#not just because they are very good drivers

[keferon]

On the topic of drivers and their cars, headcanon that Ratchet was an ambulance driver at one point. Which if you don’t realize, means getting very good at driving at fast as fucking possible-road laws and physics be damned.

So imagine Blurr and Jazz get into some boasting contest of who’s the better driver car combination. Blurr’s all like, “I’m a literal professional race car driver and Swerve is a powerhouse of speed.” While Jazz is like, “K but Prowl has the build of a pursuit vehicle, he’s literally built to chase down speeders like you. PLUS we got that connection.”

And Ratchet, hearing the beginnings of what will surely end in at least two or more idiots being injured, opts for the “proactive” approach.

“Hey Kid, mind if I take the wheel?”

Cut to everyone learning something new about Ratchet, and Drift learning something new about himself

Oh my god AHAHAHAH WAIT

Hear me out. Ratchet can drive fast and crazy as fuck. Deadlock can drive fast and crazy as fuck too. Remember that one panel where Deadlock is upset so he transforms into his vehicle mode to drive down the long ass stairs?? Instead of??fucking walking??

Blurr is fast but he’s careful. He would go around or avoid any obstacles.

Prowl is a bit more reckless but he’s also very respectful of earth laws and rules.

Deadlock and Ratchet? THEY DONT GIVE A SINGLE FUCK~

Of course most of the time Ratchet would drive calmly and safely. But if he had a good reason to go fast? If he reeeaally needed to hurry? He would turn into a speed demon. And it will only become worse with Deadlock because Deadlock isn’t just a race car. He’s heavily armoured race car. Shielded by inches of Cybertronian metal plating. Deadlock could break walls without really slowing down.

Blurr and Jazz be busy manoeuvring and finding their way using human roads and streets and tunnels while Deadlock makes sure his human didn’t forget the seat belt and immediately fucks off through the nearest metal fence.

So while Blurr's driving like this:

And JP doing this:

Deadlock and Ratchet are like:

[factual-fantasy]

These past few days have been very painful and stressful so I wanted to draw sad Pomni to help me feel better. But FireAlpaca kept breaking and this was as far as I could draw before I gave up 🥲

I must have done something wrong. FireAlpaca is up to date.. so maybe syncing my laptop with the cloud overwhelmed my laptop or changed something that is now affecting FireAlpaca? Or maybe my pen is busted because I dropped it too many times? But then why would it keep working after reopening FireAlpaca?

Maybe it got all screwed up when I kept installing and uninstalling tablet drivers before I realized what I was doing wrong. Maybe it's the chord and the connection is just bad? Maybe those weren't drivers and I just downloaded a virus. Maybe my laptop is worse off than I think and it's causing FireAlpaca to break? But it runs everything else fine.. maybe my tablet is much older than I realize and this is the first signs of it breaking for good?

Whatever the problem is, I just know that somewhere along the line I messed something up. And now FireAlpaca is almost unusable. I wish I knew what I did wrong and how to fix it but I just can't work with tech 😔

[pupuyvs]

Race of Your Life

pairing: sophia laforteza x fem!reader

wc: 5k+

warnings: car accident???? its in f1 though so..

a/n this is a req which can be seen here and here, sorry anon for how long this took 😅 anyways i may further this universe we’ll see though 🫣 ps. this is inspired by romain grosjean crash at 2020 bahrain grand prix (dw no one died he actually got away with burns on his hands and sprained ankle) so if ur curious as to what everyone wouldve seen u can search it up (its not graphic so again dw)

Formula 1. A sport known for its riches, flashiness, and speed; all aspects that pulled you in.

You were ten when you went to your first grand prix, the seats terrible due to them being a bonus given to your dad by his company, but you didn’t let that hinder you. Hearing the sounds of the cars as they raced by, the crowd cheering, feeling adrenaline as the cars came close to each other — you were hooked.

Your parents were hesitant when you showed interest, karting was expensive, and well, you were a girl. But you were determined, telling them you would die if you couldn’t do it, you regard this memory as being very dramatic, but it worked. Your father, clearly exasperated by said dramatics, made a deal with you, he’d help you in karting, but you couldn’t quit, no matter what. And being the stubborn ten year old you were, you agreed.

And thus you started.

The first year was the hardest, girls weren’t the most common in karting, add on to the fact you weren’t rich it was like you practically had a sign on your back saying, “pick on me!” But you didn’t care, you were there for one thing and one thing only, racing. While your parents fought for you verbally, you fought on the track.

You found yourself more often than not on the podium, losing was not something you could afford.

As the trophies racked up so did the respect, arguments were hard to have when you couldn’t back it up when it came down to it. And it continued this way as the years went by, karting turned into Formula 4, then 3, then 2, and it stayed that way for a while.

Women hadn’t made their break into Formula 1 yet, you were good, but it seemed not good enough for them. You watched as your friends began to make their transition into the top of the league, and you were happy for them, but it was also bitter to watch them get chances that you couldn’t afford yet.

Until 2021.

Mclaren had just released their driver line up for a younger, newer lineup for the 2022 season. Your longtime friend Oscar got called up first, you were happy for him, he was one of the few people in karting who was kind to you, so to see him awarded for his talent you couldn’t be happier. But you didn’t know that Mclaren didn’t just want Oscar, no, they wanted to be first in everything, not only racing.

Your signing made headlines everywhere making Mclaren happy, especially with the word “history” attached to their name. But with this came pressure, a huge amount of it too.

Your first season was much like your first year in karting — rough. The drivers are kinder this time around, well most of them, it’s the garage this time. You were iced out from most of your team, aside from the team managers and Oscar most of the team didn’t want you there.

That wasn’t the top of your worries though, sure it sucked, but you had bigger issues.

A drivers car is essentially a part of them, an extension of them if you will, they can only drive as well as their car runs, and your car did not want to work with you.

You knew it wasn’t because of the team, they would never purposely sabotage you, winning was more important to them than anything else.

It was hard on you going from top of the grid, podiums a normalcy, to being in the back of the pack. What used to be single digit placements became double digits with a swiftness, with each result you could feel your seat being taken from you, you needed a win.

The Italian Grand Prix was famous for its long straights, practically begging for speed. It was one of the later races in the season, a race meant for grabbing points to cement your position in the driver’s cup or the team cup. But it wasn’t just that for you, there was talks about replacing you if you didn’t give results soon, and you couldn’t allow that.

You were starting in fifteenth place, not an uncommon place for you, and you had to get at least in the top ten if you wanted even a chance of being considered to stay. Adrenaline coursed through you as the lights turned off and the race began. It was a battle for places in the first turn as always, and you luckily succeeded in snatching two leaving you now in thirteenth place, a good spot but you needed more. And it seemed your car understood that too.

For the first time that season you felt like you were back to your old self. The joy you felt as you passed car after car was euphoric after months of not having it.

The race ended with you seventh place, but it might as well have been first to you. An eight position climb was uncommon and hard to accomplish, but you somehow had done it and your team was ecstatic. Your career only went up from here, no longer were you in the bottom, you had found yourself back in the top, not quite podium but it didn’t matter you were still scoring points for your team.

At the end of the season you and Oscar ended up in the top ten for the drivers cup, and were re-signed immediately.

But as the new year rolled around you felt something was missing.

The 2023 race season started off strong, the team had worked vigorously on the car and your team was faster than ever. Now instead of finishing in just the top ten you often found yourself in the top five, which should’ve made you happy, but something was off and you wouldn’t know what it was until Miami.

Celebrities weren’t an uncommon sight in Formula 1. The glitz and glam of it practically called to them like a siren song. Hence why when Katseye's schedule had coincided with the Miami grand prix Hybe had immediately sent them.

The company had gone all out getting them all access passes, anything for promotion they had stated.

The tour around the paddocks was fun, even with the cameras in their face due to content being filmed. But of course something had to go wrong.

Sophia wouldn’t say she had a terrible sense of direction, just not the most perfect. And truly it wasn’t her fault!

She had stepped away to get a closer look at one of the cars, and when she turned around her group was missing.

The leader part of her would’ve asked for help, after all it’s the responsible and smart thing to do, but the new idol side of her didn’t want to be a burden so she decided she’d find her members herself.

It wasn’t the smartest idea, and she’ll admit it each time she looks back on it. This sport comes down to milliseconds at times, each team making changes to beat the others, so none of them will take kindly to a random person walking around.

As one of the employees of the team yelled accusations at her, Sophia only had one thought she was getting fired. That is until you showed up.

Sophia will always say she found you charming when she first laid eyes on you. Your voice, your calming smile and the way you lightly grabbed onto her wrist to guide her away, everything about you was just charming.

When you finally reached a seemingly neutral spot you let go of her wrist and turned to her, a soft smile on your lips.

“I’m assuming you’re part of that girl group touring today?” The question shocked Sophia, she hadn’t expected any of the racers to know about them.

“Yes, and I swear I wasn’t trying to steal anything or spy or whatever else that man said. I truly got lost. I didn't mean any harm or anything like that, me and my group are good peopl-” You cut her off with a laugh and a shake of your head.

“Calm down, I know,” you told her, “I doubt other teams are using singers to spy.” You hold your hand out for her to shake.

“I’m Y-” It’s her turn to cut you off.

“Y/N Y/L/N. I think I’d be crazy not to know who you are.”

And it was true, you were a sought after prospect due to just how much of a commercial success you were. After the Italian race the endorsements practically came running in which Mclaren praised, their name attached to such big names did nothing but raise their stocks and publicity, it also helped their sales skyrocket since more and more women were buying their cars. With all these positives teams were practically foaming at the mouth to sign you and your publicity.

You laughed shyly at her response, “Right.” You said as you rubbed the back of your neck. You cleared your throat once the red in your ears disappeared.

“What’s you and your group's name?” Sophia gasped at the question, feigning offense. She laughed as you panicked rushing to apologize. Sophia stopped you before you could ramble.

“I’m just joking with you,” she started, “I wouldn’t expect you to know us just yet, we’re pretty much in that stage before debuting.” You sighed out in relief at her words, nodding in understanding.

Sophia realized she still hadn’t said her name, “I’m Sophia, the leader of Katseye.”

She cringed slightly at the clear training that was drilled into her. And you noticed it too as you struggled to not laugh.

“Well Sophia, leader of Katseye,” the playfulness is clear in your voice, “Where is the group you are currently leading?”

She rolled her eyes at the clear teasing, before she realized she had no idea where her members nor staff were.

“I…actually don’t know.”

You raised an eyebrow, “Well, did they mention where they were going next?”

She stops to think about the schedule the guide had told them, furrowing her brows, “Mercedes?” You groaned at her words, which had worried her.

“Did I say something wrong,” she asked.

You quickly shook your head, “No, it’s just it will be a bit difficult to bring you given..” you trailed off as you raised your hand to point to your team logo on your shirt.

She nodded in understanding however before she could offer to leave you alone and somehow find her own way, you spoke once more.

“I’ll just have to bring you just outside their garage, so I don’t get encaptured in rumors of cheating and conspiracy and all that.” You stopped with a laugh at just how ridiculous it was.

“Okay, but are you sure?”

You nodded, “I am. Come on.”

As you two walked, you found yourselves falling into a natural conversation. She told you about the show her group formed from, which you promise to watch later, and you told her about the first race you won.

It was the happiest you had felt in awhile, it’s there you realized what was missing.

So when you had reached your stop you found yourself struggling to say goodbye. What you hadn’t known was Sophia was struggling too.

“Thanks for walking me,” she finally said, breaking the silence you both created to avoid it ending.

“Yeah of course, it was fun.”

“Really,” she asked while raising an eyebrow. You nodded, scratching the back of your neck nervously.

“Well,” she trailed, clearly trying to buy time, “I should go in and find my members.”

She waited for you to say something, and when you didn’t she frowned believing she had read the whole situation wrong. When she turned to walk away though, you called for her.

“Can I have your number?”

Sophia stopped, silent as she felt relieved by not being wrong. However, her silence gets read wrong by you and you beat yourself up for possibly having overstepped.

“I don’t have my phone on me right now, you know filming and stuff, but if you give me your phone I can put my number in and you text me, when I get my phone back I can text you back.” You nodded and handed your phone to her, quite desperately too. As she entered her number her members walked out of the Mercedes area, and practically screamed when they saw you and her.

You jumped as they barrelled towards the two of you.

“Hi, you’re Y/N, right?” Lara asked you. You nodded with a small smile.

“You must be the Katseye members.” The girls all started to freak out as they realized you knew them. You laughed as you accepted your phone back from Sophia, which garnered the attention of Daniela, but she stayed silent as she remembered that there were cameras around.

And she wasn’t the only one that remembered the cameras as the girls’ managers came forward, “Would it be okay if we took a picture and you guys filmed a quick video together?”

You hesitated, “My manager isn’t around,” you watched as Sophia pouted slightly and immediately changed your mind, “But I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

And based on the girls’ reactions you know you had said the right thing. After taking a picture with them and recording a video saying people should check them out, you said goodbye to them, sending Sophia one last smile.

You and Sophia started talking frequently after this day, messaging each other whenever you could. You asked her out on race day, seeing it as the best time since her and her group would be leaving the next day.

She had said yes immediately, and so after the race instead of attending the usual party you had raced over to your hotel to get ready.

When you had arrived at her hotel she hesitated when she saw your car, her friends had warned her to be careful with you, racers didn’t have the best reputation for dating. It hadn’t helped your case when you showed up in a clearly expensive and flashy car.

She pushed the warnings to the side when she saw you leaned against your car, a gift bag in hand and a shy smile.

Her members, who had followed her under the guise of safety, though she knew it was out of pure nosiness, all rushed to get a closer look at the car. The rushing clearly shocked you as you jumped, she laughed when you looked at her for help.

When she hadn’t moved you instead moved away from your car, which was now being opened by Megan and Yoonchae, who screamed when the door went up instead of out. You stopped just in front of her and took in her beauty, a smile had automatically found its way on your face.

“You look stunning,” you had breathed out. You blushed when you noticed she had heard you. You cleared your throat to fight the blush that fought its way to your face.

Sophia jumped when you held up a small gift bag in her face. Shock had crossed her face when she opened a jewelry box and found a diamond bracelet in it.

“I hope that’s okay,” you said. “My manager and the lady at the store said it was a perfect gift for the first date.”

Sophia could only scoff in disbelief, “They said diamonds are great for a first date?”

You nodded, but quickly shook your head when you had seen the look on her first. “I knew it was stupid, I should’ve got the necklace, if you want I can take it back and get it traded.”

However when you tried to grab the bag Sophia had immediately pulled it back, “I never said it was bad, just surprised. Thank you.”

You nodded once more before you gestured towards your car, which her members had been taking pictures in, “Ready to go?”

She simply nodded and you both entered the car, after saying goodbye to her members and promising Daniela that she could drive it one time.

You had taken her to an expensive steakhouse that resided along South Beach. It was awkward at first, you being nervous and her trying to figure out if this was all a ploy to feed your ego.

It wasn’t until she spilled her wine on your shirt trying to hand the menu to the waiter did the awkwardness finally stop. You laughed as she tried to wipe your shirt with a napkin, a dried one at that, and reassured her that it was fine, because truly you liked her so much it didn’t bother you even a bit.

You had stopped laughing when you noticed she was truly panicked, you lifted your hand and lightly grabbed hers and reassured her once again that it was okay.

When she noticed you were serious she calmed, and your dinner finished without a hitch. After dropping off the five extra meals you had bought for her members at your car you both walked along the beachfront and enjoyed the business of the nightlife.

You two talked about nothing and everything until her manager texted her telling it was time to come back.

This date marked the beginning of what would be your two’s relationship. It was rough at first, with you traveling so often due to races, facetime had been essentially a third in your relationship.

However, you didn’t let the distance hinder you guys, as you had bought a house close to the group’s apartment and had visited her every break they had given you.

Which led you guys to where you are now.

“God I don’t know how you guys don’t get lost here, this place is huge,” Manon says as she places the snacks she bought on the table. She doesn’t receive a response as all the other members rush to get their favorite snacks first, the slight chaos makes your parents laugh.

It’s an action that would’ve gotten them scolded by Sophia but she was too busy eyeing the door to the room.

It wasn’t often Sophia could come to your races, being an idol in her first year meant she was busier than ever, but any time she did get to go she was always a nervous wreck, only being calmed when she would see you before you went down to the grid.

When she saw the door knob move she immediately stood, running when she realized it was you. She jumped on you leaving you to drop your bottle of water to catch her.

“Happy to see you too baby,” you whisper in her ear. She responds by tightening her hold on you.

You laugh as you move to put her down, though she latches onto you still. She had an extremely bad feeling since this morning and it made her not want to let go of you.

You moved her to your side and wrapped one of your hands around her waist, while she kept both of her arms circled around yours.

You both walked over to where the rest were standing, Sophia moving so you can greet your parents and her members, and when you finished she went back to her previous spot by your side.

“You excited? Only two more races after this then you’re off,” your father asks.

You shake your head, “I’m more so nervous.” Sophia perks when she hears that.

“Why?” She feels you jump slightly at her intrusion, not expecting a voice to come from her direction.

“Just not used to the track and its turns yet.” Your dad comes beside you and pats the shoulder Sophia is not currently resting her head on.

“You did great during practice and quali, I mean you’re starting fifth.”

You nod your head at your dad’s words, “Yeah, it’s probably just preracing jitters.”

The room door opens again and in steps one of your team members. “Hey, Y/N, it’s time to get ready.”

“Alright.” You turn to your parents first, Sophia stepping away momentarily, but she stays near watching you. You hugged your dad first and then your mother, who pressed a quick kiss to your head. Each member wishes you luck, Yoonchae even showing you the sign she made you with Megan and Manon, which made you laugh and thank them.

Everyone in the room moves back to let you and Sophia say your goodbyes.

“Hey,” you say as you lift her head, “You okay? You’ve been very quiet.”

She tightens her grip slightly. “Just…anxious.”

You smiled at her to reassure her, when you still see the fear in her eyes you lean down and give her a peck. You feel her ease slightly, “Everything will be okay. I’m gonna win and then come back up here with the trophy and you and the girls can sign it.”

She nods, but you can still see the hesitation, “Baby-”

You're cut off by the staff coming back again, motioning that it’s seriously time to go. You sigh before looking back at Sophia.

“I have to go now, It’ll be over before you know it.” You kiss her once more and she tries to pull you closer, but you pull away much to her dismay.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” She makes sure to say back, the bad feeling in her is overwhelming at this point. And when you walk out with one final wave, she finds herself struggling not to cry.

“Hey, you good?” Manon asks her, concern clear in her voice. She nods and when she turns back she sees everyone else also looking at her with worry. A blush raises on her face due to embarrassment.

“Just nervous, that’s all.” Manon nods, she clearly doesn’t believe her but drops it for her sake.

Down in the garage you fasten your helmet, assuring that it's tight on your head before lowering yourself into your car. One of the engineers taps the top of the helmet and holds his thumb up and you respond by putting yours up too.

You feel them lift the car and begin to bring it to the grid.

You hear your team manager’s voice come alive on the radio in your helmet, “Y/N do you copy?”

“Yup, all clear.”

You and him check through everything ensuring the car is ready as your crew take care of the outside.

“Alright, the grid is clearing for formation lap, try to warm the tires as much as possible, they’re a little cold today.”

“Alright.” The grid clears and the formation lap starts, you feel the car stall at certain points, but your team manager assures you it’s nothing too serious, and it’ll go away during the race.

The lap ends and everyone takes their spots. The silence that falls over the grid before the start of a race is peaceful. You breathe in before bringing your hand to where your lips would be and press it against the number printed on your helmet, 31, representative of Sophia’s birthday.

As the lights lit up you held your breath, your heart pounding against your chest loudly, the hum of your car coursing through your body. And then the lights shut off.

Accidents weren’t an uncommon occurrence in Formula One, drivers crashed regularly. But none to this level.

It started off fine, you made the first turn perfectly fine, but when you went into the second your car stalled and you went straight into the wall. It would’ve been fine, if it wasn’t for the fire.

Sophia swears she’ll never get your mother’s screams out of her head. She feels the air get sucked out of her body as she falls to her knees, someone comes to her side almost immediately, and by the coldness of their hands she can tell it's Daniela.

She hears her saying something, but she can’t process them, all she can think about is the fact you’re still in that car. She watches as medical people try to get close, but the fire is even too hot for them, and Sophia doesn’t want to think about what that could mean for you.

Time seems to go slowly, though it’s probably only been fifteen seconds it feels like years as red flags go out on the track, an ambulance now racing onto the track.

Sobs fill the room as each second goes by, and Sophia thinks she’s going to throw up.

Until Lara yells.

It almost seems fake at first, a hand bursting out from flames, but then another follows. And suddenly you’re out of it, two medical personnels grabbing onto you as you shake your hands, others spraying you and the fire with some sort of chemical. You limp your way to the ambulance as cheers erupt from the circuit, but Sophia doesn’t pay them attention as she’s already running out of the room to somehow find you.

She hears Daniela call for her, but she doesn’t listen, her entire being is out of place and it’ll only be fixed if she sees you. But before she can run onto the track cold hands grab her, and she curses Daniela’s unbelievable stamina.

“Sophia-” Daniela cuts herself off when she sees the look on Sophia’s face. It’s clear to her instantly that Sophia isn’t mentally there with them anymore, she won’t stop repeating the same phrase between quick breaths, borderline hyperventilating.

“I need to see her.” She repeats for what must’ve been the hundredth time and Daniela knows she’ll probably repeat it until she sees you. She knew before she did anything else she needed to calm Sophia down, so she brought her into a hug.

Sophia tenses at first, and Daniela can’t help but compare her to a feral animal as she herself tenses for any reaction may come. But to her relief, Sophia sobs, the sounds of them breaking her heart.

“It’s okay, she’s okay.” Daniela repeats this phrase like a prayer as she rubs Sophia’s back. After a while Sophia finally calms enough to speak.

“I’m sorry.”

Daniela immediately shakes her head, “Don’t be. You alright?”

Sophia shakes her head, “No, but I will be when I see her.”

Daniela nods and pulls away from Sophia, her shirt now with a clear wet spot on it, but she doesn’t mention it as she grabs Sophia’s hand.

“Let’s go find out what hospital she’s in and go.” Sophia simply nods as they go back to the room. When they enter the members all rush to them, but when Manon sees how distraught Sophia is she pulls the others back, which Daniela thanks with a nod.

“Where are her parents,” Sophia asks once she finally gathers the courage to look up.

“They went to the hospital, they wanted to wait for you, but…” Lara naturally trails off and Sophia nods.

“Did they say which hospital?”

“Yeah,” Lara starts, “Mercy.”

Daniela pulls out her keys and lifts them up, “Let’s get going.”

They all go to Daniela’s car, Sophia sits in the front as the others squish in the back, none of them bothering to complain. Daniela puts the address on her phone and immediately takes off, her speed possibly comparable to one of a racer.

When they make it to the hospital Daniela barely gets to stop when Sophia jumps out, refusing to waste any more time away from you. Your dad seemed to have been waiting for her arrival as she barely even gets to the front desk when he calls for her.

“Where’s your members?” He asks. And on cue the other five come rushing in, racing to them immediately.

“Perfect, come on she’s on the fifth floor, they got her a room already.” The elevator ride is quiet aside from the dreadfully happy music and Sophia’s constant shuffling. When the door opens she has to remind herself she just can’t rush past your dad and she has to be patient, you having a room meant a good thing.

And it was as they got closer she could hear you and your mom arguing.

“I don’t want this cast!”

“You broke your ankle, it doesn’t matter what you want!”

And Sophia would have laughed if she wasn’t so tense, when they make their way inside your mother and you turn towards them, your eyes lighting up at the sight of her.

It quiets as everyone takes you in, no one moving. That is until Yoonchae runs and practically jumps on you.

“Yoonchae!” Manon yells going to pull her off of you, but you hold your non wrapped hand up. When Manon stops in her tracks you hug Yoonchae back and Sophia realizes that Yoonchae is crying.

You were close with all the members of Katseye, but it wasn’t a secret that outside of Sophia, Yoonchae was the one you were the closest with. Growing up as an only child you always wanted a sibling so when you met Yoonchae she naturally took that position.

She pulls away sniffling, “You scared me!”

You pout at her, as you use your hand to wipe away a tear. “I’m sorry.” She shakes her head before hugging you once more, this one more careful.

“Are you okay,” Megan asks, speaking for the first, and based on the fear lacing her voice Sophia can tell she wasn’t silent by choice.

“Yup, just some minor burns on my fingers, sprained wrist, a broken ankle and probably a ton of bruises.” You finish your list off with a laugh, but quickly silence yourself when no one else does.

“Geez, it’s like someone died.” You thought you had muttered it low enough that no one could hear you, but the slap on your thigh from your mother tells you otherwise.

“Don’t joke like that.”

You raise both hands in surrender before turning your stare to your girlfriend who looks like she’s about to break down.

“Hey guys can you give me and Sophia a couple minutes?” The question causes everyone to stare at the girl and at the way she looks they all agree. When the door closes you try to sit up, wincing slightly from a not yet formed bruise.

At the sight of you in pain Sophia immediately rushes to your side, “Are you okay?”

You nod before pulling her to you. The slight force of being pulled causes her to sit on the edge of your bed as you hug her.

You can feel her trying to pull away and tighten your hold. After a couple more failed attempts she gives up and lets you hold her. She closes her eyes as she listens to your heartbeat, her body calming more and more with each beat.

Tears begin to well up in her eyes as the thought of almost never experiencing your warmth again crosses her mind.

When the first drop hits your hospital gown you look down at her.

“Baby…”

And the dam breaks.

Her sobs break your heart, pain coursing through you as she pulls on your shirt when she clenches it in her hands, but you don’t mind. You place kisses on her head until she calms down and then tell her to look at you.

When she does, you offer her a smile, “Hi beautiful.” You laugh at the blush that rushes to her cheeks, placing a small kiss on one of them.

You let her calm down before speaking once more, “Feeling better?”

She nods slightly, because truthfully she does feel better, but fear still courses through her veins. “I almost lost you today.”

You hum as you rake your fingers through her hair, the feeling of it light due to the numbness of your fingers. You inhale the scent of lavender as you close your eyes, a bright orange slowly fills in the blackness and your eyes shoot open once more. The quickening of your heart causes Sophia to pull away to look away.

“I’m okay,” you quickly say. Before she can question the hospital door opens.

“Sorry, just the doctor here.” You nod at Lara and Sophia stands. The rest of them walk in with the doctor following right behind.

The doctor goes through her regular checkup, when she finishes she turns and jumps when she is met with everyone staring at her expectantly.

She clears her throat. “Right, Y/N seems to be well given everything. We are going to keep her overnight for observation, but other than the obvious, she will be perfectly good to go home tomorrow.”

The doctor jumps once more as the group, sans Sophia, exclaims. When she leaves the girls all take turns writing on your cast with a couple of pens your mother found in her purse. The hospital room becomes even more livelier when your teammate Oscar shows up. Though loud it puts your mind to ease.

They all stay until visitor hours end, the nurse revealing only one person was allowed to stay with you. Your mother and Sophia argued about who should stay, both believing the other should.

Your mother ultimately wins by stating she has to use the hotel room she paid for. You both know it’s a lie, you have never made your parents pay for a hotel for any of the races they have attended, but before either of you can tell her that she pulls your father out the room and leaves.

Sophia stands to the side as a nurse readies the cot for her and does a final check on you. When she walks out you call Sophia’s name, when she’s close enough you pull her into the space you made when she wasn’t looking.

She freezes at first, but before she can move you speak. “Don’t move, just let me hold you.” You can tell she’s hesitant, but after a few moments she laxes in your hold.

A silence falls between you two, her listening to your breathing and you enjoying the heat from her skin.

“You know,” you start, “There was a moment in there I thought I wouldn’t make it.” You pause for a second to take a breath and her grip on you tightens.

“I felt the heat, and saw how it was all around me and I just accepted it. I closed my eyes and thought ‘Well, at least I had a good life.’ But then I heard the noise of Mario Kart.”

You both laugh at the absurdity of it, and you close your eyes to take in the sound of hers, you always loved how it sounded. When she calms you continue.

“As crazy as it sounds, it was that sound that brought me back to being with you, and of course your members. But the thought of leaving you, of possibly not being by your side anymore immediately made me want to fight to live.”

You look down to find her looking at you which causes you to smile, though you’re not sure she sees it due to the darkness, but you don’t mind as you bring your hand up to her face and caress it.

“I tell you this because I want you to know how much I love you. You are my world, Soph. As long as you’ll have me I’ll never leave your side.” She doesn’t respond as she pulls you into a kiss, it’s a bit of a mess due to both of your limited views, but it doesn’t bother either of you.

She pulls away, but you peck her lips once more and lean your forehead on hers.

“I love you,” she whispers, “Don’t ever leave me.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

And you meant it, you would always be by her side.

[milessunflowers]

I LIKE ME BETTER (WHEN I’M WITH YOU)

jack doohan x trans!reader

synopsis: it has always been jack and you, you and jack, a duo since you were two. that's never changed. it certainly didn't change when he joined alpine, as you got a job as well. the two of you become more inseparable than ever, much to pierre's disliking.

author's note: first fic! haven't written much in a very long time, so, hopefully, this is good! it might be combined with a smau style, for some aspects to move the plot along, so it might not be bestly formatted. enough of my ramblings, let's get into it! (titled inspired by the song by lauv bc it fit the vibes).

since the day the two met at some random park when they were annoying, bratty toddlers, it had been you and jack, one not far from the other. in school, in extra curriculars, on the karting track, even though you were in the stands cheering jack on. everywhere, all the time, you were never apart.

he supported you through everything, just as you had. he was the first person you came out to, showing how much trust and confidence you had in him. from then on, jack made sure you had everything you needed to help you feel more like yourself, from binders to more masculine presenting clothes until you could get the medical treatment to help you full ly transition.

when jack went into the bigger leagues, many fans began speculating the relationship between the two. some saw it as a close friendship while most others were convinced the two were together. neither party involved ever confirmed nor denied the rumors, finding them incredibly entertaining.

the rumors never stopped. they grew even heavier once jack officially joined alpine as a driver for the 2025 season. of course, jack fought tooth and nail for you to get a job alongside him. that's how you ended up as alpine's newest social media admin, allowing you to spend even more time with jack, much to everyone—especially pierre who is much like most fans: desperately wanting the two to be together.

every time pierre turned the corner, there you two were, giggling over something you had on your phone, giving each other longing stares when you thought the other was looking. if it wasn't that, you two were sulking because either you had to do your admin duties or jack was in a meeting. truly, pierre thought, this is the most pathetic thing ever.

pierre had about enough after about two weeks of dealing with the two complaining to him when they weren't together. he was going to devise a plan (with some help from charles) to finally get the two to get together. even if it was the last thing he would ever do.

step one of pierre's brilliant plan: get you to confess. okay, so not the best or well thought of plan, but this was the best him and charles could come up with. he was losing his mind over the two of you! you both were driving him insane over the fact that you practically refused to get together. that would all end today.

he started by subtly dropping hints to you while you were taking pictures for instagram. "maybe you should get jack out here to. he loves when you give him attention," pierre says, trying to keep his expression cool but his eyebrows raised and his smile grew wide and mischievous.

"yeah..." you say awkwardly in reply, your eyebrows pinching together as you force a smile to your lips. pierre was acting weirder than usual but you brushed it aside. "just smile, alright?"

when that didn't work, pierre tried with jack. you had been busy snapping shots of the mechanics, leaving jack a mopey mess. pierre cheered to himself, the perfect moment falling into his dumb, french lap.

"jack! there you are!" pierre exclaims, once more trying to keep things casual and cool, and once more, absolutely crashing and burning.

"huh?" jack asks, looking around before spotting pierre. "oh, hey," he says simply, going back to scrolling mindlessly on his phone, pouting as he continues to wait for you to return. "what's up?"

"just seeing where you were. i was wondering if you had any, i don't know, plans later tonight?" pierre questions, wiggling his eyebrows.

jack laughed awkwardly, thinking it pierre was asking him out. "haha, yeah, um i thought you had a girlfriend?" he says uncertainly, scratching the back of his neck and trying to be nice.

"what? i do- oh! no, no, no! i meant for you and-" at that very moment, you had walked back in, grinning widely at his phone. you were proud of the shots you had taken and wanted to show jack immediately.

"jack! there you are! i wanna show you the pictures! oh, hey, pierre," you say dismissively, pushing past the older man to sit next to jack. that's when you notice the weird expression in his face. "what's with that face, doohan?" you question, tilting your head.

"pierre was asking about our plans tonight," jack starts, grinning at you brightly. "think he was asking me out or something!" at that, the two of you bursted out laughing, pierre wearing an expression of both relief and horror.

"no! i was trying to get you together!" pierre insists, though he was ignored as the two were laughing so hard, they began to cry.

you leaned against jack as he laced your fingers together. "that's very thoughtful of you, old man, but we got it all figured out," you tell him, pulling out your phone and showing jack all the shots you took, the two of you deliberating over which ones to post.

safe to say, pierre was no longer annoyed that you weren't together but rather because you were together.

pierregasly

❤️ 11.4k 💬 503 ➣ 67

pierregasly one problem solved, another one created

tagged jackdoohan, yourusername

TAGS! (if you want to be added, lmk!)

@thekoalapastriesbakery

[estebunny]

esteban ocon sharing 10 things he loves

via GP Racing August 2024

Marvel Cinematic Universe - I'm a big fan of superheroes and all the Marvel films. I've watched them many times, recently with my girlfriend. We caught up on 20 years of Marvel movies in one month, which was pretty good! I've also used them as inspiration for some of my special helmet designs. Like the one with Spiderman in Austin a few years ago or Deadpool in Vegas last year. And there's more to come, for sure.

Diabolo Fraise - This is my favourite drink. It's very French. You may not have heard of it, but in France you can go into any bar and order it. They'll know what it is. It's a strawberry syrup with lemonade: very sugary, but very, very nice.

Table football - I like table tennis a lot and table football - foosball - as well, which is very French. I got a table football set for Christmas and I'm always very competitive.

The smell of fuel - It's hard to explain, but I just love the smell of fuel. Not diesel, not kerosene, not ethanol. But unleaded, 98, no ethanol in it - I have a weird addiction to it. I grew up in a garage because my dad was a mechanic and I just loved that smell, always. And I remember once he saw me trying to take a sip of it - when I was five or six years old - but fortunately he managed to stop me because I was really about to drink it! It hasn't changed to this day. It just smells so good…

Five Guys burgers - Burgers are my cheat meal. And when I want a proper one, I go to Five Guys because it's awesome. Double bacon cheeseburger with mushrooms and medium fries - nothing beats it! And if it's Saturday night, the Five Guys on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, with friends, it's just perfect.

Bowling - I'm good at it. In the town where I grew up there weren't many things to do in your spare time. And on weekends it was a simple choice: either go to the cinema or go bowling. More often than not we went bowling. Of course it got competitive. I'm not a pro, not even close, but my personal best is 190, which isn't too bad. That's where I am at the moment, but hopefully I'll get to 200 one day - it won't be easy, but we'll see.

Sim Racing - Of course it helps. A lot of drivers use it as a training tool, but I like it a lot too. And even if I wasn't a professional driver, I think I'd still do a lot of sim racing. I like to compete - and Gran Turismo is always fun.

Drifting - We sometimes organise something with Mick Schumacher and my friend Thomas Neubauer, who drives for Ferrari in GT - and have a bit of competition. It's all about who can reach the maximum speed at the maximum angle, so it's always fun. I also like off-road buggies. That's what we do a lot with friends - take a day off and go through a track in the woods, stop and have a snack, enjoy the scenery. I like motocross - but I can't really do it, because it's a bit dangerous. My dad broke his leg when he was younger so I know it's not a joke. But I'm sure I'll get on a bike one day.

Tuning cars with my dad - I really like cars. It may sound like an obvious statement from a racing driver, but there aren't too many petrolheads among us drivers. But it's one of my passions. I didn't like it so much before, but now I love putting my hands in cars. It gives you a better understanding of things if you're really into it. With my dad we love to tune cars every now and then, experimenting to make them go faster. It's great because we have no restrictions, or rules. So we can make something that wouldn't necessarily be allowed on public roads, but could be a great track car.

Radio-controlled cars - This is something I do a lot, also with dad. It reminds me a lot of the times we did karting together. It's very similar, only the cars are smaller. I like the 1/8 scale TT category, nitro version, not electric, and find it interesting because you can do it on all terrains. I love the setup side and the competition. I'm not a pro, although if I'm honest I'm not too far away - and one day I'm sure I'll be competing at a more serious level. In F1, there are a few drivers who are very good. Lewis Hamilton, for example, you could see he did it as a kid and he hasn't lost it. And Oscar Piastri is also good. Of the three of us, he's probably the best because I think he's competed at a national level in Australia. I've had the chance to race against pros, but only during test sessions. But in the future I'm going to compete for real.

[prettywordsyouleft]

Not A Myth

Pairing: Mark Lee x female reader

Genre: fluff, supernatural au

Tropes: reverse grumpy x sunshine, cinnamon roll mmc

Warnings: supernatural characters, mentioning of a toxic master, y/n has a minor bout of fear

Word count: 2064

Author’s Note: This was an idea that came to me after a friend joked about her youthful looks being thanks to vampire blood. I decided to turn Y/N into an actual vampire, and then the rest of the story just created itself.

Sliding into the back of the Uber you’d called, you closed your eyes exhaustedly. It had been the longest night, and all you craved was your darkened bedroom, the large four-poster bed in the middle of your domain, and complete oblivion.

“So where to?” a chipper voice asked, and you wondered how such humans existed. Here you were, ready to expire, and your driver sounded as if he’d just woken up before the crack of dawn and completely re-energised. You opened an eye to squint at him briefly. You supposed he could have done just that. Not everyone was going to bed like you were at the first sign of the sun.

You gave over your address curtly, hoping your no-nonsense tone would keep any conversation to a minimum. Slumping further into the car upholstery, you instructed your body to relax. The tension coursing throughout you had almost dissipated, and then he spoke again.

“Have a good night?”

“We don’t need to chat, driver.”

“My name’s Mark,” he introduced with a bright smile you caught when you glared at him from the back seat. Your leer didn’t deter him in the slightest. “You are?”

“Uninterested.”

“Ooh, you’re private. I get that. Can never be too safe these days. What is the world even coming to.”

You wondered how safe Mark would feel if he continued to talk to you. However, he remained oblivious to the simmering danger sitting in his vehicle, chatting about something he’d seen on the news – you weren’t all that invested in human affairs. Yet you had to admit, the tone of his voice was… well, really soothing. Soon you were settling back into the chair with your limbs growing heavier. Your eyes remained open, and you lazily took in the man before you.

Mark was rather pleasing to look at, you supposed. He had a strong physique from the way he expertly manoeuvred the car through the early morning traffic. His exposed forearms were particularly nice too. You always had a thing for a capable set of hands, and he was making very light work of driving. You sleepily considered giving him a decent tip, even if he did have an inability to shut up.

“… and so, I have to wonder how much is going on in this city that’s eventually going to affect all of us,” he summarised, and you blinked when his eyes caught yours in the rearview mirror. He watched you expectantly, waiting for your answer.

“I’m much too old to understand everything in this modern world,” you admitted, and he let out a boom of laughter that surprised you into blinking several times.

“You look younger than I am.”

A bemused smile graced your lips. “I can assure you I’m not.”

“How do you keep yourself looking so young then? What’s your skincare routine because-”

“Vampire blood,” you deadpanned, cutting off his expressive tirade.

He frowned momentarily before grinning lopsidedly. “Oh yeah? Where do you get that from?”

“I have a secret supply.”

“Do you just?” He was quiet for a beat longer than before, and you wondered if telling him the truth had robbed him of his good-natured conversational skills. For the briefest moment, you were saddened by the idea of breaking the poor guy’s mind.

And then he smirked, pulling the car over to the side of the road. Your glare returned after darting your focus to the skies outside. The darkness was lightening with the changing of the hour, and whilst you could withstand the sun, you would prefer to put on some SPF50 first.

“Do you mind, Mark?”

“Mind what?”

“Please continue to my destination. I didn’t authorise a stop here,” you stated vehemently, and Mark shrugged.

“So, you’re a vampire. Are you going to expire once dawn hits?”

You sighed heavily, resisting the urge to roll your eyes. Spoken like a true clueless human. “No.”

“No? But vampires hate the sun and garlic-”

“I season almost all my food with garlic.”

“Really?”

“AB positive is delectable with a hint of herbs to it,” you shot back, and Mark spun around to face you entirely. You didn’t react how he was expecting, and he swallowed audibly. Your hearing picked up on his heartbeat and for a moment you were pleased with how fast it pounded in his chest. That ought to teach him to mess with an irritable vampire right upon dawn.

And yet… that wasn’t the heart rate of a normal human. There was something otherworldly around his heartbeat, and you shot your darkening gaze to his face again, your fangs threatening to elongate.

“So, you are a vampire,” he finally commented, nodding softly. “Haven’t met one in the flesh before.”

“What are you?” you hissed, whilst calculating the distance from your apartment and the impending breach of dawn. If you hadn’t been worked to the bone by your master all night, you would have had enough energy to get out of the car and take yourself home before any further threat here surfaced. You could probably still do it, but you were also famished, and you only had enough blood supply at home to tide you over to slumber, not restore to your full potential.

Just how your master liked it. Blood was too expensive to get legally, so he entangled your remaining morality by keeping you on a tight feeding leash.

“What are you?” you repeated, leaning forward and taking an inhale. Yes, he was definitely more than human. How exhausted had you been to hop into the car of a fellow supernatural and not notice it instantly?

“Me?” Mark asked airily, his pretty little voice attempting to take the edge off your fear.

You stared.

“Looks like you’ve figured it out.”

“You’re a siren?” you wondered aloud, blinking slowly as you looked him up and down. “You?”

“Should I take offence to that tone of yours? I think I’m going to.”

“Sirens are meant to be mind-altering beautiful.”

Mark huffed. “Yep, I’m taking offence.”

“You’re above average, I’ll give you that,” you continued, and Mark’s happy-go-lucky expression grew darker. You wouldn’t confess that increased his appeal. You were already baiting him whilst stalling for an idea to come to you on how you would escape.

Because you had inadvertently given another bloody supernatural your home address and would no doubt need to locate a vampire safe den. This was becoming rather a mess. You sighed again. You really did want to just go home, eat and then rest.

“You know, I could control you to tell me I’m the most beautiful male you’ve ever met.”

“But you won’t.”

“Why won’t I? I could do with an ego boost.”

You shrugged. “It wouldn’t be real.”

He harrumphed and pointed at you repeatedly. “I had you falling asleep before. You’ve been too relaxed to notice my true identity until now. You have to admit it. I’m good.”

“You have a lovely voice,” you agreed honestly, and Mark beamed.

“Thank you!”

“So, what’s a siren wanting a vampire for?”

“Want you? No, no. I’m just your Uber driver.”

You laughed heartily whilst Mark stared in confusion at your reaction. “You cannot tell me, you work as an Uber driver when you could control anyone or thing to submit to you.”

“That’s kind of unethical, don’t you think?”

You were exasperated. Was this male telling you the truth? You worked with other vampires daily. It was like entering a pit of vipers, waiting for the others to strike for any minute reason. It wasn’t in your nature to trust easily, especially since your leader had been the master of deception and slaughtered your human life too easily. You also knew that sirens could be so alluring that they would make you think any idea was your own, and not what they were projecting.

Still. Since you had grown alert, you could tell all your thoughts were your own. Mark wasn’t affecting your logic at all.

“R-really?”

“Vampires really suck at relating to others, huh?” Mark scratched the back of his head before nodding sheepishly. “Really. I work as a driver because I get to meet all types of people. You’ll be surprised how many are of the otherworld kind. I even took a load of spirits to a house party the other week. Can you imagine that? I mean, they didn’t quite register on the Uber app, but they didn’t feel like blinking in and out and transporting themselves as ghosts do. They wanted to feel human again, and that was an honour, really.”

You simply stared again.

“Wow, your world is really small, isn’t it?”

“Admittedly, yes. You aren’t after me for nefarious reasons?”

Mark shook his head immediately. “Until twenty minutes ago, I thought vampires were a myth.”

“You’re joking.”

“Dead serious,” he confirmed and then winced. “Sorry, was that on the nose? With the whole undead-”

“You’re a siren, you say you meet supernatural types all the time, and yet you thought, out of all the otherworldly kinds in this universe, that I’m a myth?!”

“Huh. When you put it like that…”

“I’m not a bloody Pegasus.”

“Actually, I’ve met one of them. They exist. Or at least I think they do. I did have a lot to drink that night, so maybe it was just a horse. But I’m sure they’re not a myth.”

This was becoming one of the weirdest ends to your night ever. Shaking your head, you pleaded with your driver. “Mark, the sun is rising, and I’m really hungry. I need to get home.”

“Oh! Sorry. Yeah, I can do that.” Turning back to the front, he started up his car and began driving again. However, this time, he was watching you constantly in the rearview mirror.

“What?” you snapped, when you got sick of his very obvious unanswered staring.

“Why are you so tired?”

“Because my master is an asshole,” you muttered, looking out the window and watching the world slowly turn a bruised shade. The new day felt as tender as you were on the inside. Battered but hopeful this cycle would one day lead to something real, something good for you.

“Do you have to work for him?”

“I do if I want to eat.”

“Can’t you like, bite people?” You glared so unpleasantly that Mark swore and gripped the steering wheel. “Right. Got it. Vegan vampire.”

“I don’t take what isn’t given freely. And unlike what movies depict about my kind, there aren’t endless people willing to truly give up their blood.”

“It sounds like we have similar ethics,” he mentioned as he pulled up at your apartment. You stared at the building with equal parts relief and a strange melancholy.

How had this talkative, greenest flag of a male worm his way into your cold, dead heart?

“Well,” you said, shifting forward whilst pulling out your phone and tapping on the Uber app to give Mark a rating and tip. You then looked up and froze at the card that was thrust in your face. “What’s this?”

“Oh, it’s my business card,” he told you with a warm smile and you frowned. He grew slightly shy and laughed lightly. “I figured you might need a ride again. And maybe I can help you relax properly next time. It’s not invasive if you really need it, right? Or we could just travel as we did this time. Oh! And I’m totally willing, you know.”

“I’m sorry, but what?!” you blurted out, completely stunned by his offer.

Mark grinned. “I’ll give you the chance to improve your above-average ranking. Besides, siren blood does contain some healing properties, though I’m not sure how much they’d work on a vampire. Worth a shot, no?”

You smiled, possibly one of the most genuine smiles since you had been turned two hundred years ago. Mark’s jaw went slack before he sputtered something incoherent. “Thank you. You’re completely reckless offering something like that to a vampire, so I’ll pretend you didn’t just do that. But I’ll keep this card. Maybe I’ll take you up for another ride.”

Leaning forward to take the card, you felt inclined to brush your lips over his cheek affectionately. You couldn’t tell if Mark had willed it or if you really had wanted to, but the small smile you pocketed from him after pulling back was worth it either way.

_________________

All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft

[NCT Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist]

[your-unfriendlyghost]

Do you have any designs for like Steve's dad? I wanna see who's kicking Steve out every day and paying him like five bucks to say I'm sorry 💔💔

Ok so I ain’t got time to draw this rn (I’m busy working on my @stay-gold-zine piece, and also trying to jam in time to work out 😬 wish me luck lol), but I have a lotta thoughts about this- so l'mma type 'em up now and if/when I get time to actually draw this, I'll tag ya in the post :))

I think Mr. Randle looks like Steve. Like scarily like Steve. Like if you look at photos of him at Steve's age, they look nearly identical. (Like so similar that Steve once tried to use his dad’s old driver’s license from the late 30s to get into a bar underage) But his dad’s taller and a bit bigger than Steve is, and he looks so much older/worn/beaten down. He used to be good-looking back in the day, back when he cared about things and wasn’t so drunk all the time, but now he’s a shell of himself. Steve hates looking like him and loves looking like him at the same time. He hates how when he storms to his room after fighting his dad, the face looking at him in the mirror is nearly the same face that just yelled at him. He loves how it’s the face he saw as a kid, the one that smiled and said “I love you” and sang him songs and laughed. He loves how it’s the face of a man who he once saw as strong, tough, and cool, everything Steve wishes he was. And he hates that that man is no longer his dad…

I think Steve’s father is very similar in personality, too. He’s similarly emotional and hotheaded, and similarly prone to having immense self-hatred and shame because of that sensitivity. He lashes out with anger, kicks Steve out, and then hates himself for it- which just makes him angrier because that’s an easier emotion to have than all the emotions that come with self-reflection. In his rare moments of sobriety, he’s horrified by what he’s doing to his once-beloved (and still beloved, honestly) son. But he doesn’t know how to stop. He thinks that by kicking Steve out of the house, he’s protecting him from his anger, keeping himself from hitting Steve or physically abusing him. But man, he’s still completely fucking Steve up all the same, just in a different way…

Steve and his dad are similar. Cut from the same cloth. Made from the same clay. And that freaks him out a lot. It freaks both of them out a lot.

[dufrau]

anyway i am joining the karen wheeler/joyce byers renaissance.

(wip)

Holly took the station wagon when she left for college. It was an old car by then, anyway.  It had been old for a long time, by then. Hell, it had been old when it was still new, once Nancy got her driver's license and took to tearing around town in it like James Dean in a hot rod. Karen had never liked that car.  It had been a gift she hadn't asked for, just when she'd finally gotten rid of the car-seat for good with Holly grown out of it, and the other two too cool to want to ride around with their mother very often anymore anyway. There had been a glimpse of something, just for a minute there. Some kind of young that she'd put on pause some sixteen years before. Almost half a lifetime that she could only really remember in baby books and bowling alley birthdays and permission slips and report cards. Just for a minute there it had felt like something. And then Ted had traded in her little sedan for the station wagon without warning, without asking her what she thought of the idea or even telling her where he was taking it. And she knew he hadn't meant it this way, exactly, if only because she knew better than to think he'd ever given anything about her that kind of thought at all.  It was a reliable car, he'd told her. But it had felt like a bucket of cold water.

[wcrriorhearts]

Rhaenyra remained in the kitchen while Aemond took a shower and decided to door dash food for the children, because they'd come home hungry from school, but she had just kind of given their lunch to her brother. It was not a big deal, though. Knowing the boys, they'd be much more excited to have McDonald's for lunch anyway and so she ordered it for the time of their arrival at home. Harwin would pick them up after school, so she didn't have to worry about that at the moment and could focus on Aemond. She texted her husband, letting him know that her brother would be staying with them for an indefinite amount of time and telling him what had happened at her father's house. Harwin reacted with utter indignation and had no issue with Aemond staying. As a matter of fact, he offered to give Alicent a visit, but Rhaenyra politely declined that offer.

While the sound of a running shower came from upstairs, Nyra cleaned the kitchen and made herself a sandwich to snack on while she did that, Syrax perched on the counter next to her as if she was supervising her owner's work. Her two unruly kittens were racing up and down the hallway and she caught them zooming past the kitchen several times out of the corner of her eye, chuckling to herself at the sight of that. They had definitely not needed two more cats alongside two little boys and a baby on the way, but alas, she could hardly expect Syrax to part with her babies - though sometimes she had the feeling that her beloved bengal was sick of the boys herself and wanted them out of the house. Unfortunately, they were here to stay, accident offspring as they were.

When Aemond came back downstairs, Nyra had just finished putting the dishes away and was leaning against the counter, throwing treats at all three cats, who hunted them through the kitchen. "You don't need to thank me for a shower", she reminded her brother, shaking her head, before huffing a laugh. "Why would she be? She's known you her entire life", she joked. Helaena was odd at times, but very perceptive and empathetic. If anyone in the family knew how someone else was feeling, it was most definitely Helaena. Out of all four children the younger daughter was clearly the sweetest of them all and even though this family could not agree on anything, they all agreed on loving Hel. "Very good. Then the two of us can go grocery shopping and drive by the house afterwards. Do you have a driver's license?"

When Rhaenyra mentioned he should tell Helaena, he knew that she was right. He would have to tell her, and Aegon as well. Though Aegon was currently away to college, it was always a question when he would pop up back home. Sometimes it took him weeks and at times he showed up twice a week. Aegon was unpredictable like that. If he got home and found Aemond not at home, he was going to worry as well. Letting out a soft sigh, he nodded and contemplated how he would tell them. Honestly he had no idea how to tell them, and up until now, even when he’d found out he liked boys and girls, he hadn’t had the heart to tell them. Though he knew deep down they wouldn’t treat him differently for it. Well, Aegon might make a joke here and there, but he tended to do that anyway. 

“Honestly I am not very hard to please when it comes to snacks or food. I’ll eat pretty much anything.” There were a few things he did not like all that much, but even if he was served that, he would just eat it anyway. “And I’m sure that by now you know what Helaena likes.” He knew his sister visited Rhaenyra more often out of all of them, so he supposed Rhaenyra knew her best out of the three of them. “Hm, a shower and clean clothes do sound good.” Aemond spoke softly, smiling. “And I will happily join you to the store if you like.”

The idea of the shower was truly alluring though and he gratefully took her up on the offer to go shower and change into something else. In his bag he found the adhesive eye patches he used while in the shower and made sure everything was safe. He had made the mistake of not covering it up a few times when he’d only just lost his eye and would never forget the uneasiness of the water getting into the void where his eye had been. Sapphire or not, it wasn’t comfortable in the least. The shower however felt like heaven. After spending a full night outside in the cold, Aemond let out a relieved sigh at the feeling of the hot water, taking his time to thoroughly wash his long hair. 

Once out of the shower, he found the clothes Rhaenyra had been talking about and changed into them, his eye lingering on his phone as he contemplated once again how to alert his siblings of what had happened. Taking a deep breath, he opened the group chat he had with them and bit his lip as he tried to figure out how to phrase this. Eventually choosing to keep things basic, he simply wrote ‘I’m staying at Rhaenyra’s. Mom and dad caught me kissing a guy and got mad. Nyra will pick up some of my stuff today.’ 

With that out of the way, he took his time to braid his hair and put on his black leather eyepatch, before eventually heading back towards the living area to find Rhaenyra. “Thanks for the shower … I had no idea how much I needed that.” He admitted as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Until he’d been under the warm water, he had barely noticed how cold he’d been feeling. The shower however had washed all that away and he felt a lot more comfortable now, warmer and surer of himself even.

A soft buzz alerted him of a response to his message from earlier. Helaena, of course she would be the first. Asking if he was alright and if he needed anything. He smiled as he briefly send back that he was fine before including a list of things for her to gather. "Helaena's going to gather my stuff. I have a feeling she wasn't surprised to hear of me kissing a guy."

[lewisinho]

kinda insane how people still cite ‘british bias’ in relation to lewis, like how blind do you have to be to completely ignore the abuse thrown his way all these years from the british press, the remarks and digs made by sky journos, their fucking incessant need to prop up the next big british white boy in motorsport so can they finally support ‘one of their own’, jeez keep peddling your agendas but please do not go there

[hyacinthsdiamonds]

I'm sorry but James Vowles criticising how Red Bull has treated their drivers in the past, only to go and then treat Logan far worse while pulling the exact same shit Red Bull did, ie the exact behaviour he criticised and called them out for, is so freaking infuriating like the sheer hypocrisy -

[redbean-nom]

din djarin, age 10: clone wars refugee child

boba fett, age 11: in federal prison for destroying an entire venator while trying to kill mace windu

[rickybaby]

Genuine question as I am curious — I know it’s pretty obvious with his expressions/ body language that Daniel seemed shy/insecure(?) about having his braces, but has he ever outright said anything about feeling that way with them? Just out of curiosity as I am new around here!

“I feel very different in terms of looks. Fortunately, experience also bought me better looks. I’m not really too fond of showing people photos of me when I was younger”

[skitskatdacat63]

2009 Singapore Grand Prix - Fernando Alonso

[buildoblivion]

four to doomsday is a funny serial because it’s objectively kinda dull but it’s so SO good at showing us what makes fivey and his friends tick

[a-story-teller]

I was in a major car accident yesterday (got t-boned) and was very luckily a) alone in the car, as the passenger side got walloped and b) not injured. However I took care of everything and then went home and proceeded to sleep for 19 out of the following 24 hours.