the way to France to complain?" Lauren just nod not knowing what to say, making her huff a laugh " that's dedication, I'll give him that " taking a quick glance at her watch she then decided "Alright, I have 20 minutes before the next meeting so send him in , and please make sure to send out the Japanese deadline notice before we head to Montreal " Lauren nods as she typed on her pad then handed her the next meeting files " this will be our final meeting for the French branch , tomorrow will be field day and you have an appearance at Paris d'or gala , then you're free till Wednesday night , we'll be heading to Spain for the launch then we'll fly to Montreal form there before heading to New York on the 13th " she slumped over the desk dramatically , Groaning as she grumbled " and I thought my media duties were torturous " making Lauren remember " by the way the new Media team are going to attend the event tomorrow evening and will accompany us through the rest of the way back to UK " she snapped her head at the news " what!? , no no no " Lauren nod at her miserable face " yes, be grateful they're not following you everyday" , she straightened her posture and nods " if they try to get on my nerves I'm ditching them for good " Lauren nods in agreement " fair enough " then she made way to the door , letting Mr Solly in before closing it behind her .

The man walked in confidently with a certain look in his eyes, one she saw too many times to recognise with ease, he was sizing her and at the same time giving off the illusion of power , of having the upper hand over the situation, and she wanted to see the show he was trying to put up to it's end so she held her tongue as she greeted him " Mr Solly, you're a long way from Australia" he nods stoically " Ms L/N, I apologize for the inconvenience , I know how demanding your schedule is these days " she gave him a bored look " good to see we both think of it the same way " , her statement made him clench his hands but he kept his cool and proceeded " well , it's about the financial arrangements you installed previously and we see that they're a bit , extreme " she leveled him with a raised eyebrow " and may I ask who is we? " He cleared his throat " well the .... The directors and ..." She didn't waste time listening to his lame excuses " if my memory serves me right , and it does. The 'arrangements' as you called them were approved by the board members along with the department manager himself and the shareholders " his breath hitched and she didn't stop there " these arrangements came in time with various complaints from within the department about missing numbers from the accounts and they're not just small undetected numbers, they're big Mr Solly, too big to get swiped aside as human error or collateral casualty, so I'm asking you directly Mr Solly, do you have something to say? " , he clenched his jaw before he gritted out " what are you insinuating? " She leaned back on her chair with a wide grin " I'm not insinuating anything Mr Solly, I'm just asking obvious questions? But you seems to already know the answers " , He straightened his back and dropped his fake smile " you have no idea how things work, this is bigger than you , you think you can just come in and run around as you please just cause you're sitting on that chair? It's only a matter of time before everything crumbles because of your ignorance , you won't be smiling then " , she feigned surprise " are you threatening me Mr Solly? " He seemed satisfied with her reaction as he smugly answered " no , I'm simply enlightening you " she shook her head in boredom, staking her files and intertwined her hands on top of the stak giving him a wide smile unfazed by his falling apart façade " then let me enlight you in return , in two weeks time will be the next evaluation, I'll expect one of two things when I turn up by then , either your full report along with the missing accounts and data or your resignation letter, it's up to you to choose which one I'll be receiving first " .

She stood with a silent huff , not giving him space to react or answer back to the accusations and collected her files " now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be , I'm sure you know your way out " she made her way to the door and left like nothing happened.

The man was at the point beyond seething, he screamed at the empty chair, slamming his hands on the desk and proceeded to kick at chair before him . She stood by Lauren's desk, not bothering to glance at the closed door where the shouts of anger radiates off " charge him if he damaged anything and be sure to have at least one of the security to..... help him out if needed , and let me know if Martin call back or send the files I asked about " with a final nod she made her way to the next meeting .

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Posted Tuesday , 4.oct .2022

The L/N official

📍Paris, France 🇫🇷

Liked by Lewishamilton , Pierregasly, Redbullracing , and 2,274,119 others

TheL/Nofficial . light mode ☀️, night mode 🌑✨ , First official post with our lovely boss @Y/nsworld, we kicked off our journey with Paris 🗼 enchanting glamour, thank you France for the hospitality and we can't wait to return for more 🇫🇷♥️ .

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°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

4.october 2022

Letting a chuckled at her frowning face , then shared an amused grin over her head with Sergio who extended his arm out for her to hold into " I thought you'd be more hungover than this " , she gave him a hard glare reaching blindly to smack him as she replied emphasizing with each smack " and I thought you'd be nicer " he dodged the last one groaning as he held his wounded shoulder from her assault " you ditched me for months!! and when you show up you hit me !? " She shrugged " I'm suffering and you're the one responsible for it so you have to suffer too " she turned to Sergio who was now laughing at their fight while kylian scoffed at her "it's not my fault you drink like a bottomless pit ! I told you to slow down !" She turned her head back to scowl at him " I was nervous!! and you dared me to drink half of what we had!" He looked away at her accusations finding interest in the ceiling , away from her glaring eyes .

She rolled her eyes and asked " where's Leo ? He's my favourite anyway, and he's for sure nicer than you " he pouted and made his way behind her to wrap his arms around in a tight hug, swaying them from side to side as he whined " I thought I was your favourite?! " She held his arms with one of her hands while she used the other to reach back to give him a hard pinch on his side " not when you're amplifying my headache " making him yelp in pain and flinch away holding his side " fuck! " , she ignored him and turned to Sergio who was holding back his laugh and raised an eyebrow at him with her eyes narrowed " you want one ? " He backed away raising his hands in fear " no thank you" she nods and made her way towards the rest of the team waiting for the tour guide to lead them further into the newly built facility .

Her father's company has been one of the main investors which made the responsibility to attend on a short notice to attend the tour either along with the other investors from other companies or with the team itself, and since she was barely conscious that morning when Lauren flooded her phone with SOS messages to drag her not even 15 minutes later to attend with the team their first tour on the newly built facility .

So here she is , willing her tired self to push through the day in favour of sleeping her killer hangover away , not to mention her little shit of a best friend who is making hard for her to not throw him in one of the construction containers to serve him for poking fun at her .

°°°°°°°°°°°

°°°°°°°°°°°°°

5.october

Tom made his way to the stairs, avoiding the crowded lift in order to clear his mind a bit , a little exercise with some music won't do him any harm , so with his headphones on loud he took the first two floors before contemplating his choice as his legs started to shake , and it didn't take long for him to deem his choice a shitty one and used the exit door to find the lift in the third floor .

He leaning on the wall to support his weight as he waited to catch his lost breaths , and when it finally arrived it was way less crowded than he expected, with only one lady standing on the side with her hands clapped before her in an elegant way , he adjusted his hoodie and greeted her in a polite " hello " receiving a nod back before taking the other side further from her after pressing the top floor, focusing his eyes on his phone to pass the time , after a moment she asked after noticing where he's heading " you're going for a meeting too ? " He looked at her then shrugged " you can say that " she hummed in thought then pointed at what he was wearing , a hoodie along with jeans and his hair a mess , and gave a disapproving face " I don't think you have an appropriate attire for such place " even shaking her head with disdain " kids these days " he gave her a side glance , huffing a laugh under his breath before speaking aloud " well , it's a good thing i didn't ask for your opinion nor approval on that , seeing it's none of your business " leaving her with her mouth shut and hands clenched into fists , and made his exit when they reached the floor , rolling his eyes at her then turned round the corner and out of her sight.

He came face to face with Eddie who looked ready to head to a meeting, giving him a glare as he stood his ground with his arms crossed making Eddie clap his hands in a pleading manner " it's a last minute meeting, I wouldn't go if it wasn't urgent, it's only half hour consultation " when he didn't receive any answer he went for bribery " I'll get you a brand new set " Tommy gave him an unimpressed look " Bibi already did send me one from France " Eddie rolled his eyes with a mumble of " of course she did " before huffing at his youngest brother and asked " what do you want ? " Tommy extended his hand with his palm up " I'm driving back , and for the next week " he glared back at him and Searched his pockets before throwing his key at Tommy's waiting hand pointing at him in warning " just this time " and hurried down the hall to the meeting room , he swung the keys around his finger as he made his way to Carlton , his brother's longtime assistant who sat behind his desk as usual , making the later look up when he made his way over , smiling up at him as he leaned on the desk " look what Van Gogh dragged in " Tommy's smile widened , with his dimples on full display as he peeked his head over the screen that Carlton was working on minutes ago , " oh , no need for insults , you could just say you missed me " Carlton raised an eyebrow at him and scoffed " yeah sure , I do miss you missing up my files and distracting me half of the time you're here , and the other half you spend whining up and down about being board " Tommy kept his grin and teased with his eyes squinted " so you do miss me ! " Carlton rolled his eyes and sighed going back to his work " sit your ass down, I got work to do " he saluted and made his way over to set of plush chair across from the desk and made himself comfortable then started working on one of his sketches , moments later he heard his name being called, and when he looked up he was greeted by a slightly medium sized bag aimed at his face but he caught it before any damage could happen, and before jumping to send it back at Carlton he looked at the bag and his smile returned at the sight of his favourite candy , and called out in a sweet voice " ooooh , so you did, did missed me !? " making the other mumble under his breath " sometimes I regret doing so " making Tommy ask loudly " what was that ? " , " nothing! , if you don't want it give it back ! " The call made Tommy hug the bag and lean away "ok! I want it ! And thank you for thinking of me ! " making Carlton groan and burry his blushing face on his hands almost regretting his action , almost , but the sound of Tommy's loud humming made him take it back , " huummmn , sweet , but not as sweet as you~ " , yup he definitely regrets it now .

Back to Edward who was making his way to his urgent consultation after handing over his car keys, taking a breath before unlocking the door and stepping in , about to greet the Clint who turned out to be a woman standing by the window overlooking the skyline of London with her back facing him , but his words died in his throat when she turned around to face him , a smile made it's way upon her lips and she didn't hesitate to greet him , taking notice of his stunned face and stiff shoulders " hello Edward , it's been a long time " , he couldn't grasp if it's real or if he was having a cruel dream , no a nightmare . but it took him a moment to find his voice again and ask in disbelief " Mom ? " .

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°��

[eleni-cherie]

a thief's origin✨ || bts • kth - chapter 1.0

"you're afraid I won't wait." "I'm afraid you will."

a criminal and a doctor should be as different as the sun and the moon - but unexpected things happened every day. like him finding his safe haven in her.

© 2024 | eleni_cherie

»»»

masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, sexual tensiON, slowburn, mutual pining, strangers to friends to lovers s2f2l

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

»»»

20th December

Barcelona, Spain

Most days in the hospital were surprsingly good. Despite the unholy shift rotations - sometimes going from a late to an early shift, only giving her six hours of sleep before having to return there - Cassandra liked her work at the hospital overall.

She appreciated the routine, but also the occasional challenges. Even Pavlo decided to stop being a massive nuisance.

She even got her own group of first-years she did the round with. Now being the one acting like a quiz master which was highly entertaining, even if she had to stay professional and couldn't openly show it.

Sure, sometimes it got tiring whenever the rookies came running to her for every silly question, but she also enjoyed it. It made her feel important.

Her upskilling in surgery also began soon. It'd surely be interesting and instructive to get more insight in the opposite medical field. And frankly, she was kind of excited to witness her first real surgery.

All in all, it went well.

However, that didn't mean all days were pleasant like that.

That particular day, for example, had been one of those not-so-great-ones. The cloudy weather and her pms not helping either. Making her extra emotional after treating one of her older patients.

Her early shift ended and after bidding goodbye to Stella who had a double-shift ahead of her, she made her way out into the pre-Christmas coldness.

Christmas season was joyous for most people - or at least that was what commercials wanted her to believe - but for the young physician it had ended being fun when she'd found out Santa wasn't real at the age of eight.

The only thing she linked to this holiday now were family chaos and, well, presents. Quite superficial, in retrospective. Although she did miss the family chaos as she hadn't been able witnessing it quite often due to her work these years.

This year, however, she'd get to witness it all again, one more shift tomorrow and then she'd fly over to her home country. She'd have been more thrilled though if there wasn't one thing that concerned her. Or rather someone.

Taehyung.

He knew she'd leave soon, she'd told him over the phone. And he wanted to visit her before, but couldn't promise being able to do so.

Cassandra wondered if her boyfriend could make it after all, he still had one and a half days left. And if not, she wondered if he'd visit her in her hometown instead. He'd met her parents when randomly showing up during one of their visits a few months ago anyway, so the biggest hurdle had already been taken.

Her brown irises focused on the ground as she adjusted the grip on her backpack. A heavy sigh leaving her lips.

She was glad it was time to go home after a draining morning. The harsh December wind brushed against her flushed cheek, wiping a few strands over her eyes which she quickly tucked away only to abruptly stop in her tracks. Her shoulders fell, only now noticing how tense they'd been all this time.

There he was - her favourite worst menace, casually leaning against a black car.

One hand shoved into the pocket of his dark coat while the other was pushing back the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose which he had on despite the cloudiness. Ignoring the wind tousling his slightly trimmed waves. Evoking a small laugh from her.

Of course she knew it was a lazy attempt to cover himself, but it'd never work for her. He looked too cool and airy, too effortlessly attractive for her not to recognise him.

And her heart swelled with the sight of him after several weeks again.

Taehyung was absentmindedly resting his eyes at nothing in particular when his gaze instinctively wandered to her. Heart-shaped lips curling upwards into a beaming smile when spotting her and he was about to call out for her, when he paused instead when noticing her gloomy expression. A frown replaced his smile.

Cassandra's jaw unintentionally started trembling.

She couldn't contain it anymore, she had to let it go. She'd planned to do so when arriving home, but seeing him there now made everything from the day along with the fact she'd missed him, raise to the surface. but it was also how he always showed up when she needed him the most. As if he knew, by intuition.

And before she realised, she was sprinting towards him, crashing into his arms and embracing him tightly.

The brunette froze for a moment before his hands curved around his girlfriend's smaller frame. Cradling her against himself. His fingers brushed a few coppery strands from her face then, urging her to look at him by holding her cheek with one hand.

"Cas, what happened?"

Cassandra didn't say anything, though. Her glistering eyes looking up at his warm ones before she wordlessly kissed him.

The fact he made sure to visit her before she left, warming her inside. Making her forget the depressing day at work for a moment.

It was a gentle press of her lips, taking him aback at the unexpected gesture. But he didn't move or backed away, he simply closed his eyes and reciprocated it. Having missed the warmth of her more than anything. And he hugged her closer to him with the arm that was still wrapped around her waist. His hand moving from her jaw to the back of her neck.

The kiss merely lasted seconds before her heels return to the ground. A weak smile grazing her face as their noses brushed and she sniffled. Her head returning to his chest then, right above his heart.

"I love you."

It slipped past her lips so naturally, so easily. He almost failed to hear it the way she so casually said it. As if she commented on the cloudy weather or that she preferred chocolate over gummibears. But he heard it after all and swallowed. His heart contracting in a strange way and he could swear a beat was skipped, completely missing.

Taehyung was her happiness and strength and the sole reason she hadn't lost her mind at the hospital yet. The only person whose weirdness was compatible with hers, really. And she had to admit, the only time she was truly carefree and at peace was when he was holding her. A terrifying realisation. Especially since she didn't want to know the alternative.

With a light giggle Cassandra stepped back and let go of him, the only evidence of her blue mood moments ago being the drying tears now. "Sorry, that was random. Let's go," she said then, readjusting her backpack. Attempting to walk to the passenger seat when Taehyung grabbed her arm and pulled her right back into another kiss.

She had the guts, he thought, she really had the guts to say it first.

"Idiot," he muttered against her lips then, a chuckle erupting from his throat, "You think I'd risk getting caught every time if I didn't love you, too?"

Cassandra pouted with a nothing but teasing shrug. "I don't know.. You could have multiple girls all over the world."

Taehyung's brow perched up at this with disbelief. "You really think that of me?"

"You really think I'd be with you if I believed you were such a guy?" she huffed, "Of course not, I trust you."

His lips curled into a boyish smile. "Good. 'Cause I only want you, no one else." He patted her flushed cheeks with the sleeve of his coat then, drying them before speaking up with sudden glee. " Anyway! It's almost Christmas and I extra came all the way here to celebrate with my girlfriend. So let's celebrate!"

Cassandra looked at him suspiciously. "And what did you plan?"

"Don't worry, you'll like it."

"As long as I get some sweets.. been really craving some chocolate," she grinned. Already certain she'd love whatever it was anyway. The mere fact he was there was already enough to lift her mood for the entire month.

He arched a brow at her then. "Of course you'll also get your obligatory holiday sweets. Are you doubting me?"

And he laughed when seeing Cassandra's large eyes gleaming at the mention of desserts.

»»»

The shrill scoring sound echoed above them when the white puck slid passed his hand and into the hole. Cassandra immediately leaped up, almost bumping at a girl playing at the table behind her. Face beaming with joy at the display announcing her victory with 10 - 7.

Taehyung's brows rose, his head tilting while still processing what had just happened. "Huh," he huffed eventually, licking over his lips then. He had to admit defeat.

Cassandra grinned victoriously as she propped her hands on the airhockey table and leaned forward. "Say it."

Rolling his eyes, he chuckled lightly. "Fine, fine. You're the arcade champion."

Content, she nodded to herself and folded her arms. "Music to my ears."

They had spent the last two hours trying out almost all games around the arcade, competing in most of them - just for fun of course, although both tended to occasionally forget about that part. And they were sore losers, too, Cassandra more than Taehyung though. And with her total of five wins against his four, airhockey having been the tie breaker, she gloried her win. All for fun, of course.

"Don't tell me some relative of yours is also an arcade genius now," Taehyung whined. He was only teasing but was surprised to see her folding her lips in a mischievious manner.

"Not in all games, but my aunt was an expert in Pacman and other videogames if that counts."

"Of course," he laughed under his breath, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and walking her to one of the empty tables.

Truth was, he'd purposely gone easy on her. Not only because of her becoming whiny and pouty when losing - an adorably childish sight - but it also served another reason. At least, that's what his ego reminded him of.

"Anyway, since you're the winner, you should get a prize, right?"

Cassandra's eyes widened at his excited smile. Watching him pulling out a small box wrapped in fancy paper from the inside pocket of his coat that was hanging over one of the chairs.

She perked up at this. "A prize?"

"Technically your Christmas gift, but I figured it'd fit as a prize, too."

He laughed at her eagerly grabbing it out of his hand after sitting down. He had originally planned to hand it over while avowing his love to her, but she'd preempted him there at the parking lot. So he decided to give it to her as her prize after beating him at the arcades.

Unwrapping it, her brown eyes laid on a golden heart pedant, shining under the colourful blinking lights from the games around them. And the corners of her lips tucked into a soft smile.

"It's beautiful," she glanced up at him, "Thank you."

He motioned with his chin towards it. "Open it."

Her eyes frowned briefly, not having realised it was actually a locket and she obeyed. Bursting out laughing the moment she did, though, finding nothing else but a silly photo of him inside. Of course.

"You can swap the photo if you want."

But Cassandra only shook her head. "Nah, it's perfect." And she leaned over, pecking his cheek tenderly. "Thank you."

"You like it?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck and she wondered where that insecurity came from.

"Yes, of course," she smiled brightly and reached out to grab his hand and squeeze it. Taehyung smiled shyly back. Taking it from her hands then, he motioned for her to turn around and she did. Feeling his fingers brush her hair aside before putting the necklace around her neck. And she touched it briefly before facing him with a smile and another kiss on his cheek.

She genuinely loved it along with the photo inside. Even if she was usually going for silver jewelery, she found it beautiful and could tell it was of value save for the emotional one. She wasn't an expert, but it must've been pure gold, which made her a bit nervous when thinking about wearing it in her daily life. On the other hand though, whenever she felt dull at work, she could take a look at it and instantly get a serotonin boost.

They finished their drinks, which had been forgotten while playing and decided to leave. Stepping outside into the now dusken streets.

"So where to now?" Cassandra asked. Voice muffled underneath her thick scarf. They climbed into the car and she shivered from the sudden warmth when the heating started.

"I promised you sweets, didn't I?"

He chuckled when seeing her nodding vigorously.

»»»

"How much longer?"

"Just be patient. I know I have it here somewhere."

Taehyung took a sip from his red wine before laying down onto the fluffy carpet. His fingers folded under his head as he let his gaze wander over the ceiling coloured in a yellowish hue from the lamp in the corner.

He got tired of waiting as Cassandra was rummaging through her wardrobe and cabinets in search for his present. She couldn't remember where she'd stored it, not knowing when she's see him again.

"It's alright if you can't find it, you don't need to give me anything," he said in between of yawning. Hearing a faint scoff from the other room.

"Of course I need to! It's not only Christmas but also your birthday soon. Don't be ridiculous."

"But I'm bored," he whined, "Just come here and give it to me some other time."

"Don't make me regret confessing to you." He heard her laugh.

"You won't," he countered with a smug grin lazily spreading onto his features, "You love me after all."

And she only rolled her eyes, shaking her head in defeat before concentrating on looking for the small box when something caught her eye. "Found it!" she exclaimed happily and appeared seconds later above him with an object decorated by a green bow.

Curiously, he sat up and reached out for it. She sat down cross-legged in front of him. Nervously, she took a sip from her own wine as she watched him. His brows furrowed when unwrapping it. Seemingly not understanding what it was, he gave her an inquiring look and she sighed.

"It's a mini portable projector," she explained then, "Thought this would be the perfect gift for a film-lover on the run like you. You could always carry it around and use it wherever."

"Are you kidding?" His brows rose and he glanced down at the box in his hands.

Cassandra grew more and more fidgety at this. "If you don't like it I can return it. Not sure if I still have the re-"

However, Taehyung quickly cut her rambling off with a kiss. His smile bright and square. "It's perfect, Cas. I didn't even know such things existed. Thank you."

She couldn't help but bite back a relieved smile. "We could test it out right now," she suggested then. But Taehyung only smiled and tucked a curl behind her ear before leaning in.

"Maybe later."

 And he pulled her into his embrace, kissing her all over again.

»»»

"By the way, when will you tell me why you got so emotional earlier?" Taehyung wondered into the silence. It was late, past midnight for sure. The film they had settled on, 'How to steal a million', had ended some time ago.

He glanced down at her with a scowl. Observing her eyes fluttering open. His hand slid up and down over her warm skin as he waited for her to muster her courage.

Sometimes Cassandra was worse than him with being withdrawn and keeping her sorrows to herself.

With a sigh, her fingers fumbled with the bedsheet covering them. "It wasn't anything special," she mumbled then, causing him to roll his eyes.

"You know, if I am more vocal with my feelings, you gotta be more vocal with your concerns, too. It'd only be fair, don't you think?"

She peeked at him, lips folding in embarrassment. He was right, he was her boyfriend after all, he should know.

"Maybe I'm in the wrong profession after all.." she eventually spoke up then, dragging an exhale. Her hand had abandoned the sheet, lying flat on his bare chest now. "I still let things get too close to me."

And Taehyung realised it must've been about a patient. She couldn't tell him details, he knew so he didn't ask for any. "Isn't that good though?" he countered instead, "You aren't emotionally numb."

"It can be.." She propping her chin on his chest, eyes focusing on the small tiger pedant that had slid from his neck. Toying with it as she collected her thoughts. "But it can make me lose objectivity when I like or care for a patient too much. At the end of he day, I have to treat them the best way possible and that's not always pleasant."

He hummed, not entirely sure if he related to her dilemma. "Better to care too much than not caring at all. That's what I think at least."

She let out a noise of agreement although not seeming very convinced. And he gave her a worried look as he caressed her head before his arms wrapped around her lower back. It hadn't been the first time he'd seen her like that after all.

"If this profession causes you so much sorrow, why don't you quit?"

She shrugged, eyes still fixated on the tiger. "I don't know.. Why are you a thief despite having to constantly run away from interpol?"

It was a rhetorical question. He understood what her point was.

It wasn't always logical, it wasn't always pleasant, but that what having a passion was like. An inner force that constantly drove you, unable not to follow it whether it made you suffer or brought you joy.

He had to be a thief and partake in heists with his friends. It was the only thing he knew and was good at. Of course, he was certain that wouldn't last forever the older they got. For the time being, however, that was his inner pulse. Until it changed and something else replaced it.

His gaze rested on Cassandra who was seemingly absorbed in thoughts when she abruptly sat up in his lap. "But it's alright. I'm over that slump by now anyway."

He eyed her suspicious. "Are you sure?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, don't worry. Beating you at the arcades and eating cake managed lifting my mood again," she giggled, and he scoffed only to tickle her sides. Making her squeal and pushing his hands away.

She leaned over him to reach the nightstand then, suddenly feeling the urge to eat some of the left-over of the cake they had bought in the afternoon.

Christmas was only a few days away but thankfully, bakeries and patisseries still had enough of the taditional tronco de navidad in stock. A thin cake spread with cream and rolled into a cylindrical shape to form a tree trunk, covered with a thick layer of chocolate.

"Gotta remember that place, it's really good," she mumbled with her mouth being half-stuffed. She was munching on the cake and seemingly saviouring every bit of it with eyes closed as she sat there on his lap.

His thumb wiped away brown cream from the corner of her mouth, his hands settling back on her hips then with a fond smile. Skin warm and soft under his fingers, holding her there between his palms. His irises fell on he heart-pedant that swayed on her colarbones with every bite she took, peeking between her cascading curls.

He really loved her. He was utterly and hopelessly in love with that beautiful girl. And he was glad seeing her so cheerful and carefree again compared to hours ago, this look suiting her the best. Sunlight burst into the room whenever she smiled like this, no matter the time of day.

Cassandra's happy humming interrupted his train of thoughts.

"You can change the photo inside if you want." His mellow voice took her attention away from her cake and she followed his gaze to her new necklace. She swallowed the dessert.

"I know, you already said that. But I don't wanna."

She liked the photo of him inside the locket. He looked cuddly and cute on it.

Taehyung only huffed and she almost cooed, finding his random shyness adorable. "Isn't it corny though?"

"A little bit, but I don't mind," she shrugged, before adding with a smirk, "Unless you stole the necklace and are now afraid of leaving evidence."

Her tone was obviously teasing and he squeezed her hips. "Please, what do you think of me?" he fake-pouted. "I'd never give you stolen goods."

Of course he had paid the full price. Cassandra was worth every price after all. Furthermore, he could never bring himself to give her something stolen, it'd be insincere. Gifts were meant to deliver his feelings to her - giving her stolen goods wouldn't make sense.

Cassandra smiled gently at this and bent down. Kissing his pout away with her chocolate-tasting lips.

»»»

next chapter: 1.1 here

Don't forget to like, comment & leave feedback!♡ It motivates me to keep writing :)

taglist: @lilanyxta @naoolammao345 @memna234 @tetehion @myblacklilame

[ony-y]

Omg episode 101.

Finally. We get more than 2 or 3 scenes of our lovely Marta and Fina.

The comedy, the love, the fanfic level of writing, the promise to go to spend the night IN MADRID.

I swear if they take that from us again I'll go to their studios and yell at them. I'm flying to Spain in 2 days and I will be in Madrid.

I hope that since they are supposed to finish with the interviews of the family in the morning and that Claudia's mother is showing up that maybe they will go to Madrid in episode 103?? (Because tomorrow is a morning episode, so 103 will be the evening and night)

[canirove]

My neighbour Rúben | Chapter 5

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Masterlist

"Rúben!" Julia screamed when I opened the door. 

"Hello, little one" he said, picking her up with those arms of his. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you!" she said. "I'm Queen Elsa and she is Anna."

"Oh... Is that why you are wearing those braids? I like them."

"Thank you" I said, feeling my cheeks getting warm. Why was I blushing? We had been able to have a proper conversation earlier, and now...

"So if you are Elsa, and she is Anna... Who am I?"

"Kristoff! He is Anna's boyfriend."

"Is he?" Rúben said, looking at me with a cheeky smile before putting Julia down. He was giving me a cheeky smile. Me. Because Kristoff is Anna's boyfriend and I'm Anna and he is Kristoff and... 

"He is! You'll see, we are watching "Frozen" tonight! And we have popcorn, and chocolate, and gummy bears!" Julia said, grabbing his hand and taking him to the kitchen. "Look!"

"Can you eat any of this? You probably have to follow a very strict diet to look like that" I said, my eyes going all over his body, something that he definitely noticed. "In shape I mean. For football." 

"I can eat some popcorn, don't worry. And if I eat too much, I'll make sure to burn it tomorrow during training" he replied, this time with the same smirk from when we first met. Oh, dear Lord.

When we sat down on the sofa to watch the movie, Julia was between us, the popcorn on her lap. While I had my arms crossed over my chest, trying to not freak out, Rúben was feeling himself at home, one of his arms stretched over the back of the sofa, his fingers just millimeters away from my neck. My exposed neck because of the braids. If he moved just a bit, he could touch it, and I would probably melt just as Olaf does in the movie.

Thanks to Julia's constant comments I was able to stop thinking about it for a while, but during one of the songs I looked at him and he was... singing? Rúben Dias... was singing... "Love is an open door"? What? And he also sang "Let it go". Word by word. He said he was a Disney fan, but this? This was unexpected. 

"Can we watch "Frozen 2" now?" Julia asked when the movie ended.

"It's bed time."

"But it's a Friday! C'mon, please" she said, looking at me with puppy eyes. 

"We'll leave it for next Friday."

"Will you come?" she asked Rúben.

"If I can I will."

"Yay!" she said, giving him a hug. "Anna can't be without Kristoff."

And what was Rúben's answer to that? Another smirk. While looking at me.

"Let's go get you changed, Julia" I quickly said, getting up from the sofa.

"Rúben, can you take me flying to my room?" she asked him, already climbing into the back of the sofa.

"Wait, Julia.” But before I could say or do anything else, she was jumping, Rúben catching her and making her fly as if she was Supergirl. 

"Look, I'm flying!" she giggled. "To my room!"

"Ready for landing?" Rúben asked her when the three of us made it there. 

"Ready!"

"One... Two... Three!" he said before throwing her into the bed, Julia bouncing when she landed, her laugh echoing around the room.

"Again!"

"You already landed, it can´t happen again. Now it's time to get changed."

"Boring" she pouted.

"I'll wait outside."

"But you are coming back to say boa noite, aren't you?"

"Of course" Rúben said, closing the door behind him but coming  back later so they could say goodnight to each other in Portuguese. And maybe, just maybe... I was melting like Olaf while watching it all.

"Next time you have to make her fly" Julia said, pointing at me. "She's a guardian angel but she doesn't have wings."

"She may be scared of flying..." Rúben said. And yes, he was smirking again.

"She isn't, she's been to Spain."

"Then I'll make sure to make her fly." And the way he looked at me, the way he smiled at me... That told me that he wasn't talking about carrying me around with those stupidly big arms of his. He was thinking about something else. Could have I been imaging it? Maybe. Maybe my brain was playing tricks on me because I thought he had been flirting with me earlier. But what I was feeling all over my body was too real to be just my imagination. 

"Let me help you clean everything" he said once we left Julia in her room.

"You don't need to, you should probably go rest too. Aren't you playing this weekend?"

"On Sunday. Why don't you come?"

"What?" 

"You and Julia. You said you are spending the whole weekend with her, right?"

"I am, yes."

"Then come to the game, I'll get you tickets. We are playing against Chelsea at 5 pm. When you get home she'll be so tired  that she'll be asleep before you put her to bed."

"I'll have to ask Lucy first."

"Yes, of course" he said, the popcorn ball and all our leftovers on his hands while he walked into the kitchen. "But if you come, can I get you both my shirt? Or is that too much for an Arsenal girl?"

"I'm not an Arsenal girl" I said, following him. "I mean, yes but no."

"How so?" he said, letting everything he was carrying on the kitchen's counter and leaning against it. But not like normal people. No. He did it on the sexiest way possible.

"I... I've never really been into football” I finally said, focusing on looking at the clock behind him. "My grandad has been taking me to Arsenal games since I can remember, and when I was eight I actually started playing. My feet weren't made to kick a ball, but my hands were really good at stopping it."

"Were you a goalkeeper?"

"For a year I was, yes. They gave me a medal and everything. But then my dad got scared because I could injure my fingers or wrists, which would mean no more piano, and piano was the only thing that mattered. Not if I was happier playing football."

"He made you quit?"

"He didn't make me. He forced me to. And after that I kind of stopped caring about football because it made me sad. I still went to some games with grandad, but it wasn't the same."

"I'm sorry" Rúben said. He had moved forward without me noticing and was standing very close to me. Very close. 

"Thank you" I whispered, my eyes fixed on the floor. If I looked up, that was it. It would probably faint, die, or both things at the same time. But that could still happen without looking at him, because his hand was moving towards my face. No, it was on my face. His thumb was on my cheek and... 

"Fuck!" I screamed when the phone rang, my heart on my throat.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes, yes. I just wasn't expecting to hear the phone."

"Me neither" Rúben chuckled. And when I finally looked up... There it was. Another smirk. 

"I better pick that up, it probably is Lucy checking in."

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I asked her about the game" I said to Rúben after talking with Lucy.

"And?"

"She said yes."

"Great" he said with a big grin. He looked so... Happy? But it was because Julia was going. He clearly loved that kid. "I'll send you the tickets tomorrow. Can I get your number or your email? Maybe both? Just in case something happens."

"Ok."

"Perfect" he said after I wrote both things on a paper. "I'll see you on Sunday, Anna."

"Elsa and I will be there, Kristoff." 

And he smiled, and I smiled. And after he left, I was still smiling. And oh, my God. Had all that been a dream? Had I imagined it all? Or had Rúben spent half the day flirting with me?

[ashtheketchum]

Hi :]

Can you write a rise Leo x a reader that has trouble sometimes speaking English because their main language is Spanish?

ROTTMNT Leo X Spanish GN.Reader

A/N: My first real request! Wow, I'm so happy! :D I like the idea, so let's do it! Have fun reading! (Picture from Pinterest!)

Summary: April brings an internet friend from Spain to the boys. April's friend has come to New York for vacation and is looking forward to meeting the four turtles. However, since the reader barely speaks English, Leo makes a few jokes.

Warnings: GN.Reader, oneshot, Leo is an idiot, Reader is from Spain (no appearance specified though!)

,,..." = Someone speaks spanish

____________________________________

PoV (Y/N):

I had finally arrived in New York and I was very happy. April, my internet friend, invited me to meet her friends and of course I immediately accepted her offer. We met on Instagram and have written every day since then. I also already knew April's “special” friends, the turtles. Raph, Leo, Donnie and Mikey. Although I only saw them briefly and introduced myself to them briefly, they were also happy to get to know me properly.

However, while I was writing to April, I always used a translator because my English was terrible. I only knew a few words, which usually got me through school, but New York was a whole other level. ´Hello´, ´Bye´ and ´How are you´ wouldn't be enough, I already knew that. So April helped me a bit with my pronunciation and vocabulary. We spoke on the phone every evening and she taught me important vocabulary, which I learned and then used. Even on my plane to New York, I learned every word again until I could only think about that language.

When I arrived at the airport, I saw April swaying towards me. Smiling, I walked towards her with my bags in my arms. "Hey, (Y/N)! I’m glad you’re here!” She greeted me and hugged me tightly. I laughed and hugged her back before looking at her beaming. "I'm happy too! This is something different from my home.” I would live with April for a full week before setting out to fly back. I was allowed to sleep with her for as long as I could.

"We're going to the boys' tomorrow, today we'll just unpack your stuff!" April said, giving a thumbs up. I also gave a thumbs up and grinned wider. ,, Yes!"

At April's house I unloaded my bags and we got the couch ready for me. I would sleep on the couch that April specially laid out. While we were putting my clothes in her closet, we ordered something to eat and watched a movie. We also watched it in English, so I might learn new words.

<Time Skip>

The next day April and I set off to see the turtles. Before that, April called the boys to let them know while I was still getting ready in the bathroom. When the call ended, however, April sighed loudly. ,, Everything okay?" I asked, with a worried look. ,, Yes! Yes, yes, everything is great!” But then she said, with a strained smile. I looked at her suspiciously for a moment before continuing to brush my teeth.

On the way there, we were quiet and we listened to the traffic. There was a lot going on, just like on many other days. But suddenly April spoke up, with a nervous grin. "Listen… if Leo seems weird, just ignore him, okay?" She said suddenly. I looked at her in shock before raising an eyebrow in confusion. April hadn't told me much about the turtles, just their names and their corresponding colors. And hearing something like that directly from one of them worried me a bit. “How exactly… do you mean that…?” April scratched the back of her head before answering. "You'll see that… just ignore him or speak in Spanish to confuse him."

Her answer didn't really cheer me up, but at least it was something. But then I nodded humming and prepared myself for this Leo.

In the cave, it didn't actually look like we were in the sewers. A huge main hall connected to many small rooms. It actually looked really cool. April showed me around here a bit before we arrived at a smaller, darker room. In the middle of the room was a brown armchair that was right in front of a screen. Around this chair stood four huge turtles, of different species. "Hey, guys! Look what I brought with me!” April shouted loudly.

The turtles turned their heads towards us and they smiled at me. Raph and Donnie smiled at me in welcome, Mikey more happily and Leo had that cheeky grin on him. Oh man, Leo. I didn't know him and I didn't want to anymore. "Hey, you must be (Y/N)!" Mikey then said and he pointed at me. ,, Yes that's me!" I then said proudly, as if I were a superstar.

"Cool, April told us a lot about you." Raph then said. April and I grinned widely at each other before both laughing quietly. But suddenly Leo pushed Raph and Mikey away and he bowed deeply to me. He took my hand in his and grinned cheekily at me. "Hello, new visitor. I’m Leo.” He said in Spanish. His accent was terrible and you could tell he had never spoken Spanish before. "Hello, Leo." I said simply, with a tight smile.

,, I'm pleased! That means you can understand us well, right?” He spoke too quickly so I couldn't understand him properly. I looked at him uncertainly as he then giggled. "Ohhh, I understand." He then giggled and wrapped his arm around my neck. "I'll show you around a bit! My house is also your house!” He just said laughing. April wanted to run after us, but Leo was already closing the door behind us.

Leo gave me a tour of their cave and he showed me the different rooms. During this time, however, he spoke so quickly that I couldn't understand him at all. It made me incredibly nervous, so I sometimes spoke in Spanish out of reflex. Whenever I did this, Leo would always laugh and squeeze in another line. "And here is my room! It’s actually the coolest thing based on the style, right?” Leo gave me a big grin while I just looked at him in awe. I didn't really feel uncomfortable, but I was incredibly nervous. "It looks very good, but everyone has their own taste." I murmured quietly, in Spanish.

,, Haha! I may know the basics, but I’m not that good, little one!” He then joked. However, all I understood was the nickname and that he wasn't good at something. Inwardly I tried to calm myself down and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry… I'm still learning…" I then murmured quietly, but this time in English. Leo chuckled again before wrapping his arm around my neck again. "You know I'm just teasing you, right?" He then asked, but this time he looked at me nicer.

Somehow I didn't know how to answer him. I had never thought that Leo would want to hurt me, but his jokes said something against it. Not that they hurt me, they were even amusing at times. "I… just don't understand English that well." I tried my best to get back into my rhythm, but Leo really had me out. "It's all good, little one."

Leo pulled away from me before handing me a small piece of paper. ,, This is my number. I'm sure we can talk more often when you're no longer here. But as long as you’re here, I really hope you come visit us every day.” He spoke so quickly again. I had trouble understanding him again, so I just stared at him silently. Leo gave me a wry smile before smiling lovingly at me. He repeated his words again, but more slowly and more clearly. It gave me some relief, so I nodded this time. "Y-yes, I'm coming to visit." I just said. Leo hummed happily for a moment before leading me back to the others.

April looked up at Leo completely distraught, but when she saw me smiling reassuringly at her, she relaxed again. Apparently she was worried, understandable. "Oh man, Leo… I hope you didn't do anything bad…" She just mumbled. "I would never!" He just laughed it off.

We spent the rest of the day with the brothers and their father. We chatted, but everyone made sure to speak slowly and clearly. Especially Leo. Sometimes he even translated what the others were saying. I was happy that they accepted me so much and that Leo stopped making jokes about me so often. Even though sometimes he wanted me to speak Spanish. "Leo, you are the weirdest idiot I have ever met." "Wow, what did you say!?" "That you're nice." He will never know.

That evening I saved Leo's number and April asked me what Leo had done after he kidnapped me. I explained to her that he had just shown me around again and talked to me. “You guys seem to like each other.” April suddenly said with a mischievous grin. My cheeks turned bright red and I stared at my phone screen. "Yeah, maybe… but he can really be an idiot…" I then said, with a small giggle. "Idiocy, cute turtle." I then mumbled quietly. "I understood that." April said suddenly, surprising me again.

Was there anything that April was not good in it?

[cto10121]

Tentatively doing my Notre Dame de Paris English, see how it goes. I'm about 90% satisfied with this one; a part of me laments not having a whole verse rhyme for the refrain. Also, I do miss Bohémienne, since it's more singable. But since Bohémienne is French, and Esmeralda gets called Zingara throughout the show and talks about Andalucía, I opted for Zingara.

Air of the Zingara (Bohémienne)

Phoebus Beautiful stranger, where do you dwell? Angel of heaven or of hell? Child of God or beast of man  How came you here to this land? 

Esmeralda Zingara No one country or creed is my own Zingara I’m a child of the road alone Zingara, zingara Come tomorrow, I’ll seek a new land Zingara, Zingara Read my fate in the lines of my hand

My mother told me tales of Spain Of golden days beneath its sun Its blazing mountains and terrain The plazas full of gypsy song That’s where my mother once belonged Now she and Father all are gone And Paris soon became my own But when I hear that roaring foam My wayward heart begins to roam    To my Castilian mountain home

Zingara No one country or creed is my own Zingara I’m a child of the road alone Zingara, zingara Come tomorrow, I’ll seek a new land

Zingara, zingara Read my fate in the lines of my hand

Dancing barefoot through the countryside  The hills and mountains of Provincial prides For the gypsy road is so long  The road’s so long I will follow uphill, below Where it will lead me, where e’er I’ll go For I belong to gypsy life and song The life and song 

The green of Spanish seas Runs through my veins  Runs through my daydreams

The blue of Spanish skies She tells me, “Fly,” “Return to me now”

Zingara No one country or creed is my own  Zingara I’m a child of the road alone Zingara, zingara Come tomorrow, who knows where I’ll land?

Zingara, zingara Read my fate in the lines of my hand

Read my fate in the lines of my hand…

[ilikecarsandlike4people]

Bye! I'm logging off to start my holidays!😎☀️ I'm spending tomorrow packing and preparing, and I'm flying out early on Saturday💛 Vacation post queue is starting tomorrow onwards, and I'll be checking notes and asks from time to time, but I'll mostly be offline next 3 weeks or so. See you later, I'm off to Spain!☀️

[pbandjesse]

I am so tired right now. I was so social today and while it was nice to have people over, I really could have used a nap.

I went to sleep pretty quickly after I posted last night and I slept pretty well. I wasn't feeling amazing but it was fine.

My internal clock is very good and I woke up 3 minutes before my alarm went off. I would wash my face and got dressed. I wanted to be out of the bathroom so I wasn't holding up Evan and Noelle. Who would wake up soon after me.

I went downstairs to say good morning to James, after greeting our guests. James had gone kayaking this morning and was making us cornbread for breakfast. I was excited for cornbread.

I would pick up some stuff and put things away. And James would start making coffee and things for Evan and Noelle. We had an hour to hang out. Enjoyed James's fabulous cornbread with butter and blackberry jam. They used more butter in the batter this time and it was such a nice consistency.

Evan and Noelle had to leave at 9. They would actually leave a few minutes after that. I was sad to see them go so early but they had to go pick up a roasted pig for a party. I understood. We are all so busy but I really appreciated them making the trip. And I hope we hang out again really soon.

After hugs all around James would walk them out. I laid on the couch for a few minutes. But pretty quickly went outside to sit on the porch swing. I had sat out there for a few minutes first thing this morning but it was just nice to lay down with a pillow and blanket while the sun wasn't on that side of the building yet.

James would come out to give me a kiss. They went to stretch and get themselves ready for a 30 mile bike ride with Beth (from the museum) and her husband. They are training for a longer tour and this was going to be a lot of uphill. I would wish them luck before they headed out.

I would spend the 4 or so hours doing little things. I did some knitting. I laid out a few of my projects today to try and map out what I will need to make to finish them. My puff quilt is still only half way done. I want to finish these two smaller projects ASAP. And I need to get my temperature blanket up to date soon. It's nice to have all these projects going. And it's nice to have a plan to finish them.

I would pull out our Ren fair stuff and started thinking about my costume for this year. I have decided I need a simple linen apron. Something with thin strings. I may end up making it myself but we will see what I can come up with.

I would rest for a while. Sometimes inside. Sometimes outside. Crabcake and Sweetp were enjoying the nice weather. Once the sun came to the backyard I would come back inside. I tried to eat lunch but it hurt my stomach really bad. I would have a popsicle. A grape one. And I just focused really hard on being hydrated today. Putting a coffee lid on my water bottle helped a lot. I think being dehydrated has exacerbated how bad I've felt. So I am making a very big effort, even though I'm finding it very hard.

I would take a bath at 11am. I was feeling weirdly itchy and my skin was very dry. So a nice bath and scrub and nice lotion after made me feel a lot more like a person.

I would spend a little time putting things away and making outfits for the week. I was in a good mood.

Jorge would text me to check in about visiting. I let them know that James was planning to be home around 2 so to aim for then. They said that was perfect. They would do laundry, since they are flying back to Spain tomorrow.

I would rest on the couch. I almost fell asleep but I didn't have enough time to actually nap. And pretty quickly Jorge was knocking on the door.

It was really nice to have him over. I showed him the whole house. And we would hang out on the couch until James got home. James was exhausted. It was a tough ride! But they had fun. And would go clean off.

We would talk about camp and Spain and books and art. Video games. Life. James would pull out the bucket grill and made is hot dogs for lunch.

I was doing really good keeping it together. Eating was very slow. And I was just enjoying the company and chatting. James would show us a trailer for a video game about a detective frog and we would end up buying it. Maybe I'll play that later this week.

Eventually James would leave to go do laundry. Said goodbye to Jorge and wished him luck on his travel home. And then me and Jorge spent the next hour or so talking about AI as a tool, modern and contemporary art and how so often you have to spend time and research to really understand what they were trying to say with their work, and about books and authors we love. I told him about Karen Russel and her short stories and how much they impacted me. It was just really a lovely afternoon.

I was getting tired though and Jorge had a dinner to go to. So after showing him my current knitting stuff he would call an Uber and headed home. Big hugs and well wished all around.

I was proud of myself for not feeling sick but apparently I just held it together until then. I would pretty quickly fall apart.

I took my medicine and drank water and laid down but would just end up quickly crying until James got home.

They would put the laundry away and came and gave me a cuddle. And then went to enjoy their evening in the kitchen.

They need me a potato dish for dinner. And then jumped into Angel food cake and pasta making. Since the angel food cake needs egg whites and the pasta needs the tools, it's kind of perfect to make together. I am very excited for the angel food cakes. They made them for me a lot last year and they are so nice. Way better then the ones from the store, which almost are always to dry or sharp tasting. It will be a really nice treat for tomorrow.

And tomorrow I have work! I'm doing low ropes at camp for the highschool that comes their first week of freshman year and their last week of senior year. I always like working with this group. And the groups are supposed to be really small tomorrow. But I think it'll be fun. And hopefully I feel good and can just be positive. I am going to just really focus on having a good day. And then coming home to take a nap.

I am going to go get ready for sleep now. I hope to just get a lot of rest and feel great tomorrow. I hope you all have a great night. Stay safe, wash your hands. Until tomorrow.

[player1064]

Feb 2016 (becks) 🥺🙏🏽

WIP asks but it's just the various sections of my happy (???) beville (/angsty carraville) WIP

---

February, 2016.

Gary doesn't pick up, the first time David tries to call him. It doesn't even ring, just goes straight to voicemail.

It's not surprising. Gary's always struggled, after a loss. And this was a very big loss. He's probably turned his phone off, gone straight back to the hotel to drown his sorrows with a - sensible, always sensible even now - single glass of wine.

He leaves it for a couple of hours, gives Gary some time to mope. I won't sleep well tonight, he'd said in the post-match press conference. David will be surprised if he sleeps at all, he knows what he's like: the guilt and shame will have him tossing and turning all night long, until he'll eventually give up and go find a treadmill to run on until his legs give out.

David's memories of Camp Nou are all good. He's only played there a handful of times, only beaten Barcelona there once, that season he was with Madrid. But that's all irrelevant, because for David, for any of his old United teammates, Camp Nou was the setting for one of the best nights of his life. And now that's been ruined for Gary.

When he calls again later that evening, he listens to the phone ring and ring, far longer than he's come to expect from the man glued to his phone. And when Gary picks up there's no greeting, just the sound of his shaky breaths on the other end of the line.

"Gaz?"

He hears a choked sob, then a sniff and a "hi, Becks."

This… this is unexpected. Gary doesn't cry, not ever. A bit, last summer when he lost his dad, but even then it was only when he and David were alone in their hotel room in Australia, his face pressed against David's chest while silent tears rolled down his cheeks.

David doesn't really cry either, now that he thinks about it. He's not sure what that says about either of them.

He tries to keep his tone light now, asks jokingly "why so glum? Your team lose or somethin'?" which should've made Gary give a feeble sort of laugh but instead just earns him another muffled sob.

More seriously, he adds "it's only football, love. It's only football."

"Yeah. Right," Gary says quietly. There's a slight echo to his voice, like he's calling from a bathroom or something.

"Are you out somewhere?" David asks, which feels like an embarrassing question when even the thought of him going out after a loss goes against a quarter of a century's knowledge about Gary.

"Wha? Oh, no. No, I'm at the 'otel, just - felt a bit sick, is all. Been campin' out in the bathroom for a little bit."

David's gut twists with guilt. "Say the word, Gaz, and I'm on the next plane over there. This time of night, I reckon I can be at your door in less than four hours."

It's an empty promise, not because he wouldn't go - David would quite readily run all the way to Spain if that was the only way to get there - but because he knows Gary will say no. Because Gary is far too proud to admit he needs other people, even his bloody husband. And because Salford has a game tomorrow, and Gary would lose all respect for him if David skipped out on watching it just to fly to Spain for a bit of a cuddle.

They sit in silence for a few moments, David listening to Gary's shaky breaths slowly start to even out.

"Can I ask you somethin', David?" Gary asks after a while, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Of course," David replies without a moment's hesitation. "Anything, always. You know that."

"Yeah." He hears Gary's uncomfortable chuckle, can just picture the way he's probably running a hand through his hair right now. "Yeah, I - I dunno, it might be stupid. Tell me if it's stupid, Becks, but lately I've - I've been thinkin', about Spain. I mean, obviously I've been thinkin' about Spain, see, stupid, but I mean - I've been thinkin' about Madrid."

David's been thinking a lot about Madrid lately too. Hard not to, when the man you love has fucked off to Spain and there's not a damn thing you can do about it without being marked a hypocrite because you did the same.

He'd hated Madrid. He'd loved Madrid. Both things can be true. He sometimes wonders what his life would look like now if United hadn't recalled his loan at the end of that season, if they'd sold him for good. Though who knows, maybe that wasn't an offer that Madrid had on the table. Maybe he was always going to end his career at Manchester United.

"I miss you more, this time around," David says gently. "Never would've thought that'd be possible, but. There you go."

"Yeah." Gary chuckles again, still uncomfortable. Like that's not the end of his thought, like the worst is still to come. "I just - I always wondered, an' I know it's stupid, so like - but I always wondered, like. D'you remember valentines, that year? With the - the red card, and the international break, and - but before all that, when you sent all them presents for me to Old Trafford? I - I dunno, I keep thinkin', lately, about somethin' Roy said that day. That maybe you felt guilty about somethin'."

David has had twelve years to anticipate this conversation, but the question still makes him wince, still feels like it's causing him physical pain.

He'd been all alone out there. He didn't know any Spanish, couldn't speak to any of his teammates. Back in Manchester, Gaz had lost his form, it was obvious even on a TV screen a thousand miles away, so David had been tiptoeing around him in all their calls, careful not to rock the already unstable boat.

So he'd had nobody. That's his excuse, and it's a weak one. Gary deserves better than that.

"I love you," he says quickly, even though they both know that's not a valid answer. "I've loved you my whole life."

"Becks."

"It only happened once. I can barely remember what she looked like. It was just once, Gaz, swear on my life. An' I felt sick after, for weeks and weeks."

"Alright." Gary lets out a long, shaky breath. "Yeah, alright then. Yeah."

"Gaz -"

"Think I already knew, didn't I? But I think it's good, that - at least now I can stop wonderin'."

"I love you."

"Yeah." Gary sighs again. "Night, David."

*

Felt a bit sick, Gary had said.

It's probably just coincidence.

[movietonight]

I am realising this is a year of travel for me but mostly not even voluntarily. I flew back from Germany to Ireland in January. Now I flew back to Germany a couple days ago. Tomorrow I'm flying to Belgium on a field trip. My flight back got cancelled and the cheapest and coolest option is that I fly from Belgium to Greece for two days. From Greece I'll fly back to Germany. Then in July I'm flying to England for a week for a concert and to see friends. Then if I get accepted into a PhD programme this year I'll fly either back to Ireland or to Spain or Finland in winter. Insane year. Not complaining though because I do love travel but like half of this was unplanned. Stress.