#he’d love nascar

[catgirljaneway]

[sillygoose067]

Charles’s Angel(s)

Ch.34

Charles Leclerc x Reader

Charles tells you that he had some plans to add to his vlog for his Youtube channel, and asks if you’d like to come with him and appear in some clips. You agree and he makes some calls to his team. 

The two of you end up walking around the streets of LA, stopping at street vendors and talking with locals. One man even recognizes him and starts talking about how much better Formula 1 was compared to NASCAR, which was the only form of racing most Americans kept up with. Charles manages to get that on video, and you smile as you watch his excited form interact with the man. You guys stop for some ice cream when your boyfriend starts talking about how one day, he’d like to have his own ice cream business. “Why?”, you ask curiously. “I’ve always loved ice cream since childhood, so why not?”, he shrugs. Fair enough. 

Charles meets some friends who invite him to play some basketball, and goodness gracious, that man either has no awareness about you and your feelings, or he simply doesn’t care– Because after the first two shots, he takes his shirt off and continues his attempt to score. “See, I am so good, I should just switch careers and do this”, he tells the camera and proceeds to miss the hoop. His attempts go on for the next hour, and you stand at the side, watching and trying your best to not lust after him. This was normal, for god’s sake. Any sane person would forego their shirt in this LA heat during a game of b-ball. When he finally gets one shot in, he collapses to the floor dramatically. 

“Ugh. I change my mind. This is too hard.” You giggle, and he turns his head toward you. “You think you can do better?”, he tries to get under your skin. 

You grab the ball, dribble a couple of times, and shoot, half-court. You make it. Charles sits up, eyes wide in shock. “H- How did you.. What?”

You just laugh and shake your head, dribbling and doing some tricks with the ball. “Babe, you forget that I’m from this country. I went to a public school here. One of the sports required in our physical education was basketball.” You roll your eyes dribble til you are full-court, and shoot. Surprise, surprise, you make the shot again. Charles plops back down with an exasperated sigh. 

“So you stood there watching me humiliate myself this entire time when you’re much better?”, he whines.

“I didn’t want to ruin your fun”, you shrug. 

…

Finally returning to the suite was like a godsend. How was it even possible to be this hot? The European weather had spoiled you. You change into some swimwear, ready to head to the indoor pool with Charles. He exits the bathroom, changed into his swim shorts, and when he catches sight of you, his eyes travel all over you. “Love, why have you been hiding this amazing body under those clothes all this time?”

You blush. “I wasn’t hiding it. I just look and feel fat in everything else.”

He scoffs. “I call bullshit. You are so beautiful, Sweetheart. I don’t see at all how you’re fat. I think you’re actually quite fit. You should wear things that make you feel beautiful more often.”

He kisses your temple while you soak in his words, head turned away to hide your misty eyes. Even in a one-piece swimsuit, nothing overly sexy, Charles Lelclerc thought you looked beautiful and not fat. 

…

You travel to Las Vegas for the Grand Prix there, cheering Charles on from the paddock (which was somewhat poetic because that was how the two of you met). He ends up coming in P3, and although he’s disappointed in his performance, he enjoys his place on the podium. 

Especially when you race up and embrace him tightly. “I’m so proud of you Charles!”

“Thanks love. But I know I could’ve done better… if it weren’t for the engines failing me last-minute, I could have made it to P2, at least.”

“Well, what’s done is done, and it’s best to not cry over spilled milk. Let’s just go celebrate your success tonight and think about how to improve your performance later, okay?”

He pecks you gently, pulling away with a smile stretching across his face and then leaning in to kiss you again, his fingers gently sliding down from the side of your face to the back of your neck. You pull away breathlessly. “You always know the right thing to say to me, don’t you?”, he whispers. You smile up at him cheekily with a dismissive shrug. 

Carlos and Rebecca are in the opposite corner of the garage, embracing as well, when the manager comes in and summons your boyfriend and his teammate to head to the press room. 

“Go. I’ll be sitting in the audience.”

…

That night, you go out to dinner with Carlos, Max, and Lando– kind of like a triple date, but with Lando 7th wheeling. The boys are fascinated to hear about what you do as a career and ask if you’re willing to show them the ropes sometime. “Of course! Although, I haven’t even been able to bring Charles to my studio yet, so maybe that will need to be put on hold for a bit.”

…

With the race over, you and Charles had some time on your hands, so as planned before, you travel up north to the Bay Area and stop by beaches with Carlos and Pierre, and some hidden gems that you knew of (because you’re from the place and your family traveled a lot).

After a tiring 48 hours of navigating the Californian traffic, you finally arrive at your childhood home. Ding dong, you ring the bell. 

The door opens and your sister peeks her head through the small gap. “Hi!”

“Didi (honorific for older sisters)! You’re here! With… With Charles Leclerc!”

“Hello…”, Charles greets your sister hesitantly. She beams at him. 

“Maaa! Didi’s here!”

After a great big welcome and some introductions, your mother settles you and Charles into your childhood bedroom. He walks around in awe. “I don’t know what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t this.”

“In a good way or a bad way?”, you ask nervously biting your lips. 

“Definitely in a good way. You never cease to amaze me, love.”

Lunch with your family is fulfilling and Charles learns many new things about his palate and Indian food– mostly that there’s no generic Indian cuisine, but there are so many different types, dishes, and flavors. “I think I’m in love. I’ll never have a different food again”, he says after having some daal (lentil soup), rice, and fish and potato fries. You laugh. 

“Charles, this is literally just some household staple food, it’s not even a delicacy.”

“If these are this good already, the delicacies must be heavenly.”

Your dad and Charles bond over sports and music, and by the time you need to leave at the end of the week, you have a feeling your family loves your boyfriend more than they love you.

[callmewrinkles3]

Long story short - DR3 x Fem!OC

Masterlist.

Summary: Summer break 2023 means a trip back to Perth to see how construction is going on the farm and but especially to spend Em’s birthday with family.

Warnings: Mentions of past abusive family dynamics, mentions of sex, past pregnancy loss.

Words: 6k

A/N: Hey hey! We know you’ve missed oneshots so here’s Em’s birthday for you to enjoy. We may have cried multiple times writing this, just very normal. It was pretty great lol. Hope you enjoy it and let us know what you think! All our love, Alex and Cíara.💜

August 2023

The summer break every year - with the exception of 2018 and 2020 - had involved being in the States. It was usually LA and sun for a few days, or a week somewhere in the mountains for Dan to do altitude training to prepare for races like Brazil and Mexico. But that summer things were different. With the farm construction happening fast thanks to the baby’s due date coming so soon, and Blake and Charlie being adorable, the three of them were flying back home to spend the full two weeks of the shutdown in the Australian winter. It was still milder than a European one, Em giggling as the boys changed into thick hoodies before ending the journey that had started in Italy.

Dan wanted to take full advantage of the time off, conspiring with Charlie to plan Em’s thirty third birthday. She knew it was happening and just let him plan it. Even with her dislike of parties she knew Dan wouldn’t go too overboard, so she just laughed and told him to do what he wanted. Having it surrounded by people felt strange. The year before had been just the two of them in their little bubble, and before that it had always been with Dan. She hadn’t had her parents involved since she was ten and had her final birthday party before secondary school. Because she was a summer baby her parents had acted like she didn’t need a party. The kids in school wouldn’t realise there was no party to be invited to.

She insisted it wasn’t necessary to organise anything but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Dan wanted his pregnant wife to be as happy as she could be before the chaos of the last half of the season happened so it was a full thirteen days surrounded by their people before the flight back to Faenza.

Em had to admit that it was a perfect idea. Ever since she’d found out about the pregnancy and told Grace she needed her mother there for all the questions she had. It was a blessing to spend time and to ask the questions she was embarrassed about - even when Michelle butted in and made jokes at her expense. It was there with her family and she felt good. She could call either of them any time that she wanted but it was no substitute for actually being there. She needed the hugs and physical contact that only a mum could give.

What Em had needed the entire time was for the woman who’d promised to love her as her own to wrap her in a cuddle and remind her that everything was going to be fine. That she was going to spend Christmas with her beautiful newborn baby girl. And when Grace said it Em believed it.

They got to spend the two weeks with family and eating good food, being looked after before the world could intervene. That’s what Grace and Joe had always done for Dan and they pulled Em into that world, looking after their kids when they needed it the most.

But the best thing about staying with her in laws and not the building site that was currently their farmhouse was getting to stay in Dan’s childhood bedroom. Grace hadn’t redecorated since he’d left for Italy half his life ago, the old school NASCAR posters on the wall and karting trophies on shelves. The photos of his family and friends were there to surround Dan with reminders of his childhood. Em refused to mention the one of Dan and Michael on their school football team that had disappeared when she was in the shower one morning. She couldn’t ruin their time at home talking about something like that. As far as she was concerned the picture was never there. It was the same way they were all pretending Michael had never been in their lives. Grace and Joe knew better than to ask about him.

That whole situation hurt a little less every day, but it still ached. It was easier when they weren’t in the paddock. The plan was to spend more time in Italy so Dan could be at the factory more where Michael wouldn’t really be. In London and Perth they could avoid his neighbourhood and the places he liked to go. But race weekends it was impossible. They shared the same garage, the same hospitality. They turned left to go into Dan’s driver room at Budapest and Spa and knew that he was the other side of the too flimsy wall having turned right. They could and did run into him at any time. Em wanted to tell him how she was, how the baby was. How his niece was. But Lulu wasn’t going to be his niece. She wasn’t going to even know him. It gutted Em that her brother wasn’t in her life anymore but he’d made his decision and it didn’t hurt as much. But it hurt the most during the parties Dan held in Perth.

The first one was ridiculous and unexpected, held two days after they arrived in Australia. It was part Charlie’s idea and part Dan’s, the decision made between them to celebrate Blake and Em. Neither of them realised that it was happening when they arrived back at the Ricciardos that afternoon. Blake had brought her to take a look at kitchen fittings for the farmhouse, the plan to bring Dan back to look at her top picks before they were put into the rebuilt kitchen. She was getting the kitchen of her dreams and she was taking advantage, copper fittings and marble countertops on the wooden cabinets. There was all the storage she wanted, the plans were ready for her to show Dan and see what he thought. It was their forever home and she couldn’t wait.

She arrived back to Grace and Joe’s to their family there, Charlie’s brother Cal and his boyfriend standing near the back nervously. Blake’s parents had flown out to be there too. Dan stood on a rickety kitchen chair, his hand on Blake’s shoulder to stay steady.

“I’m usually good at saying stuff but this is really hard. The last…the last year or so has been really hard. And there’s two people who could have walked away but didn’t, and this is to make sure they know how loved and appreciated they are. Blake, you’re my brother. You more than anyone else had a reason to yell at me and tell me to get my shit together - sorry Ma.”

“Just this once!” Grace called as Dan collected himself.

“Emmy, you married me and you love me and we’re having a baby and I still don’t know why you decided to stay through everything that was said about you. But you are the best woman I’ve met in my life, and I love you to pieces. You know. But this is just to say thank you to all of you for being there and helping. Cause I wouldn’t be in a seat again without you all.”

It was scattered applause and Em reached for her husband to give him the biggest hug, pulling him tight for a moment as Lulu kicked against him.

“You’re gonna be the best dad, Dan. We love you so much. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

The words were completely true, even with everything that had happened. The emotional and physical pain. The embarrassment being turned away from the paddock in Spa the year before thanks to stupid mind games. The hospital visit and the therapy and the near screaming match with her parents. Because they were home with their baby coming soon and in love. It was hard and worth it.

She spent that day swapping between Isaac and Isabella on her knee, Cal and Ryder taking the other child and playing. The last thing she said to Cal before he left was that Ryder was a keeper, watching the younger man blush. He was a sweetheart like the rest of their family.

Blake and Charlie were the last ones to leave, hugs to everyone the order of the day. Finally they left, Em going nearly straight to bed to sleep thanks to missing her usual afternoon nap.

Em told Dan not to make a huge fuss of her birthday, that a relaxing day would be fine. But she knew really that there was no chance her husband or family would let her birthday pass like that. It was the one day where they could shower her with love and affection without her complaints so they took full advantage.

She woke up that morning to Dan covering her in kisses, pulling her in for slow birthday sex that had them both gasping for breath and desperate to keep quiet. Her husband held her even tighter for a few moments before they got up, Dan leading her to the kitchen where Grace and Joe sang Happy Birthday as she came in. There were pancakes and bacon waiting for her with a candle lit on the top of a lavender iced cupcake. She started tearing up immediately, not even attempting to pretend that it was the pregnancy hormones that caused her emotions. It was happy tears. She was happy and loved and that was what she cared about. She and Dan had made it through, and the joy that morning compared to the worry of the previous year was so different.

It felt like a dream compared to the year before, her husband by her side and she was pregnant with their baby. They were getting everything they wanted and life was good. Nobody was taking this from her and she spent her morning curled up against Dan on the couch as he kept whispering how much he loved her, making her grin and kissing her cheeks with each smile.

Nothing had prepared her for the birthday party that Blake, Charlie, and Dan had prepared for her at the Clarke’s farm. Dan led her into the barn where they’d held their wedding, a shout of “SURPRISE” ringing around the room. She loved it so much, lavender decorations everywhere as their families were all there. She started tearing up of happiness again, tears spilling over as Isaac and Isabella came running over to her yelling “happy birthday Auntie Emmy!”.

She honestly didn’t expect gifts from people. Dan had been the first person to give her gifts just because, but there was a table tucked away in the corner with presents for her to open later. It was insane to her how many there were, everyone saying she could open them later. Charlie’s parents hugged her and pulled a chair out to urge her to sit, Em watching as Isaac and Isabella brought over their presents for her.

The first one that Isaac insisted on her opening had Toy Story wrapping paper, and inside was a huge box with everything she could ever want to make friendship bracelets with. They had a tradition to make new ones every time they were in Perth with the kids, weaving thread and beads together to make cute ones. Isaac explained how he wanted new ones, and he wanted them to make new ones for the baby too.

“They’re gonna be teeny tiny cause the baby’s gonna be like Iz’s dolly, but we need them to have lots so they grow!” He explained to Em, clearly happy to have a new cousin to play with.

“You’re so right, Baby. I love it, thank you! You’re gonna come over at the weekend and we can make some before I go back to Europe?”

With a nod and a kiss on his aunt’s cheek Isaac ran back to his uncle Dan, the promise of getting to go look at the cattle on the farm too alluring. Instead his little sister took his spot on Em’s lap, handing over a box wrapped in lavender unicorn paper. Inside it was a bright pink Barbie box. The doll had brunette hair like Em, complete with a travel set. There was a neck pillow, a suitcase that looked like Em’s own one, and everything else Barbie her could need.

“It’s just like you!” Isabella exclaimed as soon as the paper was ripped away and dumped on the other side of the table. It really did nearly look like her.

“Oh my God, I love it.” She kissed her niece’s curly hair, holding on tightly as Isabella pointed out the phone and camera. “Thank you so, so much, Baby girl. I love it so, so much. It’s the best.”

“Can we play tomorrow?” The little girl asked, looking up with big eyes and an angelic face. It was nearly impossible for Em to say no.

“After school, ok? But then we can, promise. And we’ll have some more cake, but don’t tell your Mum and we’ll make sure to save some for her.”

At the start she didn’t ask why a Barbie doll, it came from her niece and that was what she cared about. But while during the party Isabella kept asking about the baby and patting Em’s tummy, she couldn’t stop wondering why. Once Isabella was safely occupied with one of Charlie’s nieces she decided she had to ask, walking over to her sister in law and getting the words out. As soon as Michelle began to speak Em regretted asking.

“We were in the kitchen and she came to tell me and Mum that you come up with the best stories for the Barbies while you play, but you never had one growing up so you didn’t have a favourite Barbie. She thought because you travel so much Travel Barbie would be your favourite. I couldn’t say no, Em. I’m sorry you never had one.”

Em never thought Isabella would remember that single conversation. It was months ago, the week before her wedding. If she’d realised Isabella would think about it she wouldn’t have said it.

Part of the therapy that Mildred was working on with her was giving her that allowance to be a kid. She’d never gotten to be, but Mildred told her to do the things she wanted to. Spend time with her niece and nephew and play with them. She’d made a bundle of friendship bracelets before seeing Taylor Swift as part of it. So when Isabella asked if she wanted to play Barbies Em said yes immediately.

She and Dan were on babysitting duty, the four of them were downstairs playing with Isaac’s cars. Instead of playing he and Dan had fallen asleep thanks to exhaustion and a sugar crash from the final wedding cake tests. The two girls were alone and Isabella pulled Em upstairs before taking out a Barbie carry case and asking Em to do braids in Skipper’s hair.

It was while Em was twisting the slick strands of plastic hair when Isabella asked her about her favourite Barbie as a kid. She couldn’t tell the truth and break her niece’s childhood. The truth was that her parents thought dolls were ridiculous and she was never allowed to have them growing up, that she had puzzles and non fiction books. Even fiction books had to be by certain authors or she couldn’t read them because they wouldn’t “develop her brain”.

The short answer, the easy one, was “Oh, I didn’t have any Barbies.” Followed by asking if Isabella wanted her hair to match Skippers and a child sitting in Em’s lap to get her french braids put in the subject matter was closed. She was convinced that Isabella had forgotten about it. The next topic of conversation was how pretty her flower girl dress for the wedding was and how she looked “like a fairy princess” in it. But she hadn’t.

Her thoughts were pinned on the topic after she spoke to Michelle. Em went mostly through the motions for the rest of the party, hugging her friends and talking to everyone. Chloe and Scotty made a surprise appearance for her, a giant hug and a promise that Em was coming out with Chloe and Charlie in a couple of days for lunch.

The box with the doll stayed in her hand and all she could imagine was a couple of years time when her daughter started playing with it. She couldn’t imagine having a baby, going through pregnancy and labour to not even want the result. To never really want a baby like her parents never wanted her. Even thinking about her baby girl not having the entire world hurt so much it made her want to cry. It was still four months until she’d arrive and Em and Dan would do anything to keep her safe and love her. Her nursery in London was ready to go, the last thing a photo collage Em wanted to make of all the adults who would love Lulu. The only reason her room in Perth wasn’t ready was because of the construction, but the furniture had been delivered and was sitting in an outbuilding. They already had enough to fill the playroom and the nursery even though Lulu would sleep in their room for the first few months. The travel arrangements were ready to go. They even had Lulu’s luggage all set.

Em had never really understood how someone couldn’t love their own child, but as she counted down the days to her due date it was even harder. She knew there was reasons why, she knew some people weren’t pregnant in good situations. But when she was pregnant and married and had tried for a baby? It was irrational to her that you wouldn’t want that child.

But while the birthday party continued she refused to let herself go there. She wouldn’t let herself think about why her parents were the way they were and how much that hurt. And she definitely wasn’t thinking about how the last time she came home from this room her former best friend had left her life in the most unceremonious of ways. That wasn’t raining on her parade, not today. So she walked over, hugged her husband, whispered how much she loved him and how thankful she was for the wonderful day she was having.

“Remember when you weren’t the party kind and I had to drag you anywhere?” Dan joked, kissing her cheek as she smiled.

“I reckon you were the one who dragged me to different ones ever since we met. But you know me, Dimples. I still don’t like big things much but this? This is nice. These are the ones I like.”

Even at 33 she hated when she was the centre of attention and people sang happy birthday to her. She wasn’t sure if anyone actually liked being surrounded by friends singing off key and out of tune, but for the first time it didn’t feel weird. The people who were around her had been supporting her through every single good and bad moment in the last five years. They loved her no matter how broken or weird she felt. They made sure that she knew how loved she was, no matter what. Every single person had wormed their way into her heart when she’d tried to keep people out. So when the singing ended and she took a deep breath to blow out the birthday candles in one breath she had one wish in her mind. To keep every single person in this room in her life forever.

The winter meant the sun was setting early, exhaustion hitting Em hard. She’d needed naps more and more since she’d become pregnant and this was the second time in a week that she hadn’t had one. After her third yawn and as the kids were getting cranky they all decided to head home. It took Dan to make her sit down and not help clear up, Charlie’s parents half shooing them out of the barn warning that the cleaning was sorted, to go home and rest. Joe drove them back, Grace in the front seat as Em rested her head against Dan’s shoulder and half dozed while the other three made conversation in low tones.

Her husband had to shake her to wake her up when they got back to the house, Em stretching as she undid her belt. It was tempting to stay and sleep in the car, but her back was sore enough after a night in a comfy bed. Sitting up in a car would be worse.

Dan didn’t want to wake her when they arrived back at the house, but it was safer for her to get out of the car on her own instead of Dan lifting her out. He helped her up and closed the door behind her.

“Did you have a good day, Kiddo?” Joe asked a half awake Em as they walked back into the house. Dan’s arm was around her waist to help keep her up and stop her from tripping up with tiredness.

“Best birthday of my life. You didn’t need to do it, but thank you for doing it for me.”

“It’s what you deserve, Darling,” Grace insisted. Her mother in law pushed a kiss to her forehead before Dan brought Em up to bed.

Before they made it into their room Dan dragged her into the bathroom, getting Em to sit on the toilet as he took her makeup off fully and helped rub her moisturiser in. She was too tired to do it, almost deciding to just sleep without washing her face. But as delicately as possible Dan wiped it off, using crouching in front of her as an excuse to stroke her cheek and steal kisses from his wife.

Once they were ready to go to bed Dan lifted her off the toilet and across the hallway to deposit her on the bed, Em giggling at his actions. It didn’t take long for him to pull her dress and leggings off, replacing them with clean underwear and one of his old, worn shirts that was soft enough for Em. She laughed as he kept stealing kisses from her as he pulled the shirt over her bump, rubbing gently

“I’m lazy and sleepy but I can still change my clothes on my own, Babe.”

“You know very well that I love undressing you. Even if you actually have to wear something to bed because we’re at home.”

If they were in the apartment or even on the farm they wouldn’t be wearing anything. The skin to skin contact in bed always made Em relax and help her sleep better but considering they were at Dan’s parents they had to be semi decent. Em wore one of his shirts and Dan would at least keep his underwear on. Even when he complained more than once.

“Any excuse to see me naked, right?” Em smiled before kissing his cheek and finally laying down to be able to rest. “C’mon Dimples, your wifey is exhausted. Come to bed.”

She patted the mattress beside her to wait for Dan to crawl into the bed and she could get into his arms. She knew it’d take him longer to fall asleep than her. Every night since she’d gotten that positive pregnancy test he’d started his own little night time ritual of telling the baby a story while kissing and stroking her bump. He wasn’t joking about wanting to be a hands on dad, so since day one he did everything in his power to connect with their baby. It didn’t matter how long was left until she was in his arms, he wanted his daughter to know who her daddy was from day one.

From all the things he did or could do those five or ten minutes as they wound down for bed were some of his favourite of the day. Most nights Em stayed awake listening to what her husband was saying while she read. Other nights like this one she fell asleep easily and left her loves to have their late night chats.

“Before I get in I have one last thing for you.” Dan pulled a colourful Happy Birthday gift bag that was hidden in the bottom drawer of the wardrobe. “I know you’re going to say I’ve given you too many gifts, but it’s your birthday and our anniversary so birthaversary rules mean I get to spoil you. If you let me I’d spoil you every day. I’m so lucky to get to love you and be your husband. I couldn’t say this earlier cause I’d start crying, but I just…thanks, Emmy. I couldn’t do any of this without you. And you’ve made me the happiest man in the world. I love you.”

“I love you too, Danny. So much. Marrying you is the best thing I ever did. And this better not be lingerie that won’t fit me anymore.” He laughed at her words and handed over the bag, sitting up beside her in the bed. It was six years of being around Dan, of him getting overexcited and determined to spoil her rotten at all times. She’d jokingly complain about how he got her too much, but he was like that for everyone. She learned to get used to how Dan showed his love with gifts and making life easier for people. This was another one of those occasions so she sat up on the bed with a pillow supporting her back, looking at her husband as he smiled.

“You’re the hottest mama in the world, Baby girl. But no, it’s nothing like that. Just open it, ok?”

The second Em opened the bag and saw the stuffed crocodile inside she started crying. Pregnancy hormones couldn’t be blamed for these tears.

When she was three her parents brought her on a trip to a holiday camp in Wales. She barely remembered any of it apart from a little playground beside the pub there, but it was the kind of place that was where they could take her for a weekend to prove how normal they were. An hour from Liverpool, two nights and enough photos to prove they took their daughter away on holiday.

One of the few things she did remember was how much she loved Captain Croc, the crocodile mascot that wandered around. They’d gotten her a teddy, the first one she remembered having. He was vivid green and yellow, blue dungarees with yellow interlocking Cs and big white eyes. He was her comfort toy, hugging him in her tiny arms and bringing him everywhere until she started primary school.

She thought she remembered the feeling of having a new best friend to play with and make up games. Now she knew it was probably her brain trying to make a memory to help her cope with a messed up childhood.

The one definite memory that Em did have was how thirty years later she watched her husband tear up as he looked at a photo of her tiny self holding Captain Croc. Dan held it together until they made it back to the hotel after they left her parents house with the final box of things she was taking. Once they were in that room he started sobbing because he didn’t understand how nobody was there to hold that little girl and tell her how perfect she was. He sobbed because he knew that it was one of the few really happy moments she had in her early childhood. Not that she realised that it should have been better then.

But above all Dan sobbed because that’s what their baby might have looked like. It was the week after she should have had their first baby. They should have been parents. Imagining how their baby could have been hurt like that by anyone cut him to the core and he sobbed in Em’s arms as she held him and promised that they would do better. They would make sure their baby was so loved. She was used to the casual cruelty of her own parents, the way they used words as weapons. Dan who’d never known anything but support and love didn’t understand it.

This teddy meant more than just a gift from her husband to remind her of a bright spot in her life. It was the reminder of slowly healing wounds that still weren’t fully scabbed over. That photo had opened them up more again, and the teddy reminded her more. The day she told Dan the story he held her as they both sobbed. He’d have done anything to have a little girl who looked just like his Emmy. Anything to see his Emmy holding their mini me baby but life was unfair and cruel. Instead of holding their baby that day they held each other, promising that one day it was going to happen. They were going to get to have their family and be happy, no matter what.

But in the final hours of her birthday, thirty one years after she first held her teddy, Em started sobbing again. She had no idea how Dan had found an exact copy of the Captain Croc she’d loved so much but he did. Hers was too delicate, kept in a box in the apartment in London to be shown to her kids as a memento. But he’d found a brand new one, making child and adult Em sob with happiness.

“I knew that a certain little lady wanted to give you a Barbie because you never had one, so I thought that Barbie could do with having a friend. And in a couple of years when our little lady is able to she’ll want to play with them too.” Dan helped Em pull him out of the bag. It should have been easy but her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn’t get him out fully.

The adrenaline and relief flowing through her body made her shake like a leaf in Dan’s arms. Em didn’t know how she had gotten this lucky. She had friends who flew hours to see her for her birthday, a family who loved her enough to make a big deal of her. And the most loving and caring husband in the world. She still didn’t know what she did to deserve it and get it, but she was so thankful for it. It was yet another day where even with everything that had happened, even with the way her parents acted and her family was it was worth it because she had Dan. She’d have done it over and over if this was the result. She was married to the love of her life, she was having their baby, and they were happier than she thought possible.

It took longer than she expected to calm down her sobs, Dan holding onto her tightly. He ran his hand against her back, whispering how much he loved her in between pressing kisses to her face and head. It was whispers of how proud he was of her, how much he loved her, how wonderful she was. And most importantly how he knew that their baby loved her already.

“Marrying you a year ago was the best decision of my entire life, you know that, right?” Em whispered, her voice still shaking with sobs. “Y’know, right?”

“I know. We’re still a couple of hours away from exactly a year.” Dan checked his watch, it was ten in Perth, two in London. This time a year ago he was waiting for Em to come back and pick out wedding rings with him before their four pm appointment.

“Happy anniversary, my Love. It was the best idea we ever had.”

Her birthday overshadowed the fact that it was their first wedding anniversary. A year ago they were running around London, Em buying her wedding dress in Marks and Spencer as Dan wore a suit she loved him in. The two of them standing in the registry office in Kensington and promising to love each other, desperate to keep the other happy and get through the next few months together.

It was hard to believe that 365 days had passed since she finally became Mrs Ricciardo. She loved it. She’d loved being his wife every single day, even the horrible ones. It was a year where she’d woken up at her husband’s side every single morning and she could never take it for granted.

“Happy anniversary, Baby girl. You and our little one here are the greatest things that ever happened to me,” Dan whispered as he pulled her up, close enough to finally give Em a kiss while he rubbed her bump.

“Happy anniversary, Danny. Here, for you.” Em reached across and pulled the wrapped package out from under the bed. She’d been wracking her brain about what to get him, but in the end it was an easy decision. Dan opened it quickly, Em watching as he realised what it was.

Traditionally the first anniversary was paper, and she found someone on Etsy who made star charts of the night sky on important dates. It was the sky above London the night they met, Monaco the first night they spent together, Spa when they said they loved each other for the first time, and London when they’d got married. The poster was their important moments highlighted and she saw the grin spread across his face.

“You are amazing. Thank you. This is…it’s everything.” He put it to the side as he pulled her in, holding her as she began to lull to sleep.

“You know what’s crazy? Next year we’re gonna be celebrating our birthdays and anniversaries with her.”

“That’s all I want. The three of us snuggled up together doing nothing all day.”

Em couldn’t help but smile, imagining how it would be to wake up with their baby and her husband right there. No plans needed except spending the day with the loves of her life. She didn’t want anything else and it felt greedy to even consider asking to get anything else. She got to marry her Dan and love him openly, and their baby was strong and healthy and growing. It was more than she could have imagined.

“We’ll cuddle and eat cake. She better like lemon drizzle. I mean I’ll settle for chocolate fudge if I have to.”

“She might not. I mean I’ve been eating it so much she might hate it. Or she’ll be obsessed.”

“Lulu’s half you, Emmy. She’s obsessed already I think.” Em laughed at his tone, curling into Dan.

“Can I sleep like this?” She asked, hiding her face against Dan’s chest. She felt ridiculous holding Captain Croc in her arms as she could feel sleep hitting her while her husband was holding her tightly. But she felt just as defenceless as the little girl in the photos. The big difference between the Em of thirty years ago was that now there were people who looked after her and hugged her on the bad days. Who made sure she was eating and cared for. She’d never had someone love her unconditionally like that until Dan was in her life.

“Anything you want, birthday girl.”

Em’s wishes were Dan’s commands, so she fell asleep in her husband’s arms, head on his chest as her teddy was between them with Dan’s low whispers to their baby echoing in her ears. It might be immature, a grown woman and soon to be mother getting that comfort, but she wanted and needed it. The rest didn’t matter. She and Dan were happy and that was what was important.

—

Taglist: (Let us know if you wanna be added!)

@dr3lover @sabrinaselina55 @majx00 @tall-tanned-tattoo @lovingdennishauger @lauehr @msolbesg @f1medlife @idkwtfimdoing2 @leclercsbae @hiphopdancer101universe @mehrmonga @lewispool @saintandrea-droidsmuggler @coldheartedmar @sugarbabygirlofdaddy @nonsensical-nonce @a-distantdreamer @tita010 @leslizzle @javden @mloyer @saintandrea-droidsmuggler @magical-imagination-kgp @danarysstormborn @kakorrhaphiphobia @g-l-o-b-e-w-h-o-r-e @elizanav @neiich @luckyladycreator2 @scotlynaurora @belledawnidk

[sordidmusings]

hey :) may i humbly request that you write something for kidd?

Sure thing sweet anon❣️ if you wouldn’t mind giving a little more info so I can make sure it’s something you’d like? What sex and gender would you like the reader to be? And nsfw or sfw?

Below I’ll give some ideas/headcanons I’ve had in case any peak your interest!

Tbh I’ve had alpha Kid stuck in my brain cuz I’m on a perpetual abo kick but I know that ain’t for everyone! First off, there’s this DELICIOUS edit I saw of him with big canines and the creator was right; he’s fucking LETHAL with them 😩 it comes to haunt me quite frequently because what the fUCK ITS TOO GOOD 😭fangs in general are just chefs kiss and they fit him perfectly. The animal I have him as in my hybrid au ain’t got fangs but Fuck It he’s gonna get them anyway I will play God for that

There’s a few ways you could play a violent, selfish, and imposing man like him as an alpha but I think these are my favorite angles for him:

Weak for reader from the start and he hates it. He doesn’t want anyone making him soft, making him worry. He didn’t want attachments other than his crew and definitely not any outside the platonic realm. They were messy and pathetic and a waste of his time. He didn’t owe you shit - how dare you come into his life and fuck everything up, leave with his attention, his thoughts, his desires? He tries to berate you, shrug you off, ignore you but all fail miserably the moment you’re actually in his presence. The best he can do is watch you against his will and try and be as neutral as possible when you approach or he seeks to be closer (also against his will). He tried to shove you away once but the moment he lays hands on you they unlearn their cruelty. Truly you are dangerous for him and he should keep you far far away.

Plays favorites with reader and doesn’t give a fuck about it. You are his enabled little accomplice, allowed to get whatever you want and get away with anything and everything. He loves when you throw your weight around - hell he loves when you throw his weight around, preening every time you threaten someone with how strong and vicious your alpha is. He’s barely sure how this whole thing came together, a blur of you asking for one thing, then more and more and more, and most especially more of him. He doesn’t give a fuck that he’s tightly wrapped around your finger, he’s just as proud that he’s yours as you are his and loves rubbing in everyone’s face that he’s snagged the best catch out there.

The other thing I’ve been thinking of is Kid being a negative(?) influence on a restrained and bottled up reader and getting them to let loose with things like their anger and learning to take what they want from others and from life. Much more serious and angsty in tone than the spoiled rotten partner headcanon lol more him badgering you into letting out your aggression and becoming a menace worthy of his crew, a menace he’d be proud to have as his partner.

I’ve also had these songs stuck in my head as songs that could work for x Kid for a while now and could do something with one of them! Tried to give some pop and some rock 🤷🏼‍♀️

Last one especially amuses me cuz (ignoring any suppositions of the original intent of the song) it reads well as Kid trying to convince himself he hates being around you and “I miss the comfort in being sad” meaning he misses the ‘negative’ feelings he gets around reader OR (to be closer to the original meaning) having feelings for reader is new territory and he’s much more comfortable in the charted territory of his violent and vicious emotions.

Sonic Youth and Nirvana additions partially because of a talk with @feral-artistry about the rock vibes of Kid and Killer! She’s just Right in her thoughts as always. Also check out her Kid art!! Reblogging it soon - writing down a few thoughts first 🤡

[augustus816]

my unsolicited and unprofessional predictions for the f1 drivers market:

no these are not realistic they are not intended to be they are based on vibes, whims, and chaos <3 (it’s called silly season for a reason)

Daniel Riccardo retires from F1 and moves to NASCAR, Indy or something similar! I love Danny Ric at RB but sometimes you gotta find new roots; it’s a new challenge and a new chance to win, plus he loves Americans 🇺🇸🦅

This opens space for Liam Lawson at RB. Fresh blood for the redbull machine and he gets the chance to prove his potential for a Redbull seat in the future!

Speaking of, Checo’s contract gets terminated (Sorry Checo)… and he goes to Haas. Checo brings big sponsors to the smaller team AND I think he’d thrive mentoring a younger driver like Ollie Bearman. Hopefully less pressure on him 🙏

Straight swap: KMAG to Redbull!!! He’s a good driver and known to defend VICIOUSLY to help a teammate a la earlier this season. He gets a couple of podiums and wins under his belt before retirement and Redbull has perhaps a better chance at the constructors. (Can you tell I just want a Kmag race win?)

Are you ready for more ridiculousness? Logan Sargeant to Mercedes. Williams don’t want him? Mercedes will have him instead. George can work on his garage leadership hooha without being challenged by a more experienced teammate and Logan gets an F1 seat; win-win.

Valtteri Bottass goes to Williams because can you imagine the combined insanity of ‘woke-up-with-one-shoe’ and ‘i-didn’t-know-pee-is-supposed-to-be-warm’ in a Team Torque episode together?? Worth it for the PR alone! But Valtteri also gets a slightly better car and Alex gets a senior driver to learn from

Carlos Sainz ends up at Audi, reunited with his old teammate Nico Hulkenburg! And Jack Doohan gets the Alpine seat! No funny jokes for these ones I’m sorry :(

And then PURE WISH FULFILMENT: Lance retires to go be an ice hockey player or something and Nico Rosberg returns to the grid as Alonso’s teammate. I just think the dynamic between them as teammates would be hilarious AND, if AM got their shit together in 2025, Lewis would be having nightmares about them all on the podium together again

this has been my ted talk thanks for coming

if I forgot your fave let me know and I will make a prediction for them too

[fandomchokehold]

Origin Characters as Streamers

Shadowheart

Stardew Valley ✨QUEEN✨ (1000% romances either Haley, Abigail, or Sam)

Plays Minecraft on creative mode, she’s just here to make a cute house, have every animal, and frolic in a cherry blossom forest

Also enjoys cozy games like Spirit Farer, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Cozy Grove, etc.

Her and Karlach sometimes play co-op horror games like Panicore, Phasmophobia, Escape the Backrooms because everything makes her scream and Karlach laughs at her (affectionately)

Gale

Absolutely DESTROYS old men in online chess

Plays Minecraft on hard mode and also BODIES Mario Maker (he has created the most sinister, infuriating, maddening levels)

Was definitely a Sonic kid, he knows the games are terrible but they’re so nostalgic and he loves making fun of them

Always tries to have a nice time playing Mario Party with Wyll, Karlach, & Astarion and they always end up screaming at each other

On the other hand he also does relaxing Pokémon card opening streams and cooking streams with Tara (he’s totally unaware of the tiktok thirst edits of him in his apron)

Karlach

Queen of first person shooters like Fortnite and Apex Legends, her and Wyll are unbeatable in DOOM (2016)

She more so likes cute cozy games that she can sip hot cocoa and snuggle up with a teddy bear while playing

Plays old shitty ps2 games based on media that chat requests like Bratz: Forever Diamondz, Barbie Horse Adventures, and Monsters, Inc.

Loves racing games (she’s terrible at them)

Loves fucking around in GTA 5 (she’s so good at it)

Every now and then does ghost hunting streams with whoever’s available (Shadowheart’s clinging to her the whole time, Gale is giving a thorough breakdown of the history of the location, Astarion is covering up his fear by saying everything’s the wind while also clinging to her, Lae’zel is actually looking for a living person in the building to fight, Wyll is cracking jokes and isn’t scared at all until he sees a door move and him and Astarion are in the car in 0.02 seconds)

Astarion

Loves visual novel romance games like Dream Daddy, Monster Prom, Raptor Boyfriend, etc.

Like Karlach he loves cozy games that let him get in his white girl autumn mode (lights off, candles lit, snuggled under a blanket, pumpkin spice latte and apple cider donuts nearby)

Definitely DOESNT CRY when he plays emotionally charged games especially where a beloved character dies, especially if it’s an animal, no he’s not pausing the stream to cry he just has to go pee-!

His most popular stream was playing A Way Out with Gale (he’d go from threatening Gale’s life for not being in sync to making jokes about the characters being them and also gay)

Does cosplay making streams, sews all of his costumes himself

Lae’zel

Queen of survival games like Subnautica, Rust, DayZ, Raft

Loves hand to hand and melee combat games like Bloodborne, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Dragon’s Dogma; specifically medieval setting games cuz she gets fully immersed and dives deep into character as a knight

She’s bad at racing games; Mario Kart with Wyll, Astarion, & Karlach usually ends with her threatening to dox Astarion

⚔️BLACKSMITHING STREAMS⚔️ most of her viewers for these streams are old men who deeply fear and respect her

Wyll

KING of first person shooters and racing games; Fortnite, Overwatch, PUBG, and Call of Duty ✨champion✨

Slays at Nascar Rumble for the ps2 he’s always got the chicken truck

Is a speed runner for sure and loves doing funky challenges like beating Zelda: BOTW without clothes or breaking the game to take Sidon to Gerudo Town (think PointCrow type challenge videos)

Also likes games with emotional plots like SOMA, Alan Wake, The First Tree, What Remains of Edith Finch, etc. and he will cry on camera

Loves playing two player games with Astarion like Shovel Knight, Snipperclips, Portal 2, and Overcooked

Does late night bedtime story streams, makes his room look super cozy and uses a special ASMR microphone to read stories; takes requests from chat and doesn’t make anyone feel bad for what they want to hear unless it’s smut

All of them at least once a week either get together for a D&D stream or do a multiplayer stream and play:

Lethal Company

Among Us

Content Warning

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Dead by Daylight

Red Dead Online

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

[stannisbaratheon]

After days of filming [THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986)], [Paul] would go find some little 1/8-of-a-mile dirt track or something and take a few laps to blow off the steam. He had so much fun, he said [to Tom Cruise], “Hey, Tom, why don’t you come on out with me and have some fun running around this little racetrack?” Well, Tom had a ball. So Paul called me up, and he said, “Do you think Nissan would make a showroom stock car available for Tom?” The demographic for Tom for all of our sponsors was terrific. So, absolutely, Nissan was interested.

Tom wanted to win immediately ... but I tried to get him to have the patience, and many times, you know, he was racing against people who had ten years’ experience on him. ... But he’d tried to cover up a mistake immediately, which often got him into a bigger mistake. Paul pulled him aside. We sent him to [NASCAR racer Jim Fitzgerald, Paul Newman’s driving partner] half a dozen times down to road Atlanta. ‘Cause here’s the chief instructor Uncle Fitzy, and Fitzy loved Tom. They got along very, very well. And we put together his showroom stock two different classes, which led to Tom doing the film, DAYS OF THUNDER.

Racer and team co-owner Bob Sharp on PAUL NEWMAN and TOM CRUISE in WINNING: THE RACING LIFE OF PAUL NEWMAN (2015)

[noodleblade]

headcanons for kobd just hanging in the Nemesis?

Oh yippie:3 more guys being dudes❤️

They have unofficial movie nights together. Old 80s stuff they find online. Breakdown doesn’t really get them and Knock Out only pretends to understand them, but they both still like them. In truth, Knock Out loves the aesthetics from the fashion to the cars. Breakdown is a big fan of the overblown action sequences and flashy violence. Both of them think the human interactions are the worst parts of the movies and think they are boring and while they don’t understand all the romantic elements, they both kind of enjoy those moments too. They talk over most of the movie anyways, so all of that is not really a big deal.

Oh! They also love watching nascar and f1 races. Knock Out talks big game about how he’d win those races if he could only enter. All he’d need was a fleshie to sit in the driver’s seat while he does all the work. Breakdown only encourages this notion and they like scheming up ways to get Knock Out in one of the circuits.

I think a lot of the down time on the Nemesis, they are just hanging in each other’s bunks. I’m kind of partial to the idea of Megatron having a No Fraternization policy (not for any other reason other than the Decepticons are dysfunctional enough, he didn’t need anymore social drama than there already is) so Knock Out and Breakdown have separate bunks. It doesn’t matter anyway because Breakdown “sneaks” (it’s not sneaking, everyone knows) down into the medic quarters and sleeps there. Knock Out is a regular visitor of the vehicon barracks where Breakdown has a tiny private officer’s hab/work station. He occasionally uses it for desk time while commander of the vehicons and Knock Out likes to perch himself on Breakdown’s desk while he reads through reports. Breakdown doesn’t mind at all. Work is easy when he can tune into Knock Out Radio and listen to his partner ramble. The vehicons also don’t mind Knock Out there. The doctor is much nicer when he is with their commander and doesn’t snitch of they bring back earth paraphernalia after their missions (as long as they share).

Sometimes, when they are unable to groundbridge and take joyrides, they sneak out onto the flight deck and just look at the stars and talk. They never really say anything of importance, just kind of talking about whatever, but these quite moments mean everything to them. They don’t have to focus on the war or survival or really anything else but each other.

[bucket-of-f1]

How I Got Into F1 (the long version)

@littleblacksheep17

One of my earliest memories I have of my grandfather is sitting on his lap in the living room at three years old, watching forty or so cars rip around an oval track at 200 miles an hour.

It was the Daytona 500, and it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I was still a few weeks out from gaining any form of meaningful consciousness, and yet my little neurons were firing on all cylinders (heh) telling me that this was exactly where I wanted to be. It was NASCAR.

WAIT, before you start throwing rocks at my head for being a dirty stock car enjoyer, let me just be very clear:

Fuck off.

Motorsport is motorsport. They all require an insane level of strength, coordination, endurance, and skill. Racing is the most raw form of sport humans can achieve, whether it’s on foot or wheels. I will not tolerate motorsport purists.

That being said, I will say that NASCAR is a very different type of racing from Formula One. Some people love it, some people don’t, and that’s okay! I don’t need you to enjoy all types of motorsport, I just don’t want to hear any negative comments about one version being worse or easier or pointless compared to another.

Anyway, NASCAR. My grandfather was a huge American motorsport fan. NHRA, Indycar, I’m pretty sure he watched CART when that was still a thing, he loved dirt oval racing, he’d watch AMA motorcross it it came on — if it was American and involved vehicles going fast, he wanted to watch it. So of course, I grew up sitting with him, watching cars go around tracks, finding out why some drivers were good and some were bad, why this car was faster than another, how engines worked, the whole thing.

My grandfather also built cars from the ground up — not just as a mechanic, he like, built his own truck with pieces he bought and took from the junkyard. It was a thing of beauty: black, sleek, it smelled good, okay I’m rambling back to motorsport.

Anyway, of course the moment my uncle found out about my love for racing, he introduced me to rally. He’s an at-home mechanic and a firefighter. He’s always loved the outdoors, and cars, and he’s a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Snowboarding, skiing, motocross, dirt buggies, mountain biking, and of course, rally — if it’s outside and just might kill him, he loves it. He likes camping and hunting and diving, he’s just probably my favorite person on the planet.

Between my uncle and my grandfather, motorsport was kind of a no brainer of an interest to pick up.

I also got really into mechanics when I was about seven years old, when an interest in WWII turned into an obsession over the technology behind airplanes and tanks and the like.

And then, the short version comes in. I’m sitting at my desk, bored, it’s lockdown, everyone’s stuck inside, and my YouTube recommends me Formula One highlights, because I’d been watching NASCAR and WRC and WEC a lot, especially when I just needed background sound (I’ll attach the video I’ve been using to fall asleep recently, it’s just the most beautiful sound ever).

So I watch the highlights, I think “this is cool” and then of course YouTube gives me clips of Verstappen and Riccardo cackling together, Norris being giggly in interviews, Hamilton and Vettel and Alonso and Kimi, the whole vacuum of F1 personality just dumped on me week one.

And of course, I fell in love.

Give it four years, a whole lot of spare time, ADHD with mild autism and OCD symptoms and oops Bucket Of F1 Facts :3

<><><>

Here's the video I use to sleep. If you're gonna try it to sleep too, start at minute 19 because there's a pit stop about 15 minutes in:

It's part of a like, 6 video series or something I think. It's a cool onboard too.

[weresilver]

Can you feel it?

What is this? A brand new fic for @eddiemonth? And so soon after?? (shut up this feels soon)

This is day 06, crush, and is in the same continuity as day 5. Named after Mansionair's Astronaut (Something About Your Love), that like. Please listen to them. They are a whole vibe, I love their music.

Warnings: None, this is just even more fluff. Extremely sappy get together. Steddie. I should start calling this section, like. tags or smth.

Wordcount: 2968

If he were to be honest with himself, Eddie hadn't expected to keep this monster hunting party in his life, not for long. He expected everyone to go on their way, while he was fumbling just to get out of the town.

Well, some people did go their own way. Older Byers was off to college in California with Argyle, after some extensive talk with his family and with Nancy, and Nancy herself was off in Boston.

But everyone else? Well, the kids had to finish high school before going anywhere, and Robin had decided to take a gap year that was about to end. And Steve…

Between joint recoveries and sharing almost the same group of people (and eventually truly having all the same friends), they had spent a lot of time together. They had become friends, good friends, not necessarily by choice, but the truth was that Eddie wouldn't change it for the world.

But sometimes, it was nice to just… exist. To be able to not think about the feelings he’d realized that were growing not too long ago. About how, even though he’d only noticed them recently, the feelings hadn’t been really new. About how it looked reciprocated, sometimes.

Eddie expected to hear about Steve’s plans to get out of town any day now, maybe tag along with Robin, so why do anything about the something that was brewing, right?

Deep down, Eddie knew Steve wouldn’t leave before the kids’ senior year started. At the earliest. Eddie felt pretty much the same already, after knowing them for only a little over a year. According to Robin, they did have that effect somehow.

(Something about how young they all were to have been at the whole supernatural thing for years.)

After dropping El and Will back home, he’d driven himself to a secluded little clearing, having to go the long way around so he’d actually be able to drive his van into it. But it was worth it, it’d always been worth it.

Eddie grabbed a few of the blankets stashed at the back of his van and threw them on top of it before climbing up himself. Setting up his little makeshift bed up there was a quick process; a couple of blankets to make the roof a little more comfortable, and the rest bunched together into a pillow.

It wasn’t particularly good, but it was part of his summer routine at this point, so he settled down, lying on the roof of his van. He watched the clear, evening summer sky fade into night, watching the stars come out slowly and then all at once as the animal sounds faded and changed to accompany the sky.

Some birds — owls, if he had to guess — and bats were flying overheard, occasionally cutting his vision of the stars and changing the tracks of his thoughts; the song he’d been working on, the campaign Will wanted to run for Hellfire next, Robin’s entirely too chaotic packing process, and how that girl might have surpassed him in terms of organizational chaos. At least Eddie could find his shit in half the time it had taken her to find the shoes she was taking with her.

The crunch of steps on fallen branches drew him out of his thoughts, making him turn in its direction.

“Jesus, how far is this place,” Eddie heard in a very familiar grumble. Steve was closer than he probably expected to be, and it didn’t take long before Eddie could see him on the treeline. “Uh… Hi.”

“Hi,” Eddie returned, waving at him from where he lay with a grin. “Funny seeing you here.”

Steve rolled his eyes and walked closer. He was wearing some ridiculous yellow shorts and what looked like an old NASCAR shirt, color and design faded with time. It was a little different from what Eddie was used to; more relaxed, like he didn’t have anyone to impress. Which was good, Eddie didn’t need to be impressed by style.

(Eddie knew, objectively, that Steve genuinely enjoyed the polos and all that, but it was still nice to see him in something else. Something softer.)

“What are you doing out here?” Steve asked once he was close to the van, just enough to still be able to see Eddie.

“Looking for Scorpius,” he stated simply, gesturing for Steve to come up. While Steve climbed to the roof of the van, Eddie adjusted the pillow of blankets so they could lie side by side. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I was expecting to find you in the trailer,” Steve started, leaning back on top of the blankets on his elbows with a frown on his face. “Wayne directed me over here.” Steve looked around, frowning even harder when he glanced at the ground. “You said you’re looking for scorpions?”

“Scorpius, not scorpions,” Eddie corrected softly, turning back to the stars. “The constellation.”

Steve let out a soft “Oh,” turning to glance at the sky before lying down and making himself comfortable.

Eddie had the vague knowledge that Scorpius was closer to the horizon line, but he’d have to drive up to Hop’s old cabin and the nearby hill to actually look for it, and he just… didn’t want to go that far.

(Didn't really want to be looking over all of Hawkins.)

“What’s the story?” Steve asked after a couple of minutes spent in silence. When Eddie turned to look, Steve was already watching him, his little smile illuminated by the moon. After a beat, he added, “Constellations have those, don’t they?”

Eddie nodded, struggling a little to find his words with the way Steve was looking at him. “It’s uh…” He cleared his throat and turned back to the sky. “It’s the scorpion that killed Orion.”

He could still feel Steve’s eyes on him, waiting for more.

“Orion was a hunter, the best one humanity had to offer,” Eddie started, gesturing to their surroundings as if it could encompass every person in the world. “But he was just a human, you know? And if even the gods of ancient Greece were flawed, imagine how bad a human could be.”

He glanced at Steve, finding all of his attention still focused on him.

“His flaws are not really the point, though.” He shook his head, continuing the story. “At some point in his life, Orion was hunting with Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and wild animals, and… Well,” he grimaced, “He claimed to be able to hunt every animal on Earth.”

“To the goddess of the hunt?” Steve questioned with that particular tone he had when he thought something was stupid. “Rather arrogant of him.”

“Yeah, but Artemis was fond of him.” Steve raised an eyebrow at that, but it took Eddie a moment to realize how his words could be taken. “Not like that,” he added, chuckling. “Artemis was a virgin goddess, none of that.”

Steve hummed, his expression betraying his surprise. “Good for her.”

Eddie blinked at Steve, at this tone of awe that he had.

“Where does the scorpion come in?” Steve asked, a little furrow appearing between his brow that Eddie wanted smooth out, though he had a story to finish.

“Right,” Eddie sighed out, turning once again to the stars. “Gaia, the personification of the Earth itself, didn’t like Orion’s claim.” He paused, then added, “She’s the mother of all life, so.” He gestured nonsensically upwards, finishing his story with as much a deadpan tone as he could muster. “She sent a giant scorpion to kill him.”

“A giant—” Steve burst out laughing, shaking his head in some kind of attempt to regain his composure. “Sorry, I’m sorry, just—”

“It’s kind of a silly conclusion?” Eddie asked with a smile on his face as well as in his voice. Steve nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. “Greek mythology is kind of… Dramatic, like that,” he explained with a shrug. “Orion’s hubris got him killed by a giant scorpion—” Steve snorted, but reined himself in quickly— “And they were both raised to the sky as constellations as a warning against humanity’s arrogance.”

Steve hummed, gaze unfocused when Eddie looked at him. “Where are they, then?”

“Uh…” Eddie blinked and turned to the sky to blink some more. “Orion is not visible this time of the year, and Scorpius is closer to the horizon,” he said, raising his arm to point in the general direction he remembered the constellation being.

Steve hummed, but didn’t say anything, letting the silence and the warm evening air envelop them. Eddie expected it to grow awkward, for Steve to say something, for himself to end up fidgeting. Instead, it was easy to just exist together like this, lying side by side and watching the night sky.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, some indeterminate time later. Eddie could feel Steve move about, slowly as to not risk falling off the side, and settle on his side, holding himself up on his elbow. “El was all…” He gestured toward his face. “All frowny, and she only does that when she’s worried. Dustin also said you seemed down.”

Eddie sighed, wishing those kids paid just a little less attention. “I’m good,” he said, keeping his tone light. “Just thinking, you know?”

“About?”

“What happens now, I guess?” He hadn’t meant for it to come out as a question. “We got a couple more practice sessions before Jeff and Arnie are going back to college.”

“Gareth’s not going anywhere out of state, though, right?” Steve asked with a thoughtful little frown that Eddie couldn’t resist smoothing out with a finger this time. It earned him a soft laugh and a smack to his hand. “You guys can keep Corroded Coffin going?”

Eddie shrugged as much as he could while lying down. He tried that once, making it on his own, but it didn’t seem as worth it now.

“Think I’d rather not split the band,” he said, grimacing and knowing that Steve would pick up the story he wasn’t telling.

“So,” Steve drawled, eyes narrowed at Eddie like he’d be able to figure out whatever was going on in his head. “The plan is just to wait?”

Honestly, Eddie hated that idea, but what else could Corroded Coffin do? “Sure.” Steve eyes narrowed further, going unfocused again. “What?”

“The kids will be starting their junior year,” he stated.

Eddie hummed to let Steve know he was listening, but he had no idea where the guy was going with this.

“You should come to Indianapolis with me,” he announced.

Eddie blinked at Steve, processing his words for a moment. The offer seemed to come out of nowhere. He expected Steve to leave Hawkins at some point, he’d been preparing for that news, and now it came with an offer to tag along?

“I don’t really have any plans yet,” Steve continued, probably taking Eddie’s silence as hesitation. “We’d have to look into places, and Indianapolis is just an hour away, but it should be enough for a fresh start, right?”

Eddie nodded, a little numbly. “You, uh…” He shook his head to dislodge his surprise. “I think Gareth’s going to community college in the city, actually.”

“Is he, now?” Steve raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed and not surprised.

“Right, you two talk a lot now.” It was still rather amusing that the two of them hung out so much, even without Eddie. “Will?”

“Of course it’s about Will,” Steve scoffed, waving a hand in a flourish. “It’s why he picked Indianapolis. But don’t change the subject,” he added with a smack to Eddie’s arm.

“Alright, alright!” Eddie laughed, rubbing his arm. He’d have rolled away from Steve if it didn’t mean rolling off the roof of the van. “I guess Indianapolis is pretty good…”

Steve beamed at him, a smile he’d been seeing more often as the time passed. Usually, Steve was being a little shit when he smiled like that, but sometimes, he just seemed… happy.

“You could, I don’t know, teach kids how to play the guitar.”

That made Eddie laugh, surprised at the suggestion. Not that he necessarily disliked it.

“Who’d even let me?” He asked. “Maybe I’ll find work at a record store, that seems more likely.”

“If you want to, I’m sure you could find something.” Steve shrugged, that grin not fading from his expression. “Who says you can’t do both, anyway?”

And… Well, Steve had a point. Maybe he could find a store that offered lessons?

“Why are you asking me to go to Indianapolis with you?” The question was asked before Eddie even processed that it was something he wanted to know. He grimaced as soon as it was out. “Not that I don’t want to, god knows I wanted to be out of this town three years ago now, but just— I thought you might tag along with Robin?”

Steve’s expression softened, a serene smile replacing the wide grin. “I thought about it. Robin’s going to Indianapolis University anyway, though, and…” He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I think I’d like you there too.”

“You think?” Eddie questioned with a raised brow. It was easier to tease and joke than really look into that sparkle of mirth in Steve’s eyes and hope it meant what he wanted it to mean.

Steve shook his head, sending his hair all over the place. “I know. Got used to your noise, Munson.”

“Well, I’m making your life interesting, so you’re welcome.”

They were both smiling when Eddie finally let himself look Steve in the eye, finally relaxed enough even though he hadn’t escaped thinking about Steve, or his actual presence. It was fine. There some tentative plans to get out of Hawkins, together, and maybe Corroded Coffin would forever be a high school band that didn’t really go anywhere — Eddie was only starting to be okay with that idea, though — but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do something else with music.

Steve laid back down on the van after a moment of silence, turning his gaze to the sky. Like this, they were touching pretty much from shoulder to knee, and Eddie was trying not to move too much, conscious of the warmth radiating from Steve.

Steve, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have the same hang-ups, nudging Eddie’s hand until he could take it in his own.

“This okay?” He asked softly, not turning his head and not seeing Eddie already looking at him. Eddie squeezed his hand and intertwined their fingers as response. “I wasn’t planning on talking to you about Indianapolis tonight, you know?” His admission was soft, barely above the ambiance of the woods at night. “I was just gonna keep you company.”

“I’m glad you did.” Eddie let himself take in Steve’s face and what freckles he could see in the dark before turning away. “Easier to think I can actually get out of here when I have a tentative plan.”

“You can, Eddie,” Steve said, firmly squeezing his hand. “I meant it, I’d really like if you came to Indianapolis with me.”

He could feel Steve’s eyes boring a hole into the side of his head, and he refused to loosen the hold on his hand. Eddie sighed, turning to face Steve’s small, determined frown.

“Sometimes,” he started, hesitating before pulling their joined hands closer. “I kinda wish you were still some degree of asshole.” Steve frowned, ready to interject, but Eddie continued before he could. “‘Cause it would make getting over this ridiculous crush so much easier.”

Steve pulled their hands closer to himself this time, and Eddie could see him pursing his lips. He’d been paying too much attention, enough to know this was Steve trying to rein in one of those rare, goofy grins that had been one of the things that made Eddie fall in the first place.

“What if,” Steve started, slowly letting the grin take hold, as he started absently playing with the one ring Eddie forgot to take off before climbing up the van. “I don’t want you getting over this ridiculous crush?”

Eddie blinked at him — he felt like he’d done that a lot tonight, almost constantly surprised by Steve despite how close they’d gotten. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t seen this coming, too close to see what, eventually, might become obvious in hindsight.

“You mean that?”

Steve’s grin came out, full force, in the face of Eddie’s soft tone. He slowly brought Eddie’s hand closer and pressed an oh so soft kiss to his knuckles.

“I mean it.”

Eddie didn’t really know what to say to all that, the smooth jerk knew it and could probably see the blush undoubtedly rising on his cheeks. But there was one thing that he needed to double check.

“You know I’m—”

“Asexual?” He filled in after Eddie cut himself short. “Yeah, I do.” Steve was back to messing with the ring on his hand, looking at it with an expression Eddie still hadn’t figured out. “And I think…” He paused, frowning a little. Eddie kind of wanted to bite him. “It might apply to me too?”

Eddie rolled closer to Steve and pressed a kiss to cheek, feeling the heat rising the longer he stayed there.

“Thanks for telling me,” he mumbled against Steve’s cheek. He pressed another quick kiss before settling back down. “Feels good to know, doesn’t it?”

Steve’s laughter was light, giddy. He rolled onto Eddie this time, hugging him as close as possible.

“It really does.”

Eddie knew they would talk come morning, and they would define just what they wanted and were to each other. But for now, cuddling and laughing under the night sky with ridiculous Greek stories was all Eddie wanted to be doing.

[fangirl-dot-com]

Get to Know Me - Formula 1 Edition

Who is your favorite driver – Charles Leclerc (but Max comes a close second) 

What are your favorite teams – Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren

Which track is your favorite – Monza! My car is named after the track as well and it was the first GP I actually watched! 

When did you start watching Formula 1 – technically it was Zandvoort 2023 but Monza was the first race that I actually knew what was going on

What are the best races you’ve watched – Singapore 2023 (for obvious reasons) and the Las Vegas GP 

Which retired driver was your favorite – Kimi Räikkönen

Who is your favorite team principal – Toto Wolff

What do you think the standings are going to look like for the 2024 season – uhhhh, Red Bull is going to be P1 by the skin of their teeth because McLaren looks so strong (and hopefully Ferrari will come second or third again)

Who is your dream driver line-up – ooooo Max and Charles, 100% even if it’s not possible    

Do you have a controversial f1 take – I have a lot…um…one being that (this hurts me) but I’m really doubting that Lando and Charles are WDC material. I could get into a whole rant about this, but just because of either unreliable cars, devotion to a crappy team, and multiple driver mistakes…yeah, imma leave that here (pls do not come for me) 

What driver do you wish was on the grid this year – the man who was able to beat Max Verstappen into Q3, the one and only, Liam Lawson 

Which driver do you wish wasn’t on the grid this year – CHECO PEREZ 

Is there a track that you would get rid of – Miami (3 US GPs is so much – that or Qatar cause it’s so hot and detrimental to the drivers) 

Who do you think is the GOAT – Schumacher, definitely

Which f1 driver do you think would win if they went go-karting – Charles, he does the annual Jules fundraiser and wins, so I think he’d be a little more in tune than the drivers who don’t seem to go karting usually 

Have I ever been go-karting – no, but there’s an Andretti Karting near my house and I plan to go this summer 

Do you think you could drive an f1 car – no, but make it automatic and you’d have to pry my dead body out of the seat 

What is your favorite f1-related quote – one I say a lot is “if you have a problem, change your f-ing car” that and “KI-KI-KI- RAH…KI-KI-AYE”  

Which livery are you most excited for – McLaren, I LOVED stealth mode 

Which team do you think is going to surprise everyone – McLaren and Williams?? (hoping internally that Ferrari actually has built a competitive car) 

Which team do you think will disappoint people this year – Ferrari, Mercedes, and maybe Williams (they have a lot on them and I hope they don’t switch Logan out early) 

Do you plan on attending a race this year – sadly no…but for 2025 when I graduate, I plan to go to COTA 

Which driver would you most like to meet – Logan or Max (I’d be terrified to meet Charles, feel like he’d judge me in french) 

Do you watch other motorsports of just f1 – just f1 for now, I’ve actually have watched an irl NASCAR race, and the endurance racing looks so interesting 

Do you have any f1 merch – I have lots! (t-shirts, red bull cans [is that merch?], vintage Ferrari bomber jacket, the Lego McLaren f1 car) 

[rickybaby]

Quite frankly I don’t think Daniel will ever hold another series as high as he does f1, so him getting a win or even consistent wins in another series won’t hold the weight or the clout (forgive me I can’t think of another word) than winning in f1 would, from all aspects. Like if he doesn’t see it as worth as much then he’s not going to do it, and he’d rather work with vcarb for 2 more years than do something else he could on paper be more successful in.

Obviously F1 is generally considered as the pinnacle of motorsport and F1 was always Daniel’s dream because it has the fastest cars and he’s made a career of taming those beasts and winning in them. But also I think what he said at the end of 2022 still holds true for him - that he’s not going to be in F1 just to make up the numbers and the day he thinks F1 doesn’t give him that fulfilment, he’ll walk away

And while he keeps saying his time off has shown him life after formula one wouldn’t be too bad, I know he sort of actually dreads it. I know people think he might go into a punditry role when he retires but I think he’ll hate it. He’s a competition junkie. He throws bikes around in his free time. He loves watching football and ufc because he craves adrenaline. So yeah, any sort of high would be worth it for him

And he is also probably the only F1 driver who’s ever said that a nascar driver was his childhood hero. So yeah, he has a fair respect for other series of car racing

[leclerced]

Okay so I thought about boys and the girlfriend’s family. And I came up with:

Lando who everyone knows how he is. Goofy, sassy, playful, sometimes mean, he has his strengths and faults. But not with his girl’s family. He just wants then to see him as the perfect match for her so he’s always on his best behaviour and actually loves spending time with them because he knows how important it is for her. He charms the mom and even learns the language (sorry but I thought about someone that’s from not-English speaking country) so he can communicate with them and it makes his girl’s heart melt because it’s the sweetest thing ever.

Oscar is just a cutie pie with the family. Everyone loves him and loves to dote on him. He’s always a gentleman and wants to help the best he can. (This will be self indulgent) I think my mom would absolutely adore him and I can totally see her wanting to feed him and then when he says (with the saddest eyes ever) he can’t eat sth because of his diet she’d find the best recipes he can eat and make his faves for him😭✋

I don’t think I write Max well so I’m gonna leave him to you sweetie

Charles would be so nervous for the first time but he’d win everyone’s hearts right away. Because how can you not love Charles’s mess of a hair, French accent and squishy cheeks. Also he would always come with gifts (no matter how long he’d know the family) because he thinks it’s rude to come with bare hands.

hi im working so this is super rushed and messy im sorry

lando is definitely on his best behavior when he’s around his girl’s family. he learns her language as soon as they get together because he knows he wants to be with her forever, so he’s downloading duolingo and trying to do it in secret to surprise her with it until she somehow catches him and starts teaching him instead. he brings gifts for everyone, and greets them in their native language which surprises them alll so much, especially the grandparents who don’t speak english.

i think oscar would break his diet for his girl’s fam. i think he likes food and one meal isn’t gonna throw him off. im gonna be self indulgent because i love to bake and cook, and when my family gets together there is soooo much food. it’s different on my mom and dad’s side bc i have separated parents. my mom’s side are all country folk who hang out in the shop, the men drink beer and watch nascar or football, whatever is on the tv, and the ladies gossip. they fry foods in the shop or grill outside the shop, and it’s fish they caught or game they hunted, which i feel like would make some drivers wary, i think they’re used to fancy dinners in expensive cities, not something that was shot and processed by the people cooking and eating it. but oscar is up for trying new things and even though he’s never really had deer, he likes the gamey taste it has. the women would love him bc he does everything for his girl, always getting her drinks or just massaging her shoulders for her and little things like that.

i think max is so good natured he’d fit in anywhere, he’s very smart and knows how to talk to people. i think it’s hard not to like him. my family all have adhd and will listen to people talk about anything. my uncle loves to indulge people and bullshit, so like over thanksgiving my sister in law was talking about her family’s business and my uncle pretended to go onto their website and order twenty thousand dollars worth of leather. she was freaking out while everyone else is laughing because we knew it was a joke, until my aunt was like “excuse my husband, he’s a liar.” and i can imagine my family doing that with max but he’d bullshit back and egg them on. he’d get along really well with the men simplyn because they can bond over cars if nothing else. he’d get along well w all of them we’re all very laid back tbh. i think he’d never been happier as when he plays tag or hide and seek with all the little ones. he’d eventually make his way back over to his girlfriend when he needs a drink or to catch his breath after being it, but it’s never long before one of the kiddos is finding him and pulling him away again.

charles brings immaculate personalized gifts and a dessert he had flown in from some fancy bakery he’s obsessed with just to impress them. he shows up with a suitcase full of gifts, he would have memorized everything she mentioned about her family so he could get everyone a perfectly tailored gift. the first time they meet him they tease about him trying to buy their love and gf is just like “no, he just does this. he will do this every time.” and he totally does. they love him so much he’s their baby boy by the time the first meeting is over, her mom is telling him to call him maman and he’s on a first name basis with her dad.

[dizzyduck44]

Daniel Ricciardo’s blessing is his curse 🍯🦡🇦🇺

Daniel is in his 14th season of Formula 1. He has had a long career in the highest tier of motorsport. However the questions that surrounded him at McLaren seem to have followed him to Visa CashApp FFS this is seriously what you called the team!

The thing is every driver seems to reach for the F1 seat, but Daniel’s seemingly lack of ability to adapt driving style is being compounded by the grid he currently drives on. You see, either competitively or for fun most of the drivers have had to adapt to a different style of driving. Some at a stupidly young age.

Let’s look into it

Max Verstappen - spends his days off driving any kind of race car Red Bull will let him. Seeing him take his Dad round the Nordschliefe says it all really.

Sergio Perez - drove just about every form of junior open wheel car on his way to F1.

Charles LeClerc - like Daniel seems to be all F1. Do we question he’d be a beast in a Ferrari sportscar though?

Carlos Sainz - again seems to be all F1 but remember Dad has a track on the family farm. He has been driving allsorts, on dirt, since he could sit in a car seat

Lewis Hamilton - never competitively but again over the year Mercedes has given him opportunities to drive all sorts of high powered sports cars for promotion. Even a superbike.

George Russell - says he tested a DTM car, again gets to play with the Merc sports cars

Lando Norris - went from karting to Ginetta then to open wheel. Add a go at the Daytona 500, all competitively. Embarrassed himself at the Race of Champions. Now seems to love ice karting (weirdo).

Oscar Piastri - another one straight through to F1, however only ever driven one F1 car but I don’t worry he wouldn’t adapt

Fernando Alonso - Nando has the full set right? F1, Indycar, WEC, Daytona, Dakar. Won Le Mans. Next!

Lance Stroll - has done a couple of races in IMSA.

Esteban Ocon - drove in DTM prior to F1

Pierre Gasly - drive in Formula E prior to F1

Alex Albon - has done a season of DTM

Logan Sargeant - straight through to F1. Again only driven one F1 car.

Kevin Magnussen - various stints in sportscar series throughout the years inbetween F1.

Nico Hulkenberg - Le Mans champion, Indycar test.

Yuki Tsunoda - straight through to F1. Only ever driven 1 F1 car.

Valtteri Bottas - ice rallying. Need I say more!

Zhou Guanyu - another open wheel all the way to F1. I’m gonna give him the credit of having driven the Renault a number of times before moving to Sauber.

So you see what Daniel is up against.

Not a winter break goes by when you don’t see half the grid in a go kart. Shout out to Lando and Fernando who seem to do it midseason and all the drivers who happily jump in for promotion days. (80% of the grid). One of the biggest shocks for me was when Daniel went karting with Jenson Button in 2021 and admitted he “hasn’t done this is years” 😬

So we are getting to the core of the problem. With a grid of drivers who turn their hand to anything, sometimes for a laugh, Daniel has never really pushed himself out of what he knows. And it’s biting him.

What is of further concern for him, is Liam Lawson is hovering (he should already be in a seat but I digress). A driver who went for F2 to DTM and nearly won the championship in the first season (I’m still bitter). Then into an F1 seat and was up to speed almost immediately.

The trouble is now it’s too late to throw him into a sportscar to give him the experience, because I’m not sure he would get back into F1. If Daniel thinks the Max and Lando’s were a handful to deal with, who needed a bit of maturing to hit their stride, the Oscar Piastri’s and Ollie Bearman’s of the world are terrifying.

Daniel needs to find the solution on his own. Before it eats away at his mental health and confidence. 6 laps in a NASCAR round COTA is not gonna cut it.

I think I know what’s happened and I and he are afraid to admit it. Ask Jenson Button about the point you sit behind the wheel and no longer want to take the risk or push the limit. I worry he has hit the mental block of I can’t learn another way and the idea of taking a high powered sportscar out terrifies him.

And who’s going to let him lose in the Red Bull if that is going on in his head?

Fingers crossed he shows up and shows out in Melbourne

[3llisarts]

1

If the legal system didn’t get Warren Barys, Orion was going to. This was the third damned case of the Arms Dealer in the span of a couple years. Orion practically lived at the nearest hotel to whatever courthouse at this point, being the head officer on his older brother’s cases. A blessing and a curse, considering Orion had been using his position in the FBI to cover Warren’s tracks. Though he hadn’t been good enough recently. All those long nights, all those “I’ll be home soon” texts Orion sent to his teenage son, Lux. All those times he’d ordered some little takeout dish before retreating to his office with his K9, a big Rottweiler named Bear, right at his heels.

Luckily, today’s hearing let out early. Tempting as it was to go out for drinks with the rest of his FBI crew, Orion retreated to his hotel room with Bear. He felt bad enough, leaving the Rottweiler with his team for the duration of the hearing. The last thing Orion wanted was to leave his K9 behind for the rest of the day. Nice as his teammates were, Bear was like a second kid. His big baby, to put it in his own words. And so, Orion had ordered pizza and beer, and then a bone for Bear. The FBI agent kicked off his boots, stripped off his suit jacket, his shirt and then flopped back onto the bed, loving the feeling of the fluffy white sheets.

With a lazy huff, Orion snatched the TV remote and scrolled through the list of channels. With the hearing letting out early and it being Sunday, he’d made it just in time for the day’s NASCAR race to start. The FBI agent jacked up the volume and grinned as Bear jumped up beside him. The Rottweiler laid down with a happy sigh, practically pressed into his handler’s side. Orion reached over and pressed a kiss to the big dog’s head, while the loud roaring of car engines echoed throughout the room. “I see ya, bud,” Orion mused before he cuddled Bear close. Bear let out a loud bark and Orion laughed, though he paused as a loud, impatient knock echoed at the door.

———-

Little wip of a Fic AU I’ve been kicking around for a long time. John was Warren’s lawyer, Warren being Orions older brother with a long history of Arms Dealing. Orion being the main / head officer in Warren’s case and ✨well, you know how this goes✨

[candyunicornsateme]

I looked at that ask I answered about what I think Kenny’s comfort items would be and I’m just thinking I actually really like the idea that he keeps a little toy racecar to fiddle with. Kenny liking racecars is so cute. I always think someone would get him a Nascar shirt or something as a gift and he’d just LOVE it. It’s classic and practically canon.