#but hes sooo consistently perfect at everything.

[insomnya777]

joel etho single dads au .........

[sports-on-sundays]

Okay so 🤭 what if Y/N use to be with ( whatever Barca player you choose ) and they broke it off because they supposedly wanted to focus on their career and the reader was really heartbroken and omg to make it more better y/n is Carlos sister and then she sees or hear how they moved on already! And little by little she starts to be with lando and they announce their relationship when he wins in Miami!! Like full on hard launch. 😭🙌🏽

Also this got me motivated to think of more ideas ima write them down for the future 🤭

papaya girl / LN4

Summary: ex!Ferran x Sainz!baker!reader x Lando - After a devastating breakup with your footballing boyfriend, you think you'll never be able to date someone again.

Warnings: there's a golf scene and I don't golf so-!🤞, mention of sickness, foul language, sorry if some things are not accurate, headache, partying/dancing/drunkenness/clubbing, mention of getting so drunk you had no memory of what happened, implied getting drunk to dampen emotions, getting injured, vomiting, slight soulmate feel, a bit of suggestive talk, use of babe/baby/bae/baby girl/etc., I feel like every kiss I describe is exactly the same sooo- sorry about that! ✌

Requested?: YES! 😘

Author's Note: Do you ever write something so good that you wish you could make it into a movie? That's how I feel about this. I can imagine the scenes. Didn't plan it but I guess 24 is the magic number for this one. I made the request more dramatic because... I like doing that... 👉 👈 🥺 ALSO THANK YOU FOR THE REQUEST. PERFECT MIX OF ANGST AND FLUFF. I LITERALLY LOVE YOU! If you do have any more ideas and you're up for it, let me know!

When you met Ferran Torres, you were a Madridista with a passion for Ferrari. Being a Sainz, you've always been rooting for Real Madrid, but your favorite Formula 1 team isn't as consistent. Because before that, you were a McLaren fan. And before that, Red Bull. And everything else before that, too.

Wherever Carlos is, you're a fan of it.

You, quite literally, on the day you met Ferran, were wearing a Cristiano Ronaldo jersey and a backwards Ferrari cap.

And, well, he, a new arrival from Manchester City, liked that, apparently!

And it was beautiful. They way you slowly became closer and closer, growing to know each other more and more.

And then, maybe you just hit a point. Hit a point in your relationship where you wanted more, and Ferran realized that if any more was given by him, it would be too far for him.

And he cut it off. Said he was doing well in Barcelona. He had high hopes. You, a sold out Madrid fan, had been wearing his number on the back of a blaugrana jersey. And despite that blaugrana jersey, he ditched you.

He said his work, his career, his passions, his dreams, were more important than you.

But you can't complain, Y/n. That's fair. He was gentle in letting you know. He made it clear he didn't want any malice between you and him.

You roll over in bed, staring vacantly at your wall. There's a large Real Madrid flag hanging in the middle. A smaller Ferrari flag on one side. A few posters of bands and teams you like or events you've been to, signed by different celebrities. People who are more famous than 'Carlos Sainz Jr.'s sister' or 'Ferran Torres's ex-girlfriend.' On one side, it seems silly to have a poster signed by Max Verstappen, but you do. On the other side of the flag, you have a peeling old McLaren poster, showing the younger versions of Carlos and his former racing partner, Lando Norris, looking just seconds away from breaking into a loud, hysterical laughter.

And next to that, you have a Barcelona poster.

You smile sadly to yourself.

I must look like such a conflicted sports fan.

You stand up, walking over to the wall. After gently peeling the Barcelona poster off the wall, you slowly trace the badge with your fingers, any hint of a smile now gone as tears begin to fill your eyes, threatening to fall.

"This is stupid," you murmur scornfully, your voice cracking softly. "This isn't even my team! It's not my city...!" You toss the poster across the room, leaving it in a place where you don't intend to pick it up anytime soon.

Let it gather dust and crumple. That's what Ferran did. He threw away our relationship like it was nothing but a worthless piece of paper. And now I'm suffering the consequences.

You sigh. You're trying not to let yourself be bitter. You want to look back on everything you and Ferran had and be happy. Appreciate it. You still love Ferran. You don't want to be angry with him.

Someone said to you once, Hurt heals with time, as long as you let it.

You grab a bold, red Sharpie from your drawer and your notebook from a dresser. You scribble those words in all caps, rip out the page, grab some tape, and hang the piece of paper where the FC Barcelona poster used to be.

You sigh, but nod, before turning to get ready for your day.

You hate winter. You never hated winter before this winter, but now you hate it.

With the breakup, you've been avoiding anything La Liga like the plague, even if it doesn't involve Ferran Torres. It just reminds you too much.

And with Carlos on winter break, getting ready for the start of the season, he's not around much. Going on different trips, he's quite busy. Which you don't like. You and your brother have a strong bond.

It's not like you don't have anything to do. You just don't have anything interesting to do. You have a shop that you run, but you have enough staff hired to not have to be there all the time.

Yes, in a family of racing, you were never too into it. Your strong spot is in baking and business running, so that's why you opened up a bakery in Madrid.

And being a Sainz, of course it was a success.

Same type of thing as Charles Leclerc's 'LEC,' except you're not the racing driver Charles Leclerc, you're not doing ice cream, and you've always been doing this, for five years now.

You watch as a young, excited couple walks in, jabbering away in English. You can just tell they're tourists as they get in line to order. Once they get to the counter, the woman immediately leans over the counter in excitement, saying, "Is Carlos Sainz here?" in English.

You chuckle. Sounds American. "Which Carlos Sainz?" you tease.

They look blankly at you as if you're just about the dumbest individual to walk planet Earth. You chuckle and say, "Why don't you get to ordering? There's a line."

Towards the afternoon, as things begin to quiet down just a little bit, you look up at the doorbell jingles and freeze.

When he reaches the counter, you snap at Ferran, "Why are you in Madrid?"

"Am I not allowed to be? Either way, hello to you, too."

You sigh, licking your lips as you study the Valencian boy. "What can I get for you?"

He shrugs and orders, before seating himself down at one of the seats at the counter. "How have you been, Y/n?" he asks.

"Fine," you swallow, staring down. "And you?"

"I'm good." From there, he begins just talking, as if we're old friends or something, and not exes.

He seems so happy. So content.

To not be with you.

Suddenly, mid-way through one of his many sentences, you slip your hand over his, almost on impulse. He stops, staring to your hands, and then to you.

You breathe softly, "Why? Why did you come here to just talk to me? Aren't you moved on? Ferran, this is torture for me."

Lines crease into his face. You can see him swallow, looking at your smaller hand on his. "I'm... I'm sorry. I am moved on. I'm doing well. I just thought maybe we could be friends. I'd never want to date you again; I'm not in the place to date anyone. I'm happy single. But I just feel bad. I know you're hurt, and... I'd be happy to still be friends with you, is all?" He slips his hand out from underneath yours and takes his cup of coffee with it, taking a sip as he watches you intently.

You drag a hand over your face. Though you didn't want to admit it, seeing him come in to the bakery gave you hope. That maybe he wanted to try again. But those words that came out of his mouth? They cut deep.

"Listen, Ferran," you barely whisper. "I'm still trying to work through what happened. Everything. It's hard for me. But I appreciate it, and when I'm ready, if I'm ever ready, I'd love to be your friend. O- Okay?"

He nods slowly, staring down. "Alright... Fair enough."

"What's wrong?" your older brother, Carlos, asks. You watch outside the window as the world travels by.

You sigh. "Ferran."

"Him, again?"

"Carlos," you sigh. "Stop. It's nothing new. I'm just missing him. He wants to stay friends, but I said I needed time."

"Ah. Well, you know, I did tell you never to date-"

"-a Barcelona player. I know," you roll your eyes with a little smile.

He chuckles, shaking his head. "Hurt heals with time, as-"

"-long as you let it. I know," you comment, smiling a bit wider.

"Exactly. It'll come."

You sigh. "I hope so."

As Carlos pulls into the parking lot, you say, "So. Is that why you decided to take me golfing with your friends? Just wanted to check up on me, but you never have the time to sit down over dinner these days?"

Carlos smiles as he shuts off the car. "No. I could have made time. But I wanted your company golfing."

"You know I'm not big on g-"

"Shut up," he grins. "Yes you are."

"I suck."

"Not as bad as some people I know. In fact, you're actually pretty okay."

Soon, you meet up with a bunch of Carlos's friends. They're all chatting, and you're just kind of zoning off, looking out over the grassy hills, when suddenly you look up when Carlos says, "Ay! Lando!"

You blink in complete and utter shock. "Why is Lando Norris here?"

As Lando approaches, he eyes you, saying teasingly, "Well, thank you for the warm welcome, Y/n Sainz."

"Lando was just around, so he made the drive to meet us here," Carlos quickly fills in.

Soon, you're all off. After a round, as you're walking back to the cart to go get lunch, Carlos says, nudging Lando, "I think my baby sister is better than you."

Lando laughs. "You fucking muppet; what are you talking about?"

You grin, falling in step with Lando and Carlos. "I'm a better golfer."

"That is just wrong," Lando says, glancing at you. "Downright wrong."

"It's a Sainz thing," Carlos puts in. "There's no way for you to beat us, Lando. You can't. Winning runs in the family."

Lando rolls his eyes, reiterating, "Your baby sister is not better than me."

"You have no right to call me a baby," you put in indignantly. "I'm probably older than you."

Lando looks at you, his nose all scrunched up. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-four."

"Hah! Same age."

"That still doesn't mean you get to call me a baby!"

"Her birthday is in January; different year than Lando's. Lando, you can call her a baby; you're older," Carlos says.

"Carlos!" you snap. "Don't give him permission!"

Carlos grins and shakes his head as he breaks off to chat with some of his other friends and get on the cart with them.

Lando grins, giving a discreet pat on your lower back as he murmurs, "Sorry, baby."

And for some reason, that makes you feel things. You decide to blame it on the fact that Lando's just good-looking.

Once you're all seated down with your lunch, you comment, "So what's with the whole..." your hand goes to your chin, referring to his facial hair, as you look at Lando expectantly.

Lando slams down his fork, saying lightheartedly, "Sick of people asking me that!"

You smirk. "Makes you look like you're forty."

"Whatever, baby."

"You know, I have a picture on my wall of you and Carlos when you were just babies, too."

As soon as Lando raises an eyebrow with a smirk, you know it was a mistake to word it that way. "You have a picture of me and Carlos on your wall?" he asks, mock condescendingly.

"No, no. I mean, I do, but- It's just an old McLaren poster." You immediately look down.

"What, are you a fan of mine?" Lando teases further.

"No! I'm a fan of Carlos, and you just so happened to be his teammate at that time. The point is that you two look like pipsqueaks in that photo! Lando, you looked so awkward, with all your acne-"

"What, Lando, you think she's a McLaren fan? She's sold out for Ferrari," Carlos interrupts.

"Literally! I deck myself out in red every Sunday!"

"Today's Sunday," Lando starts like the stupid idiot he is, "And I don't see you wearing red."

You groan, leaning back, covering your face in your hands. "Carlos, how are you this guy's friend? He's so annoying! Why'd you invite him for? How do you put up with him?"

Carlos just smirks, patting your shoulder, and says, "I'm used to having to put up with irritable people, after having to grow up with you."

You roll your eyes, fighting off a smile as all the guys around you at the table laugh out loud.

On the car ride back, you're mostly silent, your thoughts swimming with one thing and one thing only.

Lando Norris.

And there's a soft smile on your face as you think about your morning with him.

But Carlos can tell you're deep in thought. Usually, you'd be yapping away right now. "Anything on your mind?" he asks carefully.

You sigh. "Not much."

"You're bad at lying. You're staring out the window dreamily. What's on your mind?"

You sigh. "It's stupid. You'll make fun of me."

"I'm not stupid, though. I can already guess what it is."

You gulp. "How?"

"For the whole day, the only person you talked to was Lando."

You feel your stomach drop. "It's nothing serious, Carlos. He's just funny."

"You said something like that to me about Ferran Torres right before you officially started dating."

That makes you feel a bit sick. "Carlos, I won't let that happen again."

"Don't. And don't be getting interested in anyone until you're over your ex. And we both know you're not. And please don't be getting interested in someone like Lando."

"Why?" You eyebrows scrunch together. "I thought you two were buddies."

Carlos grins teasingly. "If you somehow got yourself with him, there would always be two annoying people in one place."

"You're intolerable!" you snap, laughing.

"You are too, hermana."

It strikes Carlos as strange when the first thing Lando says to him the weekend of Bahrain, before even a hello, is: "Is your sister here?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Lando shrugs. "She's nice."

"No... She'll be coming to Australia, though..." Carlos can't help but feel suspicion fill his chest. He's always been somewhat protective of you, being his little sister and all.

"Perfect," Lando grins, and he's off.

In Australia, like any other race, you're decked out in your red. Ferrari hat, Ferrari jacket, red jeans. Ferrari earrings. Even your black shoes have a stripe of red on the sides.

Carlos always tells you it's dumb. But it's become a part of your whole thing, since you spend a huge amount of your life following Carlos around and going to Grand Prixs.

It's fun sometimes, being Carlos Sainz Jr.'s sister!

But when you see a shock of papaya in your red world called Ferrari's hospitality, you squint, slipping your sunglasses up on your hat, and say, "Who said you could walk in like that uninvited?"

"No one," Lando grins, "but I'm only here to see you."

Your eyebrows raise as you stand up. "Wha-"

"Come with me. I'm going to barf if I have to breathe Ferrari air any longer. Just your terrible get-up is making me nauseous. I guess I'll be free from seeing that stupid outfit next year when Carlos isn't in Ferrari-"

"Oh, shut it, you!" you snap, but follow him with a grin on your face.

"So you broke up with your Barcelona man?" Lando start, cutting straight to the chase.

"Uh-" you swallow. "He broke up with me."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

You're not sure why Lando wants to know, and he certainly doesn't have any reason to know, but still you say, "We had been dating for a while, you know? I wanted something more. You know, to go deeper. Someday, I'd love to even maybe get married. But, Ferran... well, he didn't want to go the step deeper. Said he wanted to focus on his career. He broke it off. We're on fine terms, though."

"Ah..." he nods slowly. "That sounds like a tough breakup."

"Yeah... Yeah, it was."

He continues nodding, and catches your eye before saying, "So I'm assuming you want to... you know, you won't be up for any more relationships any time soon? Lot to work through?"

You suddenly feel your face begin to heat up. "Uh, well- depends on who it is, I suppose," you blurt without thinking.

"Hm?" He raises an eyebrow. A little smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Well, considering the fact that your face is just about as red as that Ferrari hat on your head, I'm wondering what you think of me."

You swallow, feeling even more embarrassed. "Are you suggesting...?"

"If you're up for it, the night after the Grand Prix, you can meet me at my hotel room, and we'll go from there. Text me if you decide 'yes,' for the details."

"I don't have your numb-"

He gives a cute little smile and opens his hand to reveal a folded up piece of paper. "Now you do. See you later, Miss Sainz!"

You stand, dumbfounded, as he jogs off.

"Oh my God, Carlos! Well done! So well done! Oh my God!" you scream in the midst of your strings of excited swear words, in both Spanish and English. "Did you actually just win the Australian Grand Prix?!"

He grins as he kisses your cheek, patting your back and saying, "Yes, I actually just did."

You hug your older brother tight, resting your head on his shoulder. "Love you. You did amazing. After everything you've been through. You're going to be leaving Ferrari next season and with your surgery and everything and-"

He smiles a bit. "Want to let me go now? Can't squeeze me too tight, remember?"

"So you can drive a race car and win the race, but you're too fragile for me to hug you!" you laugh, but release him from the hug.

He laughs out loud. "Yes, pretty much."

Hours later, you stand in the lit, mostly empty hallway, knocking on the white-painted door. You've change out of your Ferrari red head-to-toe fit, and are now wearing a black t-shirt with the F1 logo in red on the left side, black sweatpants, and your hair held back by a headband.

Lando probably isn't here, you think as you wait. I look so stupid. He doesn't care as much as he acts like he does. He's probably out partying or something. He got a podium. Carlos won. There's no way he's just sitting around in his hotel room-

You look up in surprise as the door clicks and swings open to reveal Lando Norris standing before you.

You beam and say a bit too loud, "Lando!"

He laughs. "Hey..." He's dressed in a white button down, dark blue jeans, and his regular assortment of jewelry. "Want to come in for a bit?"

You nod. "Were you... just out?" you ask slowly.

He chuckles again, plopping down on the sofa. "If I were just out, I wouldn't be looking this neat."

"Oh... Oh?"

"Come on. Sit down next to me," he encourages with a wave of his hand. "Something funny- I've had my eyes on you for a while now."

You look up in somewhat shock. "That's why you're so confident about this?"

"That, and that I'm just the peak of all confidence," he jokes, clearly mocking cockiness.

You roll your eyes.

"But really. I've been flirting with you for a while."

This time your eyes widen. "No way."

"Just little. I knew you were dating that Torres-"

"How?"

He smiles. "Doesn't take much to find out. Anyway, I think you just blocked it out because you were dating someone else. Shows you're a loyal girl."

"Hm..." you nod slowly. "I... I suppose...?"

Suddenly, he takes your hand in his. "So, you like me?"

"I think I have for a while. Like you said- I blocked it out because I was dating someone else." You didn't even know that until now, hearing the words coming from your mouth.

He smirks. "Even better. So..."

"Yeah?" you ask, a little glimmer in your eyes.

"I'd like to know what the hell you're wearing."

Suddenly, your face falls. "Uh- I'm sorry- I- I thought we- Um-"

Lando laughs. "Y/n! I'm teasing!"

"O- Oh!" you laugh nervously.

"I was just thinking... Maybe you'd want to go out and celebrate with me?"

"Oh-" you nod. "Right."

"So, do you want to get changed? I'll text you where we'll meet in a half hour?"

You grin, standing up. "Sounds good."

"See you then."

"Holy fuck, man," are Lando's first words when he sees you. You're wearing sunglasses, a form-fitting sequin shirt, and flattering white jeans.

"What?" you ask anxiously. "Is it too much?"

"Too much? Y/n, you're gorgeous."

You sigh in relief. "Alright good... And- one thing."

"Hm?" Lando asks, an eyebrow raised.

"I don't know if we... could we say we're... that you're my..."

"Partner? Boyfriend?"

You swallow. "Sure. I think... I think I'm good with that. At least for tonight."

He nods.

"But let's not make it clear here. I don't want the way for everyone to find out about this being, you know, by nightclub pictures on the internet."

He smirks a bit, nodding. "Fair enough, then. Let's go."

"Rise and shine! Let's hit the grind, Y/n!" an unfamiliar voice wakes you up.

You roll over to see Lando's handsome face looking down at you. You're in his hotel room, in the one bed. He's all dressed and ready to go, and towering over you, looking like a giddy dog.

You sit up, rubbing your eyes. "I've got a killer headache. What happened last night." You feel disgusting, and wrinkle your nose as you get a whiff of the alcohol scent radiating off of you.

He grins. "I learned that you have no tolerance whatsoever."

You frown. "Unlike you, Norris, I'm not getting drunk all the time! Now, tell me what really happened!"

"Nothing much. Just a lot of fun," he sits down next to you, "and it's a shame that you can't remember any of it." He chuckles a bit, saying, "You got fucking wild. You were more fun though before you got absolutely drunk out of your wits."

"You didn't do anyth-"

"No, no!" he rolls his eyes. "Besides, Carlos was there. I wouldn't dare. You at least remember Carlos, right, being there?"

You roll your eyes. "Yes, of course I do."

"But you really did completely black out? You don't remember anything?"

You swallow nervously. "No... I don't really remember anything... I mean, I guess..." You close your eyes, thinking hard. "Just dancing... music was super loud, but... that's not anything specific. I don't feel well at all now, though..." You start to feel a bit dizzy at the energy you're putting into trying to remember.

You open your eyes and look at Lando.

He smiles. "Well, it was fun, nothing more. Want me to bring you back to your hotel now?"

"Yeah, I guess..." you nod, cradling your head in your hands. "That'd be great..." You see the wine stain on your jeans. You can feel an ache in your ankle. You just need to clean yourself up.

Lando helps you limp to the car, assuring you that you just tripped. Saying your ankle is fine; it'll feel better in a few days' time.

You're not so sure.

As Lando drives, he knows he should tell you the details, like Carlos said.

But it still feels like you'd be better off not knowing at all.

Nine hours before

Though every single one of Lando's molecules in his body told him not to, he had to keep pushing you off. He sat talking away with some other dudes, and you sat his side, drunkenly trying to wrap your arms around him.

You blubbered softly about all kinds of stuff, a strange mixture of being utterly devastated and overly romantic.

Lando knew. You didn't get drunk this often.

A part of him felt bad. A huge part of him. He didn't think he had pressured you into anything. Certainly not intentionally. And you were the one who kept drinking more. But maybe he did...

Maybe it was his fault you were the mess you were now.

"Lando..." you murmured, your hand gripping his bicep. You leaned closer. "You're so sexy in that shirt." You reached over to unbutton another button of his shirt.

He gently pushed you away for the millionth time. "Remember, Y/n? You don't want anyone to know you're into me this much," he whispered lowly to you, running a hand through his hair. "Remember that, baby."

You pouted. "Ferran broke up with me and made me sad. Can't you make me happy now."

"Not now. I won't be doing anything when you're this drunk."

"I'm not that drunk..."

Lando snorted. "Whatever you say, lovely."

All was going as fine as it could be going. But then Carlos showed up. "Hey, Y/n-" he had started.

But you had interrupted him by slapping your hand on Lando's shoulder, leaning into it, and giggling giddily, "Look at this pretty boy."

Immediately, Carlos's eyes flashed with shock. And then vague panic. And then anger.

"Lando, how drunk did you get her?!" he snapped, raising his voice even more than he already was. The flashing lights on the Spanish man's face helped Lando's anxiety no more.

"I didn't get her drunk at all! I tried to stop h-"

"Yeah, fucking right. Come with me Lando-"

"No!" you had snapped, standing up to grab Lando's sleeve before your older brother could drag him away.

You were clearly biting back tears. "Lan didn't do anything..." You stumbled drunkenly into the British man, who steadied you gently, before helping you sit down again.

Carlos's face remained hard and steadied on Lando, but he spoke no words, as if he was battling in his head what to do.

Lando sighed. "Listen, Carlos. She won't remember any of this tomorrow morning. Let's just not bring this up again, yeah? It was a mistake. Stuff happens. She got wild and had one too many. We've all had those nights."

But Lando genuinely didn't think Carlos had had one of those nights before.

Lando certainly had, though.

"She deserves to know."

"Maybe she shouldn't, though. She's gone through a lot with her ex breaking up with her and everything. And I'm sure your career up in the air isn't helping her cause much, either. She loves you more than the world. And think about how worrying it was for her to see you go into surgery like that, and race right afterwards? The good emotions just hit her, man. But it's probably a lot. She's just going through a lot. She doesn't need the guilt of getting too drunk and acting a little stupid, yeah?" Lando ranted, intently studying the older Spaniard's eyes.

Carlos's eyes slowly softened. "Alright... I won't tell her what's happening once she's sober. Only if I can make a deal with you."

Lando bit his lip, running a hand through his messed up hair. "What is it?"

"I won't say a word to her, as long as you promise to stay away from my sister. I know you're interested in her."

Lando's eyebrows creased together. "What does that men? Why?"

"Quit trying to get with my sister, and then it's a done deal."

Lando let out a shaky breath, slowly nodding. "Alright, then. Whatever. It's a done deal."

Of course Lando didn't intend on following through with his end of the deal.

But when Lando turned around to check on you on the couch, he froze when he saw you were gone. "Where'd Y/n go?" he immediately asked the other guys and girls sitting around.

"The hot Spanish girl?" one guy asked in a painfully slow Australian accent.

"Yes, her!" Lando demanded, his buzzed brain filling with irrational panic and overwhelming confusion.

He lazily gestured and responded, "Went to go dance, I reckon."

And before Carlos or anyone else could react any faster, Lando tore into the crowd, shoving people aside and squeezing through gaps that weren't there, in search of you.

She's drunk out of her mind! What the hell was she thinking!

That's right. She wasn't thinking.

And then, he spotted you, just for a moment. Moving your hips, stumbling about, thinking you were just about the sexiest thing in the room.

"Move out of my fucking way," was Lando's polite way of shoving two guys out of the way.

He could see the sweat glistening on your face. He could see the dumb smile on your face, your high giggles. He could see fresh wine spilled on your white jeans. He could see hands on you; he took no energy to see who they connected to as rage filled his entire being.

And he watched, almost in slow motion, as your ankle rolled on your black stiletto, and you stumbled to the floor with a brain rattling, painful cry.

Immediately, Lando shoved his way to your side, slipping his hands under your body. "My God, Y/n!" he nearly screamed over the music. "You idiot! You beautiful, fucking stupid, idiot! Tell me why I fell in love with you! You're going to be the death of me!"

"Hi Lando," you murmured through tears. "My ankle..."

"Yeah, yeah, I see. Let's get you out of here, yeah?"

You swallowed, nodding as Lando tucked your hair behind your ear. He lifted you to your feet and let you lean on him as he helped you limp out of the club.

"I'm sorry, Lando..." you had muttered hoarsely.

"Hey, don't worry," Lando had responded. "Never apologize for having nothing but a good time."

But he, Lando Norris, disagreed with the words coming out of his mouth. That was his motto, his excuse, all the time. But as soon as soon as he saw you, someone he genuinely really loved, really cared about, living like that?

It made him sick to his stomach.

Speaking of that, as soon as you were outside, you stumbled away from Lando. He steadied you with one hand and held your hair back with the other as you doubled over and vomited, your previously red face impossibly pale.

"Are you done?"

"Yeah..." you gasped after about a minute.

"Alright. Okay. Let's get to my hotel room now."

Lando could barely understand your slurred words as you responded, "As long as we're getting away from here."

Now

You were going to go to the Japanese Grand Prix. But you just wanted to stay home. With a sprained ankle that confines you to crutches and an illness you've picked up, there was no way you were going to fly across the world for a Grand Prix, especially with the potential jet lag.

You lay on your couch and text Lando. You've been thinking, and you let him know that though you really do want to go places with him, you want to go slower.

You still don't know what happened on that night in Melbourne. For some reason, you can't get anything of significance out of Carlos or Lando. But you know more than what they're saying must have happened that night.

You asked Charles, because he was there. He provided a bit more information, but not much. He said he wasn't really hanging around you that night, but that he did see you cuddling with Lando.

When you asked Lando about it, he said you were drunk, it was just you not thinking, and it only happened once. That you stopped after he pushed you off.

And social media shows no one caught it on camera, or anything that night, for that matter.

So at least there's no fans going crazy over anything.

Lando texts you back, saying that he thinks it's best to go slow. Just let yourselves ease into whatever your relationship is going to be.

It's a relief to see he agrees with you on that.

But then he sends another text, asking you to try to keep it a secret. Even from your family, including Carlos.

You ask why, and he responds saying he simply agrees it's good to be private, and he doesn't want Carlos judging.

Though you're not sure about it, since Carlos is not only your favorite (only) brother, but also your best friend, you still tentatively agree to it.

Lando probably has a good reason.

Right?

By the time the Chinese Grand Prix comes around, though your foot is still in a walking boot, you're over your illness, and decide you're going to go for it and make the trip halfway across the world. After all, you've never been to China!

It's true that your walking boot doesn't look the best with your shades, shining silver jewelry, and overalls, but oh well. The most annoying part is literally everyone who even half knows your name (the Sainz part) keeps asking you what the hell happened to your ankle.

And you have literally no response but, "I fell," because you have no more of an idea than them, and there's no way you're about to say, 'Hah I just got drunk with Lando and got so fucking crazy that I twisted my ankle and sprained it! Anyway!'

Yeah, no way.

So "I fell," is the best option you have.

But the most concerning thing to you is that you haven't even seen Lando yet, all weekend. Though you haven't seen each other in a while, you've been calling, texting, and face timing often, your relationship growing a lot.

You chew your lip as you limp towards the McLaren garage. You peek in, scanning for Lando, but only see Oscar.

You limp to him.

"Whoa- What happened to your-"

"I fell," you say, thoroughly exasperated with this. "Anyway, is Lando around?"

"Lando? Uhhh..." he looks around.

Dude, hurry up. I'm not supposed to be here, your thoughts practically scream.

But then he walks in himself, and you grin, waving, "Lando!" you call.

He walks over to you, smiling. "Aw. Look at my little injured girlfr- uh, uhm, mate. My injured mate." He glances nervously at Oscar.

But the Australian just smiles, "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

Lando nods gratefully, before leading you to a more private place. "Hey," he says softly once you're alone, his hands resting on your waist. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright... Ankle's getting better, slowly but surely."

"Oh, good," he almost looks relieved. "That's so good to hear. I'm so glad you made the big trip to be here, Y/n."

You smile softly. "I was starting to miss you."

He grins. "I was missing you, too, baby... I think I could make some time for you this weekend, too. We could just get take out, hang out at my hotel room, you know. No more partying, even if I win, right?" he teases gently, gesturing to your foot.

You snort. "Yeah. Yeah, no more partying for now for me."

Later that night, you lay next to Lando in his hotel room. His arms are wrapped around you, his hand rubbing your back. "Look at me," he murmurs sleepily.

You look up to see his soft eyes looking at you, with so much, tenderness, so much...

love.

You feel a flutter in your stomach. "Lando, how did we get here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Two months ago, I would lie awake in bed, dreaming about and missing Ferran. I was so lonely. Now here I am. Two months, and I'm laying here, in your arms."

He grins a bit. "I bet it's because we're meant for each other."

"That's cliché."

"No, it's not. I really mean it. You know, I had a crush on you even back when Carlos was in McLaren, you were around a lot more, in papaya."

"No, you didn't-"

"Yes, I did!" he laughs softly. "I really did. The day I saw you in the paddock. The day Carlos pointed you out as his sister. The day you flipped your hair and looked at me with those warm brown eyes. And then looked away from me, because in my first season in McLaren, I was the farthest thing from attractive."

You giggle at this. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm not! That was the day that I knew- I knew- that someday, I was going to make you mine," he murmurs, his eye half-lidded as his hand gently caresses your cheek.

"Lando!" you squeak, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug. "Don't you dare make me cry for no reason!" You wait a minute, before saying softly, "Well, maybe, just maybe, back then, though you were a pipsqueak, you were kind of cute... And I've always gotten butterflies from your jokes and teasing, even all those years ago, before I was even dating Ferran."

He laughs. "Awww... So you've always had a little bit of a crush on me, too!" You can see by his blushing cheeks and beaming eyes that just this fact is making him feel warm inside.

You roll your eyes, giggling. "I guess, maybe...."

He flicks your nose gently, playfully, holding you even closer. You lay there in more silence, before Lando says softer, even more tenderly, "Hey, Y/n... can I talk to you about something...?"

"Of course, Lando..." Your eyebrows knit together.

You watch as he swallows. Nods. Sighs. "Okay... Something has been bugging me..." He pauses. "I... I feel like I never should have brought you out that night in Australia... you know? Like, beyond the sprained ankle."

Your eyes flash. "What do you mean?"

"Well... You just got so drunk, and... I feel so bad... Like, somehow, it's my fault... I didn't mean for you to get hurt, or to drink that much... I just thought we'd have fun. Like I always do with my friends. And you're my girlfriend; supposed to be my closest friend..."

"Lando," you murmur shakily. "Did you try to get me that drunk? You didn't encourage it, did you?"

He looks nervous. "I genuinely don't think so, but I'm nervous I did... I tried to tell you enough was enough, but maybe I should have looked out for you more... Maybe I should have worked better at keeping you from getting that drunk... But we were having so much fun and I figured you would know your limit... I shouldn't have assumed."

"Lando! Don't blame yourself! It was my fault. I got too drunk, I fell and sprained my ankle. The sentiment of you wanting to look out for me is nice, but when push comes to shove, I'm in charge of myself, just like you're in charge of yourself, and it was my fault. My mistake. M'kay, Lando...?"

He nods slowly, still looking a bit unsure. "Well, Carlos isn't mad at you about it. He's mad at me..."

"Carlos is what?!"

"Ah, fuck. Forget I ever-"

"Lando Norris, explain."

"Whoa, that's sexy," he laughs.

"What?!" you exclaim in exasperation, yet you're still unable to keep your stomach fluttering by Lando's sudden spoken intrusive thought.

He grins, his eyebrows raised. "I don't know. Full name, in such a firm voice? Like, yes, mommy, order me around. I'll do whatever you want me to," he says in a low, goofy, teasing voice.

You can't stop your face from heating up. "Oh, shut it, you!" you snap, your voice cracking awkwardly as you flick him in the nose this time. And you flick his stupid nose harder than he flicked yours earlier.

He giggles evilly, rolling over. "Look at yourself! You liked that! You're a blushing mess!"

"No, I didn't. What a stupid way to flirt."

"Oh, well, I can show you even more stupid ways to flirt. Because, apparently, it doesn't quicken your heart rate at all."

You groan. "You are so annoying."

He leans over, giving you a peck on your lips. "I know. And you know you love me for it."

You forget to ask him again about Carlos.

"Baby, c'mere," Lando says, nodding for you to join him in his driver's room.

"Dude, watch what you call me when there's listening ears around."

Lando shrugs. "It's only Oscar in the other room."

"So? What makes you trust Oscar so much, anyway?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. He's a good guy. And he's not gossipy, like me."

You laugh. "You are, are you?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm a fucking gossip girl."

You laugh out loud at this as Lando shuts the door of his driver's room behind you.

Lando grins. "Anyways, Oscar is trustworthy because he's not the type of guy to have any desire not to keep a secret."

You frown, crossing your arms. "Alright. Whatever. Anyways, why'd you bring me in here?"

Lando shrugs, sitting down on the one chair in the room. "Sit down, babe."

You blink. "Where? On the fricking floor?"

"Uh, no," Lando rolls his eyes jokingly, as if this is the most obvious thing. "On my fricking lap, Y/n. Come on now. Duh."

You can't help but find yourself blush at that as you slip onto his lap. He wraps his hands around your waist, giving you a kiss on the cheek. You smile, leaning into him as you ask softly, "So why'd you bring me in here? Just for kicks?"

He grins. "I need my Y/n fix before the race. You know, it'll make me drive better."

"Oh? Is that how it works?" Suddenly, though, before Lando can respond, your phone buzzes in your pocket. You slip it out and sigh. "It's Carlos, asking me where I am. I feel like I'm under surveillance."

Lando blows a raspberry before saying, "Just ignore it, bae. You're a twenty-four year old woman; Carlos needs to get over it."

"Get over what?" you ask, an eyebrow raised.

"You not being his baby sister anymore. You're my baby now," he murmurs into your shoulder, pulling you closer to himself.

You laugh. "I still can't decide whether you're the worst flirt I've ever met or the smoothest. But right now, I'm thinking the worst."

"Oh, well!" he says, looking up at you with innocent eyes, batting his lashes. "Doesn't matter to me, because either way, you like it! Anyway, back to before Carlitos had to interrupt-"

You giggle as he begins kissing your face and say, "Carlitos? I'm not even allowed to call him that without him going psycho man on me-"

"Mmm... Can you talk less? It's cuter when you do that giggle thing," Lando murmurs between kisses.

This causes you to laugh out loud. "Sometimes, Lando, I think you're so weird." You realize, in a strange way, though, Lando is right. Because of the giddy feeling of literally having your boyfriend shower you with kisses and love, you're just kind of trying to find anything to talk about.

But maybe you should just take one moment to shut up.

You lean into the kisses, exhaling slowly. Contently, despite your pounding heart and sweating neck.

Finally, you feel as though your face is absolutely, completely covered in Lando's kisses. You sigh, contented, as Lando kisses the tip of your nose, and then pecks your lips.

You giggle, opening your eyes to gaze into his.

But his eyes flutter shut as he leans in, his hand slipping to the nape of your neck. And his lips meet yours again, this time in a real kiss. You shut your eyes, enjoying those lips on your own, sending tingles throughout your whole body, causing your breath to grow heavier and heavier. Desire pulses in every beat of your heart, causing the passion in the kiss to build and build. Your right hand falls into his chest as the other knits itself in his curly locks. You feel Lando's hand on your hip as his fingers snake under to grip your ass gently. You can feel his hot breath on you, in you, apart of you, as his other hand gently stroking your neck, giving you little twitches of longing for more. Your tongues find an art of lingering exploration, Lando's hunger seeming to never be satisfied as his tongue and lips tease your nerves, the emotional and physical connections between you seeming stronger than ever. His hand slides down your neck to your back, pulling you closer to him, so your chests are pressed into one another.

Suddenly, though, there's a pounding on the door of Lando's driver's room. Your eye cracks open. Lando's squeeze tighter shut, his eyebrows creasing together, as if he wishes so much that this never has to end.

Lando grunts, finally pulling away. Oscar's voice on the other side of the door saying Lando's name seems to be in another, insignificant world. You're both gasping as you study each other's eyes in a certain awe.

A soft, mischievous smirk appears on Lando's lips. Those lips that now you can't stop staring at. "Was your first kiss with Torres that hot?"

You let out a breathy laugh. "Definitely not."

There's a pause, of just softly smiling, gazing into each other's eyes, before Lando breathes, his eyes half-lidded, "My fucking God," He gently, slowly strokes your warm, pink cheek. "Did I ever tell you how head over heels I am for you?"

Before you can respond, Oscar's voice says again from outside, "Lando, if you don't respond, soon, I'm coming in."

Lando groans again, leaning his head back, "You can't! The door's locked!" He then adds under his breath, "Fucking Osc, interrupting as soon as I was going to take it to the next step."

At this, you blush even deeper. "You were-"

Lando waves his hand dismissively. "I would have checked with you first."

You nod, breathing deeply.

"Alright, baby," he sighs, running a hand through his hair, ruffling it up a bit. "Let's go see what the hell Oscar wants."

When the door swings open, Oscar can't help but chuckle how how much, in that moment, you two look like some snarky super villian duo, about to give him some cheesy monologue. You both stand, arms crossed, practically back to back. Lando wears a scornful grin and you display a glare as hard as stone. Even your clothes- Lando's racing clothes and your head-to-toe Ferrari red, finish off the silly look.

"What's so funny?" you demand upon seeing the Australian's laughter.

"Nothing, nothing. But I hope you guys know: These walls are not soundproof."

"What are you suggesting?" Lando snaps. "You couldn't have possibly heard anything, you idiot!"

"Whoa, whoa! I didn't! I'm just saying!" Oscar says, going on the defensive, putting both hands up. "Me and my girlfriend don't lock ourselves in my driver's room before the race, losing track of time and forcing you to go get us!"

"You and your girlfriend are probably going to buy a house with a white picket fence and have 2.5 children and a golden lab! Oscar and Lily is bad enough, but I'm surprised it's not John and Emily!"

"Whoa," Lando says, laughing as you walk out of the driver's room together and he shuts the door. "Shots fired. Calm down, Y/n; jeez."

But Oscar's laughing, too, so you know there's no need to apologize.

"Lan... You know I wasn't kidding earlier when I said I won't go out, right?" you say nervously as you walk into his hotel room, rolling your suitcase from your own hotel room.

"Yeah, I know you weren't. I wasn't kidding, either."

"So... What?" you ask, sitting down on the edge of his bed, crossing your arms. "You're planning on going alone? Then why did you bring me to your hotel room-"

"Y/n," he suddenly says, leaning down to gently grab your chin and look you directly in your eyes. "I'm not going anywhere tonight. I'm staying right here."

Your jaw actually drops. "I'm sorry, but who are you and what have you done with Lando Norris? Because that man would never miss an opportunity to party."

This makes Lando let go of you and break into a fit of laughter. "Y/n!" he breathes. "What the hell are you talking about? Before that, I would never miss an opportunity to spend time with you."

You stare. "Okay, actually. I'm being serious now. What did you do with Lando?"

You watch as your boyfriend chuckles, sitting down next to you. "Baby. I'm not going to go out clubbing while you sit in a hotel room alone. And there's no way I'm taking you out again; my guilty conscience can't take that, and neither can your sprained ankle. So why not celebrate P2 here, just you and I, hm?" he says in a low tone.

Immediately, at this suggestion, you blush. "Oh, uh, Lando... I, uh... I don't know if I'm ready for something... you know... for that... right now... Not yet... You know, it's too early for me in our relationsh-"

Lando suddenly breaks into laughter again. Oh, that sweet, silly sound. "Y/n! My God, what a dirty mind you have! I wasn't thinking that at all-!"

"You, Lando Norris, are saying I have a dirty mind?! I bet you really are his doppelganger!"

He crosses his arms. "Only reason why I wouldn't suggest that is because I know you're not ready. Which is more than one hundred percent fine with me. I wasn't even thinking about that, anyway."

"What were you thinking, then?"

He smiles with his eyes. "Well, let's both get ready for bed," he begins pulling his shirt off over his head as you absolutely bear your eyes into him, "And once we're both ready, I'll meet you back... here...?" His confused face slowly turns to one of teasing nature when he sees your eyes trained intently on his bare chest. His perfectly toned abs. His perfectly shaped pecs. His strong, straight, tan back. The little brown beauty marks sprinkled all over his torso. You would love to kiss every single one of them. "Why don't you take a picture?" he smirks stupidly. "That way, it'll last longer."

"Oh, shut up," you murmur, licking your lips as you tear your eyes away from his bare middle. "You can shower first," you murmur.

Once you're both all clean and ready, you snuggle up under the blankets, only to find your arm brushing against Lando's bare skin.

You feel your heart flutter as you murmur, "Are you not wearing a shirt just to bother me?"

"What, no," Lando says, overly innocently. "I never wear a shirt to bed. Just like I'm sure you never wear a bra...?"

If you were embarrassed before, now it's ten times worse. You specifically decided to wear a bra, to avoid... that. And now here Lando is, bringing it up like it's the weather.

"Uh..." you begin.

"Anyway!" Lando says, apparently seeing the vaguely panicked look in your eyes. "Wanna just watch a show or something?"

"Yeah," you nod. "That sounds good."

Lando turns some stupid show on his laptop, and as you snuggle and it gets later, you become more relaxed. You lean your head on Lando's shoulder as he plays with strands of your smooth, wet, dark hair. Your hands begin softly feeling his chest, just drawing circles and feeling the shapes of his abs.

Everyday, you seem to get to know Lando more and more- inside and out.

He sighs, contented, and murmurs sleepily, "That feels nice."

You smile, nuzzling into him.

"I saw Barcelona and Madrid played today," he comments as your fingers continue stroking the abs under Lando's soft skin.

"Yeah... El Clásico..."

"You don't sound as excited as I thought you would. I thought you were big on Madrid."

"Yeah, I am... Just having been keeping up with La Liga lately, I guess."

"Hm... Well, would you like it if I could find some way to watch the game...?"

You smile softly. "Hm. Yeah, maybe that wouldn't be so bad..."

Lando nods, and soon, you're cuddled up with your boyfriend, watching your favorite team play against FC Barcelona/your ex's team.

It feels weird, but you like it.

You decide your bra isn't very comfy and slip it off under your shirt before tossing it across the room.

"You're finally over being embarrassed with me?" Lando teases.

You smile softly, shutting your eyes. "At least for now. Too sleepy to care."

He smiles back. "You're cute when you're sleepy. Cuter."

Soon, though, Lando is gently shaking you, murmuring, "Look. Your ex was subbed on."

"Hmmm? What about Fer?" you murmur with a yawn. You must have dozed off for a bit.

"Fer?" Lando asks, his nose scrunching up. "Yeah, Ferran Torres."

Your eyes flutter open to see your ex-boyfriend running onto the pitch. You feel a sudden, unexpected pang in your chest. When you and Ferran were still together, you watched him do that so many time, with a sense of pride and excitement.

But now, you don't feel much at all. It's no different from anyone else going out there to play.

But, like a train, memories of the past begin to hit you.

Going for walks with him. Cheering him on at finals. Hanging out with his teammates. Working out with him. Bringing him to the Barcelona Grand Prix. Exchanging gifts on birthdays and holidays.

Just all the little things you used to do.

Like snuggling with each other on late nights after Barcelona won.

Not unlike what you and Lando are doing right now.

Suddenly Lando's arm around you tightens, and he says, "You okay?"

"I- yeah..."

Lando leans forward to see you face. You try to turn it away. Lando doesn't let you.

You stare into each other's eyes.

"You're crying," he states softly.

"I guess..." you trail off, averting your eyes.

There's a few beats of silence before Lando states again, "You still miss him."

"I guess..." you repeat. "But... I'm happy to be with you... it just all happened so quick... It's a lot for me... I'm mostly over it- over him- by now, but sometimes things just... make me start to think. Reminsce of what's not anymore."

Lando slowly nods, and begins rubbing your shoulder. "I- Alright..."

"But don't worry. I'm way more happy to be with you right now than sad to not be with Ferran any longer."

"You're sure?" the Brit asks tentatively.

You nod, leaning into him once more. "I'm sure. One hundred and one percent."

"Hey, Lando," you grin giddily before the Miami Grand Prix. "Just drive your best out there, okay? Good luck, baby." You give him a high-five. You can sense he wants to give you a hug, but painfully knows he can't because of the ever-watching cameras and eyes all around you.

But he leans in close, until you can practically feel his breath on your face, and says softly, in just about the most heart-wrenching-in-a-good-way low voice, "Oh, baby... I'm going to go out there and win that race. For you."

"Oh, stop being such a romantic. You're going to make me cry."

He leans in, about to kiss your cheek, but you gently push him off, saying, "You better get going, Lan! Race is going to start soon!"

"Right! Bye bye, bab-"

"BYE!" you scream to overpower his stupid 'baby girl.'

And before you can even blink twice, it seems-

It's lights out....

And away we go!

"LANDO! FUCKIN'! NORRIS!" you scream as soon as you see him, running to him as fast as you can. Your eyes threaten to fill over their brims with tears as you leap into Lando's arms, immediately forgetting about hiding your relationship.

Right now, that just seems too silly to care about. It doesn't matter enough.

Your boyfriend is a race winner.

The racer winner!

He leans back with the most joyful, most romantic, most adrenaline filled, most glorious look in his eyes as they search yours. His hand slowly strokes your cheeks as he purrs, "I told you I would win it for you, didn't I?"

"Lando-" you begin in excitement, but are interrupted by Lando's lips on yours, aggressively, passionately leaning into yours, flooding all his emotions into you, sharing his dream coming true with you.

For some reason, you begin to cry. Flows of tears, flooding down your cheeks as you kiss each other, and your heart pounds at a million kilometres an hour. His hands grip your waist tight, and the moment-

It all seems so perfect.

Right now, you don't care about the fact it was supposed to be secret. You don't care about what Carlos will think or say or do, or what fans on social media will post. None of it matters.

In this moment, the only two people that matter are you and Lando, in a symphony of amorousness, standing on the top of the world.

In this moment, you and Lando, both in sync, know this is the right time. Though it's been merely three months of being in a real, serious relationship, it feels like several lifetimes.

You don't care about the shock of other people, or the cameras flashing and clicking and filming.

All the sudden, you're proud of it.

You want everyone to know, no matter how they'll react, that you're Lando's, and Lando is yours.

When you finally break away from each other, Lando's smile remains as he gazes into your eyes.

"Are you crying too?" you giggle softly as you spot a glint in his eyes.

"What? Me, crying? No, I'm not crying! Of course I'm not crying!" he says teasingly, hastily wiping at his eye with his thumb. "You're the one crying! But anyway-" He slips the papaya McLaren cap off his head and plops it on yours, saying, "Won't be needing this for the top step. Besides," he smirks, leaning in closer. "Enough with all this Ferrari stuff. I think it's finally time for you to admit: Papaya looks best on you. Papaya's your color."

As you watch him jog off after that, stunned, you feel pleased.

Finally, for once, content.

That's right. My color isn't white, or blaugrana. It's not Ferrari's red, either.

I'm a papaya girl.

His papaya girl.

[starsinthesky5]

you are in love IV || joe burrow x reader

description: you and joe are embarking on a weeks long trip to France for work, Cannes being your first stop

a/n: okay so this was way longer than planned but i could not stop adding to it LOL. hope you guys love it ;)

also, I tried something new and added a little instagram bit to the fic at the end! not sure how I feel about it yet, but I’m kinda digging it? that kinda thing will be in the next few fics but it’s not a regular thing :) just for the upcoming bit

word count: 17.1 k (i genuinely didn’t intend for this to be this long oh my god)

warnings: language, smut, you both are HORNY

you are in love series masterlist (has all previous parts)

———————————————————

“Did you pack everything?” you asked Joe for what felt like the 100th time as you grabbed your phone and tote bag before leaving the garage. 

“Yes, I packed everything,” he rolled his eyes as he closed the car trunk. You had been on Joe for the past 4 days making sure that everything was settled for your week-long trip to France and although he loved you and your mom-like antics when it came to trips, he was getting a bit irritated with the constant ‘are you packed?’ and ‘did you get everything?’ questions. 

“I just want to make sure we have everything since we’ll be gone for a week,” you smile as you place your stuff in the car’s passenger seat.

“We have everything, I promise,” he chuckles as he punches in the code to close the garage before walking closer to you and wrapping his arms around your waist. “You’re the one that is used to all the international traveling, so why are you the one that’s stressing out?”. 

“Because this trip is important for you,” you say as you wrap your arms around his neck. “I just want to make sure everything is perfect,”. 

“It is perfect. The fact that you’re coming with me makes all of this even more perfect,” he says as he kisses your lips.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” you smile. “We’re going to have sooo much fun at the events and around the city,”.

“Around the city? Absolutely. At the events? Probably not,” he sighs, his smile faltering, 

You watched as his smile dropped a bit, most likely because of the fact that Joe was not a fan of these types of things. He didn’t particularly enjoy public speaking, media events, or anything that required him to be out there. His anxiety would skyrocket in these kinds of situations but he still managed to put on a brave face and do what he had to do. This whole week was going to consist of that, and he was not looking forward to it. He was, however, looking forward to spending time with you in the beautiful French Riviera (which even you haven’t been to) and then the City of Love a few days later and you being with him was the only thing keeping him going. 

“Hey, I know this is not the most fun and ideal situation for you, but I’m so proud of you for putting yourself out there like this. I know talking in front of an audience is overwhelming but you’ve gotten a lot better at it and I know you can do it. Branching out is never easy, but you’re doing amazing so far. Getting to walk the freaking runway in Paris is absolutely insane and I am so fucking proud of you. I’ll be with you every step of the way, so if you need anything, I’m here,” you say as you brush a few of his curls out of his eyes. 

“Where have you been all my life,” Joe says as he slides his hand up and down your lower back. “I seriously could’ve used you in my corner back when I first came into the league because then all of this wouldn’t be so hard,”. 

You let out a soft laugh, “I’ve been right under your nose,” you say as you press a kiss to his nose. “The universe brought us to each other at the right time,”.

“I still can’t believe how many events we went to at the same time but never met until the White Party,” he chuckled. You and Joe had been around each other many times before the White Party, you just never knew that since your paths never crossed. You called it the “Invisible String Theory”. You could have walked past each other, you could have mutual friends, or even have been complete strangers and never had heard of each other, but the universe wouldn’t have you both meet until the exact moment that you needed each other in your lives.

“The universe knew when we needed each other,” you blushed. 

“The stars all aligned just for us,” he said as he tucked your hair behind your ear. 

“I love that we have the universe on our side,” you said. “It’ll be good to get away from everything together, I think we deserve a break,”. 

“Damn right we do,” he laughs. “Can’t wait to be done with all the boring stuff and get to enjoy the fruits of my labor with my gorgeous girlfriend,”. 

“Oh yeah? What fruits will we be enjoying?” you say as you raise your eyebrow. 

“Hmm, I was thinking a boat day plus private sunset dinner on said boat, walking around the city with you without any crazed fans hounding us, and my personal favorite, the massive bedroom suite they’re hooking me up with that has a gigantic bed and a jacuzzi tub,” he winks. “If you’re picking up what I’m putting down,” he adds as you feel his hand fall down to your butt. 

“Ohhh,” you replied, a smirk appearing on your face. “It’s a great thing I packed extra Advil in my bag. I have a feeling I’ll need it,”.

“Oh, you will. I don’t think I’ll be able to contain myself since we have the big suite with nobody else on our floor. No neighbors in a foreign city is just an invitation to be as loud as we want” he whispers into your ear before moving past you to open up your door again, leaving you with a stunned expression on your face and butterflies in your stomach. Joe always kept you on your toes, something you needed in your life. He was equal parts affectionate, genuine, and lustful; the perfect lover and best friend at the same time. 

“Shall we Mon Amour?” He asks, squeezing in a bit of French that he memorized earlier.

You turn around and smile at Joe calling you ‘my love’ in French, “Oh, so we’re going full France now?”.

“It’s only fitting,” he shrugged. 

“Well then, we shall Mon Amant,” you grin, surprising him with a bit of French you picked up last time you went to France. 

“Hm?” he said with a confused look as he moved aside to let you in the car. 

“It means ‘My Lover’,” you giggle as you sit inside.

He leans down and meets your face, “Well then, Mon Amant, I can’t wait to do this trip with you,” he says before pressing a sweet kiss to your lips and then closing your car door. You fell back into the seat, your cheeks a shade of red that only Joe could bring out.  

An hour later

After driving to the airport and loading everything onto the private jet, you get settled into the plane and are now on your way to France. You change into some more comfortable clothes since the flight is about 12 hours, Joe doing the same. 

“I hope you’re prepared to be on a plane for 12 hours,” you say as you sit down across from Joe. 

“If I go to sleep it’ll go by pretty fast,” he shrugs.

“And how do I keep myself entertained then?” you scoff as you lightly kick his foot. 

“There is a bed back there for a reason you know,” he winks as he points back to the small bedroom. “We can both go to ‘sleep’ for a bit,” he says as he makes air quotes around ‘sleep’.

“We’ve been on here for 20 minutes and you’re already horny,” you laugh. 

“Can’t help it when I’m around you,” he says with a smirk on his face. “You’re the most breathtaking woman I’ve ever seen so naturally the level of testosterone will skyrocket”. 

“Anywayyy,” you say, trying to change the subject before you fold because of his words and end up in the bedroom. “I’m excited to come with you to the Sport Beach events. I can’t wait to see you on the panels all professional and social,”.

“Really? I thought you’d be bored of sitting there listening to me talk about branding and media for god knows how long,” he said.

“It may be a little boring, but I love watching you do your thing,” you smile as you pull out your water bottle to take a sip before handing it to Joe.

“My thing is playing football, not sitting at a panel and talking to strangers in front of an audience,” he says as he takes a sip of water. 

“I know you hate these kinda things but I’m proud of you for putting yourself out there. I know how overwhelming it can get when you have a thousand eyes on you dissecting every little thing you say”. 

“Yeah,” he sighs. “I guess this is the price of what we do,”.

“At least we have each other now,” you say as you reach for his hand across the table between you both. 

“Thank god,” he groans, making you laugh at his facial expression. “Having someone that gets me and understands the kind of spotlight on me really makes all the difference,”.

“I feel the same way,” you say as you kiss his hand. “You get me and I get you,”.

“We’re like two peas in a pod,” he smiles.

“Precisely,” you nod. You understood the pedestal that Joe was on and everything that came along with what he did, and he understood the same for you. Although what you both did was extremely different, you still had a deep understanding of one another on that level. 

“Did you think more about how we’re going to make ourselves official as a couple to the public?” he asked, his face scrunching up as soon as the words left his mouth. “That sounds so fucking weird,” he laughed.

“Tell me about it,” you giggled. 

Before your trip, you and Joe had talked about what you would do if and when people started to spot you around Cannes or Paris. You weren’t expecting a lot of attention since you were in a foreign country, but you were sure you were going to get some since a lot of athletes & industry people were going to be in France this week. You had a pretty big international reach as well, but still weren’t expecting people to notice you that much since nobody usually bothered you. The public already saw you at a few games in January but there was no real confirmation as to what was going on between you two, just some rumors and speculation. You had been together for about 9 months now and it had been 9 months of pure joy and love. You had been lucky enough to have the leisure of getting to know each other and building your relationship away from prying eyes, and now that you two were at a point in your relationship where you were okay with letting people in (only a little bit though), you had to figure out a way to do so before that right was taken away against your will.

“I don’t really know to be honest. I haven’t really ever had the comfort of ever sharing my relationships on my own terms,” you say as you roll your eyes, remembering how the public was so invested in your private life that it was incredibly difficult to keep things such as your relationship a secret. “This is new territory for me,” you say as you smile again as you think about how you and Joe’s relationship was different than any other relationship you’d been in before. 

This relationship was private. For once it was just yours. 

It wasn’t placed on a silver platter like every other relationship and presented to the public for them to pick at it or dissect every piece of it. You and Joe had kept your love away from all the interloper’s glances and unwanted opinions so that your relationship could flourish naturally, which it was. It was more than flourishing, it was blossoming into something special. 

The fact that you two were in a spot in your relationship where you didn’t mind willingly opening the window a little bit was exciting. You’d never had the opportunity to do it on your own terms, and now you had the chance to. You both were ready to share it with others. 

“I say, just wear a shirt that says Burrow’s Girlfriend, and I’ll wear one that says Y/N’s Boyfriend,” he laughed.

Joe’s laughter was the greatest sound you had ever heard. The way his nose would scrunch up and the crinkles would form around his eyes when he laughed was the most adorable sight in the world, and you got to see it whenever you wanted. 

“That would be hilarious,” you said as you started imagining it. You couldn’t really come up with any real ideas on how to approach the subject of going official, the only one really making sense was to just be spotted together.

“I mean, I’ll be at your panels in Cannes and with you during Fashion Week, that should be enough for people to get a hint,” you smile. “I’m sure we’ll get a good amount of headlines and front cover photos when they get the hint,”. 

“That’s true,” he nodded. “Maybe an Instagram Post too? So that they understand that it’s not just a fling, a Hard Launch is what they call it I guess. Unless that’s a lot for you,”. Joe didn’t want to pressure you into anything, knowing how your past relationships were so public and what the negative effects were for them being so open. Posting each other on Instagram was a pretty big deal since everyone could see it and since you two were pretty private. Joe had always been private with his personal life and you had started to as well over the past few years once you realized what being open truly means. 

“It’s not too much for me,” you grin. “I know how I feel about you and I don’t care what anyone has to say about it,”. 

The fact that those words were coming out of your mouth was insane, but it was true. Joe brought out that side of you that you tucked away most of the time. That side of you that’s carefree, loose, and alive. 

“I’m glad you feel that way,” he said as he felt himself melt away from your reassuring smile. 

“Thank you for making me feel that way,” you wink.

Joe gave you a lazy smile as he felt his tiredness settle in, his eyes feeling a bit heavy. 

“You can go back there and take a nap if you want,” you say, noticing his sleepiness. “I’ll join you in a bit. I just need to call my manager for a bit to talk about the Grammys next month,”. 

One of the biggest nights of your career, the illustrious Grammy Awards, was next month and you were up for 3 awards. You were nominated for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year for your last album's lead single ‘Is It Over Now?’. Turns out people loved an album about the most gut-wrenching breakup you’d ever experienced and related heavily to a song about an on-again off-again relationship that never had any clarity in it. 

“Ooo, fun,” he yawned as he stretched his arms out. “Isn’t this when you said you’d announce the new album?”.

“Hopefully. If all goes to plan and I win at least 1 of the 3 categories I’m nominated for, I’m going to announce ‘reputation’ then. If I don’t win, I’ll just drop the Instagram post announcement and leave it at that,”. 

“Reputation,” he says, the word rolling off of his tongue so nicely. “I’ll never get over that name, it’s so sick,” he says. “I better still be getting one of those wristbands with the album name on it that you're selling for the album merch. I want to add it to my stack,” he said, pointing at his stack of wristbands he had on his wrist; all of which had a special meaning to him. Now he wanted to add another one, one for you. 

“Actually,” you smiled while reaching into your pocket, pulling out a black wristband that had the album name in white stamped on it with a green snake on the other side. “I got this a few days ago. First ever one,”.

“This is so sick,” he said as he looked at the band, taking it from your hand and slipping it onto his wrist. “Fits perfectly with the rest and now I’ll always have you with me. And I’ll get to rep the best album in the world every day,”.

“Aww, Joe,” you blushed. “I’m glad you like it since you were my muse for about 95% of it,” you say as you get up from your seat to grab your laptop to video chat with your manager. 

“The other 5% kills me,” he sighed. 

“I know, but to tell the story I had to add the not-so-happy stuff into it for it all to make sense,” you said as you opened your bag. 

“Fair point. I will say that even though ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’ is about someone and something I’d rather not talk about, it’s one of the best songs you’ve written,” he said, referring to your ex-boyfriend or situationship as you liked to call it. 

“I knew you’d like it,” you smiled.

“I mean you really came for his neck with the bridge,” he shrugged. “Badass behavior,”.

“Being a badass is fun sometimes,” you nodded. “Besides, I don’t care what he thinks. He knows what he did and deserves to be called out for it,”.

“I love it when you get petty,” he shakes his head out of admiration, a soft laugh leaving your lips. “Wait so does this mean I get to go with you to the Grammys? Since I’m your muse?” he asked.

“You want to? Like for real?” you ask him as you start to play with your necklace, the letter “J” pendant Joe gave you for your 1 month anniversary. 

“Absolutely. I want to support you just like how you support me,” he said as he got up from his seat and walked over to you. “Besides, I want to see everyone’s reaction when you sweep all 3 categories and announce next year's album of the year all in one go,” he said as he pressed a kiss to your cheek. 

“We’ll see about that. I’ll be lucky if I even win 1 category,” you replied as you stared at your feet. “Having you with me would mean the world though,”.

He moved his hand under your chin, lifting your face up so that you were looking into his eyes. “You’re going to win, trust me. And now that I’m going with you, I’ll make sure of it,”.

“What are you going to do? Swap the names?” you giggle. 

“Something like that,” he winked. 

“I can’t wait to see you try,” you say as you lean in to kiss him, your arms wrapping around his neck and his around your waist. 

After holding the kiss for a few moments, you pull away. “You go take a nap and I’ll be there in a bit,” you say as you turn around to grab him a plush blanket from your bag. 

“You better hurry up,” he said as he grabbed the blanket, kissed your cheek, and started walking to the mini bedroom. 

“I will but no funny business, Burrow,” you warn him.

“We’ll see about that,” he mumbled before closing the door, leaving you with a radiant smile on your face and a serene feeling inside of you. 

A Half Hour later 

You wrapped up your exciting call with your manager before falling back into the seat and taking a deep breath. You had just finalized your album’s tracklist and release date and now it was starting to feel real. You couldn’t remember the last time you felt so excited to release music since both times you had in the past were not very enjoyable. The release of your debut album had your stomach in knots for weeks before it came out as you were terrified that people wouldn’t enjoy it or that it wouldn’t do well. The release of your second album had you petrified at the thought of how the public would react to what the album was about. All you could think about was if what you wrote was too much and if people would resonate with your feelings or turn on you for trying to ‘push a narrative’.

When writing and working on both albums you were also second-guessing yourself every step of the way. Maybe it was because of the company around you, or maybe it was because of the things you were experiencing while working on them. This time, however, you were fully confident in what you were doing, not caring about what others thought or letting people’s opinions of you define your work. You were relaxed, enthusiastic, confident, and happy, it was the ‘Joe Effect’. 

You placed your laptop bag in your bag and then had a nice stretch before you walked over to the bedroom. You carefully opened the door, trying not to make any loud noises that would wake Joe up. You saw him sprawled out on the mattress, his mouth slightly open as you heard faint snores leaving his lips. 

You turned around and closed the door and when you looked back at Joe, his eyes were open and he was looking over at you. 

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” you softly said as you crawled into the bed next to him. 

“I dozed off for 5 minutes, it’s fine,” he said as he opened up the blanket and covered your legs with it. 

“Can’t sleep?” you asked him.

“Can’t sleep without you,” he smiled as he moved his arm around your shoulder and pulled you into his chest. “What did you and your manager talk about?” he asked while he rubbed your shoulder.

“Tracklist and Release Date,” you smile as you tangle your legs with his and place your hand on his neck, rubbing his soft skin.

“Ah,” he nods. “How's it looking?”.

“Well, tracks 1-8 are all the unhappy things and stuff that led up to us meeting, track 9 is the start of the songs about us,” you beamed.

“Track 9? Real subtle,” he blushed.

“Track 9 deserves its time to shine which is also why it’s a lead single,” you smiled. 

“I feel so special,” he said, batting his eyelashes and fanning himself.

“Okayyy your majesty let’s come back down to earth,” you joked. “After that, there’s a long stretch of 9 songs just about us, then there’s like 3 songs about some other stuff and then the final 6 are about us as well,”.

Joe nodded and squeezed your hand, “What about the release date? When does the world get to hear the best album ever made?”.

You close your eyes and push your head into his neck, hiding the smile that Joe put on your face by once again complimenting you. 

You pull your head out a second later, butterflies in your stomach as you think about the release date. Not only was the release date the day you were releasing what was basically a diary of memories from the past 9 months, but it was also a special day for you and Joe. 

“July 4th,” you say as you meet his eyes. 

“The anniversary of the day we met,” he said to you, his eyes softening as he felt his heart gush.

“Mhm,” you blush. “One of the most special days of my life. Only fitting since I wrote so many songs about you and about that day,” you said. 

He gazed into your eyes for a few quiet moments, unable to come up with any other words to express his feelings other than, “I love you,”. 

And that was fine. You didn’t need him to say anything else because you knew how he felt about you. After all, he never failed to show you. Although it was just 3 words, he knew those 3 words meant the world to you, especially if they came from him. 

“I love you more than anyone in the world,” you say to him before you feel him lean in and kiss your lips. 

You pull him closer as the kiss quickly turns heated, Joe moving you down flat against the bed so that you are lying on your back and he is on top of you. You pulled away and laughed at how Joe looked like a child who just got candy taken away from them. 

“Hey, what was that for?” he grumbled.

“I said no funny business remember,” you said proudly, knowing the hold you had over him. 

“I didn’t think you were being serious,” he said as his eyes widened. “We’re on this plane for 12 hours and you really expect us to not have some fun,”.

“Watching movies is fun,” you grin. “Playing games is fun. Eating the snacks I bought is fun,”. 

He looked at you for a few seconds, a smirk on his face as his hand started rubbing your hip. “I could eat,” he said. 

“Okay, perfect. I brought Oreos, Fruit, Pretzels…” you start to say before he interrupts you. 

“None of that sounds good,” he said, his hand slowly moving down to your thigh. 

“You didn’t let me finish,” you laughed. “I have more stuff in my bag. I’ll go get it,” you say, trying to get up from the bed but Joe doesn’t let you. 

“I don’t think you have what I want out there,” he said, his face moving closer to yours. 

You rolled your eyes, “Then what do you want to eat because I got a lot of snacks, many of which you love,”.

“You,” he purred, his eyes turning a darker shade of blue, a familiar shade of blue though. “I want you,”.

You searched his eyes for a few moments, your body feeling hot at the thought of what Joe was implying. “Joe,” you whispered, his hands now cupping your mound. 

“I want to make you feel good,” he said as he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to your ear. “If you’ll let me,”. 

There was nobody on the plane but you two, the pilot, and the flight attendant; both of which were all the way in the front while you were in the back. If you did something, they would most likely not be able to hear you. 

“We have to be quiet though,” you said, easily giving in to his words.

“You have to be quiet. I’m just here to have a sweet treat and make my girlfriend feel good,” he said as you felt him slip his hand inside your shorts.

You rolled your eyes before pushing his head down and crashing your lips against his, both moving against each other in a sensual tango. You felt his fingers teasing your folds through your lace panty, your wetness seeping through. 

“Already so wet?” he smirked after he pulled away.

“Shut up,” you said as you pulled him back down to the kiss.

He took his hand out of your shorts and rested it on your waist, using his other hand to grab your leg and wrap it around his waist as he deepened the kiss. The combination of his fiery touch and addictive lips was making you restless. 

“Joe, please,” you whimpered as you pulled away from his lips. 

He gave you a smile before moving down, pressing wet kisses along your inner thigh before sucking on the skin of your left thigh.

“Mm,” you whimper, stuffing your hand into his soft curls. 

He wastes no time as he pulls down your shorts and panties all in one go, immediately stuffing his face between your thighs. “Ohh,” you hissed, the feeling of his scruff between your legs was to die for. 

You feel him lap at your folds, his tongue then thrusting inside of you as he set a rhythmic pace. He moved his hand to your clit, carefully teasing the sensitive bud with delicate flicks and swirls.

“Fuck, Joe,” you whispered, trying to stifle your moans by throwing your head to the side into the pillow. His other hand slipped inside your shirt, slowly inching towards your breast as you pulled on the strands of his hair. 

His tongue felt like fire, lighting every nerve in your body. The expert flick and swirl of his tongue sent waves of pleasure throughout your withering frame. 

“Joe, you’re so good, fuck right there,” you whimpered as you used your hand to grip the sheets, then feeling him slide his hand out of your shirt, returning his finger to your heat. He starts to rub your clit again, the bundle of nerves just begging to reach its pleasure.

You toss your leg over his shoulder, gliding your foot along his muscular back as you feel Joe moan into your core, sending vibrations throughout your body. You moved your hands back into his tousled curls, pulling on the soft golden strands again as he continued to use his mouth to send you to heaven. “Mm, you taste so good,” he groaned.  

“Joe, I’m so close,” you rasped, feeling your arousal building up. He started to toy with your clit even harder and moved his mouth up to it, replacing his fingers with his mouth as he started to suck on the bud.

You started to shake under him, your breaths getting shorter as you felt the tension in your belly snap and a wave of ecstasy come over you. “Fuck, Baby,” you moaned as you felt yourself reach your high, your hips jerking and your eyes rolling to the back of your head at the intense shocks of pleasure. Joe’s mouth moved back down to your folds and his hands massaged your thighs, trying to calm you down as he lapped at your folds again, cleaning up every drop of your arousal. 

A few minutes later, he cleaned you up with some napkins and was now lying on your chest, your hand playing with the strands of his hair as he pressed kisses on your chest through your shirt. 

“You still hungry,” you lazily chuckled.

“Nope. Dessert was extra delicious today and I'm stuffed,” he yawned. 

“That’s good because I’m about to pass out,” you said as you pressed a kiss to his forehead.

He craned his head up to look up at you, “Nap time?” he mumbled before pressing a kiss to your chin.

“Nap time,” you nodded as you wrapped your arms around his body and closed your eyes. 

After your lengthy nap, you two spent the rest of the flight watching movies, playing various games, eating delicious foods, taking another nap, and going over the schedule for the week. You’d be in Cannes for 4 days (not including today's travel day); tomorrow and Monday would be for you two to explore the city and have a boat day. Tuesday and Wednesday would be panels and the latter half of Wednesday would be when you both would travel to Paris. Then the rest of the trip would be spent in Paris for Fashion Week. You and Joe were incredibly excited to explore the sights and sounds of the city together when he had time off from attending the shows and events. He was walking the runway at the end of the week, which you couldn’t be more proud of him for doing, and he would be attending quite a few shows for various brands throughout the week. You were debating on going with him or not to at least one show, deciding to feel it out depending on how this whole ‘going official’ thing works out. 

A few hours later

You landed about an hour ago and were now on the way to the hotel, both of you wide awake from your naps even though it was currently the middle of the night in Cannes. You looked out your window and watched the lamposts pass by, the streets empty and almost haunting because of how peaceful it seemed. 

“We should almost be there,” he said as he looked out the window. “I think that’s it,” he added as he pointed out the tall massive building in front of you. 

“Holy shit, they really went all out,” you said, your eyes widening as you got closer to the hotel. The impressive architectural structures of the building stood out beautifully as well as the the fact that it was beachfront.

“Beachfront too?” you gasped. “They must really love you,”.

“Told you they hooked me up,” he said as he rubbed your back. 

A couple of minutes later the car stopped in front of the main door, the bellhops loaded your luggage out of the car while you and Joe made your way inside. 

He held your hand as he led you through the lobby, the inside of the hotel just as grand as the outside. Beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a soft glow that highlighted the carefully crafted pillars and impressive ceiling designs. The earthy tan, white, and green hues of the lobby provided a sense of comfort and luxury. 

Joe looked down at your face, your mouth agape and your eyes sparkling. “Wait till you see the room,” he said as he bumped your shoulder. 

“The fact that I’ve never been here is wild,” you say as you feel Joe pull you into the elevator, not allowing you another moment to take in the design of the lobby. 

He pulls you in, quickly presses the button for the floor you are on, and then hits the button to close the door. Before you could say something else, he spun around and backed you up against the elevator wall, his face just inches from yours. 

“I love how excited you get over these things,” he said before he crashed his lips against yours, one hand gripping your waist and the other cupping your face. He found it endearing how you would easily get excited over things like this even though this was your life. The luxury and leisure was something you had been around for quite a few years now, but each time you were exposed to it you would still be mesmerized.  

You try to pull away but Joe doesn’t let you, deepening the kiss as he slides his hand down to your thigh, giving it a soft squeeze that makes you moan into the kiss. A few breathless seconds later, you manage to pull away, a look on his face that tells you he needs more.

“You’re a little worked up,” you blushed as you pressed your forehead against his, your arms around his neck. 

“The thought of us, just us, on what I would consider vacation the whole week is making me feel some things,” he purred. 

“I guess it being the middle of the night isn’t stopping those feelings,” you said as you rubbed his neck.

“Oh, I think that it being the middle of the night is making them way worse,” he said as he was leaning in for another kiss but stopped as he heard the elevator ding, hearing the door behind him open, prompting him to let out a disappointed sigh. 

You gently pushed him off and gave him a wink, “Guess you'll have to wait, this is our stop,”. 

He gave you a slow once-over before reaching forward and picking you up bridal style, his hands wrapping around your waist and legs; the sudden movement making you let out a squeal.

“Joe, put me down, someone will see,” you laughed as he walked out of the elevator with you in his arms.

“Did you forget?” he said as he made it to your suite door. He pulled out the keycard and unlocked the door, “We’re the only ones on the floor,” he whispered into your ear as he brought you inside. 

You stared at him for a few seconds before moving your eyes around the room, the very big and very glamorous room. You were standing in the doorway, in front of you was the living room with a nice dining table that was set up with a bunch of goodies such as wine, champagne, snacks, and chocolates for you and Joe. He walked further into the room, to your right was the passageway to your bedroom, and to the left was the mini kitchen and another seating area. 

“Wow,” you whispered as you looked around the room. “They really love you,”. 

“You haven’t even seen the best part,” he said as he slowly placed you back on your feet. He put his hand on the small of your back and guided you across the room to what looked like patio doors. He opened the door and motioned for you to go out, your eyes widening as you walked out onto the very large and lengthy private patio that had the best view of the beach and city below you. 

“Oh my god,” you said as you walked closer to the railing of the balcony. You looked up and saw the stars in the sky twinkling while the city below you was absolutely still; distant sounds of the waves crashing on the beach in front of you echoed throughout the streets below you. The patio was decorated with various flower arrangements, a day bed, and a little bistro table. 

“This is perfect,” you whispered as you felt a shiver run up your spine. The shorts and short-sleeved top you had on were not meant for this evening weather and you were feeling it. You felt Joe move closer to you, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind and settling his chin on your shoulder, then turning his head to the side to press wet kisses along your neck; his warmth immediately heats you up. 

“Are you happy?” he mumbled against your skin.

You smiled and turned your head to look at him, his head moving out of your neck as his eyes met yours. “I think if I was any happier I would spontaneously combust,” you giggle before you kiss him again. “I’m glad we get to do this together. This is a big week for you and I am lucky to be a part of it,”.

“I wouldn’t want anyone else with me,” he said as he turned you around and leaned down to kiss you again, this time the kiss was a bit more heated than before as his hands slid down to your ass, pushing you closer to him. 

“Mmm, maybe we should go inside,” you say in between the kisses.

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” he mumbled as he pulled away and grabbed your hand, yanking you back inside and pulling you to the bedroom. 

“Slow down,” you giggled as he rushed you into the bedroom, not even giving you a moment to take in the vibes of the room as he was eyeing the massive bed waiting in front of you. “Wait, what about our luggage? Shouldn’t we wait for them to bring it up?”.

“They can come by when we wake up tomorrow,” he said as he backed you up until the back of your knees hit the bed. 

“What about our Pj’s?” you frowned. 

“We probably won’t need them,” he said as he started pressing kisses along your jawline, another shiver running down your spine. 

“As much as I'd love to continue this, aren’t you tired?” you asked him as you patted his shoulders.

“Not at all. It might be 2 am here but I am wide awake. Maybe this will make me tired again,” he said as he returned to kissing your neck. “Sex is natural melatonin,”. 

“I won’t argue with science,” you said as you pulled his head back to yours, kissing his lips a little rougher as he gently pushed you down onto the bed and crawled on top of you.

A few minutes later, both your clothes were in a pile next to the bed and Joe was spending some time pressing kisses around your body and nipping your skin. He pulled his head up from your chest and looked deeply into your eyes, leaning down to press a loving kiss on your lips before thrusting into your wet heat, the sudden movement catching you off guard and making you pull away from his lips. 

“Fuck, Joe,” you moaned as he set a ravenous pace. With every thrust he moved deeper inside of you, igniting a fire within you that only burned for him. 

The Next Morning 

The sound of the bathroom door opening woke you up the next morning, your head turning to see Joe walking out with wet hair and no shirt on. You watch as he walks over to the closet, pulls out his suitcase, and opens it to find a shirt, meaning that they must have dropped your luggage off. You slowly sit up, covering your naked body with the sheets as you stretch your arms out. 

“Morning,” he smiled as he turned around while buttoned up his shirt. 

“Gooood Morning,” you yawned as you made grabby hands towards him, motioning for him to come over to you. 

He walked over and sat down next to you, first pressing a sweet kiss to your lips and then pulling you into his chest.

“How long have you been up?” you asked as you ran your fingers along the fabric of his tan knit button-up beach shirt. 

“About two hours or so. I got our bags from the bellhop, ordered us some breakfast, scoped out the beach club downstairs, and took a shower,” he said as he ran his fingers through your messy hair. 

“That’s great,” you said as you tilted your head up to examine his neck, noticing a few purple marks. “Remind me to cover those up,” you laughed as you ran your fingertips along the love bites.

“You can try but I think the makeup would wash off once we get on the boat and decide to go in the water,” he chuckled.

“Oh my god, I forgot today was the boat day,” you gasped, your hand moving to cover your mouth, realizing that he would have the marks on his neck completely visible to the public eye. “I got a little carried away last night,” you said as you moved off his chest and sat up, the sheet falling and your bare chest on display.

Joe’s eyes navigate down to your chest, his eyes widening and a blush snuck up on his face. “I think I did too,” he said as he reached out to rub the love bite on your chest. 

“We’re so horny,” you laughed as you dropped your head into your hands.

“But that’s good for us, keeps us on our toes,” he said, repeating one of the thoughts you had yesterday about him as he pressed a kiss to your cheek and got up from the bed. 

“I’m probably going to shower first and then eat breakfast if that’s cool,” you said as you got up from the bed and grabbed the robe Joe had laid out for you. 

“Yeah, that’s cool. It should still be warm since they have those fancy warmer things under them,”.

“That’s good,” you wince as you start walking over to your suitcase. 

Joe raises his eyebrow at your slight limp, “Sore?”.

“Just a tad,” you blushed as you reached down to open your suitcase. 

He walked over and picked up your suitcase before you could fully zip it open, “I’m gonna put it on the bed so you don’t pull a muscle or anything,”.

“Thank you,” you say as you lean in for another kiss.

“It’s the least I could do for giving you a limp,” he said as he placed the suitcase onto the bed and turned around to face you. 

“You already do enough for me by just existing,” you say as you open up your suitcase and pull out a matching black bikini set with a pink sundress to wear on top of it. 

He wrapped his arms around you from behind and swayed you back and forth, his heart fluttering at the thought of how lucky he was to have you in his life. “I love you,” he said as he kissed the sweet spot on your neck. 

“I love you too,” you said as you turned your head around to see him, pecking his lips before reaching down to grab a change of clothes for after your boat day. You would be having dinner on the boat as well so you decided to pick out something more fitting. You pull out a strappy white dress and pair it with some gold accessories and heels. 

“I love this dress on you,” Joe said as he ran his fingers along the soft fabric. “I found the beach bag and put my change of clothes in it, left it on the foyer table,”.

“Perfect,” you smiled as you pulled away from his embrace, closing up the suitcase and making your way to the bathroom. 

“How’s the water pressure?” you asked as you stood in the doorway.

“Better than our house,” he nodded. “I also checked out the jacuzzi tub. It has quite a few settings and we will be having some fun in there tonight,” he winked. 

“Looking forward to it,” you said as you twirled around and closed the door to begin your morning routine. 

About an hour and a half later, you’re washed, dressed, moisturized, and finishing up breakfast at the table with Joe. 

“This food is so good,” he groaned as he took a final bite of his muffin. 

“We’re going to gain at least 10 pounds by the time the trip is over,” you joked as you took another sip of your orange juice. 

“We can brush it off as healthy relationship weight if someone says something,” he joked. 

“Healthy,” you smile as you lean your head back to relish that feeling. Your relationship with Joe was so incredibly healthy. Both of you knew each other’s boundaries and respected them, had the best communication possible, and were completely and irrevocably in love with each other. 

“Healthy unlike this breakfast,” he laughed as he loaded your dirty dishes onto the cart to leave outside your door for the staff to take away.

“So, what’s the plan for today,” you said as you turned around in your chair and watched Joe.

“Well, I was thinking we take it easy. We can go down to the beach club downstairs and walk around for a bit since our boat is at the docks there so we can check it out and drop off the bag but we won’t be going on till a little later. If you want we can also go shopping around Rue d'Antibes and La Croisette,” he said as he opened the door to leave the cart outside.

“Nice pronunciation,” you giggled. 

“I’ve been practicing. I asked the receptionist downstairs how to pronounce the street names,” he smiled as he turned around to close the door. “Then we’ll just be on the boat and in the water until our sunset dinner on the boat,” he said, walking back over to you with your beach bag and sunglasses in hand. You packed your bag with various types of sunscreens, both your change of clothes, your film camera, and any other personal care items you’d need on the boat.

“Sounds perfect,” you smile. “After dinner, we should walk to the bakery around the corner from the hotel and pick up some sweet treats,”. 

“Whatever you want,” he said, holding out his hand for you to grab. “You ready?”.

“Mhm,” you smiled, placing your hand in his and getting up from your chair. “Wait, let me take care of these first,” you said, pointing at the love bites on his neck, a laugh escaping his lips as you dragged him to the bathroom.

A little later 

You and Joe walked around the beach club for a little while, taking in the gorgeous sun and crystal blue water and checking out the boat before sitting at one of the beachside tables for a few drinks. You weren’t usually drinking this early in the day, but a few Mimosa’s didn’t hurt, especially if you were going to spend a few hours shopping. 

Now you were in maybe the 4th or 5th store on your little shopping expedition, Joe picking out some pieces for the upcoming season and you helping him while also doing your own bit of looking. 

“I wish Kyle was with us since he is your stylist for this trip. He might’ve been able to give some opinions on these game-day outfits,” you said as you looked through the rack in front of you in the Saks store, all your favorite designer clothes in one spot. 

“Are you saying I’m incapable of picking out my game-day fits on my own?” he scoffed, his mouth wide open as he was slightly offended. 

You stopped rummaging through the racks and spun around, “I’ve told you multiple times that your game-day outfits send me into orbit,” you say as you give him a look that needs no explanation. “You don’t need anyone’s help, but I feel like a new person’s opinion might add some pizzazz,”. 

“You are the new person. You didn’t shop with me last off-season too much so I mean,” he said as he put his hands in his pockets. “The floor is yours,”. 

You raise your eyebrow and flash him a big smile, “Oookay, but you asked for this not me,”. 

You picked out various new pieces for Joe to try on while he insisted that he pick out some things for you as well. Joe liked more street-style outfits so you decided to follow that idea but add your own flair to it. You chose some more trendy but “Joe-like” shirts for him, new types of pants (so he would finally stop with the grey jeans), and some other things such as jackets and accessories he’d like. 

When Joe came back to you, he had absolutely nothing in his hand, making you let out a laugh as you looked over to the pile you and the assistant had set aside for him.

“Couldn’t find anything?” you teased as you pulled him closer.

“Actually, I found too much that they couldn’t carry it over,” he winked. 

“We haven’t even made it to Paris yet and we already shopped so much,” you said as you dropped your head onto his shoulder. 

“We get a free pass this one time,” he said, rubbing your back before giving your butt a soft pinch which makes you pull away.

“Joe, if someone sees,” you laughed, giving him another look that needed no explanation. 

“We’re fine. The staff knew us and didn’t say anything to us the other people in the store seemed to be minding their business, although I did notice a few stares and whispers but it is what it is,” he shrugged. “It’s just you and me. Pretend that nobody’s here,”. 

“I guess this is what we wanted to happen anyway. Only a matter of time before a picture of us pops up online,” you smiled, feeling comfortable with the thought of people seeing you out together.  

“Good thing we look good today,” he said, pressing a kiss to your cheek. “Now, come see the stuff I picked out for you,” he said as he grabbed your hand and led you to the other side of the store. 

An hour later, you were walking out with a concerning amount of bags and were on your way back to the hotel to drop them off; the rest of the stuff from the other stores was delivered to your room so you didn’t need to worry about those. 

“Wait, can we go in there for just a sec,” he said, stopping and pointing at the Cartier store. 

“Don’t you have enough sunglasses,” you say, rolling your eyes and walking towards the store. 

“Not going in here for those. I actually have something to pick up,” he said, acting mildly suspicious as he opened the door for you.

When you walk in, a worker immediately greets you both and leads you back to the Jewelry Counter, Joe walks in front of you and whispers something to the assistant before turning around and grabbing your hand. 

“Joe…” you say as he pulls out a chair for you.

“Yes, ma copine parfaite et chaude?” he smirked, squeezing in some more French he learned the other day. 

“Hm?” you asked, incredibly confused as you sat down in the velvet red chair. When did he have the time to learn all this French?

“Yes, my perfect and hot girlfriend,” he whispered in your ear before sitting down next to you. 

A blush crept up your face and you felt yourself get hot from his words, trying to keep your composure and figure out what you were doing here. “Um, why are we here?” you struggled to get out. 

“I told you,” he said as he looked forward at the Jeweler walking in with 2 trademark red Cartier boxes. “I had something to pick up,”. 

“Welcome Mr. Burrow and Ms. Y/LN,” the man smiled as he sat down in front of you. “I hope you have been enjoying Cannes so far,”.

“We’ve been having a lot of fun,” Joe smiled at the man. “Thanks for doing this Roger,”.

Roger, his name was Roger. Why did Joe know Roger? And what was in those boxes in front of you?

“Ah, no problem Mr. Burrow. Anything for the best Cartier-wearing Quarterback in the NFL,” he smiled as he turned the boxes around to face you both. 

Joe laughed at his response and threaded his fingers through his hair before looking over at you, studying your stupefied facial expression. 

“Are you going to tell me what you’re up to?” you asked.

“I think he should show you,” Joe said, Roger grabbing your attention as he unhooked the clasp of the boxes, opened them, and showed whatever was inside to you.

Your mouth dropped as you looked at what was in front of you. It was two bracelets, 1 of them having a black braided band and the other being a gold band, like a bangle you could clasp on. The bracelet had a gold letter “J” and “(your initial)” attached to it, one on the left of the bracelet and one on the right. In the middle, holding both letters together, was a gold infinity symbol decorated with diamonds. 

“Joe..” you whispered as you felt your heart flutter at the jewelry in front of you.

“Custom made to Mr. Burrow’s liking using our finest gold and jewels,” Roger added.

Joe was looking at you the entire time, taking note of how your eyes softened when he opened the boxes and how your cheeks turned pink when you realized what you were looking at. 

“When did you…How did you..,” you said as you turned your head to face him.

“Mhm, I think I’ll leave you two alone for a moment,” Roger said as he got up. 

“Thanks, Roger,” Joe nodded as he turned back to you. 

“When my agent told me about this whole Cannes and Paris thing. I wanted to do something special for us and I wanted to make it memorable so we’d remember this week. I thought about just surprising you with another necklace or something but that didn’t feel special enough,” he said.

“Joe,” you said, choking up a little as you felt tears forming in your eyes.

“Sooo, I found a Cartier store closest to where we would be staying and talked to Roger here, pulled a few strings, and designed the bracelets with him, and well,” he added as he picked up your bracelet, opening the clasp and grabbing your hand to put it on your wrist. He closed the clasp and turned your wrist around, running his fingers over the initials and infinity symbol before pressing a kiss to it. “This is it. You and Me. You know how I feel about you and I know that it hasn’t even been a year yet but I couldn’t imagine doing anything of this without you. I’ve never felt this way about a girl before and I’ve only felt it for you, and I intend for you to be the only girl that can make me feel like this,”. 

How was it possible that you were falling even more in love with him? You thought that you’d already reached maximum head over heels-ness, but here you were feeling your heart grow and the amount of love you had for him increase. 

“I love you. I love you so very much, Joe,” you sniffled before leaning in and kissing him, keeping it innocent since you were around quite a few people. 

“This is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. You literally keep beating yourself every time you do something like this,” you laughed as you wiped the few tears falling from your eyes.

“And I plan to keep doing so for the rest of my life,” he said as he grabbed his bracelet. “I chose the braided black band for me because it felt more like me. The gold band is definitely you,”. 

“I don’t plan on ever taking it off, just like the necklace,” you smiled, referring to the initial necklace he gave you for your one month anniversary. You never took it off, not because he ‘owned’ you and needed people to know, but because he really knew you and you wanted people to know. “Wait if you got the braided band..Please tell me you don’t plan on wearing that in a game,” you gasped. 

“No, definitely not. I would never risk it getting damaged out there. I will however be wearing it as much as I can when I'm not on the field or doing anything physical that could damage it,” he said as slipped it onto his empty wrist. “Wait, I almost forgot. Take your bracelet off real quick,”. 

“Okay?” you chuckled as you unclasped it and handed it to him.

“I got something engraved on the inside. Here, look,” he said as he opened it up a bit more for you to read the text on the inside of the band. 

⋆｡°✩ The Stars All Aligned ⋆｡°✩  - J.B.

Didn’t he say that to you this morning? How long had he been waiting to say that to you?

“You’re perfect. Quite literally crafted by Cupid and the Angels. I don’t know what the hell I did to deserve you but I'm so glad you’re mine,” you said as you looked back up into his love-struck eyes. 

“I love you,” he said as he kissed your cheek. 

After a few more moments of fawning over the bracelets and his adorable romantic gesture, you both found Roger and personally thanked him for helping orchestrate the surprise, especially since Cartier rarely did anything custom like this for clients. After a few moments of chatting and wandering around the store, You and Joe walked out of the store with two more bags in your hands, one with the boxes for the bracelets and the other filled with stuff Joe bought. 

“You and them damn Cartier shades,” you said as you shook your head. 

“Listen, I couldn't resist. They looked really good. The pink ones I got for you are going to look so good on game day,” he shrugged. 

“Whatever you say,” you laughed as you spun around and started walking backward, still facing him. “I can’t wait to get on the boat and be wearing minimal clothing. It’s hot as hell right now,”. 

“Forget Minimal, you don’t have to be wearing any clothing on the boat if you don’t want to,” he winked.

“Joe!” you gasped as you stopped, causing him to bump into you. 

“What? I’m sure everyone would enjoy the view. I know I do,” he teased, your mouth hanging open as he was standing so incredibly close to you, his face just inches from yours.

You were about to say something but saw a group of girls and guys stop a little bit behind you, their hands seemingly over their mouths. “Oh my god. Is that them?” one of the girls gasped. 

You looked at Joe, a smile on both your faces as you listened to the group, acting like you weren’t eavesdropping by turning around to face the buildings in front of you. Joe nonchalantly snaked his arm around your waist and whispered into your ear, “I think we’ve been caught,”. 

“Dude I think it is. Holy Shit I didn’t think the rumors were true,” the other girl said. 

“Damn, Joey B is really winning at life,” one of the guys laughed. “Y/N is hot as hell,”.

Your eyes widened when you heard the teenage boy, probably somewhere around the age of 17 say that. “Oh my god,” you whispered as your cheeks turned pink. 

“You know what? I’m not even mad that he said that. You are hot as fuck,” Joe whispered into your ear, prompting you to bump into his shoulder. 

“Wait because this is insane. I would’ve never thought they’d end up together but I’m so here for it,” the other girl whispered, or tried to whisper at least. 

“I mean she was at the games in January. What’d you guys expect? I heard she liked football before she went to the Bengals game but that wasn’t her favorite team,” the other guy added. 

“Well, it definitely is now,” the first girl cooed. 

“I guess the cats outta the bag. Oh well,” you whispered into Joe’s ear, no other thoughts in your mind. You didn’t care if people saw you together. You were happy and that’s all that mattered.

“You wanna keep going?” he asked, softly squeezing your hip.

“Yes, please. I’m melting right now,” you laughed as you placed your hand around his waist. 

After reaching the hotel and dropping off your bags inside your room, you walked back down to the beach club and had a quick bite to eat before making your way to the docks where the boat was waiting.  

Joe got on first, extending his hand to help you on. “Thank you,” you said as you reached up to kiss his cheek. While Joe was talking to the captain, you slipped into the bathroom to take your dress off, the lovebite from last night fading but still visible making you blush. While you were in there you clipped your hair back and put some sunscreen on your frontside and legs, not being able to reach your back so you’d ask Joe to do it. 

After freshening up, you went back out to the boat, noticing that you had departed the docks and were now out on the crystal blue Riviera waters. 

“You look incredible,” Joe said from behind you. You flipped around, your heart skipping a beat as you saw him in just his swim trunks and sunglasses, his chiseled chest on display and his muscular arms making you feel hot all over. 

“Not too bad yourself,” you purred as you sat down on the tanning chair. “What’d the captain say?” you said as you pulled out the sunscreens from your beach bag.

“He said we’d be circling around the Riviera but stopping at a good spot if we wanted to get in the water. Then I told him for dinner to stop at the docks a little further down from our docks because there’s a good beachfront restaurant that said they can serve us on here,”.

“You really planned everything out,” you smiled at him.

“That I did,” he said as he sat down next to you.

You pulled out the lotion and put it in front of him, “Can you get my back, and then I can do you?”.

Joe raised his eyebrow at the offer, his mind wandering to some other things that this innocent task could lead to.

“No funny business, Joe,” you said as you sent him a look. “I mean it this time,”.

“I got you,” he laughed as he sat down on the chair next to you while you lay flat on your stomach. He squeezed out a good amount of sunscreen before placing the bottle down. You felt his big hands start at your shoulders, rubbing the lotion into your skin before sliding down your back. His fingers expertly massaged your skin the way you loved, a few innocent moans leaving your lips making Joe laugh.

You turned your head to the side and looked up at him again with the same look, his face going back to seriousness which made you let out a little laugh. He then slid his hands down to your butt, softly squeezing it as he worked the last bit of sunscreen around your skin. 

“You’re good,” he smiled as he moved his hands off of you. 

“Thank you, Joey,” you said as you sat up. “Now lay on your stomach so I can get your back,”.

“I think I’ll be fine. I want a nice tan,” he said.

“Absolutely not. You burn too easily and there’s a big difference between tan and burnt,” you said as you got up from your chair and grabbed the bottle. “On your stomach,” you motioned. 

“Fine,” he sighed, admitting defeat as he turned around.

You placed a leg on each side of his waist, straddling him as you squeezed out a dab of sunscreen before tossing the bottle to the side. You started at his shoulders, working your way down as you gave him a nice massage at the same time, a few groans leaving his lips as he closed his eyes. You smiled at the sounds leaving his lips, Joe loved a good massage. 

“This would be nice with no clothes,” he joked.

You rolled your eyes as you moved your hands to his arms, first grabbing the bottle to squeeze out more sunscreen, “Why are you extra worked up this week?”.

“You tell me,” he said, turning his head around and giving you a good look up and down. 

He never failed to make you feel extra good about yourself. His looks, his touch, his comments. All of it made you feel like a diamond. 

“You’re sweet,” you replied as you sent him an air kiss as you quickly rubbed the last bit of sunscreen on his arms. “Flip over,”. 

You sat up on your knees so that he could turn around underneath you, then once he got settled sat back down, still straddling him. “This is all too familiar,” he said as he pushed his sunglasses down. You on top of him like this was a little too risky but you had to make sure he didn’t burn in the sun.  

You shook your head as you squeezed more sunscreen onto your palm and spread it along his perfectly crafted chest and torso, pressing a few kisses to his chest while you were at it. His hands settled on your hips, kneading your plush skin as you made sure to get every corner of him protected by the sunscreen. 

“If you put any more on I think I'm going to turn the same color as this chair,” he joked.

“Okay,” you said as you dropped the bottle in the bag. “I’ll stop but at least now you won’t get burnt,”.

“Thank you,” he said as he moved his sunglasses to the top of his head. God, he looked so good right now. His hair was in the perfect position, his skin was glowing, his eyes were twinkling, and he was all yours. 

“You’re welcome,” you mumbled as you leaned down to kiss him, his grip on your waist tightening as your hands cupped his face. 

You were all over each other for what felt like an hour, not caring about anything since you were out on the open waters, just the two of you. You don’t even remember when he picked you up and laid you down on the daybed because you were so lost in his lips you had zero coherent thoughts in your mind. 

Suddenly, he pulled away, a cheeky grin on his face. “What’s got you so worked up?” he said as he raised his eyebrows. “You’ve been on my lips for almost an hour,”. 

“Really funny, Joe,” you laughed as you turned to lay on your back, the sun now covering your body. 

“Wait, I didn’t mean to stop,” he said, sadness creeping up on his face.

“Mmm, I think we need a second to breathe so that we don’t die from heat exhaustion and lack of oxygen,” you joked as you threw your leg over his.

“Fair point,” he said as he wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you into his chest, your bodies fitting together naturally making you both instantly comfortable. 

A few quiet moments later, Joe spoke up. “I still can’t believe this is real life,”.

You moved your head up to look at him, his eyes looking off into the sky. “I’m playing football in the NFL, people know who I am, I’m in fucking France right now, and I’m dating the most extraordinary and talented woman to grace the earth and I get to spend all of my time with her. Literally, what is my life,” he mumbled. 

“Joe…,” you cooed. As crazy as his life was, he could never be able to comprehend that this was his life.

You turned to lay on your stomach again, resting your chin on his chest which made him look down at you. “You know what the one thing that really stuck out to me and made me fall in love with you was?”.

“What?” He smiled.

“The fact that you’re such a softie. You’re such a sappy softie in there,” you said as you pointed to his heart. “But on the outside, you’re this calm, cool, collected, smoke show Quarterback. You can do both and that’s what made me fall for you. And you let me see that sappy part of you, which makes it even more special,”. 

As you were talking, you saw how his cheeks turned a little red, something that would often happen when you started talking like this. 

“I know I’ve said it at least 15 times today, but I love you,” he said while picking up your hand and kissing the bracelet on your wrist. 

“I love you too. Like a lot, if that wasn’t clear,” you giggled. 

“Oh, it’s clear. Very clear,” he nodded as he started to get up. “Since you love me so much, you wanna go make some drinks with me and lay out in the sun so I can get a little tan?” he asked like a little kid. 

“Sounds like a plan,” you smiled as you got up with him, the smile on your face the biggest it’s probably been in a long time. Joe made you happy, truly happy and everything that came out of his mouth just made it better. 

Two hours later 

You spent some time lounging on the chairs, tanning, and sipping on some cocktails you whipped up in the mini bar inside while talking more about what the rest of the week would look like. You also spent some time taking in the distant view of the City, seeing all the beautiful architecture and scenery from a distance, making a note that you should come back here at some point but spend a whole week here rather than a few days 

Then, the boat stopped in the middle of the Riviera; they also brought out a few floaties and water mats for you both to use out on the water. Joe dragged you in with him, insisting that you take a dip in the cool water for just a bit, but you insisted on using his body as a floatation device the entire time.

After swimming around for a bit, or well, letting Joe swim around while you were stuck to his back, you were sitting on the floating water mat. Joe was sitting criss-cross and you laid across his legs on your back, soaking up the sun as he was absentmindedly rubbing your thigh. 

He looked down at you, seeing how peaceful you looked with your eyes closed when an idea popped into his head. He carefully slid his hands underneath you, almost as if he was picking you up bridal style. You didn’t say anything because you thought he was just re-adjusting you in his lap, but then you felt him lift you into the air. 

“Joe..What’re you…Ahhh!” you screamed as he gently dropped you back into the water.

You swam back up to the surface, wiping your hand across your face as you watched him laugh and your disheveled appearance. 

“That’s not funny,” you frowned, trying hard not to give him the satisfaction of laughing at the situation. 

“Aw, does someone not like the water,” he laughed as he watched you try not to laugh, which you were struggling to do. 

“I don’t like not being told when I’m being thrown into the water,” you huffed. 

“You’re so cute when you're mad,” he grinned.

“And you’re cute when you're not throwing your lovely girlfriend into the water without warning,” you said as you batted your lashes at him, purely out of teasing.

“Fine,” he sighed as he extended his hand out to help you back onto the mat. 

You put your hand in his, getting an idea while gripping it tightly. You use all of your strength to pull him down into the water with you, “Y/N, what are you-,” he said before his big body made a splash into the water next to you as you broke out in a fit of laughter. 

You laughed for a few seconds, expecting him to come back up a few seconds later but when you don’t see him come back up, you get worried.

“Joe? Where’d you go?” you said before you felt two hands wrap around your legs underneath you and lift you into the air, sending you backward into the water. Joe came up, another grin on his face as he watched you come back up from the water again.

“Two for Two,” he winked. 

“No fair,” you laughed as you splashed him with water. “You’re like 50 times stronger than me,” you said as you swam closer to him. 

“Join me next time I’m in the gym and we can buff you up more,” he smiled as he pulled you closer.

“Us, in the gym, with nobody around, sweaty, and all worked up? I don’t think I’ll be getting buff, I think I’ll be burning calories doing something else,” you purred.

“And I’m the one that’s worked up,” he said as he raised his eyebrows, you shook your head as your hands found their way into his hair and you pulled him in for another sweet kiss.

“You wanna go back inside and make some more drinks?” you asked him.

“Sure, but we’re going to be so drunk by dinner time,” he said as he swam you both over to the steps. “Those tropical rum margaritas are strong as hell,”. 

“I think we’ll be fine,” you smiled.

Evening Time (Around the Sunset)

You, in fact, were not fine.

You both had one too many drinks after you got back onto the boat that you could barely stand up in the shower when you went to freshen up for dinner. You got lucky and managed to do your hair and makeup without any mishaps occurring, but you were still very tipsy and the drinks being served with your dinner tonight were not helping.

They had set up a nice spread of food on the little dining table on the boat, Joe sat across from you as you spent a few spare moments taking pictures of him on your treasured film camera. “The sunset looks good behind you,” you giggled as you tried to take a picture of him, but the alcohol in your system made it hard for you to focus.

“Oo, get a picture of the food too,” he said pointing at the delicious spread in front of you.

“Part-time food blogger. I like it,” you nodded as you pointed the camera at the food, snapping a few shots before putting the camera down. 

Joe grabbed his phone, opened the camera, and snapped a few pictures of you. "You look so beautiful," he smiled as he continued to snap some pics.

"Love you," you said to him, a rosy blush on your face that wasn't from sitting in the sun today.

You grabbed your glass of wine, taking a nice gulp before placing it back down, Joe doing the same before you started to dig into the food in front of you. You don’t remember how many glasses of wine you went through with your food, all you knew was that by the end of the dinner, you could barely remember why you were in France in the first place. 

Joe got up from his chair, almost stumbling back down into the chair as he shook his head. “Whew, I am so drunk,” he laughed as he helped you out of your chair and brought you back over to the day bed. 

“Join the Club,” you giggled as you plopped down. 

“Do you think the Aliens like France?” he asked you as he dropped down next to you, grabbing your legs and placing them in his lap.

“Hmmm,” you thought as you twirled your hair. “I think they’d like it if they came here,”.

“You don’t think they’re already here?” he drunkenly asked you.

“Nope. I think they like to stay over where we are because we don’t bother them. I think French people would freak if they saw an alien and probably throw macaroons at them,” you mumbled as you played with the wristbands on Joe’s wrist. 

“I mean, we did try to storm Area 51. I think they were probably pretty mad about that,” Joe nodded.

“Trueee,” you gasped. “I hope they aren’t lonely in there. They should be free and get to live life like we do,” you frowned. 

God, you were so drunk. 

“What if they are? You remember the farmer aliens in that one Spongebob episode we watched last week?”. 

“Yeah,” you giggled.

“What if we have farmer aliens out in the midwest and just have no idea since we never go out there?” he said, being 100% serious about what he was saying.

“Oh my god, you’re probably right,” you gasped. “I wonder if they play instruments like the ones in SpongeBob,”. 

“We should go farmer alien-hunting when we get back,” he smiled as he pulled out his phone. 

“Oh, 100%,” you nodded as you watched him tap some things on his phone.

“I need your opinion on something,” he said as he looked back up at you.

“Shoot,” you said as you leaned back. 

“Should I get these?” he said, turning his phone around to show you the very expensive Lego Eiffel Tower and Milky Way set he had added to his cart.

“Joe,” you laughed as you grabbed his phone. “This Eiffel Tower one is 10,000 pieces and 700 dollars and the Milky Way set is 3,000 pieces and 200 dollars,”.

“So,” he shrugged. “I’m rich remember,”.

Normally you’d shut this down real fast because you knew he didn’t have the time to put these together so it would be a waste of money, but you were so drunk that all your logic and sense went out the window.

“Okay!” you chirped as you handed him back the phone. “Order them now so we can build them when we get back,”. 

“Great idea,” he nodded as he quickly purchased the Lego sets. 

It was a terrible idea. You should pray for your future self when she comes home to 900 dollars worth of Legos at the front door that neither of you had enough time to build.

While he was tapping away on his phone, you looked out onto the peaceful open water, lost in a trance before you saw the boat lights turn on, brightening your once-dark surroundings.

“The lights,” you gasped as you looked up and the fairy string lights and lamps, the soft music playing in the background adding to the scene. You got up from the day bed and started twirling around, dancing to the song in the background as Joe sat there and watched you, his eyes watching your every step, his heart growing bigger every time you looked back at him. 

He was out of his mind drunk right now, but he was sober enough to mean what he was just about to say.

“Let’s get married,” Joe said, making you flip around with your eyes wide open. 

“What?” you giggled, the alcohol in your system in full effect so whatever he was saying wasn’t really registering in your brain.

“I said, let’s get married,” he mumbled as he got up. 

“Joe, we’re drunk as hell,” you laughed as he grabbed your waist.

"I'm totally, absolutely, not at all drunk at all. Like... at all,” he said, stumbling over his words.

“Mhmmm,” you nodded. “And I’m a princess,”. 

“I’m serious, Y/N. I know we’ve only known each other for a year, but marry me. It doesn’t have to be today, it doesn’t have to be tomorrow, but marry me,” he said. “You’re the best thing that could’ve happened to me and I never want it to end. I need you,”. 

Although he was drunk right now, part of you knew he was being serious when he said that. Everything he did for you and said to you made what he was saying right now absolutely genuine.

“It’s you and me for infinity,” he said, looking down at your bracelet. “I love you in this life and in every lifetime after,” he smiled.

“I love you too, Joe. In every universe and every…uhh..dimension? Yeah, dimension,” you nodded, making him laugh at your drunken expression. 

“So what do you think? Would you want to marry me one day?” he asked you, his face absolutely adorable and sincere. “Unless this is too much for you. I don’t want to push you into an idea that you’re not ready for even if it is a bit into the future,”.

“If you asked me the same question 2 years ago, I would’ve thrown a drink in your face and bolted like hell. But you’re asking me now,” you said as you looped your arms around his neck. “Me now is happiest she’s ever been in all aspects of her life, in love love, comfortable, and is pleased with where she is,”.

“So to answer your question, Okay,” you smiled. 

“Really?” He said, his heart fluttering. 

“Mhm. As long as we get to have a bigggg cake and we get to invite allll our friends and family,” you say as you break free from his grasp and spin around to the music. “And for reference, I like princess cut,”.

“I’ll make you the best damn ring money can make,” he whispered to himself. 

“Oh my god,” you gasped as you stopped dancing.

“What?” He asked.

“Can we get a dog? We should get a dog,” you said as you moved back closer to him.

“Only if I get to name it ‘Gary’,” he said, a throaty laugh leaving his lips as his pupils dilated from the alcohol in his system. He was sooo drunk right now and neither of you would probably remember this conversation tomorrow morning. 

“Deal,” you chirped. Another gasp left your lips and your eyes lit up.

“Now what?” Joe chuckled as he pulled you closer.

“Can we have kids?” you pouted. “Pretty Pretty Pretty Pleaaaseee,”.

“Uhh, duh. Obviously, we’re going to have kids,” he agreed. 

“Yayyyy,” you squealed as you jumped up and down. 

“We’re going to have a mini quarterback and a mini musician running around at some point,” he smiled.

“I wonder if they’ll get both sets of talents. Mini QB can be an expert guitarist and vocalist while Mini Musician can kill it in sports just like her daddy,” you beamed. 

“We have one hell of a genetic pool,” he joked. 

“That we do. Like I said, you’re Troy from High School Musical,” you said as you bit your lip, knowing how he felt about that since he discovered his piano talent.

“Not again,” he said, dropping his head.

“Okay, I’ll stop..for now,” you said as you stumbled back, almost bumping into a chair and falling over, but Joe grabbed your hand and pulled you back forward.

“How did we get so drunk?” he sighed.

“I blame the aliens,” you huffed.

“Oh, so the aliens were the ones who kept making the margs?” he questioned.

“Duhh. It obviously wasn’t me,” you denied as you looked out to the water again, this time seeing your hotel and dock get closer. 

“How did we already make it back?” you said as you walked over to the ledge.

“I didn’t even notice when we left,” Joe said, joining you.

“It’s probably a good thing. We’re so far gone right now we need to be on land,” you said as you looked up at him. 

“Oh, I can’t wait to get back on land,” he said as he looked back down at you with his intense eyes, his hand slipping around your waist. “Have I told you how stunning you look right now?” he whispered into your ear.

“Have I told you how sexy you look in this baby blue button-up?”. He was wearing a blue button-up shirt with white shorts, the buttons on his shirt all the way open exposing his broad chest. 

“We’re a hot couple,” he laughed.

“Very hot,” you say as you lean in to kiss his cheek. 

After the Boat reached the dock, you and Joe thanked the captain for taking you around today. You grabbed your stuff and started to walk to the exit of the boat, but again you were so drunk that you were stumbling around and the heels you had on were making it worse. Joe slid his hand around your waist, firmly holding you as he helped you down the boat and onto the dock.

“Thanks for that. I’m one wrong step away from face-planting,” you said as you held onto him.

“Honestly, me too but at least we’d fall together,” he smiled as you both stumbled back to the hotel. 

“Oh wait, did you still want to go to that dessert shop you were talking about this morning?” he asked as he stopped.

“Hmmmm,” you thought as you looked at Joe, feeling a flutter inside your belly when you looked at him up and down. He looked so good right now, a literal piece of art. 

“We can wait until tomorrow. All I care about right now is getting back inside our room,” you winked.

“Oh really?” he said, squeezing your waist before dropping his hand to your ass.

You were about to say something else before you felt your phone buzz, pulling it out to see a text from your manager.

“Who is it?” Joe asked as you two reached the door to the Hotel. 

“Oh, it's my manager. She said..

There are photos of you and Joe online from earlier, reaction looks pretty positive and a lot of people are confused but pleasantly surprised! Glad to see you two having fun :) Enjoy the trip! 

“Well I guess everyone knows now,” he said as he opened the door for you.

“Hm, I guess they do,” you said as you tucked your phone away, then pulled Joe toward you by his arm, crashing your lips against his and backing up against the wall. 

“Y/N, what if someone sees?” he asked as he pulled away. 

“Let them see then,” you smiled against his lips, watching his eyes scan yours for a few seconds before feeling his lips against yours, this time harder than before.

You felt him move down, pressing kisses down your neck to your chest as you threaded your fingers through his hair. “Joe,” you whimpered.

“What?” he looked up at you with heart eyes.

“Room. Now,” you urged as you felt him grab your hand and pull you over to the elevator, luckily nobody was inside so you could get up to your room as fast as possible. You pushed the button for your floor, Joe’s mouth going back to your neck as you tilted your head back to give him more room. 

His other hand grabbed your ass, softly squeezing your plush skin through the tight fabric of your dress as he left another purple spot on your neck.

“Joe,” you moaned loudly as he touched your sweet spot, your cheeks turning red at the sound that left your mouth.

You then heard the elevator stop, the doors opening as Joe moved off of you. “Thanks for the preview,” he smiled as he pulled you out of the elevator, once again picking you up bridal style just like last night.

“I could get used to this,” you smiled as he walked over to your door, quickly unlocking it and rushing you to the bedroom without giving it a second thought.

He gently placed you down on the bed, your eyes looking over at the bathroom. “What about the Jacuzzi Tub?”. 

“We can save that for tomorrow night. I need you, now,” he said, desperately flinging his shirt off. 

“Okay,” you smiled as you sat back up, Joe walking out of the room without saying a word.

“Hm, weird,” you said as you started to slip the straps of your dress down and untie your heels.

A few moments later, he walked back in, a little silver bucket in his hand. 

“What’s that,” you said, his eyes looking back up and seeing you in your matching white lace bra and panties, one of his favorites on you.

“Ice,” he said as he placed the bucket on the side table next to the bed, heat rising up your body at the mention of that. 

“Cool,” you smiled as you grabbed his bicep, not bothering to ask him about the ice, pulling him onto the bed and on top of you as you fell back against the pillows, your lips on each other again. 

Joe reached behind you, unclasping your bra and gently slipping the straps off your shoulder before returning back to kissing your chest. He wrapped his lips around your nipple, swirling his tongue around the sensitive bud causing soft moans to leave your lips. While he was doing so, he reached his arm out to the table, sticking his hand in the ice bucket to grab a cube. 

He pulled away and brought the ice cube into your view, your cheeks turning another shade of pink because you knew what he was going to do. He pressed the cube to your collarbone, the icy cold touch making your breath hitch.

“Joe,” you whined, feeling the ice cube travel down to the valley of your breasts, his lips returning to your skin, pressing feather-light kisses as you squirmed under his touch. 

The cool wet trail the ice cube was leaving behind was making you even more needy, wanting nothing more than to feel Joe in every way possible, but he was taking his time. 

He grabbed another ice cube, this time pressing it against your nipples, “Fuck,” you cried out.

“You good?” he asked, making sure you were okay.

“I’m…great,” you whimpered, the ice sending jolts of pleasure throughout your body, 

He then moved the ice cube down your stomach, your hips jerking at the feeling of the sudden coolness, your core feeling slicker as he continued to work his way down your body. The ice makes your skin tingle, and the feeling of coldness intensifies your already heightened thoughts which creates a numbing sensation.

“Mmph,” you moaned as you bit your lip, feeling the ice move down to your core, a cheeky grin on Joe’s face.

You then feel him press the ice cube against your folds through your lace panties, another moan, this time a little louder than before, leaving your lips.

“Joe,” you moaned, immediately covering your mouth with your hand because of how loud that was. The alcohol in your system mixed with the feeling of ice on your bare body was making you feel like you were floating on a cloud of ecstasy. 

“No need to be quiet,” he said, popping the remains of the cube into his mouth. “Remember, it’s just us,” he smiled as he grabbed another ice cube, popping this one into his mouth as well. 

He leaned down, gazing into your eyes for a few seconds before pressing his cool lips against yours; the taste of alcohol was still evident, mixing with the coolness of the ice.

You put your hands in his hair again as you pulled him in closer, the ice cube slipping in between his lips and entering your mouth. 

“Mm,” Joe hummed as he smiled into the kiss, the shared coolness between you feeling like a breath of fresh air. The feeling of the ice between your lips which were pressed against his was unlike anything you’d felt before, and you loved it. 

You pulled away from the kiss, both your cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling, “Joe, I need you,” you rasped. 

You didn’t need to say anything else for Joe to get off of you, kick his shorts and boxers off while also sliding your panties off. He settled on top of you, giving you another kiss as he slid his fingers through your drenched folds.

“Damn,” he laughed.

“Joeee, please,” you pleaded as you pulled on the strands of his hair.

He moved his head down to press kisses along your jaw as he guided his cock through your folds, pushing into your core without warning. 

“Fuck,” you moaned as you threw your head to the side. Joe set a hungry pace, thrusting into your core with no interest in slowing down, sending you further into the bed each time. 

“Oh,” you moaned loudly as he pounded into your slick core, no coherent thoughts in your head at the moment as he was focused on sending your body to its pleasure point.

You moved your hands to his back, scratching his soft skin which would surely leave a few red marks. “Y/N, you feel so good,” he hissed as he cupped his hand behind your knee, lifting your leg and opening you up more. 

“Baby,” you screamed as he continued to fuck you senselessly, his cock hitting every single sweet spot with each thrust. 

You looked down, watching where you two were connected, the sight of his cock slipping into your wet heat making your eyes roll back to the back of your head, “F-Fuck,” you whined. 

He moved his head back down to yours, his sweet lips finding their home against yours as you moaned into him.

After a few more rough thrusts, you felt your pleasure building up inside your body. Joe always did most of the work when it came to sex, not because you didn’t want to, but because he always wanted to make you feel good but now you wanted to let him sit back while you did the same for him. You pulled away from his lips, “Joe, let me ride you,” you whimpered.

“Are you sure?” he panted as he slowed his thrusts. 

“Mhm,” you nodded as you took a deep breath, your core gently clenching around his cock. 

He pressed a final kiss to your lips before sliding out of you and falling back against the sheets next to you. 

You quickly got up and straddled his waist, giving his cock a few pumps before guiding it back inside of you, “Shit,” you moaned as you threw your head back. 

Your hands settled on his chest as his hands settled on your hips, guiding you back and forth as you slid down his length. 

“Y/N…god,” he moaned as he looked up at you, watching you take control and letting him relax. His hands moving up to cup your breast, giving it a soft squeeze as you let out another moan.

“Joe, I’m so close,” you panted as you picked up the pace, digging your nails into his skin at the same time. Soft moans and praise came from his lips, making you smile and feel more confident each time.

“I’ve got you,” he said as he gripped you tighter and started to thrust up into you.

You felt the tension in your stomach increase, your breaths coming out in short gasps, and your cheeks heating up. “Oh, Joe,” you moaned as you fell forward, your lips crashing against his as you continued to move against him, the sounds of your wetness filling the room.

A few seconds later, you felt your orgasm rip through your body, almost feeling like you were about to black out by how your walls were convulsing around his cock, which was still moving inside of you. 

“Mm, I’m close,” Joe moaned. 

You used your hand to move his messy hair out of his face before kissing him again, picking up the pace again even though your knees were about to give out. Your walls were still clenching his shaft and you were still trying to come down from your intense high, but you had to make him feel good. You sucked on his bottom lip as you ran your fingers around his neck, a few seconds later feeling him coat your walls with his cum.

“Oh my god,” he moaned, his hands running down your sides as you peppered kisses along his jaw.

“You are a dream,” Joe said as he squeezed your waist, grabbing your hand and pressing kisses all around your palm.  

“Fuck, Joe,” you panted as you carefully slid off of him, then fell forward onto his chest as he wrapped his arms around your body, pressing a few kisses on your cheek while you both tried to regain your senses.

“I love you,” you whispered into his ear. 

“Je t'aime,” Joe said to you, saying ‘I love you’ but in French.

You pressed another kiss to his face before feeling your eyes flutter shut, your heart exploding from love and happiness.

An hour-ish later 

You both took a power nap for a little bit to recover from your activities before hopping in the shower to rinse off. Right now, both of you were in your robes in the kitchen, trying to beat the morning hangover by drinking a glass of lemon water.

“I’m never drinking this much again,” you said as you leaned against the counter. “I don’t feel the hangover yet but I already know it’s going to be bad,”.

“I’m just glad the panel isn’t tomorrow. I’d actually be screwed,” he said as he placed his glass down on the table.

“That would for sure be the biggest headline. ‘Joe Burrow has a massive hangover during a Rare public appearance at a panel in Cannes’,” you mock. 

“Bigger headline than our relationship? I peeked at my phone and it’s blowing up with texts from people that don’t know about us and notifications from news articles talking about you and me. People apparently think we just started dating or that we’re just hooking up and it’s not serious,” he laughed. “We should probably make our Instagram post soon,”. 

You nodded, “Ohhh, are they in for a treat when I drop this album,” as you turned around to put your empty glass in the sink behind you, Joe doing the same. 

You turned back around and were standing in front of him, face to face. Although you were still drunk, you felt a bit more in your senses than you did on the boat and Joe’s mention of wanting to marry you was still lingering in your mind even though you said yes. Was he being serious? 

He studied your facial expression, instantly knowing that you were thinking about something that was bothering you.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he placed his hands on the counter on each side of you.

“Nothing,” you smiled as you met his eyes.

Joe tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, “Joe, seriously. I’m fine,” you deflected. 

He continued to look at you with a quizzical look, eventually your front breaking. 

“Fine,” you give in, making him smile. “Were you being serious earlier?”. 

“Being serious about what?” he asked. 

“About wanting to marry me?” you asked him, your voice a little quieter as you felt a little nervous asking him. If he brushed it off, that meant he was drunk and wasn’t being serious. You felt like he was being serious, but that doubt was still in your mind.

He looked deeply into your eyes for a few quiet moments, your stomach churning as you were waiting for him to speak up. 

“Of course, I was being serious,” he said. “I told you, it’s you and me. That’s all it is and all that there needs to be. You’re what I’ve been waiting for my entire life and I don’t ever want to let go, I don’t need anything else,”. 

You felt your eyes well with tears at his words. He wanted to marry you. One day, he would be your husband. You’d dreamed of meeting your prince charming one day and living your fairytale, and each time you thought you did, you’d end up living a nightmare instead, up until you met Joe. 

He was your real life Prince Charming and you were living your Fairytale. 

“You’re everything to me,” you said as you cupped his face. “I love you more than you can imagine, Joe. Thank you for changing my life,” you said to him, seeing his eyes become a little glossy because of your words. 

"No, Thank you for changing my life," Joe smiled.

He leaned forward, pressing a sweet kiss to your lips which quickly became heated as you stuffed your hands into his hair. Your lips moved against each other in a beautiful rhythm as you felt him cup your ass and lift you up onto the counter, his hands messing with the ties on your Robe as he moved down to your neck.

“Joe,” you moaned as you threw your head back. 

You felt him untie your robe, your nude body now exposed to the cool air of the suite. “Round 2?” he asked as he ran his big hands down your hips and to your thighs. 

“I’d be mad if we didn’t,” you smiled as you grabbed his robe tie and yanked it so that it came undone, his nude body now on display for you. 

You felt him thrust into you, hard and fast, as he peppered kisses on your bare shoulder. “Jesus, Baby,” he moaned into your ear, making you lean further back which gave Joe access to your breasts. His lips attacked them with gentle kisses and nips as he sank deeper into you, sounds of skin-hitting skin filled the room along with the noises coming from your mouths. 

“Fuck, Joe,” you whimpered as a smile rose onto your face. There was no place you’d rather be right now. You were truly the happiest you’d ever been, and Joe was the reason for it, and now you had the comfort of knowing he wouldn’t be going anywhere.

—The End—

(instagram post bit below)

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liked by joeyb_9 and others

tagged: joeyb_9

y/n_y/ln: we heard a rumor 👀

comments:

joeyb_9: i heard from a friend of a friend

——— y/n_y/ln: actually i heard it from aunt susan’s coworkers ex girlfriends sisters fiancée

lahjay_10: about damn time

fan_52: IT’S TRUE?

fan821: oh my god the albums going to be about him isn’t it.

——— fan 9822: it’s over for us.

y/bsf: heyyy lovebirds 😍😍

fan453: i’m so happy for her! joe is an amazing guy 🥹

fan662: this makes so much sense.

fan6227: JOE BURROW? WHAT THE FUCK?

fan18811: OH MY GOD OH MY GODDDDDD HOLY SHIT

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liked by y/n_y/ln and others

tagged: y/n/_y/ln

joeyb_9: 🚀

comments:

y/n_y/ln: launched straight into the stratosphere

——— joeyb_9: 👩‍🚀🧑‍🚀

y/n_y/ln: this caption is perfect for you

——— joeyb_9: you’re perfect for me

————— fan4: not them already flirting online 🤭

lahjay_10: yall are too cute

fan98: OH? OHHHH????

fan11: cincys royal couple 👑

fan197: see i knew i wasn’t crazy when i said we saw her around town these past few months

fan272: she’s gonna look great in stripes 🧡

fan8: WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?? AHHWUFUEHF

sam_hubbard_: nice 😎

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[mandyarin]

Spring has come to me

Shohei Ohtani x Reader (female pronouns)

Synopsis: A story of love between the team physician and the superstar of the team.

Author's note: Hey y'all this is my first ever fic! I have been reading fics since forever and have been contemplating on making my own for the longest time and well my first piece is dedicated to Shohei Ohtani, since not much people write for this talented gorgeous man, I figured why not. Feedbacks are highly appreciated, altho pls don't be mean :< i didn't check for grammar or punctuation mistakes so I'm sorry for dat :>> there might also be some mistakes abt team technicalities and dynamics sooo :3

Working as part of the Dodgers' medical team was not really the dream but the opportunity was dropped into your lap and you'd be a fool not to take it. Spring training has started but not everyone on the team has been on the field as consistently as the star player of the team, Shohei Ohtani. Without fail he has been on the stadium even before beginning spring training. As part of the medical team you have been corresponding closely with the rehabilitation personnel that works closely with the players, most notably Shohei. It was slightly different from working in a hospital but certainly a lot less work and stress. Although the higher ups breathing down your neck making sure the star was going to be alright might be causing you a headache. You weren't much for baseball or sports in general, what with being an over achiever who seeks validation through academics, never having much extra curricular unless it involves the academe, despite that though, you have certainly heard of the name Shohei Ohtani and the ripples of his achievements.

You were at your office, contemplating the best course of care to be administered to common baseball injuries and rehabilitation, personalized treatment, the best apparatus to use. Your mind running through every possible scenario and making contingency plan for each. Not only is your skill and credibility as a professional on the line but also a player's professional career. Everything has to be perfect. Nothing more, nothing less.

A knock came through the door, "Come in" you called.

"Hey would you like to meet the players? They're out on the field right now, I figured we introduce you", Called out a staff member as he entered through the door.

"Yeah, sure. Let me just save this and I'll be right out."

There wasn't much distance to walk out on the field, you see the long stretch of players talking amongst themselves, stretching, checking out their equipments.

"Alright, everyone listen up. This is the new team physician joining us this season. She will be corresponding with the medical staff and personnel in ensuring the best care and treatment for every single one of you. She is one of the best in orthopedics. I expect that you guys will heed her advices regarding to your health." The team manager gathered everyone near him and had me introduce myself to everyone present.

Everyone had the opportunity to introduce themselves, accompanied by a handshake. Soon it was the superstar's turn. A hand that shook yours in greeting, dwarfing it in his roughed up hand. He gave you a smile that reached his eyes, you like his eyes, you decide. Like crescent moons as he gives a slight chuckle.

It wasn't all that hard to get occupied with Shohei's matters, you had to correspond with his surgeon about his recent surgery, you had to be in constant communication with the physical therapist in charge of him and you had to plan and administer the best care for his current state. One might say that you are too focused on him despite being the team physician but that is just the effect of having a $700 million player in your care. Not a thing spared if it's for his well-being. Besides he's the only player in the current roster with the most recent surgery done and you'll be damned if he's not good to go when the season starts.

Being in close proximity with him made you realize things about him. The talent he has and the grit he puts in everything he does on the field makes him the amazing player that he is, you have not seen someone as dedicated as he was in their craft. He's meticulous in his actions, moves with intention. Careful and purposeful. When he is off the zone, his laughter rings, albeit like a hyena. Wide smiles and the carefree way he carries himself. So carefree but so sure. You have never seen him look like he was out of place in his new team. He always looked like he belonged where he is, wherever might that be. An energy so magnetic but the type of magnetism that pulls you in slowly, carefully, like a smooth caress and then when you least expect it you were pulled into his orbit and you were none the wiser.

It started when he would be in your space. Rushing towards you as he finishes his set, like he has a special radar that is exclusively for you. Whether you're observing him or the other players or talking to other staff members. Nothing will stop him from going to you. Smiling down at you with a boyish smile, engaging you in conversations like "What have you been up to?", "Are you here to supervise?", "Are you here to see me?", "I'm gonna practice my batting today, can you check my form?". It flustered you at first but it has been such a common occurence that it has failed to phase you anymore.

Then, he would message you outside working hours. Sending pictures and videos of his adventures with Dekopin, fully taking advantage at the fact that you are weak for cute animals. You guys would talk about the everyday mundane things like the weather, food, hobbies and many other things. Then came more personal questions that dug deeper to reveal more of each other. A peek inside this amazing athlete, the person inside. Grasping the melancholy he feels, the little joys in his days, the trepidation that tomorrow brings, the pressure of the pedestal that he was put on. He seemed a little more human, a little more relatable. A little more like a boy who dreamed big and is now living it but still grasping at what was lost.

Then came the invites. Inviting you outside working hours for food, hanging out at his home, tagging along at Dekopin's vet appointments and anywhere else you could think of. Of course, there is definetely skepticisms and wariness with all these invites. He was a man who has his whole country watching him through the media's lenses, whether it be from reputable sources or the tabloids. For him to be seen with a woman was a sentence. Sentenced to be lump into rumors and gossips. The man of the hour and his partner. It was a headline just waiting to happen. But you reasoned with yourself. Surely they are aware that you are one of the team physicians, right? Surely they'll think it's just an appointment outside working hours, a bit unconventional but people wouldn't think you guys are together, right? Right. No one will think so. You were just a team doctor hanging out with one of your team's player, nothing more. You said in your head like a mantra, as you accept his offers to go out. Truly hoping for it to be the case.

The realization came to you on a quiet night. You didn't mind the closeness of Shohei, you didn't mind that he would come running to you whenever he sees you, in fact you enjoyed seeing him jog to you and grace you with that ever so handsome smile of his. He fills your head with mindless ramblings and chats, you think you would hate it since you have learned to value silence as your companion but you found out you didn't. His voice and presence now accompanies you too. You found that you didn't mind being linked to him. You didn't mind if your face or name will be plastered on a headline on Japanese newspapers or tabloids by tomorrow. You didn't mind people writing about you and your relationship. It really doesn't matter. What matters is if he is happy, it matters if he is comfortable with you accompanying him to whatever and wherever and well, he is happy, he is comfortable. What matters is that you love him. You have learned that Shohei has wormed his way to your heart slowly but surely and he is there to stay, taking hold of a chunk of your heart. Ready to hold his hand tightly and face the world. Courageously love and be loved.

Shohei was intrigued by you, you were young, the youngest physician he has seen on the team and yet you managed to be one of the best orthopedic in the country and landing a job at Dodgers, well he might have also been struck by your outwardly appearance and honestly he isn't shy to admit that. You are beautiful.

You are a constant presence in his training, checking up on him and the others, taking special care of him and his recent surgery. He noticed how you're a little stoic, maintaining that air of professionalism like an armor, your brilliance showing through the improved physical care of the players and everyone surely took notice of it. But you were also coy, giving him small smiles or chuckles when he finds courage to talk to you or when you're assisting him on his rehab exercises, putting slight pressure on his forearms and chest, eyes shyly meeting his. It never fails to makes his heart flutter like a teenager.

You had a strong wall built around you, from past hurt, perhaps? He doesn't know but he vowed to himself that he will do anything to break it down or climb his way up over to you. Meticulously planning everything to give his heart and to have yours.

Shohei figures that you love cute and loveable things and he thinks Dekopin could be the best wingman for the job. He was cute and loveable, the perfect tool, the perfect excuse to message you. He knows you couldn't resist and from then on he would talk and talk until you'd answer, he didn't mind waiting he knows you're busy and he knows you might not be used to it. It's okay he'll glady start the conversation if it means getting to talk to you. He's patient and he will wait until you come around. The conversations turn personal at one point and he saw a little more of you. The anxious, perfectionist that is a tad bit hard on herself. A tortured genius, if you will. He can sympathize with you in that regard, with both being young people on such peaks of successes, people from your respective fields waiting on your next moves, ready to pounce when the chance arises. It's exhausting but he figured he wouldn't mind being exhausted together.

Shohei knows he's always being watched, he knows paparazzi are lurking at corners near the stadium, near his home, and wherever places he frequents to. He admits it is a little selfish of him to invite you to his home, or wherever outside work. He knows there is a big possibility of getting caught and photographed but he couldn't give a damn. He doesn't care if people speculates about his romantic life if it is with you. He doesn't mind giving out a statement that you and him are at a stage of getting to know each other. He doesn't mind declaring to the world that he only has eyes for you. He knows he's selfish, the press might hound you and pick you apart so he's careful when inviting you out. Always at odd hours, using an unusual and discreet car, making sure to cover your face when arriving and leaving his home. Yes, he is selfish but he is not to put you in any kind of pressure and danger. He cares about you too much to be too selfish.

On a perfect breezy midnight of spring he received a call from you, asking him if he was awake. His heart quickens, mouth dries a little, he answered you "Yes", with a light waver in his voice.

"Alright, wait for me, I'm coming over."

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you. Be safe."

His heart stutters in his chest, you have never called him first, never initiated on coming to his house, he was a little scared but your voice seems resolute like there is something that has to be done and he hopes deep deep in his heart that it is what he think it is.

You came knocking on his door after a few minutes and Shohei almost falls over trying to get to the door to get you. And there you were in your full glory, a little disheveled in your most comfortable sweater and sweats. The breeze caressing your hair, your skin. Shohei can't believe that he starts to get a little jealous of the way the breeze kisses you and be so upclose to you. You also take him in, in his loungewear shorts and thin sweatshirt, tousled hair and a slight pink tint to his full cheeks.

"May I come in?"

He's stunned for a little bit then clears his throat and replies, "Of course, come on in. Don't mind the mess Dekopin just destroyed another one of his toys".

As you guys shuffled inside his home, the air stills and there's an undeniable tension between the two of you. Shyly meeting each other's gaze for a minute and like magnets you draw towards each other. Timidly, you put your hands against Shohei's chest, both your hearts jumping out of your ribcages at the action.

"Is this okay?", you asked looking up at him through your eyelashes. Eyes flitting between his eyes and his lips. Shohei noticed the action and wrapped his arms around your torso, bringing you impossibly closer to him, he needs to feel you, he needs to feel your skin on his, your breath on his skin, your lips on his.

"Yes", he replied as he carefully places one of his hand on the back of your head. Slowly inching towards your lips.

"Is this also okay?", he asked lips almost touching yours as he spoke. You didn't waste your time and finally have your lips meet in a sweet embrace that slowly deepened into a dance of lips flitting at each other. The kiss was sweet and sensual, just like him, you think. The kiss was everything the both of you have hoped for. A kiss that says everything and a kiss that seals everything. You finally break away from each other to catch your breath, but lips still touching each other, exhanging breathes, panting on each other's lips.

"Thank you for being patient with me. I love you." You said to him, lips touching his as you speak. He gives you a long peck.

"I'll be here always waiting for you, I love you too. I love you." He utters to you sweetly, saying the last part in his native tongue. Conveying all the love he has in those words. He hopes that you can feel his sincerity, if not then he'll just have to show it to you every time until you can feel it.

Truly, spring has come and bloomed love both to you and Shohei.

A/N: I've been inspired by what the phrase "Spring has come" mean to both Korean and Japanese language ik its not yet spring but yeah I just rlly wanted to write about this. Hope you guys enjoyed it <3

[billskeis]

Heyy I thought of this and its kinda weirdly specific so sorry if its weird

a fluff where reader (fem) had an 'almond mom' growing up and bill finds out she never tried any fast food and fizzy drinks so he takes her to a Mcdonalds drive through and she tries everything and really likes it and idk what else but something along these lines?

ily btw💗

ᡣ𐭩 macky’s feast endeavours

you’ve never been one to indulge into the many delicacies of food. it was always kept pretty simple, pretty plain, and most importantly; pretty small. your mom was an extreme one who’d instil the emphasis of portion control and nutritional value, none of that fast food junk. oh god no.

now it wasn’t like you totally had the worst relationship with food. you just ate it to, eat it. simply curve the natural instincts of hunger and then go on with your day.

bill had no knowledge of it, but he did have some suspicions. whenever you guys were to go out to eat and grab food with either the band or just the two of you, you never ordered anything too exquisite, too loaded. small portions, barely any flavours, and it mostly consisted of greens. at this point, he was convinced that you were some rabbit.

so to his obvious surprise, when he asked you, “have you ever had a mcdouble, like, ever in your life?” and you shook your head no, his chin for real dropped to the ground. you had to explain to him that because of your upbringings, you were never really privileged with the so-called delicacies of sugary sweets and treats of fizzy sodas and a simple cheeseburger.

“oh no.. oh nonono i gotta take you right now—it’s the best thing ever!!” he exclaims while dragging you on your feet, beelining for the car. by the way, it’s 2am

you’ve never seen him so excited before, the whole car ride and i swear i mean the WHOLE car ride, bill was nonstop ranting about the menu and the millions of things that you two can try together. you can’t help but smile, he’s so cute. the pitch of his voice gets all high and squeaky. and he speaks fast, almost too fast that you as him to slow down, to which he finds himself becoming bashful over how passionate he is about mcdonalds.

pulling into the drive-thru, you stare at the enlarged kiosk of the mcdonalds menu, “do you know what you want to order? did i explain everything? oh, that’s what you want? wait—no, that one? fuck it i’ll just get everything!!”

you were indecisive, overwhelmed with the many varieties of what could be a burger, what drink to get, a soda or a milkshake? ooooh what about a side? chicken nuggets or fries?

bill on the other hand, knew exactly what to order. for him, a mcdonalds connoisseur, he gets a big mac, specifically six chicken nuggets, and a vanilla milkshake. classic, you thought to yourself. while passing through the first window to pay, you take out cash to give to bill for your portion of the food, he immediately holds his hand over yours, squeezing it.

“y/n, my treat. i want your first time to be memorable. ‘m the one who took you out, so let me pay, please? also, so you’re definitely the only person i’d do this for, don’t tell tom, okay?” you couldn’t fight back since he asked so politely. and knowing bill, he’d never make you pay. later, you’ll think of a way to repay him the favour.

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

sitting on the curb of the parking lot, the two of you sat beside one another as bill began to pull out the food items one-by-one from their signature paper bag. the scent of the food wafts as he passes you a cheeseburger, you’re already salivating at the mouth, impatient to try it.

“smells good right? enjoy!” you open the carton to reveal a small burger, the bun almost perfect. bill places a beverage to the side of you, “cola! a classic, thought you’d like it for sure,” “thank you billy.. i really appreciate you doin’ this f’me.”

he shakes his head but smiles, “how could i not?? my best friend deserves this! no hate to your mom, but she was definitely punishing you by hiding this.. y’kno, i get sooo much mcdonalds, like, everyday, even more than that fatty tom! my grandma calls me macky ☺️,” he nods his head in approval to that nickname, how adorable. you think it fits him quite well.

awaiting, bill watches as you begin to take a bite of the burger. flavour runs over your tongue as you’ve felt like you just consumed ambrosia. your tastebuds are dancing, very joyous indeed. your eyes widen and you physically gasp with food in your mouth as you look at bill. there’s a glint in your eyes but his shines brighter to see such a positive reaction out of you.

it makes him happy to know that he could be there to see you enjoy what he loves. you end up taking more consecutive bites out of the burger until it was completely gone. scarfing it down, you chew, no words shared between the two of you as you both muck on what’s now become one of your favourite foods.

who knows? maybe this could become a daily thing, pray for your wallets, “oh my god.. this is so fucking good!?” “i know right??—oh wait, there’s a little sumn’ on your face..”

bill reaches out his hand to swipe away at the sauce that’s stuck on the corner of your mouth. seems as though you lost control of how messily you were eating that there was food on your face.

his touch was soft, gentle. as he uses his thumb to clean you off, he brings it into his mouth to lick off the remains as if it were nothing. you stare at him in shock, mouth, again, full of food as you were stunned and in no way capable of speaking. that was so, action forward. a heat transforms on your face as bill stares at you, innocently confused.

“what?” he asks, eyebrows a little furrowed as you lack a response. then, the realization hit him. what he did, was in fact, veryyyy intimate. hiding his face in his hands, he feels like he wants to scream. you notice his ears burning a vibrant pink, as he taps his feet in embarrassment.

he peeks at you through his fingers, “sorry! it was just instinct, i-i didn’t mean to, uh, do that..” he struggles to hold eye contact with you, putting a chicken nugget in his mouth.

giggling at him, you take a sip from your large coca cola, smiling with the straw between your teeth. putting the cup down on the ground, you lean in to place a small kiss on bill’s cheek “it’s okay, thank you billy, really, the food was amazing,” waiting for his reaction, he sits there still as a statue, until immediately slapping a hand onto the cheek you kissed him.

“you’re blushing, bill,”

“shut up before i eat all your food.”

nomnomnom , good eats .. ily 2 anon

keis makes an appearance once more !! how many more until she quits :p jk i’m just overly consumed by work

[dropoutfailure]

ok, enough wholesome dadson. time to sexualize terrible fathers. (cw for: dadson incest + FtM son POV + transphobia / misgendering / fetishizing / forcemasc)

transphobic dad: doesn't approve of you transitioning or taking T, but isn't stopping you and doesn't seem turned off by the changes, even after you pass consistently as a man. doesn't know how T even works, always lowkey curious about the changes. he does like that you're so much hornier on T and don't even have periods anymore. tugs at your facial hair (ow? wtf :/) and goes "huh? it's real? I thought you drew it on every morning!" with a hearty laugh. dad joke? he might have actually thought so. backhanded praise, mean jokes at your expense, and moments where he genders you correctly, by accident.

thought you would eventually change your mind and give up transitioning "when you realise that being a man is hard," as if he's not the one making it hard. he might actually think of you as a son at some point, but he was never taught to apologize, he's "always right," he's stubborn, so he will keep calling you a daughter because a father can't show weakness. wants to call you homophobic slurs sooo bad, but that would be admitting defeat.

gets angry when you bring up surgery bc he likes to squeeze your tits and fuck your pussy. won't do any anal because it's gay. and clearly, he's isn't, he says. definitely closeted.

trans boy chaser dad: for better or for worse, only took an interest in your life when he found out you're a trans guy, fixed his relationship with you by treating you more like a date than as his son.

excited, touchy-feely, even creepy. eager to please. just pathetically horny for the way your body's changing from T - he won't misgender you. you get aggressively reaffirmed to the point of it getting annoyingly patronizing actually. regardless, he fucks you hard, encouraging you to moan with your cracking voice, and is too horny to feel bad about the incest. it's a welcome change from the previous emotional distance, but you feel used, like he's taking advantage of your newly high libido.

fixated on your body and everything "clockable," would rather you didn't get any surgery... says you're already perfect as is, from just testosterone... it does feel nice that he takes some sort of pride in having a son now, fully embracing you, the way he finds even all the awkward changes (sparse facial hair, voice cracks etc) not just endearing, not just attractive, but really fucking hot. and it's a relief for your body which craves that release. but. dad might just completely lose interest a few years into T, if you pass consistently.

bisexual, he says. but of course not into cis men.

transmed dad: thinks he knows what's best for your body, forcemascs you in his own ideals, pushing you to work hard to speed up your transition, to become a "real" man. you were so happy that dad accepted you being a trans guy so wholeheartedly and proudly, but the acceptance seems to have turned into overbearing surveillance...

dad insists on doing your T injections himself, because he doesn't trust that you'll actually do them. "no son of mine will be a fucking embarrassing softboy pansy who never transitions for real, have some dignity, god damn it! either you transition fully or you don't transition at all!" ...he pushes you to consider top and bottom surgery asap, to become a "real man," regardless of what you might want. he very excitedly looks forward to the day you can top him with your real cock, like a son should. :)

he makes you like anal because that's how real men do it. you're absolutely not allowed to derive any pleasure from anywhere but your ass and T-dick, and the phantom sensation of a strapon. he's good at working your T-dick though, it's all almost worth it just for that...

love, validation, and praise only when you've "earned it." if you fail to live up to his strict expectations, the things he says fucking hurt. misgenders you as punishment and threatens to withhold your testosterone "since you want to stay a girl so bad."

......

so, all of these options leave you feeling unsatisfied and degraded in one way or another!! yippee! no, there's no option for a Normal About Trans Men And Masculinity Dad, this is the Terrible Fathers dadson poll. you must choose.

[pureforestspirits]

➛ IF THE ATWOW CHARACTERS HAD TUMBLR

featuring! tsireya, lo’ak, neteyam, kiri, ao’nung, rotxo!

just for fun. i couldn’t decide if i wanted to make this a human au, or keep them na’vi… so it’s a mix of both!

TSIREYA - @reefprincessreya 𓇼

she has the most beautiful, aesthetically-pleasing layout you’ll ever see.

username: “reef” because she loves the sea (duh), and “princess” because it’s really pretty + feminine, and she literally is a reef princess after all. finally, her cute nickname “reya”, where the alliteration makes her url extra catchy !

her bio would totally have some beautiful quote.. like, “the way of water has no beginning and no end.” ;)

tsireya does it alllllll. she has her personal tags that she puts on every post to keep organized, and she’ll spend hours on her new themes.

╭ @reefprincessreya

┆sooo happy! our brothers and sisters have

┆returned today, and i finally saw my spirit sister

┆again! she is healthy and well <3

╰ #reya’s life ˚୨୧⋆｡

unlike the rest, who prefer the more private feel of their blog, tsireya shared hers with all her friends who all consistently use tumblr together!

LO'AK - @yooooitsloak

username: he just typed in the first thing that came to mind. 

lo’ak literally made a tumblr account just because of tsireya. 

it’s almost a ghost blog, but he at least took the time to add a pfp (which is a photo of his fav pair of sneakers). 

lo’ak likes every single one of tsireya’s posts. even if there’s only 1 note; it’s lo’ak. 

(we love a supportive boyfriend)

NETEYAM - @burntouteclipse ✰

neteyam is the ultimate aesthetic, educated and sophisticated king for liking tumblr by himself ✊🏻 (no shade to lolo though). like ‘reya, he also has a clean, aesthetically-pleasing layout, but it’s more masculine.

username: just sounds cool, y’know? he also works his ass off and is “burnt out” after all (perfection and golden-childism ain’t easy), and eclipse is just a time of day neteyam really enjoys where he gets to relax and spend time for himself. 

neteyam doesn’t complain much in real life, or let out a lot of his feelings. tumblr is like his peaceful, personal, private corner where he can speak his mind, which he really appreciates. 

i can see him reblogging and following fashion accounts that he likes, as well as occasionally posting a little ramble. ‘teyam’s page is scattered with some little thoughts and feelings here and there between reblogs of cool streetwear clothing and artistic photos/photography (for human neteyam). 

you’ll see him and tsireya interact with each other on occasion! 

╭ @burntouteclipse

┆ accidentally hit my knee earlier today,

╰  and now i can barely run properly. shit

⠀ ╭ @reefprincessreya

⠀ ┆ oh no! i’m sorry to hear. hope you

⠀ ╰ ➤ will feel better soon, ma ‘eylan! ♥︎

⠀ ╭ @burntouteclipse ☆ Original Poster

⠀ ╰ ➤ thank you tsireya

if there’s a girl he likes, neteyam’ll try and see if she has a tumblr. he’ll eventually find it, and enjoys scrolling through her posts + loves reading her little rambles. but he does it from a distance, and doesn’t interact (you’d never know. he’s the epitome of secret admirer). . .

KIRI - @atokirina333 ❀

username: kiri’s a spiritual gal, what can i say? not to mention, she was named after the atokirina, so it’s perfect. there’s also angel numbers!! ofc!!! ps: this url was taken at first, but she tracked down the person and convinced them to give it to her. somehow. 

unlike neteyam who writes ‘n posts small things sometimes… kiri can rant here. don’t get me wrong, she’s not posting paragraphs, but she definitely lets loose when she wants to.

human kiri posts her plants, her crystals, her music vinyls, the desserts she likes baking, her books and posters, literally anything and everything you’d find in her room because it’s all pretty.

what else would you see on her page? poetry. reblogs of quotes and aesthetic photos, and especially pretty photos of nature (kiri and ‘reya’s tumblrs are similar in this sense)!

she and tsireya reblog each other very often! 

AO'NUNG

"what's tumblr?"

ROTXO - @justrotxo

username: he’s just rotxo! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ though when he first joined, his @ was originally “reefboyrotxo”, but he (jokingly) got called out for copying tsireya, so he changed it.

hm, tbh, i don’t really see him as an avid tumblr user!

i have a headcanon that human rotxo'd be a surfer though, so i feel like he’d probably have 1-2 posts of a beautiful sunset + his surfboard, and like one post of a random thought he had. that’s it. his theme would also be blue/teal. 

i feel like he would’ve gotten tumblr because of his friends, and goes on just to see all of their posts. 

he interacts with/likes the posts of everyone in his circle! :) 

. . .

AO'NUNG (continued)

“what’s tumblr?”

it’s a social media app. your sister likes using it.

“oh, ok. whatever.”

neteyam sully uses it too. oh, and his brother lo’ak.

ao’nung is already intrigued at neteyam, but when he hears lo’ak is on there? oh boy.

he immediately signs up, and then gets all of his friends to as well.

soon, lo’ak is flabbergasted at the sudden flood of random anonymous troll asks he receives on his empty blog. 

ao’nung was going to anonymously send something to ‘teyam as well (obviously not to lo’ak’s extent), but after finding and looking through it… he actually secretly likes neteyam’s blog.

after everyone find out it’s him, he still eventually just keeps his tumblr to continue messing with the sullys, and his sister. popping in with a “DELETE THIS 🔥🔥🔥” to show he’s indeed still there, once every few eclipses. 

╭ @reefprincessreya

╰ ➤ ao’nung. rä’ä.

the end!

╭ @pureforestspirits

┆heyy! thanks so much for reading <3  

┆fun fact: i started writing this in my notes

┆app one day at like 4am. the sleep

┆deprivation was worth it, i think.

┆it was really fun to make LMAO

┆

┆all interactions are muuuch appreciated,

┆since i’m still pretty new to posting. thank u!

╰#✺ ࿐ ۫ 

  6 notes  wink wink

© 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒔.

[dailycass-cain]

Balancing real-life stuff so I couldn't do this over the weekend. So tonight here are my thoughts on Detective Comics #1087 (all of it, main story and side).

Cass's appearance in the main story is brief but still has a great weight around it. There's just something I love of Ram V where every small moment still has overtones to everything that's gone on in his run.

Every side character on this quest Batman has been through gets to shine. It hits me with utter 😄seeing the payoffs occurring in this run that have been built here or throughout other stories. These payoffs are just SOOO good and these aren't even the "end" ones.

For Cass, it's being her and just not giving up. STILL fighting, still honoring the bat symbol, and the legacy of the Batman. Aka reasons why we love this character 101.

ust the way she's introduced in the issue? chef's kiss

That extra added, "Oh they boned and know it." just by the added panel of Cass's eyes narrowing. SOOOOOO good I was little squeeing in gittiness at it. Something that's consistently happening since 2020. 😊

Likewise, you can feel that "ending" coming as Batman readies his schemes, the Orghams entering their's, Gotham too, and of course the twist we all saw coming given last issue with one other party throwing their hand too.

I'm really curious to where this all goes from here on out, and honestly I feel like a broken record but I cannot wait to see the payoffs. Like I know and feel these are all gonna be earned.

Oh sure, we might get a reset on some (Two-Face and Mr. Freeze), but man; Ram V's characterizations of both are leaving an impression on me. Something for me to continue spouting top of my lungs, "This is kino and enjoy the ride." to anyone who hasn't picked it up.

The art by Christian Duce and Stefano Raffaele is just 🔥 with the coloring by Luis Guerrero just stunning too. DC since 2020 has been killing it with the colorists they've got sprinkled throughout their books. Just makes everything the artists draw pop more.

What else can I say of the main story? Other than it just keeps delivering every month. But hey we're getting more kino with Ram V with the New Gods. That's gonna be great and curious to see where he goes with that.

The secondary story is something I've been hoping to see since the character showed up in this run, and that was some Jean-Paul Valley goodness, and not only do we get this here.

We get Dan Watters back on writing him. Oh sure, he couldn't get Nikola back, but hey Francesco Francavilla on it? Oooooh sign me up! Seeing his Cass was a delight at long last.

The story itself is just rooted in SOOO much back lore with Dick and Jean-Paul. You can take it as the perfect case to their history with one another (and it isn't pretty). I'm kind of glad we got this in the story to show this wasn't forgotten.

That this isn't just a united heirs to Bruce working together. There's still some stuff there from past that causes spite and mistrust (aka KnightsEnd).

In that regard, Dick is right to be this way. He's given Jean-Paul multiple passes and well every time Jean-Paul fell back to the conditioning he went through.

But again, Cass being Cass. Her coda is stone. "You can change. You can." Even when she was at the brunt of it too, she still that beacon holding for that hope this is the time Jean-Paul defeats his inner demons for good.

Again, it's a nice balance between the three characters. An actual reason Dick would be no trusting, and Cass being, "TRUST HIM." Given all she's been with Jean-Paul due to No Man's Land. I wasn't expecting this to be remembered on my 2024 comic bingo card.

That's something I wish someone would dig further into. That Cass could be that rock for Jean-Paul, kind of like how Steph is for Jason currently. Or Oynx was for Cass (kind of hoping that this is revisited on when she arrives in BoP) or currently Cass bonding hard with Barda.

Again, layers upon layers here. Why I enjoy this run currently for all of this.

Detective Comics #1087 continues the ride and makes me appreciate this run even more. Like, again this feels different to me. To have Cass entwined to a modern Batman epic?

Oh sure she has sprinkles in Batman runs or past Tec runs. But here? Not just the fan service appearance but characterization and history.

All the reasons why people love this character are all here. Leaving me ☺️🥺every single time I read an issue of this run. I can't wait to have the whole thing collected and just read it all.

Gonna be great.

[disruptivevoib]

I’m not good with questions but

Could you possibly talk about Viscera? I don’t have anything specific but I love the concept that he’s a Whole in a Soul’s place

-🛩️

VISCERA.

Very long ramble under the cut

He is really my most under-spoken-on character here...which is odd because he is by far one of my favorite / more complex ones!

Vis is in his concept, Whole in Soul's place. I think in the album now, he reflects Soul very well in the idea of being the shell. Though this is mainly because Whole isn't really a character and Soul is the implied shell of what we think of as Whole in concept.. The casing, the iron maiden for Mind and Heart to be held within!!! (there is a reason his name was almost Body ig.. thank god CJ reconsidered tho. Body is kinda an awkward name/title.)

Anyways.

Vis is a hollowed out husk of what is supposed to be somebody. Soul is some form of throughline to Mind and Heart. A connector, an adaptor. Viscera is simply not this. He is a vacancy because he is fundamentally nothing. Meant to be someone, torn from his purpose and placed promptly in the spot of what would typically be his identity.

Sooo Viscera struggles to be much of anybody. In this, and through the hundreds of loops he endures due to Astray (Soul as Whole) and his inability to really, of course, be a person when he is meant to just be one facet of someone, Vis remembers everything.

It was a commonly shared idea that Soul is able to choose to remember or forget during loops. Swap Au explores this concept in that Astray explicitly is the reason Judge (Heart as Mind) and Ennui (Mind as Heart) forget alongside himself. Vis, as Whole yet not knowing it, remembers all of this context (though from his own point of view. So he does not know Astray /well/ really. But he feels for him in terms of knowing the panic that comes with having split down to three again.)

Vis is kind and gentle and cares very very much for his thirds, or rather his ids and his Whole as he sees them. He reminds Ennui and Judge of their names and his own every loop, and though things change during loops, and no timeline is entirely consistent, there are throughlines and thus predictability. So he can navigate it just as well.

Viscera is interesting in juxtaposition to Eleutheromania Soul who remembers his loops though Mind and Heart forget just the same. Yet their reactions and handling of the situations are fundamentally different. Though this is due to their roles and the treatment they get in their respective Psyche and by their respective versions of a Whole or Soul.

... But yes. Vis is. deeply longing to be complete in some way. He is unsure always of his emptiness and what might fill it, but never loses this inkling that being Whole is.. what he needs. And in some way, it is and is not that!

He also speaks in intense amounts of prose and roundabout allegories, symbolism, and metaphors. It was more a quirk of his character to make him distinct from how my other's spoke, but I think it also calls to the deeper idea of the way fragmented thoughts put together can be a little outlandish and nonsensical but.. make perfect sense to you in some way. Or something like that.

He also, moves very slowly and takes a lot of time to do things. Like an old window's computer. He needs time to process information!! And I attribute this also to his emptiness and lack of anything but memory as it is all he has in the moment to base what should be his feelings and thoughts on.

^ Though despite that sounding like he cannot feel or think or anything, it is more like trying to make sure he feels like himself? even though realistically Viscera very deeply struggles with that idea. Not that he'd say it ever. Vis is incredibly genuine, though. He does what he can to ensure the safety of others including his ids and they in turn do the same to him.

The Swap Au really makes for a VERY interesting person to look at due to characterization. Someone who is unstable but trying, and through all their struggles remains loving and warm. That is who Astray could be, who Vis essentially is and what Judge and Ennui contribute too.

Also he smells perpetually like citrus. I do not know why but I made it canonical that all four of them have distinct smells to them and the things they summon. Perhaps they are all just very scent oriented.

Also-Also in terms of my other Aus and Sources as a concept for HMS. Of which I can elaborate on ig? if need be! Viscera has no source...................... it is a black voided little pit or hole there instead.

If Soul's source is a star, then Viscera's became a sort of blackhole. I suppose.

[chaoticgalaxycats]

New Perspective by Panic! At The Disco fits Marble Hornets specifically TTA and Brian as characters and I also see no one addressing it or including it in MH playlists and I am completely normal and completely sane so I have an in-depth explanation on how I think certain lyrics fit to certain things In Marble Hornets so here is my shitty broken up analysis on it. I skipped repeats in analyzing every line of the song to try and fit in and I only picked the ones that I had some evidence/headcanons for or I thought tied back enough in a funny way

"I feel the salty waves come in

I feel them crash against my skin"

TTA has major associations with water

"And I smile as I respire

Because I know they'll never win"

"Wipe that stupid smile off your face!" -Alex Kralie

"There's a haze above my TV

That changes everything I see"

Can't remember what video but TTA used a TV is some of their entries

"And maybe if I continue watching

I'll lose the traits that worry me"

TTA assocation with eyes and watching

“Stop there, and let me correct it

I wanna live a life from a new perspective”

Seeing things or events of what occurred in Marble Hornets in a different lense

"You come along because I love your face"

I love your face could be referenced to the masks they wear it could also be interpreted through the perspective of Brian saying this affectionately to Tim referring to when Tim where's the mask

“And I'll admire your expensive taste”

Spending so much on tapes is a lot of money sooo

“And who cares? Divine intervention” This could be referring to when Alex is saved by the Operator 

"But leaving now would be a good idea

So catch me up on getting out of here"

This could be related to how often Hoody runs from Jay or Alex or Tim being distant when helping out to the Ark or Jay and then eventually just leaving due not remembering (pulling from a Night Minds interpretation as it feels like it makes sense that the operator would just erase people's memories so Alex wouldn't have more people after him) 

"We move along with some new passion

Knowing everything is fine (everything is fine)" 

"Everything is fine" being the Final quote of the series or the other one "Everything is normal, everything is fine, I worry about nothing, because nothing is on my mind" 

“And I would wait and watch the hours”

Imagine how many hours TTA spent watching everyone's everymove that's what this line could relate to they could wait and watch for as long as it takes to take down Alex

“Fall in a hundred separate lines”

Brian died by falling and it probably plays on repeat to him mentally as he travels in mind

“But I regain repose

And wonder how I ended up inside (up inside)"

Wonder how Brian ended up inside the Ark (reference to comic)

"More to the point, I need to show

How much I can come and go

Other plans fell through

And put a heavy load on you, I know"

Okay so I have two interpretations of this line when putting it in the context of me relating it to Marble Hornets in some way So interpretation 1: Brian's guilt he feels for all the help and warnings he made we're in vain and this is his feelings towards mostly Tim and possibly Jay Or interpretation two this is from the perspective of the third member of TTA (haha like new perspective get it because I'm so funny and you're to late into this poorly written lyrical analysis to back out now) anyways in the Entry Isolation Brian/Hoody asks "where is he? And with eyeballs accompanying it The eyes are something that tend to be associated with the third member (I'm taking this from Night Minds video yes)

"There's no more that need be said

When I'm inching through your bed

Take a look around instead and watch me go"

Idk watching people sleep is something that they tend to do a lot sooooo

"It's not fair, just let me perfect it

Don't wanna live a life that is comprehensive"

It's been so long that being comprehensive or having a clear consistent existence is no longer a viable option for most people who are involved in general to be honest

[jayflrt]

i LOVE sunoo don't get me wrong, but i just need to know how he got 1st in the global rankings every vote. he deserves it but i don't remember him getting a lot of screen time! i thought someone like heeseung would be more popular

okay wait i'll give u my take on this as someone whose first iland bias was sunoo 🫣

1. right off the bat in the first episode sunoo was super cheerful and entertaining during everyone's unit entrance performances. and i personally think crown unit did the best and sunoo rlly stole the show with his expressions and vocals

2. he is so CUTE like everything he did was so charming. he was def popular with the korean fans because they love aegyo but i feel like sunoo's one of those idols who can make aegyo not feel cringe for international fans LOL also even when he was in ground he was so funny and lighthearted while still working hard and being competitive. there was this one scene of him complaining about not having much time in the center for a performance so he literally spent all his time in front of the camera perfecting that move and entertaining the viewers which was a rlly smart move

3. i heard this from addy but apparently he blew up for his visuals before iland started when they released the profiles and stuff :') BUT he didn't let anyone write him off as someone who could by with visuals and was consistently in the debut lineup even with the producers, and eventually was the producer's pick to be in enha

4. on that note his singing was sooo good like not many ilanders could hit clean high notes but sunoo was always really good with that. and he's confident about his skills too like when one of the grounders was like "who can even hit those high notes?" for save me and sunoo so casually just went "me" 😭

5. he's surprisingly a very good leader and decision maker. all of his picks for chamber 5 were all calculated, like he didn't just go for people who were consistently ranked high. and he had some sixth sense about sunghoon showing another side during chamber 5 and he fr did 😭😭 not to mention all the chamber 5 unit members debuted 🤭

[orchidofthevclley]

Helloooo! It's been a while... lol.

I haven't written on here for some years now (I only wrote like 1 fic... BUT STILL LOL), but I had an interesting idea for a fic, or maybe a series, that I wanted to see if anyone would be willing to read! I want it to include the following:

I want it to be a Royalty AU, where the fem!reader and male!character are in an arranged marriage/marriage of convenience. I want it to be a sweet, maybe slightly angsty slow burn kind of story.

I know there are probably sooo many fics like this out there, but I love the concept so much!

I wrote a preview/snippet of the story that you can read below! Also found below are some characters I'm considering as the male!character in the story! I would appreciate if you could vote who you'd like for me to center this on!

Side note: I'm planning on making major changes to my masterlist, so if you want to take a look at that, please note that I probably won't write for most of those characters, and will be adding to it soon! I'll post once I've updated it!

Additionally, my schedule is quite busy and unpredictable, so my updates won't be that consistent. I would be so appreciative if you guys could be patient with me as I work out times to update the story consistently.

You can read the preview below:

The clouds wept from the sky above, a cool, delicate breeze engulfing the air like a comforting embrace. Thunder echoed, and lightning brightened and awakened the gloomy atmosphere—a complete opposite depiction of the emotions within his heart at that moment.

There she was, spinning and dancing amongst the rain and clouds as she unintentionally pulled its grace towards her like a magnet. And perhaps he was imagining it, but he swears there was an angelic halo above her head, and a glow from the heavens itself kissing her soft skin.

She was beautiful. She was a treasure worthy of being protected.

She was the embodiment of perfection; the kind of woman found in the most blissful dreams and fairytales.

And she was his. His wife; his forever partner. The one whom he can admire each day and love.

Love.

Love... from afar.

Because the moment she notices him, the walls will reconstruct themselves, The dancing will halt, and the once happy, tranquil expression she carried will return to her usual shy, weary one.

And he will, once again, have to control his heart, body, and soul from crossing the boundaries between them. He swears to wait for her to love him, even if it's a fraction of how much he loves her. Even if he must wait for an eternity, or until their last breaths.

After all, their relationship was one crafted out of necessity, a bond of convenience that benefitted everyone but them. A marriage seen by the eyes of the law and the public, but cold within the confines of their home.

He was never supposed to fall in love with her. He promised he wouldn't; swore he would treat her right, but also maintain his distance. Everything was going so well.

Until it wasn't.

She made it impossible not to fall in love.

So, for the time being, until the tides turn in his favor, he will continue to watch her from afar. He will guard his heart and his feelings until she comes to him. And if the graces are in his favor, he will wait for her to utter those three magical words to him, so that he also may express his truth to her.

Please vote a character in the poll above! Also, I would love to read any of your feedback, suggestions, and/or comments!

[delicatesoundofthunderr]

Lock up~ Chapter 5

{Charles Leclerc x Reader}

SOOO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING MORE I SWEAR ILL TRY TO BE MORE CONSISTENT

•••

Post Italian GP

Y/N POV

My festivities were cut short because I was really tired, and my head was buzzing. I was going to walk back to my hotel room, which was also a great time for me to think this race over.

On my way, the streets were peaceful until I heard a rustling in a nearby alley. I instantly envisioned the worst. What could be hiding in there?

My heart started to quicken in my chest as curiosity got the best of me and I approached the sound carefully. I could make out the sound of... A meow?

I fastened my pace and sure enough, a cat was waiting there for me. It meowed loudly, almost smiling as it rubbed itself on me.

The cat was probably nearing adulthood, and was a bright orange. A little white spot under its chin was the only thing keeping the coat from a perfect amber colour.

" Well aren't you cute!" I say to the cat, lifting it in my arms.

The cat only purred and closed its eyes. No collar on the cat... Surely I could keep it? A little gift from Italy for winning the race!

" Oh my god I know what your name's gonna be. Monza!" I declared with a huge smile.

The cat meowed contently. I put him down, and suddenly Monza was following me. We both walked to my hotel, and when we arrived there i looked into my fridge to get something to eat. Mozzarella sticks would do the trick.

But, as soon as i opened one up, Monza looked at me with the biggest puppy eyes. I caved in and gave him some. He ate the thing up in half a second and purred.

"Monza likes Mozzarella apparently..." I giggle, my eyes bright.

•••

@yn.rb

Found this little guy on the side of the street... Welcome home, Monza 😊

@rm.reve: Aww!!

@F1.Drama: Max was so cute for giving you that win girl <3 true love!

@vmp.fr: Undeserved win tbh

@kyle.m: Yall think Max braked extra earlier on purpose?

-> @vmp.fr: 100%

-> @f1.4ever: for sure 😂

I was fucking fuming at the comments. I was gonna confront Max at the next Grand Prix. I went to bed with 100 emotions, hoping no nightmares would occur tonight.

•••

Present - France GP

Monza was now following you everywhere you went. It was very cute, but kind of sad when he tried to leave with you to go to the French Grand Prix. 

You did a last checkup of everything you needed and went to the door. Monza wasn't there anymore, so you took the opportunity to quickly leave before he came back.

You arrived at the track a bit later than usual, so most of the drivers were already there. You went into the garage and waved at your team with a smile.

Free Practices were coming up, so you had to get your head in the game and check the tests you were going to run in that session. You dropped your bags and sat down at the computer.

•••

Charles was feeling Ferrari's pressure more than ever, and he felt like being rude to everyone today. Even Carlos, who was constantly trying to cheer him up.

He decided to go take a walk to clear his head.

He was so immersed in his own thoughts that he almost tripped over something orange. Orange?

He look down and saw a cat. What the hell was it doing here?

"Wait... Is that not Y/N's cat?" thought Charles.

She kept posting it on social media... The little spot under the chin, how could it not be hers?

He decided to pick the rather small cat up, because it's a very dangerous place for an animal to be in.

The cat immediately clung onto Charles' shoulder and snuggled his head in the Monégasque's neck. He chuckled softly.

Leclerc decided to head to the RedBull garage to see if Y/N was searching for Monza. With one hand over the cat's back, he head off.

A lot of mechanics were staring at the Ferrari driver walking right outside their garage with a cat on his shoulder.

You finally appeared around a corner.

You looked at Charles with a puzzled expression, then a shocked one when you saw the cat that was now half sleeping on him.

" What?? What are you doing here..." you say, talking to the cat more than him.

"I found him near the pitlane and I thought it'd be safer to bring him back to you." Leclerc explains.

" Thank you so much I'm so sorry I don't- I don't even know how he got here." You say, bewildered.

You then reach out to take the sleepy kitty, but when you pull he doesn't budge. Monza's claws are deep into Charles' race suit, and you have trouble removing Monza from him.

" Oh my fucking god you don't even know him." You scold Monza, still tugging at the peaceful cat.

" Here, let me." Charles starts.

" Oh like it's gonna work with you." You say rolling your eyes.

He ignores you and pulls on the cat. His claws only tightened their grip and he didn't want to hurt the cat, so he stopped and looked at you.

You sighed.

" Come with me, I have string cheese in my room. And close your eyes, Ferrari boy. You're not supposed to be seeing all of this," you say, leading him by the hand because of his closed eyes.

You guys arrive there and Charles' hand lingers in yours. He closes the door behind you guys. You don't question it and instead head for the mini fridge.

As soon as you open the string cheese, Monza is on the ground, purring happily.

Leclerc can't help but laugh.

You smiled a bit, only just remembering the sound of his genuine laughter.

" He's a silly guy. Found him on the side of the street and he loves Mozzarella."

When Monza is done with the cheese, he's instantly back to Charles' feet. He chuckles and pets him. A heavy silence had seized the room, and it seemed to be bouncing off the walls by how loud it was. Charles puts an end to it.

" It's not a good idea." He suddenly looks up at you.

" What?"

" You and Max. And you know it." He says accusingly.

" It's none of your business. I like Max and he likes me. I'm not gonna stop myself from dating someone just because we're both drivers." You say half truthfully.

Charles stares at you intently, a tint of darkness in his usual bright eyes.

" It's not healthy."

"It's not your problem."

Charles looks at you one more time before opening the door, and he looks back over his shoulder.

" It won't end well. You know it." he seriously states, shutting your door and leaving.

•••

[were-wolverine]

percy jackson ep2 live reaction

annabeth being a little creep i love her

fun fact i learned at the pjo NYCC panel: the most grueling part of the show production was making the camp half-blood shirts. they all had to be a specific shade of orange and there had to be a LOT cuz all the campers wear them consistently

very much angsty tween energy

ITS SOOO PRETTYYYYYYYYYY

i love the big house’s design

grover’s little *clop clop clop* hehe

“your highness” book!percy wouldn’t be caught dead saying that shit but it’s still funny cuz i KNOW as soon as he learns more abt the gods all that respect is out the window. book!percy is just a little asshole from the start

Mr D is fucking perfect casting

godDAMN chiron is tall asf

also i fr did not know brunner was pronounced like that

mr d actually being kinda nice to grover??

ITS SO COOL I WANNA GO TO CAMP THERE

riptide my bbg

i need a close up of the inside and outside of all the cabins immediately

Hermes cabin 💪💪💪

there’s a fire pit IN the cabin?? that seems like a hazard. but also magic and it’s fucking cool so

the complete non-reaction to percy’s introduction now vs how people will eventually react to hearing his name is kinda wild

they really did not give this poor boy any time to grieve his mom huh

LUKE

poor percy, his first reaction to being approached is to be defensive :(

CHB necklace!!!!

o shit that scared me. hello wood nymph. is this his mom??? idk how satyrs are born

the tiger shirt 💀

LIKE AN OLD BANANA HGHDGDGDGD

grover :( ur a good friend bb

dream time woooooo. OH THE VOICE IS KRONOS i forgor

“glory” ok nerd

luke really has a whole posse following him around lmao

IS THAT THE LESBIAN FLAG ON CLARISSE’S NECKLACE???

nvm they all have them in that order….

i love that percy has just had that leather necklace from the very start of the show. in preparation for the camp beads :,)

aaaaaaaa a character in a wheelchair that’s so cool!!!!!

no one’s even gonna show him how to use the bow???

this boy is gonna destroy the camp i love him

BRO DID NOT GET THE JOKE AND I FEEL SO SEEN. YES THERES A GREEK GOD OF DISAPPOINTMENT

oh my god i’m gonna cry. percy praying to sally is my favorite change they made in the whole show

“like, real friends” crying luke how dare you betray this sweet darling boy

YOU TELL HIM PERCY!! get his ass

“hey guys! 😃 🤚 can’t sleep huh?” ilysm percy

“do you think you’re special?” oh boy clarisse do you have a big surprise coming. also percy didn’t even tell anyone abt the minotaur that was grover

okay i liked this cgi way better than nancy bobofit’s takedown

annabeth stalker behavior i love you. SHE ADMITS IT TOO I LOVE HERRRE

“annabeth sees the world differently” yeah she’s autistic with a genius iq

sobbing. “she’s my little sister”. pain. the betrayal is gonna hurt so much more

th-alia ??? hm

“until zeus broke the pact” hades, hiding his kids from the 1940s in the lotus hotel: yeah zeus was the one to break it first, obviously

i can’t wait to see who they cast as thalia

“let it rip” i see what you did there 👀 my mind went right to beyblade tho lol

their shields lowkey look like the nightwing symbol :3

SUNSHINE ADDSHFJFHDG

god this set is so fucking cool

cringefail loserboy rizz

THE HAT!!!!!!!!!!!

“he’ll be ready, i know it” *cuts to percy flossing* i love this dumbass so much

lizard :D

exceptional depiction of adhd ty rick

bro really just gave away the location of the flag with no hesitation lol

OH SHIT THAT WAS COOL! the roll into picking up the shield? smooth asf!!!

how tf did the spear even break isn’t it made of like magic metal

she really used him as bait lmao. *pushes him into the water* she’s just testing a hypothesis!!

holy shit the cabin is so cool. kinda spooky tho. i hate to say it but i like the movie version better

“what 😃”

damn they really just blame everything on hades huh. poor guy. i’d hate my siblings too if they gave me a shitty job and made me the scapegoat for a bunch of stuff

why tf is chiron wearing a suit. why.

“i’m sally jackson’s son” YES YOU ARE KING

grover you’re the best ily. chiron you’re giving way too much dumbledore energy i hate it

[duplicitywrites]

Cindle (@cindle-writes) is someone I cannot say enough lovely things about! I want to give a special thank you to Cindle for all of her amazing Mutuals March posts with this shoutout dedicated especially to her. 💜

I think it's safe to say Cindle has quickly established herself as a pillar of the Tomarrymort community, whether it be to cheerlead, beta, or simply enable those in our little corner of fandom. Not only that, Cindle consistently writes some of the most amazing fics in a wide range of characters, ships, and tropes -- providing us with delicious smut that often includes an amazing plot twist as the cherry on top!

Long story short, Cindle never ceases to amaze me with her dedication to this fandom, both as a talented author and a supportive friend. Her enthusiasm makes this space a better one!

Cindle, thank you for all that you do! We appreciate you so very much. 💜🛐 To celebrate you, here are a few favourite works of yours chosen by some of your friends!

☪ complete (Tom / Harry) E | 8.7k | Complete | Underage

Everything about this fic is perfect! There are so many yummy angst pieces of young Tom’s sad orphan backstory that are reflected in his (manipulative) interactions with Harry, and it meshes so beautifully with Harry's initial polite treatment of him as they get to know each other. Of course, the 'strangers' aspect speedruns right into 'lovers' once Harry realizes his newly-adopted baby Dark Lord is actually an omega. The ensuing smut is 👏🏼🥵🔥💯😈 !! I go absolutely feral for this dynamic and this fic delivers on every count.

☪ dawn of a death of a dream (Tom / Harry) E | 53.8k | On-Going | No Archive Warnings Apply

This story demonstrates just how patient a young Tom Riddle was when it came to achieving his goals, and I just love how even with Harry being so certain Tom manages to capture him in his own messy web. We get mind games between enemies who often forget they are enemies, and allow their positive feelings for each other to shine through in a bid to trap the other using their intimate relationship. So fun & silly & WAIT WHAT?? 💜💜💜 ( this blurb written by Apples! 🍎)

☪ Everything Green Is Gold (Tom / Harry) E | 21.3k | On-Going | Underage

BABY HARRY BELOVED! Professor Riddle takes first year Harry under his wing and teaches him sooo many things 😏🍆. Cindle really outdid herself on this story -- Tom is super manipulative with everything he does, but he is also so attentive with Harry in the process that even though we know what's happening, we're liable to... forget. Just a little 🤏. A million kudos for such a hot and realistic depiction 🔥!!

☪ in bad faith (Voldemort / Harry, Cedric / Harry) E | 2.9k | Complete | Non-Con, Underage

This fic builds on an already fantastic premise -- an AU of GoF where Voldemort captures Cedric (and Harry!) -- and expands it to include even more angst! The smut is delicious and the plot twist at the end had me going insane. Without spoiling too much, I will say I love the aspects of the original dynamic surrounding Cedric, Harry, and Voldemort that are incorporated into this glorious mindfuck continuation.

☪ i’ve missed you, my boy (Tom / Harry) E | 1.9k | Complete | Underage

One of the BEST plot twists I have ever read! Harry’s complex relationship with Voldemort is done so well in this post-war AU. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the reread value of this fic is incredible -- in the brief span of a few thousand words, we get so much character insight and build up to a truly incredible reveal. It is a delight going back and picking out all the details that lends to just how deeply messed up and multilayered this relationship is!

☪ last rites (Scarcrux / Harry) E | 5.1k | Complete | Major Character Death

Such a HOT fic. Scarcrux knows all of Harry's deepest, darkest secrets -- including just how he likes to get off. Watching Harry's resistance crumble in the face of Tom's careful seduction is one of my favourite dynamics in this ship! And BOTTOM TOM is the whipped cream hat on this perfect PWP parfait. 💜🔥 We deserve more fics like this one, where Tom gets what he wants!

☪ the dark passenger (Al / Harry, Tom / Harry) E | 5k | Complete | Non-Con, Underage

Cindle's next-gen writing is a huge part of why I have any interest at all in those characters, and this story is a great example of why! In this fic, we navigate Al's co-dependent relationship with Harry as his loving father and (though he doesn't know it!) his fated enemy. The merging of Al and Tom's personalities is so well done and elevates both ship aspects of the story, as well as seeing Harry through the lens of Al-with-Tom, in such a unique way!

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

i love you expanding on the zenin’s & megumi’s dynamic because like — there had to be so much more than gojo just getting megumi. it had to involve more politics, more manipulation, etc & you added to that.

( i always like that detail about gojo teaching megumi everything from the gojo playbook. like it made me realize that megumi was more gojo than zenin, which probably pissed off the zenin )

what made you expand on the great custody battle between gojo & the zenins for megumi? like the visitation rights? did gojo know how badly megumi was going to be treated? also how would you describe megumi dynamic with each prominent zenin clan member (ex. naoya, mai, naobito, maki.)

I am sooo convinced there’s an entire child custody battle political drama lurking beneath canon but gege denies me

Visitation rights:

The decision that the Zenin clan briefly got visitation rights was a combination of where Gojo was at that point in life and what a sheer, unmitigated shitshow adopting Megumi must have caused.

The thing is that the Zenin and the Gojo clan are established in canon as rivals at best and enemies at worst. Gojo swanning in like "I have discovered the Magic of teenaged fatherhood and want to teach this spunky, angry little dude how to Throw A Baseball. Btw he's zenin and the clan already sort of “”””””purchased”””””” him, meaning they already consider him property even more than they usually do with their kids. i will be keeping him tho. xoxoxoxoxo" must have been insulting to the Zenin. It must have been even more insulting that he could legitmately do that and overpower their entire clan without having to even try. It's bad even if megumi is just like, the run of the mill sorcerer. But he had the most powerful techinque in their bloodline. I legitimately think that Gojo almost started a war when he decided that his boyfriend had dumped him and he needed to immediately adopt a child about it.

The thing is that I think gojo really must have been committing the ultimate taboo for a society he was raised within. Older, traditional mindsets tend to think of children as property, and the clans are established to be almost exclusively self governed. Gojo making a Zenin boy his business would stomp right over that standard. Add in the complication of inherited techniques being viewed as almost a highly treasured clan heirloom within the invidual families, and you have a perfect recipe for the entire world being very very angry at Gojo for doing this.

And the thing is that present-day Gojo would have absolutely told everyone to get fucked, he does what he wants.

But this isn't present-day Gojo. This is seventeen year old Gojo. And he's just coming off three of the biggest failures of his life: 1) Riko's death, 2) Haibara's death and 3) Geto's defection.

Gojo has always been extremely self-assured as a character, but teenagers tend to be a little bit more uncertain and vulnerable than their adult counterparts, and Gojo, again, had just been hit by failure after failure. If there was ever a time in his life where he would have been looking for outside guidance, it was this one.

And the number one most likely candidate to guide him in this was Yaga.

I've talked in other posts about how Principal Yaga's dynamic with Gojo suggests he's not in the inner circle of trust the way that Nanami, Shoko, or even Ijichi is. I've also discussed how I think he compromises too much with the higher ups, why that works with his character but ultimately comes to the detriment of the students, and how he ultimately fails to protect the students in his charge.

The thing is that if Yaga was making the decision, he absolutely would have compromised with the Zenin.

Yaga very consistently is shown to care about the students, but to not protect them. It's also established that the most likely cause of that is the fact that he panders to the higher ups, even if he is more progressively minded than someone like Gakuganji.

In the past arc, geto and gojo have a throwaway line in a conversation about how Yaga's busy campaigning to be principal with the higher ups. we also have him 1) excluded from the people who know about Yuuji's survival, which 2) he later punishes Gojo for, albeit partially because of the disrespect towards Gakuganji and for hiding his survival.

That being said, if I was the principal of a school where my sister school's principal set up my entire first year class to die, i would not be punishing a teacher for disrespecting that man. I would be too busy beating him to death with my bare hands. Good luck trying some shit with my fucking students again you dead fuck.

i would simply not make it as an educator in this world.

Gojo would have had the entire world up in arms at him when he took megumi and refused to give him back. The Zenin, for obvious reasons--but also the higher ups trying to preserve the status quo and the other clans, who want to maintain their ability to rear and keep their children without outside interference. He would have most likely said to give Megumi back entirely, but I don't think Gojo would go for that complete of a surrender of him, especially after Megumi asked him to keep him with Tsumiki and to keep them in a place she could be happy.

But very limited visitation would 1) at least somewhat soothe ruffled feathers, even if they are still furious, 2) give megumi access to information on his technique that he could not possibly get otherwise, and 3) supposedly cause minimal damage, since they only get him for a few days a month and are supposed to love him more than anyone. It's the sort of compromise I could see Yaga pitching in the best possible faith--and it's the sort of compromise that I see blowing up spectacularly, because the Zenin are fucking insane.

When I'm dealing with past versions of characters with very defined personalities, I sort of like to trace in the roots of their present-day selves in any backstory i make for them. Gojo of the present day is completely uncompromising when it comes to protecting his students and their youth. He is not afraid to butt heads with the higher ups and ruffle feathers to do it. So i decided to make that because he compromised when he was seventeen and doing his best, and Megumi paid the price, and he is so, so goddamn sorry for that. He doesn't let Yaga into the inner circle by the time we make it to canon because he was in the inner circle, and taking his advice directly resulted in Gojo's absolute biggest regret, which was letting the Zenin have unsupervised access to Megumi.

I think Gojo as a character is someone who refuses to repeat old mistakes, and what happened when Megumi was a child is something that he won't ever forgive or forget. A part of him still blames Yaga for convincing him to compromise with the Zenin and iced him out by the time we hit canon as a result.

Gojo and Megumi's treatment:

He had absolutely no idea how bad it would be for Megumi.

The thing is that Gojo approached it with the severely biased mindset of someone who thought he knew exactly how Megumi would be treated when he was with the clan, because it was supposed to be how he was treated growing up. The Six Eyes/Limitless user and the Ten Shadows were supposed to be corollaries. Megumi was meant to be to the Zenin what Gojo was to his clan, and if anything, the issue with his clan was that they treasured him too much. Gojo get up as this much beloved, much revered godling who was put on a pedestal and had all the distance of it.

In my mind, the issue with his childhood was that he was indulged to the point of being deprived of actual human connection or intimacy that he didn't truly get until Geto and Shoko.

In Gojo's mind, the biggest danger was that Megumi would be treated with too much reverence and distance, but he was spending the vast majority of the month with his big sister and the teen parenting trio. He would get plenty of normal interaction and intimacy from them. He thought that there would be no one in the Zenin clan who would dare raise a finger against him, because no one would have ever done that to him as a child. He never imagined that the Zenin would be legitimately dangerous to Megumi, and there were a lot of red flags he overlooked when the worst of it was going on because he assumed he already knew what was happening. When this was happening, he was completely burnt out, overwhelmed, mourning more than one friend, and struggling to meet the burden of being the strongest alone. He thought Megumi was acting out because 1) megumi already was getting in fights at school, and he made the mistake of thinking that Megumi was just a stubborn kid going through a sort of angry phase and 2) that Megumi hated them so much because visitation days meant he couldn’t stay with his sister. He didn’t realize that Megumi was fighting so hard to not go on visits because he was legitimately afraid of what the Zenin clan would do to him when he got there. For a lot of reasons that I won’t get into now, Megumi thought that putting up with the abuse was the cost of getting to keep his sister. He asked for help, told them that he didn’t like it at the Zenin compound and didn’t want to go, but he didn’t have the words to really explain what they were doing to him and gojo didn’t understand how bad it was. Megumi read this as “knowing and not caring” and thought the teen parenting trio knew how bad it was and that he just had to suffer through it or they’d take his sister away from him. By the time they realized what was really going on, it had escalated beyond the point of repair. Gojo has a lot of regrets.

Megumi's dynamic:

Naobito: Disturbed.

Naobito was the one who initially purchased Megumi from his father. And if Gojo hadn't had intervened, he would have personally taken Megumi into his household and raised him as the Zenin clan heir. He didn't really give a shit about Megumi until he realized he was the Ten Shadows, and after that, he felt completely entitled to him.

I think Naobito was always sort of insulted by Gojo's existence. He predated Gojo, is the thing, and he's the most powerful character that we know of in the pre-Gojo era other than Yuki Tsukomo, who wasn't an active fighter for the higher ups. As far as we know, he was the strongest until Gojo and Geto came along. Gojo potentially represented an immediate and violent shift of power from the Zenin clan to the Gojo, and it definitely would sting to be upstaged by a literal child.

The Ten Shadows returning to the clan represented a chance to correct that balance again.

If we accept that the Ten Shadows is a technique that can rival the Six Eyes/Limitless user, as well as the idea that the universe introduces “balances” to the birth of beings of power, then we at least have an environment where the Zenin may believe that whoever is next born with the Ten Shadows would be Gojo Satoru’s equal. Considering they value strength above all else, that gives them major incentive to desire the assimilation of whoever has the ten shadows technique into the clan.

But this was made a lot worse by the fact that the last ten shadows died.

The timeline in this is generally:

Second to last ten shadows: the one who got in the duel with the six eyes that gojo discussed in canon (~500 years ago)

Last ten shadows: child that was killed within months of discovering his technique (~200-300 years ago)

Current ten shadows: Megumi.

So they had just come off an overwhelmingly powerful Ten Shadows user, only to hurtle into the shame and humiliation of not being able to protect the next one. I like the idea that the six eyes and the ten shadows tend to pop up at the same time, so that means that the last six eyes got to grow and gain power while the Zenin were still licking their wounds from their heir being offed at a very young age. It’s insult to injury.

In the modern age, Naobito is coming off the humiliation of having been replaced by a literal child as the strongest sorcerer. He’s still harboring the ancestral humiliation of having lost the last ten shadows. And then gojo hits the humiliation of taking the new one right out from under his nose. Naobito bears that humiliation personally, because he’s the clan leader who should have brought Megumi into the fold and didn’t.

As a result, he’s just about obsessed with Megumi. He absolutely refuses to give up on bringing him back into the clan and grooming him to be the perfect, promised heir whose idea he’s been clinging to since before Megumi was even born.

There’s just something about how, in canon, Naobito had a clause in his will locked and loaded to make Megumi heir if anything happened to take gojo out of commission. I think that losing Megumi to gojo was personal to him, and that he’s almost fixated on Megumi as a result.

For his part, Megumi hates him and is a little afraid of him, though he’d never admit it. All of his interactions with the Zenin clan are skewed through the lens of “he was fucking six and just thought they were crazy motherfuckers who were weird about blood.” Megumi legitimately does not understand how important his technique is to them—he thinks they’d be possessive with any inherited technique, and he has sort of explained away any weirdness particular to him as it being because of what went down with gojo.

The Zenin view what they do to him as love. He’s the inheritor of their most treasured technique, and the only good thing toji did was name him blessing. It’s like Maki said—any resistance he has to them is attributed to Gojo’s influence, and they’re banking on overcoming it one day and returning him to the clan. Things like wearing the kimono and being called the ten shadows is a sign of genuine honor for them.

Megumi views it as a constant, persistent humiliation that’s probably just meant to spite gojo. They bought him because they’d buy any kid who inherited a technique, and then gojo saved him, which embarrassed the clan, so they’ve been getting back at him for it ever since. They can’t actually hurt gojo, so they hurt the kid he saved.

He’s dressed up like a doll in the kimono to mock him. Being called the ten shadows isn’t an honor to him—it’s dehumanizing. He has a name and they refuse to call him anything but his technique, which is why they bought him to begin with. From his perspective, it’d be like if you were hired for being Microsoft proficient and your boss refused to call you anything but “excel spreadsheet” because that’s all you were to them.

Naobito is the one who had “custody” of him as a kid in the clan, and he’s the one who called a lot of the shots with how he was treated. Megumi remembers him as the source of some of his most painful moments in childhood, and it’s undercut with this growing fear that Naobito won’t let him go. He’s sort of picked up on how obsessed Naobito is with him, and it scares him even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

Naoya: about as bad as can be.

Megumi really hits all of naoya’s inferiority/superiority complex hard. The thing is that Naoya kind of is sour he didn’t get the ten shadows. He was born right after gojo satoru, to the heir of the clan. He wants to be strong more than anything, and the ten shadows is supposed to be one of the strongest things in the world. Megumi is toji’s son, who he’s got that weird obsession with. And everyone sort of presumes Megumi would be heir if gojo hadn’t stolen him, which is a position Naoya would kill for.

In my mind, Naoya was one of megumis biggest abusers as a child. It made him feel strong to be able to hurt him. It made him feel strong to be able to make Megumi feel weak. His father was obsessed with Megumi, but Naoya was just cruel to him.

Megumi is legitimately terrified of Naoya. There was a time in his life where he genuinely thought Naoya would kill him one day.

Mai: A missed opportunity.

Megumi does remember Maki and Mai. Playing with them was the only good memory he has from that part of his life. He thinks of them as fondly as he can think of anything that happened in that place, and occasionally hopes they're okay, but he doesn’t really think of having a relationship with her ever. That would require going back to the Zenin, and he won’t ever willingly do that.

I’ve talked about how Mai thinks of Megumi in other posts, but he really does occupy a slightly less bitter version of the space Maki occupies in her mind. He was kind to her when no one else was, and it really was something that meant the world to her. There was a time in her life where she wished desperately he would come back and be her friend again. He was the ten shadows and the presumed heir to the clan, and he didn’t let anyone hurt her or Maki and agreed that they could all be friends. He sort of fueled her hope that things would get better one day, and when he went no contact, it sort of crashed her into a realization that it never would.

Maki: potential for growth

Maki turned her back on her entire family so she wouldn’t be crushed down, and that’s not something that didn’t hurt her. She convinced herself she would be absolutely alone for the rest of her life, but it would be fine because she would be strong enough to stand alone. It wouldn’t hurt.

(It did hurt.)

The other first years actually started to pull her back from that. It’s that moment after her talk with Yuuta, where she tells herself that she shouldn’t fall for it and go thinking she’s actually been accepted. She thought she would be alone and suddenly, for the first time, she’s not.

Megumi was a half remembered child she played with one time growing up. He didn’t mean the same to her that he did to Mai, because she didn't consider him a source of hope that things would get better the way that Mai did.

At the beginning of the fic, he was a bit of a sore spot, but not because of anything about him. I tried to very lightly hint that she had a bit of a sore spot around the Ten Shadows because there was a time in her life that people used to think that maybe she'd get it.

From birth, people knew Gojo would be the six eyes and limitless user. I like to think the Ten Shadows is the antithesis of the Six Eyes in almost every possible way, so in my mind, the ten shadows is notoriously hard to spot.

And i think that there is some canon to suggest this. Namely, the fact that they didn't know Megumi would have the ten shadows (or they wouldn't have been waiting to see what technique he had), the fact that megumi's cursed energy aura canonically changes with the shikigami summoned (re: his entire cursed energy output changing when he summoned mahoraga for the first time), and the fact that a huge part of his technique is stealth. With Gojo, you feel him from the other side of the block, but Megumi can be hiding in your own goddamn shadow and you don't know it.

I also like the idea that the Six Eyes and Ten Shadows tend to show up within the same lifetime. So from the second that Gojo Satoru was born, the zenin had an eye on the ten shadows finally returning to the clan once more.

Maki is from a branch of the clan that appears to be pretty high in the zenin clan hierarchy. By the time that she would have been developing a technique, if any, Naoya would have been confirmed as having not gotten it. Maki and Mai were the only other kids in that upper hierarchy that we know of. Canonically, it's implied you don't see curses from birth (if i have the right translation, Gojo at one point asks Megumi if he's started to see them, implying it doesn't happen right away, and when the Zenin buy megumi, they talk about how they think he has potential, implying there's an uncertain period where you don't know if a kid will be able to see curses). The clan probably had a lot of hope for them.

At one point, Kamo mentions that it would have been better if maki or mai had inherited Megumi's techinque, and I like to think that was a shared sentiment. Gojo was seventeen and had already usurped their clan as the strongest. They were getting desperate for the ten shadows to return, and a lot of people looked to maki and Mai for potentially inheriting it. And out of the two of them, Maki is the one that came off as having power (because she did--it was just a heavenly pact). Maki was certain, and confident, and moved like someone strong. People really, really wanted it to be her for a while. When she talks about how her dad used to take her to see the kimono a lot, it's because he was hoping she would wear it one day.

Maki was never jealous of Megumi. She's better off without her family anyway, and she's confident in who she is. But at the start, he was a little bit of a reminder of the sort of fall she had from the Zenin clan's greatest hope to their biggest disappointment. She never held any of it against him, but he reminded her of bad memories and set her on edge.

That turned on a dime while talking with Tsumiki in chapter 5, when she started piecing everything together. And megumi sort of became this chance to heal from old regrets.

Megumi will never be what Mai was to her, but a part of Maki still hasn't healed from leaving mai behind and losing her. Her sister hates her, and probably always will, and maki doesn't regret what she did but she does regret that it blew back on mai. She couldn't stay for mai, but she doesn't have to stay to help Megumi. She's sort of been ushered into a perfect opportunity to protect him from her family the way she could never protect mai, and he already means more to her than she really wants to admit out loud. She genuinely wants to protect him from her family, and a bit part of that is so that way she can finally protect someone from them, instead of just... failing and losing them.

For megumi's part, it's the same as mai--he barely remembers Maki, but he did think of her as the source of the only good memory he had in the clan.

He ran off with Mai, and Maki tracked them both down. He stomped his stupid clan clothes into the mud, and they didn't hurt him for it, not even a little bit. They played together, and playing is something he never had time to do anymore. Mai was the damsel, and Maki was the brave warrior coming to save her, and megumi's dogs played the part of the terrible monsters who had stolen mai away. Maki bullied Megumi into carrying her "swords" for her, and megumi honestly didn't mind, because all people did was make him fight at that stupid compound, and he just was relieved no one was hitting him for once. it was one of the greatest days he can remember from that phase of his life, and Maki has since been one of the only two zenin he missed. He hasn't thought of her in a while. He'd be glad to hear she got out.