#i had this grand plan but then i had no idea how to do alex so i quit it

[no-144444]

HI! i love your writing and i was wondering if you would do a grid reacts to us finding out we were a bet? And if you wouldn't mind adding Logan too?

Thanks ml xxxx

the grid reacts: you find out you're a bet!

Featuring: Oscar Piastri, Logan Sargeant, Daniel Riccardo, George Russell, Alex Albon, Charles LeClerc, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris

thank you for requesting! xxxx

-----------------

Oscar Piastri:

He walked into your shared apartment, a smile on his face. He hadn’t seen you in a week, and you’d both been too busy to call or text too much, so finally, he’d be back with his girl. 

He wasn’t expecting the bare apartment he’d known so well before you’d moved in. He wasn’t expecting your things to be gone, or the note on the table, or your engagement ring beside it. 

Dear Oscar, 

I found out. I know we were a bet, and I know you’d try to convince me that you loved me, and that it was all real. I don’t doubt that it was real. I know I loved you, and I felt the love from you (either that, or you’re a brilliant actor and picked the wrong profession). But I feel betrayed. I wish you would’ve just come to me immediately and told me how we started, even if I was mad at you for a while. You kept a huge secret for 2 years, Oscar. That’s not a short amount of time. I love you, and I still love you, but I need some time on my own to figure stuff out. I moved back out into my old apartment, and don’t worry, I’m still your girlfriend, but I just wanted space to think. We’ll work our way back up to being fiancé’s but until then, I am still very much yours, unless you don’t want me to be. I need to trust you again. 

Love, Y/n. 

His heart sank. He knew it was stupid to try and keep it a secret, and it had truly been tearing him apart for the last 2 years, but this… this was too much. He was thankful that you two at least we’re breaking up. But the engagement reversal thing was fucking with him. He adored you. He loved you. Yes, it was stupid, but he did stupid stuff all the time. Forgetting his keys, sleeping through his alarm, wearing his shirt inside out. You always told him it was endearing. 

“Hey,” your voice brought him out of his trance. “I wanted to be here when you came back, sorry, there was traffic.”

He turned around to see you. You looked at him. He was crying.

“I’m so sorry,” his voice broke as you nodded. 

“I know you are,” you stepped closer to him, wrapping your arms around his neck. “We’ll get through this, yeah?”

He nodded, burying his head in the crook of your neck. You let him cry it out for a little while, then pulled away. 

“You’ll be ok, we’ll be ok, yeah?”

He sniffled. “Yeah.”

“I love you,” you reminded him, wiping away tears as you went along. 

“I love you so much, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just… I was so scared a-and-”

“I understand,” you nodded. “But that doesn’t mean I forgive you.”

He nodded, playing with your engagement ring in his hands. He broke again, sobbing. You wrapped your arms around him again, letting him calm himself down. “Please put it back on,” he whispered, begging you. 

You thought about it for a moment. You loved Oscar, and you knew you’d forgive him. It was harder not to forgive him, in all honesty. You’d read his hundreds of drafts of the speeches he had planned to say to you. Lando had shown them to you when he told you. You knew how this had been tearing him apart. But you knew how it stung, being betrayed like this. 

“Ok,” you nodded. He slipped the ring back onto your finger and a weight was lifted off of his chest, while one was placed onto yours. 

God, maybe love did conquer all. And that idea fucking terrified you. 

-----------------

Logan Sargeant:

“Go up to her, she’s a McLaren engineer,” Lewis’s friend’s voice rang out over the speaker of your phone. “I’ll give you 2 grand if you can fuck her tonight.”

“It’s not like I need the money,” Logan smirked, cocky as ever. “But I’ll take that.”

The camera panned to Logan walking up to you, and your world shattered. 

------

“Hey babe,” he called, walking into the apartment. There you were sitting, seething on the couch. “How was your weekend?”

“Great,” you answered shortly. “Have you looked at social media recently?”

“No, why?” he asked, resting his hands on your waist. He tried not to read into your stiff posture. Was this the moment? Had you really found out? 

“I was a bet,” you sighed, brushing his hands off of you. “And you didn’t even have the heart to tell me.”

You hadn’t planned on crying, you thought you’d scream at him, give him a piece of your mind, but it was hard to get angry when he was standing there, looking so helpless. You loved him, and all you’d ever been to him was a bet. You’d only met a year ago, started dating 6 months ago. You’d meant nothing the entire time. Just a fuck and a check. You just felt… defeated, and used. 

“Baby please, let me explain, it’s not what-” He started but you sighed.

“Explain what? That you ‘love’ me? I don’t care. I deserve someone who tells me the truth, and you couldn’t even do that. I had to find out with the rest of the world. Don’t you realise how stupid I look? All the posts I made, everything I told my friends and family, and the entire time it’s all been a lie? I look like a fucking idiot.” 

Logan looked down, ashamed. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, taking your hand. “I’ll do anything to make this right, please Y/n, I love you.”

“How am I supposed to trust you? And how am I going to look going back to you? Why did you fuck this all up?” You groaned in frustration. “I fucking loved you!” 

“I love you too!” he pleaded. “Please let me make this right, I don’t care about the media, or whatever, I care about you, and I care about us.”

“What ‘us’? We’ve been based on a lie this entire time!”

“Please don’t say that,” he was crying now, so were you. “Please don’t say it was a lie.” 

You took your hand from his. “Logan, we’re done. Please don’t contact me.”

And that was that. He broke your heart and you broke his. 

-----------------

Daniel Riccardo: 

He watched in horror as you opened the message on his phone from Scotty. 

“You have to tell her. This isn’t right anymore Dan.”

“What is Scott talking about?” You chuckled. 

“Nothing,” Daniel smiled, but it looked forced. 

“Dan, come on, you can tell me,” you smiled sweetly. 

“Seriously, I have no clue what he’s talking about,” he nervously chuckled. 

Your face dropped into an angry frown. “So he was right, you wouldn’t even admit it if I gave you the chance,” you sighed. “That’s great, thanks Daniel.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I know about the bet,” you sighed. “Scotty told me last week.”

Daniel sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” you turned to him. “Why would you lie?” 

“I was scared.”

“Of what?” 

“Of losing you,” he shrugged. “I thought it would just be better to… keep you in the dark I guess. I wasn’t really thinking straight.”

“I wish you would’ve just told me,” you sighed, looking up at him. 

You were both silent for a moment.

“What does this mean for us?” he asked. 

“What ‘us’? We were based on a lie Daniel. A lie you told for a whole year.”

“So that’s it?” he gritted out. 

“That’s it.”

-----------------

George Russell: 

“Have you talked to her about it yet?” Alex asked. “You have to tell her mate, it’s gone on too long.”

“It’s been 6 months Alex, and, by the way, I actually love her,” he scoffed. “I’m trying to figure out the best way to explain it.”

“Explain what? That you were dared to ask her out for money? Mate, you sound like a dick no matter what, she’ll break up with you no matter what,” Alex sighed, disappointed in his friend. 

“She’s probably right to,” George admitted. ���Fuck!” he groaned. 

You stepped into the room, trying to pretend that everything was alright. Both of the men looked up, terrified of what came next. 

“Please let me explain,” George rushed out, taking your hand. Alex quickly left you two to speak alone, patting you on the back as he left. George stood up and took your hand. 

You nodded. “Explain.”

George’s frown lifted slightly, elated that you would even give him the chance to explain. “It was a stupid bet and I never took any money. I stopped speaking to the guys after we met, and I promise I’ve been trying to tell you, I just… I get scared every time that I’ll lose you. I don’t deserve you, but I love you Y/n. And I’m so sorry.”

You nodded. “I just… give me some time, yeah?”

He nodded. “All the time you need, of course.” 

You took a deep breath, wrapping your arms around his neck in a short hug. “I’ll call you, yeah?”

He nodded, letting himself enjoy your embrace. “Please call me. Anytime.”

You pulled back, still holding back your tears somehow. “Yeah. Good luck today.”

“If I win, it’ll be for you. It’s always for you,” he smiled softly. 

“Yeah,” you sighed, leaving with a broken heart, and a choice to make. 

-----------------

Alex Albon: 

“Can we talk?” Alex asked, 2 months in.

“About what?” you questioned. You were sitting in his apartment in Monaco, eating dinner before catching a movie at a nearby cinema. 

“How we met.”

“Proceed,” you nodded, turning your full attention to him. 

“We met at Jimmy’s, and I was there with my friends, and we were being assholes, and I'm sorry that’s how you met me,” he hesitated. “And that night, I was dared to go up to you, only because they knew I’d never get a chance with you because you’re… well, you’re you, and I’m me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but we were just having so much fun and-”

“You thought you couldn’t get a chance with me?” You chuckled. 

Alex looked up. “Well, no. You’re gorgeous-”

“You’re a very hot Formula 1 driver! Alex, I was losing it when you came up to me!” 

“I thought you didn’t know anything about F1?!” 

“I don’t! But I know about hot famous guys!”

“You liar!” he laughed. 

“You lied too!” you laughed. 

He smiled. “ I guess we’re pretty evenly matched then, yeah?”

“I guess,” you shrugged, then leaned over and pressed your lips to his. 

-----------------

Charles Leclerc: 

You and Charles were new, like new new.But he’d invited you to the paddock nonetheless, and you had the weekend off, so off you went to the Ferrari garage. You’d met the so-called ‘Prince of Monaco’ at an Indycar event a few months back when he got your number, and since then you’d been texting back and forth. He finally asked you out, and you agreed, I mean, who wouldn’t, right? Even though you worked in Indycar, you were a born and raised Monegasquean and you were proud of your heritage, and pretty excited to be dating the Monegasque. 

“Oh shit,” Pierre grumbled, bumping into you. Recognition finally crossed his face and he smiled. “Y/n, right? We met at the Indycar thing, right?”

“Hi Pierre, yeah, nice to see you,” you smiled. Behind him came Charles, a bright smile for you. 

“Are you here for work or-? Oh, for Charles,” he smirked and turned back to Charles . “Le pari est-il toujours valable?” (is the bet still on?)

Your face faltered. Charles didn’t tell you about any bet. What bet?

“Je ne lui ai pas encore dit,” Charles mumbled. Pierre’s smirk grew, as did the sinking pit in your stomach. (I haven’t told her yet.)

“Hey,” Charles turned to you with a smile on his face. 

“Hi,” you nodded, more reserved than before. “Congrats on pole.”

His smile dampened. “Is everything alright?”

“All good,” you mustered up your fakest smile. “Ne parie peut-être pas sur une fille qui vit à Monaco, connard.” (Maybe don't make a bet over a girl who lives in Monaco, asshole.) 

Charles looked dumbstruck for a moment, and you left him like that. You were worth more than that. 

-----------------

Lewis Hamilton: 

“Have you told her yet?” George asked, eying you from the other side of the garage. 

Lewis shook his head. “I can’t find the right time.” “You need to tell her soon, it’s only a matter of time before someone else tells her.” 

“I know I do, I just… everytime I try to bring it up it’s like she’s extra sweet and perfect and I just can’t break her heart like that-”

“Break who’s heart?” you asked, standing beside Lewis. 

George shot him a look to say ‘tell her now’, and he nodded. George left you two to talk. 

“I was… I came up to you… I-”

“It was a bet to ask me out, I know,” you nodded, sipping your drink. “Whose heart are you breaking?”

Lewis’s brow furrowed. “Yours?”

“I overheard you and your friends at the bar that night,” you explained. “I don’t care. We’re dating because of it, I love you, blah, blah, blah,” you smiled. “Unless it’s been a charade the whole time-”

“NO! It hasn’t, I love you, I promise,” he wrapped his arms around your waist and pressed kisses to your cheek as you laughed. 

“You thought that would break my heart?”

His ego was becoming a little bit more than bruised. “Hey!”

You laughed. “OK, ok, relax. Yes, it would’ve broken my heart,” you teased. 

He pushed you off, smiling. “I don’t want your pity-”

“Not even a pity fuck?” you whispered, a mischievous smirk on your lips.  

He smiled. “Well, I always want that.”

-----------------

Max Verstappen: 

“Fuck this game!” Max cursed after his game had crashed for the third time. You made your way into the living room, looking in on the game.

“Everything alright?” you asked. 

“All good, sorry liefje,” he responded, not even turning around. 

“Is that the girl we put the bets on?” One of his friends asked. Max panicked and shut down the stream, then immediately turned to you. 

“Liefje…” he started. You stood there in shock. 

“Is that true?” you started. “Was I a fucking bet?!” you shouted. 

“It- I- Yes, it started like that, but I love you, I-I’m in love with you!” 

“How can I ever fucking trust you?” you shot back. “You’re a liar!”

“I’m sorry-”

“What the fuck does ‘sorry’ do? I’m leaving Max. You are so not the man I thought you were,” you pushed past him, grabbing some of your essentials from your bedroom as he followed behind you, begging you to stay. 

You left. He was the one who messed up. 

All because of a dumb bet. 

-----------------

Lando Norris: 

He was sweating through his shirt. Max’s eyes bore into him all night, more specifically, how his arm was draped over your shoulder. He understood his best friend’s confusion. It was mere months ago that Lando had been dared to go up to you and ask you out, mere months ago when he sent a photo into the group chat of you sleeping soundly beside him, asking for the transfers from the men who’d told him to ask you out and somehow get you back into his bed before the next morning. Since then, things had in fact changed. He had changed. You had changed him.

“Lan,” Max hissed. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Max,” Lando mumbled. “Not now.”

“She deserves to know,” Pietra shook her head. “Y/n, listen to me, I know Lando had probably been a lovely guy but he asked you out because he was dared to-”

“Pietra!” Lando groaned. “What the fuck!”

You turned to Pietra, pushing Lando’s arm off of you. “Are you serious?”

“She’s telling the truth,” Max added. 

“Y/n please, just let me explain-”

“There’s nothing to fucking explain. You’re an asshole, don’t call me again,” you scoffed, getting up and leaving with Pietra following quickly behind. 

Lando was helpless.

-----------------

navigation for my blog :) (masterlist)

[forzalando]

the element of surprise

3k celebration blurb for @mvk1ma! friends to lovers!max with a bit of blurred lines friendship. you can find my celebration post here if you'd like to celebrate with me! open until the 16th :) wc: 1064 summary: max always throws you a birthday party - this year, he'd decided on a surprise party. however, the surprise isn't exactly what you expected.

Birthdays were never really your thing until you met Max Verstappen – somehow he’d turned the day from a reluctant celebration into something you looked forward to every year.

He always planned a party, attuned perfectly to what you’d be in the mood for whether it was a game night with close friends, a massive party at a club, or a dinner out with the few most important people in your life.

This year he’d planned a “surprise” party at his place – but was it really a surprise if you knew that something was going to happen?

You had lied when he asked you if you were surprised, and he knew you were lying, but he still smiled and fist-pumped like he’d just won some grand prize.

The party had been in full swing for a few hours and Max hadn’t left your side except to wait on you hand and foot. If he wasn’t refilling your glass or getting you a snack, his arm was wrapped around your waist. You were both in the kitchen chatting to Oscar, a newcomer to your friend group courtesy of Lando, about his past year working for McLaren as an automotive engineer.

The conversation lulled naturally, Oscar’s eyes drawn to Max’s thumb rubbing circles on your waist.

“So,” he chirped, “how long have you guys been together?”

“We’re not,” you answered coolly. “Why do people always ask us that?”

“You’re joking, right? You’ve been attached at the hip all night, there was cheek kissing! I saw you sitting on his lap earlier!”

“That doesn’t mean we’re together – we’re just close friends!”

Oscar’s eyes were wide, flicking back and forth between you and Max with a look of pure shock written on his face. His eyes finally settled on Max and his expression softened before he spoke.

“Good luck, mate,” he sighed, before walking away to join Lando, Carlos, and Alex in, what seemed to be, a very intense conversation about men’s football.

You twisted out of Max’s grip to face him – “That was weird, right? Oscar assuming?”

“What do you mean by weird?”

“It just never occurred to me that people would think that about us, so it felt weird.”

“The idea of being with me is weird to you? Why is that weird, would there be something wrong with that?”

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, his immediate defensiveness catching you completely off guard.

“Oh gosh no, Max, I just…I hadn’t considered it.”

In truth, you had considered it quite often, practically every minute that you spent with Max you thought about it. But, you’d been friends for years, his only dates were with models, and he was wildly successful. The idea itself wasn’t weird to you – only the thought that someone deemed it possible for Max to look at you that way.

“Never? You’ve never considered it? Never seen me that way?”

“Of course I have! But you haven’t so what am I supposed to do about it?”

He blinked rapidly, like his eyes were adjusting to the light, and then turned and walked away from you. Your mouth dropped open, you were sure you looked like a fish out of water, and of course everyone within earshot was staring at you with wide eyes.

“What the hell was that about?” Charles whispered from somewhere on your right. You heard a swatting sound and figured it was courtesy of Alex, a silent “shut up”.

Before embarrassment could fully set in, Max came storming back into the room with an envelope in hand, your name printed on the front with a heart. He didn’t even have to tell anyone to leave, just one look at his face had everyone scurrying into the living room.

“Read this,” he whispered, passing you the card in his hand.

You opened it carefully, slipping your finger under the seal and pulling out a copy of a photo of you and Max that Lando had taken of you two earlier this year. You were both smiling ear to ear, your faces smushed together and arms squeezing tight around the other. Just looking at the picture brought a smile to your face, and you almost protested when Max reached out to flip it over until you noticed the familiar scrawl of his handwriting.

Liefje,

Happy Birthday! I hope you were surprised, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Instead of a traditional card, I asked Lando for a copy of this picture – my favorite picture. Seeing you happy means everything to me and knowing that I put this smile on your face is the world’s greatest treasure. I hope to always make you smile this wide, feel loved beyond measure, and throw your birthday parties for the rest of our lives.

All my love,

Max

When your eyes lifted up from the photo, Max was looking at you the way he always did – soft eyes and a small smile, but the energy felt completely different.

“Does that sound like I only think of you as a friend? That I only care about you as a friend? You mean everything to me, I thought I was pretty obvious about it.”

“I guess I just never thought you’d see me that way, I never imagined that you cared about me as something more than a friend. I’ve always loved you, but I’m just me.”

“Exactly,” Max whispered, enveloping you in his embrace. You could feel the rapid beating of his heart in his chest and smiled knowing your heart was beating just as fast. As quickly as the moment began, a familiar accent sang through the air.

“Well, it’s about damn time,” Daniel shouted. Caught up in Max, you hadn’t noticed that the music had been turned down and your friends, although you loved them dearly, had been eavesdropping on your entire conversation.

“Alright, alright, everyone back to partying. And everyone say thank you to Oscar for asking the question that’s been on everyone’s mind since these two first met,” Lando gestured towards you and Max, as if anyone needed a visual to know who he was referring to.

As you looked around at all your friends here to celebrate you, decorations in your favorite colors and your favorite playlist now playing again from the speakers, all courtesy of Max, you decided that there was an element of surprise tonight: how shockingly oblivious you both had been.

[miloformula123fan]

Could you do fic for Fernando Alonso with wife reader where he's got into crash and she's worried because she thinks he'll never got the chance to know that she's pregnant? Add something you'd like. Thanks :))

ahahah, i know i just said that i was gonna halt updates, but then i churned this out kinda quick haha :)

it is kind of short though so apologies :)

if you want to participate in my 100 followers event, look here :)

(hint hint: this closes on Thursday 1st March 0:00 GMT, so if you want to make a request do so soon because this is in a little more than a week when publishing this :))

Please keep requesting - y'all have awesome ideas we agree on a lot of stuff :) - my guidelines are here, and if you want some prompts, they are here.

also feel free to come in and start chatting to me in my asks, would love to get to know y'all better

and if you want to be added to my taglist lmk :)

fernando alonso x wife!reader

“Be safe, please, mi amor.” he held Fernando in her arms as he paused getting ready to turn around and look at her.

“I am always Carina… Podium on the cards for today haha” He smiled

“Ha, got a surprise for you after the race…if you get a podium today of course.” She looked down, smiling, thinking of the surprise she had planned.

“A nice surprise I hope carina…” He winked and Y/N couldn’t help but laugh at the implications of his flirty statement, and the blushes of the mechanics who had heard their conversation.

“Not that kind of surprise, but I think you’ll be happy nonetheless…” She smiled knowingly as he looked slightly puzzled before the activity seemed to pick up and was aware he needed to start getting ready.

“As long as you are feeling better than you were this morning I will always be happy.” He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

She gave him his traditional pre race good luck kiss and then his helmet was on his head and he was in the car.

Y/N snuck into Nando’s room, being let in by his trainer Alex. She placed the box on his massage table. It was a pretty simple box, all that was inside was a sonogram, a baby onesie and the positive pregnancy test that was gonna change their lives. 

She’d been feeling sick for a couple of weeks now, and when she’d missed her period she’s had a hunch as to what it could be, but it wasn’t until she had bailed on a triple header because she hadn’t been feeling well, that she’d had time to take the test, freak out about how positive it was.

(she’d called Mark in a panic, and then he’d added Jenson to the call in his panic and then they’d just had Mark, Seb and Jenson on a call freaking out, not helping her to calm down in the slightest, but making her laugh. Eventually Hanna had tried to work out what the fuck was going on with her husband, and had provided some actually useful advice)

Following Hanna’s advice, she’d gone to the doctors and gotten the ultrasound photo. She’d sent Hanna and Lance a photo of the ultrasound, to thank Hanna for her help in the boys panic call, and to let Lance know that he would be the godfather (she thought Nando would like that) but not to tell Nando, as she hadn’t told him yet, but she needed to tell someone. The doctor had confirmed that everything was going okay and that she was about 10 weeks along. Y/N had immediately spotted the onesie online and ordered it, preparing to tell Nando whenever she saw him. The onesie arrived fairly quickly, however, trying to keep the onesie, the test and the sonogram hidden from him for the week that he was home before the Spanish grand prix. She wanted him to know immediately because they’d been trying for so long and so many fails that it was a fucking miracle right now.

Their miracle. Their miracle baby.

Finally the week had arrived and she’d hidden the box with Nando’s personal trainer, who handed it to her after she’d given her good luck wishes to him and he’d sat in the car. She made sure to make it back for the start of the race, so as to not raise any suspicion. And then it was lights out and away they went.

The race had been going well for Fernando. Actually better than well. He was in P2, not even a second behind Perez. It had been helpful that Max had had his first mechanical failure in like 5 years, taking him out of the lead, and promoting everyone up a place. And now Fernando was contending for the lead. Y/N was so excited for him, she couldn’t wait to see him on the top step of the podium and then tell him the awesome news.

Of course then it all went horribly wrong.

Crofty’s voice filled her ears, “AND THAT’S FERNANDO ALONSO GOING FOR THE LEAD OF THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX GOING FOR HIS 33RD WIN GOING AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF SERGIO PEREZ AND THEY TOUCH AND THAT’S BOTH OF THEM GOING INTO THE BARRIERS AND OUT OF THE RACE WHICH PROMOTES LANDO NORRIS INTO THE LEAD OF THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX AND THAT’S A BIG CRASH. FERNANDO IS WEDGED BETWEEN PEREZ AND THE BARRIERS, AND HIS CHASSIS LOOKS CRUSHED and we are really hoping that he is okay there.”

“Fernando, Fernando do you copy?”

No response.

“Fernando, Fernando do you copy?”

Y/N could feel her legs getting weak, and could tell that the people around her were holding her up. She remembers being introduced to Shakira at the start of grand prix, and she complimented her nails. She could feel the nails digging into her left arm, which meant that Shakira was holding her up right now, and if Fernando's life wasn’t at threat, she might be fangirling right now. Still no response.

“Fernando, Fernando do you copy?”

No response. Their miracle wasn’t going to meet their dad

“Fernando, Fernando do you copy?”

fuck.

“And while i’m not entirely sure why Fernando wasn’t responding on the radio just then, but I can now tell you that he is walking out of the crash and he seems all okay.”

Y/N breathed a sigh of relief and tried standing up while letting out wet sobs. She knew she was probably on TV right now, looking a mess, being held up by Shakira and crying when her husband was all okay, but that didn’t matter.

Because Fernando was okay.

She followed his progress on the TV as the team moved the focus to Lance and potentially getting him a win. But she tracked him until he was back in the garage and back safe in her arms. Whispering his reassurances to her.

This was also being broadcast, but she didn’t care. 

He was safe and he was in her arms.

Y/N followed Fernando into his driver's room, entirely forgetting about the surprise that she had left in his room until they came in and she saw the box sitting on the massage table. 

Fernando turned around to her in confusion, “Did you leave this here Carina?”

“Uhh, yeah but it’s nothing, it was supposed to be a surprise for when you got your podium, so look at it later maybe…”

Within 2 strides Fernando was at the box and lifting off the lid. There goes the plan of telling him when he was in a good mood.

Fernando pulled out the onesie, black with a message of ‘daddy’s little race engineer’. Maybe Y/N’s hormones were hitting hard today because the sight of Nando holding a baby onesie was enough to bring her to tears, imagining Nando holding their baby.

“What is this carina?”

“It’s ummm, the surprise I mentioned before…I wanted you to see it when you got your podium, so you can ignore it I guess…”

“No, no, I mean, why is there a sonogram, baby onesie and pregnancy test in here? Is Lance having a baby and wanting to let me know I was the godfather?”

“No, no, mi sol, it’s ours.”

“Ours?”

“Our baby.”

Y/N watched as Fernando processed the words. And then all of a sudden she was being picked up and spun around in a hug as Fernando cried at her.

“Our baby…oh Carina…our baby! I’m so happy right now.”

He was practically yelling, so a few team members came to see what was going on. And then walked in on a happy couple, sobbing to each other as they curled up on the floor. A baby onesie in one’s hands, and the sonogram in the other.

And all of a sudden the media could wait.

---

taglist: @leosxrealm, @pear-1206, @tallrock35, @janeholt3

[goblinontour]

About You

and i’ll miss you on a train

epilogue | series masterlist

warnings: prof!al, age gap (not specified), fluff, feelings, crying, smut, oral (f receiving), piv

word count: 10.8k

It hadn’t been the elaborate affair either of you had envisioned. In the idealised version of events you had both crafted in your heads, your wedding was something out of a fairytale. Perfectly planned, held at the peak of summer, everything falling seamlessly into place. But that’s not quite how it turned out. It wasn’t the kind of wedding either of you had imagined. Not the summer ceremony you’d both dreamed up in fleeting daydreams over time. In those daydreams, maybe you had a sprawling venue, with candles everywhere and all that stuff. But reality had other plans, and somehow, that made it even better.

It was spontaneous. Almost accidental. It came together faster than either of you expected, catching you both by surprise. You’d just finished your final year at university. Your last year, your last day. And it had been important to him that it happened after that. He was adamant about it, insisted on waiting. That had been obligatory, in his mind, a non-negotiable boundary. He’d made it clear from the start: he wouldn’t cross that line while you were still his student.

You hadn’t been opposed to the idea, respecting his need for that space, even if the line between your professor-student relationship and whatever had blossomed between you had long since blurred. 

As soon as your final exams were over and your degree was in hand, Alex had gently broached the topic, that nervous, bashful look you’d come to love showing up on his face as he fumbled with the words. He hadn’t wanted to rush you, but the need to make things official had crept in on him in a way he couldn’t suppress any longer. And you weren’t about to argue with him.

“I think…I think we should do it. Soon. Don’t you?”

There was hesitation in his voice that didn’t quite match the determination in his eyes. Mr. Turner, as you’d once used to call him, always so confident in his lectures, so sure of himself when he was your professor, couldn’t be more different when he was with you. Always nervous, always shy. Like he was asking you something much bigger than just a wedding. 

And when you’d agreed, he almost couldn’t believe it. His eyes widened, and he laughed softly, more out of surprise than anything else, as if he hadn’t fully expected you to say yes so easily. But you had, because you were ready. You’d been ready long before he’d allowed himself to be.

Of course, things moved quickly from there. You didn’t have the months of planning, the extravagant arrangements. Instead, it ended up being a small, intimate gathering at his parents’ place, tucked away in the garden he’d spent his childhood running around in. It was unpretentious, cozy, a little rough around the edges, but it suited him, and you, perfectly.

Their garden was smaller than you’d remembered, but somehow, standing there with Alex, surrounded by his family and yours, it felt just right. You could smell the freshly cut grass, hear the soft rustle of leaves in the summer breeze, and see the faint glow of the setting sun casting golden light over everything. 

It wasn’t the grand event either of you had pictured, but you wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world.

He hadn’t even had time to get his hair cut. You’d laughed about that the night before, when he ran a hand through the tousled mess of dark curls, looking mildly frustrated at how long it had gotten. “I was supposed to get it sorted, wasn’t I?” he muttered, shaking his head at the memory of all the appointments he’d pushed back because of work or your hurried plans.

But even with his hair falling slightly over his eyes, unruly and windswept from the breeze that had picked up, he looked perfect. Handsome, in a way that didn’t feel rehearsed or overdone. It was just him, standing there with his tie slightly askew, in the shirt he’d ironed himself but somehow still managed to wrinkle. His sunglasses rested awkwardly on the bridge of his nose, and you knew, without needing to ask, that he’d put them on to hide the tears that had welled up in his eyes earlier.

They hadn’t been sad tears. No, not this time. They were happy ones, the kind he hadn’t been able to stop from slipping out in the middle of the ceremony. He thought he’d been discreet, ducking his head, sliding the glasses over his eyes as if that would somehow shield him from your knowing gaze. But you knew. You always knew.

Now, standing off to the side of the gathering as the sun set, you found a quiet moment away from everyone. The fading light softened everything around you, casting golden hues on the grass, on the flowers his mother had carefully arranged. You reached out and tugged gently at the sleeve of his shirt, drawing him closer. 

He turned toward you slowly, blinking behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses. You smiled up at him, teasing gently. “You do know the sun’s gone down, right? Or are you planning to wear those all night?”

A sheepish smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he reached up to take the glasses off, revealing eyes that were red-rimmed, still glistening with the remnants of his earlier tears. “Ah, right, caught me.” he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper, like he was embarrassed you’d caught him. “I just…you know…”

You nodded, stepping closer until your hand brushed his, fingers intertwining naturally. “It’s okay.” you said softly, squeezing his hand. “I saw.”

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he looked down, suddenly shy, like he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. His thumb traced the outline of your knuckles as he stared at them, avoiding your eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry, I just-” He trailed off, shaking his head, his hair falling messily over his forehead again. He laughed awkwardly, trying to downplay it, but you could see right through him. “I didn’t mean to get all…you know…emotional.”

You smiled softly and brought your free hand up to cup his cheek, forcing him to meet your gaze. His skin was warm beneath your touch, and you could feel the slight tremble in him, the nervous energy that always seemed to bubble up. “I think it’s sweet.” you said, brushing your thumb gently across his cheekbone. “And very on brand for you.”

He laughed again, quieter this time, but the tension in his shoulders eased a little as he leaned into your touch. He wrapped his arms around you, his breath warm against your ear. “You know,” he murmured, voice low and rough, “we’ll have another wedding one day. A proper one. I promise you that.” His lips brushed your temple, and when you turned to meet his gaze, his eyes were full of sincerity. “I-” he started after a beat of silence, his voice still shaky, “I’d marry you a hundred times- no, a thousand more…I really would marry you a thousand times. Over and over again, if you’d let me.”

Your heart swelled at the way his voice wavered, the raw emotion in every word. He wasn’t just saying it to be romantic. He meant it. There was a desperation in his voice, like he still couldn’t believe this was real, that you were his.

“Alex…” you whispered, brushing a lock of his unruly hair away from his eyes.

“I mean it.” he interrupted, his hand tightening around yours. “I’d do this every day if I could. Because I still can’t believe I get to…to have this. To have you.” His voice broke slightly, and he cleared his throat, awkwardly trying to pull himself together, but you could see how deeply he felt it. “You don’t know how long I waited for this. How many times I thought about it. And now that it’s real…” He shook his head, his eyes filling with tears again. “I’m so lucky.”

You smiled at him, warmth spreading through your chest. And you believed him. You knew he meant every word. He wasn’t the kind of man to take promises lightly, and he certainly wouldn’t say something he didn’t plan to follow through on. The thought of marrying you over and over, of making the commitment again and again, clearly wasn’t just a cheesy notion to him. It was something he craved. The idea of turning this love, this promise of forever, into something real every single day seemed to fuel him.

And even now, standing there in his parents’ garden, with the smell of roses and the sound of laughter in the air, he still couldn’t quite believe it was real. That you were his. That he was yours. He’d spent so long now navigating the line between what he was allowed to feel and what he actually did feel for you. Trying to convince himself that he was allowed to love you, trying to make it go away. But it hadn’t. It had only grown, deepened, until it became impossible to ignore. And now here you were. His wife.

You could feel tears of your own welling up now, his words hitting you harder than you’d expected. This wasn’t just a wedding. It was a culmination of everything you’d both been through, all the waiting, the lines he refused to cross until the time was right, the stolen glances, the quiet moments when neither of you could say what you wanted to.

You reached up on your tiptoes and kissed him gently, softly, pouring every unspoken word into it. He responded immediately, his hands cradling your face as if he was afraid to let you go. When you finally pulled away, he pressed his forehead to yours, eyes closed, his breath mingling with yours.

“I love you.” you whispered, your voice trembling.

He smiled, eyes still shut, and whispered back, “I love you more than I ever thought I could.”

You knew that this was all you’d ever need. Just him. Just Alex. Forever.

His fingers laced through yours, his grip warm. “I still can’t believe it.” he whispered, echoing your own thoughts as if he could read them. “I get to spend my whole life with you.”

The party had wound down slowly, as family and friends trickled away in the soft glow of twilight, leaving the two of you standing in the quiet aftermath. The garden, once filled with laughter and conversation, now lay in peaceful silence, only the occasional chirp of crickets filling the space where guests had been. The smell of the early summer blooms lingered in the air, mingling with the faint scent of the candles that were still flickering on the tables. It was a perfect night. 

You’d both tried to help clean up at first, but his mother had shooed you away, insisting that it was your night and you shouldn’t worry about such things. Still, Alex had lingered, his hands fidgeting with the leftover napkins, folding and refolding them while you watched him from the corner of your eye, knowing he was struggling to settle into the quiet. He always had a hard time when things ended, like he wasn’t quite ready to let go of the moment. It was the same way he lingered at the end of lectures, the way his voice softened but never quite let go of the topic, as though there was always something left unsaid.

But tonight was different. There was an undercurrent of restlessness in him, something you couldn’t quite place until he finally turned to you, holding out the car keys with a soft but determined smile. “I’ll drive.” he said, his voice gentle but with an edge of quiet insistence.

You hesitated, looking at him for a moment, then at the car. Normally, he’d ask, a slight stammer in his voice when it came to things like this. But tonight, he wasn’t asking. His eyes had a certain gleam, a quiet confidence that was as intoxicating as it was surprising. 

“I want to.” he added softly, almost like a promise. “Let me take care of you tonight, yeah?”

There was something about the way he said it, the weight in his voice, that made you nod without hesitation. You didn’t need to ask where you were going. It didn’t matter. Not tonight. Not with him standing there, his hand already on the car door, waiting for you to join him. He didn’t need to ask for permission. He was your husband now. And that thought, your husband, made you smile as you slipped into the passenger seat beside him.

The keys jingled in his hand as he turned the ignition, and the car rumbled to life. You watched him for a moment, the way his hands moved, gripping the steering wheel loosely as if he was completely at peace. He shot you a quick, soft smile before pulling out of the driveway, and soon, the two of you were rolling down the narrow streets that wound through the small town. 

He didn’t say much at first, just drove. You were used to these stretches of quiet with him, the way he sometimes needed space to gather his thoughts, especially after something as big as tonight. You watched him out of the corner of your eye, the way his fingers tapped absently against the gearshift, his hair still slightly mussed from the day. 

But even now, with the unruly strands falling into his eyes, he looked effortlessly handsome. There was something about the casualness of it all, the way his shirt was slightly wrinkled, his tie hanging loose around his neck, that made him seem more real, more yours, in a way you’d never quite seen before. And there was a subtle freedom in him that you hadn’t quite seen before. He was driving aimlessly, or at least that’s what you thought. He hadn’t mentioned where you were going. For once, it felt like nothing else mattered. He’d put away any restraints he might’ve held onto before, any worries or concerns about what was proper. Because now…he was married. He was married to you. The simple reality of that settled deep into his bones. There wasn’t a single thing to worry about anymore. No rules to break, no lines to blur. You were his now, and he was yours.

And what could he possibly find to complain about? 

You’d assumed it would be a short drive, just to get away from the buzz of the party, but hours passed, and he kept going. The two of you moved through town after town, the road stretching out before you in endless waves of asphalt, lit by the car’s headlights and the faint glow of the moon. The car moved with a steady rhythm, and the sound of the tires on the pavement became a comforting hum, lulling you into a half-asleep state. Your head leaned lightly against the window, and your eyes fluttered closed, the warmth of the evening air drifting in through the cracked window.

It was then, as your mind began to drift, that you felt it. His hand. Warm and steady, resting on your thigh, his fingers curling gently against your skin. It wasn’t just a casual touch. It was deliberate, grounding. A quiet reassurance. You blinked awake, turning your head to look at him, and found his eyes already on you.

“Hey.” he said softly, a smile tugging at his lips. “Don’t fall asleep on me yet.”

You smiled back, stifling a yawn as you straightened up slightly, your hand reaching for his where his rested on your leg. “How long have we been driving?” you asked, glancing at the clock on the dashboard. You hadn’t been keeping track, but it felt like hours.

He shrugged, his thumb absently brushing against your leg, his eyes flicking back to the road. “A while.” he admitted, the smile still on his face. “But we’re almost there.”

You blinked, confused, as you looked out the window. “Almost where?”

Alex didn’t answer right away. He just kept his hand on your thigh, his thumb rubbing small, absent circles into your skin, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.

“I’ve got something to show you.” he said, almost shyly, but with that same underlying confidence that had been quietly building in him all night. His voice was low, gravelly, like he’d been holding back this secret for hours and now couldn’t contain it anymore.

The tires crunched softly on gravel, and you sat up straighter, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Tall trees framed the narrow road, their branches swaying in the light breeze, and beyond them, a small house came into view. It wasn’t much. Just a modest cottage with ivy climbing up the sides and a garden that looked wild and untamed. But it was beautiful in its simplicity. The kind of place you’d only ever seen in photos or passing daydreams.

“Alex…” you began, glancing over at him with confusion. “Where are we?”

“Well…” He turned off the engine and shifted in his seat to face you, his smile turning a little bashful now. “I, uh…I got us this place for a bit.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, as though he was suddenly nervous about your reaction. “For us to spend some time together. Away from everything.”

You stared at him for a moment, still trying to process what he was saying. “You…got us a house?”

His laugh was soft, the sound low and warm in the quiet car. “Not bought it, love. I’m not that mad yet.” He grinned, his cheeks flushing slightly as he shook his head. “Booked. Rented. For two weeks.”

You blinked, glancing from him to the house and back again. “Two weeks?”

He nodded, his gaze dropping to where your hands were still intertwined, his thumb tracing the lines of your fingers. “Yeah. I figured…you know, after everything, we could use some time. Just us.” He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was quieter, like he was uncertain. “If you can stand being alone with me for that long.”

His words hung in the air between you, and for a moment, you could see the vulnerability in him. Despite everything, despite being married now, there was a part of him that still thought you’d turn away, that two weeks alone with him might somehow be too much.

You didn’t hesitate. Leaning in closer, you rested your hand on his arm, squeezing gently as you smiled. “Two weeks? Just you and me?”

He nodded, his eyes flicking up to meet yours, searching your face for any sign of doubt. When he found none, he let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. “Yeah. Just us.”

The affection swelling in your chest was overwhelming, and you couldn’t help but reach up, cupping his cheek and pulling him into a kiss. It was soft at first, but the intensity grew as you poured everything you felt into it. The gratitude, the love, the quiet joy of knowing this was your future now. 

When you pulled back, his eyes were wide, his cheeks flushed, and he let out a shaky laugh. “I take it you don’t mind, then?” 

You grinned, your thumb brushing over the stubble on his jaw. “Alex, I love it. I love you.”

He laughed, a sound full of relief. “Good.” he murmured, resting his forehead against yours. “I don’t plan on letting you go anytime soon.”

For a moment, the two of you just sat there in the soft darkness, your breathing in sync, your hands still entwined. The night stretched out before you, full of endless possibilities, and for the first time in a long while, you felt like time didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except him, and the way his hand still rested gently on your thigh.

Eventually, he pulled back, his fingers tracing the line of your jaw before he nodded toward the house. “Come on then.” he said, his voice lighter now, playful. “Let me show you what I’ve got planned for us.”

You smiled, nodding as you unbuckled your seatbelt and stepped out into the cool night air, your hand still firmly in his. 

Before you had a chance to move, you felt his arms wrap around you, his hands settling under your legs and back as he lifted you up into his arms with surprising ease. “Alex!” you laughed, your arms instinctively looping around his neck. “What are you doing?”

He chuckled, a low, happy sound that rumbled against your cheek as you pressed your face into his neck, still laughing. 

The gravel crunched softly beneath his shoes as he carried you up the short path, his arms wrapped securely around you. You held onto him, one arm hooked lazily around his neck, your body pressed close to his chest, his warmth enveloping you in a way that made everything else fade into the background. The world outside seemed to slow down, the quiet hum of crickets in the distance blending into the rhythm of his steady breathing, his chest rising and falling beneath you.

When you reached the door, Alex shifted slightly, balancing you as he pulled out the keys from his pocket. The familiar jingle of the metal made you smile. It was so him, the way he never quite rushed through anything, taking his time even now, holding you effortlessly as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He fumbled for a second, the keys slipping between his fingers, and you giggled softly against his neck.

“Easy there.” you teased, your breath warm against his skin as he finally managed to unlock the door.

He pushed it open with his foot, pausing just inside the threshold with a playful glint in his eye. You could feel the shift in his energy, the way his grip on you tightened just slightly as he grinned down at you. Before you could step out of his arms, thinking he was about to set you down, he pulled you up higher against him, his arms firm around your waist and legs, and stepped forward into the house.

“Alex!” you laughed, surprised by the sudden movement. Your arms tightened around his neck instinctively, holding on as you laughed into his shoulder. He was stronger than he looked, carrying you effortlessly across the entryway, his footsteps soft on the wooden floor. The house was quiet, the only sound the slight creak of the floorboards beneath his feet and the echo of your laughter in the empty space.

He chuckled too, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated through his chest and made you press your face closer to his neck. “You’re not too tired, are you?” he asked, his voice soft but teasing as he carried you farther into the house, his breath warm against your ear.

You lifted your head slightly, meeting his gaze with a smile that was half-teasing, half-exhausted from the day. “No.” you murmured, your hand brushing gently against his jaw. “Not too tired.”

His smile widened, and there was something in his eyes. An intensity, a quiet hunger, that made your heart skip a beat. “Perfect.” he whispered, his voice dropping lower, more intimate. His gaze never left yours, even as he walked farther into the house, carrying you as if you weighed nothing at all. “Because I wanna make love to my wife.”

The words, so simple yet so…ugh, sent a flutter of warmth through your chest, and you couldn’t help but smile as you rested your hand on the back of his neck, your fingers playing with the strands of his hair. His sincerity was overwhelming, the way he looked at you with such open affection, like he still couldn’t believe you were his.

“You’re so cheesy.” you teased, biting your lip to hide your grin as you pressed a soft kiss to his jaw.

His laugh was warm, his grip tightening around you slightly as he pulled you closer. “Yeah, well…” he muttered, his voice soft with amusement as he carried you past the small living room, into what you assumed was the bedroom. “I just wanna follow tradition, you know?”

You couldn’t help but laugh, the sound filling the quiet house as you leaned your head against his shoulder. “I think we’re past that.” you said, your voice full of affection as you pressed another kiss to the side of his neck, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath your lips.

He sighed softly, a playful grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he glanced down at you. “Maybe.” he admitted, his fingers brushing gently against your leg as he adjusted his grip on you. “But I don’t care. I wanna do it right.”

There was something so earnest about the way he said it, like he was determined to make this night perfect in every possible way. His desire to do everything “right” was so endearing, so quintessentially Alex, that it made your heart swell. But you couldn’t resist teasing him just a little more.

“You sound so old sometimes.” you murmured, your lips brushing against the shell of his ear as you spoke, your voice light with amusement.

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing playfully as he grinned at you, his expression shifting from sweet to something else in an instant. “Oh, I’m old now, huh?” His voice dropped lower, more teasing as he leaned in closer, his lips just brushing the edge of your jaw. “Too much of a prude for you?”

You laughed, shaking your head as you felt the warmth of his breath on your skin. “Maybe a little.” you teased, your hand sliding up to rest at the back of his neck, fingers curling into his hair.

His grin widened, the playful glint in his eye turning darker as he raised an eyebrow at you. “Okay then.” he murmured, his voice dropping even lower, sending a shiver down your spine. “How about this: I wanna fuck my wife all night long.”

The bluntness of his words took you by surprise, and you couldn’t help but burst into laughter again, the sound bubbling out of you before you could stop it. “Alex-” you started, your cheeks flushed with both embarrassment and amusement as he grinned at your reaction, clearly enjoying the effect his words had on you.

He didn’t let you finish. “How’s that sound?” he whispered, his lips grazing the sensitive skin just beneath your ear, his breath hot against your neck. 

Your fingers tightened around the fabric of his shirt as your breath hitched, the sudden shift in the mood sending heat coursing through you. You leaned back just enough to meet his gaze, your smile softening as you felt the familiar warmth of desire settling between you. “That sounds…” You paused, letting your fingers trace the line of his jaw, feeling the slight stubble beneath your fingertips. “Perfect.” you whispered, your voice low as your lips brushed against his.

His grip on you tightened as he carried you the last few steps toward the bed, his breath catching slightly as he looked at you. 

Gently, he set you down on the bed, his hands lingering on your waist for just a moment longer before he leaned down, his forehead resting against yours. His breath was warm against your skin, and for a moment, neither of you moved, the intensity of the moment sinking in. This was your life now. This was real.

“I love you.” he whispered, as his hand gently cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing softly against your skin.

“I love you too.” you whispered back, pulling him closer, feeling the warmth of his body against yours.

You lay there, still catching your breath from the laughter, watching him as he hovered over you. His hair fell into his eyes, and you couldn’t help but smile, your fingers brushing it back from his face. His eyes softened at your touch, and for a second, everything slowed down again. You could see how much he loved you, how much he wanted this to be perfect for you.

“So…” you began, your voice light and playful as you raised an eyebrow, a grin spreading across your lips. “You’re gonna last all night, yeah?”

Alex’s lips twitched into a smirk as he looked down at you, the teasing glint in your eyes clearly not lost on him. He leaned in closer, his breath warm against your cheek as he brushed his lips just below your ear. “Oh, is that a challenge?” he murmured, his voice low, his lips ghosting against your skin.

You chuckled softly, your fingers tracing along the back of his neck as you tilted your head slightly, giving him better access to your skin. “Maybe.” you whispered, feeling a shiver run through you as his lips grazed your jawline.

He smiled against your skin, a low hum escaping his throat as he began pressing slow kisses down the line of your jaw, then lower, to the curve of your neck. “I’ll try my best.” he murmured, his voice rough with heat as he nuzzled the sensitive spot just beneath your ear. 

The feel of his lips on your skin made your breath catch, your body instinctively arching toward him. His kisses were slow, lingering. He was taking in every second, every inch of you. He wasn’t in any rush. He wanted to take his time, to enjoy this. To enjoy you.

Your fingers tangled in his hair as he continued kissing his way down your neck, your eyes fluttering shut as the sensation of his lips, soft and warm, sent sparks through you. “You better.” you whispered, your voice barely audible as you felt him smile against your collarbone.

His lips moved lower still, grazing your shoulder now as his hands slid up your sides, his touch firm yet gentle. 

“Think I’m doing alright so far?” he asked, his lips brushing against your skin as he spoke.

You opened your eyes, meeting his gaze as you bit your lip, trying to suppress the smile threatening to spread across your face. “Not bad.” you teased, your fingers tracing the line of his jaw. “But I thought you said all night.”

He laughed softly as he pressed a kiss to your shoulder, his fingers trailing lightly down your arm. “I’m just getting started.” he whispered, his lips brushing against your skin once more before he moved back up, his gaze locking with yours. 

There was something almost intoxicating about the way he looked at you then, like he was memorising every detail of this moment, every detail of you. 

You leaned up slightly, your hand resting against his cheek as you smiled softly at him. “No pressure, professor.” you teased, your thumb brushing over his chin, feeling the little hairs growing in.

He chuckled again, his smile widening as he kissed the inside of your wrist, his lips lingering there for just a moment. “Professor, huh?” he murmured against your skin. “You haven’t called me that in a while.”

“Well…” you grinned, biting your lip as you traced your fingers over his chest. “Now that we’re married, maybe I can get away with it.”

His eyes darkened at that, his breath hitching slightly as his hand came up to cup your cheek. “You can get away with anything.” he whispered.

Then, without another word, he leaned in, capturing your lips in a kiss that was soft and slow at first, but quickly deepened, filled with all the love and intensity that had been building between you for so long. His hand slid up your back, pulling you closer to him as the kiss grew more urgent. 

The rest of the world faded away, leaving just the two of you in this quiet, hidden place he had brought you to. The weight of the day, of everything that had come before this moment, slipped away, leaving nothing but the two of you, your hands tangled in his hair, his lips moving against yours, his heart beating in time with your own.

As Alex flipped you over and shuffled back on the bed, his heart pounded in his chest. He could feel every beat of it, a rapid, urgent rhythm that had been building all night, building for months if he was being honest with himself. The way you looked at him, the way your smile lit up your entire face. It made his breath catch. He wanted you so badly it was dizzying, but there was something else there too. Love, yes, but an almost desperate need to please you. To make this perfect.

When his back hit the headboard with a loud thud, a grunt escaped him. The sharp pain cut through the fog of desire for a second, but then your hand pressed against the bulge in his suit pants, and the sharp sting of the impact was forgotten. Replaced by pleasure, so intense it sent a shudder down his spine. He let out a groan, deep and guttural, his head falling back as his eyes fluttered shut. 

You had always known exactly what to do to him, how to unravel him. The smallest touch of your hand, the gentlest pressure from your palm, and it was like his entire body was on fire. He wasn’t in control anymore, and for once, he didn’t want to be. Not with you.

“Mhmm…” he murmured, the sound half a groan, half a plea. His voice was raspy as he looked up at you, eyes dark with lust and something deeper, something softer. He was drunk on the sight of you, hovering over him, flushed from his touch. “Sit on my face…please.”

He hadn’t meant for it to come out so needy, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted you close, closer than you already were, wanted to taste you, to feel your thighs trembling around his head. His hands gripped your hips, fingers pressing into the soft flesh there as he urged you higher up his body. His mind was a haze, every rational thought drowned out by the overwhelming need to make you feel good.

A smile tugged at the corners of your lips as you leaned forward, teasing him with your words. “Your wish is my command.” you whispered, your breath warm against his skin before you kissed him softly. 

That kiss, it was a brief moment of tenderness in the midst of all the heat, and it made his chest tighten. You had this way of grounding him, even when he was lost in you. 

But that tender moment passed, replaced by something far more primal. As you climbed over him, his hands moved to the hem of your dress, fingers tugging impatiently at the lacy fabric. The dress was clinging to you, refusing to move, and his frustration grew with every failed attempt to push it higher. He could feel the heat of your skin beneath the fabric, the softness of your thighs under his palms, and it was driving him insane. 

“Take it off.” he muttered, his voice rough and filled with urgency. His fingers traced slow circles on your thighs as he waited, his gaze never leaving yours. “Please, just…take it off.”

When you finally pulled the dress over your head, discarding it on the floor, his breath caught in his throat. His eyes raked over your body, drinking in the sight of your bare skin illuminated by the soft glow of the room. His hands, which had been idle for only a moment, were suddenly everywhere. Gliding over your thighs, your hips, as if he couldn’t touch you enough.

“Wow…” he whispered, almost reverently, his hands moving up to your waist, tracing the curve of your body with gentle strokes. There was no hesitation in the way he touched you, no restraint, just the pure need to feel every inch of you. To memorise, again, the way your body felt in his hands.

Bare thighs, no stockings, nothing. The absence of the garter you’d worn earlier was not lost on him, and the memory flashed through his mind. How he had insisted on taking it off with his teeth during the party, much to the amusement of everyone around. It had been such a ridiculous, cheeky move, but he couldn’t resist. He never could when it came to you.

“I think I’m gonna have a heart attack.” he said, half-joking, though the sight of you, sitting above him, left his chest tight, heart hammering. 

“Shut up.” you replied, and he smiled at the sound of your voice. His world narrowed to just you. 

He groaned, fingers tightening on your hips. “Let me eat your pussy, I’ll shut up.”

It was desperate, the words spilling out of his mouth before he could stop them. He needed to taste you, to feel you lose yourself above him. His hands moved up again, pushing at the lace of your panties, toying with the fabric but not daring to move any further without your permission. He waited, eyes locked on yours, anticipation tightening in his chest.

“You’re gonna make me beg? I can beg.” he added, his voice dropping to a low rumble, the teasing edge in his words undeniable.

You bit your lip, grinning as you pulled at the front of your lace panties, stretching the material across his face. The delicate fabric pressed against his lips, trapping his nose. The sensation only made him more desperate, his breath coming out hot and shallow as he felt the lace press against his mouth. He huffed against it, the pressure from his exhale making the fabric flutter against your skin.

But it wasn’t enough. He was starving for you, the heat between you driving him to the brink. Without thinking, he caught the lace between his teeth, tugging at it gently, his breath quickening. He could feel you hovering just above him, the warmth of your core so close, and yet still out of reach.

“Hey!” you gasped when he tugged harder, the fabric straining in his grip. 

But he had reached his limit. With a growl of impatience, he gripped your hips and pulled you down, pressing your core against his waiting mouth. The lace was still between you, but that didn’t stop him. His lips parted immediately, tongue sliding out to lick a long stroke along your slit through the soaked fabric.

The taste of you, even filtered through the thin barrier of lace, sent a rush of heat straight through him. He groaned into you, the sound vibrating against your core, his fingers digging into your hips as he held you in place.

The sensation made you shudder, your thighs trembling slightly as you struggled to hold yourself up. His mouth worked against you with a desperate hunger, each flick of his tongue sending jolts of pleasure through your body. He could feel you reacting to him, your soft moans spurring him on as he licked and sucked through the fabric, his own body tightening.

But it wasn’t enough. He needed more. His hands slid up to your hips again, fingers hooking around the sides of your soaked panties. He tugged them down and you helped him get them off, discarding them somewhere on the bed. His breath hitched as he looked up at you, seeing you bare above him.

“Finally.” he muttered, more to himself than to you, his voice hoarse with need.

And then he was on you again, his mouth latching onto your core, tongue flicking against your clit with an intensity that made your whole body tense. The taste of you, the warmth of your skin, it overwhelmed his senses, every touch of his tongue sending pleasure through both of you.

Your fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as his mouth worked against you, slow at first, but quickly growing more frantic. He wanted to make you come undone, to feel you fall apart above him.

The sound of your voice, ragged and breathless as you whispered his name, sent a shiver of pure desire through him. He could feel you tightening around him, your thighs trembling, your body arching into his touch. And that was all the encouragement he needed. With one final, deliberate flick of his tongue, he felt you shatter above him.

As you sat back from his face, breathless and trembling, his hands stayed on your thighs, stroking them gently. His lips were swollen, glistening with you, and his cheeks flushed. His chest heaved as he stared up at you with a dazed, satisfied grin, like he could spend the rest of his life between your legs and never grow tired of it. But now, as your hands drifted lower, brushing over his hips and finding the button of his pants, he knew what was coming next.

His breathing hitched when your fingers popped open the button, moving lower to his zipper. “My turn?” he asked, his voice low, teasing, though the hunger in his eyes betrayed the casualness of his tone.

His grin faltered, his breathing uneven as he watched your hands move closer to his painfully hard cock, still trapped beneath the fabric of his underwear. He groaned softly, his hips lifting just slightly as your fingers brushed over the bulge, teasing him through the thin material. You didn’t answer with words, only a smirk, your hands still working to undo his pants, slowly pulling them down, but just as you were about to tug them fully off, he stopped you. His fingers wrapped around your wrist, and for a moment, you looked at him, confused. He fumbled with the pocket of his suit trousers, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“Wait.” he muttered. He reached down, his other hand fumbling with the waistband of his briefs, and you raised an eyebrow, watching him curiously.

“Wait for what?” you asked, your breath catching slightly as his hand slid into his pocket again.

A grin tugged at his lips as he pulled something out. He held it up, wiggling it in the air between you.

The garter. 

He was holding it up in front of your face like a prize, the delicate lace dangling from his fingers.

You couldn't help but giggle. “You kept it?”

“Of course I did.” he murmured, shuffling on the bed. 

His trousers were still clinging to his thighs as he manoeuvred awkwardly, trying to balance on his knees while lifting his hips. You couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles shifted under his skin, the soft light casting shadows over his body. His bulge was straining so hard against his underwear now that the fabric was nearly bursting, the outline of him pressed tight and clear through the material.

But Alex wasn’t focused on that. He had his own plans. He wiggled one leg free from his trousers and, with a playful gleam in his eye, slid the garter onto his calf, moving it slowly up his thigh. He shifted back on the bed, positioning himself in front of you, one leg propped up like he was showing it off. It was an absurd sight. This man, sitting on your shared honeymoon bed with a lacy garter clinging to his thigh. His eyes gleamed, that boyish charm mixing with the underlying heat in his gaze. His lips curved into a lopsided smirk as he propped himself up on his elbows, the muscle in his jaw tightening when you slowly leaned in closer.

You blinked, then laughed. “Again?”

Alex’s grin only widened. “You didn’t think I’d give it up that easily, did you?” He shuffled on the bed, kicking off his pants the rest of the way, his body shifting beneath you as he lifted one leg. 

He caught your gaze, eyebrow raised, waiting. “Well?” he said. “Take it off. Come on.”

You shook your head, laughing softly. “You really want me to?”

“Oh, absolutely. Come on…show me how it’s done.”

You laughed again, shaking your head at the ridiculousness of it all, but the heat in your chest flared again at the sight of him. So hard and ready for you, his cock straining against his briefs, and now this. 

Your hands moved slowly, tracing the muscles in his thigh as you leaned forward. His breath hitched, and his body tensed beneath your touch. You slid your fingers beneath the delicate lace of the garter, feeling the warmth of his skin and the taut strength of his muscles underneath.

You leaned in, your lips brushing his thigh as you spoke, voice soft and teasing, “And now you want me to take it off with my teeth?”

His grin widened. “Come on, love. Be a good wife.” He winked, his breath catching slightly when you brought your mouth closer to his skin. “You’ve got a good example now. You remember the party…”

“I remember.” you murmured, voice husky, your breath hot against his thigh. “But I think you enjoyed that a bit more than I did.”

Alex raised an eyebrow, his smirk deepening. “Enjoyed it? I loved it.” His gaze dropped to your lips as they hovered just above the lace, anticipation thick in the air. “Now, be a darling and return the favour, yeah?”

Your laughter was soft, and instead of responding, you tilted your head and brought your teeth to the delicate edge of the lace garter. Slowly, you bit down on the thin fabric, tugging it just slightly, enough to feel his muscles flex beneath your lips. You could hear him inhale sharply, his hands fisting the sheets as you began to drag the garter down his thigh, your teeth grazing his skin with every slow pull.

Alex let out a shaky breath, his head falling back against the pillows as he closed his eyes. “Christ.” he muttered, voice strained with the effort of keeping himself composed. His hips shifted slightly, the fabric of his briefs growing tighter, more constricting as you continued your slow, deliberate descent. 

You grinned around the lace, letting your teeth tug it a bit lower, your tongue brushing the skin of his thigh in a teasing, feather-light touch. He let out a low groan, the sound vibrating through his chest, and you felt his leg tremble slightly as you worked the garter lower and lower.

“You like this, don’t you?” you teased, your voice low and sultry as you finally pulled the garter free, letting it fall to the floor.

He grinned, breathless. “You have no idea.” His voice was rough, full of want, and his hands moved to your waist, pulling you closer. The teasing edge in his expression faded as he looked at you. He was done playing now.

Without breaking eye contact, he hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his underwear, pushing them down. The fabric slid off his legs and hit the floor with a soft thud, leaving him bare beneath you. His cock sprang free, hard and aching, flushed against the tight muscles of his abdomen. You bit your lip at the sight of him, already imagining the weight of him inside you, the heat pooling low in your belly making it harder to keep from squirming.

But he wasn’t nearly done. His hands found your back, unhooking your bra. He pushed the straps down your shoulders, his fingers brushing your skin as he tugged the material off, leaving you completely exposed to him.

The moment your bra hit the floor, his mouth was on you. He didn’t waste any time. His lips closed over one of your breasts, his tongue swirling around your nipple before sucking lightly, making you gasp and arch into him. His other hand kneaded your other breast, rough and tender all at once, his thumb brushing over the hardened peak.

“You drive me insane, you know that?” he murmured, his words muffled against your skin as he kissed and sucked. His breath was hot against your chest. “How do you want me, my love?” His lips ghosted over the curve of your breast as he looked up at you.

Those eyes. Big, brown, and so full of love. There was an innocence to them even now, a puppy-like eagerness. He would do anything to make you happy. His gaze flicked up from your chest to meet yours, and for a moment, you were lost in them, in the absolute trust you saw in the way he looked at you. His pupils were blown wide, cheeks flushed. He looked like the most beautiful mess, a contradiction of shy and brazen, desperate and patient.

You cupped his cheek with one hand, your thumb brushing along the sharp line of his jaw, smiling softly as his lips parted, his breath quickening at your touch. “I want you on top.” you whispered.

For a second, his gaze softened, the affection in his eyes deepening. “Yeah?” he asked, voice tender as his hand skimmed up your side, thumb tracing over your ribs. 

You nodded. “Yeah.”

He grinned. He was so utterly smitten with you that it made him dizzy. Without missing a beat, he moved. Alex flipped you over, his hands firm but gentle as he guided you onto your back. His body followed yours, settling over you, his weight pressing you down into the bed.

He hovered above you for a moment, taking in the sight of you beneath him, completely bare, his fingers tracing the curves of your body. Soft, deep, and all for you. 

“You look…” he trailed off, his breath hitching as his hands slid down to your hips, squeezing lightly. “I don't even have words, darling. You’re...fuck.”

You smiled up at him, a heat spreading through your chest at the way he was looking at you, like you were the only thing in the world that mattered. “So cheesy.” you teased softly, your fingers tangling in his hair, tugging gently to bring his face closer.

“Can’t help it,” he whispered, his lips brushing against yours, “You’re perfect.”

And then, his mouth claimed yours. His hands roamed your body, worshipping every inch. Like this moment was his last. Like it was all that existed. He kissed you like you were air, like he needed you to breathe, and you kissed him back with equal fervour, your hands tracing the strong lines of his back, feeling every ripple of muscle as he shifted above you. 

As the kiss deepened, his hips pressed against yours, his cock brushing against your wetness, and you both groaned at the contact. He pulled back just enough to look into your eyes, his gaze burning with raw need.

“Tell me what you want.” he whispered, his voice rough, but his eyes gentle as his hand slid between your bodies, his fingers brushing against your slick folds, teasing.

You could barely think, let alone speak, your body already arching into his touch, aching for him. “I want you.” you breathed, your voice shaky with desire. “I want all of you.”

His breath came out in a shaky exhale as your words washed over him. His other hand, which had been tangled in your hair, slowly moved down to your neck, his fingers wrapping around it in a grip that was firm but gentle still. He pressed just enough to make your pulse quicken beneath his touch, a low growl rumbling in his chest.

His gaze flicked back to yours. Leaning down, his mouth hovered near your ear, his breath hot against your skin as he whispered, “Who do you belong to?”

You shivered at the sound of his voice, the weight of his body over yours adding to the dizzying sensation that spread through you. You could feel him, hard and ready, pressed against your wetness, his cock twitching as he waited for your response. But before you could even think about answering, Alex bit down gently on your earlobe, sending a jolt of pleasure straight through you. A gasp escaped your lips, and he took advantage of it, trailing wet, open-mouthed kisses down the side of your neck, each one deliberate, slow, possessive.

His tongue flicked out against your skin, tasting you, before he sucked lightly, his lips pulling at the tender flesh just above your collarbone, marking you, claiming you as his. His teeth grazed your skin, the slight sting only amplifying the heat building between your thighs.

“Answer me.” he murmured again, his voice a little rougher now, more demanding. His hand tightened slightly around your neck, not enough to hurt, but enough to remind you of the power he held over you in this moment. His thumb brushed over your jawline, coaxing you to speak, but you were so overwhelmed, so lost in the feel of him, that all you could do was moan softly in response.

He wasn’t having that. His lips left your neck for just a moment, his forehead pressing against yours as he stared down at you, pupils blown wide. “I need to hear you say it.” he whispered, his voice husky and low, vibrating through you in a way that made your toes curl. “Who do you belong to?”

Your breath caught in your throat, heart pounding as his eyes bore into yours. You felt completely undone beneath him, your body thrumming with the need to answer him, to give him what he wanted, but words still seemed so far away. His hand on your neck anchored you, the pressure sending little shocks of heat through your body, and you couldn’t help but arch into him, your hips grinding against his cock in a desperate attempt to feel more of him.

“I…” you managed to gasp, your voice shaky and breathless as his fingers slid lower, brushing against your wetness again. His name came out in a broken moan, “Alex…”

His lips twitched into a smirk as he leaned down to kiss you again, hard, swallowing your soft whimpers as his fingers moved against you. “That’s not an answer.” he growled against your lips, before moving back down to your neck, his mouth finding the spot he’d already marked and sucking harder this time, determined to leave a lasting reminder of his claim.

You gasped, your hands gripping his shoulders, nails digging into his skin as he drove you mad with his touch. Finally, you found your voice, shaky and breathless as you whispered, “Yours…I’m yours, Alex.”

A low, satisfied hum escaped him, and he pulled back just enough to meet your gaze again, his thumb brushing your lower lip as he grinned, all smug and lovestruck. His hand remained on your neck, his thumb tracing lazy circles on your skin as he studied your face, taking in every little reaction, every hitched breath, every tremor of your body beneath his.

Without another word, he shifted his hips, the head of his cock sliding through your folds, teasing you both with the promise of what was to come. You could feel him throbbing against you, desperate for release, but still holding back.

Slowly, achingly slowly, he pushed into you, the stretch making your head fall back against the pillow. You gasped at the sensation, your hands gripping his shoulders as he thrust deeper, his body sinking into yours, fitting perfectly together like two pieces of a puzzle.

His mouth found your neck again, his hand tightening ever so slightly around your throat as he whispered against your skin, “You feel so good, love. So perfect.”

Your hands flew to his back, nails dragging along his skin as you arched into him, taking him deeper. Every inch of him filled you, the overwhelming sensation of being completely consumed by him making you feel dizzy with pleasure. 

“God- so fucking good.” he groaned, his lips brushing your ear as he buried himself to the hilt, staying there for a moment, with the heat and tightness of your body wrapped around him. His arms shook as he held himself up, his mouth pressing hot kisses along your neck. “You’re everything.”

He didn’t move, just stayed buried inside you, his breath hot against your neck.

“I could stay like this forever.” he murmured, his voice soft now, almost tender as he kissed along your jawline, making his way back to your lips. “You’re so mine.”

Your fingers dug into his back, pulling him even closer, wanting more of him, needing him deeper. “Alex.” you whispered, breathless, your body arching into his, completely lost in the sensation of him inside you. 

His pace picked up, his movements becoming more urgent, more desperate as he began to thrust into you with a need that echoed your own. His hands gripped your hips, pulling you up to meet his thrusts. You could feel him trembling above you, his breath ragged, his heart pounding against your chest.

“Look at me.” he rasped, his voice strained as his hips snapped against yours, his eyes locked on your face. “I need to see you.”

Your eyes fluttered open, meeting his gaze and you reached up, cupping his face in your hands, your fingers tracing his jaw, feeling the light stubble beneath your palms. “I’m here.” you whispered, your voice barely audible, but it was enough. “I’m yours.”

The words seemed to break something inside him. His pace faltered for a moment, his brow furrowing as if he was trying to hold himself back. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against yours, his breath coming in harsh pants. “I love you.” he murmured, the words spilling out of him as if they had been waiting on his tongue for too long already. As if he hadn’t said them just minutes before. It would never be enough. “God, I love you so much.”

You could feel his body trembling above you, the weight of his emotions finally catching up with the physical. His hips slowed slightly, each thrust becoming deeper and slower. His hands, which had been gripping your hips tightly, softened their hold, one hand sliding up your body to cradle the back of your head, fingers tangling in your hair.

“I love you too.” you whispered, pulling him even closer, your lips brushing against his. “So much.”

Alex groaned into your mouth, his lips pressing more firmly against yours as his hips began to move faster again, the desperation building in him once more. The room was filled with the sound of your heavy breathing, the slap of skin against skin as he thrust into you with a renewed urgency. 

“So good…” he breathed, his voice low and gravelly as his lips hovered just above yours, his hips snapping against yours. Frenzied. “I can’t- fuck, I can’t get enough of you.”

You could feel the tension coiling in your belly, tightening with every thrust, every whispered word from him. His fingers brushed against your throat again, and your head fell back, baring your neck to him. He took the opportunity to kiss and nip at your skin, leaving more marks, branding you as his own again and again. 

“Al-” you whimpered, your hands sliding down his back, nails dragging lightly against his skin as you felt your body begin to unravel beneath him. “I’m so close.”

His hips stuttered slightly at your words, a low moan escaping him as his hand tightened on your waist. He pulled back just enough to look at you again. “I know- fuck-” he whispered, his voice rough and breathless. “I need to feel you…I need to feel you.”

His words were your undoing. The coil of tension snapped inside you, and a wave of pleasure crashed over you so suddenly and intensely that you cried out his name, your body arching off the bed as you came undone beneath him. Your hands gripped his shoulders, clinging to him as you shook.

Alex groaned, his thrusts becoming erratic as he felt you tighten around him. His grip on your waist was bruising now, his control slipping as he chased his own release. He buried his face in your neck, his breath hot against your skin as he thrust into you one last time, his body shuddering as he came with a low, guttural moan.

For a moment, neither of you moved. Your bodies were still tangled together, your breathing ragged as you both tried to come down from the high. Alex stayed buried inside you, his forehead pressed against your collarbone, his arms wrapped tightly around you.

After what felt like an eternity, he lifted his head, his eyes soft and full of love as he looked down at you. His hair was a mess, sticking to his damp forehead, and his cheeks were even more flushed than before. A soft smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he brushed a strand of hair away from your face.

“Okay?” he asked quietly, his voice gentle as his thumb traced the line of your jaw.

You smiled, nodding as you reached up to cup his face. “More than okay,” you whispered, “That was perfect.”

His smile widened, and he leaned down to kiss you softly, his lips lingering on yours for just a moment longer. “Yeah.” he murmured against your mouth. “I don’t think I could ever stop loving you like this.”

You chuckled softly, your fingers brushing through his hair. “I don’t think I’d want you to.”

Alex let out a long, shaky breath as he slowly rolled off you, his body collapsing next to yours on the bed. His chest was still rising and falling rapidly, the remnants of his breathlessness lingering in the air between you. He reached for your hand, his fingers intertwining with yours, and without saying a word, he brought it up to his chest, pressing your palm firmly against his heart. You could feel it pounding beneath your fingertips, each beat powerful and steady.

For a while, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling, his brow furrowed slightly, lost in thought. His thumb absentmindedly stroked the back of your hand, but his gaze remained fixed upward, caught somewhere between awe and disbelief and the lamp hanging from the ceiling. 

“I never knew a love could be so intense.” he finally whispered, his voice soft, almost talking more to himself than to you. His eyes fluttered shut for a second, and then he blinked them open again, turning his head to look at you. “Like this.” he added, giving your hand a gentle squeeze, guiding it against the rhythm of his heart. 

His vulnerability hung in the air. You were both suspended in the quiet aftermath of what had just happened. There was no need for words, but they came anyway, spilling from your lips in a soft murmur.

“It’s wonderful.” you whispered, your eyes locked on his, your own heart swelling with a warmth so intense it was hard to comprehend. You could barely find the right words for it, because how could you? How could anyone possibly describe the way your soul felt wrapped in his, in this moment, so close to the person you loved more than anything?

Alex’s gaze softened as he repeated your words, his voice quieter now, more reverent. “It’s wonderful...” His eyes never left yours as he spoke, the awe now palpable in his voice. He looked at you like you were the only thing that mattered, like you had always been the only thing that mattered, and his hand pressed more firmly over yours, grounding himself more in that truth.

For a long moment, neither of you said anything else. The silence between you was peaceful, filled only with the quiet sounds of your breathing and the distant hum of the night outside the window. He stared at you like he was seeing you for the first time all over again, his fingers still wrapped around yours. He didn’t want to let go. Ever.

Finally, Alex let out a soft chuckle, a small, breathless sound that made his lips twitch into a smile. “I don’t know how we ended up here.” he said, his voice thick as he shook his head. “But I’ve never felt more...alive.”

You turned onto your side, your fingers tracing that spot right in the middle of his chest, where it caved in just that slightest bit. “It’s everything, isn’t it?” you said, trying to put into words the flood of emotions swirling between you.

Alex met your gaze, his eyes shining with a depth of feeling that made your chest tighten. He nodded, his smile growing softer, more thoughtful. “Yeah…” he whispered, his hand still pressed to his heart. “It’s everything.”

a/n: he’s back. i think it’s decent enough. i’ve missed him and it turned very mushy gushy and sweet. title from “About You” by The 1975 because that song remind me of Al and the lyric about the train is perfect for Mr. Turner

tags: @st7rnioioss @theonlyoneswhoknowsblog @rentsturner @yourstartreatment @avxoxo1 @jqsvi @turnersfav @youresodarkbabe @psychedelicrocker @aacheinthejaw @zayndrider @humbuginmybones @tedioepica

[alocon]

Forever Irresistible [5/5] - Lando Norris

Lando Norris x Fem!Reader

written by alocon

Summary: Despite all hope, Lando never lost his feelings for his best friend's twin sister. However, he still hadn't acted on it. Well, that was until the party, which led you two into a long-term secret relationship

Warnings and Tropes: Fluff, implied smut (no actual smut though), final part

[Part One Here] [Part Two Here] [Part Three Here] [Part 4 Here] [Masterlist]

Irresistible - LN4 x Fem!Reader

“Can we get lunch together tomorrow to talk? Just me and you?”, the 12 words which had been absolutely overwhelming you for the past hour. Rather than give you an idea about what your brother wanted to talk about, Max had instead left you with an ominous “could go either way” message.

You see, it seemed like he was coming around after that family dinner, when he asked you to message him, but no. He instead expressed that he would not be talking to you for a while to work out how he felt about it. It's fine, you thought, a while may only be a couple of weeks. However, he instead decided that “a while” would be at least 8 months. That being said, it was now the day before you and Lando would fly out to Austin for the COTA grand prix. You would be meeting up with Max for breakfast instead of lunch and then would go straight to the airport to what might possibly be one of your favourite tracks. The atmosphere was great, the racing was fun, and there was only a tiny chance that you would manage to walk around the paddock without Daniel or Logan putting a cowboy hat on your head.

A lot had happened after the 2024 season. Lewis had, of course, gone to Ferrari. Nico Hulkenberg had left Haas, leaving an empty space that Checo filled in. And he had done surprisingly well, scoring Haas’ first ever win. By the power of magic? Who knows but that man had become a hell of a good driver to be able to do that. To bring a tractor to 1st takes some skill, especially with 2 Red bulls, 1 Mercedes and 1 Ferrari still in the race. 

Daniel had taken the Red Bull seat, of course, and Yuki was next in line for it. Liam had taken his place in AlphaTauri. Mercedes had seen a new addition to Formula One, with Frederik Vesti taking the Mercedes seat. It was meant to be Mick but after his Le Mans win, he realised that maybe he preferred world endurance a little more. Carlos had obviously left Ferrari with the addition of Lewis. However, instead of joining another team, he left F1 for a season to rally with his dad and would be driving again in 2026 when Valtteri was planning to do a Kimi and go do another type of racing for a couple of years. Other than that, the grid had remained the same. Max in Red Bull, George in Mercedes, Charles in Ferrari, Lando and Oscar in McLaren (Lando had signed a contract until 2027), Fernando and Lance were still in Aston Martin and were rocking it, Lance having got his first win and Fernando his first in like 10 years in 2024, along with 2 more for his collection. Pierre and Esteban still drive for Alpine, Nico for Haas, Zhou for Sauber, and Alex and Logan for Williams. Logan had done really well, too. He got a couple of podiums the previous season.

Lando still hadn't got his first win. Lots of podiums, but no wins. However, that was hardly his fault. The Red Bull, as per, absolutely ripped. 

Walking into the café, you were nervous. You had no reason to be, realistically speaking. Lan had proven to you that he had absolutely no intention of leaving you because of Max, as he had proven over the past 2 years and a few months. You saw Max already there when you arrived so you took a seat at the table with him. It was mostly quiet until you both had ordered your breakfast and drinks, after which you finally spoke up. “Why have you called me here, Max? After not speaking to me for like 8 or 9 months.”

“I miss you. I miss being your twin, having you to look up to and doing dumb stuff together. I miss being the iconic non-driver grid duo. I-”

You cut him off. “Max if you're going to tell me that and then say something about me breaking up with Lando, I will leave. I will walk out of the door right now.”

“You don't need to do that. I just miss you. If you and Lando being together makes you happy, which it clearly does, then maybe I was overreacting.”

“Maybe? Max, you told him he had to choose between me and you,” you said as you took a bite of your food. “You shouted at me for being with him. Made comments about how it wouldn't last because he doesn't love people. But he loves me. He has for years. And I love him. And I just want that to be okay for someone.”

Max nodded, understanding completely why you were upset with him. He looked at you, waiting a few moments before speaking. “I accept the relationship, just so you know. I think… I have for a while, it just upset me a lot that you didn't think that you could tell me for over a year so I freaked out.”

“I think freak out is an understatement, there. Now if that's all, I have a plane to catch.”

“Wait,” he said, placing his hand on your arm to stop you leaving straight away. “It sounds silly but there is a type of counselling/therapy for family members who want to repair their bonds. I've been going to individual therapy for a year, maybe we could give at least one session of the family therapy a go, see if it helps?”

You sighed, mentally weighing the pros and cons. “Okay. One session and we will see where that takes us. I seriously have to go though, Lando is here to get me.”

You stood up, quickly paying for both of your meals despite your brother's objection. You gave him a hug before you left. COTA here we come, you thought.

The journey to America was on a private jet with some of the other drivers. Lewis had, ever so sweetly, invited you and Lando on his jet along with him (obviously), Charles, Arthur (who was racing this weekend as Charles had badly sprained his wrist the previous day but still wanted to watch his brother drive), and George. The plane ride was great, as always, you all talked and played games, you humbled your boyfriend in many games of Uno and Mario kart, you and Lewis caught up, you and Arthur gossiped, overall, it was a great plane ride.

“And Lando Norris wins the United States Grand Prix!”

You don't think you'd ever cried as much in your life as you had watching your boyfriend cross the finish line. He had tried every single race and finally, for the first time, he had come first after so much bad luck. 

As the checkered flag waved and the roar of the crowd filled the air, Lando stormed across the finish line, the first-time winner of a Formula One Grand Prix. He could hear cheers through the radio from his pit crew, him equally excitedly screaming back. The euphoria of the moment engulfed him, but as he slowed his car to a stop in the pit lane, his mind was consumed by one thought: he had to find you.

In the midst of the chaos and celebration, Lando’s heart raced with anticipation as he tore off his helmet and looked towards the crowd of people waiting for him. He spotted you in the crowd quite quickly, your eyes filled with tears of joy and excitement. He didn’t hesitate to make his way to you, embracing you and lifting you off of your feet and over the barrier that separated you.

"I did it! I finally fucking did it!" Lando whispered, his voice trembling with exhilaration as he buried his head into your shoulder.

Your smile was bigger than he thought he had ever seen before as one of your hands gently played with the curls in his hair. “I knew you could do it, Lan. I’m so so proud of you,” you whispered back, your words filled with unbridled happiness as you gently rocked you both back and forth on the spot. You placed a kiss to the side of his head as you felt his tears soak through your shirt. You didn’t care, though. 

In that moment, amidst the chaos of victory, the blaring of the engines, and the cheers of the crowd, you and Lando found solace in each other's arms. Your love had weathered the turbulent journey of a competitive racing world, and now, in the exhilarating embrace of a triumphant win, you both knew (or more proved to those around you) that you were destined to conquer any challenge together.

As you stood together, surrounded by the intoxicating scent of victory and the warmth of love, Lando realised that this moment was not just about his first win; it was about sharing it with the person who had been his unwavering support for years, his pillar of strength, and (by far) his biggest fan.

“Am I even allowed to be over the barrier?” You inquired quietly as Lando stayed attached to you.

“I don’t know… or care.”

“Well, put me back over, you have to hug the rest of your team and go do your interviews.”

He groaned. Very dramatically. “I don’t want to, I want to stay with you.”

“I’ll be here when you get back, darling.” You looked at him as he sighed before lifting you back over, placing a long kiss to your lips and celebrating with his team before doing his interview. The second he was done with all the podium and media obligations, though, he was dragging you back to the hotel, wanting to cuddle before you all went out to party in the evening. 

Once inside the hotel room, you kissed him. His arms travelled swiftly back to your waist, guiding you backwards as he kissed back, you soon feeling your back touch the door as he crowded you against it. You deepened the kiss, hearing him groan softly as he pressed his body closer to you. His hands started to snake under your McLaren polo that you had “borrowed” from him the day previous, placing themselves on your bare waist. Your hands were in his hair, gently tugging at the curls every so often, making him let out quiet but obscene noises as you kissed. He then started moving you again, this time towards the bed. 

“Are you going to sit there and continue to eye fuck me, Lando?” You asked as you adjusted the bottom of the dress that you had just changed into for the party.

He leant his head back on the wall behind the bed. “I can't help it. You look amazing.”

You chuckled, walking over to him and placing a kiss on his forehead. He responded by pulling you onto his lap. You looked at him, seeing the familiar look in his eyes. “Don't start this again, Lan.”

“Why?”

“We have a party to go to. Wait until later.”

He sighed, pulling you closer into a hug. “You're the most beautiful person in the world, you know?”

The party went as normal. You and Lando both didn't drink much but everyone else did. As usual, there was a lot of chaos caused - mostly by Max, Checo and Daniel, you were convinced that Charles would end up with alcohol poisoning with the amount that he and Lewis drank together, and Logan, Oscar and Fred almost burnt the place down.

Everything seemed (almost) perfect as you laid in bed, in your boyfriend's arms, having just celebrated his first win. Neither of you were asleep yet. Lando could tell because your breathing pattern was different when you slept. Whilst running his hand through your hair, he took in the atmosphere. The way that you softened into his embrace, the little snores you did when you slept, every little thing you did reminded him of how much he loved you.

“Marry me.”

“What?” You said, head instantly snapping up towards your boyfriend.

He was already looking at you. “Marry me.” 

You sat up, him leaning over to switch the bedside lamp on. He returned to look at you, holding a ring in his hand. You were dumbfounded. “Lan.”

He looked into your eyes, placing his forehead against yours before beginning to speak, softly. “I don't want you to think this was the spur of the moment. This sounds silly but I've had this ring for like a year and a half. I've just been waiting for the right moment. And this feels like the right moment. If you don't want to, or feel it's too soon, I completely get it. But if you do, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He smiled, genuinely, watching as a tear fell down your face. “Please don't cry, it's okay.”

“Yes.”

“Yes as in yes you'll Marry me or you think it's too soon?” He asked, voice soft as he felt a glimmer of hope in his chest

“Yes, as in yes, I will marry you, Lando.”

Now everything was perfect.

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youruser

liked by landonorris, oscarpiastri and others

youruser: My boy won his first race finally!! So so proud of him, so here's a Lando appreciation post ❤❤

tagged: landonorris

-comments limited-

landonorris: I love you xx

youruser: I love you too xx

----

landonorris

liked by youruser, mclaren and others

landonorris: Soulmate appreciation post because she's not the only one allowed to be sappy on the main. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with this beautiful woman ❤❤

tagged: youruser

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youruser: You're stuck with me now x

landonorris: Wouldn't have it any other way x

mclaren: Congratulations!! Welcome to the McLaren family officially (although you were already in it to us), future Mrs. Norris

youruser: My favourite sm admin, thank you x

-The End-

-Word Count: 2,230 (ish)-

Hi, Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this mini series x If anyone has any requests for one-shots, possible series, etc about drivers, please feel free to request. You can do so by clicking on my profile and there should be a requests/questions box. Have a good day x Alocon

[slowdrippingnoise]

I cannot stop thinking about Fords dream. Plan sexual? Is this aroace confirmation??

"Attracted to planning" my ass. What happened to attracted to strange and the strange was always attracted to him?? You are a weirdo, except it

I an aroace and i was concerned that Ford will be straight in TBOB but now i am just confused???

I see you want to scream about the book of bill. Please scream at me i need someone else in this madness

OK!!!! so this is an extremely interesting question, and my perception of it is very heavily influenced by this interview being fresh in my mind (you've probably already read/watched but if not go do that it's great) towards the end you can find alex answering a question about ford being interpreted as queer- and basically talking about how ford is written as extremely romantically/interpersonally repressed in general- I won't try to summarize it i genuinely recommend just going and reading that, he describes it all better than I could (and again maybe you already have idk)

I feel like the tbob dream note could be taken a number of ways (and, while I wouldn't actually ask it cause i feel like leaving it up to imagination is actually more interesting in a creative engagement kind of way, i'm desperate to know what hypothetical answers are hiding behind that "usually" oh ford) but the thing that sticks out to me is. i mean it's very difficult to read it as straight isn't it. ford has recurring dreams about being quizzed on "what he's attracted to" and consistently dodges the question (doesn't even give a straightforward answer like "nothing", he misdirects back onto his logical smartguy persona) it's definitely a nod to fans too, sure, but in-character it's no-way-out firmly establishing that his sexuality specifically is on the Grand List of Stanford Pines Insecurities. we definitely got a nod to this way back in j3 of course- the ford&fidds campout conversation- but this i think this new tidbit betrays a much more internal fixation/anxiety than "it's confusing to me and I don't really want to think about it for more that a minute at a time" (<-the vibe his j3 stuff had more of to me) TL;DR whatever he is, i do not think you can call this man canonically straight at all lmao. W

(ok i'm losing track of my own thoughts a bit here. i should've outlined this like an essay lmao. back on track-)

In terms of what I personally believe/headcanon? honestly i'm in a funny in-between place right now- if you asked me last week i'd just say "he's gay probably" but this has me Thinking now in a more "ok, what cooperates best with canon and how I personally view him" way and the "ford aroace" people are making some interesting points. my most recent idea of him that i've been rolling around in my mindscape like a shiny rock goes basically like this:

(putting this under a cut)(also this goes wildly off-topic for a while because i love talking about ford. i promise it is tangentially related and relevant to my argument)

ford is repressed in how he deals with people because people are confusing and often scary (history of bullying and ostracization, we all hc him as some kind of autistic, etc.), and this extends to how he views romance/sex- if you don't see yourself as safe/belonging among other humans it can be extremely difficult to imagine yourself in such intimate dynamics with them (accepted, loved) and ford is very well established to close himself off to keep himself safe. the prospect of "romance" is by default more unsettling than it could ever really be comforting to him (within his ability to imagine it, at least) outside of the rarer "what if i was just normal and nobody bothered me for existing" fantasy, which is its own can of worms,,

another part of this is my (more arbitrary/i know because im right forever/because i lived it) hc that the elder pines twins' parents didn't really love each other by the time they were raising stan and ford, it was more of a "we both pay the rent/keep the family going, we may not strictly like each other and yeah there's a screaming fight or two every few years, but divorce is off the table because it would leave us both financially up the creek, so you do what you gotta do" situation. which has the potential to do. things. to how you think about Traditional Ideas of Couples and Suchlike. take my word for it.

another important part, though i find myself getting technically off-topic for a ways here, my apologies- i've been thinking about ford's Patterns with his attachments, in that he generally has one Main Person to focus on and trust at a time, and for a most of his life these attachments end Badly- throughout his entire adolescence he has stanley as that person, they exist in constant contrast to each other, their own self-perceptions are defined by their existence as a duo, covering for each other's weaknesses (to the extent that they can ignore traits in themselves that "double up", so to speak- stanley is the dumb muscle and ford is the booksmart genius with potential- no way out of that)(their dad affects this too)(oof) he and stan have a really awful falling-out that leaves ford with the belief that his One Person was willing to sabotage his future, completely disregarding ford's own feelings or sense of security and agency, just to get his way. (strike 1.5? against ford's ability to trust people) --- in college he attached to his roommate, fiddleford- and they genuinely get along and compliment each other really well! they're besties for life! yippee! so ford has a Person again, to exist next to, to prop himself up. but their lives go in different directions- they both move on with their studies/careers, and ford winds up in gravity falls, alone, where he has trouble again interacting with the locals and spends all his time wandering the woods, with endless hours for introspection. --- enter- Bill! :) bill becomes ford's 3rd Person, and he flatters ford and manipulates him and validates him and offers him everything he could ever shallowly imagine would solve all his problems and patch up the gaping hole in his self-worth forever definitely (while reminding him of what he remembers/imagines of his brother most likely, ow) bill is also more "safe" than other people, he's an anomaly, a supernatural phenomenon, even, and he lives exclusively inside ford's head. he's a perfect, safe, obsession target. (billford situationship essay for another day)

until he's not, of course.

until his college bestie Person is back too, and he's more Real than bill in a way that's very comforting, but fidds is another strong influence, one for the better, and bill can't have that around, he has to go. after that his relationship with bill also turns sour extremely quickly in a terrifying way, which leaves ford shaken and unmoored and desperate, which leaves... stan.

which also falls apart. (strikes 2, 3 and 1.5-the-sequal in rapid succession)

the 30 years spent multiverse-hopping are interesting to me too in how they affected ford- i think being around so much "abnormality"/being disconnected from his own world's ideas of normal did a lot to mellow him out- but he still couldn't really stick around anywhere to form deeper bonds with anybody, he's a wanderer until bill is dead, which may well end up killing ford in the process, so...

then! he's back home! which is bad! (from his perspective) but gives him the opportunity to try to Attach to a 4th Person- dipper! this was a secret essay on why i think he's Like That about dipper all along not about romance at all haha trick'd'ya! (i'm joking)

anyway you get the idea- fortunately he has a slightly wider support net by the end of the show between stan, fiddleford, and the kids- but to me it's relevant in that ford has a very limited network of people who he is close to at all, considering that his view on romantic relationships seems to orbit around "don't wanna think about that/that's scary, I don't know/etc.", and that for a long time the relationships(platonic or otherwise) that he did have were defined by their ending in trauma, guilt, and shame. it makes sense to me for him to not really be able to figure himself out, how do you dissect all the layers of the bonds you do manage to form, tease out one strong emotion from another, especially when you're always afraid of ruining something because this is all you have?

I guess, given all that rambling, to me he lands within some combination of demi-aroace(attraction of any kind is rare and difficult to distinguish from other emotions, needs a strong base first) and too repressed and deeply, deeply traumatized to really say what comes naturally and what's his brain trying to protect him from being hurt. he knows that something is, by the standards of humanity, "wrong" with him, but it's just another note on a long list of "reasons normal people don't like him". and he's gay.

-----

ok i probably forgot some stuff but i think thats my thoughts on that lmao. anyway BOOK OF BILL this makes me. so crazy. hasnt left my brain for days. i will never be the same i called these shots i CALLED them. but i couldn't imagine. anyway-

while i'm still talking about ford, i love that this book let him be more emotionally vulnerable than j3 did, i feel like there was a harsher impression of ford among fans for a long time (at least, with people who weren't already Obsessed with him) because he has limited time in the actual show for his character to be established, and a lot of j3 either had him on the defensive, or still stuck in "everything ever is my fault" mode. getting a better view both of how bill manipulated him, and how he's still affected by it "postcanon" puts him way more in line with. how i've seen him all along basically!! augh. he's lonely and insecure and afraid and wants so, so badly to connect to people,, "the ego of a king. the insecurity of a circus freak." compare to "my immense self hatred vs my delusional god complex" we were so right.

his last section of the book is. so so perfect i'm so glad we have that- it wraps up what felt like a loose end with other pieces of canon leaving him on "i'm the biggest idiot in the world" which felt. bad. all things considered. but tbob lets him air out that soul-crushing shame in such a beautiful way- both in letting us the audience actually See how it was with him and bill before, and his family reassuring him that they love him and don't carry some massive sense of Blame for him being manipulated... it hurts good man. perfect place to end on. he's gonna be ok it'll be ok.

related- possession pages go crazy. like that is some "i've read fanfiction less fucked up than this" shit and I [the rest of this sentence redacted for my dignity] what was i saying. the dream scene was so viscerally upsetting. the "light switch". the stretching. (alex drop a link to your ao3 account. urgh) bill is so so so scary for that brief moment which is an amaaazing essential addition to the book that actually made me feel horrifically personally sorry for the little bastard for the first time maybe ever. i mean this so genuinely he's the worst he's been he's the saddest he's been it's a beautiful tapestry drawing me in. it's gonna occupy my brain for weeks. maybe months. he's desperate to hold on to ford he's desperate for his plans to work for once and he's pissed as hell but also now he has an excuse to cut loose- he doesn't have to hide his angry, shitty, abusive side from this little human that he's grown so attached to(who he sees himself in)- he can see ford and ford can see him (or, what he's willing to think of as "himself")(where did you all go-) and ford is just living a nightmare that he couldn't have possibly imagined. incredible

i'm practiced at being emo about ford i've been emo about ford since 2015 but the bill thing is new to me (not strictly the lore, i was around for the reddit AMAs/the axolotl poem, but the elaboration-) and it's killing me. he's so fucked. he's hopeless. he's fucked himself up so bad and refuses to get any better because just looking at it inside his head is too much. there's a loud buzzing in his ears and he blacks out for 30 seconds. everyone loved him he was the best baby ever. sixer, it would eat you alive. the doctor says three sips a day will make the visions go away. where did you all go. he's fine, he's fine, he's fine. it's all hitting me fresh like it's brand new, funy nightmare triangle abandonment issues go brrrr-

he wants ford to want him so bad he wants to not be alone so bad. hes awful he ruins every chance he gets and it's all genuinely his own fault. fuck (im not gonna talk about "pain is hilarious" im not gonna be cringe im not gonna do it) blacked-out list of exes love and fear are the same love cage you're my property if lost return to bill cipher covered in blood all alone in the universe-

I was gonna elaborate on those last scraps but. i am running out of brain. big week for ford enjoyers. big week for me being so so sad (/pos) ☀️

[drinkingbitterboy]

alright. i have emotionally recovered from miles posting on instagram this morning, which truly threw off my plan to do a little concert recap bc i was busy yelling at my phone/on tumblr. as you do.

a couple notes:

i don't really do concert photos; literally took a grand total of 4 during the actual show. so sorry, don't have much there!

i did not get a poster :( turns out they ran out before AM even went on stage?? i'm sad, but not too pressed bc really i'd much rather have a good view than wait in the merch line.

here we go!!

so getting into the arena was kind of a shit show lmao. we rolled up around door open and the line stretched 5 city blocks and doubled back on itself; it was mostly organized but asshats loved to pop in when the line got broken up by the streets. took us almost an hour to make it our five blocks and the line behind us was still just as long by then. at least folks waiting by us in line were nice! beyond nice conversation the true highlight was outfit spotting. shoutout to the absolutely dedicated guy who showed up in the full on fwn clown outfit complete with face paint by himself. in this weather! found a couple folks dressed exactly like the car alex (again, why are you wearing a blazer in this weather) and you know. felt real old about it seeing some of the other concert outfits. i'm sorry, not to be judgemental of the tiktok girlies, but holy shit. i managed to out myself once as a weird fan about it bc i had "inside knowledge" aka i saw the ig stories james and davey posted lmao. i'm so sorry i'm incapable of holding it in when i want to correct someone. had a grand time talking to some people in line next to me around my age; one of them even had an old sias shirt from seeing them live back then! good bonding about "hey what have you done since they announced this album?" one guy switched jobs twice, we got married, and the other couple had a baby. jfc.

further highlights include the person who wrote the batphone and cheeseburger notes, a couple other car truck bits i didn't take pics of saying things like "who the fuck are the arctic monkeys", and the true comedy of whoever designed the tickets. big mike wazowski energy

fontaines dc sounded great! a lot of folks around me had no clue who they were, though. so the crowd wasn't too excited overall. also i have no idea who put together the playlist in between sets bc it was nuts.

and then: the big reveal (that i then updated tumblr on)

i'm really surprised the whole set made it! the anticipation before they took the curtain down was absolutely palpable. also, didn't get a picture of it but at one point someone had a giant pole and was trying to poke something right at at the top of the frame of the screen. no idea what that was about but it was hilarious. not pictured: the bonus screens on either side of the stage.

an aside: my partner is fucking hilarious. every time a roadie came on state with an instrument he'd go "i don't think that one is a monkey." he also generally calls them the "monkfys" anyway bc he really latched onto that clip aksdjfs

so this was interesting! they didn't show the body paint symbols at all on any of the screens; instead, they showed this colorful wheel thing.

and then the actual show. oh my word. opening with sculptures was absolutely my dream and honestly i don't have words for what it's like to see alex in person. he's absolutely captivating. hypnotizing. one of the most amazing things is watching how he proceeds through the show--how he goes from suave and put together with his choreographed arm movements for emphasis and his little things like the little bubble pop in that song. and then he starts to loosen up (along with his hair), we get the silly dramatic theatre kid during cornerstone and do me a favour, and by the time we hit body paint he's just completely letting loose. even when they played much of the usual setlist and i obviously know the music super well--better than anyone else around me--it was still absolutely thrilling to just be there and listen to the music and sing loudly and jump around until we felt the floorboards creak. they felt really high energy last night! turns out coming off of a break is good for them!

related, getting to watch the transformation into the poofy lion hair in real life is incredible.

i must admit, i am not immune to things like alex waving in our general direction to the crowd and walking over to our side of the stage and all of the charming bits. just can't help it.

otherwise, the only other person i could consistently see was nick - we were standing stage right, maybe 15 yards back? so you know. gorgeous as always. i'm sure jamie was wonderful also in his insane leather jacket -- didn't see him at all lol. i managed to get a very convenient window to center stage so i actually saw alex a decent amount. worked out well because i couldn't actually see the screens super well. i'm short. here's the only two pictures i actually took of the band, right at the beginning:

and now for the rest of the setlist -- we all know they played a lot of the usual suspects. as expected, much of the crowd was pretty young and very invested in only AM and the hype songs. i didn't mind; at least i wasn't the only person screaming for perfect sense (weren't a lot of us, i was the only one in my general area, but that's alright. i don't care.) my spouse was entertained by the person next to us who looked up the spotify set playlist in between every song; he was like "why look it up? if you don't know the songs well enough to identify by intro then how is the list supposed to help?" anyway, holy shit when is snap getting out of the playlist? and yet even though i was not thrilled by it it was still so fun to sing along.

4 out of 5 had a really funny bit at the end while he was just kinda ad libbing lines. "four stars out of five, not quite there yet, but almosttttt." teddy picker and view from the afternoon were absolutely fantastic, too. and then we get the basic AM bits again, though turns out the crowd was also really hype for fluorescent adolescent. 10/10

i was so goddamn loud for perfect sense. shoutout to the spouse again for only knowing that song bc i learned to play it and then played it constantly bc i wanted to manifest it aksjdflaskdj

he was constantly saying "very nice. very nice. very good" in between songs, which was adorable. "hope you're having a lovely evening, folks." as my partner put it: "very good. that's him like yes, i've met my crowd interaction quota for the night"

and then of course we brought out the drama for do me a favour and cornerstone. i cracked up that there were already gifs of the "forcing a smile" bit by the time i got home.

mirrorball started with alex conducting the stings again. i love it so much. also makes my musician ass miss performing lmao. but really, i can't get over how good mirrorball is. it's so dramatic, so emotional, then the actual mirrorball reveal??? i cried. it's insane. it's beautiful. it's honestly indescribable. i generally don't like people filming a lot or taking tons of pictures but you know what? mirrorball is an exception. holy mother of god.

and then 505!! i know i mentioned this earlier but really??? the mirrorball is only lit up like this for 505 and then they pull it back up?? there better be a mirrorball for me, he says, then we pull it down for the very miles song, and then they get rid of it???????? i had some thoughts.

our end of the stage got a bit distracted during do i wanna know bc we had someone go down in the crowd and had to call someone over to help. good news is that they were pretty close to the wall/barrier so it was easy to make space. even so, i realy can't get over how good that guitar sounds.

and then body paint. we've all seen videos of the extended outro and really, truly, it's just a life-altering experience to watch it life. it sounded incredible, it looked incredible with the rainbow lights, everyone looked like they were having a blast. i am a little biased bc i'm so attached to that song i'm getting tattoos about it on monday lmao. but man. not over it.

and finally the encore. ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE?????? i was NOT expecting it and absolutely lost my shit. unfortunately at this point bc we did some shifting around i no longer had a good view of anything. so it goes.

dancefloor, as always, was an absolute jam. bonus points bc now it's forever associated with our wedding. and r u mine had the place going nuts bc you know, the AM only folks, but really, i am also not immune to how hard that song goes.

all in all, that concert was absolutely incredible. i had an absolute BLAST and it was such a joy. i loved getting to be loud and truly did not care that there were bits where i was the only one who knew all the words. even my partner who is only really a tangential am fan had a really good time. they sounded amazing. i'm absolutely still on a high from it. hopefully the transition to a smaller venue again after the huge stadium tour was nice for the band, too!

and now time for some more coffee.

[anonymousromanticpoet]

A Royal Birthday

(A FirstPrince Fanfic)

Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz, First Son of the United States, sat at his usual table in the Starbucks, coffee in hand, stealing furtive glances over his shoulder. This was no ordinary outing. He was on official business. This was a matter of national security. Of American-English diplomacy. Clacking away at the keys, Alex wrote across the top of his document: “HRH Prince D*ckhead’s 25th Birthday Party.”

Picking up his cell phone, Alex dialed Nora’s phone number.

“Alex?”

“Hey, Nora. So, I need some help. Henry’s birthday is in two weeks and he insisted that I do nothing.”

“Mhmm…ok. So what’s the problem?”

“Come on, Nora! I’m not just going to sit and do nothing on my boyfriend’s birthday just because he’s got a stick the size of the Washington Monument up his royal “arse.’”

(Alex did a horrible attempt at a British accent for this last word.)

“So, what I need you to do, is help me plan a surprise birthday date so spectacular, he forgets all about his hang ups and royal image.”

“Gotcha. I take it you’re at your usual office?”

“Nope. Starbucks.”

“Buy me a pink drink and I’ll show you the places I just found.”

———————————————————————

“Absolutely not, Nora. I am NOT taking him there.”

“Oh come on, why not?”

“Because Henry, bless his innocent little heart, will have a stroke if I take him to…” Alex glared at the paper in front of him. “G String Gary’s Gentlemen’s Bar?”

“Okay, okay…fair point. how about the second one?”

“The symphony? Nora, he’s already buttoned up enough. And that drunk guy that hit on him at the last state dinner bragged about having a season pass. I don’t feel like running into him any more than I can help it.”

“Fine…then that leaves…that Italian place on First Street?”

“Henry does love pasta. Now that he’s actually eaten real food, as opposed to that horrible beans on toast crap he ate in England. But it just doesn’t…pop, I guess. I wanted to do something, really special.”

———————————————————————

The day of Henry’s birthday arrived, and Alex had finally decided on an idea. He blindfolded his boyfriend and threw him in the passenger seat.

“Alex, what on earth are you doing? Is this the part where you murder me in one of your grimy American back-alleys?”

“Actually, this is the moment when I sell you to the Ringling Brothers. They need a new clown.”

“Haha,” Henry rolled his eyes behind the blindfold.

“Alright, we’re here.”

Alex gently untied the black silk blindfold from his boyfriend’s eyes. Before them was the Lincoln Memorial. The Reflecting Pool was filled with hundreds of floating tea lights, and encircled with a trail of rose petals. At the foot of the Gentle Giant’s feet, was a small string quartet, playing “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” and a table, furnished with fine china and silver. In metal serving dishes to the right, were all of Henry’s favorite foods, and a beautiful, three tier, gold and blue birthday cake.

“Alex, this is beautiful,” Henry breathed.

“Only the best for my Prince Charming,” Alex beamed. “This cake wasn’t 75 grand, but I figured that just served to lessen our chances of toppling it over.”

After a night of champagne, dancing, and gourmet Italian food, the First Son and the Prince of Wales dismissed the string quartet and the waiter (after tipping generously). Abraham Lincoln politely averted his eyes to what happened next.

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls- Season 2, Episode 22 (Last Episode of the Season). "I Can't Get Started" Part 1

This episode may just be the ultimate game of memory roulette, because I remember nothing. Zero. Nada. Zilch. Zippo. except these two things:

I am told this episode involves a Lorelai-Crusty hookup and I have no recollection of that whatsoever. The mind has a way of bleaching itself sometimes. Can't wait to be retraumatized! The episode begins with Sookie playing wedding music choices for her coworkers and everyone falls asleep listening to the depressing songs she picked. Leave my girl Sookie and her emo music alone. She lives in Stars Hollow, of course she can relate to songs about pain, depression and misery.

Emily the Strange, seen on Rory's cast.

My conflicting emotions as I think about how Season 3 brings Jess to the forefront (that's good) but he rarely knows a moment's peace (that's bad) and in the blink of an eye we lose him to the California Wormhole (that's bad) but it also temporarily sidelines Dean (that's good) but it brings Crusty back (that's bad) but there's the debut of Dave Rygalski (that's good) but in the blink of an eye we also lose Dave Rygalski to the California Wormhole (that's bad) then we meet Alex who is cool and also hot (that's good) but then he disappears forever (wormhole?) and Max briefly returns from the California Wormhole (meh?) When Michel complains about the drudgery of wedding preparations, Lorelai reminds him she's in Sookie's wedding party so he has to oversee the entire wedding by himself, which is something he's never done before. Excuse me? Why don't you hire some more staff Lorelai, you fucking cheapskate. (We also learn later on that Sookie's catering her own wedding. WHAT? I know Sookie is a perfectionist when it comes to food but that's fucking bonkers). Rory offers to brainstorm with Lane to come up with wedding songs for Sookie and she agrees to let them do it because letting teenagers pick the music for the most important day of your life is a smart idea. This is where I realized I have no idea what kind of music Rory is actually into except that she has expressed she doesn't like the pop music/boybands of the day, which is fine. I just hope Rory wasn't one of those super annoying kids in school who were always coming up to me saying things like "You know, the Backstreet Boys don't play their own instruments." I was well aware. Anyway, Lane was definitely one of those types, as we see it happen on the show frequently, but as for Rory, that one is maybe up for debate.

Sookie asks Lorelai if she wants to invite Emily and Richard to the wedding. Uhh, may I ask why? Just 5 episodes ago, Emily was meddling in the wedding planning and blew up Sookie's budget and Lorelai had to intervene so she wouldn't go bankrupt. That's about the extent of any significant interaction between the Gilmore Grands and Sookie. After that mess, why would Sookie want her there? Sookie's all "Ah, that ol "almost bankrupted me" thing. She was so thoughtful to help me with the planning! Even though it was nothing more than a passive aggressive scheme to stick it to you for never getting married. She made me realize I love the color pink!" And then she giggles away the deep seated pain that anyone so relentlessly cheerful and forgiving has to be holding deep inside. Something historic just happened: I watched the Intro, instead of skipping it, which is something I haven't done in years. Let it be known I have nothing against the intro nor the song, and they're very nice and heartwarming, but I'm just not an intro girl. But I've been pretty down in the dumps and the theme song is like a warm cup of cocoa. It might behoove me to watch the opening credits once in a while so I know when to expect Dean, Crusty and other creatures from the deep.

More fine work from the Gilmore Girls fake food designer. Looks delish. She's still wearing that fucking quarter on a string, god damn. Rory is pestering Butthead to trade his pancakes for her fruit and egg platter.

You know, sometimes I start writing a joke, then realize it was funny, but it didn't make any sense and I have to scrap it, which makes me sad. Sometimes I don't even notice it after I've already posted and have to do a quick deletion (it just happened with LGD, in fact). Today, you're in for a treat because I'm going to give you one of my bloopers. Rory is incessantly asking Dean for his opinion on the pancakes. I decided she had poisoned them and she was monitoring his reactions, like when his breathing would start to become labored, or if he started to foam at the mouth, or if he would say something like that "huh, these pancakes taste kinda metallic." and then he would keel over. But then I remember they are at Luke's and she didn't cook the pancakes. But she could have sprinkled some rat poison on top of it when he had his back turned. I'm 100% convinced Lindsay had tried unsuccessfully to poison his meatloaf.

Oh no, they traded breakfasts. Eat AROUND the poison sprinkles, Rory. Rory and Buttzilla are observing someone who is repeatedly walking back and forth in front of the diner without coming in. *Sniffs the air* I smell unhealthy boundaries. It must be Lorelai.

I actually forgot that Luke and Lorelai were still "fighting". In fact, I just realized there was no Luke whatsoever in the previous episode. Okay, okay! I plum forgot about Luke completely! Anyway, can we please resolve this nonsense before season 3? How is Lorelai hooking up with Crusty going to end this stalemate?

Ya'll, she really blurted out "Dean don't leave me", not "Don't leave me, guys" or "Rory don't leave me." I CAN’T! I'm dying! Poor Rory, shows where she really ranks on the list of her mother's priorities. Anyways, sucks to suck Lorelai, good luck with solving this fucking mess completely of your own making.

lolbye

That's a wild under-exaggeration for how you acted after that car crash. Just wild.

There is no quicker way to get Lorelai’s goat than to act Pleasant Neutral towards her and not entertain her quirkiness! it is aggravating her to no end that Luke isn’t entertaining her stupid doughnut jokes! Hahahahaha! He isn’t groveling at her feet over her half baked fake bullshit apologies either. Sucks to suck Lore! Luke being so indifferent to Lorelai's bullshit is glorious, no one has ever deserved it more.

Meanwhile, Paris is running for student council president. Her campaign promises include mandatory recycling, clearly gendered bathrooms and gluten free options in the cafeteria (hey, as long as Rory can still order her favorite Chilton lunch, The Prison Special, two slices of white bread with nothing in the middle). After Madeline and Louise poll 150 students in the span of about 1 minute, the results are in: While the People think she would make a competent politican, nobody actually likes her. So she strong arms a very reluctant Rory into becoming her running mate. Paris feels Rory's nice girl image will soften her own. She puts the fear of God into Rory that she will end up going to Connecticut State instead of Harvard if she doesn't take this opportunity to pad her college resume with school politics. I mean, she's not wrong. Rory is still pitifully lacking in extra cirricular activities. Until they showed Rory writing in the audience, I had completely forgotten she was already on the school newspaper because it hasn't been mentioned in ages. And now I just remembered that horrid school newspaper storyline in s3 is approaching. The one with the redheaded mean girl, Francie. Ugh! S3 is going to be such a rollercoaster. Wait, isn't Connecticut State where Dean was considering going to school? Heheh.

Out of context Gilmore Girls.

Hmmm.

You know who else AmyShermanPalladino said this about?

AmyShermanPalladino wrote Paris to adore Rory as much she adores Milo, I'm just saying. Rory is getting her cast off.

Emily Strange again...

SECURITY!!!! No, but what kind of medical office is this where anyone can just barge in to a child’s appointment and be like "it's okay I'm the Dad" and the Dr is like “sure I believe you have a seat”. Not like Crusty is ever around that the doctor would recognize him. He drove down all the way from Boston to watch Rory have her cast cut off but can't be present for anything important? Alright. Anything to get into Lore’s pants I guess.

Yeah. Love is in the air at their child’s medical appointment.

Their nauseating attraction clouded their minds enough that they both resisted the urge to get in one last jab about Jess being the cause of Rory's injury. Miraculous.

Hur hur hur! You're so funny! Drink drain cleaner.

Honestly? They deserve each other. R: “If I become vice president, I'll have to spend my summer at some junior leadership program in Washington."

Oh, you would HATE That.

[dauntless-ravenclaw-athenachild]

Hey, math peeps! An OC sickfic

These are my first OC’s that are totally not based on me and my boyfriend. Nope ~ absolutely not.

P.S. This is more of a drabble than an actual fic.

Ashley: Smart, kind, fiercely loyal, dancer, cares too much about Alex

Alex: Incredibly smart, driven, loyal, won't take time to take care of himself, adores math

All Ashley was expecting to do that Saturday was homework. Her high school teachers must be conspiring against them. It was as if they had gotten together, decided that studying for finals wasn’t enough work as it was and that it would be a good idea to assign as much homework as possible. Woo-hoo. 

But her oh so exciting weekend plans were interrupted by the happy chime of the phone on her desk. The chime that meant her boyfriend was live-streaming another video. He had a grand total of 5 followers on his MyTube channel. Her, her mom, his mom, his sister and a random teacher at an elementary school in Georgia. Because of this, and the fact that she loved him, Ashley always made an attempt to watch his videos. Plus, it was an excuse to get away from homework. She pulled up his channel and clicked on the live video.

“What’s up math lovers!? It’s -'' At this point he broke off to clear his throat. “Oh sorry! It’s Alex here, explaining to you how to master the complex art of long division.” By then Ashley had tuned out and wasn't really listening anymore. In fact, she was really just taking in the small details that seemed out of place in the video. 

Alex had a blanket around his shoulders and he still shuddered every once and a while, as if cold. He continuously broke off to cough, stifle a sneeze or clear his throat, and there was a very noticeable fever pink flush to his cheeks. He was also wearing pajama bottoms and a simple white t - shirt, and his hair was mussed, which in itself wasn’t so unusual, except for the fact that he usually made a point of looking nice for his videos. It was also rather obvious that he was miserable. 

She decided to join the already steady flow of comments. It seemed that long division help was really in demand, and everyone who had tuned in was remarking just how unwell Alex looked. 

Dancer{extroadinaire}: Go to bed, you dope, or I'll come over there and make you. You look dead on your feet.

All he does when he sees Ashley’s comment is laugh. “My girlfriend just commented, and I quote: Go to bed, you dope, or I’ll come over there and make you. Ha! I love you Ash, but these people need help with their math.” She sighs. “Fine, then!” she thought. She yelled across the hall to her mom’s office that she was going to Alex’s and that she was taking the car, grabbed the keys and started the drive over to her idiot boyfriend's house. 

**time skip**

She pulled up to Alex’s modest brown house, noting the absence of his mom’s car. “Oh, right, Karson had a hockey game today.” Ashley whispered to herself. She checked her phone, saw that Alex was still filming, and marched into the house. “Alex!! You get yourself up here right this instant!” Then, when he didn’t show, she pivoted and marched into the basement, where he always filmed his videos. 

On camera, the viewers saw every moment of Ashley marching down the stairs, Alex’s expression and Ashley’s (mostly futile)c attempts to wrestle Alex out of his filming chair. That is until Ashley clued in to the fact that the camera was still going. “Sorry, math lovers. This is all Alex has for you on the complex art of long division today. He’ll be back once he’s fully recovered. No sooner! Bye!” and she turned off the camera.

[digitallifeblend]

🌟 Ideas won’t work unless you do! 🌟

Ever had a brilliant idea? Maybe you dreamed of starting your own business, becoming an influencer, or creating a groundbreaking app. But here's the kicker—an idea is just that, an idea. It won't magically turn into reality unless you roll up your sleeves and start working on it.

The Dreamer Who Never Starts

Take my friend Alex, for example. Alex is full of amazing ideas. He often talks about his dream of starting a business that will revolutionize the way we live. He has grand plans and even details down to the product design and marketing strategies. Sounds promising, right? But there's a catch—Alex has been talking about this dream for years without taking a single step towards making it happen. Why? Because talking about an idea is easy; taking action is hard. Without that crucial first step, Alex's amazing business idea remains just a pipe dream. This story isn't unique; it serves as a reminder that dreams only turn into reality when you put in the effort to make them happen.

The 18-Year-Old Entrepreneur

Now, let's flip the coin and look at someone who took that vital leap. Meet Taylor, an 18-year-old who decided to start a small online store selling handmade jewelry. With a simple idea and a lot of determination, Taylor dedicated just a few hours each day to her project. She researched suppliers, learned about marketing, created a website, and started promoting her products on social media. Within months, Taylor's online store was buzzing with activity. Customers loved her unique pieces, and word began to spread. What started as a small idea transformed into a thriving business—all because Taylor took action. This story illustrates that consistent effort, no matter how small, can turn an idea into reality.

My Journey of Overcoming Fear

I remember my own struggle with taking the first step towards a passion project. For a few years, I wanted to start a blog about my love food culture and cooking. But the fear of failure held me back. What if no one reads it? What if people don't like my writing? And then, I did not have much free time to research and write.

One day, I decided to ignore the what-ifs and just start. I wrote my first post, hit publish, and shared it with a few friends. The response was very positive, which fueled my passion even more. Over time, my writing gained traction, and I found myself connecting with food enthusiasts from all over the world. The key takeaway? Progress only happens when you start doing. Conclusion

Ideas

Ideas are like seeds. They have the potential to grow into something magnificent, but they require nurturing, effort, and dedication to flourish. Simply put, ideas will not work unless you do. Whether it's starting a business, launching a creative project, or pursuing a passion, the first step is always the hardest, but it's also the most crucial. Don't be like Alex, stuck in the realm of dreams. Be like Taylor, who took consistent steps towards her goal. And remember, overcoming fear is part of the process—it's only by doing that you'll see your ideas come to life. Now, isn't it time you turned that brilliant idea of yours into reality?

Take your dreams out of your head and into action! 💪✨Success starts NOW 👍➕👣

[josiebelladonna]

well, i was planning on taking the summer off but something is going on with alex, though. again. except this is worse. much, much worse.

(think i’ll just come on here sporadically from here on out)

so yesterday, i learned alex uses the waking up app for meditation. i had to look into it because i never heard of it and initially, i completely get why he uses it: it’s meditation based on agnosticism, which is brilliant because it’s hard to find anything like that that doesn’t go all religious on us (really, just ask me how fucking frustrating it is to do research on what the hell spirituality has to do with sexuality and not find things that go on about god and the bible and whatnot).

there are a couple of things about it that bug the hell out of me, though.

aside from the outlandish price—$120 a year following a 30-day trial, like bro, hulu doesn’t even charge that much—if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

the guy who started the app, sam harris, is an atheist, which on its own sent a red flag to me, sorry not sorry. i identify as an agnostic for several reasons, notably the fact that every atheist i’ve ever met is a preachy asshole. they’re basically just like the hyper religious nut jobs but they use logic rather than god to undermine you. the app’s modus operandi is basically teaching you to become aware of the lack of sense of self inside until you become one with everything.

aware of the lack of self inside. something about this felt so off to me when i read it, because i learned a long time ago that you don’t need something or someone to “complete” you: you’re whole as is. you’re a whole person as is in the grand scheme of things. if you’re becoming aware that your sense of self is weak, then it’s probably a psychiatric issue. i hate how holier-than-thou its intent is, too, like “this is the way, the real way, not that conventional meditation crap :)”, which is such an atheist thing and it really is no better than the bible thumpers who do the same thing but with god at the helm. it’s like the creepy, foul-smelling twin of solipsism, which says that the sense of self is the only thing that exists.

i saw a quote on quora (don’t judge me) that said, “if you’re tapping your way to enlightenment, you’ll never get there.” quora and reddit are both littered with edgelords and people who talk out of both corners of their mouths, but that caught my attention because i have realized how much better i feel staying away from here. hell, within the first week i was feeling better.

as for meditation/mindfulness… i’m no guru (in fact, I’m furthest away from something of a guru), but it’s really just about stopping to smell the roses. hearing your own breath and focusing on that for some 5 to 10 minutes. it’s being aware of your thoughts and behavior, of your mind and body. it’s about calming your thoughts for a few minutes. and it’s something that you do over the course of your life by nature, not by some fucking app that costs $100+ and only works 10% of the time anyway. if you do it enough, it’ll become part of your personality. it’s not a quick fix, either, so you’re going to have bad days, days you don’t feel like it, and in my case, you’re going to unearth some things. if you’re tapping your way to mindfulness, you’ll never get there.

i don’t have any idea how long he’s been using the app, he didn’t specify but i think it was around the solstice when i noticed a shift in alex’s behavior—i say the solstice because that was the last time he did a livestream and he acknowledged me again. he would like my comments when no one was looking—in fact, i still anticipate him doing that because it always made my day and made my heart skip a few beats. he would come onto my stories constantly just to watch.

now, it’s like someone reprogrammed him from the ground up. he’s been weirdly disengaged. he actually disparaged things like pastries and baked goods—when the man loves his cannoli and pie, and every time i make babka (or anything jewish), i think of him. i got into jewish cooking because of him—my support of israel definitely plays a role but it goes back to him. plus, i’m a baker next to an artist and writer now, baked goods are part of my bread and butter now (as is literal bread and butter) so imagine how that made me feel to see him say that. “holidays are for indulging”, indulge when you feel like it and there’s nothing wrong with you for feeling these things, either.

i’ve been mindfully eating since last july. i lost a ton of weight. but i’m a baker, a bread maker, a pastry chef. the other day i was eating this big burger with caramelized onions and french fries and i still woke up with a slim belly the next day. i’m about to make another key lime pie during this freaking heat wave and the last one i made, i was still able to keep my weight down (i actually lost weight). if you’re having a problem with cravings, it sounds counterintuitive but don’t ignore them: if you want a piece of pie, have a piece of pie, but just have the one slice and eat it slowly so you enjoy every aspect of it; you don’t need multiple. this is literally how you stop those cravings in their tracks. and i have actual medical science to back me up on this, too.

i genuinely don’t get his logic here like… there’s nothing inherently wrong with temptation. a little party never killed anyone. it’s all about balance (he’s a libra, libras love balance… at least i thought they did). it really does feel like that toxic diet culture i grew up with in the 2000s but with a different coat of paint. all i see here is a slippery slope: the man of my dreams is on a slippery slope and there’s nothing i can do. a phony attempt at meditation is taking advantage of his flaws and foibles and blowing them up.

i have no doubt that fucking g*psy definitely had something to do with it, too. becoming one with her and leaving me behind in the dust as if I’m the other woman: i may be in love with him but you got another thing coming if you think i’m the other woman.

it’s such a shock from the alex of the last three years, the alex i got to know and fall in love with and put me out in the open.

this whole time i’m thinking of a quote from ron swanson: “people who buy things are suckers.”

i want my jerk back, you toxic cunts.

[crystiesong]

City Chronicles : Year 1 (Stories and Snippets)

A collection of tales and adventures of myths, magic, superheroes and everything in-between. There are many stories to this series and there are many more to come but the ones below are the current ones out : (Snippet is what I call Oneshots cause i think they sound cool) Enchanted Retribution

'For six long years, Robin has been on a non stop search. He's exhausted, hungry and running out of patience, but he will not yield until he can get his revenge.'

A Tale of Sorrow and Stone

'All Sam's life, all he's wanted to do was live peacefully with his brother. But fate has always had other plans; plans that always end with blood on his claws.'

Feeline Alive

'Aster would say she has quite good life; Excelling at school, hanging out with her best friend and enjoying her life to the fullest. But after a chance encounter with something out of the ordinary, Aster's life takes an unexpected turn into the unknown.'

Kin Through the Chaos

'Living on the streets is always rough but Alex and Andy have always had each other to help make it through. When objects from the past drastically change their lives, the two siblings must navigate this new normal and figure out how everything connects to a life they no longer have.'

Light of a New Beginning

'With justice served, Robin is now free to do whatever he pleases but he has no idea where to go. After being unexpectedly taken in by a kind old lady, Robin expected his life to be slow and uninteresting; but everything changed when a crack echoed through the night...'

Ancient Adolescence (Snippet)

'It's time to celebrate Sam's birthday but he's having some doubts'

Calculated Mayhem

'Aster, Alex and Andy's friendship is a new one but a blossoming one. When secrets threaten to rear their heads, that friendship and their trust will determine if they make or break in a trial that will determine their future.'

United as One

'Two stories, two worlds. Robin and Sam explore the depths of the city for an elusive plant while Aster, Alex and Andy search for a lost kitten. But unexpected things happen when the two cross paths and their lives are never the same.'

Fierce Fireworks (Snippet)

'Fourth of July Time (I know nothing I'm not american)'

Birthday Bash (Snippet)

'Birthday time : Aster edition'

Gone too Soon (Snippet)

'Alex reflects on a time long gone'

Videns stellas tecum (Snippet)

'Stargazing is better with a friend'

Back to the Big Apple

'It was a normal day when it all began. The sky turned gold and the earth rumbled. Robin, Sam, Aster, Alex and Andy (or the CC crew) learn of a prophecy they are given to complete. Their first stop? The grand City of New York.

Robin isn't the most thrilled about having to go on this quest, especially to this place. But maybe there will be more to this quest than meets the eye?'

Rainforest Retreat

'The first shard has been obtained. The search for the shards takes the crew to the wild lands of the jungle. Aster is fascinated by the environment but will it be as welcoming?'

Through the Sands of Time

'The blazing sands of the Sahara is the next destination in the CC crew's quest. The heat isn't something Alex is a fan of but she pushes through. The barren land holds many secrets, secrets that the young hero will soon unearth...'

Hiking the Heights

'Andy wasn't expecting to land in the snowy mountains of the Himalayas but the search for the shards had taken them all over the world. What did the wintery land have in store for Andy and his friends?'

Heart of the Wild

'After a bit of a rough landing, the CC crew arrive in the land of the Philippines. Sam has been a bit nervous about this quest but he's managed to swallow his fear for this long. But maybe this time, he can take a stand to go the final stretch'

In the Heart of the Deep

'The shards have been found but the quest is not over. The final destination is the triangle of mysteries and disappearances. The crew land but are unsure how to proceed. Maybe an unexpected ally can come to the rescue?'

Timeless Teachings (Snippet)

'Sam finally gets an education... somewhat'

Garden of Possibilities (Snippet)

'Sam and Alex have a chat about love'

Festivities for Two (Snippet)

'Alex and Andy celebrate their birthday for the first time in years'

Magic Madness (Snippet)

'Training time with Robin and Willa' A Different Flavour of Fang 'Halloween has arrived. Aster and Andy are ecstatic for their Halloween party with their friends when they meet a mysterious but intriguing stranger. Andy is immediately smitten but Aster isn't so taken, feeling that a danger is lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.' Curse of the Blood Moon 'Halloween has arrived. Robin, Sam and Alex prepare for a simple party to celebrate the night, but things change for the worst with a spell gone wrong and a ticking time limit to reverse the damage or loose a friend forever.' Daze of the Dead 'Día de los Muertos is a day of celebration to honour the souls of the dead. In the whispers of the land of magic, it is said that souls with a special power can move beyond and visit the land of the deceased. But what if a group of mortals passed through when they were not supposed to? What will they find there and how will they return to the land of the living?' Night Comforts (Snippet) 'Sam and Robin discuss the events of Halloween night and come to terms with a few things.' Lending a Hand (Snippet)

'Robin is having a hard time dealing with his new hair. Luckily he gets some help from a professional.' Faults and Friendships

'Keeping secrets is never easy especially from the people you trust the most. Aster wants to tell Javari everything but it's not easy, especially with criminals running around the city causing mischief, keeping her away from her best friend. Her secrets hold her back from being fully honest but maybe, just maybe; fate will allow some to spill through…' Drenched (Snippet)

'Andy takes care of a stubborn Alex'

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Surprises Masterlist

part two

A Puppy For A Puppy (ao3) - Percussionist24601 luke/ashton G, 446

Summary: It’s Ashton’s birthday and Luke has a special surprise for him.

Be good for your daddies, boys. (5sos foursome) (ao3) - orphan_account ot4 N/R, 3k

Summary: 5sos have a foursome after realising how much they turn each other on.

Birthday Boy - @daydadahlias (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) T, 4k

Summary: The Craft Club crew surprise Ashton on tour for his birthday.

Christmas Eve, after Tour (ao3) - Memoire (nowherebound) michael/luke G, 1k

Summary: After being on tour for weeks, Michael and Luke cuddle up under the Christmas tree. Michael has a surprise gift for Luke.

Magic Mike (ao3) - im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance michael/everyone E, 3k

Summary: Ashton Irwin is turning 21 and wanted a grand party. To his surprise, his idea of 'Grand Party' does not coincide with what his friends think a 'Grand Party' means. His night may turn out to be better than he had imagine.

Making Dreams Come True (ao3) - pitypartyof1 calum/ashton E, 1k

Summary: Ashton's had a dream and he decides to make it a reality.

Not Alone (ao3) - iCheeseYou (EHkook) michael/luke G, 2k

Summary: Michael spends his birthday by himself. Then a surprise shows up at his doorstep.

when it rains (ao3) - ObsessedWithBands michael/luke T, 1k

Summary: Or where Luke writes a poem about Michael, and Michael comes home after a long business trip.

you're all that i need (underneath the tree) (ao3) - lifewasradical luke/ashton G, 3k

Summary: When Ashton insisted that they shouldn’t do Christmas presents for each other, Luke immediately set his mind in motion on what he could do to get around Ashton’s request. He had to think of something that wasn’t a conventional gift. He refused to not get Ashton something on their first Christmas together, but he also didn’t want to taint the memory of this year with a fight over gift giving.

Or, Luke (and Ashton) plan holiday surprises for one another.

You're Giving Me Such a Rush (ao3) - calumthomases (orphan_account) michael/luke M, 964

Summary: "You knew that fucking Harry was going to be at this party, right?" Michael hisses.

"We figured," Alex shrugs.

"So you brought me sex toys?!"

[jcmarchi]

The Head Of Harmonix Talks About The Future Of Fortnite, The Metaverse, And Music

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/the-head-of-harmonix-talks-about-the-future-of-fortnite-the-metaverse-and-music/

The Head Of Harmonix Talks About The Future Of Fortnite, The Metaverse, And Music

A few weeks ago, I went to a Fortnite event where developer-publisher Epic Games unveiled its plan for the near future of its game: a Lego survival game, a racing game, and a music game à la Rock Band and Fuser. This is on top of the toolset allowing anyone to make and publish their own games within Fortnite.

The whole thing was kind of weird.

Not that any of the experiences are bad – the Lego thing is super not for me, but I really like the racing game (made by Psyonix, developer of Rocket League), and I think the music element has the potential to become something interesting down the road. 

I’m just not so sure Epic’s utopian vision of Fortnite as this everything app makes sense. I agree with the idea that Fortnite is a great social tool – but only in the way most online video games can be great social tools. However, if my friends stopped playing Fortnite tomorrow in favor of, say, Call of Duty, I’d never play Fortnite again. It’s simply the loose glue that holds us together. We certainly aren’t seeking out Fortnite for thousands of different experiences – we just want the mindless shooter that allows us to hang out and talk. And thus far, Epic’s curation of user-created content on the Fortnite homepage does little to inspire confidence – it’s full of copyright infringement and mobile game ripoffs, and I don’t really want any part of it. 

That said, I’m happy to be proved wrong – Roblox has certainly proven out this particular model, and even though it wasn’t much of a success, I adore Dreams, which has a similar concept. And numbers speak louder than under-paid game journalists. Fortnite is undeniably one of the biggest games on the planet, so it has the user base to pull something like this off in a way Dreams never did. Epic’s pitch is an admirable one – inspire anyone to create whatever they want and publish it within the Fortnite ecosystem. It’s also acquiring fantastic studios to make high-end games for Fortnite (which I also don’t love because Epic still lays off hundreds of people despite its success). Epic, in its hunt to make the metaverse, has also signed deals with dozens of IP across film, games, and so on, creating a mess of intellectual property – everyone knows that for more than a few dollars, you can play Fortnite as your favorite character from your favorite whatever. So, who knows? Maybe this whole thing is building up to Epic’s grand utopian vision of a game full of thousands of other games where the entire world is brought together.

I bring all this up to highlight my thoughts going into my single interview of the day. I talked with Alex Rigopolous, the founder and head of Harmonix, creator of Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and most recently, Fortnite’s new music mode, Fortnite Festival, about what exactly a studio under Epic is doing to support Epic’s vision. We only had 20 minutes to chat, so it didn’t get as in-depth as I wanted, but I always enjoy talking with Rigopolous; I love Harmonix and want to see it succeed, and I think there’s a lot of promise with its music modes in Fortnite – especially once plastic instrument peripheral support is added. I wish them luck.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Game Informer: I feel when you all were updating Rock Band, it was kind of ahead of the curve looking at living games. But now you all are in this ecosystem within Fortnite with a bunch of living games, it feels like? How do you find yourselves trying to fit in when there’s so much vying for attention in one executable?

Alex Rigopolous: Sure. It’s a big question. You know, there’s several facets to the music experiences that we’re working on at Harmonix as part of Epic. So, there’s Festival, which is a new, big first-party game in the Epic first-party portfolio. And our job there is just, like, to try to build the biggest and best music game the world has ever seen. Because it’s a live game, it’s going to be evolving and expanding on a regular basis over time. Our goal there is just: make the best music game with the broadest reach that has ever been made. 

Meanwhile, we’ve created this jam system, which you can play in a special mode in Fortnite Festival on the Jam Island [on the] Jam Stage. But it’s envisioned as an ecosystem-wide feature. So, you can also play with the Jam system inside of Battle Royale. Soon enough, you’ll be able to play with it inside of creative islands. Hopefully, eventually everywhere in the ecosystem. So, the goal there is to just permeate the entire Fortnite ecosystem with music and social play experiences [with] music. 

And then finally, the Patchwork system that I mentioned, which we also just released this past month, it’s like an interactive music creation toolset for Fortnite Creative in UEFN [Unreal Editor For Fortnite]. That’s all about empowering third-party creators to dream up their own music play experiences. So, you can use the Patchwork toolset not just for making original music but also as an adaptive soundtrack system. You can make whatever game – make up any game with Fortnite Creative – and then that music system will listen to what’s going on in the game and adapt accordingly. Or you can set up a control flow in the opposite direction to have the music control the game systems – the animations and gameplay mechanics. So, we’re empowering creators to just, like, dream up completely new kinds of music games. 

With all the Guitar Hero stuff – you and I talked about this years ago – all the people who picked up instruments because of the game. Is there still that thrust within Fortnite?

Absolutely. I think we’re expecting to see a lot of that within the music game we’re creating, as well as on the creative side with it with the jam system and with the patchwork toolset. We’re putting very accessible tools for music creation into the hands of – whatever – 100-plus million people. And I think we’re going to see people who maybe didn’t consider themselves musicians at all developing new skill sets and emerging as music makers through some of these new places.

How big is Harmonix these days?

Well, it’s funny. It depends upon what you count as Harmonix. Because, I mean, essentially, we operate as part of the greater Fortnite development team now. We still have our studio in Boston, which is our core. But about a third of our workforce now is remote in other locations. 

If you look at something like jamming in Battle Royale, that’s just a collaborative effort between us and the Battle Royale team. So, the lines between Harmonix and the greater Fortnite team are not so clear. But we’re still a studio that’s, you know, under 100 people.

Rock Band – at some point, I think you all had every song under the sun. But Epic and Fortnite, specifically, are such cultural touchpoints. Is getting artists to send you stems of songs easier now? Do you still have hesitance from anyone? Or is Fortnite big enough that people are just sending you stuff?

Yes. So far, we’ve had great success in putting deals together with our music partners, music industry partners. We’re now starting to clear songs in very high velocity. As you saw in our history with Rock Band and Guitar Hero, et cetera, we do plan to be rolling out hopefully many hundreds of songs a year, growing to a library of thousands over time.  The big difference now – this music will be free to play. We’re going to be releasing new songs every week into the game – top-shelf hit music that is completely free to play, which has just basically never really been done before.

How do you get artists to agree to that?

Well, so, all the songs are free to play on a limited-time trial basis. So, when you go in as a player, there’s always a selection of fantastic free music to play. But it’s turning over constantly. If you play a song, you’re like, “This is my jam; I love this song,” then it’s available for you to acquire in the store and add to your locker and build a collection. 

Playing the Main Stage, the obvious missing thing is the instruments.

The instruments, yes.

I’ve heard whispers it’s in the works.

Yes, it is. I won’t even whisper it, I can affirm that. At launch, you won’t be able to use instrument peripherals, but it is a priority for us, and we are already actively working on it. 

 If I have a Rock Band guitar, I can play in Fortnite?

The intent is to support as many legacy peripherals as we possibly can.

Those were not made with Unreal Engine, right? The early Rock Band games. Does that present issues?

No, that won’t be a blocker for us.

Any plans to make new ones?

We don’t have plans to manufacture new ones. But I won’t be surprised if some of the companies that do make peripherals when they see the groundswell around this game – for the first time in a decade, there will be a reason for these companies to start making instrument peripherals. 

I mean, does Epic wanna get into that? Have you all ever done a physical plastic peripheral before?

Dana Cowley [communications director of technology at Epic Games]: We’ve never done hardware. 

Alex Rigopolous: I don’t think so. Yeah, Epic has never done hardware. And I don’t think we plan to. But there are plenty of companies that do, and suddenly, for the first time in a decade, there’s a reason for them to make peripherals again. So, it won’t surprise me to see some start to [make peripherals].

I mean, is that exciting? 

Absolutely. As I said early on, what’s most exciting is just the scale at which we get to do it now. I mean, not just the free-to-play format, which makes it super accessible, but also the fact we’re on every platform. You know, we’re on consoles and PC and mobile devices with crossplay between them. The fact that you can just have – I’ll be at home in Boston online jamming with a teenager in Brazil and a middle-aged housewife in Malaysia on a mobile device, all in the same jam session together. It’s this incredible thing. Kind of only in Fortnite is that possible. 

The Jam Session has a creative element to it, which seems like the thrust of Lego, and then there’s all the creative modes. Fortnite feels like it’s becoming an everything game to me. I don’t know where that eventually lands, but do you see Fortnite as a tool for creativity? 

Yeah. I would say, even stepping back a bit, Epic’s core DNA is all about empowering creators through tools, you know? So, in addition to games like Fortnite Battle Royale that Epic has created, they also make the best engine in the world. […] Every year, the toolset is getting deeper. There’s now an economic model where the creators in Fortnite can actually make real money. I think that theme of empowering creators is just core to who Epic is and what Fortnite is all about and is becoming.

In terms of the music experiences, we’re trying to reflect that as well. So, of course, there’s performance simulation experience like Main Stage [with a] familiar type of gameplay. But it was really important for us to have a creative dimension to it as well.

 Wasn’t that the original idea of The Axe?

 [Laughs] That’s right! You remember. Going all the way back – that’s, like, 27 years ago. 

The last time I talked to you, you were not owned by Epic. Was that creativity angle in the original conversations when you all were talking about being acquired?

It came about organically in large part because – well, first of all, on our side, we were already working on some new music game projects that had a heavy creative element. On their side, several of the people at Epic were intimately familiar with Harmonix’s entire history. I mean, they had been playing our stuff way back to the ’90s. So, they knew what we do, what we’re about. And I think to their credit, a number of the Epic execs were like, “We want to give you guys a platform to do what you do but on a world stage.” So, it’s a privilege, and we’re excited about it.

You’re the only interview I have, so you’re the only person I have to ask this to. Being here and seeing everything, and now having played Fortnite for years and mostly being a battle royale player – I shouldn’t say this in front of Epic people, I’ve never played Creative Mode at all. Seeing everything going on with Lego, I’ve been wondering to myself and I’m curious what you think, like, what is the identity of Fortnite at this point?

Well, I mean, this is Epic’s step into the metaverse. Setting the buzzword aside, it’s not a game. It’s not just Battle Royale. It is a universe of games, and it’s a universe of games that are all connected with each other in this way that has never been done in gaming before. So, for example, if you acquire an outfit or a skin, that’s an identity you can take with you through all of these games. If you acquire music to play in Fortnite Festival, well, you can also use that music in the jam system, which you can take anywhere through the ecosystem. Or, in the future, we’re going to be empowering creators to make their own music games that can also access the music that [is] in players’ collective libraries. 

So, this whole idea of a universe of games, of all different kinds for all different types of players, where they can all interact with each other socially, and then the property that they acquire in this world is valuable across the ecosystem – no one has ever even attempted anything like this before. That’s the universe that I think Epic’s trying to create.

I feel like the cynical response to that would be, “What happened to an authored or curated experience?” What is the response to that? If people push back, what is the answer?

Well, so, first of all, Epic has a first-party portfolio. The powers that be at Epic will decide, “These are the experiences that we want to craft as our Epic first-party portfolio.” Meanwhile, on the third-party side, it’s all about deepening and expanding the toolset that any other creator – not just indie community creators, but triple-A, professional development studios – can come to the table and say, “We’re going to actually build our next game in Fortnite because that’s where there’s 100 million players today and we can just reach an audience that we never otherwise could’ve reached.”

So, Fortnite isn’t offering one authored experience – it’s offering the bookstore.

It’s offering both. The first-party portfolio is the authored experience. The third-party portfolio is like, “This is the greatest diversity and quality of game experiences anywhere on the planet.” There’s no other place you can go that just has this incredible diversity of experiences that are all connected to each other.

Do you feel like that is where the game industry is going to go – you load into whatever Microsoft’s equivalent of Fortnite is, and there are 100,000 things to check out and play?

I mean, I can’t say where the rest of the industry is going to go. But I will say, I think Tim [Sweeny, CEO of Epic Games] and Epic generally have a very bold vision of a world they’re trying to create – the next generation of social entertainment in real-time 3D where you can go with friends, meet strangers, and just have this unlimited universe of play experiences available to you. 

In five years, what is Harmonix doing within Epic? In 10 years?

On the first party side, the goal is just to develop Festival into the biggest and richest and deepest music game experience that anyone has ever made. Just by adding new dimensions to it, new modes to it, building out quality and the expansiveness of it. Just anything anyone could ever want in a music game built into a highly-polished state into Festival. That’s the goal. As a living game that’s constantly evolving and adapting, make the biggest and best music game the world’s ever seen. The first party side.

On the third-party side, continue to deepen the toolset to empower the world’s creators to beat us at our own game. Let the third-party community make an even better music game because we’re giving them the toolset to do so. So, that’s the second half.

And then the third half – the third piece – is just this social connectivity layer around music that we just want to permeate the entire ecosystem [with]. The Jam System is the first step towards that. It’s really about social connectivity. Fortnite, it’s not just a bunch of games. It’s a social space that you go with friends and strangers to experience this whole universe of games. We want music to just be omnipresent as just part of the glue that binds people together in this way.

Wanting people to beat you at your own game – do you just fully expect one day to see someone has made Fortnite Guitar Hero?

Yeah! Or a music shooter. Or a music parkour game. Or a music fighting game. Or a music puzzle game. There are so many possibilities that we might not even dream up that some creators are just going to have some cool ass idea, and they’ll have the toolset available to build it. 

[racingliners]

F1 Re-Watch 2022: Round 9 - Canada

Ah, the return to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (beloved)!

I find it ironic that I’m calling this series/thing/me yelling into the abyss a re-watch when I did not watch that much of C4s Highlights shows last year, but anyway. So again, I don’t remember much from Montreal, mainly drama about Seb’s helmet, Merc porpoising and Alonso’s penalty debacle.

So, on we go!

Amazon was the race’s title sponsor? ew

I’ve been saying this a lot to pals, but when will Pirelli drop the C1, C2 nonsense and bring back the tyre rainbow???

ouch. Seb’s in P16. AMR22 WHY

Mick in P6 and Lewis in P4 though!!!!

ALONSO IN P2??????

????????

oh quali was wet, that makes a little more sense

[Formation Lap]: That was the slowest/worst FL I have ever seen, lads what were you doing sdohgeso

[Start/Lap 1]: oh my days Lewis and Kev racing at the start, spicy

Verstappen, Fernando and Sainz just driving off unbothered leaving everyone else to fight over crumbs

ayyy Seb up one place I’ll take it

[Lap 3]: Sainz thinking about racing Fernando. Spanish on Spanish violence. Will they stay on each other’s Christmas card list? More at 10.

oh Sainz got past with DRS. that wasn’t as violent as I was expecting.

[Lap 4]: How can Esteban see Kevin’s front wing damage from two cars back??? F1 drivers are something else man

[Lap 6]: Seb pitting already??? What did AM have for lunch???

I also completely glossed over Leclerc being at the back of the field, he’s up into P15 though!

[Lap 8]: oop Perez’s car went poof

aaaaand VSC

[Lap 11]: Sainz is leading???

[Lap 12]: oh no not Lewis on Esteban violence again

oh thank goodness it was a clean pass

[Lap 13]: Crofty rooting for Mick to (finally) get his first points 🥺. He has one right.

Leclerc into P13, man’s zooming.

[Lap 14]: Albon in P10??? Pet power!!

[Lap 15]: Four car battle for P10? Midfield spice I adore you

[Lap 17]: Man Albon’s defending is superb, Val is just not getting past him.

[Lap 18]: Aaaand he just got triple passed by Val and Leclerc. It was fun while it lasted.

“Don’t think this can be an easy win for the Red Bull driver” Crofty please stoop drinking the delusion juice.

[Lap 20]: Mick NOOOOOOOOO 😭

Seb stopped again????? AM besties what are we doing????

oh, Mick had a mechanical issue. I will be taking a sledgehammer to the VF-22 right after the W13

[Lap 21]: Lewis v Sainz you say? 👀

Every time they cut to the wall of champions camera I get v stressed

ugh you can really see the cars bouncing up and down on the straight. not fun.

Oh dear. McLaren pitstop clownery. Germany 2019 flashbacks.

OH Charles’ pass on Bottas though.

[Lap 23]: Oh thank goodness it was easy for Lewis to get past Fernando, my blood pressure would not have taken then racing each other well.

Helmet watch: Zhou back with the pretty porcelain pattern helmet 😍👌

[Lap 25]: aw Lance in the points at his home race!!!

Seb watch: He’s in P14. After all those pitstops I’m not surprised 😭

[Lap 27]: How does Fernando have any tyres left considering he hasn’t stopped yet???

v wild he’s still in P4

[Lap 29]: Oh finally he remembered where the pitlane is

Charles: I don’t have grip!! Ferrari: Read at 15:25

(truly thank goodness Rueda is no longer in charge of Ferrari’s strategy)

[Lap 30]: tbh I’d kind of forgotten Verstappen was still there

[Lap 33]: Meanwhile Lance still hasn’t pitted??? What was going on at the AM pitwall????

“I’ve got an idea for a book: Lando Norris and Alex Albon’s sad Canadian Grand Prix stories” and this is why I pick in the international feed on F1 TV ty Ted

[Lap 36]: Lance still heading the P9 train

“We are thinking Plan D” “Whatever” Big mood Charles. Colossal mood.

[Lap 39]: Am I being delusional or is Seb catching up to Dan??

Yeah the gap went from 1.9 to 1.3. Let’s get it!!!

It... being 12th place. I will take it.

[Lap 42]: Charles finally pits. And it’s a slow stop to boot. Clowneria Ferrari continues.

And he’s at the back of the Stroll train. I feel like this race almost sums up his 2022 season.

[Lap 44]: heh. Lewis got past Verstappen as he came out the pits. It’s not gonna last but I’ll take the lap count irony.

[Lap 47]: Finally a Seb sighting!!! Albeit v brief 

And Charles gets past Zhou

Finally, there’s my boy!!!! Chasing Tsunoda for P12

[Lap 48]: Lance FINALLY pits. As does Yuki, Seb into P11!!!

OH SHIT Yuki crashed coming out the pits

[Lap 49]: Safety Car time (AM SC my beloved!!)

Seb still has 20 laps to do on a set of Hards 😭

[Lap 50]: oh that was a nice double stop from Alpine

[Lap 52]: FINALLY a Seb and Chris team radio followed by Lewis and Bono thank you for the crumbs F1

And a Bono sighting. ty global feed 🤍.

[Lap 53]: Seb in P9 but on on 30ish lap old hard tyres. *distressed noises*

[Lap 55]: Not even a hint of spice at the SC restart. smh.

Seb still in P9 though 🤞

Seb v Zhou??? idk if I can take it.

[Lap 56]: 15 laps left arghhhhh idk if his tyres will hold.

[Lap 57]: And Zhou passes Seb, not that surprising given Seb’s tyres

oh shit Sainz on Verstappen violence??? Is it 2015 Toro Rosso again????

[Lap 58]: Seb down into P11. Damn you 38 lap old hards.

[Lap 59]: Lewis vibing while Sainz and Verstappen think about murdering each other, an unbothered King.

[Lap 60]: Potential engine problem for Fernando???

(unrelated but I paused to get some chocolates for the last 10 laps, please be spicy)

[Lap 63]: Lance got past Seb, I’ll be taking a sledgehammer to those tyres once I’m done with the Haas and W13 (not you Lance you’re great)

Not Seb and Lance being investigated after the race for a SC infringement 😭 boys WHY????

idiots (affectionate) both of you

[Lap 65]: Also this battle for the lead was not worth getting Ferrero Rocher out for smh.

[Lap 66]: If I was to rate the space level this is a solid chicken korma

oop. Fernando wanting to incite some Alpine violence. #JustFernandoThings

[Lap 67]: aevherufhe Ted saying Verstappen has to be careful at the last chicane bc he’s a world champion now WHEEZE

Potential 6th RBR race win in a row??? It’s only sexy when Seb does that.

[Lap 69]: Gap down to under a second though 👀

[Lap 70]: I kinda feel like this battle is done, Sainz just isn’t close enough.

[Finish]: Anyway Lewis in P3 wooo!!!!

whew Charles made it P5 in the end. Once again having Ferrari’s braincell.

Well, that was a race. Bit of a slow burn but didn’t quite deliver in the end, and we had some midfield spice, but not quite enough for me. It again felt more like a strategy race than a race race, especially with all the safety cars.

6 and a half front wings out of 10. Next race: Silverstone!!