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thebiggerbear · 2 months ago

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FANFICTION FRIDAYS

This week I moved the # from 38 to 40.

Here are my picks for Dec 20th 2024, please go give them a read:

Against the Wind by @zepskies - You wake up in a strange alpha’s cabin in the middle of a snowstorm, all with a busted ankle. He holds shadows in his eyes, even though his hands are gentle. There are iron shutters around his heart, even though he saved you. You might just save him in return. (Alpha!Dean Winchester x Omega!Reader, Supernatural) [personal note: did Christmas come early in the form of this story? Hell yes, it did. Not to coincide with the theme but Alpha!Dean? I will bite, I will scratch, I will...lick...okay, this just got weird, so sorry, I'm putting myself back in my corner now, all good]

Hey Buddy by @luci-in-trenchcoats - Request: Dean x reader, where reader ran off not knowing she was pregnant, and Sam brings her back with their 2 year old. Dean should be mad, but really he’s just glad she’s back (Dean Winchester x Reader, Supernatural) [personal note: omg I don't think you realize just how much this just melts me, like the Dorothy and the Wicked Witch can't compete. Chocolate and high heat have nothing on me.]

Shadow and Sin by @blackleatherjacketz - Having just recently moved to New Orleans, you get intimately acquainted with both Mikaelson brothers, but don't find out who they truly are until it's too late. (Elijah Mikaelson x Reader, Klaus Mikaelson x Reader, The Originals) [personal note: Both Mikaleson brothers? Where's the front of the line, people???]

Twinkling Tree Dreams by @winchestergirl2 - Trying to spread some christmas cheer doesn’t go quite how you planned, but maybe it will turn out even better than you hoped. (Alec McDowell x Reader, Dark Angel) [personal note: Girl, where is my Alec from your writings of him under my tree??? No bow required. I'm waiting...]

Shout by @blackleatherjacketz - You’ve been with Shane since he left Rick’s group in Season 2, and you need to seek shelter from the rain. (Shane Walsh, The Walking Dead) [personal note: okay, I'm gonna need Shane now, too. Hand him over.]

Forgiven by @darsynia - Since dropping out of school to care for your sister, your daydream has been that a rich, handsome man will save you from drowning in debt. Until then (read: never), you’ll work hard at your new receptionist job and try not to ogle the impossibly hot construction guy working in the foyer… (Steve Rogers x Female!Reader, MCU) [personal note: hot CEO! Steve Rogers and workplace romance vibes? Sign me up!]

Terms and Conditions by @that-sarcastic-writer - when your sister's fiance goes missing, you call Colter for help, and he brings along his rugged, but handsome and charming older brother, Russell. (Russell Shaw x Doctor Female!Reader, Tracker) [personal note: Good God, I need me some Russell]

You can either lead, follow, or get out of the way by @bullet-prooflove (Young!John Dutton x Reader, Yellowstone) [personal note: I've always had a love and hate relationship with John but this started an itch for him I didn't even know I had...no, not that kind of itch...maybe...]

Good Morning by @justrainandcoffee - It's 2012 when Hannah received a call from an important executive to work with them. She's a great musician only until that moment she didn't have the chance to really show her natural talent. The BBC offered her the opportunity to finally do it and at the same time the opportunity to meet him. || Three years later, everything is very different. Two different realities linked by the same phrase: “good morning.” (Tom Hardy x Female!OC, RPF) [personal note: I was so very excited to see a fic for him!!!]

Muddy Waters by @waynes-multiverse - After a mud run and several drinks, Jensen finally gathers his courage and makes a move on a longtime friend he’s been crushing on for a while. Are his feelings reciprocated, though? (Jensen Ackles x Musician!Reader, RPF) [personal note: Mud Run!Jensen and best friends to lovers combined? I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!]

Love To Hate You by @deanwanddamons - Y/N and Soldier Boy hate each other, but can’t resist one another when they meet again after many years apart. (Soldier Boy x Supe Female!Reader, The Boys) [personal note: Holy fu-- excuse me, I need an ice cold shower, like right now, dayum...]

Let It Snow by @wayward-dreamer - As snow begins to fall, Dean and Y/N some much needed cuddling time in the perfect ambience they’ve created for themselves. (Dean Winchester x Female!Reader, Supernatural) [personal note: OMG LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!!]

Presents & Gingerbread by @lila-lou - Ben has little interest in the season’s traditions but keeps up with the wrapping and decorations just to see you happy. Still, it didn’t take long for him to draw your attention away from the preparations, making it clear that you’re the only thing he cares about. (Soldier Boy x Reader, The Boys) [personal note: oh yeah, this hits the spot...something Ben is probably also saying at this very moment if not soon enough no doubt ;)]

Merry Christmas Sweetheart by @jawritter - Time doesn’t heal all wounds, sometimes it just drives them into our bones and festers there, until forgiveness is a four letter word, and it’s to late for second chances. (Jensen Ackles x Reader, RPF) [personal note: this tore my heart out of my chest and stomped on it so good...don't kink shame me]

Hurt So Good by @nightxcreature - After the reader makes a comment about missing Dean’s leather jacket and the old days, he takes matters into his own hands and takes her on the hunt of her life. (Dean Winchester x Reader, Supernatural) [personal note: (cries) where is my Dean doing this for me? (stomps foot extremely dramatically and then remembers my age and goes back to my corner of shame)]

Something serious by @jessjad - Beau and Y/N spend a summer evening together. But do they both expect the same thing? (Beau Arlen x Reader, Big Sky) [personal note: they better...if not I can take one for the team...or two....or three...or -- stopping right there before this gets any worse]

The One That Got Away by @justwhisperingfantasies - You thought you had left Supernatural and Jensen in the past, but almost 6 years later you get roped back in when your job is on the line. (Jensen Ackles x Reader, RPF) [personal note: not going to lie you can't put Jensen and the word "roped" in the same sentence, you just can't do it, not with me]

I Got You by @janicho88 - When you have finally reached a breaking point, you call the one person you trust for help. He’s never seen you as more than a friend, but he is the person you know you’re safest with. It’s been months since he has had so much as a text from you, but Jake Seresin would do anything for the Navy princess he met years ago. The pilot knows she means more to him than he ever will to her, but he will do anything for her (Jake Seresin x Reader, Top Gun Franchise) [personal note: oh my gawd, just give him to me now, GIVE HIM TO ME]

Meet Cute by @lamentationsofalonelypotato - Reader is surviving in the apocalypse alone, until she meets a stranger who needs her help, even if he doesn't want to admit it. This is a reimagining of when Daryl gets hurt trying to find Sophia in Season 2, in which the reader shoots Daryl instead of Andrea. This can be read as stand alone, but can also be read as a prequel fic to "Your Fault," describing how reader and Daryl met for the first time. (Daryl Dixon x Female!Reader, The Walking Dead) [personal note: I've never been one for Daryl in reader-insert fic before but this definitely is changing my mind!]

Losing You by @thesilmarillionblog - Everything was good as a member of Payback and Soldier Boy's secret girlfriend until the team and your relationship with him began to fall apart due to a new member and her developing relationship with Ben right in front of your eyes. (Soldier Boy x Reader, The Boys) [personal note: any SB fic that starts with this line: '“Get lost fuckface and bring me a coffee,”' certainly has my attention]

forgtten birthday by @chevroletdean - Alec is new to the concept of birthdays, considering he doesn’t even really have one himself. When his s/o is sulky all day, he’s confused, until their friends throw them a surprise party and he realizes he’s messed up big time. (Alec McDowell x GN!Reader, Dark Angel) [personal note: OMG I love my boy Alec so much]

The Chocolate Chip Kind by @beyourownanchor6 - Eddie just wants to sleep, Buck can't let him, not until after midnight. (Buddie, 911 - AO3) [personal note: you always have to have some Buddie goodness and that's precisely what this is!]

Starry Night by @romancingromanoff (Natasha Romanoff x Reader, MCU) [personal note: perfection for this character (happy sigh)]

Princess Treatment by @storiesofsvu (Terry Bruno x Reader x Joe Velasco, Law & Order: SVU) [personal note: I'm still power washing the floor in the spot where I completely melted, holy Christmas, give me these two in a hotel room any day]

Forever Yours by @justagirlinafandomworld - Song Prompt from Unclaimed Love Songs: Faithfully by Journey (Bradley Bradshaw x Female!Reader) [personal note: YES, YES, YES!!!]

In Every Realm by @caplanbuckybarnes - he vows to love you in every universe (Sub-Zero x Reader, Mortal Kombat) [personal note: the young girl in me literally squealed and my heart grew about three sizes seeing this, he was always one of my faves!]

A Sudden Spark by @gloomwitchwrites - Request: The reader is Aragorn's older sister. A ranger and a renowned warrior. After Eomer personally meets the owner of the stories he's been hearing for years, he may begin to fall in love with her. (Eomer x Female!Reader, Lord of the Rings) [personal note: my first Eomer x Reader fic and it did not disappoint!]

Untitled by @catierambles (Captain Syverson x Reader, Sand Castle) [personal note: the fic for this character that I didn't know I needed!]

Request by @imyourbratzdoll - you and the chief get freaky in his car (Charlie Swan x Female!Reader, Twilight) [personal note: (raises hand) What does one have to do to be arrested by Chief Swan exactly? ...Asking for a friend]

The Storm Outside by @bullet-prooflove - Larry comforts you during a stormy night (Captain Larry James x Reader, Walker) [personal note: Storm ambience? Check. One hot ass man that I can also call Captain for fun if I want to? Check. Comforting me in my time of need? Check. Am I torn between wanting to melt into goo and using a squirt bottle on myself to stop fantasizing about him? Check. Check. Am I probably going to have to go with the latter option? Triple check.]

Waiting for the Real Thing by @rizlowwritessortof - You can’t serve in the same unit with somebody without getting pretty close. She managed to survive around him until a couple of years ago. And when she hears about their brother-in-arms troubles, she heads that way to help out. Of course, Russ beat her to it. And now she just can’t make herself leave without seeing him. (Russell Shaw x OC, Tracker) [personal note: you can't see it but I'm foaming at the mouth right now and as you may have expected, it's not a pretty sight]

Dancing Doll by @flamencodiva - Dancing Flamenco has always been a part of Y/N. But she never thought it would put her in the crosshairs of someone dangerous. How did her life end up with twists and turns? And can a green-eyed mechanic really help her? Or will she just put him in harm’s way? (Mechanic!Dean Winchester x Reader, Supernatural) [personal note: Flamenco and Dean??? Where is the line where I sign away my soul?]

Sinnerman by @venus-haze - You can’t even see your old life from Crockett Island, but nevertheless it weighs on your conscience like an anchor on the ocean floor. Father Paul Hill tries to pull the anchor up, only to sink your whole damn ship. (Father Paul Hill x Reader, Midnight Mass) [personal note: Girl, I am about to devour your horror/slasher masterlist...incoming!!!]

Stoking the Flame by @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior - Jenny and Beau have been ignoring the spark between them for a long time. How much longer can they continue? (Beau Arlen x Jenny Hoyt, Big Sky) [personal note: I'm not much of a Beau x Jenny fan, but this was so good and surprisingly satisfying for something within me for my two favorite characters on that show]

any way that you want me by @deanbrainrotwritings - he’s clingy and doesn’t know how else to feel close to her. even though it gets them both riled up, it’s nice while it lasts. (Boaz Priestly x Female!Reader, Ten Inch Hero) [personal note: PLEASE give me clingy!Priestly any day of the week, P L E A S E]

Because of You by @spn-bee - Dean Winchester, a 30-year-old hunter, rolled in to a college town to unwind. Reima M. Park-Gibbs, a 22-year-old college student was the lucky or unlucky encounter. They both got what they wanted, along with unexpected consequences. Dean will now have to protect her and his unborn child while convincing her she belongs to and with him. (Dean Winchester x OC, Supernatural) [personal note: (happy sigh with heart eyes and dopey smile) I just love this]

The Edge of Fate by @deanwinchesterswitch - AU. Cursed by a jealous witch, Benny and Isalie must wander through time to find their way back to each other. (Benny Lafitte x Female!OC, Supernatural) [personal note: yes, Benny!!! I also may call him Sir...on Thursdays and Saturdays and every other Wednesday...just saying...(winces) yeah, that was TMI, wasn't it?]

Home by @syrma-sensei - Ben's discovering new life affairs while expecting his first baby. (Soldier Boy x Wife!Reader, The Boys) [personal note: Ben as a dad gets me every time (more happy sighs)]

Running Away by @jensengirl83 - Sam has feelings for the reader, but what happens when he finally gets the courage to find her and tell her the truth? (Sam Winchester x Reader, Supernatural) [personal note: Awww, Sam...I need more Sam in my life, I cannot even tell you]

When the Lines Blur by @pink-sparkly-witch - Y/N Y/L/N and Jeffrey Dean Morgan have been a successful porn couple for a few years. When Jeff decides it’s time for him to retire, he helps Y/N find his replacement who might become more than just a porn partner. (Jeffrey Dean Morgan x Reader, Jensen Ackles x Reader, RPF) [personal note: okay I never quite saw myself in the adult entertainment business at any point in my life for...reasons but here....um, how does one get hired to work with either man (or both, I'm not picky) on set?]

Looking for more? Please check out my fic rec lists and writers rec lists (1, 2, 3). I do have some things to update like the Beau stories list, Alec, Russell, Jensen, Soldier Boy, Dean, etc (and I promise I will when I hopefully get more time in January) and I do have some more coming out like for Joe Velasco, Bobby Reyes, Law & Order: SVU, LOTR, etc.

In the meantime, if you'd like to peruse even more stories that are on my reading lists, please check out @biggerbearsreads and @tbbrebloglibrary (which will eventually take place of the 1st - tbbrl will be more organized by tags, etc) or you can check out @biggerbearficrecs.

So I threw a ton into this one due to the holidays coming up (and some little personal notes, sorry, sometimes I actually think I'm funny 🤷‍♀️). I hope you all enjoy the time whatever you might celebrate or if you don't, then I hope you've been able to find some of the amazing stories on this list that might keep you company and provide some comfort or give you the warm fuzzies, whatever you're in need of! I wish all of you the very best!!! ❤️❤️

And please don’t forget when you come across any and all creative content on here to:

And please always reblog! Thank you!

dividers by @saradika-graphics

#fanfiction fridays #december 20th 2024

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coff33andb00ks · 2 months ago

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Recipe for the Perfect Christmas 10/12

One part small town girl coming home from the big city. One part handsome stranger. Five parts lifelong friends (don't forget to include their partners). One part stubborn father. A dash of Christmas spirit. Part: Ten of Twelve Pairing: Oscar Piastri x ofc (with appearances from Mark Webber. Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Esteban Ocon, Pato O'Ward, and George Russell) wc: 5,668 warnings: none? a little emotional soundtrack: spotify ⋆❆⋆ apple music nav: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve

Lift the bundle from the crock. Untie and remove cheesecloth. Brush with liquor and syrup mixture. Wrap in waxed paper. Place in box. Seal. Wrap and fasten with red ribbon. Affix tag. Add to stack.

Repeat.

The steady, repetitive task kept Natalie's mind blank. The kitchen reeked of fruitcake and the liquor and syrup. She had purposefully chosen non-Christmas music to play on her phone, though had somehow missed a couple carols on her playlist. Adding another cheesecloth to the pile, she picked up the brush and dipped it into the bowl, sweeping the syrup over the top of the cake then sliding it onto the waxed paper.

She couldn't hear anything above the music playing in her ears but knew the moment the back door opened. She wasn't sure if it was because of the cold air that slipped into the kitchen, or the shadow that moved in her peripheral vision. Pausing in her task, she held her breath, finally turning to see her father washing his hands in the sink. He didn't say a word, even after she removed her earbuds, and she felt the pain in the silence as he took another fruitcake from the large crock.

They worked without speaking. She remembered a long-ago night when they had worked in this fashion. When the air had been thick with the words she had already said and the silence had been painful. The only difference was that they were both a little older.

As he placed the last fruitcake on the counter, she felt a pang in her chest. The last fruitcake was always taken home. It was the only one he allowed himself, even though it was his favorite holiday treat and hers, too. He wrapped it meticulously in the waxed paper, as those for customers had been wrapped, then paused.

Natalie furrowed her brow when he unfolded the paper and reached for one of the knives on the magnetic strip. She wanted to ask what he was doing, but it was obvious he was going to slice into the fruitcake. Despite his self-imposed rule that it wait for Christmas Eve, when it would be enjoyed with his best brandy after getting back from the candlelight service at church. She watched the knife glide through the cake, watched the slices cascade, then watched him set the knife down.

"I don't have my brandy," he said.

"It's not Christmas Eve," she pointed out.

"Are you gonna be here then?" he asked.

Her breath caught, and she thought of her laptop, which she'd left on the kitchen table, email open on the job offer. "I will."

"Then we'll take another one home for then." He picked up a slice and looked at it.

"Two fruitcakes for yourself?"

"Why the hell not."

Natalie bit her lip, waiting for him to bite into the slice. When he didn't, she frowned.

"Did I ever tell you where I got this recipe?" he asked, still staring at it.

"I don't think so."

"It was in your mother's family. Started as a Christmas pudding with her great-great-grandmother in England, and when they came here they adapted it. Her mother perfected it. It was the one thing I'd never been able to do right, and when we got married, she and your Nana showed me how to do it properly." He sighed. "It was the third-best thing she ever gave me."

"What were first and second?"

"Second was her love and partnership over the twenty-two years we had together." He turned, holding the slice of fruitcake out to her.

She took it, knowing just by touch and smell that it had been prepared perfectly. "What was the first?"

"You."

"Oh, Dad," she whispered, vision blurring with tears. She wasn't a gift. She was a nightmare. She'd left him at the worst possible time, had distanced herself for years, and had only come back because she had no choice. And her knee-jerk reaction when she got upset had been to do the exact same thing. But it occurred to her that if she took the job in Atlanta and left, that she wouldn't be welcomed back so warmly. "I think you're wrong."

"I never thought I was."

"Even when I left?"

"Especially then."

"How?" she asked, setting the slice down. She didn't deserve a bite. "How could you still think I was great when I basically told you to take this place and shove it?"

"Because you're my child. And I'll always love you. I'll always be proud of you."

She shook her head. "I'm nothing to be proud of. I've had how many jobs? I either choose a place about to go bankrupt or a company I don't fit in with—"

"That's just bad luck, Natalie."

"How many punches on my bad luck card do I have to get before I get some good luck?" Natalie shook her head again and pushed away from the counter. "Ever since Mom died, I've spiraled like water in a toilet before it flushes down."

"You think you're the only one?" he asked, scowling. "You think you're the only person this world craps on? Grow up. People around the world have it worse in a day than you have in a year."

She gaped at him, not sure if she was insulted by or surprised by his outburst.

"There are folks out there who don't know where their next meal is coming from. Families that have to choose between keeping the lights on or putting food on the table for the week. People get kicked out of their supposedly loving homes because of who they're attracted to or what they do or don't believe in and have to fend for themselves. Kids that are sick and dying but can't get the help they need."

"I know," she said. "But—"

"You've never had to worry about any of that. Because of this place," he said, gesturing around them. "Because my grandparents chose this little spot to settle after they got married, and because they put years of blood and sweat and tears and love into this dump. And then your grandparents stepped in and kept it going. When prices had to go up and sales slacked off, we went without just to keep this place open. Then it was my turn, and when you came along I swore that I would do everything I could to make sure you never had to want for anything."

"Dad—"

"You're allowed to be selfish. I know when you're down how hard it is to see that it could be so much worse. But you don't have it so bad. There's a roof over your head and you didn't have to pay for your schooling." He inhaled then exhaled shakily. "I wanted you to take over for me when it was my turn to hang up my apron, because it's the family business. And yes, it hurt like hell when you told me you'd rather do anything else, but I knew I had to let you go."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She didn't know what else to say.

"I'm sorry that you're upset because I'm selling the place. But I'm not sorry I'm doing it. You don't want it. Max does. And he'll be successful, because he loves this almost as much as I do."

"Does he?"

"He does. I told him I'd take down all the old stuff and he insisted it stay. He doesn't want to change it. He said…" Her father paused, closing his eyes briefly. "He said there are lifetimes of memories on the walls and he wouldn't dream of wiping them away."

"He's right." Anywhere she looked she could pull up a memory. The counter, currently stacked with fruitcakes, wiped clean and being dusted with flower so her mother could teach her how to knead. The row of knives on the magnetic strip, which she had taken down once a week so her father could sharpen them. It was a physical rolodex of memories, good and bad, and so was the shopfront, where she had spent the afternoons of her childhood. "I grew up in this building."

"I know you did."

"It was the last place I saw Mom." She stared in the direction of the back door, which her mother had pushed open and then paused, unruly snowflakes floating inside as she reminded Natalie to put the chicken on for dinner. Her own bored reply echoed in her mind and she again felt the flush of guilt and shame.

"Me, too." He finally stepped away from the counter, limping over to switch on the coffeepot near the oven. He stopped, placing one hand on the door of the oven. "She was mad at me."

"She was?" Natalie frowned. She didn't recall her mother being mad. Rushing, yes, and complaining about the weather she had to drive in, but not mad. "What about?"

"I was supposed to go shopping with her. But I had to put in an order, and was running late on getting the work for morning done. She didn't like driving in the snow. I told her to stop being a baby. She told me I was being an inconsiderate ass. It was my fault she was leaving late, and it's my fault she went alone."

"Dad, no," Natalie whispered. "It wasn't your fault."

"I know the accident wasn't. Not really. But… It was. If I'd left the work for morning go until we got back, or told her to wait until the next afternoon… Or if I'd delayed her longer so she was five minutes later. Or had told her to leave earlier…" Mark drew in a shaky breath. "She wouldn't have been in that spot when that driver hit the bit of ice."

"But it could have happened to her either way. Or it could have been so much worse." The fact that no one else had been injured or died in the accident had at first been a point of anger, but it had shifted into a comfort. Her mother would have been upset at more loss of life. "Or you could have been in the car and died, too."

"I know all that, sweetie. It doesn't make it easier."

"I know," she murmured. She hesitated, then finally closed the space between them.

"I didn't tell her I loved her."

"I didn't either."

He lowered his head and her heart broke for him. She slowly reached forward and placed her hand on his arm. He turned slightly and her breath hitched at the tears in his eyes. "It hurts every day I walk in here, because I always remember that my last words to her were 'hurry home' and not that I loved her."

"She knew you loved her. Dad, she knew."

"She knew you loved her, too." He wrapped his arm around her and exhaled slowly. "She would be so proud of you."

"Sometimes I think so." Natalie squeezed her eyes shut. "She'd hate that I'm single and childless, though."

"Yeah, she did want grandkids," he murmured with a quick chuckle. "But more importantly she wanted you happy."

"I thought I was. Then I wasn't. For a little bit when I first moved back I was. Now I'm not again." Sniffling, she pressed her face into his shirt.

"Have you talked to Oscar?"

She stiffened and pulled away, brushing her tears away while turning to put the boxed fruitcakes away. "There's nothing to talk to him about."

"He didn't do anything, sweetie."

"He lied to me."

"And you've never lied?"

"Not about something this important." Picking up two boxes, she carried them to the storage rack.

"I lied, too. Be mad at me."

"I love you too much to stay mad at you," she admitted.

"I was gonna say the same thing." He got his garish mug from its hook above the coffeepot and filled it. "You love him, too."

"No I don't."

"You're lying again."

"I don't!" She set the next two fruitcakes down with more force than necessary. "God, I don't even know him."

"Well." When she glanced over, her father was twirling the coffee in his cup. "You know him pretty well, I'd imagine."

"I'd rather not talk about that."

"You never said how his scrambled eggs were."

"They were sunny side up."

He chuckled. "You do love a runny yolk."

"It takes more than sex and a good cooked egg for love, Dad."

"You know what it took for your mother and me?" He waited until she threw up her hands in silent defeat and smiled. "A laugh."

"A laugh," she repeated, blinking in confusion. "Really?"

"She was visiting her cousin over the summer. They came in one morning for donuts and I shortchanged her." His smile widened and Natalie knew he was lost in the memory. "Wish I could say it was because she was so beautiful I forgot how to subtract, but it was because I was in a hurry so I could go out back and smoke. She came back in a few minutes later and then marched right out back to tell me to give her the three dollars I owed her. Then she took the cigarette from me and threw it on the ground. Hop to it, she said, snapping her fingers. I asked her who the hell she thought she was, and when she said either my dream customer or my worst nightmare, I laughed in her face."

Natalie smiled. She'd heard the tale before, but only that her mother had come in and had thought Mark was cute. She had only meant to stay in town two weeks to visit her cousin, then had extended her stay to last the entire summer. She'd come back over her Christmas break from college and had never left except to go get her things from her dorm.

"She told me the night I proposed that she fell in love with me right then."

"That's sweet, Dad. But it's more complicated for me and Oscar."

"Because you're making it complicated."

"He doesn't even know what he's going to do after Max and Eve move into the house."

"So?"

"And I might be leaving."

"And?"

"I don't think Oscar's the type to follow a woman to Atlanta." She sighed. "He doesn't like big cities."

"There's always a suburb. And the type of work he does he can do anywhere."

"Plus he lied to me."

"Because it wasn't any of his business. It was my job to tell you, and I royally screwed that up. He cares about you."

"How do you know that?"

"I'm not blind, sweetie." He sighed and took a sip of his coffee. "Don't push him away. You know he's a good man."

"He is," she agreed.

"And I guess he's okay looking."

"He is," she said again. He was more than okay looking.

"I'm not trying to push you into a relationship with him, I just want you to patch things up. It's up to you to do that."

"I guess so." She smiled faintly, remembering Oscar gently urging her to talk to her dad.

"But do it quick."

"Why?"

"I miss Penny."

Oscar slid the last cookie onto the platter and tossed the cooling rack into the sink. Baking wasn't his strength, but he had always heard that the scent of fresh-baked cookies made a house smell like home. He knew his friend would be slightly disgusted that he'd bought and baked pre-made dough, but it was the best he could do. Setting the platter on the island counter, he moved to rinse the racks and dried them off before pushing them into the drawer next to the stove. He wiped down the sink, slightly adjusted the platter of cookies, then did a quick look through the house to make sure everything was truly ready.

It was. He'd made up all the beds with the sheets Eve had brought one weekend. There was a new puzzle mat waiting for Lucas in his new room. For Grace was a set of toy horses, one of which resembled Bonny and her foal. On the dresser in the master bedroom was a vase filled with purple roses and a gift certificate to the town's salon for Eve. Next to it was the pair of sunglasses he'd purchased to replace the ones of Max's he'd broken accidentally. Eve's home office was ready to go except for her computer and whatever little things she wanted to place on the shelves. The bedroom he had been using was clean, his things mostly packed and ready to be loaded into his truck after Christmas when he left. He wasn't sure but he had an inkling it would soon be made into a nursery. Max's home office downstairs was ready to go, complete with the new computer Eve had ordered for him. The playroom was organized and neat, all the toys in their respective cubbies. The living room and den and dining room were ready, and he knew without looking that the basement was, too.

He ran his hand along the back of the couch, checking that the living room was perfect. His gaze moved to the plush rug in front of the fireplace and he tried his best to ignore the way his chest squeezed. Turning his attention to the Christmas decorations, he nodded to himself, glancing to the twinkling tree in front of the bow window. Underneath it were two wrapped gifts for Grace and Lucas to open that night. Moving into the front hall, he idly adjusted the lighted garland twining down the banister of the staircase.

From the utility room behind the kitchen came a small yip, and he watched Penny come trotting through to the front hall, skidding to a stop at the front door, where she sat, tail thumping excitedly.

"They here?" he asked, bending to scratch behind her ears while he opened the door. She waited, body starting to wriggle, then darted out as soon as Max's SUV was parked and the engine cut off. Oscar leaned in the doorway, smiling, as the dog rushed around in excited circles, then zoomed to greet first Eve and then Max.

"Hey!" Max laughed when Penny leaped through his open door.

"Penny," Oscar called, stepping out onto the porch. "C'mon, girl."

A few seconds later she jumped out of the passenger door, and took her time to join him on the porch. Her tail wagged incessantly as Eve let Grace out, and when they headed across she gave another yip of greeting.

"Hey," Oscar greeted, catching Grace when she threw herself at him in a hug. "Good drive?"

"Mommy peed three times," the girl announced.

"Yes thank you, Grace," Eve sighed. "I'm sure Oscar needs to know about my bladder function."

He knew why already, but he had to ask. Grinning, he caught her in a quick hug while Max carried Lucas from the car. "Did Max make you drink Red Bull again?"

"He knows better by now." Eve smiled. The same smile she'd given him twice before. "I've been drinking more water today."

"Why?" he asked, making a face.

"Damned if I know." She moved inside, then turned around and grabbed his arm. "You know, don't you?"

"Know what?" he grunted, stumbling when she yanked on his sleeve. "Eve!"

"He told you!" She glared at Max, who was just coming up the steps. "You told him!"

"I didn't tell him a damn thing!"

"Oooo!" Lucas's eyes widened. "Bad Daddy."

"Your mother drops the f-word three times a day and I get scolded for saying damn?" Max shook his head. "What's up with that?"

"Mommy." The boy shrugged as though that were enough explanation, then tipped his head back to look at the lights crisscrossing the ceiling of the porch. "Pretty lights."

"The decorating looks great, Oscar," Max said, nodding with approval. "Your best work."

"Thanks. I had thorough instructions."

"It does look great," Eve agreed, still holding onto his sleeve. "It looked so beautiful from the street. Did you leave—"

"Room on the main tree for the kids' ornaments, yes," Oscar finished for her, nodding. "Can I have my arm back now?"

"Did he tell you?" she asked.

"No, he didn't."

Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "You were supposed to ask me what he allegedly told you."

Oscar blinked, then slowly turned his head to look at his friend. "What'd she say?"

"You gave the wrong answer." Max looked at his wife. "I didn't tell him."

"But he knows."

"I gotta nose," Lucas announced, jamming his index finger in one nostril. "See?"

"Ew," Eve groaned. Letting go of Oscar's sleeve, she took the boy from Max and began rummaging in her purse for a tissue. "No boogers, please, Mommy can't handle it today. Do I smell cookies?"

Grace jumped up from where she'd been lying, loving on Penny. "Cookies? You baked, Oscar?"

"Uh, yeah, but—"

"Cookies!"

"They're the pre-made stuff," Oscar told Max before he could ask. "Don't judge me."

"I judge you every damn day, it's my right as your best friend." Max grinned and headed inside. "Wow, you've made a lot of progress. All the floors are finished?"

"Yeah." Oscar closed the front door while the kids ran towards the kitchen.

"Oh my god," Eve gasped, freezing in the archway to the living room. Her hands came up to cover her mouth, and she slowly spun to stare at him.

"Surprise," he said, smiling.

"Babe, the dining room – Whoa," Max said, joining his wife.

"You said it would be after Christmas," she said.

"I lied?" More than a little touched by their reaction, especially when he saw the glimmer of tears in Eve's eyes, he cleared his throat. "I didn't want you to have to cram the last of the moving into those few days after Christmas, and… I wanted to give y'all a good gift. Especially with, y'know."

"What?" Max asked, unzipping his coat.

"You know," Oscar said slowly.

"Oh for fuck's sake, we all know I'm pregnant again, stop tiptoeing around it." Eve flung her arms around Oscar and squeezed. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," he murmured, hugging her back. "You guys deserve to spend Christmas in your new house."

"The upstairs is done, too?" she asked.

"Beds made, rugs vacuumed, everything already here is put away." He smiled when she headed up the stairs. "I even put a mint on the pillows."

"You're an asshole for not telling us it was finished, but I love you," she called over her shoulder.

"Love you too," he promised.

Max hung up his coat, then picked up Eve's from where she'd dropped it. "When did you finish?"

"Couple days ago. I spent yesterday and today doing the decorating and cleaning up." Oscar picked up Eve's purse and set it on the console table. "I figured I could rent a van and start bringing the rest of your stuff down next week."

"That'd be great. Did Natalie help?"

Oscar tried to not react to the mention of her name, but knew his frined had caught something when his eyebrows lifted. "No, she didn't."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"She found out about the bakery."

Max sucked in a breath between his teeth. "Mark said he was gonna tell her this weekend."

"She found something about it from a lawyer." Moving into the living room, Oscar crossed to the fireplace and adjusted the screen. "She was upset. At me."

"Because you didn't tell her?"

"Yeah."

Max nodded. "It wasn't fair to ask you not to say anything."

"If I'd told her, she still would have been upset," he sighed, staring at the fire. Not wanting to remember what had occurred in that spot the last time the fire had been going, he stepped away, pushing his hands into his pockets.

"Maybe not as bad."

Oscar sighed. "Doesn't matter. She's done with me."

"Done?"

"I asked her if we could talk about it and she said she had nothing more to say to me." He shrugged, trying his best to pretend he wasn't as affected by her cold dismissal as he truly was.

"Shit, I'm sorry," Max whispered. "It's all my fault."

"No it's not."

"I should have told her. I should have made Mark tell her. I should have told Susie. I should have—"

"Max, stop. It just wasn't meant to be."

"You're gonna give up?"

"It wasn't like it could go anywhere."

"Why the hell not? You like her. She likes you. There were hearts in your eyes and music playing whenever you looked at each other."

"It's better this way," he insisted. "I'm leaving after Christmas."

"You're what?"

Oscar jerked his head up at the sound of Eve's voice. Sighing, he nodded. "I'm leaving after Christmas."

"Why? Where are you going? What are you gonna do?" she asked, glancing towards the kitchen. She squatted down, catching Lucas when he toddled up to her and thrust a cookie in her face.

"Oscar cookies," the boy said proudly, bringing the cookie back so he could take a large bite.

"Where's your sister?" Eve unzipped her son's coat and struggled to get it off without making him let go of the cookie. "Grace!"

Oscar watched his niece appear, coat hanging from her arms. She shook it off then dragged it to the coat rack. And, when her mother told her to go look at her room, she took off upstairs.

"Well?" Eve demanded, straightening and looking at him.

"I'll figure something out between now and then," he said.

"I thought you were looking at the place on the edge of town."

Oscar swiveled his gaze to his friend.

Max shrugged. "I tell her everything."

"Take Lucas up to see his room," she said, eyes never leaving Oscar. "I've got to talk to Oscar."

"Good luck," Max whispered before scooping his son into his arms.

She wasn't usually one for exercise. But the day was so nice. It was damp due to the rain the night before, and the snow was still in thick drifts, but the sun was shining and it was warm enough she didn't need a thick coat. She had felt closed-up, something she wasn't used to feeling, and had finally thrown on a jacket and decided to go for a brisk walk to clear her head. At first she kept to the side streets, and after going around until she was nearly back home, she headed for Main Street and then followed it along until she reached the outskirts of town.

Stopping to unzip her jacket and consider how she wanted to go back through town, she felt a sudden prickle of awareness. She turned slightly, seeing first the 'For Sale' sign and then the little white clapboard split-level. Mr. Wright's house, she thought, recalling hearing that he had moved to the center of town to live with his sister. Her gaze moved to the truck in the driveway and her chest lurched.

Oscar.

As though her presence had conjured him up, the door opened and he stepped outside, laughing. Carlos was behind him, laughing as well, and the two men stood on the small porch, chatting.

Her heart squeezed almost painfully. He didn't see her. Or maybe he did and he didn't care enough to acknowledge? She wavered, unsure whether to call out a greeting or turn and go away before he could look in her direction. She hadn't yet made up her mind what she wanted to say to him, or if she wanted to say anything to him at all. She looked on as the men shook hands, and took a step forward just as Oscar started down the steps.

He stopped, so she did as well. Despite the distance she saw the hesitance in his expression, and bit her lip when he pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

Oh, damn it, she had to speak to him. She continued walking forward, sneakers slipping a little on the pile of snow at the end of the flagstone walk. With each step she tried to think of something to say, but then she saw that he was walking toward her. They met halfway and both stopped at the same time.

Natalie pulled her earbuds from her ears, hastily cramming them into the pocket of her jacket. What was she supposed to say? How could she begin to explain her outburst, her irrational anger towards him that had now faded? What could she possibly say to make it even a little bit better? There was an awkward tension between them and even though she couldn't look away from him she knew that Carlos had sensed it when she heard him mutter something and go back into the house.

Oscar's eyes looked a little sad and she wondered if that were her fault.

"I'm sorry," she blurted.

"I'm sorry," he said at the same time.

"I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you—"

"I should have told you when you asked—"

"It wasn't fair—"

"It was wrong to keep you in the dark—"

"I dragged you in the middle when you were just a bystander—"

"I just didn't want to upset you—"

"I blew it all out of proportion because I was hurt—"

"Especially when I realized I was falling for you so fast and—"

"I was thinking I might be falling in love even though we just met—"

They both stopped. At the same time.

Natalie blinked. So did he. She didn't know why, but she began to smile. And was relieved when he did, too. A laugh bubbled up when they both took a step forward. Slipping her hand into his when he held it out, she sighed.

"You wanna go for a walk?" he asked.

"I just did, but yes."

They strolled to the sidewalk, and his fingers slotted between hers. "Can we talk, too?"

"I think we should." She stopped, frowning. "You're just gonna leave your truck?"

"I can walk back and get it."

Resuming her steps, she squeezed his hand. "I'll walk back with you."

#f1 #oscar piastri #f1 imagine #oscar piastri imagine #my writings > op > xmas #oscar piastri x oc #f1 x oc

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pampanope · 5 months ago

Text

Story time!

The origin of Red11~ posted here because it’s too long for the discord server💀

Emile ([REDACTED]) belongs to @kings-out-of-pocket-hell

Efren|7-11 (here in spirit lol) is mine~

Guest starring Russell Adler✨

——————-

Emile watched his scarred mentor lay flat three manila folders, each of varying thickness. The room was of the sterile variety that Langley as whole was fond of with nothing but the blandest tables and folding chairs.

He leaned forward, eyes filled with unbridled delight. The bland setting did nothing to dampen the excitement bubbling in his chest.

Finally, after years of lectures, rigorous physical conditioning, the marksmanship training, lessons on field craft, torture resistance, and the skepticism from his peers, this is it. No more tagging along on an op, no more hanging back when shit got interesting. His first operation as lead.

As if sensing the glee coursing through him, Adler raised a brow from across the table. The older man tapped at the middle folder to direct Emile’s attention, which, in Emile’s opinion, was completely unnecessary. He‘d never been this locked in.

“I’ve got a job for you,” Adler began. “Something I trust you can handle. We have the location of a suspected terrorist cell, embedded deep inside a mountain, too deep for satellites to confirm. You’re gonna have to go in and get visual and signal confirmation, as well as the layout of the compound.” The man paused, placing a thick folder on the table. It was heftier than the other three. “Here’s the full brief. Memorize it.”

Emile gave the thick brief the barest glance before immediately snapping his eyes back to the first three folders. Yeah, no. That’s not what he’s here for.

Actually, technically, it was what he woke up at the ass crack of dawn for. But it’s not what he wants. Not really.

Adler chuckled beneath his breath. “Fine, I see how it is.”

“‘Course you do. You’ve got me on pins and needles here, old man,” Emile grinned, “don’t keep me in suspense. Gimme.” The blonde crept a hand towards the rightmost folder. It was lightly smacked away by the other man.

Adler pinched the bridge of his in exasperation. “Kid, you’re being assigned an asset. It’s no big deal. This is a standard component of field operations.”

Nope. Adler wasn’t gonna dress this down as something mundane. “Yes, it is...But! Only fully trained intelligence officers get to be Handlers. Which means I am now a fully fledged intel officer. Today I’m getting my government sanctioned Scary Dog privilege. I’m over the fucking moon, sir.”

Adler, for his part, sighed and leaned back in his seat, as if drained by the exchange. He took a long sip of what must be lukewarm coffee, before making a ‘have at it motion’ with his free hand.

Emile snatched the rightmost file his hand had crept towards earlier. Azure eyes scanned every detail, eating up the feast of personal intel before him, all of it laid bare to pick at and examine within the palace of his mind. He sank into the deep concentration he’d adopted for analysis.

Huh. No photos. Not even a name, Emile mused. Must be to eliminate all bias. Relax, Adler. Pretty privilege won’t be a factor here.

The master, meanwhile, silently watched his protege work. He observed the younger man shuffle through page after page, folder to folder, noted which of the dossiers he spent the longest time examining.

Adler had his own guess as to who the younger would pick.

“Well? Your thoughts?” Adler asked after what he felt should’ve been enough time had passed.

Emile blinked, seemingly resurfacing from the depths. He stretched languidly before placing all sheets of paper in their proper folders.

“This is exactly what I imagined choosing my first starter Pokemon would feel like.”

“…I’m gonna pretend I understand what you said for the sake of moving on.”

Emile chuckled. “Heh. Sorry. Couldn’t help it.” He carded a hand through his hair briefly.

“Okay, to start with,” he pushed the file to the left the slightest bit but forward, “this one’s skilled, as expected. Service record’s impeccable and squeaky clean. He’s shiny. Perfect. Boring.” The blonde waves a dismissive hand.

“Boring?” Adler tilted his head, a clear order to elaborate.

Emile tapped at the table in thought. “Boring, as in the guy’s record may be stellar, but his résumé’s full of the basic ‘breach a target building and spray everything with bullets’ kind of work, which I’m sure he’s very good at, but I need more nuance, more variety. I also get the impression subtlety is lost on him and he won’t be finding it anytime soon.”

“Hm. Next?” Adler asked.

Odd. The man would normally needle him for more.

“Right…” Emile eyed the other with suspicion. He pushed the middle file forward. “This one? I hate to say this, it’s such a ridiculous nitpick, but he’s a bit of a yes man. I don’t need or want one. If I happen to fuck up, i need someone to set me straight. Get in my face about it. Everything else about him is great. Really. But…not what I want.”

He was being picky, sure, but he wasn’t gonna leave anything to chance. He needed someone with a spine, someone who won’t let themselves get steamrolled by him.

Again, Adler gave a noncommittal answer, this time a grunt of acknowledgment, and motioned for him to get to the final dossier.

Just like previously, that seemed too easy. Emile began to suspect something was afoot. If it was anyone else sitting before him, alarm bells would’ve been ringing in his head by now; and yes that’s a wild statement considering the reputation of the man before him.

Emile glanced at the final dossier, his right hand splayed wide over it like a possessive spider over captured prey. He’d saved the interesting one for last.

“This one,” Emile pushed the last dossier towards the center after sweeping the rejects aside, “Clearly, like the last two, his record’s fantastic; several successful missions, solo and team, as well as variety in his skillset and experiences. His evals paint him to be a free thinker when necessary yet easily falls into line and can take orders. When you put all this together, this guy pulls ahead of the others by a small margin… ”

“But..?” Adler prompted, shifting forward in his seat.

Although Emile couldn’t see the man’s eyes, shielded behind Oakleys as they were, he felt the heat of them. Years of exposure had never made them any less unsettling.

“I noticed some strikes against him on an otherwise impressive record.” Emiles pulled the relevant page out of the folder. “Guy’s got a record of violent outbursts and—-well, reports of him ripping out two men’s throats. Two. I have questions.”

”Of course you do.” Adler, the bastard, didn’t bother to hide the smugness coloring his voice. “The torn throats happened during a raid two years into his time as a vanilla Marine, very close quarters. He’d been jumped and lost his firearm in the scuffle, but managed to dispatch both—“

“Wait, I’m sorry, ‘both’? As in, within the same instance? He chomped two throats, in a row? Consecutively?!” What the fuck. Why am I fixated on this?

“You’re fixated on this.”

Shit.

“No. Nope. It’s just…impressive is all. Please, continue,” said Emile. He fought off the sudden urge to press a hand against his throat.

The scarred man obviously didn’t fall for his bullshit with how the corner of his mouth was lifted. “The violent outbursts, on the other hand, were actually two separate instances. Well…more like cases than instances,” Adler said.

“Yeah?” Emile asked,leaned closer.

“The first case happened during his early days of basic. A couple of recruits from his cohort thought it would be cute to mess with the moody guy. Repeatedly. Moody guy had enough and sent them to the infirmary.”

Emile let out a low whistle at that. A spine. This was promising. “Nice. And the powers that be at the time didn’t boot him from the Marines?” Honestly, beating the crap out of your bullies screamed devil dog behavior, really on brand of them.

“No need.” Oh. That was a full blown smirk on Adler’s face. Holy shit. “Kid got squared away and humbled by a passing spec ops operator at the behest of a drill instructor. He’s been well behaved and obedient ever since. Mostly.”

Wow. Note to future self: conduct an extensive, invasive background check of this guy’s past. Because he needs more, dammit. And he’s the goddamn CIA now, no need to jump through hoops to unlock someone’s backstory.

“That’s one. What about the second case?” Emile found himself mentally cataloging the gear they’d be needing. Heh. I guess I’ve made my mind up.

Adler downed the last of his, now frigid, coffee before continuing. “The second happened a year into his time as a Force Recon operator. Heard a rumor about a Captain abusing his rank to coerce members of the lower ranks into acts of…that nature.”

The younger scowled. Jesus.

Adler nodded. “Yes, Exactly. Our guy caught this captain in the act with one of his fellow squad mates. From the official reports I’ve read, that officer was absolutely mauled.”

Emile took in a ragged breath. Just what exactly are you gifting me, Adler? Because… “Okay but this time, he had to have been punished severely.”

“Three month’s suspension,” the other man chuckled, “a slap on the wrist. They couldn’t punish our guy in a meaningful way for this, the optics would be terrible. Not to mention the uproar it would cause among the enlisted. But they had to do something.” Adler shrugged. “So, slap on the wrist it was.”

Emile let out a bark of laughter, giddy and light with elation. He took a deep breath, leaned back in his seat, mind warm and fuzzy, and closed his eyes for a moment before speaking.

“I want him. Gimme the spicy one.”

I want him. I want the one who’s gonna literally fight tooth and nail to survive when the odds are stacked against him. I want the one who’s gonna take matters into his violent, vicious hands when a comrade can’t protect themselves. I want all of that for myself. I’ll be the one to hold his leash. I’m gonna point all that teeth and violence at the enemy. He’s dangerous. But screw safe. Safe doesn’t get shit done. It’s why I’m here.

Emile thought of Oscar. He thought of how he’d gladly suffer countless sentences for him if it meant keeping him safe.

“Heh.”

The younger man blinked. ”Eh?” Whoops. He’d been fantasizing about the new murder puppy. In front of Adler. Fuck.

Adler snorted. “Good to know you approve of this one. I won’t have to tell the Marines to cancel all the arrangements made.”

Emile stared down the smug face across the table.

“…You’re a bastard, you know that?” he asked in disbelief. “Why even ask me to go through the others? Did I even have a choice?”

Adler stood, gathering the two rejected folders. “Yes. If you chose any of the other two, I’d have taken care of it. But I know you. You were never gonna take them. I knew you wanted someone who matched you psychologically. But you had to make that decision for yourself.”

Great, Emile thought. His mentor knew him enough to find the right candidate to match his freak. The man should consider matchmaking as a side hustle if the CIA no longer worked out.

“Here,” Adler said, sliding a small photo towards Emile. “A peace offering for bamboozling you. It was fun.”

“Tch. I was not bamboozled.“ Emile muttered. He snatched the offered photo eagerly.

Oh.

Oooh.

Maybe Adler made the right call withholding photos. Impartiality would’ve been thrown out the window.

Pretty, was Emile’s immediate impression. The eyes in the photo were fierce, the hair a non-regulation mess, and a beauty mark sat at the corner of the left eye. Emile then noticed the name scribbled in Adler’s neat handwriting.

Efren Torres Aldrich.

Efren. EfrenEfrenEfren. Heh. Effy. Emile ran a reverent thumb over dark eyes, wondering what they would see once they’ve peered into his own dark blue. He gently tucked the photo into his shirt pocket, a hot brand nestled against his heart.

Adler slid the neglected brief closer to Emile. “Like I said, memorize it. You’ll meet him tomorrow at Langley Air Force base, 0500.” He gathered his empty mug, files tucked under arm, before reaching over to ruffle Emile’s hair. “Don’t scare the poor guy away, kid. I actually put effort into pairing you with someone who’d watch your back.”

Emile let warmth wash over him as he leaned into the affectionate touch. “I make no promises,” he teased. Hm. Would Efren like having a hand in his hair, too?

He felt Adler make his way towards the door as he settled in, ready for hours of reading, careful planning, deciding which insertion points would be the least detectable, which exfil routes were the least hazardous in all that mountain terrain, maybe study a topographical map of the area, and if he needed to make contact with a trustworthy local source to have—

“Emile.”

Deep blue eyes blinked into awareness, mind resurfacing.

“Yeah?”

From the open doorway, Adler gazed at Emile. The man appeared to consider something.

“Good luck out there. Remember…” Adler paused, voice heavy with faint emotion the younger man can’t quite identify, “as handler you’re responsible for the well being and, to an extent, actions of your asset in the field. Call the shots and he’ll follow. Got it?”

Somber and pensive Adler was a rare creature, one Emile wasn’t well versed in dealing with even after years of knowing the man.

“Understood,” Emile said, nodding, matching the other man’s tone.

The mood possessing Adler was gone in an instant. He gave a brusque nod before shutting the door.

I’m gonna steal his jacket when I get back, Emile thought fondly with a chuckle as he went back to reading. And gotta have all my prep finished early enough so that dear Efren won’t have to put up with my sleep deprived whining.

Emile spent the rest of the day quietly poring over mission intel, hand occasionally reaching to cup his throat.

#i did a write!#CIA baby’s first asset #this is for u kings! i loved the sweet vampire7-11 fic!#i kno nothing about how the cia works but i prefer my way better lmaoo #[redacted] ocs #shadow 7 11 (cod oc)#shadow company #call of duty #russell adler #red11

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yaspup9000 · 1 year ago

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By Popular demand, here’s some of my LPS Hot takes

Some of the later pets weren’t That bad. Like yea I do agree that the tv show based toys from like 2013-2016 weren’t that great and kinda fugly looking, but with some of the 2020 pets, why yes not as iconic as the 2000s lps that we know and love, I still believe some people were really harsh on some of these pets cuz like they did look really cute tho! My only problem with the pets was the fact they had names tbh 2. Not every g2 lps molds were perfect. Some really good examples of older lps molds being kinda ugly were the first Jack Russel and poodle molds. I’ve also mentioned about the skunk/Squrriel molds were pretty lazy since it’s just the same mold . They didn’t even try to make them different from each other. Like say what you will but at least with some of the newer pets between 2013-2020 they were at least trying to make the skunk and squirrel molds different from each other. also the opossum molds was not all that great tbh..

3. The worse thing that ever happened to lps was the Blythe loves lps toy line. No joke idk why they thought this was good. I mean if you guys loved the Blythe dolls that’s fine, to me I always found them off putting since well, they just didn’t fit personally. Like you’re the one who’s caring the pets or this is a world where it’s run by pets. There was never any mention about humans tbh. Again this is prob coming from bitter younger me lol. But in all seriousness though, never really liked Blythe dolls tbh

4. People need to Chill out about the some of the rerelease of lps. Yes I understand, I’m just as nervous and excited as the rest of you guys however I genuinely feel as if people are really making a mountain out of a hill over some prototypes and a blind bag. Like I understand that everyone’s burned out by bad decisions after bad decisions within the lps Franchise. And yes blind bags are overused and annoying however, Guys.. they’re not just gonna make only just blind bags, they’re gonna do other stuff for lps soon just be patient. Not to mention at the end of the day, they’re still just silly little pets for kids. Can you critique the toys? Of course! But just remember that it ain’t that deep. 5. They should bring back that one brown poodle mold

yes this one! its cute as hecc! and i wish they would bring this back 6. This cat isn't a "Wolf-Cat" Its a maine coon. This isn't even an opinion or anything, i just wanna let people know that its suppose to be a maine coon. also the actual "wolf-cat" is called Lykoi and idk how that breed of cat would look as an lps.

7. the main reason back in 2013 Lps was having a reboot was due to MLP having a reboot. that's just my theory tho.

8. I feel like a lot of people keep forgetting that 90s LPS exist. Like whenever people say "g1" they don't think about the kenner Lps toys, they were thinking about the 2000's lps that was popularized by hasbro. and tbh that kinda sucks.. cuz why yes the kenner toys were more into realism, i still geninually, like the kenner lps figures they were rad.

9. The sticker eyes lps were cute, I actually liked them 10. One pet peeve I had with LPS popular, is that technically, Brook should of been arrested or at least suspended since she did attack Savannah first. Not to mention, doesn't this school have like cameras or something!? i know this has been years since I've watched LPS popular but like, bruh, Why don't her parents believe her!

Umm.. I dont really have any other opinions nor thoughts at the moment. idk feel free to ask me anything lps related and I'll give my honest opinions.

#lps #lpsblr #littlest pet shop #idk man #random ramblings

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charlie-lec-stories · 2 years ago

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PR's biggest mess // CL16

Pairing: Charles Leclerc/Russell!sister

Summary: Lea Russell was the first F1 female driver, making history for the women’s movement in the racing world. But when things got more and more complicated, her life became a constant PR mess.

Chapter's Warnings: Some suggested sexual activity, not described though. Descriptions of a panic attack. Mention of an accident.

Author's Note: This one is a long one-shot. Hope you like it.

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When George made his first steps into the karting world, Lea always followed behind. They were close in age, she was 10 months older but since she was constantly getting into trouble, people would often say that she looked younger. It didn't help when George hit puberty and started growing in height, it seemed like he would never stop, finally ending with an over ten centimeters of difference over his older sister. They always felt like twins, doing everything together, sharing friends, classes and even sometimes clothes. Karting became a shared passion that them both used as a stress reliever during their teenage years. Lando Norris and Alex Albon were close to the Russell siblings, the four of them going for lunch every weekend after karting.

Years passed and the three boys made their debuts in F1, Lea staying behind. There were many factors that kept her away from the tracks, there was a gender bias and she was well aware of it. People would never pay the same attention to her as they paid to her brother. She learned to live with that, so she looked for other ways to stay close to the tracks. She went to college, got a degree on engineering and mastered on physics and mechanics, then she proceeded to make her way into a team. McLaren were the ones interested in what she had to offer. While the boys raced, she worked on the cars. With her masters, she quickly became Race Engineer and started working with Lando. The two made a fantastic team, she would guide him swiftly through the races, and he would listen carefully to what she had to say.

Her technics were odd, she would constantly be taking notes, calculating things and no one knew exactly what went through her head. All they knew was that whenever she grabbed the pencil and chanted numbers at Lando, he would go faster and cleaner through the tracks. That was the reason everyone was nervous when she looked so worried one Thursday night, no numbers on her pages, only pencil smudged everywhere from using her eraser so much. Lando was the one worried the most. It was his best championship so far, with an easy third place on the grid and 9 podiums. Lewis Hamilton was close behind on the fourth place and Charles Leclerc was extremely close to him on the second place. He needed to win if he wanted to leave Hamilton behind and keep up with Leclerc. Leclerc and Max Verstappen were close to each other, by a just two points difference, so Lando believed that if he could win at least three of the five races left and get second place on the other two, he could be champion. His Race Engineer losing it was the last thing he needed.

"Tell me what do you need and we'll do it, Lee". Lando was willing to do whatever she needed. He could see her calculating things inside her head, her eyes moving frantically around the screen in front of her, full of data about the car, the track and a bunch of things he had no idea what they meant.

"I need to test it". She said out loud, but Lando wasn't sure if she was talking to him or not, she had been mumbling things for hours. They were practically alone on the circuit by that point. Max, who was Lando’s close friend and fellow driver, and Cristian Horner, Max’s boss, were also there at the Red Bull Racing garage doing the same as Lando and Lea, trying to get the last touches done before the first free practice session.

"What is it you need to test?". Lea looked at him and he knew exactly the kind of mess they could get into. "We're gonna get fired. No, Russell". He said shaking his head. There was no way she was driving the car. “That’s what they pay me for”.

“You can’t drive until tomorrow and I would never send you out there with something I’m not sure about”. She of course felt responsible for his life, she was well aware that he trusted her and she wanted to keep that trust.

“That’s unsafe for you too then”. He was not letting it go easy. “If it dangerous for me it is for you too”. She gave him a look of warning. “I’m not suggesting I’m a better driver. I just want us to get out of here in one piece… and not jobless”.

"I need to make sure, and if this gets you the championship, then we'll never get fired". She took Lando’s second race suit and a the whole head security gear.

Lando won that race but didn't win the championship, he finished in third place. Still, that night gave Lea the best contract of her life when Horner saw her drive.

She felt like it was the craziest dream, the pictures, the merchandising, the press. Everyone wanted a piece of her. Max was the only one who could get it, he was her light in the darkness of the sea of people. And for Max, Lea was like fresh air, she was the first teammate that he didn't want to push out of the track. They worked good together and PR saw that as the best way to sell the team. As friends, they were a little uncomfortable with PR's strategy, flirting for fun was natural, they were both flirty people, but the touching was a little too much for them. Hands needed to be on each other constantly, and that wasn't something they liked. She needed to be a lot of things: a good girl with the cocky personality of a bad girl, sexy but not sexual, straightforward but no impolite, cheerful but not annoying. There were a lot of expectations on her and too much of something or too little of anything could mean the biggest fisco for Red Bull. PR knew how important it was to have the first female F1 driver ever on their hands and they didn't want to mess it up. Lea had to be the face and heart of Red Bull, there was no place for something else. She was forbidden from cheering for her brother, Lando or their teams. Alex and Charles, who were good friends for her too, became off limits, she could never be associated to other team other than Red Bull, so Max was the only real contact she had.

Getting P3 on her first race was the most epic moment of her life. The battle with Charles for second place would win awards as the best moment of racing for many decades later, the monegasque winning literally by the distance of the size of a tyre. The celebration was crazy, Max and Charles showered her in champagne while her brother screamed her name and jumped excited. Everyone was out of their minds, the first female driver got a podium on her first race. She wasn't just making history, she was a whole movement. There were little girls dreaming of being her. Things were going too fast for her, and after just four races she found herself running away from everyone. Her chest closing as her head felt heavier. Her trembling legs were taking her to her brother's trailer the best they could, she needed him so fuck PR, but the dizziness that clouded her mind was too much for her. Heart pounding out of her chest, vision almost black she stumbled into the first trailer she could find. Once the door was close, she let the panic take over her. Her body fell to the floor once her legs finally gave up.

"It's okay. Breath with me". She heard the voice but couldn't even process who was talking to her, so she just assumed it was George. She gripped at him for dear life, feeling like she could die any moment. The arms that wrapped around her pressed her so tight she actually felt like she was snapping out of whatever state she was in. She felt him breath and tried to follow him. The voice became more clear, guiding her breathing at the top of her head, and the rest of her senses started coming back with each deep breath. When she was finally able to smell, she noticed that the person wasn't George. She lived her whole life with him and she could recognize her brother with her eyes closed anytime once she was feeling like herself again. Her foggy vision subsided and she saw the red and black clothing on the good samaritan that helped her. "Are you feeling better?". Charles voice filled the air, his hands going up and down her back and his voice vibrating on her face that was tightly pressed against his chest.

"Yes". She managed to squeal out and she felt him kiss the top of her head. She always found Charles nice, but he was pretty shy around her and she never expected him to be this affectionate. She wasn't complaining though. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude into your trailer. I was actually looking for Georgie". She could feel him laughing softly, it warmed her inside, discarding some of the embarrassment she felt for the whole situation.

"It's okay. I'm glad I could help, even though I'm not George". They stayed like that for a moment, silently breathing through their noses to lower their heart rates. Both of them for different reasons, but Charles had no plans on letting her know that. "Do you want to talk about it?". He asked on her hair, trying to ignore the fuzzy feeling on his chest brought by the closeness. He then tried to pull away a little to look at her face, but she grabbed his race suit tight and forced him back onto her.

"Please, don't go, I think I could fall apart any minute". She sounded so desperate he couldn't help but pull her even closer.

"I'm not going anywhere, Lee". She sighed in relief, her face still buried on his suit. He sat more comfortably on the floor, bringing her to his lap and they stayed like that. "You can always come to me if you need to".

And so she did. When things got too much, she would sneak into his trailer and they would lay on the small couch, chests pressed together, her face buried on his neck while they talked about nothing and everything. They would avoid each other in public, like oil and water, only talking when it was necessary and then they would let everything out when they were alone. He could feel his hands aching whenever they were close on the paddock, and Max's would go up and down her arm while they talked. He wasn't sure about their situation. But he knew that what they secretly had couldn’t be something that Max could be okay with. Why don't go to Max when she felt like escaping? They seemed so close and she always talked so good about him when they were cuddling. Why was she sneaking into his trailer when she could openly go to Max's? Why would she need him when she obviously had Max eagerly willing to get close and she always let him? Too many questions he didn't have the guts to ask.

PR got a little more indulgent with time. Around Silverstone time was also Lea's birthday and she was allowed to celebrate however she wanted since she was doing great on the championship, but she had to at least post a picture or story with Max. If there was something she was grateful for was that her friendship with Max was strong, otherwise they would have hated each other by then. Fans were shipping them together and PR was constantly shoving them onto each other, it was exhausting. For her birthday, Lea decided to invite some of her closest friends to her home in London for a night of partying. She could finally let loose of all of the tension. Max, Charles, Alex, Lando, George, Carlos and Pierre, with the girlfriends of those who weren't single, were all gathered around a fire on her back yard. Jokes and bottles of different brewages were exchanged between the group. Max and Lea published their picture together and then immediately went on their different ways, Max sat next to Lando to plan their getaway for the summer break, while she sat next to a pretty drunk Charles, who was missing the upper three buttons of his shirt and was loudly laughing at something Pierre had said in french. It seemed that what he had on his glass was good, so she poured some on a glass for herself, and then another... and another, and another.

"You shouldn't drive". Was the first thing that left Pierre's lips when he saw Charles looking up at him to say goodnight. "Maybe you should stay here, man".

"I have a guest room". Lea said in between sips of whatever was on her glass at the moment. George got up and took the glass away from her.

"You should slow this down, sis". She smiled and nodded her head. It wasn’t the first time they partied together and they both knew how she got with alcohol. They also knew that she would drink again once George went out the door, but that warning gave him the excuse to scold her later, while the worst hungover ever ached inside her head.

Once everyone was out, Lea plopped down next to Charles on the couch. Her eyes felt heavy and her skin cold. She was falling asleep when Charles started getting up from the couch. She looked at him for a moment, slightly sobering up from the realisation of what he was doing when she saw him reach for his jacket, wallet and phone.

"You're going...?". She wasn't sure if she was asking or not. Charles looked back at her. He knew he was going to cross a line if he stayed. There was this caged desire inside his chest for years and it really wanted to get out. He was dying to kiss her.

"Max won't be happy if I stay". Max and him might be rivals who were constantly fighting each other for almost everything and they were extremely petty about it, but he wasn't playing with something as serious as a relationship. He would hate to be on Max's end of the situation. They must have been a lot more serious that what she had with Charles for them to be so openly touchy and post about each other all the time. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the fire, as if trying to connect the dots.

"Why would he be mad?"

"Aren't you... something?". He emphasised the word 'something', since he wasn't sure what they were.

"We're friends and teammates". She said giggling a little. "Damn, we're better at acting than I expected". Her words flew into his drunken mind with some difficulty. "I never thought you would buy into that PR shit".

"PR?". He felt stupid asking, but he wasn't exactly on his smartest state to process information.

"It's fake". She assured him, sneaking her arms around his neck, feeling a lot bolder thanks to the alcohol. "We're just touchy because Karen at PR told us to. Well, more like she forced us to. Max and I are just friends, really good friends, but just that". She smiled up at him. "I don't want you to be my friend, Charlie".

Once the words sank into his brain, his lips crashed on hers. Finally, all that pent up want was out. His hands went to her ass and squeezed, signaling her to wrap her legs around his waist. She followed the command eagerly. Before they both could process what was happening, they were lying on the couch inside the house, him on top of her, leaving a trail of kisses down her neck and chest. Her hands went under his shirt, ready for the only birthday gift she was actually wishing for. The next morning they woke up to the faint light of the raising sun coming through the back yard glass door. Charles was the first one up, running one of his hands up and down her arm while he covered his eyes with the other. His hungover was killing him. She stirred a bit on his chest, releasing a whine when the sun kissed her eyes. The sound reminded him of the night before, a smile appearing instantly on his face. On his chest, he could feel her smiling too.

After three months and a summer break of sneaking around for make-out sessions, sex and cute dates, they finally had to let PR know. They were sure of their relationship, and wanted everyone to know. They haven't even told their families and Lea felt awful for lying to her bother. She had never lied to George before, not even for the most embarrassing things, so lying about something as great as her relationship with Charles was painful for her. Charles wanted to tell his mother like crazy, he was on the best time of his life, winning races, loving the woman he liked since he met George, and the car was on its prime. Again, he was close to be world champion. Max had the same points than him, but Charles was leading on winnings. He just had to keep winning, and he totally felt like he could. He looked at Lea before opening the door, kissing her one last time. Outside, he checked no one was around the trailer's area and let her go. She walked straight to her PR's office, searching for Karen.

To say that the conversation was awful would be an understatement. Lea was even surprised that Karen could raise her voice to the level she did and even though Lea has always been someone to stand up for herself, she could barely say a word. Charles didn't have much luck with his agent either. The point was clear: They couldn't date a rival, it wasn't good for business, and the whole market worked around competition and rivalry. Max and Charles had a long history of pressing each other's buttons, Lea dating Charles was like treason to Red Bull. It also didn't look good for a raising driver to be romantically involve with another driver, it made things messy and made her look like she 'got the seat sucking the right guys', Karen's words exactly. One thing was flirting with Max and a whole another was officially dating a fellow driver. The pair found themselves under the most intense scrutiny, purposely booked on different interviews and placed away from each other on public events. Lea's spirits were going down by the day and Max was more than capable of noting the change on his friend's aura.

"What is it, Lee?". He asked her once he quietly took her to his drivers room. She just looked at him tired, like the flame usually burning inside her was nearly dead. "You've been losing power lately".

"That's nonsense, Max. I'm fine". She tried to get out but he placed his hand on her shoulder. He didn't press or forced her to stop, she just obeyed the motion, like a robot.

"You're not". He made her turn around and look him in the eyes. "You're my friend, we've known each other for years and you're the only person I talk to every day. I know you". He could see the guilt pass her eyes momentarily, so he kept talking. "I know that for the last few months something really good must have happened to you. I've never seen you so happy, not even after your first race. I was waiting for you to bring it up yourself and tell me, but seeing you so down I wonder-"

"I'd tell you, Max". She cut him off. "God knows I'd tell you, but I would literally get fired. Plus, I don't think you'd be happy if you knew".

"Try me". He sat on the bed and grabbed her hand to make her sit with him. "I know I have a temper, but I won't get mad. And I won’t tell anyone that you told me. I promise".

"I am- was- am. I don't even know anymore". She stopped and took a deep breath. "I'm dating Charles". She could see his brain working. He made a face of slight disgust, he definitely wasn't a fan of the idea. His teammate and closest friend dating his rival and a guy he didn't have the best relationship with. Charles was usually nice and he tried to be nice back, but he daydreamed a lot about Leclerc losing and DNFing for him to like the idea of him and Lea dating. "You're not the only one who made that face". He was about to justify himself when she kept talking. "Don't worry, I get it. It's okay, I didn't expect you to love the concept". Max relaxed a bit. "PR doesn't love it either. They have been suggesting me, rather intensely, to break up with him".

"And what do you want?".

"I want Charles".

Max went from hating the idea to fan number one. He would make up almost any excuse to keep people busy and give her a small window to see Charles. The Ferrari golden boy also talked to his teammate, Carlos, who was more than eager to help. Lea knew that she had to come clean with George, the fact that other people knew before him was eating her alive. But when the conversation finally happened, George took the news way different from what she expected.

"I know". He said chuckling. They were on her hotel room in Spain, sitting on the bed while eating homemade biscuits that their mother sent. She furrowed her eyebrows. "I guessed it since your birthday, you were too comfortable with each other. You two weren't like that before. Plus, Charles has liked you for ages, I already knew that too".

"You never told me that!". He just shrugged his shoulders.

"It was not my place, and you never told me you liked him. If you had just told me, I would have done something about it!". He raised his hands up in defence.

"I didn't thought of him like that before. We kinda hit it off this year". She blushed and George giggled only to be rewarded with a pillow to his face.

Ferrari's PR was ready to give Charles a free pass when he won the championship against Max, but they weren't exactly keen to give him the only pass he actually wanted. Tired of hiding, he finally told his mother and brothers and before they both knew it, the circle of people knowing the secret became larger than they expected. The holidays came and Lea decided to spend them in Monaco and her family was okay with that. They took a few pictures with the outfits before she went to Monte Carlo, so they could post them online and keep the façade for her. Christmas with the Leclerc's were great, she got to hang out with Charles' brothers and finally they got some time alone at Charles' apartment. They enjoyed every second of it. They celebrated Charles' first championship and their six months together.

Before they knew it, another championship started and Lea had a real chance to win. The races became more and more interesting, with Lea, Charles and Max constantly fighting for the top. The three of them were highly equipped to win and they weren't slowing down. With a secret relationship and the championship competition, Lea and Charles were constantly pent up and they became less careful when sneaking around. The first picture that appeared online was of a terrible quality, so most people assumed it was fake. But it was a close call: They needed to do something about it. People started to suspect that something was happening and PR's stunt of Max and Lea wasn't selling anymore. They did the best they could to turn things down a notch, but they were playing with fire and at some point, they were going to burn themselves.

It all started with a crash. It wasn’t a big one, but it meant a DNF for Charles and Max, who were pretty heated up about it. They started their argument on the track, next to their cars, shoving each other while throwing accusations partially muffed by the helmets. Nothing got recorded since they were already disconnected from their radios, but it was clear that it was an intense discussion since Charles ended up falling butt first to the grass from a particular hard push from Max. Things kept escalating once they reached the garages. There was no calming them down. People was used to them exploding at each other, but they have never gotten that physical. Their helmets were off and their voices could be hear clearly. The race had still 15 laps to go and the teams were doing the best they could to control the situation in the garage while still concentrating on Carlos and Lea who were fighting each other for first position, left to their reach with their teammates’ DNFs. Max was completely out of it, he was already pissed from last year’s loss of the championship, and this was the last thing he needed to jump at Charles’ throat. On his end, Charles’ was uncomfortable with Max and Lea’s public image and he could barely stand whatever Max did. The race finished with Lea in the front and Max was trying to be forced to the podium to be a good teammate and support the winner, but things were too out of control and Max’s desire to hurt Charles got the best of him.

“You did it on purpose. You’re just jealous of me and you know it”. He could see the fire in Charles’ eyes and that only fuelled him up to keep pushing. “You’re scared she will leave you for me”. Max had no interest in dating Lea, he knew it, she knew it, but he also knew that the comment would make a large wound on Charles’ pride. The moment the comment hit the air everyone stopped what they were doing. Charles, initially taken aback, broke the silence.

“Take that back!”. Before he could launch himself at Max -again- he was dragged inside the Ferrari garage and forced to his driver’s room. Max, on the other side, was suddenly changing his mood, running into the Red Bull garage by himself, well aware of the implications of what he had just done. He silently preyed for the argument not to have been recorded, but he knew that it was, people loved drama and their argument was the perfect show for all the cameras present. All hell broke loose. He didn’t just outed his friend’s relationship to the media, he also made it seen like he was involved in the whole thing as wanting to be a possible candidate for her. PR was going to kill him or, worse, fire him. But whatever they’d do to him would be nothing compared to Lea’s rage when she’d find out. He had to tell her himself, before things kept going down further.

Showered in champagne, she walked to the garage followed by the cameras and the press. She was so happy that she didn’t even try to listen to what the press was asking her, she just wanted to get her ice bath and sneak into Charles’ trailer to have the best sex of her life. But her track of thinking was suddenly interrupted by a very worried Max that was running towards her. Before she could make her way towards him, Charles appeared by her side. She turned around to greet him, maybe ask him how he was feeling after the DNF, but his hands grabbed her face and he crashed his lips in hers before she could actually say ‘hi’. Since the first time they kissed she was physically unable to resist, she just loved to kiss him too much to ever say no, so her first reaction was to instinctively kiss back. Her hands went to his chest as Charles moved his lips on hers kind of desperate. The moment of clearness came and she moved away, Charles almost falling forward for how much he was pressing into her. She all of sudden became aware of the cameras and the people yelling at them. She sent Charles a warning look but he wasn’t even staring a her to notice. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were focussed on the garage to her side. She followed his gaze and saw a scared Max looking back at Charles. She quickly gripped Charles’ arm and pulled him towards the Red Bull garage and to her driver’s room, motioning for Max to follow them, who walked behind the pair looking down at his feet and cussing under his breath in Dutch.

“What was all of that about?”. She asked once the door was closed behind Max. None of them said anything, Charles kept his eyes glued to Max, while the other tried to keep as much physical distance with the Ferrari driver as possible. He was actually worried about his safety, he knew he crossed a line and he could see himself paying for it. “I asked a question, gentlemen”. Lea continued, her voice hard and cold.

“I messed up”. Max admitted looking down. “I pushed Charles’ buttons on the wrong matter”.

“What happened?”. She was now looking at them more worried than pissed.

“What happens it that your teammate wants to fuck you, that’s what happens”. Charles said through gritted teeth. She could feel the anger radiating from him. Charles wasn’t a jealous person at all, it was actually weird to see him that possessive, so it had to be a pretty direct comment for Charles to get to that point. She knew he was as uncomfortable with her and Max’s PR stunt as they were themselves, but they talked about it plenty of times and he always understood.

“What are you talking about, baby? We’ve talked about this. Max and I are just friends”. There was this hurt expression mixed with the anger on Charles’ face and she could see that he was feeling like shit under his threatening demeanour.

“Seems like he didn’t got the memo, because he’s sure that you’ll leave me for him”. Max sighed loudly and Lea moved her attention from Charles to her teammate, her confusion clear on her face.

“I didn’t mean it, I swear. I know it’s no excuse, but I just wanted to make you mad. I was furious, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not true, Charles”. The other softened his expression a little, but he was still loudly breathing through his nose. “I wanted you to hurt, like the championship hurt for me last year. I crossed a line”.

“You did”. Was all that Charles left out, his shoulders a little more relaxed and his gaze moving from Max to Lea. “I’m sorry for making a scene, Lee”.

“Me too”. Max added. “And I’m sorry for what I said earlier, Charles. I really am”.

“You two being sorry won’t solve this mess”. Now it was her turn to be furious. “You two outed something that we weren’t allow to out. Our jobs, our sponsors and my bloody fucking career are on the line here! You’re men, you can give two shits about your reputation and someone will always support you. I don’t have that privilege. Karen will have our heads on sticks outside by night. You fell into this testosterone pitty party and I’m the one who got burned!”. Both men looked at the floor. “Get out. Both of you. I need time to think”. With that, they walked out of the room. Outside, photographers pictured the battled men walking side by side silently. They sat on the floor of the garage, backs against Max’s broken car, facing the door of Lea’s driver’s room. They spent fifteen minutes in silence, until they saw George get into the garage, his pissed off expression fired at them when he saw them. Max tried to speak up, but George shook his head and raised his hand to shut him up. The younger Russell kept walking and entered his sister’s room.

“They’re gonna get the cold shoulder for a while. I don’t care how much time they camp outside this door”. He said once inside the room. His sister was laying down on her little bed and he sat on the floor in front of her.

“You’re kidding, right?”. Her brother answered no with his head making a groan leave her immediately.

“They’re sitting outside. Actually, I think I never saw them this quiet around each other, like, ever”. She chuckled at the comment. “Their ‘I-am-truly-sorry-I-was-a-cunt-please-forgive-me’ faces are pretty good though”. He added, earning a full laugh from his sister this time.

“Thanks for always making everything better, Georgie”. She said once her laugh subsided. Her brother smiled big and giggled a bit.

“That’s what brothers are for, sis”.

The press conference post race was messy. Carlos, who got second place wasn’t even asked one question, Lando’s presence and his third place weren’t acknowledged at all, and Lea was only asked about her personal life. She had to explain that she had a recent, she had to lie there, relationship with Charles and that since Max and him didn’t get along pretty well, they would usually say things they didn’t mean to get into each other’s nerves. Karen made her say that it was all too new and that they were still trying to see if things worked out. PR decided to explore the ‘jealousy trope’ for a bit to see if it could help to raise the tension of the competition. Lea wasn’t comfortable at all with that, but she was well aware of who she could piss of and who she couldn’t. Charles and Max refused interviews and they both posted apologies on their social medias to address their fight on the track, explaining that the adrenaline of the race sometimes leads to things getting out of control and that they were really sorry for what happened. It was a half truth and they were satisfied with that, after all, driving at 300 kph was for sure something difficult to get down from, the high being too high not to come down with a crash.

“What do you want, Charles?”. Asked George that night when he opened his sister’s hotel room door after hearing the monegasque knocking on it non-stop.

“Is Lee here?”. He said timidity. George had always seemed to him like the sweetest guy ever, but the look he was giving him was anything but sweet. If looks could kill, Charles would be visiting the Titanic for eternity.

“You already gave her your half-assed apology”. George was being way meaner that he needed to be, but he really wanted to make Charles suffer before letting the matter go.

“You can let him in, Georgie”. Lea authorised from inside the room. George moved aside to let Charles in, grabbed his jacket and walked out of the room, not before telling his sister to call if she needed him and throwing Charles a nasty glare. “What do you want, Charles?”. She repeated her brother’s greeting with the same tone but a higher pitch.

“I want you to forgive Max”. Charles answered while he shifted his weight from foot to foot. “He’s your friend and the truth is that I said awful things to him too and it was wrong of me to do that. I pushed too hard and made him mad”. Lea saw the video of their fight, she didn’t know what was said when they had their helmets on, but she saw that Max was the one who outed the relationship and by far the most pissed off, even pushing Charles to the ground at some point. Charles taking the blame for Max was definitely new. “I know that he’s important to you and I don’t want you to lose a friendship because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I’m sorry for all the mess I put you through”.

“It’s interesting”. She said when she saw him walk towards the door after a moment of silence that he took as a refuse to listen to him. “Max came here an hour ago telling me something different”. She continued. That caught Charles’ attention. “He told me that I should forgive YOU, because it was all his fault, that you are a great guy and would be a real shame if I’d let you pass me by”. Charles frowned in confusion, Max talking his side wasn’t a common sight.

“He did?”. She nodded her head. After a long sigh, she patted the spot on the bed next to her and he took a seat. He looked at her in the eyes, trying to figure out if he was forgiven or not. Since the answer wasn’t clear, he choose to ask. “And did you follow his advice?”. Lea smiled and nodded again. He copied the motion and kissed her tenderly, already feeling the weight on his shoulders subside a little.

“I will follow yours too. But I will give you the same condition I gave Max”. She said once they broke the kiss. Charles nodded and she kept talking. “I want you to get along with him. There’s a lot that I can’t do, this world is ruled by politics that are way bigger than us. It’s full of pressures that make me do things I don’t want to do. It’s a lot, Charlie, and if I can do just one thing to make my life easier, this is it. I want to keep you both. I want my friend and I want you”. She looked down, another sigh leaving her lips. “I’m already PR’s press puppet for as long as I keep racing. I want to keep close the last few things that still remain real”.

“Deal”. He said without doubt. Max had sticked his neck for him earlier and got him forgiven, so the least he could do was try and be nice to him. He could see how much pressure Lea was under, how making history as the first female F1 driver also implied giving herself to whatever political wave was currently controlling the market without a say. He didn’t want to be a burden, on the contrary, he wanted to be forever one of those things that remained real.

“Good”. She smiled. “Now start taking this shirt off”. She said pulling at the hem of his shirt. “Today I won and I want my price”. He let out a chuckle and took off his shirt. Then, he kissed her, grabbing her by the waist and lying on top of her, a giggle from her slipping between their lips.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Hi, I’m back. I’m leaving this one-shot here for you guys. It’s pretty long. I know that the series are still ongoing, it’s just that the next two chapters need a lot of change to fit the F1 plot and I haven’t been inspired to change those lately, so here’s this one that was a lot easier to change. I hope you like it.

#charles leclerc imagine #charles leclerc imagines #charles leclerc one shot #charles leclerc x reader

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tabsters · 2 months ago

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The Twelve Days of Zodiacs - Day 8

"On the eighth day of Christmas, my Zodiacs gave to me, Eight drinkers drinking, Seven bakers baking, Six ornaments, Five ugly sweaters, Four wrapped presents, Three snowmen, Two bread rolls, And a snowball fight under a tree."

it should be noted that this story is in a modern AU, aka an AU where no magic exists. everyone is just normal and untraumatized! the modern AU names for the characters are listed below:

SGZ! Scorpio: Scott SGZ! Scutum: Jasper SGZ! Ophiuchus: Oberon SGZ! Perseus: Percy SGZ! Orion: Elliot SGZ! Centaurus: Russell

tagging @mythicalmagical-monkeyman @hyperfixation-tangentopia @maiawhimsicalt @sweet-star-cookie

next chapter is here!

"Your brother's coffee shop is pretty cute," Ciara said as they walked through the doors, the bell jingling. The place was decorated with various Christmas decorations, with wreaths, fake sprigs of mistletoe and holly, and tinsel all around. "Maybe I should work here when I'm older."

"My brother doesn't own Moonbeans Cafe," Cassie laughed, waving to the barista on duty. "There he is, though."

"Cass!" Cassie's brother—Ciara forgot his name, but she knew that it started with a D—waved the two of them over. "And Ciara, right? What do you guys want? It's on the house."

"I can pay!" Ciara announced, rummaging through her bag for her wallet. Now that she was up close, she could see that Ciara's brother's name tag read Demitri. "You don't need to do that!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Demitri said, waving her off. "We got a lot of tips earlier, anyway. Huge rush of people for lunch."

"Well, if you're sure..."

"Hot chocolate!" Cassie pointed to the menu. "With whipped cream and sprinkles."

"Uh, can I get..." Ciara scanned the menu, trying to see which item was the least expensive. She felt kind of guilty for just taking free drinks. "The peppermint mocha?"

"Coming right up!" Demitri said cheerfully. It seemed like he was the only barista on duty. Perhaps everyone else was taking a break, as there was only one other person in the coffee shop.

And then someone else walked into the shop. Ciara could physically feel her heart stop and constrict.

"Shit!" Ciara whispered, immediately going to hide herself behind Cassie. "Hide me!"

"Huh?" Cassie asked, confused, and not just because she was much shorter than Ciara and would undoubtedly be awful at hiding her. "What? Why?"

"There's...ah, there's someone from school here."

Cassie craned her head at the figure who was now sitting at one of the tables, getting their sketchbook out. Ciara was internally screaming, crying, and cursing every god she could think of.

"Who's that?" Cassie asked, eyes widening as she began to realize something. Ciara's face felt like it was on fire, and she was pretty sure she was becoming as red as a lobster. "Is that...aww, Ciara, is that your crush?"

"Not so loud," Ciara hissed, clamping her hands around Cassie's mouth and dragging her to a table far, far away from her crush. "He might hear you."

"Who is he, anyway?" Cassie asked, still trying to get a better look at him. "Have you never talked to him in your life?"

Ciara sighed, deeply. She was lucky that her crush was wearing his enormous chunky headphones, the ones he used whenever he was locking in for drawing. "He's in my art class. He's been in my classes ever since middle school. We used to be close."

He was wearing a black beanie paired with a dark gray sweater, his eyeliner swept into cat eyes. He was fidgeting with a loom band bracelet done in the colors of the trans flag, the look in his eyes filled with quiet determination.

"...Ciara? Helloooo? Earth to Ciara?" Ciara abruptly realized that she had zoned out, and that Cassie was snapping her fingers in front of her face in an attempt to resuscitate her.

"Anyway!" Ciara said loudly as Demitri called out, 'Hot chocolate and peppermint mocha!' She stood up abruptly, almost knocking her chair over. "I'm gonna go get that for us!"

She very quickly walked over, grabbed the drinks, and then speed walked back to the table. She then proceeded to down a fourth of her drink in one gulp. Cassie looked like she was part enjoying Ciara's panic and part concerned for her friend's wellbeing.

"Oh, I know that guy!" Cassie said, pointing to the man sitting behind them. Ciara turned his head to look at him. He had dark hair, and he had eyebags so dark, they looked like bruises. He was typing furiously on his laptop. His black hoodie was pulled over his head and he kept pushing his glasses up his nose. A thick purple scarf was wrapped around his neck, partially covering his mouth. There were also three empty coffee cups sitting on his table. He looked very tired and very much done with life.

"Who's that?" Ciara asked, because he looked like he was in desperate need of a nap. "And how do you know him?"

"He's a frequent customer around here. He's always here when I come to visit." Cassie shrugged. "Wanna go talk to him?"

Ciara glanced towards the figure in the corner, and decided that it was a great idea to get out of his line of sight as quickly as possible. "Yeah, let's."

"Oh, Cassie!" Demitri called from the counter, holding a box in his arms. "Flicker was in the back. He's been at the vet all morning, so he's kind of tired." Cassie's face lit up.

"Flicker!" Cassie rushed forward to take the box. Inside was a tiny hamster, its little mouth opening and closing as it snored. "Did you miss me? Were the vets mean to you? Hey, Scott! Look at my hamster!"

The tired-looking man glanced in their direction as they approached him. He nodded, once, and then returned to his furious typing. Ciara distantly thought that he could kick ass at typing.com.

"Aren't you going to take a break?" Cassie asked, setting the hamster box onto Scott's table. "It's the holiday season! Are you really going to spend it alone?"

Scott sighed, but shut his laptop. "Very well. I shall look at your hamster."

He bent his head down to the plastic box, watching as the tiny golden hamster slowly woke up. "Good evening, Flicker. I hope your day has been well?"

Flicker tilted its head up at the man, possibly also wondering why Scott was so tired.

"My day has been tiring. This morning was filled with many phone calls and much paperwork," Scott continued. Ciara had to stifle a laugh, because the sight of a grown man talking in such formal language to a tiny hamster was objectively hilarious. "It must be nice, living the life of a hamster."

"What do you even do?" Cassie asked as Flicker retreated back into its little hamster house. "I've asked you so many times and I never get an answer."

"I told you every time," Scott said, opening his laptop up again. "I work in a high-ranking government position."

"That's not a proper answer at all."

"I completely agree!" A new voice said, coming in from the back door. "You really must be more honest, especially when talking to me."

Ciara turned to look at the newcomer, who was a short, stout man with a bright orange jacket. He smiled up at the two girls, took a sip of his coffee, then took a seat across from Scott.

"I see you've met my friend here," He said, poking Scott's hand until he closed the laptop again. "I'm Jasper. Medic at the local hospital. He and I seem to be meeting quite a lot."

"I've seen you around!" Cassie said, sitting down next to him. "You always tip really well. My brother likes you."

"Hi, Jasper," Scott sighed, looking like he wanted to combust into thin air. "I have work to do. My job is very busy."

"You've been working for the entirety of the holidays," Jasper said cheerfully, quickly snatching the man's laptop away. "Take a break for at least one day."

Scott looked between all three of the hopeful faces before them and finally sighed once more. "Okay. If you insist."

"You're wearing the scarf I gave you!" Cassie pointed to the purple scarf around Scott's neck. Scott himself looked down at himself, seemingly noticing this himself. "The one I made you last Christmas!"

"Yes. I am. It's very warm." Scott rubbed the scarf between his fingers. "Thank you for making it for me."

"Are you wearing the mittens I gave you?" Jasper asked, leaning across the table. "I thought they suited you very well!"

Scott sighed some more, pulling two mittens out of his pocket, which had knitted scorpions on their fronts. "I took them off, but I was making good use of them earlier."

"Good!"

They then spent at least an hour chatting with Scott—or more like, they talked to Scott, and he gave one sentence answers. Ciara had to stifle laughs many times, because this man just seemed so blunt and straight-forward all of the time.

"Dude, I had to google 'what does stabbing feel like' once, because I was writing a horror story for English," Ciara laughed. "I got called to the principal's office and I had to spend half an hour explaining myself."

"I was stabbed once," Scott said, but Jasper quickly talked over him with some comments about how he hoped Ciara wrote stab wounds in an accurate way.

"You wouldn't believe how many people overestimate or underestimate the amount of blood you can get from a stab wound," Jasper said, quickly getting interrupted by his ringing phone. He turned it to FaceTime. "Hello?"

"Jasper, we need you." A man with bleached white hair said, speaking while walking. A dark green mask covered his lower face. "As soon as possible. We—where on Earth are you?"

"Coffee shop, Oberon," Jasper said cheerfully. "I'll be there in a bit!"

The medic quickly stood up, shaking everyone's hands in quick succession. "Wonderful to see you all. I must be off!"

And then he exited, leaving Scott to grab at his laptop again. Scott looked up at Ciara and Cassie again. "You shouldn't be bothering with an old man like me. Go hang out with your friends. I saw you looking at that one guy earlier."

"Yes, that's right!" Cassie clapped her hands together, turning Ciara back around to look at her crush. Oh no. "You should go hang out with mystery guy."

Ciara made a couple of weak sounds of protest as Cassie pushed her closer and closer towards her crush. He didn't look up, not even as they stood directly next to him.

Cassie tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and he looked up, taking his headphones off. "Hi!"

"Hi?" He asked, looking between Cassie and Ciara. "Oh! Ciara! I didn't expect to see you here."

Ciara breathed in, out, in. "Hi, Kai."

"My brother works here," Cassie said cheerfully. "So we decided to hang out here, and then Ciara recognized you."

"I—yep, yep, I did." Ciara nodded her head up and down. She felt like a bobblehead. "How—how have you been?"

"I've been good!" Kai laid his hands in his lap, and Ciara didn't miss how Cassie was slowly inching further and further away from them. "AP Psychology has been kicking my ass, though."

"Ah—ha, yeah, me too."

"Hey, sit down." Kai gestured towards the chair across from him. He moved some of his stuff out of the way. "I wanna catch up."

So Ciara sat.

"Didn't you win an award for one of your pieces?" Kai asked, flipping through his sketchbook. "The piece that had those two girls. You've really improved since middle school, huh?"

"I mean, I guess." Ciara tapped her fingers on the table. She really wanted to see what Kai was sketching the entire time he was here. But she knew how sacred sketchbooks were to artists—she'd kill anyone that touched her own sketchbook without permission—so she kept her mouth shut.

"I was wondering, can you give me some advice?" Kai flipped to a page near the end, showing it to Ciara. "I'm planning on entering this into the spring show next year."

"Oh. Okay, sure." Ciara scrutinized the sketch, looking for areas of improvement. It was of a girl looking into a mirror, reaching her hand out. Her reflection was that of a boy’s, his hair cut shorter than the girl’s.

“Is this about…dysphoria?” Ciara asked, knowing how sensitive the subject might be to Kai. When they were in middle school, Kai had been the target of bullying and scorn. It was part of what led them to drift apart. “It’s very well drawn.”

Kai nodded. “Yeah, it is. And thank you.”

“Well, in terms of advice, I’d—" Ciara was cut off as the door opened again.

“Cassie!” It was three boys, all of them rushing towards Cassie. One of them was wearing a purple hoodie, one of them was carrying a green messenger bag, and one of them had dark blue hair. Wow, Cassie really did have a lot of friends. Ciara swallowed, turning her attention back to the sketch.

“Well, the perspective between the hand and the mirror is a bit off. I think that it would be better if the angle was slightly more like this.” Ciara made a few vague hand movements, knowing that Kai would pick up on what she was trying to convey. A pang of nostalgia resonated within her chest as she remembered how they used to do this exact same thing when they were younger.

“Oh yeah, I thought that as well. There’s a rougher sketch on the next page.”

“Alright.” Ciara turned the page, looking at the sketch on the back of the page. “Alright, yeah, so—"

A sketch on the next page caught her eye. It was of a girl with a headband, with big, dark eyes, mouth open in laughter—

It was of her. The date below the sketch was today.

That was what Kai had been working on the entire time he was here.

“What are you looking at—?” Kai asked, leaning over to look at the page. His face then paled, then went bright red, in rapid succession. Ciara might have thought it was funny, if her face wasn’t doing the exact same thing.

“Anyway!” Ciara said loudly, quickly closing the sketchbook and all but shoving it back towards Kai. Kai quickly took it and shoved it in his backpack. “The perspective’s really my only issue with it. Uh, why don’t you come back to me with the lineart and we’ll talk more?”

“Yeah, sure!” Kai nodded and smiled, just like how he used to do in middle school. Ciara could feel her heart physically skip a beat. “You still have my phone number, right?”

“I actually got a new phone in freshman year,” Ciara said, pulling out her phone. “You can put it in.”

“Nice.” Kai did a double-take when he saw her wallpaper. “Yo, is this Alien Stage? I love that series!”

“Really?” Ciara asked in disbelief. “You like Alien Stage too?”

“Are you kidding? I’m Ivan’s biggest fan.” He quickly turned his phone on, showing Ciara his lock screen. It was a piece of fanart depicting the iconic Till and Ivan kiss from Round 6. “Did you see the newest video?”

“Dude, no! My heart can’t take any more sadness after Round 6!”

Both of them laughed. Kai’s phone chimed, and there was a twinge of disappointment on his face. “Dammit, I have to go now. But it was really nice to see you again, Ra-ra.”

He used my childhood nickname. Ciara thought belatedly. “Nice to see you too, uh—"

She hesitated. Kai no longer went by the name he did when he was younger. So much had changed. Kai seemed to notice this as well.

“Kiki,” Ciara declared, and Kai laughed. “That’ll be your new nickname.”

“Alright, alright,” Kai said. “I accept the name Kiki. Oh, wait-“

He pointed above them. Ciara looked up, to find a single bundle of mistletoe above their heads. She looked back at Kai’s face, and she could tell that both of them were blushing.

“I gotta kiss you, huh?” Kai asked. He then seemed to realize that he might be overstepping quite a bit. “I mean—not that I’ll do it if you don’t want me to—"

Ciara slowly held out her hand, and Kai took that as his signal. He slowly bent his head down, delivering a quick peck onto Ciara’s knuckles.

“Okayseeyoubye!” Kai stammered out, grabbing all of his things and fleeing the cafe. Ciara stared after him, dazed.

“Yeah!” Cassie shouted suddenly, and Ciara whirled around to find her and the three boys clapping for her.

“I’m never washing my hand again,” Ciara said as she approached the table. The boys—Russel, Elliot, and Percy, as Cassie helpfully informed her—all gave her thumbs ups.

“See?” Cassie rested her head on her hands. “It turned out fine, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ciara took a sip of her now room temperature mocha, smiling. “It really did turn out fine.”

this is your signal to watch alien stage please you can watch the entire thing in less than an hour I am indoctrinating all of my mutuals into the pain of alien stage PLEASEEEEEE

check out @sweet-star-cookie's starglass zodiac lore if you liked this!! questions about my lore are greatly appreciated!!

#oc #ocs #zodiac #zodiacs #zodiac sign #zodiac signs #zodiac lore #zodiac oc #zodiac ocs #12 days of christmas #12 days of zodiacmas

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necromatador · 1 year ago

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👄, 🔮, 💢 for Kol?

👄: How do they talk? What's their vocabulary like? What does their voice sound like? Any accent, verbal tics, etc?

Kol has a southwestern accent for sure. Tries to use big words sometimes to make himself sound smarter because he's a little bit sensitive of never having been to school or really had any formal education. Not gonna lie, it's been a while since I saw the movie, but voice and definitely attitude-wise I'm imagining a bit of young Leonardo DiCaprio from The Quick and the Dead in Kid Hickory at least, while maybe a bit of Russel Crowe's character from the same movie mixed in once he gets older around about the time of the game. Little deeper, little more tired, little less outwardly cocky and definitely a little less immediately shoot-first. Oh and also because of his being a witch gnoll, he has a cackly laugh and it echoes a bit oddly whenever he does laugh.

🔮: If they were to feature in the art of a tarot card, which one would it be and why?

Major Arcana: The Chariot or Judgement. Minor Arcana: Knight of Wands. Four of Wands fits his youth a lot in a kind of dark, flipped way.

💢: How quick are they to anger? What is a surefire way to piss them off? What do they act like when angry?

When he was younger, obviously, Kol was more of a hothead. Add to that, Kalban who had fun goading Kol into reacting violently to minor things. I drew a sketchy comic a while back about Kol having to deal with the ghosts of his past that I keep meaning to finish but I'll include it below. Anyway, young Kol was really easy to anger over the smallest things and it's something he still fights with today, but he's gotten a lot better. A surefire way to piss him off is to threaten or harm kids or women. It's his one major rule. He also greatly dislikes hurting an unarmed opponent. When he's mad, he gets loud and aggressive and cocky again. When he's truly *angry*, he goes quiet and gets this really unsettling piercing look in his eyes. Both are a concerning direct parallel with his usually polite and generally friendly demeanor he puts on to his social "Kol" persona. Anyway, comic below, which I'd titled 'I Don't Think He Knows Who You Are, Kid..."

#he still considers himself kid hickory and argues that kol is a persona #but eventually a combo of the two will emerge when he finds himself becoming more and more subconsciously Kol #or maybe he'll realize kol is who he is and kid hickory was a persona #one he put on to protect himself from over two decades #of abuse and manipulation #hmmmmmm #kol fizzleblast #oc ask meme #gnoll

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georgegraphys · 1 year ago

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personal opinion

People goes too hard on George just because he is in Mercedes 2nd seat. Most of them never take to an account that George spent 2 years (i don't count 2021 Williams as bad for him) in a dogshit tractor of a car and is basically the extension of his F2 career but he is racing amongst other F1 cars. Then after 2021, he jumps into the second seat of a big team who is in a slump with ANOTHER tractor he needs to drive but he managed to get like 7 podiums, 1 sprint win, 1 race win, and 1 pole position of his career. He outscored his 7x World Champion teammate (ik LH luck is also shit in 2022 but still.. it's an achievement). Then in 2023, even though his luck is shit, he still matches the 7x world champion teammate in quali h2h. Imo if you put random driver from George's gen, (exc for maybe CL or MV) idt they can even get close to matching LH while at the same time handling the tractor of W13 & W14. Being able to handle such shitty car itself and outperform it while trying to match ur 7x world champ teammate is a skill and a feat itself.

People always say shit like George is gonna end up burn out after being LH's teammate just like VB or Kovalainen or prolly FA but it's all bullshit and semi copium narratives that people force themselves to believe when George is nowhere near the word burn out. One thing about George? His confidence and his mentality. Pulling himself up after each week of getting screwed by his own team and car while being pitted and pressured by the public to outperform his 7x world champion teammate with 10+ years of experience is not an easy feat to do yet George Russell manage to do it week in and week out.

I get pissed off at people thinking he's over just because he doesn't have 10293737 wins and poles and WDC at the age of 25. Like?? There are drivers in a better car, older than him that can win or at least compete for the WDC but didn't or drivers that fucked up the same or even more than george but somehow never gets painted as bad as George.

Again. For someone who drove F2 level car amongst in F1 for 2 years. For someone who almost matches his 7x world champion teammate with 10+ years of experience (despite George himself having only 1 year of real racing aka 2021 beforehand) is a big feat.

Not everyone can do this shit. You need big amount of skill and mental capacity to do this. And George Russell is one of the people who can do it.

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thenarrativefans · 2 years ago

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Interview: Suzie talk with Josh Rabenold about songwriting, life and new releases for 2023

Suzie talked with Josh Rabenold in a new interview on his youtube channel, where they talked about Suzie's music process and creation, the story of The Narrative, and how being a mom affected the process of music creation and the future of the band.

youtube

Suzie had inspiration and people in her family into music, one of them being her grandmother, "My grandma was really musical when I was little and so she taught me songs all the time," she spoke with Josh. Around 3 years old, her dad's mom would teach Russian folk songs and put her in front of an audience of friends to play alongside.

Answering to the question of when she started into music, she responded as it was a natural thing that happened when she was younger, "I was like singing and putting on performances and making my parents pay me money for tickets at a very young age, had that entrepreneurial spirit right from the get-go" she said. Also she affirmed that music was a good part in her life when she learned to play the instruments for the first time, such as a piano from friends in Canada that were taking lessons when she would spent the summer vacations in Toronto, "they were taking lessons and I would be at their house and then they would teach me what they learned and then I would try to play all. I don't think I was very good at it but that's probably what really started me," she continued. The encouragement came from her parents that got her a piano chair and she started to practice and get better at it.

When it comes to songwriting ideas, Suzie said that she would have more than 9 pages of words that she never would look back, "I might I have this terrible habit of putting lyrics into a doc. I keep like the stream of conscience and so it becomes just like this extended nine page document that's just trash and I always keep it in case I think I'm gonna find something good in there and I've I've never found anything good in there it's never happened and it won't it's never happened," she continues laughing. The process of letting go of lyrics also is discussed through the interview, where she says that feeling comfortable in deleting things is a good thing and the process of even not feeling inspired, to sit down and write things without any use is a habit that she keep to be active into songwriting.

As she got older, the poetry started to flow over her life, writing plays, parodies and songs that later with help of friends, started to get together melodically and sonically. Her first project before The Narrative was around when she was a senior on NYU, where she released four songs (Away, Bright Light, Fall and Cover and Penny Station). This four songs had help of Will Noon at the time playing in Straylight Run and Fun, who introduced her to Bryan Russell to help her produce the vocals, which produces The Narrative's songs and is married to her.

She told Josh about the story of The Narrative with the first meeting with Jesse and her happening through Craigslist as he was looking for musicians and after few conversations, they found out that they attended the same school, had mutual friends, lived minutes apart from each other. At that time, Jesse was playing into a New York project playing guitar, "[He was] trying to figure out where he belonged because he wanted to play music," she remembered, and the band started to get form. The first song recorded with Jesse was 'End All' (marked as 'End All Arrival' on January Window - older name for the band on Myspace) released later in their self-titled album in 2010.

The song "Eyes Closed" was discussed in the interview. The song, according to Suzie was the first to be worked by them. She said that Jesse felt that the lyrics "Oh my god, you're beautiful", where strange to be kept in the song, but it stayed and, she confirms, "I mean, that little line connects to so many people like I see people referencing that line all the time, this moment in this song it's just, like, it's probably a little cringy but it's like the good kind," and holds the title of most listened song by The Narrative with more than 5 million streams over platforms.

Around the time the band released the EP and songs started to get attention over the former AlternativePunk.net (chorus.fm), they got the chance to be featured on Warped Tour prior to the release of the self-titled and supporting the album on this tour and playing on the 2011 edition.

Following of the band's next releases they started to record the second studio album, 'Golden Silence' in 2012. For supporting the LP, the band released an acoustic/alternative version of their previous songs on the EP "B-Sides and Seasides" in april of the same year. The album, took longer than expected to be finished due to the band's arrangements production of orchestral instruments. Also due to personal and musical projects of Suzie's started playing with Chris Carrabba's side project 'Twin Forks' and touring during their debut year. Jesse at this time released his solo album 'here, sit, stay' and from 2013 to 2015 the band got production on a slow tracking process, with the album being released on December 2, 2016.

With "Monoliths" in 2021 and from the release of "Little Boys Break Hearts", the band will release a new song to close a three-acoustics-folky-songs project and finish the year with it.

As posted by Jesse on Medium, the band plans to release new songs in 2023, that are different from the three ones. Suzie explained that the process of the band's recording have changed into a more consistent system, "Jesse has gotten more into production over the last couple of years, so, what now the process is, I've been writing a song and putting some basic stuff in logic, a drum pattern or something like a program drums and a synth pad or something and then just vocals and sending it to him, maybe with a little bit more but usually pretty minimal." With that, she mention that the production starts with Jesse adding some guitars over it and vocals to so, send it to Bryan to, "take out some stuff or put some stuff in and then we'll usually re-record vocals with him, and anything that just didn't come out clean enough will record in his studio," she says.

"The first one of that methodology will come out in 2023," she reveals. "Right now, [there are] maybe like six or so songs that fit this new vibe, [...] then this new stuff will come out in 2023 and will be more, I think, kind of chill Indie pop."

More information to the following song from "Little Boys Break Hearts" will be posted soon.

- Text adapted from Youtube transcription

#suzie zeldin #interview #indie #band #the narrative #narrative #music #Josh Rabenold #Youtube

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coff33andb00ks · 2 months ago

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Recipe for the Perfect Christmas 11/12

One part small town girl coming home from the big city. One part handsome stranger. Five parts lifelong friends (don't forget to include their partners). One part stubborn father. A dash of Christmas spirit. Part: Eleven of Twelve Pairing: Oscar Piastri x ofc (with appearances from Mark Webber. Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Esteban Ocon, Pato O'Ward, and George Russell) wc: 5,210 warnings: smut soundtrack: spotify ⋆❆⋆ apple music nav: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve a/n: final part tomorrow!! (i will be posting an epilogue on Christmas Eve) Also this part is later than I wanted to post, but we'll blame work

Oscar wasn't sure if Mark was happier to see him or Penny when they arrived at his house. He was greeted with a grin and a slap to his shoulder, while Penny's arrival was enthused over so greatly the dog nearly went spastic. Following them into the house, he watched his dog walk close to Mark's side until they reached the living room, where she sat by the couch until the man sat down. She then hopped up to lie next to him, wagging tail slowing as she settled her head on his thigh and gazed up at him adoringly.

"Some days I think she likes you more than she likes me," he commented, glancing over his shoulder to the staircase.

"She only likes me because I spoil her," Mark chuckled. "She loves you."

He was about to ask if Natalie was ready but stopped himself. He wasn't a kid going on his first date. It wasn't a date. After their walk the day before she had invited him to go with her to dinner with her friends. As friends. To talk more.

Not a date.

"Natalie will be down in a couple minutes."

"No rush." He finally moved to sit on the other couch, eyes moving to the tree placed in front of the window.

"How are Max and Eve liking the house?"

Oscar grinned. "They're loving it. Eve said it took Lucas a while to settle down and get to sleep the other night, but they're settling in. There's still a lot of stuff to get from the apartment, but I'll be doing that this week."

"And what are you gonna do after the holiday?" Mark stopped rubbing Penny when she closed her eyes and sighed.

"I haven't decided yet." So many things hinged on the answer. Mr. Wright had given him ideas that he wasn't sure yet he could pursue. He knew that Max and Eve wouldn't kick him out the day after Christmas, and Eve had even approached asking him about redoing the basement into a guest suite. He knew she didn't want him to leave town, because she had went on to talk about how Max would be working extra hard at the bakery to make sure things there went alright, and she would be going between the bakery and home dealing with the kids and doing the online work she would be starting after the first of the year. She hadn't come right out and said she wanted him to stay and help as they got adjusted to their new life, but he wasn't stupid.

"I hope you stick around. The town's better for having you."

Oscar smiled and murmured a quick thanks. "When is your surgery?"

"The fifth. I go in the night before."

The older man looked down at Penny and Oscar could feel his fear. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Mark."

"I'm praying it will be." He sighed, suddenly looking twenty years older. He looked up, and the fear and worries faded away as he smiled.

At the same instant Oscar heard a whisper of movement. He knew it was Natalie coming down the stairs and rose to his feet, turning just as she stepped off the bottom step. His breath caught when he saw the brilliance of her smile and he let his gaze dip to take in the green and gold sweater she wore over a pair of leggings. Raising his eyes to hers, he smiled slowly. She walked into the living room, the tiny bells of her earrings jangling with each step, and the sound reminded him of her giggles.

"You look great," he said, wishing he'd done more than jeans and an old sweater. He'd never been one for dressing up. It had nearly taken an act of God and Eve threatening him with injury to get into a tuxedo for their wedding.

"So do you." The bells tinkled again as she went to the kitchen. She returned a moment later carrying a covered casserole dish, bells tinkling as she leaned to kiss Mark on the cheek. "We're just going to dinner. Do you need anything before we go?"

"Nope. You two have fun."

"There's roast beef and vegetables from lunch. Do you want me to warm it—"

"I can warm up my plate." Mark shook his head. "Go on. Have a good time. Me and Penny are gonna eat and watch some movies."

"What are you going to watch?" she asked, leaning to give Penny a loving head rub.

"White Christmas, Elf, Home Alone, and I think we'll top it off with Snoopy."

"How long do you expect me to be gone?" she laughed.

"No telling with you two."

Choking on an embarrassed laugh, Oscar turned away before either of them could see his burning cheeks. Natalie was groaning and telling her father not to be disgusting. After an amused goodbye, he headed into the foyer, getting her coat and holding it for her to slip her arms into.

"I'm sorry about Dad," she said once they were in his truck, the casserole dish in her lap. "He's just a little crazy. And he's not stupid, so he figured out what happened when I stayed that night. Plus he likes to tease."

"I don't mind it," Oscar assured her. "At least he's not coming after my throat."

"No, he's not like that. Especially if he likes you. And we both know he likes you."

Her hand found his and squeezed after he turned onto Main Street.

"I like you, too," she said softly.

"I was gonna say the same thing."

"But really we keep you around for Penny."

Laughing, he made slowed to make another turn. "Yeah, I figured."

"You could just sell her to us," she teased.

"Sorry, we're a package deal."

"Buy one, get one free?" Her thumb smoothed over his after their fingers twined.

"Something like that."

"My friends like you, too," she announced as the street turned into a country road.

"Yeah?" Oscar smiled. He considered them his friends now, too. Stopping in the road when he saw a deer up ahead, he saw it was starting to snow. He waited until the deer finally moved into the woods before continuing on the way. "Max and Eve like you."

She sighed. "I wanted to hate them. But I already liked them, so…"

"I know." He squeezed her hand. "Oh and the kids adore you."

"I give them cookies, of course they do."

"Oh I think it's a little more than that," he said, slowing as they approached the driveway of the farm. Or was it a ranch? He didn't know what they called their spread of land. He did know that he liked the split-rail fence corners on either side of the end of the driveway, each of them adorned with twinkling lights. The sign announcing the Ocon Riding Academy was embellished by a strand of lights as well. Cruising up the drive, he saw lights wrapped around the top rails of the fencing on either side, ending in spirals of multicolored lights around two towering evergreen trees.

"You know Hannah and Michael love you?" she asked after he'd parked beside Carlos's car.

Looking at her in the glow of the lights decorating the yard in front of the house, Oscar grinned. "Yeah. Why?"

"I think I have a lot in common with them," she commented. She gave his hand a squeeze before opening her door and jumping down.

It wasn't until they climbed the steps to the front porch, which wrapped around both sides of the house and merged into the large back deck, that it hit him what she had said. Catching her hand, he spun her to face him. "Did you mean that?"

The lights reflected in her eyes, turning them to sparkling amber. Her mouth opened then her bottom lip was caught by her teeth. "I think so? Yes. No? I don't know. I just know—"

"What are you guys doing standing on the porch in the cold?" Pato asked, flinging the front door wide open.

"Oh my god, would you give us a minute?" Natalie groaned, whipping her head to look at the man.

He snorted, pushing the door closed. "Fine, fine, get frostbite."

"Where was I?" she sighed, turning back to Oscar.

"Getting frostbite, apparently," he quipped. Rewarded by a disgruntled laugh, he gave her hand a squeeze. "You just know…?"

"I never felt like this with anyone before. It's a little bit like the stomachache I used to get when I ate too many cookies, and I feel like I do when I'm riding with someone and they go over a hill? You know, a little exhilarated? I can't explain it. Because at the same time it's as though I just wrapped myself in a warm blanket. I like it, though. I think. I want to explore it." She frowned. "But—"

"Do you remember what you said about going to church?" he asked softly. "About how it felt like a good talk and a warm meal?"

"Yeah."

"That's what you make me feel." He tried to think of another way to describe it. "Comfortable. And a little exhilarated, too."

She blinked up at him, lips pulling into a smile. "Like your favorite jeans and an old sweater?"

"Yeah," he whispered. He grinned, because she got it. "Just like that."

"What is it, though?"

"It's…" He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "It's us. And I want to explore it."

"I want to, too."

"And I want y'all to come in already," a voice said from behind her.

Oscar froze, having been leaning to kiss her. Glancing over her shoulder, he saw Pato leaning in the open door, grinning. With a sigh, he tugged on Natalie's hand before she could grumble at her friend again, and stole a quick kiss before guiding her to the door.

"About damn time," Pato drawled.

"Like you and Amira never have to talk?" Natalie snorted.

"We move and talk at the same time. Makes life so much easier." Once they were inside, he nudged the door shut. "Take your coats off, stay a while. They're here!"

Oscar grinned as the announcement was met with a cheer.

"Okay!" Susie hollered from the direction of the kitchen. "Come peel the potatoes!"

"Which one of us?" Pato yelled back.

"I don't care!"

"I'll go," Natalie laughed, handing her coat to Pato.

Esteban came from the living room, grinning, rolling his eyes when Pato pushed Natalie's coat at him.

"No kids?" Oscar asked once Natalie disappeared into the back of the house.

Esteban slung her coat on the hall tree and motioned for Oscar to put his up, too. "They're with my folks. They like getting all the grandkids together for a couple nights before Christmas."

"That's sweet." Oscar followed him into the great room, with its large couches, big-screen TV, and a comfortable lived-in feel. There were a few toys scattered on the rug near the fireplace, a laptop on the coffee table, and the evidence of homemade ornaments in the works. Blankets were readily available on the couch, and as he flopped down next to George he watched Esteban scoop the toys up and toss them into the toybox in the corner.

"You and Natalie are good now?" Esteban asked, dropping into one corner of the couch.

"I think so."

"So she's not gonna take the job in Atlanta?" Carlos asked.

Oscar felt his brows pinch together. "Atlanta?"

"Yes… You know, big city in Georgia?"

"I know what it is, asshole." He rolled his eyes. "What job?"

George made a face. "Weren't supposed to tell him," he murmured, taking a sip of his drink.

"Ah, damn." Carlos's eyes widened and he licked his lips. Cleared his throat and began drumming his fingers on his thighs. "You didn't hear it from me."

"Is it a writing job?"

"Hey, you want a drink? A beer? Tea?" Esteban asked, hopping to his feet. "How about some apple cider?"

"I'm fine." Oscar noticed neither of the men were looking him in the eye and sighed. "What's the job?"

"I don't know anything," Pato said, holding up his hands. "Just that Amira had an emergency girls' meeting this morning."

"That was about Maddie," George announced. "She wasn't feeling well."

"Is she feeling better now?" Esteban asked.

"Not sure, I don't think Lils has heard from her since this morning."

"Surely Lando would let us know if something was wrong," Pato commented.

"It was about the job, too." Carlos shrugged when everyone looked at him. "Sasha told me about it when she got home. But I don't know anything."

Pato rolled his eyes. "You literally just asked about it though?"

"I know nothing!" Carlos insisted. "Just that she applied. And that she got the offer this morning. I don't know what the job is or even if she's gonna take it."

Esteban sighed, sitting back down. "It's a writing job."

Oscar nodded, forcing himself to settle back on the couch. He wasn't going to go confront her, because that would probably lead to another argument. He didn't want that to happen. But he did want to know if it was true she'd gotten a job in Atlanta. He wanted to know if she would take it and leave the town and her father again. He needed to know why she hadn't told him.

"I know," Esteban said suddenly, clapping his hands against his thighs and jumping to his feet. "Let me take you out to the barn and show you the new stall doors."

"When did you get them?" Standing, Oscar followed him out of the great room and reached for his coat.

"Uh… "A month ago."

"Then I've already seen them." Oscar dropped his hands.

Esteban smoothed a hand over his face. "I thought you'd wanna get some fresh air."

Oscar made a face. "I'm fine."

"You aren't mad?"

"Not mad. Just…" He shrugged, because he didn't know what his emotions were. Disappointment? Sadness? Worry? A molten mixture of all three?

"Oscar, do you want something to drink?"

He turned and saw Susie walking towards him, smiling warmly. Returning the smile, he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Hey Susie."

"We got coffee, tea, cocoa…" She paused, glancing towards the ceiling. "Soda, water, milk, orange juice."

"Apple cider," Esteban told her.

"That's gone."

"Already?"

"It's not my fault it's your son's favorite drink."

"I thought your son's favorite drink was cocoa."

"Only when there's cookies."

"He drank cocoa at breakfast and there weren't cookies."

Slipping away while the couple continued to debate their son's favorite beverage, Oscar headed towards the kitchen. Bing Crosby was crooning softly from the Bluetooth speaker on the counter, and he paused in the doorway, greeting the women with a quick wave. They all waved in return, but his gaze was already on Natalie

She was humming along to the song playing, her back to him, one foot lightly bouncing against the floor.

Maybe she would take the job. Maybe she would leave, probably not until after her father recovered from his surgery. Maybe she planned to tell him. Maybe not. Sighing, he crossed over to her, clearing his throat so she would know he was approaching, slipping his arms around her in a gentle hug.

"Bored with guy talk already?" she asked, dropping a peeled potato into the bowl in front of her.

"Can I ask something?" he murmured, aware of the pressing silence around them as Bing Crosby continued to sing about days being merry and bright.

She set the peeler down and turned in his arms. When she saw his face, she looked concerned. Her brow puckered and she sighed. "I was going to tell you tonight."

"Are you taking the job?"

"I don't know yet." She swallowed anxiously. "I have until next week to let them know."

"Do you need to talk to Mark about it?"

She shook her head. "I need to figure some things out."

"If you—" He sighed and leaned to press a kiss to her forehead. He hated seeing her looking so worried. "If you need help figuring those things out, I'm here, okay?"

"You're not gonna yell at me for not telling you right away?"

"That's your job."

The silence was broken by a choked laugh.

Natalie's jaw dropped and she slapped his arm. "That was below the belt."

"Are you even wearing a belt?"

"Stop," she groaned. "You're not mad?"

"I'm not mad," he promised, pulling her close for a quick kiss, cheeks burning when he heard a chorus of 'aww'. "C'mon, I'll help you with the potatoes."

After a leisurely dinner filled with laughter, Natalie watched Oscar push up his sleeves to help with the dishes. Trailing into the great room with the other women, she crowded close when Sasha asked for input on which lingerie she should surprise Carlos with for Christmas. When the men began filtering in Lilli got up to go start a pot of hot cocoa. There was a beat of silence then Esteban mentioned going to check on the horses one more time for the night and Natalie slid her hand into Oscar's when he said he'd tag along. She smiled as she slipped on her coat as the entire group decided to go as well, Lilli calling out to wait for her.

The stable smelled as it always did, of hay and leather and manure and horse. The foal, now officially named Chicory, was curious and adventurous enough to come to the door, her mother hovering nearby. Natalie made sure to give each horse the same amount of attention. She nodded in approval over the improvements and upgrades that Susie pointed out, stepping into the tack room to view the new saddle that Esteban had gotten as an early Christmas present.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, admiring the tooled leather of the Western style saddle.

"It was supposed to be a surprise. But someone was nosy."

"Someone couldn't keep her mouth shut," Esteban said from the doorway. Grinning when both women looked at him, he pulled off his work gloves. "Everybody's settled for the night, Mama."

"Oh, I want to go say goodbye to my goddaughter," Natalie said, skipping out of the tack room.

"Goddaughter?" Oscar laughed, and she noticed bits of alfalfa hay clinging to his sleeves. "I'm picturing you in a tux holding a cigar and talking about family."

"Hey, darling," she cooed after swinging open the top of the half-door. The foal's ears turned and then she was crossing the stall, snuffling the air with interest. "I'd never hold a cigar, but I'd probably wear a tux."

"You could pull it off," he said, reaching to rub the foal's head once she was within reach.

"That's your job," she quipped. Enjoying his burst of laughter, she gently smoothed the foal's forelock, reaching with her other hand to stroke Bonny's face. "Such beautiful girls."

"I'm going back in to finish the hot cocoa," Lilli said from behind her.

"We'll help," Sasha offered.

"Esteban's going to the shed to get the snow shovel in case it snows all night, so can you make sure you close and latch the doors?" Susie asked.

"Of course," Natalie promised.

"Talk to him," Susie whispered in her ear while reaching to give Bonny one last rub.

Drawing a breath to reply, Natalie sighed when she heard boots on the concrete flooring. Seconds later she heard the gentle creak of the barn door being pushed to.

"Do you want a horse of your own someday?" Oscar asked softly.

"I don't know. They're so much work. And they cost a lot of money to take care of," she said. Until their venture into riding lessons and occasional boarding, her friends had gone into the red nearly every month. "They're gorgeous and wonderful, but I think I'm better off just having some I can visit. Plus I don't ride very well. Do you?"

"I can ride okay. But I don't know that I'd want to own any."

"Lucky for us we've got Estie and Susie to come visit whenever we want."

"Yeah, we do," he agreed with a grin.

"I don't have friends in Atlanda," she announced. "With horses or otherwise."

"Okay?" He turned to face her, eyebrows lifting.

"I have a couple contacts, but that's it."

"When I moved out here I only knew Max and Eve. I know that's different." He glanced at Bonny and Chicory, who were moving off to the far corner. "But I didn't know anyone else. I couldn't have found it on a map."

"Well, I can find Atlanta," she conceded. "But I know nothing about the place. Katie, who I talked to this morning? She said she would be happy to help me find an apartment in a good neighborhood. I don't even know the neighborhoods."

"What's the job?"

"Staff writer for a fashion magazine." She named it, and knew he had never heard of it when he merely nodded.

"Do you like fashion?"

"I couldn't tell you the difference between Louboutin and Louis Vuitton," she admitted with a sigh.

He stepped back when she did, reaching to close the door. After latching it, he plucked a bit of hay from his sleeve. "Does it pay well?"

"It's decent. I did a couple of those cost of living calculators online. If I take it, I won't be living paycheck to paycheck, but I won't exactly be living in the lap of luxury." She reached to brush the hay from his sleeves. "The benefits are okay. Nothing to write home about, though."

"Do you want to take it?"

"I don't know," she whispered, hands stilling on his shoulders. "Should I?"

"I can't make that decision for you, Natalie."

"Dad doesn't want me to. He didn't say that, of course. He said I had to do what I think is best. But I know he wants me to stay here. Or at least, close by."

"Of course he does. He'll miss you."

"I'll miss him. If I go," she added.

"He's worried about the surgery." Oscar sighed when she frowned, lifting one hand to smooth back her hair. "He didn't say so, but I could tell he's scared when I asked him about it earlier."

"He hates hospitals. And doctor's offices. Really, he hates anything that isn't home, church, or the bakery."

Oscar chuckled softly. "I can understand that."

"Tell me not to go," she whispered after several seconds passed by. They were still standing in front of Bonny and Chicory's stall, her hands were still on his shoulders, and his palm was still on her cheek.

"I can't tell you that," he sighed.

"Can you tell me anything?"

"I guess I can tell you I don't want you to go. But I probably shouldn't, since I don't know that—"

"Don't," she murmured, not wanting to be reminded that he might be leaving town soon. She couldn't bring herself to admit that was one of the reasons why she was undecided about Atlanta. Was she the reason he couldn't decide whether he wanted to stay in town or not? Was he waiting for her to make some declaration? She wasn't ready for that. Whatever was growing between them was still new to her. She was enjoying it, but the looming question about both their futures had her scared to proclaim anything more than she'd already said.

"Natalie—"

"Kiss me? Please, Oscar." If he kissed her, she could focus on that, on how warm the feel of his lips made her, on how her knees forgot what they were supposed to do and her stomach soared. Instead of all the confusion she was currently dealing with that she didn't want. Grateful when his fingers slid into her hair and his head lowered, she gasped as their lips met. She hadn't expected the tenderness, or the way her breath was snatched from her lungs, or how his sudden exhale through his nose would be hot against her cheek. Opening her mouth, she gave a tiny whine when his tongue dipped inside.

She sank into the kiss and into him, hands creeping up to the collar of his coat. Her fingers brushed his neck and he moved closer, until she could barely smell the horses anymore. Needing to feel the warmth of him, she slipped her hands into the front of his coat, palms flattening over his chest. It wasn't until she slid them lower, to the narrowing of his waist, that she felt his hands moving beneath her coat, too.

Breaking the kiss on a gasp, she stared up at him, heart thudding in her chest. His tongue darted over his lips as though to catch another taste of her and she curled her fingers in the sides of his shirt. "Oscar…"

"Here?" he whispered doubtfully, his hands sweeping up and guiding her coat down her shoulders.

Suddenly, she vividly remembered Susie giving her a tour of the barn soon after it had been built. They had been standing in nearly the exact same spot when her friend had pointed at the end stall and casually commented that she and Esteban had made love in there as soon as the last screw had been tightened. Dragging her tongue over her lips, she nodded, grabbing the front of his coat and walking backwards. She didn't doubt that there were very few spots in the barn that her friends hadn't made love in, but she didn't know about any of them except that stall. Her back met the opposite wall and she giggled, feeling just a little daring and a little silly and more than a little in of the exhilaration she'd mentioned earlier. Just before his lips descended on hers again, she inhaled the scent of leather. His kiss was slow and sensual and made her delirious. Shaking her coat free, she worked to push his off, wrapping her arms around him as soon as it hit the floor. As slow as his kiss was, his hands were lightning-fast, cupping her cheeks then trailing down her sides then slipping beneath her sweater. His fingers were cool against her skin and she squirmed closer to him, one hand slipping between them to stroke the growing bulge in the front of his jeans.

Oscar's fingers stayed on her skin until they were warmed, and his lips remained over hers while he grasped her waist and lifted her against him. He pulled back slightly, hands slipping to the waistband of her leggings. When she nodded eagerly, he grinned.

They fumbled, desperation growing when she had to lower her legs to the floor and unzip her boots to step out of them. Eagerness increased as he dragged her leggings and panties down, stooping long enough to brush kisses over her thighs. Need caused her fingers to be uncooperative and she growled in frustration, finally wrenching his belt free of the buckle. It wasn't romantic, she thought vaguely as he brought her legs around him. The wall was cold but his body radiated heat and she clung to him, muffling her cry against his mouth when he entered her. It was frantic and almost savage, his moans loud and hot in her ear, his fingers digging into her hips. She clawed at his back, whining, and it occurred to her that even like this – unromantic, hard, and fast – it was still better than any she'd ever had.

He groaned, one hand slamming against the wall. Pinning her between him and the unforgiving surface, he tipped his head, offering a breathless kiss that made her see stars. "Stay with me," he whispered, forehead resting against hers.

She dragged one hand up and curled her fingers in his hair. "Oscar…"

"Don't go," he breathed. "I need you."

"I need you, too," she gasped, squeezing her eyes shut. In an instant it became needier. Sloppier. She came suddenly, his name a shriek muffled against his shoulder, legs and arms locking around him as his body grew tense. They trembled simultaneously and the force of it drew a long, keen moan from bot of them.

He held her up against the wall for several long moments, his grip on her thigh easing. When he kissed her again it was loving and sweet and brought tears to her eyes. Several moments passed with her staring into his eyes, and then several more before she finally uncurled her legs from his waist and lowered her feet to the floor. Breathless, she accepted his help in stepping into her leggings, her trembling hands reaching to pull them up. Silent as he refastened his jeans, she put on her boots then grabbed their coats, shaking the bits of hay from them.

Hand in his, she walked out of the barn with him, remembering at the last second to switch off the main lights. The cold was a shock to her and she shivered, leaning against him, while he closed the doors and fastened the latch. They ran across the yard and into the house, bursting into the kitchen with matching giggles. Leaning against the door to close it, she grinned up at him. His scent was embedded in her nose but she could just smell cocoa and pulled away from his kiss when heavy bootsteps sounded.

"Did you close the barn?"

"Yep," she chirped, stepping forward to get herself a cup of cocoa. Oscar's hand was still clasping hers and he stumbled slightly, causing her to giggle again when his arm looped around her waist to steady them both.

"You might want to double-check it," Oscar told Esteban.

Lilli cleared her throat, expression suspicious, but she said nothing while serving mugs of her homemade hot cocoa. There was a companionable silence as they all sipped appreciatively, Oscar and Natalie still in their coats. Amira smiled knowingly when Natalie leaned against the counter.

Natalie looked at her, raising one eyebrow in confusion. Her friend's smile grew and she reached over, tapping the sleeve of her coat. Glancing down, it finally registered that the coat was inside out. She had the urge to laugh and gave in, not embarrassed at having been caught.

Carlos chuckled, leaning to retrieve his phone when it began chiming with an incoming FaceTime. "It's Lando," he told them all, accepting. "Hey, how's—"

"Ssshh!" Lando's silencing hiss caused them all to freeze.

Carloss's eyes widened, then he was grinning, shifting and turning his phone so they could all see.

"Meet Eloise and Evelyn," Maddie said, a sleepy but radiant smile on her face. Lando lowered his phone, and everyone saw the two bundles tucked against her chest.

"Ohmigod!"

"Congratulations!"

"So beautiful!"

"How are you feeling, Mama?"

"Exhausted," Maddie said. "But so happy. We love y'all."

"Love you!"

Lando's face reappeared, his expression almost delirious. He practically babbled about the labor and delivery, dropping his phone the instant one of the twins began to fret.

Natalie wiped her eyes and when she looked up she found Oscar looking at her, one corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.

And she knew what her choice was going to be.

#f1 #oscar piastri #f1 imagine #oscar piastri imagine #my writings > op > xmas #oscar piastri x oc #f1 x oc

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iamcalmdammit · 2 years ago

Text

Trust issues || [David "Section" Mason x reader x Phillip Graves]

Summary: As Russell Adler's daughter, you were used to your father's scheming. But when he interferes with your relationship with your boss to help your ex get you back, you begin to lose track of what you want.

Length: 7.7k words

Characters: David "Section" Mason, Phillip Graves, Russell Adler, Frank Woods

Note: I've been working on this for a while, but something always came up. Now here you go. What do you think? I love all of these guys. All of them. // Me? Proof-reading? Never. I'll die on that hill (one day.)

The private conference where Phillip was giving a keynote speech was about to begin shortly, but he was still standing outside in the hallway, going through some stats with his most trusted employee. You watched him out of the corner of your eye as you tried to finish the conversation you were having with your sales contact from the organizers.

Once he finally apologized and left you there, you quickly made your way to your boss who was now on his own, his blue eyes fixed on you in a way that made your skin burn. You nervously tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear and tried to think of anything but that look he had in his eyes.

"How's my tie?" he asked when you got there.

"Perfect."

"Hair?"

You couldn't help but laugh at this. When did he become so vain? "Everything's good, don't worry," you assured him.

"I'm not worried."

You pursed your lips and raised your eyebrows upon hearing his statement. It came a little too fast and he sounded suspiciously sure of himself.

"What was that look?" he asked the moment he saw your expression.

At first you wanted to ignore his question. He was giving good speeches, he never had a problem with that, but today he seemed a little fallen apart, as if his mind was somewhere else. You were sure there would be no problem, but it still made you worried about him. Something was wrong, you just didn't know what.

"Sweetheart."

Someone placed a hand on your shoulder and you almost jumped out of your skin. When you turned to look at who it was, your lips curled into a smile. "Dad, hi," you told him as you quickly hugged him. "I didn't know you would be here."

"It was a last minute change of my plans," he replied then looked over at your boss.

"Oh, right. Dad, this is Phillip Graves, the CEO of Shadow Company. Phil, meet my dad, Russell Adler."

Phillip shook your father's hand and said, "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Likewise." Something was off, you could feel it. He was about to say something you wouldn't like and soon you were proven right by him. "This must mean you're the one who makes my girl work so much," he pointed out.

But Phillip didn't seem to pick up on that because he sounded pretty chill when he replied. "Quite the opposite, I'm usually the one telling her to go home," he pointed out.

"Is that so?"

"Dad, can you not?" you tried, putting a hand on his arm to make sure he wouldn't ask any more questions.

"I see you're working for the government," Phillip spoke up, pointing at the text on the badge in your father's neck.

He nodded. "As an advisor, yes."

"That's great."

But he didn't seem interested in keeping up a conversation with Phillip because he quickly turned to you and asked, "Can we talk?"

"Sure. Will you be okay?" you asked, turning to your boss.

"Don't worry about me."

"I'm not worried," you told him, maybe a little too quickly.

"Okay, I get that look now," he said with a laugh. "I'll go find my PA to check my schedule for the day."

"Good luck." Once he disappeared with his phone in hand, you turned back to your father. "What did you want to talk about?"

"My birthday's coming up."

"I know."

"You'll come over this year, right?" This again. Great. You'd been missing out on his birthdays in the past few years, but it's not like it was intentional. You usually went there, only a few weeks later. "Y/N, I'm getting older, who knows how many more birthdays I'm gonna have. You've been working on my birthdays in the past years, let's celebrate together this time."

He was right and you knew it. "Fine, I'll see what I can do. I promise," you added.

"Thank you. Now, tell me how you are. You look tired."

"I work a lot, it's been crazy in the office."

"Do you want me to talk to your boss?" he asked with a laugh.

"Thanks, but I can handle it."

"Sure?"

"Sure."

Your father fell silent and it made you uneasy. Whenever he gave you the look he had in his eyes now, you knew he was about to tell you something you wouldn't like to hear. "There's something about this boy that I don't like," he finally said.

The last time you had heard him say this was back when you were dating a guy from college and decided to introduce them to each other. It was a bad idea. "What would that be?" you asked anyway, by now curious to hear what he had against Phillip.

"I can't really tell," he said with a shrug. "It's just a hunch."

"He's not that bad," you tried.

"If you say so."

Oh, no, you knew this tone. "Wait, it's not just a hunch, you know something."

"Just be careful, that's all I'm saying," he said, holding up his hands. "And I still like David more than any other candidate."

"Dad, David and I broke up last year. Get over it."

"But you still talk quite a lot." Before you could respond, a chiming sound could be heard. "Oh, I believe it's time for the section your boss is in. Let's sit down."

As you were walking towards the chairs in front of the podium, you tried to get some answers out of him. "Do you and David talk about me behind my back often?" you demanded.

He looked at you then sat down, patting the chair next to him so you would do the same. "Your name comes up sometimes," he replied in the end.

"You're scheming and I don't like it," you told him in a whisper.

"Let's pay attention, okay?"

You hated this so much. He had worked for the CIA for a long time--hell, you were quite sure he was still working for them and this government advisor position was bullshit--and he often acted like raising you was one of his missions. He wanted to know every detail, every person you kept in touch with, where you went and what you were doing.

He always did a background check on your boyfriends and so far the only one who managed to pass his test was David. But you knew it wasn't only because of him as a person, but his background as well. He was the son of Alex Mason, someone your dad had worked with back during the Cold War, and he was raised by Frank Woods, another man your father closely worked with in the past.

Soon you were snapped out of your thoughts by a delicate applause from the crowd as Phillip stepped on the podium. He looked around, but then his eyes landed on you and he watched you as he began his speech. You couldn't hide your smile and you lost track of his words after a while. But every time he looked at you for a brief second, your breath caught in your throat.

Later you said goodbye to your father, promising him you would have dinner with him, then went to look for Phillip's PA so the two of you could talk to some people together, hopefully booking interview appointments.

'I'm at the bar. Come down and join me.'

That was all your boss' message said late at night. You weren't sleeping yet so you thought you could just as well go down for a drink and see what he wanted. While you looked into the mirror in the elevator, you suddenly realized that you were like a dog answering its owner's whistle.

Pathetic.

But at the same time you didn't really mind. You liked his sense of humor, the excited way he could talk about work, and how he always made time for conversations with you. He was nice to all of his employees, but you weren't sure if there were more than a handful he talked to outside of work as well.

He was sitting by the bar with a glass of bourbon in front of him. "I was beginning to think that I lost you," he said with a smile.

"I had dinner with Dad," you explained as you sat on the barstool next to him.

"I hoped we could eat together."

You let out a quiet laugh. "Maybe some other time."

"It's hard to make it happen if you always say no." There was something about his tone of voice that immediately made you look at him. You hoped he would tell you what he meant by that, but he didn't elaborate and changed the topic instead. "Anyway. I was wondering, how old is your dad?"

"Almost eighty-two," you told him.

"And he's still working as an advisor?"

Nodding, you took the cocktail you had ordered from the bartender then turned back to him. "Retirement isn't for him, especially since my mom died."

Phillip looked down at his glass. "What did he do when he was younger?"

"He worked for the CIA."

"For real?" Once again, you nodded and waited for him to explain why he looked like he had just had an epiphany. "That explains the way he looked at me."

Oh, fuck, he picked up on that. But you decided to play dumb for now. "What way?"

"He was suspicious."

"I'm sure he wasn't."

"He was, trust me. But I'm an open book, I have nothing to hide," he stated before finishing his drink and looking at you.

There it was again, the look that burned your skin. "If you say so," you said after clearing your throat and tearing your gaze away.

Phillip ordered another round of bourbon then took a sip with his eyes still on you. "Did you get any feedback about my speech?"

"It was good," you began, happy to talk about work instead of your private life. "Jeff and I already scheduled a few of the interviews we had talked about."

"Why aren't you talking to me about that?"

"Because that's why you have a PA?"

He suddenly reached out to put a hand on top of yours. "Oh, no, I want us to talk directly to each other about these things, okay?"

"You mean you want to schedule them yourself?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, yes."

"As you wish," you told him as you pulled away your hand and stood up. "Well, I only came down because of your message, but I'm tired so I'm off to sleep. See you tomorrow, I guess."

"Come on, stay a little longer. You can't leave me here alone," he asked, almost begging you.

"Pick up some woman. I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard," you let the first thought slip out of your mouth.

Shaking his head, Phillip stood up as well and took both your hands. "Please, don't do this. I can't be any more obvious."

"You're my boss."

"And? I'll talk to HR if that's what you want."

"I can't do this. Just think about how it would affect our work relationship."

A smile suddenly appeared on his lips. "I think things have been better since that kiss in Zürich," he noted.

"That was a mistake," you told him, although in reality you often thought about that kiss and wished you could repeat it.

"Are you sure? Because I'm not." He let go of your hand and cupped your face with his hands instead. "One chance, that's all I'm asking for."

Your eyes were locked with his blue ones, and you were slowly getting lost in their depths. "Why is it so hard to say no to you?" you whispered more to yourself than him.

"It must be my boyish charm," he replied with a laugh. "You wouldn't be the first one to complain about it."

"Is this how you sweep women off their feet?"

Letting out a sigh, he shook his head. "No, actually it was my mom who always said that."

Giggling like some stupid schoolgirl, you said, "I imagine you always got what you wanted."

"I worked hard for everything." His lips were suddenly close to yours, getting slowly closer as he carefully examined your reaction. But you couldn't resist, you wanted him to kiss you so you closed the gap and took the lead. "Why don't we go up to my room? I'll prove you made the right choice," he said with a wide grin.

•••••••

Two months after you officially started dating, you were sitting between his legs on the floor, leaning your back against his chest as you sipped your wine. You were watching some overrated indie movie neither of you had been paying much attention to lately.

Phillip had one hand around your waist, and another under your unbuttoned jeans, teasing you despite your constant begging for more than that. At one point he admitted that he wasn't planning to do anything serious just yet, at first he wanted to see how you reacted to him teasing you while the movie lasted.

It was a stupid experiment, but you knew that once it was over, he would satisfy you over and over again for sure. He was an overachiever in bed, you knew that, and when you had pointed that out, he didn't even try to deny it.

Then your doorbell rang, bringing you back to reality. "Don't open it," he whispered in your ear when you tried to stand up.

"Our cars are outside and the lights are on. It would be rude to ignore whoever it is," you pointed out with a laugh.

"You're ruining our fun." You turned your head to look at him and once your eyes locked, he let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, I'll let you go for a short while, baby, but make it quick," he told you before he licked his fingers clean.

You turned around to be on all fours in front of him and gave him a soft kiss before you stood up and said, "I'll be right back."

You looked out of the window on the way to the door and noticed the silhouette of a familiar car in the dark. When you opened the door and saw your guest, you immediately knew why it was familiar.

"David, hi," you greeted him with a surprised look. "What are you doing here?"

He took a deep breath and thought about where to begin, but until he spoke up, his hazel eyes gave away that whatever it was, it really bothered him. "I need to vent and I don't know who else to go to," he finally admitted.

Before you could ask him what the problem was, he simply walked inside, leaving you standing there. "Sure, come in," you said quietly.

You followed him to the kitchen where Phillip was busy pouring another glass of wine for himself. "That was quick," he noted without looking up. But once he turned to you with a seductive smile, it all disappeared and he watched David cautiously. "Oh. Hello?"

David turned to you. "I'm interrupting something, aren't I?" he asked.

"Yes," Phillip replied impatiently.

"No," you said at the exact same time.

Your ex shook his head. "I should go."

"Wait, why don't you just tell me what's wrong?"

"Frank," was all he said in response.

You began to laugh at this. "Ooooh."

"Don't laugh, he's getting on the nurses' nerves and I'm the one getting the calls. I have to talk to him about it, but I need reinforcement. He adores you, Y/N. Come with me."

There was something about the way he said it that made you think. Could it be that Frank didn't know the truth? "You did tell him we broke up, didn't you?" you asked with a questioning look.

David groaned and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Look, he's old, I didn't want to shock him."

"David!"

"Okay, what if we tell him together? I'm sure he will have questions and it would be better if I didn't have to answer on your behalf," he tried.

"My dad isn't young either and I managed to tell him alone. When it happened, not a year later," you added.

"Come on, Frank would be happy to see you again. Please."

"Ugh, fine."

"Thank you," he said as he reached out to quickly squeeze your hand.

That was the moment Phillip cleared his throat and looked at David expectantly. "We don't know each other, do we?"

"No, I don't think so. I'm David Mason," he introduced himself as he extended a hand.

"Phillip Graves." He shook your ex's hand then pointed at the bottle on the kitchen island. "Can I get you a glass of wine?"

"Thank you, but it's time for me to go. Sorry for disturbing you."

Phillip laughed. "No worries. Have a good night."

You walked David to the front door and watched as he sat in his car and drove off. So Frank was causing trouble again. You laughed while you closed the door and returned to your boyfriend in the kitchen. When you got there, you saw him looking at you with an upset look on his face. Was he jealous?

"What?" he suddenly asked.

"You're jealous."

He let out a laugh. "Me? Of this guy? Don't be ridiculous."

"Then what was this all about?" you asked him.

"I just offered him a drink since he was your guest." Tilting your head to the side, you gave him a disapproving look. He had been playing some stupid power game with David, it was obvious. "You don't believe me?"

"No."

Phillip walked over to you and put his hands on your hips as he examined your face. Then his hands began to move up your side, gently stroking your skin under the shirt you were wearing. "Too bad. But I have nothing to worry about, right? I mean, you're mine after all. I own every inch of this gorgeous body of yours," he said once he took off your shirt and began to place kisses all over your chest. "I love you," he murmured against the hollow of your throat.

The way he ruled your mind and body was nothing new, but even now you were surprised by the power he had over you. You already forgot that you had a visitor that night, all you could think about was him. And how despite all this you could never get yourself to say that you loved him.

•••••••

The Vault was a strange place. You didn't really know why, but you never really felt safe there, this is why you had always visited it with David by your side. You never had to tell him about this weird fear of yours, he instinctively knew and paid more attention to you while you were there.

Now that you had to go back there to see Frank, this probably irrational fear returned. But even though you weren't together anymore, David still stayed close to you, and took your hand to guide you away from an unruly patient outside in the garden. And after that, he didn't let go, he just wrapped his fingers tightly around yours and walked towards Frank's room as if you were in last year.

Then you finally reached your destination and you couldn't hold back a smile when you saw the old sergeant. "Frank," you greeted the man.

He turned the wheelchair around and let out a heartfelt laugh. "Y/N, it's been so long. Where the hell have you been?" he asked as he reached out to take your hand in his.

"I'm sorry, something always came up."

"David's right, you work too much," he stated once he rolled back to take a better look at the two of you.

With an annoyed groan leaving your lips, you folded your arms over your chest and gave him a sharp look. "Not you too."

"Your old man?" Frank asked with a laugh.

"He always tells me that too, yeah."

Next to you David huffed loudly enough for you to hear it. "And we're right," he noted.

Before you could say anything in your defense, Frank cleared his throat to stop the upcoming fight. "How are you, kids? I'm sure there's a reason why you both came here after such a long time. Here to announce your engagement finally?"

"No, we're not. Quite the opposite."

"We broke up last year, we--well, I just didn't know how to tell you the truth," David admitted. He sounded sad and you couldn't decide if he was trying to guilt trip you or really felt like that.

Frank closed his eyes and nodded. "Too bad, you were sickeningly cute together. What happened?"

"It just didn't work out," you replied.

"Because you work way too much." You turned to David, ready to defend yourself, but he changed the topic before you could say anything. "Anyway, we're also here to talk to you about your behavior," he said, turning to the very man who had helped raise him after his father's death.

He remained silent for a short while, as if he was having trouble remembering things. "What are you talking about?" he asked innocently.

David dropped on one knee to get on eye level with him. "The staff called me. Poker parties? For real?"

"Do you have any idea how boring it is here?"

"And you call one of the nurses Nurse Batshit?" David asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, because she goes batshit crazy whenever I want to smoke," Frank explained.

"You shouldn't do that."

"Don't tell me what to do, I'm old enough to decide on my own."

You couldn't do it anymore, you couldn't keep a straight face. So you finally let all of your emotions out and started laughing, even getting a tissue out of your bag to dry a few stray teardrops.

David let out a sigh and turned to look at you. "Why are you laughing?" he asked seriously.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I know this is serious, but," you began before losing it again. "Nurse Batshit? I can imagine you wheeling around in your chair screaming that nickname."

"She never listens," Frank noted.

"Because it's rude."

This time David gave you a confused look. "Then why are you laughing?"

"Because it's also hilarious."

"Thanks for the help, Y/N."

"I'm so sorry." After breathing in and breathing out a few times, you could finally calm yourself enough to speak seriously. "Okay, but for real, you should be nice to the staff. And don't organize poker parties, if you need money--"

"I don't need money, I want to have some fun," the old man interrupted you angrily.

"Frank, there are rules here, okay? Please, try to adapt to them," David tried.

"I'm too old for that, I won't change, son."

You put up your hands. "We tried."

"You give up that easily?"

"Look, he did a lot for our country, he deserves to have a peaceful and… fun retirement," you tried to reason with him.

Frank's lips curled into a satisfied smirk as he looked at David and pointed at you. "Listen to her," was all he said in the end.

The three of you chatted some more but things became weird when Frank began to ask both you and David if you were seeing anyone now. David explained that he was focusing on work and his girls, while you… Well, you lied and said you were also alone at the moment. You didn't know why you said that, it just came out like that.

Once you left the building, David stopped you by a bench in the garden and motioned you to sit down with him. "You weren't too much help, but thank you for coming," he said after watching you for a few minutes in silence.

"I'm sorry, but Nurse Batshit," you said, although your voice faded as you started laughing again.

"Okay, you're right, that's funny." David was now laughing too, finally appreciating Frank's sense of humor. Just as suddenly as he started laughing, though, he fell silent again then said, "I miss you."

"David…"

"I'm serious. But tell me this--why him?"

"You mean Phil?" you asked the obvious.

He nodded and you could tell he was furious by now. "Yes, your goddamn boss of all people," he pointed out. "Can't you see that he's using his position to get what he wants from you?"

But you only shook your head and ignored his anger. "It didn't happen from one day to another," you said, keeping your voice down to calm him down a bit.

"Oh, trust me, I know. It all began when we were still together."

"It's not true."

"I remember what it was like. I remember his fucking voice from my nightmares because you always put him on speaker when he called," he finally snapped. "It didn't matter if it was late night or the weekend, or if we were out on a date. You always answered his call. Always."

It was true, you couldn't argue with him, but there was something that you knew he didn't want to say out loud. "I never cheated on you," you informed him, hoping you answered whatever theory or question he had in his mind.

"I'm sure you didn't, at least not physically. But emotionally? That I'm not so sure about." Could he be right about this? So much had happened since then that you didn't even remember the details. "Tell me, is he treating you right? Or does he talk to you in private as if you were any other of his employees?"

"Don't do this," you said weakly.

"Answer me." He watched you intently, probably trying to read your face in case you didn't answer. And you didn't answer. You didn't know what to say because a part of you knew he was right. "You can't even answer this simple question. Leave him. Do yourself a favor and throw him out."

"And go back to you?"

"I wouldn't mind. I tried to be friends with you but that's not enough."

Letting out a sigh, you looked into his hazel eyes and wondered why he suddenly said these things. For months you only had casual conversations, you never suspected that he still had feelings for you. If you had known, you would've kept your distance for his sake.

Before you realized what was happening, he reached out and pulled you into a kiss. A hungry and passionate kiss you knew all too well, one he usually reserved for post-mission meetings. You were so surprised that you instinctively returned the kiss, something you definitely wouldn't have done if you could think straight.

But as terrible as it was to admit, you enjoyed it, and memories you had forcefully pushed into the back of your mind in the past months now returned--date nights, lazy mornings in bed together, trips to the zoo with his daughters. It had been so good to be with him, it was definitely more domestic than the relationship you were currently in.

Then your phone began to ring and when you looked at your watch, you freaked out. "Shit, it's Phil," you said in panic.

"Leave it," David told you before he kissed you again.

It didn't last long this time because the call brought you to your senses and you pushed him away. "No, wait, what the fuck am I even doing?"

He watched you jump up and take a few steps away from him then flashed a cheeky smile at you. "Following your heart."

"How poetic."

"You wanted this."

"You're confusing me."

"I couldn't confuse you if you really loved him."

You did love Phil, you knew that deep down, but you couldn't deny that you wanted this. A part of you still missed David, still regretted having those fights back in the day. But there was something else you needed to remind him of. "You threw me out to begin with!" you snapped at him.

David stood up and walked over to you. "Because of him! Because of whatever the fuck was happening between you."

"I need to answer this," you suddenly remembered your ringing phone.

"Go ahead, I won't stop you."

"Stay quiet."

"Why?" he asked with a laugh. "He knows we're visiting Frank together, doesn't he?"

You gave him an angry look. Not because he was wrong, Phil knew you didn't come alone, but he made it sound like it would be fun for him to piss your boyfriend off by talking in the background. It wouldn't be beyond him to do something like this.

"Hey, Phil," you said into the phone after you answered the call.

"Babe, it took you so long to answer. Is everything okay?" he asked almost worriedly.

"Yeah, I was just looking for a quiet place to talk to you," you lied, earning a disapproving look from David.

"Are you still there?"

"Yeah, we just finished."

"How did it go?"

"Not well, but we kinda knew he wouldn't change."

"And your ex?"

Shit. "What about him?" you asked as if you didn't know what he was talking about.

"Did he behave?"

"Jealous?" You laughed, although it wasn't a happy, but more like a nervous laugh.

"Like I already told you, I have no reason to be," Phil replied confidently and you could imagine the smirk on his lips now. "See you tonight?"

"Yeah. I'll be waiting."

Once you put the phone away, you took a deep breath then turned around to face David. He was watching you with his arms folded over his chest, burning a hole inside you with that glare. "He knows that you shouldn't be with him, that's why he's so worried about you coming here with me," he suddenly said.

You gulped loudly while you thought about what he said. "He's not worried."

"I heard you asking him if he was jealous. So what would be the better word then? Insecure?" he asked with a laugh.

"I won't stay here and listen to you talking shit about my boyfriend," you told him angrily before turning around and walking away.

•••••••

Russell had been through a lot throughout his career, but despite not acting like the best father in the world most of the time, you were one of the things about his life that he was truly proud of. Not saving the world or getting rid of bad guys. No. You.

So when your boyfriend called him to say he had plans for your birthday, that he would throw a party to celebrate you, he knew he had no choice but to play nice. He didn't like Phillip, but you loved him and that was enough for now.

At the party you looked truly happy and chatted with every single guest eventually. You were talking to one of your neighbors when he found you again, although he only watched you from afar, appreciating the sight of you having David by your side again. Russell remembered that old lady, David had sometimes helped her around the house while you were together.

"They are adorable together," he noted happily when he noticed Phillip standing next to him out of the corner of his eye.

"I beg to differ, sir," was all he said with a surprising level of confidence, although Russell was able to tell it was just an act and he was probably nervous under this calm surface.

"Of course you do."

Phillip let out a sigh and licked his lips as he turned to him. "I have a question for you. Why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you, son, I just don't trust you. I want my daughter to be safe in a relationship," he explained.

"So you think I can't protect her?"

It was clear from his reaction that he wasn't a parent yet, especially not the father of a girl. "I'm sure you could protect her from physical harm, but I'm talking about emotional safety. I doubt you could give her that."

"But you think he could," Phillip said, pointing at David.

Russell nodded. "I know he can. She has known him for many years, she was by his side after the divorce, she went through hell to get his eldest daughter to at least like her, and they spent four years together," he listed.

"And despite all this they still broke up."

"All because of you."

Upon hearing this answer, Phillip raised an eyebrow and turned to him. "What does it have to do with me?"

"The two of you have been close for a while now, haven't you? Maybe a little too close for David's liking. Late night calls, weekend calls, business lunches and dinners, business trips--you knew exactly what you were doing."

The younger man laughed. "You think I'm that calculating?"

"You might as well be."

"Well, I think your daughter knows best who's the better choice for her, so I suggest you step back and let her decide on her own," Phillip told him coldly.

Who would have thought. This kid could still surprise him. "Is that a threat?" he asked calmly.

"No, sir, just an advice," your boyfriend replied with a smile before walking away, going straight to you.

You greeted him with a smile when Phillip put an arm around your waist and handed you another cocktail. He gave David a cold look, who in return excused himself and left the group. A smile crept on his lips. Good, he knew his place.

He kissed your temple, hoping this gentle gesture could get your attention. When you gave him a questioning look, he asked, "Baby, do you have a minute? I have another surprise for you."

"Another?" you asked in a surprised tone.

"It's not a big deal." Once you reached an area that was less crowded, Phillip reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box that he then handed to you. When you saw what was inside, you looked up at him, expecting answers. "Keys to my house. Move in," he explained.

While he thought you would be happy to see it, in reality you were unsure of the whole thing. "Isn't it soon?"

"Why would we waste our time?" asked Phillip as he took your hand. "Come on, things are great, this is the next step."

"Can I think about it?"

He was confused, he didn't understand why you weren't glad to hear he was ready to move forward with your relationship. But he didn't want to push you so he had to be patient this time. "Sure. I'm not trying to force you here, it's just an option," he replied with a smile.

You finally smiled at him and wrapped your arms around his neck. "Thank you," you whispered against his skin.

"I love you more than anything, Y/N. You know that, right?"

"I love you too." Then you let go of him and stepped back a little to look at him. "So how was working with Dad on this little party?

It was a nightmare, he wanted to say. "We had our differences about the guest list," he began, intentionally not mentioning David's invite, "but other than that it went well."

"I'm glad to hear that. I know how difficult he can be."

"No, it was okay. If things go that well we might be friends one day," he lied.

With a warm smile you fiddled with the collar of his shirt. "Look how confident you are."

"I would say optimistic."

•••••••

You didn't know what you were doing in front of that door, but something led you there. It was a thought in the back of your mind, telling you to come and see him again. You knocked and waited, hoping he would open the door soon.

"Y/N? What are you doing here?" asked David in surprise.

Looking down at your hands, you thought about how to answer this. Really, what the hell were you doing? "I don't really know."

He flashed a small smile at you as he stepped aside and fully opened the door. "Do you wanna come in?"

"Only if it's okay."

"You're always welcome here, you know that."

The two of you walked inside to the kitchen, briefly passing by the living room. "Oh, yeah, Savannah and Jessica are with me this weekend," he explained when you noticed the tops of the girls' heads.

Without thinking, you said, "Hello, girls."

They didn't respond, just kept on watching some animated movie. Once you reached the kitchen, you leaned against the kitchen island and watched David with a sad look on your face.

"Is everything okay with you?" He put a finger under your chin and made you look at him "Come on, you can tell me."

"Phil asked me to move in with him," you admitted after some thinking.

"Will you?"

"I don't know yet."

"Do you want this?"

"I'm not sure."

"Why?"

It was a tough question. Sure, you loved Phillip and things were great, but something was missing. And there was another thing too. "I can't get you out of my head since that kiss," you admitted with a guilty expression.

David's lips turned up into a smile. "Is that so?"

"Don't look that smug," you said with a laugh.

"I told you he's not good enough for you," he pointed out quietly.

But just saying this wasn't enough for him. David swept a strand of hair out of your face and slowly leaned closer and closer to kiss you. You should have resisted the temptation, you should have pushed him away, but you couldn't.

"I wish I didn't want you this much," you admitted after he kissed you.

David put his hand under your shirt that began to move up your spine. "Let's do something about that," he whispered into your ear.

You looked back into the living room and saw the two girls still sitting on the couch without paying attention to them. "Your daughters are here in the living room."

"They just started that movie, they won't leave the room until it's over. We'll be quiet. Come with me," he said as he took your hand and began to lead you to his bedroom.

You didn't resist, you let him do whatever he wanted to do. It was a mistake and you were aware of it, but you had trouble thinking straight in his presence. Everything came back from the time you'd spent together and you began to wonder if being with Phillip was a good idea.

In the end you stayed until the morning and performed the walk of shame on the way to your car. You were an idiot. How could you do something like this? And things got worse when you got a message from your boyfriend, asking to meet you in his home.

"What the fuck does this supposed to mean?!" he snapped at you the moment you entered his study where he was waiting for you.

You glanced at the laptop screen he was pointing at and noticed a video of you and David from the night before. "Where did you get this?" you asked worriedly.

"What does it matter?"

"You sent someone to follow me around?"

Phillip took a deep breath as he turned the laptop back to himself and stopped the video. "You've been acting weird, what else was I supposed to do?" he asked.

Laughing, you raised up your hands. "So that's how much you trust me."

"That's rich coming from you. You cheated on me!"

"Look, it only happened once--"

"I don't give a fuck about your excuses or how many times this happened," he told you angrily. "This is a video from yesterday night, when you canceled our date because you weren't feeling well. And he's been bombing you with messages for months now--to what you always answer. I read them, I know exactly what you're talking about."

He crossed a line with this. "You what? Those are private conversations," you pointed out. This is what you got for being with someone who was good at this stuff.

"I don't give a fuck! What matters is that you lied to me. You told me you loved me while you were screwing your ex."

"Phil, let's calm down and have a normal conversation."

"Sure. Then let me tell you about your dad's little scheming. I checked his call records and messages from the past year and he has been communicating with your ex a lot more since we got together. He didn't even try to hide it whenever we talked that he prefers him over me, so I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to convince him to try to get close to you again."

"You're seeing too much into this."

"Oh, I don't think so. Here, let me show you something," he said as he pushed a few buttons on the laptop then turned it to you.

Based on the logs, these were chats between your father and David. The snippets Phillip collected for you were all about your father trying to convince David that your current boyfriend didn't deserve you, that he was a bad guy for ruining your relationship, and that maybe you should be together again.

Fuck. Why couldn't he stay out of your life?

"Believe me now?" Phillip asked as he put a hand on your cheek to make you focus on him. "Listen, baby, I love you despite all this shit. If you are willing to go no contact with Mason, I might even forgive you. But you need to make up your mind for good," he said, leaning so close that he almost kissed you.

Prying his hands off of you, you took several steps back and buried your hand into your hair as you thought about what to do or say now. You cheated, it was obvious why Phillip was mad at you and you couldn't blame him. But what he had showed you, the truth about your father and David…

"It's too much, isn't it?" he asked, as if he could read your mind.

You were almost crying by the time you got to answering his question with a nod. "I know why you're so angry and I'm so sorry."

"Hey, they manipulated you," Phillip cautiously said as he took your hand. "This asshole got close to you again so he could break us up. But I have faith in us, okay? We can get through this."

"I'll talk to him."

"Setting clear boundaries, I believe." When he saw you look down at your shoes instead of answering, he got worried. "To set clear boundaries, right?"

"I just want to know what he was planning all along first. But," you began upon seeing the look on his face, "maybe I'll visit Dad instead. Yeah, that's what I'll do."

"Good girl," he said before placing a soft kiss on your temple.

•••••••

A few days later you were sitting in your father's living room with a warm cup of tea in front of you. He was sitting in the armchair next to you and watched you with an expectant look on his face, after all the two of you had been sitting there in silence for over five minutes now.

"You've been scheming again, Dad," you finally said. He raised an eyebrow, as if he had no idea what you were talking about. "Come on, I saw the messages you sent David in the past months."

"Look at my little girl, snooping around in other people's business," he told you with a proud smile.

You shook your head at this. "No, I got the messages from Phillip, he's the one who got his hands on them. What were you thinking? That I would go back to David after everything that happened recently?"

Rolling his eyes, Russell took a sip of his coffee. "Your relationship with your boss can't last long. He's using you, I know that."

"You hate him since the moment you met."

"That's not true. I already hated him before that," he admitted with a shrug. "You and David broke up because of that guy. You threw away a relationship that worked so well and what you worked so hard for."

Breathing in then breathing out, you tried to calm yourself. "David was the one who sent me away, don't forget this," you warned your father.

"Because of him. All of this happened because of him. If you and David gave your relationship another shot, you could be happy again. You could quit your job and look for something that comes with less stress, something far from Graves and his manipulation," he tried.

"Why can't you just accept that I'm happy with him?" you tried with your face buried in your hands. "Phil loves me, he even asked me to move in with him."

"Yet you kissed David when you visited Woods," your father pointed out.

You looked up with a shocked expression on your face. "How do you know about that?"

"Woods. Someone saw the two of you and told him about it," he explained.

Damn it, not him as well. Pushing the thought of your father not only scheming with David, but with Frank as well aside, you tried to figure out how to convince him to stay out of your love life without getting into a fight. It was a tough one.

Then he cleared his throat and said, "Okay, I can see you don't like me pushing this… David propaganda. Fine, I'll stop. But answer me this. When you think of getting married and spending the rest of your life with someone, who would you really like to see there with you? David or Graves?"

*******************

Note 2: What? It's over like this? The answer is yes, it's over like this. I couldn't pick one, I love them both. The readers need to make the final decision.

#call of duty #david section mason x reader #david section mason #david mason x reader #phillip graves x reader #phillip graves #david mason #modern warfare #black ops #russell adler #frank woods

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