#he was one of daniels buddies i know they had a whole thing

[tinycoffeeroom]

girlfriend of the enemy | charles leclerc

face claim: none ♡

request: here !

tags: max verstappen x reader, thoughts of infidelity, max sucks a lil in this i'm sorry

part 2 | part 3

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You knew the novelty had worn off. Max was known for picking up things that were shiny and brand new to him and dropping them without a moment's notice. You just never thought you would be one of them. The two of you had met in the paddock, you having been invited by your reporter friends. Instantly the two of you had hit it off, chatting the whole night and enjoying each other's company. 

That was 7 years ago. 

Now the two of you were attending the end of the race year celebrations but you may as well be strangers. 

He’d swirled you around his friends, eye candy on his arm to match the fact that his face was plastered across the entire room. After he was sure everyone had seen the two of you together, he subtly brushed your arm off and went to talk with Daniel and Checo who were standing by the bar. 

Taking a seat at one of the tables strewn out across the large dance hall, you picked nervously at the acrylics on your nails. Max knew events like this made you nervous, with the large crowds full of people you barely knew. At the start of your relationship, he never used to leave you alone, constantly having a hand around your waist or resting on your knee so you knew he was there, but it was as if he no longer cared. You hated this side of him, missing the funny and attentive man you fell in love with. 

Drivers passed back and forth behind your chair, often bumping it accidentally as they walked, too deep in conversation with their walking buddy to notice they had knocked you. It had been at least 2 hours since you had seen Max, having watched him stalk off to a dark corner with the two men he was chatting with at the bar. You knew you looked miserable, but you were so tired of hiding how you truly felt, how Max made you feel. 

A hand brushes the back of your chair as someone takes a seat beside you. A soft voice barely audible over the loud music pumping through the room, close enough that their breath brushes across your neck. 

“Not having fun?”

You jump at the proximity, whipping round to come face to face with Max’s longtime frenemy, Charles Leclerc. He simply smiled, either not noticing how close the two of you were or simply ignoring it.  

You’d come to know Charles through the years you’d spent as a wag. He was always polite, full of kind smiles and funny anecdotes. You knew he wasn’t a fan of these things either, choosing to excuse himself early, either with his teammates or Oscar whenever things got a little too raucous. His two closest friends on the grid, Daniel and George, were more open to the party atmosphere, often getting to the point of drunkenness where you had to mother them a little, rounding up the giggling boys and wrestling them into an Uber. 

You loved chatting with the group of friends, never having a dull moment as each of them tried to outdo the other with a joke or a roast. However, you were always a little more drawn to the Monagesque, finding his warm voice and awkward jokes lightened the tension that festered deep inside whenever Max abandoned you at one of these events. 

You smiled back at Charles in the present, toying with the Tiffany bracelet around your wrist. “Not particularly. Never really liked these kind of events.”

If it was anyone else who had asked, you would have lied. Various excuses of not feeling well or simply needing a moment to yourself, but Charles had never once shown judgement towards your lack of enthusiasm for these nights. 

“Where’s Max?” His eyes flick around the room, elbow coming to rest on the bar. He must realise his mistake straight away as he pulls away, the stickiness of the counter following him. 

You sigh, reaching to drain the last of your mojito. “Fuck knows. Last time I saw him was just after 9.” 

He raises his eyebrows, turning to catch the attention of the bar staff. “Another mojito and a vodka soda, please.” Turning back to you, he checks his watch. “It’s 2am.”

You return the eyebrow raise, welcoming the new drink he hands you. “Yeah, it is. He’s probably with Daniel and Checo if you want him.” 

You were used to people approaching you just to get to the other. Nothing new but it still irked you a little that you were only ever seen as an extension of the great Max Verstappen, never just y/n l/n. 

Smiling softly, he raises his glass for you to clink yours against. “Nah, I’m fine where I am.”

–

The hours passed quickly, the two of you hunched over the bar as you tried to make out what the other was saying over the loud bass of the music. You could lie and say your heart didn’t flutter every time he laughed, eyes sparkling as he listened intently to every dumb joke you made. It made you feel a little bit sick, the butterflies in your tummy stabbing tiny little daggers into you as you try to remember the last time Max had ever spent time with you like this. 

He was a busy man, with the racing and Twitch and the various other events Redbull required him to do, the two of you rarely saw each other. You tried to organise monthly date nights in order to reignite the spark you once had but every time Max texted that he couldn’t come, not even mentioning the word sorry, you felt a little piece of your heart fall away. 

Through some kind of sick manifestation, Max rounded the corner of the bar, flagged by a barely conscious Daniel and a still chipper Checo. 

“Charles! Nice to see you!” Checo was his ever lovely self, dapping Charles up and pulling him into a brief hug. Daniel barely acknowledged either of you, slumping into the chair on the other side of you and drunkenly resting his head on the back of your shoulder. Max was neutral, eyes darting between the two of you. 

“Yeah, nice to see you Charles. I see you’ve met my Mrs.”

You hated that term. “Mrs”. Maybe if he showed any kind of interest in actually taking the next step and marrying you after 7 years together maybe you wouldn’t mind. He knew you hated it to some extent, having used it often as a joke in media events to make you roll your eyes and send him a cheeky text. But now the word just grated you, imaginary hackles rising at his standoffish tone. 

Charles smiles at the two, briefly eyeing Daniel from where he was snoring on your shoulder. “Yeah, me and y/n have met quite a few times at these things. Normally when I’m too tired to deal with Daniel and George’s shit.” He aims the last sentence towards you, joining you in a small chuckle. 

Max laughed sarcastically, hand coming to grip your free shoulder. The strength of it made you shrink slightly, hating the possessiveness it held. “Well, it’s getting late, I better get her home.” His head nods down at you, the resignation in his voice a poor attempt at humour but it lands flat. 

Charles eyes him, then the hand gripped harshly on your shoulder and finally lands on you, eyes warm with a tint of ice. “Sure. It was nice to chat to you, Y/N. Don’t be a stranger.” He rises from his seat, hand raised to deliver a half hearted fist bump to Max and Checo before he disappears, swallowed by the horde of people still present at the event. 

You grab your bag as Max shakes the sleeping Daniel on your shoulder. The two of you work side by side to sling an arm of Daniel’s around each of your shoulders, Max thankfully taking the brunt of the weight. Silently, you make your way to Max’s car, humming at the drunken gibberish from the man hanging between the two of you. 

As you settle into the passenger's seat of Max’s car, you can’t help but wish it was Charles sliding in beside you. 

–

👤 maxverstappen1 Liked by redbullracing, charles_leclerc and 592,048 others

y/nstagram eindejaarsfeest met mijn lief en jouw wereldkampioen ♥️ (end of year party with my love and your world champion)

fan she’s so gorgeous, maxverstappen1 can you fight? ♥️ 39,927 others

redbullracing never mind the trophy, we think you’re the real prize ↳ fan damn admin got rizz ↳ redbullracing 😎

fan why does max never like her photos anymore i miss the “here before the dutchman” jokes ↳ fan they’ve been together 7 years maybe the honeymoon phase has just worn off? ↳ fan idk even when we see them in the paddock he brushes her off all the time  ↳ fan i thought we all agreed to stop prying into their relationship?  ↳ fan true but 7 years and no ring?? I’d have wifed her up immediately 

charles_leclerc si belle ↳ y/nstagram merci charlie :) ↳ fan ariana what are you doing here?  ↳ fan he’s been in her likes / comments since he joined f1, i’m pretty sure they’re friends ↳ fan he always comments “beautiful” or smth sappy on her posts… ngl i kinda ship them ↳ fan saying that on a post where she’s just called max her love��� seek help ↳ fan damn sorry that i just wanna see her be treated the way she deserves???? She posts max nearly weekly and the last time she graced his ig was like 6 months back ??? AND he never likes / comments on her posts even when she tags him AND he ignores her in the paddock like all the time ↳ fan he’s a 4x world champion and the face of redbull, he’s a busy man damn 

-

-

Another country, another race, another day of Max ignoring you. You’d always been understanding of the fact that, as the current world champion, he had a lot of pressure on his rather wide shoulders. People called for him wherever he turned and he’d follow, giving piece by piece of him to whoever needed his attention. Race engineers, press, other drivers, even Christian himself. In the earlier years, he’d drag you along with him, hand wrapped firmly around yours as he discussed better ways to reduce drag or answer the same god damn question from the same 10 faces you saw at every race. 

Nowadays, he’d barely look your way as he gets out of the car, instead letting you roam around of your own volition. You often found yourself walking up and down the paddock, looking at all the other drivers who would throw a loving glance to their girlfriends as they rush around their garages, or drop a small kiss to the crown of their heads as they pass by to the back rooms or even something as small as readjusting their stance as they spoke to their engineers so they could press a thigh or an arm against their other half. 

So far you’d passed Alpine; exchanging quick hugs with Kika and Flavy before they went to the back rooms, McLaren; where Lando and you had exchanged a quick fist bump whilst you swiped away his questions about Max’s whereabouts, and Haas where both Kevin and Nico had waved brightly at you as they entertained their children on the garage floor. Looking up, you find yourself standing in front of the Ferrari garages. More specifically, in front of Charles’. 

Whether the halt in your footsteps has been subconscious or not, you couldn’t stop yourself from hoping for a glimpse of Charles. Flashes of red passed your vision, engineers and strategists moving amongst one another like a well oiled machine, but no sign of white fireproofs or padded red race suits. 

Sighing softly, you turn on your heels, ready to head back to the Red Bull garages where you’ll inevitably end up being forced into putting on a headset and a fake smile when it’s race time. 

Eyes focused on the ground, you walk slowly away from the Ferrari garages, not wanting to see all the loving couples around you. Only three steps down, a pair of race boots pop up in your vision, eyes trailing up until you meet Charles’ worried gaze. 

“Y/N, what are you doing all the way over here? It’s nearly race time?” His head quirks a little to the left, reminding you of an inquisitive puppy. 

It’s enough to bring a small smile to your face, eyes flicking over his face. “Hey Charles. Honestly, I didn’t even realise I’d made it this far into enemy territory until I looked up and saw your garage.” 

He matches your teasing smile, nudging his foot with one of yours playfully. “I wouldn’t say enemy, just unfamiliar.” He takes a moment to give you a once over, eyes clinging to the ever present furrow of your brows. “Where’s Max?”

Resisting the urge to roll your eyes, you huff quietly. “God knows. Last I saw, he was in a very heated debate with GP, something to do with the rear wing.”

He nods in response. “Does he know you’re in enemy territory?” He teases softly, aware of the way your expression darkened at the mention of your boyfriend. 

“I don’t think he would realise if I upped and left to be honest.” The second you said it, you regretted it. Charles has enough to worry about on race day without you piling your relationship problems onto him. “Sorry, ignore me. Must’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed or something.” You laugh unconvincingly, trying to avoid his knowing eyes. 

He’s quiet for a moment, pensive silence spreading between the two of you. It makes your skin crawl, all too aware that he was probably already clued into your crumbling relationship. You wanted him to make a joke, to nudge his shoulder with yours as he quips about how you should join the other side for once. You wanted him to make you smile, knowing he’s been the only one to do so in so many years. 

A knot sits heavy in your stomach. Wanting another man to make you smile like your boyfriend isn’t standing 20 feet away. Another man who was the best friend of your boyfriend. 

Yours and Max’s relationship wasn’t all arguing and sneaking into bed whilst the other slept far on the other side, but the only times he made you laugh recently was in front of cameras, smiles too large and laughter too loud to be believable to either of you. 

With Charles, it was easy. Almost like breathing. He was still a little awkward with you, jokes sometimes landing flat but the way he would wince and chuckle at his own bad lines were enough to have you laughing loudly and unapologetically. 

You needed to get out of here before you said or did something you’d regret. Luckily, Xavi came to your rescue, spotting Charles out on the paddock and rushing over to sling a friendly arm around his shoulder. “Charles, vamos! We have to get ready for the race. Sorry to steal him from you, Y/N, but I can’t risk him sharing trade secrets with the girlfriend of the enemy.” He pairs the teasing jab with a wink at both of you, the arm hooked around Charles’ neck pulling him gently away. 

Charles’ throws a smile over his shoulder, waving a hand goodbye as he’s dragged into conversation with Xavi. You wave back, energy not quite matching his. 

It was a throwaway comment, something every team said when you’d chat with their racers, normally coupled with a squeeze of the shoulder or a friendly grin. Charles had even said the same thing himself two minutes prior. But something about it being Charles’ race engineer left a sour taste in your mouth. 

To Charles, you were just the girlfriend of the “enemy”, and that’s all you could be. 

-

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a/n: i swear i'm working on a happier one for charles' monaco win buuuut before i spend another 2 weeks finishing this off - anyone interested in a part 2?

[natailiatulls07]

Can you please do driver reader and she is the baby of the paddock and she gets sick and everyone is worried and looking after her including her team principal Christian

Worried Mothers Hens

Formula one grid & female!driver!reader

Summary - You get a cold/fever, and the drivers become like worried mother hens

Warning - Blacking out, crash, ibuprofen, mention of breaking your back

Reader drives for Redbull

-

- You're the youngest on the grid

- Only being 18 years old and the only female on the grid was a huge accomplishment

- Fans love you

- They think you’re the most iconic on the grid

- Your tiktok is filled with candid videos of other drivers

- Like this one time, you asked Carlos to crack your back

- Thing is he didn’t know that you had a uncooked piece of pasta between your teeth

- So when he went to crack your back, he freaked out

- The poor Spaniard thought he seriously broke your back

- “¡Dios mío!”

- “Y/n! I am so sorry! Are you okay?!”

- He kept worrying and apologised

- But when you started to laugh, he expression was concerned

- “¿Qué? ¿Estás bien?”

- “Carlos! It’s okay”

- The fans loved it!

- It was race day for the new Las Vegas Grand Prix

- And many cameras captured each driver as you all arrived separately

- But everyone noticed your pale face and sniffly nose

- Your race engineer, much like everyone else, was concerned

- “Are you sure you’re okay?"

- "Yeah I'll be fine"

- You weren't

- You crashed into turn 5

- "Y/n! Are you okay? Confirm you're okay?"

- Nothing

- You had blacked out down that straight from turn 4 to turn 5

- Luckily you're RB19 didn't cause any collision with any other car

- "That's a red flag! Red flag!"

- "Wait who? Where?" The british McLaren driver asked

- "Yeah I saw the collision, who was it Max or Y/n?" Daniel Ricciardo asked his race engineer

- But when they all found out who was in the car, their concerns for you went up like crazy

- "Is she okay? Has she responsed?"

- They were all instucted to enter the pit lane and would wait there until the race continued

- It's okay though

- You got out of the car unharmed and were told to head to medical centre in the paddock

- So thats what you did

- This did calm some nerves of the other drivers but they were all still that bit concerned as they were told they would continue the race soon

- The medical team told you to go back to your hotel and sleep this fever off

- And thats what you did

- You fell asleep straight away when you got into your hotel bed

- Only to be woken up a few hours later to a knock on the door

- "Come in" You shouted from the bed, only now noticing your scratchy throat

- Opening the door revealed Max, Carlos, Charles, Lando, Daniel and George

- (Pretend Lando didn't crash into the barrier and won)

- "Hey buddy how are you feeling?" The Australian asked as he came to sit by my feet on the bed

- "I've been better"

- Turns out after the race finished they all went to the local supermarket and made up a basket full of cold/fever remedies and all your favourite foods

- lemon cough sweets

- toffee popcorn

- ibuprofen

- etc

- For the rest of the evening, they completely babied you

- Happily watched your favourite childhood film

- Made sure the bed was comfortable for you

- Made you drink a lot of water and eat a lot of vitamin C

- And it's not like the fans missed out on this whole thing

- They all made sure to post regularly on their instagram stories

- Even agreeing to do a tiktok with you

- Overall, being the baby of the grid and being the most iconic really worked out in your favour

-

[hypewinter]

At first he'd been overjoyed that the cloning had worked. Then, as the weeks went by, he realized just how messed up of a thing he had done. Tim still remembered the faces of everyone after he told them. There were mixes of shock, horror and disappointment. He'd been unable to face both Bruce and Clark for a while after that.

Now Tim sat in a rocking chair within the newly decorated nursery. He looked down at the baby in his lap, who returned his gaze with a blank one of his own.

He sighed as he turned to peer out the window. It was a full moon tonight. "They're mad at me, I know," he finally spoke. "I can't really blame them either. It wasn't fair to Conner. To his memory."

Tim turned to look at the baby once more. He stared into the baby's eyes. Those painfully familiar eyes that were at the same time new and foreign.

"It wasn't fair to you either."

Tim reached down and brushed a bang out of the baby's eyes. "But I swear I'm going to make it up," he continued. "Starting by giving you your own proper name."

Until now, that baby had been referred to as just that. Baby. If not that it was the clone, the child or Conner's clone. But now that Tim had firmly decided he was raising the baby, the kid needed a proper name.

"Hmm," Tim pondered. "What about.... Kevin?"

He received yet another blank look.

"Okay... how about Alex, Wes, Kyle? Timothy Jr?"

Blank stare.

"You could be Douglas. Doug for short."

At that the baby seemed to almost quirk up his eyebrow. As if to say, "Are you serious?" Though that was probably Tim's mind playing tricks on him.

"Yeah," he said with a soft chuckle. "I wasn't really feeling that one either."

Tim closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. "Mark, Luke, Ezekiel, Thomas, Elijah..." Great, now he was just listing off Bible names.

"Daniel..." he muttered absently.

Suddenly, Tim heard a giggle. He looked back down at the baby to see him cooing softly.

"Wait, you like that? Daniel?"

The baby giggled again. This time reaching up towards Tim. Hesitantly, he raised his hand towards the child. He couldn't help the soft gasp that escaped him as the child grabbed onto his pointer finger.

"Ok, Daniel it is."

Except for something still didn't feel right. Tim leaned back and stared at the ceiling as his tried to pinpoint the feeling of wrongness. Then it hit him. He hated whenever people used his full name. It always felt stuffy and formal. It reminded him too much of disappointed looks. Of hands gripping his shoulders or pulling at his ears, telling him to behave.

"Say," he murmured. "Mind if I give you a nickname buddy? How about Dan?"

Daniel scrunched up his eyebrows. "Ok ok, you don't like that one. I get it. Then how about Danny?"

Daniel seemed to appreciate that nickname a whole lot more as him went back to cooing contently. Tim couldn't help as a smile of his own crept onto his face. "It's settled then," he grinned, holding his child up in the air. "Welcome to the family Danny Drake-Wayne!"

He then pulled Danny close into an embrace, closing his eyes as he took in the scent of baby powder and formula. "I promise, you'll have a better childhood than either I or Kon did. I'll make sure of it."

Edit: original prompt for anyone interested

[astonmartinii]

hii, can i request an insta au for lando? i don’t have something particular in mind, bit maybe best friends to lovers kinda thing? and their friends teasing them/ being annoyed? <33 love your work!!

best friends 4 ever | lando norris social media au

pairing: lando norris x bff!reader

best friends? lovers? who knows?

yourusername

liked by landonorris, maxfewtrell and 320,879 others

yourusername: clubbing on a budget 🍒

view all comments

user1: where's lando?

user2: yet another post without lando, have they broken up?

user3: how can they be broken up if they aren't together?

user4: why do you people think lando and y/n doing things separately is illegal?

user5: why weren't you at the race?

yourusername: babes i'm just a bartender i do not have the schedule or the finances to just fuck off to saudi arabia for three days sorry xx

user5: you clearly had the weekend off?

yourusername: please refer to my previous statement on my financial standing

yourbff1: who is that stunning woman?

yourusername: u bestie

landonorris: glad you went with outfit choice number one

yourusername: thank you miranda priestly

oscarpiastri: so that's who i could hear you talking to...

yourusername: clubbing outfits are a serious business oscar

oscarpiastri: serious enough for a three hour call?

yourusername: YES.

landonorris: YES.

landonorris

liked by yourusername, maxverstappen1 and 902,894 others

landonorris: mood before the race v after the race, see you next year jeddah 🇸🇦

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user6: what driving a tractor does to a motherfucker

yourusername: what's a performance where a man is having the worst time of his life but looks sexy doing it?

landonorris: beauty is pain

yourusername: then you must be suffering

user7: mr and miss we're not dating flirting up a storm in the comments as per

carlossainz55: maybe focus less on modelling and more on driving

yourusername: so no more ferrari thirst traps?

carlossainz55: damn i forgot that coming for lando means dealing with you

yourusername: meet me in the parking lot chilli

landonorris: y/n is like my little chihuahua so come for me, watch your ankles

user8: do they think we're dumb?

danielricciardo: ah the classic post mclaren snooze, if only you had your cuddle buddy

landonorris: i know you miss me mate but i'll cuddle you in melbourne

danielricciardo: ok. not what i meant. but i'll take the free cuddles

user9: so he was defo referring to y/n, right?

daniel3.jpeg

liked by landonorris, yourusername and 708,655 others

tagged: yourusername, landonorris, heidiberger

daniel3.jpeg: any wagon need a third wheel, i'm practically a professional now?

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user12: confirmation? this is confirmation, right? RIGHT?

yourusername: i gave you that banjo in good faith daniel and this is how you repay me?

daniel3.jpeg: i appreciate her !!!! thank you for my lessons, but these are cute so i will not be deleting sorry not sorry

yourusername: ur right we are serving

user13: life is just not fair

user14: official cause of death: the third slide

landonorris: how relegated to just an arm, i see how it is daniel

yourusername: you are literally the definition of pookie bear and cutieful in the first pic

landonorris: i'm going to need you to never say those words ever again

yourusername: that's not what you said last night ...

landonorris: you're right i am pookie bear

user15: actual pics + comments = y'all can no longer say i'm being delusional.

f1wagsupdates

liked by user16, user17 and 3,240 others

tagged: landonorris

f1wagsupdates: lando norris spotted on his boat in monaco with an unknown woman. the pair looked flirty and spent the whole day together alone on the boat. norris' rumoured girlfriend y/n y/ln was back in the u.k. where she works as a bar tender. what do you think?

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user18: i'm so confused rn

user19: i know we never had concrete confirmation but my heart is broken for y/n right now

user20: i don't want to jump to any conclusions, men and women can be friends, there's nothing in these photos that suggest anything more than friendship

user21: they're literally holding hands in the second pic

user20: i hold my friends hands every time i jump in the water doesn't mean i'm with them

user22: but the pic in danny's post .... i don't even know anymore

yourusername

liked by pierregasly, landonorris and 356,823 others

yourusername: food will never leave me

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user25: so like is this a dig after those pics of lando and the random girl?

user26: i know this is sad and all, but that kebab looks banging please tell us where you got it

yourusername: camden market babes

yourbff1: sexy girl, sexy food and sexy photography

yourusername: best photographer i know

user27: SHADE LANDP.JPEG YOU WERE NEVER THAT GIRL

landonorris: camden kebabs without me? offended.

yourusername: doing a lot of things without each other recently.

maxfewtrell: could've at least invited me i love that place

user28: oof. i feel like i shouldn't be watching this

lando.jpeg

liked by danielricciardo, yourusername and 1,305,066 others

tagged: yourusername

lando.jpeg: appreciation post for my bestest friend forever and the love of my life. i didn't want to give any attention to the rumours going around so i thought i'd just let you know i'm in love, i've been in love for years and will be in love with her for the rest of my life.

view all comments

user29: okay, now the confirmation is here, idk what to do with myself

user30: i survived the y/n x lando slow burn

yourusername: i love you too bob

lando.jpeg: i love you more, can't wait to see you

yourusername: i'm never letting you leave again

user31: so like you're gonna deny being all up close and personal with a random girl on the boat

landonorris: not that i owe you people anything, that girl is my cousin, she was visiting monaco and i showed her around. but it shouldn't matter, you guys don't know me personally and stop assuming things about athletes' personal lives.

yourusername: what he said.

carlossainz55: FINALLY

danielricciardo: i literally don't know how much longer i could've kept this a secret

oscarpiastri: i think we deserve a reward

charles_leclerc: i second this

maxverstappen1: i third this

maxfewtrell: i fourth this

yourusername: alright, alright we get it

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, landonorris and 607,845 others

tagged: landonorris

yourusername: i guess we owe our parents £50 xx

view all comments

user32: bro this shit has me straight up crying THIS AINT EVEN MY RELATIONSHIP

oscarpiastri: you guys are cute i'll give you that

yourusername: teammate stamp of approval get it @landonorris

oscarpiastri: i think you guys got that after i walked in on you after silverstone

landonorris: our bad lol

user33: this reads like a fanfic but they're so cute

maxverstappen1: awww lando was so cute in that first pic, what went wrong?

yourusername: u and kelly look like siblings, don't come for us

maxverstappen1: u got it

landonorris: i love you fairy princess

yourusername: i love you racer boy

note: enjoyyyyyyyyyyyy. i originally wrote this a while back but it deleted itself when my laptop had a meltdown. so this is a bit diff but i hope you like it anyway !! xx

[featherandferns]

daylight - eight

jj maybank x fem!reader | part 8 of the daylight series | read part 7 here

content warnings: sexual content (f receiving); drug use (weed)

word count: 2.5k.

blurb: whilst watching cheesy eighties horror, you and JJ somehow end up in a fight as all the mess from the past two months finally comes to a head.

“This is the dumbest fucking movie I’ve ever seen,” you snort, passing JJ back his joint. 

“Shut up, this is the best part,” JJ mutters.

He takes a hit and the cloud of vapour clouds your vision. It temporarily blocks the view of the screen, showing Lauren Daniels, permed blonde hair and pink-sweater clad, quivering in fear atop of a shelf in her apartment. The slimy, green-toned cannibalistic monster lingers below, snarling with its fang-like teeth and beady eyes. In the light of modern C.G.I and with the humour from the high you’re on, the whole movie is ludicrous and hilarious. JJ had begged for you guys to watch it. Your vote was Legally Blonde but he turned his nose up. So, here you were, sat side by side, your feet in his lap, dazily watching C.H.U.D as you pass a joint back and forth. You’re at JJ’s house. It had the lingering household smell of weed and booze. Untidy and unkempt, there were empty beer cans and unclean laundry strewn about all over. Intermixed was mechanical parts which you assume are from his dad’s handy-man jobs. His dad was out somewhere: JJ hadn’t said and you didn’t ask. 

As Lauren tosses a bucket of developer on the monster, one of JJ’s hands absentmindedly massages your left foot. It shoots tingles up your legs. It’s weirdly domestic, this entanglement. Something about it feels more than friendly. I mean, you can’t imagine JJ messing with Kiara’s feet whilst watching a movie. Tuning out of the movie and taking another hit of the joint, your mind starts to wander. 

Things between you and JJ had gotten more and more complicated. Most conversations started with teasing jabs and ended with his dick in your mouth. Hang-outs came with the unspoken agreement of making-out at some stage. But things were deeper than sex. The conversations were deeper than those shared between fuck buddies. The touching felt more sensual than a rush to get off. There were these times you’d catch JJ looking at you, and there’d be this longing in his gaze. You knew it because you saw it in your own eyes. Catch it in the reflection of a mirror or window, or spot it in a photo taken by one of the Pogues at whatever hang. You always kept the focus on him, though. It felt easier to pleasure him than to have his hands on you. Everytime he tried to, you’d tense up and internally freak out, and spiral into thoughts and anxieties that stemmed from Tyler. In short: it scared the shit out of you to let JJ have you. You knew that the moment you’d give yourself to him would be the moment you were in too deep. 

But every time you think about bringing it up or cutting it off, you remember how relaxed you feel in JJ’s company. How seen. The two of you shared a language that didn’t require trivial things like words. The thought of JJ being the impending meteorite circling your orbit lost its weight in worry with the notion that you got to have him near. That you got to gaze upon and marvel at him when he wasn’t looking, and wonder how on earth something so pure and perfect was handed such a shitty deal in life. How someone like him wanted to spend time with someone like you. 

JJ’s knuckle hitting a pressure point in your foot has you twitching, coming back to the present. He chuckles quietly. Does it again just to get a reaction. You lightly kick at him. 

“Knock it off,” you mumble. 

“Can’t help it. S’funny,” he replies. “You hear from Mimsy recently?”

“A little. I think she’s really into Darren,” you say.

It’s weird that JJ knows about that. About Mimsy and her livelihood, and was interested enough to ask about it. He had a habit of checking up on you. Asking you about how you were feeling about Kildare, and how your parents were, how the photography was going, how Mimsy was doing. He coaxed anecdotes about Vancouver out of you whenever you felt homesick simply because he knew how much you liked talking about your home. 

“Didn’t you say he was a trust fund baby?” JJ sniggers. 

“Yeah, well, there’s worse people for her to hook up with,” you shrug, requesting the joint back with wiggling fingers.

“What? Like Lloyd?”

You glance at him, mildly bewildered. “How do you remember that?”

“Hm?”

“How do you remember Lloyd?” 

You don’t even remember mentioning him. JJ shrugs. 

“I dunno. I remember most things you tell me,” he says, looking back to the TV screen. His fingers continue rubbing the palm of your foot. You’re practically desensitised to it now. “I like hearing you talk.”

And you fucking hate it when he says things like that: passes compliments to you like it’s Monopoly currency. You hate how easy it is for him to do it, seemingly unaware of the effect it has on you.

When JJ turns to you again, likely seeking out the joint, he finds your stare set on his profile. Smiling, he asks, “what?”

Your lips twitch upwards at the deja vu. “Nothing. It’s just that you’re really fucking pretty.”

JJ eyes light up. His smile turns bashful. It's taken out of view when he dips his head, turning it away from you. You giggle and prod at his chest with your toes, teeth sinking into your lips to try and keep your cheesy grin at bay.

JJ's fingers wrap around your ankle. He drags you to him, across the sofa, making you yelp out with a laugh. Those very fingers slide up your bare legs, slipping under your pyjama shorts to cup your ass, and he tugs you into his lap. You loop your arms around his neck with a giggle, blunt still balanced precariously between two fingers, and accidentally bump his forehead in the process. The two of you laugh, doped up and dizzy, and his nose brushes yours as he calms. The two of you sit like that - you in JJ’s lap - passing Eskimo kisses, eyes closed, smiles steady. When he finally presses his lips to yours, the kiss feels different to all the other times. Less frenzied. It almost feels like he’s trying to tell you something as he brushes your lips against his. His tongue that slips into your mouth carries messages you can’t seem to decipher, as the two of you fall into one another. One of your hands strokes along his jaw, angling his head to deepen the kiss. He’s growing hard beneath you, making your cunt throb with the thought. He flinches away suddenly with a hiss. 

“What? What’s wrong?” you mumble, leaning back in his strong hold. 

He chuckles. “Fucking ash hit the back of my neck.”

Giggling, you take the joint away and carelessly put it on the coffee table behind you. Turning back to him, you find yourself taken aback by the look on his face. It makes your heart stop still in your chest before it plummets down your ribcage. You know that look. You’ve seen it on your own face, when you stare into the mirror. 

“JJ…” you whisper. 

His lips on yours silence you with a fiery kiss. You gasp against them as he picks you up and practically tosses you on your back on the sofa, with something between a grunt and growl. He scrambles to be atop of you, unapologetic as he kisses down your jawline and neck. You hurry to take off your shirt the moment his fingers tease at the hem of it. He’s back on you in a minute. Your body feels like it’s on fire. Like you might combust if someone were to light a match. And, God, do you want him to.

You rut your hips instinctively at the feel of JJ’s lips on your nipple through your thin bralette. Eyes slipping closed, head tilting back, your fingers latch into his scraggly hair. You hum out a moan. 

“So fuckin’ pretty, baby,” JJ mumbles against your heaving stomach. “So fuckin’ needy too.”

Your fingers fiddle with the back of his collar, tugging at it until he takes the hint. He grabs it by the back and pulls it off his head. Tosses it to the side, chuckling with a horny grin as he reconnects his lips to your bare skin. Your bralette joins the pile, much to JJ’s pleasure. His hands fondle at your breast; the pad of his thumb tenderly brushes over your hardening nipple before pinching it between his forefinger. You gasp out a soundless moan. 

Kissing just above the waistband of your shorts, his fingers find purchase on your hipbones. They dip below the fabric and try to coax them down. 

You feel like gravity hits. You come plummeting back down to earth. Palming at his shoulder and jaw, you try and coax his face back to yours. 

“Lemme suck you off,” you mumble, looking down at him. He looks so pretty, between your legs. 

He shakes his head with a smile. “Wanna make you feel good.”

“You don’t have to,” you say, trying to keep your voice light. You try to bring him back up to you again but JJ doesn’t relent. It takes you physically shifting out of his hold to stop him from pulling your short down. When he looks up at you, his smile is fading. You try to bring it back with one of your own. “I just wanna get you off.”

JJ pauses. Physically stills. Then, he sits back on his knees. Your smile vanishes. After knowing JJ for as long as you have, you can recognise the telltale signs of his frustration and anger. JJ looks to the TV screen, attention elsewhere, and begins to shake his head. Slow at first, then fast. All you can do is watch. Finally, he makes a sound. It’s a humourless scoff.

“Why won’t you let me touch you?” JJ asks, looking back to you. 

Your stomach twists nervously. “I do.”

“No, you don’t.”

“JJ, I literally just let you feel me up,” you return with a failing laugh, brows furrowing. 

“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” JJ quickly returns, tone turning short. 

You blink at him, faux smile gone, and your lips bumble to find some sort of response. JJ’s irritation momentarily subsides and is instead replaced with hurt. 

You hate the vulnerable insecurity in JJ’s voice when he asks, “do you not trust me or something?”

“No, of course I do–”

“Then why do you never let me near you?” JJ snaps. He tosses out his arms. “I mean, am I not good enough for you or something?”

“What?”

“Not fucking worthy enough to see you naked, is that it?”

“Of course not,” you breathe, bewildered by the thought. 

“Then what? I don’t fucking turn you on, is that it? I just don’t do it for you and you wanna spare my fucking feelings?”

Your eyes narrow at his words. “Are you throwing what happened in the chateau in my face right now?”

“No, I just–” JJ cuts himself off with a sharp exhale, clenching his eyes shut. He clenches his fist to try and restrain his anger. His knuckles slowly lift to his lips. “I just want to know why.”

“Why the fuck do you think you deserve to?” you snap. Sitting up, you grab for your shirt and tug it on. “What? You think every person you’ve ever known owes you an explanation for why they’re not falling at your feet?”

“Oh, fuck off,” JJ mutters, shaking his head. “You’re avoiding the question.”

“I don’t need to avoid it,” you sharply return. “Cause I don’t need to fucking answer it.”

“You don’t need to answer it?”

“No, I don’t.”

“You don’t think I deserve to know why, after two months of us doing this fucking thing, you don’t let me go down on you?”

Your eyes clench shut. 

“Why you don’t let me fuck you?”

You laugh out a humourless laugh. Gape at him, eyes mean. “Oh! So that’s what this is! You’re fucking bitter cause a girl won’t let you fuck her? You know, there’s this wonderful thing in the world, JJ - you should learn about it sometime. It’s called women having rights.”

“Oh my fucking God,” JJ spits, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers as his eyes shut. “You’re fucking impossible, you know that?”

“And you’re an entitled prick. Guess we both have each other’s number now,” you quickly retort.

You get to your feet and search for JJ’s shirt, finding it on the other side of the coffee table. The drivel coming out of the television only pisses you off more, so you shut it off. 

“What aren’t you telling me?” JJ asks. His voice is calmer, though still strung tight. With your back to him, he can’t see the look on your face. He can’t see the physical pain that question causes you. “I thought things were good between us.”

You look down and your eyes close. Fist scrunching JJ’s t-shirt in your hold, your lips purse to keep from quivering. You knew this was a bad idea. Most things are, when it comes to romance. Somebody always gets hurt. 

“Well? Aren’t they?”

You take a shaking intake of air and finally find enough courage to turn. JJ’s not angry anymore. He looks just as dejected as you feel. You shake your head weakly. 

“What are we doing, JJ?”

“I…” His mouth moves but no words come out. Until they do. “We’re just messing around.”

It feels like that’s the final shot to your stomach that sends your whole world crashing. As if laying down to rest, your eyes slip shut. 

“Yeah, well, it’s certainly a fucking mess now, isn’t it?” you whisper.

You throw him his shirt with no conviction. He only just catches it as it slides down his chest. For once in his life, JJ doesn’t seem to have anything to say. Shaking your head, breaking his stare, you run your fingers through your hair.

“I’ll see you around, JJ.”

As you walk past him, towards the door, you hear JJ call out your name. You don’t stop. Don’t turn. Don’t think about anything but Vancouver the entire way home, as if it’s some escapist daydream. Halfway to your house, you try to call Mimsy but she doesn't pick up. You try again as you walk through the door. Home alone, the house feels just as lonely as yourself. With one final attempt, you go to voicemail for a third time. You leave her a mess of a voicemail. And then, you crawl into bed.

part nine coming soon!

taglist:

@princessuki21 | @psyches-reid | @heybank | @avengersgirllorianna | @rrosiitas | @yourmumstoy | @jjsfavgirl | @void21 | @fictionalcomforts | @gsp420 | @redhead1180 | @wearemadeofstardust0 | @mrs-jjmaybank | @ifilwtmfc | @heybank | @lilyw1235 | @belle101200 | @maybankskiss | please tell me if any tags aren't working - I've never done taglists before!

[flamingpudding]

Fictober23 Prompt: 9 - "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Fandom: DPxDC

Rating: T

Warnings: Red Hood's swearing, mention of character death

Danny blinked a couple of times before he realized what exactly happened. He had been with Alfred making some cookies for the rest of the family after Oracle had reported they would all come back uninjured. And Danny had decided to help Alfred in hopes to get back on Damian's good side. The boy had been pretty short and huffy with him ever since Danny had admitted that he didn't plan on getting reinstated as hero.

The rest of the family had taken it sort or well, sure there were the occasional side comments in hopes to maybe convince him to come on patrol with one of them every now and then but otherwise his decision was greatly accepted. Alfred had appeared especially happy when Danny had announced that after having lived with the Waynes for little more than a year now.

Of course Phantom would still come out to help if his ghostly rogues decided to show up and pester his new family or Lady Gotham needed help with something or when Lazarus Pits were involved. But this certainly did not include a situation like that.

Looking down at his gloved hands, Danny breathed out a sigh of relief, noting that he had gotten summoned as Phantom at least. Pretransfomred. Last time he got summoned and had appeared shortly as plain old Danny before changing into Phantom, Tim, as Red Robin of course, had gaslighted the cultists into believing they hallucinated seeing Daniel 'Danny' Fenton-Wayne for a brief moment. The press still had a field day with the nonsense the arrested cultist spouted.

At least now they wouldn't have to deal with another media drama that could result in Vlad trying to fight Bruce for custody again. Still, Danny frowned, they had summoned him right out of a late night baking session with Alfred and knowing his family the way he does now it was only a matter of time before they all stormed this place or at least some of them.

Bruce had put a tracker on him specifically for this kind of situation, aside from the fact that he was also still pestering the Justice League Dark to find a way to stop it from happening in the first place.

"You do realize that you are in deep shit right?" The occult leader looked at Danny for only a short moment before continuing his spiel about how with the power of the summoned they would lead the world back to the balance it's supposed to have and bla bla bla. Being the Ancient of Balance Danny never thought he would even get summoned, aren't cultists in books more interested in evil demons, masters of chaos, Cthulhu and so on?

Knocking with his fist against the barrier lightly, the halfa noted that he would probably be stuck in place until his family showed up to disturb the chalk writing on the floor. For a moment he wondered if he should attempt to break out but then remembered the lecture Bruce had made him sit through the first time he broke a magical barrier and got injured in the process. It was probably better to wait.

"You know the last time I got summoned out of family time, one of my brothers went apeshit on the cultists." Danny continued to interrupt the leader's speech, just to be a little shit. He needed to pass the time somehow. Plus he wasn't lying. He had gotten summoned right out of movie night with his siblings, it's no understatement to say that they were not amused. Jason was especially pissed for some reason. "And the time before that it was my younger brother, that was a whole lot more bloody but no one died anyway in the end.

"Silence spirit of balance, you will listen to me. I was the one that summoned you."

"Yea… buddy that's not how this whole summoning thing actually works. You read a couple of fictional books." Danny retorted until he saw what the leader pulled out and flinched back.

How was that possible? Danny was sure that after his parents death, Bruce had bought all the rights of Fenton Works, including the patents and put it all in Danny's name no matter how much some tried to fight it. If it wasn't willed to Danny then Bruce had bought it. They had stopped any production of his parents' inventions, they had forced the GIW to cough up all the inventions they bought and then disband the governmental organization through the Justice League.

Of course Danny had known that some of his parents inventions were still on the black market and then there were also Vlads inventions but, the cult leader was holding up a Fenton bracelet Danny had specifically created for his brother to help him control the corrupted ectoplasm in his system until his treatment with Frostbite was done. How was it possible for them to get a hold of it? No wait it looked slightly modified from the one he made for his brother.

"This will make you listen to me." Danny's eye widened as he noticed a shard of a very familiar red crystal embedded in the bracelet when the leader waved it around triumphantly at Danny's reaction. It wasn't enough to brainwash him by simply holding it to his face but if he made direct contact with it? Danny wasn't so sure.

"How did you get that!"

"Oh not so mouthy anymore are we?"

His core quivered and all his eyes could do was focus on the red shiny stone as flashback ran through his mind as he pressed as far away from the leader as he could. His back hit the other end of the barrier he was in and Danny contemplated breaking the barrier and high speed flying home to the Wayne manor even if it risked injury.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The calm but familiar voice broke Danny out of his panic as he saw a blade sneak around the leader's neck. Robin was standing right behind the man seemingly having appeared out of nowhere.

"Robin! B said to wait for his signal!" Another voice appeared and Danny heard the thud next to him with the flutter of a cape. Relieved, he turned his head ever so slightly to find Red Robin next to the barrier, looking unimpressed at the fact that Robin, from the looks of it, had run ahead of them once again.

Robin clicked his tongue and Danny finally relaxed enough to snicker at his siblings' banter. Before he could add in his own two cents to the banter a window crashed in and Red Hood added himself to the rescue party.

"Can't any of you follow a fucking plan?" The man announced his presence loudly while also landing boot first on some random cultist members. That instantly scattered, their stunned frozeness, caused by their leader getting held at blade point, broken now.

"You're one to talk. Since when do you simply follow B's plans anyway?" Red Robin huffed back, taking the bracelet from the leader as well as destroying the barrier seal with his boot by smudging the chalk writing.

"Point taken." The other answered as he started to knock out any cultist that was in his reach. Red Robin joined him once he gave Danny a look over and was certain that the barrier no longer existed.

Robin once more clicked his tongue causing Danny to look over, the leader now knocked out cold before his feed. "Phantom, you need to stop getting summoned by these incompetent…"

"Imbeciles!"

"Scoundrels!"

"Asshats!"

"Scum!"

"Fucktards!"

"Lunatics!"

"I do not require your input!" Robin shouted across the room at their older siblings that were currently giving the rest of the cult members the beat down of their life.

"Fruitloops?" Danny offered chuckling at the seething glare Robin directed at him for that and he lifted the palm of his hands in a sign of peace.

[thisisnotthenerd]

and the other half of round two, the sidequests!

feel free to give reasoning/propaganda as you like!

the intrepid heroes poll

quick episode descriptions:

volcano of violence: all of the lotr parallels in one place. leiland being a cringefail after casting circle of death. markus negotiating with an eagle. the combination of grasping web and reverse gravity. balloon elf. sokhbarr raising the lava mog. the concept of galfast hamhead. efink facing her father and husband and beign conflicted

the great chase: caravan chase, mad max style on the teenager's bed. ti wants to blow up the boy. car-go and bean are remarkably effective. boomer is a boarding party. jizz balloons. lots of toy vehicles. car-go transforms with felix inside.

the horizon beyond the squall: marcid attacking a chimney. you wrote a whole song just to be mean to me. cheese, prince bitch. no kings for this captain. nat 20 medicine check to revive myrtle. destroy undead. beating a motherfucker with another motherfucker. bob's inflict wounds. ending with cheese getting a ship and the buccaneer buddies sailing off.

unfinished business: splitting up to resolve the mystery. buckster's legendary nat 20 persuasion to give advantage on stealth. daisy and the vicar sneaking in. sylvester failing at climbing the tower. lars killing the constable and pretending to be a ghost for lucretia. gangie and the vicar undulating. daisy and sylvester simultaneously arriving. shitting out of a window to "provide a cushion". daisy getting her story with sylvester's help. gangie falling into mrs. molesly's room. sylvester almost dying but getting a nat 20 death save with buckster's help. a wedding and bacchanal.

we're the heroes: one of these things is not like the others. collecting the bag of socks. jammer crying about weights. sam and philtrum. dates at the questing beast. the tournament. dream's cinderella moment. where did those mice get lithium. you don't get wet fire. i disavow you. what do you want me to tell your family. he had enough. blast him to the underworld. you can gps a phone. my girl just glinda'd your ass! that's some american magic, bitch! evan and dream lock up tallulah's wand in an orb.

i fucking love you: no one is surprised. incendiary cloud. OSTENTATIA'S DIVINE INTERVENTION ON A 19. god wants a bag from ostentatia. antiope will not submit. penny texts i'm in. nta 20 counterspell on finger of death. nonna wallace approves. katja trips a snake. i didn't even know you could trip a snake. antiope's incredible action surge turn that ends with showing her ass. sam is power word killed. that's my sister. danielle channels anima. revivify. bringing talura through the doorway in death. ending with graduation and 'take us to the book!'.

waylaid by werewolves: the werewolves are girls. zarb mini with six buttholes. chewing gum mist. fifi. shooting through the flamethrower. losing dracula. drago was the star. fifi becomes a werewolf. reading a letter in the middle of battle. florina under the carriage. enraged frenzy. i've heard of a cat scan. i make the horse fly. something seems very familiar about her. the dog is my wife! izzy holds with disappointment. a monster has been eating my letters to you.

duel on the southern lawn: rumor phase. rue writes the letter and commands wuvvy to burn it. i drank tea and went to bed. letter to wrackingspelt. rue's assistant. hob getting clocked by rue. wuvvy demanding satisfaction. andhera demanding satisfaction. wet wrestling. this is the biggest stretch of a fuckin' lifetime. nat 20 to be a slippy boy. hoisting andhera up by his taut cotton pants. accepting the hand of friendship.

yonder where the fruit do be lyin': quichei. deli's perception roll. raphaniel as a youth pastor. giant radish head. colin is covered in blue. extremely realistic fake orange. rick perry, you dog. silence. queen's losing it. raphaniel gets the orange down. banana boat guy. come on provolone! deli attacks queen pamela rocks. subtle spell shatter in the carriage. brennan kills pamela rocks again. you died for nothing. chasing and murdering the mushroom guy.

in the heart of death: brennan walks jujubee through an optimized turn. 49 damage immediately. troyánn slips. keekee starts falling. scorching ray. the devil works hard, but d20 works harder. buddy bear shoves zaria into the pit. lightning javelin in the titty. fireball. princess does like 70 damage and pushed kerwyn into the abyss. troyánn goes down. princess gets keena. nat 20 counterspell. twyla crits on morgan to end the battle.

case closed: the party converges on oblongata station once more. they're facing down the don and madam loathing, who can turn them against each other. imelda and dan flash the gangsters to wildly differing results. ivana rolls a 59 on hunch and he still comes back. elias punches his boss. dan goes down. the fix eats the key. conrad rolls a 57 [the number of heinz varieties] to bring down madam loathing. elias steals a birthday cake and runs out into the street, gets a date and reconciles his childhood trauma as he goes into witness protection.

evolution & revolution: warning the populace. pitching scam calls. driving the truck. phoebe is jaegering dr. wenabocker in a very gross maxi. the ground collapses. revenants are charmed. viola is very efficient. thorn calls lightning. tula attacks her son for 67 damage. ava attacks the groun for 109 damage and a long rest. jaysohn gets phoebe. lila fireballs. viola crits twice and kills one guy with paladin/fighter shenanigans and then kills the rest by kicking the trigger of a gun and hitting a gas tank. tula heals jaysohn, lukas, and herself a little bit. battle is over in 1.33 rounds.

[rhey-007]

𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 | P2

Daniel Ricciardo x Kubica!reader

Summary: After an unexpected event you finally 'announce' your relationship with Daniel.

Warnings/Tags: fluff, family fluff, car accident, driver reader, female reader

A/N: It's a short one just so you know. I changed Oscar for reader. And ofc the situation in completely made up. There's nothing more I can say, enjoy! 💞

Wordcount: 2312

Part 1

*＊✿❀🍊❀✿＊*

A few months passed since you started dating Daniel. You really couldn’t have imagined a better boyfriend. He was so sweet and charming, always ready to help you even when you didn’t need it, buying you various gifts even though you categorically forbade him – you didn’t like when he spent money on you without occasion or if it wasn’t food – but the man was too stubborn to give up, always wanting to see you happy and comfortable.

Everyone on the grid knew there was something between you from the moment you’ve met, instantly befriending one another, and they weren’t much surprised when they found out about your relationship.

The only ones that had no idea, but were pretty suspicious, were your fans. You always thought Daniel was a kind of guy to share his happiness with the whole world, but you were wrong. He kept your relationship secret much to your satisfaction, you wouldn’t like journalists and paparazzi running after you asking stupid questions about you and the AlphaTauri driver.

You’ve brought Daniel back home a few times, introducing him to your family. Your grandma took a particular liking in him, always asking when he would visit her. You couldn’t blame her though.

The first time they met she immediately put him to work and Daniel was more than keen on helping her, even though he couldn’t understand a word she said.

After that he became her favourite grandkid, making your brother Robert fiercely compete with him for that spot. But Daniel didn’t even have to try. He just flashed her one of his charming and genuine smiles and she was instantly pushing a few banknotes – which he never accepted, usually giving them to you or secretly putting them back into her savings jar – or food into his hands.

Robert and Daniel also formed a kind of bond. He always wanted a brother, eventually landing with you whom he wouldn’t trade for anything, but still felt the lack of brotherly rivalry. So when you told him about you and Daniel he was head over heals with the information.

Robert accepted him as a brother he never had, taking him out for a drink every time he could or taking him to boys night with his friends when he visited Poland.

Daniel fell in love not only with you but also your family, country and culture – secretly trying to learn polish and how to make polish food, to impress you and your close ones.

His favourite memory with them, was their first meeting on Christmas. You’ve managed to drag him all the way from Perth, where you spent the time after the racing season finally able to relax and have some fun, to Poland.

He chuckled when you warned him the winter might be really cold, not believing you, but the moment he stepped out of the airport, cold air and snowflakes hitting his face, he regretted not listening to you and not packing warmer clothes. Good thing you knew better and repacked his suitcase the day before your flight when he was asleep.

“I told you”

You and Robert snickered walking out after him and watching as he trembled.

"There you go buddy. Can’t let you freeze or our little gremlin will kill me”

You stuck your tongue out at your brother for the nickname but really appreciated him covering Daniel with his own coat.

“Jesteśmy!” (We’re here!)

Your shout vibrated through the old house as you walked inside, shrugging off your coat and hanging it up before running to greet your parents. Robert instructed Daniel further inside while he took your suitcases upstairs to your room.

The man looked around the rooms, surveying every smallest detail he could. Your childhood house wasn’t too big but was sure really cozy. Family photos hanged on the plain white walls along with pictures of Jesus and some saints, antlers were there too – were they real? Did your father or grandad hunt them? He had no idea but had to find out.

Soon, instead of following your voice to the living room he found himself in the kitchen. It was quite big, able to accommodate a long family. He has managed to let out a quiet ‘hello’ before your grandam started giving him orders not even bothering to check who it was.

Thanks to her hand movement Daniel was able to help her, taking some things from the highest shelves, opening a few jars and preparing the table for dinner. Apparently leaving him alone for a few seconds wasn’t the best idea.

A huge smile appeared on your face when you noticed him standing by the stove with your grandma, tasting the soup she made and giving her a thumbs up.

“See you already met grandma”

Your hand run up and down his back after you walked up to them, the man nodding happily, his arm wrapping around your wiast and squeezing it softly. Only then did your grandma realise the man was your boyfriend.

“Babciu, this is my boyfriend Daniel” (Granny)

“O kochanieńki! And I thought you were one of Robert’s friends! You could have said! I wouldn’t have put you to work!” (Oh honey!)

She grabbed his arm, pulling to the table and making him sit down, not lettiing him do anything for the rest of the evening.

Daniel sat the closest to her, constantly praising her cooking skills throughout the whole dinner, as he really enjoyed it.

You were surprised how good your family has received him and how well he found himself around them despite the language barrier.

The man couldn’t stop rambling about the dinner after you showered, laying on the bed and admiring him as he talked, you could literally see stars in his eyes.

“Daniel...”

A tired mumble got him out of trance and he looked down at you, sweetly snuggled in the warm covers barely able to keep your eyes opened.

“I’m sorry, I’m just so excited and mesmerized”

He said, finally laying down beside you and bringing you closer.

“Don’t be I get it...”

After placing a soft kiss to the tip of his nose, you hid your face in his chest and fell asleep almost immediately.

*＊✿❀🍊❀✿＊*

The next day was Christmas Eve. You expected Daniel to still be asleep when you wake up, as he usually would, but you were surprised not to find him beside you.

Quickly getting ready, you run down the stairs and heard the familiar laugh. You entered the kitchen to see your boyfriend once again helping your grandma along with Robert.

"Hi honey!”

He placed a chaste kiss to your cheek before instructing you to close your eyes and open your mouth. You hesitantly obeyed, softly parting your lips then felt Daniel place some food inside of them. Chewing it slowly you could hear your grandma and brother giggle, making you open your eyes.

“Did you like it?”

Daniel asked with a playful smile and you nodded.

“It was a herring with bread and pickles”

He answered the question you didn’t manage to ask, making you instantly want to puke. Looking confused between him and your family, you understood their giggles.

Apparently Robert bet Daniel that he won’t be able to make you eat, nor admit that the food you hate is actually really good. And he won, much to your dissatisfaction as all of them kept teasing you about this the whole day.

Daniel found himself pretty well in the chaos happening in the house, but preffered to stay in the kitchen where he felt most comfortable.

Eventually the dinner came and the man could meet the rest of your family. Your older aunts were amazed by the fact you pulled such a hot and polite australian, while your cousins’ kids enjoyed the way he played with them, not capable to say no to either of them even when he started to get tired.

Watching them play made your stomach flutter, cheeks cover in a soft blush and lips spreading into a smile. It was by far the best Chistams you both have ever experienced.

When the time for presents came, Daniel was the first one to receive his. Silence fell in the room while he opened the bag, everyone’s eyes watching waiting for his reaction, and revealed a beautiful sweater your grandma knitted for him. He pulled it over his head, tears filling his eyes until they fell down like waterfalls when he read the note left inside the bag.

“Welcome to the family Daniel”

It read. You hugged him tightly, the kids running up to do the same then the rest of your family joined in. From then on he was like a precious gem to all of them...

*＊✿❀🍊❀✿＊*

Few months later you were relaxing in your hotel room, after the arrival for the Belgium GP, sitting in Daniel’s lap and reading the comments and blogs about the two of you. Snuggling into his chest you sighed heavily, earning a confused look from the man. You looked up at Daniel at pretty much the same time he did at you.

"Should we tell them already? "

You asked quietly. He took a sip of his Heineken and changed the TV channel before responding.

"They already know"

Rolling your eyes you couldn't help a smile.

"Oh you know what I mean! "

You softly hit his chest which made him look down at you with a mischievous smile.

"Naaah... Let them suffer a little more~"

His words made you chuckle and shake your head. Well then your fans had to wait a little more...

Fortunately, or unfortunately, that ‘little more’ was really short. Your training and qualifications went really well, just as your teammate’s Lando’s, and you both were likely to be on a podium.

It was Sunday and everything went smoothly, for both McLaren and AlphaTauri so neither you nor Daniel needed to see each other until the end.

But the man came in anyway, just to make sure you were ready and alright, and also to steal a kiss as he believed that you were his lucky charm. He sneaked into your room unnoticed by the paparazzi or cameras and wrapped his arms around you from behind.

“How is my princess feeling?”

“Great, as always”

You responded with a warm smile then pressed your lips against his. He didn’t want to let go, even when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket – it must have been either Yuki or Franz trying to reach him.

“You gotta go...”

You mumbled sadly into the kiss and only then did he pull away, a soft pout on his lips. You stroked his cheek then kissed it quickly and pushed him out of your room.

“Good luck! I’ll see you later!”

First few laps felt like heaven, you were 2nd right after Max, but by the 10th lap there was something wrong with your brakes. You decided to brush it off, which was really stupid, as when you finally decided to inform your team it was too late.

You were too far to pit, driving too fast and not able to break. When you reached the first turn – La Source – once again, your car flew straight into the barriers almost crushing you inside.

You were lucky enough that nothing really happened, except your arm breaking. You haven’t really noticed it though, quickly hopping out of the car and waiting for someone to pick you up. Only when you were escorted to the hospital wing did you felt the huge pain when you tried moving it.

Daniel was in the middle of the track when he noticed the safety car join them.

“What happened?”

He asked Jodi who didn’t respond at first, making the man feel uneasy.

“Y/N crashed her car”

He soon heard Jodi say, his throat feeling dry.

“Is she okay!? I’m pulling over.”

“NO! You gotta stay on the track. She’s alright. Everything’s alright”

Jodi sighed rubbing his forehead then came up with and idea. The man knew Ricciardo was able to pull over and fuck the race just to be sure you were alive, and no one could stop him. Except of you. He called you, feeling relieved when Robert passed you your phone.

“He wants to pull over, you gotta tell him you’re okay”

He explained quickly before placing his phone to the microphone and turning it on, hoping he'd hear you.

“Ricciardo!”

Your voice sounded in his ear, a shiver running down his spine. He knew he was in big trouble when you called him by his surname.

“Don’t you even dare pulling over! You gotta win this!... For me...”

“Yes ma’am! I promise!”

And just as he promised he did. You couldn’t belive your eyes when you saw him overtaking Carlos and Max on the final stretch and win the fucking race.

While standing on the podium he moved his body weight from foot to foot, unable to focus, impatiently waiting for the ceremony to finish.

When the celebration came, Daniel has managed to sneak out and run with his champagne to the hospital wing, a few cameras joinging him as he run through the paddock reporting the whole situation.

He burst inside the room, cameramen after him, panting heavily. You couldn’t help a smile, seeing him all happy and sweaty from the race he’d just won.

The man couldn’t care less and captured your lips into a searing kiss in front of all the camera’s. Now the whole world knew your little secret. Robert shooed them away by the time you pulled away, then left leaving the two of you alone.

“I won... You saw?...”

Daniel asked quietly, sitting beside you and opening the bottle, then handing it to you.

“Of course I did”

Taking a sip of the alcohol, you quickly gulped it and gave it away before kissing Daniel’s cheek and smiling brightly.

“I love you... I’m so fucking proud of you honey...”

"I love you too"

[lover-of-mine]

Hi, hi, hello, I am here once again to sound absolutely insane while arguing something buddie, this time from Buck's side because I haven't done one on him in a while. I think this is a Buck needs to choose defense, but who knows really ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Okay, I've talked about this before, but Oliver is a really big guy, he's taller than the rest of the cast so we don't see Buck looking up a whole lot. In conversations where Buck would be in a more vulnerable position, they put all of the involved sitting down so they are on the same eye level, when he tells Abby about the catfish guy, when he talks to Maddie after the bombing, when he talks to Maddie after Red dies, when he finds out about Daniel, when he talks to Maddie after the thing with Jonah, when he talks to Bobby after the lightning.

Or they're both standing up, when he talks to Bobby before he quits before the tsunami, when he talks to Bobby after the lawsuit, when he tells Bobby he is one of the most important people in his life, when he tells Eddie about the fight with his parents, when he talks to Bobby after the crane, when he’s helping Eddie fix the walls (as I was typing this I noticed the trend of having him sitting down with Maddie and standing up with Bobby, which makes sense considering how much shorter than Oliver Jennifer is and how Oliver and Peter are just a few inches apart).

Or they have Buck being the only one standing up, or just at a higher level, so that he has the high ground in sense, when he tells the 118 about the thing with Daniel, when he yells at his parents, when he talks to Maddie after he messes up with Red, when he breaks up with Taylor, but it is a trend to not have him look up at people. (All of these have more examples, I just didn't feel like screenshotting every major Buck scene lol)

People he does look up to in vulnerable moments, moments actually end up leading to a fight? Ali and Taylor. He looks up at Ali when she's talking about not understanding what the job means and when he tells Taylor he kissed someone else. So he looks up at his love interests. Before a fight, but still looking up. Ali is the most intense example I could find in my quick skimming of the scenes I could think of, but since Taylor is standing up and he's sitting down, it counts.

This does nothing for my point but I do want to point it out. He looks up at Eddie before the confrontation at the gym lol. Sure that ends with Buck towering over Eddie, but it starts with him looking up at him and fits the trend (or actually starts it? Considering this happens before Ali or Taylor lol).

I could be wrong here, maybe there are other moments where he's looking up and I just can't think of them right now, but Eddie is pretty much the only person he consistently looks up to, when he clears with Bobby for Chris to stay at the station (not about him but he's looking up), the Hildy incident (this one is just funny but it happens), when he tells Eddie it would’ve been better if he had been shot, after Chim leaves to look for Maddie, after he dies. And it's interesting to have those last two scenes because he's going to Eddie for advice and they decided to literally have him look up at Eddie. 

Conversations with Eddie fit all types of categories when it comes to the two of them because they are best friends, just focus on these ones tho (you can read this for thoughts on framing in multiple scenes tho)

"But Anna you've said this before in at least 3 different posts already" I know, I know, and I have a point, I promise. 

I like taking season 6 knowledge and recontextualizing the previous seasons. What does Buck want in season 6? Answers. From the dude at the happiness convention to “I’m the guy with the answers, I kinda like that”. But it’s not crazy to say that Buck has been looking for whatever this answer is his whole life, but the main thing is that Buck keeps looking for answers outside of what he already has, the choice he makes is to look for something else to make things make sense and for someone else to tell him so he can pretend he's not responsible for the consequences. There’s a whole other discussion here and I was talking about this yesterday, but Buck doesn’t really make choices in his life (bisexual king 🫶), he fell into firefighting, he tripped into every relationship he had, he didn’t pick his apartment, he still hasn’t picked a couch. 

Okay, but why does that relate to the whole looking-up thing? I don’t know if this makes sense, but I think in a way he expects Eddie to have the answers in a way that’s a bit, not excessive, but like, bordering on too much? Like, for example, the way he takes what Eddie tells him before the tsunami and runs with it, the whole just move on thing that he is still doing (I’m kinda fascinated about the way that the end of the cemetery conversation gives the same message that Eddie tried to push onto him there and we all know how that ended for Eddie), the whole “somehow we manage to just suck it up, why can’t you?” and “a lot of I’s in there” and “you’re making it about you? again?” that does make Buck act as if having feelings about traumatic events means he’s making it about himself, makes him selfish, that makes him act as if he needs just to push through. He keeps following Eddie’s lead at all times. And I think that is something that needs to be addressed in some way before they can have a relationship. I do think post-lawsuit Eddie is trying, post-therapy Eddie is trying even harder to not lead them wrong or dismiss Buck’s feelings, and if Eddie asked Buck out, chances are he would say yes, but it would leave the question of whether he’s just following Eddie’s lead. Because Buck keeps tripping into relationships. We don't see him ask anyone out, we don't see Buck make the decision. The only way to fight this is to have Buck be the one to march to Eddie and go “I want this, do you want me?” and hope he’s doing the right thing while knowing he is the one who went for it. 

And like, I don’t really think Eddie would ask Buck, not for lack of wanting, but because he runs from fights he’s not sure he can win, dude retreats back to safety like no one else, and taking a leap with Buck is not safe. But, hey, we’re supposed to believe Buck is the one who keeps running into unsafe situations, so sure, have Buck do it. 

And I think the cemetery can be used as a start for that, because Buck keeps trying to get Eddie to tell him what to do, he keeps looking at Eddie and waiting for him to just give him the answers, but Eddie already retreated from the fight, he’s all “whatever you say, bud” so Buck thinks he’s doing something Eddie agrees on, but what Eddie wants is the opposite, the shift in the way Eddie is handling that conversation is really obvious and to have Buck go against it could be used in an interesting way. 

And the cemetery scene itself opposes the whole looking-up thing because Eddie refuses to keep looking at Buck while Buck keeps poking him to get him to look. Buck is all “*tugging on his sleeve* tell me I'm right tell me I'm right tell me I’m right” and Eddie is all “you’re right buddy *narrators voice* he doesn’t think he’s right at all”.

And Eddie is locked out of making changes in the relationship in a sense, because Buck basically told him “this woman is the one” so why would he risk the friendship when Buck has made it clear what he wants? In Eddie's head, it's a fight that's already lost, so why would he jeopardize the part of the relationship he does have for something he thinks is hopeless?

But Buck doesn’t have that, I think right now, the power is in Buck’s hands, Buck needs to realize he has it and Buck needs to make the choice to use it. 

Mr. Human Calculator I Have The Answers Now needs to accept that life has a level of unpredictability and go for it anyway. Start fighting the current he put himself in and getting the things he does wants not the things he thinks he should want.

Random rant about the cemetery if you feel like reading my thoughts on that.

Random post about Buck, water, and the way he just goes with it forever and ever.

Shorter post about why Buck needs to choose.

My tag for metas if you liked my brand of crazy. 🫶🫶🫶

[camryntheking]

Season 4 reaction

I might just do this for every season cos i need to rant (Autism things. Iykyk).

Ok. 4x03. The whole Eddie and Hildy thing is so fucking funny. And Buck and Chris teaming up to get the coffee maker is so domestic. I love it so much lmao

And naturally i watched 9-1-1: Lone Star 2x03. Ive seen some episodes so i have some knowledge about the characters, but not much. But its so funny. TK always knew lmao

Then we have 4x05. Buck Begins. Man i almost cried so many times. I knew about the Daniel thing but i didnt know the whole story and. Whew. Its a lot. But im glad he has the 118 and Athena to help him and to be his family. Maddie to. I can see both of their sides tho. But when Buck got the clean bill of health Eddie was just like a husband waiting for him to come home lmao. I love them so much. And the ending scene with Maddie and Buck is so sweet 🥹

And i know its not my usual topic, but in 4x07, the whole plot with David, Michael, and Bobby is so funny. I dont know much about Michael’s storyline, so i am actually clueless as to how it turns out. But the three of them are so great together and i hope to see more!

4x08. I know some about Taylor. So the fact she is back is making me 😠. And she did not have to call Buck out like that. Homeboy has been through some shit and is trying to figure it out. But Buck and Chris’ friendship is so pure and i love them so much❤️❤️

4x11. Athena’s “dont even think about it Buck” has me CACKLING. She is such a mom to him and its amazing

And Jealous Eddie in 4x12 with the treasure hunt? Homeboy does NOT like Taylor (cant blame him tho). And Chim and Hen’s friendship is fucking amazing. But the whole 118 trying to find the treasure is so funny. The fact that Ravi found it first tho? I love that man

4x13. Eddie is already having doubts about Ana. Homeboy does not like women and you cannot convince me otherwise. And the scene of Eddie getting shot made me cry. I can definitely see why people think that this is where the Buddie arc was supposed to happen. Cos they held eye contact and Eddie reached out for Buck. And that could be seen as platonic but knowing everything we do, it just seems like it was a set up for a romantic arc

And 4x14 starts with Buck crawling under a fire truck to get to Eddie. Without a second thought, he rolled under a firetruck, the thing that caused so much trauma, to get to Eddie. And Eddie was so concerned that Buck was hurt even though he was the one bleeding. And i guess Taylor can have her good moments. But the scene where Buck tells Chris what happened breaks my heart. He was trying to hold it together for Chris but once he knew that Eddie made it through surgery? He couldnt hold in his emotions. And then when they are talking about the will. Its so soft between them. And Eddie just knows that Buck wouldnt say no to taking in Chris. And i think that just shows how close of a bond they have. This was totally a set up for a romantic arc, but of course F*x had to shut that down 😒

“Because, Evan” 😭😭😭

And i love that Albert is gonna be a firefighter. I love that man

[toppersjeep]

Chapter 2- All For Love Charles Leclerc

Link to Masterlist

Elena’s POV

“Wake up” Daniel said. “No” I said throwing a blanket over my head. “I did make you coffee also isn’t your Netflix thing today” Daniel said. “Yeah probably” I said. “Thought we promised never again” he said. “Yeah we both said that and here we are” I said.

“We can’t keep doing this” he said sitting on the couch next to me. “Yeah I know” I said sitting up. “You know I love you but” he said looking at me. “But what” I said getting up and grabbing my pants. “I can’t keep pretending that I’m okay with this” Daniel said.

“The whole hooking up thing and staying friends” I said putting my clothes back on. “Yeah that I can’t do it anymore” Daniel said. “Okay” I said. “Elena sometimes it’s hard for me to look at you and this” he said I sat down beside him.

“This what Daniel” I said. “Elena I broke up with you because you wanted someone else I know you don’t wanna admit it” Daniel said. “Danny I didn’t say I did” I said looking at him. “You don’t think I see the way you look at him” Daniel said.

“You used to look at me that way and then all the sudden it was Charles” Daniel said. “Why are we having this conversation again” I said. “Elena I love you but I can’t keep this up you are just doing this because..you can’t have him” Daniel said. “I gotta go.. I’ll see you at the track” I said.

“Elena” Daniel tried to say but I was already out the door. And of course April was outside our apartment with George she just had this disgusted look on her face. “April” I said but she stormed off. “Bad move el” George said.

“I know George thanks” I said. “She’s really pissed off” George said. “Okay so is Daniel I can’t deal with this bull shit” I said.

I showered and changed and then headed to the track in Monaco. I parked by car by Charles. Who had just gotten out of his car.

“The Mercedes driver doesn’t own a Mercedes” Charles said with a funny face. “I own many cars Charles” I said. “But you chose to drive the mustang lord” Charles said I playfully pushed him. “Piss off” I said. “Ooo you are filming for Netflix today huh mon chéri” Charles said putting an arm around me.

“Yes now I gotta go or I’m gonna be late dummy” I said running away. “Your shoes untied by the way” he yelled. “Ugh” I said stopping to tie my shoe. Then I was greeted by Roscoe. “Look Roscoe your favorite” Lewis said. “Roscoe my buddy” I said hugging him. He gave me a big kiss.

“I missed you little buddy did you get more handsome” I said petting him. “He definitely did” Lewis said. “Okay I gotta run ros ill snuggle you later” I said.

I then went into the filming room and sat on the chair. A lot of people were staring at me.

(Blue bold will be DTS(Drive to Survive) Narration By El)

“Oh introduce myself” I said smiling at the camera. “Yes whenever you’re ready Elena” the producer said. “Hi I’m Elena Verstappen and I’m a car model” I said everyone laughed.

“Okay just kidding I’m Elena Verstappen and I drive for the Mercedes Amg formula one team” I said. “And well it’s pretty great” I said smiling.

“So can we ask about your relationship with Daniel Ricciardo” the producer asked. “Ahh Daniel I knew you guys wanted the gossip” I said. “Daniel and I dated for about 3 years” I said. “Uhh yeah and that’s that” I said. “The age gap didn’t bother you” they asked. “No it didn’t we were in love you know it sight matter what everyone else thought” I said. “Were in love” the producer asked.

“I’ll always love Daniel he was my first real love” I said. “And I’m thankful for the memories with him” i said. “But now I’m focused on becoming a world champion”I said with a smile.

____

After filming I went out to find Charles. We were supposed to meet for lunch before everyone saw the new cars for this season.

“Lando have you seen Char” I asked walking over to him. “Yeah he’s over by the Ferrari paddock outside” Lando said. “Thank you Lando” I said running away. I went over to the Ferrari paddock. Charles was outside talking to Carlos.

“Ahh there she is” Charles said. “Hey losers” I said. “Loser oh please” Carlos said I hugged him. “Oh shush you missed me” I said he smiled. “Sure not like I saw you last night” Carlos said. “How’s your mom doing” Charles asked.

“Good she’s been feeling better” I said. “You’ll have to take me to see her when she’s feeling up to it” Charles said. “I will she misses you” I said. “So lunch then” Charles said. “Yes” I said.

Charles and I grabbed food and sat at a little picnic table. We caught up on a couple things while we waited. It was nice to have him to talk to. He was one of the few people here who actually treated me equally.

“So are you and Charlotte doing good” I said. He hesitated. “Ummm.. we broke up I ended it” Charles said. “Oh I’m sorry” I said. “It’s alright El it wasn’t working plus there’s” he said then stopped himself. “What char” I said.

“It doesn’t matter El” Charles said. “Oh it’s a secret then” I said. “Ummm you know I should be heading over to the paddock” Charles said. “Alright I’ll see you” I said he hugged me quickly.

“Mmmh see you later” Charles said. “That was interesting” Addie said. “What about it Addie” I said. “Do you not see the way he looks at you” Addie said. “He’s my best friend we’ve been best friends for years” I said.

“Friends sure keep telling yourself that.. you still wear that necklace he gave you years ago” Addie said. “It was a birthday present” I said. “Friends don’t give friends things like that” Addie said. “Addie” I said. “Shoot look at the time I gotta go deal with your brother” Addie said.

“What Lando” I said as he stared at me. “Oh ummm don’t know but she’s right” Lando said.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Steady Heart

Chapter 26: The Hard Way

* Pairing: Slow-burn Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, angst, violence, Malcolm Beck 🤢

* Word count: 4,542ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all

Author's note: Oooo I'm starting to get excited y'all! This is where things really start to amp up. Let's goooooooo! I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Still not sure how I feel about the conversation he and Monica have, I feel like it’s lacking, but I’ve sat on it for a while and haven’t been able to figure out. So hopefully y’all don’t mind that part lol.

Stella followed Rip close behind. To the average outsider, Stella may have seemed like an odd choice, but out of everyone that was down there around him, John thought her approach might be a little more gentle in keeping the peace.

There were two men knocking on the door as Rip and Stella stopped their horses. Both of them sliding off their saddles, Rip came out of the gate ready to rock. Stella snarled at his quick assault.

“Can I help you?” Rip interrogated as he walked up toward the men aggressively. Stella struggled to catch up to him.

“We’re looking for John Dutton…,” the man with the light colored cowboy hat explained.

“Yeah, who's looking for John Dutton? We don't know you.” Rip accused hotly.

Stella was trailing behind him. Her legs couldn’t keep up with his long angry stride. As Rip got past the door to the stranger’s car, a man jumped out. She stopped abruptly so she didn’t smash into the door or the guy. She thought they might be some type of security. They weren’t interested in her at all.

The guy yelled at Rip and tried to grab for him. “Hey, step back. Hey!” Rip wasn’t too fond of that, and things started to go wayward before Stella could even open her mouth. He dropped the guy to the ground with a body slam.

Stella cursed a long string of expletives in her head as he continued to beat the guy. “Rip! Don’t!” The other man ran over to try and pull Rip off of his partner. Stella scrambled to grab Rip first. She wasn’t quite fast enough and the other guy got to him before she did.

She grabbed the second guy and yanked him backwards by his suit collar. “Get off him!” She caught him off guard and he lost his footing and stumbled back. He swung forward and around to face her with new momentum. The punch he landed on Stella's left cheek was solid. Her glasses flew off to the side, rendering her very nearsighted. She reeled back and shook her head trying to shake away the stars she was seeing. Everything was blurry, from the missing glasses, but also her watering eyes.

The man who just punched her raced forward and grabbed her arm. Rip witnessed the punch and propelled himself at the second man. He landed a hard punch of his own to the man trying to grab Stella.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the gun in the other man’s hand. “Behind you!” She yelled to Rip and ducked out of the way.

He whirled around and challenged the man with the gun. “Come on, mοthеrfսckеr, shoot me.” He stalked toward the man, begging him into action.

The second man that tried to grab her went for her arm again as she tried to wrestle him off. His grip was successful and he twisted it around her back and brought his other arm one up to her throat effectively caging her in from behind. He pulled out his own gun and aimed it at Stella.

She lost her cool at this point. “Rip!” He could hear the high octave of her voice and whipped his head in her direction.

Rip grabbed the first man and he yelled pitifully when Rip grasped his gun and tried to put him in the same position that his buddy had Stella in.

John yelled from his saddle as he bumped the man Rip was wrestling. “Put it down!” He raced by and sideswiped both Stella and her captor. She tried to brace for the impact, but it still hurt when she landed. She laid there, hoping her stillness would have everyone leave her alone. She also tried to regain brain power. This had been a way more dramatic event than she had been prepared for. John quickly hopped off his horse and made his way to her.

He whispered as he bent down to help her. “Stella?” He gave her a gentle nudge. She groaned in annoyance. “Stella, c’mon. Let me see those brown eyes.” She squinted open her eyes at him because she knew he wasn’t going to go away until she got up.

She sighed heavily. “Fine.” She reached out and grabbed the hand he offered to her. When she stood, she used his hand to catch her balance. Her head felt like it was swimming.

John looked at her closely. “You okay?”

She answered through her teeth. “Yeah I’m fine.” She looked around and asked out loud, mostly to herself, “Where the hell are my glasses?” She brushed his hand away. She searched around while squinting. John heard gravel crunching behind him and stood to face the uninvited guests.

“Mister Dutton, seems all the stories I've heard are true.”

Jamie busted out the door. “Wait. Wait... Whoa, whoa, whoa, everybody calm down. Dad. This is…” Stella glared at his late and failed attempt at getting everyone to relax. She found her glasses and made a place for herself next to Lloyd. She leaned against Abigail, who Lloyd had a hold of, and she checked her glasses over. She looked for cracks or scratches, or if they were snapped anywhere.

“I'm Malcolm Beck. This here is my brother, Teal.” John looked unimpressed. “Look, I apologize for everything that's happened here. Misunderstandings aside, we need to speak. Seems there's a problem that we share.”

“My problems are squarely my own.”

“Not this one. May we sit?”

“We can talk under that tree.”

Malcolm agreed. “Uh-huh.” Teal patted him on the arm. They began to make their way to the tree John pointed out.

John questioned Jamie. “What in the Sam-Hell was that about?”

“I'm sorry. They called fifteen minutes ago, I didn't know they meant now.” He explained quickly.

Stella placed her glasses back on her head and roared, “maybe if you would have picked up the fucking phone you would know!”

“I was in the middle of something!”

“I don’t fucking care, Jamie! If you would’ve picked up the phone, this whole situation could’ve been fucking avoided and we could have had a normal conversation instead of a brawl on the front fuckin’ lawn!” She rolled her eyes and whispered to herself. “Useless.”

John cut them both off from squabbling any further. “Alright, stop it! Both of you. I'm taking this meeting alone.” He pivoted on his heel and walked toward the two guests. Rip followed, naturally. Jamie tried to follow along too. John stopped walking and glared at Jamie with a stern look. “I said alone, Jamie.”

Stella watched the men stand and talk. She could feel Lloyd’s eyes on her. “I’m fine Lloyd. Thanks for grabbing Abigail. I’m going back to the bunkhouse.” She hopped up onto Abigail who snorted at the movement, but also at her rider’s irritation, and took off.

She brought Abigail to a halt outside of the barn. Everyone glanced at her, trying to gauge what was going on. Sliding off, she left the mare tied to the pole. The bay roan gently nudged her arm with her muzzle. She was trying to get Stella to wrap her arm around her neck, which Stella obliged her. She leaned on her heavily. Closing her eyes, she breathed out hard. It just officially hit her how much her face and head hurt.

She lifted her head and opened and closed her jaw. Trying to not only stretch it, but to also make sure the hinge still worked and nothing was broken. Feeling something warm run down her cheek, Stella reached up and swiped at whatever it was. As she pulled her hand away, blood covered her fingers.

Stella was jerked out of her stupor when she heard Jake yell. “What the hell happened to you?!” The cacophony that followed was overwhelming. Everyone scrambled in her direction, fighting to get to her first. Stella would have been amused at the cartoonish way they stumbled over each other any other day. Ryan pushed everyone out of the way. He marched over to her, ready to wring the neck of whoever had hit her.

Abigail quickly pulled loose of the slip knot and swung her back end around to block Stella off from everyone, her brother included. Stella dropped her arm from Abigail’s neck and ducked under the tie post. Ryan tried, and failed, to get the angry mare to move. The horse dangerously aimed her backside to Ryan and positioned her back hoof in his direction.

Stella moved with her mare, gently rubbing her chest to keep her from absolutely destroying her brother. “It’s okay girl. Shh.” She whispered softly to her. Stella peeked at Ryan from over top of Abigail’s shoulders. He stood there defeated and huffing angrily. The hard look he gave her would have had her six feet deep if it were possible. The unspoken questions of who did it and where they were now hung heavily in the air.

She spoke softly to her brother, not wanting to fight. There had been enough of that this morning. “I’ll be fine Ryan. It was very much me being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Can you watch her?” She gave Abigail a few neck scratches. “I'm gonna get cleaned up.” Not leaving him any choice, or giving him any time to respond, she walked off to the bunkhouse.

She wanted everyone to think she went there. Instead, when she got to the house, she wrapped back around and headed for the foreman’s lodge. She was sure Kayce had something left over to clean up with.

Walking inside, she leaned back against the door as it closed behind her. It was peacefully quiet. That was exactly what she was going for. She hoped she could finish before Kayce wandered in. The bunkhouse would have gotten loud and obnoxious. She wouldn’t have been able to deal with that. The remnants of her cleaning Kayce’s wounds from the fight with Rip were still on the small breakfast table. Not everything she wanted to use was there. She tapped the door and she pushed toward the bathroom, the only bathroom, inside Kayce’s room.

Before opening the medicine cabinet, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were watery still, her cheek red and angry from the hit. The guy had a ring on, she was pretty sure that was what split her cheek. She looked tired. A few locks of hair ran astray from the flurry of activity. Shaking her head with a sigh, she opened the cabinet and dug around until she found alcohol and a couple gauze pads to use as wipes.

Stella was so engrossed in what she was doing she didn’t hear someone come into the lodge. A throat cleared behind her and she nearly jumped out of her skin and through the ceiling. Her first instinct was to spin around and throw the bottle of alcohol at the offending intruder. Kayce swatted his hand out and hit the bottle away from his face.

The words tumbled from her mouth as the bottle smacked into everything on the way down to the floor. “For the love of God and all that is holy! You should know not to sneak up on me, you jackass!”

Kayce smirked. “Funny you callin’ me a jackass, in my place, that I sleep in, when you shouldn’t be in here at all.”

Stella rolled her eyes at him. “I didn’t want to go to the bunkhouse to take care of my face. Too many people. Too loud. Too many questions. Sue me.” She held her breath for a second and blew it out as she thought about it. “Actually wait, don’t. I don’t have the kind of money for that.”

He stepped forward into the small bathroom and into her personal bubble chuckling at her. Stella leaned her backside against the counter wanting to be anywhere else.

“What happened?”

Stella explained shortly. “Some guy came to talk with your dad. Jamie didn’t pick up his phone, so no one knew that they were coming. Rip and I went up to the house, Rip was a little aggressive and the guy’s security didn’t like that. They started to gang up on Rip, and I successfully got in the way. With my face.”

Kayce came to stand over her. He took off his hat and set it on the counter and checked out her face. He gently removed her glasses and placed them on the brim of his hat. He poked and prodded different parts of her cheek to make sure nothing was broken. Stella winced every so often. The area was still very tender. He was being gentle, but it still hurt.

She watched his laser focus on her face. She had to figure out how to get away from him. Being this close to him again wasn’t doing her heart any favors. His lips pursed in annoyance, most likely at her for getting in the way of trouble.

He was quiet. Probably trying to think of a way to scold her without her realizing he was doing so. Or he was trying not to lose his cool at her. Even though he was annoyed with her, she would sit there and stare at him all day if she could if they could have gone back to normal.

“I know you’re probably super pissed, and I know you and Rip are kinda on the outs again, but I couldn’t let him get jumped.” Stella looked everywhere but at him now. “I would have done the same if it were you.”

Kayce sighed and his hands dropped from her face. “I know Stella, but damn it. You’ve gotta be more careful. You’re lucky nothing’s broken.”

“You know I’ll never be that way. Especially about the people I care for.”

“Yeah I do know that. That’s the scary part. I don’t need you windin’ up dead. I wouldn’t be able to stand that.”

She shyly stared at the floor. In the heat of the moment, she often forgot how much other people cared about her. When she looked back up, Kayce was very close. Their noses almost touching close. Her breath got caught in her throat with a tiny, nearly inaudible gasp. Memories of them sleeping together the other day flashed across her mind. He made direct eye contact with her. She swallowed nervously. “Don’t.”

His voice was heavy, laced with something Stella couldn’t put her finger on. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” Kayce tossed his head to the door, for her to go out before him.

Stella’s voice was soft. “I would love to, cowboy, but uh, you’ve gotta move first.” She pointed out.

Kayce backed up, giving Stella the space to go forward. He swatted at her back. “Smart ass.” She skipped a few steps into the bedroom to get away from the swat. He followed her and continued. “Go sit out at the table. I’ll get your face cleaned up.” He picked up the alcohol bottle and breathed out hard, regaining some semblance of composure.

She seated herself at the table in the same spot Kayce was in a few days ago. He laid her glasses on the table as he positioned himself above her. Quickly, he started to clean her face.

She chuckled and asked. “Two peas in a pod, aren’t we?”

“Whattaya mean?”

“I mean, not long ago the roles were reversed here.” She motioned the reversal with her hands between them.

“Oh, that. Yeah, we have to figure out a different dynamic that doesn’t involve both of us getting hurt.”

Stella smiled sullenly as best she could while he cleaned her face. “So how are things with you and Monica? Have you two spoken since,” Stella inquired timidly. She couldn’t bring herself to mention the other night.

“I’m actually supposed to run over there tonight. She called me earlier, said she was lonely.” He took a moment to grab some gauze to use as a rag. “I am too. I miss her.”

Her chest tightened. She felt foolish. Biting her bottom lip, she took a deep breath and willed herself not to cry. In classic Stella fashion, she got caught up in her own head of what she thought may have been happening, instead of seeing what was actually happening. She had been a distraction. Simple as that.

She pulled back from Kayce’s hands carefully. “You go on ahead. You try your best to fix things. I can take care of this.” She motioned to her face. She cleared her throat trying to dislodge the lump there. “I’ll make sure everything is put away when I leave.” Faking a smile up at him, she motioned to the door.

“Stella, I can help you finish.” Kayce tried to object.

“No, no, no. You go. You should fight for the things you want. Standing here with me, cleaning up my recklessness, isn’t doing you any favors. Go.”

Kayce’s eyebrows scrunched up at her tone. There was something off. She was almost begging him to leave. He backed up a few steps and truly looked at her. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Her shoulders were slumped, defeated. She seemed crestfallen in a way that Kayce wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her before.

She looked at the floor quite intently. “Yes. I’ll be fine. I’ll clean up and head out.”

“At least go find your brother so someone can keep an eye on you. Please? For my peace of mind?” Kayce wanted some kind of reaction before he left.

“Yeah, I will. I hope things go well. You’ll have to update me later, yeah?” She looked up at him and gave him a smile tinged with sadness. He grinned back at her and she felt a pang run through her. Watching as he left, she finally let out the breath she was holding in.

Her eyes started to sting. She chuckled to herself humorlessly. ‘For his own peace of mind.’ She felt the bitter bile rise up in her throat. ‘Now, now. Don’t be hateful at him. You’ve got nobody to blame, but yourself girl.’ Shaking her head, she stood and went back to the bathroom.

With a glance in the mirror, she took three strip bandaids and placed them gingerly over the cut across her round cheek. She quickly shoved the alcohol and gauze back into the cabinet, along with the bandaids. With one more look in the mirror, she started to make a beeline for the door.

When she got back to the outside of the bunkhouse, Ryan paced back and forth. He shouted out to her as she got closer. “Stella! Where the hell did you go?”

“I went to the lodge. Too many people here. I’m fine.” She explained and motioned to her face. “All cleaned up and ready to go home.”

“No.” Ryan shook his head. “Nuh uh. Nope. You’re not driving.”

“What the fuck, Ryan? I didn’t get run over. I got punched. I’ll be fine.” Her hands slapped her thighs in frustration.

“No. You could have a concussion, and I don’t need you passing out behind the wheel.” He wasn’t having her leave his sight.

Stella ignored his worry. “Is Abigail still tacked up?”

“Jimmy is getting ready to break her down.” Ryan explained. Stella headed away from him to go get her mare from the newest hand. Ryan tried to put his foot down. “Stella Lee, absolutely not. Jimmy is breaking her down, and he’s gonna keep doing it. You’re not going anywhere.”

Turning around, she pinned her brother with a glare. “Says who?” Her eyebrows raised and her arms out to the side, as she challenged him to defy her to take her horse out. “I don’t need a damn babysitter, Ryan Stephen.” She marched toward the barn and shouted. “Jimmy! Don’t break Abigail down!”

She crossed the threshold and her brother followed directly behind. Jimmy heard the tone his name was hollered in and his head shot up from behind Stella’s mare. The ferocious look on her face made Jimmy start to scurry backward away from Abigail.

“I’m sorry Stella! I was told to get her ready for turn out.”

“It’s fine Jimmy, but I’m taking her out.”

Ryan interjected loudly. “No the hell you’re not!” He tried to reach for the bridle. The bay roan mare shot her head up when she heard Ryan’s raised voice, effectively yanking the reins away from Ryan’s grasp. She squared her body up to her heavy almost 17 hands height and crossed Ryan with a look that made his motion stall. He second guessed himself and his safety. He knew that Abigail could be extremely protective over Stella, especially when things got aggressive, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. However, in a situation like this, it really hindered his ability to get Stella to agree with him.

Stella gripped the split reins in her hand tightly. She gave Abigail a few pats on the shoulder making direct eye contact with her brother. “Ryan, I would be very careful with the action you choose next. I will not stop her.” He knew the threat was valid. Stella had been pushed to her breaking point. Even though Stella loved him dearly, she would let that mare trample him in a heartbeat. Especially when she felt backed into a corner.

He stepped back and raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, fine. But don’t come crying to me when you get in a tight spot. I tried to stop you.”

Stella gritted her teeth. “Fine.” She stepped up into her saddle and prodded Abigail into action.

The pair galloped out of the barn and headed to the river. Stella felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She knew if she got to the river and sat down she would be fine. The tree thickets and high grass flew by them. Stella had the idea of the river, but she just let Abigail run. She hoped that the roan would take her there, but wherever they ended up Stella didn’t care.

They came up to the top of one of the many hills the property had. Abigail came to a gentle stop. She caught her breath and snorted. Stella looked out over the field. The sun was just starting to set. She had a while yet before it would get truly dark. She had a lantern attached to her saddle anyhow.

Leaning deep in her seat, she let out a huff. Today really got the best of her. Things at the house got out of hand really quick, and then things with Kayce. Well, the disappointment she had because of what she thought had been happening versus what truly was going on with Kayce. She had gotten too big for her britches and life chose to take her down a few pegs.

“Damn girl.” She whispered to Abigail. “I should have just stuck to training horses and running cattle with you.” A sad chuckle escaped her. “Who would have thought I would have ended up the super hopelessly hopeless romantic who would then become the homewrecker?” She scoffed as tears fell down her cheeks. “Fuck.”

The thoughts she was letting go were interrupted by the sound of hooves. Stella dropped her head forward and groaned. She rolled her eyes as she brought her head back up. “I don’t know which of you it is, but could it truly not fucking wait?” She propped her glasses on top of her head and wiped angrily at her eyes.

The silence that followed made Stella second guess whether or not she had actually heard someone or not. She turned her head and found that it was Rip who sat just off to her left, silent and resolute while he observed her. She was thankful that it wasn’t her brother because she didn't think she could handle more harshness.

“Your brother sent me to find you.”

“Of course he did. As you can see, I’m fine. So you can go ahead and report back to him. I’ll be just dandy by myself.” She rolled her eyes and placed her glasses back on her nose.

“Nah, you know I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Stella questioned. Rip refused to answer. He could tell something was wrong. Not just from this morning. Stella was off, and he didn’t like it.

“Rip, come on.” She grumbled. Almost on the verge of a tears again.

“What’s wrong? I’ve seen you take a punch before and I know this ain’t how you react to that.”

Stella’s mouth hung open. She should have expected Rip to be able to read her mood. She looked back to the sunset, hoping it would give her some type of answer.

Rip questioned her again. “So what happened?”

She sighed loudly and looked down to pet Abigail. “I just went and broke my own heart, is all.”

“What do you mean?”

Feeling her not injured cheek heat up, she fixed her glasses. “I got blinded by what I wanted, and misread a lot. That’s all I’m gonna say.”

“What did you want?”

“It doesn’t matter, Rip. What I wanted can’t want me. So it’s a moot point to keep talking about it.” Her shoulders dropped, feeling the defeat and embarrassment all over again. “Why can’t I just be alone?”

“Because I’m gonna sit here with you until you’re ready to go back to the house. Get out whatever you need to. Or don’t. That’s up to you.” He shrugged. “But I’m here either way.”

Stella stared at him in reflection. “I just needed time away. After I get Abs settled for the night, I’m gonna head home.” Rip breathed in preparation to interrupt, but Stella held her hand out at him to hold him off for a second. “I’m not sleeping in the bunkhouse because I don’t want to deal with Ryan. I don’t wanna stay in the lodge either. So the only other option would be the barn or the hay loft. And I’m not doing either of those.”

“Why don’t you wanna stay at the lodge? I don’t think Kayce’ll be home tonight.”

Stella let out a hurt laugh at the mention of Kayce. “I don’t feel like being around anyone.”

“Even Kayce if he did come back?” Rip questioned delicately.

Stella’s shoulders dropped as she looked back to the horizon. She heaved a sigh and whispered. “Even Kayce.”

“Damn it.” Rip moved his horse closer. He wasn’t sure what had transpired between the two after the events of this morning, but he wasn’t sure he liked the outcome. “At least let me take you home, so you’re not the one driving. Mr. Dutton said to give you tomorrow off anyway. I can bring your car to you later on.”

Stella tapped on the horn of her saddle and thought it over. “Alright, Wheelie. You drive a hard bargain, but it’s the best bargain anyone has given me tonight. Get me the hell outta here please.” She grinned, causing her dimples to cut small craters into her cheeks. She hissed as she drew her smile back some. Rip looked at her to make sure she was okay. “I’m fine. Just smiled too big.”

Rip turned his horse to go back the way they came. “C’mon now, Stella-belle.” He directed Stella to follow.

Kayce wiped his hands on his jeans. Ever since he got out of his truck, they were sweating. This meetup with Monica was make or break. He just had a feeling in his gut.

Quickly and quietly he made his way to her apartment door. He hit the door a few times and heard Monica’s soft footsteps pad to the door. As she opened the door, he gulped.

Monica gave him a sad, soft smile and waved him in. “Have a seat.”

He searched around the hallway and the living room. “Where’s Tate?”

His wife sat down opposite of him with a sigh. “He’s with my dad. I didn’t think he should be here.”

Kayce couldn’t blame her. They had never really yelled around their son, except the last time he was here, and he would rather keep it that way. “So how’s this gonna go, Monica?”

She observed him from her seat. She had thought long and hard about the plunge she was about to take. Yes, Kayce was a part of her, and always would be because of their son, but he had proven time and time again that his John’s draw on him was too strong. She couldn’t allow her son to be roped into that, or watch his father’s bad decisions catch up with him. “Kayce, I,” she stopped. “I’ve tried to move on from you. I’m kind of seeing him.” Waves of nausea rolled through him at her admission. Now both of his tethers were gone. “I’m sorry, but I had to try. The power your father has over you is too much. You’re never going to escape him. I can’t let Tate get wrapped up in that. Or let him watch it destroy you.”

“I’m making moves to not be as involved!”

“Are you really? He’s given you a job you still carry, you’re his horse trainer and foreman now. You’ve also neglected to mention Stella at all, which makes me think you tried to move on too.”

Kayce ground his teeth at the mention of Stella. “Like I said the other day, this isn’t about her. It’s about us. Our family.”

“But it should be. You’ve always had a soft spot for her, Kayce. I could see it the first time you introduced me to her and through all the events that followed.” Monica rested back and crossed her arms. “She’s soft on you too. She was always respectful, so that’s why I never bothered saying anything. And she’s a part of your father’s world. She’s gotten more ingrained as time has gone by.”

“So what are you saying? Are you giving me an ultimatum?”

“No, Kayce, I’m not. I’m saying that I think we’ve both tried, but it isn’t fixing anything. This,” she motioned between them, “isn’t fixable. I need to keep our son safe.”

Kayce stood, pacing. “You can’t take him from me, Monica!”

“I’m not going to. We will always be in each other’s life because of him. You can still see him, and keep him whenever we decide, but I can’t let him be forced to watch your bad decisions and toxic family catch up to you.”

Kayce looked down at the floor with his hands on his hips. He wasn’t sure if it was devastation or relief. Maybe both. He knew in his heart that both of them had moved on. The tide had turned and his world had flipped upside down. “How do we do this Monica?”

“Well, we’ll take it day by day, week by week. If I need help for something for Tate, I’ll ask and vice versa. We’ll co-parent and whoever we choose to be with will have to understand that.”

“Yeah.” His answer was lame, but he couldn’t drum up the words. He’d failed. He’d fucked up. He’d lost. “I’m gonna go, but we’ll talk more about this in the daylight, yeah?”

“Sure.” She watched as he walked to the door. “Kayce?” He halted. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah me too.”

Rip leaned his shoulder against the doorway into Stella’s kitchen. He decided to stay for a little while to make sure she got settled in and that she was okay to go to bed soon. He watched her as she flitted around. She was more concerned with making sure he was comfortable.

“So what were you talking about earlier with the “you broke your own heart” thing? Does it have to do with Kayce?” Rip asked gently. He knew that she’d been in love with Kayce forever. He just never said anything because she never did.

“Do you want anything to drink?” She asked, ignoring his question. Stella didn’t know if she would be able to keep it together if she engaged in that conversation.

Rip huffed and ignored her deflection. “C’mon, you know you can tell me.”

She braced herself on the counter and sniffed. “We slept together, Rip. And he went back to his wife because she said she was lonely and he apparently missed her.” Her voice wavered. “I can’t blame him for trying to make things work, but I can’t help but feel dirty and used.” She turned to him with tears in her eyes. “There. You happy?”

Rip’s face sobered. “Oh honey,” he walked toward her with his arms outstretched, “c’mere.” He clutched Stella tight. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay.” He placed his hand on her head and hushed her. He felt his own heart break as her sobs shook him.

“Stella, you go take care of you. Get a shower and we’ll go from there. I’ll be fine down here.”

Stella exhaled. “Okay.”

Rip reached out and grabbed her shoulders and directed her toward the stairs. “If I hear a thud I’ll come running.” He watched her toddle up the stairs. He went into her living room with a sigh. Once she was showered and he was sure she would be safe to sleep, he would go home, but until then he would listen to her soft footsteps mill about upstairs. He busied himself with straightening up the living room. He heard the water turn on and moved around the room placing pillows back and folding the throw blanket on the couch.

He heard footsteps coming up on the porch. He frowned. Whoever the steps belonged to twisted the doorknob and let themselves in. Rip walked up to the archway and leaned against it, hoping to have the element of surprise. His eyebrows rose up underneath his hat when he saw Kayce. “The nuts you have to come here after what you did amazes me, Kayce.”

“The fuck are you talkin’ about?”

“You know exactly what the fuck I’m talkin’ about you asshole.” Rip stormed over getting up in Kayce’s face. They didn’t hear Stella come to the top of the stairs. “You have the nerve to sleep with her and then tell her you missed your wife and you’re going to go play make up?!”

“I had to try for my son!”

“That’s not the issue Kayce. You jumped into bed with Stella when you knew full well you had a wife and son waiting for you to get your head out of your ass! You shouldn’t have made a move on Stella at all! You wanted to protect her, you should have done that. You should have done what I told you to do and left her alone.”

“I’m sorry.”

Stella waited around the railing where they couldn’t see her. She pulled her lips together and placed her hand over her mouth to keep herself quiet. Tears sprang up in her eyes.

Rip shoved Kayce backward. “Yeah, well you took advantage of Stella, and now I’m left to pick up the pieces.” He growled. “Just like I warned her. And the fucked up thing is, she understood why you had to do it. But it broke her in the process.”

“Well, going to Monica didn’t work! It wouldn’t have worked even though I went to her multiple times! Monica moved on. We both did.”

Rip yelled. “Save it, Kayce! I’ve only seen that girl cry a handful of times and you’ve been at the top of half of them. You can't just lead her on and then ruin her and come back because you know she’ll forgive you.” He hated Stella’s blindness to the man in front of him.

Kayce lost his cool. “You know what?! You were right! Is that what you wanna hear? She always ends up hurt because of me.”

“She deserves more than you. Take that up with her a different day. She doesn’t need your shit tonight. You can leave.”

Kayce looked up the stairs and then down at the floor. He turned and left. Defeated. His dad was right. He didn’t know how to fight for anything.

Rip stewed as he watched Kayce leave. He realized the water wasn’t running any longer. “Stella, you can come out now. He’s gone.”

Her steps were timid coming down the stairs. She stood at the bottom and Rip thought she looked so small. It broke his heart. “C’mere, Stella-belle.” He wrapped her in a hug again.

“Can you not say I told you so please?” Came her muffled request.

“Nah, I’ll save it for tomorrow.” She let out a sad laugh at his attempt.

[autistic-crypt1d]

Stargate (1994) live blogging:

Ok so I'm a huge fan of the SG-1 and Atlantis shows and have watched them in double digit amounts each, but I haven't seen the original movie since I was like 7. I'm about to rewatch SG-1 again and I've decided to finally watch it again, here's my thoughts!

Updates:

- I'm nervous because all I remember is that I hated it which is why I never watched it again

- good lord this is a long ass intro

- ahhhh the did a shorter version for the show, I see

- did little Catherine just steal that necklace, girl wtf

- I miss my Daniel :(

- I miss my O'Neill :(

- yeesh, didn't realize how soon after his son's death this took place

- wow that was the worst sneeze I've ever heard in my life

- he's so tiny oh my god

- LUCIUS??? NO, GET OUTTA HERE, SHOO

- bro the sound mixing is killing me, Daniel is so fucking soft spoken compared to not only everyone else but the damn chalk he's drawing with

- he sounds horrifyingly identical to show Daniel

- "I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill", NUH UH

- pfffft, just yoinks his paper

- I can't look at Daniel in this outfit without immediately thinking of Anakin

- Daniel why would you draw on the screen

- I wonder why Catherine had an accent in the movie but not the show

- I'm currently unable to remember how this fits with the reveal of Earnest in that one episode

- ooooo the stargate is so much more water like here, it's even reflective

- Kaliam galaxy? That makes no sense, until the Ancient database episode, we're told it's impossible to dial outside of our galaxy without a serious amount of power like a ZPM aren't we? That's the whole reason Jack had to build that device in the ancient database episode and why they couldn't dial Atlantis again.

- she gave him the stolen necklace, how touching (sarcasm)

- does the stargate look bigger here or am I remembering wrong

- I'm so glad we got the Jack O'Neill we did, oof

- wtf is up with that stargate depiction

- why are they frosty and damp

- "that's a nice tent. Oh, we each get a rent, nice." Ah Daniel

- Ferretti, you such, and so do the rest of your buddies. The way he made fun of Jackson and threw the case at him only to then look back at his buddies for approval like the spineless jackass he is

- WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT

- NO SERIOUSLY WHAT IS THAT THING

- WHY HAVE WE NOT EVER SEEN THAT IN THE SHOW, WHERE WAS OUR WEIRD ALIEN FAUNA STUFF HUH???

- the captions spelled Jack's last name wrong *tsk tsk*

- of course Daniel gets dragged away by the weird alien thing

- oh shit it's the same Skaara!

- everyone being in neat lines is weirding me out

- oh boy, hate everyone kneeling for him, that's uncomfy

- ok wtf is that scanner thing cuz we sure as hell never see that again

- these creatures are clearly very prevalent in their society, it sucks so much we never see them in the show!!!

- and the same guy who plays Sha'uri's father!

- and we never see this much of their architecture again either! We only see tents as far as I can remember but they had this whole impressive city!!!

- I don't really understand why they would set up basecamp out in the open instead of inside the pyramid

- OOF that is a big ass storm

- another creature we never see again!!!!

- pffft there goes Daniel being taken again

- bro is being HANDLED

- oh dear

- oh man she looks like she's gonna cry, poor girl being offered up like that

- uh oh

- I have to say, the ship looks fucking AMAZING, respect given how old this movie is

- WOAH, THAT MASK IS SICK

- bitch the jack o'neill I know and love would NEVER, EVER give a child a cigarette and he would never teach him to smoke it either!!!

- OOOF, the gun reaction, ouch

- aw man them learning to communicate in the cave is so cute help

- hot damn this sarcophagus is like a blion times cooler wtf

- hang on a sec, wtf was the alien depicted in the walls, it looks like a freaky Asgard

- PFFFFT, not the band of kids following them back XD

- DUDE WHY ARE THE MAAKS SO MUCH COOLER

- the staff blasts and effects are ROUGH

- has Daniel literally ever fired a gun in his life at this point?

- also, why're there Horus and Jackall guards here?

- uhhhh, do the ships ever open again? I don't remember that happening

- the throne room is much more throne roomy in the movie than the show

- uhhhhh why are all his servants children

- oh wow that mask removal cgi is rough

- aaaaand Ra also looks like a child for some reason

- WHY ARE ALL THE SERVANTS NOT ONLY CHILDREN, BUT PRETTY MUCH NAKED

- does Daniel die here and get revied in the sarcophagus? He does that a lot so I'm not sure

- ah yeah, sarcophagus

- I'm so uncomfortable rn

- LET'S GO SHA'URI AND SKAARA

- the Jaffa don't seem to have symbiote pouches

- Daniel that wasn't really an explicit invitation

- "cover me!" "cover you?!?!?!"

- Sha'uri dies and comes back too?? Man what a couple

- PFFFFT that ring transporter effect

- it really sucks that he saves her only for her to become possessed by a Goa'uld for the rest of her life

- doesn't make much sense for them to be wearing the big ass helmets while in the death gliders

- what the hell is up with his face glowing and the alien face being beneath his???? Huh???? Did they just like, change their mind about what the Goa'uld were once they started making the show?? But why would the one Jaffa that was left at the SGC have a symbiote pouch??? I'm so confused

- ok well at least she seems to like him back but still

Pretty good movie overall, but I don't think I ever wanna watch it again cuz the kids thing is hella fucking weird, but I understand the show a lot more now! Except for the parts that make no sense because they made hella lore changes between this and the show.

[something-tofightfor]

Smutsgiving 2023: Sweet Potato Casserole / Daniel Harper (Wing Pit Pedro)

Pairing: Daniel Harper (Wing Pit) x Female Reader (First and 10 pairing)

Word Count: 1,723

Warning: M.

Author’s Note: And here we are, continuing to make something out of absolutely nothing. Wing Pit Pedro has lived rent free in my head since February, and I've just decided to go with it.

This is the First and 10 pairing - more for them can be found on my masterlist, but this can definitely be read as a standalone.

Smmary: Daniel's very interested in the dish you're making to take with you to dinner.

“I’m going to need you to stop that, buddy.” Grinning you glanced down and wrinkled your nose. “You’re real cute, though, so -”

“He knows it. That’s why he’s standing there.” Turning your attention to the kitchen entryway, you watched as Daniel walked in, his socked feet quiet on the kitchen floor. “Raider, c’mere.” He snapped his fingers once, but instead of paying attention, the dog stayed put, whining quietly as he focused on you. “Oh, you traitor.” 

“It has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the fact that I’ve got food.” With both hands, you peeled the skin off of the sweet potato, tossing it on the pile in your discard bowl and then putting the whole potato with the others in the larger mixing bowl. “And now that you’re down here I can ask: is he allowed to have some of this? It’s just potatoes right now.” 

Daniel waited until he was right behind you to answer, one hand rising to rub at the center of your back as he spoke. “He can. Do you want me to cut it up so you can keep doing that?” You leaned into his touch, both eyes closing while you inhaled. 

“If you want.” You reached for one of the peeled potatoes, holding it up. “But I know what you’re doing, Daniel.” 

“I’m not doing anything.” He whispered the words before pressing a kiss to the space behind your ear, and then Daniel took the potato from your hand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

He pulled a clean cutting board from the opposite side of the sink and then grabbed a knife from the block, making quick work of the vegetable while you went back to the others. 

You were more at home in his place than you’d ever thought possible, the two of you making it a point to eat dinner there once a week. He made you feel welcome in a way that no other boyfriend ever had, and even though you knew that he was nervous about meeting your extended family for the first time, he made no mention of it that day. 

The two of you were prepping things a few days in advance so that on the day of, all you needed to do was load the car and drive, and that afternoon’s task was sweet potato casserole. It was something you were good at and that didn’t take long, meaning that once it was done, the two of you would have the rest of the day to relax. 

You began to mash the potatoes in the bowl while he grabbed a plastic plate for Raider, scraping the cubed potato onto it and then leaning over to drop the knife in the sink. “Here. You give it to him.” Daniel held the plate out, his smile genuine. “Gotta score all the points you can, right?” 

Resisting the urge to roll your eyes and swear at him, you took the plate and then held it up, saying the dog’s name. “You want this?” He sat, tail thumping against the kitchen floor. “I know you do. You’ve been begging for the last twenty minutes, and …” He barked, just once - and with a laugh, you dropped to a knee and set the plate down on the floor before sliding it forward.

Raider went to it immediately, lowering his hed and wolfing down the chunks of potato, his tail wagging furiously. “Bet he sleeps by your feet tonight.” Daniel’s grin was infectious, and you mirrored it when you straightened up, wiping your hands on the front of your pants. “When there’s food involved, he takes things seriously.”

“Sounds like his dad.” You winked and then walked to the sink, turning the water on to wash your hands. “It should only take a few more minutes, Daniel. I just have to mix all this together and then put it into the casserole dish, and -”

“Can I help?” He moved closer again, bending down to grab the empty plate and then dropping it into the sink, the telltale click click click of the dog’s paws fading as he trotted into the living room. “I know we’re stopping to get pie on Wednesday, but… I feel bad.” 

“You can. But you shouldn’t feel bad.” Drying your hands, you picked up the masher again. “This is easy.” But if he really wants to help… “All of the rest of the ingredients are in that bag, and so’s the recipe. If you want to measure things out, I won’t say no.” 

And he did - following the instructions to the letter, the various measuring cups and spoons ready to go as you needed them, the can of evaporated milk opened and waiting for you to dump it in. “Will you leave some lumps?” He leaned over, peeking over your shoulder. “I don’t like it when it’s like baby food.” 

Snorting back your laughter, you promised you would, Daniel thanking you under his breath before sliding he casserole dish closer to where you stood. 

He washed the few dishes you’d used while you spread the mixture out, using the flat part of a spatula to get it almost level. Perfect. It’s - “I didn’t see a bag of marshmallows in there. Just this.” He held up a jar of marshmallow fluff, a confused expression on his face. “What’s up with -”

“It toasts better.” You sighed, taking the jar from him. “And those little marshmallows have that weird coating on them. This doesn’t.” Unscrewing the lid, you used the same spatula to scoop it out and into the center of the dish, eyes on the movement of your hand. “And this way, the entire top is covered. You don’t have to fight anyone for the marshmallows.” 

Daniel surprised you by wrapping his arm around your chest, his hand squeezing your shoulder. “I like the sound of that.” You did, too - but you liked being held to his chest even more, and gave yourself a few seconds to enjoy the feeling, the spatula’s movement paused an inch or so above the potatoes and both eyes closed. “Why’d you stop?” 

“I’m being distracted.” You hummed, shaking your head. “You know that ‘you can’t walk and chew gum at the same time’ thing that people always say?” He nodded, chuckling. “Apparently I can’t cover these potatoes with marshmallow and be manhandled at the same time.” 

“This isn’t even close to manhandling.” He stepped closer, pressing his chest to your back. “But if you want me to drag you away from what you’re doing, I’ll be more than happy to.” You wanted him to - very much - but knew that if he did, there was a good chance Raider would make a mess of your casserole while the two of you were occupied. 

“Give me five minutes.” You whispered the words, biting your lip after you finished speaking. And then I’m yours for the rest of the night. 

“I can do that.” He loosened his hold but didn’t step away, and when you returned to spreading the marshmallow over the top of the dish, he spoke up again. “Won’t the marshmallow burn if you put it on now and then bake it?” 

“No.” You paused, scooping a little of the white fluff from the jar. “Since the potatoes are already cooked, it’s mostly just about warming it up. You let it sit out for about a half hour before you bake it, and then it doesn’t take long to heat through.” 

Daniel’s hands dropped to your waist while you spoke, and you knew that he was watching while you finished, smoothing out the topping. But wait. Wordlessly, you held the spatula up, turning your head toward him and raising a brow. “What? What are you -”

“Here. You finish. Just drag it along the top and make some peaks.” He took it from you and when you ducked out from his hold, stepping to the side, you watched as he carefully lowered the spatula, pausing before he made contact. “Use the edge. You won’t hurt it, I promise.” 

He did as you told him to, and a minute or so later, there were visible swirls of marshmallow atop the casserole and Daniel was smiling triumphantly, the sticky spatula held in one hand. “Done.” He turned to face you, clearing his throat. “Only one thing left to do.” 

“What’s that?” The smile dropped, turning into a smirk, and he held the spatula out to you. 

“Gotta clean this off.” Oh. Oh, yeah. I guess… You used one finger, dragging it through the fluff and then bringing it to your lips, the edges of your teeth scraping the marshmallow clean. “How’s it taste?” 

It was a loaded question, but you took the bait anyway, pulling the spatula from his hand and setting it down on the counter. “You tell me, Daniel.” Winding your arms around his neck, you tilted your head to the right. “How does that sound?” 

“Perfect. It sounds perfect.” You smiled in the few seconds it took him to meet your lips with his, but Daniel deepend things almost right away - just like you’d hoped he would. He chased the taste of the marshmallow with his tongue, your arms tightening at the same time he settled his at your waist. But he pulled away almost too quickly, and the look of confusion in your eyes made him smile, he man reaching for the spatula a second time. “Tastes good like that.” He licked his lips, nodding. “But I bet it’d taste better in other places.” 

Your lips parted in surprise, but you weren’t able to stop your sharp inhale, Daniel’s eyes glittering at the sound. “Yeah?” He nodded, never looking away from you. “Do you want to go find out?” 

“Yes.” It was only one word but you heard the want in it. And despite the fact that you knew the day would end with his bedding in the laundry and both of you taking hot showers, you didn’t care. 

“Let me put the dish into the oven for now.” You nodded twice, still staring at him. “Otherwise it’s going to end up on the floor thanks to you know who.” Daniel closed his eyes, laughing. “But while I’m doing that?” Using one hand - the clean one - you traced the line of his jaw, thumb following the bottom curve of his lips. “Grab that jar. We’re not letting the rest of that go to waste.” 

—  

[toastedwrittenthoughts]

Pink Ladies Ep 8 Thoughts.. 

Episode 8.. Was rough.

Here are my thoughts.... Not that anyone asked for them.

The fact that Jane has to run away from both Buddy and Richie made me shake my head, and the fact that the Pink Ladies mention that she has 2 potential dates to worry about whereas they don't gave me the best of friends vibes.

Richie looking hurt, but still understanding of Janes decision about going to the Ball with the Pink Ladies. God. Man.

The internalized lecture she gave herself after he left. Say what you will, we've all had a moment like that. Like 'why did I say that?"

Gil coming in to the Frost Palace like a force and even after trying to shake the nerves out, him smacking books out of some persons hands never fails to make me laugh.

I gotta say that I FREAKING LOVE THE FACT!! That Gil respected both Richie and Olivia enough to WAIT UNTIL he got the brothers blessing to move in and ask her out. And as soon as he has an opportunity to do it, he goes straight for it! Atta boy! Get your girl! 

Olivia making him WORK for it with his hunt for nickels.

Hazel. And Wally.

Buddy looking visually a little rougher pleases me. Takes Jane's news well enough on the chin.

Gil being nervous and kinda skirting how he feels about her. .. My sweet boy..

Making nickels outta dimes... All I could think of.

Lydia walking by and Cynthia TRACKING here.

Nancy having a meltdown over her infatuation.

Nancy dropping a big C and Cynthia sounding so concerned.

"Its worse than cancer... Its inside of me. Growing. Spreading."

"A child?'- My roommate.

Cynthia being shook that Nancy has a thing for Potato. Both are probably shocked as hell..

Crushing Me is a western bop.

Potato looking thrilled and kinda scared of Nancy never fails to make me laugh...

Dot looking crushed..

Shy Guy looking subtly thrilled and SLIDING to go sit with the gang and tell them.

Classic Pink Ladies. Put their mind to it, they got dates in 5 minutes.

Richie chilling in the TBird, jacket off, looking at a lighter... Mmm. Yum.

Richie comforting Dot and deciding to go the the ball together is just... so pure. But what he says to her about how the person he likes going with someone else... "I know how that one HITS." And for Richie, they just keep on coming.. Then again, he's used to it. And Dot recognizing pain, offers him a lolly like someone does a drink or a cigg. And her lighting up at going together.

The whole PTA meeting... Just. Don't even get me started. Spelling in front of high schoolers? Are you kidding me? What about the others who's ears aren't covered?!

The more the girls are together, the more I love their dynamics. Jane and Olivia gushing together over the décor, the way they boost Nancy up in all her... Nancyness intensity. And the way Jane reacts when Cynthia comes into view. In a dress.. Just.. sweet girl.

Olivia and Mr. Daniels... GoFUCKYourself. No. Everything. About. You. NO!

Olivia almost using 'I have a date' like a goddamn shield...

Wally being charming AF when Hazel is nervous is just.. Daw.

Buddy looking FOUL and guilty to his dad who tries to dismisses it.

I thought it would pan over to Jane but the fact that it was Richie! Hooo boy!

And the look he sends over his shoulder before it softens in Jane's vague direction... God. Add in the fact that Richie was at a casino acting out when Jane got the news that she lost, and then to hear that after she lost, she didn't even lose fairly because Buddy's dad cheated... My first thought was that he couldn't go an tell her or even comfort her.. And the anger he must've felt to hear that his girl got cheated out and that Buddy hasn't come clean when he 'wants too'.... Lot to process.

The Pink Ladies hyping up eachother. The Birds being awkward around them..

Gil's comment about being a cartoon wolf around Olivia killed me! 

Gil being nervous when he hands her the corsage... YOU CAN SEE HIS HANDS TREMBLE! 

Richie keeping his reactions to Dot pleasantly neutral. He only livens up with Jane. 

Dots Sandy Reference! 

In my opinion, Richie's (Jonathan Neives) performance this episode seemed.... I dunno... weaker? than previous episodes, but when he was with Jane, he seemed to really be himself. Am I just being crazy?

Susan taking the Pink Ladies side in both the dance counsel and when talking to her mother made my opinion of her lift up a little. 

The conversation between Susan and her mother.. And the doctor... 'Buddy had a right to know...'  

Holy. Shit. 

Like, it makes sense and it does check off the classic box of head cheerleader and top quarterback... That is how you say something without saying something. 

Richie cant miss an opportunity to even subtly flirt with Jane. And the way she smiles back at him... Just.. My babies!

Dot picking up on vibes. They are kind hard to miss

Gil being a 'respectful dancing distance away' from Olivia until she pulls him in and the way he melts against her. And her giggle!

Cynthia and Shy guy.. The whole scene is (as weird and bad as this is gonna sound) a good kind of cringe. But Shy guy... My sweet boy.

Richie and Jane having 'ideas'!

Breaking my hear kid! Fly free!

Fly free!

It'll probably be an unpopular opinion but I'm glad we didn't get a kiss between Richie and Jane, especially right after Dot took 'one for the road.' And how he looked at Jane when she did it like... 

He wiped his mouth with his hand. I was both pleased and kinda offended in a good way.. 

"What about Buddy?"/"What about him?" The way his face subtly changes! AND THEY PLAYED THEIR SONG! I started humming 'Carelessly' and then FREAKED OUT!

BORN.TO.HAND.JIVE!

Olivia going after Susan.. is justified but scorpions can still sting eachother.. And dishing out poison like its shots goes out to anyone and everyone she can.

S.O.A.B.. Buddy didn't even come out and say it himself... But when it's already out there, he caves. 

Richie just trying to keep things calm... I felt kinda robbed that we didn't get a.. bigger reaction out of him.. And how he just pushes Buddy away..

Oh DOT! Damn! Dot! 

Wally and Hazel knowing that shits about to go down and need to GTFO. 

When we see Richie and Buddy.. I won't call it fighting.. It's more like a decent tousle.  "GeT him Richie!" 

Wally and Hazel. The Stars and the Sea. Cuties.

"That's. Not. Fair." I swear, that saying makes my eye twitch.

"If you would just Pick a side. Pick a boy." AND THE FACT THAT JANE doesnt respond. Say what you will, but Richie and Olivia make solid points, even when they are hurt/mad.

HE'S IN JAIL?! Olivia! WTAF ARE YOU DOING?!

Nancy looking as broken as the window....

[inchidentally]

https://x.com/landosparadise/status/1747644657398419506?s=20

I'm starting to believe in the power of your essays because in a strange way they reflect reality :)

landosparadise twitter

oh babe listen, the fact that I cannot contain myself is not that I'm trying to infect others I promise <3 what anyone can take from quotes like these is that it isn't wrong to take all of the concrete things we've seen and read about Lando and Oscar's partnership and decide that a whole lot of mutual respect and even fondness is clearly there. and that they communicate pretty damn well and that's helped not a little by being basically the same age and sharing a lot of similarities as people. and by not leaping to the whole bromance thing and having to maintain that image, and neither of them being typical "alpha" types, there's a solid hope for their partnership not turning sour. those are very sweet conclusions that can be drawn without me writing any kind of parasocial essays! that's the best part for me, that I can have my fun and everything but truly at it's core there's a reason why the Lando and Oscar partnership is so exciting to every kind of McLaren fan.

.

.

BUT SINCE YOU SEEMED TO BE EVEN REMOTELY ASKING… (comedic trombone sound)

this part especially drives me insane.

when asked whether he was able to learn anything from his rookie teammate. "Keeping calm and being yourself, it's good to be reminded of that."

bc Lando loves and respects specific things about all of his F1 buddies. and it was a no-brainer that he learned a lot from his older, more established teammates (esp Carlos who basically found Lando in a basket outside his driver's room door). but all of those guys have either been his friends for years or he's known of them/interacted with them for years. but then Oscar arrives as this unknown and he's so mature for his age and doesn't seem easily fazed. and not only does he not demand that Lando help him out he also doesn't try to ingratiate himself with Lando to help out his own image (and remember, Oscar was enemy number one with McLaren, Alpine and Daniel Ricciardo fans - and still is for some of them). didn't try to launch a bromance the way most of these partnerships do (with varying success).

he did the most jarring, unlikely thing ever: he stepped back, fully embraced his role as the number 2 driver, accepted whoever Lando decided to be, and let Lando determine the relationship. he showed up and celebrated every high Lando had without fail. Lando was handed unconditional respect and he got it from a teammate who himself has refused to pander or be insincere. Oscar risks looking boring or withdrawn rather than dance. and he's shown nothing but respect - and fondness! - for the kaleidoscope of personality that Lando is.

because!

Oscar was a Lando fanboy for 8 years! Oscar knew Lando before meeting Lando in a way no one else in racing has! Oscar is not Just a Guy he watches, he listens, he cares! Oscar doesn't seem to have a lick of toxic masculinity about him and all of the F1 elders who know him say what an old soul he is and how mature he is!

and we know already that Lando felt he learned things from Oscar in a racing sense. so for Lando to go so far as to say that his rookie teammate helped remind him how to stay true to himself is just !! especially considering that their personalities have equally been a source of being misunderstood in ways that are often extremely infuriating.

also, Oscar complements so much about Lando in terms of how they approach their careers and media duties and racing and I think in a lot of ways Lando doesn't fully know how to feel about that? bc Lando's someone who can blur the lines between a person being helpful to him and someone he needs in his life. each year we get that adorable dinner photo of all the people who've supported Lando's career for the past 10 years. so to find himself pinging back and forth so well with Oscar's approach to all those things, there's got to be a concern of "am I going to start needing this guy in my life too?" it's way too early for that to be a major concern of course but I feel like it could be there.

"better than I feel like I remember I was when I started" "I think that is something that I've gotten a lot better with over the years - I know how to deal with all of these things much better myself now. I have a lot of respect for Oscar in how he was able to stay so calm in a new environment, in Formula 1, on the big stage."

okay this part !! bc I remember the anon I got who meticulously pointed out how Lando has been doing for Oscar what he remembers wishing he'd had for himself when he started out in F1. and that as Alex Albon said it's not really the natural M.O. of a more experienced driver to mentor a competitor or a teammate. it's not team sports - each driver is there to beat everyone else, esp their teammate as they're essentially driving the same car. but Lando's soft heart !! Lando's not like everyone else!

and that's the thing I always make sure to state is that while Carlos and Daniel were both definitely overwhelmed at times over how much Lando needs to have that tender connection with the men in his life - and have it above all else - they weren't doing him wrong at all by placing their own performance in F1 above him. they're what honestly every other guy in F1 is. and Alex is honestly probably one of the most empathetic, soft-hearted guys on the current grid so for him to say it's not in his responsibilities to nurture another driver is pretty definitive as a rule - especially bc he ended up doing that to some degree with Logan (the 'seeing myself in him' explains that a lot). but yeah, Lando's warm soft heart overruling his racing driver head is extremely unusual in F1. like basically unheard of.

and while it's so much healthier that Carlos and Daniel became the good friends that they did and specifically NOT Lando's teammates, I wrote this whole thing about how Lando went into the partnership with Oscar unusually guarded. not only was he clearly unsure about the idea of being the older and experienced teammate, he definitely wasn't interested in leaping into another bromance only to discover that the other guy has the exact same bromance with about five other dudes in his life.

Lando doesn't at all seem do that - at least from a fandom distance, he seems to form unique friendships with each person in his life. he may be a will-o-wisp person and be difficult to pin down and get hold of sometimes, but the people he decides to form a relationship with are locked into that for good (from what we can tell). he'll do the bromance bit with Carlos and Daniel that they want but he also demanded that he have some specific definition among all their other friends.

Lando is a ✧Me✧ and if you don't want to respect that then you don't get to have his time. I think it's even why he has a joking "rivalry" with some of his friends' girlfriends. bc - and I emphasize this is all humorous and not serious - there's a little bit of a rivalry for attention there! Lando seem to kinda end up making men in love with him in some way (paternal, brotherly, friendship, confused and horny, etc). he meets them and they're kinda fucked up about him forever in some way. dudes especially tend to clump their friends by category and hang out in groups apart from maybe one super close best friend. but it seems like Lando can't be lumped in with anybody else. he's almost like the unattainable hot girl who's a model and also independently wealthy and also a gamer and also F1 superstar that guys just desperately want to orbit as closely as they're allowed. if she says 'wanna hang out' they'd leave their grandma's funeral and rush over.

so like, all of Lando's complexities and the uniqueness of his career and his weird and usually frenetic personal journey considered - I'm just slightly insane over the fact that he said Oscar helped him remember to just be himself and to try to find calm out in the circus. what a wonderful thing to say about someone you've only known for a year and who hasn't in any way pushed for a relationship beyond what you want from them.