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racingliners · 1 year ago

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Life In the Fast Lane Chapter 15 - Celebrations

Rating: Teen & Up

Warnings: None apply

Pairings: Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s); OFCs & OMCs

Work Tags: Re-write of a previous work; not beta read; dual/multiple pov; mentions of IRL current and past F1 figures; Eventual romance; friends to lovers; found family/work family; actual family; occasional swearing; racing drivers and their various shenanigans; how to handle pressure (and how not to); with a sprinkling of the power of friendship; tags will be updated as work progresses

Chapter 15/57 Word count: 5.8k Summary: History made, records broken, and the champagne on ice

Sunday 30th July – Hungaroring, Budapest

It was much quieter inside the pit building. The cheers from outside barely drifted through the thick walls creating a muffled white noise. It meant that Sophie had a few blissful seconds for the past two hours to sink in as her feet walked the familiar route to the cooldown room on automatic pilot, where Nathan, Benedikt and Chris were already chatting away.

“Ah there she is, congratulations!” Ben called out as Sophie walked in. She smiled and said thank you as she set her helmet down on the table at the side of the room while Nathan walked over to shake Sophie’s hand and clap her on the shoulder.

“Congrats again, great race.” He said with a warm smile.

“Thanks,” Sophie grinned back. “You too.”

“They just replayed your overtake on the screen, it was brilliant!” Benedikt walked over and clasped Sophie’s hand, and pulled her in for a warm one-armed hug. “Hopefully today’s the first of many.”

“But still leaving some wins for you I assume?” Sophie teased. Benedikt joked that they could split the remaining races between them fifty-fifty, which Nathan very loudly objected to. As the two drivers mock-bickered Sophie finally got to properly hug Chris, who was there as the constructors representative, round the shoulders.

“Sorry if I ruined everyone’s blood pressure.” Sophie huffed, and quickly towelled down her face before downing half a bottle of water.

“After China I think we’re all used to it.” Chris joked with a wry smile as he carefully handed over Sophie’s winner’s cap. It was exactly the same as her third place cap from Shanghai, except for the 1st that sat above the Hungarian flag embroidered in yellow thread.

“I really did it,” She said with a breathy sigh as she brushed her thumb across the embroidered laurel wreaths before gently fixing the cap on her head. Sophie out a long, shaky breath and leaned on the table as her knees started to buckle, and Chris rested a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“Enjoy it, okay?”

All Sophie could do was nod as tears started to pool in her eyes as the realisation and weight of what she’d just achieved finally started to sink in. She was the first woman in all of F1’s seventy three years to win a race, with the same team her Dad had once worked for. It felt almost dream-like and completely overwhelming all at the same time, as suddenly the drivers were given the signal to head out one by one onto the podium.

Sophie and Chris clapped each other on the shoulder and quickly made some last minute checks on the other’s appearance. Sophie smoothed down the collar of Chris’ team polo shirt while Chris fixed the Velcro neck strap at the top of Sophie’s overalls. With a final nod, as the podium announcer shouted Sophie’s name to the loudest noise she’d ever heard, the two colleagues walked out onto the podium together.

The cheers of the crowd plus the mechanics and engineers below formed a wall of noise hitting Sophie at full force as she ran to the very front of the podium to see her team and family again. James had appeared and was stood at the front with Vanessa and Richard, he shouted something but Sophie couldn’t quite make anything out past the bright smile on his face. She turned to wave at the crowd, and beamed at the few British flags that were dotted around the mass of spectators before she stepped up to the top step of the podium and removed her cap for the British anthem.

Sophie tried to take in everything at once. The physical feeling of standing on the top step of the podium for the first time since her last F2 win, the sun on her face, the gentle breeze, the sound of her mechanics singing along, even though they changed the words to ‘send her victorious’ – which they all belted out at the top of their lungs. It made Sophie smile through the fresh tears on her face. She mouthed an ‘I love you’ to her family as the anthem ended and she fixed her winners cap back onto her head and quickly wiped her tears away, as the FIA President Alonzo Garcia of all people was the one to approach Sophie with the winner’s trophy.

It was styled after a traditional Hungarian vase, with a blue floral design painted on in watercolour and metallic gold accents. Sophie wasn’t sure if it was made out of porcelain or just made to look like it until she held it in her hands. Suddenly her greatest concern was not dropping it.

Alonzo gave Sophie a firm handshake, and said congratulations before stepping aside once he was happy Sophie had a firm grip on the trophy. She quickly kissed it before lifting it up as high as she dared for hear team to see – which got an almighty roar from them and the crowd.

The constructors trophy was a large ceramic plate with lace-like trim and the same watercolour details, only it had an outline of the track painted in gold in the middle. Chris had the biggest smile Sophie had ever seen on his face as he lifted the trophy into the air. By comparison Nathan and Benedikt were more modest in their celebrations. And Sophie was far too distracted by the emotions of the day and applauding for everyone else that she didn’t notice the two drivers exchange a look as they they picked up their champagne bottles until the cold spray was dousing her from both sides.

Truthfully she should have known it was coming, and poor Chris hadn’t been left unscathed either as Ben and Nathan quickly turned their attention to the startled engineer. Sophie quickly wiped her eyes and popped the cork of her own bottle and sprayed as much champagne as she could over Nathan and Benedikt before the three of them called it a day, and clinked their bottles together. After each taking a sip of champagne the quartet stepped back up onto the podium for the winners picture. There was some jostling of places as Nathan insisted that Chris should be next to his driver, and Sophie exchanged one last clap on the shoulder with her engineer before he had to leave.

A teary-eyed Amy conducted the podium interviews. While broadcasting impartiality meant that she couldn’t hug Sophie on the podium, she did at least give Sophie a squeeze around the shoulders and say how proud she was before she asked the crowd to give the drivers another massive cheer.

Sophie barely managed to string a sentence together thanks to the lump in her throat. She just about managed to repeat everything she’d said over the radio, thanking everyone at McLaren both for giving her a chance this year and for their hard work. Saying how much she loved and was grateful for her family and Vanessa’s support. That she would try to remember this day for the rest of her life.

Nathan and Benedikt’s comments were practically identical. They both said it was Sophie’s day, that she’d driven an incredible race, and that she had every right to be standing on the podium as they did.

Back in the cool down room, Amy finally managed to give Sophie a hug before she had to dash back to the paddock, and Annika, Matt, Nathan’s press officer Marika and trainer Carlos all congratulated Sophie on her win. She thanked all of them with a beaming grin, before making a beeline for Vanessa and Richard. Sophie just about managed to set her trophy down before Richard almost crushed her in a colossal bear hug.

“Well done mate.” Sophie didn’t need to look up to see the grin on her press officer’s face.

“I am so proud of you,” Vanessa sniffled as Sophie stepped out of Richard’s hug and turned to face her trainer. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” The two women pulled each other in for a tight hug while Richard asked Annika if she could take a picture of the McLaren trio with the winner’s trophy, and Nathan and Benedikt looked at each other as if they’d had the same idea at the same time.

“Can you take one of the three of us as well?” Nathan asked.

“With the trophies.” Ben added.

Annika took both pictures in quick succession, and just about managed to squeeze in one of all the personal trainers together with the trophies before the press officers all had to take their drivers down to the post-race press conference. It was a long walk through the mass of internal corridors that felt like it was never ending, and part-way along Nathan quickly pulled Sophie aside and they slowed to a good few paces behind the group.

“I don’t know how much Richard or McLaren have kept from you… but there’s been some journalists trying to pit us against each other over the past few weeks.” Nathan said in a quiet voice with a heavy frown and a hint of disappointment in his deep brown eyes.

“Yeah, I heard,” Sophie shrugged with a small sigh. “I think McLaren have been trying to ignore it in the hope people find something more newsworthy to write about.”

Nathan let out a small hum. The fact that he’d left McLaren at the perfect time right before their dip in form had been noted by more than a few pundits. That and with Sophie effectively being hired as his replacement, she could see why some of the tabloids were all too happy to say things that weren’t true. And while Sophie didn’t say it, both her and McLaren were aware of Nathan’s and Mercedes’ efforts to quash any rumours of a rift. When Nathan spoke about Sophie in the press it was always with glowing respect, something she always tried her upmost to return whenever she could.

“I just want you to know that I’m having absolutely nothing to do with it. And I’m actually really glad we got to have a podium together.”

Sophie briefly thought back to Canada, when Nathan had went out of his way to introduce his parents to Sophie’s Dad while also saying that if any of them needed anything, all they had to do was ask.

“Me too.” She gave Nathan a warm smile and quickly reached out to put a friendly hand on his shoulder. “McLaren still have your title winning cars on the boulevard at the factory you know.”

“I should hope so!” Nathan grinned, squeezed Sophie shoulder in return, and the two drivers hastily caught up with their press officers who had finally reached the press conference room.

As Sophie sat down in the middle seat of the long black table, she saw Lee Howard give her a small thumbs up as he mouthed ‘well done’ before he continued to scribble in his notebook. It was standing room only in the press conference, accompanied by a constant clicking of camera shutters from a very large group of photographers.

“I never got a reception like this after my first win.” Benedikt huffed in exaggerated mock disappointment.

“You have three titles dude, come on.” Nathan reached past Sophie to give the Red Bull driver a playful shove and the three of them all laughed as the photographers continued to snap away. The more overwhelming of Sophie’s emotions had subsided, and she now felt borderline giddy and just couldn’t stop smiling while her, Benedikt and Nathan made more small talk about the race.

Eventually Lee got the signal in his earpiece to start the press conference. As the race winner, Sophie got to answer the first question.

“How does it feel to be the most successful female F1 driver of all time?”

The weight of the question almost physically knocked Sophie back, and she briefly felt overwhelmed again, until a small but significant statistic popped into her mind.

“Well actually,” She said with a small smirk. “I still need to pass Lella Lombardi’s number of race starts. So you can ask me again after that.” A quiet chuckle rang round the room as Sophie took a small sip from her drinks bottle. While some journalists would have argued that Sophie was already F1’s most successful female driver even with three fewer race starts, in her mind she was happy for Lombardi to hold onto that record for just a little bit longer.

Sophie was set to match Lombardi’s thirteen race starts in Monza, all things being well, which was rather fitting considering she was Italian. She made a mental note to hopefully remember to get in touch with Max about an addition she wanted to make to her helmet design for the Italian Grand Prix. Truthfully, she had been trying to not think about it too much, but she realised there and then that she just had to make a tribute of some kind past words in a social media post.

“Question for all the drivers,” The next journalist asked. “How does it feel to have been on the podium of such a historic race?”

All three of them huffed out a puff of air, and looked at each other before Sophie went first. She spoke about how proud she was to be able to share the podium not just with two world champions, but also incredibly talented drivers – and good people.

Nathan gave a very heartfelt speech about the importance of representation in F1. About how he and Sophie were the result of efforts by Lewis Hamilton and Susie Wolff to improve diversity in the sport both on and off the track. And that it was important for people to not just see himself and Sophie compete in F1 – but to be successful too.

Benedikt just gave a small smile, and said that it was a privilege for him to be the driver that got to share the podium with Nathan and Sophie today.

Some athletes said sportsmanlike things because it was the right thing to do and their teams and press officers wouldn’t have it any other way. But others, like Nathan and Ben, said it because they genuinely meant and believed it. Because they respected Sophie and had done since day one. And truthfully, that was all she wanted. To be seen by her fellow drivers and accepted as one of the group.

No us and her, just us.

As they had done in Shanghai, the whole team had gathered in front of the McLaren garage for the celebratory team picture. Everyone was excitedly chatting away or taking selfies with the ‘Sophie P1’ pit board that stood front and centre while they waited for her to come back from the press pen. James watched as his Mum carried out her self-appointed ‘emotional support for fellow parents of a racing driver’ duties (her words). All Natasha had done was give all the Knightsbridge’s a big hug, a soothing pat on the back if she’d felt it had been necessary, and well wishes of congratulations on a day that James knew he wouldn’t forget.

The sheer eruption of noise that had come out of the garage alone when Sophie crossed the line would be burned into his memory forever.

All of Sophie’s engineers and mechanics were beside themselves as they had a picture taken with the winner’s trophy. Steve was very reluctant to let it go when Leon asked for it, but the number one mechanic eventually relented, and watched as Leon carried it back to the space that had been set aside for Sophie, her family, plus Richard and Vanessa.

“God I hope I can stop crying for five minutes.” Vanessa huffed as she wiped her eyes.

“On today of all days I think it’s allowed.” James said as he patted her shoulder. “I’m pretty sure Mike cried more when I won the title in 2018 than when he got married!”

“Oh piss off!” Came the distant jibe from James’ trainer. Vanessa just shook her head and laughed.

The team’s head of hospitality emerged from the garage, and dashed over to Leon and Martin looking more than a little relieved. The team been trying for the past hour to find somewhere available to celebrate Sophie’s win properly, since everyone was flying home tomorrow. Judging by the look on Lucy’s face – she’d managed to find a venue.

Sophie and Richard finally returned from the press pen ten minutes later. They clearly hadn’t had time to stop by the motorhome since Sophie was still in her race suit with her hair twisted in its French braid, though a few strands at her temples had come loose. Not that any of it was noticeable past the wide, bright grin that lit up her entire face tenfold.

Martin, Leena and Leon were all ready and waiting to properly congratulate Sophie on her win, and James also stepped out from his spot near the front to see her.

“Amazing job team mate!” He said with a wide smile. They looked at each other for half a second before both stepping forward to pull the other into a warm hug. “Congratulations, you deserve it.”

After he’d returned to the paddock and spoken to the press, James had ended up watching the rest of the race from the garage. Because deep down he knew that if he wasn’t going to get a win or podium for the team, he’d want Sophie to do so instead. And he was genuinely and utterly thrilled for her that she’d managed to pull it off.

“I’m sorry about your race.” With her smile briefly flickering away, James could tell that she meant it.

“Ack,” He let Sophie go and waved a dismissive hand at her. “At least it didn’t cost me the championship this time.” He scoffed at the thought of the Mexican race from 2019, and very quickly pushed it right to the back of his mind. “Go on,” With a tilt of his head James gestured to Sophie’s family, who had now all gathered in front of the pit board.

James watched as Sophie nestled herself in-between her parents, with Will next to Mark, Julian on Mary’s other side, and Richard and Vanessa bookending the group. A close up picture of just the Knightsbridge family and the trophies was taken first, before the team photographer fell back in line with the paddock photographers that had managed to blag their way into what had become a very well attended photocall.

A couple of people, no one found out who, had managed to sneak out a couple of smaller champagne bottles from hospitality on the way over, and they started spraying the contents over anyone who was within reach once the photographers had taken all the pictures they needed. Some let out quiet yelps as they tried to dive out of the way, while others just accepted their fate and at the very least tried to keep the spray out of their eyes.

“Whoever that was is buying the first round!” Martin called out, having been completely drenched on one side.

As usual, he’d taken his spot at the side of the picture. He had always been the last person to take credit for anything, forever insisting that any and all of the team’s successes were down to everyone’s hard work – not just his. Even with how many years James had been at McLaren, he could still count on one hand the number of times Martin had been the constructors representative on the podium. And it was either because Andrew had told him to, or the rest of the pit wall had twisted his arm into doing so.

Once everyone had piled into the engineering trucks Martin as always ran the debrief to precision, despite the fact that even the most composed engineers found themselves way beyond giddy. And he dismissed everyone with a rare but genuine grin in the hope that he would see everyone at the afterparty venue.

Which funnily enough, turned out to be the same rooftop bar James and his entourage had celebrated his win at last year, only this time the team had managed to book out the entire place.

Plush black armchairs and polished coffee tables were dotted around the stone tile floor, with space set aside for a small dancefloor that was shadowed by an even smaller DJ booth. Glass railings gave an unobstructed view of the Budapest skyline, while a combination of string and outdoor lights lit up the venue enough that people could clearly see where they were going, but still created a casual atmosphere.

Some people had packed their glad rags either for dinners earlier in the week, or in the case of James with his white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, charcoal trousers and matching waistcoat, for sponsor event requirements. Others wore their best t-shirts and jeans but none of it really mattered. Everyone knew deep down that unless another miracle happened, this would likely be the only win the team would be celebrating all season, so they were going to make the most of it.

Sophie seemingly had the same idea, as she walked in with Vanessa and Richard wearing a sparkling fitted pale gold cocktail dress. Her arrival brought with it a chorus of cheers as she skipped over to the bar in a short pair of heels. She was without her family, as they all had jobs to go back to on Monday morning and were on one of the evening flights back to the UK, but James had assumed that Sophie moved mountains to spend as much time with her family as she could before they left.

“Uh…” She quickly looked over her shoulder and saw Steve holding up his fingers in her direction. “Six beers and a glass of house red, a negroni and a Drambuie with ginger beer please.” Sophie reeled off with a polite smile at one of the bartenders, who instantly sprung into action. “Hi!” She looked up at James, who had been leaning against the bar taking in the view, with another one of her beaming smiles.

“I should have known you’d dress the part.” He couldn’t help but notice that the shade of gold fabric brought out the brown in her eyes.

“Oh,” Sophie blushed. “This wasn’t me… Vanessa has had this in her suitcase all season just in the off-chance I won a race.” She shook her head, and her hair which had been styled into loose curls bounced across her shoulders.

“She is one committed performance coach,” James chuckled, and had to find himself holding back a sigh. “You look lovely though.”

“Thanks,” She blushed again, this time more red than pink, as the first part of her drinks order was placed on a tray in front of her. “You don’t scrub up too bad either, I’m starting to see why everyone keeps saying we look so great on posters.”

James properly laughed, so much so he had to set down his drink on the bar so he didn’t spill it. He then pulled his phone out, and sheepishly asked if they could get a picture together, not just as team mates – but as friends. They posted for a couple of selfies, which Sophie made James promise he would send her, and when Mike returned from his phone call home the two team mates stood together with their arms round each other for some proper pictures.

“Congrats again Soph.” Mike said with a small smile as Richard and Steve came over to help dish out the drinks. “Mine’s a vodka and coke when you’re next buying!” He teased as Sophie headed over to join her mechanics.

Mike then fixed James with a knowing look, a shake of the head, and a quiet sigh.

“So you do have a crush on her.”

“I don’t.” James said far too quickly even for his own liking. Mike just raised an eyebrow, and sat down in one of the high barstools. “At least, I hope I don’t.” James huffed, and sat down next to his long-suffering trainer.

“There is a very high chance it’s a combination of six quite stressful months working in close quarters, all the emotions of said work paying off in an unexpected but well-earned race win… and that she’s walked in looking absolutely stunning.” Mike reeled off before ordering two classes of water with ice. “Or, it’s just because you’re lonely.”

James knew better than to argue with him, and instead ran a hand down his face.

“I swear I’ve tried to see and treat her like any other driver. I didn’t go into the season wanting or thinking this would happen, I wouldn’t…” James genuinely liked Sophie as a person. It was why he had agreed to have coffee with her at the factory on that day back in April. She was genuinely great to be around, and James really had been happy back then to have her as a friend somewhere down the line.

“Oh I know, I would have knocked you on your arse if you hadn’t been anything but decent towards her.” Mike said matter of factly, and passed James one of the glasses of water when they were placed in front of him. “It might pass.”

“It might not.” James frowned, tracing a finger through the condensation already forming on the glass. “I don’t want her to be uncomfortable around me.” There was no guarantee that Sophie would either now or ever feel the same way about him, and James certainly didn’t expect her to. If all she wanted to be was friends, then friends they would stay. “I just wanted to be a good team mate.” He said with a long sigh.

“And you are,” Mike gently nudged James with his elbow, and even had a hint of a smile on his face. “Just don’t get to a point where you let Sophie beat you. Because she will find out and I’m pretty sure she’d never forgive you.”

James snickered, and took a long sip of water. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Good.” Mike slapped James on the back, and left the conversation at that as louder music started to play out of some speakers.

What James didn’t know, was that Sophie had spent the past few minutes glancing back and forth in his direction, trying to decide if the compliment she’d paid him earlier had been friendly banter or something else entirely. Eventually she’d shaken her head, told herself it was a fleeting thought, and that for the sake of her career they could only ever be team mates and friends, and took a long sip of her drink. (She also blamed the whiskey liqueur.)

The party passed by in more drinks, dancing (some of it questionable), a few brief but heartfelt speeches, and everyone singing happy birthday to Chris again. It had been a good night. It wasn’t the rager some people outside the sport thought F1 afterparties were like, but it was clear that everyone had enjoyed themselves judging by the gentle laughter that had been the soundtrack for most of the evening.

James had stopped drinking quite early on. Both because of his muddled feelings about Sophie, and that he was driving himself back to the site where the motorhome he used for the European races had been parked for the week. It had been a good decision, as he’d ended up driving Sophie, Richard and Vanessa back to their hotel when it turned out that actual taxis were thin on the ground in late night Budapest.

He'd seen the three of them inside and insisted on walking them back to their rooms to make sure they got back safely. And either by luck or fate, Sophie’s room was last on the list.

“Did Mike get back okay?” She asked with a furrowed brow as they walked down the beige and cream corridor.

“Yeah,” James replied. Mike had been one of the lucky ones to grab an actual taxi back to the hotel, along with Katie and the rest of the press officers. “So…” James paused, for the first time in quite a while not knowing what to say to his team mate. “You’re sure you’re alright?”

“Oh, I hardly drank anything,” Sophie replied with a small if slightly exaggerated nod, her high heels swinging from her hand as she walked. “I just really want to remember today you know, you only win your first race once!”

James smiled a little. Granted his first win had been many years ago now, at Valencia in the baking sun, but he could still recall every moment to this day.

“Ah ha!” Sophie seemingly clocked her hotel room door, and skipped the final few paces towards it. “Oh.” She looked down at the clutch bag and shoes in her hands and frowned. She began to juggle her belongings, presumably in an attempt to retrieve her room key without dropping anything.

“I’ll take your shoes,” James held out one of his hands as he caught up with her. “Or open the door, your choice.”

Sophie’s beige suede heels landed in James’ hand with a small thump, as she opened her small bag and pulled out her room key. Sophie pushed the door open, humming as she strolled inside, and James quietly followed her in. He set the shoes on the floor next to one of the armchairs and awkwardly stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“You’ll be alright now, yeah?” James asked as Sophie carefully sat down on the armrest of the large cream sofa in the middle of the room, facing her team mate as she buried her toes in the plush carpet. He’d done his job and gotten her back to her room in one piece, he didn’t really have a valid reason to stay any longer.

“Yeah, I’ll be fi-” With a loud squeal, Sophie fell backwards. And for a second all James could see was a pair of shins and swinging feet before the room was almost filled with giggles. James took a few steps towards the sofa, and saw Sophie on her back on the seat portion of the sofa, her face creased with laugher. “I fell!”

“Yeah, sure, you didn’t drink that much,” James said sarcastically, still stood at the corner of the sofa with his arms now folded across his chest. “What are we going to do with you?”

“I’m sorry, you must be used to having much more serious team mates,” Sophie pursed her lips together, probably in an attempt to be sober, and ended up giggling again. James shook his head with a small chuckle, and sat down on the wooden coffee table opposite. There was probably only half a metre or so between them.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He eventually asked once the giggling had subsided.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sophie paused and brought a hand to her pearl necklace, the same one she’d worn in Monaco. “I’m fine…” Her voice faded with a small sigh.

As silence began to fill the room James went to stand up, but he was frozen in place when Sophie turned her head to look at him with a small, sweet smile.

“You really are a perfect gentleman you know,” She said, as if it were an honest truth. James smiled nervously and looked down at his feet, a blush beginning to form him his cheeks. “I mean it you… you’ve been really nice to me this year.”

He had no idea what to say in reply, because it was true. In some ways he had gone above and beyond in how he’d welcomed Sophie into the team, while still trying to treat her the way he would any other team mate. But a lot of it, especially when it came to answering questions about her to the press, was in his mind the only thing he could have done.

So he shrugged and clasped his hands together in his lap.

“Just doing the decent thing.”

“You’ve been more than that though,” Sophie spoke softly, either because she was tired from celebrating or because she didn’t want anyone else to hear, which was odd considering they were the only two people in the room. “All year… well from when we had that coffee at the factory,” Slowly, she pushed herself into a seated position and flicked her hair off her shoulders. “You have been a wonderful friend.”

James didn’t know what to say, so he stood up instead and brushed his hands down his waistcoat. When he did finally think up something to say, it was completely knocked out of him when Sophie stood up from the sofa, and hugged him tightly.

With the air around him now filled with the scent of orange blossom, and something else he couldn’t quite place, James felt frozen in place. But eventually, some small part of his brain told his arms to wrap themselves gently round Sophie’s shoulders. He had no idea how long it lasted for, especially when James realised the other scent was Sophie’s hair that smelt softly of apples.

Eventually it was Sophie who leaned out of the hug first. And James had to try really, really hard not to notice the fact that Sophie’s eyes hadn’t really stopped sparkling since he’d first seen her after the race, the sweet smell of her perfume, and that she was at best tipsy meaning it would not be right or fair to lean down and kiss her.

And that she was so, so beautiful.

“I should probably let you go back to your flashy motorhome,” She said quietly, and slowly dropped her arms down by her side. “Thanks for walking us all back.”

James inhaled and drew out a long breath. “Don’t worry about it, you sure you’re alright?”

“I’ll be fine, promise.” She smiled, and went up on the tips of her toes to kiss James’ cheek, likely leaving a small trace of lipstick behind. “Goodnight, team mate.”

When James was finally back in the sanctuary of his motorhome, he made a beeline for the bathroom at an alarming pace. He turned on the cold water tap and cupped his hands underneath it for a couple of seconds before splashing the water on his face. He winced as some of it splashed into his shirt making the fabric cling uncomfortably to his skin, and with his eyes squeezed shut he turned off the tap and reached for the hand towel to his right, and pressed it firmly against his face.

“No James, absolutely not,” He told himself, firmly, while recalling Mike’s words to him at the bar. “She’s your team mate. You’re nearly ten years older than her, and she’s your team mate,” He patted his face dry before messily putting the towel back on its hook. James pressed both hands firmly on the doorframe, bracing against them for support as his heart thumped in his chest. “Do not even think about going down that road.”

He feared it would only end up in heartbreak, for both of them.

#onwards with Hungary 2023 part 2!!#LITFL Chapters #my writing #Life In The Fast Lane

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slyandthefamilybook · 8 months ago

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okay because I'm seeing some misinfo, here's the story on the Key Bridge collapse

What was the Key Bridge?

The Francis Scott Key Bridge (also called the Key Bridge, the Beltway Bridge, and the Outer Harbor Crossing) was steel-arch continuous-through-truss bridge spanning the Patapsco River south of the Baltimore Harbor. The bridge took 5 years to build and cost an estimated $145 million ($735 million in today's dollars). The full bridge project (including approaches) was 10.9 miles long, but the stretch over the Patapsco was 1.6 miles long and 4 lanes wide, and comprised a length of I-695, the Baltimore Beltway. It traveled between Hawkins Point and Dundalk, and in addition to the I-895 Harbor Tunnel was the primary way for Marylanders to cross from the Eastern Shore to the West. The bridge carried an estimated 11.5 million vehicles per year. There is a lane for ships to pass under the Key Bridge with enough clearance.

Was it structurally sound?

The bridge received its latest inspection in 2022 and received a 6/9 score, which is considered "fair" by federal standards. There was a concern with one of its columns, which was downgraded from a health index of 77.8 to 65.9, but it is not clear yet if this was one of the columns struck by the ship. In 1980 the bridge was struck by a different cargo ship which destroyed a concrete support structure, but the bridge itself was unharmed. There is as of yet no evidence that the bridge collapsed because of poor condition. Experts say the lesson to be learned is about the size and weight of modern cargo ships, and that the bridge was not to blame. Engineers have noted, however, that the bridge's piers lacked protective devices such as fenders.

What was the ship?

The MV Dali is a container ship flying the Singapore flag. It is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and operated by Synergy Marine Group Ltd. The ship is currently being chartered by Maersk, a Dutch shipping company. It was built in 2015 by Hyundai. The ship is 980 feet long and 157 feet wide. The ship's gross tonnage (its internal volume) is 95,128 tons (190,256,000 pounds). Its deadweight (the weight of cargo it can carry) is 116,851 tons (233,702,000 pounds). The ship was carrying 3,000 containers. The engine is a MAN-B&W 9S90ME putting out 41,480 kilowatts (55,626 horsepower).

Over its lifetime the Dali has been inspected 27 times, and only 2 faults were ever found. On June 27, 2023 the Dali was held in port in Chile due to an issue with the propulsion system. According to an inspector the pressure gauges on the heating system were "unreadable". The fault was fixed before the ship left port.

The Dali is crewed by 22 Indian nationals including 2 maritime pilots.

What happened?

The Dali arrived at the Port of Baltimore on March 23, 2024. At 12:44 AM on March 26, 2024 the Dali left port, beginning its journey to Colombo, Sri Lanka. At 01:26 AM the ship suffered a "complete blackout" and began to drift out of the shipping lane. It is not yet known what caused the electrical failure. The backup generator did not power the propulsion system. At around 01:26 AM the crew of the Dali sent a mayday distress call to the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) informing them of the loss of power and that a collision with the Key Bridge was possible. The anchors were dropped as an emergency measure to attempt to slow or stop the vessel. At the request of one of the pilots traffic flow over the bridge was immediately halted. Black smoke was seen coming from the Dali, which experts believe was the result of the crew managing to restart the power system to regain some maneuvering capability.

At 01:28 AM the Dali, traveling at 8 knots (considered to be a fast speed) collided with a support strut beneath the Key Bridge's metal truss at the southwest end of the bridge. A Baltimore resident said he heard the collision and that it "felt like an earthquake". Emergency teams began receiving 911 calls at 01:30 AM, and the Baltimore Police Department were alerted at 01:35 AM. One of the officers present radioed that he was going to go onto the bridge to alert the construction crew as soon as a second officer arrived, but the bridge collapsed seconds later.

What was the damage?

The Key Bridge has completely collapsed. The metal truss relies on structural tension from the bridge itself to maintain its rigidity. As soon as one of the support columns was destroyed, the rest of the bridge quickly followed.

The damage to the Dali is reported as minimal. The ship was impaled by the bridge's structure above the waterline, but has maintained watertight integrity. The crew has not reported any water contamination from its 1.8 million gallons of marine fuel. 13 containers carrying potentially hazardous material were damaged, and are being inspected by a team of Coast Guard divers. At least 5 vehicles including 3 passenger cars and a cement mixer were detected underwater, but authorities do not believe they were occupied

Who was hurt?

The crew of the Dali reports no casualties, except one crewmember who was hospitalized for minor injuries. There was a crew of 8 construction workers on the Key Bridge filling in potholes. 2 were immediately pulled from the water by rescue crews, with 1 being rushed to emergency care and the other reporting minor injuries and refusing treatment. The hospitalized worker has since been discharged. 1 of those rescued was Mexican. The remaining 6 remain missing. Of those 6, 2 have been identified:

Miguel Luna from El Salvador

Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval from Honduras

Of the remaining 4, 2 are Guatemalan nationals. Neither have been identified, but the Guatemalan Foreign Affairs Ministry has stated that they were a 26-year-old from San Luis, Petén, and a 35-year-old from Camotán, Chiquimula. The other 2 are presumed to be Mexican.

Rescue Efforts

The Coast Guard was immediately deployed for search-and-rescue operations. Military Blackhawk helicopters were seen over the river. Rescue efforts were ended at 07:30 PM on March 26, 2024 due to darkness, fog, and cold temperatures. Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said "Based on the length of time that we've gone in the search, the extensive search efforts that we put into it, the water temperature -- at this point, we do not believe that we're going to find any of these individuals still alive". Recovery operations resumed at 07:30 AM on March 27, 2024 with all 6 workers presumed dead.

No divers have yet entered the water underneath the bridge. Supervisory Special Agent Brian Hudson of the FBI's Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team said "the debris field is pretty sizable and I know that’s why they’re hesitant to send divers down because some of the debris is still shifting, the heavy weight of the rocks". The FBI has deployed Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) equipped with cameras and SONAR.

Aftermath

At 05:08 AM on March 26, 2024 Transportation Secretary Pete Buttegiege posted on X (formerly Twitter):

"I’ve spoken with Gov. Moore and Mayor Scott to offer USDOT’s support following the vessel strike and collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge. Rescue efforts remain underway and drivers in the Baltimore area should follow local responder guidance on detours and response."

At 07:30 AM on March 27, 2024 President of the Maryland State Senate Bill Ferguson posted on X (formerly Twitter):

"Over 15,000 in the Balt region rely on daily operations at Port of Baltimore to put food on the table. Today, with Del. @LukeClippinger and colleagues representing Port, we are drafting an emergency bill to provide for income replacement for workers impacted by this travesty."

At around 09:40 AM on March 26, 2024 Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott declared a State of Emergency to take effect at 10:30 AM March 26, 2024, and to last 30 days. Baltimore's Emergency Operations Plan was put into effect.

More than 1,000 personnel from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have been deployed to assist with clearing the debris and rebuilding efforts. President Joe Biden has pledged that the federal government will pay for the entire reconstruction of the bridge.

Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recovered the Dali's data recorder, and will be inspecting both the Key Bridge and the Dali to determine the cause of the crash and the collapse. She says the investigation could take up to 2 years to complete.

Was it intentional?

According to William DelBagno, head of the FBI's Baltimore field office: "There is no specific or credible information to suggest there are ties to terrorism in this incident".

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said: "There are no indications this was an intentional act".

At least 3 people have been killed in accidents related to ships operated by Synergy in the past 6 years. In 2018 a person on board a Synergy ship in Australia was killed in an accident relating to the vessel's personnel elevator. In 2019 an officer aboard a Synergy vessel in Singapore fell overboard while performing maintenance. In 2023 at least one sailor was killed when a Synergy ship collided with a dredging ship in the Philippines. In the first two cases safety inspectors noted that proper safety procedures had not been adhered to.

Sources

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

#atlas entry #this is still a developing story but all the information herein is accurate and current at time of publishing #baltimore #baltimore bridge collapse #francis scott key bridge #key bridge #I spent an hour collating all this info please give it a reblog

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cartierre · 1 year ago

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RACE MY MIND | tom blyth

SOCIAL MEDIA!AU tom blyth x fem!driver!reader

side note: that's my man right there aaaaahhhhh side note pt2: for story purposes, we're just going to act as if tbosas came out before the end of the 2023 season! side note pt3: went a lil overboard with the interviews oops

♡ liked by charles_leclerc, lewishamilton, tomblyth and 637,948 others

yourusername anything for my number one fan

view all 5,349 comments

user1 Y/N IS SO INSANE

user2 okay hold on okay hold ON

tomblyth president snow? no, president of y/n's fanclub comment liked by yourusername

user3 ik her dropping tom in her dump is insane but yk what is also insane? how much cunt she's serving ⤷ user4 someone finally speaking the facts

user5 no podium for the last race but she still ate with this post

♡ liked by arthur_leclerc, carmenmmundt, tomblyth and 601,283 others

yourusername fan service went a lil crazy with this one

view all 6,394 comments

user6 wait does this- are they dating?

user7 oh wow they really took the fast lane huh

user8 y/n did what lucy gray couldn't

tomblyth guess snow lands on top after all ⤷ yourusername i-

user9 TOM SO FUNNY LMAO

user10 he manifested that shit so hard

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kingofbodyrolls · 1 year ago

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Seokjin fic recs 2023

In honor of Seokjin’s birthday, I want to share my favorite fanfictions that I’ve read this year. Although I did not read as many as I wanted to, the list will be short. But! I’ve leave my ‘to read’ list at the bottom to make up for it 💜I want to thank each and every writer on this list for creating such wonderful stories and art - you are truly amazing ✨ All the fics on this list hold a dear place in my heart 🥹

❗Most of these fics are smutty as hell or contains dark themes, so minors dni.❗

If you read anything on this list and you like it, please leave a comment to the writer or reblog the original fic’s post 💜And if you want more fic recs you can follow me to stay updated 🙂

BTS fic rec index → May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep (jjk)(knj) | Oct (pjm) | Nov (*) | Dec (💜)(kth) |

Emoji meaning → angst = 🌩️, smut = 🥵, fluff = 🥰, comedy = 😂, yandere = 😈, thriller/dark = 👻.

⭐Knocked by @sailoryooons [10.6K] // ksj x f.reader // roommates to lovers // 🥵😂

📝 Living with people is difficult, but all things considered, your new roommate isn’t terrible. He cooks, he cleans, and if you had to be honest - incredibly attractive. But his habit of streaming until the early hours of the morning while yelling and making other questionable noises has pushed you to the limit. You’ve finally decided to risk your sanity and put it all on the line with a reckless bet in hopes of getting some peace and quiet at night.

🗨️ This was so hilarious, and the build up and pay-off was really good 👏

⭐Sleepover by @peachypinkygloss [7.3K] // ksj x f.reader x pjm // bestfriends!au, threesome // 🥵

📝 You spend a night with your two best friends at their dorm room. You should have known that they wanted to do more than just watching movies.

🗨️ Omg this was so good, the smut 😘🥵

⭐I Don’t Think I’m Okay by @ressjeon [4K] // ksj x f.reader // slice of life, idiots to lovers!au, childhood friends!au // 🥵🥰🌩️

📝 With many chances wasted, you couldn’t even resist anymore.

🗨️ A cute little Seokjin fic 🥰

⭐The IKEA Test by @yoon-bug [9.1K] // ksj x f.reader // established relationship // 🥵🥰😂

📝 One review on IKEA’s website called the BRIMNES bed frame the leading cause of divorce due to its difficult assembly. You and Seokjin had laughed when you read it. Now, you weren’t so sure.

🗨️ Their banter and all the sexual innuendos are damn hilarious! I thoroughly enjoyed this very much 💜

I’m really sad that I didn’t get to read more Seokjin fics 😭 I have a lot on my ‘to read’ list, so I’ll share some that I’m really excited to read when i have more time (and I know they’ll be great because they are written by amazing people!) ✨

‘To read’ list ⬇️

Fast Lane by @yminie [20.6K]

Cherry Topper by @kth1 [17.6K]

Final Sleigh by @floralseokjin [23.3K]

Stuck with you by @taleasnewastime [29.6K]

Small Tuna Fish by @floralseokjin [17.1K]

Off Limits by @floralseokjin [series; completed]

Raspberry truffles by @gukyi [5K]

Christmas Warfare by @gimmethatagustd [14.5K]

9 Months to Fall in Love by @floralseokjin [series; completed]

Redamancy by @jeonggukingdom [7.1K]

Sunday by @here2bbtstrash [5K]

Serve Me by @chateautae [16K]

Meet Me at the Bar by @eoieopda [7.5K]

Internal Conflicts by @yoongiofmine [series; completed]

Forever by @oddinary4bts [25.2K]

Thank you, Daddy by @ktheist [19K]

The Devil Wears Armani by @floralseokjin [series; completed]

Glazed & Dazed by @floralseokjin [30.3K]

Wet & Wild by @jamaisjoons [10K]

Warm this Winter by @jamaisjoons [51.6K]

Peach Parfait by @jamaisjoons [series; completed]

Borderlines by @jamaisjoons [series; ongoing]

All I Don’t Want for Christmas is You! by @minisugakoobies [23.7K]

Cupid’s on Holiday by @persphonesorchid [17K]

Don’t Go Baking my Heart by @candlewaxandp0lar0ids [14.7K]

Platonic by @joheunsaram [series; completed??]

Last November by @kithtaehyung [24.7K]

Sit. Stay. by @daechwitatamic [14K]

Turn Back Time by @raplinesmoon [13.3K]

Made-up Love Song by @floralseokjin [series; completed]

Lost and Found by @taleasnewastime [21.2K]

I’m so sorry that I didn’t get to read more! 😭 Life happened, and yeah. But all of these wonderful fics on my list sound so incredibly good and I really look forward to reading them and give them a lovely review 💜

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEOKJIN!!! 💜 🥳 🎂

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hookhausenschips · 2 months ago

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Fast Lanes: Crossing Worlds

Narrative: Follow Y/N, a fearless street racer from Barbados, as she visits the 2023 F1 Grand Prix in Singapore. Catching the attention of top drivers, she navigates flirtation, rivalry, and the allure of professional racing while staying true to her street-racing roots. What adventures lie ahead for them? What are the chances of them seeing her again? (This takes place over the course of the ending of the 2023 season and maybe into the 2024 season)

index

Prequel

Ep.1

Ep.2

Ep.3

Ep.4

Ep.5

Ep.6

Ep.7

Ep.8

updates every Tuesday & Saturday

• you DO NOT have my permission to copy my work, upload as your own, translate, or repost on any other website •

send an ask or click here to join any taglist

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silvyysthings · 3 months ago

Note

Let’s take a stroll down Memory Lane because for some reason Timmy always finds a way of always taking us all back to that beautiful experience he had in a small town in Italy set in 1983 and the co star he shared it with. Remember the beautiful photoshoot of Armie and Timmy back in 2017 by photographer Mario Sorrenti? The one with Timmy in the pink shirt? Now fast forward to 2023 and look at who the photographer was for his Chanel Ad and Play the accompanying song “Nights in White Satin by The Moody Blues that an article said Timmy chose himself. Purely coincidental I’m sure 7 years after filming? He remembers “Everything”. Your Welcome.

😍 I love this anon , so much 😍

Thank you ❤❤

#timothée chalamet #armie hammer #anon ask

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dear-ao3 · 1 year ago

Note

Ask for f1 drama

i shall continue my tales of regaling you all

this edition: las vegas

so as it currently stands (november 14, 2023) there are two races left in the 2023 f1 season. one is this weekend in las vegas and one is next weekend in abu dhabi. we already know who has won the drivers and contractors (team) championship (max verstappen and red bull) but theres still some loose ends in the form of second third fourth etc place that need some tying up.

and the standings for the lower places of the championship are all quite tight:

theres still a whole lot of action that can come there

which brings us to las vegas

vegas is a new race on the calendar, meaning no one has ever raced there on this track before (and likely no one will again based on how its going) and it is a street circuit, so they are literally racing on the las vegas strip.

now, prior to all the new stuff that came to light for this weekend, f1 royally managed to piss off las vegas by (probably) making tax payers (the people of vegas) pay for the strip to be repaved (several million dollars), wreaking absolute havoc on their town, shutting off the fountains, blocking things off, making traffic a nightmare and most terribly, saying that they would block off/put blackout on any stores or windows of stores or hotels who didnt want to pay a several thousand dollar fee to f1, basically making the race not viewable to anyone for free. (note that they have several other street circuit races in the calendar and they don't do this there). so it was already a nightmare.

now it gets more fun!

the race is in the middle of november in las vegas (which, for all intents and purposes, is a desert) and they decided for some unholy reason to make this a night race. i think it starts at 11 pm local time. and low and behold, the organizers just happened to forget (and they admitted that they did indeed forget) that it gets very cold at night in the desert. right now its projected to be 44-47 degrees f ( about 4/5 degrees c). f1 cars are fragile little machines that get grumpy in the wrong conditions and boy let me tell you, this is absolutely the wrong conditions. if it is indeed This Cold at the race, it will make it the coldest race in f1 history. last i heard people weren't entirely sure that the cars would work or that the tires would cooperate.

the track set up is woefully abysmally. to get the tires warm, the lads would need some good corners to zoom around to get the tires up to temperature where they can go vroom zoom fast, but, there are not too many corners. below is the track. as you can see, theres a lot of straights, and thus, not many good opportunities to get the tires nice and hot, further affecting car performance

the pit lane (you know where everyone usually goes at least once or twice to change their tires) is quite possibly in the worst spot it could be. it is on the tiny straight right before turn 1. when you go into the pitlane, the tires lose a good amount of heat (or all of it if you're going in to get fresh tires) and they need to warm the tires back up. problem is, they're going to be zooming out of the pitlane basically directly into turns 1 2 and 3, on cold rubber, in a cold race. but it gets better, because of the way the track is set up, this positioning of the pitlane, if the exits are not timed correctly, will cause collisions because the pitlane exit it basically right where the cars on the track need to go in order to get the most speed (its more technical than this and someone else can fully explain the pitlane disaster better, but this is it in very simple terms i think). the pitlane is around where that arrow is.

so not only will it be cold and the pitlane cause accidents and the cars won't work, they don't have names for any of the corners and straights. so right now the map of the track looks like this which is batshit hilarious

and to top it off!! no one has raced here! no one knows how the cars will perform!! its going to be a shit show! god save the poorest little meow meows!!

and unrelated but there is a chapel in the paddock at the race, just for some spice, called race to the alter

#not a tag #from saph #f1 #not a complete list by any means feel free to add on or correct me

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jeysbvck · 1 year ago

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jey & cody at the press conference have me crying with laughter at 5am😭😭

#jey uso #cody rhodes #wwe fastlane #fast lane 2023 #im so happy my guys are tag team champions #i hope this lasts for a little bit bc this duo is amazing😭😭#they were so smashed omfg😭

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rebelwrites · 1 year ago

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Till The Wheels Fall Off || Masterlist

Charles Leclerc x Nova Teller (OC)

Small town meets the fast lane.

Nova Teller, a force not to be reckoned with. She’s just about keeping her head above water trying to balance keeping two businesses alive as well as looking after her family. In her eyes she doesn’t have time for love. But what happens when it comes knocking on her door?

Charles Leclerc, after a shit start to the 2023 season all he is focused on is getting his head back in the game, not falling in love.

What happens when two souls meet?

Will it end in happiness or will they both crash and burn?

One: Good Days And Bad

Two: Welcome To Charming

Three: He Was Checking You Out

Four: This Is A Matter Of Life Or Death

Five: I’ll Call You Sunshine

Six: What’s The Worst That Could Happen

Seven: The Old Nova Is Out To Play

Eight: Highs And Lows

Nine: Unfortunate Kind

Ten: I Have A Confession

Eleven: Tellers Never Quit On Family

Twelve: You Deserve The World

Thirteen: The Man That Raised Me

Fourteen: Can’t Steal Something You Own

Fifteen: So What Happened Last Night?

Sixteen: Give Me Your Goddamn Kutte!

Seventeen: Baby You Ain’t As Anonymous As You Think

Eighteen: He Wants To Play Cupid

Nineteen: You Got Her Singing Again

Twenty: Jackson Teller Are You Jealous

Twenty One: He’s Already Forgot About Me!

Twenty Two: I Don’t Know If You Know But I Am A Famous F1 Driver

Twenty Three: Don’t Make A Scene

Twenty Four: There’s Been An Accident

Twenty Five: Weight Of The World

Twenty Six: He’s Gone

Twenty Seven: You Two Are Going To Take Over The World

Twenty Eight: Till The Wheels Fall Off

#charles leclerc #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc x oc #charles leclerc imagine #sons of anarchy #jax teller #jax teller x reader #jax teller x oc #jax teller imagine

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aae-tuu · 1 year ago

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POV: Driving

Ft: G. Satoru & G.Suguru (except I have a favorite) (fluff, crack, gn!reader)

Buckle up for this one (literally. remember, seatbelts save lives)

Gojo Satoru:

Haha

no.

Never let this man get behind that fucking steering wheel

There’s a reason ijichi drives him anywhere and everywhere

It’s cause even he knows that he’d wreck havoc on the road

Once that man puts his hands on the steering wheel

Not even god can save you (he’s abandoned you too)

Either drives with both hands on the steering wheel but he’s leaning forward with a huge grin on his face looking like a gremlin as he turns the steering wheel all the fucking way just to take a tiny turn or he leans back in his seat, one hand on the steering wheel and the other hanging out his open window (still turns the steering wheel all the fucking way just to make a small turn and you all almost flip over)

Uses the keys to only unlock the drivers side, gets in, looks at you locked out, points and laughs, and then unlocks the passenger door

Swerves…a lot

Even when it isn’t necessary

He drives with the confidence of a much more experienced driver

he probably thinks he’s in Fast and Furious

Wants to drive a manual but you don’t even trust him with an automatic so

Tries to do burnouts

Gets bonked by Geto instead

Refuses to listen to any advice you give him

“I’m Gojo Satoru. There’s nothing I can’t do” - Famous last words after you kicked him out of the car and made him walk because last time he said that he crashed the car

Hogs the aux that bitch

Once asked if he could really grab a rope using one of the tires while in the car

This is what happens when you let him drive

(If you can’t watch or the link doesn’t work dw it’s screen recorded and you’ll find it at the bottom)

Don’t ask how he managed to do it

I hope you didn’t eat anything before getting into that car with him

Cause it’s coming right back up

You and geto fight over who gets to sit shotgun

And it’s not

“I want to sit!” “No I do!”

It’s

“You sit!” “No I sat last time!” “Just sit down👹”

Honks at people way too much

He’ll be behind a car and the light is red right

The second

the millisecond

it turns green

He’s honking at the car even if they’re already in the process of going forward

Also check on Geto before he passes out

Geto Suguru:

Only one I’d trust to drive me anywhere

He’s just so…good!

Does that thing where he puts his hand behind your seat to look back and it just ajdosjosks tehehe

Tho

I think he has a lot of suppressed anger that just comes out on the road

Cause there’s dumb drivers (ahemgojoahemhem) that just stress him out

Do not brake check this man please

He will find a way to get past you and do it back in the most petty way possible

Or tailgate him

Do not

It’s for your own good and safety

Sometimes curses under his breath (awooga) at other drivers but never sends a middle finger their way

He’s above that

Actually knows how to swerve smoothly

I think he’d drive a manual

Idk maybe I’m projecting cause I think he’d look hot shifting

(His arms rahsjsoksks)

I imagine him doing that thing where you’re like, “You’re gonna miss the exit!!” and you’re like 3-4 lanes away and he just

Goes for it

And makes it

And he just looks at you with a grin on his face while you’re probably holding on for your life

Will be all cheesy and open the passenger door for you to get in before closing it and walking to his side (if he’s in a good enough mood and he likes you he’ll put the seatbelt on for you too Ugh I wanna smooch him)

You and Gojo literally throw hands to sit shotgun while Geto watches from the drivers seat like

☺️

(He likes the attention)

Also literally has everything in his car??

In the glovebox there’s chargers, tissues, gum, pens, hair clips/ties

Anything you could ever want is there for you to grab, borrow, use whatever

Will let you have the aux (only after being an ass about it to annoy you. he doesn’t actually want it)

If you don’t know how to shift it’s okay

He’ll teach you

Has a small bump on his head from when Gojo turned too hard and he accidentally slammed his head against the part near the window

For those who wanted to see the Gojo video:

HAJSOKS

#jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru #geto suguru #gojo x reader #geto x reader #jjk x reader #gojo satoru x reader #geto suguru x reader #gn!reader #I wanna smooch geto #he’s just a little guy #and gojo uh #he can stay the hell away from me #still love him tho😍🤞#(or do i🧌)

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themalhambird · 1 year ago

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(from the same universe as this, chronologically proceeds it. Picks up almost immediately after the final episode of Series 1)

Shahara is not going to miss her Baba’s birthday party because her taxi driver turned out to be a mad woman. She’s still not sure why she let this Iris Maplewood person keep driving her while she rambled on about time travel and quantum whatever, except that she’s been a copper long enough to have a sense for when she’s in danger, and she didn’t get that from Maplewood. So it was easier to take the taxi ride and put up with the rambling than it was to try and stop the cab, get out and walk - and Maplewood refused to take a fare which was a bonus. So Shahara gets to the party exactly when she’s supposed to, and she revels in the hug she gets to give her son, and the hug her Baba gives to her. She revels in the crowd of family and friends- the Aunties and Uncles she can never remember if she has a blood connection to or not. That’s never been important. What’s important right now is good food and good music and good talk, and how good she’s gotten at distraction when the question of whether she has a man in her life yet or not comes up.

Except, throughout the night, at the back of her mind, is this nagging feeling- this unease about the fact that, well, this unease about the fact that she didn’t feel any unease when when some random cabby sprouting conspiracies about the Kyal corporation somehow knew a whole ton of personal details about Shahara’s life. And then there’s that sense she’s had all day, this- what’s the opposite of deja vu? The sense that suddenly you were in a place you hadn’t been mere moments before? She’d shrugged it off as tiredness- the stress of the job- she’d spoken to her inspector earlier about maybe putting in for some leave. And perhaps that’s an even better idea than she’d already been thinking. If she’s taking Iris Maplewood seriously, she’s cracking.

I’m not taking this seriously, she tells herself firmly, sipping at the mocktail as she watches Jawad run about with the other kids. I’m not going to think about it at all. I don’t believe-

“-a word you say,” Shahara tells Maplewood as she gets into the front of the woman’s taxi. “Just for the record. I’m agreeing to this because- I don’t know. I want to prove to myself that you’re talking nonsense, I guess.”

“I’m not, but that doesn’t matter. You’ll see for yourself soon enough,” Maplewood said. The car is sitting at the top of Longharvest Lane, headlights illuminating the alleyway. “I don’t know which of them it will be tonight, but one of them will show, I’m sure of it.”

Right. Either a detective sergeant from world war two or a detective inspector from the victorian era is going to materialise out of nowhere. Kyal, one of the biggest finance….trading….look, Shahara has never really been sure what Kyal is or does, and honestly she can easily believe that a corporation that big, handling that much money, is corrupt somehow. What she can’t believe is that it’s a Doomsday Cult and that Iris Maplewood comes from the future, and has travelled back to 2023 so she can get Shahara Hasan, and two blokes she’s sent others to fish out from the past, in to the same place to help bring Kyal down because together they already managed it once (sort of) by stopping an explosion that decimated the world…today, but also a few days in the future. Something. This is nuts.

“I hope it’s Hillinghead,” Maplewood muses. “He seemed- easy enough to reason with. I think. I don’t know, the memory’s blurry. It didn’t really happen, but also it had to have happened for it not to have happened. Bootstrap paradox, or something. I don’t know. There are echoes…I was sorry for him. I can’t remember why.”

Shahara clenches her fist tight. She is resolutely not remembering some kid sitting at the table of a fast food place with a gun in his hand. She isn’t-

“Thirty seconds,” Maplewood says. “I’m going to just,” she switches the car headlights off. “Don’t want them exploding,” she explains.

“Exploding?” Shahara exclaims. “You didn’t say anything about anything-”

The streetlamp outside flares white hot. Glass shatters, smashes some more as it falls to the pavement. There’s a red glow, almost like a bleeding wound, in the darkness ahead- for the briefest of moments. Shahara squints, trying to see properly, but the glow is too bright and everything else too dark…

And then it’s gone. There’s nothing but darkness and the rowdy sounds of London late at night behind them. Shahara stares, stunned, through the windscreen into the blackness beyond. Iris flicks the headlamps back on. In the two, brilliant beams of light, the blocky shape of a body can be seen crumpled in the road. “Oh my god,” Shahara breathes.

“I’ve got a blanket, there’s a torch in the door your side,” Iris says. She’s already got her door open, pulling a blanket that had been folded up on her lap with her. Shahara fumbles to catch up, grabbing the torch and stabbing for the switch with her thumb.

“Why a blank- oh,” there’s no need for the rest of the sentence. As they hurry over to him, Shahara can see that the man who appeared from nowhere is completely naked. He’s already stirring, running one hand through tousled black hair as he starts to bring himself onto his knees, coughing.

“What the hell-”

His cockney accent reminds Shahara of the teenagers she’s spoken to on occasion- kids trying a little too hard to sound hard, to fit in.

“Hillinghead?” she asks cautiously

“The hell is a Hillinghead?” He looks up at her. In the torchlight Shahara can see that he’s quite a handsome man- kind of dapper, except that there’s soot on his face.

“Charles Whiteman?” Iris says. She hands him the blanket. Whiteman takes it with a frown- blanches when it apparently hits him that he’s naked, and hastily wraps the blanket around his waist like a towel as he wobbles to his feet.

“Yeah? Who the hell are you? What the hell-” he looks around. “Where the bloody hell am I?”

***

So, time travel is, apparently, real.

Iris has got a flat- they take Whiteman back to it, and Shahara…Shahara has to go back to work. She has to go to her job and deal and…honestly, it’s easier than it should be. The whole thing doesn’t seem real, even when she stops on her way home to drop groceries off to check in on the woman from the future and the man from the past. Even when she goes for drinks in the coppers’ pub, and she goes and finds the photograph from Whiteman’s era, just out of curiosity, and immediately finds a face she knows. Whiteman doesn’t seem bothered by the fact he’s in the future so much as grousing that his Inspector’s going to do his nut about his disappearing, and grumbling that ‘Esther’- whoever Esther is, kid sister, Shahara thinks, from the irritated-fond way of talking- is going to cause chaos if left unattended for five minutes. She likes him- she’s getting to like Iris too, truth be told- and he’s entertaining on a stakeout. Because they’re still missing a Victorian.

By Iris’ calculations, Hillinghead should have materialised the night after Whiteman. But it’s almost a week later, and they’ve been watching each night, and there’s nothing.

***

“Hasan! Case for you! Take Rick.” She catches the slim file that’s thrown at her by the Inspector. “John Doe, Royal Hospital. Doctors reckon he’s well enough for talking. Need to find out who he is, need to find out how he ended up badly beaten and stark naked in Longharvest Lane.”

The folder drops from Hasan’s hands. “You what?” she says, but the Inspector’s already moving on, assigning other cases to other detectives, and Rick’s making his way over to her so she shakes herself and picks the folder up off the floor. She opens it, and finds a few cursory notes from the uniform officers that first attended: IC1 male, contusion to the right temple, assorted bruises, broken bones…found the night before Whiteman showed up. There’s a page of photos paperclipped in- she focuses in on the close up of a handsome face,if dishevelled face: reddish hair and a beard- a nasty bruise on his right temple. And there’s a photo of his wrist, as well, and it’s got the same mark that Iris Maplewood and Charles Whiteman both have. She manages to snag a photo of the page of photos on her phone before Rick reaches her, then hastily shoves it back in her pocket “You up for driving?” she asks. Rick grins.

“Hell yeah. Thought I’d have to fight you for it.”

“Nah. Jawad’s off school - stomach bug or something. To be honest, I could do with the time to message dad a bit, check in on how they’re doing.”

“Ah mate.” Rick says sympathetically as they head out to the parking lot. “Sorry. Hey, if you wanna swing by once we’re done at the hospital. We can always say we were chasing up a lead.”

“Nah, it’ll be alright. Mostly I wanna make sure he’s not conning Grandad into letting him eat nothing but ice cream all day. If we were closer maybe, but it’s out of the way. Besides, we might actually have leads.”

She’s pretty sure that they won’t. She’s pretty sure that the man they’re about to speak to is from the 1800s and she really, really hopes he hasn’t told anyone at the hospital that because he’ll get himself sectioned faster than he can blink. She gets into the passenger side of the car, fastens her seatbelt, and sends the photo to Iris. This him? She writes underneath.

Fifteen seconds later, Iris pings a simple message back:

Fuck.

#bodies netflix #shahara hasan #iris maplewood #charles whiteman #my fic #know you are loved

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