#but SHE talked about it and made jokes about it
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
nezuscribe ¡ 2 days ago
Text
you’re gojo satoru’s best friend. you’ve known him since you were four and every year you continue to know him is just another year you fall more and more in love with him.
he makes you laugh so hard that you pee a little. he always helps you with chem and he’s so smart that you don’t feel bad using him for his brain. he always buys you stuff, even though you never ask him to, and he cares for you, deeply cares.
you two pinky promised in kindergarten that you’d be best friends forever. and you’ve held onto that moment.
the only problem? he’s madly in love with your sister.
gojo has loved your sister since the moment he met her. she’s so sweet, caring, smart, and funny. she’s everything you’re not and more.
and they’ve been dating since they were teens. something you just learned to get used to and push him a little bit further away out of respect for your sister.
and he notices your distance after a while. he talks to you about it but you feign innocence, pretending like nothing was wrong.
so gojo just shrugs it off. after a couple of years, when you guys are a little older than before, you and gojo are still each others friends, just not the way you used to be.
so why is it that for family dinner one night, when he’s with your sister and your family, you bring home a guy?
and why does he feel his fists clench, his stare icy whenever he sees the guy kissing your cheek, holding your hand above the table? why does gojo want to beat him bloody when he leans in and makes you laugh?
and you look up briefly to look at gojo, smiling to see if he heard the joke and your face falls for a second in confusion at the hard glare he’s throwing your way.
the only thing that brings gojo back to reality is when his girlfriend, your sister, pokes his thigh to ask him what’s wrong.
he swallows thickly and says it’s nothing.
but it must be something because gojo always thought he was a confident person. he’s never felt annoyed when a guy hit on his girl or checked her out, just shamelessly made out with her to make him uncomfortable.
but gojo feels his eye twitch.
for the first time in his life he feels jealously.
burning, fiery, angry jealousy. and the worst part? he’s not even sure it’s going to be the last.
1K notes ¡ View notes
no-144444 ¡ 3 days ago
Text
nothing bad!- o.piastri
Tumblr media
୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅
summary: the sprint pisses you off, ted's notebook catches you at a bad time, you say some things, oscar posts some things, and it ends up being one of the most popular ad campaigns in history. oops.
pairing: oscar piastri (no.81) x fem! driver! reader
୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅
You rolled your eyes as you watched the sprint end. Bullshit. Team orders had always left a bad taste in your mouth, but this was just bullshit. You sighed, looking at Mark, and he just rolled his eyes. Oscar was on par with Lando in his second season. Yes, there were some small mistakes or issues, but he was a fucking jet engine, and he deserved a team that treated him like one. He was going to be World Champion next year, you knew it, Mark knew it, everyone knew it. 
“Fucking arseholes,” Mark cursed. “What time is your quali at?” 
“12,” you answered. “I’m going to just go talk to him, see you in a bit.” 
You stood in Parc FermÊ and he came up, pressing a kiss to your lips and sighing as his team congratulated him. 
“That was such bullshit,” you sighed, following him to his driver’s room after the media duties. “Wanna fuck to get all that frustration out?” 
He nodded, not even looking at the question like it was a joke. You both knew it wasn’t. “How long until your quali?” 
“An hour,” you shrugged, pulling him into his room with a smirk. 
୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ
When you two finally resurfaced, you made your way over to your car, ready to slot it onto the grid, as you did, you were stopped by Ted Kravitz, the man, the myth, the legend himself. 
“Y/n! How are you feeling about today’s quali and sprint race?” he asked. 
“Good, yeah. Just need to get out and up there,” you nodded. You were the number one driver in F1 Academy, and F2. This weekend was an F1 Academy weekend. You’d won every race since you’d joined the series, a sweep of total domination for 2 years. 13 wins under your belt in F1 Academy, 12 feature race wins in F2, and 12 Sprint wins in F2. And you were only 22. 
“And how did you feel about Oscar’s Sprint race? You didn’t look so happy in Parc Fermé.”
You rolled your eyes. “If Lando really needs Oscar to take a side step like that over one point, maybe he’s not ready to be champion,” you shrugged. “And that’s coming from a friend.” 
You could feel the air shift as Ted smirked, knowing what a headline that would be. 
“Thanks for your time Y/n, we’ll see you on the other side of Quali,” he smiled, allowing you to walk on. 
୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ
Pole position, again. 
It was almost funny how easy it was. 
୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ
You made your way back into your garage and found Oscar looking proud, but slightly guilty…
“What did you do?” you asked, putting your helmet and gloves down. 
“Nothing bad,” he prefaced. “But I may or may not have posted something.”
You looked at him quizzically. “Show me.” 
He turned his phone around and you laughed. 
୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ
oscarpiastri
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by pierregasly, landonorris, y/nracing, and 839,231 others
oscarpiastri: get yourself a girlfriend who a) is intelligent, gorgeous, and awesome. and b) publicly humiliates your teammate over one point :)
comments
landonorris: low blow... i thanked you -> y/nracing: u forgot to thank beyonce.
user82: WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
mclaren: please take this down xxx -> y/nracing: if he takes this down i'll bomb mtc. -> mclaren: OH GREAT HEAVENS.
zbrownceo: we know this diva 💜
lilymhe: hold up im trying to spell gorjus -> y/nracing: OMG I FUCKING LOVE YOU DITCH ALEX FOR ME PLZ
carlossainz: at least you've got a leg up on lando... -> user22: ??? -> carlossainz: he hjas a girlfriend that loves him, lando's dumps him every four days -> landonorris: WHY AM I CATCHING STRAYS RN????
oscarpiastri: who is this gorgeous lady? -> y/nracing: she's taken bucko -> oscarpiastri: not by lando norris 😹😹😹 (even though he asked you out first...) -> y/nracing: who the fuck would pick lando over oscar?
pierregasly: WHO IS THIS DIVA 💜
charlesleclerc: glad to see my daughter in law is still insane
୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ
“Well, I’d better post something myself, shouldn't I?” you smirked. He nodded, a bright blush on his cheeks, knowing exactly what you were going to post. 
୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ
y/nracing
Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by pierregasly, oscarpiastri, landonorris and 12,293,942 others
y/nracing: booo ln4. i'm into op81. oh yeah, also our skims collection is out on the 24th xxx
comments
user82: OH MY FUCKING GOD
user29: i have no one to talk to about this.
oscarpiastri: pretty girl -> y/nracing: pretty boy
landonorris: ??? ->oscarpiastri: I will actually gouge your eyes out, unlike this post right now. -> user92: WHAT HAPPENED TO POLITE CAT? -> oscarpiastri: his teammate became a bitch
user92: HOLY SHIT Y/N IS LOOKING GORG
lilymhe: my girl is beautiful
alexandrastmleux: my girl xxx
charlesleclerc: supporting! (with my eyes closed)
pierregasly: 👀 ->oscarpiastri: close them.
୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅
navigation for my blog :) (masterlist)
834 notes ¡ View notes
inkdrinkerworld ¡ 3 days ago
Note
okay so ive literally only seen either virgin!reader and experienced!spencer or virgin!spencer and experienced!reader but never both reader and spencer being virgins and i would LOVE to see your take on it with early season (s2-3) if that's something you are interested in!
thank you so much!
Oh oh this can be very cool! Thank you for your request darling! This is the set up between our awkward loves ᥣ𐭊
It’s painfully obvious you and Spencer like each other- painfully.
But Elle has warned Derek off of giving either of you stick for it- still she notices things, she isn’t sure if you and Spencer have noticed though.
You and Spencer always eat breakfast together in the kitchenette and when Spencer pours your tea exactly like you like it, your shoulders square and you smile a little half smile.
When your hand brushes Spencer’s after sharing half your fruit, his cheeks flame and he stumbled through the rest of whatever he was saying.
She’s thought Derek had been joking when he said Spencer never gets girls, but it’s clear this is the first time for the two of you.
“Spencer, they finally had honeydew and I got the last of the crunchy nectarines and peaches.” You say as you set your bag down, Spencer folding his crossword away as he stands.
“But are they sweet? It’s not peak season for them anymore and studies show that the closer it is to the end of the fruit’s season the more tasteless it can become. You may have peaches and nectarines that are either sour or have a higher water content.”
He makes up the distance between you with three quick strides, tilting his head toward the kitchenette.
You pout as you show Spencer your bowl of already cut fruit. “Taste one and make a better assessment?”
Spencer’s cheeks heat as he takes a wedge of the peach and finds it sweet as can be and crunchy like he likes it; your eyes on him the whole time.
You stand there more than a little smug. Spencer refrains from blushing even more.
“Let’s eat,” Spencer made eggs and sausages, something about high protein breakfasts keeping you satiated and able to perform properly all day.
You brought fresh bread and the fruit.
You’re not expecting Spencer’s hand to press into the small of your back as he squeezes behind you to get to the fridge as you dish the fruit into bowls.
Your breath hitches and your body stiffens - the pressure feels good if a bit foreign.
“Sorry, I made your iced coffee.” He mumbles retrieving your cup and sitting down.
The conversation between you and Spencer flows easily, you talk about bugs, your favourite animals, you even venture into a little talk about work and how you’re working on something for your old university.
You touch Spencer’s hand as you take a sip of the coffee, your thumb going back and forth. Your eyes lock on his as you compliment him. “It’s perfect, Spence. Thank you.”
Elle is glad Derek isn’t there when Spencer goes scarlet and can’t seem to get his words out.
481 notes ¡ View notes
aliyahwritings ¡ 1 day ago
Text
THE CONTRACTED HEART — Rafe Cameron (05)
Tumblr media Tumblr media
MASTERLIST | Basketball Player & Model!Female Reader
Summary: Rafe Cameron, a basketball star, needs a marriage to fix his image, while Model!Reader needs one for citizenship. They may be the perfect solution for each other.
Warnings: smut, descriptions of violence, jealousy, usage of drugs, talks about body image/ed, angst, and lots of bickering. Reader is confident, a people-pleaser, has a traumatic past, and is a sunshine with an attitude. Rafe is a whore, possessive, cocky, and secretive about his past.
Word Count: 9.4k
Aliyah's Notes: i have two exams in five years and i still haven't slept, so if u notice any mistakes pls ignore them. i'll fix them when i have time, and yes a scene is inspired by the maddest obsession BUT ANYW AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! THIS CHAPTER IS INSANE AND PLS DONT SCREAM AT ME FOR THE ENDING LIKE IM SO SORRY BUT IT HAD TO BE DONE
Tumblr media
“Hey, you want to know something?” Sarah said, approaching you as you sat quietly at a table, lost in thought. Beside her, two girls: one had mid-length brown curls and sun-kissed blonde highlights, gave you a friendly grin, her energy light and approachable. The other had wavy, jet-black hair that framed her face, her features both sharp and effortlessly beautiful. They were stunning, you thought, in a way that felt both comforting and a little intimidating. “I never liked her. Even back when she and my brother were together, I never got along with Chiara.”
The girl with the highlighted curls nodded, sliding into the seat next to you. “Same here. There’s always been something... off about her,” she agreed, scrunching her nose in a way that made you smile. “Oh! I’m Kiara, by the way,” she added quickly. “Different spelling than Chiara, but I promise we’re nothing alike.”
The girl with the wavy black hair gave a little wave as she took the seat across from you, her smile warm and easy. “And I’m Cleo,” she introduced herself with a slight accent. “Can’t say I disagree with Sarah and Kie here. Chiara’s just... kind of a staple at these things. She’s always been around, so the guys still invite her out of habit.”
“And if they didn’t, she’d probably throw a tantrum,” Sarah added, rolling her eyes in exasperation. 
You felt a warmth creeping into your cheeks as you looked at the three of them, surprised by how welcoming they were. “Thanks, girls. I’m Y/N, by the way,” you said shyly, offering a small smile. 
“Girl, we know who you are,” Cleo came to sit on your side and nudged you softly. “But don’t worry, you’re part of the group now—Chiara who?” she joked, making you all laugh.
You cleared your throat, glancing between the three girls who were deep in conversation. The question had been sitting heavy on your mind since the moment you met Chiara. “So… Rafe and her—did they used to date?”
The girls exchanged a look, the brief silence almost uncomfortable. It was as if they were weighing their words, deciding what to say or what to hold back. Their reluctance only made you want answers more. Who was Chiara to Rafe, really?
Finally, Sarah glanced away, a frown crossing her face. “It’s… complicated.”
You couldn’t help but lean in, unable to stop the curiosity stirring in your chest. “How complicated?” you pressed. “Were they exes? Friends with benefits? Did they break up right before Rafe and I got together? Or was it just her holding on to a crush he never—”
Kiara gently placed a hand over yours, her eyes warm and understanding. “Y/N, it’s okay. You don’t have to overthink it, alright?”
You sighed, the uncertainty making your stomach twist. “I just wish I knew what they are—or were—to each other. Rafe hasn’t said a word about her. Not a thing.”
Cleo gave you a sympathetic look, and Sarah hesitated, biting her lip as though weighing whether to say more. Finally, she began, “Wait, so he really didn’t tell you about what they—”
But Sarah’s words were cut off abruptly as Rafe’s voice broke through the noise of the party. “Sweetheart, can we talk?”
The girls turned toward him, their expressions ranging from surprise to mild disgust.
Kiara shot him a skeptical look, brows raised. “Who did he just call ‘sweetheart’?”
Cleo’s eyes widened as she put her hands up in mock innocence. “Definitely not me.”
Sarah shook her head, holding back a laugh. “Don’t look at me. My brother’s never called me any nickname. So, nope, not me either.”
Their eyes turned back to you, and it clicked. Rafe’s gaze was fixed on you, his face serious, almost imploring. You fidgeted with your hands, glancing over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of Chiara. She was a few steps away, engrossed in a conversation with JJ, yet her eyes were unmistakably trained on you and Rafe. Her expression was unreadable, something between irritation and curiosity, and the ambiguity of it only frustrated you more.
Rafe’s voice softened, his eyes searching yours. “Y/N, let’s go. Please?”
“I’m serious about her, Chiara,” was what Rafe replied earlier, his voice firm but before you could register the words, Chiara grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the garden without so much as a second glance in your direction, leaving you alone in the middle of the party—feeling like a complete idiot.
You weren’t sure how to feel about Rafe’s words. It was exactly what you’d hoped to hear, but his delivery had been off, and the way he left with her immediately afterward left a sour taste. You remember watching them through the windows. Their conversation looked intense. Chiara’s hands moved wildly, gesturing with a frustration that seemed matched by Rafe, who kept sighing and tossing his arms up in exasperation. Whatever they discussed, it was clearly charged.
But now, Rafe was standing in front of you, his expression unreadable as he asked to talk. About what? You didn’t know. Maybe he’d finally explain who Chiara was to him or put to rest the suspicion twisting in your gut, though you doubted he would. Instead of lingering on the countless possibilities, you took a steadying breath, nodded, and followed him outside.
The night air was cool, a stark contrast to the party’s warmth, and you found yourself standing on the porch beside him, facing the quiet street. For a moment, silence fell between you, thick and awkward, as if neither of you knew where to begin. He glanced at you and you felt a flicker of anticipation mixed with unease, wondering what he’d say—if he’d finally give you the answers you were looking for.
Rafe leaned against the porch railing, arms folded, his gaze fixed somewhere over your shoulder. “Look... Chiara just… she doesn’t handle change well,” he said, his tone flat, almost dismissive. “She’s just… used to things being a certain way. She's dramatic."
You crossed your arms, holding back the questions building up. “Right. So, she drags you outside because she’s feeling… what? Dramatic?”
He glanced at you, then quickly looked away, jaw tightening. “It’s not like that,” he said, his voice clipped. “She’s… she’s just not used to seeing me with someone else.”
You raised an eyebrow, trying to keep your tone light. “Oh, so I’m the problem?”
Rafe sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “No, it’s not you. It’s…” He paused, as if weighing how much he wanted to say. “She just thinks… I don’t know, she has her own ideas about things. She probably assumed things were the way they used to be.”
You frowned. “Used to be?” The question slipped out before you could stop it, and when Rafe didn’t answer right away, you continued. “So, you two were… what? Together?”
He shook his head. “Not exactly. Things just... overlapped for a while. It was just… a thing. A long time ago.”
Your patience was wearing thin. “And by ‘a long time ago,’ you mean… what? Last week? Last month?”
Rafe exhaled sharply, his frustration bubbling to the surface. “Shit, why does it matter? Whatever it was, it’s over, alright? I didn’t think I had to spell it out for you.”
“Maybe you do need to,” you shot back, feeling your cheeks heat. “I think I deserve to know when I’m about to walk into a situation where some girl is going to pull you away and act like I’m the one intruding.”
Rafe’s jaw tightened, and he leaned in slightly, his eyes narrowing. “She’s not just ‘some girl.’ She’s… someone I’ve known for a while. And she’s… complicated. Okay?”
“Right. ‘Complicated.’” You let the word hang in the air, dripping with sarcasm. “I’m sure it’s just so complicated that you couldn’t even bother to tell me about her before dragging me into this.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. “It’s not like that. I just… I didn’t think she’d show up here. I didn’t think it would matter.”
You shook your head, folding your arms tighter around yourself. “Well, maybe it does matter, Rafe. Because from where I’m standing, it looks like she has some claim on you.”
"What?" Rafe’s eyes flashed with irritation, and he straightened up, clearly done with the conversation. “Look, she doesn’t have a fucking ‘claim’ on me. It’s nothing. Just… drop it.”
The bluntness of his words stung, and you took a steadying breath, keeping your voice as even as possible. “Fine,” you said coolly, shrugging as if you weren’t affected. “But you might want to let her know that.”
He shook his head, muttering something under his breath before his gaze met yours again. “You’re overthinking it. She’s… she’s just used to being a part of my life, and now things are different. She’ll deal with it.”
You raised an eyebrow, tilting your head slightly. “Funny, because from where I was standing, it didn’t look like she was planning to just ‘deal with it.’ It looked like she was… I don’t know, trying to stake her territory or something.”
Rafe sighed, looking away again. “That’s just how she is. She’s always… been intense. Doesn’t mean anything.”
You resisted the urge to roll your eyes, feeling a mix of frustration and something uncomfortably close to jealousy. “So, I’m just supposed to ignore it? Pretend she didn’t pull you, my boyfriend, outside to… to lecture you about me?”
“Exactly,” he replied, his tone abrupt. “It’s just noise. Don’t pay her any mind.”
The simplicity of his response only fueled your irritation. “Right. Because I should just… ignore all of this and act like nothing’s wrong.”
“Look, I didn’t ask her to make a scene,” he said, his voice sharper now. “And I didn’t think she’d come here tonight. She just… showed up, okay?”
You paused, studying his expression, which was a mixture of defensiveness and something else you couldn’t quite place. “So, what’s the story with her?” you asked, trying to keep your tone casual, though you knew it was anything but.
Rafe let out a frustrated breath. “There’s no ‘story,’ alright? She’s just… she was around for a while, that’s it. We had… an understanding.”
You raised an eyebrow, the vagueness of his answer only adding to your frustration. “An understanding,” you repeated slowly, crossing your arms tighter. “Well, it seems like she didn’t quite get the memo that whatever ‘understanding’ you had is over.”
He shifted uncomfortably, glancing toward the house as if hoping someone would interrupt. “She’ll get over it. I just didn’t expect her to… make it a whole thing.”
“Maybe she made it a whole thing because you haven’t made it clear to her that it’s… nothing,” you said, emphasizing his own words back to him.
Rafe’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Why are you making this such a big deal? It’s not like we're actually together. This—" he said, moving his fingers between you two "—is fake, in case you forgot.”
“Oh, right, because it’s so normal for the girl you used to have… whatever with to show up at a party and act like I’m the one intruding.” You shook your head, exasperated. “Forgive me for wanting to understand the situation.”
He shrugged, still not meeting your eyes. “It’s just… old history. Not worth bringing up.”
“Then maybe you should have thought of that before dragging me into this,” you shot back, your voice laced with frustration.
He finally met your gaze, his jaw set. “Dragging you into what? It’s not like I invited her here.”
You raised an eyebrow, challenging him. “Did you invite me here to watch your past blow up in front of us?”
Rafe let out a bitter laugh. “This is what I get for trying to bring you around my friends. Next time, I’ll keep it strictly professional. How’s that?”
You felt a pang of hurt, but you masked it with a tight smile. “Perfect. I’ll remember that for next time, Rafe.” You turned away, taking a few steps back toward the house, hoping he’d get the hint that you were done.
But Rafe’s hand closed gently around your wrist, stopping you. “Wait.” His voice was low, reluctant, but there was a softness there you hadn’t expected.
You turned, catching his gaze, which had softened just slightly. “What?”
He hesitated, then let go of your wrist, his fingers lingering just a moment longer. “I just… I didn’t expect her to react this way. I thought… things were clear between us.”
“Clearly, they’re not,” you replied, unable to keep the edge from your tone.
Rafe sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll try to talk to her, alright? Make sure she understands. But can we just… leave it here?”
You watched him, seeing the frustration, the tension in his shoulders, and you knew he wasn’t about to tell you any more than he already had. So, instead of pushing it further, you forced a casual shrug. “Fine. Whatever. It’s none of my business anyway, right?”
A flicker of something passed across his face—surprise, maybe, or regret. “Right. It’s not,” he said, though his voice was quieter, as if the words didn’t sit right with him.
You nodded, biting back the urge to say anything more. “Great. Glad we’re on the same page.”
An awkward silence settled between you, the tension thick and unresolved. Rafe shifted, glancing toward the house. “We should get back. People will start talking if we’re both out here too long.”
You let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, we wouldn’t want that, would we?” The sarcasm was sharp, but you didn’t care; you were too irritated to soften it.
He shot you a look, somewhere between exasperation and apology, but said nothing as he turned to head back inside. You followed a few paces behind, feeling the weight of the conversation pressing down on you, every unanswered question lingering like a shadow.
Before reaching the door, Rafe paused, his hand resting on the doorknob as he glanced back at you. “Listen…” He hesitated, as if searching for the right words. “It’s… just a lot, okay? Give me some time. I’ll sort it out.”
You held his gaze, unsure whether to believe him, but you nodded once. “Fine. But make it clear, Rafe. I’m not here to play second fiddle to some girl from your past. My life is on the line and I don't have time to worry about this sort of thing.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but whatever he was about to say, he swallowed back. Instead, he gave a tight nod and pushed open the door, slipping back into the noise and light of the party. You followed him and plastered on a fake smile while wondering if you’d ever get the truth out of him.
For the next hour, you put on a mask, pretending everything was fine—like nothing happened. But no matter how hard you tried to push the thoughts away, they lingered, clouding every moment. What was Rafe and Chiara’s relationship? You forced yourself to focus on the laughter, the music, and the warmth of the people around you, determined to enjoy the night with Rafe’s friends. Yet every so often, your mind drifted back to Chiara and Rafe, leaving an uncomfortable knot in your stomach.
Rafe took you around the room, introducing you to his teammates: Topper Thornton, Kelce Miller, JJ Maybank, Pope Heyward, and John B Routledge. They each greeted you with a friendly smile and a welcoming vibe. You found yourself particularly drawn to Topper's lighthearted humor and Pope's quiet charm, making it a bit easier to relax. But it was the girls who truly helped lift your spirits. Their energy was infectious, and you quickly found yourself laughing and swapping stories as if you’d known them forever.
Just as you were in the middle of an animated conversation, you heard someone call out, "Miss supermodel!" You turned to see Topper staggering toward you with a mischievous grin, clearly several drinks deep. “Come drink with us! You haven’t had a single sip all night!”
You couldn’t help but smile as he swayed slightly, holding up a red cup with a challenging look. He finally came in front of you and you had to shake your head. “I’m sorry, Topper. I can’t drink tonight. I’m on contract.”
He whined and threw his head back. “Why? A little sip won’t hurt you, right? Come on, please.”
You laughed, shaking your hands as he pouted dramatically, swaying slightly. “Topper, you’re wasted! I think you’ve had enough for both of us.”
He held his heart in mock offense. “Oh, come on! Just one tiny sip!” He held out the cup, swirling it a little as if to tempt you. “Look, it’s just tequila! You can handle tequila, right?”
You hesitated, glancing down at the cup and then back at his hopeful face. “I really shouldn’t… If anyone from the agency finds out, I’m in trouble.”
“Who’s gonna know? It’s just us here, right?” He looked around, grinning mischievously. “Your secret’s safe with me. And, hey, you can’t just let me be the only one embarrassing myself tonight.”
You sighed, rolling your eyes playfully. “Alright, one sip. But that’s it, okay?”
Topper’s eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. “Yes! That’s all I’m asking for.” He held out the cup, his face eager with anticipation.
You took the cup from him, feeling the weight of all the eyes on you as his friends turned to watch, clearly amused by the scene. Raising the cup to your lips, you took a big sip, the tequila burning as it went down. You scrunched your nose at the taste, earning a round of cheers from Topper and the girls.
“There we go! Wasn’t so bad, was it?” he laughed, throwing an arm around your shoulders.
“Awful,” you teased, wiping your lips. “But now you can’t say I didn’t drink with you.”
Topper gave you a victorious grin. “I knew you’d come through! You’re practically one of us now.”
You should’ve known.
Less than an hour later, you were stumbling across the living room, thoroughly tipsy and clinging to Kiara, who was somehow even more drunk than you. The two of you were giggling uncontrollably, reduced to hysterics over the silliest things—the pretzels shaped like animals, the crooked painting on the wall. Every little thing was hilarious, and the alcohol only seemed to amplify your laughter and loosen your inhibitions.
Lost in your little bubble, you didn’t notice Rafe watching from across the room, his gaze sharp and unblinking as he kept tabs on you. He hadn’t seen you like this before—free-spirited, a little reckless, and definitely wilder than he was used to. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched you shout out something along the lines of, “Everyone should just strip already!” before lifting the hem of your top, ready to make good on your words.
That was Rafe’s cue. In a flash, he crossed the room, slipping his hands over yours before you could pull your shirt over your head. His touch was firm, grounding, a stark contrast to the chaos around you. "Whoa there," he murmured, his voice laced with amusement, but his eyes were warm, almost protective.
You blinked up at Rafe, a goofy grin plastered across your face as you realized he was standing right in front of you. The room spun just a little, but his steady hands on yours felt oddly comforting.
“Rafe!” you slurred, beaming as though you hadn’t seen him in days. “Fuck! Isn’t it, like, super hot in here?”
Rafe smirked, shaking his head. “I think that’s just the tequila talking, baby,” he replied, steadying you as you swayed. His fingers stayed wrapped around yours, almost possessive, but he didn’t let go.
You pouted, glancing around at the half-dressed friends who were now laughing at your enthusiastic outburst. “Fine, but I was just trying to help everyone loosen up, you know?”
“Oh, trust me, you’ve definitely loosened up,” he chuckled, his eyes scanning you, both entertained and slightly exasperated. “Maybe… a little too much.”
You leaned in closer, your voice dropping to a playful whisper, “You know you enjoy it.”
Rafe’s gaze softened, but there was something else there, too—like he was seeing a side of you he hadn’t before. “Maybe I do,” he replied, his voice low, almost as if the words had slipped out unintentionally. He cleared his throat, his grip tightening on your hands. “But I also love it when you’re not stripping in front of half my team.”
You giggled, reaching up to playfully ruffle his hair. “Aww, big, tough Rafe is jealous I haven’t stripped to him first, is that it?”
Just then, Kiara stumbled over, clearly in search of more entertainment. “Hey! Let’s play a game, everyone!” 
Rafe sighed. “Alright, I think that’s our cue to leave,” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he looked back at you.
You tugged on Rafe’s arm, leaning into him with a dramatic pout. “Nooooo… let’s play the game, and then we can go,” you insisted.
“Y/N, you’re beyond wasted,” he said, arching an eyebrow in disbelief. “I doubt you’ll even be able to play the game right.”
“I am not drunk,” you protested, crossing your arms defiantly. The words slurred just slightly, giving you away. Rafe’s skeptical look only deepened. “I’m just a little tipsy,” you amended quickly, giving him a grin. “Come on, don’t be such a buzzkill.”
He hesitated, watching you with a mixture of amusement and concern. For a moment, he seemed ready to argue, but as you flashed him your brightest, most convincing smile, he sighed, a reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Fine,” he muttered, finally giving in.
You joined everyone on the floor, settling into a circle with a bottle of vodka at the center and shot glasses placed around. The music was turned down, but the room’s energy buzzed with anticipation. You found yourself between Rafe on your left and Sarah on your right. Across from you were Pope, Cleo, John B, and Chiara, each giving you encouraging grins or a raised brow.
Kiara took charge with a gleeful smile. “Alright, you all know how Never Have I Ever works, right?” She scanned the group, receiving nods all around. “Perfect! If anyone wants to skip a question, you take a shot. Simple enough. Should I start?” She tapped her chin playfully before flashing a mischievous grin. “Never have I ever dated someone at least ten years older than me.”
A chorus of laughter and surprised murmurs rippled through the group as Rafe, Kelce, and Topper each dropped a finger. A few gasps followed, and your eyes darted to Rafe, eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"So, you’re into cougars, huh?” you whispered, unable to hide your amused smile.
He shrugged, glancing at you with a glint of mischief in his eyes. “Not anymore,” he murmured, his gaze flicking to your lips. The slow lick he gave his own sent a spark through you, making you gulp and look away quickly. Was it the alcohol, or did he just do that on purpose?
JJ smirked, taking the lead for the next round. “Alright, let’s up the stakes. Never have I ever been in handcuffs…and I don’t mean the kind from a police station.”
The number of people lowering their fingers was surprising. Sarah, John B, Kelce, Chiara, Cleo...and even you. As soon as you put your finger down, Rafe snapped his head in your direction, his eyes wide with surprise. You avoided his gaze, a sly smirk playing on your lips as you focused elsewhere, feeling his lingering stare and the unspoken question in his eyes.
“Lots of naughty people here,” Kiara smirked, eyeing the group of us who had fingers down. Her grin was wicked as she surveyed the room, making everyone squirm just a little. “I see y’all… I see y’all! Alright, someone else ask the next question!”
Topper jumped at the chance, grinning as he dramatically raised a finger. “Never have I ever had a crush on someone in this room,” he declared, looking around with a teasing sparkle in his eyes.
You watched as some people—those who were obviously in relationships (and Chiara)—put their fingers down, laughing and giving each other cute looks. You shrugged, you didn’t relate to that question. You didn’t do anything, leaning back as others shared knowing glances. But then, Rafe nudged your shoulder, leaning down close enough for you to feel his breath against your ear.
“Come on, put a finger down,” he whispered, his voice low and warm. His hand rested on your knee, his thumb grazing in gentle circles, as if to coax you into admitting something.
You shook your head, letting out a sleepy laugh. “I don’t have a crush on anyone,” you slurred, clearly drunk. Your words came out slower, a bit softer, and you could feel Rafe chuckle beside you, probably entertained by how far gone you were.
“Did you forget we’re together?” he asked, amused. Without waiting for your response, he took your hand and put a finger down for you. His touch was gentle, yet possessive.
JJ spotted the exchange, laughter bursting out of him as he pointed at you. “Oh, damn, Rafe! She actually forgot she even likes you!”
Rafe shot him a mock glare, flipping him off with a grin. “That’s on you, fuck-heads, for handing her all those shots,” he retorted, pointing an accusatory finger around the group. “We’re gonna head out soon if she keeps this up.”
“No! Don’t go!” Cleo’s voice suddenly cut through, practically pouting. “I like her! Don’t take her away from me—us!”
Pope waved his hands, laughing as he tried to steer the game back on course. “Alright, let’s just keep this moving before the girls start crying. Here’s one—never have I ever had a threesome.”
The room went quiet, people hesitating to react. Then smirks appeared, and the accusations started flying at JJ, with Topper and a few others pointing fingers. “Come on, man! We literally saw you making out with two girls at once last month!”
You felt the conversation slipping in and out, barely paying attention to the bickering. Your head felt heavy, and with each passing second, you found yourself drifting further. Almost without realizing it, you leaned into Rafe’s shoulder, your head resting there like it had always belonged. His arm wrapped around you, hand trailing up and down your shoulder in comforting circles, and you closed your eyes, feeling strangely at peace. His warmth surrounded you, making the noise around you blur into the background. For a fleeting moment, you wondered if you could stay like this forever.
Across the room, Chiara’s eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the two of you, her jaw clenching almost imperceptibly. Her stare was sharp, piercing, and a flash of something darker seemed to flicker there.
“Hey, guys! Let’s stop arguing and actually play,” Sarah called out, snapping everyone’s attention back to the game. She pointed at you and Rafe, grinning. “Those two are practically out like lights! Okay, here’s one: never have I ever had sex in a movie theater.”
Laughter erupted again as John B hesitated, clearly too shy to admit to anything. You looked up at Rafe, raising an eyebrow playfully as if to ask if he’d ever done something like that. He met your gaze, shaking his head.
When he raised his brow to ask you the same question, you mimicked his gesture, shaking your head. But then, with a mischievous glint in your eye, you leaned into him, dropping your voice to a whisper. “Bathrooms, though… I’ve done it there.” You weren’t sure why you said it—he hadn’t even asked. “I don’t know if that counts…”
Rafe’s brows shot up in surprise, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Guess you’re freakier than you look.”
You chuckled, leaning back. “What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t look like the type?”
He shook his head slowly, letting his eyes wander over you, his gaze lingering on your lips before it drifted back up to your eyes. “Not exactly,” he murmured, voice low.
“Oh?” you asked, hand drifting to rest on his thigh, watching the glint in his blue eyes intensify as he looked down at your hand. “Come on, Cameron. Tell me what I look like, then.”
His fingers traced light patterns under the hem of your shirt, brushing over the skin at your waist in a way that made your breath hitch. He leaned in close, his lips brushing your ear as he whispered, “You look like you want to be fucked roughly,” he paused, letting his words linger before he added with a smirk, “but maybe you should get some sleep instead.”
You playfully swatted his arm, pushing yourself upright with a laugh. “Screw you, Rafe.”
With a grin, he pulled you back to his side, wrapping his arms around you as you settled against him again. “Oh, come on, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice gentle but teasing. “You know I’m just messing with you—”
Chiara Romano’s voice cut through the chatter with an edge sharper than before. “Okay, my turn now,” she said, raising her head, her eyes locking onto yours with an intensity that made you feel uneasy. “Never have I ever…” she paused, letting her gaze linger on you a moment longer, her lips curling into a smirk that held none of the warmth and humor everyone else’s questions had. “... never have I ever filmed myself in the bathroom puking my guts out after eating.”
A shocked silence fell over the room. You felt the air freeze, every eye darting to Chiara in disbelief, and then back to you. The words hit like a punch to the gut, and the humiliation was instant and overwhelming. Your face flushed as the awful memories flooded back—the horrible moment that video had been leaked, exposing your bulimia to the world without mercy. You’d spent months trying to rebuild, to reclaim your own story, but now it was out in the open again, with a cruelty that left you breathless.
Your cheeks flamed with humiliation, and your chest tightened as if the air had been sucked out of the room. You felt every gaze on you, piercing, questioning, but you couldn’t bring yourself to meet anyone’s eyes. Your fingers curled around your tighs, gripping tightly, almost leaving red marks.
You closed your eyes the moment you felt tears coming up. You didn’t want to cry in front of everyone, it was embarrassing enough that they got reminded of the most embarrassing moment of your life—crying would embarrass you even more. None of them know what you went through after that video got leaked. No one knew the nights you spent in rehab centers getting mocked for the video—as if everyone there wasn’t in because of mental illnesses too. They didn’t know the amount of strength it took for you to finally get clean… only for you to relapse again this afternoon.
They didn’t fucking know!
Rafe stood up beside you, his body going tense beside you. His jaw clenched as his eyes narrowed at her. “What the fuck is wrong you?” he yelled, his voice sharp, like he was barely holding back.
She shrugged, feigning innocence, though the smirk stayed firmly on her face. “What? I thought we were all sharing our secrets here, right? After all, the video has already been leaked for everyone to see, like, years ago… didn’t think it was such a big deal.”
You felt like you were drowning, the walls closing in on you as Chiara’s words rang in your ears. Without thinking, you bolted for the door, the need to escape driving you forward. You pushed past Rafe, who instinctively reached out for you, but you couldn’t stop. You needed to get out, away from the judgment, away from the stares that felt like daggers. The cold night air hit you as you stepped outside, but it didn’t matter; all you could think about was putting as much distance between yourself and the party as possible.
The rain poured down in sheets, drenching you instantly. You stumbled through the downpour, your heart racing as you made your way toward the car, the asphalt slick and glistening under the streetlights. You couldn’t believe it had come to this, running away like some frightened child, but the humiliation burned too fiercely to stand another moment.
Behind you, you heard Rafe call out your name, his voice cutting through the sound of the rain. “Y/N! Fuck—wait!” He sounded frantic, his tone a mix of worry and urgency. You could hear him rushing after you, his footsteps splashing through puddles as he chased you down.
“Just leave me alone!” you shouted over your shoulder, the words coming out more desperate than you intended. You didn’t want to feel his pity, didn’t want him to see you like this—broken and exposed. 
“Look, I’m so sorry for what she—”
“I don’t want your fucking pity, Rafe!” you turned around to see him running toward you. His clothes clinging to his body. “Just go back there, and leave me alone for the night, alright?”
“I’m not leaving you!” he shouted back, his voice firm. You could hear the determination in his tone, and it both soothed and angered you. Why wouldn’t he just let you go?
You reached the car, fumbling with the door handle, your fingers slipping as the rain poured down, obscuring your vision. You wanted to get inside, to hide from everything—from Chiara, from your mistakes, from the shame that clung to you like a second skin.
Just as you finally got the door open, Rafe was there, blocking your way. He stood next to you, soaking wet but unbothered, his expression fierce and protective. “Y/N, please,” he urged, his voice softer now, almost pleading. “Come on… Just… just talk to me.”
His presence was grounding, but you couldn’t shake off the overwhelming tide of emotions surging through you. “What’s there to talk about?” you asked, your voice broke. “It’s all out there for everyone to see. I couldn’t handle it back then and I… I can’t handle it now. I can’t…” you felt tears pooling at your eyes.
Rafe took a step closer, rain cascading down his face, but he didn’t reach for you. Instead, he held his hands up, palms facing you. “Don’t run away from this.”
“Watch me,” you shot back, glaring at him through tears. “You can’t fix this, Rafe, so just let me go.”
“I am not letting you go,” he insisted. “What she did was cruel—she felt miserable seeing us together. You know better than this.”
“Do I?” you echoed, feeling your own resolve wavering as you locked eyes with him. “It’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one with the history she just exposed. You’re not the one who’s been ridiculed for something that was leaked against your will!”
“Neither am I the one hiding in a corner, sulking because some jealous bitch decided to take a cheap shot,” Rafe countered, his frustration evident. “You’re stronger than this, so stop acting like you’re not. Stand up for yourself!”
“Stand up for myself?” You laughed, a hollow sound that echoed in the rain. “And how do you suggest I do that? By going back there and asking her to apologize? By acting like it doesn’t hurt?”
“Why give her the satisfaction of knowing she’s getting to you?”
“Because it’s easy!” you snapped, frustration boiling over. “It’s easier to run away and hide than it is to face the pain! Don’t you get that? I thought I was done with all of this, and now I’m just… I’m back to square one. I thought you understood me better than that.”
“Clearly, I don’t,” he said, his tone cutting. “You want to hide, and I’m not going to let you hide from yourself. I care about you, Y/N...”
You felt your heart pound in your chest, caught between anger and a flicker of something deeper. “What you care about is saving face. You want the perfect girlfriend who can handle anything. But I’m not that person, Rafe. I’m a mess. I have issues, and I’m tired of pretending I’m not.”
He stepped closer, the tension between you thick and electric. “And I’m not asking you to pretend. I’m asking you to be real. To be honest about what you’re feeling. We can face this if you’d just let me help you instead of pushing me away.”
You hesitated, the rain drumming a steady rhythm around you as you stared at him. “Maybe I don’t want your help. Maybe I don’t need anyone to fix me.”
“Then why the hell are you running away from this?” he challenged, his voice rising again. “Because it’s too hard? Because it makes you uncomfortable? Life is uncomfortable, Y/N! That’s the reality, and running away doesn’t change that.”
“I just don’t want to do this right now,” you shot back, the weariness of the night creeping in. “I didn’t sign up for a therapy session. I wanted to have fun, to forget, and now it feels like I’m being dragged back into all the crap.”
Rafe’s expression softened slightly, but his resolve remained. “And you can’t forget by ignoring it. You have to face it, and I’m not going to let you do it alone. If that means we argue, then so be it. But I’m not walking away.”
You looked away, biting your lip to keep the frustration at bay. “Maybe you should. Maybe it would be easier for both of us.”
“Easier? For who?” he challenged but you couldn’t answer him anymore.
You didn’t have the strength to fight. You sighed. “Can you get me home or not?”
He ran his hands through his buzzcut and nodded. “You’re not gonna say goodbye to everyone?” You shook your head, not wanting to get back in there and look at them staring at you. “Alright… get in the car, then.”
You climbed into the passenger seat, the cool leather sticking to your damp clothes. Rafe slipped in beside you, his jaw set, hands gripping the wheel. Neither of you said a word, the silence thick and uncomfortable, each of you lost in your own thoughts. You stared out the window, watching the raindrops race each other down the glass, trying to focus on anything other than the weight of the tension that hung between you.
Your heart was still pounding, the adrenaline from the confrontation lingering in your veins. You could feel the shame gnawing at you, the humiliation settling into a deep, aching hollow inside you. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Rafe shifting in his seat, glancing at you every so often, his mouth twitching as if he wanted to say something. But he kept quiet, his gaze fixed on the rain-soaked road ahead. His fingers tapped against the steering wheel, a small, nervous rhythm that betrayed the stillness in the car.
The silence was suffocating, heavy with words unsaid. You could feel the questions he wanted to ask, the concern he held back, but he didn’t press. Part of you appreciated it, yet another part of you wished he would just break the silence, say something to shatter this unbearable quiet.
You stole a glance at him, his brow furrowed, jaw clenched. He was clearly wrestling with something, struggling between respecting your need for space and his own instinct to reach out. But his restraint made everything feel even more surreal, like the two of you were strangers again, pretending not to know each other’s pain.
Eventually, you wrapped your arms around yourself, feeling the chill of your damp clothes seep into your skin.
When he pulled up in front of your apartment building, he kept the engine running, his hands still gripping the wheel tightly. He didn’t make any move to get out or say goodbye. He just sat there, glancing out the window before looking back at you, his lips parting slightly as if he might finally say something.
With a quiet sigh, you pushed the door open, stepping out into the drizzle that had softened into a gentle mist. The cold bit into your skin, but you barely noticed. You closed the door behind you, barely looking back, willing yourself not to dwell on the weight of his stare as you turned toward the entrance of your building—but you paused, feeling a pang of dread at the thought of stepping into your apartment alone. The quiet and emptiness that usually felt like a sanctuary now seemed suffocating. You hesitated, glancing back at the car where Rafe still sat, staring out into the rain.
Before you could second-guess yourself, you turned back and walked toward him, knocking gently on his window. He looked up, a mixture of surprise and uncertainty crossing his face as he rolled the window down. The awkwardness was palpable, hanging between you like a fragile thread.
“Do you… want to come up?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. “I just—I just don’t feel like being alone right now.” You glanced away, feeling vulnerable, exposed. This wasn’t easy to admit, especially not to him.
Rafe blinked, clearly caught off guard. He hesitated, the tension in his posture softening as he considered your request. “Uh, yeah… sure,” he replied, though there was a touch of awkwardness in his voice, like he wasn’t sure he was the right person for this. Still, he killed the engine and got out of the car, following you toward the entrance.
Inside the building, you moved wordlessly up the stairs together, the elevator’s light out as usual. The quiet between you was no longer charged with unspoken tension but instead carried a strange, subdued calm. Each step felt heavier, and you could feel his presence just a few inches behind you, grounding you in a way that felt strangely comforting.
When you finally reached your door, you unlocked it and stepped inside, flicking on a dim light that bathed the space in a warm, muted glow. Rafe followed, taking in the familiar yet intimate details of your apartment as he shrugged off his jacket. He looked unsure, like he didn’t quite know where to stand or what to say, so he hovered near the doorway.
You offered him a small, grateful smile and gestured toward the couch. “You can sit, if you want. I’ll make some tea or something,” you mumbled, moving toward the kitchen before he could respond. The warmth of your apartment slowly started to chip away at the lingering chill from the rain outside, and you felt a hint of comfort beginning to settle in.
When you returned with two mugs, Rafe had taken a seat on the couch, his gaze still wandering around the room, perhaps more at ease now. He accepted the tea with a quiet “thanks,” and you sat beside him, the silence stretching out once more, but this time it didn’t feel as heavy. 
You can feel the heat radiating from his body, close enough that your knees almost touch, and every so often, your eyes meet and then dart away, a faint spark igniting each time.
It’s you who finally breaks the voice, your voice soft. “I’m going to change. I can… One of my friends’ left his clothes there, I can give them to you, if you want?”
Rafe looked up from his mug, his expression caught between surprise and a hesitant relief. “Yeah, that’d be… that’d be great,” he replied, glancing down at his damp clothes, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
You rose from the couch, moving to your room to dig through the small pile of clothes left behind from friends. Finding an oversized hoodie and some sweatpants, you returned and handed them to him, offering a half-smile. “They might be a little big, but better than wet clothes.”
He nodded, accepting them with a quiet “Thanks,” and stepped into the bathroom to change. The moment he was out of sight, you took a deep breath, feeling the quiet around you settle into something both calm and unfamiliar, his presence somehow easing the edges of your earlier anxiety. You wrapped your arms around yourself, still shaken by everything that had happened, but also oddly comforted by knowing you weren’t alone tonight.
When he emerged, dressed in the loose-fitting hoodie and sweats, he looked different—more relaxed, less guarded. He took a tentative step back into the living room, running a hand through his damp hair as he caught your eye, almost sheepish.
You managed a faint smile, gesturing to the couch again, and he sank down beside you. He set his mug on the table, his fingers fidgeting slightly before he leaned back, settling in.
“Well, I... I’ll just go change. Make yourself comfortable,” you said, your voice soft but inviting. Leaving Rafe in the living room, you headed to your bedroom, slipping into a comfortable black tank top and a pair of Hello Kitty pajama pants—the ones Nina, your agent, gifted you when you’d first arrived in the U.S. They were worn in with memories, each time you wore them a reminder of how far you’d come. You removed your makeup and pulled your hair into a ponytail, feeling lighter and more yourself.
When you reemerged, you noticed Rafe standing in the hallway, intently studying a small collection of photos you had on the wall. You approached him quietly, noticing that he was particularly focused on a picture of you from when you were nineteen, dressed in a deep green saree at a friend’s wedding in the States. You were surrounded by your group of friends, all of you smiling.
“You looked beautiful,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, as though speaking louder might disturb something precious in the moment.
“Thank you…” you murmured, feeling a soft warmth rise in your cheeks. You glanced back at the photo, remembering how special that day was. “I really like this one. I’d just arrived here and didn’t know many people yet. Then a few friends invited me to the wedding, and I felt... confident, you know? Like I could start fresh here. And wearing a saree again just felt like home—the color, everything... It was my first time going to a wedding here.”
“And how did it feel?” he asked, genuinely curious.
You let out a small laugh, recalling the night. “It was just like back home, only better in some ways. No one really knew who I was, so I didn’t have any aunties critiquing me. Though they did make sure I had enough food to last a week,” you chuckled, a smile playing at the corner of your lips. The memory was comforting, a reminder of the warmth that had welcomed you into this new life.
“The color suits you,” he said, his eyes still lingering on the photo before meeting yours with a hint of a smile.
“You sure you’re not only saying that because it’s your favorite co—”
Before you could finish your phrase, he closed the space between you, his hands finding your face as he pulled you into a rough, heated kiss. His lips crashed against yours with a passion that caught you completely off guard, leaving you breathless, swept up in the sudden intensity of his need.
When he finally pulled back, your pulse was racing, and you stared at him, dazed. “Why… why did you kiss me?” you asked, your voice barely a whisper, still trying to catch your breath.
A slow smirk spread across his face as he brushed his thumb over your cheek. “I wanted to know what you tasted like… again,” he murmured, his voice thick with a teasing confidence that made your cheeks flush.
You swallowed, still feeling the lingering heat of his lips. “And what do I taste like?”
He studied your lips for a moment, then met your gaze with a dangerous glint. “Come il mio,” he said softly in Italian, his words like a promise before his mouth captured yours again, this time slower but just as consuming.
Without breaking the kiss, he guided you back into the living room, his hands firm as they slid around your waist, drawing you close. He lowered you onto the sofa, his lips moving from your mouth to trace a path down the curve of your neck, igniting your skin with each graze of his mouth. His hand slipped to the small of your back, pressing you deeper into the cushions as he continued kissing you, his breath warm against your skin, leaving you dizzy and yearning for more.
You moaned softly when he kissed and sucked the curve just below your collarbone. His lips pressed firmly against your skin, his mouth hot and possessive. The gentle graze of his teeth sent a jolt of desire through you, leaving you breathless and wanting for more. He lingered there, sucking and kissing with a fervor that made you ache for him, making you grind against him unconsciously.
“That’s going to show, Cameron,” you tried to scold him, breathless, feeling both exposed and exhilarated as he moved lower, tracing the outline of your neck.
A wicked smile curled at the corners of his lips, his breath warm against your skin as he murmured, “Good. I want everyone to know.” The rasp of his voice, thick with desire, made your insides flutter as he leaned in closer, his mouth capturing the tender skin just below your ear. 
He pulled back slightly, his eyes dark and hungry as they roamed over you. Your flushed skin, your red and pulped lips, and your hard nipples. He was admiring the evidence of his claim. The look in his gaze made your pulse quicken, both thrilling and intoxicating, as if he were savoring the sight of you beneath him.
“Shit! You look perfect like this,” he murmured, his thumb brushing over one of the marks he’d left behind. The softness of his touch contrasted sharply with the heat pooling in your core, making you feel both cherished and utterly desired. “Like you belong to me.”
You sat up abruptly, a surge of confidence washing over you as you peeled off your top, revealing your bare breasts to the air without a hint of shame. Maybe it was the way his eyes roamed over you, filled with wonder and desire, as if you were the most beautiful sight he had ever encountered. Or perhaps it was the intoxicating buzz of alcohol still coursing through your veins, amplifying your boldness.
Either way, you didn't care.
“I’m the luckiest motherfucker on earth,” he muttered to himself, his voice low and awestruck, before sinking back onto the sofa, his lips finding your skin with fervor. His mouth was like fire against your breasts as he sucked and kissed, igniting a wild heat within you. You threaded your fingers through his closely cropped hair, tugging gently as you lost yourself in the pleasure of his touch. His tongue flicked against your nipple, sending delicious shivers coursing through your body, and you couldn’t help but wonder how you had gone so long without him.
As his fingers slipped beneath the waistband of your pants, your breath hitched with anticipation. His hand glided up your thighs, tantalizingly close to where you needed him most. “Rafe…” you breathed, your voice trembling with longing. “Please…”
“Please what?” he challenged, his tone teasing but laced with desire. “Tell me what you need, baby.”
“Just… touch me. I want you to touch me,” you moaned, your hips instinctively rolling against his hard cock-straining against the fabric of the sweatpants you gave him.
“Touch you where?”
His playful question sent a spark of frustration through you, and instead of answering verbally, you guided his hand, placing it firmly on your pussy. “Here. Touch me here. Please…”
In an instant, your pajama pants were gone, discarded like the inhibitions that had held you back. He kissed his way down your stomach, trailing hot kisses over the fabric of your panties, before moving to the sensitive skin of your inner thighs. A shiver ran down your spine, and you couldn’t resist glancing down at him, but something tugged at your thoughts. You called out his name, your voice breathy.
“Yes, baby?” he replied, looking up with hunger.
“Take it off.” You pointed at his shirt, and without hesitation, he stripped it off in one smooth motion, revealing his chiseled torso. He climbed over you, his body hovering just above yours, radiating warmth and strength. You couldn’t help but reach out, exploring his body—his hair, his lips, his broad chest, and the defined muscles of his abs.
With a sudden intensity, he kissed you again, their lips melding together as if they were made for one another. But after a moment that felt too short, he pulled away and descended between your legs once more.
Just the image of him between your legs could make you come.
“God, I want to taste you,” he groaned, his fingers touching your clit through your panties. “Tell me, pretty, do you want me to taste you?”
You nodded.
“Words, baby.”
“I do,” you moaned, your nails digging into his shoulders as you wrapped your legs around him. “I want you so fucking much, gosh!”
As the heat in the room swelled, just when you thought Rafe would finally remove your underwear, he suddenly stopped. His hands ran frantically through his hair as he began to pace around your living room, his agitation palpable. Confusion washed over you, your brow furrowing in concern as you sat up.
“What’s wrong?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. “Rafe, please talk to me. What’s going on?”
“I can’t do it,” he said, shaking his head, the anguish in his eyes cutting through the atmosphere like a knife. “I can’t do this—”
“Do what? What are you talking about?” Panic tightened your chest as you searched his face for answers.
“Have sex with you,” he finally admitted, his gaze finally locking onto yours. “I can’t have sex with you, Y/N.”
The world around you faded, and a cold wave of vulnerability crashed over you, leaving you feeling exposed and raw. Tears prickled at the corners of your eyes as you scrambled to grab your black top from the floor, pulling it over your head, a desperate attempt to cover not just your body but the aching hurt in your heart. “Wha… why? Why can’t you? We were doing so well… I thought it was good.”
Rafe stepped closer, his expression softening but shadowed with pain. He cupped your cheeks in his warm hands, but instead of comfort, it felt worsel. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead, as if he were trying to transfer some of his strength to you. But then, he turned and walked toward the hallway to put on his shoes, and the ache in your chest grew.
You couldn’t let him leave like this. Panic surged through you as you sprang to your feet, rushing to the door to block his path. “Tell me why,” you insisted, your voice cracking as you wiped away the tears that had begun to fall.
“Y/N, you’re drunk…”
“So are you! You’re tipsy!” you threw your arms up in frustration. “Why does that matter? I want you. You want me—”
“Because I don’t want you to regret it,” he said, his voice breaking as if the words were tearing him apart. He sighed deeply, the weight of his decision hanging heavy between you. “I don’t want you to hate yourself when you wake up in the morning because you slept with me.”
“That’s not going to happen, Rafe. Please don’t leave. Stay here with me—we don’t have to do anything,” you pleaded, desperation dripping from your every word. 
But his mind was made up. He leaned in, brushing his lips softly against yours one last time, a sweet farewell filled with unspoken emotions. As he asked you to step aside, you felt a piece of your heart crack. You moved reluctantly, watching as he walked toward the elevator, each step echoing in your mind like a countdown to the end.
Just before the doors closed, he turned back, his expression a mixture of regret and sorrow that mirrored your own. “I am sorry, sweetheart.”
And then he was gone.
Since then, you haven't heard from him in two weeks.
Tumblr media
chapter six
472 notes ¡ View notes
lastoneout ¡ 2 days ago
Text
Ngl I had to stop watching the video Rosanna Pansino video about the sexual stuff she reported to the FBI bcs she and DogPack got really focused on the vore like it was a huge deal and super freaky and disgusting when there's like, actual concerning stuff in those messages that they could have focused on instead. Like the problem here ABSOLUTELY isn't the vore. Seemed like DogPack cared a bit more about grossing Pansino out with kinks she didn't understand than he was with actually talking about the underage photos and I guess that makes better content but like...? It's just weird.
And honestly, I get the instinct to make a video like this to expose Mr. Beast and Ava, but it honestly to have Pansino and DogPack just sit there recording themselves going through the messages, plastering blurred out versions of them on screen, SAYING THE NAME OF THE REAL LIVING PERSON ALLEGED TO BE IN THE PHOTO OF A MINOR, and LAUGHING the entire time like it was a reaction video for some unhinged meme page and not a series of messages that contains actual CSM felt extremely fucking gross. It was in extremely poor taste and they never should have made it, they should have taken that shit directly to the appropriate authorities and maybe made a short, SERIOUS video explaining that they found concerning stuff, maybe giving a short, vague explanation of what it was(like just "child exploitation material" and leave it at that), and have reported it. That video does not need to exist, it achieves nothing except making serious shit into a reaction-video style joke and dragging an actual harmless kink into it all to paint the people who practice them as dangerous freaks for literally no reason. There's a time and a place for "omg look what this person did lol" videos and this WAS NOT IT.
I'm glad DogPack has broken the silence on a lot of this stuff but ngl I kinda hate the way he's going about it. Like his first video contains such a massive fatphobic screed scaremongering about getting kids addicted to sugar in the middle that I legit had to stop watching bcs it actually made me feel sick. No one's perfect and this was always gonna get spread by shitty people who do make weird videos about it for clout given the nature of the situation and Mr. Beast being a huge youtuber, but yeah I don't like the way he's gone about this and turning a video about actual CSM into a "lol watch while I explain weird kinks to this vanilla lady while she laughs uncomfortably and implies liking vore makes you a cannibal freak" is gross and exploitative. They're both doing good work and good people can get caught up in the rush of exposing something crazy, we've all been there, but that was too far and imo they absolutely need to take that video down and apologize for making it in the first place.
By the way, here's a quick update on what's been going down on the worst part of the internet this week:
Five days ago, Rosanna Pansino made a video where she opened up a package of Lunchly taken straight off the store shelf (2 months before its expiration date), and found that the cheese was absolutely festering with mould.
Tumblr media
Not only is this absolutely disgusting, but, as Pansino points out in her video, they're selling this to kids. The young kids opening up and eating this might not know what mould looks like, and therefore won't recognise this for what it is.
A source associated with MrBeast told Newsweek to "consider the context and the source", essentially accusing Pansino of faking the video. She responded by posting the full unedited video of her opening the box.
And while officially representatives for MrBeast, KSI and Logan Paul declined to comment, two days ago Logan Paul dropped an episode of his podcast guest-starring KSI where they kinda-but-not-really responded to the video/tweets in passing, implying that Pansino was clout-chasing.
But over the past week more people have been posting their own videos of finding mould in Lunchly.
11K notes ¡ View notes
familyvideostevie ¡ 3 days ago
Text
all of it still matters
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
joel miller x fem!reader | 2.4k
you get sick and, much to joel's chagrin, refuse to take it easy.
jackson!joel, fem!reader, fluff, fainting, ellie and her dog that i invented for some reason, kind of plotless but who cares! it's all about love in the end, anyway.
a/n: welcome back to our lovebirds from just and just as. be gentle, please. it's been a while.
--
The sky is a brilliant orange. Golden hour, they used to call it.
It's probably a little too cold to be sitting on the front porch but you can't help it on an evening like this. You tug a fraying flannel of Joel's tighter around your shoulders. It's worn at the elbows and he reminds you that he'll fix it if you release it from your clutches but somehow that never happens. The journal he made you is open on your lap, almost full. You've taken care to write down not only your memories but the stories he and Tommy tell about their lives before, the day-to-day of Jackson, the jokes Ellie is particularly proud of. She recently recounted a birthday trip to a museum, laughing as she told you about pushing Joel into the water.
You take a sip of your pine tea. It's chilly through the whole day, now, and soon the morning frost will be snow. Winter was hard for a long, long time, but now it's comfortable. It means lights up in town, children throwing snowballs, community meals and dances. It means warm nights under your blankets with the furnace of a man you sleep next to, soft salve on chapped hands, a slowing down of the Infected sightings.
And it means Joel chopping wood. He should be doing it in the back yard -- usually does -- but this evening he's finishing up the trunk pieces Jesse left by the steps. A big tree had gone down at the edge of the town clearing and everyone got a few pieces once they'd split it up. Joel will no doubt give Ellie at least half of what he cuts.
The benefit of him doing it out front is you get to watch. His back is to you, but you can see the way his sleeves are rolled up, the damp hair curling over the collar. The exhale when he brings the axe down, the flex of his shoulder blades when he tugs it free of the stump. You could watch him do anything.
As if hearing your train of thought, Joel wedges the axe in the chopping block and turns to face you. He runs a hand through his hair, silver strands catching the orange light, and huffs.
"Enjoyin' yourself?" he says.
You grin at him. "I'd say so."
Two things happen at once. A headache blooms without warning at your temple, sharp enough that you wince and press your fingertips to the skin there. Joel notices and takes a step towards you but then a dog barks and his attention is drawn down the street.
"Naledi!" Ellie yells, jogging up the street after her dog. "Come on, we've talked about this!"
Joel glances back at you but you smile at him, ignoring the blooming pain in your skull. Naledi -- named after one of those characters from Ellie's comics -- runs right up to Joel and noses at his knee until he pets her. The animal loves him. You don't blame her.
"Jesus," Ellie says once she reaches the steps up to the house, panting. "She can run." She looks at the yard and scowls. "Aw, shit, Joel. Did you finish all the wood?"
Joel, one hand scratching behind Naledi's ears, levels her with an unimpressed look.
"Ain't gonna chop itself," he drawls. "Last thing we need is you holdin' an axe."
"Rude," she gasps. "You steal my dog and make fun of me. Are you hearing this?"
Ellie looks at you in mock outrage, cheeks pink from the cold. She's not a teenager anymore, but falls back into it so easily when Joel teases her. It's a treat to witness.
"I don't know, Joel, you've seen her --" You stand in the middle of your sentence and the words stop coming because your vision swims. Black spots dance across the yard and you pitch forward to brace yourself on the railing.
"Oh, fuck," Ellie says. Joel is up the porch and next to you in a blink, arm around your waist to steady you.
"You okay?" he asks, low and serious.
The spots disappear and you take some deep breaths. "I -- stood up too fast, I think."
Joel remains in your space for a few more seconds. Naledi barks, watching the whole thing with a tilted head from the grass below.
"Ellie," Joel says. "You wanna finish up the wood? I think we're gonna go inside."
"Totally," she replies. "Yeah, uh, go lie down, or something. We've got this."
Joel ushers you into the house and sits you down in the kitchen. The sun no longer peaks over the mountains so he flicks on the overhead lights, which make you groan. He's back by your side immediately, tipping your head up with a knuckle on your chin so he can look at you.
"Think you might've caught somethin'," he says. "Bout that time of year." He presses the back of his hand to your forehead and frowns.
You circle his wrist and tug his hand down. "Just tired," you say. "The overnight patrol is catching up with me."
"Hmm." Joel leaves you be and starts to fix you something to eat. You know better than to argue and, frankly, you don't have the energy to make something yourself. He sets some buttered toast in front of you and leans on the island to watch you take a small bite.
"Something to say?" you manage through a mouthful of bread.
He shrugs. "You should go to bed early." It's barely sunset but it sounds like a good idea. "You going to be okay to work tomorrow?"
Your shift at the stables with Ellie. Pretty easy, as far as labor goes. A good night's sleep should make it bearable. "Yeah, it's just mucking stalls."
"Hmm," he says again. You know what that means -- he's thinking, he's decided, he's preparing, but he'll let you reach the same conclusion in your own time. He won't force you into anything, never does, but he most certainly has an opinion.
You change the subject. "Did you grab my journal?" Joel nods and pulls it from his back pocket to set on the table next to your toast. You take another bite to appease him.
"Almost done with that thing," he says. "Gonna need another one."
"If only I knew someone who made them," you tease. That gets a gruff laugh out of him.
"What you writin' about today?"
"You, Tommy, and motorcycles." Tommy had told you all about the famed birthday ride at the last family dinner. Everyone had heard the story but you, so their voices overlapped about a hundred times as they fought to be the one to explain.
Joel chuckles. "You ever been on one?"
You take one more bite of your toast and push the plate away. He's on it in a second, taking it over to the sink.
"No," you reply. "I don't even know the last time I saw a working one. Just stripped metal out in the wild."
"Think you'd like it," he says. "Good way to see things. Bit of an adrenaline rush."
"Yeah, because there's a shortage of that these days."
The joke falls flat and your eyelids start to droop so you don't see Joel's reaction anyway. Your head throbs.
"Bed," Joel says, softly. Hands on your shoulders, rubbing up and down your arms. "C'mon."
He ushers you up, hand on your back on the staircase. He waits while you brush your teeth and helps you into an old shirt and threadbare pants with a gentle touch.
When you're settled under the covers he perches on the edge of the bed and lays his hand on your forehead once again. A frown makes its way back onto his face and he checks your cheeks, your neck.
"I'm just tired, Joel," you mumble. "It's alright."
"Hmm." He kisses the inside of your wrist lightly and stands. "Gonna go check on Ellie, alright? I'll be back soon."
You fight to keep your eyes open and fail.
__
You feel like shit in the morning. Your head is pounding, your body aching. But you've had worse -- you've had broken bones and bruised ribs. You've been sick, you've been tired, you've been scared. This is nothing compared to life and death. You can muck a few stalls with a headache.
Joel isn't here -- a note on the counter says he got called to fix someone's sink and that he thinks you should stay home. You ignore it and head to the stables, taking deep breaths and walking slow.
Ellie shows up not long after you arrive and finds you leaning on your pitchfork in one of the stalls. Your stomach is churning but you're upright, still.
"You look like shit," she says.
"Thanks, kid," you grumble. "Where's your dog?"
"Dina's taking her on the trails today." They've been training Naledi to smell and track Infected.
You sway a little and make some noise of assent.
"Dude, are you sure you should be here today?"
If you leave now, she'll have to do the stalls herself. "I -- let me do a few more. I'm fine. It's alright."
She gives you a look she almost certainly learned from Joel but doesn't argue.
You are fine...for a little while. Ellie seems content to let you work in silence but you feel her eyes on you as you shovel shit and old hay. Just one more, you tell yourself. Then you'll go home and lie down. One more turns into two turns into three until you're scooping a big pile of straw and the spots dance across your vision again.
"Oh," you say with a gasp, and reach out for the wall, for something, anything to lean on. But your hand finds only air and then you're tipping, tipping, and you hear Ellie's Oh shit! and then --
Nothing.
No, I caught her before her head hit the ground. Are you on your back? Wait til she wakes to move her. Sounds like Esther. God, it smells like shit in here. Someone's hand on your forehead. He's coming --
You blink a few times and the roof of the barn comes into view. A groan makes its way up your throat without permission.
"Fuck," you say. "What --"
"Jesus," Ellie exhales. She's on her knees on one side of you, tugging at her fingers. "God, why did you come to work today?"
"I--"
"Where is she?" Joel's voice echoes through the barn and you try to get up on your elbows when you see him. The sudden movement makes your head pound again and hands on your shoulders help steady you. You're blinking into Joel's face, his creased brow and frown deepening as he kneels next to you.
A warm, weathered palm cups your cheek and his gaze catalogs the scene. He does this a lot -- takes in as many details as he can and makes a quick choice on how to proceed. It's a well-honed ability, one that's kept him alive this long. It's kept you and Ellie alive, and countless others in his company, too. Knowing how bad something is, and whether or not you can fix it.
He huffs, some of the tension melting from his face. "Just tired my ass," he mutters. "How're you feelin'?"
"Guess I fainted," you say weakly.
Ellie snorts. "No shit."
"Guess so," Joel echoes. "You wanna get up?" You nod. He does most of the work, arm around your waist as you stand and sway and end up tucked into his side.
"Surprised your knees work this well," you mutter. He makes a low noise in his throat and squeezes your side but otherwise ignores you.
"Think we're gonna go home, if that's alright," he says. You realize the crowd is a little bigger than you thought. Ellie, Esther, and some of the younger boys who work the horses stand nearby. Your head pounds too much for you to be properly embarrassed. You'll have to thank Ellie later for keeping an eye on you but for now, you let Joel lead you out of the stables without waiting for a reply.
Joel walks you home slowly.
"Did someone come get you?" you murmur. He nods.
"Kid said you fainted," he says. "I see you ignored my suggestion this mornin'."
"Yeah, but if I stayed in bed you wouldn't get to be a knight in shining armor."
There is a small voice in the back of your head that reminds you how bad it can be to be sick in this world. You've all seen it -- sickness takes a few people every year, a handful in bad ones. This is probably just the flu. You know that and Joel knows that. And even that can be dangerous, but you're here with the one man in the world who could defeat pretty much anything. Joel, who will keep you safe, who will see you through it. You really, truly believe that. And you want him to believe it, too.
"How polite of you," he says.
Your boot catches on the ground and you stumble a little. Joel slows you to a stop.
"I'm fine," you remind him. "Just sick, I guess." He huffs but you start walking again. "You really looked worried back there, you know."
"Yeah, well." You reach the stairs up to your house. He tightens his hold on you, practically taking all of your weight as you go up them one at a time. "Was worried you fell into some horse shit. Smell up the whole damn house."
That gets a laugh out of you. He gets you up the porch, across the threshold.
"You gonna listen to me this time?" he asks, sitting you down on the entryway bench. "Stay home, rest up?"
"I'll think about it," you sigh. "You gonna take care of me, Dr. Miller?"
He kneels in front of you to take off your boots and smirks. How many times have you done this? Peeling off each other's boots after a long day. When one of you is sick, when one of you is hurt. Your head is pounding and you almost certainly have a fever but Joel's gentle hands and familiar smirk sets you at ease. You're going to be doing this forever.
"C'mon," he says. "You know I'll take care of you."
He tucks your boots under the bench and puts his palms on your thighs. You lean forward to kiss him and miss by a mile, lips landing at the corner of his mouth.
"My head hurts," you say against his cheek. "I love you."
Joel sighs. "I know, baby," he murmurs. "I got you."
He does.
368 notes ¡ View notes
leahssmile ¡ 1 day ago
Text
— just focus on me
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
pairing: lia walti x reader
summary: reader is anxious about filming a video for Arsenal, luckily your girlfriend is there to help!
notes: short wally fic, sorry if this one's a little choppy and for the awkward ending, it was written in between flares up over a few days! ♡
nevertheless I hope it's enjoyed and thank you to everyone who's interacted with my blog so far, I hope to get more writngs out for ya'll and maybe take requests soon! :)
Tumblr media
You dreaded media day.
Not because of the busy schedule or constant moving like most people, no, you hated the cameras themselves.
Ever since you were a little kid you’ve been camera shy. Your mother often joked that she had no clear photos or videos of you, but you just couldn't help it.
The thought of being in front of a camera made your already bad anxiety spike, of messing up and it being forever captured made you almost feel sick.
It's not like you had stage fright or anything, you could get on a field in front of a crowd of thousands and play fine, it was just the cameras that made you feel bad.
At least with interviews before and after games you could wiggle your way out of them, convince a teammate that they had more to say and would be better to talk to.
But media day was mandatory for everyone, including you.
Today you had managed to participate in the required photos, done with plenty of teammates around to focus on instead of the anxiety growing in you.
But after a quick lunch break you’d been cornered by one of the media people, asked to join in on one of the silly game videos to post on the team's social media, and not really given any option besides yes.
It was just a quick trivia video, questions about who had played in however many games, who had the most goals, nothing series.
And yet as you hover a few feet from the media people as they set up the cameras, you feel the anxiety start to gnaw at your insides.
The unfounded fear of forgetting every fact about your teammates, or even more unlikely, insulting one of them by forgetting the exact number of caps they had, making you squirm as you wait for you to be called over.
You tuck yourself into a chair out of the way, too busy trying to calm yourself to notice your girlfriend, Lia, approach you. “How's it going?”
You jump when she speaks, quickly turning to look up at her, offering a badly concealed nervous grin. “Great! Just waiting to film a quick video.”
Lia knows you well enough to know that something’s bothering you, and a glance from the cameras being set up to your bouncing knee tells her what she needs to know.
Your aversion to cameras has been well known to the Swiss footballer even before you two had started dating, but she never judged you for it, it was just a part of you and she had always tried her best to comfort and reassure you the best she could.
This time isn't any different, and she takes a seat beside you, reaching over to take one of your fidgeting hands.
“What kind of video?” She knows the best way to calm you is to ask simple questions, they usually redirect your train of thought from your worry.
“Um. A trivia one? Like, ‘who has played for Arsenal the longest’ and stuff like that.” Lia nods, “You're very attentive, I think you'll do great.” She offers softly.
It's true, your attentiveness is the thing that leads to your anxiety, noticing the small details, the blinking lights, the shifts of people's expressions, they all get to your head.
But you suppose it is also helpful for the video ahead of you. Now that you think of it, you do know quite a lot about your teammates.
You let out a soft breath, “Yeah. But the cameras…” You trail, and Lia takes a moment to look around.
Her own schedule was pretty much over, having taken most of her videos and pictures earlier in the day, and she'd really just been wandering around talking to her other teammates for a bit.
She was all for staying to make you comfortable. “Look, I'll be right behind the camera, just focus on me, okay?” She points to a spot far enough to not bother any of the media people, but close enough to stay in your eyesight.
You ponder the offer briefly before finally nodding, if anything could ease your anxiety it was Lia.
“Okay, I'll give it a try.” You say and she smiles, leaning over to hug you and press a quick kiss to your cheek. “You got this.” She reminds you as you stand, the media people having turned to wait for you to come join them.
You position yourself in front of the camera, following the directions of the media person as your eyes wander over her shoulders, looking for Lia.
Your eyes finally find hers, and she offers reassuring thumbs up and a smile that you return before taking a breath and turning to the camera, giving a nod to the media person as she holds up the first card with a question written across it.
149 notes ¡ View notes
Note
I know that Halloween is over but I still gotta talk about this Hocus Pocus au I thought up
(Human) Adam just moved to Salem, the witch capital of the U.S and the whole town is telling ghost stories of Lucifer Morningstar, the famous male witch who swore he’d be back to take revenge on the townspeople before he was hung by the neck until dead.
Adam thinks this is a crock of shit, so he and his new friend Lute and his sister Emily sneak into Lucifer’s house (which has since been turned into a small museum) legend tells that Lucifer can only return if a virgin lights the black flame candle and Adam is being less than honest about his sexual exploits to his new friend.
As a joke to freak them both out he lights the candle. Unfortunately for him, it works and the witch appears in a violent gust of wind
That’s all I got but I just like the idea of Adam trying to escape from witch Lucifer
MY DUDE I LOVE THIS!!! @fanofstuff01 @beef-brisket
And I'm going to have him and Lute be like freshmen in college so Adams like 19-20 and Emily is like say a senior in high school her and Adam are a year apart.
And yes they had Emily out trick or treating because she's short en to get away with it and said "teenagers are allowed candy too".
-
Lute: Adam come on this isn't funny, the curse is real.
Adam: It's not real because witches and magic aren't real. The trails were just so they could hang a bunch of people who didn't agree with their beliefs.
They looked around the museum house and at night it's creepy especially being in the woods. Emily turned on a light so they could see.
Emily: Can we go?
Adam: No look at all this cool stuff! And that book? Says it's bound in real human flesh...... Gross.
Lute watched as Adam went over to the black candle.
Lute: Don't light that! If a virgin lights the candle it's said that Lucifer Morningstar will come back from the dead.
Adam burst out laughing: Good thing I'm not a virgin then.
Emily raised a brow: You only dated Eve for like a week.
Adam: You can have sex in a week!
The truth was they only made out a little bit and then her folks didn't want her having a boyfriend until after she graduated from high school.
So yes, Adam is a virgin. But his fucking sister doesn't need to know that!
He pulled out his lighter and smirked, curses and magic what a load of shit.
Lute: Adam no!
Adam lit the candle: See, nothing to-.....
The house started to violently shake, the floorboards glowed underneath and a laughter could be heard.
Lute: The fuck!?
Emily glared at Adam: A virgin lit the candle.
Adam: W-what!? It's okay! I'll just blow it out!
He blew out the candle but the flame came back.
Lute and Emily's eyes went wide when they saw a man that matches Lucifer's picture come out from the back room.
Lucifer: And who do I owe the pleasure to? Hmm? Oh, you.~
Adam turned around and jumped, what the fuck!?
Lute: We should go.
Adam: Good idea.
They all turn to run out the door, Emily and Lute make it out but the door slams in Adams face locking him in.
Adam: Fuck!
Emily bangs on the door: Adam!!
Adam tried pulling on the door but it was no use. Chills crept up his spine when a low laugh echoed in the room. He turned to see Lucifer standing there with his book now in hand.
Lucifer: Oh, you weren't leaving already were you?~
150 notes ¡ View notes
vscabarca ¡ 3 days ago
Note
Idkk if your request are closed but if they aren’t could you do a fic of Pablo gavi were he loves your lip mask or lip gloss. He love the smell and taste and he gets whiny if you don’t let him kiss you when you have it on and sometimes uses it for him self, but you didn’t know and maybe one day you caught him using it!! 🩷🥹
strawberry kisses - pablo gavi
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
summary: pablo finally shoots his shot with his (best)friend
genre: fllluuufff
a/n: ITS BEEN SO LONG I‘M SO SORRY, also idk when i‘ll be back but here‘s a cute little story to make amends lmao
———
Pablo‘s eyes were glued on the girl in front of him, his gaze flickering from her eyes to her glossy lips.
Y/n casually applied her favorite scented lipgloss while the light breeze of the November evening messed up her straightened hair. Still, in Pablo‘s eyes she was absolutely beautiful.
Y/n’s face lit up at something Aurora must’ve said, and the sound of her laughter echoed through the dimly lit backyard.
The brunette footballer was completely enchanted by the girl. He had always been.
Pablo and Y/n knew each other now for a few years, their mothers became friends through work a long time ago.
Right now Y/n was visiting Pablo’s family in Barcelona, staying with them for a few days and going to Pablo’s game the next afternoon.
All these years of knowing each other consisted of platonic feelings from both sides until now - or that’s what they at least thought.
Pablo had been having a weird feeling in his stomach during the last few encounters with her. One, that normally appeared when he would see a cute girl walking by or when he had a (unsuccessful) talking stage.
The footballer just couldn’t take his eyes off of his friend. He found a liking in everything Y/n did. Pablo had always liked her, Y/n was easy to talk to, sympathetic and pretty. But lately these friendly feelings seemed to have turned into much more.
Pablo noticed how beautifully styled her hair was every day, how she always used the same vanilla scent and how the tiny strawberry gloss seemed to be always in her purse, ready to be applied.
His stomach fluttered every time Y/n smiled at him, just like now.
Aurora and his mother have gotten up, giving him a peck onto his cheek and disappearing inside the house.
Y/n waved him over, making Pablo realize that they were now alone.
„It seems like my mom loves you more than me.“ He joked, eliciting the sound of her laughter while Y/n simultaneously shook her head at his comment.
„You should have known that a long time ago, dummy.“ Y/n replied, looking Pablo in the eyes with a small smile.
The brunette grinned at her answer, feeling his cheeks flush with warmth, having to break the eye contact in embarrassment.
„Since when have you become so shy? Where are the usual ratty jokes?“ She continued teasing, not knowing Pablo’s heart was beating out of his chest.
„I‘ve matured.“ He simply stated, looking back at Y/n who was absentmindedly looking for her strawberry lipgloss.
„True, you’re all manly and buff.“ His eyes shot up to hers, looking if there was any sign of sarcasm or teasing. Oddly enough there wasn’t.
„You think so?“ Pablo carefully followed, watching Y/n apply the lipgloss ever so smoothly with a thick layer.
„Mhm.“ The girl simply nodded, but Pablo saw Y/n‘s cheeks turn deep red soon after.
„You look good too, it’s been a while.“
Y/n chuckled, a small smile covering her face as she avoided Pablo‘s gaze. The footballer became much more confident once he realized Y/n wouldn’t block away his comments, even complimenting him first.
With all the courage he had in that moment, he made Y/n‘s face turn towards him by placing two fingers under her chin. It felt like time stood still, their eyes meeting in the dark, both unsure what was about to happen.
Pablo finally couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her and took a last glance at her glossed lips before feeling them on his own.
With all doubts now washed away, they could both enjoy what they have been dreaming about these last few months.
Once they both broke apart, the two smiled nervously at each other before Y/n spoke up.
„By the way I could tell you wanted to kiss me, you never stopped staring at my lips.“ Y/n giggled, earning a little scoff from Pablo.
„I am indeed weirdly attracted to that strawberry gloss of yours.“ He smirked and leaned back in to kiss her a second time.
„Are you only attracted to the lipgloss or also attracted to me?“ Y/n sarcastically asked, slightly tilting her head to mess even more with Pablo.
„I am attracted to the lipgloss but madly in love with you, don’t worry.“ Pablo sealed his words with a third kiss, letting Y/n melt into his arms after his confession.
120 notes ¡ View notes
askshivanulegacy ¡ 7 hours ago
Text
I've been trying to find anyone who posted a link to the stories and there's nothing for some reason. Everyone is talking ABOUT them, but never bothering to share. So, here's the best link I could find for anyone curious:
Evidently there's some inaccuracies in the translations. For the Typhlosion one, here's a link that talks about the leak situation a bit and also about some context that's missing from the story:
For the record, the stories are super fascinating! They lend a lot more dimensionality to the Pokemon universe, exactly along the lines as some of the more disturbing official descriptions of Pokemon. They are par for the course, though certainly fleshed out to some extent via short story format instead of a 1-liner.
Also, before anyone goes clutching their little pearls about this because it's Pokemon or because "Pokemon is meant for kids":
They are myths. That tells you all you need to know. If it doesn't, go figure it out.
They're unpublished, so they're not even real! Typhlosion didn't do anything. But even if it did ...
It's fine. It would be cool and fine if the stories were published and canon and if a Typhlosion was actually the husband of a human and they had a kid together. The stories are super neat! They're myths! And they would be super neat even if they were real historical events in the Pokemon universe! Your "god" of humans is a Pokemon. What exactly do you think that means for humans in that world? Lol!
Nothing about this is gross or weird, at least not in the cancel culture way so many people are ranting about.
Nothing about this deserves anyone "defending" Typhlosion. Typhlosion hasn't done anything that requires defending. Child-brain outlook. Embrace the myths.
Nothing about this deserves people raging on other people making jokes. The jokes are funny. See all of the above.
I found a post where some lady was crying the Nile over the very idea that writers had spent their time writing this instead of writing PG stuff, because she couldn't fathom that anyone would spend time on anything that wasn't identically required as the end product ... and because these myths aren't PG, that made it an especial crime.
Tell me you don't have a creative bone in your body without telling me you don't have a creative bone in your body.
Anyway, I invite everyone to go check these stories out.
The Typhlosion one is my favorite and I 110% condone everything Typhlosion has ever done.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Anyway...
262 notes ¡ View notes
iichfilwypj ¡ 2 days ago
Text
take me home | percy jackson
჌ percy jackson x daughter of hypnos! reader ჌ warnings: none! pure fluff ჌ wc: 832 i tried to make it shorter sorry :( pt 1 - pt 3 - pt 4
The dining hall was especially… noisy. 
By next week, many campers would be heading home, and everyone was excited. She wasn’t happy about it; with no one to return to, she planned to stay at camp alone and sleep—just sleep. 
“What? I’d win!” she sat beside Percy at his table, engaged in a silly conversation. His confidence to defeat Superman was stupid; he was aware of how unlikely his victory was, but he remained stubborn.
“Percy, he can fly. You can’t walk a straight line!” 
“I can swim.” she burst out laughing. It echoed through the dining hall, drawing a few amused glances from other campers. 
Percy glanced at her, a grin creeping onto his face that he tried to suppress by frowning his eyebrows. He couldn’t let himself be exposed. 
Did he think he’d win against Superman? No, that man would wipe the floor with him. But she was laughing, so he wouldn’t mind coming up with more arguments. 
You'd think that the stronger your feelings grow for someone, especially if it's your best friend, the further you’d distance yourself. 
What's the point of getting your hopes up? 
Well, that was not Percy’s case. Ever since what happened last week in his cabin, he couldn’t manage to stay away from her. He made it his responsibility to wake her up, help during her tasks, and ensure she got enough sleep. He chatted with her, made plans, and even shared naps with her. He was sure he had managed to get at least fifteen hours more of sleep than he usually did. 
It didn’t matter, nothing did. He just wanted to be with her. 
But he had started to grow desperate. The desire to be with her had escalated into a need he couldn't ignore. And he was exhausted from holding back. ‘You have to tell her!’ his friends insisted, but how? The idea of confessing made him sick.
‘Hey, I’m in love with you. Wanna be my girlfriend?’ Yeah, no, that is cringe.
“Beth could totally beat Superman” the sweet voice of his friend jolted him from his thoughts. The dining was now empty, and the silence was a bit scary. “She’s very stro-”
“Do you wanna come home?” he stammered, the words tumbling out before he could stop them. His mouth fell open, his eyes wide open. 
OMG? WHAT THE FUCK PERCY!
“What?” she asked, also confused. He stood quiet, not wanting to look at her. 
Weird, considering it was the only thing he wanted to do lately.
“Not any home. To my house, during the holidays.” he dared to say. She was silent; did he overstep?, was it too soon? “I don’t want you to be alone, and I’m sure my mom would love to meet you. You can say no if-”
“Ocean breath” he immediately stopped talking, examining her features for any hint of rejection or disapproval. What he found in her eyes was something that resembled gratitude, fondness –he wouldn’t dare to say love yet. They were glossy, and while she wiped them, he wished it was just because of her tiredness. “I would love to.”
NOT A CHANCE! She said yes! And not only yes, she said she’d love to!  
“Oh, cool” he couldn't find any more words. His heart raced, and a smile settled on his lips, the joy he felt was something he had never experienced before.
She leaned her body against his side, eyes closing and letting out a soft sigh. However, he couldn’t stop himself from making a joke.
“You'll have to sleep on the balcony. You know, safety reasons. A stranger in my house? Pff, what a scandal!” 
“Oh, cool” she mocked him, and he nudged her in the side. 
Percy leaned his head against her shoulder, and softly rubbed her back, knowing she loved that. A few seconds later, soft snores could be heard, and her head would have hit the table if he hadn’t caught her. He leaned her head onto his shoulder now, before leaving a small kiss on her temple. 
He closed his eyes. For a moment, he was sure this was what heaven felt like.
hi hi hi! :) i'm very bored, please recommend me books! love u all, have a pretty day.
102 notes ¡ View notes
bohemianblasphemy ¡ 2 days ago
Note
Ok imagine reader who rivals Billy’s freak. Every time he makes a joke she one ups him. So one night he’s drunk and they’re both trying to compete to prove who’s the dirtiest when Reader lets it’s slip she’s never done anything EVER. Not even holding hands. Billy proceeds to change that taunting her for acting so experienced while she’s all hazy from being kissed for the first time
I. Am. Obsessed.
Tumblr media
Billy couldn’t stand it.
The way you just had to add your two cents into everything he’d say - any joke had to have your own little spin on it to make the others laugh harder than he ever did- and it drove him mad.
You knew it pissed him off, and you loved pushing his buttons.
Sitting across from you at the dingy bar, he listened as you had one upped him once more with a dirty joke, causing raucous laughter from other bar patrons. He swigged his drink, grunting at the sting of liquor.
“Is that all ya got sweetheart? Wait until I tell ya about the time I took a bird back to mine and I-“
“Oh please…” you teased him. “I’m sure you’re not as dirty as you claim, you wouldn’t know what dirty looks like if it hit you in the face.”
You could see the absolute frustration through his scoff, smirking at the fragility of his demeanour as you found yourselves sitting away from the populated area of the bar, in a intimate corner booth- just the two of you.
“Alright then. tell me love- what is the dirtiest thing YOU’VE done?” He challenged, holding his fresh glass of whiskey- a stark difference to your Tequila Sunrise.
Although you laughed at his challenge, you couldn’t help but feel… observed a little too closely- as if you were a specimen on a glass slide under a microscope.
Behind the mask of your cheeky, smutty quips was someone who is inexperienced- not even an encounter such as holding hands, the textbook definition of innocence. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but you couldn’t help but have that facade up.
Clearing your throat, your mind went through multiple false scenarios that you could use as an example.
“Well- there was a uh… sex party! Yeah and there was, so many… um-“ you tried to make your case convincing, but to no avail- the brit seeing seeing right through your ‘story’.
“You are an absolute liar. Cmon… surely there somethin’ there in that filthy brain of yours.” He tapped on the wooden table, watching you closely as you were lost in a fog of thoughts- nothing was coming to mind.
Butcher raised a brow, looking at your eyes as they tried to avert his gaze- your cheeks tinted pink.
“Oh my fuckin’ god…” his mouth went agape as he realised what was happening. “You ain’t done anything have ya?” He whispered, leaning across the table- seeing your cheeks burn brighter.
“Okay fine Billy I haven’t done anything okay?” You admitted, squeezing your eyes closed, preparing for any and all teasing comments from him.
“Well fuck me sideways…” he chuckles, taking a few sips of his drink. “So, by anything you mean… anything?”
You sighed and nodded. “Yeah… nothing. Just- nothing.” You looked down at your lap, feeling somewhat embarrassed by your admission, however suddenly you felt Billy’s index finger drag under your chin- making you look at him.
“Cheeky fuckin’ minx you are, ain’t ya?” He grumbled as he looked at you. “All that talk and no one has ever kissed or touch ya before…” his eyes flicked from your eyes to your lips, seeing your breath hitch from that small action made him chuckle again.
“Poor thing…” he pouted, pinching your chin between his thumb and index finger and pulled you just that little bit closer to him- your faces just a few inches away from each other.
“I can help change that for ya, ya know?” Your eyes widened at his offer.
“Y-yeah?” You whispered timidly, feeling as if your heart was to burst.
“Yeah doll…” he smiled looking at your lips and then gazing back up to your eyes, wanting to make sure that it was okay to make a move- in which you nodded eagerly.
He took your face in his hands, pulling you towards him and placing a soft kiss to your lips.
The feeling of him kissing you for the first time was indescribable, the subtle taste of liquor on his lips made the whole interaction all the more addictive.
Butcher was the first to pull away, but you were so in the moment that you didn’t pull away and just moved forward, wanting- no, craving more of him. You couldn’t think, your mind in a haze as you processed your first kiss.
“There ya go…” he said quietly, using his thumb to swipe your bottom lip. “Wasn’t so bad was it?”
You couldn’t say anything, just a simple shake of your head as you looked at his smug face.
Well, judging from your expression… you seem like you want more.” He teased slightly, seeing the neediness in your eyes.
“And I would love ta give ya more…”
93 notes ¡ View notes
sarahreesbrennan ¡ 1 day ago
Note
Thank you for writing Long Live Evil.
I'm no cancer survivor, so I haven't been through the horror that that must've been, congratulations to enduring and surviving, and my sincere condolences that you had to go through it.
But I am chronically ill (cystic fibrosis, genetic defect) and have so far lived for 5 years longer than my prognosis allowed. My health's been good and stabile for a long time now, but I remember times where I couldn't walk alone, had a 18/6 nasal cannula and a 24-hour IV drip instead of school or a future.
Now I'm working at university, an archaeologist, chipping away at writing stories for years and years, and incredibly glad and privileged to see the world. All this to say that seeing how hurt Rae was in the beginning (and again throughout the story, while also never truly forgetting her true roots and motives) and how she grew around it like a gnarled tree, was like catharsis for me. Having miraculously given a second chance, no matter how hard the fight to keep it will be; I haven't ever read any story talking about this in a way that made me feel seen and understood like this. Thank you also lots and lots for taking the time to mention Rae's appreciation for Rahela's curves — it's been the same for me, since I've managed to get out of the underweight-trap. It means a lot to me, and I guess to many others in similar situations, including you of course. Thank you for sharing this with us, it must've been hard to touch on a deeply personal experience like this in writing that's simultaneously removed from oneself through fiction (at least that's what I'm imagining).
Thank you, and I wish you nothing but the best, health, and lots of good days to come. Deeply curious to see how Rae's story will continue!
Thank you so much for this.
I am so glad you are alive. Thank you for that, too - for living on even when you couldn’t see a way forward and everything was helpless despair.
I haven’t been through what you’ve been through, either, but it’s a privilege to have shared adjoining experiences trapped in darkness, and to share gladness and the wide world with you now. I’m so sorry it happened, and so happy you have archaeology and stories, and the world has you.
I will be totally honest and say it has been hard sharing Long Live Evil with the world, and I’m so grateful to you for knowing that, and for sending this message because you knew. This book is highly personal to me, but it’s also meant to be a wild celebration of messiness, escapism, and finding humour in art and darkness. And that means to some it’s just a joke, and in the words of Joanna Russ, ‘she’s not really an artist and it’s not really art.’ And so it gets dismissed, and it does hurt to see my most important story dismissed sometimes.
I was with other writers in a public space at one point and they were talking about how their books were about serious issues while ‘Sarah’s book is just for fun, and that’s fine too!’ (I had to take a minute before I could lean into my microphone and say ‘My book is about cancer’ in a cheery tone.) I’ve seen readers saying ‘this book’s just fluff, just silly, I’m ashamed of myself for reading it, there’s nothing to it’ about the book I wrote about almost dying.
My Rae, while of course she has bits of me in her (every character I’ve ever written does), and evil queens I’ve loved, and characters with wild hubris going on in the Greek plays I mention often in the book, and readers I’ve seen and I’ve been who are blithely confident they know what’s going on without doing more than surface reading and while forgetting key details… she’s also bits of women and girls I’ve mentored, been mentored by, befriended. And some of them are dead. So seeing the bits that were them particularly scorned or judged, seeing her pain dismissed or the discussion of her body sneered at…
That has been hard.
But.
In the end I believe I am really an artist and this book is really art, and art is there for the wide world to judge - to be mocked and dismissed, yes, as a price that comes with the opportunity to also be truly seen and appreciated, to get to influence real people’s real lives. Art is the gold that comes from the crucible in which we put all our pain and all our love and all our joys. I believe it deepens and transforms.
I wrote this book about how deeply unsympathetic people actually are to sufferers of illness, chronic or otherwise, and especially to women expressing pain. How the world villainises imperfect victims—which means all victims. How the world villainises bodies, and robs us of our joy in them—even when there’s horror in a body, too. I did know that by putting this book out into this world, that attitude would be reflected back by the world onto the book. And that attitude has hurt me in the past, and hurts me when I see it now.
I still think it’s worth calling out that attitude, even if it means getting more of that attitude reflected back onto me - because it means readers like you see it, and know others have been through this, and it was never okay, and you were never alone. While I know there will also be readers with chronic illnesses and/or cancer whose experience doesn’t overlap with mine at all, that only means there need to be more stories. So everyone who needs it gets the map into fantasy lands.
And I do hope some able-bodied readers read it, and think twice about adopting the world’s attitude to the people in their lives who are already going through enough. Some readers have told me the book helped them sympathise with and understand the cancer sufferers in their family and friend circles, and that’s meant a great deal. What do we write for, if not to learn to love each other better?
Long Live Evil has also given me my life back, as truly as chemo did, in a way that makes the pain worthwhile - I think I would have kept telling stories in some form, but Long Live Evil was my last throw, for as far ahead as I could see. Now since the book’s done well so far I’m hoping I can write more books, and my life can be the storytelling shape I always wanted it to be.
I read your message and I regretted nothing. I remember the pain and the way so many of us laughed or tried to laugh our way through it, and I know this was my way. Jokes, like stories, are the golden thread we follow through the dark labyrinth of our own agony and incomprehension.
It really has been hard, and it’ll stay hard. But like living, it’s worth it.
Please know two things.
I am so happy I wrote this book. Ultimately more than any other feeling I had so, so much fun writing it, and I’m having even more fun seeing the book be read by the people it was meant for.
2. This book was written for you.
137 notes ¡ View notes
carto0ncritter ¡ 2 days ago
Text
The latest episode of HB has these issues that I find important to talk about:
Millie claiming that she's Blitzø's best friend. We've never even seen how they'd interact before. Like, ever. Also, wasn't Fizz supposed to be Blitzø's bff? They made up, right? Or maybe their relationship is still too strained to call them best pals again, which yeah, I get it. Heck, maybe the bond they once had will never be the same. But either way, Blitzø and Millie were never even friends
The fact Blitzø wanted to fuck both Millie and Moxxie throughout the series was treated like it's no big deal. A boss wanting to have sex with his employees really just grinds my gears. it's disgusting, especially if those employees are married. Blitzø was also an overall stalker who invaded their privacy. This show, along with HH, doesn't know if it wants to treat serious stuff like it's serious or as a joke. It's never consistent
Blitzø's trauma is mentioned for the 1609458th time. Is that really all there is to him at this point? How about you finally give your "main character" some development, Viv? Oh right, it's all about Stolas now, I forgot. Let's demonize and mentally and emotionally torture the victim of Stolas' abuse instead. Also, screw the development of the other characters, who needs 'em anyway
Millie's role in this episode is once again tied to a man in her life. It's always been her husband, and now it's Blitzø. He gave her everything, that was what this episode tried to tell us. Even if an episode is "about Millie" there always has to be a male character involved in some way. Even though I'm a man, I hate how women are portrayed in HH & HB. Y'all deserve better
I didn't enjoy Millie's interaction with Loona. Because Loona is a bitch as usual
A ridiculous number of swears and sex jokes. Nothing new to see here. Constant swearing is just how the characters talk at this point
Blitzø missing Stolas is portrayed as him still having genuine feelings for him and feeling guilty for "hurting his fee fees" and not as an abuse victim being unable to let go of his abuser
Stolas being mentioned/appearing in Blitzø's mind, even if he wasn't physically in the episode
STOLAS
102 notes ¡ View notes
willowsnook ¡ 10 hours ago
Text
When Love is Left Unspoken pt. 2 (MV)
max verstappen x reader
pt. 1 here
I could be talked into a pt. 3 if people want it
Tumblr media
It had been a week since the Austin GP and forgetting about what happened had been impossible mostly because Max would not leave you alone.
He didn't reach out directly, but every morning this week, you had woken up to a new gift outside your door. Flowers, chocolate, coffee, pastries, clothing, etc. You had no idea how he even knew your address.
You struggled with what to do. On one hand, you had missed your best friend for a long time. You missed the inside jokes, the comfort you found in him, and supporting one another. But on the other hand, you couldn't stop thinking about how he threw it all away because he was scared of loving you. You had never been scared of loving him, even if you never said. Well maybe that was hypocritical.
Saturday morning an envelope accompanied the box outside of your door. You opened the box first, revealing a vintage RedBull racing bomber jacket that cost who knows how much. It was cute, you'd give it that. Opening the envelope you froze as you read the letter that sat next to a paddock pass for the Brazil GP.
I know you hate me and you have a good reason to but I will do anything to have you back by my side even if you refuse to look at me. Please come to Brazil, I know it's your favorite track. You can stay on Checo's side of the garage if it makes you feel better.
Love, Your Max
Brazil was your favorite track and in the past you had always travelled down early to experience the culture for a bit before the racing started.
You facetimed Carmen, hoping to talk this through with someone else.
"Hey girl, what's up?" She asked, clearly in the middle of a workout.
"Oh, I can call later if you're busy," you said and she shook her head.
"No, it's okay!"
"Max invited me to the Brazilian GP," you told her slowly and her eyes widened.
"Wow."
"I know, I don't know what to do."
Carmen was silent for a little bit, clearly thinking. "Is there any part of you that wants to make up with him?"
"Yes," you admitted quietly. "But I hate myself for even thinking that. I don't want to just forget about everything that happened and take him back with open arms."
"I don't think you necessarily have to forget what happened but maybe focus on the people you both have grown to be in these last few years. Maybe treat it like you are starting over."
"So you think I should go?"
"Selfishly yes of course," she said grinning and you couldn't help but smile back. "You don't even have to spend time with him. Just see how it feels to be around him."
After hanging up with Carmen, you texted the number Max had given you for his assistant in order to get flights and a hotel figured out.
-----------------------------------
You landed in Brazil on media day and didn't plan on going to the track until Saturday. Max was pulling out all the stops even when he couldn't see you as evidenced by the ridiculously nice hotel he put you in. The view was amazing and laying on the bed was a variety of your favorite snacks and drinks with a card that read "I'm so glad you're here -your Max."
The 'Your Max' thing was working even though you hated to admit it. You spent the next two days traveling around the city by yourself and then with Carmen.
Saturday rolled around and you found yourself nervous to be at the paddock despite Carmen's constant reassurances. You hadn't seen Max yet and you weren't really sure what to say when you did.
Funny enough, the first person you ran into when you made it to the RedBull garage was Christian Horner.
"Y/n!" He said surprised to see you. "It's been a while, how are you? You know my wife is obsessed with your tik tok channel."
"Ahh tell her I said thank you," you replied kindly. "I've been doing well."
"We're glad to have you back," he said and your heart swelled. "It's been a rough year for him."
"I'm not sure I can change that," you said politely and he gave you a look.
"You just being here might," he commented before leaving you to go talk with the mechanics. You wandered around the garage, catching up with a lot of people you hadn't seen in a long time.
Max spotted you as he was coming out of his drivers' room and his heart stopped. Of course he knew you were in Brazil, but he still wasn't 100% sure you'd show up. He didn't think he should approach you so he just lingered by watching you. You felt him watching you and looked over at him, trying to control your breathing and gave him a small smile.
He smiled back before being called off to get ready for the sprint. Leaning against the back wall you pulled your headphones and settled in to watch. Max was doing pretty good, battling with Charles for most of the race. Your face appeared on the broadcast and you smiled to the camera, giving it a small wave.
After the race you checked your phone to see that you'd been tagged in countless tweets.
@.username12312: Was that y/n y/l/n in the RedBull garage? I thought her and Max had a falling out???
reply to @.usernam12312 @.user345: Yeah they haven't been friends for a long time. It had something to do with Kelly
reply to @.user345 @.username12312: oh yeah, you're right! I always liked y/n better anyways
You were amused reading the speculation and decided to stir the pot further. While Max was doing interviews you found Checo in the garage and asked him to take a picture with you. The confused man agreed and you quickly posted it to your Instagram story with the caption: My favorite RedBull driver, good luck tomorrow!
Carmen and Lily both slid up with laughing emojis and you walked back to Max's side, trying to avoid the rain. It was really coming down now and you weren't sure if they would even be able to go out on the track. You found Max a little while later sitting against the wall, legs sprawled out in front of him. You sunk down next to him, holding your knees into your chest.
"Think you'll be able to go out there today?" You asked casually and he looked over at you, clearly excited to hear you speaking to him.
"I would say probably not," he replied. "Maybe tomorrow morning."
"How much longer until we know?"
"Another half hour would be my guess," he said. "I can call for someone to take you back if you want to leave now?"
"No, I'll wait," you said looking down at your phone. You sat in silence for a while and the rain was starting to make you very sleepy. Losing the battle with yourself, you rested your head on Max's shoulder and he stiffened.
Max smiled to himself as you dozed off and the two of you caught the attention of the cameras, the photo soon to be splashed everywhere online. Quali was called off and Max nudged you awake, reaching out to help you up.
"Ride with me back?" He asked hopeful and you nodded. You ran into George and Carmen on the way out and she gave you a knowing look to which you rolled your eyes at.
"You guys should come out to dinner with us," George said. "We're meeting up with Alex and Lily too."
You hesitated, not wanting to miss out but at the same time your social battery was dead. You could only handle so much social interaction before you were craving your warm bed to snuggle into. You started to give in and agree but Max cut you off.
"I think y/n is done being around people for the day so I'm going to take her back."
You looked at him surprised and the realization that he still knew you so well just added more fire to the internal turmoil you were facing. Bidding them goodbye, you followed Max out of the paddock and into the car he had rented for the weekend. The car ride was silent as well as the elevator ride up to your floor.
Max followed close behind you as you made your way to your room and it was starting to irritate you.
"You don't need to walk me to my room Max," you said and he looked at your sheepishly.
"I'm in the one right next to you."
"Are you fucking serious?" You asked frustrated. "I need space Max!"
"I just want you to be safe," he defended and you rolled your eyes.
"From what?" You exclaimed. "Oh yeah, your girlfriend I mean ex-girlfriend is from here. Think she's sending people after me?"
"I don't think that's funny," he said, eyes darkening. "Sue me for wanting you close to me. I'm not going to apologize for that."
"You are the worst," you bit out before shoving into your room, slamming the door.
---------------------------------------
Stepping out of the steaming shower and back into the bedroom you glanced worriedly out the window. You wouldn't necessarily say that you had a fear of thunderstorms but they tended to make you uneasy.
Trying to distract yourself you put on South Park, your favorite show to watch in a hotel, but it didn't work. After a couple of booms you were still on edge. Sighing you got up and left your room, hoping a small walk around the hotel would ease your mind. By the time you made it back, Max was leaning against the wall by your door, waiting for you.
"Can't sleep?" He asked and you nodded.
"The storms."
"You always were scared of them," he teased and you scoffed.
"I'm not scared of them!" Right as you said that, a streak of lighting flashed by the hallway's window followed by a loud crash of thunder. You jumped a little and Max smirked.
"Come on," he said gesturing back to his room. You hesitated and he sighed. "We both know you won't fall asleep alone to this."
Giving in, you followed him into his room. It was a carbon copy of yours and you were amused to see South Park playing on his tv. He climbed into his bed but you stopped short; the scene in front of you reminded you of so many times before. When you traveled with him back in the day you'd often find yourself in his room at night hanging out. You always fell asleep and woke up in his arms, neither of you ever saying anything about it.
Max sat up in the bed looking at you, he knew what you were thinking.
"Y/n," he said softly as he watched you wipe a tear from your eye.
"This is so hard Max," you said, voice breaking. "How am I supposed to just forget?"
"I don't know," he confessed. "I'm sorry."
"It's not even like you broke my heart that day," you said meeting his eyes. "You had chipped away at it for so long that there wasn't even anything left to break."
Max's heart dropped and he moved over closer to where you were standing, so that you were now eye level.
"I was so scared back then y/n," he said and you put your head into your hands. "So scared of failing that I did things I shouldn't have done, like pushing you away to protect myself."
"Protect yourself from what?" You said, looking back at him.
"Your unconditional love," he said sadly and you tried to compose yourself, taking a deep breath.
"You acted like nothing happened, I watched you move on with your life," you accused, whispering to him.
"I did not move on, I was a mess. I couldn't eat or sleep for months and I latched on to you in whatever way I could through your videos or podcast. Every picture or video you saw of me was strictly PR."
"But you never reached out, not once in these past few years," you said, starting to grow angry with him.
"Neither did you!" He exclaimed.
"That's not fair Max," you retorted, moving away from him.
"Isn't it though? You accused me of moving on but I watched you do the same. I watched your popularity grow, watched you start to travel around the world, watched you post with other guys. You didn't need me to be happy."
"I needed my best friend!" You yelled and he flinched. "I needed you to be there to call when I got a new deal! I needed you to be there to lean on when I had self doubt! You ruined everything Max. I could never be truly happy celebrating something because in the back of my mind I was thinking about how you should have been there with me!"
Max squeezed his eyes shut, sitting down on the bed.
"I don't know how to fix this schatje," he whispered and you flinched at the term of endearment. "Everything has been so dark for so long. I am okay with you hating me forever. Because even if you just look at me, it'll be a better day than what I've had."
Sniffling, you stared into his red rimmed eyes. "I want to forget about you so badly Max but I can't."
He smiled softly at you before patting the bed.
"Please sleep here tonight, it will make me feel so much better knowing you were well rested. I'll sleep on the pull out couch," he said standing up.
"Just sleep in the bed with me," you said sighing, wiping the tears from your face before climbing into the bed. Max slid in next to you, leaving a healthy distance between the two of you and you drifted off to sleep.
The sound of his alarm woke you up at 4:30 and you groaned sleepily. Max's arms were wrapped tightly around you, his head buried in your hair as he refused to open his eyes.
"Max, you have to wake up," you said and he mumbled incoherently into you. You pried his hands off your body and stood up, stretching. He watched you lazily from the bed, wondering if this was a dream.
"I'm going to go get ready and then I'll meet you back in the hallway in 30 minutes okay?" You asked him and he nodded. Leaving his room you headed back into yours to get ready for the day. Your eyes were still a little swollen from last night but that was nothing a little makeup couldn't fix.
Pairing the new RedBull jacket with a black jeans you gathered all your stuff before texting Carmen about what had happened last night. All she responded was that we would discuss it in person and sent a winky face.
Max looked more awake standing out in the hallway and you both left for the track.
Qualifying was a mess to put it simply. Crash after crash after crash. It was spiking your anxiety to watch and you were just praying that Max would make it out unscathed. He did make it without crashing, but not without controversy.
You grew furious as you watched everyone in Q2 get to finish their laps following Lance's crash except for Max and Esteban. This made him miss out on Q3 for the first time in forever. You knew he was pissed when he got out of the car and his eyes met yours for a brief second. He talked to his engineers before grabbing your hand to drag you with him to over where he had to do interviews.
Standing behind the reporter you watched him try to contain his anger.
“If a guy goes straight into the wall, it is a straight red,” he said. “I don't understand why you need to take 30, 40 seconds for a red flag to come out...”
His voice was rising as he said it and both you and the reporter braced for the impact of whatever he was going to say next. He started to say something but then looked over at you and stopped himself, taking a deep breath before waving off the question.
“I don’t care in all honesty, it is so stupid to talk about. It’s ridiculous.”
He answered a couple more questions about the race happening later and you waited patiently. Christian came to join you and gave you a knowing look.
"I told you that being here would make things better," he said with a glint in his eyes. "I'm giving you credit for him avoiding more community service."
Things got even better after that with Max winning the Grand Prix in what you could only describe as a complete masterclass.
As the celebrations wrapped up, you and Max found yourselves alone in the quiet of the garage, both still processing the day's whirlwind. He glanced at you, a hesitant warmth in his gaze.
Max reached for your hand, gently holding it, as if afraid you'd slip away again. "I'm glad you came, I've needed you here for a long time."
"I'm still not sure where we stand Max," you said unsure of how to deal with what you were feeling.
"As long as your standing next to me, I'll be okay," he said cheekily and you smiled. You knew that your relationship had a long way to go but maybe, just maybe, it was finally starting again.
125 notes ¡ View notes
ivys-garden ¡ 2 days ago
Text
Hivy, I'm Ivy, and it's time for..
Life Series Alliance Analysis Session Recap:
Scars Snail cam is the best thing to happen this season.
Yes, another week means another session of Wild Life and damn did this one live up to the name. This session's Wild Card was the Infamous immortal snail, an idea originating from a meme that asked if you would press a button to get one million dollars if it meant an unkillable Snail would Chase you and if it ever touched you, you'd die.
This session's snails were far more dangerous though, resulting in far more carnage and downright Junji Ito-Esk descriptions of the incredibly ominous snails. On session 3 there are already 3 reds on the server and, had Grian not called end of session early, we would have had a first player out. So much happened and yet no progress was made, let's see what the teams were up to.
Also, 34 DEATHS WHAT THE FU
The Fast And The Furious (Gem & Joel)
I'm not calling them the family. That name is already taken. And is also lame.
The dynamic duo start the session by immediately forgetting they're supposed to be trying to shake their Villainous reputation by vowing to convince everyone to kill Pearl & Impulse, an incredibly stupid plot for many reasons:
1.Everyone they convince sucks at they're job
2. By gems own admission, Impulse barely did anything to her
3.joel literally forgot about this, since it wasn't important
4. Pearl literally did nothing to her, she was just they're as Impulse was having a rake in there chest (no the poisoning doesn't count, Pearl would do that to anyone)
5. If Pearl is to be punished for just being in the area, then why aren't Cleo & Scott also punished?
6. Gem and Impulse have no interactions this session
7. Pearl and Impulse STILL don't realise Gem hates them
8. Gem repeatedly calls what she's doing “Social Deduction”... no.
Gem actually has a lot in common with Impulse, they're both being extremely ruthless for no reason (if these two become thr final two and there isn't an AMV of there journey through teh season set to Ruthlessness from Epic I will literally eat snow.)
How will this saga end? Idk but it's very funny. keep it up.
Apart from that Gem built a wall, befriended her Snail and neither died. Well done!
(Sidenote about the Gem-Impulse beef, people forget this since he hasn't mentioned it yet but Joel makes it his mission to kill Scott every season. These teams would still be against each other regardless of what Impulse did, which is also very funny)
The Final Girls - (Pearl, Scott, Cleo, Impulse & Bigb)
Oh Deer. That's a lot of deaths very early for the faverouites to win
So to start, Impulse’s Creeper farm is a bust and likely will never be seen again. Whoopsie.
The team also decided to move a smidge closer to everyone else. Due to the snails no substantial progress could be made on this endeavour from most of the team tho, luckily Pearl (after dying to her snail, immediately proving herself as the teams crash test dummy again) was able to get a grip on her snail and get the build started, unfortunately as Pearl is building it is almost certainly going to become a tower…. Oh Pearl also died again building it. What's up with her this season?
Moving on to the perpetual drama that I'd this team’s dynamic, where once again we see the contrast between how Tumblr acts like this team is and how they actually are, with everyone just having a grand old chill time joking around and petting dogs. Crazy to think that a team made of these 5 goober would actually ENJOY when they're teammates cause chaos, Hmm?
A lot of this team's session is actually spent apart, meaning that there isn't much to talk about with them. But Pearl is on Yellow now, meaning she is definitely killing someone next session (an action the whole team is one board with btw). Once again proving herself as the attack dog of the life Series, she asks the team who to hurt. Impulse tries to convince her to attack Ren for killing him, but Pearl shoots this down, once again proving that she is NOT ruthless like impulse. Remember everyone, Pearl might be a little chaos gremlin but she does need a reason to kill or she won't do it. She isn't actually just a murder machine like in double life
That's the funny thing about double life actually. Pearl has moved in from the tower, its everyone else who is stuck in it.
Anyway, grian has a big ol target on his back, we'll see how that Pan's out next week.
Oh also SNAIL RACE HELL YEAH MOTHER FU
The Bam-Boozelers (Scar, Lizzie & Jimmy)
Lizzie thinks snails are arthropods.
Remember when I said Jimmy was the only confident one on this team? Well I guess he didn't have the confidence brain cell this week because he died. He died so much. The entire session for these guys is pretty much just trying to save Jimmy.
This doesn't go very well at all. Jimmy is able to get one life back through a deal with Ren, but all other attempts to intentionally kill someone fall flatter than Scar in session one. At least he does take initiative and blow up Joel's Hidious-Horrible-No-Good-Mobile. Great work big man!
Aslo, Jimmy admitted to being the harvester of the end! The canary curse isn't dying g first it's dying RIGHT before the Finale! That's Canon! I was right! VINDICATION!
The Tuff Guys (Bdubs, Etho & Tango)
Word of advice, if you need to constantly say your tough, your not.
Somehow despite making literally negative progress, this team still managed to do a lot. Bdubs immediately starts the episode with some light gaslighting on account of being bdubs. After this it is decided he must “do something tuff” and so he is sent to go mess with the Bam-Boozelers.
Keeping up with tuff guy tradition, bdubs doesn't do anything. Instead he enlists the Bam Gang to help him make up a story about how totally bad and evil he is. Bdubs is also allowed to come stay with them when the tuff guys inevitably fall apart. An offer bdubs is willing to accept even after Jimmy & Scar get him killed.
In other tuff news, Etho is desperate to prove that he is super tuff and shows up to kill the Bam-Boozelers cows…while they're away meaning he did not have to display any tuffness. He literally just needed to be in and out before they got back. He also takes a second shot at the final girls at gem's request again, and like the first time it goes horribly. The first time he gets distracted by the snail dance party (who wouldn't) and when he remembers what he actually set out to do, the most tuff then he can think of is empty threats and mild littering. C- for effort.
And then there's poor unfortunate Tango, not only does he go to red this session but he also loses his house after being blamed for the cow deaths etho caused. Oh but don't worry he got revenge on scar… in a way that was easily repairable and did no actual damage apart from massively lowering his own reputation.
That is the great tuffness of the tuff guys everybody! They're failing at everything and getting overly stressed about shelled gastropods!
The Spanners (Grian, Mumbo & Skizz)
Grian seemed to think this card would be easy, and I geuss it is if you k ow what to expect and have one of your mates Snail watching you all episode.
Now, Skizz, majestic failure that he is, went yellow super quickly and so the entire session is spent trying to save his but in a multitude of ways, all of which skizz manages to fail at spectacularly. Grian does manage to save Ren from Yellow for about ten minutes and at the cost of any chance he had of Impulse not killing him.
Eventually skizz gave up on all the compilated plots and just wacked Lizzie until she died.
He then immediately got killed again God damn it skizz.
OK so skizz massively lowered they're reputation with the Bam-Boozelers for nothing AND Impulse's revenge meter is full and his team won't hold him back anymore AND I think Martyn might still be peeved at the Enchanter situation AND Tango probably still wants to kill them AND despite what grian says Gem and Joel don't seem to care about them beyond nudging them to kill Impulse so yeah these 3 are super dead, I give them like a session until one of them drops.
P.S Mumbo calls the Snail meme a “thought experment” and I found that very funny and I think you should too.
Also apparently Jimmy and Grian debate what to do about the snail all the time??
Renwood (Martyn & Ren)
There will be a live Snail reaction meme over yaoi of these two I just now it.
Fallowing they're arc of being nice this season, Renwood goes on a great friend finding journey, allying with Gem & Joel on the condition of totally being super mean to Impulse promise and forming a friends to the end Pack with Jimmy at the cost of a spare life.
Ren probably regrets that particular pact as, while trying to perform a great horse search, he loses a life. And another. And so he must kill, allying temporarily with the Spanners to get a kill on Impulse, something that he immediately regrets, proving he is less of a Rottwiler and More of a Labby. Luckily for ren he avoids Impulse's revenge list for now on account of apologising, getting instant Karma for it and the other final girls desperately holding Impulse back.
Martyn on the other hand has a far better time, gallivanting I'm the Nether with etho for potions (he died doing that but shhh), organising the great Snail dance party and joining up with fellow Chaos Gremlins Pearl and Impulse to have some fun with snails and tnt.
With potions in hand the Renwood duo and Etho got up to all sorts of mischief, turning ren invisible and making Scar's Snail invisible, resulting in him almost dying twice and being out of the series…oopsie.
Also Martyn sucks at explaining the Snail meme and thinks the all spice guy and kool aid man are the same person.
Predictions?
With more information comes the first Predictions from me.
●Someone goes out and soon. Probably Skizz or Scar. Jimmy will survive tho, after all the canary curse means he's the harbinger of the end of the series… though with how it's going, next session very well could be the end of the series.
●Grian Is getting murked next session, probably by Pearl.
● The tuff guys will fall apart. Bdubs will buy with the Bam-Boozelers, Etho with Gem and Joel and Tango will be left scrabbling for someone to team up with.
● Joel will try to get revenge on Jim for blowing up the car and will fail
● Etho will continue to look like a total loser
● One of the people yet to die loses a life next session.
So uh yeah. I'm gonna go lie down for until next week.
Until then I've been Ivy, and this has been… whatever this was.
79 notes ¡ View notes