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ihaveathingforwomen · 2 months ago

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Mock Trial - Professor AU

Professor!Alex Cabot x Fellow!Casey Novak

Chapter 8 - Masterlist

Word Count: 5.8k

Summary: Liz figures out who Alex's ethical dilemma is. Alex and Casey reconvene.

A/N: For the outfits in the holiday party: Casey's red suit in Season 8, ep "Pretend" and Alex's black blouse thing in Season 10 ep "Lead." alsooooooo prepare for smut the next chapter :)

The next three days felt like hell on earth for both Alex and Casey. Despite her new emotional burden, Casey now also had to study for and take her final exams. All of which are detrimental to her success for the next two years at least. To create enough room in her consciousness, Casey resorted to ignoring the problem. Alex sent numerous texts and attempted many phone calls in an earnest effort to apologize and offer an opportunity to discuss the issue. Casey ignored them, even when Charlie read them and encouraged her to respond.

That night, she went to his apartment and detailed what had happened. As any good friend would do, he kindly asked, “what the fuck?” She then went on to explain that as badly as she wants Alex, she’s more afraid of ruining their careers. Charlie initially wanted to call it a load of horseshit, but he elected to validate her concerns instead. He decided that after finals, he would reassure her they could be together and not ruin their careers. Until then, he planned to have her back on the issue.

Conversely, Alex didn’t attempt to talk to anyone else that night. She sent her messages and decided that she would give Casey space, at least until the morning. No sleep came to her that night, her mind full of regret and concern. Compulsively, she felt the need to call Casey for help falling asleep. Each day she started with darker circles, her eyes sunken deeper than before. Liv came over, trying to coax her out of bed with ice cream and sitcoms. When her methods were fruitless, she called George in for an ‘intervention’ of sorts. The three of them sat on Alex’s couch in sweatpants and stared at the blank tv screen, waiting for Alex to speak. When she eventually did, all she could whisper was, “what did I do wrong?” before bursting into sobs. They held her close and George attempted to talk her through what had happened and what may be going on in Casey’s mind.

That Monday, Alex composed herself and decided she would make a point to see Casey, even if they didn’t speak. Seeing her would be better than nothing. Casey, however, wanted nothing more than to see Alex, though she wouldn’t let herself do such a thing. She refused to seek her out. Fortunately, the universe had plans for both of them. Just as Alex parks, she spots Casey walking towards the entrance to the building. She gets out of her car hurriedly and follows, trying to get closer before saying anything in hopes of avoiding a scene.

A few feet away, Alex began walking faster, “Casey?” She calls out. The redhead doesn’t turn around and instead marches forward in the brisk cold, her jacket collar turned upwards against the wind.

“Casey, wait,” Alex calls out again, this time closer.

Casey pauses and allows Alex to catch up, turning towards her. “What?” She whispers hoarsely.

“Can we talk?” Alex pleads

Casey furrows her brow in frustration, using her arms to gesture to the public nature of their conversation, “here? Seriously, Alex?”

Alex shrugs, her eyes sad, “we can talk in my office.”

Casey notices how dark the circles around her eyes have gotten, sure she hadn’t slept since their last phone call. “No,” she asserts and continues walking towards the building. Alex walks beside her. Because of the early hour of Casey’s final, not many people are walking around campus, making it easier for them to walk and talk without their emotions being spotted.

Inside the building, Alex strikes up again. “We don’t have to talk about what happened,” she tries to reason, her tone hopeful. “Just about anything, please?”

Casey’s heart aches, yearning for Alex’s company, for her solace during this stressful week. She concedes with caution, “what about?”

Alex smiles as they approach the elevator. Casey reaches out and presses the button, Alex watching her with beaming eyes. “Are you going to the holiday party on Thursday?”

Casey furrows her brow as the elevator dings, opening for them. They step in and Casey presses the button for her floor, Alex pressing her button afterwards. “Yes, why?”

“Do you need a ride?”

Casey rolls her eyes. She would love to ride with Alex instead, but until there was time to resolve their issue, she was going to avoid it. “No, I’m carpooling with Charlie.”

“Oh,” Casey registers defeat in Alex’s tone. They allow for a few seconds of silence in the elevator, until Alex turns towards her. Casey follows suit and their gazes meet, locking for a moment before their eyes drift lower. “Can I ask you something?” Alex inquires.

Casey’s response is automatic, “yes,” her eyes glued to Alex’s peach-toned lips.

“When can we talk about it?”

Casey’s eyes unstick themselves and glare into Alex’s eyes. “You’re relentless,” she states spitefully. Alex shrugs, hoping for an answer to the question. “After the holiday party.”

Alex grins as Casey turns back to face the elevator door. “I have another question.”

Casey turns her neck slowly, glaring impatiently. Alex licks her lip, her eyes still stuck on Casey’s mouth, “Can I kiss you?”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Alex?” Casey snaps at the same time the elevator doors slide open, revealing Elizabeth Donnelly, whose eyes widen at what she heard.

With the couples’ heads facing the entryway, Casey feigns a smile and happy face, “Hi, Professor Donnelly.”

Elizabeth steps inside the elevator, the doors closing slowly behind her. “Aren’t we awful chummy with our professors, Miss Novak?” Casey smiles awkwardly, unsure how to proceed as Liz keeps her back to the elevator doors. “What final are you heading to?”

Casey gulps, keeping her eyes trained on the other professor. “Capital Punishment,” she answers.

Liz nods her head in an approving manner, “That makes sense for your career path. Professor Schreiber says you’re faring well so far.”

Casey nods lightly, “thank you.”

Liz turns towards Alex, smirking, “what are you doing here today? I thought you weren’t proctoring any finals?”

“Oh,” Alex begins, nervous laughter at the top of her throat, “I just came in to catch up on paperwork.”

Liz squints her eyes with suspicion, “I’m going to come by your office this afternoon.”

Alex nods in agreement as the elevator pings. Casey starts to scoot her way out, practically running from the situation at hand. Liz makes a face at Alex as she steps off of the elevator as well. Behind them, the elevator doors close on Alex. Casey snuck off to the side, focusing on her breathing.

Liz spots her and approaches, placing her hand on Casey’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Novak. We’ve all fallen for the Cabot Magic,” she pats her shoulder and makes her way down the hallway. Casey’s face runs a bright scarlet and a wave of nausea runs through her.

----------

That afternoon, Liz made good on her promise and arrived at Alex’s office to find her sifting through papers. She made no effort to knock, coming in and closing the door behind her.

Alex glances up, not paying attention when she recognizes her visitor, “hi,” she mutters over her papers.

“It’s Novak, isn’t it?” Liz asserts, setting her stuff down with a smug look on her face.

Alex looks up, wide eyed and surprised. “What?”

Liz laughs genuinely, “don’t play me. Your behavior on the elevator said it all.” She approaches Alex with her arms crossed against her chest. “Your ethical dilemma, it’s Novak.” She nods, proud of herself, the smug look smeared all over her face.

Alex swallows and takes a deep breath. “Yes…it is,” her tone is hesitant as she admits her sin.

Liz guffaws, sighing as she sits down in front of Alex’s desk. “Of all the students for you to pick, you’re very lucky it’s her.”

Alex furrows her brow and leans forward, “What do you mean?”

Liz leans forward, resting her arms on the desk and clasping her hands into a fist. She licks her lips and looks Alex in the eye. “You both are more valuable to the university than you know.” Alex tilts her head to the side, trying to understand. Liz continues confidently, “They are not going to expel one of their best students or fire one of their best instructors simply because two consenting adults decide to get into a relationship.”

“But it’s against the bylaws, Liz. I could get her in serious trouble,” Alex starts to object.

Liz leans back in her seat, waving her hand back and forth so as to dismiss Alex’s objection. “This university cares far more about politics and statistics than it does its own bylaws, Alex.” She crosses her leg over her knee, resting her elbow on top. “Do you know how much money your name alone has brought to the university?” Alex shakes her head, confused, her eyes sad as she listens. “A lot.”

Liz uncrosses her legs and leans forward, wagging a finger at Alex, “Do you know Casey’s class ranking?”

Alex scoffs, shaking her head, “No, I never thought to ask.”

Liz widens her eyes skeptically, “she may not know. After spring semester grades, she’s in the top ten. Not ten percent, ten, Alex. Rumor has it she’s applying to the New York City District Attorney’s office,” she exhales. “Myself and Dean Petrovsky have already received a few calls from them with glowing interest.”

Alex’s face falls, conflicted at the thought of Casey leaving, at the thought of Casey going to her origin. “What are you saying, Liz?” Alex whispers, her face expressing confusion and concern.

“I’m saying,” she crosses her arms on top of her knees as she stares up at Alex, hoping to offer solace to the apparent tension that she and Casey are experiencing. “Neither of you have to worry about your careers. Now, don’t go advertising your relationship, but you don’t have to stay away forever.”

Alex nods, taking a deep breath through her nostrils. The reassurance is helpful, but still does not resolve the issue at hand. “I don’t even know if she feels the same, Liz.”

Liz laughs, “Alex, the tension between you both and the way she looked at you,” she takes a deep breath, “or rather, didn’t look at you, in the elevator tells me she feels the same. When we got off of the elevator, her face was beet red. Maybe that’s because of me, but…” she smiles wide at Alex, “I think it’s because of you.”

Alex leans back in her seat, her hand covering her mouth and chin as she thinks. “She told me ‘not now,’ what does that mean to you Liz?” Alex asks, her tone mistakenly defensive, though Elizabeth knows she’s being genuine. Alex has always struggled with taking things for what they are.

“I think it means just that.” Liz starts to stand, Alex’s eyes following her. She now notices just how sunken in they’ve become since they last spoke. “She’s taking some pretty important finals and she’s at a detrimental point in her life right now. You can’t tell me you’ve lost perspective, Alex.”

Alex’s eyes flick downward in thought. The most obvious explanation had never come to mind between her own dwelling on the situation and with her friends’ advice. She sighs, a soft smile rising to her cheeks as she leans back against her chair. “Thank you,” she whispers to Liz.

Liz gathers her things and starts back towards the door, “of course, Alex. Let me know how it goes.” Without another word, her companion slips through the door and disappears.

A couple of seconds later, Alex’s phone dings. When she checks it, her face lights up, relief washing over her as she had been kicking herself.

Casey <3: I finished my Capital Punishment final

While the message isn’t much, Alex still feels a sense of repose as she gazes lovingly at the photo beside it. She messages her back, quick to offer a listening ear in hopes that Casey will talk. On the other end, Casey steps into her apartment, collapsing on her bed. With one final out of the way, Casey starts to allow emotions to trickle in. The conglomerate of emotions bubbles inside her chest, the ingredients of heartache, desire, frustration, and excitement becoming explosive together. Her body longs for the kiss again, feeling the tingle of Alex’s lips on her own. Her stomach aches when she remembers Alex’s reaction: the devastated look in her eye, the trembling lip, her scrunched eyebrows. Her arms tense at the frustration of Alex’s stunt in the elevator, unsure what exactly Professor Donnelly had meant by the Cabot Magic. And excitement bursts in her chest in anticipation of the holiday party and when she’ll talk to Alex.

Casey continued to push down the emotions throughout the week, electing to push through her finals. To alleviate some of the emotional distress, she resumed texting Alex, so long as the conversation did not touch the topic of the kiss. It seemed to her that Alex was content with her answer as she did not bring up the topic again. Meanwhile, Alex respected Casey’s decision with her newfound understanding. She couldn’t stop tearing herself down, though, still in disbelief that she had been so oblivious. To keep herself from dwelling, she tried to imagine what she would say to Casey when the moment came.

The week finally came to an end, with Casey’s last final in Trial Practice taking place the afternoon before the holiday party. Throughout the final, she felt self-conscious but ignored it, Alex’s words of praise and encouragement replaying in her mind as she conducted her open argument and cross-examination. Once she’d completed her part, she felt a weight lift off of her shoulders and the excitement begin to overflow. When the examination process was over, everyone left the faux courtroom, with the exception of the professors who played their parts as witnesses. Professor Donnelly, Dean Petrovsky, Professor Schreiber, and Professor Ridinour, all stayed behind.

“Casey,” Petrovsky calls just as she starts walking out of the room. She spins on her heel, a question written on her face. Petrovsky waves her over to the group of professors. She smiles awkwardly at her professors, her dimples ever present as she approaches them, standing in a semi-circle around her.

“Dean,” she begins, looking around at them, “I’ve had this dream before only I was naked,” she comments awkwardly, deflecting her anxiety with humor.

Petrovsky sighs and the other professors snicker, looking between each other. Ridinour turns towards her first, “We just wanted to tell you that you did a tremendous job with your cross-examination.”

“Absolutely wonderful,” Schreiber agrees.

“Did you have someone to practice with?” Petrovsky questions.

“I practiced with Charlie Hammons,” she responds sheepishly.

“Did someone give you pointers?” Donnelly questions her.

Casey’s face turns bright red as she looks between her professors and the dean. “Oh, um…” she starts, her eyes finally landing on Donnelly, her ears ringing, “Professor Cabot let me run through it with her a few times.”

Donnelly smirks, the others smile and Ridinour responds, “lucky you. She was quite the prosecutor in the DAs office.”

“You’ve got a great mentor, kid” Schreiber comments, patting her shoulder as he walks past her. Ridinour and Petrovsky follow, praising her as they leave.

Donnelly, the last to leave the room, places her hand on Casey’s shoulder and guides her out. Casey’s hands start to shake but she keeps them clasped around the handle of her small briefcase. “How are you feeling?” Donnelly probes.

Casey turns and scans her face as they walk down the empty hallway of the building. “Fine,” she responds cooly.

Donnelly stops them in the middle of the empty hallway, turning so they stand face to face. “Schreiber is right. Alex is a good person to have on your side,” Liz states. Alex’s name burns in Casey’s ears as she tries not to react.

She nods, “I agree.”

“Then listen to my advice, Casey,” Liz directs, her cool blue eyes burning through Casey’s as she continues. “Take the time you need to work through your aversions, but don’t let them keep you from being happy.” She nods, smiling softly, then pats Casey’s shoulder before walking down the hallway.

----------

That night, Casey met Charlie at his apartment to get ready. Charlie encouraged her to wear something he deemed “professionally slutty.” He and Melinda went in on a birthday gift for Casey to wear to her first mock trial. He believes an outfit should be worn once before to be sure it doesn’t need any alterations, and this is a more than appropriate opportunity. The outfit is a deep toned maroon linen pants suit, made to be worn with dark heels and a cream colored blouse. To compliment her color palette, Charlie dons a cream colored suit with a red dress shirt and dark colored loafers. When they come out of their opposing rooms to show each other, they both gasp loudly. Charlie claims that Alex will be swooning at the sight of Casey’s suit, especially since he, too, is swooning. Before leaving the apartment, Charlie encourages Casey to indulge in some pregame drinks, which include a few of her favorite shots and shotgunning a couple of beers. Satisfied with his friend’s buzz, Charlie allows them to leave.

At the party, held in a ballroom on campus, the room is decorated with red, white, and gold streamers, flecks of green glitter and decorative poufs everywhere. Along one of the back walls is a long table with an arrangement of finger foods for students and faculty alike to pick off of. In the back corner of the same wall is a bar where guests can have wine and beer for free or purchase mixed drinks of their choice. Casey drags Charlie over to the bar promptly, as her mind is already beginning to buzz in anticipation of Alex’s conversation. While in line, Casey impulsively encourages Charlie to drink with her. He concedes, always happy to have a good time and willing to solve the issue of getting home when the time comes.

They start mingling with their peers, going back for drinks as soon as they finish the ones in their hands. Despite Charlie’s advice, Casey neglects to enjoy the finger food, preferring to drink until she is no longer concerned about Alex. As they try to enjoy their time, Casey can’t help but keep her head on a swivel, searching for Alex in the crowd. Every now and then, Charlie would tease her for it and she would deny it all. Nearing the end of the night, Casey still hasn’t seen Alex and is beginning to feel discouraged. With this unexpected emotion, she begins to request stronger drinks, and finally begins picking at the remaining finger food.

She, Charlie and a couple of their friends linger near the food, picking off of trays any time they feel the need. Suddenly, when Casey has the last of a pig-in-a-blanket stuffed in her cheeks and a dessert between her fingertips, Alex taps her shoulder. She nearly chokes and turns, her head spinning as she does so. Charlie, who is standing next to her, turns and his eyes widen.

“Hi, Alexandra,” Charlie states as Casey whips around to see her.

Alex smiles, her eyes glaring at Charlie, “Hi, Charlie. I’m glad you came to the faculty hosted party,” she quips.

He clears his throat, acknowledging his error, “happy to make it Professor Cabot.”

She smiles, softening her eyes at him and looking down at Casey who appears queasy against the table. “Casey,” she greets, smiling deviously.

Their friends took the hint, stumbling away. Charlie taps Casey’s shoulder before he departs, “good luck, babe,” he whispers.

She responds with a disgruntled ‘hmph,’ before Alex moves closer. Alex slips her hand behind Casey’s back, their physical exchange hidden from the crowd. “Have you been enjoying yourself?” Alex inquires, glancing over her shoulder to study Casey’s features.

Casey turns towards Alex, finally taking a moment to observe her appearance. Alex, wanting to draw attention from her eyes, chose to wear a sleek black dress. The piece goes past her legs, the sleeves flow along her arms, and is topped off with a tight turtleneck feature. Her mind swimming with impulse, Casey doesn’t stop herself when she starts to think about leaving hickeys beneath the turtleneck. She also doesn’t know to stop herself when Alex smirks upon finding her staring at her throat.

“Casey,” Alex says a little louder, her fingertips pressing harder into Casey’s back.

Casey’s eyes seem to awaken as she looks up at the blonde with a dumb smile on her face. “Yes?”

Alex giggles, “have you been enjoying yourself?” She repeats.

Casey nods, “mhmm,” she murmurs. She looks back down, her eyes tracing Alex’s dress. She pauses at her chest and hips, the dress appearing much tighter than she had initially perceived.

Alex watches as the younger woman scans her with a hungry gaze, grinning at her. “How much have you had to drink, Casey?” The scent of liquor radiates off of Casey’s clothing, her face scarlet red and clammy, her eyes a faint shade of red.

Casey slowly pulls her gaze up to meet Alex’s, “not much,” she claims.

Alex smiles and leans into Casey’s ear, “Are you sure about that, darling?”

Casey whimpers, leaning her ear into Alex’s hot breath. “No…” she whispers.

Alex turns away from her, and Casey does the same. Now, both facing the crowd, they survey the remaining guests of the evening. No one seemed to pay them much attention, which relieves them both. Alex walks her fingertips further around Casey’s back, sneaking her way around her waist. Alex keeps her head forward as she speaks to Casey, “do you want to talk about what happened?”

Casey giggles, her eyes swimming as she tries to study the people in front of her. “Talk about it?” She slurs.

Alex nods, glancing over her shoulder, “Yes, do you?” She repeats.

Casey looks over her shoulder, eyes catching Alex’s for a second, before they lower and linger along Alex’s lips. Her own lips begin to burn with impulse, craving Alex’s on top of them. “Not talk,” she says at first. Alex narrows her gaze as if to question Casey further. Casey, seeming to just be pondering her next words, continues. “Can we feel out the problem?”

At first, Alex remains confused, but when Casey licks her lips she recognizes Casey’s attempt to insinuate an alternative to talking. Alex runs her tongue over her bottom lip and grins, turning away when her cheeks start to burn. She takes a deep breath, unsure whether she should maintain her impulse control or follow through with Casey’s suggestion. She slips her hand from Casey’s waist, shocking her out of her haze. She stands in front of Casey and reaches out to take her hand. Once in her grasp, she cautiously leads her away from the crowd. In a more secluded corner, one far from any watchful eyes, Alex presses herself against the wall. Casey, stumbling towards her, smiles wide as Alex guides her hands to her hips. With Casey’s warm fingertips against her, she cups her elbows, bringing her closer.

Casey gazes into Alex’s eyes beneath her, stars in her own as she leans in to Alex. “This suit looks stunning on you,” Alex whispers into Casey’s ear, her tone deep and alluring.

Shivers run down Casey’s spine and she bites her lip, feeling the blood rush to her head. “You know what would make it look better?”

Casey lets her fingertips slide further onto Alex’s hips, gripping them and holding her against the wall. Alex feels heat spread between her legs and in her hips as she watches Casey’s hungry eyes turning into starving orbs. “What?” Alex giggles out at Casey’s dumb smile.

Casey stumbles forward, pressing her lips against Alex’s ear. “If it was on your bedroom floor,” she slurs out with a sigh, trying her best to kiss her way down Alex’s neck.

For a second, Alex allows herself to lean her head back and let a low groan seep from her throat. As Casey gets closer, the scent of alcohol returns, piercing Alex’s nose and making her nauseous. She gently pushes Casey off of her, smiling brightly as she cups Casey’s cheek in reassurance.

“I couldn’t agree more,” she responds, looking Casey up and down. As she scans, she sees that Casey’s face is bright red, her skin clammy, and she’s wobbly on her feet. Alex determines then that they can’t proceed, as Casey clearly cannot consent. She strokes Casey’s cheek as she carefully peels Casey’s hands from her hips, standing straight as she assumes the dominant position. “How about we get you some water and you come home with me? How does that sound, Case?” Alex suggests, her tone sweet and concerned.

Casey smiles, nodding quickly as her hands cup Alex’s face and she sways. “I like going home with you,” she mumbles. Alex, trying to remain composed, puts her hands on Casey’s shoulders and guides her away from the corner, towards the exit. With Casey turned towards the exit, Alex puts one hand around her waist and the other on her bicep, trying to guide the stumbling woman towards the cold air of December.

Casey suddenly halts before reaching the door, causing Alex to nearly fall to the ground. “Waitwaitwait, Alex,” Casey blurts, her words tumbling out.

“Yes?” Alex asks.

“What about Charlie? Hewassonice, he droveme here,” Alex struggles to understand the last of Casey’s words, but realizes what she means, recalling that she’d stated Charlie was going to be taking her to this event.

Alex takes a deep breath, “okay, let’s get you settled and I’ll go find him. Okay?” Casey mumbles some form of response and allows Alex to guide her back into the crowded room. Alex surveys the room, searching for a trustworthy face. Finally, her eyes land on Liz, who spots her as well. She waves her over and Liz saunters to them, her pants suit sleek and dark, complimenting her light hair.

When she arrives at the couple, she glances at Casey before Alex, tilting her head curiously. “Are you helping her to a cab, professor?” Liz asks discreetly.

“Not quite yet, could you watch her for a moment? She’s had a lot more to drink than I thought and she asked me to make sure her friend is okay.”

Liz nods, taking Casey’s hand and guiding her to a secluded table nearby, hoping to keep her calm and talking. “Which friend?”

Alex helps Casey to sit at the table, Liz taking the seat across from her and greeting herself. Alex leans down to Casey, pushing her hair behind her ear, “I’m going to get you some water first, okay?” She informs her. Casey smiles lovingly and nods. Alex turns to Liz, “Charlie Hammons, have you seen him?”

Liz nods and turns her head, looking past Alex at the door behind her, “there he is.” Alex thanks her, turning to the non-alcoholic drink dispensers next to the food tables. She retrieves water for Casey, as promised, and delivers it before disappearing to take care of Charlie. Meanwhile, Liz takes the opportunity to distract Casey. She inquires about what courses she’ll be taking in the spring and where she’s applied to for jobs, and when those inquiries no longer contained her, she questioned her about how her finals went. This lead to Casey openly venting about her issues with Professor Taft, causing Liz to belly laugh and follow up with concurring comments about his teaching skills.

Finally, Alex returns, slightly disheveled as she’d struggled to get Charlie into the cab. She made sure to speak with the driver, paying in advance for Charlie’s ride and giving her extra on the condition she ensures he makes it safely up to his floor. Fortunately, Charlie had not been as bad off as Casey appeared to be, though he was much more energetic as he tried to question Alex about her situation with Casey. She skillfully dodged the questions and made her way back inside to her young lover.

When she arrives at the table, Liz sees her first, glancing past Casey. Casey recognizes this and turns around, nearly falling from her chair. Alex smiles back when she sees Casey turned around, grinning excitedly at her. As she approaches, she puts her hand on Casey’s back, looking up at Liz and mouthing a ‘thank you.’ Liz nods and Casey turns around, extending a limp hand.

Liz smiles, choking back a chuckle as she takes Casey’s hand and shakes it. “Thankyoufor talking to me,” she offers, her words running together as though she was attempting to say them as quickly as possible.

“Of course, Novak. Be safe, please.”

Casey stands, her hand immediately going to Alex’s waist. “We’ll use protection, I promise,” Casey states. The clearest sentence she’d uttered to Liz the whole evening. Alex’s face burns and she takes Casey’s arms, rushing her out of the building. Casey giggles the whole way, and they turn contagious the closer they get to Alex’s car.

Their drive to Alex’s apartment is a short one, but not uninteresting by any means. Casey started to feel restless: tapping on the center console, singing along poorly with whatever was on the radio, making any noise that came to mind, and begging to bite Alex’s arm. Alex was unbothered by the whole ordeal, more intrigued by her behavior than anything. She rested her hand on Casey’s thigh, only retracting it whenever Casey asked to bite it. She didn’t concede until they arrived in her apartment’s parking garage, and immediately regretted it as she left a deep bite mark in her forearm.

The elevator ride up to Alex’s apartment was intriguing as well. They were not the only ones on the ride up, unfortunately. But that did not stop Casey from wrapping her arm around Alex’s waist, her hand drifting down to touch her ass. Alex smacked her hand away the first couple of times but refrained after the fact, deciding she enjoyed the attention. On Alex’s floor, Casey followed close like an excited puppy, looking over Alex’s shoulder any chance she had and touching her more than that.

Inside the apartment, Casey went straight to Alex’s bedroom. Toby excitedly emerged from his hiding place and followed her, trotting along. Alex rolled her eyes, locking the door behind her and going to the kitchen to get a bottle of water and aspirin for Casey to take. Having gathered them, she made her way to her bedroom to find Casey laying on the floor, on her side as she pet Toby’s long fur.

Upon seeing Alex, Casey groans as she tries to rise up from the floor. Alex walks up to her and bends her knees, lowering down to hand her the glass and aspirin. She coaches Casey as she takes them, giving her the glass and asking her to finish it. When she does, Casey stares up at Alex with stars in her eyes and butterflies (or maybe it’s the alcohol) in her stomach. “You’re so beautiful…” She whispers to Alex, a dumb smile on her face.

Alex grins, “thank you,” she responds as she stands to put away the glass. This time when she returns to her room, Casey is vertical and stuck trying to take off her dress shirt.

Alex sighs, approaching her with caution. She places her hands on Casey’s hips, eliciting a yelp from the drunk woman. “Hold still, let me help you,” Alex instructs. Casey does as she’s told and Alex pulls her arms down, returning the shirt back to its normal position. She starts unbuttoning it for Casey, pulling it off of her shoulders, revealing a soft white bra beneath. Alex swallows as she tries not to stare at her breasts, taking Casey’s shirt and folding it, draping it on her arm. Casey, with her now free arms, reaches and takes Alex’s face in her palms. She tilts Alex’s head upward and pulls their lips together clumsily.

A surprise yelp comes from Alex as she kisses her back apprehensively. She holds Casey’s hand to her face and then gently pulls apart, her smile subsiding. Casey whines, trying to pull them back together, but Alex holds her ground. “Casey, no,” Alex tells her.

Casey looks at her with wide, sad eyes, tears starting to build up in them. “Why not?” She mumbles, the alcohol ever present on her breath.

Alex gives her a sympathetic look, “Because you’re drunk…As much as we both want it, you can’t consent. Okay?”

Casey turns and flops onto the bed, screaming into the comforter. Alex chuffs and moves to sit next to her, rubbing her back gently. Under Alex’s fingertips, Casey’s skin is warm and soft to the touch. Casey rolls over onto her back, eyes filled with tears, a couple making their way down her cheeks. Alex looks at her pitifully, “What’s wrong, Case?”

Casey, on the verge of sobbing, croaks out a response, “I’m frustrated.” She sniffles, wiping her eyes with her fingers.

Alex turns towards her, pulling her legs onto the bed. “What are you frustrated about?” Alex asks her, brushing the hair from Casey’s cheek and then stroking it softly with the back of her fingers.

Casey takes big breaths, her chest heaving like a toddler about to have a tantrum. “I want you so bad,” she cries.

Alex smiles, her cheeks blushing, and she takes a deep breath, looking away from Casey to keep herself from crying in frustration. “I’m sorry, baby,” the term rolls off of her tongue with ease and without hesitation.

Casey rolls onto her side and puts her hand on Alex’s knee, squeezing to stimulate herself as more tears fall. “Why can’t I have you?”

Alex sighs as a smile spreads past her cheeks, “You can have me,” she whispers as she looks down into Casey’s tearful eyes. “We’re going to talk about it tomorrow. When you’ve sobered up, alright?” She nods, suggesting that Casey agree.

Casey lifts her torso from the bed and scoots closer to Alex. Alex adjusts herself to a more comfortable position, relaxing against the pillows and stretching her legs, the tight dress loosening. Casey’s eyes twinkle as she meets Alex’s gaze. “Really?” Disbelief and relief were apparent in her voice.

Alex nods, her smile softening as she watches the weight fall off of Casey’s shoulders. Casey takes a deep breath crawling up to Alex, her frame still wobbly as her vision swims. Not making it far, she collapses on Alex’s lap, resting her head there and slowly moving her body to the side. Alex accepts that she won’t be moving for some time and starts playing with Casey’s hair, brushing it behind her ear and running her fingers through the red strands. Eventually, Casey’s breaths become even and her mind quiet.

#casey novak #alex cabot #alexandra cabot #calex #casey novak x alex cabot #alex cabot x casey novak #professor au #Mock trial #law and order svu #svu #law and order svu fanfiction #svu fanfiction #elizabeth donnelly

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abiiors · 11 months ago

Text

under the mistletoe 🎄// ross macdonald x reader (pt 2 of 2)

twelve days of christmas - day 3

a/n: best friends to lovers? no. it's idiots to lovers. this is also part 2 of secret santa cw: kissing, alcohol, very tame and cheesy. there might be typos... wc: 3k

a cheer cuts through the chatter in the room and ross finds himself standing under a mistletoe, liv first in his arms, then standing on her toes and then they’re kissing—sweet, long kisses that make him smile despite the butterflies in his stomach.

butterflies that should have been a result of the kiss. instead, it feels more like a swarm of bees buzzing in his chest from anticipation.

ross doesn’t expect to be this nervous. more than that, he doesn’t expect to pull away from the kiss before she does. even when liv looks at him with slight concern.

he certainly doesn’t expect himself to be so hung up on secret santa. he has bought plenty of gifts for people he cares about before! good ones too; sure, he’s no pro at gift giving but he’s not entirely hopeless. but this time he simply cannot afford to mess up. not when it took him two turns to get the name he really wanted.

everyone looks festive in some shade of red or green on white—and one silver but charli really pulls it off. liv has a beautiful green velvet dress on, her curly hair piled on top of her head and gold hoops dangling from her ears. liv looks stunning!

it’s her that really takes his breath away—the girl who’s been his best friend for over a decade now. the girl who now stares at him with a tight smile on her face, cheering almost on autopilot with the rest of his friends. she’s in a classic red slip dress and matching red lipstick that contrasts her skin so perfectly that ross almost feels guilty for staring at her longer than necessary. he’s right next to his girlfriend for fucks sake. he needs to focus!

the excitement in the room is off the charts! everyone’s buzzing to get to the main event—the secret santa gifts—and he feels a tiny pit of nervousness at the centre of all his enthusiasm. what if she doesn’t like his gift? what if it’s something she already has or something that’s too personal… too intimate.

liv breaks his little spiral.

“you alright?” she slides onto his lap with an easy smile and pecks him softly.

“yeah, just excited about the gifts! i wonder who got my name.” even with her on his thigh ross can’t stop his knee from bouncing up and down. the weird mixture of anticipation and butterflies is something he’s rarely felt before—not since… well not since her last birthday when he’d gotten her two tickets to the play she’d been dying to go to.

(if he’s being honest it was not since she’d asked him if he’d like to go with her.)

“me too!” liv beams and it’s as if that’s matty’s cue to announce that they can all finally, finally move to the living room.

the living room is adorned with twinkling lights and tinsel, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere. a decently sized pile of gifts sits under the pretty tree—the current object of everyone’s interest. his nervousness aside, ross feels as giddy as the others do, still like a child on christmas morning about to get the long anticipated pokemon card collection.

matty gets to the pile and starts calling out names one after the other.

ross is barely even listening—his mind races with a million different possibilities. what if it’s a shit gift? what if she doesn’t like it or has something similar or doesn’t get the significance of it?

what if she thinks he put no thought into it?

he’s barely even listening when polly coos over the “cutest jumper ever!” or when george cackles over his gag gift or when matty almost goes misty eyed over the vintage book.

he only snaps out of it when matty calls out her name and envelopes her in a hug.

“it’s perfect,” he sniffles and ross burns with envy.

not envious of matty. never envious of matty but… a tiny, irrational part of him wishes she were his secret santa instead. that she spent days thinking about him, obsessing over finding the perfect gift just like he had.

that maybe she spent her nights in bed, wondering a thousand times over if her gift would make him smile (it would, ross thinks. she could get him a £10 bottle of wine and he would still cherish it dearly.)

“ross!” matty calls out and he startles a little.

matty looks at him with a slightly puzzled expression and wiggles a neatly wrapped gift in front of him. it’s square and thin with a small note attached to it.

he recognises it instantly—a handwriting he’s only recently come to know as liv’s.

liv. his girlfriend. his secret santa.

and he’s an awful, awful boyfriend for the feeling of disappointment that rises in him.

his fingers move deftly, tearing apart the wrapping paper until the gift inside becomes visible. the first thing he registers is the word “untitled” printed front and centre in big bold letters. and below it: “divine connection: the last unreleased album”. it dawns on him slowly—the band, their band. the last album from their band. just his and hers. and on autopilot, his gaze snaps up to her.

“ross?”

for the second time that evening liv’s voice cuts through his spiral and he turns around to see her standing at the door to the balcony with a half-drunk champagne flute in her hands. she’s beautiful, he thinks. she’s always been stunning but his heart doesn’t skip a beat when he looks at her.

“can we talk?” she walks in and stands next to him, shoulders brushing with his. it’s a cold night. it’s silly being outside but he’s in a weird mood. he even kinda prefers it here.

“yeah of course,” he clears his throat and tries to appear casual.

“did you like your gift?”

“i did. it was… it was perfect.” at least that much is true. at least that much he can say with 100% certainty. “thank you. really, i mean it.”

“i know you do.”

for a minute she doesn’t say anything but her eyes roam over his face—a scruitinising sort of a look that makes him want to shy away. she’s never been particularly intense but in the few weeks he’s known liv, she’s had a way of guessing his little tells. it takes everything in him to not look away.

still, he closes his eyes for a minute.

the scene is still so fresh in his mind—ross opening the gift and looking up. ross staring at her and not liv. ross murmuring “thank you. it’s perfect.” and smiling at her before he even remembered that the gift was supposed to be from liv.

ross only looks at her, his best friend. and she can’t seem to meet his gaze.

liv clears her throat and brings him back to the present. she takes another swig of her champagne and offers him the glass. ross studies her lipstick smudge on the rim and accepts the drink gratefully.

“you’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

a second sooner and he would have choked on the drink or done a spit-take like a fucking idiot but the question leaves him so speechless that he almost drops the glass.

“who?”

“don’t play dumb now.” her tone’s a bit sharp but her words aren’t unkind and the thought of being scolded like that makes him blush slightly and straighten up.

he’s about to speak when she continues.

“i see how you look at her—how you looked at her when you opened the gift i gave you. you knew it wasn’t from me didn’t you?”

wordlessly, he nods his head.

“you knew i didn’t think of it. you were right though. i didn’t. i went to her because she’s you best friend.”

“and she told you about the band?”

liv clicks her tongue. “she handed me the record. turns out she had you for secret santa before we picked the names again.”

“oh…”

there’s another beat of loaded silence in which he struggles to maintain eye contact with her and not feel like an utterly shit boyfriend.

“liv i—”

“i know,” she smiles briefly. “but you can’t string me along, babe. look i like you a lot. i really do and i know… i know you told me you were trying to move on from someone but i assumed that was a past relationship. i didn’t realise you were talking about…your best friend.”

“i’m sorry,” he shakes his head. “i really am. i know that was shitty of me.”

“it was a little.”

none of them speak for a few minutes. ross looks at her champagne again, wishing he’d had a drink with him for this conversation. or maybe not—maybe a clearer head is what he needs. he is getting dumped, after all.

and yet… there’s no sadness. just a faint sense of disappointment.

“so this is it i guess?”

in one gulp liv finishes the rest of her champagne and nods. “yeah. this is it. for what it’s worth ross… i have no hard feelings.”

this time when she smiles at him, it’s open and sincere. much to his relief, it’s friendly. liv stands on her toes and presses a kiss to his cheek. it’s chaste and quick—a goodbye, one that he returns by hugging her tightly.

liv pauses at the threshold just as she’s leaving.

“why don’t you tell her?”

ross shakes his head in disappointment and feels the familiar ache settle bone deep. the night suddenly seems so much colder than before—no longer the cosy kind that makes you want to snuggle up with a loved one. this feels sharp and biting.

“can’t,” he shrugs, “i don’t want to ruin years’ worth of friendship.”

he expects liv to understand that. it’s a perfectly normal sentiment—to love someone enough that you’d rather have some of them than none of them. but she just shakes her head at him.

“wow…” liv sighs, “for a man so smart… you really are fucking dumb.”

and then she leaves him on the balcony, shivering and confused.

by the time he gets inside, there’s a lull in the party. everyone’s either drunk or loved up or both. well, maybe not everyone.

ross finds her huddled in front of the fireplace, absently staring at her wrist. at the pearl bracelet he got for her.

a near-perfect match to her beloved pearl necklace from her grandmother.

the fire casts a warm, golden glow on her—on her hair and the curve of her shoulder, the hollow of her throat, and down her chest. he stands transfixed at the threshold, waiting for something to happen.

maybe matty (passed out on the sofa) will wake up if he moves or polly might need something from him or george and charli might see them and he loves his friends but they have barely any concept of personal space after all these years. maybe he could just do it tomorrow when he’s not half-drunk, half-sober, and fully freaking out.

“ross?”

too late to hide now.

“why are you stood there? come on! it’s so cold!” she opens up her blanket cocoon—an invitation for him to join.

ross, startled by her voice, stumbles into the room. his cheeks flush with embarrassment and he clears his throat, trying to mask the awkwardness that has suddenly enveloped him.

fuck! she’s pretty. and yes he thinks that every single time he looks at her but it’s moments like these that really hit him like a gut punch.

liv’s words echo in his mind over and over again. for a man so smart… you really are fucking dumb. was she trying to say what he thinks she was? or is he just delusional and projecting his own feelings onto her.

her body is soft and warm when ross settles next to her, pulling her into his side and tucking her head under his chin.

“you were deep in thought.” ross teases a bit, not ready to broach anything serious just yet. what he really wants to ask is about the record—how she’d somehow known his perfect gift before he figured it out himself.

“just thinking about how good i am at gift giving,” she teases back. “matty was ecstatic.”

she's right but he can’t help but find a different meaning in her words.

“that you are,” ross murmurs in her hair, resisting the urge to press a little kiss there. it’s too much for him—this intimacy. something like that might just tip him over the edge.

for a while she doesn’t say anything and ross wonders if she’s fallen asleep. it’s quite late and they’re quite cosy, it won’t be the first time she's fallen asleep on him. maybe, if she is asleep, he might even press that kiss onto her head after all.

“liv’s not here?” her voice breaks his train of thought. it’s not teasing anymore—she sounds neutral and controlled and… and like she’s trying not to pry.

“we broke up.”

“what?!”

she almost shrieks and matty stirs slightly but goes back to sleeping again. ross feels guilty for just dumping it on her without any context.

“i’m so sorry,” she says before he has a chance to speak. “fuck, at a christmas party too! that sucks, love. are you alright?”

“it wasn’t like that. it was…” this is it, he thinks. his one chance to get it right. “i’m perfectly fine. i’m… i’m better than fine. it’s… well she–you… fuck okay!”

he cheeks grow warm. it’s worse now that she’s properly looking at his now, her face a mixture of concern and curiosity; that she’s now an attentive audience to his pathetic flustered words.

“let me…” he takes a big deep breath and squares his shoulders. “okay. let me get this right. for the next, i don’t know, two minutes, you aren’t allowed to speak, okay? okay. so! liv and i talked.” the skepticism on her face grows and ross tries not to let it deter him. “the gift, the record—”

“was it not good?”

“oi! no speaking, remember? two minutes.” ross scolds lightly and almost laughs at her sheepish face. “as i was saying, the record. it wasn’t her idea, was it? i asked her how she knew and she told me you gave it to her. for me! why didn’t you… why didn’t you give it to me yourself?”

for all her talking a moment ago, now she seems speechless. so much so that she can barely meet his eyes.

“it was a lovely gift, darling. maybe even one of the best and… i just want to know why, that’s all.”

her cheeks flush a subtle shade of pink, and she fidgets with the edge of the blanket. “i guess i wanted you to have something meaningful without making things awkward. i’d already bought the gift and i didn't want to complicate our friendship with something that felt so… personal, especially with liv being in the picture. and…fuck! if that’s what made you break up, i’m so sorry, i—"

“it didn’t,” he cuts her off firmly. ross can’t help but notice the small details of her face then—the tiny smudges of mascara from no doubt when she sleepily rubbed her eyes, the glitter on her eyelids reflecting the firelight. her big, beautiful eyes and dilated pupils.

her slightly smudged lipstick…

fuck, it’s the tiny lipstick smudge on the corner of her lips that makes him lose his ability to think straight.

“we broke up because… well there’s someone else,” he speaks in a low volume. subconsciously, she leans forward.

“someone else?”

the room falls into a heavy silence, broken only by the crackling fire. she waits, her eyes searching his face for any sign that he's joking or playing some elaborate prank. but the sincerity in his expression leaves no room for doubt.

“you’re my best friend,” he says, “and fuck, do i resent that! how am i… darling, how am i meant to pretend you’re just my friend when you’re the fucking focal point of my world?”

her breath catches so audibly that it’s almost a gasp. he waits for her to say something. anything. instead she leans in an presses her lips to his.

it’s so unsure at first, almost like she freezes and her brain can’t figure out where to go next. the kiss lingers, soft and tentative—both testing the waters of something uncharted. ross's mind races, trying to process the warmth of her lips against his, the subtle taste of her lipstick.

she pulls away before he’s even had the chance to kiss her back and hides her face in his chest.

“oh god, that was too soon, wasn’t it! that was–you just broke up and i—”

“love, don't hide your face, don't…” his hands gently cup her flushed face, making her look up at him once again even when she can barely meet his eyes and in that moment he realises he’s never seen someone so beautiful.

so this time when ross crashes his lips against hers, he makes sure to pull her closer. to hold onto her tightly. his arms are around her, her hands in his hair and oh she fits so perfectly in the crevices of his body. like a perfect puzzle piece.

by the time they finally pull apart, slightly breathless and grinning uncontrollably, ross hears her giggle.

“wow, that was my first kiss under a mistletoe…”

“we aren’t—”

“i know, but we’re next to one so it’s almost the same.”

he looks to where she’s pointing, to the little bunch tied above the fireplace.

“we could do better, darling.”

“yeah?”

“mm-hmm,” he murmurs, stealing another quick kiss from her. “let me take you home.”

and she agrees in a heartbeat.

lemme know what you think <33

taglist: @scooby-doodoo @partoftheairforce @justgoatsbreakinghearts0855 @beachesgetpeaches @you-muppet @mcabister @alexmarie29 @at-her-very-foreign @hfkait @squishysoupy @sierraeslaprincesa @harrie-fic-center @alien-girl-violet @thereisaplaceintheheart @kennedy-brooke @lolidontknowanymore @theoriginalwhatsername @celestcies @sugarkane1001 @ari-turner @thewaywewereinsaigon @daphnesutton @beliefandsayingsomething @ros3chu @nothingrevealedeverythingdenied @zzzhealy @mattymybeloved @fck-off @indiaamars @sofaritsalrightt @k4tie75 @wondersecret @humptyhoran @indierockgirrl @hanbiior @moreyoulove-moreyouknow @rossgirly @if-my-heart-bleeds @little-lovely-darling @abriefnirvana @renitypoem

add yourself to the taglist

#christmas75 #12 days of christmas #the 1975 #ross macdonald #ross macdonald x reader #ross macdonald x you #ross x reader #ross x you #ross macdonald angst #the 1975 angst #minor angst #matty healy #george daniel #adam hann #angst to fluff???#in all honesty i kinda hate this because writer's block is a bitch but i can complain here because no one is going to see these tags #yeah. genuinely not very happy with this but also not in the position to rewrite it so we move

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toppersjeep · 1 year ago

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[Chapter 2] Pieces- George Russell X Charles Leclerc

Masterlist

Livs POV

“Where’s George” Dad asked. “He must be late” I said. “He didn’t show up with you” Dad asked. “No he was mad after the race” I said. “I just wanted him here you know” Dad said. “I called him he didn’t answer” I said. “Well he and I can discuss the contract” Dad said. I then got a text from Charles.

___

Charles: I saw George with some woman Olivia. He left with her at the paddock Liv…

Me: I’m not surprised anymore but he knew about this dinner and how important it is.

Charles: I don’t know why you keep putting up with this. And don’t say because he deserves his seat. He doesn’t

Me: Char…

Charles: don’t pretend that this isn’t hurting you I can tell it is. I know you forget that I do. I’m not gonna let him do this.

___

“Was it George” Lewis said. “Uhh no just Charles apologizing” I said. “Well that’s good on him” Dad said. “I think I’m gonna head out” I said. “Alright see you tomorrow” Lewis said. I left and went back to the hotel. I was about to walk to my room when someone grabbed me.

“Jesus Charles” I said. “Do you not listen he’s there with her” Charles said. “You saw them” I said. “Yes I did” Charles said. “What am I gonna do” I said. I then heard the door open. I saw her walk out. “So I’ll see you again tomorrow” George said.

“That’s it” Charles said. I tried to grab his hand. But he was already by George. “Charles” George said. “Are you fucking stupid mate” George said. “Stop” I said. “No Olivia he’s cheating on you and he’s not getting away with it” Charles said.

“Oh so that’s where you slept the other night” George said. “This isn’t about that” I said. “You know I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt” Charles said. “Because she’s my best friend and she loves you but not anymore” Charles said.

“Oh I think I see what this is the sneaky conversations” George said. “The staying at his place and defending him today” George said. “You see what” I said. “Your sleeping with Charles it makes so much sense” George said.

“Oh go fuck yourself” I said shoving George. “Please you wonder why I still do it” George said. “Your a prick” Charles said. “Please all you want is to get in her pants.. she doesn’t want you Charles” George said. I smacked George. “Okay.. enough” Carmen said shoving me.

“Don’t even start with me you little bitch” I said Charles pulled me away from her. George then threw my suitcase and bag out of the room. “Since you want him so much go” George said. “Fucking dickhead” I said pushing George. “Get away from me” George said pushing me but I tripped on something and fell.

“Are you mad or something” Charles said shoving George into a wall. Then doors opened. “Is everything okay” Lando said. “Yeah it’s fine” George said Charles let go of his shirt. “It’s fine” Charles said. George went back into his room.

“Are you okay” Charles said. “Fuck off” I said pushing his hand away. “Stop” Charles said bending down. “I.. hate him I just” I said breaking down crying. He then hugged me. “Olivia I’ll help you” Lando said grabbing my bag.

“She can stay in my room” Adelia said walking by. “Yeah that’s fine” I said. “But I thought we were cuddling” Daniel said walking out of adelias room. “It’s fine I can just get my own room” I said. “No no stay with me” Charles said.

I just agreed and stayed in Charles room with him. It was silent for a while.

“I’m sorry” I said. “This isn’t your fault” Charles said. “I think I’m gonna shower so” I said grabbing my clothes. “Yeah go ahead” Charles said. I went in the bathroom. I then got in the shower and sat on the floor of the tub.

Maybe Charles had a point. I didn’t deserve this. Finally all those months of lying hit me. And I just started crying. But I didn’t want Charles to hear me.

But he must’ve. I heard a soft knock on the door.

“I know you don’t wanna hear it from me but.. I’m really sorry” Charles said. “You didn’t deserve to be treated the way that he treated you” Charles said. “And I know that one day you’ll get the love you deserve” Charles said. After the shower I got out. I then laid in bed. Charles had put up some sort of wall between us. With pillows. He was already in bed. I shut the lights off and laid in bed. I then covered myself up.

But nobody was expecting what would happen in the morning.

Twitter had blown up overnight. With an anonymous dm to a drama account. And now everyone was wondering what was going on.

And I woke up to a million calls. But I didn’t wanna deal with it. So I just kept my head down and went to the race with Charles. Doing my best to avoid the media.

“Liv is it true George cheated” some guy asked. “Will you leave her alone” Charles said. He then walked me to the Mercedes paddock. I went up to my dads office. Since he texted me to meet him there.

He then came in and shut the door.

“Olivia please tell me that it’s not true” Toto said. “Do you want the truth or do you want me to lie” I said. “I want you to tell me the truth” Toto said. “He’s been cheating on me for a long time” I said he sighed and sat next to me.

“Why didn’t you tell someone” Toto said. “Charles knows” I said. “Is that why he defended you” Toto said. “Yes and I know it was stupid” I said. “Well then I’m done with this kid” Toto said. “Dad I can’t let you do that” I said. “It’s already done he signed it” he said.

“What” I said. “He came in this morning and said that he was done” Toto said. “But he won’t have a seat” I said. “Willams took him back” Toto said. “But I feel like this is my fault” I said.

“No he had this coming don’t blame yourself” Toto said. “But” I said. “No buts he’s done okay” Toto said. “Thank you” I said he hugged me. “Now I need to find a driver for next year” Toto said. “Dad..” I said. “Yes” Toto said.

“I have a person in mind” I said. “I’m listening” Toto said.

….

I went back into the Mercedes garage. Lewis was there with Roscoe.

“I heard you were down so I brought Ros” Lewis said u smiled. “Oh my little Roscoe” I said petting him. “He missed you” Lewis said. “Oh look how handsome” I said as he sat in my lap. “So I heard and ummm he’s a jerk” Lewis said.

“Yeah he’s something but I don’t wanna get into it” I said. “I understand but I’m here if you need someone or wanna get drunk” Lewis said I laughed. “I’ll take you up on the second one” I said.

“We can do that” Lewis said. “Olivia can I” George said. “No you can’t we are done” I said. “But I just” George said. “She said no” Lewis said. “What’s everyone here in love with you” George said. “Are you drunk” Lewis said.

“So what if I am.. mate she got what she wanted” George said. “Get him out of here” Lewis said. “I hope you are happy Liv I really do” George said. Someone the took him out of the paddock. “He’s gonna ruin his whole career” Lewis said.

“That’s his own problem” I said. “Liv can I speak to you” Charles said. “I’ll let you guys talk” Lewis said walking away. Roscoe then followed him. “Bye Ros” I said. Charles then sat down next to me.

“What’s up” I said. “How are you”Charles said. “Wishing people would stop asking me how I am” I said. “So.. I was thinking you can come watch the race at Ferrari” Charles said. “Of course I’d support my best friend” I said.

“Good umm… here” Charles said handing me a Ferrari cap. “But what if Carlos is my favorite driver” I said. “Doubtful” Charles said. “You aren’t giving your girlfriend your pass” I said. “I don’t have a girlfriend.. and the only girl I want there is you” Charles said.

“Oh well then I feel special” I said. “You are” Charles said I put the hat on. “How does it look” I said. “Like it suits you” Charles said I smiled.

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harrisonarchive · 1 year ago

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“All my friends are pirates.” - George Harrison, I Me Mine (1980)

“[P]irate as he is, [George] deserves the word ‘bold’ for he is, in truth, quite the boldest man I have ever met.” - Derek Taylor, I Me Mine (1980)

“He was a naughty boy, you know — an artist, a pirate. But his meditation left him well prepared for his death. He said he was ready to leave his body. He was always a ‘No need to panic’ kind of person.” - Olivia Harrison, Vanity Fair, September 27, 2011

“Trying to influence people and doing things like painting the Apple shop was all just part of the teddy boy in us, the teddy-boy theme of ‘We’ll show them.’ We thought, ‘We’ll paint the building one night, and the next morning people will come up the street and the whole bloody building’s going to be psychedelic.’ That was what it was all about — I think we would have been pirates in a different life.” - George Harrison, The Beatles Anthology

Jools Holland: "He told me that The Beatles used to have theory sometimes that there were some people who were pirates and some people were priests when they met them. And then some people, he said, were pirates dressed as priests and some of them were priests dressed as pirates. And it might sound a bit confusing, but I think he probably was a workaholic, but he was a person, when you met him who you thought was the most relaxed person that you’d ever met." Olivia Harrison: "Yeah. He was a pirate and a priest." JH: "Yeah, a pirate and a priest, a workaholic but pretending to be a lounger." OH: "He wore the white collar with an eye patch." - BBC Radio 2, October 20, 2014

“I got an e-mail from the Liv the other day [in 2003] saying she thought George performing ‘The Pirate Song’ on Rutland Weekend Television was the bravest thing he ever did and that she wanted to be a pirate, too. Well, his dark sweet lady was the love of his life, and I know how much he loved her; a braver, finer, lovelier companion no man could ever find.” - Eric Idle, The Greedy Bastard Diary (2003) (x)

#George Harrison #quote #quotes about George #quotes by George #George and Olivia #Olivia Harrison #Eric Idle #Jools Holland #The Beatles #The Pirate Song #fits queue like a glove

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edgessunflower · 1 year ago

Note

🕯⛺️ 🍪 with Rhea and Liv?

Ofc!

Together

Pairing: Liv Morgan x Fem reader x Rhea Ripley

Description: When the power goes out, you and your partners have a date in a tent with cookies

Humming was the only thing that could be heard throughout the kitchen as you make dinner for you and your girls smiling when they walk in as you sit down after setting the table. The three of you share hugs and a kiss before they go upstairs to shower and change after their matches on Raw they had done earlier that day while you make cookies deciding to add a little surprise setting a tent up in the living room where the girls find you sitting with the TV remote, cookies, a few other snacks, and drinks from water, juice, and soda making them smile as cuddle with you inside watching the stand up Why you crying? by George Lopez while sharing the cookies and sipping on your separate drinks until everything goes dark turning on your phone flashlight and grabbing candles from the closet in the hallway lighting a three around the living room giggling like little kids as the three of you realized that the power went out. The three of you finish the cookies talking and joking around melting as rhea places soft kisses on your neck before pulling you into a gentle kiss while liv places kisses along her shoulder and intertwines her hand with your hand that wasn't already intertwined with rhea's leading to the three of you tangled asleep two hours later waking up when a loud bump sounds startling awake in rhea's arms while liv rubbed her side having bumped into the island while coming back from the bathroom and charging her phone upstairs in the bedroom crawling back in the tent behind you as you fall back asleep tucked in rhea's arms while liv wrapped her arm across your and rhea's waist waking up later on and using the bathroom when the power finally kicks back on. You blow out the candles as the girls wake up turning to find them waiting for you leaving a rosy blush across your face as you make more cookies finishing the stand up and watching more movies together until you all fell asleep right before 3 AM thankfully all of you had the next two days off not worrying about sleeping in together as you sleep between your girls wrapped in their arms with your head tucked under liv's chin and rhea koala cuddled behind you with her head in the crook of your neck.

#rhea ripley #wwe x reader #wwe #liv morgan x reader #liv morgan #rhea ripley x reader #liv morgan x reader x rhea ripley #rhea ripley x reader x liv morgan

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alexiavettel · 2 years ago

Text

chapter four

"The world was whole then, the sun and the moon together as one"

pairing: charles leclerc x fem¡stroll!reader

word count: 2.3k+

warnings: explicit language, mentions of sex, a bit of car stuff cause i have any self control, asshole!charles, almost panic attack and sensible leclerc.

disclaimer: any photo used is not supposed to represent the reader, all all Pinterest pics that matches the context

<<< previous part

February 23th, 2022

Spain, Barcelona- pre-season testing

“Are you excited for the press conference? At least you’re with Lewis, George and Seb” Liv asked grinning.

“For the only questions be about if I’m fucking Leclerc or not?”

“Well, are you?”

“LIV??? Have you gone mad? What the fuck girl?”

“Sorry darling but maybe a hate fuck would help with all the endless bickering-"

“I would never!”

“Gotta quote the biggest singer of all time ‘never say never’” she didn’t really sang this in the middle of the paddock, right?

“Have you just- Justin Bieber really?”

“Why not?”

“But why?”

•

“This question is for all of you, after having experienced the new car how do you think it will perform this season? Best or worse than the W12 and AMR21? Respectively” an older woman asks us

“If you say it’s better than the W12 I give up my seat” I cracked a joke before Lewis could speak and the room erupted in a chorus of laughter

“Well, like our dear Y/n mentioned it would be hard to overcome the W12 so in some aspects the W13 is a bit worse but all of us are putting plenty of effort into it”

“Yes, and that maybe means not a so good start of season for us but we are going to give our best and try to set the car in the way we need and want” just by hearing George speaking the British in me threatens to take place.

“But we sure will find a- not easy- but fast way to the top! Overall is a good car after analysing the data, we are glad of the recent results but we are looking forward to new updates during the year indeed”

“Thank you, boys. And what about the AMR22?”

“The green is great!” and that ladies and gentlemen was Sebastian Vettel

“Seb!” I laughed because my brother said EXACTLY the same thing after the car launch

“But it’s impossible to predict where we will be, at this stage. But surely, we're on the climb, so we want to be better than last year. Last year, we had our difficulties and I think for many reasons we should be better off this year.”

“Someone here got along better with the car than this old man but certainly the excitement is very high, and the potential as well that the team is gathering, the momentum to pick up during the season and improve the car throughout the season, I think, our potential is just rising. I can't wait to get on track, see where we are, and get going.”

“We are very optimistic but at the same time, there are so many new things, with new tyres, completely new cars, lots of new challenges. I hope the field will be closer together, that will give us more chances to race and race more at the front than we did last year. But realistically, the answer at the moment is we don't know and we have to be a little bit more patient to give you a proper good answer”

“We indeed have big potential to be championship contenders in the future, as our team has already mentioned in the car launch we are in year two of our five-year plan to grow more. If we are talking about data we got better results but we don’t know compared to the rest of the field. All we can do is hope and keep pushing.”

“Oi, that’s my line!” Lewis scolded me

“Now about the bachelors of this press, or should I say only one bachelor now? There are rumours about you Stroll, being in a relationship with Leclerc can you confirm?” I knew this question was about to come but I still can feel an uncomfortable amount of eyes burning me, including my fellow drivers.

“The internet is assuming this only because of a jet ski ride? Well the only thing I can confirm at the moment is that we are close friends who were enjoying our last free days together with other friends”

“In the moment? Sus for me”

“Shut up George or did you forget I can steal your girl?” this bitch “Love you, Carmen!” I searched the camera crew and said with an enamoured smile.

“Will you ever let this die?”

“Never” me and the two older drivers said together laughing at Russell’s disappointed face.

All this fuss about me and Carmen was because of a game of fuck, marry or kill in 2020

“Okay now what about Yn, Alonso and Albon” Danny asked in the middle of the group formed by me, Seb, Lewis, George and Carmen, Daniel, Alex and Lily, Lando and Lance.

“Ow can I fuck and marry Yn?” Carmen spilled out without thinking twice, as some of us die in laughter and the others were too stunned to speak (George was clearly the latter)

“I’m flattered girl, it’s about time” I joked while she seated in my lap laughing (drunk Carmen is something else)

“Can I join?” Lily asked fake pouting while Alex and George went whining.

“Babe I’m literally in the game?” Alex almost cried.

“I’m not even able to say anything”

“The boy just got flabbergasted” Lewis chimed in making fun of his new teammate.

“Oh god give the poor boy a minute” Seb said struggling to keep his laugh.

So if one of us dares to tell this to the public we might get killed by a 1.85 brit who tends to persuade people with powerpoints.

“But no I’m not in a relationship at the moment and not with the Ferrari’s golden boy” I tried to say in a sweet tone but Seb noticed the hidden bitterness.

•

Charles Leclerc POV:

“So Charles please tell us, rumours had surfaced about you being in a relationship with your former teammate, Y/n Stroll. What do you have to say about it?”

“No comments” for real? That’s the first question I get?

“Well, given your last relationship these rumours are alarming right?” He's trying to piss me off? “Especially considering Stroll is a driver as well and has an enviable reputation so that could cause problems on the track, right?”

“I think that you could just stop snooping around my private life and focus on track” I couldn't hold myself, when I looked over to Mia Djacic (best known as my dear press officer) I felt her piercing eyes burning me. Yep Charles, prepare yourself for the lecture.

•

“You know that in Bahrain you will be in a serious relationship with Stroll right?! You can’t pull things like that, oh my God Charles you just give me problems!-” Mia started her lecture the moment she closed the door of my driver’s room.

“Then quit- Sorry I didn't mean that” why do you keep doing that?

“Oh, you meant it. Otherwise, you wouldn't have said. I've been with you since Alfa Romeo, don’t bullshit me now Charles! You need to learn how to control yourself, man!”

“But you saw what he said, I am tired of these people thinking they know everything about me!”

“Stop screaming, Charl” it’s so infuriating that I keep losing control over this shit, I just don’t know what to do is natural.

“I’m sorry… They just make me so fucking mad, that it’s impossible to hold myself. And you can believe I gained 300K new followers on Instagram after that pic of me and Y/n? They speak about her like she’s some type of angel! Like she’s perfect and better than me but look who is in Ferrari? She doesn’t even has a fucking win yet!”

“Are you mad because the questions were about your private life or because they put in a way like Y/n is better than you?”

“I don’t know? I just hate all this and-”

“The FIA’s director spoke with Binotto about you.”

“WHAT?”

“About your ‘unjustifiable and rude attitudes’ lately, they threatened to give you a penalty”

“Grid penalties? That isn’t fair! I-”

“Not grid penalties but to all the team, because apparently Ferrari can’t control a driver” I can’t believe what I’m hearing…

“They can actually do this?...” I asked and the blonde in front of me just shrugged with a lopsided smile in answer “I’m sorry Mia, but can you leave now? I need some time alone”

“Sure, Charl. But remember what I told you in Monaco last year, being a driver is not just about driving. And Y/n will be waiting for you in 25 minutes in the parking lot by the way”

Oh awesome!

•

“Are your eyes red?” that’s not possible, I checked myself in the mirror before going out.

“Are you worried about me, darling?” I tried to joke but she touched my arm making me turn to her.

“Don’t play with me, Leclerc. What happened? Are your family okay?”

“I ain’t playing. And yeah, everyone is fine”

“So what is it? Why were you crying?” She holds me tighter.

“It’s nothing, for God’s sake Y/n” I managed to make her let go of my arm. I don’t know why she is doing this…

“Charles, can't you grow up? You are clearly fucked up and I wanna know why so I can maybe help you”

“Are you high? You trying to help me?”

“If you try and think a bit more than your little brain normally can, you gonna figure out that if we are actually doing this dating thing we have to act like adults and try to be better for each other”

“Okay I get it, but it’s nothing really” can’t believe but she’s kinda right

“It’s about the press, isn’t it?” she got to hold my arm again.

“Why do you think this?”

“Because you probably got scolded by every pr soul in your team? Or because you have a mouth bigger than your control?”

“Ow shut up!”

“So I got it, huh? What type of trouble did you get yourself into this time? Please tell me I won’t have to kiss you in front of everyone to get your bare reputation back!”

“Ew, but yeah the shit hit the fan and if I continue with mine ‘unjustifiable and rude attitudes’ the entire team are going to get in trouble with FIA. Oh God, I don’t even know why I am telling you that!”

“Oh I got you”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re bringing a bad image not only for Ferrari but to all Formula One. This happened to me once, they threatened to give a strike”

“Why? Aren’t you their little miss perfect?”

“Because I tried to set a stand in Saudi Arabia last year for women who were banned from driving until 2018 and for women's rights in general”

“But Hamilton and-”

“Yep FIA allowed me to make the stand only after the boys proposed, Lew and Seb supported me since F2 so when I told them about it cause I was scared and they threatened FIA back saying they would quit” she said laughing.

“Not surprising coming from FIA…”

“Exactly but don’t get me wrong boy, you really need to work on your reputation. You might even lose your seat, and we both know how hard you fought for it. Don’t waste it by being hot-headed, come on man you’re in Ferrari! You want to be a driver for Ferrari since, what? Since you were 7? You can’t waste it!”

When I started shaking she noticed mid-sentence and hugged me tight, she said exactly what my dad say in that letter…

“I don’t know what’s happening right now, Y/n. Sometimes looks like everything is going down! Somehow I’m always in the middle of something, and people say like I am the one to blame. I know I am wrong for being so fucking easy to be pissed off but they don’t know shit about me and they keep painting me as a villain” I pulled away from her to look into her eyes “I hate to lose control, Y/n! And I don’t know what to do, I never do!”

“We might not like each other, Leclerc. But we fought too much, too many fucking years tolerating shit from everyone to finally make it to F1. And look where we fucking are now! If you don’t know what to do for you, do it for your younger self, who always dreamed about beating me in F1! You just need to wait a little more until I get a real competitive car so I can properly beat your ass. So start thinking more before speaking or acting, hold your anger to the track. Just try to not break my arm again in the process…”

Her eyes are different while she is talking to me like this. A different kind of glint, a gentle way (which is extremely weird since I am never the receiving end of this type of glances). She smiles like she knows everything but not in an annoying way, but like she knows what is happening and is sure everything is going to be alright, it’s kinda comfortable. I ask myself if that is what the public see, only this part of her. Have to admit, it’s kinda mesmerising.

“And I know this is not the best moment to say this but tomorrow we have to come together in the paddock” she said in one breath with a cheshire grin “in my car by the way”

“S-Sure”

“Sure? Oh god you must’ve been really fucked up to agree with me this easy. I got to go, okay? Drive safe, bye Charles” she enters her dark green car and away she goes without one more word.

If I am being honest, I don’t have any fucking idea what just happened. It's like I was talking with a complete different person, a caring and thoughtful old friend. But she’s her. End of it. I don’t know how she knows that I wanted to be a Ferrari driver since I was 7, or what words she could use to actually push me through this shit and not get me anymore mad. But she knew.

@laura-naruto-fan1998 hope you enjoyed <3

my taglist!!

#charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc x you #charles leclerc imagine #charles leclerc fanfic #formula 1 imagine #formula one fanfiction #formula uno #f1 fanfic #f1 #aston martin f1 #ferrari f1 #f1 fandom #formula one #f1 x reader #f1 x you #f1 x y/n #charles leclerc x female reader

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smicksstuff · 2 years ago

Text

Welcome to The Grid !

Hi im diana, she/her. im just your friendly neighbourhood f1 and football fanatic! im super cool about my passion for my sports boys and their team. come chat with me anytime !! ⚽️🏎️

Favourite Teams: Manchester United, Scuderia Ferrari

request : If you have any request or suggestions, send them to me. I will answer them as soon as I have time !! ◡̈ I'm not a writer so I'm sorry in advance if I cant do your request.

VAR (rules): i do not write nsfw content. However, i may interact with blogs who post such content. I believe that each of us are responsible for what we read and our actions online.

🤍 this is a safe space to be in love with men who drive fast cars in odd-shaped circles and men who chase after a ball for 90+ mins.

click “keep reading” to access the full masterlist!

The Starting XI

Player Profiles (Instagram edits)

f1 drivers

series

The Pitbox Crew Series [ongoing]

(yngasly x f1drivers)

Part 1 - The Pitbox Crew

Part 2 - The Enstone Life

Part 3 - Mischief Managed

Part 4 - Land of Pizza and Pasta

Part 5 - Upside Down, Inside Out

Part 6 - Better Together

Part 7 - Power, Beauty and Soul

Part 8 - Ferrari Charm

Part 9 - Maple Syrup & Surprises

one shots

f1 drivers

mick schumacher - she shoots and she scores !

george russell - you had me at football

charles leclerc - off season antics

mick schumacher - gorgeous

footballers

mason mount - tis the season

alejandro garnacho - comeback kid

alejandro garnacho - forever and always

marc guiu - class of ‘24

hector fort - secrets

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆ .。.:*・

Media Day! (Photoshop Edits)

charles leclerc & nyck devries

williams ‘22 boys

alphatauri ‘22 boys

mick schumacher

charles leclerc

bianca bustamante

dogs of war

dow: the baker

dow: the white knight

alex albon

logan sargeant

oscar piastri

max verstappen

mason mount

fernando alonso

lando norris

lewis hamilton

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆ .。.:*・

The Hall of Fame (art)

F1 x Cars (Series)

Team Ferrari

Team Williams

Lily + Alex

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆ .。.:*・

The Team (statistics/ fun facts)

f1 drivers

George Russell

footballers

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆ .。.:*・

Yellow Card (ramblings)

f1 silly season

danny, mick, seb, nicky

cha cha

bahrain gp 23

ferrari, mclaren and mercedes fans

esteban x randy

aus gp 23

Cars: Live Action

King George

monaco race suit

football silly season

MUN vs LIV

odds and ends

pinterest name aesthetic

f1 core challenge

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆ .。.:*・

#masterlist #get to know me #formula 1 #football #smicksstuff #smicksstuffedits #smicksstuffhalftimeshow #smicksstuffart #smicksstuffwrites

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jcmarchi · 9 months ago

Text

WWE 2K24's Full Launch Roster Revealed

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/wwe-2k24s-full-launch-roster-revealed/

WWE 2K24's Full Launch Roster Revealed

WWE 2K24’s full roster has been revealed. This year offers a staggering line-up of Superstars hailing from Raw, Smackdown and NXT, as well as numerous Legends.

Over 200 playable superstars will be available at launch, along with 8 managers. Check them out below.

Raw

Akira Tozawa

Alexa Bliss

Becky Lynch

Bianca Belair

Big E

Braun Strowman

Bronson Reed

Candice LeRae

Carmella

Cedric Alexander

Chad Gable

Chelsea Green

Cody Rhodes

Damian Priest

Dexter Lumis

Dominik Mysterio

Drew McIntyre

Erik

Finn Bálor

Giovanni Vinci

Gunther

Indi Hartwell

Ivar

JD McDonagh

Jey Uso

Johnny Gargano

Kofi Kingston

Liv Morgan

Ludwig Kaiser

Maxxine Dupri

Natalya

Nikki Cross

Otis

Piper Niven

Raquel Rodriguez

Rhea Ripley

Ricochet

R-Truth

Sami Zayn

Seth “Freakin” Rollins

Shayna Baszler

Shinsuke Nakamura

Sonya Deville

Tegan Nox

The Miz

Tommaso Ciampa

Valhalla

Xavier Woods

Zoey Stark

Smackdown

AJ Styles

Alba Fyre

Angelo Dawkins

Ashante “Thee” Adonis

Asuka

Austin Theory

Bayley

Bobby Lashley

Butch

Cameron Grimes

Charlotte Flair

Cruz Del Toro

Dakota Kai

Elton Prince

Grayson Waller

Isla Dawn

Iyo Sky

Jimmy Uso

Joaquin Wilde

Karl Anderson

Karrion Kross

Katana Chance

Kayden Carter

Kevin Owens

Kit Wilson

LA Knight

Logan Paul

Luke Gallows

Michin Mia Yim

Montez Ford

MVP

Omos

Randy Orton

Rey Mysterio

Ridge Holland

Robert Roode

Roman Reigns

Santos Escobar

Scarlett

Sheamus

Shotzi

Solo Sikoa

Tamina

Xia Li

Zelina Vega

NXT

Andre Chase

Angel Garza

Apollo Crews

Axiom

Baron Corbin

Blair Davenport

Bron Breakker

Brooks Jensen

Brutus Creed

Carmelo Hayes

Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo

Cora Jade

Damon Kemp

Dijak

Drew Gulak

Duke Hudson

Fallon Henley

Gigi Dolin

Humberto

Ilja Dragunov

Ivy Nile

Jacy Jayne

Jinder Mahal

Joe Coffey

Joe Gacy

Josh Briggs

Julius Creed

Nathan Frazer

Nikkita Lyons

Noam Dar

Roxanne Perez

Sanga

Scrypts

Thea Hail

Tiffany Stratton

Tony D’Angelo

Trick Williams

Tyler Bate

Veer Mahaan

Wendy Choo

Wes Lee

Wolfgang

Legends/Alumni

Andre The Giant

Bad Bunny

Batista

Beth Phoenix

Big Boss Man

Boogeyman

Booker T

Bray Wyatt

Bret “Hitman” Hart

British Bulldog

Bruno Sammartino

Cactus Jack

Chyna

Diesel

Doink The Clown

Dude Love

Dusty Rhodes (Part of the Nightmare Family Pack)

Eddie Guerrero

Eric Bischoff

Eve Torres

Faarooq

The Fiend

George “The Animal” Steele

Harley Race

Hollywood Hogan

Hulk Hogan

The Hurricane

Jake “The Snake” Roberts

JBL

Jerry “The King” Lawler

Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart

John Cena

Kane

Ken Shamrock

Kevin Nash

Kurt Angle

Lita

“Macho Man” Randy Savage

Mankind

Maryse

Mighty Molly

Molly Holly

Muhammad Ali

“Ravishing” Rick Rude

Rick Steiner

Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat

Rikishi

Rob Van Dam

The Rock

Ronda Rousey

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper

Scott Hall

Scott Steiner

Shane McMahon

Shawn Michaels

Stacy Keibler

Stephanie McMahon

Stardust (Part of the Nightmare Family Pack)

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin

“Superstar” Billy Graham (Part of the Nightmare Family Pack)

Syxx

Ted DiBiase

Triple H

Trish Stratus

Tyler Breeze

Ultimate Warrior

Umaga

Uncle Howdy

The Undertaker

Vader

Wade Barrett

William Regal

X-Pac

Yokozuna

Managers

B-Fab

Bobby “The Brain” Heenan

Cathy Kelley

Mick Foley

Miss Elizabeth

Paul Bearer

Paul Heyman

Theodore Long

WWE 2K24 launches on March 8 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You can read our in-deph hands-on preview here, watch us play a few matches in this episode of New Gameplay Today, or check out our gaming-focused interview with one of 2K24’s cover stars, Cody Rhodes.

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ihaveathingforwomen · 2 months ago

Text

Mock Trial - Professor AU

Professor!Alex Cabot x Fellow!Casey Novak

Chapter 7 - Masterlist

Word Count: 4.5k

Summary: Casey asks for Alex's help, they make the most of the situation.

A/N: First of all, I'm sorry (Not) for the feelings I am about to hurt. I know ya'll are thinking this is it, it's finally happening. But there's so much more in store - please, I'm begging- bear with me. ALSO Thank you SO MUCH to my lovely partner, @novelsandlove, for helping me write the cross-examination. I didn't realize I would have to become a fucking law student to write fanfiction but here we are.

Alex’s flight home brought great relief for her. The daydreams on her flight were filled with her friends, Toby, and, of course, Casey. The clock had run out for her patience and she was beginning to mill over how she was going to confess to Casey. Before getting on her flight, she messaged George and Liv, asking to meet with them so that they could advise her further. During the flight, she took her legal pad and made notes of possible ways to talk to Casey about her feelings and possible opportunities to do so.

One of the first opportunities she considered was when Casey picked her up at the airport. Though, she decided against it when the time came. Casey looked stunning, waiting patiently at baggage claim for Alex. It was one of her more casual outfits, jeans and a sweater as it was cooling down at the beginning of November. Their drive was comfortable and fast, Casey driving in consideration of Alex’s jet lag. Casey gave Alex the opportunity to discuss the conversation with her father, how her cousin was doing, and how annoying the rest of her family had been. In between, Casey told her about how her students were fairing and how her classes were doing as she prepares for finals which are quickly approaching.

The next opportunity was going to be when they arrived back at Alex’s apartment. The outlook was bright as their conversation never ceased even when Casey helped Alex unpack her things and get settled back in. At one point, they stood in the kitchen together where Casey made Alex stand still so that she could detail everything she had bought in terms of food. Casey, fully aware that Alex does not have time, energy, or skill to consistently cook for herself, made a point to buy or make things that Alex could manage. With all of the time they’ve spent together over the last year or so, Casey was able to recall many foods or meals that Alex enjoyed. She prepared and froze a few casseroles, desserts, soups, and a few miscellaneous other things, and made sure to leave Alex a stack of notecards with instructions for them. Casey also made a point to buy “safe foods,” as she and Alex called them, that Alex could eat on bad or busy days. Frozen chicken tenders, Alex’s favorite mac n cheese brand, an assortment of nuts, protein bars, granola, cereal, and so on.

As Casey detailed these plans she’d made, Alex couldn’t keep her eyes off of her. Her mind watched for every moment in which she could reach out and grab her hips, pulling her in for a kiss, which she hoped would be reciprocated. When Casey finally finished her lecture, she approached Alex with a smile, apologizing for spending so much. Alex, of course, deflected her apology and expressed sincere thanks, pulling her into a hug. While in their embrace, Casey happened to glance at her watch, and gasped. She exclaimed that she had a study group with Charlie that she was going to be late for, and rushed out of the apartment. Alex held no hard feelings about the sudden departure, but she realized she would have to actually plan the right moment rather than waiting for it.

The days in November ticked away, and Alex still felt hesitant about each plan that she had made. They went back to their normal routine, distancing themselves as Casey had believed they should in her blissful ignorance of Alex’s intentions. Even if she had been made aware, it’s likely they would not have seen each other much more anyway, as the stress of the semester was beginning to increase. Their office meetings were now times where Casey would recline on Alex’s couch and read or review cases for her own classes while Alex worked, occasionally staring at her crush. Their texting became sporadic too, as Casey now attended many study groups or different meetings for the associations she was a part of to wrap up the semester. Of course the circumstances cause them both to feel twinges of sadness every now and then, but it allowed for Alex to plan a potentially perfect time to express her affections.

The staff and faculty plan a small holiday party for the fellows at the end of the semester. Alex normally is heavily involved in the planning, but because of her family emergency, she was unable to participate as much. Instead, she offered to provide whatever supplies the committee requested. Since her responsibility lowered, Alex was now capable of distancing herself from responsibility at the party, allowing her to potentially spend more time with Casey. She inquired from Liz about details she would need, of course: date, time, location, foods, alcohol, et cetera. This year, the party is going to be held on the day of the last final, with winter break starting promptly afterwards.

With that information, Alex made it up in her mind that she was going to ask Casey if she could drive her to the party, offering to be her designated driver. Ideally, Casey will accept and Alex will pick her up. They would have a good experience at the party and Alex would take her home, hopefully not too intoxicated, and tell her then. Her mind spun with excitement at the thought, dreaming up all of the ways that Casey might respond. With high hopes, she geared up for positive responses only. Whenever she engaged with Casey before that point, her demeanor was elated.

The Friday before finals week, also before the holiday party, Casey spent most of her day in the library. Feeling as though her eyes were about to bleed and fall out of her skull, Casey closed her textbooks and picked up her phone. Her phone has been silenced for days now, dead week taking over every bit of energy she had left.

Casey: Are you in your office? I have a question for you.

Sending the message, she hesitates, something else on the tips of her fingers. Even though they haven’t seen each other as much, Casey feels like their chemistry has exploded.

Casey: Also, I miss you

Turning her phone off, she takes a deep breath as she packs up her belongings. Yet again, Alex’s words from more than a month ago ring clear in her mind. Don’t let the good ones go. She tried over and over to decipher what Alex was experiencing and what she could’ve meant. Her heart naturally assumed that her cousin had encouraged her to pursue their relationship. Though, her brain, still in disbelief that Alex ever liked her in the first place, pushes that assumption back and exchanges it for a more reasonable one. Perhaps, Alex was merely advocating for the position her father told her about.

That one left Casey feeling conflicted. She had just started her application for a position as a junior assistant district attorney in New York City. The application is long and thorough and very selective. She knows that any offer she receives, if she gets one at all, will depend on whether or not she passes the bar this coming summer. On the optimistic end of the spectrum, Casey gets the job of her dreams and passes the bar exam. The only thing that taints that dream in obscurity: Alexandra Cabot becoming her boss.

Starting to feel queasy at the thought, Casey’s phone dings to distract her.

Alex <3: I miss you too, Case. I’m in my office, have been all day. :)

Casey smiles, her adoration (or dare she say love) for Alex suppressing any anxiety she has about the future. With her things gathered, she begins her trek up to Alex’s office. She steps into the door frame, knocking lightly against it before coming in and closing the door behind her, as is routine for them by now.

“Hi,” Alex greets her happily as she closes a few tabs on her computer and turns to watch her favorite visitor.

“Hey,” Casey sets her things down on the couch and goes to Alex’s desk. She rounds the edge, coming onto Alex’s side and pushing herself onto the desktop, her hands bracing against the wood behind her.

Alex, feeling breathless already, looks Casey from bottom to top, eyes lingering at her knees and throat. “You have a question?”

Casey grins and nods, avoiding Alex’s eyes. “Yes, I do.”

Alex leans back in her chair, trying not to stare at the younger woman before her. “What is it?”

Casey licks her bottom lip, taking it between her teeth and releasing it in distress as she answers. “Could I come over and could you help me with my oral arguments for Trial Practice?”

Alex grins and screws her eyes shut for a moment, nodding. “Yes, of course, Casey.”

Casey sighs in relief, “thank you. Professor Taft has been an asshole and I feel like I haven’t learned anything from him.” She turns to Alex, inspecting her demeanor as she notes.

Alex fights a grimace, “That’s what I’ve heard. I try to avoid him,” she states. “He’s tenured.”

Casey rolls her eyes, “I know. I can’t believe they let him get tenured.” She shakes her head in defeat and turns back to Alex. They hold each other’s gaze for a moment, something they’ve been doing more of lately. Neither of them know that they both think about the other’s lips.

“Also,” Casey starts, breaking their tension, “I will make dinner for us when I come over.”

Alex starts to shake her head, leaning forward and putting a reassuring hand on Casey's knee. “You don’t have to do that, it’s okay. I think I still have frozen dinners from when you watched Toby. You need to save your energy for exams,” her eyes traveling up Casey’s figure. Casey hesitates for a moment, the vision before her sending shivers up her spine. Alex reminds her of a devoted apostle looking up at her deity.

She smiles, placing a hand on Alex’s cheek and stroking it softly with her thumb. “I want to make you dinner, Alex. It’s payment for helping me, okay?”

Recognizing the power she has over Alex, she streaks her thumb across her lips before withdrawing her hand and getting off of the desk. She grabs her things, her chest heavy with arousal, and starts to leave. “Tonight, at seven?”

Alex looks up, the air only just starting to return to her lungs. She nods, “that works.”

----------

That night, a little after seven, Casey arrives at Alex’s with a quiet knock. Alex pops up from her couch, trying to convince herself she wasn’t twiddling her thumbs while impatiently waiting for the redhead. Opening the door, she finds Casey with her arms full of books and groceries.

“Oh my God, are you moving in?” She quips, trying to take things from Casey’s arms.

“Not unless you ask me to,” Casey responds without thinking. Her face turns a light scarlet as soon as she hears her words. She avoids Alex’s eyes and makes her way into the apartment.

Alex, recognizing Casey’s desire to avoid her own statement, ignores it. “Why did you bring so much stuff?” She laughs, setting the books on the dining room table.

“Well, I couldn’t remember what you had here. So, to be safe, I brought some of my own things to cook with and I bought some ingredients too.”

Alex stares at all of the things spread out on the table now: Textbooks, Casey’s laptop, legal pads with notes scribbled all over, sticky notes, colored tabs, pens and highlighters, noodles, chicken broth, seasonings, and so much more. Her eyes scan the table, watching as Casey organizes everything into piles. She decides to start their conversation by straying from the topic of cooking, trying to get a sense for how to help Casey. “Trial Practice, is it for criminal or civil?”

Casey continues rearranging without looking up, “criminal.” She gathers the groceries she’d displayed on the table and makes her way into the kitchen. “Hungry yet?” She asks Alex with a grin, her dimples clear in her cheeks.

Alex grins and goes to sit at the bar to keep Casey company. “Starving,” Alex tells her, eyes twinkling as she watches Casey search for utensils. Casey’s cheeks burn a faint rosy shade, imagining in her mind that she’s cooking for her girlfriend. Ever since she spent the week in Alex’s apartment, she began to come to terms with just how much she liked Alex. At first, she believed her feelings to be pure infatuation due to her physical attractiveness and their power dynamic. But, since spending more time together this fall, she finds that there are many attributes about Alex that she adores. Alex’s intelligence, kindness, considerate-nature, her conversation, and their natural connection have all led to her developing legitimate feelings for her professor.

While Casey cooks, Alex starts to wonder if her moment is quickly approaching. Casey seems to be laughing more and even flirting. Nearing the end of her cooking, Casey allows a few things to simmer. And as she does, she sets her elbows on the countertop across from Alex, resting her chin on her hands so that they are at eye level, their lips just mere inches apart. Their conversation is quiet and sweet, discussing anything that comes to mind and giggling whenever jokes arise. While they speak, Alex’s eyes consistently drift down to Casey’s lips. Each time, she imagines herself whispering to Casey that she loves her and kissing her softly. When she imagines this interaction, her lips tingle and blood rushes to them. Eventually, the timer sounds and Casey is done cooking, abandoning Alex at the bar to plate their food.

While they eat at the dining table Alex never uses, Alex questions her about her Trial Practice final. Casey explains that it’s taking the form of a mock trial, as it normally does, in which four professors will act as witnesses for the students to question. She explains that she was chosen to argue the prosecutor’s side. With that came a contest between her peers to see who would deliver the opening argument for extra credit. She won the contest, which initially excited her, but Taft’s behavior as of late made her nervous. Alex then questioned her on the evidence they were utilizing in the mock trial, aiming to be sure Casey knew each item in as much detail as possible.

When they finished eating and Alex was content with how well Casey knew her evidence, she offered to clean up for them. Casey declines and Alex insists, reasoning that it would be a perfect opportunity for Casey to rehearse her opening argument and focus on her tonal delivery. Alex recalls her time as a prosecutor, wishing someone had guided her more in law school about the importance of tone. Word choice and body language do wonders to compensate for tone, but it does not resolve all issues. While Alex washes the dishes for Casey, she instructs her to start her opening argument. Casey does as she’s told, pacing behind Alex rather than sitting.

Occasionally, Alex will interrupt and ask if Casey is insinuating some emotion with the tone she slipped into. Casey will, of course, object and correct herself. After a couple of run throughs, Alex finishes the dishes. She turns around, leaning against the counter and drying her hands on a towel. She smiles, her eyes twinkling, as Casey finishes the end of her opening statement.

“That was perfect, Casey. You’re a natural,” Alex compliments.

Casey diverts her gaze to the ground, smiling softly, “Thank you.” She takes a shaky breath, her throat sore from speaking clearly and for so long. “Now, on to questioning?” She asks wearily.

Alex folds the towel and sets it on the counter. She smiles sympathetically at Casey, remembering how dry her throat felt when she did her first mock trial. “Yes, do you want more water first?”

Casey nods, feeling pathetic, but thankful she didn’t have to ask. Alex turns and grabs a glass from the cabinet then fills it with ice and water from the refrigerator, handing it to Casey. Their fingertips brush against each other and Casey thanks her with a nervous grin. She exits the kitchen, Alex close behind, and sets the glass on the dining room table. For a second, Alex feels the impulse to walk up behind Casey and wrap her arms around her waist, kissing her neck and praising her, encouraging her work. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she diverts her impulses to the couch. She takes a seat cross-legged and waits patiently for Casey to organize her evidence the way she wants it.

Casey sighs, and walks over, handing Alex a sheet of responses. Over dinner, Alex agreed to play the witness so that Casey can practice cross-examination. Alex reads over the facts while Casey paces the floor in front of the coffee table, thinking and murmuring questions to herself. Alex nods along as she reads and then sets the paper in her lap.

“You can start whenever you’re ready, Case,” she directs her, watching as her hands start to tremble.

Casey takes a deep breath and turns to Alex in a panic, “what do I do with my hands?”

Alex laughs, “I used to put mine behind my back unless I was making an expressive gesture.” Casey nods and continues pacing, putting her hands behind her back. “Casey…” Alex asks, hoping to get her attention. She does not turn her head and instead murmurs an unintelligible response. Alex tilts her head, watching Casey with concern, “You’re going to do fine. But we’ll never know for sure if you don’t start.”

Casey halts in her spot and turns on her heel, making eye contact with Alex. “You’re right…”

Alex never thought she’d hear those words. Casey tends to err on the side of defensiveness, rarely conceding to fault. “Just breathe…You know what questions you’re asking and you know what answers you need. You are in control. Okay?” Alex offers from her seat, trying to give Casey a reassuring smile. It’s been so long since she’s seen Casey this nervous. As of late, Casey has radiated confidence, especially when it came to her academics. Maybe tonight was not going to be her moment, Casey may need more reassurance than other emotions.

“Okay,” Casey takes a deep breath through her mouth and exhales it with pursed lips. “You’re ready?” Alex nods, smiling softly and sitting up straight, watching Casey closely. “Miss Cabot, is it true that you were shopping at the seventeenth street convenience store on the night of the incident?”

“Yes,” Alex answers cooly.

Casey nods and begins to pace, hands behind her back. “Is it true that in your statement to the police, you stated that you were not aware that the defendant was in the store?”

“Yes,” she responds, her eyes tracking Casey.

“How often do you visit the seventeenth street convenience store?”

“I couldn’t say an exact number,” Alex excuses.

“Use your best judgment on an estimate.”

“Three to four times a week,” Alex states, scanning Casey up and down.

“So would you say that you’re familiar with the layout of the convenience store?”

The questioning went on for some time, Alex’s pride growing with each step. Here and there, she would interrupt to adjust Casey’s body language or her choice of words with a question. But the further Casey went, the better she sounded. Alex wasn’t sure whether it was the right time to admit it, but she’s actually quite impressed with Casey’s skills. Her intuition with the witness’s responses and her knowledge of the evidence make it easy for her to improvise if an unexpected response comes along. When she does improvise, she does so eloquently, as though she had actually planned the question in advance. By the end, Casey manages to flip the defense witness in her favor, leaving them both breathless.

Content with her work, Casey walks over to the couch and collapses beside Alex, slinking onto the pillows. “Jesus Christ,” she exhales with a laugh, resting her forearms on top of her eyes and focusing on her breathing.

“How do you feel?” Alex asks, beaming, trying not to distract Casey from her own feelings.

She removes her arms and sits up, draping her legs over the edge of the couch and looking over at Alex, still sitting cross-legged. “Like I just spoke for two hours straight.”

Alex giggles, “it wasn’t that long, I promise.” She looks down at her watch, noticing Casey’s thigh flesh against her own. “Only thirty minutes, that’s pretty average. Maybe better for your first final.”

Casey looks down, setting her elbow on her knee and resting her head on her hand. “Well, that’s a relief,” she mumbles.

They share a moment of silence and Alex uncrosses her legs, dangling them over the edge of the couch as Casey has done. Their thighs are practically sandwiched next to each other, arms having nowhere to go but next to each other. Casey’s cologne, a light scent of amber and vanilla, makes its way into Alex’s nose. She examines Casey’s features longingly and her body takes control from there.

She raises her hand to Casey’s face, pushing strands of her hair behind her ear. “Casey…” Alex begins. Casey turns to look at Alex, her cheek burning where Alex’s fingertips brushed across. Her eyes promptly go to Alex’s lip and she bites her own before her eyes travel upward, meeting Alex’s sapphire.

“Hmm?” Casey says, her eyes captured in Alex’s grasp.

“You did so well,” she praises, her eyes flicking between Casey’s eyes and lips. “I’m really proud of you.” She subtly nods her head, her eyes returning to Casey’s and holding her gaze for a moment longer than they have lately. Her lips begin to burn. Palpitations pick up in Casey’s chest, blood rushing to her throat and lips as she loses time in Alex’s eyes.

“I love you,” Alex whispers, unable to control the words as they tumble out of her mouth and into Casey’s lap.

Casey’s eyes begin to stir, pupils widening and her gaze narrowing. It startles Alex from her dreamy state.

Alex closes her eyes and shakes her head, blood rushing to her cheeks and ears. “Oh, Casey…” a regretful smile plagues her face, baring her teeth, “I’m sorry. That was…” she takes a deep breath and sighs, “out of line.” Her eyes open to find the green ones across from her. She peers into the aventurine before her, searching for reassurance and sympathy.

A charming smile tugs at Casey’s cheeks and her hand reaches up to Alex’s cheek. She shakes her head softly. “Don’t be,” she whispers, her eyes landing on Alex’s red lips. Her hand cups Alex’s cheek for a moment, then slides back into her hair, gripping lightly. “I love you, Alex.” Her whispered confession echoes in Alex’s ears, scorching them. Casey pulls her in, their lips brushing against each other as waves and sand. Casey takes Alex’s bottom lip between her own, sucking lightly, running her tongue over the warm flesh. She takes Alex’s cheek in her other palm, pulling her closer. Alex’s leg moves on top of Casey’s. One hand goes to her hip, the other braces itself on the couch, steadying them. Their breaths pick up pace, sharing inhales and exhales as their lips pulse and release.

For a few seconds, their minds are silent, focused only on the sensations on their skin. Alex’s face burns beneath Casey’s palms, Casey’s hips spasm beneath Alex’s fingertips. Casey swirls her tongue over Alex’s lip, unable to get enough of the faint taste of sugar. Alex glides her hand further into the curve of Casey’s hip, hooking her thumb against her pelvis and gripping, pulling her closer. Casey allows a hand to abandon Alex’s cheek, pausing at her neck and stroking, then proceeding down her ribcage, hips, thigh, and finally hooking at her knee. With her fingers hooked under her knee, she pulls her further into her lap, deepening their kiss. Alex takes this as an opportunity to mingle their tongues, sucking Casey’s and nipping at her lip.

A moan leaks from Casey’s mouth and her mind wakes. Anxiety begins seeping its way into her veins, her heart racing and stomach flipping, not in the way she’d hoped. For the first time, her mind flashes vivid scenes of being expelled, of Alex getting fired, of never completing law school, and never becoming a prosecutor. Her heart aches as the visions play, but her mind is already gaining back control. She retracts her tongue, and begins to break the kiss as the remaining hand on Alex’s cheek slides down to her shoulder, pushing her gently.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpers, her eyes pleading as they catch Alex’s.

Breathless, Alex furrows her brow, “what’s wrong?”

Casey feels a lump form in her throat, examining Alex’s face longingly. She runs her tongue over her lip, parting them as she prepares to speak. “I can’t do this right now,” she whispers.

Alex takes her leg off of Casey’s and slowly removes her hands, “Did I do something wrong?”

Alex fights back tears and Casey closes her eyes, pushing air through her nose, “No,” she starts to say baby but refrains, “No, Alex. You haven’t done anything wrong.” Casey’s hands search for Alex’s, taking them and intertwining their digits. “I just…” she hesitates, her own tears making an appearance, pushing past her eyelids. “I can’t right now. I’m really sorry, Alex.”

Disbelief overruns Alex’s mind, leaving her paralyzed, eyes unable to look up at Casey. Panic sets in and Casey untangles herself, getting up and hastily gathering her things. She sniffles a couple of times, keeping her eyes down as she moves about the apartment. From afar, Toby sits atop the counter in a regal position, observing them, his tail swiping in agitation. Alex runs her hands over her face and stands, trying to approach Casey. She keeps her arms to herself, crossed against her chest as she tries to stand within Casey’s line of sight.

“Casey,” she attempts to get her attention, “can we talk about this?”

Casey shakes her head, offering no further response.

“Case,” Alex pleads. Casey begins to gather her belongings in her arm, having far less than she arrived with. “Casey, please,” Alex’s voice becomes strained, “I’m sorry. I just thought-”

“Thought what, Alex?” She whips around just as her hand grips the doorknob.

“I-I thought you felt the same,” Alex stammers out, stepping closer and extending her hand to caress Casey’s elbow.

Casey closes her eyes again, the lump in her throat growing. A tear streaks down her cheek. “I do, Alex…”

Alex tries fervently to meet her gaze as she tries to avoid it. Alex takes a deep, defeated breath, her stomach aching as her eyes soften. “Then, what’s wrong?”

Casey scoffs, a dejected look smeared across her face. She tries to swallow, the sensation painful, practically choking. “Just not now…” her voice is strangled, each word pointed as she utters them. She turns away from Alex, opening the door and disappearing down the hallway.

The door falls shut behind her and Alex’s face slips, eyes empty and sunken. The remaining air in her lungs sinks like a weighted balloon. In all of her concern about her own timeline and feelings, she hadn’t considered how close their clock was on its last second.

#casey novak #alex cabot #alexandra cabot #calex #casey novak x alex cabot #alex cabot x casey novak #law and order svu #svu #svu fanfiction #law and order svu fanfiction #professor au #Mock Trial #angst

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abiiors · 1 year ago

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secret santa 🎄 // ross macdonald x reader (pt 1 of 2)

twelve days of christmas - day 1

a/n: back in my posting fic era?? this could either be so so good or so horrendous! i am undecided. ps: the band mentioned in this fic is made up cw: very slight angst but that's about it wc: 2k

need to pick secret santa names pls!!!!!!!!!!

that’s matty’s annual reminder text that pings through your phone; every 25th of november at 9 am like clockwork (almost like he schedules it). the exclamation points are generous, excessive even. but you smile and text him back.

and almost like clockwork, everyone is at his house on the 1st.

the hang out is like usual—everyone is loud and chaotic and happy. ross makes everyone drinks and he’s generous with the whiskey. matty swears he’s so cold, his fingers are going to fall off. george and charli shoo him away when he tries to cuddle with them and you ultimately take pity on him and share your blanket.

you laugh till your stomach hurts and giggle at john dancing with polly and take a thousand selfies. and everyone cheers once the jar with everyone’s names is brought out.

matty stands on the sofa with the blanket wrapped around him like a cape and announces the “commencing of the annual secret santa”. he’s dramatic, he always is, and everyone revels in it.

you watch him shake the jar and then toss its contents on the coffee table. the folded pieces of paper fall down one by one like falling snowflakes and everyone scrambles for one; one of george’s rings scratches your hand and you accidentally end up stealing a paper from adam but no one cares amidst childlike excitement. everyone holds their chits close to their chest, throws long secretive glances at each other and the room fills with sounds of paper rustling as everyone opens them all at once.

you don’t. you watch the look on everyone’s face.

carly smiles wide (so she has adam) and adam frowns slightly (so he does not have carly). george groans but it has an undertone of fondness (matty), charli smirks (either ross or you, reading her is hard) and ross simply shrugs (probably george) before anyone can notice, you unfold the paper and stop the moment the first letter comes into view.

r…

one by one the other letters join in and you try and fail to contain your smile. ross! exactly who you wanted, exactly who you were hoping for!

you spend two whole days tracking it down, the coveted last record of divine connection. you follow every rumour diligently, every single piece of information anyone gives you online until you come across someone who seems trustworthy. someone who knows what they’re talking about.

it’s important that you get this—the last ever unreleased album from the band that shaped your and ross’ early friendship memories, provided the soundtrack to all those stolen joyrides, all the inside jokes and references that linger between you like a secret language.

it’s important for you to have this, for him to have this—a silent acknowledgement of all the feelings you’ll never confess out loud.

so you stay vigilant. you ask them how they managed to get a copy (they know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy who ran the recording studio where it was recorded) the anonymous seller even agrees to let you listen to the first two songs as a sample. the negotiation takes hours! in the end, you relent. it’s for ross, you don’t care what the price is, you only daydream about the look of utter fucking joy on his face.

one week later, ross texts in the group chat.

can we do the draw again? please! there’s someone i want to introduce you to.

jealousy is not in your blood, or so you thought until you see her on his lap, smiling the most radiant smile you’ve ever seen.

olivia (or liv, which is what she insists everyone calls her) is fucking perfect. there’s no denying it. she’s been here exactly 37 minutes and she’s already won matty over who was previously grumpy about having to redo the draw. and now you sit on one end of the sofa, watching them all laugh at the jokes you laugh at and retell her anecdotes that are supposed to be inside jokes.

a sour taste settles on your tongue like you’ve just sucked on a particularly nasty lime wedge.

olivia laughs sweetly.

“thanks for being so nice to me,” she says to everyone, you included, “for including me in the secret santa. i told ross you didn’t have to!”

he waves the comment away like it’s nothing, pecks her cheek even, and the anger in you drains away into a tired sadness.

liv is his type. not you, never you. you’re the best friend! he’s even said so multiple times. and when her smile lights up his entire face, you can’t help but feel like a bitter cunt.

“no worries darling! the more the merrier.” you almost scowl at george at that but hide it with a cough at the last minute.

your phone practically burns in your pocket—a message in particular, the one from the seller, telling you they’re ready to ship it as soon as you confirm payment. it’s unanswered because the fate of it currently hangs in the balance as the minutes tick by.

for the second time that week, matty brings out the jar of names, and this time they scatter on the coffee table like hail, dumped all at once. you don’t scramble to pick a chit with childlike glee. you don’t bother deciphering the looks on people’s faces. all but two that is! it’s impossible to look away from him when he smiles so sweetly—eyes crinkling and dimples on display. fondness is painfully clear on his face and you know what that paper says.

next to him, liv’s entire face brightens.

do you want it or not? i’ve got other buyers lined up mate.

you can feel the sender’s annoyance through the screen. it’s justified though, you’ve practically ghosted them for three days.

the real question is do you even want it anymore?

you adore matty, the new name on your paper but he has no connection to the band. that’s solely a thing between you and ross, not something you’d be willing to share with matty even tho he’s an occasional listener. logically you know he’d appreciate it solely as a collector. but the thought of anyone else having it apart from ross, even if that someone is matty, burns a hole in your chest.

and so you text back.

i still want it.

and then you send them the money.

the record sits at the bottom of your drawer, taunting you every time you open it to take out a new pair of socks (quite often considering it’s december). and you try to cover it with the book you got for matty (a first edition classic that has faint pencil annotations rumoured to be from the author himself) but your heart quickens at the prospect of any damage to the vinyl—an item currently more valuable than every single thing in your house.

so that’s how it sits, nestled carefully between thick wollen socks, collecting dust until you decide what to do with it. maybe it’ll make a good birthday present for him. and yet it feels oddly personal now that he has liv in his life.

it’s a foreign feeling, you realise, strangely hollow and ache-y, to feel like you’re being too personal, too intimate with a man you consider your best friend (perhaps even more so than he’s aware of).

it’s especially difficult when his invitation sits in your phone unanswered.

come see the practice show for the uk leg with us.

you want to. so so badly! to watch him be excited and involved and happy with what he’s doing. you especially love the spark in his eyes when he has a new idea, a new trick up his sleeve. to sit there the whole time and watch him in his element might just be the best thing ever.

so you weigh the pros and cons—it will be like the old times again! liv might be there… but she might not! and even if she is, you can live with it, you can do it.

and so you text him back and promise to meet up with him in an hour.

turns out liv is there.

not only is she there, she’s also involved herself in the process—lending out small ideas here and there, praising someone when she loves a particular detail. you want to be mad at them all for betraying you like this; for becoming so enamoured with her so quickly, despite knowing how childish it sounds.

it’s not their fault you buried your feelings in so deep that they never even had the chance to guess.

still, polly’s gaze lingers on you every once in a while, particularly when ross and liv kiss (although you chalk it up to coincidence even when she makes an effort to involve you in the conversation)

“you put so much thought into it!” she compliments while flicking through the selection of dvds that will go into the house eventually. you want to tell her it’s your job, to look throught the films. how you and ross always make a movie night out of it but of course she catches you staring at the stack.

“wait, ross told me the two of you always end up watching half the films from the stack instead of picking them out!” she giggles slightly and you jolt at the surprise of being addressed so directly out of nowhere.

“yeah… yeah i guess. it just kind of happens!”

she hums in response. “a friend movie date, that adorable!”

this time ross smiles with her. yeah. a friend movie date. what a fucking oxymoron. and yet you paste a smile onto your face and nod like a malfunctioning robot.

“it’s really fun, yeah!”

“you should join us next time, babe,” ross chimes in and a pit forms in your stomach. of course he’d want that, for his girlfriend to be there. but the silence that settles over the room is an odd one. and no one speaks of the movies after that.

liv approaches you when you’re alone, sneaking a tiny cig by the window.

she tries small talk and it fizzles out within minutes, then she tries empty compliments but it’s clear she’s here with a motive. she’s here to ask you something and so you decide to be direct.

“can i help you with anything, liv?”

she smiles a sheepish little smile and wrings her hands together. “well… yeah, you guessed it. i’m uh… i need your help.”

that piques your curiosity. what could you possibly help her with? until she glances behind her and vaguely in ross’ direction where he’s busy chatting with jordan and then back at you.

“don’t tell ross but…i’ve got him for secret santa and i really want to give him something special, you know? i really like him and i don’t just want to give him something super generic just because we’re still getting to know each other. and i thought you’d know since you guys are really close, so i thought…” she takes a deep breath and puffs out her cheeks. “i thought i’d ask you!”

the next time she smiles, it’s a brilliant little thing directed entirely at you and maybe for the first time you really see what ross might like about her. even when you want to laugh at the fucking irony.

here’s his girlfirend, struggling to find the perfect gift and then here you are, letting the perfect gift collect dust in your sock drawer.

you look behind her and at ross who quickly averts his gaze from the two of you and back to jordan. his shoulders tense for a split second, followed by an imperceptible shake of his head. this is it, you think. your chance to do something selfless for once. so you smile back at her and make sure it’s at least half genuine this time.

“you know what, liv? i think i have exactly what you need…”

lemme know what you think <33

add yourself to the taglist

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toppersjeep · 1 year ago

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[Chapter 3] Pieces- George Russell X Charles Leclerc

Masterlist

Olivia’s POV

“Olivia” Lily said. “Hey” I said. “I might have got you something so don’t hate me” she said handing me a small gift. “Lily you didn’t have too” I said opening it. She had gotten me a cute little heart necklace. “It’s our anniversary of being best friends” she said I smiled.

“This is so sweet and funny enough I got you the same one but silver” I said handing her the box. “We know each other so well” she said. “I’ll put it on” I said. “You still wear the one George gave you” she said I sighed.

I completely forgot about the infinity necklace from him. I took it off and tossed it in my bag. I then out the necklace Lily got me on. And she did the same.

“Perfect oh my goodness” she said. “What are we celebrating” Charles said walking in. “It’s our two year anniversary of being best friends” Lily said. “She’s actually my secret wife” I said Charles chuckled. “I don’t think Alex would approve” Charles said.

“Oh he doesn’t have to know speaking of him I gotta run” Lily said. I hugged her. “Alright lils I’ll see you later” I said. “Yep our dinner date tonight see you Liv” Lily said leaving. “What’s up” I said. “So there’s some really cool cars on the track.. wanna do a hot lap” Charles said.

“Isn’t that only for drivers” I said. Charles slid me a set of keys. “It will be our secret” Charles said. “Then yes I’m in” I said taking the keys. We both grabbed helmets and went out to the track. I walked up to a nice Mercedes AMG and got in the drivers seat.

Charles sat in the passenger seat. We both put out helmets on and seatbelts. I then started the car and reved it a bit.

“Oh lord don’t kill us” Charles said. “Oh come on Charlie you know I can drive” I said. “Okay go ahead” he said. I stepped on the gas and drove around the track. “Slow down on the corners please” Charles said.

“Watch this” I said drifting around the corner. “Oh lord we are going to be in trouble” Charles said looking at me. I then drove on the straight away. And passed someone else in a Mercedes. We finally got back around to the beginning of the track.

I stopped the car.

“Oh thank goodness” Charles said. I then did a couple doughnuts right there. But someone was yelling so I stopped and parked the car. “Ooops my finger slipped” I said Charles just looked at me impressed.

“That was…

My dad then opened the door.

“Olivia you are very lucky that I’m here” he said. I got out and handed him the keys. “Sorry I was just having some fun” I said. “It was my fault Toto” Charles said. “I’m more impressed than disappointed” Toto said.

“Right wasn’t my doughnut cool” I said. “And the drifting and she overtook mick easily” Charles said. “Just don’t do it again without asking” Toto said walking away.

I just laughed.

“That was super impressive Wolff” Mick said giving me a high five. “Seriously though you can drive” Lewis said. “She impressed me” Charles said. “That was really fun but shows over boys” I said. “See if we ever need a reserve driver” Lewis said.

“I doubt dad would let me plus I don’t wanna take away Micks opportunity” I said. “Liv I’d be happy to give you an opportunity” Mick said I smiled. “So I heard your dad filled the seat” Lewis said we walked back to the Mercedes garage.

“Really he didn’t tell me” I said. “He said he’s gonna talk to everyone soon” Lewis said. “Do you think he’s gonna get Lando” I said. “Not sure” Mick said. “Whoever he’s got he said it’s gonna break the paddock” Lewis said.

“Alright guys meeting time” Dad said to everyone. “Here we go” Lewis said. We all went into the meeting room and took our seats. I sat beside Lewis and Roscoe was on the ground. So I was petting him. As I was super nervous for this announcement.

George just glared at me. I paid no attention to him. Mick told George to pay attention. And he stopped looking at me.

“So obviously I’ve been doing a lot of looking around the paddock” Dad said. “There’s a lot of talented young drivers” he added. “You said you are gonna break the paddock with this” Mick said. “Yeah I mean well.. it was a little bit of convincing to get him” Dad said.

“Who is he” Lewis said. “Well ladies and gentlemen it’s my honor to announce that Charles Leclerc will be joining us here at Mercedes” Dad said. As Charles walked in everyone cheered besides George of course. He just scoffed.

“It’s a great honor to be here.. and I’m excited for the upcoming season” Charles said. “Welcome to the team mate” Lewis said. “Someone said that I’d be an amazing fit here” Charles said looking at me. “We are happy to have you” Dad said.

“This is ridiculous” George said. “George will you just stop” Mick said. “No I’m fed up with this bullshit you always do what Olivia wants” George said. “First of all George this was my call to have Charles here” Dad said.

“But I’m sure she marched her way up to your office requesting Charles” George said. “Oh shut up George you’ve never liked him.. is it because he’s a better driver then you” I said standing up. “Please better driver than me” George said.

“I’m so tired of you for years I put up with you because I thought you’d change” I said. “But I’m not gonna let you bring down this team” I said. “Face it Olivia you only care about him.. your so called best friend” George said.

“I hope that one day you realize nobody will ever love you the way I did” George said. “You are so stuck on your own ways Liv.. everything that happened was your fault” George said. “And honestly Olivia I wish I never met you” George said.

I then walked away from everyone. I heard my Dad yell at George as soon as I walked away. I then hid out in the garage. I just sat on the floor in tears. Then I felt like I couldn’t breathe at all.

“Liv are you over here” Charles said. “Char.. I feel like.. I can’t breathe” I said. He sat down in front of me. “It’s okay it’s just a panic attack take my hand okay” he said holding my hand.

“Just close your eyes.. and take a deep breath with me” he said I closed my eyes. “Now just imagine someone or something that you love” Charles said. “And breathe again” Charles said. “Is it wrong to picture Roscoe” I said he laughed.

“No.. that’s okay” he said. I then opened my eyes realizing his head was touching mine. I just started into his beautiful blue green eyes. “Or perhaps those eyes” I said softly. “They are so calming” I said. He then cupped my cheek. And pulled me into a kiss. I let him keep kissing me.

But then he stopped and just looked at me again.

“I’m sorry Liv I should just go I didn’t mean to” Charles said getting up and walking away. “Charles” I said but he was already gone. I then walked around trying to find him again. But he was already gone. I realized what the time was.

So I went to meet Lily for dinner. But I had to tell her about Charles kissing me. In fact I was still confused. Why did he kiss me in those moment.

“So Charles is joining Mercedes that’s exciting” Lily said. “Mmmh” I said sipping my wine. “What’s going on you only make that face when something is up” Lily said.

“Charles kissed me in the garage” I said. “What why.. and how Liv” she said. “Well George said things I ran off” I said. “I was having a panic attack he found me” I said. “And helped me through it.. then he” I said. “He what” Lily said.

“I … was looking into his beautiful eyes.. and I told him they are calming” I said blushing. “Then.. he kissed me and I don’t know what I felt” I said. “He ran off before I could think” I said. “So he just kissed you for no reason” Lily said.

“Yeah.. he did” I said. “So how was it” she said. “I can’t stop thinking about him.. or his eyes” I said. “There was something in the way he looked at me” I said. “It’s how George used to look at me” I said. “But never like this.. it’s like he…” I said.

“Like he’s looking at a beautiful race car or a trophy” Lily said. “His eyes sparkled.. when he looked at me” I said. “And he’s never looked at me like that not until recently” I said. “… Olivia” Lily said. “What” I said. “He’s here with Alex” Lily said pointing to him. “Oh” I said. “Go talk to him” Lily said.

“And say what” I said. “Alex Charles come sit with us” Lily yelled. They looked and walked over to us. “Hello pretty lady” Alex said kissing Lily. “Oh sit with us please” Lily said Alex sat next to her. Charles then sat next to me.

“So we were just about to celebrate Charles new contract” Alex said. I looked at Charles and smiled. He smiled back. “Maybe we should let these two teammates celebrate” Lily said. “But I owe him a drink” Alex said. “And you owe me a dance mister let’s go” she said dragging Alex to the dance floor.

“So…how was dinner” Charles asked. “Good .. but you know dinner isn’t what I wanna talk about” I said. “I know.. I’m sorry you are upset” Charles said. “I shouldn’t have kissed you” Charles said. “Charlie” I said. “I’m really sorry I did it was stupid” Charles said walking away.

I then chased after him. He was about to get in the elevator. I was going to do something beyond stupid. I went into the elevator and pushed him back against the wall.

“Chéri what” he said I kissed him. He then wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me. “This is so stupid” he said. “Will you shut up and kiss me Leclerc” I said he smiled and kissed me again. The elevator doors opened and he walked me to his room.

We were both laughing the whole way there. We were probably a bit drunk too. But I didn’t didn’t care. He took my hand leading me into his hotel room.

“I .. we don’t have to do anything” Charles said. “No.. no I want too Charles no strings I can’t” I said. “Yeah sure.. no strings” he said. “I’m serious I don’t wanna do the whole relationship thing” I said.

“Okay then I’m in” Charles said. “Good so say it” I said he smiled. “No strings” he said kissing me. “No strings Charles” I said.

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