#close to the vale

[residentdormouse]

New Story Post

Alright guys, so I'm starting to post this on AO3 to give myself some accountability. Hopefully this will put me back on a writing and posting schedule. Probably won't be as rigid and regular as I had with Spiral and Diving, but dammit, I'm going to try.

'Close to the Vale'

Rating: M. //. Chapter 1 of ??? //. Words: 1,367

Chose not to Use Archive Warnings, cause I'm going to give myself room to discover as I go. Alcoholism/drinking is abundant.

Things are not as they seem in Marsden, Pennsylvania. After personal tragedy, and a few contentious encounters, Faith Lochren found a comfort in being alone at local dive bars and balcony overhangs. Found contentment in ignoring the outside world to live with the echoes of her past. But all things come to an end, and when an out-of-state couple shows up in town searching for their missing brother, she reluctantly agrees to help in their pursuit. Delving into the seedy underbelly of the town once more, Faith and her companions find themselves inserted into a mysterious conspiracy that threatens to change the world as they know it.

If anybody would like to be tag-listed for updates, let me know. I'll be happy to do so.

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Sexiest Podcast Character — Round 8|Ζ (Final Round)

EDIT: Carlos the Scientist is from Welcome to Night Vale.

[mispelled]

Would you guys hate me if I told you I drew most of this before the poll was over

[moonshynecybin]

have you seen this vale watching marc video???!!!

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeKkBQuD/

it's making me insane for some reason. i need to know what's going on inside vale's head in that moment

vale looks like he’s gonna throw up 10/10

[twomystdunstans]

Carlos, KILL.

(vote 4 Carlos here ^^!)

[getvalentined]

Okay, maybe you people do understand the lights above the Arby's.

Goodnight, tumblr. Goodnight.

[djangari]

I have to deal with this and all I get is a headache and a silver medal

~ 1616 words

“Third place? Hmm, do you remember who finished third in 2018?”, Marc jokes to the reporter and laughs as she answers that she doesn’t. “Me neither! So that's it.”

Pecco freezes, while the reporter joins in, and the video eventually restarts. He won’t like that. Hopefully, he will never see this or at least when he is not present- “What are you watching?”

A familiar figure leans over his shoulder and slowly he turns his head to look at his mentor, who suddenly appeared behind him. Whose smug grin got wiped out of his face, as he watches the video. How stupid he was to assume the other would need longer to join him in the trailer, of course he will visit him first to see how he handles the championship fight stress.

Vale laughs too. However, it's more of a pressed, dry, forced sound that is coming out of his mouth. So different from Marquez cheerful, honest sounding laugh.  In this moment, Pecco doesn’t dare to mirror it. Instead, he observes Valentinos mimic, how his eyebrows are pulled together, the wrinkles around his mouth disappeared, his eyes don’t agree with the act he is trying to play.

He taps on the screen, pauses the loop. Silence spreads in the room, while Pecco is waiting for Vale to do something. To speak, to react.

A few seconds go by and Vale hums. “He isn’t wrong. Do you remember who was third in 2008?” Pecco knows that the factually correct answer would be Pedrosa, but in this situation he would never speak it out loud. He rather shakes his head.

“See? Nothing to speak about. Let’s get Bez and eat pasta or something. We need to calm your nerves before your great weekend.” Vale straightens up again, already turning towards the door. “Come on, come on, I’ll pay.” Impatient as always, he already left the room before Pecco could protest.

Pecco quickly gets up from the couch and follows the older man. From behind he can still see the tension in his otherwise relaxed and flowing movements, can see the firm grip he has on his phone.

________

Later, when they finally found Bez and Vale nearly dragged him with them, they are half finished with their meals as Vales phone, which lies next to him on the table, screen clearly visible to everyone nearby, buzzes and lights up with a pop up notice. Vale unlocks it easily with the hand that isn’t holding the fork loaded with pasta and clicks on the message. Another video starts playing, just as Vale puts the fork into his mouth, and Marc’s voice is audible.

“The third place doesn’t matter at all!’

Vale instantly chokes on the noodles and begins coughing. Pecco exchanges a look with Bez and leans over to his left to slap Vale on the back so their mentor maybe would not die because of a meal when he has lived through over twenty years of riding a death machine for fun. Bez reaches him a glass of water, although he mirrors Pecco’s expression of desperation and can absolutely relate to being fed up with his behavior.

Who can blame him? The two of them should be cheering him up, motivating him and giving him the extra power to win. Now he is robbing him of his nerves instead of helping him to concentrate.

 “Who remembers who finished third in 2022 or 2015? I finished third, but no one remembers.”

And it gets worse again… Why did he have to mention 2015 again? Sometimes it seems like he is doing this on purpose- wait no he does. Sadly Pecco, besides to Luca of course, is the one who is mostly present to see Vale‘s reaction. Not Marc. Maybe he would stop if he sees the impact he has on the old man.

… Who is he trying to fool. He would do it even more. Pecco has been around for too long to still denial the painful obvious existence of their weird exhibition kink.

With a small sigh, Pecco reaches over the table and again pauses the video, pauses the sound of Marc’s laughter. Slowly Vale recovers and is able to breathe like a normal human being again. “Nothing to worry about!”, is the first thing he gets out of his mouth.

 Sure. Pecco suppresses the urge to bang his head on the table until he falls into a coma. This would look weird, especially in public. Rumors spread fast in this paddock. The press he would have to face, the mocking he would have to endure from his engineers, it ruins the whole experience. They would eat him alive if he did that, even more if he did it on this particular weekend. So, all he does is to roll his eyes and beg some higher power that this moment would soon be over.

The door falls shut and the whole cafeteria goes silent for a second. Pecco throws a small look over his shoulder, only to freeze in fear.

Anyhow someone heard him up there and decided he needed to feel even more miserable. Loosing the title apparently isn‘t enough. Please, please, please, let him at least not-

„You‘re okay?“ No. No. No. Keep your head up, keep your head up.

„Ah. Of course, of course!“ Suddenly, the relaxed Vale is back again. He can hear the chair scraping on the floor as he leans back. „No need to worry about a guy like me.“ Ok, this has gone surprisingly well- „If you couldn‘t kill me, pasta will never make it.“

Pecco‘s head falls towards the table. God damn it.

A kick against his shin saves him. He tries to kick back, but Bez already caught his glare. With another deep breath, he turns around to face the situation like an adult.

„Ciao“, he greets his future teammate, who is standing on the right side behind his chair. Never in the existence of the universe would he ask how the fuck he got into the cafeteria of the VR46 team, so instead he stays silent and waits for Marc to speak again.

The Spaniard looks relatively comfortable in this situation, or so it seems for outstanders.  For them his bright smile blends them enough to not see the signs. Only if you get close enough you can see the tension in his shoulders, the way he holds his head high up and the inconspicuous foot tapping. Yet something… something in his eyes displays the same kind of hunger he often sees in Vales eyes after an especially good race. His smile just looks a little bit too sharp and too pleased.

„I wanted to come over and wish you luck for the weekend. You will need it.“, he says sweetish and blatantly ignores the indignant glare Vale shoots him. Pecco swallows what lies on his tongue and tries to put on a similar act. „Thanks. Good luck to you too, Enea won‘t give up that third place easily.“ Marc just laughs. „Don‘t know if you already heard it, I don‘t really care about that. Next week we will try out the bike together and that is what matters in the end.“ Pecco hears the threat that lies in those words, fights for his small smile to stay on his face. „Ah right, I am also curious how they have improved the machine for next year.“

He couldn’t have said clearer ˋThis bike was build for me and you need to look how you get along with her.´ A small twitch in his smile indicates Marc understood. „Ah I trust the engineers, I‘m sure it will be a great bike.“  They just stare at each other, playing the act of a friendly talk between soon to be coworkers. It's like time froze.

Someone somewhere in the cafeteria laughs loudly and the tension breaks. “Well, I should go and find Nadia, we need to meet up with Gigi.” Shortly he bowes down to mutter something over Valentinos shoulder, who flinces at the slight touch. “You wouldn’t dare to die before I get my ninth, would you?”

Pecco sees Bez's mouth falling open and how Valentino stiffens up. Marc also notices that and his smile gets even sharper. Lightly his fingertips run over the edges of Vale‘s collarbone, centimeters away from the soft skin of his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, Pecco observes the way Vale now holds the fork, knuckles bright red, fearing he will do something drastic. The question is, would he be able to stop him? Thankfully Marc leaves Vales personal space before something like that could happen.

With a tap on Pecco's shoulder, Marc signals his exit and turns around to walk away. None of them wants to torture themselves so they surely won’t stare after him, watching how he nearly hops out of the cafeteria. Instead, they stare at the table, everyone trying to recover in their own way. Bez continues eating, hoping to forget everything what he just witnessed. Vale damages the cutlery and mumbles some curses under his breath. Pecco, finally, gives in and slowly bangs his head against the table before resting it on the cold surface. Why can’t this weekend just end?

______

Sunday night, when Marc's speech is almost over, Pecco feels his phone vibrating. Quickly, he checks his messages and sees a new one from Bez.

ˋWe need to replace the tv downstairs. He threw a bottle against it and now he doesn’t talk ´

Pecco grabs Domi‘s hand and tries to relax. Someone has to remember him that he needs a soundproof room next year for the case Vale decides to visit Ducati.

[urmomgoodwoman]

[residentdormouse]

AHHHH!!!! THANK YOU!!! I love it!! The ghost hand holding is killing me 😭😭😭

Close to the Vale by @residentdormouse

[residentdormouse]

Find the Words...

... (and the theme)!

Dangerous game you're playing @mrsmungus, tagging me in this. I can hear the train whistles in the distance, and feel the vibration in the tracks... Gotta get my ticket ready, I suppose.

The rules are simple - find a sentence, or excerpt, that includes the words you're given and paste it in, and include a link to the finished story of you want. But honestly, guidelines at best - do what you want.

My words to find: honey, calm, trust, shimmer, darkness, fall, crime, portable, stain, crisp.

(It's not a slam, but I heard honey crisp apples shimmering in the darkness of a calm fall night, and I'm stubbornly sticking with the Autumn theme.)

No Pressure Tags: @imagine-you @cxttlefishcxller @asirensrage @athenswrites (don't feel the need to join in if you don't want, but saw your writblr post, and figured I'd send you one) And of course, sending this right back at you, @mrsmungus. Tag, you're it.

As always - OPEN TAG - if you'd like to join in!

Your words are: White, Cold, Snow, Frost, Ice, Gloves, Hat, Cocoa (or Tea), Blanket, Snuggle/cuddle (or any variation of this)

Excerpts below the cut...

I only have a small amount written ahead for my original story WIP 'Close to the Vale', so most of this will probably still be from the 'Wonderland' fanfiction series ('Something Like a Spiral' and 'Just Keep Diving Down'. I'll give Close first priority though.

Honey: (I was worried about this, but apparently my 'Diving' OC Lauffey has a proclivity for using this word. That said, I also found it in a section that allows me to post 'Fuck off, Flagg' and I can't resist.)

While outwardly charming, maliciousness shown through in the minute details on his face. She should have known this was going to be a big game to him. Cat and mouse, it was his favorite. Fortunately, it seemed like the typical roles were reversed at the moment. "Fuck off, Flagg." "Always so rude. You catch more bees with honey, you know…" If she could have kept all her other memories and just erased him, took away everything about this nightmare of a man, well it would have been a tempting offer. The bubbling anger building up inside her was now a known response to interactions with him. Fear was somewhere close behind, though she wasn’t looking to give him that satisfaction anymore.

Calm: (Two chapters down in 'Close' - Not used in connection with who I thought it would be though...)

"You know him?" The reply was calm and level headed. The same could not be said of the more visible distressed man to his right. "Please. If– If you know anything that could, I mean, anything that help us find—" The picture of another younger man was thrust at her. Same raven hair, same chocolate eyes. Slight differences, but clear relation. Brother most like. He had a striking smile, and she would have been charmed if not for the small tattoo on the inside of his left wrist. Plain as day, just as Paul had said. She may not know this particular man, but she knew where he’d be.

Trust: (found in a short section I wrote for farther ahead in 'Close'. This could potentially change a fair deal. First drafts and all.)

“And you were just going to politely ask me to leave everything. My life? My home?! We were only there to look for you, you know.” “Yeah, I know. Trust me, I fucking know.”

Shimmer: (wow... it's a Flagg day I suppose - pulled this from 'Spiral')

He moved close enough that only inches remained between them, and a chill emanated from his presence. Conflicting to the nature of their conversation, he gently brushed a stray lock of her hair back behind her ear. "I don't need to be your enemy." Despite the chill, his breath was hot against her face, and she braced herself for any attack that followed. But it never came. In a shimmer of smoke, he was gone. Nothing. Emptiness. She let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "But I have no problem filling the role if that's how you want to play the game."

Darkness: (Might as well let him run with it... Another Flagg burst from 'Diving')

She didn't know where it came from, certainly didn't call for it, but sympathy for the man in front of her shook her resolve momentarily. For somebody with a positive nature, lighter memories are going to pull first. Bright memories to shine through. And there was most likely a larger abundance of them. It's what makes them who they are. Flagg was an embodiment of darkness. What must have happened to turn somebody into this? How does one make a monster such as him? What memories haunted him most? This paired with Rayna’s lack of delicacy. Ruthlessness. "I'm sorry."

Fall: (Not the fall I was imagining, but its all 'Close' has so far.)

Once outside the stuffy office, she found herself easily falling in step next to him. Silence dominated the first few feet. To say she didn’t know where to begin was an understatement. When she came here, she hoped to be leaving with these papers, but not under these circumstances. Not through this exact chain of events. That said, she certainly wasn’t complaining about the change in course. Damsel in distress was not her M.O., but if it led her here, it couldn’t be all bad.

Crime: (Not going to lie - very first draft and not even a completed chapter of 'Close' - has the potential to change a LOT. But I did say I was giving this first crack.)

Why wasn't the general public angry? The security cameras picked up a tattoo on the man leaving the building at the estimated time of the crime. A tattoo known to be a mark of the downtown gangbanger shitheads that were a thorn in many sides. A menace in their own backyard. Shouldn't they want a resolution? A safer community?

Portable: (From 'Spiral' again. Flagg is really showing up today...)

Food, drink, frivolity. Everything was planned out thoroughly. The pavilion was decked out with small lights. A portable generator Glen had found was fired up.  But her mind was on her task: Ad Hoc Committee welcome and rundown on the darker agenda. Find out what Larry knew about Flagg, and fill in what blanks she could.

Stain: (Yup, just letting him take it over I suppose... From later in 'Diving' Also snagged a bonus 'shimmer'.)

“It's over now. Do you think anybody here cares about…" her hands waved quickly about him, highlighting his new appearance. "Nobody cares here. Not about that. But that?" Another movement to indicate at her wounds. To the new red stains on her clothing. "That behavior we do care about, and will not be tolerating, do you understand? This is a place of acceptance. All kinds. And we do not fight our own here." A shimmer of bright red flashed over his eyes before it fell to the duller shade. The rigidity in his stance faded away. All outward appearances were reverting back to the carefree persona he usually adopted, as if he were unaffected by the actions surrounding him. Actions from those he surely considered beneath him. But he had shown his cards. He cared. And he hurt.

Crisp: (Well now it just feels weird not having Flagg. Pulled from the last section of 'Diving'.)

Her duster was hanging on the coat rack, and she grabbed it before heading back out. So much for taking a breather from it all, not that she had breath to take. The show must go on; best get back to it before somebody started ad-libbing something she wouldn’t be prepared to say yes to. The night air was crisp on her skin, and she welcomed the cold for a moment. Feeling it on her face was a welcome change from the mornings. Layers upon layers to protect from the hazards of being her. Daytime hours were meant to be her reprieve; she wasn’t built for this nonstop push, but there was little option. Protection was what mattered now. Moving people away, stopping the internal fighting, trying to find what weakness that could be exploited. The thoughts swirled in her head as she walked the dirt path towards the outskirts, but they didn’t have long to sink in. Rumination ended with an explosion, and a burst of light.

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Bonus Poll #6 — Champions

[ray935sworld]

I LOVE THAT VALE'S FIRST POST ABOUT AUSTRIA IS JUST A PHOTO DUMP OF HIS BOYS/ THEM BEING HUGGED/ CUDDLED BY HIM

He knows they are his boys

[moonshynecybin]

marc getting SO emotional after aleix visits him the day he announced his surgery… dying a little

yeah this guy seems regular about how he gets perceived in the paddock. normal.

[mispelled]

"Ooouuuhhhoo but how can I choose between two blorbos" WEAK. draw them fighting.

Anyway vote for Glenn

[kwisatzworld]

Valentino Rossi and Marco Melandri at a party.

[residentdormouse]

🥰🥰 Thank you for the asks @the-magnolia-academy! 🥰🥰

That one thing?

For Faith, that’s the easiest damn question to answer, yet the hardest to discuss. That ‘one thing’ would be the death of her fiancé, Paul Truitt.  Her life was alright before him. Manageable. Floating job to job. Making enough to pay the bills, but not enough to carry stress from work home with her. And if she found she was doing that, then it was time to move on. The situation wasn’t stable by any means, but life didn’t weigh on her. When she met him, though, roots began to set in. Her jobs were still here and there, she still drifted in her own way, but he offered security. Not just financially, but emotionally. He was both a port to anchor to, and the lighthouse to bring her in from the storms. There was a warmth to him that was irresistible. Intelligence. Wit. But that was all torn away with one phone call. One devastating call to notify her of his passing, and requesting her presence. Answering questions amongst the grief. Handling final arrangements when she could barely breathe. Dealing with the unbearable bullshit of those around her. Trying to cope, to find answers…. Her life took a very sharp turn from that day on, and not for the better.

Guilty Pleasure?

Once she took that turn, she found herself on a slippery slope with dangerous coping mechanisms. Picking fights. Smoking. Drinking excessively. And that was only made worse when she realized that in this state, she was able to see more than was possible otherwise. More than she ever thought she would. She could see Paul. At first, she just assumed he was a figment of her imagination. Easiest rationalization. But it was more. He was more. His ghost, spirit, whatever bullshit you want to call it, it was there with her. Once this was realized, she spent more time in this state than anybody could fathom. Even her short spurts jobs were unmanageable, and outside relationships were cut off. Her time was spent where she could perpetuate her inebriation, dwindling the life insurance money that was left to her, longing for just one more moment with him.   

(For the rest of these, I’m not sure if we’re sticking to ‘Close to the Vale’ or opening it up to my OCs from the ‘Jumping to Wonderland’ series. I’ll just go with everybody.)

Trapped in an Elevator

Well, ‘best’ could be argued. Paul is based on my favorite character, so being trapped with him wouldn’t feel like being trapped at all. He’d fill the space with stories, and jokes. Comfort would be found with him. Hayden (Jumping) could also be argued though, because there’s a chance she could get everybody out of there. Trapped would be a quick ordeal.

Worst would be Rayna (Jumping) or [redacted] (Vale). Whichever way you went would be insufferable and/or straight up hateful bullshit. They each have good masks they wear for being in public, but trapped in a small space? If there is no call for an illusion of their true beliefs, it would be hard to be in the same space.  

Best Partner in Crime?

They all have their pros and cons. There’s a lot of intelligence, but a lot of lacking on sneaky sneaking abilities. Or the motivation for ‘crime’ in the first place.  If you’re going for shenanigans, Max (Jumping) is probably your girl, although you might get more than you bargained for with that one.  If you're going for legit crime, Adam (Vale) is probably going to be a better fit, although he gets panicky when pushed too far.

Which OC is winning the Hunger Games?

My money goes on Hayden; she has the capability to be a fighter, but would rely more on planning. Max has the best physicality for it, but she’s reckless. Steph (Jumping) would be more like the fox girl hiding away, and Zach (Vale) could pull a Beetee; but it's a long shot. Adam’s a scrapper, and can be violent, but he’s not great at strategery. I could see Paul being Peeta-esque in the comfort aspect, and likewise, he is not killing anybody. He’d need a Hayden/Faith tricking the system and protecting to even think of surviving. Faith would be a contender, but she has no real physical skill to rely on, and could easily lose her sense of self preservation with a setback (although tbf, Hayden could too). Rayna has the mentality of a career player, and would need to be closely watched. Gwen (Jumping) could also be pretty ruthless, but she would not be playing their games, dead set on protecting those in her alliance more than worry about herself. Emma (Vale) and Cameron (Vale) are probably not getting very far unless they are in a pack.

Hi, @residentdormouse, you're on my OC Bingo list!! Here I have some character questions, hope you enjoy!!

I saw a tumblr post forever ago that said “do you ever imagine what your life would be like if that one thing never happened” and I think about it constantly. What’s Faith's “that one thing?”

What's Faith's guilty pleasure?

Imagine you're trapped in an elevator. Two of your OCs are with you. One is the best possible option, the other is the worst possible option. Who are they?

Which OC would make the best partner in crime?

Which OC would be most likely to win the Hunger Games?