#hope actually clocks lizzie's words

[queenshelby]

Pool Party (One Shot)

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Reader

Warning: SMUT with a lack of plot, huge age gap

Words: 3,656

Notes: In this fic, Ruby is 19 years old. Tommy is in his mid-forties and married to Lizzie which, of course, does not prevent him from having some fun here and there.

It was a sunny afternoon and, just like most weekends these days, you spent the day with your best friend Ruby Shelby.

Unlike you, Ruby was rather wealthy after becoming involved in her father’s company, Shelby Company Limited, and, even though she was working only on the legitimate side of the business, everyone in the Birmingham area knew that Shelby Company Limited had, in the past, been funded through drug money and pay-offs.

In the past, these pay offs and drug deals were facilitated by the Peaky Blinders, a gang involved in organised crime and run by no other than Thomas Shelby, being Ruby’s father himself.

He was a bad man and even though you knew about his criminal past, you somehow felt attracted to him. He was handsome and rather intimidating which was something that, in itself, turned you on quite a lot.

He was the kind of man you knew you could never have and, of course, being attracted to your friend’s father was somewhat taboo and forbidden, making it even more interesting for you.

You knew that you wanted to have him, just that once. You wanted him to take you and make you his and it was this very same Sunday afternoon that you took a shot at this very famous Birmingham gangster when making your way into his office unannounced.

His wife Elizabeth was around and so were most of the maids, which meant that you had to be quiet.

Ruby was busy by the pool with some other friends and you excused yourself, pretending that you needed a rest.

Ten minutes later…

When you walked into Tommy’s office a few minutes after leaving the pool, you were surprised to find it empty. The door had been unlocked but there was no sight of the man you had hoped to see.

He had disappeared and, after taking a quick look at the golden clock sticking out from above the door, you decided to wait.

You waited for ten minutes at least until, suddenly, you were startled by a bang.

The door opened and then shut again loudly, causing you to jump and turn around.

“Mr Shelby” you gasped but he did not appear to be amused.

“Can I help you or have you found what you were looking for?” was what he asked, thinking that you were spying on him or looking for something that could hurt him and his family.

“Uhm, I have actually” you stammered before approaching him slowly but he still seemed to be on guard.

“And what may that be, eh?” he asked before reaching for your wrist, trying to see what you were holding on to.

“You” you responded quickly while opening your hand, revealing the red velvet lipstick you had taken from Ruby’s room and put on for him.

“Me?” your friend’s father then asked while the lipstick dropped to the floor. “And what do you want from me?” Tommy then went on to ask while letting go of your wrist.

“Just you” you stammered again and, even though you were wearing a shiny silk bikini that was clearly gaining his attention by now, you did not feel confident enough to tell him that, ideally, you wanted him to bend you over his desk and fuck you. He was just too intimidating for you to say such a thing.

“You need to be a bit more specific Love” Tommy chuckled, causing you to nod nervously while still avoiding the question.

“What is it that you want me to do for you?” he then asked again, this time more impatiently than before and it was obvious to you that, by this point, he was getting rather frustrated with the lack response you gave him.

“I…uhm…” you thus stammered before, suddenly, blurting it out. “I want you to fuck me, Mr Shelby” you told him while turning rather red in the face and blushing heavily with embarrassment.

“You want me to fuck you?” Tommy asked after his chin had dropped and, whilst you being in his office in a bathing suit should have been an obvious indication for him, the fact that you were his daughter’s friend alleviated that assumption.

“Yes” you confirmed and, just as you did, a thousand thoughts went through Tommy’s mind, most of which were logical reasons as to why he should not be engaging in sex with you. And yet, the more he looked at you in this silken bikini, the more those logical thoughts took a back seat to the desire rising within him.

“How old are you?” he nonetheless ought to clarify and your reaction to his question surprised you.

“Old enough” you told him firmly, causing him to cock an eyebrow.

“Twenty” you then told him, seeing that, again, he was getting a little frustrated while yet, unbeknownst to you, his cock was rock-hard and throbbing, begging for release.

“Twenty, eh?” Tommy smirked before turning around and, just when you thought that he would leave you standing there like a fool, right in the middle of his office, wearing nothing but your bathers, he locked the door.

“What are you doing?” you asked, smiling and Tommy smirked again, this time more sarcastically than before.

“Locking the door” he responded bluntly but with a half-smile on his face.

“Why?” you queried again nervously while Tommy finally approached you.

“Because we don’t want my wife or daughter to walk in on us while we fuck, do we?” Tommy responded before cornered you and traced one of his hands across your cheek.

“No, we do not” you confirmed with a gasp in your voice as his fingers moved back along your cheekbone, and tangled sharply into your hair.

You hissed air through your teeth, as the pain prickled your scalp and your chest lifted toward his body, presenting itself submissively under his grasp.

Tommy then guided you closer towards his desk and his firm grasp on your hair directed you up on to your toes, where he then pulled you even closer, and kissed you firmly. His tongue parted your lips, and took your mouth captive. The mixture of surrender and desire swirling through your body gave the kiss an intoxicating effect, and you had to place your hands against his chest to balance.

His grasp on your hair released, and he stroked the place he had previously held, as your kiss broke free.

“This needs to stay between us Love. Understood?” Tommy then said and you nodded eagerly while Tommy guided his thumb over your chin seductively before taking off his cufflinks and rolling up his sleeves, leaving his arms exposed.

“I understand Mr Shelby. Now tell, what do you want me to do for you? I am yours” you said while watching him and, again, he smirked.

“I want you to get onto your knees. Can you do that for me, Love?” he teased and, of course, you nodded again and complied with his request.

“Yes Mr Shelby” you then confirmed while starring at his manhood pushing firmly against the fabric of his pants.

‘Very good” Tommy cooed. “Now take out my cock and let me watch those velvety lips wrap around it” Tommy then said with a deep growl which was reverberating through your needy body and making your belly flutter hotly. He was so sure of himself and this aroused you even more.

‘It would be my pleasure” you told him as you reached for his crotch with shaking hands before unclasping his belt and undoing the zipper of his black pants nervously.

‘Common Love, we don’t have all day, eh” he then chuckled, seeing how nervous you were and, with that, you finally managed to undo what needed to be undone and pushed down his pants and briefs in one go.

At his height, his cock hovered just above your waiting lips and your eyes traced longingly over the veins coiling down his thick shaft to the neat tuft of dark hair around the base.

Your hand went immediately to Tommy’s length, stroking it gently and, just after a groan escaped his lips, he again gave you the hurry up.

‘Open your mouth Love and show me your tongue’ he said and you nervously complied with his request.

"Yes Mr Shelby" you gasped again, your voice a breathless whine.

“Good, now run it over my cock and then wrap your lips around it” Tommy instructed and you bucked up on your knees, getting into position with your parted lips hovering just above his waiting cock. Your eyes stayed low, fixed on his crotch and, just as you starred into his pelvis, you gently licked his head, tasting the salty precum that had already pooled in his slit.

You then wrapped your lips around the head of his cock, the musky smell of his manhood filling your nostrils and sending heat flooding through your heaving chest.

Tommy groaned as soon as your lips made contact with his throbbing shaft but then you made your first mistake. You reached up with one trembling hand to hold his cock by the base, meaning to steady his shaft as you worked your lips deeper. Your tentative fingers wrapped around him, feeling the delightful stiffness in your submissive grasp, the throbbing heat of him, pulsing with desire for your warm lips and soft tongue.

You then started to lean forward, meaning to take more of his length inside your mouth, but Tommy stopped you.

"No Love. Do it properly, eh. Keep those hands behind your back and just use your mouth" Tommy snapped and your disobedient hand was flying behind you to clasp the other there in the small of your back, clasping your wrists firmly.

“Good. Now open up wide and take my cock into your throat” Tommy instructed before you resumed to use your mouth to hold his cock without using your hands, cradling the head between your soft lips. Craning up, you started to slide yourself down, taking a little more of him each time. His stiff cock pressed down on your waiting tongue, stretching your lips wider as you worked your way deeper.

“You are doing well” Tommy said as your pussy ached with desire at the taste of his skin, the warmth and hardness of him filling your mind and drowning you in the sensation of his manly organ pressed inside your waiting mouth.

"Use your tongue" he then growled and you shivered before curling your tongue up, letting the soft muscle tease around the tip of his cock, just gently brushing over what you know is achingly sensitive skin where the spongy head meets the shaft. Your reward moments later was a low groan of pleasure in Tommy’s deep voice.

“This feels good. Keep going” Tommy told you as his muscled legs tensed on either side of you. Your tongue darted back around, flickering over the small, stretched sliver of skin where his foreskin met the head of his erection. He groaned again, and you could feel the pulsing throb of his shaft against your lips as his cock responded to your attention. Your skin tingled with longing anticipation, knowing you are managing to please him.

"Now take me deeper” Tommy then demanded and, before you had time to think, he took hold of the back of your head and forced you down his cock. You whimpered as he made you lean forward, your stretched lips sliding almost halfway down his length before he allowed you to draw back, then repeating again. The third time, you pressed your lips deeper, taking almost his entire length until you felt the hard tip of his cock pressing painfully against the entrance to your throat. A small discomfort, easily ignored in your need to obey.

“Good girl. Fuck. Keep going” Tommy purred as you held him there for a few moments, feeling a slight ache in your chest as your lungs protested. Then, finally he let go of you and you leaned up again, leaving his pulsing shaft glistening with saliva as your stretched lips glid back along his length until only the head rested against your fluttering tongue.

“You look absolutely delightful like this Sweetheart” Tommy smirked as you snatched a breath through your nose, the scent of him filling the very air you breathe. Then, it began again and he forced you to lean forward and his cock pressed inside your mouth once more.

Quickly enough, you relaxed into the rhythm of what Tommy made you do and you let your body and your need to please take over. The slow count from one to three settled into an easy habit, and you found yourself considering just how you felt right now. But you considered Tommy’s responses too, the way his breath hitched when you licked at that one particular spot near the head of his cock, the tenseness in his legs when you took his shaft deeper that told you just how much he enjoyed every moment.

"I am close” Tommy then murmured, his voice echoing your unspoken thoughts. "Look at me" he ordered and you paused at that, your tongue still delicately resting on the tip of Tommy’s erection.

You complied with his orders and a pair of blue eyes starred back at you, dulled with hooded pleasure as your tongue continued playing over the tip of his cock. You sucked on his shaft and he moaned again, his lips trembling. Your heart soared at the obvious pleasure on his handsome face, knowing that you were the cause of all of it.

"Good Girl. Keep going and make me cum in your mouth” Tommy went on to say while his warm hand landed on your head and he guided your movements once more. With a harsh grip on your hair, he made you lean forward and you almost choked on his shaft as the thick head of his cock slammed into the entrance to your throat. Your tongue moved like a serpent, writhing in your mouth, and sliding across every inch of his skin that you could reach, while your lips wrap around his shaft as you sucked lushly, the wet, sloppy sounds of your eager blowjob filling the room.

Tommy then groaned again and you could feel his cock swell in your mouth and his balls tightening against your chin. His breath caught, and just like that, you felt his hot cum spattering across your throat. His hips jerked back as he orgasmed, some of his bitter sweet seed spraying over your tongue instead, filling your mouth with the taste of his semen. His cock popped free of your lips, the last few pearly drops spattering across your lips and chin. You kneeled there, frozen in place, your eyes still fixed on his face as he gasped and panted for breath. Your own pussy ached and throbbed with needy heat, but the distraction of your own fierce arousal was easily ignored...for now at least.

"Hold it in your mouth” Tommy then said and you held as much of his thick load as you could in your mouth, the taste and smell of his cum filling your senses. "Now look up at me..." he ordered and you complied with his request while your cheeks puffed out to keep as much of the cum inside as you could until he said the unthinkable. "Now swallow it, every drop” he told you and after nodding reluctantly, your throat tensed as you gulp down the load, the slick cum sliding easily down into your waiting belly. The taste of it still lingered on your tongue, and you could feel the heat of it.

“Was this to your satisfaction Mr Shelby?” you then asked with a needy look on your face.

“It was” Tommy confirmed before pulling you to your feet.

“You did well Love” he then said before pressing his lips on to yours in a haste, seemingly unbothered by the fact that he had just cum in your mouth and, just as you were expected you gave into the kiss.

Just as Tommy was kissing you, his hand came in between your thighs and he ran his fingers through your wetness.

“You are so fucking wet for me, eh” Tommy said with great satisfaction after he pulled his mouth away from your lips and placed his fingers onto them, making you taste your own wetness.

“Of course I am Mr Shelby” you told him and, again Tommy smirked.

“Good” he told you before giving you some further instructions. “Now come over here and lean over my desk. I want to fuck you from behind and, when I do, I expect you not to make a sound. Is that understood?” Tommy then said and, of course, you nodded once more and complied with his request.

You leaned across his large cedar desk and looked back at him expectantly and, just as you did, he pushed down your bikini bottoms to reveal your naked ass and pussy.

“Your pussy looks rather inviting Love. So wet and tight” Tommy said just as you saw that his cock was hard and ready again but, when he walked behind you and aligned himself with your wetness, you began to tremble.

“Has anyone ever fucked you like this? From behind over a fucking desk?” he then asked and you shook your head.

“No Mr Shelby” you confirmed and a smile formed across his face.

“Well, Love, this may be a little uncomfortable at first then, but you will learn to enjoy it” Tommy then told you as his hands began roaming over your back and ass, squeezing at your flesh.

You moaned, especially when his hands came around to your front and began squeezing your breasts which you lifted off the desk just as his hands demanded. Looking down you could see his hands kneading the tender mounds, playing with your nipples.

Then, without any warning whatsoever, Tommy pressed into you from behind, his cock rubbing along the length of your wet pussy, making you yearn for him to turn you over and spread your thighs open for him.

But this was not what he had planned and, instead, Tommy pulled one of his hands away from your breasts in order to line himself up with your pussy, and he began to push into you from behind. You gasped with this novel sensation as Tommy’s cock rubbed the insides of your pussy in a completely new way. He pushed into you all the way in one stroke until his groin met up with your ass cheeks and you could feel your flesh pressing against his body. The sensation made you moan and wiggle as you luxuriated in this new self-indulgence.

Then he pulled out and slammed in again, taking your breath away and rocking your body.

“Oh god” you moaned as you felt him all the way in your stomach. It was painful but also incredibly erotic.

Tommy’s hands moved around and started kneading your breasts again, making you moan as you pushed back against him.

With every thrust, you could feel your elbows buckling a little, and your wrists were starting to hurt as you grasped the cedar and you did not like how that distracted you from the pleasure you were feeling. With that, you lowered yourself to your elbows, which had the pleasant effect of lifting your ass into a better position.  

Liking your new position, Tommy slid back and put his hands on your hips so that he could admire the way his cock looked split open your pink pussy. He liked seeing you like this, taking him from behind and you moaned over and over again as you were impaled by his powerful thrusts.

Wetting his finger in his mouth, Tommy then pushed it against your yet still unexplored opening and was pleased to see that your body easily opened up and accepted it.

You were shocked and confused by what he was doing and, yet, your groans of pleasure got louder as he added a second finger.

“Oh god I feel so full” you moaned as you gave into the pleasure without thinking about how wrong it was and, after a little while, Tommy pulled his fingers from that tempting hole and used both his hands on your hips to pump you from behind even more powerfully, glorying in your cries of pleasure as he claimed you as his.

Soon, Tommy’s thrusts were coming harder and faster, and even though you were more stable on your elbows, you could feel him pushing you forward.

Reaching underneath your body, Tommy sought out your clit with his fingers, and you let out a cry of rapture as he began rubbing the engorged nub of pleasure. Your legs and arms trembled with the effort of holding yourself up as ecstasy threatened to overcome your senses, and Tommy continued to pound at you from the rear. As his fingers continued to rub, you could feel the heady tingling rush of your orgasm overtaking you, and you collapsed before him... he followed you down, his cock thrusting hard into your pussy and impaling you as you almost collapsed on the desk before him.

You could feel him growing bigger inside of you as you writhed with elated gratification, and your orgasm grew as, finally, you felt a strange but extremely pleasant sensation inside of you as Tommy was filling you with his seed.

It felt sensational and, whilst you were incredibly sore, you enjoyed the feeling of him inside of you like this and, after you finally came down from your high, you felt like your body was made of jelly. You felt so drained and shaky and then you moaned a little as Tommy’s lips and tongue pressed against your back, making your body jerk.

‘You did well Sweetheart. I quite enjoyed that’ he cooed before pulling his softening cock out of you and guiding you onto your feet, allowing you to turn around and catch your breath.

‘Oh god so did I” you barely managed to say and, just as you spoke, Tommy kissed you once more.

‘I have work to do now, but we should do this again sometime soon” he announced and you knew that this wasn’t going to be just a one-off encounter.

“I would like that Mr Shelby” you thus confirmed before retrieving your panties from the floor and putting them back on just before his cum could drip out of your well used hole.

“Good. Now clean yourself before you go back into the pool, eh” he smirked and you gave him a quick wink before you disappeared into the hallway.

To be continued…

Please comment and engage. I love getting comments and predictions pretty please!

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[taintandviolent]

howlin' for you ; Kai Anderson x reader

summary: Winter throws a Halloween party, Kai dresses up as a werewolf, and “hunts” you, one of Winter’s hotter friends. How cute, you dressed up like a cat for the party. He knows that masked, it’s the only way you’d ever consider fucking him. w a r n i n g s: 3.4k words! hard to get!reader, dubcon / slight non-con, rough sex, unprotected sex, rough blowjobs, handjobs, mask kink, mentions of fucking in animal costumes, animal noises, despite all that this isn't a furry fic. a/n: [🎃 part of #lizzie's halloween fics! 🎃] baby's first Kai fic... be gentler than he was to reader. full fic & taglist under cut! ↓ / ao3 link here! / ♪ recommended playlist here! ♪

You peel your eyes open, reaching blindly for the flat, room-temperature can of soda on the floor.

“Hello?”

A pause. You take a sip.

“Hey Winter. Yeah… yeah, I’m still coming.”

She asks if you decided on a costume.

“Yeah, I’m going to wear that kitty outfit. The one with the fur on the tummy.” You sniff, and add: “Is your fuckin’ weirdo brother going to be there?”

Winter pauses. “Yeah, Y/N… we live in the same house. I can’t lock him in his basement.”

“I fucking will, then.”

“Go for it.”

You hang up the phone.

-

You take a deep breath and open the door. It’s crowded and there’s bodies everywhere; undulating to the music or clustered in corners. The room smells like the inside of your trick-or-treat bag as a kid; a melange of candy, fabric and latex. There’s a fog machine going in the corner, and it hisses as you walk by.

Winter has decorated the place adorably; black and orange streamers hang from every corner and are stretched across the entire living room. There’s bowls of candy on the coffee table, flanked by little paper table toppers of various spooky characters. As you walk by, you flick one, smiling as it bobbles back and forth.

You saunter across the living room, swaying your ass back and forth. You felt hot; the little sexy kitty decision had been a good one. So far, the Grease Lord hadn’t made his presence known - maybe he locked himself in the basement and didn’t want to play with Winter’s friends. Good.

Your head turns back and forth, surveying all the costumes. Most of them are minimal effort, but you appreciate the fact that they came dressed up at all. Better than the alternative of showing up in a ‘This is my costume’ t-shirt. One costume in particular catches your eye. Big werewolf. It’s a good costume; he’s got the whole ripped and shredded clothing thing going on, boot covers, gloves with claws and fur… this dude at least put in a little more effort than the guy wrapped in nothing but a sheet and telling people he’s Caesar.

Wolf stands in the corner, leaning against the wall and offering a nod to anyone who interacts with him. Whether or not that’s a part of his wolfish act, or just the bland personality of the dude in the costume, you aren’t sure. His head turns slightly, and you assume that he’s clocked you. You cover your mouth with your kitty mittens in a dramatic gasp as you pass him, amping up the scared kitty act. You throw in a little hiss as you round the corner. Very cute.

You head for the punch bowl, hoping that Winter made it because whenever Winter makes the drinks, they're good. Much to your relief, she’s actually there, refilling it. Sick. She’s dressed as a fallen angel and the black feathers on her wings flutter as she leans over the bowl.  

“Meeeeooooow,” you say, swiping at her halo with your furry mittens. She immediately recognises you and grins, happy that through all of your party fatigue from last night, you still made it to her party, too. You pull her in for a hug, swaying her back and forth. Winter was never a hugger, but you decidedly were, and made a show of it every time.  

“Have you seen Kai yet?” She asks, almost nervously as she hands you a cup with red liquid quivering at the top. You take a large gulp, savouring the perfect blend of punch and alcohol.

“Oh, so he is here. Great .” You take another sip. “But no, thank god. He seems like the type to hate cats, so hopefully he’ll leave me alone.”

She quirks a brow, questioning your statement.

“Nevermind.” Not a conversation you were ready for. When you turn to look back at the wolf in the corner, he’s gone. There’s something in your gut that gives you pause, but you chalk it up as a disappointment that the wolf had lost interest in his feline prey.

“I’m gonna’ mingle,” you say, wiggling your fingers at her.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn't do.”

“Oooh, that’s no fun.” You frown. “If you see Kai, tell him I hate him, pretty please.”

Winter looks uncomfortable. Underneath all his cringey faults, he is still her brother and your hate for him has always been extreme. She wondered if it’s something else… something less about trying to convince yourself to be nice to him and more about trying to convince yourself to hate him. She’d never dare say that to your face, though.

As you wander, there’s a few people you recognise and hold meaningless conversations with. That is, until the wolf is in your peripheral again. He’s holding a cup, but not drinking from it. Probably because he couldn’t… not without taking his mask off. Which, given his current objective, seemed counterproductive. Curiosity killed the cat, they say, and you were curious… so you ended your current conversation, darted around the corner, and picked up a casual one with a mutual friend. Thomas? Brad? Despite digging your fingers deep into your brain, you couldn’t recall the poor bastard’s name. It didn’t matter; your eyes flitted back and forth, surveying your surroundings. Not more than a minute later, he was there again, nestled into the opposite corner. Close enough that you could see him, but far away enough that you wouldn’t notice, if you weren’t paying attention. Fortunately for him, you were. Your heart skipped a beat, thudding behind your ribcage.

“Hey, hold that thought - I’m gonna’ get more punch.” They can hardly hear you over the heavy music, but nod anyway.

You race back to the kitchen, and before you get there, the wolf is waiting at the archway, one arm braced up against it. You swallow the lump in your throat, feeling an unmistakable heat in your belly. This chase is turning you on.

Shit.

“Here, kitty-kitty….”

His voice sounds familiar; it’s throaty, but there’s a medium-pitched bite to it. You can’t place it, try as you might. “Do I know you?”

He shakes his head very slowly and very honestly, the little faux-fur fibres around his ears swaying with the action. You believe him, or pretend you do, because the concept of fucking some random werewolf-masked individual is way hotter than finding out it was some dork you met twice at another party.

You turn sharply on your white high heels, and start walking in whatever direction isn’t inundated with people. Regrettably, that’s headed towards the basement. You can feel him rampaging, gaining on you, hearing his heavy steps creaking behind you. For a second, you’re almost afraid. He barks low and catches up to you faster than you anticipated, and when he backs you against the wall, he pins your arms above your head with one hand. His chest heaves as he stares at you, waiting for you to say something. You don’t. Instead, you lean your head against the wall, laughing towards the ceiling. The steps to Kai’s weirdo basement are directly to your right. You hear the TV downstairs, immediately assuming it’s something political. Maybe he’ll hear you fucking this guy. You hope he does. You really do — and you hope it irritates the hell out of him.

“Ohhh, who’s a big bad wolf?”  You yank one of your hands free of his grip to feel his boner outside of his tattered jeans. It’s thick and hot, so you stroke it a little. He gives you a throaty ‘Awwooo’ and involuntarily bucks his hips into the palm of your hand, forcing heavier friction. The chase must’ve got him going. It got you going, that’s for sure. You can feel your cunt aching, and clenching every time he thrusts into your hand.

You move your hand away, pulling an angry groan from the werewolf. With a smile, you run your fingers deeply through the little tuft of grey and white fur that’s peeking out from his flannel. Fur grinds against fur as he humps your hand, heavy breaths echoing from inside the mask.

“Big…. Bad wolf…” you say again, sniggering. You’re delighted by his horny aura. That was one thing about Winter’s punch — it was strong. “You want me to blow your house down?”

He nods, and you sink to your knees, watching as he makes quick work of his jeans. He pulls the two pieces of fabric apart and reaches into his boxers, allowing his cock to spring free. It bounces heavily in front of your face, beads of clear collecting at the slit. Your tongue darts out of your mouth, running along the ridge on the underside of his cock before reaching the tip, and lapping the pre-cum up like the good little kitty you are. It’s heavy on your tongue, so you alleviate some of the weight by grabbing it.

His cock is hot to the touch when you grip it, and you revel in the way the warm, supple skin moves beneath your grip. You roll your fingers one by one over the tip of his cock, playing with it. He groans above you, looking down as far as the mask will allow. When it’s not enough, he bends forward, arching over you.

He has a better visual now, and his chest starts to heave with every pass of your fingers. When the teasing becomes too much, he takes a fistful of your hair, and yanks it back. Your silky hair slips easily through the rubber claws, so he pauses, and rips the gloves off, tossing them down the stairs. You hope Kai trips over them. He grips your hair again, much harder this time and forces your gaze upwards to stare at him. Stare up at the beast who could annihilate you, kill you if he wanted to. Your cunt flutters, hot and wet and leaking into the polyester fibres of your costume.

He pinches your jaws, applying pressure to force them open. His grip strength is fucking insane, and you wince, letting out the tiniest mewl. His other hand hangs at his side, and the veins are swollen, trailing up into the sleeve like thick roots. Satisfied with the way that your pretty little mouth hangs open, waiting and eager, he grips himself and wastes no time. He slaps the tip of his cock onto your tongue over and over again, before pulling your head towards it. Your throat immediately seizes up, but you force it to distend, to relax. A wave of icy panic settles over you like someone’s draped a sheet over your shoulders. He’s going to throat fuck you. You see his eyes darting around your face, watching your mouth, your eyes…

Your eyes immediately begin to water as his meaty dick violates your mouth; pressing into the back of your throat, bumping into your cheeks to stretch them out, grazing along your teeth when your jaws involuntarily close in hopes of hindering his thrusts. It doesn’t work. Both hands are pressed against the wall, fingers splayed out. He pounds into you, slipping in and out of your perfect little throat.

He fucks it harder, groaning louder and louder. The hollow sound of his cock hitting the back of your throat almost sends him over the edge. Your breath is sticky with his pre-cum, and every time you try to pull your head back for a reprieving gulp down, he slams his hips into your mouth, bumping the back of your skull against the wall with a thud.

Desperate, you reach up, wrapping your slender fingers around his cock, tightening around the base until he pulls away, looking down at you.

“Aren’t you going to fuck me?” You ask, putting on your best coy kitty voice in hopes that it will end the merciless barrage on your throat. Your words are congealed and messy, airways still coated with his fluids. He considers this for a moment, a whole slew of thoughts playing out. Finally, he nods, and hastily brings you to your feet.

Grateful that the diversion was working, you reach down between your legs, finding the cloth covered zipper and pull it open. It was added for convenience, and it certainly served that purpose as the werewolf guided his heavy cock into your wet, waiting slit. At first, he toys with it, smearing his head over your puffy, sensitive clit and pulling desperate, whining gasps from your mouth every time he drags it upwards. But soon, that isn’t enough for him, and he buries himself in you, plunging his cock to the base. The stretch of your walls, your cunt doing her best to accommodate his girth, had you crying out. He was bigger than you’d prepped yourself mentally for, but at least your pussy was gushing with lubrication, ready for every bit of what he had to give you.

He found his speed quickly, humping you with reckless abandon. Trying to find something - anything to use as leverage to hold onto, your fingers slipped into the slit on the backside of the mask, toying with almost shoulder length strands of hair. They’re soft, and slightly wavy. Wait. Not that other guys couldn’t have wavy hair, but the thought is too overwhelming. Lightning fast, you reach for the mask, pulling it up just above his chin and Kai’s vascular hand catches yours, holding it tight. The visual is enough for you to realise.

“No fucking way.”

Immediately, he yanks the mask back down over his face and cups his hand over your mouth, suppressing the scream that he knew was coming. He’s pressing hard enough that the cartilage in your nose begins to ache. You stare hard into the eyes of the werewolf, breathing heavy through your nostrils as you’re seeing what you hadn’t seen before. Those dark, almost black brown eyes staring back at you. The same ones that you’d seen roll at you or glare at you so many times before. The same fucking ones.

You heard his chuckling breath behind the mask. He leaned forward, pressing the latex nose against your ear and began panting into it obnoxiously, like a dog. His thrusts matched his breath, his rock hard cock pounding up into you remorselessly.

You wrestle away from his hand, freeing your mouth enough to speak. “Get your fucking dick out of me, Kai.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He thrusts harder and crams his fingers in your mouth, as though he’s pulling your next words from your throat. You bite down and he groans through clenched teeth. You feel his cock twitch inside you. He likes this.

“Is that what you really want? Say it and I’ll stop.”

You struggle with the words, they won’t leave your lips the way you want them to. You can feel your own arousal leaking down your thighs in response to the way his dick is hitting every spot.

“I knew it. Always have.”

That infuriated you, but you couldn’t argue. Not with his fingers in your mouth, or the veins of his thick cock massaging your insides better than any of your dildos at home did.

“I knew you didn’t hate me,” he started. You could hear it in his voice that one of his egocentric, mansplaining, delusional monologues was on the way. Usually, you’d just roll your eyes at Winter and turn to your phone, but he had you in a position where you had to listen. He liked that, too. You let out a loud moan as he hammered inside of you, hoisting one leg up to your chest.

“The opposite, actually. You act like such dumb little slut around me, so angered by everything I do. I see through it. Your act. Much like waving a bloody steak in front of a hungry dog, your salivating is irrepressible.”

Did he really just say what you thought? “Listen, you piece of —“

He forces you to cut yourself off with another moan, pressing your leg farther into your chest. Your cunt swallows him whole with every thrust, and the hatred you have for him is leaking out of your pussy and along your thighs.

You slam your head against the wall, letting your neck go slack. It feels so good, Kai feels so good.

“Say it, say you fuckin’ like it…”

You shake your head. You won’t give him that satisfaction. His bare hand rears up, and comes down across your face. Your cheek burns with stinging, searing pain before you even have time to process that he’s just slapped you - backhanded you with months of pent up rage and frustration. Enraged, you reach for the mask, yanking it off and tossing it down the stairs where it tumbles to the bottom step. His greasy strands are separated with sweat, and a sheen of it covers his shapely nose and forehead. There it is; the face that was the receptor of so many insults, so much hatred. Every time you saw it, you ran your mouth like a schoolyard bully with a crush.

“I will fucking kill you….” Anger dribbles out of your mouth like spit. You wanted him to see you say that unobstructed.

“Yeah?” Kai challenges, reaching down to thumb your clit like the joystick of a game controller. He’s smiling, absolutely delighted by your intrinsic, feminine anger. Your recalcitrance fuels him further, and he bucks his hips up into your cunt, the head of his cock bumping deep into you, as far as it can go. You writhe under his grip, clenching your teeth. It almost hurts, but he’s building it, faster and deeper, and the burning coil in your stomach winds tighter. It burns just above your bladder. You feel like you have to piss, and Kai says,

“Defiant little slut.”

Seconds later, you’re losing it over his cock, your orgasm splashing over his jeans and your furry legs.

He doesn’t stop fucking you and within a few thrusts, you’re so severely overstimulated that your legs are quivering. Briefly, you become aware of the Halloween music that’s playing out in the living room. A salty ribbon of sweat drips into your eyes, stinging.

“S-stop, fuck… stop.”

He ignores you and keeps fucking you, drilling your swollen cunt like it’s a tournament and he’s determined to win it. And when he does, Kai grips your throat and holds your jaw in place. He assertively holds your gaze as he shoots his hot, thick load into your weeping pussy, making sure you wished that you hadn’t taken the mask off.

His once prevalent boner was now fading away, and Kai stuffs it back into his jeans, keeping his eyes on you for a moment longer before he turns and casually descends his basement steps. He stops to pick up the mask, swinging it back and forth like a child’s toy.

Doused in sweat and anger, you want to collapse to the floor and scream. Instead, you zip yourself up, wiping your slick fingers off on your thighs, and somehow manoeuvre around the crowds to the bathroom. You reel around and lock the door, before turning to the sink.

You brace yourself, holding yourself over the sink’s basin. You look at yourself in the mirror; your cute little whiskers are smeared on one side, and streaks of mascara are running down your cheeks in its place. Your black nose is rubbed off, undoubtedly smeared in Kai’s bush of pubic hair. Fucker. Your pink lipstick is practically gone, the only remnants are a faint hue around the perimeter.

As you stood there in Winter’s bathroom, head hanging over the sink, you searched for the disgust, panicking as you rifled through your mind to find the inevitable horror that you were going to experience. You were ruined by that cringe monkey — he violated you. Right? You waited for the gag, the vomit even, to hurl itself up your throat. That was what was supposed to happen after something like that… wasn’t it? The disgust? The anger?

But it wasn’t coming. In fact, something much more alarming had settled in its place. Your cunt still felt warm, and you rubbed your thighs together, smearing the mixture of cum into the soft kitty fur. You felt invigorated. You hadn’t been fucked like that…. Ever. You heaved a sigh of relief like someone who had been submerged underwater, and was suddenly let up.

You reach into your discreetly placed thigh pocket and pull your phone out, hurriedly swiping past the notifications that flooded your screen. You pull up Messages, and tap on Winter’s icon. She’s in your pinned contacts, a favourite.

I found your brother

You hit send.

Almost immediately, the status went from delivered to read, but Winter didn’t reply. You know why, and she knows why.

You might’ve hated Kai. But your pussy didn’t.

t a g l i s t : @kaismanwich / @redwoodghost / @elsamars / @silverzoomies / @tatesdisasterofalover / @thewolveswithin / @80strashbag / @twinkiemaximoff / @spill-the-t / @stucktothetwo / @evansb1tch / @enchanting-evan / @yesdevineruler / @enchanting-evan / @anonymous0316 / @eventually27 / @violetharmonscupcake/ @my-own-walker / @kai-slut / @fuckedbykai / @iluwmycats / @dewberryobssesed / @the-goblin1 / @dirtyfairy97 / @jellyluvr / @strangerthings420 / @kai-anderson-whore / @piecesofcain / @lilthbunny / @quickandsilvers / @tatelangdonsweater / @ifeeltoofuckingmuch / @howtobesasha / @randodummy /

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[jessicaloons]

Chapter 13:

But I come back stronger than a ‘90s trend…

Masterlist - Previous - Next

Charles POV:

I only had one thing on my mind when we came back into our chalet after a long day on the slopes: Hot Tub. I went straight into our room and looked for my swim shorts as Lizzie walked in.

"Someone is eager…" she chuckled and I walked into the en suite bathroom, leaving the door a crack wide open.

"That hot tub isn’t the biggest! And I want to relax a little before it gets too crowded or before I have to get out!" I said and walked back into our room, fluffy towel in hand, swim shorts on.

"Good point! Go ahead and make sure I have a seat… does it have seats?" she said and I laughed.

"I’ll take care, ma belle. Don’t worry. We’ll have enough space!"

We didn’t have enough space. The hot tub was made for 4 people max. and as JK, Joris and Andrea squeezed in, it got way too crowded. I pulled Lizzie against me, to make her sit at least a little more comfortable but somehow she ended up almost in my lap. I swallowed hard as I could feel her thighs pressing against mine. Her back flush with my chest. I tried to focus on breathing but having her this close, pressed to my body, half naked, made me almost dizzy. I felt like a pubescent teenager that couldn’t control his body. After a while Joris and JK began to yawn, Lizzie followed shortly after.

"I think that’s it for today, I’m out! Cheers guys, have a good night!" JK said and Lizzie and Joris got out as well, they wrapped their towels around them and prepared to leave, as Lizzie turned around looking at me.

"You guys go ahead, I’m staying a little longer, good night!" I said and they wished us a good night, then it was only Andrea and me left. He looked at me while I was squirming in my seat, feeling uncomfortable.

"You can go as well, if you want to… I’ll be fine!" I tried to sound nonchalant but failed.

"Charles? Aren’t you getting out because… because you have a… umm- a little situation down there…" Andrea chuckled and I blushed. Hard. "Okay. Then… good night. Sleep tight. Oh god no! I guess it’s already tight. I mean, sleep well!"

"Just go!! Jesus fucking Christ!" I groaned and Andrea laughed the whole way back in. What the actual fuck.

"There you are! I was looking for you! It’s almost midnight!" I said as I finally found Lizzie. Alone. Sitting on the terrace edge.

"I guess I lost a little track of time." she answered, not looking up.

"What’s going on?" I ask and sit down next to her. As I looked at her I saw tears in her eyes. "Hey! What’s going on!"

"Can you believe what happened this year?" she whispered and looked up into the sky.

"Yeah, I can… because for me it was just a matter of time until a team finally acknowledged your potential and offered you a seat…" I answered and she chuckled a little "What?"

"You always had this undying hope in me… I think I never thanked you for that?" she looked at me and I shook my head.

"Because you don’t have to. Did I ever thank you for being… for being my anchor?" I said.

"Your anchor?" she asked curiously, tilting her head, looking adorably confused.

"My anchor. You’re always by my side, no matter what. Even when staying close meant getting hurt in the process, over and over again. You never left. I can rely on you. I can always count on your support. You give me stability, security. But above all, you gave me hope in times when I needed it the most. You’re anchoring me whenever I have the feeling that all of this… this shit drags me away…" I tried to explain it as best as possible, although I knew that words would never be enough to explain to her how much I needed her in my life.

"Well, then I guess you’re my anchor, too." she said and I shook my head.

"No, ma belle. I have to step up a lot to be an anchor for you the way you are for me." I said.

"I don’t think so…" she smiled at me.

Behind us I could hear our family and friends count down and as the clock struck midnight the fireworks were lighting up the sky.

"Happy New Year, ma belle!"

"Happy New Year, Charlie bear!"

I pulled her into my side and kissed her temple.

This was going to be our year.

Lizzie would finally drive in Formula 1.

I would hopefully bring Ferrari back to its old glory.

And most importantly, this year I would make her mine.

"So, uhm, there is something I wanted to talk to you about…" I said and Charles paused the episode of Brooklyn 99 and looked at me.

"Okay? Everything alright?" he asked and sat up straight. I just nodded.

"It’s… well I got the call from Felix… so the FIA were asking about my… about my driver number…" I said and whispered the last words.

"Your driver number? What’s with it?" he seemed confused and I swallowed hard.

"You know, now that Kimi retired, the 7 would be available…" I began and Charles realised what I was on about "And I wondered if it would be okay for you, if I take it?"

"Oh ma belle! Of course it is? For me it was clear as day that you would choose the 7? It’s our number? Always was, always will be!" he laughed and I relaxed a little, sighed relieved "You didn’t have to ask, you know?"

"It’s just… I know how you wanted the 7, but couldn’t have it…" I mumbled and Charles pulled me into his side.

"I would love nothing more than for you to have it, ma belle!" he said and kissed my temple, then started the TV again.

"Now look a bit more intimidating, yes! Perfect!" the Photographer said and I posed for another 15 minutes until he finally was satisfied "I’d say we have a lot of footage to work with! Thanks Lizzie!"

"How do you like the suits?" Felix asked and I smiled at him.

"I absolutely love them!" I say and he smiles.

"So you and Valtteri will decide which one you’re having. He should be here any minute and then you can discuss." and right as Felix finished, the Finnish driver walked up the set.

I was nervous, to say the least. I’ve seen Valtteri before, obviously, but today was our first official meeting as teammates. And there was a lot on our agenda today.

"Valtteri, hi, umm it’s so cool to meet you, like officially! Umm I’m Lizzie, hi!" I ramble a little and stretch my hand out and he takes it smiling.

"Lizzie, good to see you, again." he shook my hand and I smiled, thankful that he was pretending like I wasn’t a nervous mess "So, how do you like the suits? Which one is your favourite?" he takes the sheet Felix hands him, then I’ll take mine.

"I like the second one more, I like the flow of the, let’s call them arrows, down the legs. Looks more active, you know what I mean?" I said and Valtteri nodded "Which one do you prefer?"

"The second one as well. I like the details at the legs, the other one is a bit boring. So yeah, I’ll vote for… AF1/XPERformance…" he said and I smiled.

"Alright you guys, then Valtteri hop on in and then you’ll have some more photo shoots." Felix clapped and walked off to talk to the Photographer.

"So, the flag of Monaco?" Valtteri asked and shook his head in the direction where I just laid the document on the table.

"Yeah, it’s a little tribute." I answered and Valtteri smiled.

"I get that people often think that you guys are a couple." he laughed and I blushed a little.

"It’s not just for Charles, it’s also for his dad. He never had a doubt that I would make it in F1 one day. And since he’s not here anymore. I’ll carry the flag of his beloved home with me, for him and Charles." I said and Valtteri nodded.

"That’s really beautiful." he smiled and I zipped up my suit.

"And we're done. Thank you guys!" George, our Photographer said and clicked through the pictures "Yeah we have more than enough. Good job everyone!"

"Alright, sit down, have a drink, Julie should be here any minute now." Felix said and Valtteri poured himself a coffee and gestured into my way and I just shook my head.

"Who’s Julie?" I ask as a young woman walks up behind Felix.

"That’s me. Hi. I’m Julie Mahle. PR-Manager, Content creator and your personal PR-Assistant at race weekends. Nice to meet you, Lizzie!" she says and she shakes my hand, then she walks to Valtteri and does the same "The next days we will film 2 Audi challenges, that’s little completions between you guys that we upload on our channels to entertain our fans in between races. We will have 10 over the course of the whole season. Tomorrow, after the big car launch, we will also have an Instagram live Q&A with you guys."

Valtteri and I nodded and looked at the plan Julie gave us. The Audi challenges seem to be funny and I was already excited to film them. Tomorrow we would start with a ‘What’s in the Box' segment and I laughed, thinking back to my PREMA times when Charles almost lost it when he touched something that felt like a real snake but was in fact only a rubber one.

"Sounds fun!" I said and Julie smiled "I’m sorry Valtteri, but I’m going to crush you…"

"Oh wow! We’re starting the competition early on, I see!" he chuckled and nudged my shoulder.

"I had a long time with nothing to compete in… so now I’m overcompensating I guess!" I laughed and he nodded.

"May the better driver win!" he said.

"Don’t, worry, I’ll plan to!" I smirked at him and he laughed.

"I’m nervous! Like really, really nervous Charlie! I think I will throw up!" I murmured and Charles only chuckled.

"It’s going to be fine, you’ll see! You go out on stage! You wave a little, answer some questions, say something about the car, they will take pictures and then it’s done!" he encouraged me and I nodded.

"I didn’t think the car launch would be this stressful already!" I whined "I bet my ass that there are at least 15 journalists who hate me and can’t wait to ask me questions to destroy me…"

"Just smile that gorgeous smile of yours and they will love you anyway!" Charles said and I smiled at him.

"Lizzie? Are you ready?" Julie walked up to me, Valtteri in tow.

"I have to leave, I’ll call you tonight?" I said to Charles and he nodded.

"Have fun, ma belle!" he said and ended the call.

"And now Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce you to our two drivers: Lizzie Doetterer and Valtteri Bottas!" Felix said and with one last deep breath I entered the stage, followed by Valtteri. I waved to the crowd, smiling as best as I could without looking too tense. The applause died down as I stood next to Felix.

"When we decided to make our move into F1 way earlier than planned, we had a close eye on the drivers that would be available for our line-up. One thing was for sure for all of us: we wanted an experienced driver, someone with enough confidence and knowledge to give us valuable feedback, someone who would step up and guide our next driver, because we also knew we wanted someone young, talented, hungry, fast and determined. We started this process in early 2020 and we had our eyes immediately on Lizzie, her talent, determination, race craft, skills, enthusiasm but above all her fighter mentality were for us the main factor to put her really far up on our list. And when we heard that Valtteri would be available? We knew that he was the right driver for us. His race craft, awareness, dedication and experience was exactly what we wanted." Felix explained their choices for choosing us as driver line-up and Valtteri smiled at me, I just chuckled and bumped slightly into his shoulder.

"We spent the last year developing our car with the input and feedback from Lizzie, who was not only test driving our car on several tracks, no, she spent over 250 hours in our simulator, working meticulously on every fine tuning there was. And after the final input from Valtteri, we are now more than confident in our car and it is safe to say that we want to race for wins! And I think with the work and effort everyone at the factory put in, the feedback of our two drivers, it is possible to do so!" Felix said and I felt myself blush a little when the crowd, including Felix and Valtteri, clapped after he mentioned the endless hours of simulator work.

"We, the Audi Sports Formula 1 Team with our drivers Lizzie Doetterer, driver number 7 and Valtteri Bottas, driver number 77, are proud to present to you the Audi ARS-22." together with Valtteri I pulled the veil off of the car and the crowd started to clap and cameras were flashing. We posed together next to the car and I felt how my tense smile slowly turned into a relaxed one. I looked at the car, my car, the 7 shining bright on the bonnet, and I felt a sense of pride, excitement and happiness surge through my body. This was really happening.

"Toiletry bag. Check. Jeans. Check. Hoodies. Check. Shirts. Check. Sweatpants. Check. Underwear. Check. Socks… Socks? Check. Jacket. Check. Leggings. Check. Scarf. Check. Beanie. Check. MacBook Charger… Charger? Where the fuck…?" I was packing my suitcase when the door behind me opened up.

"You’re not allowed to say fuck!" Liam shouted and I turned around, looking at him.

"Well… yes I can! I’m a grown up! I am allowed to say these kinda words!" I chuckled and he walked in and plopped down on my bed. Hands in his hoodie pocket.

"That’s unfair!" he said and I shook my head.

"Nope it’s not! Can you help me? I’m looking for my charger?" I asked him and he smiled sheepishly, pulling out my charger out of his pocket "You little charger thief!"

"I’m not! It was downstairs and Oma said to bring it to you!" he said, outraged.

"Oh! I beg your pardon, Bubba! Thank you for bringing it to me!" I kissed his cheek and packed the charger into my suitcase. Next I packed my MacBook, camera, headphones, wallet and passport into my backpack. I checked one last time my suitcase, then I closed it up and put it down on the floor.

"All done?" Liam asked.

"All done!" I answered and sat down next to him.

We watched tv together as Dad looked into my room with a big grin on his face. I sat up excitedly.

"You got it!" I exclaimed and he nodded.

"Yup, it’s here." he said and I jumped up, Liam looking confused, I scooped him up and threw him over my shoulder "Come on Bubba! Let’s go!"

"Where are we going? Who’s here?" he laughed as he was swinging on my shoulder when I walked down the stairs. I sat him down on the floor, on the table a cardboard box.

"How does it look?" I asked and Dad chuckled.

"Well, I like it. It’s really clean looking." he said and I opened up the box with shaking hands.

"Oh! It’s your helmet!" Liam realised and climbed on the table to sit next to the box.

I pulled my helmet out, some styrofoam nuggets falling out in the process.

"It looks like your car!" Liam looked at it with big eyes.

"That was the plan, Bubba. How do you like the design?" I asked him and he tilted his head a little.

"Put it on!" he said and I said "It looks so cool! Like the coolest really!"

"You think so?" I opened the visor and he nodded "Perfect!" I took it off and set it on the table.

"Here, Patrick said you should scan the QR code for the pictures." Dad handed me a little card.

"Perfect. I’ll post it later on." I said and looked at my helmet. I sat it back down on the table, as Dad handed me the helmet bag.

"You’re done with packing?" he asked as he helped me pack the helmet away.

"Yup, ready when you are." I answered and he nodded.

"I’ll get your suitcase and backpack." Dad said and left.

"Alright, Bubba! You promise me to be on your best behaviour while I’m gone?" I said and hugged Liam.

"Promise! And you promise me to try to be back for my birthday party on Saturday?" he whispered and I nodded.

"I’ll try my best, Liam. But just in case I can’t be here in time, that’s why we celebrated yesterday already together, right?" I said and he sighed a little, then he nodded. What he didn’t know was that not only would I be back in time for his party, I would also bring along someone else.

"You’re leaving now?" Sissy asked as she came into the kitchen.

"Yeah." I said and she smiled and hugged me.

"Good luck, Schwesti!" she said and I smiled.

"Thanks, where is Mum?" I said as Mum came from outside.

"I’m here! Don’t worry, I’m not letting you go without saying goodbye!" she walked over, kissed my cheek and hugged me tight "Goodbye, my sweet girl! Good luck! Show them that you earned this seat!"

"I will Mum!" I said and she released me.

One last kiss from Liam and I walked with Dad out in the cold.

"Formula 1 season 2022, here she comes!" Dad said as we got into the car and the driver pulled out of the driveway.

"Mercedes really wasn’t as fast as expected? But with them you never know…" I said as we sat in the back of the car "But George adapted really well, don’t you think?"

"Yeah, but George always has been good, he was just in a team that wasn’t." Charles said and I nodded "But it looked like Lewis was struggling a little? I don’t know if it’s the car or if it’s George… thinking he’s the future to replace him?"

"You think? I mean he’s still Lewis Hamilton. Last season was… it was unfortunate. But still." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Which leaves only Red Bull left… They were fast. Like really fast!" Charles said and I thought about how Checo breezed past me, almost pushing me off track "But they’re beatable."

"Yeah, I think they were sandbagging a lot… that car? That has a lot more potential to unlock!" I said and he looked out the window for a moment.

"I think they definitely weren’t showing their full speed… but who really has?" he said and I thought for a moment, it was normal to not show the full performance of the engine to not show the competitors everything, but still, it was interesting to see how fast, or slow in some cases, the cars were considering the circumstances.

"You were also pretty fast…" I began and Dad in the passenger seat chuckled.

"You too! I mean you were flying! If that is not everything you got? Phewww you’re real competition!" Charles said and I looked at him "What?"

"Were you doubting it? You sound so surprised?" I asked and he shook his head immediately.

"No! I swear! I wasn’t! I was- umm I was just so happy to see you beating some of the guys!" he said fast.

"Relax, I’m just messing with you." I laughed and he pinched my side "You should’ve seen the look on your face!"

"Payback’s a bitch as you know!" he said and the car stopped. "So, ready to surprise our little Bubba?" he jumped out of the car and Dad and I followed him quickly.

We quietly walked in, Mum saw us and smiled, Liam stood with his back to us, watching as one of his friends explained something to him. Charles and I approached him and both leaned down at each of his sides.

"Booooohhh!" Charles and I shouted and Liam flinched.

"Charlie! Lizzie!" he smiled and hugged first Charles and then me "You both made it!"

"Do you really think we would miss out on your 4th birthday, Bubba?" Charles asked and Liam shook his head and beamed at him.

"I’m just here for the cake." I said and shrugged my shoulders, both boys exchanging one look and then wrestling me down on the mat, tickling my sides "Okay, okay! I’m not just here for the cake! Stop it now! I will retreat!" Charles pulled me with him up and Liam hugged my leg.

"Are you getting on the trampoline with us?" he asked us and we both nodded.

"Are you kidding? Of course!" Charles scooped him up on his back and gave him a piggyback ride to the entry, I followed close behind "Alright, ladies first!"

"Oh thank you, kind Sir!" I chuckled and took my shoes off and walked up the stairs.

"This is the best birthday ever!" Liam said and I smiled at him.

"Let’s go and hunt her down!" Charles said and both lunged at me.

"You made his day!" Mum said as I sat down, downing a bottle of water "He was hoping you would come, but now that Charles is here?"

"I’m forgotten… I know." I joked and she laughed "I definitely need to talk to JK. Phewww I’m out of breath! While Charles is still jumping around like there is no tomorrow!"

"You need your…" Mum began but I already inhaled once, putting my inhalator back in my bag "How was the driving? Is it working with your lungs and your back? Be honest!"

"It was good. Little exhausting, but that’s normal. Really Mum, no need to worry!" I answered and she nodded.

"Dr. Lindner called, he wanted to check in if your appointment on Monday is set." she said and I nodded.

"Yeah, I had his call on my phone but I just never had a quiet minute to call him back, did you say yes? Perfect, thanks Mum." I smiled at her as Charles plopped down next to me. I handed him a bottle of water and he smiled thankful.

"These kids? Wow… driving twice through Singapore isn’t that exhausting!" he chuckled and Mum patted his arm in sympathy.

"It’s anyways about time for the cake!" she got up and together with Sissy they called for the kids to come up to the table in 15 minutes.

We gathered around the table, Liam stood on a chair in front of his cake, and sang him a happy Birthday. He was the happiest I’ve seen him in a long time and I knew it was because Charles was here. Whenever he was here, Liam was the happiest. Me being his favourite was a long time ago.

The pre-season tests in Bahrain were over and the first race week of the 2022 Formula 1 Championship began 2 days ago.

"Did you expect something else?" JK asked as I drank something.

"I mean Red Bull? 100%! But Ferrari? They were so quick? Mercedes has nothing against them!" I said and he nodded "It’s going to be interesting, that’s for sure!"

"Most definitely! And now down again!" he took my bottle and pushed me flat on the bench "We’re not done for today!"

"I slightly regret asking you to be my performance coach… I forgot how much joy it brings you to torture me." I mumbled and JK laughed.

"No pain, no gain." he said and I groaned.

"Can we join in?" Charles said from somewhere behind me.

"Yeah sure, how you doing mate!" JK greeted Charles and then Andrea behind him "Liz maybe stops complaining now that we’re not alone anymore." he joked.

"I want to flip you off so bad…" I said and he laughed even more.

"Come on, princess. 3, 2, 1. And down. Wasn’t too hard now, was it?" JK said and I sat up.

"How do you feel?" Charles asked as he sat down on the bench next to me while Andrea adjusted his weights.

"Pretty good to be honest. I feel like now that we had the second tests and the set ups look great I’m ready, you know?" I said and Charles nodded.

"And how are you mentally? Lizzie, I’ve seen what the people are still writing about you, that nasty blog? Whoever is behind it? They downright hate you, for no apparent reason!" he said and I sighed.

"Yeah, people talk shit all the time, I don’t care." I said and grabbed my towel to dry my face. The truth was, I knew exactly who wrote that blog. It was a blog sponsored by ESPN Spain and Marca, one of Spain's biggest sport newspapers. And the writer said he met me once during my time in the WSeries at the race in Assen where I didn’t impress him at all and was apparently arrogant towards the writer when he met me. Counting one and one together it could only be Salva Diaz.

"That’s good, that you don’t let it get to your head." Charles said and began with his work out.

"Liz?" JK looked at me and I got up, he put the resistance bands around my head and I tried to focus on his pull instead of the blog. I couldn’t do anything about it, without telling what happened that day, so I would just ignore it. "Ready? Alright." JK pulled at the band and I tended my neck muscles to withstand the pull of JK "Hold it, hold it… okay 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Relax. Deep breaths… Ready? Go." after 9 reps JK handed me my bottle "How does it feel? Neck and back?"

"Tense? No, it’s fine, really." I said and he nodded.

"Front squats now." he said and prepared the weights "60?"

"70." I said and put my bottle down and prepared.

"10 reps. Let’s go." I focused on the weights, doing squat after squat.

"3, 2, 1. Down. Good job." JK patted my back and I gasped for air a little "Maybe a bit too heavy?"

"No. It was good! Come on! Let’s go!" I said and waited for JK.

"Hip thrusters next." he waved over to the bench and I got down on the floor "Make sure that you use your thighs more than your calves, you push up from your lower leg… yes, that’s better…"

"It’s not heavy enough, I can take more… make it 110."

"Okay. But if it’s too much…" JK put the weight on and I began again "… and 3, 2, 1. Down. Well done. Take a little break."

I sat on the bench, drinking my water as Charles sat down next to me.

"That’s a pretty tough routine? Don’t look at me like that! It’s more like, damn I don’t do 10 reps of front squats, kettlebell swings, hip thrusters, sumo deadlifts, military press, back extensions and crunches and that 5 times… plus cardio and neck training. Andrea said he might adjust my workout routine after he has seen what you’re doing!" he said and I laughed.

"I have to work out harder, because I've been out of the car for more than 2 years and didn’t work out like that! It’s just to make me as fit as possible!" I answered and he nodded.

"At least we can train together from now on!" he smiled at me.

"Yeah… that we can." I answered as JK came back.

"Ready for round 4?" he asked and I sighed but nodded.

"It’s like you said, no pain no gain!" and I got up.

"What about some yoga? You guys in?" I asked Charles and Andrea as I ended my last set and drank some water.

"Yoga?" Charles repeated and chuckled a little.

"It’s good for the muscles after an intense work out session. It promotes blood circulation and relieves tension in the muscles." JK explained and Andrea nodded.

"Let’s try something new then!" he said and walked up to us, Charles in tow.

JK stood in front of us, showing us the different poses and I did them easily, this was a part of my daily routine. Charles and Andrea on the other hand struggled a little but after a short while they managed to copy JK‘s poses. As we were done I leaned down, bending over completely and tensed my glutes, wrapping my arms around my ankles and counted down from 20, I always finished like this, one last stretch in my lower back.

"Charles? Hey! Are you listening? Are you good?" Andrea laughed behind me and I got up slowly and looked at them. Charles' cheeks were flushed and he looked a little nervous.

"Umm? Yeah. Fine. Totally fine." Charles said and turned around, walking to the bench where his bag was. I followed him.

"Hey? Are you sure you’re okay?" I asked him and he swallowed hard.

"Uh-huh! Sure, I’m good…" he answered.

"Okay… so later dinner together? I thought about going out. Tomorrow the season officially starts…" I said and Charles nodded.

"Yeah sure! Sounds good!" he answered and I smiled.

"Now I just need a shower…" and with that we left the gym.

"Stop being so nervous! It’s going to be okay!" Charles whispered as we stood in front of the conference room, waiting for us to be called in.

"I don’t know, I have a bad feeling, I can’t really explain why…" I said and Charles sighed.

"I’ll be right next to you! As well as Seb and Pierre! So come on now! Smile that beautiful smile of yours and all will be good!" he said and I nodded a little as the door opened.

"Let’s go…" I whispered and followed Charles in, Seb was the first one on the stage, followed by Charles, then me, Pierre and Lewis. I sat down and took a deep breath. I can do this.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first race of the 2022 Formula 1 season, here in Bahrain. Now a very warm welcome to our first drivers Sebastian Vettel from Aston Martin, Charles Leclerc from Scuderia Ferrari, for the first time ever Lizzie Doetterer for Audi Sports, Pierre Gasly for Alpha Tauri and Sir Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes AMG. Now let’s start with you Lizzie, first woman in F1 since 1976, how did you spend your winter, preparing for your first season in Formula 1?" Tom Clarkson looked at me with an encouraging smile and I calmed myself down.

"With a lot of work out sessions, studies of data and analytics, I also spent a lot of time in the simulator. That’s mainly wha-…" I began and looked for one second into the crowd of journalists as I saw him and my breathing ragged. Sitting in the third row with a devilishly smirk on his lips was Salva Diaz. Charles next to me realised immediately that something was wrong and followed my gaze. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath "Yeah, that’s mainly what I was doing during my winter break. Of course I also spent time with my family and friends and tried to have my mind in the right place. But above all I was just counting down the days for the season to start." I finished and forced myself to smile, trying not to look in his direction.

I didn’t listen to what was said next, I only focused on my breathing and trying to stay as calm as possible. If he’s here, then he will definitely try to ask something and as far as I know him, it would be very inappropriate and sexist.

"… and I think it’s a step in the right direction in terms of equality and diversity to have her here with us." Sebastian said and I looked up. Were they talking about me?

"Lewis?" Clarkson said.

"Yeah, I can only agree with what Charles and Seb said, it’s sad that it took so long for the motorsports world to recognise the talents of female drivers. But I’m really glad that it finally worked out and Lizzie’s here now with us, she’ll be a role model for a whole bunch of girls out there, showing that their dreams can come true." Lewis said and I smiled shyly at him.

"Alright, thank you Lewis. Let’s open this to the floor now and please remember to give your name and publication… first question, please."

"John Barrow, Motorsports Mag. Question for Lizzie. You’re 24 now, not really a young rookie anymore, with many young, talented drivers in F2 right now, hoping for a seat in F1, do you think it’s fair that you took the last open seat, after not being in the sport for years whereas they were fighting for your spot?" the journalist asked and Charles next to me scoffed.

"Connard." Pierre whispered under his breath on my other side. (asshole)

"Umm- of course I’m aware of the amazing drivers that are currently in F2 and I know their desire to make the final step into F1 all too well, I was in their position 4/ 5 years ago. But I was out of the sport not by my own choice? I was forced to, by almost dying… so yeah. I don’t think it’s unfair." I said, looking over at Charles, a murderous look on his face.

"Jean Michel, L'Équipe. Question for Lizzie. Where do you see yourself and the car after the tests? The target from Audi was to fight for wins, but do you think that you’re able to fight at the top, or is the midfield more the area you would see yourself?"

"Car wise I think we showed in the tests so far that we have a good car with a lot of pace, so yeah I think we, or specifically I as you asked, can fight for wins." The next questions were almost all directed at me, more or less the same thing: do I really think I am good enough for this. I felt my anxiety crippling up my spine with every new question and I began to fiddle with my cuticles, feeling the stinging in my eyes. As I thought a second of the next answer I was going to give, I felt the lump in my throat getting bigger and bigger.

"Okay, I think that’s enough. We established by now that Lizzie is feeling capable of driving in F1 and I have no doubt that she will impress all of us, I’ve seen her multiple times on track and from Charles I know how she was back in karting. So I’d say there has been said everything there is to say on that matter." Seb said, his voice calm and collected, although his face clearly showed disdain.

"Right, so we got time for another question? Any other question, please?" Tom Clarkson asked the journalists and I looked around, Salva Diaz holding up his hand and my heart sunk into the pit of my stomach.

"Salva Diaz. Marca. Question for Lizzie. There have been a lot of rumours in the past, about if you and Charles are dating or not. But aside from that, you have now a pool of 19 men around you to choose from, who is the one that attracts you the most, or is it maybe even more than one, you might persuade?" he asked, looking at me with a disgusting smirk.

"Seriously mate? This question is inappropriate!" Lewis said as Charles next to me tensed up and clenched his jaw.

"It’s a question many people are asking themselves?" Diaz countered.

"Yeah? Then these many people can fuck off. We’re done." Charles was furious and got up, standing in front of me, waiting for me to get up "Come on, ma belle, we’re leaving." he said quietly in French and I looked up at him. My eyes glossy. He pulled me up and walked behind me, guiding me, with his hand at the small of my back, out of the conference room.

"I’m okay Charles…" I whispered as he led me through the door.

"Yeah, maybe. But I’m not." he answered and I looked over my shoulder and saw Seb and Lewis discussing with Pierre "That was not okay! All of the questions for you? And then that last guy? What the fuck?"

"It’s okay. It’s done now." I said and he just shook his head.

"I hope they won’t do that again!" Charles said.

"They will. I’m an easy target." I replied and Charles sighed.

"We’ll find a solution…" he said and I nodded, as we walked back to our hospitalities.

The fanzone was loud and a sea of people donning merch of every team. I was almost ecstatic to see people wearing Audi merch with my logo on it, even some posters for me. It was all happening in a blur. The questions asked, my answers. A bit of banter with Valtteri and then we walked off the stage to the fans, Valtteri in front and me behind him, nervously I thought to myself if someone even wanted my autograph or a picture with me. But as soon as we arrived at the fence the fans started screaming Valtteris but also my name. I signed t-shirts, flags, magazine covers, drivers cards, caps, even some arms. As a young girl held up a t-shirt for me to sign, she made big eyes when I signed it.

"Lizzie! You’re sooo amazing! Here! That’s for you!" the young girl handed me a bracelet and I beamed at her.

"For me?" I repeated and she nodded.

"Yes! Here we have another one!" the girl next to her handed me another bracelet.

"Oh my god! Thank you sooo much! They look amazing!" I smiled at them as I put the two bracelets on my wrist "I love them! They are so pretty!"

"We hope you win this weekend, Lizzie!" the one girl said.

"I will try my best!" I said and then we took a selfie together "I hope you have an amazing weekend here, girls!" I waved one last time before I was ushered away by a security guy. I took selfies here and there, signed more merch and other stuff and even received some more bracelets. At the end of the fence was a little girl, full in Audi merch, waving excitedly.

"Look at you! You look amazing!" I said as I stopped in front of her.

"Lizzie! You’re so cool!" she said in German and I smiled at her "You are the best driver!"

"Maybe not the best, but yeah…" I laughed and she shook her head.

"Papa said, if you made it into F1 you must be the best!" she answered and her dad behind her chuckled.

"She’s right! We’re so proud to see a girl making it into F1! And then a German driver in a German team!" he said and I smiled.

"Thank you so much for your support!" I said and signed the cap the little girl handed me.

"Can we take a picture together?" she asked shyly.

"Absolutely!" I answered and we all crouched together to take a picture.

"Here, that’s for you!" the little girl handed me another bracelet and I put it on immediately.

"Thank you so much! It looks amazing!" I said and looked at the bracelet on my wrist.

"Can I hug you?" the girl asked and I smiled.

"Yes! Definitely!" I answered and embraced the little girl "That's what I needed! Thank you so much!"

"We hope you win on Sunday!" she said and her dad nodded in agreement.

"I will try my very best!" I said and smiled one last time before I had to leave.

"Look at that! I got some bracelets! They are all so pretty!" I showed Charles my bracelets and he held my hand and inspected them.

"They really are pretty." he said and I smiled even brighter.

"I was always so… I wouldn’t say jealous, but yeah kinda, when I saw all the bracelets you got… and now I got some myself!" I said and he chuckled a little.

"I have so many by now, I always feel bad when I don’t wear them all. I always switch between them, taking a couple for one weekend and then some others for the next." Charles said and I nodded.

"Maybe I will get one day as well as many as you, but for now I love the ones I have!" I said and he smiled at me.

"I told you, the people will love you! How could they not?" he said and played with the bracelets around my wrist.

"Yeah, it’s just hard to grasp, you know? I’m here now, people are actually cheering for me after all the negativity of the past months? I just don’t want to disappoint them!" I said quietly and looked down, Charles grabbing my chin gently and tilting my head up.

"As long as you give 100% and be the best you can be, you won’t disappoint anyone!" he said firmly and I nodded a little.

"I will give my best… but I know there will be people out there, even journalists, experts or whatever that will crucify me for any small mistake that I’m making. There will be so many people for whom I’ll never be good enough…" I sighed but Charles shook his head.

"Ignore those people! You are one of the best drivers on the grid, believe in yourself!" he said and I smiled a little.

"I will try my best." I said and he pulled me into his side.

"You got this."

The first few laps were good, the car was bouncing a lot, but we expected it from what we’ve seen during the tests already. Apart from that I felt comfortable.

"Lizzie, start your out lap now. Have an eye on the fronts in turn 3 and 6. Mind the curb in turn 8. Valtteri was brushing it a lot there!" Pete said over the radio

"Copy."

I did as told and completed a fast lap.

"Good lap, Lizzie. P4. Box next lap."

"Alright."

The next laps I would test out the medium tires and I felt immediately how much faster I could go.

"Tires are really good." I pushed the radio button.

"Understood. One more try, then box.”

"Ok."

I warmed my tires and began my lap. I weaved through the track and the pace of the car was amazing, but when I drove into turn 10, I braked slightly too much and my tires locked up and I spun off the track, a full 360, but I managed to not lose the car.

"Track clear?" I asked.

"Wait for Albon and then all clear."

Alex drove past me and I joined the track again. I took a deep breath, great. FP1 and I almost lost the car already. I drove straight to the pits where I got wheeled back into the garage. I opened my visor as Pete walked over to me.

"I think we need to check the floor." I said.

"Alright." he nodded to Matt, one of the mechanics as they brought down the screens. I checked the lap times, compared them with the others. Then I watched my spin and shook my head.

"I’m sorry…" I began but Pete shook his head.

"Charles reported he almost lost the car as well, right after you. There must be a slippery patch. So look out on the next lap." he answered and I nodded.

I was almost certain that there wasn’t a slippery patch or something. I simply braked too hard and my tires locked up. I couldn’t think about it any longer as Matt gave Pete the all clear.

"Ready?" Pete asked and I gave him the thumbs up, closing my visor.

"First day is over, how do you feel?" Andrea asked and I shrugged my shoulders a little, poking at my salad.

"Good, I guess? I mean it was a good day, result wise, I think?" I answered and Dad chuckled a little.

"Lizzie, you were P8 and P7. That’s more than good, result wise." Pierre said and Charles nodded.

"I think you could’ve been even faster, you were a bit hesitant at some corners, I think?" he looked at me and I sighed.

"It’s my first race weekend. I don't want to crash out before I make it into the race!" I replied and Charles rolled his eyes.

"Stop thinking like that! Just drive." he said and Pierre nodded agreeing.

"He’s right. Get everything out of your head and just drive. The rest will come on its own." Pierre said and I forced myself to smile, then I took a big gulp of my water.

"You’ll do great. You’ll see." Seb said and patted my arm.

"Listen to him, he’s a world champion!" Felix said and we laughed.

"Yeah, you’re right. In Seb we trust" I said and Seb rolled his eyes.

"What?" Charles asked after a while.

"What?" I looked up at him.

"You want to say something… I feel it. Something is bothering you." he sat up against the headboard.

I sighed and sat up, thinking about how to phrase what’s on my mind.

"It’s umm… in FP1. When I spun… why did you say you almost lost it there? Why did you say there was a slippery patch on the track? I was braking too hard. My tires locked up a little, that’s why I spun…" I said, not looking at him.

"Because it was slip-…" Charles began and I glared at him "Fine. I knew that you would

immediately think about what the media would say and so I thought that if I also have a problem at the spot and say that it’s slippery…"

"… the media leave me alone and won’t tear me apart for screwing up in FP1 already?" I finished his sentence and he nodded a little.

"I’m sorry… it’s just… I know that you read all that crap they write about you and that is not really the best for your confidence! So yeah…" he admitted sheepishly.

"Thank you, Charlie!" I whispered as I hugged him.

"You know I would do everything for you!" he whispered back.

"But Charles?" I pulled away and looked at him.

"You want me to say that I’ll never do it again…" he said and I nodded "I will try my best, it’s just… in my mind it just clicks and I want to protect you, so… yeah I will try to stop it."

"Thanks, really…" I kissed his cheek and he smiled "And now, I go. We need to sleep!"

"You could also stay? We always shared a room in F2 and even when I was in F1 and you in F2?" Charles said and I thought for a second "I sleep better when you’re next to me…"

"Yeah… me too!" I replied and he smiled.

"Perfect."

"Perfect."

"Don’t risk too much, but push as hard as you can."

Charles' words in the back of my mind as I started my flying lap. Trying everything I could to reach Q3.

"Are we through?"

"We are through. P9." Pete said.

"Nice one!"

I drove back into the pits, got a new set of tires, checking my laps.

"You can push a little more." Pete said and pointed out some of the turns, where I was a little more careful than at other turns.

"Alright."

I got into heavy traffic, my mind went racing. I had yet to set a lap time after my last was deleted due to track limits. It was now or never. I accelerated and pushed the throttle as hard as I could and crossed the start line. Full focus now on the track. I was like in a tunnel, nothing else on my mind. I saw the checkered flag and pushed the radio button.

"Tell me we’ve made it?!"

"You’ve done it! You’re in Q3!"

"Valtteri?"

"His last lap time was deleted. He’s P15."

"Damn it. He’ll make up for it in the race!"

"Exactly."

P8 in Q2. It wouldn’t be a bad starting position for my first ever Formula 1 race. But I still had one last chance to make some places up. I drove out of the garage and started to warm my tires.

"Who’s on track with me?"

"Right now Hamilton, Russell, Gasly will pit now. Perez, Magnussen on track. Charles, Verstappen and Sainz are at the pit exit."

"Copy."

"Don’t risk too much, but push as hard as you can." Charles' words again in my head. Also how he said stop thinking just drive. And I just did that. I blanked everything else out. I just drove.

"Brilliant job, Lizzie!"

"Woooohoooooo! YES! Well done team! Thank you guys so much!"

"That was an amazing lap, you’re only 0.095 seconds behind Hamilton! Terrific job!"

"Thanks guys! Where’s Charles?"

"Charles is on pole."

"YES! Awesome! So happy for him!"

"Lizzie, first of all, congrats! P6 for tomorrow! That was an amazing lap!" Will Buxton congratulated me.

"Thanks! It was an amazing job by the team, they sent me out at the right times, tyre choices were amazing. That was a great team effort!" I smiled at him.

"But it was also a brilliant drive from you! You were also a good teammate there, asking straight for Valtteri and later even checking up on Charles?" he asked me and I nodded.

"Valtteri was over the last few weeks such an amazing help for me! He helped me to adjust to the car, showed me what to look at, how to go check certain things. He’s been an amazing mentor and I wished he would’ve been with me in Q3, but I know he will come back stronger tomorrow in the race." I answered and he nodded "And Charles… I mean, I obviously keep on checking for him, I’m so proud of him after that qualifying and hope he can convert that pole into a win."

"So no win for you?" Will chuckled.

"I mean, pace wise it will be really hard to catch up to him. But yeah we’ll see what we can do."

"First Drivers Parade… nervous?" Valtteri asked as we got on the low loader truck.

"No? Yes? I don’t know?" I answered and he chuckled, then nudged my shoulder.

"You’ll be fine, I know it!" he said and I nodded, he clapped Charles on the back who approached us "Hey mate."

"Hi Valtteri." Charles smiled at the Finish driver as he walked off, then he looked at me "You look a little pale?"

"I’m good… I just want the race to start now!" I admitted and Charles laughed.

"Yeah, I remember how I was before my first race. I just wanted to get into the car and drive…" he said and I smiled.

"I know, I was there!" I replied and we laughed.

"You were… like you’re everywhere that’s important to me!" he said and pulled me into his side "And now smile and wave at the crowd!" and I did just that.

"We’re all so proud of you Lizzie! You’ll be amazing!" Mum said and I smiled at her.

"Show me! Lizzie! Look what I’m wearing!" Liam came into frame, clad in Audi merch from head to toe.

"Oh wow Bubba! Look at you!" I laughed and he beamed at me.

"I’m your biggest fan! Oh… but also Charlie’s! Like both of you!" Liam said and I smiled at him.

"I think we can happily share your support!" I said and Charles walked up next to me, football in one hand "Speak of the devil!" I tilted the phone so that Liam could see Charles.

"Hey Bubba! I see you’re ready for the race!" he said and Liam nodded.

"But look what I wear under!" Liam said and lifted his Audi shirt, revealing a Ferrari shirt.

"Look at you!" Charles laughed and Liam was happy that he made both of us happy.

"I’d say now Charlie has to win!" Dad said behind us and Liam nodded.

"Yes! Charlie wins and Lizzie makes it onto the podium!" he agreed and I laughed.

"Sure! I’ll try my best!" I smiled at him.

"I have a good feeling that Lizzie will be on the podium, Bubba!" Charles said and I rolled my eyes a little.

"We gotta go now, Liam! I’ll call you after the race!" I said and Charles nodded.

"Bye little one!" he said and Liam sent us air kisses.

"Good luck!" he yelled before he ended the call.

"Warm up a little?" Charles asked and I nodded, grabbing the ball from him.

"Yup, let’s go."

Charles POV:

I stood in front of Lizzie’s garage, waiting for her and looked up at the picture of her, smiling down on me. Someone approached me and I looked down.

"Good luck, Charles! You can win this!" Juergen said and hugged me.

"Thanks, but shouldn’t you cheer for Lizzie?" I teased him and he rolled his eyes boxing my arm a little.

"I’m not picking a favourite out of you two! You battle it out on the track and the best should win… like back in the day!" he said and I smiled.

"Sounds fair!" I laughed as Lizzie walked out of the garage, her race suit rolled down to her waist "Ready?"

"Let’s vibe to the anthem I say!" she laughed and gave Juergen a kiss on the cheeks, hugged me and walked away "Come on Charlie!" I turned around and followed her as something caught my eye. Inside of Lizzie’s race suit was the Monegasque flag. I stopped abruptly. Lizzie took another 3 steps before she realised I wasn’t next to her, then she turned around.

"What’s wrong?" she asked, worried.

"Is that… Lizzie is that- is that the Monegasque flag?" I almost whispered it and her eyes widened a little as she blushed.

"Yeah… it’s umm- it’s a little tribute, for your Dad, he always said I would make it into F1. He never had any doubt, even when I had them… a lot. But he never doubted it for a second… so yeah, that’s for him." she said and I almost choked up "But it’s also for you, Charles, because you did as well. You always said we would drive one day together in F1 and here we are. You were always by my side, through thick and thin. You believed in me when I wasn’t anymore. So yeah, this is for you as well. My anchor."

I hugged her tight to my body, blinking the tears away.

"My anchor. Without you, I wouldn’t be here either. Tonight we make them proud!" I whispered and kissed her temple.

"Get a room, you two!" Pierre shouted as he walked past us, while Daniel did a wolf whistle.

"They’re just jealous, because I get to hold you close and they don’t!" I said, pulling away.

"No, that privilege belongs only to you." she said as she wiped away the tears from my cheeks "Damn, Leclerc. We’re not even racing yet and you’re already sweating."

I was taking one last breath. Closing my eyes. And then it started. The lights went out and I went off. Hamilton overtook Perez, then I overtook Perez, chasing Hamilton for that P4. Behind us was a little commotion but we were already too far gone to be involved. A yellow flag was waved, a moment later the track was clear again. I fully focused on Hamilton in front of me, staying as close as possible. As soon as the DRS was enabled I tried to catch up even further.

"Spare front left a bit." Pete radioed.

"Copy. Gap?"

"0.9. Stay like this and you’ll have DRS."

"Alright."

And DRS I had indeed, but Hamilton was clever, fighting off my attack lap after lap.

"Hamilton says tyres are really good."

"Yeah? He’s sliding a lot for that."

"How are yours?"

"Better. No sliding."

"Strat 1A then."

"Copy."

The next few laps I stayed close to Hamilton but he always was able to fight me off, no matter how hard I tried.

"Box, Box." Pete said and the next lap I drove into the pit lane, right after Hamilton.

2.4 seconds. A good stop. But I wasn’t the only one with a good one. Hamilton got released just as I approached him and I had to break to avoid us touching. No undercut then. Now it was all down to who would warm the tyres faster. The battle for the 4th place went on lap after lap, with me overtaking Hamilton and him overtaking me. Back and forth until our next pitstop. And after that it went on again like that.

"Do I have anything left? Pace wise?" I pushed the radio button and hoped for a miracle.

"We can try setting… safety car. Lizzie, Max has retired. It’s now a battle for the podium."

Battle for the podium? In my first race I could get a podium? I just had to overtake 7 time world champion Lewis Hamilton for that. Something I failed for the past almost 50 laps. Game on.

"Box, Box."

I knew I had a set of new softs.

"Does he…" I began.

"Only used ones." Pete knew exactly what I wanted to ask.

A set of new softs. I warmed them as good as possible, preparing for the re-start. I knew Charles long enough to know when and where he would start and had an amazing re-start. I made a bold move, round the inside and Hamilton left enough space for me to squeeze past him, with the better tyres I had more traction for the next few corners and could defend my position. I was even able to keep him out of the DRS window as soon as it was enabled again.

"Hamilton now behind with 1.3 seconds. Sainz ahead with 1.1 seconds. 3 laps to go."

"Who’s faster?"

"You’re faster than Hamilton. Sainz is slightly faster than you."

"Copy."

3 more laps. Push through.

Penultimate lap. Come on.

Last lap. Only 5,412 km between me and my first ever F1 podium. Full focus.

Checkered flag. P3.

"GOOD JOB, LIZZIE! WELL DONE!" Pete screamed.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD! DID WE JUST LAND ON THE PODIUM?!?!"

"You drove brilliantly! Amazing! Thank you, Lizzie! We’re all so proud of you!" Felix radioed and he sounded a little off.

"Are you crying? Felix!" I chuckled and he cleared his throat.

"No, I don’t! But honestly! Freaking amazing, Lizzie! Congratulations on a brilliant first race and your first podium!" he said.

"Thank you guys! This is for all the hard work you guys put in the car! Here and back home at the factory. Where’s Valtteri?"

"P6!"

"WOOOHOOOO!!! From P15 to P6! What an amazing recovery! Awesome job!"

"Double points!"

It felt amazing, putting the car in that P3 spot. Next to Charles, who was already getting out of his car. I sat there for a moment to gather myself. P fucking 3. What?! Someone patted on my helmet and I looked up.

"Get your ass out there!" Charles shouted and I unbuckled my seatbelts, put the steering wheel out and climbed out of the car, straight into Charles arms who twirled me around "I’m so fucking proud of you, ma belle! Your first race and you’re already on the podium! Congrats!"

"Thank you Charlie, congrats on your win! Fucking hell a P1-P2! Ferrari is back!" I said as he sat me down and I opened my visor.

"Yeah, no go to your team! They want to celebrate you!" he pushed me towards the Audi crew and I jumped into them, everyone patting my helmet, shoulders and arms.

"Fantastic!"

"Well done, Lizzie!"

"Amazing race!"

"Brilliant race, Lizzie!"

I felt like floating when I reached Dad who pulled me into him.

"I’m so, so proud of you, my little owl! You did amazing! We’re all so damn proud!" he sniffled a little and I pulled away.

"Nooo! Pops stop crying!!!" I said and he shook his head.

"I’m not crying! Don’t look at me like that! It’s just-… You’re on the freaking podium! Charles won! I’m so happy and proud of you two!" he said and I waved Charles over. Dad immediately pulled him into a tight hug. "We’re all so proud of you! You two did amazing!"

"Oh Pops, stop or I’m crying!" Charles laughed and Dad did as well "Lizzie, you need to go to your weighing." he looked over at Jo Bauer, waiting for me.

"Oh shit, yeah, I almost forgot." I walked over hastily "Sorry! I was overwhelmed."

"No worries at all, Lizzie. Good race! Well done!” he smiled at me, noting my weight and handing me the receipt.

"Thank you!" I said and walked up to the little table and pulled my helmet off, after that I wiped my face with the towel and drank some water. Then I walked over to Carlos and nudged his shoulder.

"Good race! Congrats!" I said and he grinned.

"Yeah, you too Lizzie. Well done!" he said and someone engulfed me in a hug from behind, lifting me off the ground.

"YOU’RE THE FREAKING GOAT!" Pierre screamed and I laughed. He let me down again and I turned around and he hugged me again "You’re on the podium! You’re on the freaking podium! Congrats!"

"Thanks, Pierre!" I smiled at him and he nodded at Carlos.

"We’re going to party tonight!" Pierre hugged me again and then walked up to Charles to congratulate him. I took another swig from my bottle as I saw Seb approaching me.

"Lizzie! Amazing race!" he said in German and hugged me "I’m so damn proud of you!"

"Thanks Seb!" I smiled and he patted my shoulder again before he left to congratulate Charles as well. I drank some more as Julie waved at me, nodding her head into the direction where the camera crew was standing. Of course, the interview. I took a deep breath and walked towards a guy smiling at me and handing me a microphone.

"Lizzie, congrats on P3! What a race! Your overtake on Perez looked phenomenal! And then that fight with Lewis? Talk us through!" Martin Brundle said and I smiled at him.

"Thanks, Martin! It was an amazing feeling, having that much pace to overtake him like that! But yeah, Lewis was a tough battle! Whenever I thought I might have him, he always came back. But he’s not a 7 time world champion for nothing." I answered and Martin laughed.

"He’s a tough opponent, that’s for sure. But you managed to overtake him and now you’re standing here, P3, podium, in your first F1 race. How does it feel?" he asked.

"Can I be honest? I’m feeling a little like I’m dreaming or something? It doesn’t feel real. I mean… fucking hell! Podium? I can’t believe it! It feels so freaking amazing. It was a good first weekend for us, we scored some nice point with Valtteri’s amazing race from P15 to P6!" I said and laughed when Valtteri showed up behind Martin waving at me.

"I let you join your team mate, then. Enjoy your first podium! Amazing race, Lizzie. Well done!" he finished and I smiled at him.

"Thank you!" and with that I gave the microphone back and walked up to Valtteri, who pulled me in a hug.

"Brilliant job, Lizzie!" he said and I smiled.

"You too! What a race! P6! Amazing!" I replied and he just waved it off.

"It was okay. But you? Fantastic! You need to celebrate this!" he smiled at me and I nodded "And now off you go to get that trophy!"

"Yeah." I laughed and followed one of the F1 officials into the cool down room.

"That was an amazing overtake, Lizzie. He had no chance!" Charles gushed as he saw the replay of my overtake of Perez "And that fight with Lewis! Brilliant!"

"He was a tough nut!" I replied as the replay of the checkered flag was shown and how the Ferraris crossed the line first and then with a little gap me.

"Lizzie? You’re first!" the same F1 official from before called me on the podium and I walked out, the crowd cheering, and stepped on the podium. I could hear some booing here and there but I couldn’t care less at the moment. Podium. Fucking amazing.

It was all a blur. Monaco Anthem. Italy Anthem. Trophies. And then the Champagne. The loud pop of the cork ringing in my ear as I was doused in the sticky liquid by Charles. I sprayed him and Carlos, then we cheersed on each other and I took a swig of the bottle.

"Ewww… I thought in F1 it would taste at least a little better!" I laughed and Charles only shook his head.

"Nope, still disgusting." he chuckled a little and took a sip as well "Yeah, never gets better."

As the pictures were taken, Charles pulled me close to his side, cheeks hurting from smiling like crazy.

We were ushered to the post race press conference and Charles and I joked around as Tom Clarkson began. Most of the questions were positive, congratulating me, saying they were impressed. I saw Salva Diaz, hoping he wouldn’t have a chance of asking anything, but I was wrong, unfortunately.

"Question for Lizzie, your overtake on Checo looked almost a bit too easy? He didn’t put up much of a fight there…" he began.

"Lewis' overtake on him wasn’t different? He had problems with his engine as we found out… so what are you implying?" I interrupted him.

"I wasn’t implying anything… Who will be the lucky man you’re celebrating your race with tonight? Maybe even Checo?" he then countered and I saw Charles next to me clenching his jaw.

"With every single person that comes down to the club where we will be." I answered, voice indifferent.

"Alright. That’s it for today. Thank you to our 3 drivers, Lizzie, Charles and Carlos. Have a nice celebration and we’ll see you next week in Saudi Arabia. Good night!"

I jumped up and we left the stage, Julie waiting for me.

"Why do I have a feeling that this guy really doesn’t like you?" she asked and I shook my head.

"I don’t know, he’s just a sexist asshole, don’t worry…" I answered but Charles just scoffed.

"This guy needs to be gone. It’s the second time now that he asked something like that! That’s not okay, Lizzie!" he said.

"Let’s wait for Saudi Arabia. If he pulls something like that again…" I sighed.

"Of course he will!" Charles replied.

"We’ll see, okay? And now I don’t want to think about him anymore! I want to think about the amazing race we had! And how and where we celebrate!" I said and Charles chuckled a little.

"You’ll see, ma belle, you’ll see!"

As I finally made it back into the Audi garage a wild party was already going on, everyone clapping and cheering for me as I walked in.

"Alright, everyone, quiet please. I want to say a few words!" Felix said out loud. And everyone was looking at him "First of all: Big congratulations to Lizzie! You had an amazing first weekend and today’s race was just phenomenal! A podium in your first race! We’re all so proud of you! Then of course Valtteri! You coped brilliantly! From P15 to P6! Good job! I’d like to thank not just you two for today’s success, but also the whole team, everyone who worked so hard for this result today! I have a good feeling about this car, this whole team and our drivers of course! So, let’s celebrate tonight. Our team briefing can wait until tomorrow!"

"Let’s goooo!" Matt, one of my mechanics shouted and the whole team cheered with him.

I hugged people here and there, made small talk and laughed and smiled. Right as I thought I possibly couldn’t smile brighter, I saw a text from Charles, asking when I’m ready to leave. I said my goodbyes to the team, telling them that I want them all at the club later on, grabbed my bag and left with dad, whose smile didn’t falter once.

"You have no idea how proud I am of you, my little owl." he said as we walked side by side to the car park.

"Pops, you said it already like a million times! I know by now!" I laughed but he shook his head.

"Yeah and you will hear it probably another 2 million times! I’m proud of you! Really!" he said and pulled me to his side "Today you showed the world what we all already knew, you’re a true fighter and a terrific racer! And it seems that a lot of people world wide agree, you won the vote for driver of the day!"

"That means nothing…" I began.

"Yes, it does Lizzie!" he replied and I sighed.

"Maybe you’re right…" I said and he chuckled.

"I’m always right."

"Wow… Lizzie, you look… wow…" Charles looked at me in the mirror and I turned around "You look so amazing, ma belle. Beautiful."

"Thanks, Charlie. You look very handsome yourself!" I answered, smoothing down the dark green fabric of my dress.

"It’s nothing compared to you!" he answered and I shook my head, Charles looked dashing in his dark blue jeans and white button down.

"That’s not true! The girls will be all over you tonight!" I laughed and turned around and looked into the mirror again, checking my make up one last time, as Charles walked up next to me, turning me around, one hand on my waist, the other gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His eyes lingered for a moment on my mouth, then they wandered up to my eyes.

"I don’t care about other girls, because tonight I’ll only celebrate you… and I plan to be all over you…" he whispered and I could feel his warm breath fanning over my face, I swallowed audibly and he grinned at me. I felt hot, my insides boiling. He was so close. Too close. But not close enough. I glanced down at his lips, his perfect lips. Did he just lean in? I opened my mouth, I had to say something, but then someone started banging on the door and we pushed away from each other. I walked into the en suite bathroom. Trying to cool myself down. Something like that couldn’t happen again.

"Get your ass out of there, Lizzie! Come on! They are all waiting for us!" Pierre yelled through the door and I took one last deep breath, then walked out.

"Jeez! I’m ready! Can’t a girl have a minute of privacy?" I asked and he just shook his head.

"Nope, not when she’s this hot and has a podium and a full club of guys waiting to celebrate with her. So let’s move it!" he laughed and pushed me out of the hotel room, I could grab my purse at the last moment and the next thing I know is how I downed my first shot of the night.

"To Charles and Carlos! First P1-P2 for Ferrari in a while! And to Lizzie! For scoring her first podium in her first race!" Pierre shouted and we all drank another shot.

"I must say, I’m more than impressed, Liz. That weekend of yours? You shut a lot of mouths!" Daniel said and I smiled at him "Damn good to be driving along a history maker!"

"Thanks Daniel! Really!" I said and hugged him.

"Hey! Unfair!" Charles next to me huffed and pulled me out of Daniel’s embrace before hugging me himself "You said only I have the privilege to have you this close!"

I had to contain my laughter at his adorable pout and instead kissed his cheek.

"Sorry Charlie bear, but he was nice to me… so I had to say thank you, right?" I laughed but Charles shook his head, a movement he regretted a moment later.

"Shouldn’t have done that… ugh… I’m feeling dizzy now…" he mumbled and I walked him back to our booth and sat him down, handing him a bottle of water "Thank you, ma belle… but what I was saying… you can shake his hand to say thank you…"

"Oh Charles come one… don’t be so possessive!" I laughed, although my cheeks blushed hard at the thought of Charles being this possessive over me.

"But I am this possessive! You’re mine." he rasped quietly and the air between us was loaded with tension.

"What?" I swallowed hard, I must misheard that.

"I said you’re my best friend. My Lizzie. Ma belle." Charles said, his voice sounded a little nervous "Right?"

"Yeah… yeah you’re right…" I answered and grabbed a bottle of water for myself "Maybe we should leave Charles. You’re a little drunk and I don’t want you to be totally hungover tomorrow!" I got up and he only nodded, doing the same.

"You’re right. We have team meetings to attend in a couple of hours…" he answered, although he sounded almost sober again "Let’s go."

The whole way back to our hotel and Charles room we were silent. I went to the bath room first, showered quickly and was preparing for bed. I walked out in an old shirt from Charles and a leggins. He sat on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone.

"I always wondered where that was…" he chuckled as he looked up, pointing to his shirt.

"It’s comfy, so I stole it…" I answered and grinned at him "You can go now, I’m done."

"Alrighty then." Charles stood up and closed the door behind him.

I laid down, thinking about what happened before the club. It wasn’t the first time that we were this close to each other, that I felt like my body was craving him, not just my body, but also my mind. I had to stop myself from doing something stupid. But on the other hand, it seemed that Charles had to do the same? Or was it just the champagne? We drank a little more while getting ready. But these kinds of moments happened a lot over the last months. And usually we were sober… My mind was reeling, trying to find an answer… but instead of being wiser, my mind drifted off, replaying the scene from the club earlier over and over… and with Charles' image in my mind, I fell asleep.

"All in all it was an amazing weekend for us! 23 points, no damages, one podium. Amazing. Let’s continue like this in Jeddah! See you all there!" Felix finished off our first ever post race team meeting and we were dismissed. I said goodbye to everyone and left, looking for Charles, as Dad and I would fly with him to Jeddah. We haven’t talked about what happened last night, this morning was hectic with packing our suitcases and hurrying back to the track for our respective team meetings. I walked out of our garage bumping straight into Andrea.

"Charles sent me to pick you up, the team meeting isn’t over yet." he said and I nodded.

"Why do they need this long? Was there anything they could’ve done better? I mean you have a P1-P2 plus the fastest lap?" I laughed but Andrea shook his head a little.

"Yeah, I don’t know either… he said we should go ahead and he will come straight to the airport." he said and I cocked an eyebrow.

"Umm… okay. Dad and JK are waiting with my stuff in our hospitality-" I began but stopped as I saw both of them walking up to us, Dad with my suitcase and backpack "Nevermind." I laughed and Andrea chuckled a little.

"I go and grab Charles and my stuff, I meet you at the car?" he said and I nodded as he walked off.

"So? How was the first post race team meeting?" Dad asked as we walked to the car park.

"I mean there wasn’t much to say was there?" I shrugged my shoulders and they laughed.

"Probably not, no." he answered "We’re waiting now for Charles? What’s taking so long at Ferrari?"

"It’s Ferrari…"

"Are you okay?" I asked Charles, while he was tapping away on his phone.

"Yeah, why?" he didn’t even look up from his phone, so I gently took it from his hands "Lizzie, I’m fine. Can I have my phone now?"

"No. Because you’re not honest… you can have it back as soon as you start talking!" I said, leaning back in my seat, looking out the window. Charles next to me sighed and then leaned back as well.

"Sylvia spoke to me about the way I celebrated after the race…" he whispered and I turned to look at him.

"The club? You didn’t do anything? Yeah we drank a little but we didn’t do something… we made it back to the hotel without leaving any chaos behind?" I asked and he shook his head, closing his eyes.

"No, straight after the race, when I got out of my car… she said I should’ve gone to Carlos first, to celebrate our P1-P2, then our team. And then lastly you…" he mumbled.

"Oh… okay… I’m sorry." I said and Charles whipped his head into my direction.

"Why would you apologise for her erratic behaviour? I swear she just looks for reasons to annoy me… she said apparently it wouldn’t look good to the Tifosi if I would congratulate and celebrate first with another driver and then with Carlos… I told her you’re not just another driver and she knows it… but yeah you know her." he said and I chuckled a little, yes, I knew how Sylvia could be.

"Was that why the meeting took that long?" I asked and he nodded.

"I explained to them that I was just happy for you and that I can’t control my emotions after winning a race and then seeing you being on the podium as well… she said I should try and I just said I will… which I totally won’t. I celebrate with who I want when I want!" he smiled at me.

"You’re giving her a heart attack one day…" I chuckled and he laid his head on my shoulder.

"Maybe I’ll do it in Jeddah, when we’re both back on the podium together…" he whispered and took my hand, intertwining our fingers "And now let’s try for a little power nap, I’m tired as hell…" he yawned and closed his eyes, snuggling into my side.

"You always turn into a little koala bear when you’re tired…" I giggled and I could see him smiling.

"That's why I’m your Charlie bear." he whispered and I smiled, looking out of the window. Saudi Arabia is ahead of us.

Race week 2 starts now.

————————————————————————

Little Note:

That's it, chapter 13 is out - the longest chapter so far 🙈 soooorry! But a LOT is happening and I wanted to be as detailed as possible for one race weekend because from now on it’s never this fully described ever again. And sorry that it took so long, but writing with a broken hand wasn’t so easy 🫠

Please leave a comment/ like/ reblog/ message and tell me how you liked it! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

If you want to be added to the taglist, drop a comment!

Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@silkenthusiasts @eugene-emt-roe @sunny44 @itsjustkhaos @glitterquadricorn @aundercover @kakorrhaphiphobia @alittlebitofbooksandmagic @ru-kru @glitterf1

All the images I’m using are from Google, Pinterest and Instagram (or self made 😅).

[yacinthemorning]

Birdsongs

Chapter 5

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Summary: The Life Pilgrimage is the biggest music festival of the century, set to take place all across the continent. Small-time rock band, GIST, and the up-and-coming alternative band, Empire, are both lucky to be among the hundreds set to make appearances, but there's just one problem. Neither can afford the travel expenses on their own. For better or worse, they're stuck with each other for the next five weeks as they try to make their dreams come true.

And, perhaps, among the chaos and music, two unsuspecting souls find one another...

Ships: Jimmy/Tango (slow burn romantic), Joel/Lizzie (romantic), Jimmy & Scott (platonic)

Warnings: Harassment, threats of violence, hangovers, shovel talk

 “Do you think if the trailer caught fire it would explode like in the movies?”

Every person previously nursing their hangovers turned their eyes on Skizz. Tango reached out while he was still lost in thought and snatched away the blunt about to fall from his fingers. “Okay, that’s that.”

“Hey! Give it back!”

“Nope. It’s all fun and games ‘til the train of thought turns to arson.” He said, putting it out and pushing a bag of bugles towards his old friend. “We know how that ends.”

“You guys really don’t hold back, do you?” Lizzie murmured with concern.

Tango shrugged the same moment they hit a pothole, throwing him into the air. He glanced over his shoulder towards the front seats. Sure enough, Jimmy was looking back, mouthing an apology before Fwhip turned his attention back to the road. That day’s drivers were decided purely on who was sober enough to pass a breathalyser if they were pulled over, or in other words, Jimmy and Pearl.

The night before had gotten wild, from what little Tango could remember, and now the day after it was like they were all running on empty. Even after brushing his teeth thrice there was an awful taste left in Tango’s mouth. Joel could barely lift his head off the wall. Scott and Gem had never even gotten out of bed, and for once Impulse couldn’t find the energy to tell them off for not being buckled in. It may have had something to do with, while wasting time fiddling with his own, nearly puking across the table, had he not been next to the window. Someone had attempted to put a movie on, but the noise nearly caused Lizzie to cry.

All in all, it was not a fun day so far. Still, no one seemed to mind. Tango smiled as he rested his chin across his arms. Both their bands had hit it out of the park in their first performance. The others’ music wasn’t half bad either, especially with Jimmy there. Despite all his worries they got on like a house on fire. It gave him hope he could actually get through this trip without exploding. One member of Empire down, four more to go. Or maybe he should stop while ahead?

Pain pulsed through his skull, groan matched by Lizzie. Okay, so maybe he could wait until tomorrow.

“We’re pulling off the freeway in a minute.” Fhwip announced. “Pearl wants to stop in town for the day since we’re way ahead of schedule.”

Lizzie lulled her head to the side in order to give her manager the stink eye. “Really? While we’re like this?”

“You’re free to stay in the trailer, I’m just relaying the plan! We’re gonna check in at the campsite and then head out.”

The clock on the wall declared it quarter past two. Skizz scraped a bugle claw across the table, then ate it absently. “Could hit up a pub for dinner.” He suggested.

“More drinking?” Complained Jimmy from the front seat.

“We don’t have to drink! Might be fun though. Have a couple burgers then get our groove on to whatever honkytonk music they got out here.”

Tango barked, “God, don’t subject these poor kids to your geriatric wiggling!”

There was shuffling in the bedroom, and Gem pulled open the door looking like a very excited zombie. “W’goin’ dancin’?” She asked so hopefully. Scott appeared behind her, scrubbing his dyed hair out of his face before shuffling her forward so he could lock himself in the bathroom.

“Oh, we haven’t been dancing in forever, Joel!” Lizzie joined in on the excitement, reaching her hand out to flap it in front of her husband to get his attention. It did little, only getting a hung-over grunt. She huffed, then stretched out across the table to get a look at the drivers. “Full steam ahead, Jim, my toes are a-tappin!”

“It’s not even dinner time yet, at least wait!” He said back, voiced pitched up in panic.

“They’re a-tappin, Jimmy! Hurry!”

“You’re unbelievable!”

Tango replaced his bugle claws just to jab Skizz. “Then I guess that’s that.”

-

They’d only just put the blocks under the wheels of the trailer when a commotion had already began. Jimmy looked up from where he was pulling chairs out from the car at the sound of his sister’s ‘pay attention to me’ whine. Both she and Gem had surrounded Impulse like a pack of hyenas, circling him to keep him from getting far with the bag he was carrying. Not a situation Jimmy was dumb enough to get involved with.

Tango had also noticed the scene and, in his ignorance, dared approach. “Hey, what’s all the hubbub about?”

They pounced on him, eliciting a funny little screech. “Tango! Come with us!” Gem demanded more than asked. It was too late for him. He was already being dragged off. Jimmy quietly saluted the lost soldier and went back to work.

“Wh- What! What’s going on?”

“We’re gonna go shopping for outfits for tonight.”

“But you already have a bunch of clothes!”

“Some of us change more than once a week, Tango.”

Jimmy yanked the tent out of the car just in time before Tango was shoved into the now-open backseat and locked in. The pathetic expression he pressed against the window reminded Jimmy of a cat being taken to the vet. Impulse slipped into the driver’s seat with more dignity and resignation. Then they were off.

Skizz dropped the cooler down between himself and Jimmy. “Well, better them than us.”

“We probably aren’t seeing them before dinner.” Jimmy said. Not once in his life had Lizzie ever been decisive enough not to try on everything in a shop.

“Oi, Skizz,” called Pearl from the side of the trailer. “We’re almost out of propane, and we could use a couple more drinks and toilet paper I’m thinking. Mind walkin’ down the road and grabbing some?”

Skizz shrugged, then slapped Jimmy’s shoulder hard enough to send him a few feet forward. “You heard her. Let’s go, buddy!”

“Me? She asked you!” But Jimmy was already being dragged off.

“I need someone sober to make sure I don’t drop kick the propane into my own face.”

It didn’t sound like a job Jimmy was either looking forward to nor qualified for. Regardless, they found themselves walking down the road together towards the campsite store. It was a warm afternoon, thankfully, with birds going wild in the trees above. The canopy hid them well from view, but their songs gave them away. Several chikadees called to one another while a jay and crow fought to make the graveliest caws. Between them a sparrow screeched like it was trying to replace the cicadas that were still hidden underground that year. He could see the little thing shaking on a branch protruding right out over the road, hanging on for dear life. In the far distance there was the clucks of someone’s chickens, but most oddly-

“Earth to Jimmy! Yoo-hoo!”

Jimmy blinked, focus narrowing until he could barely hear the songbirds over Skizz’s hard stare. They were at the store, standing awkwardly at the bottom of the ramp onto its porch.

“Y’okay?” Skizz asked, pushing past him towards the door. “And I thought I was hungover.”

A blush dusted Jimmy’s cheeks. “Sorry.” He wasn’t hung over at all, but given how out of it Skizz was before he even got back to the trailer he wasn’t surprised Skizz didn’t know that. “It just sounds nice around here.”

Skizz threw his hands up. “It sounds like a bore! It needs more pizzazz, a little more boogie on the roads, bit o’ radio leakage.” He paused at the door as a breeze passed. Several wind chimes, clearly homemade, rattled away as if out of spite. A peculiar bird song lulled underneath them, difficult to tell apart. He huffed in amusement. “But I guess it’s got its charm.”

“You’d know better than me, probably.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The bell of the store rang, catching the campsite owner’s attention. They nodded to the old woman and moved past. There was only two aisles of goods in the store, selling only basic emergency supplies and a few candy bars. Skizz went straight for the gas and ice. Jimmy hummed thoughtfully as he grabbed a four pack of toilet paper. “You guys have been playing for years right? And I’m probably the worst here, you’d know better than me about sound.”

“Jimmy!”

Both Jimmy and the poor owner jumped at Skizz’s shout. He glared daggers, and shoved a bag of ice into Jimmy’s hands. “The first thing any musician needs to know is skill is bullshit! It’s opinions all the way down!”

Jimmy wasn’t quite sure what to say, especially not with the owner staring into the back of his skull. “Skizz-”

“No, no, no! You listen here, mister!” Skizz continued to speak far too loud. “I heard you on that disc. It’s complete malarkey. Guys like you and me, we might not be big shining stars like Lizzie or Gem, but we’re still important! You gotta have confidence in yourself, kid! You got a sound all your own!”

His face was surely beet red by then. What decisions led him here, stuck getting preached to like a Saturday morning cartoon while he awkwardly held overpriced toilet paper? “I guess.” He murmured, just trying to get the scene Skizz was making to end.

“Don’t guess! You know what?” Skizz crossed his arms and smirked. “I’ve decided you’re stuck with me until you say the magic words.”

Jimmy gaped. “Magic words?”

“Yeah, magic words!”

“... Which is?”

“I’m an amazing musician!”

“I’m an amazing musician.” He deadpanned.

“No, not like that! You gotta mean it! I swear, you’re almost as bad as Tango.”

“I really don’t think-”

“Um, excuse me.” The two turned to the owned, who looked so incredibly uncomfortable. “Would you mind paying for that?”

They’d strayed dangerously close to the door during their back and forth. Jimmy shrank into his shoulders as he brought it over to the counter. Skizz quickly grabbed a camping-sized canister of gas and threw it on the counter as well before reaching for his wallet.

“That’ll be 21.65.”

Skizz’s nose wrinkled. “Shit.” He turned to Jimmy an awkward grimace. “You wouldn’t happen to have a ten I can borrow, would you?”

Everything was most certainly overpriced, but not by that much. Jimmy only shrugged, pulling out his card. “I’ll just get it.”

“You don’t have to-”

“We’re all pitching in, it’s fine.”

Though he went quiet his eyebrows never relaxed. Not until they were outside did he pipe up again, “Dude I’m so sorry, I spent way too much at the venue.”

“It’s fine, Skizz.” He tried to assure, though there was a sour note left at the explanation. They hadn’t hung out much, but anyone within half a mile could smell exactly what it was he spent his cash on. “Don’t you have a card, though?”

There was an awkward groan. “Yeah, but I can’t touch it ‘til next week.”

“Bills?” It made some sense, though the timing seemed all off.

“Yeah, my mom’s nurse. She’s nice but she really bleeds y’dry on a bad month.” He rambled more than explained, going on about this and that miscellaneous expense.

Jimmy felt a bit bad now, though it raised a particular question in the back of his mind. Why are you out here on a music tour, then? Luckily, he was able to keep it off his tongue. He hardly had room to talk. Not that there was any room to, with Skizz’s ramble going off the rails into a story about his college days with Impulse.

There was that odd twitter once more, just as they descended the steps. Jimmy almost missed it. The song was irregular, soft and sweet but not natural. Jimmy twisted around.

There, just over a fence separating the campsite from someone’s backyard. One of the windows was wide open, its old curtains dragged out by the breeze, collecting dust every time it buffeted against the mouldy panelling. It gave way when the wind stilled for a moment, revealing a white painted bird cage. Within, hopping from one wood bar to the other, was a tiny finch, feathers the colour of butter. A canary. Though, Jimmy had never seen one, but that’s what he had to assume. Trained, so it seemed, with the lovely tunes it altered between. As if it knew it had gained an audience it halted in its hops, and picked up volume. Jimmy smiled. Maybe just for a bit they could…

“- And I said ‘Well, I can’t beat off four people at once!’”

Jimmy’s foot tangled against his ankle and with a sharp squawk he went down. Only the toilet paper cushioned his fall, avoiding breaking his nose against the dirt road, though a face full of plastic was unpleasant in its own right.

“Oh my god, are you okay, dude?” Skizz asked, yanking him back onto his feet with a single hand.

Jimmy nodded his head through the pain, “No- yes- I’m sorry. You did what?”

There was a nervous laugh, “Dude!”

The ridiculousness finally sunk in with dizziness. “You can’t just say something like that in public!”

“We aren’t in public!”

Jimmy threw out his hands towards the open lot. Skizz waved him off, a fit of giggles filling the air.

“There ain’t no one around!”

“But there could be!”

But Skizz shook his head, pulling him in to eye level and patting his shoulder. “See, is that your problem? You got stage fright, kid? I bet it is. Not to brag but I’m pretty good at reading people.”

Stage fright? Well certainly, who doesn’t? Well, Scott and Lizzie. And probably Joel. But the crowd wasn’t anything to worry about once he got going. “I came to help you buy toilet paper, not get a therapy session.” He whined, trying to shake off the guitarist.

“Well to bad! You’re stuck with the Skizzleman ‘til you believe in yourself!”

Maybe this trip actually was going to be as bad as he thought.

-

Tango waded through the aisles of some tiny store, one eye on the changing rooms. The selection was understandably small, mostly graphic t-shirts with the town name on it, maybe a mining helmet or a terrible post card picture of the old abandoned mines-turned-museum that was apparently the only thing the place was known for. A whole corner for generic patriotic merch, a small section for crafts by artists from the local reservation, and an entire wall of hats with vaguely funny fishing and nature jokes made up the rest of the store. Not exactly prime location for night-on-the-town clothes. But Gem had spotted a Bon Jovi shirt that was admittedly pretty cool and now Tango was stuck playing with dream catchers while the girls tried on Large Women’s T-shirt #12 that Gem would take a pair of scissors to as soon as they got back to the trailer.

“How does it look?” Lizzie squealed, throwing the curtains to the side. “Too boring?” It was a jean jacket, pre-worn to a faded sky blue that went well with her pink hair. Not exact her style, from what Tango had so far seen, but fit well with the atmosphere of the highway town.

Gem popped her head out, and made a similarly excited noise to her friend. “It looks so good!”

Giggling at the compliment, Lizzie did a spin, her long skirt flaring out and catching on the racks of the cramped store. “It’s so cheap, too! I think I need it.”

“Oh, I could make a cute little patch for it right here!” Hands grabbed at the hem, running fingers over the coat’s large pockets. Lizzie beamed.

“A Genuine Gemini Patch, oh please do!”

Their conversation turned to whispers that were drowned out by their own laughter. Tango snorted, smiling fondly at the scene as he leaned against a wall of flyers. “How’s it over here?” Impulse paused beside the blond man. “Still going, huh?”

“Yeah, Lizzie’s been meticulous.” He drawled, flicking the brim of the baseball cap the girls forced on Impulse. The local highschool’s football team apparently had a little yellow and black demon as its mascot. They both settled against the wall, watching Gem race from the clothes to the accessories, Lizzie right on her tail. “Nice seeing her get to hang out with people her own age rather than a couple of old farts like us.”

Impulse watched for a moment, humming in agreement. “It doesn’t seem like that big a difference ‘till you see them like this or get a ‘what’s that,’ huh?”

“Yeah.” Tango knew in the grand scheme of things they weren’t that old, barely breaking middle-aged at most, maybe a few early grey hairs to show for it. But it was hard not to feel it when he was in the corner reminiscing about once running around town with his buddies instead of joining them.

... What a stupid thought. They were right there, and Gem was his bandmate. Why couldn’t he?

He’d just pushed himself off the wall, about to call out to the girls, when he realized they weren’t alone.

Some guy, maybe mid-twenties and a strong build with a cowboy hat of all things on. A local, Tango guessed. He practically loomed over the two tiny women, saying something that had Lizzie backing away and Gem balling her fists. That was never good.

Tango sauntered up, pulling on the goofiest grin he had as he stepped into the circle. He could feel Impulse’s presence behind him, catching the man’s attention far more than Tango probably did. “Ready to roll, ladies?” He asked.

Gem was about to say something when the local spoke up first, “Who’s this, sweetheart? Your dad?”

“None of your business.” She snapped. Oh, she was very not happy. Which meant time for Operation: Skadoodle Before Someone’s Nose Gets Broken. Again.

Tango put his hands up in peace. “Sorry but we got some prior commitments we’re gonna be late for.”

Lizzie didn’t need another word, slipping behind Tango towards the register to swiftly pay. It took another second and Impulse breaking their line of sight to convince Gem to stop glaring at the man and head over as well. As they rushed their way out of the shop the local shouted after them, “Maybe another time after you put your dad to bed, sweet cheeks!”

If Tango hadn’t been blocking the doorway he was sure Gem would have done a running tackle at the man. She continued to protest even as they filed into the car. “I can take care of myself, you know!”

“We know, Gem.” Impulse sighed. “That’s what we’re afraid of.”

Tango tried to pat her shoulder but she jerked away, folding her arms and huffing. “You really wanna spend the night in some backwater jail over a guy like that? C’mon, we got better things to do than let some creep ruin our day.” He said.

“Oh, yes, I’d rather spend our money on some mai tais then bail.” Lizzie chimed in, nodding sagely.

Gem still seemed to want to protest, but the fight soon left her. “True. Fine, but one more shop. I still want some nice earrings, all I got are my stage stuff.”

“Aye aye, we can do that much.” Impulse agreed, switching into reverse while Gem turned up the radio.

At once Tango and Lizzie collapsed back into their seats in relief. Bad move on his part, as his neck hit the headrest awkwardly and send him shooting back forward. Lizzie let out a small giggle. “Don’t break anything.”

“Thanks.” He said, then hiccuped. “Uh, for actual real. That sounded sarcastic but I mean for real.”

The pink haired woman waved him off, instead turning her attention to her new jacket she’d worn out in their haste. “Oh, I’m used to dealing with stuff like that. Between Gem, Joel, and Jimmy, I’m basically an expert.” She stuck up her chin.

“Wait- Jimmy?” He laughed. From everything he’d seen in the past week, Jimmy was about as intimating as a mouse. Not to knock the guy, but Tango had trouble even imagining him angry.

Lizzie eyed him with a strange look, like she knew something he didn’t. Well, she was Jimmy’s sister, so there was probably a lot she knew that he didn’t. “Oh yes, just you wait. Especially if Joel’s around, those two get each other so worked up over the silliest things you can imagine. It’s all hot air of course. No one ever taught my foolish little brother not to start things he can’t finish. But I suppose that’s what Joel and I are there for.”

Tango hummed, leaning his forehead against the back of the seat in contemplation. It probably wasn’t so different to how Impulse could get. Still hard to imagine, but that last part certainly fit. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The thought was almost...

“Cute?”

A very manly squeal escape Tango. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Lizzie was leaning in towards him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Huh?” He squeaked.

“You know, Mr. Tek- If that’s really you name!” Her face contorted into a sneer as she looked him up and down. Hold on, what had he ever done to make her think that wasn’t his name? “I’ve notice you spending quite a bit of time with my dear brother so far.”

“Y-yeah?” Had he? It was probably true, between the driving and bunking together and spending the day with him at the festival. Getting to know five whole new people at once was hard, and serendipity had separated both of them from their respective flocks.

“A-ha! So you don’t deny it?”

“Um, no?”

Lizzie hummed and hawed, rubbing her chin as she looked at him like a puzzle to solve. “Interesting. And exactly what are your intentions with him?”

His brain short circuited. Intentions? “Whoa, whoa, whoa, I think you got the wrong idea-”

“A likely story.” Her eyebrows shot up. “But you can’t fool me!”

When did he get stuck in an interrogation? Over Jimmy at that. He turned in hopes that Gem or Impulse would save him, but both were drowned out by the radio and their own argument. He was alone, left in the lion’s den for his corpse to be discovered only once they got wherever they were going. No one but himself could save him, and he knew he was terrible at that. “Listen, Lizzie-”

“Do you find him annoying?”

This girl needed to stop pulling the rug out from under him, or maybe he needed to give his brain a spa day to get all the gunk and rust off it. “Huh?” He repeated instead of anything of substance. It was fair, in his opinion. “No?”

“Don’t try to lie to me. It’s alright if you do, plenty of people including myself would agree! But I will not have someone giving him the run around pretending to be nice just to mess with him-”

“No! No, no, I ain’t doing anything like that! What sorta question is that?” He snapped. “He’s a nice guy, we get along fine I think? Who’d do that?”

Lizzie’s expression almost immediately softened. “Oh, I suppose you seem nice enough, but I’m still keeping my eye on you. My brother’s kind of an idiot sometimes. Especially when it comes to other people. If we weren’t around he’d get hurt and tricked so often. When he started talking sweet about you I guess I got a bit worked up thinking it might be that.”

Jimmy talked about him? Tango shook his head. That wasn’t important or strange. If course he did, they spent most of the past week together. Jimmy talked sweet about me, his brain cheered anyway, even when he wasn’t entirely sure what that meant. Whatever it was he liked the sound of it. Something else caught his thoughts as well, however. “So, do you usually do this interogatication thing, then? With new people?” He dared to ask.

She shrugged, “Well, Like I said, my dear brother would be lost without us looking out for him, so don’t take it personally.”

“Then...” Part of his brain tried to stop him there, telling him it certainly wasn’t any of his business. But her words had finally helped click together something that had been bothering him for a few days now about the younger band, and he couldn’t help himself. “... What do you do if you’re wrong?”

“Pardon?” Her eyes snapped to him, and it was almost enough to keep him quiet, if not for being more frightened of not answering.

“What if you’re wrong about someone?” He repeats, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “Like you didn’t get the full picture of someone, or you were biased. No offence, but this is the longest conversation we’ve had and I don’t really feel like we’ve gotten to know each other. Why trust this conversation more than Jimmy? Why can’t he judge for himself?”

She gaped at him, some type of hurt in her eyes, and he knew instantly he’d said too much. From the look Impulse gave him through the mirror he’d also heard at least part of what Tango had said. That was him, king of shoving his foot directly into his mouth. He sank down into his seat as Lizzie’s expression soured, then flicked away.

“I change my mind, you’re the worst, actually. Never speak to Jimmy again.”

“Tangooo, don’t be mean to my friends!” Gem whined from the front seat.

He sighed. “My bad...”

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 302. brb x oc

a/n: this chapter got so long tumblr wasn't letting me post it so 8) action on the next one (comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none uwu

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

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-

“And then I was like wooooooooah that’s crazy!”

She had no idea who this woman was and what she did to Shells…because Bea knew Shells and she never wakes up before eight thirty. She blinked, still trying to understand what her friend was talking about since it was so early “...what?”

Shells laughed heartily at Beatrice's bewildered expression. "I know, right? Then I had to tell aunt Penny that ‘hey so i think we should expand the bar a bit more and make a bigger game room.” 

Beatrice, still struggling to fully wake up, blinked at Shells with a mix of confusion and disbelief. The mention of Penny, a bar expansion, and a bigger game room felt like fragments of a dream that refused to coalesce into a coherent narrative.

"..right?" Beatrice mumbled, her words punctuated by a wide yawn. She took another sip of her coffee, hoping the caffeine would kick in and bring some clarity to the early morning haze.

Shells grinned, seemingly undeterred by Beatrice's befuddled state. "Yes, yes! It's all part of my grand plan. You see, a bigger game room is essential for unfolding this idea of mine.”

Beatrice squinted at Shells, her expression a mix of skepticism and amusement. "Idea? Shells, are you sure you're not still asleep?"

Shells leaned in, her eyes sparkling "Bea,of course not….besides, with the suits bothering her so much I think something like that will help a lot. The Hard Deck is loved by many so…”

Beatrice stared at Shells, her brain struggling to catch up with the rapid-fire information. She ran a hand through her tousled hair, realizing that this conversation had taken a turn into the realm of the utterly surreal. "Explain?" Beatrice's confusion deepened. The early hour, combined with Shells' animated storytelling, made it challenging for her to process the details.

Shells leaned back, grinning mischievously. "Okay, let me break it down for you. So, you know how aunt Penny is the magnificent force behind The Hard Deck, right?”

Beatrice nodded slowly, her mind attempting to piece together the fragments of information. "Yeah, I know. But why are we talking about Penny at..." she glanced at the clock, "...this ungodly hour?"

Shells chuckled. "Because, my dear Bea, while you were in the sweet embrace of slumber, I had a revelation! A vision, if you will. An epiphany that struck me like a cosmic lightning bolt."

Beatrice raised an eyebrow, skepticism etched on her face. "A cosmic lightning bolt? Shells, are you alright?"

Shells winked. "Of course, I'm alright. More than alright, actually. You see, in this cosmic revelation, I saw The Hard Deck expanding, growing, becoming a haven for interstellar adventurers and local patrons alike. And at the heart of it all, a grand game room, a nexus of fun and excitement!"

Beatrice stared at Shells, still trying to grasp the surreal nature of the conversation. "A game room? Shells, are you turning The Hard Deck into a space arcade or something?"

Shells nodded enthusiastically, her eyes shining with an infectious enthusiasm. "Exactly, Bea! A space arcade, a hub for gamers, explorers, and anyone seeking a cosmic escape. Picture it: retro arcade machines, futuristic VR experiences, and a vibrant community of players coming together to share their love for games."

Beatrice blinked, half-expecting to wake up from what felt like a whimsical dream. "This is... unexpected. Why now, Shells? And why are you discussing this with Aunt Penny at the crack of dawn?"

Shells leaned in, her tone conspiratorial. "Because the cosmic energies flow strongest at dawn, Bea. And as for why now, well, I couldn't wait. The vision was too vivid, too compelling to be delayed. I had to share it with Aunt Penny, and you know how she is when it comes to ambitious ideas."

Beatrice rubbed her temples, trying to reconcile the reality of the conversation with the remnants of sleep clouding her mind. "So, you had a vision of turning The Hard Deck into a space arcade, and you're convincing Penny to go along with it?"

Shells nodded, her eyes sparkling with determination. "Precisely! And you, my dear Bea, will play a crucial role in bringing this vision to life. You'll be the guardian of the game room, the one who ensures that every gamer who walks through those doors experiences the cosmic thrill of The Hard Deck."

"Guardian of the game room? Shells, this sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel."

Shells grinned. "Well, we do love our sci-fi adventures, don't we? And this, my friend, is an adventure waiting to unfold. The Hard Deck, with its expanded game room, will become a beacon of vast cosmic expanse. Isn’t that right, Bea?”

Bea.

Bea!

The brunette jumps on the couch and looks around furiously,trying to regain her surroundings and then stops when she sees Shells holding a mug with coffee in her hands “Hey…you…fell asleep.”

Oh.

“...oh I did?”

“Yeah,I told you to stay on the couch as I cleaned the kitchen.” her friend said softly, “Were you dreaming? You were making…noises kind of.”

Beatrice blinked, the remnants of the dream still lingering in her mind. "Yeah, I... I think I was dreaming. Shells, you were turning The Hard Deck into a space arcade, and I was the guardian of the game room."

Shells burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the room. "Guardian of the game room? Now that's a title I'd trust you with, Bea.."

Beatrice chuckled, slowly sitting on the couch "A dream indeed. You had me convinced for a moment that I'd stepped into some alternate reality where The Hard Deck became a galactic hub."

She raised an eyebrow playfully. “Aunt Penny would hate that."

Beatrice grinned, appreciating the whimsical optimism that Shells always brought into her life. "Totally…was–was I out long? Where are the kids?"

Shells checked the time on her wristwatch and smirked. "Not too long. The little rascals are still napping. I figured you needed a moment of peace, considering everything."

Beatrice sighs,running a hand through her hair. "Yeah,thanks for keeping an eye on them, Shells. I..." she rubs her eyes “Didn’t sleep that well,you know?”

Shells nodded understandingly, her expression sympathetic. "Hey, I get it.Do you want-” she points to the mug then sets it aside when Bea shakes her head, sitting down next to her friend, “Wanna talk about it?”

“About the dream?”

“No dummy,” she gently slaps Bea’s shoulder, “Why you didn’t sleep!”

Beatrice hesitated for a moment, glancing at Shells with enough  vulnerability for her friend to hug her close. The weight of the recent events pressed on her, and the dreams seemed to be a tumultuous journey into the subconscious. She took a deep breath, then began to share the concerns that had been gnawing at her.

"It's just... everything, Shells. Everything.It's driving me crazy."

Shells listened attentively, her eyes reflecting genuine concern. She allowed Bea to place her head on her shoulder, gently tapping her friend’s cheek. "I can only imagine how tough it must be, Bea. You could’ve called me,I wouldn’t mind sleeping in the couch or staying here making sure YOU fell asleep."

Beatrice leaned into Shells' comforting presence, then smiles softly, closing her eyes, “Thank you.” she whispers, “You are a good friend.”

“I’m a great friend.”

“You are.”

Shells chuckled, the sound resonating with a mixture of warmth and playfulness. "Well, I do try my best, you know. And speaking of friends, I’ve been thinking. How about we shake off this heavy atmosphere? Let’s do something fun, something that takes our minds off the chaos."

Beatrice tilted her head, looking at Shells with curiosity. "What do you have in mind?"

Shells grinned mischievously. "Ever heard of the legendary pizza blanket fort?"

Beatrice blinked, a hint of surprise in her expression. "Pizza blanket fort? Is that a thing?"

"Oh, it's absolutely a thing," Shells insisted, enthusiasm lighting up her eyes. "And we're going to build the most epic pizza blanket fort in the history of blanket forts. Trust me, it's the perfect remedy for a heavy heart and a tired mind."

“I…I don’t even know what that is.”

“Well,we better get to it then.”

-

Rooster was reading every report,ever single note from the past days and he tries,he tries hard to find what was missing. He flips the page back and forth, hand holding his forehead as he chews his bottom lip repeatedly.

He wouldn’t have any more surprises.

No more.

His gaze shifted from one document to another, absorbing the details, searching for patterns, and connecting the dots that could lead to a clearer understanding of the situation. The room was silent, save for the occasional sound of paper rustling and the distant hum of activity outside his office.

With a deep breath, Rooster leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing in concentration. The lack of transparency from higher-ups and the unexpected challenges faced during the mission had ignited a fire within him—a fire to protect his team and unearth the truth.

He interlocks his fingers behind his head, moving his chair from side to side. Cyclone said he’d figure out why this whole thing happened but Rooster couldn’t wait for his reply.

He had a feeling-something, someone maybe? Was off.

That wreckage was a trap for them. Which means someone knew they’d be flying that area…”Fuck.” he grunts,rubbing his eyes with his fingertips, corneas burning as he does so.

The room felt tense. He couldn't shake the feeling that there were hidden layers, concealed motives that had put his team in the crosshairs of danger. The question lingered like a persistent echo: Who knew about their movements, and why?

His desk lamp cast a focused beam on the documents, creating a pool of light in the dimly lit office. Rooster leaned forward, his elbows on the desk, eyes fixed on a particular paragraph that seemed to hold a fragment of the puzzle.

As he continued his scrutiny, his office door creaked open, and Jake cautiously entered. The officer noticed the intensity in Rooster's expression but chose to speak up, "Hey man, any updates on the situation?"

Rooster glanced up, his eyes relaxing immediately. "Nothing concrete yet, Jake. The higher-ups are still playing their cards close to the chest. But I can't wait for their deliberations. We need to act, and we need to act now."

Jake nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "We also have been checking our communication logs, looking for any irregularities after the breach. So far, everything seems secure on our end."

“Thank fuck.”

Jake pursed his lips, then sat down in front of him, “I have a question.”

Rooster smiled tiredly,rubbing his temple,”Go on,what is it?”

Jake leaned forward, his expression earnest. "Do you think there is someone who might be feeding information to those who set up the trap?"

Rooster's gaze intensified, contemplating Jake's question. The idea of a traitor within their own ranks was a heavy thought, one that weighed on everyone. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I don't want to believe it, Jake. But we can't ignore the possibility. The breach, the targeted nature of the trap... it all points to someone having inside information."

Jake's jaw tightened, a silent acknowledgment of the severity of the situation. "What do we do then? We can't trust anyone until we figure this out. And we can't afford to have our movements predicted."

Rooster leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk. "We need to conduct a thorough internal investigation. Check backgrounds, communication patterns, anything that might hint at unusual activity. And we keep this discreet. We don't want to create panic or give the potential leak a heads-up."

Jake nodded, tongue against his cheek. "Anyone that should help us with this?"

“...McAllister.” Rooster whispers, “And the boys, they are good…tell Bob too.”

“And if we find someone?”

Rooster frowns, “Then that’s out of our hands, it’s on the higher ups.” he tsks, “Fuck,I can’t believe that this is happening with Bea alone with the babies and before my promotion, seems like a huge joke.”

"I'll inform McAllister and the others," Jake said, his voice low. "We need to act swiftly but discreetly. The last thing we want is to tip our hand to whoever might be watching."

Rooster nodded, his gaze fixed on a point in the room. "Make sure McAllister knows the urgency. We can't afford to miss any details. If there's a leak, we need to plug it before it jeopardizes more lives."

With a determined nod, Jake rose from his chair and headed towards the door. "I'll get on it right away. And, Rooster, we'll get through this. It’ll be fine."

As the door closed behind Jake, Rooster was left alone with his thoughts. The room felt like a pressure cooker, each passing second adding to the weight on his shoulders. The picture on his desk—the one with Beatrice and the kids, the last one she sent as the twins got home—seemed to mock him with its serenity, a stark contrast to the turmoil that engulfed his professional life.

The worry for her safety compounded the stress of the mission. He couldn't shake the feeling of being torn between duty and the innate desire to protect his family. 

He sent her a text first

 Roos (20:04)

Hi gorgeous. Just wanted to check on you,you alright?

She didn’t respond so he sent another one 

Roos (20:05)

Things are…going, you know? We are all doing it, somehow. hah…when you see this, pls message me back? I want to…talk to you. I really do. i love you Bea and I miss you so much.

The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness as Rooster anxiously awaited Beatrice's response. Each passing second heightened the sense of unease that had settled over him like a heavy shroud. The lack of immediate reply only fueled his concerns.

Finally, a notification lit up the screen:

Bea (20:15)

Hey, Rooster. We're doing fine here. Shells is staying over tonight so. How's everything on your end?

Rooster felt an immense amount of relief at the sight of Beatrice's message.He took a moment to compose his response:

Roos (20:18)

Good to hear that Shells is with you. Things on my end are...complicated. Can't go into details right now, but I just wanted to check on you..and talk to you. i miss you a lot.

Bea (20:19)

I miss you too…did you talk to Mav? Did he give you some insight?

Roos (20:22)

Yeah, I talked to Mav. He's looking into it, trying to get more information from the higher-ups. It's a mess, Bea, but I promise I'm doing everything I can to figure this out.

Bea (20:25)

I trust you, Rooster. We've been through tough times before, and we always find our way back to each other. Just...come back to us, okay?

Rooster's chest tightened at the sincerity in her words.He took a deep breath before responding:

Roos (20:28)

I will. I promise.

Bea (20:30)

And you never break your promises.

Roos (20:29)

Never,gorgeous. Never.

[aggressivenesswhilecrying]

Welcome to the beginning of the end and all that comes with it: where love blossoms on the walls

Summery:

When martyn hit Jimmy on accident, and righted his wrongs with a kiss of life, very first scene of the season

No trigger warnings!!

Proof read and edited!!

“Hello friends!!”

“ayup!!”

“Hi!!

“Hi everyone”

‘Welcome”

“Yellow!!”

“Ayo”

The chorus of hellos came through, everyone looking around the small circle. Martyn could see 17 faces he had come to know, ones he had seen twice a year, well, all but gem. Ren was missing again. And he hated it, but tried not to dwell on it as the eyes circled, he could feel their eyes on him, looking through his own eyes. He could see gem shiver at the feeling. Maybe it was her first time feeling something other than her, in her body. He was unsure.

“This time, we have gem with us!!”

Grain called out, arms out as he made eye contact with the purple eyes of everyone else. Good. they’re watching. Skiz grins, straightening his blazer. Tango ruffles his burning hair. Lizzie fiddles with her hands. Gem rocks back and forth on her feet. Cleo holds her hands on her hips. Pearl pulls down the edge of her jacket just a little bit. Bigb rubs the back of his neck. Scar pets Jellie as she circles his ankles. Jimmy picks a stray leaf out of his wings. Joel huffs with a large confident grin. Mumbo adjusts his tie. Bdubs rubs his thumb over a clock hanging from his hip. Etho straightens his mask. Scott leans against impulse, seeming to have found who he’s going to stick with already. Impulse chuckles. Martyn pulls at the dogwarts banner on his waist.

They all look at each other, with green and purple eyes, all grinning.

All but gem, know this game like the back of their hands. It's etched into their bones, their very existence. They all come back. They all get pulled to their doom again. They all let it happen. They all stand in the same circle, next to each other. And they whisper their own prayers.

“Let me win”

“May my team stay together”

“Let me team with scar again”

“Let this be the season i don't die first”

“Let this be a good first session for gem”

“Give me an easy task”

All their own prayers whispered to the wind that never listened before. Their own words of wish, of futile hope. They stand in the same circle. All so confident, knowing their end is once again near.

“I think we should all get one free hit on gem since she’s new!!” someone in the crowd laughs out, and gem instinctively reaches for her sword as everyone starts to agree in laughs. A hit of fear on her face as she laughs along.

“No, no, it should be the other way around..!! I should get a hit on each of you!!”

She blabbers out with a grin and a forced chuckle. Martyn can't help but chuckle as the worry that coats her voice.

Martyn makes a show of going to hit gem, missing completely, but jimmy side steps, and goes exactly to the receiving end, martyn laughs in worry and lets out a gasp. Jimmy shrieks and holds his cheek. The bright red indents of his knuckles blossoming across his face. Jimmy eyes are wide, so are martyn’s he has to imagine everyone else’s are wide as well as he hears yells and shrieks of surprise

It’s still for a moment, loud but still as everyone starts to run in other directions.

Martyn is quick to grab jimmy.

“Jimmy!! Hold on!! Let me give you a heart!!” He laughs a little nervously as Jimmy stops and turns as Martyn catches up, Jimmy's a little red in the cheeks, but nods.

The second martyn is in range, he grabs Jimmy's chin, rushing into the kiss with the intent to give Jimmy a laugh. A sparking feeling traveling from his chest, to his throat, to his lips. He feels as jimmy shivers, the sparking must have traveled to him, they hold the kiss for a moment longer then they probably have to. They’ll say later it’s just to make sure it worked. That's a lie.

They had a bit of contact like this in last life. Not a lot. But, the last time, they actually had a moment even slightly similar to this was on evo. They miss it. They miss the feeling of each other's lips. Jimmy misses how martyn always nibbles on his lip before pulling away. Martyn misses how jimmy always acts breathless.

It’s been far too long, they both think.

They can't bring themselves to care about each other's purple eyes. So what if They can see the two?

They saw it in evo, they saw glimpses of it in last life. Their relationship has always been on display. Every relationship everyone has, has always been seen. They don't care.

They break away, martyn giggling as he kisses Jimmy's check, starting to run off, the canary letting out a breathless laugh as he runs off in his own direction.

Taging: @kittygolucky

[henelopekru]

Illicit Affairs

CHAPTER ONE. Welcome Back

A Hope Mikaelson x Penelope Park (Henelope) Fic "Don't call me kid, don't call me baby."

Word Count: 2k words

Summary. Inspired by an old tweet I saw just after the second season of Legacies aired. In which Penelope had returned to Mystic Falls after all, only to realise Josie had moved on. Her so-called romance with a forgotten friend is only a ploy to make her ex-girlfriend jealous, never intending to go as far as it does.

A/N. Honestly this is a fic I've wanted to write for a while now. I actually haven't checked, but I imagine Henelope doesn't get a lot of love since they literally interacted twice the entire show lmao. Also please forgive me if some of this is a little inaccurate to the show, it's been a while since my last rewatch of Legacies!

Penelope wasn’t sure whether it was the circumstances that made her irritated by seemingly everything or if it was just Mystic Falls High. The school receptionist typing away at a computer likely older than Penelope herself, the ticking of a clock prehistoric in appearance.

8:55am, it read. Penelope frowned, it was far too early to be awake, especially while her body was still combating a severe case of jet lag. How long had she been waiting now? The email she’d gotten after enrolling last night had asked her to arrive at the reception at 8:30, it wouldn’t surprise her if they’d just forgotten about her. She contemplated asking the receptionist, who Penelope was about seventy percent certain was playing a flash game instead of actually doing any work.

She didn’t want to be here, pulling at a loose thread on her chair, trying hard to ignore the oddly stale scent in the air that threatened to make her nauseous. Still, this had been the agreement she’d decided on with her parents, she could come back to Mystic Falls without them, but she had to continue going to school - they just hadn’t specified what school.

Never in a million years would she have imagined she’d be going to a public school of all places, but anywhere sounded better than the Salvatore School right now. She couldn’t go back there, not after what had happened last night.

The plan had been to surprise Josie with her return. After the way their goodbye had gone, Penelope had assumed Josie would be thrilled to have her back. Sure, maybe they wouldn’t have gotten back together, but she’d just been excited at the idea of seeing her again.

But seeing her with someone else? With Landon Kirby of all people?

At least they hadn’t seen her, that Penelope had spotted them first. She’d managed to preserve her pride so far, but she wouldn’t have stood a chance if they’d known she’d seen them. That was the only silver lining she could see for now, but she didn’t feel optimistic enough to try and think of any others. It was a shitty situation, nothing could fix it.

Josie had been the only reason Penelope had even returned, wanting to warn her about the Merge, wanting to love her in spite of all her flaws and in spite of Lizzie. Her new school in Belgium hadn’t been so bad after all, designed completely for witches, the only downside it had was that there was no Josie. She was too late, Josie had moved on and there was no way Penelope could go back to the boarding school, she couldn’t stand seeing her and Landon together again.

The worst part was that she had no real place to be angry or hurt; Penelope had already broken up with Josie, long before she’d even left for Belgium, she’d broken her heart first - so this was what it felt like, karma stung more than Penelope would’ve liked. 

She’d never actually been broken up with before, or rejected, but she got the feeling her situation with Josie was more painful than any other kind of heartbreak could be. It wasn’t that neither of them cared, Penelope had just messed up and it was too late to fix it.

It was her own fault, she’d caused this.

Penelope had hardly had the time to give much thought to the other girl she’d seen near the mill that night, right after she’d left Josie and Landon. The girl was a student - maybe? - but not one that Penelope recognised, she’d simply chalked her down to being a new transfer, she didn’t look young enough to be a freshman, probably around Penelope’s age.

The girl was the last of her worries though, just as she had been last night. Besides, Penelope doubted that she’d even see her again, she didn’t intend on going anywhere near the boarding school.

“The principal will see you now, Miss Park.” The school receptionist mercifully tore Penelope from her thoughts before she could wallow in any more self-pity. 

Penelope nodded, standing up from her seat in the waiting room, boots squeaking as they made contact with the rubber floors. She grimaced at the harsh sound, approaching the door to the headmaster’s office, reading over the newly placed name plate.

‘Principal A. Saltzman’

It didn’t come as a complete surprise to Penelope, she’d known Alaric had taken a job in Mystic Falls High. Perhaps she hadn’t known it was the job of principal, but it made sense, considering he’d been the headmaster at the Salvatore school. Still, that didn’t take away the dreadful awkwardness that she knew would come with having to talk to her ex-girlfriend’s father.

With a near inaudible sigh, Penelope knocked on the door, waiting for permission from the man inside before she entered the office, unsure of what to expect.

“Take a seat, Penelope.” Alaric gestured towards the empty seat across from his side of the desk, hitting the witch with an odd sense of deja vu from her first day at the Salvatore Boarding School. It felt like forever ago now, since she’d first convinced her parents to allow her to move from her home in New Orleans to a small town in Virginia.

Sitting down, Penelope wouldn’t even dare to look Alaric in the eye, out of.. What? Embarrassment? Guilt? She couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but both seemed to apply. Embarrassed she’d believed Josie would just take her back, guilty they’d even broken up in the first place. Penelope wondered if Alaric knew about Josie and Landon, if the kiss she’d witnessed the night before had been the first of many to come or if they’d been together since Penelope had left for Belgium.

The silence in the room was deafening, as Alaric quietly flicked through his computer screen, likely looking through Penelope’s files from her last two schools. 

She wondered if Alaric resented her, for everything that had happened. She’d never had to worry about that when she first broke up with Josie. While he’d been the headmaster at Salvatore’s, there’d been no room for him to take sides and if anything, Penelope wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him take Josie’s side - it was obvious he struggled to balance being a father and a headmaster all at once.

But now, they were in a different school, where maybe he could allow his love towards his daughters to take the forefront more often. Despite her silent disagreements Penelope had towards Alaric, mainly ones that involved him not telling Lizzie and Josie about the merge, she actually liked him. Surprisingly - even to her - she’d actually be quite disheartened if he treated her differently.

Eventually, Penelope cleared her throat, “Why did you leave the boarding school?” She asked, leaning back in her seat. In a way, she was relieved Alaric was her headmaster again, she didn’t feel like trying to suss out a brand new person.

Alaric was too occupied with the computer to look up, although Penelope didn’t take offence, she knew what he was like and it was just nice to have some sense of familiarity after everything that had happened since she’d come back.

“I thought the school would be more suited to a headmaster that can help better than I can.” He explained vaguely after a pause, looking up from the screen in front of him.

She let out a quiet burst of laughter, it had never been a secret that Alaric was ill-equipped when it came to running a school of supernatural teenagers. “You mean someone who’s not a human, right?” Penelope asked, earning a glare from Alaric.

“Penelope.” He began in a hiss, “You don’t know who could be listening.”

Penelope only shrugged in response, although she knew he was right, so she decided not to press any further. Even if she was hurting more than she’d care to admit, she knew throwing the rest of her former classmates under the bus would be unfair. Perhaps the council had stopped vampire hunting years ago, but there was no use in risking it.

“You applied for your enrollment quite late.” Alaric noted, looking up from his screen to shoot her a knowing glance. Maybe this Josie and Landon thing had been going on for a while. “Last night, to be exact. You’re lucky I recognised your name.”

Penelope could only pray that Alaric wouldn’t mention Josie. She wasn’t sure she could handle even the mention of her former girlfriend’s name right now.

She chose not to offer an explanation, to be safe, “So can I still enrol?” Penelope asked nonchalantly, like she had other options. Technically, she could go back to Belgium, but how would she even explain what had happened to her parents? They’d had no idea about her and Josie and for good reason, they never would have approved of the relationship.

Alaric nodded, “You can, but I don’t understand, Penelope.” He answered, finally tearing his full attention away from the computer, resting his arms on the desk he sat at, “You fit in well at the boarding school, you were well liked.. I just don’t see what you gain from coming here instead.”

Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, Penelope sat up straight. “Maybe I want a different experience.” She shot back, just about managing to hold back her sarcasm. She made a point of lowering her voice as she continued, “Besides, it’s not like I need help controlling my magic, I grew up around witches in the French Quarter.”

“And you’re sure there’s not another reason?” Alaric asked, as though he already knew but was just waiting for Penelope to confess the truth.

Penelope nodded in response; a lie that Alaric appeared to see right now.

He paused uncertainly, “Have you spoken to Josie since you got back? I know she missed having you around school.” Alaric commented, a statement that caused Penelope’s heart to sink.

She didn’t want to think about how Josie must’ve felt after she left, their tearful goodbye had been painful enough. She wondered how long it had taken after that for her to grow close with Landon, if he was just a rebound or if Josie really loved him - neither option was preferable.

“No, I broke up with her, remember?” Penelope clarified, feigning disinterest. She almost immediately dropped the act, more so out of shame rather than the fact that she was talking to Josie’s father. He probably didn’t think very highly of her after she broke his daughter’s heart the first time around. “If I see her, I’ll say hi..”

Seemingly satisfied with the answer he’d been given, Alaric momentarily returned his attention back towards the computer, clicking and typing a few times before he spoke, “Then congratulations, Penelope, you’re officially a student at Mystic Falls High.” He announced, not bothering to lace his tone with enthusiasm, he knew it was the last thing Penelope wanted.

With another click at the computer, a sheet of paper appeared from the printer behind Alaric’s desk, the machinery making a soft buzz. He turned around in his chair to grab the paper, handing it to Penelope. “This has your timetable and your locker number.” He stated, pointing towards each area where the necessary information was located.

Taking the paper in her hands, Penelope quickly skimmed over the information, enough to know that her first lesson of the day was History. She nodded, “Thanks, Alaric.” Penelope acknowledged.

“That’s Mr Saltzman to you.” Alaric corrected her half-heartedly. He shook his head, knowing that she wouldn’t listen, Penelope had been too close to Josie and the rest of the Saltzman family - excluding Lizzie, of course - to even consider Alaric an authority figure. “Just be careful what you call me around the other students.”

Penelope nodded again, humming in amusement as she stood up from her seat. “Yeah, sure.” She mumbled, gathering her things and folding up the sheet Alaric had given her, “I guess I’ll see you around then."

For the first time during the entire exchange, Alaric offered Penelope a smile. Strangely enough, Penelope found it reassuring, easing nerves she didn’t know she had about her first day, “Good luck today.” He said, “And welcome back to Mystic Falls.”

[crowsongcaws]

(This inspired me to write from the moment I saw it back in May, but I only just finished writing this! Your art is amazing by the way, and hopefully this fic still makes sense even if it was patchily written across the span of two months!)

It was the day for Gem and the Scotts to make their first (actual, official) appearance when Scott's guitar amp broke.

He wasn't really living paycheck-to-paycheck, not with his full-time job at a gardening speciality store and his freelance web design work, but he wasn't exactly looking to drop a lot of money suddenly on an amp that he wouldn't know the quality of until the first gig later that night. So, much like when other things happened outside of his ability to fix them, he began to reach out to others.

"Sorry, Scott, me and Tango are out of town visiting his parents!" Jimmy said over the phone.

"Ah, my bad, I forgot about that," Scott sighed. "I've just got this gig tonight, and I've no clue what to do."

"Maybe you could ask Joel? He's been hanging out with that guy—you know, has the uh grey-ish hair, wears a face mask—"

"Etho," Scott reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah! Well Etho's good with that stuff. I don't think he'd mind!"

So Scott called Joel, who promptly said, "Nah, sorry, man. Eefo's been at some project all week and I just got him to go to bed. If I bring this up anywhere near him, he's going to run himself into the ground."

"Gods, I get that. I hope he's able to get some good sleep, but I really need this amp fixed. You wouldn't happen to have picked up any new skills recently, have you?"

"Even if I had, not gonna lie, I'm sticking around with Eefo to make sure he sleeps and eats better for at least today. Also, he sleeps so quietly."

Scott squinted at that and said, "He's at your house?"

"Why the fuck would he be at my house? I'm at his house. Lizzie's hanging out with her girlfriend, and I can't stand another night of her freight-train snoring."

Joel paused for half a second.

"Don't tell her I said that."

Scott snorted and rolled his eyes as if Joel could see it.

"Won't tell a soul," Scott dramatically replied. "Thanks for picking up, anyways."

"No problem. Bet you could try giving Grian a call, though. Not sure how much he knows about amps, but he does know a lot of people."

"Yeah, sounds about right for him. Thanks Joel, have fun with your date."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you must be jealous since it's just been you and righty—"

Scott hung up before he could get another word in, knowing that his one "innocent" jab at Joel would definitely have consequences later no matter how true the statement was.

He huffed at that, but the clock really was ticking, and he was beginning to actually get nervous. Without another thought, he phoned Grian, his heartbeat picking up every time the phone rang with no response. It wasn't until the last ring that Grian managed to pick up.

"Hey, Grian, do you know anyone who could help—" "Pearl has no idea what she's talking about, whatever she's told you is just not true—"

They both paused.

"What about Pearl—?" "You heard nothing."

Scott pursed his lips, and that itch to gossip grew, but at this point, he could feel the time ticking down.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Scott told him, "but whatever all of that is, it's not why I called. My first gig with my band is in a few hours, but the amp for my guitar broke. Do you know anyone who could fix it?"

Grian hummed (and, suspiciously, sounded very relieved. Scott would investigate it later) and said, "Guitar amp? Well I do happen to know someone who could help with that, and he owes me a favor. You're still in town, right?"

"Yeah, I am, I'll text you the address right now. I can't thank you enough, Grian, I was starting to get worried! You're the third person I've had to call."

"It's no problem! By the way, the person I'm sending to you is Mumbo, he's my flatmate. It shouldn't take too long for him to get to you, just add 10 extra minutes to whatever time you had in mind. He drives like the car will explode if he takes his hands off the steering wheel."

"As long as it doesn't take him hours to get here, I don't mind."

"It won't, it won't," Grian reassured him. "...Also... if Pearl happens to tell you anything—"

"—then I'll be sure to get some popcorn while she tells me everything, thanks for the heads-up! Bye!" And he hung up.

True to Grian's word, someone did eventually show up (15 minutes later than what he would've expected since the drive should've been 25 minutes long and not 40), and Scott vaguely recognized him. Grian's flatmate, yes, but also Grian's skittish partner in crime when he went trespassing, a friend of a friend that sometimes showed up to the field days that Grian liked to organize, and the person that had once knocked out the power for half the city (which, Scott figured, probably had something to do with Grian, too).

And he was devastatingly attractive.

"I am so sorry," Mumbo anxiously apologized. "I'm not familiar with the parking lot here, and I couldn't find a parking spot until just then!"

"Oh, it's not a problem, I'm glad you made it," Scott soothed, occasionally eyeing Mumbo up and down. He was really glad that Mumbo had made it.

Mumbo was wearing an oddly formal button-up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a black vest, and matching slacks, but he also had heavy duty work boots and dark brown gloves that he clearly used for everything related to tinkering. Even if Scott only needed his guitar amp fixed, Mumbo had brought goggles, too, which sat on his slicked-back hair.

Scott blinked.

Mumbo wasn't nearly as far from his type as one would've guessed.

Lean with vaguely muscular arms, clearly knowledgeable, and Mumbo was taller than him. Not absurdly so, but enough that Scott had to tilt his head upwards to meet his eyes.

"I'm assuming this is your speaker...?" Mumbo eventually asked, and Scott realized he'd stared a few seconds too long.

"That's it, yes," Scott smoothly replied. "I hate to rush you, but my gig does start in three hours, so do you think you'll be able to fix it before then? If you aren't able to fix it, though, I get it. I appreciate the help anyways."

At that, Mumbo almost seemed mildly offended, and he said, "Well, I certainly haven't worked on something like this before, but it isn't that complicated. I'll have it done in an hour at most, so you'll have plenty of time to practice."

"You really are my knight in shining armor," Scott snickered.

Mumbo's face flushed red at that, and he poorly attempted to hide the fact by kneeling down to start working on the amp. Scott grinned. He didn't mind working to get the attention he wanted, but with easy reactions like that, it wouldn't be hard at all to get it.

As the first couple of minutes ticked by, Scott decided to settle on the ground with his legs crossed and text his bandmates. Gem and Impulse had decided to go out and buy glitter to make their usual band make-up really pop for their first show, but they were taking a while. As soon as he was done sending his check-in text, he glanced over to see the repair progress.

"So, are those goggles for style?" Scott asked.

Mumbo looked up in surprise that he'd even been addressed, and after a moment, he replied, "No, I was working on my own project at home, and it was a little more... risky. But I was in a rush to get here as quick as I could, so I didn't bother leaving them at home!"

"Do you do risky things a lot?" he teased.

"Yes, actually," Mumbo answered, horribly oblivious to Scott's intentions, "I can't put a number to the amount of times I've burnt myself or set something on fire!"

Scott let out a small, quiet sigh and began to watch Mumbo work. None of it made sense, but it made the time go by quicker.

Somewhere between 10-15 minutes later, he figured he might as well start applying the band make-up that he did have available to him. He leaned his phone against Impulse's drum set and opened the camera, then he started with the eyeliner. Next came the lightest amount of foundation and a small amount of dark eye shadow. With that done, he began tracing out a blue star on his cheek. His movements only slowed to a stop when he realized that just over his shoulder in the camera, he could see that Mumbo had stopped working.

"Did you need something, Mumbo?" Scott asked.

Mumbo opened his mouth to respond, then visibly paused for a too-long moment. He took in Scott's changed appearance, and judging by the sudden nervousness in his movements, Scott could only guess that he'd applied it just as intended.

"Yes, yes, I did... uh, I just wanted to know...? If you mind if I tamper with some other settings?" Mumbo stammered.

Scott grinned, all-too pleased with himself and replied, "You can tamper with whatever you like. Very polite of you to ask first."

"That's—that's what manners are for!" Mumbo weakly said, giving Scott an equally shaky grin before he went back to working. At least, he tried to. It took about a minute for him to reorient himself, much to Scott's delight.

Only when Mumbo regained his focus did Scott return to his own work. He finished one of the stars and spent a few extra minutes drawing the other star. He added a few small blue dots around the stars, almost like freckles, and then he patted them dry so the glitter would look smoother on it whenever Gem and Impulse returned.

Now it had been a little over 35 minutes, and Scott was thoroughly bored. He took to watching Mumbo again, alternating between watching the subtle flex of his arms and trying to make sense of whatever repairs or tampering was going on. Ultimately, he got bored of the mechanics and focused in on the mechanic.

"Grian told me that you owed him a favor. Care to share?" Scott idly asked.

Mumbo hummed, continuing to work, and then he answered, "Well, it's only one favor, but he uses it a lot. Not that I mind, I am very grateful, I just thought he'd use it for more pressing matters like... if he was in a life-or-death situation, or if he was being hunted down for an impossibly large debt!"

"You must really owe him, then."

"I definitely do," Mumbo agreed. "We've known each other since middle school, and we went to the very same high school and college. Thing is, that last year of college, I struggled with finding a secure place to live, and I was at risk of not being able to graduate after all. Well, he gave me a place to stay, and he did some of my easier assignments... for me."

Scott's eyebrows raised, but he didn't comment. He didn't think it was a big deal, but it wasn't something he'd expected from someone like Mumbo.

Instead of any criticism, he said, "Glad he did. What you're able to do is impressive. I just hope he's not taking advantage of that favor, or else I'll have to sic Impulse on him."

Mumbo huffed, easy-going and amused.

"He isn't, he isn't," Mumbo reassured him. "If I didn't want to, I wouldn't. Besides, this just means I can ask him for a favor in return, too. I'm already wondering what kind of redstone parts I can order with my newfound favor!"

"You really like redstone, huh?"

"Couldn't live without it!"

The conversation petered out as Mumbo focused in on a specific part, and then just a moment later, he seemed satisfied with what he'd done and put everything back together.

"Care to test it out?" Mumbo requested. "I was just curious how it'd sound if I made a few adjustments."

Scott nodded, stood up, and collected his guitar. He was all-too pleased when he saw the amp even show signs of working again, but then again, Mumbo had been too confident to ever doubt. Readjusting the settings, Scott got his guitar pick and strummed the strings a few times to test out the sound. Now, despite his experience playing the electric guitar, he usually needed to adjust his settings a few times to get the clean, tuned sound that he was looking for. However, somehow, Mumbo had improved the quality of it just by messing with it for a little over half an hour.

"Does that sound better?" Mumbo politely asked. "I'm afraid I'm not well-versed in this subject matter..."

"Yes, gods, this sounds great!" Scott excitedly said, testing out a few more notes. He'd readjust, anyways, and see if Gem and Impulse liked the sound of it, too, but this was far better than it'd been before.

"Glad to hear! Another job well done for me, then, and I suppose a new skill I may look into later on," Mumbo mused.

He began to get up, but Scott was still distracted. It wasn't until he'd allowed his mind to stop wandering on future performances that he realized Mumbo was heading to the exit. Quickly, he set his guitar down and grabbed some of his make-up, making a dash for the exit before Mumbo could get any further.

"Mumbo!" Scott called out, getting the other to stop just as he pushed the door open.

"Oh, yes? Did it break already?" Mumbo worriedly asked.

"No, no, you're fine, I was just wondering if I could repay you later on with dinner?" Scott asked.

Mumbo's worried expression melted away, and he said, "You don't have to do that, really, Grian will repay me just fine—"

"I don't have to, but I'd like to," Scott interrupted. "If you want to, that is. You just really caught my eye."

Mumbo's face flushed a lovely shade of pink, and quietly, he nodded. Scott grinned and held up a tube of lipstick he had. Before Mumbo could question it, Scott's gentle fingers, rough in some places from strumming guitar strings, took ahold of Mumbo's arm and turned it so the underside of it was exposed to his gaze. Then, glittery pink lipstick was gliding across his inner forearm, spelling out Scott's name and phone number in loopy symbols that ended off with a small heart.

"Text me if you're still up for that date," Scott said with a wink, and then he turned away, leaving Mumbo to dazedly stumble outside into the parking lot.

The sun was setting, warm sunshine dancing across his face and shimmering off of the pretty writing on his skin, and all he could think about was how Scott's careful touch had left goosebumps on his arms.

I guess I have a date.

Grian would never believe him.

Underrated duo (I'm delusional)

[isagrimorie]

Legacies 1x04 - Hope is Not the Goal | Legacies 4x11 - Follow the Sound of My Voice

Parallel and callback.

#the interesting thing is#how lizzie echoed hope's words she said#all the way back in the early days of s1#at the height of lizzie disliking hope#in the 1x04 scene itself we saw hope's words affected lizzie#i didn't realize she carried those comforting words all#the way to season 4#i also love that in the 4th gif on the right#hope actually clocks lizzie's words#and knows that lizzie was more or less quoting her#hope recognized the sentiment and the time in her life#when she had a healthier outlook on grief

[lifeisnotawishgrantingfactory]

So...

Can anyone explain to me what exactly happened with Finn? I did not get it. I mean, I understood the words and everything but it doesn't make any sense to me... was he the informant at the end of the day? because we haven't seen him (or at least, I don't recall him) interacting with Billy before this season... so anyway, I don't understand why it's implied that Duke is more Shelby than Finn is....

Also, what was it with all the clocks last night????? all those references/scenes with the Shelby's watches.... it must mean something.

Aaaaand I have a huge huge doubt now that Ruby's sickness and death was merely coincidental, if we discard the sapphire theory and all that... I have to watch the whole season again but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the first visit to the hospital when Tommy came back from the US the first time... it was the perfect excuse for the nazis to begin their mindgame.

In other news, the doctor wore grey and had green eyes... just sayin'.

Another thing: I surely hope to god that Tommy let Arthur somehow knows that he is OK because he is heading to suicide otherwise....

Another detail: Tommy's seizures. We were led to believe it was because of the tuberculoma but, as we know now, that was not the case because he actually didn't have the tumor to begin with, so this leads me to believe that they were more related to Tommy's not drinking anymore and this leads to delirium tremens... hence, the seizures.

And Lizzie... my Lizzie, my lovely lovely dear precious treasure. In my imagination, and hopefully, in the movie, we will find out that Tommy rode the horse to the house on the mountains and told her everything because now, he knew everything and now they are living all together in that house on the mountains and Tommy is teaching Charlie how to ride bareback.

Aaaaaaand yes, Alfie is dead.

[simplee-dreaming]

The Runner (Part 2)

(Part 1 here)

A/N: THIS IS MY 50TH FIC WTF!! Ngl I'm not so confident about this one but that's just my anxiety being a demon. I hope you all like it.

Word count: 3823

Summary: With Darren being on the warpath, Chris takes great care of the reader...along with some friends.

-----------------------------------------

The next day you walked into work with a big smile on your face. Last night you shared food with Chris Evans, watched a film with Chris Evans, got into a tickle fight with Chris Evans and ended up being cuddled by Chris Evans. You were certainly on cloud nine right now.

“Black coffee for Mr Evans please! Black coffee!” a call came over the radio. You strode into the kitchen to make it but found another runner already on the case.

“Nevermind,” you thought to yourself. There’s no way you were gonna go the whole of today without seeing him anyway.

You turned on your heel to leave but walked straight into Darren.

“Oh, um, sorry, I-I didn’t see you there,” you stuttered.

“Watch where you’re going,” he said, sternly.

“Sorry,” you repeated.

“There’s a mess on the set, you need to clean it up before the next scene begins shooting,” he demanded. You looked at him.

“But, I’m not a cleaner?” You said, puzzled.

“You were perfectly happy to clean the set a few weeks back,” he said.

“Well yeah but-”

“No excuses, clean up that mess now,” he interrupted, marching out of the kitchen. You sighed but decided not to argue.

You went onto the set and helped the cleaners with the mess.

A few hours had passed and you were sitting on set filling out an accident form. Apparently, Sebastian Stan had slipped on set whilst filming and managed to cut his hand. Only a tiny cut, but any accident has to be filed. Unfortunately, you didn’t get to sit with Seb and fill it out but was given the details by his assistant, Jane.

You got up and walked into the set office, where all the paperwork was kept, and filed away the accident form. When you walked back onto the set, Darren was standing there staring at you. He lifted up his hand and ordered you to go over to him. You slowly walked over and stood in front of him.

“So what exactly did you do to clean the set earlier today?” He asked.

“I...I swept up the debris. I just cleared the mess,” you replied.

“You cleaned the floor, didn’t you?”

“I cleared it yeah but I-”

“You cleaned the floor and left it in a slippery state. No wonder Mr Stan slipped over,”

“No, but, I..I just cleared it! I never-”

“He could have broken a bone,”

“I didn’t clean it, I only swept!” You protested. Darren grunted at you and walked off, leaving you feeling deflated.

The rest of the day you were silent. You didn’t dare speak to anyone in case they thought the same as Darren. When your lunch break finally came around, you walked outside to the back of the studios and sat in a quiet corner where all you could hear was the wind sweeping through the trees and the birds singing. You finished your lunch in silence, a single tear escaping from your eye.

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you all day!” said a familiar voice. You looked up to see Chris walking towards you. A smile involuntarily grew on your lips.

“Oh, hey!” You said, quickly wiping away the tear.

“What’s wrong? Have you been crying?” He asked, sitting on the bench next to you.

“No. No, I’m fine,” you replied.

“You have been crying. What’s the matter?”

“I’m fine,”

“No you’re not,”

“Yes I am, I promise. I’m fine,” you said, a little too quickly. Chris gently put his hand on top of yours.

“What’s happened?” He asked, softly. You looked at him, then looked down and burst into tears. He pulled you in for a tight cuddle.

“It’s all my fault,” you sobbed into his chest.

“What is?” he asked.

“Seb. I made Seb slip. He’s hurt because of me,” you cried.

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Chris asked, rubbing your arm.

“I cleaned the set earlier, I must’ve put something down because Seb slipped and cut himself and it’s my fault,”

“Seb didn’t slip?” Chris said, confused.

“What?”

“Seb didn’t slip, he tripped and fell over. That’s how he cut his hand, he grabbed onto a bit of the set for support and caught a sharp edge. He never slipped,” Chris said. You looked up at him.

“So...so it wasn’t me?” You asked.

“Of course not, he’s just a clumsy idiot. The floor wasn’t slippery at all. Plus, he’s fine. Just got a big boy plaster on,” he chuckled.

“But...but Darren said-”

“What did Darren say?” Chris asked, more seriously.

“Darren said Seb slipped. And that it was my fault because I cleaned the set earlier but I didn’t remember actually putting any product down to clean and I thought I only swept the set which it seems is all I did and-”

“Whoa whoa whoa, breathe. Darren told you this was your fault?” Chris asked. You nodded.

“Right, I’m going to talk to him,” Chris said, standing up.

“No no please, he already hates me. If you say something then he’ll know I told on him and he’ll be even worse,” you begged.

“Y/N, he cannot treat you like this,”

“It’s fine, I can handle it,” you lied.

“He made you cry, Y/N. That is not okay. I’m going to speak to him,” Chris said. He walked off and you ran after him. When you turned the corner, you both ran straight into Seb.

“Whoa Speedy Gonzales, slow down!” Seb said, catching you as you tripped over Chris’ foot.

“S-sorry,” you said. You looked up and suddenly registered who was in front of you.

“Oh god. Oh I’m so sorry, Mr Stan, I didn’t mean to-”

“Y/N, calm down, it’s okay,” Chris said, placing a hand on your shoulder. You looked up at him and took a few deep breaths.

“Ohh so you’re Y/N. Chris has been telling me all about you, it’s nice to put a face to a name,” Seb said, smiling at you. You gave a shaky smile back. He looked at Chris.

“Where are you off to?”

“Going to see my assistant,” Chris said, sternly.

“Ah yes, ‘Divine Darren’,” Seb said, sarcastically. “More like Distasteful Darren.”

“Well, quite. He’s been so unpleasant to Y/N, so I’m going to talk to him,” Chris said, he sounded very angry.

“Chris please, it will only make things worse,” you begged. Seb looked at your worried face and looked back at Chris.

“I think she’s right, Chris. At least wait a little bit until you’re calmer. Then I’ll come and back you up,” Seb said. Chris let out a sigh then looked at you. His face softened.

“Okay. But he’s not going to get away with this,” Chris said. You breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good lad,” Seb said, patting Chris’ shoulder. He then turned to you.

“So, you’re the reason our Chris was so chirpy this morning, eh?” He said. You blushed.

“W-well...I...um…” you stammered. What had Chris told Seb?

“Seb…” Chris warned.

“What? I’ve gotta be polite to your new tickle attacker!” Seb said.

“SEB!” Chris cried.

“Chris told me you used his weakness against him last night. Nice to have you on board Y/N,” Seb winked at you. You let out a nervous giggle, praying that Chris didn’t tell Seb that you shared the same weakness.

“Although, it seems you may struggle more. We can’t have someone who is equally as ticklish on the front line until he’s not strong enough to retaliate,” Seb said. He winked at you again and smirked.

Fuck. He knew.

“Anyway, gotta get ready for my next scene. Catch you both later,” Seb waved goodbye and walked off.

You turned to Chris and punched him in the arm.

“Ow! What was that for?!” He exclaimed.

“You told him?” You asked.

“Ohh...yeah...yeah I did,” he said, giggling. You punched him again.

“Ow! Okay, okay, I’m sorry! I just had a great night last night and couldn’t keep my mouth shut,” he said. You couldn’t help but smile.

“So did I,” you replied. He chuckled and pulled you in for a hug. You relaxed in his arms until he squeezed your side.

“Hey!” You yelped.

“That was for punching me,” he said.

You sighed and walked back into the studios with him, ready to get back to work.

The day finally came to a close. Scenes were wrapping up shooting and members of the crew were packing up to go home. You had purposefully been avoiding Darren all day, terrified of what he may try and do next.

Chris has invited you to his caravan again for another movie night, so you decided to quickly clean up the kitchen area before you clocked out. You took the half-filled jug of coffee out of its hold and turned to pour it down the sink. But, as you turned, someone knocked into the back of you and you dropped the jug which smashed all over the floor.

“What the hell are you playing at?!” Yelled Darren from behind you. You swiftly turned around.

No words came out of your mouth, just incoherent babbling.

“Look at what you’ve done! You’ve smashed the bloody jug you blundering idiot!” He yelled. You took a step backwards and slipped slightly on the spilt coffee, you held the kitchen side for support as tears leaked down your face.

“I-I didn’t mean….I never meant to...it was an accident!” You cried.

“You did that on purpose. You’ve been messing about ever since you started here. Have you any idea the damage you’ve caused?!”

You burst into tears, frightened of the man standing before you.

“Hey hey, back off!” A voice said behind Darren. He turned around slightly and there stood Scarlett and Lizzie, both with their arms folded.

“Did you see what she did? She broke the coffee jug!” Darren exclaimed, gesturing at you.

“Then buy another one,” Scarlett said, shrugging.

“Better yet, buy another one secretly and we won’t tell anyone that you purposely fell into her,” Lizzie said.

“What? I never fell into her! Stupid girl tripped over,” he said, a wobble in his voice. Both women titled their heads and raised their eyebrows at the same time.

“She dropped it all by herself! She’s caused nothing but havoc since she started,” he tried to explain but the girls were having none of it.

“Grrr. Out of my way,” Darren huffed. He pushed past Scarlett and Lizzie and marched off.

“Hey, are you okay?” Lizzie asked, approaching you. You shook your head and burst into tears. Lizzie drew you in for a hug.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Scarlett asked.

“Y/N,” you responded, quietly.

“Oh goodness, you’re Y/N! Chris has mentioned you a few times today. He’s waiting for you, we'll take you to him,” said Lizzie.

“B-but the mess…” you stammered.

“Leave it, we’ll clean it up,” Scarlett said.

She and Lizzie each put an arm around you and guided you away from the kitchen. Chris was standing at the back of the studios, near the caravan park. His posture straightened up when he saw you, but his face grew more concerned as you approached.

“Oh my god, are you okay Y/N? What happened?” He asked. Scarlett looked at him and raised one eyebrow.

“No. No no. This wasn’t Darren again was it?!” He said, his voice getting louder. “Where is he? I’ll kill him!”

“Chris, he’s probably gone home by now,” Lizzie said. He put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

“That little….he has no right treating you like his,” he said. You tilted your head down. He drew in a deep breath and took you from Scar and Lizzie, wrapping you in a hug.

“It’s okay, you’re safe now,” he said, stroking your hair. You cried into his shoulders and hugged him tightly.

“Tell you what, Seb’s using the green room to relax in for a bit this evening. Shall we go and join him?” He asked.

“Will he mind?” You replied, lifting your head slightly.

“Not at all! We could have a group film night if you’re both up for it too?” Chris asked. Scarlett and Lizzie nodded. Chris put his arm around you and all four of you walked to the green room.

“Knock knock,” said Chris, entering the room. Seb was sat on the sofa, scrolling through Netflix.

“Hey man, how’s it going?” Seb asked, turning to greet you all. “Ooh more guests, this is exciting. What’s the occasion?”

“Another incident happened. We thought we could join you and watch a movie together?” Chris said.

“Why of course! The more the merrier!” Seb said. He shuffled up a bit on the sofa and Chris placed you between himself and Seb.

“I’m gonna go grab some food. Do you two mind helping me?” Chris said, gesturing at Lizzie and Scarlett. They both followed him out and into the kitchen area. Coffee and bits of jug were still splattered on the floor so Lizzie bent down to start cleaning it up.

“What happened?” Chris asked.

“Y/N was cleaning this area. She went to wash out the coffee jug and Darren purposely bumped into her so she dropped the jug and he had a proper go at her. She was terrified,” Scar informed him. He hung his head.

“I can’t let him get away with treating her like that,” he responded.

“Well, what are you gonna do?” Lizzie asked, sweeping the floor.

“I don’t know yet. But he’s not getting away lightly,” Chris said. “Do you think she’s okay?”

“I don’t know. I think she’s just putting on a brave face,” Scarlett said.

Chris, Scarlett and Lizzie finished cleaning the kitchen and grabbed some bags of popcorn to take back to the room. When they returned, they found you leaning forwards with your head in your hands and Seb rubbing your back.

“What’s happened??” Chris asked. He put down the popcorn and sat next to you, putting his arm around you.

“She keeps saying everything that happened today is her fault. I’ve told her it isn’t but she’s pretty shook up,” Seb whispered softly.

“Oh Y/N. Nothing that has happened is your fault! We’ve been through this my lovely,” Chris said, gently.

“I shouldn’t be here,” you mumbled.

“What? Chris said.

“I shouldn’t be here,” you said, standing up from the sofa and heading for the door. Chris grabbed your arm.

“Whoa whoa whoa, steady on. Where are you going?”

“Darren was right. I have no right being here. I’m just a runner.”

Another tear fell down your face and Chris’ heart broke.

“Y/N, listen to me. Yes, you are a runner but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be here. Runners are an important asset to the studios, how else would I get my coffee?! Besides, you’re not just a runner. You’re incredible. You’re the first non-celebrity that hasn’t treated me like royalty and it’s a breath of fresh air,” Chris said. You looked up at him.

“Really?”

“Yes really! Don’t want you bowing down to kiss my feet, they’re not that great,” he said. You gave a shy giggle.

“Come here,” he said, pulling you in for a cuddle. You happily accepted and relaxed slightly in his arms.

“Now then you, we’re gonna have a great movie night, yes?” He asked, you nodded. “Good, but I want you to be happy before we start. Where’s that smile?”

He had a hint of playfulness in his voice. You knew what was coming but didn’t want to fight it, so you buried your head further into his chest.

“Come on...where is it?” He teased. He started poking up and down your sides and you squirmed.

You murmured a giggle into his chest as he continued to poke you.

“Where’s that smile?” He teased. You giggled louder as the pokes turned into squeezes.

“Chrihihihis!” You squealed, trying to twist out of his grip.

“Where are you going?” He asked, bending his head slightly to look at you. His hands squeezed your sides and tickled your ribs, making you squeal. You put your hands on Chris’ stomach to push him away but decided to tickle his tummy instead.

“Hehey!” He yelped, stepping backwards and releasing you from his grip. He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

“So that’s how you wanna play…” he said. The playful tone in his voice made you giggle but also kicked in the instinct to turn on your heel and run.

Bad move.

Chris lunged at you, as you turned, and picked you up - spinning you in the air before lying you flat on the sofa. You shrieked.

“No Chris!” You pleaded as he sat next to you, trapping you between him and the back of the sofa. He cackled evilly and started squeezing your sides again. You shrieked and kicked your legs out.

Seb, Lizzie and Scar all shared a smile as they watched Chris tease you.

“Show me that smile,” he teased once more. You were going bright red in the face and tried to bat his hands away, but you couldn’t stop giggling.

“Hey Chris, I think it may be in here,” Seb said. Before you realised what was about to happen, Seb had placed his fingers in the crook of your neck and started wiggling them.

“WAIHIHIHIT! You cried, not expecting Sebastian Stan to join in. You scrunched up your shoulders, trapping his hands in your neck, and shrieked.

“Wow, Chris, you’re right. She’s super ticklish!” He teased. Your face turned ruby red as you twisted and turned on the sofa.

“NOHO I’M NOHOHOT!” You cried.

“Oh yes you are,” Seb said. His hands trailed down to underneath you and started tickling your shoulder blades. The noise you made was different to any other you had ever made before.

“Whoa, I think you found a bad spot,” Chris laughed. He started squeezing and spider tickling your tummy and you let out a scream. You kicked your legs frantically as your arms waved around trying to stop the attacks.

“Girls, we need your help!” Seb said. Scarlett and Lizzie looked at each other and laughed. Scarlett got up and approached you.

She positioned herself next to Chris and gently fluttered her fingers over your kicking feet. No one had you pinned so you were free to twist and kick as much as you liked, but as soon as you twisted from one pair of hands you fell right into another.

“Does this tickle Y/N? Does it? Tickle tickle tickle!” Chris teased, now spider tickling your waistline.

“STOHOHOHP SAHAHAYING THAT!” You cried.

“Oh but you’re so fun to tease!” Chris said, laughing evilly.

Lizzie looked over at Chris and narrowed her eyes. Then, a thought hit her. She slowly crept up behind Chris before lunging at him, sitting on top of him so he was pinned to the floor. She wasted no time in shoving her hands under his armpits and wiggling her fingers.

“WHAHAHAT THE HEHEHELL?! AHAHAHAHA!” Chris yelled, taken aback by the sudden attack.

Seb and Scarlett instantly stopped tickling you so you could all watch the action unfold.

“Does this tickle Chris? Does it? Tickle tickle tickle!” She cooed, repeating his own teases. He thrashed below her and boomed out a laugh. You started giggling too.

“I’ve got him, Y/N. Come and get your own back,” she said, turning her head to wink at you. You jumped off the sofa and basically slid over to him.

“Do any of you know his worst spot?” You asked.

“His ears. Get the spot just behind the right one and flutter your fingers over the top of his left one and you’ll have him a babbling mess below you,” Seb said...a little too quickly.

You grinned at him. Lizzie stopped tickling but kept her hands positioned under his arms. You followed Seb’s instructions and, before you knew it, Chris was a babbling mess on the floor. A mix of squeals, giggles and high pitched laughs came out of him as he twisted his head from side to side. Every time he tried to lift his arms to stop you, Lizzie would tickle his armpits and he’d slam them back down again.

“Cootchie cootchie coo, Chris…” you teased. Your heart did somersaults at the sound of his precious laugh.

All of a sudden, Chris let out a booming laugh and jolted his body. You looked up and found Seb trapping one of Chris’ feet with one hand and using the other to scrape up and down his sole. Seb looked at you.

“His feet are his second worst,” he informed you.

You and Lizzie were too distracted by Seb tickling Chris’ foot that neither of you noticed him lifting up his arms. Because you were sitting right next to him, he managed to grab you and pull you over his torso. He held you close to him as his hand trailed up and down your back and sides. You shrieked loudly and bucked your body.

“CHRIHIHIHIS NOHOHOHO!” You cried.

Seb stopped tickling Chris and instead made a lunge for your foot, trapping it in the same way and raking his fingers up and down it. You burst into a loud laughter.

“Oh dear, we really are trapped now aren’t we?” Scarlett teased. She shoved her hands between you and Chris and started tickling both your tummies at the same time. You both shrieked loudly. Lizzie giggled and decided to join Chris in tickling your sides and back. Chris was giggling below you but you were screaming and shrieking before falling into a silent laughter. You hid your face in Chris’ torso and jolted your whole body. They all took this as the sign to stop.

You lay on top of Chris, getting your breath back. He was still giggling which made you giggle more.

“You okay?” He asked, now stroking your hair. You nodded and placed your head on his chest.

“You passed the initiation,” Seb said. You lifted your head and looked at him, brows furrowed.

“What?” You asked.

“You passed the initiation. You got through our torture without murdering us,” he laughed. You got off of Chris and sat on the floor, still giggling. Chris sat up too.

“You’re officially one of us now. That will never change,” he said, pulling you in for a cuddle. “And tomorrow, I promise, I will sort out this mess. Darren will never treat you so badly again, I promise.”

“Just don’t ever clean the set again,” Seb teased. You scoffed and playfully punched him, making him laugh.

Seb, Scarlett and Lizzie shuffled forward and all four cast members engulfed you in a massive hug. You felt so safe and secure, all of your worries left you for that evening.

Tomorrow is a new day.

[chibimyumi]

What are your thoughts about Elizabeth not asking Our Ciel for the reason behind this identity theft? I think she did it for not becoming an obstacle to Real Ciel's plan of cornering his little brother and traumatize him with the truth (it's not obvious but just my opinion that Real Ciel planned everything from the beginning and Elizabeth just did what she was told, perhaps? And she let Real Ciel to lead the plan like they already planned from the start?)

But anyways, I truly admire your analyzations and your blog. I tried looking through your blog but don't think that you have answered this question yet, maybe.

Have a great day and hope you are doing well💕! :D

Dear Anon,

First of all, thank you for your positive words about my analyses! I'm tired, but otherwise doing well, thank you. I hope you're also doing well, but without the tiredness! 💗 And also, thank you for checking first whether the question has already been answered. It's always very, very appreciated.

Now about your question, what are my thoughts about Lizzie not asking oCiel for the reason behind his identity theft. I think the answer is the same as Lizzie told her brother in chapter 144. “She did not know what to do.” Indeed just like Paula said, "if something you held dear suddenly shattered one day, what would you do?" I wouldn't know either.

Being confronted with a revelation that somebody you thought was dead was not actually dead, and that you couldn't even tell your "true love" was an impostor is a LOT to deal with. Let alone for somebody as young as Lizzie. The revelation aside, having to confront somebody is always difficult. I for one feel the urge to dodge all confrontations if possible, and I'm approximately twice Lizzie's age.

What makes it all the more difficult to ask somebody about their fault is when you yourself are not fully in the clear either. You don't feel like you have the "right" to point out somebody else's wrongs. Had she gone up to oCiel and asked: "why did you steal your twin's identity?", oCiel could very well have returned: "because as evidenced, not even my own "true love" would have noticed. Who even am I?" A fear of confrontation usually stems from the fear of being told an ugly truth, or conflict. We see how much Lizzie is blaming herself for supposedly being a worthy fiancée, but not even being able to tell who is who.

This panel below from Lizzie's deepest fears sums up why she was paralysed by the revelation. So in short, the reason Lizzie did not ask was because she was paralysed by fear and did not know what to do.

"I think she did it for not becoming an obstacle to Real Ciel's plan [......] And she let Real Ciel to lead the plan like they already planned from the start?"

You mean that Lizzie knew quite early on about oCiel's identity theft, but just played along for rCiel, right? If not, my apologies.

I do think that Lizzie is simply doing what she's told, as you said. However I don't think Lizzie is actively part of rCiel's plan; she is not defying orders, but that is something quite different. I think Lizzie's surface compliance with rCiel is because she might feel it is a "compensation" for her crime against him. She had wronged him by not even recognising the impostor was not him, and therewith "cheated" on him. Lizzie tells us explicitly she had a gut-feeling that UT and rCiel are up to no good, but did not defy anyway. Again, because she did not know what to do. Once paralysed with fear, it is very normal for humans to freeze and/or go into compliance mode, because in that way it seems like you're minimising conflict and maximising harmony.

Lizzie's motivation for action is nothing but self-loathing and guilt. She can't turn back the clock and undo the damage that's already done. At least by complying, in the very least she could feel like she "fulfilled" some of her role as "worthy fiancée".

Another reason I think Lizzie is not active in the plan of rCiel is because she feels too guilty towards oCiel too to actively plan something against him.

In the carriage Lizzie spoke in full honesty that she loathes herself for being capable of thinking something as cruel as "couldn't you have died instead of my fiancé?" As an intrusive thought she did give her self-blame the face of oCiel. However, immediately afterwards she realised she mostly blamed herself.

Somebody who is this crippled by guilt for someone is very unlikely to actively do something to harm the person their guilt is for. By complying with rCiel and UT, she IS harming oCiel, and she knows. However, without knowing that UT and rCiel are probably going to destroy oCiel, going along with rCiel's excuses of "wanting to protect baby bro", and therewith compensating in being a "faithful fiancée" does seem like a slightly better alternative to her, surely.

Well, I hope this made sense ^^ Wish you a good day.

Related posts:

Lizzie's feelings for oCiel

Lizzie's conclusion-jumping personality?

Real Ciel's isolation abuse tactic

[lifeofkaze]

An Art of Balance #23

Orion Amari x MC

Warning: Mention of alcohol (I feel like this is getting out of hand)

Word Count: ~ 2.600

_______________________________________________

Chapter 23: The Morning After

After Rowan had left them, it had taken Lizzie a long time to stop crying. Orion had held her close the whole time, his hands stroking her back with soothing motions. His movements had stopped when she had told him the whole story in between her sobs, but still he hadn’t let go of her.

He had just watched her in silence until she had calmed down enough to think straight. When she had finally gathered enough courage to look him in the face, the sadness visible in his eyes had threatened to tear her apart once more.

“Why did you lie to me?” It was apparent that Orion tried to keep his voice level, but Lizzie could feel the hurt and disappointment ringing in his words. He had said so himself; he had trusted her.

Ashamed of herself, she cast down her eyes and shook her head. “How could I have told you the truth?” she whispered into the darkness surrounding them. They were sitting far from any place the silver light of the moon could reach.

Orion took his time to answer. “I don’t know; I just wish you had.”

Lizzie felt like crying once again, but there was not a single tear left she hadn’t shed already; she felt empty inside. “Me too.”

They had walked back to the Common Room in silence, but it couldn’t have been a greater contrast to the way they had wandered the castle earlier. Where it had been a comfortable silence before, it now hung heavy between them, neither of them knowing what to say.

Lizzie desperately wished for him to say something, anything, to let her know he understood and everything would be okay; but Orion remained silent until they reached the Common Room.

They had been gone longer than what Lizzie had thought; all the lights were extinguished and the fire was burning low in the fireplace, casting the tiniest flickers of light over the few remaining figures sleeping in armchairs or on some of the sofas.

It brought back the memory of another time they had found themselves alone in here in the middle of the night. Lizzie remembered bitterly how much she had hoped Orion would catch on to her words and give her the opportunity to tell him the truth; but he hadn’t and she had been too much of a coward to break both of their hearts on her own accord.

“You should get some sleep now,” Orion told her quietly. He pulled her into a hug and Lizzie closed her eyes as she rested her cheek against his chest, not wanting the moment to end. “Get some rest and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

She reluctantly let go of him as she registered the shift in his position towards the entrance door. “What are you doing?”

He brushed a rogue strand of her hair out of her face as he looked ponderingly down at her. “Both our spirits are troubled with what has happened. Sometimes being alone is the best way to bring order into the chaos of the mind.”

And with that, he left her alone with the dying fire and her burning conscience.

Lizzie felt completely exhausted from both the physical exhaustion of playing Quidditch and the onslaught of emotions raging inside her. She actually contemplated going to bed for a moment, but with all the thoughts running through her mind on repeat, she knew there was not the slightest chance to find sleep anytime soon.

Besides, Rowan would probably be up in their dorm by now. Lizzie shuddered at the thought of confronting her friend over the mess she had created. She knew she would have to eventually, but not tonight. Orion was right; she should probably try to get some rest.

She wandered over to the big sofa in front of the fire place. Brian, the Hufflepuff Keeper, was slumping in an armchair close to it; he was fast asleep, nestling a half empty bottle of Firewhiskey in the crook of his arm.

Careful not to wake him, she pried the bottle from his hands, swaying it lightly as she contemplated her options. The amber liquid inside sloshed back and forth, illuminated by the dim light of the fire.

Lizzie shrugged before she settled on the couch, staring into the flames. It wasn’t like the night could get worse anyway.

The first sip she took had her coughing and grimacing at the sharp taste that set her mouth on fire. The second one was equally as bad. But as she took a third, fourth and fifth sip directly out of the bottle, it finally brought her the comfortable numbness she had been hoping for.

Snuggling deeper into the cushions, she watched as the fire burned out, slowly but surely drifting into a blissfully oblivious sleep.

*

Lizzie woke to an incredibly stiff neck and a mouth dry as parchment. Her head felt stuffy and she tried as hard as she could to hold onto the dream she’d had.

It had been a nice dream; someone had sat beside her in the darkness, gently stroking her hair and covering her with something warm and fuzzy. Her eyes still closed, Lizzie sighed sleepily and snuggled deeper into her blanket. The smell of ginger, patchouli and cilantro brought a dreamy smile to her face.

After a moment, her brow furrowed. This was not what her blanket smelled like; in fact, this wasn’t what her bed felt like either. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes the tiniest bit and glanced at her arm resting next to her head, almost disappearing in a dark brown sleeve that was way too long to be her own.

As the realisation of what she was wearing hit her, Lizzie abruptly jerked upright. She regretted the sudden motion immediately as the Common Room started spinning around her and a searing pain shot through her temples down into her clenched jaws. With a groan, she let herself fall backwards onto the couch and closed her eyes again.

With the pain in her head, the memories of the night before returned to her.

Incredulous of what she had done, she covered her face with her hands as she remembered she and Orion racing through the nightly hallways, their conversation on top of the Astronomy Tower and the way time had seemed to stop as they had kissed. Even now, Lizzie felt the butterflies dancing in her stomach and her heart was beating faster at the memory of how perfect his lips had felt against hers.

But she also remembered how she had watched Rowan’s heart break right in front of her, as well as her bitter accusations; the pain she had caused her friend left her chocked up with a sour taste in her mouth.

Lizzie sat up again, this time considerably slower and untangled herself from the colourful quilt laying across her body; she didn’t even remember getting it before she had passed out. She carefully stood up, gripping the backrest for support as her head started spinning again.

She waited until the nauseous feeling had passed before she gingerly tapped into the direction of the dormitories. She noted how clean the Common Room was despite the raging party going down the night before; she was the only one in the room as well. It must have been already pretty late in the day for no one to be here. Sure enough, the big grandfather clock in one the reading nooks told her it wasn’t long until breakfast would be over.

When she entered her dorm, Lizzie was glad to find it almost empty. Neither Rowan, Penny nor Tonks were anywhere to be seen; only Skye was still lying in her bed, her black and blue mess of a hair sticking up in all directions. Her mouth was hanging open and she was snoring softly.

Lizzie tiptoed over to her own bed and shrugged out of Orion’s coat. The fire in their wood stove must have gone out some time during the night, leaving the room defenceless against the cold from the stone walls. The fine hairs on Lizzie’s arms immediately stood on end at the contact with the cool air.

She missed the warmth of the heavy fabric as she hung it over the end of her bed. Seeing it lying there on her yellow quilt brought back the reality of what she had done, even more forceful than before.

Lizzie stared at the coat Orion was so rarely seen without but in her mind the scenes of last night were playing again. If she concentrated enough, she could still taste his soft lips brushing over her own, feel his breath on her neck. She remembered how his strong hands had felt on her waist, her back, in her hair and had to suppress a shudder as her body started tingling at the memory.

The sensation died in its tracks as her gaze fell onto her nightstand. Between the pictures of her friends, family and the Quidditch team, one was missing. The picture of Rowan and her she had gotten for Christmas lay on the ground between their beds, the glass of the cover broken into countless shards scattered over the floor.

Suddenly feeling empty inside, Lizzie bent down to pick it up; she was forced to grab onto the edge of her bed as another rush of vertigo made the room sway in front of her eyes. When everything had settled again, she saw Mouse had jumped on her bed and gotten comfortable on Orion’s coat. Her green eyes followed the unsteady movements of her owner as Lizzie started looking for her washbag with what seemed like disdain.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Lizzie snapped, “I know I botched it big time, alright?”

But Mouse was already asleep again, clearly not caring very much for the misery of her human.

Shutting the door of the bathroom behind her, Lizzie waited until steam was hanging in the air until she stepped under the scalding hot shower. She tried not to flinch away from the initial feeling of pain as the hot water hit her cold skin but soon found her tense muscles relaxing as she let the water wash over her.

Her friends were always joking about how hot Lizzie liked her shower but she didn’t care. She concentrated on the stinging sensation on her skin as the heat returned to her body. It allowed her to tune out all of her other thoughts. For a few divine moments, she felt nothing but warmth and the release of the tension inside her shoulders.

She relished the feeling of the trickle running down her spine until the water slowly started getting colder. When it became too cold for her to stand, Lizzie stepped out of the shower again, careful not to fall on the slippery tiles.

Her skin was flushed a deep red, making all the cuts and bruises she’d taken back from the pitch even more sensitive. She winced as she wrapped herself in a huge fluffy towel and stepped in front of the fogged mirror.

Lizzie couldn’t help the wry smile forming on her lips as she took in her ghastly reflection. Her wet hair hung around her face that still looked oddly pale, despite the boiling hot water. Her eyes had huge dark shadows laying underneath them, making her look more dead than alive.

Her cheeks blushed as she saw the trace of small red love bites on her collarbone, quickly pushing the thought of how exactly they got there out of her mind. The embarrassment faded as she inspected the huge, black bruise on her sternum, however. It had the shape of a star and the memory of Rowan’s spell hitting her body hurt her more than the rubbing of the towel against her battered skin ever could.

But sulking about what had been said and done wouldn’t help her solve the situation. Although she looked like death and felt even worse, the least she could do was set things right again.

Lizzie quickly put on enough make up to not be mistaken for one of the Hogwarts ghosts anymore and changed into her most comfortable pair of jeans and an old, worn out black sweater that hung loose around her body. She tried pulling her hair up into a pony tail, but the way her hair band pulled at her roots only intensified the pain inside her hammering head, so she just left it as it was.

When she left the bathroom again, she found Skye sitting up in her bed, looking about as fresh as Lizzie felt herself. She was swaying a tiny little bottle with her right hand as if not quite sure whether she should drink its contents or not. It was their own version of a Pepper-Up Potion; Penny had found a way to modify it some time ago. Instead of healing a common cold, it was the girls’ first choice of remedy against a nasty hangover.

Skye tipped the potion into her mouth and closed her eyes as the effect hit. She opened her mouth and blew out the steam that was a by-product of the concoction. She pursed her lips to form it into a ring and laughed as it drifted towards the ceiling.

“Morning,” she greeted Lizzie with a grin, her voice still raspy from drinking and the potion. “What a party, huh?”

Lizzie only hummed in response; she wasn’t in the mood for recounting last night’s highlights. She went over to the drawer where Penny kept her potions and grimaced as she found it empty.

“Sorry, got the last one right there,” Skye grinned. “Damn, you do look like you’d have needed it, Jameson. When did you get so wasted? Last time I saw you- “

She stopped there, suddenly looking at her quizzically. “Come to think of it, where were you the whole time? Didn’t see you anywhere.”

Lizzie avoided her eyes and busied herself with looking for a pair of sneakers in the chaos of her cupboard. “The crowd was a bit too much, I needed some fresh air to think,” she mumbled.

Skye snickered. “You’re starting to sound like Orion, you know.” She fell silent as her own words sunk in and she saw Lizzie blushing despite her best efforts. Her gaze shifted to the brown coat still lying on Lizzie’s bed. Now fully awake, her eyes went wide.

“Jameson, whose coat is that?”

Lizzie grimaced. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she deflected the question as she put her shoes on but Skye wasn’t so easily put off. She swung her legs out of her bed and got up; like Lizzie before, she was wobbly on her knees and had to hold onto her bedpost for a second.

“You’re going to tell me what happened, right now,” she cried as she tried to steady herself.

Lizzie had wanted to leave the coat in their dorm until she found a quiet moment to return it to Orion without anyone noticing. But with Skye on her trail, that was out of the question. With a sigh, she folded it up and shoved it under her arm. Skye was still waiting for her answer, though.

“I’m talking to you, you know?” she complained while she was still trying to get her body under control.

But Lizzie only rolled her eyes. “Sod off, Parkin.”

Without another word, Lizzie left their room and shut the door in Skye’s incredulous face.

[ace-in-a-shopping-cart]

Day 13

 Prompt:  Everyone is born with a superpower, but when soulmates are together, their powers are nullified by each other.

Word Count: 1,304

Main Taglist: (Send an ask to be added or removed!) @starlocked01,​​​ @spoopy-turtle,​​​ @lizluvscupcakes,​​ @more-fandon-than-friends​, @i-cant-find-a-good-username, @vindicatedvirgil, @star-crossed-shipper, @justaqueercactus, @gayboopnoodle, @sanderssidesweirdo, @the-sympathetic-villain, @8-writes, @lizzy-lineart, @battlebunnyteardropsinthesun

Soulmate taglist:(Send an ask to be added or removed!) @elizabutgayer, @melodiread, @tsshipmonth2020, @mikalya12, @8-writes, @lizzy-lineart

Note: Logan is able to summon small items while Virgil is able to make shadows tangible.

Virgil threw the incorporeal ball up, letting it bounce against the ceiling before falling back down into his hands. “No, you’re not listening to me. We told you that if you had any complaints that the tenth was the last day to say so.”

“But we didn’t have any complaints then.”

Virgil briefly muted himself as a growl of frustration left his throat. “Well then, Barbara, I think you might be out of luck. You’ve gone past the return policy date so it’s no longer valid. I have no way of helping you.”

“I want to speak to your manager.”

Virgil could have laughed at that cliche line. “Alright, just give me a moment to transfer you.” He put her on hold and called his superior. “We’ve got another customer trying to claim a return policy after the sixty day guarantee.”

Emily sighed. “Alright, send them my way.” Virgil did just that before leaning back in his chair with a sigh of his own.

He sat there, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes while he wondered if this was worth it, before he stood with a groan, hands on the small of his back. He opened the door to his office and made his way to the break room. Logan Croft was there, making another pot of coffee.

“Greetings.” Logan said as Virgil opened the fridge.

“Hey. How’s work going for you?”

Logan shrugged. “The plans are coming along nicely. At this point, we’re just waiting to be told that we have the funds for it. How about you? You don’t seem to be doing so well.”

Virgil pulled out a pudding cup and grabbed a spoon. “Eh. Just had another entitled Karen on my hands but nothing too bad.”

“As you’ve once said, ‘Oof’.”

Virgil doubled over laughing at Logan’s monotone. “Sorry!” He said when he got his breath back. “That was just the best comedic timing you’ve had in awhile.”

Logan gave him a closer look. “You’re also exhausted aren’t you?”

“Yeah, that too.”

Logan sighed. “What time did you get to sleep last night?”

Virgil shrugged. “I don’t know, about three?”

Logan looked ready to hit him with a spoon. “Virgil, you know that isn’t healthy.”

Virgil just shrugged. Roman came in and sighed. “Is there coffee left?”

“Yes.” Logan answered simply.

Roman poured himself a cup, adding milk and sugar before taking a sip. “Ugh, it’s still only lukewarm.” He dipped a finger in the liquid before his hand started glowing and the liquid bubble slightly.

 Logan sighed. “I would ask that you refrain from using your powers during work hours.”

Roman just shrugged and walked out, tossing a, “Whatever,” over his shoulder.

Virgil frowned before deciding it was best to ignore that. “So, you got any dirt on anyone lately?”

Logan’s whole expression changed as his face got more animated and he leaned in conspiratorially as Virgil stuck his spoon in his mouth. “Yes, I do! I heard that Emily and Sara found that their powers don’t work around each other! It also seems that Remus also started another prank war with Patton while Janus is trying to give Patton daily puns.”

Virgil smiled, the thumping of his heart reminding him just how large of a crush he had on this nerd. “Oh really? I heard that Roman and Remus are actually siblings.”

Logan gasped. “Really?! Have you heard anything about Remy yet?”

Said person stood in the doorway. “Are you two gossiping again? What have I told you about that?”

Virgil’s back straightened. “Not to do so without you.” He recited.

Remy smiled, coming over to pour himself a cup. “Good. So, spill.”

They spent the rest of their fifteen minutes exchanging office news before Virgil had to go back to dealing with the humans.

The next day, it seemed he and Remy got to the break room first as Logan was nowhere in sight. Virgil sidled up to Remy. “You got anything new?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure you and Logan are soulmates.”

“What?!” Virgil had to struggle to keep his voice down. “Where did that come from?”

“Have you ever used your powers around him? Has he ever used them around you?”

“He always says not to use them during office hours so I try not to use them around him.”

Remy shrugged, pouring his pumpkin spice creamer in despite it being the middle of May. “Not even in an emergency? Not even when it was raining and he could have easily summoned an umbrella for himself?”

Virgil paused, his mind racing through every encounter he’d ever had with Logan. There were times when his shadow ball dissipated when Logan abruptly showed up at his door but Virgil had always attributed that to losing concentration. Logan had also looked like he’d tried to summon things occasionally in the way that he held a hand out as if a marker or pointer was going to fall into it, holding the hand out to the side for an umbrella that never showed up. Logan always claimed that his powers were finicky, probably needing the object to be in the same place he’d left it for it to work.

“Okay, so we’re soulmates. What now?” If Virgil had been paying attention to the door, he would have noticed Logan come into earshot just as he said that. He would have noticed Logan’s crestfallen expression, the way he put a fresh bouquet of flowers onto Yeonjoo’s desk, the way he walked off, heart broken. Instead, he was focused on his conversation with Remy and didn’t notice him.

“Well, I’d assume you go talk to him, or at least ask him out.”

Virgil nodded, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Yeah, ask him out. Do you know if he has anything scheduled for lunch?”

Remy splayed his hands out. “What do I look like, his secretary?” He sighed. “No, he doesn’t have anything scheduled.”

Virgil smiled, giving him a small hug around the shoulders. “You’re the best!”

He ignored the pit in his stomach as he fielded calls, eyes glancing at the clock every five minutes. When it came time for lunch break, he popped out of his chair and rushed to Logan’s office just as the other man was putting on his jacket.

“Do you want to go to lunch with me?” Virgil asked in a single breath, the question coming out as more of a string of letters without spaces than a genuine sentence.

Logan blinked. “One more time, but slower.”

“Do you want to go to lunch with me?”

“Oh, I would have assumed you’d want to go with your soulmate, not me.”

Virgil frowned before understanding what happened. “I thought you were taught to check your facts, mister.”

“Isn’t Remy your soulmate?”

Virgil shook his head, the pit in his stomach being replaced with a smile on his lips. “We were talking about my soulmate but he’s not it.”

Logan nodded, hope blooming in his eyes. “Okay, in that case, I guess I will come with you.”

Virgil linked arms with him as they left. Once they got to the usual place, Virgil spoke again. “Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious who my soulmate is? Or even why I asked to eat lunch with you?”

Logan shrugged, his eyes scanning the menu they’d both already seen a dozen times as they tended to come here often. “You will tell me in your own time. It’s also not uncommon for us to ask each other to lunch.”

Virgil leaned forward, using a finger to push Logan’s menu down so he could look him in the eyes. “You’re my soulmate, dummy. I’ve also had a crush on you for over a year now. Go out with me?”

Logan sighed, a smile spreading across his face. “Of course.”

[wendystales]

Memories - lrh (Chapter Three)

Memories (also on Wattpad)

Chapter Two ※※※※※ Chapter Four

My mother spent the night with me and early in the morning I managed to convince her to go home and sort out her own things. Stephen was supposed to arrive at 8 am and I didn't want her here when that happened, she wouldn't like to see him at all.

“If there's anything I'll call, you can go, really.” I assure her, who goes reluctantly.

The clock struck five to eight and I was for the thousandth time running my hands through my hospital gown and my hair. My hands were sweating and my stomach was churning, I stared at the door as if I wanted to open it with the power of my mind, until it opened.

It was shocking to see him so different from what I remembered. His hair was shaved and bleached, almost white. Now he had a colorless rose on his neck that took up half of his left side and a piercing in his septum. He was a different person, just like me, it really had been years.

“Only Marnie McGonagall manages to remain exuberant even all run down.” he cracks a wide smile to break the tension. “These are for you!” he hands me a bouquet of daisies. They're not my favorite, but I thank him.

“Thank you, they are beautiful. Thank you for coming.” I try to control my breathing. It's all so strange.

“I was surprised by the call, I swore that after you left you would never speak to me again.” he throws himself on the chair beside the bed.

“So our breakup was real?”

“Yes, but not the way you were told, you met this famous guy and fell for him. We had already broken up when I started going out with Bethany.” he talks as if he is talking about the weather. The mention of him and Bethany together makes me nauseous, maybe it was jealousy.

“My mother talked about cheating, that I caught you guys.” I introduce the subject calmly, I know how much Stephen hates to be accused of anything. He rolls his eyes like he' s saying ‘I knew it.’.

“It impresses me that you buy that, Lizzie. You know how much your parents hate me. You broke up with me, that's true, but because you met this guy. He bewitched you, and it wasn't easy to get over you.”

I take a deep breath trying to control myself. It was too much information, too much information. I had broken up with Stephen for Luke, this didn't make any sense. I loved Stephen, I still do. Maybe this memory loss was a chance for us to get back to the way things were before.

“Did you and Bethany...?”

“No! It didn't work out, then she moved to Canada with her family, it wasn't going to work out, and deep down…” he comes closer, sitting on the bed and holding my hand. “I still love you.”

I open my mouth, but can't say anything, the statement takes me in total surprise. Stephen seizes the moment and kisses me. Nostalgia overwhelms me and all the moments we have lived through take over my mind, but deep, deep down, something screams in my head, it wasn't right, it didn't feel right. It wasn't him.

I lower my head breaking the kiss, feeling more lost than before. Stephen holds himself in place, but my urge is to push him away. Something bubbles up inside me and it is not happiness or passion.

“I think it's time for you to go.” I let out a harsher tone than I expected. I still don't face his eyes, maybe out of fear, maybe because I can't bear to look at him.

“You call me here and send me away like this?” he asks incredulously and offended. “You are unbelievable, Marnie. I don't know why I still waste my time with you. Your memory may have faded, but deep down you are still under his spell.” at that moment I abruptly turn my face to meet his. I know that my eyes are burning with anger, and so are his.

“I said, it's time for you to go.” I say in a broken voice, listening to my heartbeat rise.

Stephen stares for a few seconds before he gets up, picks up the daisies, and slams the door. I sink into bed, trying to calm myself. It really wasn't one of my better ideas to call Stephen here, but maybe it was necessary.

I turn on the TV and flip through the channels until I notice a picture of me. I go back to the channel and turn up the volume. They are talking about my accident and without me being able to prepare myself, they play the video of how it all happened.

I hold my breath as the pickup truck crashes into my side, causing my car to spin on the road and crash into the pole. They play it one more time, but in slow motion. The tip of my nose tingles and my eyes start to fill up.

Still watching the TV, my mind brings back the moment of the accident.

"I crank up the starter and before I can send the audio, I feel a loud impact on my left side. A deafening noise fills the entire car. Quite faintly, I watch the track spin and feel the shards of glass hit me, before I give myself over to that uncontrollable sleep."

The video changes and they show my attending, I cover my mouth, watching my unconscious body being pulled from the car.

My stomach clenches and I feel like vomiting from the nervousness. I turn off the TV and grab my cell phone, going back to researching my life in an attempt to distract myself.

Unlike yesterday, I Google my name and see what headlines pop up about me. Some sites give a brief summary of my trajectory, which helps me a little.

I watch some videos of rehearsals, interviews, fashion shows, even those videos of paparazzi leaving restaurants, with him. I look again at Instagram calmly, photo by photo, video by video, even the stories archives. There are several parties, trips, slumber nights, bts from photo rehearsals, and a lot of stuff with him, again. Of course, he is your boyfriend. Asshole!

I barely recognize myself on the screen. The Marnie I watch is outgoing, funny and charismatic, and I was never like that, at least as far back as I can remember. Which leads me to believe that this Marnie, model, famous and full of important friends, is a character.

Leah, Noah, Calum, Ashton, Mike and Kyleen. They don't just seem like friends, they seem like my family, brothers, I don't know. While it is fun to watch some of these videos, of all of us fooling around and messing up, on the other hand it hurts not to have any memories of them.

“How is my little girl doing?” I snap out of my trance and run my eyes to the door. I feel my eyes water as I recognize the middle-aged man.

“Dad!” I hadn't realized the urge to cry until I saw him. Until I felt his embrace.

“ It's okay, my love. I'm here. It's going to be all right, I swear!” he comforts me while I soak his shirt.

“ I'm sorry.” I pull away, trying to control my tears.

“For what?” he looks at me curiously. I shrug, not knowing what to say. Lately I feel I have to apologize for everything. “Honey, none of this is your fault. This amnesia is just a sequel, in a little while it will go away and you will remember everything.”

“I hope so. Even because everything I've forgotten has been very hard to remember.” I comment, playing with the bar of the blanket.

“ It's been a busy three years. You went from just my little girl, to one of the top models of 2019. That's quite a breakthrough.” he laughs, which makes me crack a smile. Only my dad could make me find that funny.

“Apparently I'm dating a rock star.” I join in with him.

“A very nice guy, I must say. He gave me a Gibson guitar.” he widens his eyes, emphasizing how awesome that was.

“Dad, you play guitar?” that would be nothing compared to what I couldn't remember.

“No, but it is amazing to have it on the wall.” for the first time since this whole nightmare, I allow myself to laugh.

My father spent the rest of the morning with me. He told me about his new job and how he was traveling the world now, helping his boss. I don't know how my mother was dealing with all this, she hated to be away from him.

“Mom must not like this new job of yours at all, huh?” I ask, scraping my red Jell-O.

I glare at my father when I notice his silence. We were sharing the bed space, he also had a Jell-O and we looked like two little girls gossiping while stuffing themselves with ice cream. I find his silence strange and wonder if something is wrong.

“Dad?” I call him once more.

“I was trying to find the best way to tell you this.” he sits up straight.

“What? Did you and Mom have a fight?” that was normal, not that big a deal.

“No! Actually, a little more than two years ago, your mother and I talked and we thought it was better to go our separate ways... with different people.” he speaks very slowly, calmly, and a little fearfully. I blink a few times, taking in the words and what they meant together. They got divorced?

I sit up like him, feeling uneasy. I start to breathe deeply. My relationship went down the drain. My parents broke up. Bethany disappeared across Canada. Nothing, absolutely nothing, that I had before had survived.

“Honey?” he brings me back to reality.

“Why? What? What happened?’ I ask. He opens his mouth a few times, saying nothing, trying to find what to say.

“Things were not going very well anymore. We were arguing too much and not even looking at each other anymore.” he takes a deep breath, visibly uncomfortable. “And I had an affair with a woman from my old job, that was the end of it.” he says so low, I can hardly hear, and honestly, it was better not to listen.

I always grew up thinking that my father was the best man in the world. My superhero. Prince Charming from all the Disney movies. The kind of man I would like to meet in my life. And then I find out that my father was none of these things. He is just like all the others.

“How could you?” disgust overflows in my mouth. “You have a family.” again something bubbles up inside me.

“I have no excuse, no justification, I was wrong and I regret the way things turned out. It didn't have to be this way. Okay, today your mother and I are friends and we go our separate ways, but there was no need for all that suffering to happen.” he stares again at the jelly, ashamed.

Silence fills the room. Nobody knows what to say. I don't recognize the man next to me. I don't even know what is going on in my head at the moment, there are so many thoughts and assumptions that I feel like I'm going crazy.

“Have you found someone yet? I mean, are you still with that woman from your old job?” I ask softly, poking the skin on my finger.

“No, she was just a fling. It didn't work out. Your mother was seeing someone until last month, but apparently it didn't work out.” he shrugs, which shocks me a little. I know it's so natural for them, but I'm still absorbing it here. “I met someone, Meredith. We've been together for a year now.” he gives me a beautiful, passionate smile. “Let me show you some pictures.” He gets as excited as a teenager. “Unless you don't want to.” he looks at me fearfully.

“I want to.” I crack a tight smile.

My father is back to being the excited teenager as he shows me the pictures of Meredith and her children. Children?

“They're yours?” I ask slightly jealous.

“No, Kendall and Samantha are from her first marriage, they are twins.” he smiles. “But I love them as if they were my own, the same way I love you.” he gives me a kiss on the side of my head.

He passes me another picture and my heart races as soon as I see them both, he on my lap and she on Luke's lap. I hold up the cell phone and stare at the picture with an ache in my chest.

“This was at my wedding, you both looked beautiful.” my father comments softly. I bite my lip, trying to control my crying and smiling at the same time. We really did look beautiful.

“I always wanted to have brothers, remember?” I ask with my voice shaking. I pass another picture and now my father and Meredith are posing with the four of us.

“They think you are the best big sister in the world.” I grimace, letting the tears come over me. They are not from sadness. Honestly, I don't even know what they are from, but the feeling is good.

Around lunchtime my father left, as he was exhausted, he had come straight here from the airport after a 12 hour flight. I was alone for the rest of the afternoon reading, until my mother arrived at 4pm to pick me up.

When we left the room, I noticed that Luke didn't come, which I find strange, since I remember my mother had commented that he was coming with her.

“He had an upcoming incident with the band, but he should be at your apartment later.”

The fact that I have to wait longer to talk to him makes me nervous and anxious. I just wish he would show up soon so he could help me with everything and clear up the sea of curiosity.

Along the way, I am talking to my mother about her and my father. I was so distracted by the conversation that I didn't even notice when we arrived in front of a beautiful building.

“Are you sure we are at the right address?” I ask looking out the window. My mother laughs and gets out of the car. I live here?

When we get to my floor, I realize that there is only one apartment per floor. We must be at the wrong address. My jaw drops as I enter the hall of the apartment.

Right away I find a huge painting of myself on the wall to my left. I was wearing that strange make-up and an even stranger outfit. The tone is black and white, but I am sure that the color picture is very colorful.

“This was the picture of your first magazine cover.” my mother clarifies with a huge smile on her face. I stare at my picture again, still frowning.

I follow my mother into the living room, once again letting my jaw drop. I had a living room right at the entrance, to my right was the living room with a huge TV, and to my left was the dining room. Slowly, I walk through the space, looking at everything breathlessly.

“Is this my apartment?” I ask in surprise. My mother lets out a short laugh before confirming. “I bought it?” she nods. “With my money?” she nods again. “As a model?” she laughs. “Okay! This is still too much for me.”

I walk curiously around the apartment again, looking at the kitchen, living rooms and, of course, the bedrooms. Two guest rooms and mine. When I reach the second floor, I am confronted with a hallway full of pictures. They range from personal photos to work photos. I pay more attention to the pictures of me and Luke. We are a beautiful couple.

I go into my room and find everything arranged. I let the excitement take over me when I see the closet. I look at the clothes, amazed, besides several boxes of brands like Gucci, Prada and Chanel still unopened.

On the last shelf, I see an older looking box, the slightly faded color catches my eye. I pull out a small ladder and carefully pull the box onto my lap, it wasn't heavy, but doing this with a broken arm and a twisted leg is not easy.

I sit down on the closet floor itself and open the box, wishing I hadn't seen it and maybe never opened it. I gently run my hand over those little souvenirs with tears in my eyes once again. I need to stop crying.

Movie and concert tickets, dried flowers, empty peanut cans, cards, cabin photos, and beer caps, everything I lived through with Luke. The feeling that takes over me is almost suffocating. My body feels and radiates all that it represented, but my mind would not let the image load.

Underneath it all, I pull out a diary and, at the same time that curiosity eats away at me, fear also takes over. I close my eyes and open to a random page.

"I can't believe I modeled at NYFW. OMG! OMG! OMG! It's unbelievable. I'm going to need to watch the runway show about a thousand times before I can believe it."

I flip back a few sheets and stop when I see Luke's name.

"I know it's not a good sign that I'm thinking about him and being so close to him, but I can't help it. Luke is amazing. The way he looks at me, how he listens to me, how he understands me, and his kiss...I can't forget his kiss..."

“Sweetheart?” I hear my mother scream. I wipe away the tears and put the little box under the skirt of some dresses. I get up as fast as I can and walk to the bedroom door.

“Yes?”

“I thought I'd help you in the shower, what do you think? Get rid of that hospital smell.” I accept the idea, which sounds very good.

After a good shower, I put on some pajamas and get to know my room, opening all the drawers, looking at all the makeup, everything. I decide not to go through that box anymore, because I still don't know how to manage everything it represents.

Once again my mother calls me and I believe it's for dinner, but when I get to the living room I find a brunette girl and a guy with red hair.

“Hi?” I nod gracelessly.

“Hi!” they return the greeting a little nervous too.

I ‘know’ who they are. Ashton and Leah. They are in several pictures in my social networks, in my hallway and on the living room furniture.

I watch the brunette with long hair, crack a huge smile. I watch her fingers tightening, like a child trying to control herself. I smile fearfully, but it was enough for her to apologize before squeezing me in a hug.

“I know you don't remember me, but I am your best friend and I am so glad that you are okay.” I look at my mother, who is smiling, and at Ashton, with my eyes wide and patting her on the back.

“Leah, you don't have to suffocate her.” Ashton comments without manner, scratching his forehead.

She walks away gracelessly. I give her a smile, but thank her for the space. Ashton approaches a little fearfully and holds out his hand, respecting my space, but it is apparent that he also wants to give me a hug.

“You can hug me, I don't bite.” I joke, trying to break the tension.

He says nothing more and surrounds me with his arms. Unlike Leah, I manage to return the hug in the right way. His hug takes longer and I feel some tears on my shoulder.

“I thought we were going to lose you.” he squeezes me one more time, before pulling away, drying his tears clumsily.

“You won't get rid of me that easily.” I blink at them both.

“Well, the reason we came here was not just to see you. Of course we were worried to death and everyone wanted to come.” Leah begins.

“But we thought it better not to come all at once so as not to frighten you.” Ashton interrupts quickly. I thank him silently.

“Deep down, we wanted to bring you this.” she hands me a pen drive. “It's not perfect, but we made a powerpoint to explain everything that happened in these three years.” Leah gives a closed smile.

‘You made a power point?” I ask incredulously.

“Of course we did!” Ashton shakes his shoulders. “We hope it helps and that you remember something. Anything at all, any questions, just call.”

“Thank you very much!” I smile in appreciation for both of them.

“Don't you want to stay for dinner?” my mother offers. I look at them expectantly. They both look at each other and give a shrug.

“We don't have an appointment, right? It won't be a problem. The guys will just be really pissed off that they didn't come.” Leah warns Ashton.

“It will be a pleasure to have dinner.” Ashton smiles in appreciation.

Dinner was very quiet, I did most of the talking. They were very curious to know what amnesia was like and how I was feeling and dealing with everything.

“Depending on how things go for you this week, we thought we would have a dinner on Friday. Then if you feel comfortable, of course, you can see everyone again.” Ash suggests.

There is still time until Friday, but just the thought of seeing everyone makes my stomach turn. I know they are my friends and they know me, but I still get nervous. Not to mention that they are famous, I don't know how to deal with these people. Although I am too.

“That's fine, we'll confirm by Friday.” I open a nervous smile. “Huh, Luke didn't want to come?” I question, upset at his absence today.

How am I supposed to get to know and get close to him if he doesn't come?

I watch the two of them look at each other and wrap up the beginning of their answer. In the end, Ashton sighs and answers.

“He is having a hard time absorbing all this. He just needs some time to sort it all out in his head.” Ash shrugs, signaling that it was no big deal.

I understand that it is hard for him. I don't know how I would handle it if I were him, but I'm not going to pretend to be upset that he's not here either, although I can't do anything about it, I'm not going to force him to stay here if he doesn't want to.

“It's really weird having Luke as my boyfriend, you guys as best friends. It's so out of reality. It feels like I'm in a dream and soon I'll wake up.” I comment, playing with the cloth napkin.

“Look, the first time you handled and accepted all of this well. I'm sure you'll manage again.” Leah squeezes my hand on the table.

“So, a powerpoint, hm?” I change the subject not being able to prolong my curiosity any longer. Even though I'm scared, I want to see it.

Leah cheers up again and begins to explain everything very excitedly. With their help we go to the living room and I put the pen drive on the TV, ready to see what they have done. It is strange to think that this small object has all the answers I am looking for. Not to mention the fear of the unknown, in this case, the forgotten one.

“Ok, so this is Michael…” I watch her standing beside the screen, explaining everything to me, with extreme patience and good will. My god, she is an angel.

I look at all my friends and the things we have done. I notice how Ashton was a kind of older brother, overprotective, and Leah was a kind of sister. Always holding hands or holding arms. Or when we were drunk, trying to climb on each other's backs.

They put all the trips we took, my fashion shows and photo shoots, some interviews. It was a great summary. I stare at the screen feeling something strange welling up in me, I see flashes forming in my head, and I begin to force myself to remember.

“Don't skip.” I shout to her, not wanting to lose the flow of memory. “Play that video again.” I ask desperately.

I approach the TV watching Noah, Leah's brother, walking in front of the camera with a bag on his head and complaining that the product was burning. He was bleaching his hair.

" “Why does this shit burn so bad?” I hear Noah shouting from the room, pissed off.

“Because it's bleaching.” I answer, grabbing another cookie from the plate. I sit down on the couch next to Calum, who is very interested in the package of bleach.

“What do you think about me bleaching mine?” he asks, still focused on the package in his hand.

I stare at him for a few minutes, trying to imagine the look. I pout, signaling that it wouldn't look too bad, in my opinion.

“For God's sake, you're not going to do that ridiculous lock of hair again, are you?” Leah shouts from the bathroom.

“It wasn't ridiculous.” He defends himself loudly. “But I really wouldn't do it again.” he comments softly, making me laugh.

“OH MY GOD.” I hear Noah scream. We run into the bathroom to find his white hair, with a few colored dots, just like the ones in the bag.

I cover my mouth in shock. Leah starts to record trying to hold in her laughter, as do I, but we simply can't stand it when Calum reads the name of the pharmacy in Noah's head.

I see him leaning against the doorframe laughing with his hand on his stomach and eyes closed. Miserably, I still try to hold in my laughter, not lasting long and joining Calum, becoming almost breathless.

“Oh man.” he dries his tears, laughing again next."

“Noah didn't want to go out anymore that night. We ordered burritos and stayed at his place. Calum and I spent the whole night laughing about it.” I speak too fast, running over a few words. I replay the scene in my head a few more times still flustered.

They both look at me and Leah starts jumping up and down in celebration. I remembered, I remembered! I start yelling at her, celebrating.

“What's wrong?” my mother comes running from the bedroom.

“I remembered. I remembered Noah with bad hair!” I shout, out of breath. The three of them hug me and again we shout.

[vanillann]

pancakes for dinner ii (spencer reid x reader)

part i

warning: swearing 

word count: 1.9k

“Spencer?”

Spencer turned around quickly. He stood in the middle of my kitchen with batter sticking to his cheek.

“Pancakes?”

The tone in his voice sparked up, causing it to crack. The roller bag was long forgotten in the hallway, my feet not stopping until I stood in front of him.

“You got my message,” I spoke mostly to myself but the comment itself brought a smile to Spencer's face.

“I did.”

Not another second was wasted, my lips crashing onto his. I felt like I was floating, like I was on cloud 9. The way his teeth ran over my bottom lip made shivers run up my spine, I felt completely helpless in the best way possible.

His hands grabbed both sides of my face, slowly bringing me farther away from his own.

“Wake up.”

Huh?

“Wake up (Y/N).”

The sight of Spencer was gone in seconds, the overhead light of the plane taken over my vision.

“Hiya sleepy head.”

I turned back to my right, Lizzie's smiling face was a nice sight, but I was so mad it wasn't Spencer leaning in for another kiss.

Well, dream Spencer.

God, dream Spencer was just as hot as real Spencer.

“We are about to land,” Lizzie said as she grabbed my phone from my hands.

“What are you doing now, calling my boss?”

“Nope, putting my number in your phone.”

I smiled to myself, watching as my new found friend typed her number quickly into my phone.

*

Spencer fell back into his seat, a sigh leaving his lips as he looked at the loads of paperwork on everyone's desk.

“I need to call Savannah,” Morgan spoke quickly, stepping off to his office, his phone in his hand before he rounded the corner.

The talk of a phone call bought Spencer mine back to the voicemail (Y/N) had left him, sitting in whatever inbox the stupid thing had.

He looked through the glass door, the sight of the BatCave door was enough to have Spencer standing from his chair.

He pulled his phone out of his front pocket, knocking on the BatCave door because it was always nice to respect people's private space.

“Enter.”

Spencer pushed the phone open, trying to figure out how to work this weird tech box.

“What’s up Boy Wonder?”

Garcia's voice was smooth, as always.

“(Y/N) left me a voicemail but I can't get to the inbox.”

Without another word Garcia pulled the phone from his hands and typed away quickly.

“Speaker or handheld?”

Garcia looked up through the frames of her thick purple glasses, reminding Spencer of his old art teacher from college.

“Speaker is fine.”

Spencer didn't want to hold that stupid tech box with thousands, 17,000 to be exact, to his face if he didn't have to.

Garcia did her classic dramatic tape, the sound of (Y/N) voice made it all worth it.

“Hi Spencer, it’s me (Y/N).”

The first thing Spencer picked up on was the edge of (Y/N) voice, did something happen?

Are they kidnapped?

God not again.

“I have a feeling you and the team are on a case or something so you probably aren't going to get this until Pen teaches you how.”

“Burn,” Garcia said, making a fist and fist bumping the phone screen.

Spencer rolled his eyes, the sound of a faint laugh sounded through the phone, a note (Y/N).

No.

Just no.

“Okay, um here goes everything.”

Garcia and Spencer made eye contact at the same time, both confused looks burned into their brow.

“I wanna eat pancakes for dinner with you, I know that doesn't make sense to you and all but-um.”

Okay, something was definitely wrong, someone had to have a gun to your head if you were talking in code or something.

“A stranger on the plane told me a crazy story about the love of her life-”

Love?

“-dying in a plane crash and eating pancakes for dinner and I realized that I can't keep acting like I don't want you.”

Garcia dropped the phone, quickly jumping from her chair to pick it back up and hold it in front of both their faces, The bright screen lit up both their faces, both sided eyes and full of awe.

“And right now I’m horrified that this will end horribly but right now I’m stuck on this plane and if it crashes or I disappear or some serial killer finds me-”

Please don't bring up a serial killer killing you, not again.

“-I need you to know.”

Both FBI agents were bundled together in the middle of the room, both faces glued to the phone.

Hotch opened the door to the BatCave, opening his mouth to speak but Garcia hushed him quickly.

Oh god, In front of Hotch!

“I love you Spencer Reid-”

Hotch even took as small a gasp of air, not as big as Garcia but still louder than Spencer.

“-I always have and I can't help it that I wanna eat pancakes for dinner with you.”

Hotch closed the door, walking deeper into the room. He stood beside Spencer,  his face still stern but the hit of a smile playing across his face, his dimples almost on full display.

“I can't help it that you might be the love of my life and I might die today-”

“No,” Spencer yelped out, Garcia quickly held a finger up this mouth and gave him a Hotch look.

“-so if you don't feel the same it's okay but I just need you to know, um yeah bye.”

The sound of a harsh click ended the call, but no one in the room spoke.

“Oh god, if you don’t marry her I will, you can be the best man if you want,” Garcia spoke at lighting speed.

“She called me the love of her life.”

Spencer couldn't focus on anything in the room except the tech box that (Y/N) perfect voice was just flowing out of.

“How about I take your stack and divide them through the team?”

Hotch laid a shoulder on his shoulder, breaking him from the daze he had fallen into.

“Here take my car,” Garcia jumped from her seat, handing Spencer here keys with a Minecraft character, maybe, hanging for the side.

Spencer grabbed the keys and left the BatCave within seconds.

*

I placed the key into my apartment, a small voice in the back of my head telling me Spencer would be on the other side of that door with pancake batter on his face.

I pushed the door open, keeping my head focus to keep my disappointment at bay. I clicked the lights on, finally looking up to see my kitchen completely empty.

I felt the sigh pass my lips, dragging the roller bag, which felt extra heavy now, to the side of my couch.

I looked over my shoulder, the clock on my wall making me want to cry.

2:35am

The time zone was off now and I couldn't sleep, the thought of work in the morning was what made a few single tears roll down my cheeks.

“I hate being old.”

My phone buzzed, my hopes that it was Spencer were gone when I saw Lizzie name pop across my screen.

Lizzie: home yet?

I typed a quick yes, shoving the phone back into my pocket, walking straight to the coffee machine.

If I was going to be stuck watching stupid movies until work might as well have some liquid energy.

The closer I got to the pot the sooner I realized that I had no more coffee beans.

Did the universe hate me, like really hate me?

I played with my keys between my fingers, the thought of running to the small supermarket down the street couldn't hurt.

I didn't think twice, walking back through the front door and closing it behind me.

*

I wandered down the coffee aisle, looking through the many selves of beautiful coffee beans. I grabbed my normal brand and turned left.

I saw the crowd of people standing around the exit, the thought of pushing through them right now made me cringe. I instead turned right, making my way to the other end of the aisle.

My phone buzzed again, I smiled to myself just knowing it had to be Lizzie since it was going crazy.

Lizzie: i think i should paint a picture of you

Lizzie: like with fruits on top of your head

Lizzie: looking like the hot ass human you are

I started to laugh until my head hit a hard surface, but definitely not wall hard. I reached out to the nearest thing to me. the feeling of soft yarn could be felt on my finger tips.

“I’m so sorry-”

I looked up, the sight of Spencer Reid's flusher face had my hand moving off his arm in seconds.

“S-spencer-”

“(Y/N)-”

The way his voice jumped three octaves made the nerves float from my body, just like his voice always did.

Suddenly the memory of the plane was crashing against the side of my brain.

Oh no, it’s weird it’s weird.

“You’re home!”

I watched Spencer's eyes dart around my face, his smile full of nerves.

I shook my head, my eyes going to focus on the white floor of the supermarket floor before something caught my eyes.

A box of pancake mix was held firmly in Spencer's hands.

Pancake mix, oh jumping Jehoshaphat pancake mix!

“Spence-”

“I’m more of a waffle guy but I’m willing to settle!”

The words came out rushed and for some reason his hands flew above his head, like he was going to get arrested or something along those lines.

The blush that was creeping up my neck was making my body feel hot, I nearly forgot there were people all around us in the supermarket.

“I’ll give up waffles completely if that's what you want-”

“How about waffles for breakfast and pancakes for dinners?”

I didn't know how the hell I said that so calmly, I felt like my body was going to explode.

The feeling from the plane came back when he slowly started to smile, the feeling of the clouds passing by at a slow pace.

“Yeah, good compromise. You’ve always been good with compromises-”

I watched his lips move at rapid speed, wanting to actually kiss him.

I wonder if it would be as good as dream Spencer?

His mouth didn't stop, I could even focus on what he was saying anymore.

Only one way to find out.

I grabbed his tie, crashing his lip onto mine, his lips sinking into my bottom lip from where he was talking.

I felt my eyes flutter close, the way his hand ran up from my shoulder to the side of my neck.

His tongue ran across my teeth before a loud cough echoed from behind me. We broke away from the kiss, I looked over my shoulder to see an older couple watching us, both giggle to each other.

“May we get around you both?”

I shook my hand, sliding to the side. Spencer's hand didn't leave the side of my face, my hand wrapped around his tie.

Both smiled, the women stopping themselves and smiling.

“Might want to clean that up.”

She pointed to the floor, the sight of a broken box of pancake mix laid messy across the floor.

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