#big brother canada 2

[cressidagrey]

White Horse - Chapter 21: June 2024 - Part 2

Pairing: Max Verstappen x Isabelle Leclerc (Original Character)

Summary:

Max Verstappen is a World Champion. Isabelle Leclerc is invisible.

She watched her family give up everything for Charles’ career—Arthur’s karting, their father’s savings, even her childhood horse. She understood. She never asked for more.

But Max does. He notices the things no one else does, listens when no one else will, and puts her first in ways she never imagined. With him, she isn’t an afterthought—she’s a choice. And for the first time, she realizes she doesn’t have to be invisible.

Warnings and Notes: 

we have now moved on from Charles bashing to bashing his whole family, Discussions of toxic past relationships, talk about loosing a childhood pet, toxic families, mention of the loss of a parent. Apparently I am once again messing up my chapter numbering on Tumblr. 21 is correct according to AO3 and Wattpad though. No, you didn't miss anything, I promise.

As always big thanks to @llirawolf , who listens to me ramble

Meanwhile on Twitter: 

@/F1GossipQueen: DID CHARLES JUST REALIZE MID-INTERVIEW THAT HE FORGOT HIS OWN SISTER’S BIRTHDAY??? HELP LMAO

@/monacosfinest: "Wait… we forgot." Nah, Charles, YOU forgot. The whole damn family forgot. How do you ALL forget???

@/f1tea:The way Charles’ whole face DROPPED when he put the dates together… This is cinema.

@/isabellesimpgc: This man just short-circuited ON CAMERA realizing he forgot his little sister’s birthday. I would be in hiding.

@/horsegirlupdates: ISABELLE WAS AT THE MONACO GP. SHE CELEBRATED WITH THEM. SHE SAID NOTHING. SHE JUST LET THEM ALL FORGET. I’M SICK.

@/f1trolls:Charles: "Do you have my phone? I need to fix this." Bro, there is no fixing this.

@/girlinthepaddock: The fact that Isabelle hasn’t posted ANYTHING since Monaco…

@/charlesleclercfans:Charles, buddy, you’re not getting out of this one 💀

@/f1chaos:Charles really went from “living his childhood dream” to “realizing he was the worst brother in real-time” in under five seconds. Iconic.

@/monacoprincess:The way he literally STOPPED TALKING, STARED INTO THE VOID, and then went, "Wait… we forgot." BRO. YOU FORGOT. YOU.

@/paddockgirlies:Isabelle spent her whole life supporting her brothers and they couldn’t even remember her birthday??? She didn’t even TELL them they forgot, she just let them be happy while she suffered in silence. I’M SICK.

@/girlwhocriessports: Okay but imagine being Charles and realizing ON LIVE TV that you forgot your sister’s birthday while the entire world watches. This is worse than any DNF he’s ever had.

@/ferrariwoes: Charles, in Monaco: "This is the best day of my life!"Charles, two weeks later in Canada: "Oh my god, I forgot my sister’s birthday."

@/isabellesimp: She just kept quiet and let them all forget. She didn’t even correct them. She probably just went home alone and cried. Do you understand how HEARTBREAKING that is????

@/paddockinsider: Ferrari’s biggest strategy blunder this year wasn’t even on the track—it was the entire Leclerc family forgetting Isabelle’s birthday.

@/F1TeaSpiller: Not Charles Leclerc realizing DURING AN INTERVIEW that he forgot his own sister’s birthday… and then Arthur and Lorenzo probably finding out THROUGH HIM. This family is actually unbelievable.

🔗 Clip attached

@/GridGossip:So let me get this straight:

Isabelle was in Monaco the entire weekend.

She celebrated Charles’ win with him.

She didn’t say a word about her own birthday.

And not a single one of her brothers remembered.

They really just treat her like she doesn’t exist, huh?

@/TifosiDrama:Not a single post. Not a single mention. She was right there, and they STILL forgot. I don’t blame her for ignoring them now.

@/OversteerObsessed: So you’re telling me Isabelle’s birthday was on the same day as Charles winning Monaco for the first time ever, and they were so caught up in the win that they just… forgot about her?? I’m actually speechless.

@/FormulaShady: The Leclerc brothers are about to have the worst sibling PR disaster in F1 history. Isabelle is LITERALLY the forgotten Leclerc.

@/WheelyFastWAGs: Isabelle spent years supporting her brothers—showing up to races whenever she could, celebrating their successes—and they can’t even remember her BIRTHDAY?!

@/TyreDegAndDrama: No, but let’s really sit with this: she was literally there. Not far away. Not off somewhere else. She was in Monaco, with them, and not one person thought, “Oh hey, it’s Isabelle’s birthday.”

@/OvercutOverload: Charles’ brain loading like an old Windows XP computer when the journalist asked about winning on his sister’s birthday.

@/Lap1Carnage: I need you all to understand how humiliating this is. You are a public figure. You win Monaco. A journalist gives you the perfect setup to say something nice about your sister. And instead, you find out ON LIVE TV that you forgot her birthday.

@/TifosiTears: I would like to formally apologize to Isabelle for ever associating her with the rest of them. She deserved better.

@/ChaosMode: The fact that fans remembered her birthday but her own brothers didn’t… Yeah, I’d be ignoring them too.

@/PaddockClownery: Imagine your family finally realizing they forgot your birthday WEEKS LATER because a journalist had to remind them. The bar is in hell.

@/F1BurnerAccount: The way he didn’t even tried to play it off like “Oh yeah, we celebrated privately” or something. Just full, raw realization on live TV.

@/F1Shambles: The fact that Isabelle has been radio silent on social media ever since Charles’ Monaco win is crazy. Not a single like, comment, or post. Just pure, calculated silence.

@/F1Shambles: The worst part? She did congratulate Charles. She literally posted on her story, “So proud of you, Charles!” right after the race, and then? Poof. She disappeared.

@/TifosiTears: No, because the fact that Isabelle still took the time to post a congrats for Charles, even after they forgot her birthday, and then just vanished is so much worse.

@/Lap1Carnage: So you’re telling me she remembered her brother’s biggest moment, but not a single one of them remembered her birthday? Yeah, no, that’s insane.

@/PaddockDrama: She posted for Charles, probably waited the whole day for someone to remember, and then dipped. That’s actually heartbreaking.

@/FrontWingDamage: Okay, but like… does anyone know if she had people around her that day? Like, friends? A boyfriend? Someone who did remember?

@/TyreDegAndDrama: I need to believe that someone in her life actually gave her the love she deserved that day, because if she spent it completely alone while celebrating Charles?? I will LOSE IT.

@/LightsOutDrama: It’s actually insane that her whole family was busy celebrating Charles, and not one of them was like, “Oh wait, isn’t today also Isabelle’s birthday?”

@/PaddockGossip: At this point, I’m praying she has some secret friend group or a boyfriend who treated her like a queen that day, because her family really did nothing.

@/ChaosMode: We need a national investigation into Isabelle Leclerc’s inner circle. I refuse to believe that nobody took care of her that day.

@/WDCworthy: What if she’s actually in a happy, secret relationship and her boyfriend was the only one who celebrated her? Imagine the plot twist.

@/PaddockMess: I swear if she had to spend her birthday alone, while her whole family was out celebrating Charles, I’m gonna start swinging.

@/OvercutOverload: The fact that she stayed silent instead of calling them out makes it so much worse. She didn’t even fight them on it. She just… left.

@/TyreWhisperer: This whole thing is giving “quietly heartbroken but won’t let it show” energy, and I hate it here.

@/PaddockBanter: Honestly, I don’t even need her to forgive them. I just want her to be happy with people who actually appreciate her.

@/LightsOutSlander: Praying she has a secret billionaire boyfriend who flies her around on private jets and showers her in designer gifts, because her family clearly isn’t doing their job.

@/PaddockRoyalty: This woman is literally giving “soft-spoken princess energy.” I need her to have a rich, older boyfriend who treats her like absolute royalty.

@/IsabelleLeclercFanclub: Forget the Leclerc brothers. We’re officially in our Protect Isabelle at All Costs era.

***

Text Messages: Belle Verstappen & Charles Leclerc

Charles: I just realised. I just—I can’t believe I forgot. Your birthday. Monaco. You were there. And we didn’t say a word. I didn’t say a word.

Charles:You smiled at me. You waved. And I didn’t even remember it was your day. I’m so, so sorry.

Charles: Please call me. Please. I need to talk to you.

Charles: I didn’t mean to forget. I swear. I didn’t— God, Isabelle. Please just pick up.

[Incoming Call: Charles Leclerc → Belle Verstappen] Status: No answer. Call forwarded to voicemail.

Charles (Voicemail): Isabelle, it’s me. Please pick up. I know I don’t deserve that right now but I… I need to hear your voice. I need to know you’re okay. We messed up. I messed up. I forgot the one day I shouldn’t have. And I didn’t even notice. I don’t know how I let that happen. I love you. Please… just call me back. Please.

***

Text Messages: Emilie Abadie & Max Verstappen 

Emilie: He finally realized. Charles. The birthday. Belle. It hit him. Live. On camera. Mid-interview. It was honestly Oscar-worthy.

Max: wait what

Max: CHARLES REALISED??

Emilie:  Karun Chandhok brought it up during the post-race interview and you could see the panic download into his brain in real time. I watched it happen. It was magnificent.

Max:Since when are you watching press conferences?? You once told me F1 was “cars doing ring-around-the-rosy with ego problems.”

Emilie: I still stand by that! But I had a feeling someone was going to slip. And I was right.

Max: Belle hasn’t texted me yet. 

Emilie: Same. I tried calling. Went straight to voicemail. I’m going over. She might not answer the door but I’m staying the night either way.

Max: Thank you. Really

Emilie: She’s my best friend. You think I’d leave her to spiral alone while the entire Leclerc clan is just now realizing they’ve been garbage?

Max: I’m so pissed, Emilie. They made her feel invisible. And now they’re shocked she walked away?

Emilie: They don’t get to play the concerned family card after a year of not seeing her. After missing her birthday.

Max: She was right there. In the garage. She waved at Charles.

Emilie: And he smiled right through her. I’ve never wanted to throw an expensive shoe at someone more.

Max: you should’ve I would’ve paid the fine

Emilie: Consider it noted for next time.

Max: Let me know when you’re with her Tell her I love her Tell her I am coming straight home. 

Emilie: I’ll tell her.

***

Leclerc Family Group Chat

(Members: Arthur, Isabelle, Charles, Pascale)

Charles: guys GUYS we forgot Belle’s birthday

Charles: we forgot her birthday it was TWO WEEKS AGO she was IN THE GARAGE IN MONACO

Arthur: wait what …wait WHAT

Pascale: Charles, what are you talking about? We didn’t— … Oh mon dieu.

Charles: she didn’t say anything she just stood there and none of us said a word

Arthur: okay wait has anyone spoken to her since then?

Charles: I texted her about Canada no reply

Pascale: She hasn’t answered me either.

Arthur: I haven’t heard from her since I asked if she was coming to the factory visit. That was like… the week after Monaco?

Charles: she hasn’t answered ANY of us?? FOR TWO WEEKS??

Lorenzo: I just caught up. I’m going to her apartment. Right now.

Charles: please tell her I’m sorry tell her I didn’t mean to forget I didn’t—

Arthur: we all did, Charles don’t make it sound like it’s just you

Pascale: This isn’t about blame. It’s about fixing it.

Lorenzo: I’ll message when I get there. Don’t blow up her phone. Let me check she’s okay.

Charles: okay thank you

Arthur: tell her we love her please

Lorenzo: I’ll handle it. Let me talk to her. Just… give her space. Don’t crowd her all at once.

Charles: Okay. Please let us know when you get there.

***

Call & Message Log – Belle Verstappen’s Phone

(Missed Calls and Messages – All timestamps in Monaco Time)

Incoming Calls:

Charles Leclerc (19:02) – Missed Call → Voicemail Left

Arthur Leclerc (19:15) – Missed Call

Emilie Abadie (19:20) - Missed Call

Pascale Leclerc (19:27) – Missed Call

Arthur Leclerc (19:39) – Missed Call

Pascale Leclerc (20:01) – Missed Call → No voicemail

Arthur Leclerc: 19:17

Belle, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise either. I don’t even know how we missed it. Please text me back. I’m freaking out a little.

19:22

Are you okay? Please just say something. Anything.

20:03

I’m so sorry. We were idiots.

Pascale Leclerc: 19:25

Ma chérie… I didn’t realise. I thought I messaged you, but I sent it to Charles by mistake. That’s not an excuse. You deserved more. Always. Please let me come see you. I miss you.

20:12

We didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t mean to forget. I love you, mon ange.

***

The sun had dipped low behind the Monaco rooftops, casting the living room in honeyed gold. The windows were cracked open, letting in the hum of the sea and the occasional passing scooter. The only sound inside the apartment was the faint, rhythmic purr of cats.

Belle was asleep on the couch, curled sideways with a throw blanket tangled around her legs. One of Max’s hoodies was pulled over her tank top, far too big on her and smelling faintly of motor oil and cedarwood. Sassy was curled on her feet, Lilly sprawled along her hip like a guard, and Jimmy had claimed the pillow beside her head, face pressed dramatically into her hair like he paid rent.

She hadn’t meant to fall asleep. She’d only meant to rest her eyes.

But the last few days had caught up with her: the tension, the silence, the weight of being both forgotten and known too well.

The buzz of the apartment buzzer stirred her cats but not her. Only when Emilie let herself in—quietly, using the key Belle had given her months ago—did Sassy finally stretch and jump down, tail flicking as if to say you’re late.

Emilie padded through the flat on socked feet, arms full of a canvas tote bag stuffed with snacks, a fuzzy blanket she’d stolen from Belle’s apartment once and never returned, and a bottle of overpriced juice she insisted helped with “emotional hydration.”

She spotted Belle still asleep, cats half-glued to her like warm, fuzzy armor, and her heart cracked open.

Of course Belle had fallen asleep like this. Of course she hadn’t answered her phone.

Emilie set the tote on the coffee table and sank to her knees beside the couch, brushing a strand of hair from Belle’s face.

“Hey,” she said softly. “Sleeping Beauty.”

Belle blinked slowly. Her voice, when it came, was husky and quiet.

“Mm. What time is it?”

“Almost eight.” Emilie smiled gently. “You missed Max’s win.”

Belle sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes as Lilly gave a sleepy grumble and re-settled herself in her lap.

“He won?”

Emilie nodded. “Dominated. It was very on-brand. I texted him back for you. Said congrats and that you were passed out under a pile of cats.”

Belle huffed a breath of a laugh. “Thanks.”

“He asked if you were okay.”

“I’m…” Belle paused. “Better, now.”

Emilie hesitated, then sat down beside her fully, the cushions dipping slightly. “Charles realised.”

Belle’s body stilled.

“During the post-race interview. Karun Chandhok mentioned Monaco. Said something about your birthday being the same day as his win. And you could see it—click. Like his brain got punched in the face.” Emilie’s voice was flat. “He didn’t realise, Belle. Not until someone reminded him you exist.”

Belle exhaled slowly, hands curled in the fabric of the hoodie. “And now he’s spiraling?”

“Of course. Called you. Texted you. Voicemails. I think Arthur’s panicking too. Pascale’s probably mid-emotional breakdown.”

Belle looked over, finally meeting her best friend’s eyes. “You’re watching press conferences now?”

Emilie shrugged, suddenly sheepish. “Lando made a joke on Twitch last week that press media days are ‘elite chaos.’ I got curious. Stayed for the spectacle. Didn’t expect it to turn into a soap opera starring your brother.”

Belle blinked. Then grinned—softly, genuinely—for the first time in days. “You’re watching F1 now because of Lando Norris?”

Emilie lifted her chin. “It’s not serious. It’s anthropological.”

Belle laughed, the sound cracking slightly at the edges, but real.

“I’m also staying here tonight,” Emilie added, pulling a blanket from the tote and draping it over them both. “Because I love you. And because Max will kill me if I leave you alone.”

Belle rested her head against Emilie’s shoulder, voice small. “You don’t have to fix it.”

“I’m not here to fix it,” Emilie murmured. “I’m here so you don’t have to carry it by yourself.”

Belle closed her eyes again.

The texts from Charles buzzed softly on the coffee table. She didn’t reach for them. She didn’t need to.

Not tonight.

She had Emilie. She had Max. She had a stuffed lion upstairs and cats who loved her without question. And when she was ready—on her terms—she would decide if the rest of them deserved her again.

But for now?

She ignored the buzzing.

And let herself be held.

***

Group Chat: HELP ME

 (Members: Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz Jr., George Russell, Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, David Coulthard, Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Zhou Guanyu, Logan Sergeant, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas)

Oscar: He figured it out. CHARLES FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT.

Lando: WAIT WHAT SOMEONE PLEASE CONFIRM

Daniel: Karun said it was Belle’s birthday during the Monaco win and you could see Charles’ soul leave his body in real time. It was glorious

Carlos: He needed the right trigger (also I am still mad)

Lewis:  He was fully smiling at first Then hit the mental brick wall of oh no

George Russell: The smile-drop was cinematic. Might’ve been the most emotional acting we’ve seen all season.

Alex: Does anyone have the clip? For science?

Nico H.: I have it bookmarked.

Sebastian: He really didn’t realise until that exact moment? Not even a whisper before?

Zhou: I still can’t believe it took someone else saying her name for him to remember she has a birthday.

Logan: No, no, let’s all take a moment: He had an entire win In Monaco In front of his family And forgot his sister’s birthday

Oscar: SHE WAVED AT HIM.

Carlos: IN THE GARAGE IN FERRARI RED

Fernando: Imagine forgetting a sister who treats you like that.

Lance: My jaw is still on the floor. He spiraled like he was trapped in a washing machine

David: Live PR disaster. I actually winced.

Sergio Pérez: Dios mío. Max is going to be furious

Nico R.: Max doesn’t need to say a word. His existence is already revenge enough

George: Speaking of Max: Has anyone checked if he’s okay?

Oscar:  He’s not. But he’ll be home soon. 

Valtteri: This chat is giving Drive to Survive a run for its money

Lando: IMAGINE BEING BELLE Standing there. Birthday. Monaco. Forgotten. AND secretly married to Max Verstappen???

Daniel: Plot twist: she should dropped the wedding photos on Charles’ birthday Just for symmetry

Carlos: Don’t give me ideas I will do it

Oscar: He didn’t remember Until someone else reminded him she existed.

George: True.

Lewis Hamilton: Justice for Belle.

Daniel Ricciardo: Justice. And snacks. And ten thousand cats. She deserves it all.

Fernando: And peace. Away from that chaos.

Kimi: Took him long enough. 

***

Lorenzo stood at the foot of Isabelle’s old apartment building, staring up at the cream-colored stone façade like it might blink back at him. The shutters were open on the third floor—her floor—but nothing inside looked familiar. No string lights. No potted herbs on the windowsill. No pale curtains drifting in the breeze the way they used to when she’d leave the balcony door cracked open for the sea air.

He buzzed the door anyway.

Once. Then again.

No response.

The hallway was quieter than he remembered. Less lived-in. The echoes of memory were louder than the footsteps on the stairs as he climbed, more out of muscle memory than belief. He reached her old door and knocked.

No answer.

He stood there, unsure of what to do. His hands itched to call someone—Charles, Pascale, anyone—but that wouldn’t fix this. Not yet.

Then the door across the hall creaked open.

“Looking for Isabelle?” a warm, vaguely amused voice asked.

Lorenzo turned. An older woman stood in the doorway, wearing a robe and holding a mug of tea. Madame Fortier. He remembered her vaguely—Belle used to bring her pastries sometimes when she baked too much.

“Yes,” he said, suddenly unsure of his voice. “Is she home?”

The woman smiled, kind but surprised.

“Darling, she moved out almost a year ago.”

Lorenzo froze.

“What?”

Madame Fortier nodded. “Lovely girl. Packed everything very neatly. She left a plant on my windowsill as a thank-you.”

A beat passed. Lorenzo’s pulse ticked strangely in his throat.

“Where did she go?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

The woman sipped her tea, then tilted her head thoughtfully.

“Oh, she moved in with her boyfriend,” Madame Fortier said, smiling warmly. “Lovely man. Very polite. Treated her well, from what I saw. Always held the door. Picked her up in that fancy little car. She seemed happy.”

Lorenzo’s stomach dropped.

Moved in with her boyfriend.

 A year ago.

And none of them knew.

“Right,” he said, the word catching slightly in his throat. “Thank you.”

He walked back down the hallway slowly, like his legs were moving through water.

Outside again, the sunlight felt harsher than it had minutes ago.

Belle had always been the quiet one. The background Leclerc. Never the loudest voice at the table, never the one asking for attention. But she'd been the glue. The calm. The one who remembered birthdays. Who showed up at Arthur’s karting meets with water bottles and quiet encouragement. 

Who texted Lorenzo before his exams just to say you’ve got this.

And she hadn’t told them.

Not about the move.

Not about the boyfriend.

Not about… any of it.

It wasn’t just out of character. It was completely, utterly un-Belle.

She didn’t let people she loved run into walls like this. She didn’t let them go blind into guilt and panic. Unless—

Unless she’d stopped expecting them to see her at all.

Lorenzo felt that thought like a punch to the chest.

Had they really made her feel that invisible?

And someone else—some quiet, polite boyfriend in a fancy car—had known her better than any of them did.

***

Leclerc Family Group Chat

(Members: Arthur, Isabelle, Charles, Pascale)

Lorenzo: Update. She doesn’t live at her old apartment anymore.

Arthur: what?

Pascale: What do you mean she doesn’t live there anymore??

Charles: Lorenzo please tell me that’s not what it sounds like

Lorenzo: Her neighbor says she moved out. Almost a year ago. Moved in with her boyfriend.

Arthur: SHE HAS A WHAT

Charles: SHE HAS A BOYFRIEND??

Pascale: Since when?! She never said anything! She never brought anyone to dinner—did you meet him??

Lorenzo: No. None of us did, clearly.

Arthur: what if he’s the reason she’s not answering what if something happened

Charles: don’t say that don’t even think that she’s just mad at us right?

Arthur:  no but— think about it she hasn’t answered in two weeks. she didn’t say a word about moving. not a single thing about this guy. what if she’s not okay?

Pascale: She would’ve told us. She always told us if she was scared. Or uncomfortable.

Lorenzo: Not if she doesn’t trust us anymore. Not if she thinks we stopped listening.

Charles: no. no. no no no. I saw her in the garage. She smiled. She waved.

Arthur: people smile when they’re drowning, Charles

Pascale: I’m calling her again. Right now.

Charles: Already did. Straight to voicemail. I’ve texted. I’ve DMed. Nothing.

Arthur: what if something happened

Lorenzo: We don’t know that. Don’t spiral. But we do need to find her.

Charles: I can ask someone at Ferrari. Maybe they know where she’s been.

Pascale: No. No more waiting for her to come to us. We go to her.

Arthur: but we don’t know where she is

Charles: She has a boyfriend we didn’t even know about She moved out a year ago She’s not answering She’s not talking to any of us

Lorenzo: Then we find someone who has seen her recently.

Charles: Who? Because it’s clearly not us.

***

Charles sat by the window, motionless. The clouds blurred past beneath them, soft and ghostlike, but he didn’t see any of it. His phone rested in his hand, screen black, battery threatening to die with a solemn 9% glaring up at him. He hadn’t put it down since they’d left the tarmac.

No new messages. No calls. No Belle.

He’d left voicemail after voicemail. Texts that felt like fragments of apology and panic, all swallowed into silence.

Across the aisle, Nicolas Todt had his laptop open and his phone pressed to his ear, murmuring in rapid-fire French. Every few minutes, he would pause, pinch the bridge of his nose, and mutter something like “catastrophe” or “this is a PR disaster.”

Which, to be fair, it was.

“No, non, it wasn’t intentional,” Nicolas said sharply into the phone. “Yes, we’re working on a statement. No, she hasn’t responded.” 

Belle’s name had been trending since the post-race interview. Not because she’d done anything. But because Charles had forgotten her. On her birthday. In Monaco. While she stood right there in the garage, smiling like she didn’t want to be seen and knowing no one had remembered.

Charles swallowed the lump rising in his throat.

Across the cabin, Arthur sat slumped beside Alexandra. His arms were crossed tightly, mouth drawn into a hard line. He hadn’t said much since boarding. But his silence didn’t feel defensive. It felt heavy. Like guilt.

Alexandra was the only one not pretending to be calm.

“You forgot her birthday,” she said. Again. Quietly, but without softening the blow.

“I know,” Charles rasped, eyes fixed on nothing.

“No,” she said sharply, “you don’t. You forgot, Charles. All of you did. She was there. In the garage. And no one even looked at her properly.”

Arthur flinched beside her, but didn’t respond.

From the aisle, Joris Trouche—normally calm, endlessly competent, the kind of man who could manage a logistics meltdown without raising his voice—was pacing with thinly veiled fury. He’d tried sitting down twice. Failed both times.

And now, he stopped in front of them, tone clipped. Controlled. But barely.

“I’ve known Isabelle since she was thirteen,” Joris said, staring them down. “She sent me homemade cinnamon cookies when I was stuck in the hospital with a stress fracture. She used to ask how my mum was doing.”

He turned to Charles. “And you—she waved at you in Monaco. On her birthday. And you smiled like she was anyone.”

Charles opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Joris’s voice wavered—angry, but undercut by something else. Something personal.

“I’m angry at you,” he said quietly. “But I’m angry at myself too. I should’ve remembered.”

In the front cabin, Joris was pacing. He’d been quiet since takeoff, but now his temper was burning through the thin layer of professionalism that usually cloaked him like armor.

“I should’ve remembered,” Joris said suddenly, sharply. “I should have reminded you. I always remind you. And I—I forgot too.”

Arthur stirred. “We didn’t mean to hurt her.”

Joris snapped his gaze toward him. “You don’t have to mean it. You did it anyway. You only noticed her absence when it became public embarrassment. That’s not love, that’s damage control.”

Nicolas finally ended his call and shut the laptop with a soft but definitive click. “If anyone has a prayer of salvaging this, it’s not through spin,” he said. “It’s through action. Apologies. Honesty. Real words. Not just statements.”

Charles didn’t answer. Couldn’t.

Because Belle hadn’t responded to a single one of his messages. She hadn’t returned his call. She hadn’t even opened them.

And she always used to answer. Even when she was mad. Even when he didn’t deserve it.

He stared out at the clouds, jaw clenched, fists curled against his thighs.

He’d won in Monaco.

And lost the only sister he’d ever had.

***

Group Chat: GRID 2024 

Members: Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr., Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Alex Albon, Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Hülkenberg, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Pérez, Esteban Ocon, Zhou Guanyu, Logan Sargeant, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda

Charles:Where is my sister? Does anyone know where Isabelle is???

Charles: I’ve called. I’ve texted. She’s not answering. She’s not at her apartment. Her neighbor says she MOVED OUT A YEAR AGO. She’s GONE and I don’t know where she is!!!

George: Charles. Deep breath.

Carlos: She’s safe.

Charles: YOU KNOW WHERE SHE IS???

Carlos: Yes. She’s not missing. She’s just not talking to you.

Charles: And YOU KNEW THAT??  You ALL knew she moved out and didn’t say anything???

Carlos: You forgot her birthday, Charles. You don’t get to have an opinion. 

Charles: You KNEW?! You KNEW and you didn’t tell me?? You remembered her birthday and let me humiliate myself in front of the world?!

Carlos: She told me not to say anything because she didn’t want pity cupcakes. Her words.  She asked for one thing. I respected that.

Charles: SHE’S MY SISTER.

Carlos: Then maybe you should have treated her like that.  

Oscar: Charles. Stop.

Charles: No, Oscar, he LET me forget!

Oscar: No. You forgot. YOU. He just respected her boundaries. She didn’t want a spotlight apology. She wanted to be seen before she disappeared. And none of you did.

Oscar: Belle asked Carlos not to tell you. Because she knew you’d make it about yourself.

Charles: Excuse me??

Oscar: YOU forgot her birthday. You smiled right through her in Monaco. You didn’t notice she moved out. You didn’t notice she disappeared. And now you’re mad at Carlos for respecting her boundaries?

Charles: I have a right to be upset!

Oscar: Belle has a right to protect herself. You’re upset because you’re losing control. She’s not missing, Charles. She’s finally choosing herself. And you can’t stand that it wasn’t you who got to decide when or how.

Lando: ...wow

Daniel: Oscar just cleared the entire grid.

George: No survivors.

Charles: Wait. Wait—how do you ALL know where she is?

Charles: Wait. WHAT ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME

Pierre: wait why does this chat feel like everyone’s in on something except me

Lando: She’s fine. She’s not alone. She’s safe. That’s all that matters.

Charles: HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT??

Oscar: Because she’s home.

Charles: What does that mean??

George: ...not our story to tell

Carlos: Exactly.

Yuki: What is happening. I feel like I skipped an episode.

Lando: Welcome to Drive to Survive: Emotional Damage Edition.

Oscar: Charles, stop texting. Start listening.

Charles: I need to fix it.

Carlos: Then don’t make this about you.

Lewis: And maybe… for once… Try earning your sister’s forgiveness instead of assuming you’re entitled to it.

Daniel: All I’m gonna say is… maybe next time don’t wait until post-race interviews to remember the people standing in your corner.

Lewis: And maybe sit with this one for a while before demanding answers.  Sometimes silence is the only language people have left.

Charles: … I just want to fix it.

Oscar: Then stop trying to own her pain. And start listening.

***

Group Chat: HELP ME

 (Members: Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz Jr., George Russell, Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, David Coulthard, Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Zhou Guanyu, Logan Sergeant, Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll)

Oscar: I might’ve gone too hard. But also I really don’t think I did.

Lewis: Nope. You didn’t. You said what needed to be said.

Carlos: I’ve been biting my tongue for two weeks. Thank you for saying it out loud.

George: You cleared him so thoroughly I think I need to book you for emotional landscaping.

Lando: You had him pacing like a dad who just realized he missed Parent-Teacher Night. It was glorious.

Daniel: Honestly? That was better than Spa 2021. You lapped him emotionally.

Alex: Did you see Pierre and Yuki’s confusion??  They looked like they opened Netflix halfway through season 3.

Oscar: They’re still trying to figure out why we all suddenly act like Max Verstappen is Belle’s guard dog husband.

Zhou: Wait. Should we add Pierre and Yuki to this chat? Like a prep class before the meltdown?

Logan: Absolutely not. They’ll trigger Charles into another “WHERE IS MY SISTER??” monologue and I’m emotionally out of snacks.

Esteban: Pierre would tell Charles. 

Mark: Back to the point—Oscar, you did good. He needed the mirror held up. Guilt isn’t the same as accountability.

David: And accountability isn’t the same as entitlement. He forgot that. You reminded him.

Sebastian: You all know what gets me? She didn’t even leave angry. She left quietly. And that says more than shouting ever could.

Carlos: That’s what kills me. She still doesn’t want us to fight over her. She just wanted to be seen.

Lewis: And now she finally is. By the one person who actually looked before it was too late.

George: Max is probably already privately planning to change his will and tattoo her name on his chest. 

Lando: He's in full "mine" mode. He’ll probably growl at anybody that comes close to her for the remainder of the week. 

Daniel Ricciardo: Wait until Charles finds out. About the wedding. About the “Mr. and Mrs. Verstappen” monogrammed towels.

Oscar: He doesn’t deserve to even have a fucking opinion about it. And he doesn’t get to drag Belle through more of his guilt spiral.

Lewis: And if he does?

Oscar: Then we remind him. She’s not invisible anymore. And she never has to be again.

Sebastian: Long live Belle Verstappen. She deserves peace.

Carlos: And we’re making damn sure she keeps it.

***

Text Messages: Max Verstappen & Victoria Verstappen

Victoria: I just saw the clip.  Charles finally realized, didn’t he?

Victoria: I want to throw my phone through a wall. How did it take a live interview for it to click??

Victoria: Is Belle okay? Please tell me she’s okay. Tell me you’re with her.

Max: I’m flying back tonight. Emilie’s with her now. She’s safe. Quiet. But… not okay. Not yet.

Victoria:  Of course she’s not. She was standing there in the garage and smiled at him, and he didn’t remember. I don’t know how she held it together.

Max: Because that’s what she’s always done. Hold it in. Make it easier for everyone else.

Victoria: Not anymore. She doesn’t owe them that. She never did. And if Charles tries to guilt her into “moving on,” I swear to God.

Max: He won’t get the chance.

Victoria: Good. And when you get home—hold her tight, okay?

Max: Always. I’ve got her, Vic. She’s not alone anymore.

Victoria: She better not be. Because if any of them make her feel small again, I will drive to Monaco and handle it myself.

Max: You’ll have to get in line behind me.

***

Text Messages: Max Verstappen & Jos Verstappen

Jos: Just saw the clip. The post-race interview.

Max: He only realized because Karun mentioned it. Didn’t even remember on his own.

Jos: I want to drive to Maranello and punch something.

Jos: You tell me—right now—is she okay?

Max: Emilie’s with her. She says Belle’s sleeping. Quiet. She hasn’t messaged me yet. But I’m heading home. 

Jos: Good. Don’t leave her alone with that silence. She’ll pretend she’s fine. She’ll say it doesn’t matter. But this? This hurt her. You can see it in the way she vanished.

Jos: Belle doesn’t demand space. She disappears when she feels like no one wants her in the room.

Max: I know. She doesn’t have to say it for me to hear it.

Jos: I’m proud of her. She stood up for herself the only way she knew how. By walking away.

Jos: But I swear to God, if that brother of hers ever makes her feel like that again— I don’t care if he’s a Leclerc. I will make sure he never forgets who she is again.

Max: You’ll have to beat me to it. I’m not letting them near her until she says she’s ready. If she ever is.

Jos: That’s my boy. You take care of her. And tell her this family—the one she chose—has her back. Always.

***

Text Messages: Max Verstappen & Sophie Kumpen

Sophie: I just watched the interview.

Sophie: Max… he forgot her birthday. She was standing in the garage. She smiled at him. And he didn’t even blink. Like she was nobody.

Max: He remembered live on camera. Karun said something about Monaco and her birthday, and it hit him mid-answer. You could see it crash into him.

Sophie: God,  I hope it crushes him.

Sophie: How is Belle? Have you spoken to her?

Max: Emilie’s with her. She says she’s safe. Sleeping. Quiet.

Sophie: She’s always quiet when she’s hurting. Always. You remember that, Max. The softer she gets, the harder she’s holding herself together.

Max: I know. That’s why I’m coming home.

Sophie: Good. She needs you. Not the Max who wins races. You.  The one who holds her hand when she’s anxious. The one who brings her tulips on Thursdays because she mentioned liking them once.

Sophie: Because the people who were supposed to protect her? They failed her.

Max: I’ll never let her feel like that again.

Sophie: I know you won’t. Because you see her. And that’s the most anyone can give someone who’s spent their whole life being overlooked.

Sophie: You tell her I’m coming by next week. No pressure. Just lunch. And she can sit on the balcony and not say a word if that’s all she wants. I’ll just be there.

Max: She’ll love that. She loves you.

Sophie: I love her. And if her family can’t act like it, she’s more than welcome in ours.

***

Max sat in his seat, elbow propped against the armrest, forehead resting against his knuckles as the private jet hummed through the night. The win from earlier that day already felt like a lifetime ago. He hadn’t celebrated. Not really. He’d shaken hands, answered the questions, smiled on the podium because it was muscle memory now.

But the second the press conference ended, the weight had dropped onto his chest.

Charles had realized. Finally.

Live. On camera. Because someone else—Karun, of all people—had mentioned Belle’s birthday.

It had taken that long. Two weeks.

Max had replayed the press clip on his phone once—watched Charles’ face shift in slow motion from charm to dawning horror. Watched him falter, then spiral. And Max hadn’t felt a drop of pity.

Because Belle had stood in that garage. She’d smiled. She’d waved. And her own brother had looked through her.

Across the aisle, Lando was sprawled in his seat with a blanket half-pulled over his face, earbuds in, legs stretched into Oscar’s personal space. Oscar had given up fighting it and was half-asleep against the window. Daniel was flipping through something on his iPad, likely pretending not to watch Max out of the corner of his eye.

The silence was comfortable. Familiar. But Max’s mind was anything but.

Daniel had commandeered the seat across Max and was watching the proceedings like a therapist in a sitcom.

Finally, Lando broke the silence.

“Sooo…” he said slowly, cautiously, “how’s Belle?”

Max didn’t even look up. “Emilie’s with her. She said she’s okay. Belle was sleeping. Under the cats. Emilie said she looked peaceful.”

Lando hesitated. “Right. So… you know… she’s safe?”

“Yeah.”

“But you’re still brooding.”

“I’m not brooding,” Max muttered.

Daniel leaned over the seat, grinning. “Oh, you are. Brooding with intensity. I haven’t seen this level of moody since Lando ran out of oat milk last week.”

“Hey,” Lando protested, “that was a crisis. And also—can we talk about how terrifying Emilie is?”

Daniel burst out laughing. “So your crush is confirmed.”

Lando went pink. “I do not have a crush.”

Oscar stretched, deadpan: “You stalked her on instagram and accidentally liked a post from 2019.”

“That was admiration! That’s different.”

Max finally glanced over, managing a small smirk despite the pressure in his chest. “You are a brave man,” he told Lando sagely, who glared at him. 

Lando groaned, pulling his hoodie over his head. “Why did I say that out loud?”

Daniel looked way too delighted. “Because you’re into emotionally terrifying women with sharp cheekbones and moral clarity. Honestly? Taste.”

Oscar nodded solemnly. “Elite taste.”

“I hate all of you.”

“You love us,” Oscar yawned.

Max’s smile faded again as he looked back at his phone. The moment passed, quiet settling again like dust.

Lando, quieter now, asked, “Do you think Belle’s okay?”

Max didn’t answer right away. He was thinking of her curled on the couch. Of Emilie sitting beside her. Of their cats acting like tiny sentinels. He thought of the unopened texts, the unreturned calls.

“I think,” he said eventually, “she’s tired. Of being forgotten. Of being an afterthought. Of being quiet and still never heard.”

The other three fell silent. Even Daniel looked serious now.

Max looked down at the screen. Still nothing.

“But she’s not alone,” he added. “Not this time.”

Oscar nodded. “You’ll be home soon.”

Max’s voice was soft but certain. “Yeah. And when I get there, I’m staying. No more paddock games. No more silence. She doesn’t have to carry any of it alone anymore.”

Lando peeked out from his hoodie. “You’re like… scarily romantic for someone who once said feelings were ‘a distraction’.”

Max huffed a laugh. “Turns out she’s the only distraction I want.”

Daniel wiped an imaginary tear. “Beautiful. Print that on a mug.”

Oscar: “Tattoo it on your neck.”

Lando: “Put it on team merch. Limited edition.”

Max smiled faintly, then leaned back, still clutching his phone.

Let them joke.

Because the second they landed, he was going home. To her.

And this time, he wasn’t letting anyone—not a team, not a calendar, not even her family—make her feel invisible again.

***

Text Messages:  Alexandra Saint-Mleux & Belle Verstappen

Alexandra: Hey, Isabelle. I know it’s late. I just… I wanted to say I’m thinking about you.

Alexandra: Charles realized during the post-race interview. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so gutted. I wish it hadn’t taken that for him to see what he missed.

Alexandra: I don’t want to say the wrong thing. I’m sure a lot of people already have. But you didn’t deserve to be forgotten. You never have. And I’m sorry.

***

Text Messages:  Alexandra Saint-Mleux & Charlotte Di Pietro

Alexandra: Hey. Just a heads-up before it hits you through someone else: We forgot Belle’s birthday.

Charlotte: …what?

Alexandra: All of us. Her entire family.

Charlotte: No. No way. It was during Monaco, wasn’t it?

Alexandra: Yes. She was in the garage, Char. Waved at Charles. Smiled at all of us. And not one of us remembered.

Charlotte: Oh my god.

Alexandra: Charles realized during a post-race interview today. The interviewer mentioned her birthday and I watched it hit him like a truck.

Charlotte: Is Isabelle okay?

Alexandra: She hasn’t answered anyone. Not even Pascale.

Charlotte: That’s not “okay.” That’s Isabelle shutting the world out.

Alexandra: Exactly. And the worst part? She didn’t say anything. She let us all forget. She didn’t expect us to remember.

Charlotte: Because we’ve done it before. Not like this. But still. God.

Alexandra: I texted her. No reply. She might answer you if you try. You’ve always been gentle with her.

Charlotte: I will. Thank you for telling me. And for not pretending it’s less awful than it is.

Alexandra: She deserves more than silence and spin. She always has.

Charlotte: I’ll try to reach her tomorrow. Even if she doesn’t answer… she’ll know someone tried.

Alexandra: That’s all we can do now. Try. And mean it.

***

The apartment was quiet when Max stepped inside.

Soft light filtered in through the curtains, casting golden stripes across the hardwood. The cats didn’t rush to greet him—they were already curled up in their usual spots, half-asleep and full of judgment. Sassy lifted her head briefly from the back of the couch, flicked her tail in acknowledgment, and went right back to sleep.

Max dropped his duffel gently by the door, kicked off his shoes without a sound, and padded into the hallway. Every step closer to the bedroom felt heavier. Not with dread. But with something deeper. Something like relief tied up in knots of worry.

He pushed the door open quietly.

There she was.

Belle, curled on his side of the bed, her frame barely a ripple beneath the duvet. One of his old shirts hung off her shoulder, too big and soft and completely hers now. Her hair was a mess, her breathing slow and steady.

He’d spent days missing her. And now, seeing her like this—peaceful, untouched by the storm her family had just realized they created—he nearly broke.

Max crossed the room slowly, sliding into bed behind her without a word. His hand found her waist beneath the blanket, fingers curling gently. His nose tucked into her shoulder, lips brushing against the skin just below her ear.

She stirred.

“Mm?” she murmured sleepily, voice raspy and warm. “Max?”

“Hey,” he whispered. “I’m home.”

Belle rolled toward him without hesitation, arms winding around his middle, burying her face in his chest like she hadn’t seen him in months. He held her tighter. One hand cradling the back of her head, the other tracing slow, soothing lines down her spine.

“Did Emilie let you in?” she mumbled.

“No. She left me a note that said ‘fridge is stocked, don’t screw it up.’” He paused. “Also, she stole my last protein bar.”

Belle huffed a sleepy breath of laughter. Then: “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” Max said softly. “I’ve missed you.”

She pulled back just enough to look up at him. Her eyes were puffy, tired—but clearer than he expected. The ache he saw in them was quieter now. Calmer. He reached up, brushing his thumb gently beneath one eye.

“They all texted,” she said.

He nodded. “I know.”

“And called. Voicemails. Messages. Even Alexandra, I think.” Her voice was neutral, but her fingers had curled into his shirt. “I shut off my phone. I just… I can’t deal with them right now.”

“You don’t have to.”

She exhaled slowly. “They forgot, Max. Not just my birthday. Me. And now they’re panicking, but not because they miss me. Because they feel guilty. It’s not the same.”

Max didn’t rush to fill the silence. He let it settle between them, warm and safe and honest.

“They’ll say sorry,” he said eventually. “But that doesn’t mean you have to forgive them all at once. Or at all. That’s your call.”

Belle swallowed. “I just… I don’t know if I want to let them back in. Not after this. Not when it took two weeks and an interview for them to notice.”

Max leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Then don’t. You don’t owe them anything.”

She closed her eyes, breathing him in. His presence. His steadiness. The way he never told her what she should feel—just made space for what she did.

“You always see me,” she whispered.

“Always,” Max said. “Every day. Every version of you. Even the one who hides under a blanket and ghosts her whole bloodline.”

Belle laughed, watery and real. “I love you.”

Max smiled, burying his face in her hair. “I love you more.”

They stayed there, wrapped in warmth and honesty and quiet defiance.

Her family could wait. The texts could sit unread. The apologies could pile up.

Right now, she had Max. And that was enough.

***

Text Messages: Max Fewtrell & Lando Norris

Max Fewtrell: BRO. You saw it, right??  Charles fully crashed his soul mid-interview??

Lando: Unfortunately, yes. It was like watching someone remember they left the oven on... and also their sister.

Max Fewtrell: Iconic. Karun was like “her birthday, right?”  And Charles just downloaded a full panic attack.

Max Fewtrell: I screamed. Like—out loud. In public.

Lando Norris: It was kind of beautiful tbh. Like watching karma arrive with a mic and a production crew.

Max Fewtrell: Is his sister okay though? Do we know? Does she have a burner Twitter? I feel like she would.

Lando Norris:  She’s fine. Emilie’s with her.

Max Fewtrell: Who’s Emilie?

Lando Norris: ... She's Belle’s best friend.  Sharp. Dangerous. Possibly psychic. Says terrifyingly accurate things about my emotional state and then walks away in heels

Lando: She’s terrifying. Also brilliant.  And she’s like…scarily beautiful. 

Max Fewtrell: You have a crush on her, don’t you.

Lando: …I didn’t say that.

Max Fewtrell: YOU ABSOLUTELY DO OH MY GOD YOU DO This is the best gossip of the day and Charles had a meltdown on live TV

Lando: Shut up Also can we go back to Charles??

Max Fewtrell: No Because now I want to know why you know where Belle is And how you know Emilie’s with her And why you’re being so weirdly calm

Lando: …because I went to the wedding?

Max Fewtrell: THE WHAT

Lando: ...

Max Fewtrell: LAN THE WEDDING

Lando: Yeah. Belle and Max Verstappen. They got married. I was invited. Very small. City Hall. No media. Emilie picked the flowers

Max Fewtrell: MAX. VERSTAPPEN?!

Lando: Yes

Max Fewtrell:  YOU MEAN TO TELL ME CHARLES IS HAVING A BREAKDOWN ABOUT FORGETTING HIS SISTER’S BIRTHDAY AND DOESN’T EVEN KNOW SHE’S MARRIED TO HIS RIVAL???

Lando: Correct

Max Fewtrell: I need to lie down. And then I need popcorn And possibly therapy But also more of this

Lando: Same. Group chat is chaos Do not ask to be added It’s war in there

Max Fewtrell: This is better than Drive to Survive You’ve been sitting on this gossip for HOW LONG?

Lando: Long enough to know I value my life And Max Verstappen would kill me if I leaked it before they were ready

Max Fewtrell: Fair

Lando: You think Charles is spiraling now… Wait until he finds out Max is family now

Max Fewtrell: My god. This is better than Netflix.

***

Lorenzo had barely slept.

After learning Isabelle hadn’t lived in her old apartment for nearly a year, he’d paced half the night in his kitchen, replaying every memory, every text, every moment he should have noticed and didn’t. His phone was full of unanswered group chat pings and hollow apologies. 

By morning, he couldn’t sit still anymore.

He needed answers.

So he went to the one place he knew she would be at 8 am on a Monday morning. 

Her job. 

Atelier Renard Architects.  

Clean glass facade, minimalist signage, nestled on the edge of the marina like it had always been there. Isabelle used to say she loved that building more than half her portfolio—it knows exactly what it is and makes no apologies for it.

The receptionist didn’t recognize him at first. He introduced himself politely—Lorenzo Leclerc, Isabelle’s brother—and tried not to notice the pause.

Then the woman gave a hesitant smile. “Oh… Isabelle. Yes, of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—”

“I just wanted to stop by,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. “She’s not answering her phone. I thought maybe she was working, or—”

“Oh.” The woman’s expression faltered. “She doesn’t work here anymore.”

Lorenzo blinked. “What?”

“She… quit. Months ago. November, I think? Maybe early December. It was quiet. No big announcement. She just cleared out her office in one evening.”

Lorenzo’s stomach dropped. “Did she say why?”

The receptionist grimaced. “There were some internal issues. She seemed calm. Almost… relieved.”

Lorenzo stepped back slightly, reeling.

Quit.

She’d quit the one job she had fought tooth and nail for. The one thing she always lit up talking about.

And no one in her family had noticed.

Not one of them.

“I’m sorry,” the receptionist said gently. “I assumed you knew.”

Lorenzo nodded stiffly. “No, thank you. You’ve been kind.”

He left quickly. Didn’t wait for anything more.

Outside, he leaned against the edge of a planter and braced both hands on the cool stone, breath catching.

Isabelle hadn’t just moved.

She hadn’t just gone quiet.

 She’d walked away from everything they thought they knew about her.

And no one—not a single one of them—had been close enough to notice it happening.

She’d untethered herself from them all.

And now?

 Now they had no idea where she stood.

 If she was hurt. If she was gone.

For the first time in years, panic didn’t just flicker in Lorenzo’s chest—it bloomed, wide and wild.

He pulled out his phone. Called her again. Straight to voicemail.

***

Text Messages: Alexandra Saint Mleux & Emilie Abadie

Alexandra: Hey Emilie. I just wanted to check in. Do you know how Isabelle is doing?

Emilie: She’s resting. She’s emotionally exhausted. And no, she’s not answering anyone right now.

Alexandra: I figured. I wasn’t going to ask you to make her talk, I just… Wanted to make sure she’s okay. Truly.

Emilie: You all want to make sure she’s “okay” now. Where was that energy six months ago? Or a year ago? Or on her birthday?

Alexandra: I know. You’re right. We failed her. I’m not pretending we didn’t. I’m just trying not to make the same mistake twice.

Emilie: Then don’t turn this into your redemption arc. Belle is not your apology vessel. She doesn’t owe anyone grace she hasn’t given herself yet.

Alexandra: …Okay. That’s fair. I’m not trying to earn points. Just… trying.

Emilie: Trying is good. But don’t expect updates or access. She gets to choose who gets that now. And when.

Alexandra: Of course. Is she alone?

Emilie: No. Her boyfriend’s with her. He’s been looking after her. And he likes taking care of her.

***

Max blinked his eyes open just as Belle shifted in his arms and pushed herself up slightly, hair tousled and sweater slipping off one shoulder. Her eyes were tired, but calmer now. Clearer.

“Hi,” she whispered, voice rough with sleep.

“Hi,” he murmured back, brushing her hair behind her ear. “How are you feeling?”

She hesitated. “Better. Now that you’re here.”

He kissed her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Belle sat up a little more, folding her legs under her. Max followed, still close, watching her carefully.

There was something in the way she looked at him now. Like she was on the edge of a cliff, heart in her throat, trying to trust the air would catch her.

“I have to tell you something,” she said softly, her fingers playing with the hem of her sleeve.

Max stilled. “Okay.”

“I was going to wait,” she said. “I didn’t want to do it over the phone, or in the middle of all the… noise. But you’re here now, and I don’t want to keep it from you.”

“Belle,” he said gently, “you can tell me anything.”

“I have something for you.”

Max blinked. “Is this a surprise-I- am-mad-at-you gift or a I-love-you-so-here’s-something-cute gift?”

Belle rolled her eyes, but her lips curved slightly. “The second one.”

“Good,” he said. “I was going to guess that anyway.”

She opened the drawer of her bedside table and pulled something out of it, only to placed it gently in his lap.

A lion plush.

Max looked down at it, brows drawing together. It was small, soft, slightly chubby around the middle with a fuzzy, mane and button eyes. Not something he’d seen before.

He ran a hand over its head slowly, confused but already fond of it. “Where did this come from?”

“I bought it the day after you left for Canada,” Belle said quietly. “I was shopping for a gift for Victoria’s baby, and I saw him. And I couldn’t put him back.”

Max looked at her, then back at the lion, frowning slightly in thought. “For Victoria’s baby?”

She shook her head. Her voice was soft, but steady. Belle’s eyes met his.

“For ours.”

The words hit him like a gear shift in slow motion. He blinked, heart thudding, mouth parting, but no sound coming out. He looked at her, really looked at her—at the hoodie draped over her shoulders, at the hand resting on her stomach without thinking, at the way her eyes shimmered but didn’t waver.

“You’re—” His voice cracked. “You’re pregnant?”

Belle nodded. “Twelve weeks, now. I thought it was the anemia at first. I went in for a check-up and they… they did an ultrasound.”

Max’s hand found hers without hesitation, fingers lacing tightly. “And everything’s okay?”

She nodded again, breath catching this time. “There was a heartbeat. A strong one. I saw it.”

He stared at her in awe, overwhelmed, his brain scrambling to keep up while his heart surged forward.

The plush lion sat between them on the bed, quiet and steady.

Max looked down at it, then back at her. “You’re serious?”

Belle’s voice cracked then, just a little. “I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. I wanted it to be here. With you. Home.”

And Max—Max didn’t even realize he was crying until she touched his cheek, brushing the tears away with the gentlest smile.

“You’re having our baby,” he said, the words tumbling out of him like something sacred.

Belle’s breath caught.

And then Max let out a shaky laugh—half in disbelief, half in awe. “You’re having our baby.”

She bit her lip. “Is that… okay?”

“Belle,” he said, looking at her like she’d just given him the universe, “it’s perfect.”

He looked down, then up at her again.

“Twelve weeks?” he said. “So that means…”

“December,” Belle murmured. “Right before the new season.”

His grin was slow, bright, and stunned. “A Verstappen off-season baby. We’re so on-brand.”

Belle laughed, soft and teary.

Max reached past her, picked up the lion, and pressed it to her stomach with gentle reverence.

“Hey, little one,” he said quietly. “I can’t wait to meet you.”

***

[captain-huggy-bear]

'You're blushing.'

Pairing: Quinn Hughes x Fem!Reader (Crush level)

Warnings: Reader is described as visibly blushing (normally i'd avoid it, but for this idea I kinda had to, sorry!)

Summary: You're friends with Jack and Luke first, they decide to tease you good naturedly about your reaction to their older brother, Quinn.

Notes: I feel like Jack and Luke as friends would really work together to tease you, just very good natured but finding it hilarious. Basically acting like your annoying brothers.

An NHL charity event isn't something that 2 years ago you would have thought you'd ever be at, but then 2 years ago you didn't forsee yourself becoming friends with Jack and Luke Hughes, two pro-hockey players, after taking your students to meet the New Jersey Devils on a school trip.

Everyone who was anyone in the NHL was present, players from across the teams from both Canada and the US, coaches, WAGs and then you, because Jack and Luke refused to leave you behind in case you got bored without them. Their words, not yours. You couldn't even use work as an excuse because school holidays were in full swing.

So, here you found yourself, clutching a glass of something expensive, but awful tasting, that you quickly deposite on a side table the moment no one is looking, wearing your best dress (the one that never came out of your closet and had needed a really good steam to get the wrinkles out) and oogling their attractive older brother from across the room. The big brother you've had a crush on for at least a year...despite having met him a total of 5 times.

It wasn't your fault, really. Jack and Luke were pretty, so very pretty, but a little too young for you and treated you like an annoying sister, Quinn however? He was the right age, the right height, had the right hair and the few times you'd interacted had made you feel like a girl and not one of the guys. He was easy on the eyes and from the time you'd spent around him a genuinely nice guy, the type of person that having a crush on was easy. Especially, when you were rarely around him and didn't need to confront said feelings.

It's stupid though, a crush? In your mid-20s? It feels like something you should have grown out of, but apparently not. You think you've managed a good job at hiding it though, hiding the way your ears perk up whenever Jack or Luke mention Quinn, hiding the fact you watch every Canucks game even if you have to catch up late after work kicks out, marking piled high in front of you.

Across the room you watch as Jack and Luke hug their brother in greeting, big smiles wide on all three faces. They're all wearing their best suits, hair neatly trimmed, a shame...as you're rather fond of Quinn's longer hair, but he's still handsome either way.

Luke must mention you as he gestures in your direction and Quinn turns to look at you, smiling wide in your direction. You're not expecting it, certain you resemble a deer in headlights.

His wide smile does funny things to your heart and it's only made worse when he starts walking in your direction, Luke and Jack trailing behind, you're almost certain your heart is about to stop in your chest.

He stops just shy of you, looking like some sort of daydream and you're certain that you're not hiding your crush very well in that moment. Suddenly, you feel 10 years old again.

"Hey, long time no see," Quinn doesn't hesitate before wrapping his arms around you and pressing a kiss to your cheek that has your face feeling incredibly warm. He pulls back, eyes giving you a slow once over from your head to your uncomfortable heels, "You look beautiful." There's a crinkle at his eyes that screams sincerity, that, combined with his soft smile only has you swallowing harder and trying to ignore the raised eyebrows of Jack and Luke over his shoulders.

"T.." You cough the lump from your throat, "Thank you, Quinn, it's nice to see you again"

It's not long before he's called away, once more pressing a kiss to your cheek on his way and you know you're beet red in the face without even looking at Jack or Luke. Their matching grins only confirm it and you internally groan when Jack throws an arm around your shoulders, smirking down at you.

“You’re blushing.”

"Shut up." You grind out, shoving his arm off your shoulder and crossing your arms even as your eyes continue to track Quinn across the room.

"You're seriously blushing because of Quinn?" Luke takes up the otherside of you grinning over the top of your head at his brother, even as Jack keeps digging at the topic. If your face was red before, you know it's probably bright enough to be seen from space now.

"Jack, in the name of all that is holy, if you do not shut the fuck up right now I am going to tell tiktok about that time that you tried to jump into my arms because of a mouse." You poke a harsh finger into his chest, but your threat seems to make very little impact, your friend just continues to grin at you like you've made his night.

"But, seriously? Quinn? Like, i'm right here,"

"You are a baby." You roll your eyes, turning back to find Quinn staring at the three of you from across the room. He's got the sort amused look that tells you he'll be asking his brothers all about this later, curious as to what had you make that face at Jack.

"I'm not that much younger than you!"

"Still a baby." You laugh simply because you all know Jack's joking. He's never once wanted to date you and you're fine with that. Your dynamic with the two younger Hughes brothers has always been entirely platonic and you like it that way.

"Does that mean I don't get a shot at all?" Luke chims in from besides you, arms slumped at his side in mock sadness that has you wrapping an arm around his waist to give him a side hug.

"Lukey, I love you, you get a shot just for being you." You grin up at him as Luke smugly waggles his eyebrows at his brother. It's all completely ridiculous and it reminds you that even when they're winding you up, you do in fact love the two of them.

"Oh, c'mon!" Jack's jaw drops like you've just told him that his first born child is the uglist child you've ever seen or something equally as offensive. From the corner of your eye, you can see that Quinn is still watching the three of you even as he talks to a group of journalists. It makes you nervous, hoping that he hasn't developed a talent for lip reading.

"Why are we even having this discussion? Neither of you want to date me and I don't want to date either of you! We firmly established that we're all in the friendzone here."

"It's the principle okay? I am the pretty one and you go for Quinn?"

You're quiet for a moment, eyes on your feet before you mumble out a quick, "I like his hair."

"I have good hair too." You roll your eyes at his retort, "So do I!" Luke ruffles his curls to show them off.

"I like his beard." That bit of scruff he always seems to grow as the season continues, the sort you're sure would scratch deliciously against your skin if he kissed you. Quinn gave off strong romantic book lead vibes with that sort of facial hair going on, a lumberjack or cowboy who saves the leading lady from hyperthermia or a bear or something.

"Okay...I'm...i'm working on that, give me some time, Jesus, woman!" You know he's only playing, but you also know Jack's genuinely curious as to when and how you developed a crush on his older brother. It's not like you'd ever expressed your interest in their brother before, not even suggesting he was cute in a passing comment.

"Look, I just...I think he's handsome that's all..." It's most certainly not all, but you're not about to wax poetic about their brother and give them more ammunition to tease you with than they already have.

"Well, if you're not marrying me or Luke, I guess the only way to add you to the family is to get Quinn to fall hoplessly in love with you." Jack claps his hands together, nodding his head like he's just come up with some sort of business proposal that benefits all parties rather than suggesting you marry his brother.

Luke looks over at Jack, nodding along with a little smirk, "I think we can manage that."

"Oh, definitely, Lukey Boy." Between them it's like looking at a pair of mischievious and naughty school boys.

"Please don't meddle, please leave it alone! I get crushes all the time, I really do not need you embarrassing me! We're adults, this is not the school playground!" You're practically begging them to leave it alone, mind already conjuring up a million and one ways in which they could embarrass you.

You're so focused on them that you don't see Quinn making his way over until he speaks from over your shoulder. He's eyeing his brothers like they might set off a stink bomb, arms crossed over his chest that only serves to make him look even broader than he already does in that jacket.

"Why do you two look like you're about to cause some trouble?"

"Us?" Jack starts, pointing at himself and then to Luke, wide innocent eyes fooling absolutely no one.

"Trouble?" Luke continues, a hand over his heart like Quinn had insulted his honour by suggesting such a thing.

"Quinny, would we ever do such a thing?"

There's a moment of silence before Quinn looks them both dead in the eyes and gives a confident, "Yeah."

Quinn turns to you, face softening into a look that screams that he's concerned his brothers are being dicks to you, it's pleasant and sweet and makes you feel warm inside, "You alright? These two idiots bothering you?" Both idiots shout a quick 'hey!' but your attention is solely focused on Quinn and the way his hair falls across his forehead when he tilts his head to look at you.

"Yes!" He chuckles at your insistant reply, hand reaching out to offer itself to you, "C'mere then," you grasp it without question and follow him off to the dance floor. Not thinking twice until you find yourself wrapped up in a slow dance with a guy you can barely look at without blushing. Feeling in over your head in the best sort of way.

From the corner of the room Jack turns to his younger brother with a smile, as they watch the you and Quinn inch closer and closer together on the dance floor. Your head eventually coming to rest on his shoulder as you sway back and forth.

"Y'know what, Lukey? Maybe we don't have to meddle at all..."

[thevoidstaredback]

Part 2

Danny didn't tell Tucker or Sam he was leaving. Jazz was the only one to know, the only one to see him off.

She'd asked if he was sure about not telling them, and he stood firm. He cared about them and he really wanted them to know, and he would tell them! Just, not to their faces. He'd call them when everything died down, at least a little and explain everything. They'd be mad, he knew, but if they really, truly cared about him, they'd understand.

He hoped.

Vlad, too, would know soon, but Jazz would handle that end of things.

His duffel bag was the only thing he could feasibly take with him. All he had inside were a few changes of clothes, both his binders, some toiletries, his wallet, his phone and charger, copies of all his important paperwork, and all the money Jazz had saved up for college.

He'd tried to refuse the money, going so far as to out himself as a ghost to his parents if she made him take it, but they both knew it was a lie and he ended up with almost a full Harvard tuition in US dollars.

Jazz was gonna have to start saving from scratch again. He felt horrible about it. Just another thing to add to his list.

She also slipped in a blank notebook and some pencils and made him promise to keep a journal of all of his travels. He said he'd try his best.

Leaving the country was physically easy. Mentally, it was a struggle.

The G.I.W was looking for Phantom, not Danny, so legal travel wasn't going to be too much of an issue. Travel costs also wouldn't be an issue because he could just turn invisible and fly everywhere. Food and sleep were different issues for him to worry about later.

He had to admit, as he left Amity Park behind him, that crossing an entire ocean right now was a very daunting task that he wasn't sure he had the stamina or mental capacity for. How did Dani do this all the time?

The G.I.W had set up a barrier around Amity Park to keep Ecto Entities inside. Humans could travel through just fine, but anything even slightly infected would feel a buzz as they past through. Ghosts would be knocked out entirely. Danny didn't get knocked out, but it was a near thing, even passing through as Danny instead of Phantom.

Jazz didn't follow him through.

"You're going to kick ass out there," she smiled.

"You're gonna kick ass in here," he said.

"If you ever need me, even for the smallest thing, call me, okay?"

"Okay," He didn't promise, but he would try.

"It'll get better."

"You won't let it get worse."

"You'll be able to come home eventually."

"Eventually."

He didn't hope. He wouldn't let himself.

"I love you, baby brother,"

"I love you, too, big sis."

"I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you, too."

They didn't hug, the nearly invisible barrier being a physical thing keeping them apart. So superficial, but so monumental at the same time.

Danny turned around, let the freezing cold of his ghostly powers cover him, and flew off into the night.

Traveling the world had always been an unreachable goal for him, something he gave up on very early in his life when it became obvious that his parents had no plans on ever leaving their small town behind. Instead, he'd focused his sights on space. That was somewhere he could go alone without having to worry about money. Being amongst the stars and planets was his dream. The overwhelming nothingness that housed everything there was to ever know was just the adventure his heart had been unwilling to let go of.

The USA and Canada had been the only two countries mentioned to have instated the Anti-Ecto Acts, so he decided to head south. Hopefully, Mexico would be more welcoming to him.

Part 4

[motorsportbarbie13]

The Princess & The Pilot - Part 4

In which you struggle to come to terms with falling for someone you have to hide.

Warnings: alcohol use. swearing. bit of angst in the middle. teeth rotting fluff at the end. also brief smut at the end accidentally? i got carried away, okay??? Pairing: Lando Norris x BritishPrincess!Reader Word Count: 4.6k or something like that

- The Princess & The Pilot - Part 1 - The Princess & The Pilot - Part 2 - The Princess & The Pilot - Part 3 - Master List

positivlynottheprincess posted a story:

land-ho ah so you are alive!! >>>positivelynottheprincess omg lan. i'm so sorry. i was just texting you. it was absolute chaos here tonight. Lizzie started running a fever and Char had to stay back to tend to her. so seb asked me to go last minute. which meant a last minute tiara fitting. >>>land-ho i'm just teasing, gorgeous. i just miss you. >>>positivelynottheprincess :( i know. i miss you too. i'm sorry i couldn't make canada work last weekend or monaco work this weekend. >>>land-ho don't apologize baby. i'll be in woking on monday ahead of spain though. think you can slip away? >>>positivelynottheprincess anything for you, handsome. >>>positivelynottheprincess pulling up to the palace, facetime tonight when i get home if you're not busy? >>>land-ho just streaming with max tn, call me whenever >>>positivelynottheprincess xox

"That tapping noise has got to break some international law or something, it's so fucking annoying."

Your eyes dart from your phone screen up to your brother across from you in the back seat of the Bentley you were riding in. "Language, Mister Future King of England." You scold.

Sebastian just rolls his eyes and glances back down at his iphone, giving you permission to go back to rereading your messages from Lando.

Ever since the weekend you spent with Lando in Monaco, you two had been getting closer and closer. You had tried to negotiate your way into attending the race in Canada last week, but your foundation had events scheduled and your father had needed your help with a few things. But Lando was going to finally be in town for a little bit so you were hopeful that you'd get to see each other more than just a few hours.

The hours you did spend together, on both FaceTime and in person, had been bliss. The way you two just clicked so easily was something that unnerved you a little. You were a bit surprised with how content you were to just keep the relationship between you and Lando though, as you were someone who tended to wear their heart on their sleeve. You loved big and you loved loud, which was sometimes a difficult thing to contend with when your family was famous for their stoic 'Keep Calm and Carry On' approach to life.

You wanted to protect the happiness you'd seemed to have found and Lando was inclined to agree. He wasn't a stranger to difficult relationships himself, never sure of what girl could be using him for clout or money. It was a strange feeling, but not at all unwelcome, when he realized that you were one of the few people in his life that didn't stand to gain something from your relationship with him.

Even so, the threat of being exposed still lingered, hazy off in the distant future. You both knew that it couldn't last forever, this little slice of paradise you'd built yourselves within the walls of hotels and townhomes. It would all come to an end but what came of that end was something neither of you wanted to touch with a ten foot pole. Because the outcomes were all terrifying and potentially heart breaking.

"Damn it." Your brother swears under his breath.

"Everything okay?" You ask, raising a brow when you see the frown on Sebastian's face.

"I just got an email from McLaren." Your heart stutters to a halt. "They invited me to the race in Spain next weekend but I already have things scheduled."

"I'll go." You say, just a touch too quickly.

"What's with the sudden interest in F1? First the Monaco race with Alice and now you're jumping at the chance to go to Spain?" Sebastian narrows his eyes at you and you momentarily think you've given yourself away.

"I had fun at that engagement at Silverstone. You and Michael are always talking racing. You've been to more races than I can count. It was bound to rub off, right?"

Biting your lip, you force yourself to stop the rush of words spilling form your mouth. Relax, you chide yourself as you pinch the space between your thumb and pointer finger to pull your attention away from what you just did.

Sebastian doesn't look away for a moment, almost like he's trying to figure out what your real motivation is for going to the race. You manage to hold eye contact with him, praying that you're doing enough to throw him off the scent.

"Fine. I'll let them know that you'll be there in my place." He says after a few tense moments, seemingly satisfied by your reasons.

The pulsing bass of the nightclub pulls you deeper and deeper under it's spell as you down your fourth drink of the night. Lando had finished on the podium behind Max just hours earlier and half the grid was out partying to celebrate. The race winner had been the one to invite you after the race and you had originally refused, not wanting to spend the evening watching Lando fight off girls trying to go home with him. You also didn't want to raise suspicion about the two of you being together so you had thought going straight back to the hotel and waiting for Lando to get back later that night would be a better choice.

In the end, it had been your protection officer Nathan of all people that had convinced you to go. He hated seeing you lock yourself away from experiencing normal things that other people your age were able to do without a second thought. So when he had overheard you turning down the invite from Max in the paddock after the race, he had pulled you aside.

'If you want to go out with them tonight, Dan and I are comfortable with it.' He had said discreetly as you had watched Max walk away. 'In fact, Dan and I think you should go out with them. Getting out of that hotel room will do you some good.' His gaze had found Lando then, who was walking towards you after completing his media duties after his podium. You briefly wondered how much he knew about what was going on between you and Lando. He hadn't said anything so far, but you knew your entire team was outside your townhome whenever you were home and they knew exactly who was coming and going at all times.

The entire weekend had been spent on the periphrial of Lando's world. He had shown you an appropriate amount of attention for someone who had only met you a handful of times, which to the outside world was exactly what you were to each other: aquaintences. Which was why you had supposed that going out with Lando and the rest of the group tonight was going to be okay. As long as you kept your distance, things would be okay.

Unfortunately, the alcohol had other ideas.

"You know, if you want to keep things secret between you and Lando, you should probably stop giving him heart eyes whenever you look at him." Max's deep voice startles you out of the trance you had been in on the edge of the VIP area of the club. Lando was at the bar across the room getting you another glass of whatever you'd been drinking that night and you hadn't taken your gaze off of him since he left the booth you were currently sitting in.

"I..." You stutter, trying to come up with a quick comeback but the alcohol has made your reaction time dull. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Max laughs and shakes his head, "Don't try to deflect with me, your highness. You haven't stopped staring at him since he got up."

"Am I that obvious?" You don't even bother trying to argue, head tilting back to rest against the cool leather of the couch. Well, this was it. You knew the time was going to come when people found out about you. You just hoped Max would be discreet about what he just figured out.

"You both are so obvious, I'm surprised no one else has picked up on it."

"Fuck." You whisper, worrying your lip before allowing your eyes to dart back to where Lando is now crossing the dance floor with your drink in his hand.

"Hey, it's okay. I won't say anything. Trust me, I know how it feels to have your private life outed before you're even ready to have it all out there."

You glance at Max before your gaze finds Lando again, anxiety bunching in your chest when he sees your worried face and pulls a matching look. It was getting harder and harder to hide your feelings for him and as someone who had always had trouble not wearing your heart on your sleeve, all of the secrecy was beginning to wear on you. You just knew, deep down, that your parents would never accept you dating someone like Lando, with his reputation with women and lifestyle that was wholly not suited for someone like yourself.

"Everything okay?" Lando asks when he rejoins the table, eyes darting from you to Max. For a moment, as he had crossed the dance floor and saw you leaning in towards Max while he talked into your ear, jealousy flared deep in the pit of his stomach. Why did Max get to be so close to you when he didn't? Why couldn't he show you the affection in public that he got to show you in private?

He knew the answer to those questions, of course. Knew why you wanted to keep your private life private but just like you, he was beginning to feel chafed by all of the sneaking around. He wanted to tell people about you. He wanted to have you in the garage on race weekends and not just because your family had a partnership with McLaren. He wanted you in his garage, wearing his colors, rooting for him. He wanted to see you in parc ferme waiting for him after a win. He wanted to kiss you in public while he was sticky with sweat and champagne and camera's flashed around you. As he crossed the room and watched you cast worried glances at both him and Max, he began to wonder if any of that would be possible.

"Everything is fine!" You chirp, just a bit too happily.

Lando sees right through it.

"Do you want to dance?" He asks, voice low in your ear as he slips into the booth next to you. He idly wonders how far you're going to let him push this and hopes that you'll allow him to distract you from the mood that seems to have settled over you.

Maybe it's the fact that you're tired of hiding or maybe it has something to do with the amount of alcohol you've consumed tonight but something in you breaks at the look on his face. Like Lando so badly wants to be there for you and wants to make sure you have a good time tonight. You know he's reading your anxious posture and wants to fix whatever is bothering you, it's just how he is.

But whatever it is has you throwing caution to the wind and you find yourself nodding. "I'd love that."

Lando smiles like you've just agreed to bestow a knighthood on him and reaches out to take your hand. The VIP area the group is in is set up above the rest of the crowded club so it's possible for you two to fade into the background a little while still being around the people you came with.

"Have I told you that you look absolutely stunning tonight?" Lando whispers in your ear as he pulls you into his body, swaying with the deep bass that thumps through the club.

You can't help the giggle that escapes your lips as your arms snake up around his neck. "A few times, but I'm always open to hearing it a few more."

The temptation to kiss him is so strong, what with the way his curls are just slightly damp from sweat and his black t-shirt is clinging desperately to his toned biceps. You can see it in Lando's eyes too. It's in the way his gaze drops from your eyes down to your lips over and over again. It's in the way his fingers flex into the flesh of your hips, pulling you closer to the heat of his body. It's in the way his eyes darken a bit as he pulls you closer to the outside walls of the club, hiding the way you're clinging to his body from any prying eyes.

It's so dangerous and thrilling all at the same time.

"Your highness, we need to leave." Nathan's deep voice yanks you out of the trance you'd fallen into while in Lando's grasp.

Your head whips around to where Nathan and Dan stand a few feet away, both looking incredibly guilty for having to interrupt. "What? Why?"

You hate the way your questions come out as a whine.

"There were people taking pictures of you two. We think we got everyone of them deleted, but people have started to realize you're here and it's no longer secure. We caught three men trying to sneak into the VIP section saying that they wanted to get photos with you."

Embarrassment washes over you, heating your cheeks. You bury your head in Lando's shoulder, wanting to disappear. You had finally allowed yourself to let your guard down and this was what happened.

"Fine." You sigh, extracting yourself from Lando's clutches.

Nathan does something that surprises you then.

"Do you want to come back with us?" He asks Lando.

Your startle, not prepared for them to help you and Lando sneak around. Next to you, Lando looks equally as surprised. "You...I mean, we're just...fuck." He scrambles, looking frantically from you to Nathan, completely unsure of how to answer that.

While you had been quite certain that your entire security team was aware of you and Lando, he apparently had thought he was doing a better job of sneaking in and out of your townhome than he really was.

"Don't give us that." Dan chuckles from his spot behind Nathan. "We know you two are a thing. Anyone looking closely enough could see that."

You fight the urge to roll your eyes. This was the second time tonight you'd been called out for being obvious about your feelings for the driver.

Lando sheepishly palms the back of his neck as he gives you a shrug. "Of course I'm going back with her." He says like it's the most natural thing in the world.

"We'll take her out the front then. Wait five minutes and go out through the kitchen entrance in the back, we'll wait with the car there for you."

Lando nods before reaching out to give your hand a squeeze. "It'll be okay, babe. Let's just get you out of here."

Lando watches Dan escort you from the crowd but reaches out to catch Nathan's elbow before he has a chance to turn as well. "You're not going to tell her parents or anything, are you?" The last thing he wanted was for this to turn into drama with your family just because he wanted to go home with you.

Nathan shakes his head, "Our loyalty lies with the princess, not her parents. If we want her to trust us and allow us to do our job, we need to earn that trust. She's an adult, what she does in her personal life is none of their majesty's business. As long as she's safe, we won't say anything and from what we've all seen, she's safe with you."

Relief floods Lando's system at Nathan's words. "Thanks man."

Nathan nods quickly before turning around and following after you and Dan.

F1GossipandNews posted

F2GossipAndNews Apparently, on Sunday night while partying at the same place where several drivers were celebrating Max's win in Spain, several club goers were approached by 2 men claiming to be employees and forced to delete pictures of a certain papaya driver getting close to an unknown blonde. Not all the pictures were deleted though, dear readers!! We got a few sent into us but none showing the lucky girls face. No one in the crowd seemed to know who it was, but there were several pretty blondes in the VIP section that night, so it could have been anyone! user028 I heard the princess went out with the drivers after the race. >>>user201 she's so fucking boring, I doubt she did. and even if she did, are you saying a guy like Lando Norris would go for an uptight princess like her??? user111 my cousin was there last night and was one of the people who had the pictures deleted. No one could tell who it was, but they were all over each other all night. They didn't leave together though, she saw him duck out the back alone later that night. >>>user002 i wonder if it was that gigi girl from last year. they seemed pretty hot and heavy for a while then she just *poof* disappeared!

Lando pulls you closer to him in bed later that night, the room cool and dark as you struggle to come down from the adrenaline rush of the day. Your back presses into his bare chest as he nuzzles his head in the crook of your neck, breathing in the scent of the hotel's soap that still lingers on your bare skin.

The quiet of the hotel room is a stark contrast to the noise of the club that you two had spent the evening in, but here, you're able to fully relax and allow yourself the luxury of letting down your mask. It's the first time you've been able to do that all day and you cling onto the feeling of just existing in Lando's firm grasp. It wasn't often you two had the chance to spend the night together so when you did, you were determined to savor it.

"I'm sorry your celebration got cut short because of me." You whisper in the darkness, guilt taking a firm grip around your throat.

"I don't know what you're talking about, pretty girl." Lando murmurs in your ear before dropping a few open mouthed kisses on your bare shoulder. "This right here is all the celebration I need."

"I know, but you deserve to be with someone you can go out with in public..." The weight of sneaking around had felt crushing ever since you had picked Lando up in the alleyway behind the club that evening. This was no way to live, you had realized. It was no way to start a relationship and no way to continue one.

Lando tugs at your shoulder so you're forced to shift onto your back. He props himself up on his elbow before giving you a look. "Don't even start going down that road, princess. I deserve you and I'm willing to wait until you decide it's the right time to go public, whenever that is."

"What if there isn't a right time?" You whisper, your chest tightens painfully at the thought.

Lando blinks at you, seemingly knocked off guard by your statement. Were you trying to call this whole thing off? Panic skitters up his spine, unsure of what's going to come out of your mouth next. "What are you saying?"

You shrug, "I just...I'm scared. I'm scared someone will find out. I'm scared that my parents will lose their mind and forbid me from seeing you. I'm scared that you'll wake up one day and realize that being in my life isn't worth the price of admission."

The last one shatters Lando's heart because if only you knew how much he was falling for you, how much time he spent thinking about a future with you, and how much he was willing to sacrifice for you.

"It'll be hard, but baby I'm not going anywhere. I told you, I'm willing to wait as long as you need." He reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear before kissing the tip of your nose. "Sneaking around is hard but I won't have to hide my girlfriend forever. And when we finally figure out the timing on all of this, I'm never going to shut up about how I'm dating the hottest princess in existence."

"Girlfriend?" You whisper, your brain stalled on the title you'd been dying to get from Lando for weeks now.

Lando blushes before carding his hands through his curls. Whoops. "I mean, isn't that what we're doing here?"

"I just don't recall being asked to be your girlfriend, Norris." You tease gently, leaning forward to nip at his bottom lip playfully.

Lando's grip on your waist tightens as he pulls you impossibly closer. He presses his lips into yours, sliding his tongue across the seam of your mouth so you'll open for him. The exploration is a familiar one, with him having spent many hours learning what makes you sigh, but every time it starts it feels like the first time for him. You feel different from the first time he kissed you, yet wholly the same. Like your DNA had been altered but just in the slightest so only the person closest to you is able to tell.

"Will. You. Be. My. Girlfriend?" Lando punctuates each word with a quick peck before settling back to kiss you deeper.

The thing you can do is laugh in response, smile pressed into his mouth so he knows how happy you are. "Of course." You whisper against him before you allow your lips to skim over his jaw and down the thick roped muscle of his neck.

Lando grabs a handful of your ass in an attempt to pull you even closer but all it does is make you wiggle against him, top leg hitching up over his waist. The groan that starts in the back of his throat when you wrap your legs around him is something feral that makes your spine tingle.

"You feel so good against me." He murmurs into that soft spot behind your ear before biting at your earlobe.

"Need you, Lan." You whimper into the crook of his neck, burying your head there out of embarrassment at how needy you are for him.

"Yeah? What do you need, baby?"

You roll your hips into his in an attempt to show him what you're craving: that sweet drag, in and out, again and again, of his length in you aching pussy.

"You're going to need to use your words, pretty girl." Lando chuckles, bumping his nose with yours when you let out a frustrated sigh.

"I want to feel you. All of you." You pant, cheeks flaming red.

Lando slips his hand beneath the band of your panties, the only thing separating his body from yours. His thick fingers trail down to your already molten center. He chuckles a little against your neck when he reaches his destination. You gasp at the sudden intrusion of the swirling fingers, keening in pleasure.

"Lan." You sigh, biting at the delicate skin of Lando's neck. You were going to leave a mark but Lando would take as many love bites as you chose to mark him with. If he could, he'd tattoo one on him so he'd never have to go without being marked by you ever again.

Lando rolls onto his back, pulling you with him so you're forced to straddle him. You grind down onto dick, frustrated that there's still so much fabric keeping you away from him being inside you.

"You are so needy tonight." Lando tuts, scraping his calloused fingers up and down the bare skin underneath his t-shirt you're wearing.

"Missed you all day." You whine.

"Want you to ride me. Show my how much you missed me. Can you do that for me, princess?" His voice is thick and full of gravel, scraping roughly against your already sensitive skin.

With a tap of your hip, he signals for you to rise up a bit so he can slip off his joggers and boxers all at once. When you lower yourself back down Lando sucks in a breath when your slick center swipes against his cock.

"Fuck." He hisses, squeezing his eyes shut.

You rock your hips back and forth, enjoying the way Lando sucks in a breath every time you work your hips against him. He wasn't even inside you yet and you were already on the verge of orgasm. Your hands trail up your torso before they settle on playing with your nipples as you bit your lip looking at Lando beneath you.

Lando, meanwhile, was trying to figure out how not to come right then and there before he even got inside you. The sight of you getting yourself off above him was almost too much to take. He knew that once he slipped inside you, filling you to the hilt, he wouldn't last much longer.

"Lando, need you inside me please." Even with you on top, you still deferred to Lando's need to be in control and it sets something feral off in him.

He grips at your hips, "Then ride me like the little slut you are."

The name he calls you sends an unexpected shock through your system, leaving your cunt to grip at the little bit of his dick that had just slipped in. Lando felt it though, knew what had sent your core spasaming against nothing. He grins up at you, devil incarnate with pleasure. "You liked that, didn't you? The proper little princess likes being my proper little whore?"

Lando steals your response from your throat by suddenly dropping you down full on his length in one swift thrust. All you can do is gasp, leaning backwards, hands planted on his legs, to steady yourself at the sudden pleasurable burn that rips through you.

"Oh my God." You gasp, eyes rolling in the back of your head.

Lando's pupils blow wide at the image above him. Your back arched in pleasure as you take him completely. It's a complete mystery as to how he doesn't come on the spot. His hips fuck up into you as you grind down onto him, the way Lando's cock is buried so deep in you something that only seems like a dream. How had Lando lived without you like this in his life? He didn't think he could ever go back now.

"You look so pretty taking me so good, princess." Lando's praise sends liquid fire pouring down your spine. "There you go, use me to get yourself off."

His encouragement has you feeling bold and you reach forward to roll your clit between your fingers, enjoying the double stimulation. Lando's hands continue to guide you back and forth against him as he rocks his hips in and out in a slow drag of steel against velvet.

The tightening in your spine has you gasping around Lando's name. "Don't stop." You beg, getting close to the orgasm you'd been craving all day.

Lando nearly loses it at how fucked out you sound, needing to feel you tighten around him as you come for him. "There you go, princess. I can feel you gripping me so good. Gonna come for me, my pretty little whore?"

The words send you over the edge, orgasm ripping through your body like a freight train. It's all you can do to keep from screaming out, biting down on your lip so hard you taste the metallic sting of blood. Lando follows you over the edge shortly after you tumble, painting your cunt with his release. The warmth that floods between your two bodies is so erotic, you nearly come a third time just from the thought of Lando beneath you.

For several moments, neither of you move. Your spent body is draped over Lando's sweaty one as you curl into him and his heat. "Good girl." Lando praises, kissing the top of your head. "Always so good for me." His voice is thick with emotion, spent from the weight of all that had happened tonight.

You whine at the sudden loss of him inside you when Lando lifts you off. He pads to the bathroom, getting a warm cloth to clean you up, your heart skittering at the after care.

When Lando slips beneath the sheets behind you, he pulls your bare body towards his, wrapping his arm around your waist. Just as you start to slip into the sweet release of sleep, fully relaxed as Lando holds you firmly against him, you swear you hear three whispered words that could change everything.

Your camera roll lately:

Lando’s camera roll lately:

Tag list:

@shelbyteller @formulaal @martygraciesversion381 @longhairkoo @samantha-chicago @stelena-klayley @dark-night-sky-99 @luckylampzonkland @chlmtfilms @aykxz98 @forensicheart @cheer-bear-go-vroom @lieutenantchaos @willowsnook @sltwins @linnygirl09 @meglouise00 @mixedstyles @strawberryy-kiwii @secret-agents-stole-my-bunnies @mrosales16 @charlesgirl16 @leclercdream @eloriis @daemyratwst @dramaticpiratellamas @mochimommy2002 @bibissparkles @llando4norris @chelseyyouraverageluigi @iamaunknownsecret @maxivstappen @imlonelydontsendhelp @nina-or-anna-or-nora @a1leexxa @littlegrapejuice @sunflowervol18 @freyathehuntress @finn-dot-com @swiftie-4-lifes-stuff @chirasama @lauralarsen @dr3wstarkey @saskiaalonso

[defjux]

Here's a 12x12 of some of my favorite albums that aren't rap albums. I did one of those recently as well, which you can find here. I think some years back I also made a similar list of the albums that were most influential for me, but this is more of an inclusive list of the stuff I generally just enjoy listening to the most these days. One album per artist, and only the first two rows are in order. I might do another one these in the future with all of the albums I love that didn't make the cut this time around, but for now i'm happy with how this turned out Chart with album titles included Maybe I could add as many of these albums as possible to a spotify playlist - is that something any of you would be interested in? What albums are your favorite, do we have any in common? If you've got any kind of list of your own i’d love to see it. Peace.

 1. At the Drive-In - Relationship of Command  2. Björk - Vespertine 3. Portishead - Third 4. Gospel - The Moon Is a Dead World 5. Stereolab - Dots and Loops 6. Glassjaw - Worship and Tribute 7. Cocteau Twins - Treasure 8. Sade - Love Deluxe 9. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works 10. Sun Ra - Lanquidity 11. J Dilla - Donuts 12. Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill 13. John Coltrane - Sun Ship 14. Converge - You Fail Me 15. The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium 16. Slowdive - Souvlaki 17. Jeromes Dream - Seeing Means More Than Safety 18. Max Roach - Members, Don't Git Weary 19. Boards of Canada - Geogaddi 20. Joni Mitchell - Hejira 21. Isis - Wavering Radiant 22. Broadcast - Tender Buttons 23. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights 24. Charles Mingus - Let My Children Hear Music

25. Q and Not U - No Kill No Beep Beep 26. Fugazi - Red Medicine 27. Orchid - Orchid 28. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless 29. Tim Hecker - Harmony In Ultraviolet 30. Candy Claws - Ceres & Calypso in the Deep Time 31. Natural Snow Buildings - The Dance of the Moon and the Sun 32. toe - For Long Tomorrow 33. maudlin of the Well - Leaving Your Body Map 34. Ichiko Aoba - マホロボシヤ (Mahoroboshiya) 35. United Nations - The Next Four Years 36. Miles Davis - In A Silent Way 37. Nujabes - Modal Soul 38. Unwound - Repetition 39. Aphex Twin - Drukqs 40. Ornette Coleman - Science Fiction 41. Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain 42. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tinderbo 43. Yves Tumor - Heaven to a Tortured Mind 44. Boris - Flood 45. Massive Attack - Mezzanine 46. Boredoms - Vision Creation Newsun 47. Akira Yamaoka - Silent Hill 2 48. Paddy McAloon - I Trawl The Megahertz 49. Panopticon - Autumn Eternal 50. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love 51. Krallice - Years Past Matter 52. Every Time I Die - The Big Dirty 53. Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye 54. The Blood Brothers - ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn 55. Pavement - Brighten the Corners 56. slauson malone - A Quiet Farwell, 2016-2018 57. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages 58. Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime 59. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma 60. Sonic Youth - EVOL 61. The Field - From Here We Go Sublime 62. The Cure - Disintegration 63. Madlib - Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6 A Tribute To... 64. Autechre - LP5 65. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On 66. Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds 67. The Chariot - Long Live 68. tricot - T H E 69. Funkadelic - Maggot Brain 70. Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Moanin' 71. Prince - Sign "☮︎" the Times 72. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯A♯∞ [1995–1997] 73. The Avalanches - Since I Left You 74. Sunny Day Real Estate - How It Feels to Be Something On 75. NoMeansNo - Wrong 76. David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust 77. Oh No - Oh No Vs. Now-Again 78. Alcest - Écailles de lune 79. Electric Masada - At the Mountains of Madness 80. Grant Green - Idle Moments 81. Julia Holter - Loud City Song 82. Frank Zappa - Hot Rats 83. Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda 84. Protomartyr - Relatives In Descent 85. Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade 86. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss 87. Tatsuro Yamashita - For You 88. Bruno Pernadas - Those Who Throw Objects at the Crocodiles... 89. Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Inflated Tear 90. Discordance Axis - The Inalienable Dreamless 91. The Fall of Troy - Doppelgänger 92. Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues 93. Death - Symbolic 94. Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica 95. King Crimson - Red 96. Junko Yagami - Communication 97. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I 98. Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil 99. Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters 100. Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come 101. Fishmans - Uchu Nippon Setagaya 102. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing..... 103. Hiatus Kaiyote - Mood Valiant 104. Pharoah Sanders - Karma 105. Brutus - Nest 106. fleshwater - We're Not Here to Be Loved 107. Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain 108. Burial - Untrue 109. NEPTUNIAN MAXIMALISM - Éons 110. Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising 111. Standing On The Corner - Red Burns 112. Taeko Onuki - SUNSHOWER 113. Pg.99 - Document #8 114. Alvvays - Blue Rev 115. Genesis Owusu - Smiling with No Teeth 116. Cibo Matto - Stereotype A 117. D'Angelo - Voodoo 118. Gouge Away - Burnt Sugar 119. Opeth - Ghost Reveries 120. The Number Twelve Looks Like You - Worse Than Alone

121. Ahmad Jamal Trio - The Awakening 122. Bill Evans - Symbiosis 123. Deftones - Koi No Yokan 124. The Chameleons - Script of the Bridge 125. Newfound Interest In Connecticut - Tell Me About the... 126. City of Caterpillar - City of Caterpillar 127. Minnie Riperton - Come To My Garden 128. Lil Ugly Mane - THIRD SIDE OF THE TAPE 129. mewithoutYou - Catch For Us The Foxes 130. Love Spirals Downwards - Flux 131. Ohbliv - Retrospective 132. Liv.e - Couldn't Wait To tell You... 133. Shinsei Kamattechan - tsumanne 134. Herbie Hancock - Sextant 135. Beach House - Bloom 136. Wormrot - Hiss 137. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters 138. Anri - Timely!! 139. Cloud Rat - Threshold 140. Polaris - Home 141. Yes - Close to the Edge 142. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm  143. Coaltar of the Deepers - Submerge 144. Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power

[asnowperson]

Tanbi to Heroine - Literary classics adapted into shoujo manga

I want to talk about the book of my dreams: Mangaka! Sekai Bungaku - Tanbi to Heroine (マンガ化! 世界文学 耽美とヒロイン). It's a compilation of shoujo manga from the 1970s and 1980s which are adaptations of classics from world literature. Each manga has a little introduction about its artist, and the work it was adapted from. Thank you, our Tosho no Ie overlords.

It came out in 2022, and I'm so happy to own this book. After watching Aoi Bungaku and falling in love with what they did with Kokoro there, I've always wanted to see more anime/manga adaptations of literature. Seeing how authors/directors give the works their own interpretations while still staying faithful to the original work, and not trying to do a 1:1 adaptation can be great, as long as they don't jump the shark. Speaking of which, I even liked Gankutsuou despite the bizarre 3D space mecha fights because Edmond Dantès was still there. I can't get mad at it when the director gets the core of the work right.

Anyway, I want to present this awesome book and the manga collected in this volume!

Hagio Moto – Shiroi Tori ni Natta Shoujo (白い鳥になった少女)

Adapted from Andersen's The Girl Who Trod on A Loaf, and first published in Bessatsu Shoujo Comic 1972/12.

Hagio tells the story from the point of view of the girl who becomes a bird at the end of the tale, which is a very nice touch.

2. Mizuno Hideko – Cendrillon (サンドリヨン)

Adapted from Grimm Brothers' Cinderella, and first published in LaLa 1977/9 & 11.

With Mizuno's exquisite art, this Cinderella adaptation is the perfect fairy tale. On the first and last pages Hideko-tan breaks the fourth wall to give us information about the original work, and going "bruh, these are supposed to be tales for kids but some brutal stuff goes on in them. What's with all the mutilations and eye-gouging?!" It's adorable!

3. Maki Miyako – Hanakagerou (花陽炎)

Adapted from Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji, and first published in Big Comic for Lady 1987/2.

This excerpt is taken from vol. 2 of Maki's Genji Monogatari adaptation, and depicts a scene that doesn't exist in the original work: Hikaru meeting Lady Fujitsubo for the first time. I must say that all that Genji Monogatari Japanese went over my head ;_;

4. Miuchi Suzue – Takekurabe (たけくらべ)

Adapted From Higuchi Ichiyou's Takekurabe, and first published in Hana to Yume 1977/1 & 2. This story is actually part of Miuchi's Glass Mask. In the manga, it was acted in the third act, “Kaze no Naka wo Iku.” Compiled in vol.s 3-4 Hana to Yume comics version, vol.s 2-3 of Hakusensha Bunko, and vol.s 3-4 of the digital ebook.

Conveying the subtleties of the character through the way Ayumi and Maya acts is quite ingenious. We get adaptation-ception with this one, and I loved it. It really made me want to read the book to get to know Midori better.

5. Sakata Keiko – Okisaki to Nemuri Hime (お妃と眠り姫)

Adapted from Charles Perrault's Sleeping Beauty, and first published in Comic Tom 1989/1.

I haven't read Sakata's works, but she always strikes me as being the odd one in the shoujo scene. And this manga just strengthened my conviction. Her adaptation of Sleeping Beauty focuses on the ogre mother of the Prince, and her loneliness. Which is another ingenious way of going about adapting a fairy tale from a completely point of view. Her funny-looking art and humor adds to it.

6. Fumizuki Kyouko – Shiroki Mori no Chi ni (白き森の地に)

You get this color image I found online, because scanning this gorgeous double spread was impossible. And it's in grayscale in the book.

Adapted from Louis Hémon's Maria Chapdelaine, and first published in Bessatsu Shoujo Friend 1977/3.

I had no idea about this story, but wow, Hémon sure lived a life... This story that takes place in Canada feels really comforting. I'm surprised this didn't get an anime adaptation. Sure, it's not long enough for one, but it'd make a perfect comfort shoujo. "Comfort shoujo" as in people dying and the protagonist growing up after being hit by misery and having to make life-altering choices. I can see why this was popular in Japan.

7. Yamagishi Ryouko – Rapunzel Rapunzel (ラプンツェル・ラプンツェル)

Feast your eyes on this color Rapunzel illustration from the Yamagishi artbook I have.

Adapted from Grimm Brothers's Rapunzel, and first published in Bessatsu Shoujo Friend 1974/6.

Queen Yamagishi does not disappoint: We go full psychological and read about how parents ruin childrens' lives by projecting their shortcomings in life onto them, and their twisted sense of "love" can be worse than a sorceress's curse. Prince charming therapy time, baby!

8. Sato Shio – Bijo to Yajuu (美女と野獣)

Adapted from Madame de Beumont's Beauty and the Beast, and first published in Papermoon Shoujo Manga Fantasy Shoujo Manga – 1001 Nights (5.11.1980).

This short yet poignant adaptation really brings out the love in the story. She distilled the tale, and left what touches your heart the most in these 8 pages.

This work was also originally published in full color, and it's so gorgeous that I bought the book it was first published in. I hope to have it within the month.

So yeah, if you need to gift something to your old-shoujo loving friend, you now know what to get :)

[teaisgettingcoldletsgo]

I don't have time to draw art because of a lot of homework, so catch some small headcounts on "the Baki the Grappler":

Baki:

- Oh, he's a lazy little boy. And despite the fact that he knows how to cook beautifully and deliciously, he often resorts to ready-made products. He also sometimes indulges in a little fast food, but that's about once every three months.

- Despite the fact that he is very rarely at home, he is strikingly clean. No, seriously, it's downright sterile, despite the fact that the street he lives on may seem decently dirty and untidy.

- He is a fan of board games such as monopoly, although he does not disdain cards. He rarely plays for anything, but sometimes there are exceptions, he will probably bet food or some trinkets, he does not play for money.

Jack

- Oh, he's the exact opposite of his brother in terms of the house. Vials, syringes, pill blisters, and wrappers are scattered all over his house. Of course, it is cleaned with some frequency, but this happens about once every 2 weeks.

- He's a cat lover. He has cats at home in Canada and would like to have at least one in Japan, but he probably won't have time to take care of her.

- Despite the fact that he looks like a man who doesn't give a damn about the external and internal views of his body, but he is very careful about his teeth. And when he started using implants, he had to become more attentive to them.

Yujiro

- Another sleep lover. But unlike Baki, he doesn't have a penchant for stuffed animals. However, he's unlikely to sleep anymore if he doesn't at least drink a glass of whiskey.

- Speaking of alcohol. He has a hangover, it's not as bad as it might seem, but the headache haunts him and is very successful, he becomes much more irritable than usual.

- Now it is necessary to recall that he is actually the strongest being on the planet, which is a threat to absolutely any state, in fact, an omnipotent man in his strength... And he doesn't know how to drive a car. And it's better not to put him behind the wheel, it will end badly for the car.

Hanayama:

- Oh, this pile of muscles is having trouble getting up in the morning. Not only is he an "owl", but his work smells so much that waking up is his biggest problem.

- This guy just needs to be taken to a massage therapist. Seriously, his body is so made of stone that it can't be crushed. Probably, in order to work out at least one part of the muscles, you will have to involve several people who will have to work hard on this task.

- He has a cat. She is a small girl, most likely 3 years old, black in color, but has a white tie and white gloves on her paws. A beautiful kitty that her dad certainly loves, but he spends much less time with her than he would like for work and fights.

Katsumi:

- A radiant little boy. He has a huge craving for gambling, and in principle for games. Everything from a toy vending machine to The Witcher is suitable for him, and he won't budge until he wins.

- He has no taste preferences, but he is a big fan of meat, specifically fried meat. The sauce and side dish are not important. The main meat. Lots of meat.

- Super active. If he hadn't participated in fights and trained, he probably would have remained a circus performer, in any case, he needs adrenaline and movement.

pickle

- Oh, let's take it off a little harder. As soon as he learned to speak and understand human speech, it became much easier for him to adapt to society, and in principle to exist in it.

- This guy is actually much softer than he seems, both physically and in terms of character. He doesn't have clogged muscles, you can only work with his shoulders, and even then not for long. By nature, he is quite sweet and moody, but perhaps this is also due to the fact that he has the intelligence of a child.

- If you explain and teach him how to play board games, he will definitely like them. It would be an interesting experience both for him and for the person who taught him this. (Imagine playing cards or Uno with a prehistoric man)

Doppo and Natsue:

- You know, he's actually already old, so he definitely has a garden and it takes up a significant part of his time. Together with Natsue, they have a wonderful time there, he is responsible for watering and digging plants, Natsue for seedlings and hoeing.

- A very nice old couple.They sometimes go out to small Japanese restaurants. Natsue doesn't drink, and Doppo may drink a couple of glasses of wine, but he tries not to drink in front of his wife.

- Doppo is actually quite poetic. In his youth, and to this day, he attends Natsue not a single verse. Most likely, she allocated one of the bedside tables of the chest of drawers for his works.

Shibukawa:

- Cute naughty old man. He is a huge fan of tea prices. Even though he has nothing to do with China, he still loves it. He has a collection of tea toads.

- He's actually quite socially active. This old man has acquaintances in almost all fields. And of course he doesn't mind using their help in critical situations.

- A lover of practical jokes and fun. But perhaps none of his acquaintances considers him malicious. It's just that cute Grandpa Shibukawa is having fun, nothing more.

[world-of-wales]

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY TO THE SWEETEST AND SASSIEST QUEEN, HRH PRINCESS CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH DIANA OF WALES (B. 2 MAY 2015) ♡

On 2 May 2015, Princess Charlotte was born to Catherine and William, then known as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in St Mary's Hospital, London, at 8.34 BST weighing 8 pounds and 3 ounces. She was born during the reign of her paternal great-grandmother Elizabeth II is the second child and only daughter of Will & Cat. The little princess' name was announced on 4 May as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Charlotte is the feminine version of her paternal grandfather's name - Charles & also her aunt Pippa's middle name. Elizabeth honours her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and is also the middle name of her grandmother Carole and her mum Catherine. Diana is in honour of her late paternal grandmother, Princess Diana. Lottie was nine weeks old when she was christened by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, on 5 July, at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. She wore the handmade replica of the Royal Christening Robe, and the Lily Font and water from the River Jordan were used during the baptism. Charlotte spent the first two years of her life at Anmer Hall in Norfolk, before relocating to Kensington Palace in 2017. She started at Willcocks Nursery School in 2018 and later joined her brother George at Thomas's School in Battersea in 2019. In 2022, Lottie and her family relocated to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, after which she started at Lambrook School with her siblings. Born as a Princess of Cambridge, she became HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales after her grandfather conferred her parents with the titles of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Charlotte who is currently third in line to the throne, made history as the first British princess to outrank a brother in the line of succession. She made her official royal debut at the Trooping of Colour in 2016 and since then has accompanied her parents and brothers for engagements and events. Charlotte joined her parents on official tours to Canada, Germany, and Poland. Taking part in two royal weddings, Lottie has also been a part of her great-grandmother's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 and her grandfather's coronation in 2023. Charlotte is a nature pixie, and is a keen rugby and tennis player. She loves gymnastics & acrobatics and does amazing cartwheels & handstands. She adores dancing, especially Tap & Ballet and has a passion for theater, putting on shows for her family at home. Lottie loves Pizza and Olives (that's a queen, right there). She's an excellent footballer, which her father was sure to mention to the Lionesses, who she is a big fan of during a visit.

[jessicaloons]

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince:

Chapter 8

Masterlist - Previous - Next

The Heartbreak Prince

Barcelona 2023:

"I’ll be back soon, my little princess. I’m going to miss you so much." Charles whispered, cradling his daughter gently to his chest "Don’t grow too much, you hear me?" he kissed her forehead, his heart aching when he heard the sounds she made "You’ll call me after the check-up?"

"Charles, it’s just a standard check-up. It’s mandatory. They just check if she develops and grows the way she’s supposed to and look at her, she’s perfect and there is nothing wrong with her." his mother chuckled "But yes, I’ll call you right after."

"Thanks Maman." he kissed his mother’s cheek, then his daughters before carefully handing her over into the arms of his mother "Bye little princess."

"Bye daddy!" Pascale gently held Ava’s hand up and waved "Have a good race weekend, daddy."

Charles hummed a little, leaving his apartment. He wasn’t sure if he would have a good race weekend and when Saturdays qualifying was his worst session of the season so far he left the track frustrated in the evening. Back in his hotel room he felt alone, missing the sweet sounds of Ava she made when sleeping. He took out his phone and scrolled through his pictures. What used to be bright mix of race weekends, trips with his friends, parties and dinner get together’s was now a gallery of Ava. Little clips of her smiling for the first time, grabbing his finger tightly, turning her head. Pictures of her while sleeping, or looking at whoever held her with her big orbs. He missed his little girl. More than he ever thought it was possible. He forgot about the time when he FaceTimed his mother, hoping to see his little one after the day he had.

"Charles? Everything okay?" his mother looked as if she just woke up, that was when Charles realised how late it was.

"I’m sorry, Maman, I forgot how late it was. I just-… I wanted to see Ava." he mumbled and Pascale began to smile.

"Of course, well she’s sleeping but I guess there’s nothing wrong with having a look how she’s doing, no?" she said and the next moment Charles looked at his daughter, happily slumbering, making the most adorable noises, the ones he missed dearly next to him at night, and he felt his eyes stinging a little.

"Thanks Maman, that was what I needed…" he whispered and his mother nodded.

"You’ll do good tomorrow. Don’t worry."

"Yeah. Maybe…" Charles mumbled and sighed "For now, I just miss her…"

"You’ll see her in 2 days, Charles. Go to sleep now. You have a race to win tomorrow."

"Sure. Win. Good one…"

"How is she doing that?" Arthur mumbled and Charles looked up from his book.

"Doing what?" he tilted his head a little, looking at his brother and daughter.

"I was in a really, really bad mood. I hold her for not even a minute and I’m in the best mood ever. Like look at her squishy face! Her chubby cheeks? How can someone be this adorable?" Arthur cooed at the little girl lying on his thighs, stroking her tiny tummy.

"Well first off, I think she absorbs any bad energy around her and turns it into positive energy. And secondly, she’s my daughter look at me, I’m adorable." the older Leclerc laughed and Arthur threw his head back, cackling.

"Yeah sure… you’re not even in the slightest as adorable as Ava, nice try. But I agree… she’s like a filter system for bad mood."

"Don’t you ever again call my daughter a filter system!"

"Mood cleanser?"

"Arthur!"

"Okay, okay! Jeez. Seems like her filter system isn’t working long range…" the younger Leclerc mumbled, still chuckling.

"You’re an idiot, I hope you know that…" Charles sighed sprawling out on the floor "I really don’t want to go to Canada tomorrow…"

"Totally understandable… I cuddle every night with her for you."

"Usually you would come with me… I see that your priorities have changed."

"I can watch you race from here as well, just with the bonus that I can cuddle with my gorgeous niece." Arthur shrugged playing peek-a-boo with Ava, loving the excited sounds she made.

"I wish I could take her with me… but it’s just not possible…" Charles sat up, watching his daughter looking at her uncle with her big blue orbs "At least I know that you guys take good care of her."

"Yeah. Don’t worry. You go to Canada and do your best. We take care of our little angel."

"She’s my angel."

"Our angel."

Montreal 2023:

"Hey Charles, sorry to see you this soon here. You couldn’t quite set a good time with intermediates, were the tyres the problem?"

Charles sighed and took a sip out of his water bottle, shaking his head.

"I think they were partly the problem. I asked for slicks, the track was a mix of wet and dry at that point and I didn’t feel too comfortable on the inters…"

"You were frustrated on the radio, saying after the session that the tyres weren’t ready."

"I’m very frustrated with the qualifying in general. Not everything is about the tyres obviously, some others did exactly the same thing and still went through into Q3 on inters. But I couldn’t set a fast time with them and when we finally changed onto the slicks I had not enough time to prepare them… we are just making our lives so much more difficult like this." the Ferrari driver said, trying to not show how frustrated he truly was.

"What do you think about tomorrow, starting from P11?"

"We need to improve and do a step forward otherwise we’re always going to be disappointed so yeah…we need to improve now…" Charles said with finality in his voice, hoping the reporter would have enough and thankfully he nodded.

"Thank you Charles and good luck for the race tomorrow."

"Thanks." the driver followed Mia to the next interview, going over the same questions, again and again and when he finally made it back to the Ferrari hospitality the mood all around wasn’t the best. Only one car in Q3.

"Carlos has to go to the stewards later…" Andrea said, and Charles cocked an eyebrow "He impeded Pierre…"

"Shit. What position?"

"P8, for-…"

"P8? When he gets a penalty…" Charles looked over at Fred talking to Carlos and Ricky, his race engineer.

"He’ll be in P11 and you’re in P10…" Andrea replied "Let’s wait and see…"

It didn’t take long for the confirmation that he was indeed starting in front of Carlos and the mood in the garage had shifted. Charles never liked being in front of his teammate because he benefitted from a penalty, but he knew better than anyone else that there are races like this, Monaco was the best example for it. He knew that strategy wise he was now in a better position and had to deliver to maximise the teams points this weekend and when he sat down in the race debrief, with 22 points, 12 by him and 10 by Carlos, he felt like they did the best they could do with the situation they were given.

"… alright, that’s it for tonight. Let’s work hard to get you guys on the podium in Spielberg!" Fred dismissed the meeting and Charles got up immediately, ready to leave as fast as possible.

On his way out some of the mechanics asked if he would join them for a couple of beers but he declined, stating he was exhausted when Mario began to laugh.

"Sure, you’re exhausted… you can tell us, Charles, you have a special girl waiting at home for you…" he said, making the driver stop dead in his tracks, looking at him.

"What?" he was shocked, how did he know about Ava?

"You’re in love! Amore… it’s in your eyes.

I can see it." he chuckled and Charles let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding "So go, enjoy your time with your girl."

"Th-thanks…" the driver almost stuttered walking away as fast as possible.

"That was painful to watch…" Andrea appeared out of nowhere, making Charles flinch "You have to learn to hold it together a little…"

"I was just so freaking scared that they knew about A-…" he stopped, looking around and then continued with a quiet voice "I thought he knew about Ava. That’s- that’s like my worst nightmare right now. People finding out about her while I’m still adjusting to this new life…"

"You’re doing great, Charles, really. You should cut yourself some slack…" Andrea clapped his back.

"Yeah maybe, but I’m still not ready to be a single father under the scrutiny of everyone who knows who I am…" Charles sighed unlocking the car "Maybe one day, when I know how to manage everything, but for now, it’s like this… for now I hurry back home after the races to see my beautiful girl."

"Well I’d say then let’s get going. Let’s go home so you can see your little one."

"I can’t wait."

Charles walked through his living room, carefully rocking Ava to sleep, trying his best not to melt away when he looked at her. His mother sitting on the sofa with teary eyes, her heart so full of love for her son and granddaughter that she almost forget why she was here in the first place.

"Maman it’s really okay! I will be fine. I still have Enzo and Arthur…" Charles smiled, gently stroking Ava’s back and Pascale chuckled, her eyes trained on the scene in front of her.

"…if Enzo and Arthur are your last resort…"

"Charlotte… I have Charlotte, okay? We’ll be fine. So please, go!"

"It’s just two days, I promise! I need to go to this convention. I haven’t been to one in a long time and now that Marie left…" Pascale began and Charles nodded.

"We’ll be fine. Until then I have it figured out, okay? It’s in the week of the Hungarian GP?"

"Yeah… it would be on Monday and Tuesday, I’d be back Tuesday evening…"

"So we still got time. It’s all good. Really. I’ll talk to Silvia and Fred that I would fly out Tuesday night. It’ll be fine." he reassured his mother, smiling at her.

"You’re right. You’ll manage. And it still gives me time to manage what to do with the salon these two days, Julie can’t manage the salon and take care of all the appointments…" she agreed after a moment and Charles sat down next to her.

"And you’ll manage that as well…" he said, smiling at his mother "I wish I could take Ava with me from time to time, you know? But even if no one would see me with her, the moment someone sees her with you? Arthur? Or anyone else close to me? People wouldn’t stop asking questions whose daughter she is… and keeping her at a hotel room all the time? That’s not okay…" Charles sighed, smiling when Ava flinched a little, getting scared from her own adorable little sneeze.

"I know, Charles. But you’re doing the right thing I think… don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of you and what you’re doing, and how you act around your fans… you’re so down to earth and always make them smile. But it’s dangerous… they’re getting too close at times and with Ava with you? I would be scared for her safety…"

"No, you’re right. It’s too dangerous. For now this is the only way to ensure her safety, it’s what has to be done." Charles replied, getting up "I want her to be safe and happy. And if that means that she’s here with you while I’m away, then it’s okay…"

"It is, but you still don’t have to like it…" Pascale said quietly, watching her son laying down his precious little girl into the bassinet next to the sofa.

"Oh, believe me, I don’t like it. Not at all. I hate it. I hate it to leave her behind all the time, I hate it to have so little time for her between the races. I hate it all. But then again, coming home seeing her? It’s all worth it at the end of the day… and only 4 races left and it’s summer break. I can’t wait. 3 weeks without interruption." Charles smiled, stepping carefully away to not wake up his little one "3 weeks of not having to watch out for people seeing us. The house is private, high walls and fences. No one knows that we’re renting it. It’s going to be perfect."

"It will do you some good to not constantly look over your shoulder when you’re outside with her… and when you don’t have to wear this atrocious clothes to hide who you are…" Pascale gently patted her sons arm who scowled a little.

"That’s my normal clothes… I like them actually…" he replied and his mother’s eyes widened.

"You wear this jeans that fit you thrice, that weird sweatshirts… you wear that voluntary?" she asked, the shock evident in her voice.

"Umm- yeah, I do actually…"

"Oh. Okay. Umm-. Wow. Okay."

"Ouch… that doesn’t hurt at all… I wear that stuff all the time? In the paddock?"

"I don’t look at pictures of you online? Or in magazines or whatever. I see you these days mostly in sweatpants or shorts. Or with these oversized, weird clothes when you go out for a walk with Ava, always putting on caps and XXL-shades… sorry, I thought that’s some kind of disguise…" Pascale chuckled a little.

"Wow. Thanks Maman…" Charles rolled his eyes, plopping down next to her.

"I mean-… umm-… what do I know about fashion these days, you know? At the end of the day it’s just clothes." she shrugged her shoulders making her son laugh.

"Yeah… clothes you don’t like."

"Clothes I don’t like…"

Austria 2023:

Spielberg was always a track Charles liked a lot. A track he already won and stood on the podium before. Maybe if he worked hard enough, he finally could celebrate a win with his little girl. The first of many more to come hopefully. When he said goodbye on Tuesday evening, he held her close to his chest, kissing the crown of her head.

"I’ll be back soon, mon amour, I love you my baby girl." he whispered, then handed Ava over to his mother "Have a nice weekend together." he kissed his mothers cheek and then grabbed his bag, waving goodbye once last time, meeting up with Joris who waited outside for him.

"Ready?" he asked and Charles nodded, getting in the car, trying to focus on the weekend ahead.

Media day came and go, as always, the same questions, the same people. Fan events here, sponsor events there, Silvia parading him around like a puppy for everyone to fawn over, introducing him to business men and their guests, small talk left and right. Charles hated it. Every single minute of it. But it was part of his job. So he smiled, laughed, listened.

"I have to say Charles, you’re displaying a tremendous amount of strength, the way you pull through although our car this year is anything near the Red Bull." one man in a dark navy suit said, waving over a young girl "Alessia, I want you to meet Charles…" he said and Charles heart skipped a beat.

Alessia. His mouth went dry. His mind and heart started racing each other. No. It couldn’t be. She wouldn’t come here. She knew who he was. She wouldn’t do that. He didn’t listen to what the man in front of him said, he just tried to regain control over his body again, when the girl stopped in front of him and he looked at her face. He let out a sigh of relieve, carding nervously with his hand through his hair, chuckling.

"Charles, this is my daughter Alessia…" the businessman began big Charles interrupted him.

"It was nice to meet you, the both of you, but I need to make a call. Please excuse me." he said and stormed off, out of the room down the hallway to a little terrace, where he sat down, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"Here…" a voice startled Charles and he looked up at Carlos, handing him a glass with a dark drink in it "I thought you could need one, I for sure can…"

"Thanks." Charles nodded and clinked his glass with his team mates.

"Since when are there so many young girls attending these sponsor events? It’s usually just old men and some business women? But now it seems like every guy is bringing their daughters along." Carlos shook his head, taking a sip of his drink.

Charles thought for a moment and had to admit that he was right, the last 2 events he attended were also packed with a lot of girls.

"Maybe the fathers want their daughters to get more involved in what they’re doing? Make them passionate about racing? Wouldn’t be too bad if we get more girls into watching F1 or motorsports in general…" he shrugged, taking a sip from his drink as well, grimacing at the taste "What is that?"

"It’s whiskey… I just grabbed the first two glasses the bartender had prepared, probably some dudes in there waiting for their drinks still…" Carlos laughed "So. What’s going on with you?"

Charles looked at him, cocking an eyebrow but the Spaniard didn’t look away, holding his gaze.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on mate, I’m not stupid! Somethings going on…" he insisted and Charles heart was pounding "You, Fred, Silvia, you all act a little weird here and there, like you know something the rest of us doesn’t…"

"I-I don’t know what you mean… there is nothing we don’t- umm we don’t know anything you don’t know! Or I mean-… maybe they do but I don’t know either so they fool us both…" the Monegasque stuttered, making Carlos raise an eyebrow again.

"You’re the worst liar. You need to work on that. Like seriously." the older driver chuckled, taking another sip before he continued, his voice more serious "Is it about our contracts?" he asked, mustering his team mate, but when Charles didn’t react, only looked at him wide eyed and confused, he sighed "Alright, I won’t ponder."

Charles felt bad. He liked Carlos, sure, they weren’t the best of friends, as teammates it was almost impossible, but there was a mutual respect, on and off track and lying to him was something he didn’t like. Especially when Carlos thought it was about such an important topic like their contract extensions.

"I have no idea about our contract situation, I swear. You’re right. There is something going on, but it has nothing to do with you, with the team, not even with racing. It’s a private issue and Fred and Silvia know about it. That’s all. I swear." Charles stated after a while, looking at Carlos.

"Is everything okay?" he wondered, looking relived when the younger driver nodded "Okay… you know- umm… if you need someone to talk, you can talk to me. I mean, we’re teammates after all…"

"Thanks Carlos, I appreciate it." Charles smiled a little and they both fell silent again.

He didn’t know how long they sat there, but when they finally made their way back inside, the event was almost over, Silvia looking more than annoyed.

"You can go now, it’s over. Go back to the hotel, relax, rest, the weekend starts tomorrow and we want you to deliver a good performance… at least on track, if you can’t keep our sponsors happy apart from it…" she said tight lipped and stormed off, leaving the two drivers alone, chuckling.

"Then I’d say let’s go and rest so we can deliver…" Carlos said winking, following the redhead and Charles tagged along.

The weekend started out well for Charles and when he FaceTimed with his mother and daughter after the qualifying he felt confident, although that confidence faded after the sprint shootout and later the sprint race itself.

"P12. Fucking P12. What the fuck." he was pacing back and forth in his hotel room, too agitated to sit down.

"The real race is tomorrow. You’ll start from P2. It’ll be fine." Joris tried to calm his best friend down who just scoffed.

"Did you see how bad I was driving today? What makes you think I’d be better tomorrow?" the driver finally plopped down on the sofa, head in his hands "This season is the worst I’ve ever had… even worse than at Sauber."

"Oh come on. Stop that. I bet my ass that you’ll do just fine tomorrow. You know what? I say, you make it onto the podium." Joris sounded determined, confident and Charles had to chuckle "If I can believe in you, you can too…"

"I’m trying. I really am but-…" he began but his best friend shook his head.

"No but. You’ll finish this race on the podium. Period." he stated and after a moment of silence Charles nodded.

"You’re right. I’ll finish on the podium." he said, knowing that no matter what he would say, Joris would diminish it anyway and when he waved at him from the podium, claiming a P2 he could see the big grin of his best friend, knowing he would get a big I told you so as soon as he would be back in the garage.

"Little stop over at home and then Silverstone my ass…" Charles groaned, hating to leave Ava after not even 24 hours again.

"You sure you have everything? I saw a lot of stuff on your bed?" Pascale asked him and he shrugged.

"It was stupid to unpack. For a day..." he mumbled going back to his bedroom, returning a minute later with a bunch of clothes and toiletries in his arms "So stupid…" he dropped everything haphazardly into his suitcase, closing it "Come here little princess." Charles walked towards his mother who handed her granddaughter to her father and then sat down, watching her son cooing at his little girl "I guess I have to go now…" the young father said after a quiet few minutes where he cradled his bundle of joy close to his heart "I don’t want to… but I have to…" he sighed, kissing Ava’s chubby cheek, smiling at the little yawn she let out "And you baby girl need to go to bed…"

"I’ll take care of that." Arthur jumped up from where he was sitting, happily taking his niece out of his brother’s arms when their mother got up, rolling her eyes.

"Arthur, you have to leave as well… so come on. No stalling…" the older Leclerc brother said, grabbing his phone.

"I’m not stalling… I just think- I don’t know…" Arthur sighed handing his niece over to his mother "I just much rather would stay here than race…" he mumbled, kissing Ava’s head.

"Well, same… but it’s our job, so…" Charles shrugged, slipping on his shoes.

"I know, I know." the youngest Leclerc brother held up his hands and slipped on his shoes as well "Let’s go… goodbye, little princess. Goodbye, Maman." he kissed both of their cheeks and then stepped aside for his brother to do the same.

"I see you on Monday…" Charles whispered to his daughter before he looked up at his mother "Thanks for taking care of her, Maman. See you on Monday. Or wait, is the convention next week?"

"No, it’s after Hungary." Pascale replied, smiling when Ava grabbed onto her necklace, looking at the sparkling charm.

"Okay. And it’s all sorted with the salon? You can go and don’t have to close for the days?"

"Yes, I found a solution." Pascales smile got bigger.

"That’s good." Charles said and waved at his little girl, ready to leave.

"What solution?" Arthur asked, intrigued by his mother’s big smile that wasn’t solely based of his niece happily babbling away in his mother’s arms "Maman? What’s the solution?"

"Lauren. She’s the solution…" his mother whispered, but before Arthur could ask any further questions his brother already, pulled him towards the door.

"Joris is here, let’s go. Bye Maman, bye Ava."

"No, wait, I want to know-…"

"Whatever it is, it can wait, we’re late."

"I just want to know who Lauren is!"

"Lauren?" Charles cocked an eyebrow, stepping into the elevator.

"Yes, Maman said she’s the solution…"

"Who?"

"Lauren!"

"Who the hell is Lauren?"

Chapter 8 - I am back and I am sooo sorry it took me this long to upload this chapter! Long story short, here it is… enjoy it! Next chapter we might get the first meeting… or not… I guess you’ll have to wait and see 🤭

Please leave a comment/ like/ reblog/ message and tell me how you liked it! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

If you want to be added to the taglist, drop a comment!

Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@glitterquadricorn @lottalove4evelyn @janeh22 @itsjustkhaos @mariclerc @fangirlforever2000

[coldsaturn]

Okay but tell me WHY the Olympics are such a big thing in exy. Like is exy being grouped in with sports like figure skating? Or does it get group with sports like soccer where there is the World Cup. No one really cares about Olympics soccer. It’s all the World Cup (and Continental Cups).

That's a very interesting question.

I think the Olympics are A Thing for two main reasons. These all take the point of view of the writer, and not the canon world (even though I'm not in Nora's head, of course, so this is just what makes sense to me): 1) Exy was conceptualized as a Japan thing first and foremost 2) Once the US became the setting, the sport needed to have international standing

Japan is big on Olympics. It took part in basically every single Game from 1912 onward.

No one cares for Olympic soccer but you can still find youtube reaction videos of Americans being flabbergasted that the World Cup is bigger than Super Bowl. Hockey, one of Exy's big brothers, has different and independent world championships going on which are just chaos to me. Ice Hockey "World Cup of Hockey" managed to see the light of day only 3 times. Did you know that Lacrosse has a World Championship? I didn't. It's only after 1998 that people outside US-Canada-Australia-England started participating.

At the end of the day, if you need a trophy that instantly gives international reputation and social standing to a sport based on people's perception of "How big are you if you win X", then the Olympics are the obvious choice, because everything else is considered big based on national trophies.

If you want to consider the canon world:

"The first professional teams were formed around the graduates of the first university teams. Two years later the national team, the US Court, was born. The following year Exy made its first appearance at the Olympics, where Japan took home the gold."

The Olympics bridged the gap between Japan (where the sport was born) and the teams on the other side of the world, allowing them to compete against each other. They could have organized a world championship, sure, but the Olympics sound so much better and more distinguished lol

[theinquisitxor]

October Reading Wrap Up

October was a great reading month and I got through ten(!) books in the month. That's more than I've read in a while, so it felt good to be able to know I can still read that many. I read some spooky/halloweenish books, as well as continued a few series, and finished a series.

1.Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters 2) by Juliet Marillier, 5/5 stars. I started the month with reading the second Sevenwaters book. Just like with book 1, I enjoyed this immensely, and I found the characters and storyline to be strong and engaging. This one is even more romance heavy than the first books. Adult historical fantasy

2.Paladin's Hope (Saint of Steel 3) by T. Kingfisher, 4.5/5 stars. Another good installment in this series and new mystery that our characters are faced with. This one was a bit shorter than the first two books, and I wish this was a little longer, but otherwise it was great as always! Adult fantasy romance

3.The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way by Bill Bryson This was my nonfiction book for the month, and I read this on audio. Enjoyable, but I felt like it was a little dated. I've read other more recent books on linguistics, and enjoyed them more. Nonfiction.

4.Echo North by Joanna Ruth Mayer, 4/5 stars. This was an enjoyable YA fantasy, and a good blend of fairytales I really enjoy. I don't read a lot of YA anymore, but this reminded me of some of the 'older' YA that is really good. East of the Sun West of the Moon, batb, cupid & psyche retellings all blended together. The author also credits Robin McKinley, DWJ, and Edith Pattou as big inspirations, and I could tell. YA fantasy

5.Last Argument of Kings (First Law 3) by Joe Abercrombie, ?/5 stars. I honestly was so done reading this trilogy, and just wanted to know how it ended so I could just finish it. I skimmed most of it, and only read the Glokta chapters and the ending. This type of fantasy is 100% not for me. I only finished the series because my brother gifted me the boxed set (and he read them). Adult fantasy

6.I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacquline Harpman, 5/5 stars. This is a lesser known classic that's gotten some popularity recently. It's part dystopian, part science fiction, and reminded me a little of The Wall which I read earlier this year. Very poignant, dark, but an exploration of self and a woman on her own. This is translated from French!

7.A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher, 4/5 stars. Another good T Kingfisher fairy tale retelling (however this was quite loose on the retelling), but also dark, featuring child abuse and animal horror. But there is humor, and a good cast of adult characters trying to fix the situation, and I like how T Kingfisher writes competent adults.

8.Witch Week (Chrestomanci 3) by Diana Wynne Jones, 3/5 stars. I started this on audio, but finished with the physical book. Can't say I enjoyed this one as much as the first two. This just reminded me of how horrible middle school was! A good halloween time read though. Middle grade fantasy.

9.The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky, 4/5 stars. This is a historical fantasy that has been on my tbr since 2019. This is light on the fantasy elements, and about first contact between Inuit and Vikings in present-day Canada about 1000 years ago. Our main character is an Inuit shaman, and they and a viking have to team up to save the land and their peoples. Super detail rich and well written.

10. Graveyard Shift by ML Rio, 4/5 stars. A good read for Halloween, and excited to see that ML Rio is publishing again! A thriller about 5 people trying to discover who made a new grave in an abandoned graveyard. As someone who works in academia, I liked the academia element in this story, I only wish it was longer!

I'm on track to finish my Goodreads Reading Challenge this year, which is 80 books. Usually I get somewhere in the 90s, but not this year I guess. For Nov and December, I'm planning on finishing the Sevenwaters series, and Chrestomanci, so I'll be prioritizing those books.

November tbr:

The Scorpio Races (reread on audio)

Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters 3)

Heir to Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters 4)

Chrestomanci: The Magicians of Caprona (book 4)

Paladin's Fate (Saint of Steel 4)

Nonfiction

The Word for Woman is Wilderness

Cape Cod (on audio?)

The Virgin in the Garden

[capyphoenix]

Her "accidental" slip up is just one of her traps. They're not secretly engaged or married. But now that she said that, he is gonna comply and do what everyone is now expecting him to do. Typical manipulative narcissist behavior.

This is the only ask about this topic I will answer and won't bother to release more of your questions.

I'd like to show what happened here with the example of one of the biggest narcissist on this planet. This twerking mess and her idiot husband.

Whenever the Royal family has any type of engagement this psycho needs to upstage it. Because that's what narcissist do. They have to be center of attention and "better" than everyone they have a grievance with. No matter if it's cupping a non existent belly at the cousins wedding, or fly off to China for a conference the day of a historic event in Canada or going to a "gala" to receive an award she paid for on the day of Trooping of the colours, which is a big event each year with parades in honour of the Royal family. She for sure didn't "help underprivileged communities" to get an award from the Nature museum. How's that connected? Lol. But whatever it is as soon as there's a specific important date the twerking mess will find any and all ways to upstage the event.

Now let's get to Mother Gothel and her "accidental" slip. What is she trying to upstage? 3 things actually.

1. There's been lots of talk that Kvyat will get married soon. We don't have a date but it wouldn't surprise me if it's this weekend and now the talk is about his crazy ex in connection to "marriage" 2. Hailey's christening is this weekend most probably today. After Victoria's engagement news, which turned out to be BTS birthday, we all called it that she will try for revenge and upstage their next event. Voilà  the talk during the baptism now will be about her and not the child or the child's parents 3. There's been a long standing rumor that before Max and Kvyat she had a fling with Lorenzo, Charles brother. Guess who got married yesterday?

Everything narcissist do is calculated. Her family works like a cult. It's meticulously planned and executed together as cult. Therefore there's no coincidence a 2 year old picture titled "family" gets posted by one of the demons to push their cult agenda ahead of this planned and staged "accident". She said herself she won't work for another couple of months, as if she ever worked 🤣. So why this event? Can't be the big audience because lol

I have talked to a bigger crowd at seminars myself and every high-school musical productions has bigger audience. This is not a prestigious event. She didn't even talk about the topic because she has nothing to give to the topic. Another similarity to the twerking douche who uses her podcast never to talk about the topic du jour but to talk about me,me,me and clap back at any perceived criticism. So why is this the only "work" this whole year?

Because it's on the right DATE. It doesn't matter the topic or how big the event it. All it matters is to get her "accident" captured and talked about on this specific date in order for 1,2 and 3 to be upstaged.

Max needs to understand that there is no cure for narcissism. It is what it is. She will never change. She might play along for a short while but rest assured the rest of her life is about malicious narcissist shit like this. And sooner or later she will twerk for the whole world to get attention and distract if there's negative news about her. And she will have no problem to throw Max under thd bus to save herself. Max is just a means to her lifestyle. A bank account to suck dry and achievements to claim as her own.

She will never change.

[theniceandaccurategoodomensblog]

Good Omens and The Crow Road

I read the novel The Crow Road by Iain Banks—the book Muriel is reading at the end of season two episode six and the book that hints at the events of season three.

My thoughts are under the cut. You can also read it on AO3 here. Obviously it includes spoilers for The Crow Road.

The Crow Road

The protagonist of The Crow Road is Prentice McHoan. He is a young man (early twenties) and, personally, I found him to be a bit of a dick though he does mature over the course of the book.

The book meanders and leaps about in time, telling the story in a non-linear way and with switches in point of view. This means that the relevance of events is often not clear as you read them, only becoming clear later on.

The title The Crow Road is a metaphor for death as the novel introduces early on that “he’s away the Crow Road” is a way of speaking of someone being dead.

There are three key story arcs:

(1) No one has spoken to or seen Prentice’s Uncle Rory for years. Rory is Prentice’s globetrotting Uncle who became famous because he wrote a bestselling travel diary as a young man. Rory’s ambition is to write a serious novel he called “The Crow Road”. No one knows where Rory is but Prentice’s father believes that he is still alive because he regularly receives match book covers from different locations all around the world. He believes that Rory is the one sending the match book covers because Rory once confessed to him that as a child he lit a fire that accidentally burned down a barn. Prentice becomes increasingly obsessed with what happened to Rory.

(2) Prentice is estranged from his father and he struggles with this. The estrangement is over belief in God. Prentice’s father is a communist and an atheist. When a friend of Prentice’s dies tragically, Prentice decides that there must be an afterlife and hence a God. The estrangement begins and he moves in with a religious Uncle.

(3) Prentice has an intense and unreciprocated infatuation with a young woman called Verity and does not handle it well when Verity becomes an item with his own brother Lewis. Seriously ridiculous childish drama here. Prentice complains about this all many times and at length to Ash, another young woman who is a more patient friend than Prentice deserves.

Here’s how each story arc lands (obviously this is the big spoiler bit for The Crow Road):

(1) Prentice eventually works out through reading a rough draft of Uncle Rory’s novel that Rory was murdered by another of Prentice’s Uncles for realising that that Uncle had previously murdered his own wife (and Prentice’s Aunt) in a car crash by undoing her seatbelt. The match book covers were being sent to Prentice’s father by a friend of the murderous Uncle to convince him that Rory was still alive. Rory’s body is found in a lake. It is all quite proven as far as Prentice is concerned but the murderous Uncle dies and hence there is no sense of justice, just a mystery solved.

(2) Prentice’s father dies while climbing a church spire by being struck by lightning and falling. At the point of his death Prentice and his father are still estranged. In the end, after solving the mystery of Uncle Rory, Prentice decides that there is no afterlife and no God. Prentice hopes that his father died knowing that he wouldn’t be a fool forever.

(3) Prentice’s brother Lewis marries and has a child with Verity. Prentice finds peace with this and realises that he actually loves Ash, the patient friend who has been listening to his nonsense for years.

Prentice and Ash sleep together and confess their love—I kid you not—in Morse code during sex with a series of squeezes and pushes. Yeah. Sometimes I think we come up with weird stuff in fanfiction and then I read a published novel and… but I digress. Point is, they are in love and they both know it. Prentice is finally growing up. But Ash planned to spend time in Canada and she goes anyway (good for her) saying that if Prentice does love her then they can still be together and simply continue when she returns. That’s where it ends which might sound sad but it actually feels mature and real after Prentice’s carry on with Verity. There’s a general feeling that Prentice has finally grown enough himself to make a relationship work and they are both starting that relationship right.

Implications for Good Omens seasons three:

(1) Good Omens has also been jumping about in time. The story is not being told in a linear manner. I suspect that there are scenes we’ve already seen where the meaning of those events won’t be clear until sometime in season three. I suspect that there are missing pieces to the overall story arc that will also be shown in season three. In short, we don’t have all the information and we don’t know what we truly have.

(2) Season three will involve working out, possibly using a diary or a book of some kind, what has happened to somebody. From simply hearing about the plot of The Crow Road I thought it would be Muriel working out what’s happened to Aziraphale by reading his diaries. Perhaps season three will open with a very different Aziraphale to the one we are used to and Muriel will work out what is really going on (memory wipe, manipulation, Aziraphale lying to enact a plan). This might still be true but after reading The Crow Road I was left with a different idea.

After reading The Crow Road the obvious parallel to Uncle Rory is not Aziraphale but God. God narrates season one but season two is strangely lacking in God’s narration. As Crowley says she’s “not talking to any of us”. Just like Uncle Rory. Yet everyone assumes that Heaven’s orders ultimately come from her. What if they aren’t coming from her? What if they are being sent by the person who murdered her? I think a big focus of season three will be what exactly is happening with God. It won’t necessarily be that she’s dead like Uncle Rory. Not everything is going to line up perfectly with The Crow Road. But finding out where she is and why she isn’t talking to anyone, just what this ineffable game is, will be important.

(3) It is worth noting that in The Crow Road Prentice’s father is sent match book covers to convince him that his brother, Rory, is still alive and in Good Omens we have Gabriel putting Beelezebub’s fly into a Resurrectionist match box. Does this mean anything beyond simply making a connection between Good Omens and The Crow Road? I don’t know. I can’t see any extra meaning to this yet.

(4) Aziraphale, like Prentice, won’t be a fool forever. We can depend on that. He is currently fooling himself because the truth (that Heaven is corrupt all the way down or rather up I suppose) is too painful to contemplate. But this won’t last. Aziraphale and Crowley are currently at odds, but they won’t remain so. Aziraphale’s viewpoint will shift and align more with Crowley’s.

Unlike Prentice’s father, Crowley has already fallen and will be ready when Aziraphale comes to his senses. Their estrangement will have a full resolution.

(5) Aziraphale will move on from his immature infatuation with Heaven to focus on his mature love relationship with Crowley.

Crowley will clearly state his love during passionate sex in Morse code by rhythmically contracting his effortfully formed vaginal muscles around Aziraphale’s hard cock. Wait. What? Crowley, if you are reading this please don’t do that. I know you struggle to put your love into words but that’s not the answer. But seriously, the physical expression of their love will be important. It will be important to Aziraphale. This is consistent with fanon conjecture that physical touch is Aziraphale’s love language and that physical (ie human) expressions of love are what is unique to Aziraphale and Crowley.

(6) This quote slapped me on the face: “Places have an effect on people. They alter your thoughts.” It is very like the Good Omens quote, “form shapes nature”. Aziraphale has been on Earth a long time. I wonder how he will be affected by being back in Heaven? Even if he has returned with a plan, Heaven might start seeping back in. Our angel has never been more vulnerable.

(7) This quote slapped me in the face too: “Faith itself is idolatry”. I wonder what Aziraphale would say about that? Is his faith in Heaven a form of idolatry? Aziraphale needs to shift in his stance regarding Heaven but I wonder where he will ultimately land on God. Will his faith in God be preserved or must that die too? Much depends on what exactly has happened to God and just what kind of ineffable game she is playing. So I suppose we will have to wait and see.

[sketchfanda]

Kirishima's Mystique Party

Manaworld Pictures & Double Z present:2 skunks, 1 guy!!

Mina and Maya were alone in the cozy apartment they shared with their sturdy himbo man, which for them meant a chance for mischief as Maya had out her tablet. The pair browsing the Manaworld Pictures website as the blue shapeshifter tapped the headline highlighting a recent video upload, one advertising a very special series of collaborations between Syx's studio and the famous anthro heteromorph based Double Z which was a big hit in the states and Canada alike, even gaining traction in Japan especially. This particular video was of course the first in a special collaboration between the 2 companies which would see some of their stars together. And of course their man, aka MWP's Mr.R was featured in quite a few of them and this particular one was a juicy one to say the least.

This recent upload batch featured and involved their Red Riot with none other than Double Z's famous Skunkette duo, Stacey and Tracey. It was said that up until their recent honeymoon special on the website, the pair had never performed together on camera shoots but rumor was their man had somehow managed to achieve that feat. But first of course they had to checkout just what sort of spicy work he'd done with the exotic, kinky couple separately and wasted no time clicking the first video. A simple little trailer titled "Stacey's got it going on, Mom...", as they waited through the usual buffer and load....

It started off simple enough, a basic pool cleaner boy type scenario in which Kirishima/Mr.R's character, aptly deemed Red, accidentally wound up becoming a peeping tom. Having been in the deep end of the pool dealing with a hard to reach area only for Stacey's character to enter and take a seat in the backyard to soak up some rays on her luscious black and white fur and just his luck, she liked to tan topless!! What followed was classic trailer bait as it was made clear Red would be caught in the act, being chastised by Stacey...before somehow being lead to doing it with her right by the poolside. The candy colored girlfriend duo feeling their slits soak through their panties at a brief but effective teasing highlight reel ranging from Stacey having their man eat her out to stroking and sucking him off, leading a few snips of scenes of her riding him cowgirl style to him plowing her in a mating press on her tanning chair before the Double Z logo flashed in teasing the release date.....

That little teaser was putting them in plenty mood to try out the next video to browse, a simple short with Stacey's perky, petite other half and their sturdy himbo entitled "Brother, my brother" and oh was it a juicy one to say the very least. The perky, petite toned cutie Tracey portrayed the mischievous step sister of Mr.R's character Red, her object of kinky affection and her himbo frat boy step brother who she simply loved to tease and flirt with. This was not helped in particular by her choice of casual wear or her bold little move of a game of truth or dare wherein if he picked the former, she'd ask him something sexual like what he had wet dreams about which made him avoid picking dare, not that she was any better as she'd share just a bit too much in truth and seemed to really want him to take advantage of her in dare. Until eventually their himbo boyfriend snapped and proceeded to pounce on the saucy little minx, much to her utter delight as her hunky step-bro unleashed and vented all his pent up lusts upon her as she was bent over his bed being taken doggy style before making out with him passionately in the powerful embrace of a mating press, the video ending with their shared climax as they basked in the afterglow, a text teasing this lewd saga would continue...

But of course one video had been highlighted by a feat their man had managed to achieved as they tapped play for a little short flick entitled "Twin Troubles", the brief but tedious buffering and loading leading to Kirishima start the video introducing himself through a narrated voiceover of his character Red. Akin to letters to that old smut rag Penthouse as shared a story about he once had a problem in that he was in love with two girls, Twin sister skunks as played naturally of course by Tracey and Stacey, showing brief slice of life scenes of their macho teddy bear being friends with the duo, Tracey of course as the younger sister still in school and barely legal, a natural role for her to pull off thanks to her body build, shape and size. He and Stacey were talking as he hung out at their house, just the two of them along before she guided him up to the bedroom where she proceeded to make her move and seduce him leading to the two go at it like minks in heat, naked as his muscular form rutted against her own furry self in a deep, intense missionary. This was right around when Tracey arrived home and followed the noise, curious and puzzled before she looked through the narrow opening of the door, gasping in silent shock at first before she was soon shamelessly spying on them, jilling herself as she watched in voyeuristic awe at her crush and her sister going at it currently with Stacey riding him cowgirl style, making out with him as her muzzle and his lips danced in a sloppy kiss..

As soon the two take a break from an intense first round of course, that was Tracey throws open the door angrily shouting at Stacey, clearly livid that her big sis would be so brazen as to make a move on her crush and it almost devolves into a cat fight before Red intervened to pry and keep the two apart, flinching as the twins looked at one another before they spoke up to lay out a challenge to one another. Who ever drained Red first wins which of course started off intense right off the bat with a blowjob duel before their overwhelmed crush proceeded to turn the tables on them like the absolute unit stud he was as he took turns facefucking them but ooh as he soon as he got right to fucking them, they pretty much forgot about their competition and just strapped themselves in for a ride on the fuck train. Ultimately a montage sequence of the twins being taken in most any and every possible threesome position ensued in between one on one rounds when one of them needed to rest, from being taken doggy style as she ate her sister out to Stacey fingering herself as she watched on with awe as Tracey was pinned up against the wall as red fucked her deep and hard until finally the girls passed out and Kirishima claims them both, standing tall literally and figuratively over them with specks of his jizz on the black portions of their fur. A bonus scene reveals after the end faded shows a little backstage interview with the Skunkettes who shared that originally the script called for Tracey to run away looking heartbroken, however Tracey couldn’t resist the two and decided to join in and was happy to say the dynamic of her and Stacey hadn’t changed, so they can be expected to be starring in future videos together which meant Kirishima had gone and actually done a shoot with both of them on camera at the same time.

This resulted in quite fine variety of videos ranging from shorts to full features of their sturdy himbo with the Skunkettes separately and individually and it was indeed oh so spicy. From a kinky short themed around Bambi which had Stacey as a sexy skunk appealing to Kirishima in the role of a hunter to spare her life by offering herself to him sexually as they made passionate rut amidst a field of flowers to Tracey as a young co-ed giving her first time to Red who was babysitter she’d been crushing on for years. While their duet features ranged often involved similar stories of kinky sisters sharing a man together or a lesbian couple experimenting by having a man spice uo their love life. It was quite an output of a body of work made possible by Kirishima’s drive and stamina and the Skunkettes’ experience and it was all sexy as fuck!

it was quite a contrast in the most fun ways of course when it came to Stacey and Tracey one on one and together, with Stacey being the most experienced adult film star of the duo and quite a capable sex poser always willing and able to take any challenge even if it damn near breaks her. Tracey meanwhile since her time with Double Z began had been notable for doing many barely legal themed porn shoots due to her slight, lean frame an young appearance along with and her eagerness to take mor than she can seem to handle. Together in camera of course you could feel the absolute love they had for one another but Mina and Maya couldn’t help but feel a little pride in how they seemed to take a shine to their himbo boyfriend. But of course they were ladies of taste and culture, it was only natural for them to do so and made for great chemistry on camera.

But of course the time was flying by as the candy coloured girlfriend duo continued to browse this lovely little visual feast only to pause in their smut marathon as they heard the door to their apartment open and close. Signalling thst their boyfriend was back from another busy day at MWP as Mr.R and no doubt ready to kick back and relax as the alpha girls awaited to greet him with smiles. Their sturdy himbo entering their sights as they noted he was blushing and seemed nervous for some reason. The reason why would make itself known as they heard a pair of playful giggles behind him followed by footsteps.

the source of this mystery was revealed to be Stacey Skunkette and Tracey Taylor herself, the skunkette sisters in all their spicy, sexy glory. Seems the black and white stripe furred couple wanted to enjoy some quality time off set and off the clock with their new favourite stud co-star and meet the lucky loves of his life. Mina and Maya surprised before they were soon sporting the same saucy minx grins as the skunkettes as their minds became as one in sharing the same idea. Suffice to say, Kirishima knew he wasn’t going to be getting any sleep tonight….

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Sparring gone Primal!!

Now Kendou Itsuka, the feisty and level headed big sis of Class B aka Battle-Fist, wasn't a sheltered girl, after all this time in campus life was when men and women alike in her age group got frisky and hormonal. She knew well enough about the birds and the bees especially with having a teacher like Ms.Midnight and all but she never figured herself to be the kinky or freaky sort of girl that was always DTF. But after witnessing Kirishima take her senpai Master Tigresss like a beast and seeing all his shredded muscles in action as the pair fucked, she'd been having sleepless nights ever since. She'd been seriously, really tempted to jump Kirishima and have her way with him but damnit all, she didn't want to seem like some impulsive slut.

So she took the time tog go and ask Mina as well as Maya for permission to, well quite frankly, ride him like a goddamn Rodeo Bull and Mina with her Chesire cat grin immediately said yes and that Maya and her had a plan for her to get Kirishima to certainly give her a nice hard fucking. Kendo really liked this idea so she wasted no time in putting into action by inviting Class A's resident hardening himbo to go to the U.A Gym hall to have a sparing match in fighting in any style. When he got there of course, well let's just say Kendo was wearing an outfit that complimented everything about her, leaving very little to the imagination and Kirishima had to calm himself down before his Lil' Riot went up and pitched a tent. So they started sparring, seemingly harmless and innocent at first but after a while, Kendo was groping him, copping a good feel of his muscles and few teasing touches close to his crotch making it clear she had some sensual intentions in mind and in store for him.

The return of of the sense of temptation wasn't helped by her making some sexual sounds whenever she'd block or counter a strike or press and rub her most intimate areas like her chest or her butt up against him. Making him feel a bit of deja vu no doubt from his rut with Tigress but oooh when he got her in a choke hold? The deep, sensual moan she let out followed by what he heard her say next made him him snap and the beast inside of him just want to come out to play. Much to her delight as Mina and Maya's lewd plan started to really come together now...but not as much as she was about to of course.....

But of course the moment the sturdy himbo pressed his lips to hers, feeling his tongue invade and probe her mouth, she knew she was going to be in for a wild ride. The fierce gal most knew as the BattleFist making out with the Red Riot as their bodies rolled along the padded floor. Clothes flying off as Kendou beheld that naked Adonis physique that had taunted her in her wet dreams ever since her little voyeurism show way back. Sensually biting her lip as she glanced at that erect, rigid cock pressing and rubbing agaisnt her slit while the himbo loomed over her ready to rock her world.

When he did, oooh the sensation of that length and girth penetrating her with inch after inch of pussy stuffing, womb pounding, ass gaping slab of heaven filling her up causing her body to light up with orgasmic flare. Deep throated moans escaping her as she draped her arms and legs around Kirishima's sculpted, flexing form as he was mounting her and thrusting deep and hard into her. Making her spine arch and oooh hot damn was it just hot how he kept those red eyes of his locked on her. Like he wanted to look her right in his own when he'd cum and being the primal alpha male he was, there was no doubt he'd be doing it inside of her....and that was such a damn turn-on!!

It was soon a cacophony of moans and howls of raw, sexual passion as she and Kirishima went at it with the same intensity with which had he unleashed upon Tigress. The rhythm of skin slapping skin deep and heavy as the pace with which his hips pumped and thrust into her as she showed just how flexible and limber her training had made her. And she hadn't needed to use her quirk for any extra leverage not when she had this hunky himbo to manhandle her so sexually and skillfully as they went from rolling along the floor to her being hoisted and held up into the air, legs draped along his shoulders and hooked in the grasp of those sculpted arms of his with her hips bouncing against the jackhammering pelvis to bounce and ride his shaft. It was a thrill to say the very least as orgasmic climaxes rocked her every nerve.

The sturdy himbo was rough, intense and deep in his fucking and Kendou woildnt have wanted it any other way, after all she wasn’t some fragile porcelains China doll! She was a capable woman and a hero in training at UA, she could take it and wanted nothing less than his most Plus Ultra!! From being bent over and pressed up against the mirror wall, hands palm flat on the reflective surface as she stood on shaken legs as she took from behind with her asscheeks clapping with the impact. To the pair playfully battling for dominance between an Amazon and mating press but ooh he certainly made sure to give her ass and her mouth just as much attention, after all a real man doesn’t leave a woman unsatisfied.

It had been an unforgettable experience to say the very least for Kendou as she relished every second to hours of that erotic marathons. Her body shuddering from the phantom sensations as she gladly gave Mina and Maya the details though if she had one complaint? It was that she had only agreed to it being a one time thing, she wanted, needed more as if sex with Kirishima had been like a hell of a drug. The big sis of Class B sat in the cafeteria pouting in a way that made her look adorable and sexy mooing snout her growing itch when who should be calling her attention but her classmate’s own resident metal head himbo Tersutetsu, asking her if she was okay.

Before she gave a retort, Kendou couldn’t help but pause as she looked the heavy metal dude over as it occured to her how for years him and Kirishkma were so damn alike. Similar quirks, similar philosophies, hell they even had the same birthday and then it clicked in her head thst the guy was single!! A big sexy grin forming on her pretty face much to the Real Steel hero’s puzzlement and confusion as she leaned in close to him. Catching him off guard and surprising many onlookers including an aghast Monoma as they witnessed her Kissing Tetsutetsu on the lips before she broke for sir and pulled him away with her back to her dorm room.

Tetsutetsu had no idea what was going on or what got into Kendou, one moment she was kissing him and now here he was in her bedroom naked and her riding him cowgirl style. But damn if she wasn’t looking so hot and sexy while doing so as he grasped those luscious hips and pumped away like a jackhammer. From that day on the resident himbo of class B was now the boyfriend of the one and only Battlefist and let's just say she was inspired by Mina’s philosophy in her relationship with Kirishima and Maya. All she needed was an eager third girl to bring on board and then the Real Steel would be going to stud!!

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Getting Down and Muddy!!

Kirishima, being an affable social fellow that he was (you'd have to be to have the saint-like patience putting up with Bakugo of all people), has a penpal in the states who he's kept in touch with and gotten along great with. This in spite of the fact they have never met face to face, only always in texts and emails or instant message but that all changed one day when he receivesda text from them saying that they were coming to Japan to visit him personally. He was shocked by this to say the very least but also excited to meet them so he'd gone to the airport to meet them as soon as they arrived, given they'd thoughtfully provided the details for what time the flight would be incoming. He waited for what felt like a while though not an eternity at least when someone pokes him on the shoulder, making him reflexively turn around and meets a beautiful blonde hair girl with freckles and pink eyes you could get lost in.

Taking a guess, he couldn't help but ask if she happened to be Sludgepuppy10 which in kind she also asked if he was CrimsonRiotFan1, making her excited and giggling when he responded that was indeed the case. Introducing herself as Lucy Mann, she naturally looked the sturdy himbo over and had a chesire cat-like grin on her face but it quickly disappeared before he noticed as they then go out and he showed her what Japan has to offer. She was quite excited and happy after a day of hanging out and getting to know each other but not as much as what she had in mind when they came to the hotel room her parents booked for her to stay over for the duration of her time with her pen pal. It was then and there she felt was the best time to share a few nuggets of truth his way especially for the grand day out he'd so thoughtfully provided after all.

But of course she couldn't just contain herself when as soon as she closed the door behind them, she turned around and pounced to leap right into his arms. Catching him off guard as she pressed her lips to his and enacted a make-out with him, grinning and purring when she felt him return the kiss and his hands on her ass. Which in turn caused her to deepen her kiss before she finally broke for air, panting as a single strand of saliva broken between them and she suddenly pulled her shirt off, flashing and exposing her bare breats before him. Then the next thing he knew, Lucy changed right before his eyes going from a tanned, freckled blonde girl to some sort of slime-girl looking alien-eseque entity, her vibrant pink eyes locked on as she could no doubt tell he had quite a few questions that he felt needed some answering....

Lucy Mann, codename: Sludgepuppy, quirk:likewise, allows her to stretch, morph and shapeshift her body in any way shape or form at will and byy changing her color and texture, she can can mimic flesh and fabric. But only as her own mass can allow of course and must be careful of extreme heat or being diluted in water. To name but a few key details in terms of her quirk;s overall strength and weaknesses. That we currently know of, of cours.e....

Lucy had been nervous at first about showing Kirishima her real form yet she couldn't help but giggle at the shocked, cute look on his face as she began to explain herself. She had known quite a while who he was as it so happened she'd gotten in touch on-line with, no small surprise, Mina and Maya who had been very generous in telling the slime girl about their sex life with their man. Which had only made her all too eager to really want to meet her penpal in person and accept their open invite to get acquainted with him on such an intimate level and of course they'd more than reassured her that as cute and sexy as human form was? Her Sludgepuppy form was sure to really get him going to town on her as she patiently awaited his response and see if that would indeed be the case.

Bu of course him suddenly coming up to her and pulling her into a deep, sloppy kiss and make out session followed by stripping both her and himself naked and throwing her onto the bed was certainly a hell of a way to ease any doubts but oh to say nothing of seeing that raging hard cock of his fully exposed. The guy was clearly not using his quirk, yet anyways, but hot damn it seemed even bigger than the pictures and videos Mina and Maya had shared made it out to be which only served to really turn the American mutant girl on something fierce. Sensually biting her lip as she spread her legs, exposing her gushing wet slip before those lusty red eyes of his, her own signalling for him to get right on over and be the Plus Ultra manly man he was by making a riot in the sheets with her. To which he was more than ready, willing and able to oblige as he pounced and proceeded to rock her world, filling her hotel room with the heavy thuds and creaks of the mattress springs and her wanton howling cries of ecstasy!!

It was a first time for her overall but Lucy had found that her lust and passion was strong enough to overcome any pain as Kirishima fucked and pounded away, her ooze-like form no doubt helping her be able to handle his intense pace. Things starting off with a basic missionary before they were soon going through some positions and poses to see what really got the slime girl going. Cowgirl had been simp,e but effective but lord how she felt like she could melt from taking it from behind in doggy style as she was soon laying flat on her front as she took it prone bone style. Moaning deeply as her brain was intoxicated, borderline drunk from pleasure as she looked over her shoulder Kirishima who had paused for some reason, a surprised look on his face which confused her, was he also smaller?!

Then she looked at the full body mirror across the bed and saw the reason why was because in her state of bliss, she had slipped in her control and lost her humanoid form. Now in her more monster like shape, blushing and stammering as she struggled to explain to Kirishima and would understand if he was put off or mad about her withholding this detail about herself. Only to blink as he shot her a sexy grinning leer and proceeded to right back to fucking her, much to her surprise and delight. Seems he found her real form quite arousing and it showed how deep and hard he was going, really shady she known he would be so horny she’d have started off like this right off the bat!!!

So suffice to say, as she felt her brain melt as much as her body was right about now to this primal pleasure as Kirishima prove he was much a riot in the sheets as well as the streets, she knew she'd have to give her thanks to Mina and Maya when they met up and spoke. No doubt they'd be wanting to show thanks for the time and effort she made setting up that camera in secret which was beaming a transmission of this little penpal with benefits marathon to the candy duo's laptop at the very moment. Though no doubt the sturdy himbo would be feeling plenty riled up enough to deal out some discipline to her and them soon as he learnt of this spicy act of voyeuristic deception. But that was for later in the future, right now she was busy making some mud puppies in her oven with this absolute unit!!

Naturally Lucy had also thought of making plans to return the favour and bring her penpal and his spicy girlfriends to her modest home back stateside. Besides which she could think of a pretty thing or two who would love to have a little experience of her own like this, the choice of guys back where she was from was slim pickings. And a real man like this was a good standard to measure and go by, that was for sure. Best, vacation, EVER!!

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Give Heed

Ms.Heed had heard in a movie once than when you hit rock bottom, there was only one way to go and that was back up. Well she could certainly say she'd done the former and now was time for the latter but of course she couldn't pass up a chance to seize opportunity to do so in a way that'd benefit her. One in which she'd be back up top in the popularity rankings and have an army of simps to tend to her every whim and need. Lo and behold, fortune had to be smiling on her when she found out about the Japanese pro hero Ms.Midnight's personal passion project....

It was said to be the Rated R heroine's approach to giving more minor but regular offenders and fallen heroes like her a chance at rehabilitation through more....intimate means as it were. They'd be transferred out of prison and left in the care of a designated hero who would of course use erotic persuasion as means of comfort, relaxation and if need be, discipline. If you were to ask one Cecilia Amanda Kelly, or Ms.Heed herself of course, she'd say it sounded like some excuse or plot device for some cheap porno or one of those hentais but screw it!! She might not have her pheromones working the way they used to but whatever meathead they set her up with to keep her in line and back on the path of righteousness, she'd have like putty in her hands and she'd be the queen of social media influencing among the pro hero world again in no time!!

Though she did have to admit this Red Riot guy, Kiri-something or other was definitely easy enough on the eyes. The right blend of cute and handsome, rugged yet tender, a macho himbo teddy bear and damn those teeth were sharp. And lucky her, he had enough of a libido that those 2 candy colored who hung around him couldn't seem to keep themselves off of him. Though what was up with those smug looks they kept sending her way ever since she moved into the spare room at their apartment?

Well it didn't really matter to her or seem to be of any concern as she got right to playing the part of seeming like she truly wanted to walk on the path to redemption. Of course it helped to pamper herself a little and put her make-up back on, couldn't reclaim her throne without looking her absolute best after all. Plus if she wanted that meathead to be her devoted little doggy, she had to bring her A game and put those 2 hussies of his to shame. A wink and a smile here, a kiss blown his way, a sexy pose there and if she didn't have him stripping himself naked for her amusement, well then she wasn;t trying hard enough was all.....

At least that was what she kept telling herself because damnit two weeks and still no results, just how the fucking hell damnit?!! Oh sure the guy would give her a compliment here or there but where was the simping, the total puppy dog devotion, where was the LOVE?!! Was he just so used to being around sexiness that it hardly phased him anymore? Criminy those Manaworld picture hotties jumped that Mr. R's guys the second he'd show up on camera, was she losing her touch?!!

Damnit she couldn't even believe she had to resort to this but drastic times called for equally drastic measures as one fine day, she made the bold move of barging in on Kirishima while he was in the midst of having a shower. Catching the poor guy off guard as she pulled the door open to flash and expose her own pink nude form before him, declaring her intent to pounce and bang his brains out until her pheromones would overwhelm that caveman brain of his. Only for whatever bold declaration she had in mind to be forgotten about when she laid eyes on that massive set of cock and balls between his legs, ironic that the gal who liked to reel in others with her alluring sexiness was on the receiving end...and Kirishima didn't even need pheromones to make it happen!! Suffice to say, what happened next and how it came to that wasn't known to Cecilia but frankly did it really matter at the moment?!

Not really and quite frankly who gave a damn as she was soon finding herself pinned up against the wall cutting loose with deep, howling moans as Kirishima was pounding away. Her smooth stomach sporting a very distinct bulge due to the depth and reach of his length and girth as her pussy wall practically squeezed against it, not wanting to forget the shape and feel of this womb hammering veiny piece of heaven. Pink hearts of lust in her eyes as how ironic, the infamous slave master of love had now herself become a love slave to this alpha male who so steadily resisted her allure and charms. And to be honest, she was fucking loving every moment and second of it!!

The bathroom became somehow even steamier than the shower running in the water as the heavy thuds of skin smacking against skin echoed throughout, mixed with the cacophony of moans coming from Cecilia's lovely lips. The pheromonal seducer taking it good and hard before she found herself back in the guest room taking it in a mating press on her mattress. Feeling like some human butter churn or accordion as this behemoth's musular frame loomed over her, pumping way with that erotic jackhammer of a cock of his as orgasms rocked her one after the other with no way to even keep count. Let alone be bothered to even keep track of time, not when she was feeling so damn good right now!!

Unknown to her of course, Mina and Maya were standing right outside the door peeping in this rut with voyeuristic glee as they recorded and took pictures on their phones. Sending them to Midnight of course to show that her reform program was having its intended results. While waiting for the right moment when the fallen heroine would finally pass out and they could enjoy quality time of their own with their man, after all nothing got them turned on more than seeing some uppity bitch get put in her place by him. And oh had Ms.Heed been getting way too uppity since she had gotten here.

Meanwhile with the Rated R heroine in her office as she checked the videos and pictures Pinky and Mystique had so generously provided her, sensually grinning at the contents on display. She just knew Kirishima and some of her other precious boys from class A and B would be the ideal studs to get the job done for her Sexual Reform project. Looking over a set of files she had in her desk as she debated which rogue vigilante, delinquent or criminal babe would be best suited for Kirishima’smspecial brand of Manly loving. One picture and name stood out to her especially as she tapped her riding crop on an image of a blue haired, pink eyed pixie, the name and code w ae as follows…..”Powder”….and “Jinx”.

[emilythedog661-tf2]

The RED Mercs and The BLU Mercs

This is my version of what the RED Team Mercs are compacted it the BLU Team Mercs

First off, We have the RED and BLU Scout

Red Scout

Annoying

is 25 years old

Talks a lot

ADHD

Dyslexia

loves baseball

grew up with 8 brothers and Spy is his dad but he thinks it's Tom Jones

Adores Miss.Pauling even is she's a Lesbian and flirts with Pyro now and again knowing he has a crush on him just to see his reaction

BLU Scout

Reserved

is 24 years old

Mute

AuDHD

Very Smart

loves Soccor/Football

grew up knowing he had 8 Sisters and spy raised him as a single father as he mother didn't want him as he was a boy

is gay and is dating Sniper

RED and BLU Soldier

RED Soldier

Loves North America

is 46 years old

not very bright

goofy yet cute smile

might be autistic

owns raccoons but loves all animals

used to be roommates with marasmus before he kicked him out and now lives with Engineer who loves having him

is gay and is dating Engineer since they started working for mann co and now act like a old married couple

Surprisingly a good father figure to RED Scout and RED Pyro

BLU Soldier

Loves South America

is 44 years old

super smart but extremely lazy

never smiles and is always grumpy

is not autistic

isn't really a animals person but tolerates them

roommates with BLU demoman who likes his company

is straight and is dating Zhanna also best friend with the BLU Demoman

RED and BLU Pyro

RED Pyro

is a child in a adult body

sees RED Engineer and Soldier as his parents

adores scout having a huge crush on him

loves fire

see pyroland everywhere

is hydrophobic

BLU Pyro

Is the green blob controlling the pyro suit

likes BLU Medic and Spy

sees scout as his next victim for his body

uses fire but prefers water

doesn't see pyro land and is the serious pyro

is pyrophobic

RED and BLU Demoman

Red Demo

Loves to drink

is 36 years old

very social with the others being called a party animal

never really taken seriously

is a bomb expert

lost his eye to the bombinomicon

is straight and has got laid by many woman even BLU Medic's ex-wife

is best friends with RED Soldier seeing him as a brother

BLU Demo

isn't a drinker

is 35 years old

hangs around with some people as he is picky who he likes

is always serious

is a gun expert

lost his eye to the loch ness monster

is gay and has been to many gay bars with some of the other BLUs

Buddies and roommates with BLU Soldier

RED and BLU Heavy

RED Heavy

Loves his Miniguns

is 55 years old

loves eating Sandviches

sees RED Medic as a Brother

is very smart with some PhDs in russia literature

hates robots

grew up with a single mom and 2 sisters

is straight but can't find a relationship as he's expecting it to be like his love for sasha and the other miniguns

BLU Heavy

loves his guns

is 54 years old

loves eating sweets and chocolate

is gay and BLU Medic is his boyfriend

is some intelligents and has a PhD in history

loves aliens

grew with with a mom, dad and a sister, Zhanna

is wolfie main caretaker

RED and BLU Engineer

RED Engineer

His dad and grandfather worked for mann co in the past

is 44 years old

Has many PhDs in Engineering

built all his buildings

from texas being from beecave and is a big fan of cowboys

loves cooking

is gay and dating RED Soldier loving him very much

being a good father figure to RED Scout and RED Pyro

BLU Engineer

Hired as he was a engineer of trains

is 43 years old

has some PhDs in Engineering

Copied the buildings from RED Engineer

from Canada and loves maple syrup

hates cooking

is straight and has a wife but it's a struggling relationship

doesn't like the others very much

RED and BLU Medic

RED Medic

is insane

is 40 years old

had lost his medical licence after taking a skeleton out of someone's body

has a infirmary where he keeps loads of animal organs

has done countless experiments on RED Pyro, RED Demo, RED Heavy, RED Scout and some of the BLU Team

is gay and dating RED Sniper a year after working for mann co

is best friends with RED Engineer and see RED Heavy as a brother

has a entire room full of doves that he stole from the president of germany

BLU Medic

is sane

is 39 years old

still has his medical licence and still works as a hospital

has a tidy infirmary where he checks that everyone is healthy

the only operation he has done on his team was to put the uber plug in their hearts

was straight as he had a wife but she had been cheating on him with the RED Demoman so now he's gay and dating the BLU Heavy

has no pets as they are unhygienic

RED and BLU Sniper

RED Sniper

Born in new zealand and raised in australia

is 30 years old

is a introvert but he's also very chatty when he gets use to people

used to be a wildlife ranger before deciding to be a mercenary

loves his 'adopted' parents even if he argues with his dad a lot

is gay and dating RED Medic loving the love and attention he has for him

buddies with RED Scout, RED Pyro and has a nice friendship with the others

BLU Sniper

both born and raised in australia

is 28 years old

is a bit of a extrovert but is also very quiet

never left the house until his mom had to end up kicking him out

hates his parents as they wanted him to be a girl

is gay and is dating BLU scout

can't get on with the others well other then wolfie

RED and BLY Spy

RED Spy

is very introverted

is 48 years old

has sercertly been in Scout's life since he was a baby but hid from him as he was busy and he stated one time he hated him so he stayed hidden

smokes a lot

is from france but knows a lot of different languages

is a voice mimic

acts serious but he's really a big softy

is straight and is still dating scout's mom on his off days which scout doesn't like

BLU Spy

Is a bit of a extrovert and loves going to parties

is 47 years old

raised BLU Scout since he was a baby and has been a good father to him

doesn't smoke as much but still smoke

raised in france but born in mexico

uses a tape recording of the others mercenaries

is a gay man who acts gay

has a big crush on RED Engineer and doesn't everything to try and get him even if he's dating RED Soldier

RED and BLU Pets

Emily

is really smart and clever

is from a alternate universe future of 2024 that can teleport to this world whenever she wants

uses both electricity and magic

has wings to fly

uses telepathy to talk

hates robots

is the sanest out of all the mercenaries

is a little scared of saxton hale

best friends with Wolfie and her owner are Sniper, Medic, Soldier, Engineer and Scout

Wolfie

is clever but he's can be easily fooled

has a talking collar that the RED Engineer made him as the BLU Engineer didn't know how to

very fast

is a husky so he's very vocal

also hate robots

is the calmest out of all the mercenaries

also scared by saxton hale

is best friends with Emily and his owner is heavy

That's all for now, i will add more when i think of anything and i'll see you all next time 😋

[3ldrtchh0rr0rsys]

Look, it may be shitty of me to do this but I've scribbled out his name and he deleted his discord so I no longer care we're making fun of him kids. Keep in mind that this entire time he knew I was freshly 15 and he was, wait for it, 24. His frontal lobe was nearly developed. Also I don't have the screenshots of the constant trauma dumping, telling me how people my age kept ghosting him (WARNING SIGN WARNING SIGN KIDS) and other weird shit because honestly I do not need that brain rot invading me even more. Also don't worry I'm pretty much chilled out now we're just going for one last mocking session before we bring this to a close because I just realized some of these have never seen the beautiful light of day. More context I met this dude on Yanblr which is why I no longer engage there except for my lovely partner and why I didn't run nearly as quickly as I should've.

Remember guys, point and laugh (I don't know what trigger warnings to put here so just proceed with caution y'all, take care of yourselves <33)

Ignore Missy in the corner I refuse to go back to our discord messages again. Let's break these fuckers down merely for my entertainment.

1. I don't know either I was creeped out but didn't want to start problems so I just went with it. Also we're going to see this a lot so just know I was calling him "big brother" to try and establish that I only wanted platonic shit because he got mad when I kept calling him a good friend 🚩🚩🚩🚩 also I'm pretty sure I was partially regressed but I didn't know that at the time so he gets a pass on that and that alone

2. "I'm addicted to you"... Some kill me I'm going to book a flight to Canada and castrate him. I mean, this one speaks for itself and I was literally terrified but this was my first real friend in about a year.

3. Adoption. I don't remember why I screenshoted this exactly but I guess it just gave me the heebie jeebies for some reason? The bad vibes, the beginning of the end.

4. I had sent him a fit check in a large tee-shirt because as I said in the texts I have sensory issues which causes properly fighting clothes to overstimulate me. Why you trying to share clothes with a minor my good bitch?

5. Another one of I don't remember why I screenshoted it but knowing what I knew when taking the photos it just was weird to me.

6. I talked about having another mutual on Tumblr. And then called him a grown man jokingly. Uhm, anyways skipping over that one

7. This was after I blocked him on Instagram and Tumblr because he said his girlfriend was going to get jealous and murder me.... A girlfriend who I met and is the sweetest human possible for the situation she was in and I'm literally tweaking for her.

Yeah uh, so... Weird ass bitch who would beg me for voice messages and pictures for some reason. Idk, not the worst I've seen even with the stuff I don't even want to screenshot but definitely a weird ass dude.

-Milo