#or i'll reply in the weekend or whenever i'm free

[astonmartingf]

CHASE ; MV1

max verstappen x streamer!reader

. . . you find yourself in a predicament between max's request and your conscience, so you ask charles for help in your game of chase with max verstappen

amgf mention of dnf and written portion in at the end. i am capitalizing on the ausgp, which is the same for wyh hahaha

previous: what if we met?

next: call me max verstappen

This was the first race you watched live in a long time. Charles tried to invite you multiple times, the last time you watched was during his debut back in 2018.

You could barely remember the difference then and now, sitting in the Ferrari garage with other members of the team you situate yourself in the corner, not really knowing what to do.

It was more chaotic than you remember, seeing Max especially going to the pit lane, his wheel burning, leaving a trail of smoke for every garage to see. It alarmed you a little bit, but hearing his voice through the radio, calmed you down.

You meet his gaze as he walks by the Ferrari garage, probably on the way back to their motorhome, or the media pen. Charles gave you a tour of the track at the start of the weekend, but you still find yourself getting lost in the middle of Albert Park.

You flash him a small smile, followed by a wave which he returned. He must be not in the mood to talk, knowing the situation that happened, it caused them the gap to tighten between drivers.

As Charles' friend it definitely filled you with hope knowing that he might have a chance to pull some points to get ahead of the championship ranks.

But as someone who recently knew more about Max, it was definitely an unfortunate moment for him. You watch the screen as they interview Max regarding what happened with his car.

You stare at the screen, fully realizing then that this is the first time you two met outside the shared video games you played together.

As much as you tried to keep your cool alongside Charles' insistent teasing, you admit that you're nervous forming a conversation with him.

Just like after the second practice session, they planned to eat dinner together. Obviously you came with Charles, but what you didn't expect was for Max to be there as well. And safe to say it wasn't the same as your conversations online.

You remember Charles recalling your conversation with him word for word the whole night, teasing your awkwardness.

And in his words, he thinks, "it's cute that you're both awkward together, like two little nerds catching feelings for each other"

How appalling. And the day before the race when you bumped into Max, who happily helped you on your way back to the Ferrari motorhome. Which led to even more incessant teasing from Charles, you don't understand how Max keeps his cool whenever Charles keeps making fun not just of you but of him as well.

Maybe he's more used to Charles, they did race each other for a long time. But that's a story for another time, it's the first time you saw both of them and it seems like the fans are right when they say they sense chemistry between those two.

Your phone pings, receiving a message from Max.

Max the Builder: You want to go out on a little walk for a while?

YN: Where are you?

Max the Builder: I'll meet you at the back of the Ferrari garage.

You look around, everyone's eyes are glued to the screen watching Carlos and Charles closely. Glancing back and forth to the screens on the garage and your phone, you make your way behind the exit, where Max stood waiting for you.

"Have you been waiting for a while?" You watch Max jump, catching him off guard as he whips his head in your direction.

"I just got out of interviews, I'm free for the rest of the race. Want to spend it with me?" There he goes again asking you those questions, you know he speaks out of malice, but his genuine expression makes it hard to say no to him.

Before you could reply, you feel that Max has sensed your hesitance, thinking where he got things wrong again, immediately cutting off your reply. "But if you want to watch Charles we can do that as well. Or you just don't want to hang out with me?"

A soft gasp left your lips, quickly shaking your head left and right, "Max, you know that's not true. But I guess you could say I was avoiding you for the last day..."

Max tilts his head before nodding slowly, trying to hide the evident disappointment in his face, "So that wasn't me just overthinking it... You were purposefully avoiding me?"

"Not like that Max, I guess I was just overthinking as well. We've only talked online until now. I guess I got intimidated seeing you in real life, because we're not on Minecraft? Maybe I just got used to that, hence I kept avoiding you."

Max thinks in silence before raising his finger, "If you're uncomfortable talking at the moment we can play Minecraft and talk there?"

His suggestion catches you off guard, "What? No, we don't have to play Minecraft just to talk silly. That is a good idea Max, but I think we just need more conversations outside discord. My name is YN LN, nice to meet you." Extending your hand in front of him, which he happily shook back.

"Hello YN, I am Max Verstappen. I guess now I won't have to chase after you yeah?"

You laugh, shaking your head disagreeing, "You can't just tease me immediately Max, then I'll have to run away again."

Max shrugs putting his hands in his pocket, feeling more comfortable and finding the flow in your conversations, just like you did back on Discord.

"Well, run all you want, I'll have to let you know— I'm known for being fast."

You nod your head playing along, it's seems like the grooves have connected, like gears shifting in connection. "Well, your engine seems to disagree."

You watch Max' face freeze, "Too early?" your thoughts buzz around, thinking how you messed up the conversation in less than a minute.

A record breaking time.

But your worries halt hearing the sound of Max' laughing at your statement. "That's a good one YN, you're catching up quick."

This time it was your turn to shrug your shoulders, "What can I say, I learned from the best." bumping your shoulders into him.

You walk with Max as the race comes to a close, feeling confident and content as your friendship with him grows.

amgf i think there's one final chapter, the twitch stream hahahaha max is getting desperate but i would too

amgf ★ superstars: @namgification @lpab @the-untamed-soul @xjval

[russellsppttemplates]

It's like we won't even be there (Lewis Hamilton)

Mercedes has three power couples

Note: english is not my first language. After a long time, I'm finally posting this request.

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Tw: mentions gender inequality, misogynistic ideals

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog

"Everyone on social media has an inkling that you're bringing someone to the race. Is it your belle, Mr. Hamilton?", you teased your boyfriend as he got ready for bed.

You had arrived in Abu Dhabi a few hours earlier, caught a cab to the hotel where your boyfriend had been resting before media day.

"Is that so?", he wondered, "I haven't told anyone outside the team. And even them, I told them you would be joining as my guest, only a few people actually know about us", he assured.

"I don't mind it, we'll have to be public at some time. Three years dating outside of the public eye, plus another year of what the kids call soft launching, whatever happens this weekend, happens", you tranquilized him.

This had been an ongoing conversation for you for as long as you've dated. His lifestyle came with many implications, particularly not always being home and public eye. You also spent a lot of time focused on your job, building the company now associated to your name to the people in the finance business, so the latter question was the biggest one. While you were successful, it hardly impacted your life when it came to the public eye or social media. You had your accounts, sure, but they were private and they never got in the way of your job.

"I just don't want people to lash out on you", he replied, sitting next to you on the bed, his fingers tracing shapes in your hand, "I've seen how brutal they can be, I've felt how brutal they can be, and I don't want that for you. They'll gossip because that's how things work, but I don't want them breaking the respect line.", Lewis stated.

"Lew, I understand and appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine. I have you, our families, our friends, I'm going to be just fine. I don't know how they'll react, so I'll work with whatever happens", you smiled, snuggling into him as he caressed your face.

.

"Good morning, Y/N! How have you been? I haven't seen you in so long!", Carmen said as she hugged you once you arrived in the hospitality, Lewis kissing your cheek briefly before he headed for his meeting.

"Hello, gorgeous girl! I've been good, and you?", you greeted her with a kiss on each cheek after saying goodbye to Lewis.

"Same old, busy but managed to come and support G this weekend. You, however, seem to finally let it out", she smirked, walking with you to the coffee station and serving yourselves, sitting in the balcony as you overlooked the track.

"There's no point in keeping it a secret, I guess. We did it for a while, and this past year we both realised that we want to be able to go out and not be worried someone will see us and whatever consequences it could bring. We're adults who hope other adults will behave like such", you smiled.

"A hard thing to do sometimes, for them at least", you heard a female voice coming closer to you, "I don't believe we've met before, but Toto said you were hanging out here", the blonde woman said.

Suzie Wolff had been someone you looked up to since you were little, so this was a proper fangirl moment, "sit, sit! This is Y/N!", Carmen introduced after giving her a brief introduction.

"I keep missing you whenever you join us for the races!", she said, "the pandemic didn't help, and lately I've been so busy with the F1 Academy that I've hardly been to races myself", she reasoned, beginning the start of a conversation that was only interrupted for lunchtime.

"Press usually have a field day with powerful women related to this sport. You should be able to get away with it because you don't work for racing, but they love going on and on about how we got to where we are because of who we date", Suzie shook her head.

"Absolutely, because George is very interested in Family Offices and he got me my job", Carmen rolled her eyes, "you try and give that guy math stuff and you see how it turns out! Besides, not many people actually knew who he was, they're not very into motorsport, only a couple of them!", she teased.

"Agreed! The only way I was able to have my own company was because I name dropped Lewis, who I didn't know at the time. He doesn't know his numbers all that well. It's so easy for them to point fingers, but it's really just because they hate to see a powerful woman get the job done", you offered, seeing your partners arrive to the table along Laura.

"Social media is going crazy about you, Y/N!", Laura, one of the team's social media managers said while you had lunch, "there's people who spent the whole morning trying to find out who you were and they were faling to find your accounts. Apparently, they were looking in model agencies and such until someone pointed out you studied at the same university as them, and it's pointed them in the right direction I'd say?", she shrugged her shoulders, showing you her phone as she scrolled through media, "they're still trying to find out more, but they only have a few articles from your company and a picture of you when you graduated that is on the university's Wall of Fame!", she made you giggle, fondly looking at the wall of pictures you saw everyday on your way to lectures.

"Are you on the Wall of Fame and didn't tell us, Y/N?", Carmen exclaimed at the new information, "it's barely anything, I'm still there probably because someone forgot to remove the picture", you blushed, suddenly feeling like the table's attention was on you.

"Why would they take out the picture of the most beautiful woman with the most achievements?", Lewis charmed, holding your hand in his as he smiled.

.

"Are you guys ready for the race? If all goes well, we can get back to the points!", Suzie cheered as she handed you and Carmen your bottles of water.

"Lew has been beating himself up a lot lately, hopefully everything works in their favour", you held your hands together after setting the water bottle on the counter.

It was very touch and go, but the boys ended up with good results given the position they started in.

"Congrats, my love!", you said in Lewis' ear as he squeezed your torso over the barrier, delighting the sight of everyone who was watching and seeing the happy couple, "couldn't have done it without you, gorgeous girl", he yelled back, stealing a kiss before running to the mechanics.

"I'm just going to check where Suzie is and then we can go for dinner, guys", Toto stated, squeezing George's and Lewis' shoulders before checking is phone to see if his wife had seen the text he sent about said dinner.

"The F1 Academy paddock is closed, you can see it from here that nobody is there", George pointed out as his boss frowned.

"I would help you, but I have to go and look for Carmen, too", George scratched his cheek as they walked along the corridor, seeing Lewis open his driver's room door and slumping his shoulders slightly, "Y/N is not here either".

"Where have the Mercedes missus gone...?", Toto muttered.

It didn't take then long to hear the mix of your three giggles coming from the lounging area, the three of you sat in the smaller sofas around a coffee table, hot drinks in your hands as you discussed something avidly but in a relaxing way still.

"Are the three of you willing to have dinner with the three of us? We'll still let you speak between yourselves, okay? It's like we won't even be there!", Toto joked.

[hearts4golbach]

Get the Angles Right!

chapter 6.

pairing:

Johnnie Guilbert x Fem!Reader.

a/n:

proofread ish

warnings:

none

word count:

1.0k

you sat hunched over your desk as you worked on the detailed stitching of Johnnies second outfit. you were humming to yourself under your breath as one of your favorite albums played in the background.

for the past 2 and a half days, you had been working on Johnnies 4 outfits for the shoot that weekend. at the moment, you were adding the detail to a dark purple vest. it was inspired by the ones you would see Panic! at the Disco prancing around on stage wearing. you grew up watching those performances, you smiled to yourself as you thought.

you jumped as your phone began to vibrate on the table opposite of you. you got out of your chair, stretching your aching fingers. you stumbled over to your phone, trying to wake your feet up.

your heart skipped a beat whenever you read Johnnies name on the screen. you answered immediately. "hello?"

"hey, y/n." the smile was prominent through the tone of his voice. "something got cancelled this afternoon, so I'm free for the rest of the night."

"that's sick as fuck," you twirled your hair anxiously.

"can I bring over dinner and we can watch a movie or something?" on the other side of the phone, he was biting his lip anxiously.

"I'd love that!" you cleared your throat. "yeah, that'd be nice."

he laughed, "Okay. I'll see you in 30."

you hummed a response as he hung up the phone. you ran to the shower. you washed your whole body faster than anyone ever had. you threw on a little makeup, trying to hide the eyebags you had from staying up late. you eventually gave up, wiping it all off. you mentally scolded yourself for wasting makeup as you got dressed in a cute, but casual 'movie watching' outfit.

you adjusted the couch, refolding the scattered blankets and fluffing the pillows. you made sure the rest of your apartment looked decent.

there was a gentle knock on the door. "come in!" you called, brushing yourself off.

Johnnie creeped into the living room. he set a couple boxes of takeout on the coffee table. "I hope you like chinese food. Jake introduced me to this place a couple days ago. it was really good." he rambled before smiling at you.

your heart skipped a beat as you made eye contact. you smiled back before sitting down and patting the spot next to you.

Johnnie kicked off his boots and sat close to you. his knee was resting against yours. that little contact made you blush. you watched him out of the corner of your eye as you turned on the TV.

"please tell me you've watched Jennifer's Body." you commented absentmindedly. "it's always been my favorite movie."

"i've never seen it," he admitted, "i always get compared to that emo guy though."

you laughed. "i used to have the biggest crush on him when i was younger. does this work for the movie?"

"fuck yeah, let's watch it." he replied. he leaned forward and opened up the food.

rain patted against your window gently in the background. there was frequent lightning, which made you jump every single time. so much so, Johnnie wrapped his arm around you comfortingly. your stomach erupted with butterflies. you scooted closer to him, so close your thighs touched.

"wait what the fu-" Johnnie began to comment on the movie before a loud crash of lighting rang. every light, including your TV went out. "fuck."

"shit, the power went out." you sighed, "im sorry."

you glanced around the dark room. the cloudy outdoors didn't add much lighting. "what? don't be sorry."

"well, what can we do in the dark?" you asked, adjusting in your seat to face him. he shrugged. "truth or dare?" you joked.

"fuck it, sure." his response shocked you.

you laughed. "okay, truth or dare?" you felt stupid, but the smile on Johnnies face made that melt away.

he hummed. "truth."

"okay," you thought for a second. "what did you think about me when we first met?"

the blush on his face was so prominent you could see through the darkness. "i really liked your style, i still do. and i thought you were really pretty."

the room began to get hot. you laughed nervously. "thank you, Johnnie. that really means a lot."

he asked you truth or dare, but all you were thinking about was what his lips would feel like on yours. you cleared your throat. "truth, sorry for copying."

he shook his head. "now i get to ask the same question. what did you think of me when we first met?"

"i thought you were the most attractive person i've ever met," you laughed. "i still do. but, you offering your lighter is the nicest thing that has happened to me in ages."

he was clearly taken back by your honesty. "i-i think that about you, too."

you did your best to hide the huge smile on your face. you giggled, "truth or dare?"

"dare." he responded as the lights flickered back on, and jennifer's body resumed on the TV.

"that was quick." you got up off of the couch and stretched. you immediately missed Johnnies touch. you pullled a pack of cigarettes out of your jacket pocket. "want one?" you took one out and placed it in between your lips before passing the small box to Johnnie. you made sure to grab your lighter before stepping out onto the patio.

the strong smell of rain was calming to you. you watched as puddles began to form on the streets . Johnnie filed out behind you. you lit both cigarettes and spoke up. "i don't know why we've been getting so much rain recently."

johnnie hummed in response as he inhaled deeply. "the city is really pretty."

"i mean, if you look at it at the right angle." you joked.

he wrapped his arm around you, leaning into you. you cautiously laid your head on his shoulder. "there's a party we're going to sunday night, you wanna come?" Johnnie asked.

"uh, yes?" your voice was dripping with excitement. "i've never actually been to one. i mean, birthday parties and shit don't count."

he smiled, "me and Jake will pick you up? i'll let you know what time."

you nodded, "yeah."

[wellcollapse]

idk if you're still writing the post-cemetry scene fic with pining eddie (idk if i'm describing it right) but i would love to hear more about it/see a snippet or too if you feel so inclined 👀

someone asking about angsty pining fic in the month of our lord april 2024? this was such a lovely surprise 😭 i'm gonna be honest with u anon i'm likely not going to publish 911 fic again BUT because you asked so nicely i'll give you a few older snippets from my draft:

Eddie sighs, breaking the stare. “You have a key, you know,” he says finally. “Feel free to come join me whenever you want.” He turns on his heel and walks back inside to finish his goddamn brownies, leaving Buck standing in the doorway.  It’s silent for a few minutes. He’s in the middle of measuring a tablespoon of espresso powder when Buck steps into the kitchen and shuts the door behind him. Eddie feels the weight of Buck’s gaze on him as he folds the powder into his brownie mixture, but he doesn’t turn to meet his eye until Buck speaks.  “Is that…” Buck falters. He clears his throat. “Is that my recipe?”  “Yeah,” Eddie says gruffly. “Chris asked me to make it. Said he wanted to share it with his friends when they come over tomorrow for their playdate.”  Buck snorts. “Man, you can’t call it that. Chris nearly bit my head off last time I tried. Kept reminding me that ‘playdates are for kids, Buck,’ and that he’s not a kid anymore.”  Buck emphasizes that last bit with air quotes, and Eddie can’t help but grin at that. But his smile fades instantly, remembering the somber look on Buck’s face when he’d opened the door. He highly doubts that Buck came over just to commiserate about the trials and tribulations of watching Christopher grow up.  Eddie bites the bullet. “Why are you here, Buck?”  Buck shifts nervously. He shrugs and looks away from Eddie. “I — I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to answer that. You’ve never asked me that before.”  Eddie scrubs at his face. “I've never had to ask you that, Buck. Things are different now. You’ve been busy.” 

+

“Wow,” Buck says acidly, all traces of heartbreak gone. “I’ve never heard that one before.”  Eddie frowns. “What?”  “Really, Eddie?” Buck’s voice cracks on the last syllable. He shakes his head. “Unbelievable. Just — unbelievable.” “Buck — what are you talking about?”  “We were just trying to protect you, Evan," Buck mocks. "You were never supposed to find out. We kept it from you because we love you. Any of that sound familiar to you?” Eddie’s breath hitches on the word love, because he doesn’t know, he can’t know, but then —  Oh.  Fuck.

+

Buck: We’ll get through this just like everything else. I promise. It’ll be okay.  Buck: Eddie, did you eat enough today? Should I come by and bring you some food? Buck: You know you’re still my best friend, right? That’s never going to change, Eddie. Never.  He reacts with a thumbs up or a tap-back heart on most of the messages, too exhausted to do anything else. He replies with a thumbs down to the message about food, certain that he wouldn’t be able to handle seeing Buck so soon. He knows he’ll have to face him in person eventually, but his tired, broken heart just wants to postpone it as much as he can.  The last one, though, is a balm that both soothes and agitates Eddie’s burning, aching heart, and he taps out a brief, Thank you, you too. Always, in response. It feels like too much and not enough all at once, and Eddie wishes once again that he was a little better at resisting Buck, that he didn’t feel that need to reply to his every message lest Buck worry even more about him. The only one he actually acknowledges is a message that comes in at 2:43 AM on Sunday. As he opens the message, Eddie absentmindedly wonders if Buck’s having a hard time falling asleep for the same reason as him. Probably.  It’s a link to a new exhibit at the Griffith Observatory, accompanied by a text that reads: Can I take Christopher here next weekend? Eddie squeezes back tears as he replies with a brief, Of course, and puts his phone down, letting the darkness swallow him again. 

+

Hen beats him to it. “What happened, Buck? I thought you really liked her. Weren’t you planning to introduce her to Maddie and Chimney next week?”  “Not anymore,” Buck mutters. “I broke up with her.”  “What?” Eddie snaps head snaps up. “Why?”  Buck doesn’t meet his gaze, his lip quivering. The rest of their team is watching them, eyes darting back and forth, and Buck blinks hesitantly before swallowing down a sip of coffee. He wipes the cream off of his upper lip and looks Eddie in the eye.  “You know why,” Buck whispers. 

[ask-nico-sdv]

Hey guys, I'm going to be gone for a few days, there's some business in Zuzu that I need to be out of town to handle. I promise I'll be back soon and that the void hasn't gotten me, I just might take a bit longer to reply to anything sent my way.

That being said, feel free to bombard me with stuff, I'll read through it all and reply when I can!

//Mod here, this is just for the weekend. i do actually have a family event happening, but i'll read and reply whenever i can.

//stay safe, stay hydrated, make sure to rest and i'll miss you all till i get back!!

//taglist so yall know! @samsammysamson @eggyolkguzzler @sebastians-asks @wilfred-flowers @stanthefarmer @unknownbookworm @fucknugg3t

[dxsumi]

hi! i'm zero (she/her) and i'm here to introduce u all to jeong sumi who has the ability of telepathy!! i'll be busy for the next two days so my replies may be a little sporadic with plotting but i'll still be around and after those days i will be free :D i can give my dc if u want but i'll likely be faster at replying on here T__T just drop a like and i'll be in ur inbox asap!

who is she . . ?

sumi's parents were only 19 & 21 when they had her and were living in the north side as her father was establishing himself as a n.e.p.a agent. letting success and wealth get to his head, he kicked her mother out when sumi was only 2 months old, leaving the two to fend for themselves.

luckily her mother's parents welcomed them into their home in the east side and they settled in, her mother becoming a nurse at sacred heart and sumi joining the public school system once she became of-age.

she inherited her telepathy from her father and only got officially classified at age 8 when her mother took her to the doctor to help with her intense migranes that kept her from attending school.

her mother advised her against using her ability due to the headaches it causes, leading to sumi growing a habit of avoiding eye contact and supressing her ability when she can. this, in turn, has halted sumi's understanding of what she can actually do.

she thrived in school, achieving top marks in almost all the science-related subject (don't ask her about anything artsy or humanities related though...) and went on to pursue research and mutagen biology.

she joined factor x as an intern a few years after leaving high school, her father's status as a highly regarded n.e.p.a agent ensuring her acceptance into the program and her internship turning into a full-time job. she continues to work her ass off to try and prove herself but she still falls flat at times.

her father and mother have been on-and-off all her life, the man often coming back to them and her mother accepting him as they fall back in love for the bajillionth time before he abandons them again, leaving her mother heartbroken and sumi abandoned and angry.

because of him she hates the elite, assuming that the wealth and the power got to his head and is the reason he desserted them. she thinks selfishness and cruelty comes with the wealthy status and avoids the north side as much as she can.

she moved out by herself once she secured the job at factor x and now lives in top view towers with her ginger cat tang who she adopted off the street (though she is allergic to cats.)

she may seem moody and unaproachable but often that's due to migranes or exhaustion, sumi being incredibly friendly and gentle despite her not-so friendly exterior.

wanted connections / plot ideas . .

coworkers - the two both work for factor x somehow and have ran into each other multiple times. though they get along, the two of them constantly compete. while sumi is unaware why your muse does it, she wants to prove herself as either better or on the same level as your muse.

old friends - the two were super close during their school years, spending almost every moment together during their days and spending their weekends at each other's houses. unfortunately the two had a falling out and now it just feels awkward whenever they run into each other..

neighbours - the two live in the same building and see each other often, always greeting each other but never going beyond a simple 'hello'. sumi can't help but dread when she knocks on your muses door to ask for some flour for her baking because going out just takes way too much effort.

mind reader - she overhears your muses thoughts and..woah that was juicy..! surely she doesn't look suspicious following a random stranger around so she can look in their eyes and hear more gossip about your muse's life.

jealousy - tang is terribly orange. and tang is unfortunately so stupid that he's smart. the cat has a habit of sneaking out of sumi's apartment and making his way down to the front of the building, meowing and purring to get pats and food. why does sumi feel jealous seeing her tang purring against your muses hand when she comes home?

and some more general ones: childhood friends, just friends in general, enemies, enemies to friends, rivalries, romance, coworkerness...i'm open to anything!

[sebstanaddict]

Too Good To Be True

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Summary: A romantic comedy story where Sebastian Stan falls in love with reader but she is not who he thinks she is.

Luck was finally on reader's side as Aurora was taken away to jail for a whole month. She was free to be who she really was. Great expectations were in her heart as she and Sebastian were going to spend the weekend together practicing their scenes. But what she expected to happen didn't happen and she was left to wonder what she did wrong as Sebastian's behavior towards her changed completely.

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 14/28 (Might add more)

Chapter list >

Warning : slight cursing, some spoiler from Sebastian's potential next project Pumping Black (I changed the character names and some of the plot details though). I also took a scene from the actual script and incorporated it here. Just a head's up.

Word count : 9k words

---

Chapter 14 - Great Expectations

13320 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California - Wednesday, July 12th 2023 - 3.00 pm

—

“No! I don't want to go to jail! I'm innocent!” Aurora shouted as she started to run away from them.

“We're really sorry Miss Watson, but it's the best we could do. Better than three months like what the judge originally wanted.” The lawyer continued to say.

“Yeah, thank you. I.. I know you did your best.” She smiled at the lawyer.

“No! Get away from me! Don't touch me!” Aurora continued to shout as she ran all over the backyard with the two policemen hot on her heels.

Her jaw dropped as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes. Aurora insisted on not being caught but of course she was no match to two big bodied policemen. They succeeded in cornering her near the pool but Aurora decided to jump into the pool, startling everyone.

“Your assistant is.. interesting.” One of the lawyers remarked as they watched Aurora swimming in the middle of the pool and refusing to be arrested.

“Yeah, she's one of a kind.” She said, laughing internally.

Several minutes later the policemen finally succeeded in catching Aurora as they both decided to jump into the pool as well.

The three of them walked past her, dripping wet and Aurora looked at her in derange.

“This is all your fault! You are going to pay for this! I swear to God, once I get out you will pay for this!” Aurora spat right in front of her face, leaving wet marks on her cheeks.

She wiped Aurora's spit away from her cheeks and continued to look at her as the policemen handcuffed her and dragged her away.

“Miss Watson! Are you okay?” Rosa asked in surprise.

“I'm fine, Rosa. It's just spit and she had the right to do that to me.” She replied, smiling wanly at Rosa.

“No one deserves to be treated like this! I can't believe how different she is from the first time we met her! I mean.. breaking and entering? Cursing and spitting at you?!” Rosa asked, dumbfounded.

“Yeah.. I know.. It's like she's a different person isn't she?” She said and Rosa nodded.

“Well, Miss Watson, now that we've done our job, will you excuse us.” One of the lawyers said.

“Of course, thank you so much.” She said and they finally left after she shook both their hands.

“Are you going to tell Mr.Stan about this?” Rosa asked.

“No, I don't think I will. It will just make him feel bad. I'll just tell him she needs to go out of town or something to visit her family.” She replied.

There was no way she was going to tell Sebastian what happened. If he knew, she was afraid of losing the chance of becoming his assistant again once she and Aurora switched back to their own bodies.

“Yes, that's probably for the best. By the way, do you need anyone to replace her and Gabriella? I can probably find someone who needs a job.” Rosa offered.

“Umm.. I think I can manage without her for now. As for Gabriella, I'll help clean up whenever I can. So you don't need to do her tasks.” She replied.

Rosa's eyebrows shot up at that.

“Are you sure, Miss Watson?” Rosa asked, her face full of doubt.

“Of course I'm sure, Rosa. I can do some cleaning too. I mean, it's a great alternative to regular exercise, right? And you kill two birds with one stone by doing some cleaning.” She winked and Rosa smiled.

“Well, never in 15 years of being your maid have I ever heard you say something like this.” Rosa chuckled.

“Well, people change. I can change too.” She smiled, hoping Rosa wouldn't realize who she really was inside. With Aurora gone she felt like she didn't need to keep up with her behavior. She decided to just behave like herself. Besides, acting like herself made Sebastian seem to like her. So why shouldn't she start behaving like herself with other people too.

“Well, in that case, I'm happy to see the change in you Miss Watson.” Rosa smiled and she smiled back.

“Thank you so much, Rosa. Appreciate it.” She said, patting Rosa's shoulder.

“Anyway, what would you like for dinner Miss Watson?” Rosa asked.

“Hmm.. why don't we just order some pizza. You don't have to cook.” She winked and Rosa's eyes widened.

“Miss Watson! Pizza? Are you sure?”

“Rosa, I told you I've changed. Life is short, why not enjoy something like pizza once in a while. It's not like I eat it everyday.” She protested, remembering the time when she really did eat pizza daily for a week when she was still in Silicon Valley.

“Well, as you wish Miss Watson. Would you like me to order it for you?” Rosa asked.

“No, it's okay, I can do it myself.” She said.

“Very well, Miss Watson. Well, if you'll excuse me. I have some ironing to finish.” Rosa excused herself.

“Thank you so much, Rosa.” She smiled and Rosa finally left after returning her smile.

Once Rosa was out of sight a grin spread on her face. She couldn't believe her luck! Yes! She could finally say it now! Luck! Luck was finally on her side!

Then it hit her. This was God's answer to her prayer last night.

She looked up and smiled “Thank you God. I know now that You listen. I'm so grateful for this and I will not let You down.” She made a silent prayer in her heart then she walked back towards the house with a spring in her steps. Her heart felt light and for once she felt so carefree. No Aurora for a month!

A month! A lot can happen in a month! She couldn't believe all the things and the possibilities she could do as Aurora in a month.

Well, the first thing she should do, she finally decided, was to shop for new clothes. She had checked Aurora's closet and most consisted of dresses and mini skirts. She wasn't comfortable wearing them. She was much more comfortable wearing jeans and pants rather than dresses and skirts.

So after she took a quick shower and changed out of her exercise outfit, she asked Nelson to take her out shopping to Rodeo Drive.

It was her third time going to Rodeo Drive and the difference in experience going there compared to the first two times she went there as herself was immense.

This time around the store attendants immediately paid attention to her and were very kind and helpful. Some even asked to take a selfie with her, which she couldn't say no to of course.

“Oh, thank you so much, Aurora. This means a lot. I'm glad I asked because the last time you were here you didn't want to take pictures.” One of the store attendants commented.

Yes, she remembered it now. When she was there accompanying Aurora, Aurora rejected all requests from people to take pictures. She even scolded a fan and left the fan in tears.

Well, she wasn't going to be that Aurora anymore. She was going to be herself and there was no harm in agreeing to take pictures with some people.

It didn't take long for her to shop for some jeans and pants so afterwards she decided to drop by Felix Trattoria restaurant again and order some pizza to take away. The pizzas were to die for and she wanted to have some again and share them with Nelson and Rosa.

It was with great surprise that Nelson and Rosa accepted her request to eat the pizzas together that night while watching some movies together.

“Miss Watson, I'm really sorry to say this, and I'm saying this not to offend you in any way. But.. what happened?” Nelson had asked when they were all sitting on the sofa in front of a huge TV in the living room. A classic movie, one of Rosa's choice, was playing on the TV and 3 boxes of pizzas were opened on the coffee table.

“What do you mean, Nelson?” She asked, pretending not to understand what he was talking about.

“This.” Nelson said, gesturing his hand between all of them and waved his hand towards the pizzas and the TV.

“Nothing, I just want to share this amazing pizza I had the pleasure of having the other day and what could be better than enjoying it while watching some movies.” She replied, smiling at all of them.

“Well, in the five years that I have been working for you, this never happened. This definitely is one for the history books.” Nelson chuckled.

“I'm sorry if I was a pain to be working for these past years, Nelson. And you too, Rosa. I've changed. And I'm going to try to be a better person now.” She said and both Nelson and Rosa's eyes widened.

“Well, I'm really glad to hear that, Miss Watson. You know I've watched you grow since you were a teen and became this beautiful young woman. But there was always something missing. I think you finally found it now.” Rosa commented.

“Yeah, maybe I have.” She smiled. If Rosa meant Aurora was missing a heart, well, she was absolutely right, she laughed internally.

“Anyway, I don't feel comfortable that you guys are calling me Miss Watson again. Just call me Aurora, okay?” She said and once again Rosa's and Nelson's eyes widened.

“Oh, of course, Aurora.” Nelson nodded.

“Yes, Miss.. I mean.. Aurora.” Rosa nodded.

Well, she knew once she decided to change her behavior that Rosa and Nelson were going to be suspicious, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to change her personality just because she was in Aurora's body. And with Aurora gone, even if for just a month, she was free to be who she really was and she knew she was also somewhat helping Aurora.

—

The next two days were exhausting but interesting for her. On Thursday she did a photoshoot for Givenchy. The photoshoot was done both on location and indoors. There was a new fall collection that she had to model. So she had to wear a lot of sweaters and jackets. Being in LA during the summer it didn't take long for her to start sweating but she tried to be professional and hid all the feelings of being uncomfortable away.

It took her much faster this time to finally master posing for the photoshoot. She did the same as she had done during the photoshoot for AquaChic and pretended she was an actress that had a role as a model. That mindset worked wonders for her and the photoshoot director was really happy with her work.

“Aurora, that was brilliant! I remember having worked with you in the past and you were good but this time you were absolutely brilliant!” Dave the photoshoot director gushed as she was leaving the set.

“Oh, thank you so much, Dave. I really appreciate it!” She smiled widely.

Not only was she told that she was a good actress but she was also told to be a good model! She had never imagined ever experiencing something like this ever!

On Friday she did a shooting for a dog food commercial with Paris. She was kind of scared that Paris wouldn't want to work with her. But much to her relief, the dog was quite tame and was able to work well with her and the day went quite well for her too. She never knew she had the talent to be both an actress and a model.

It wasn't until Saturday morning that she felt her happiness start to taper away. She had high hopes of meeting Sebastian that day to practice their scenes together. She had chosen the best outfit she could think of and styled her hair and makeup the way she liked. She even had ordered some food for lunch that day because she had asked Rosa to take the weekend off. She also asked Nelson to take the weekend off. So she was essentially alone in the big castle, hoping that she could have some quality time alone with Sebastian.

She sat on the sofa in the living room that morning at 10, Aurora's cellphone in hand, contemplating whether to call or text Sebastian. He had not contacted her at all ever since he dropped her off at the castle after the table read, and she was too busy to contact him too. She assumed he would just show up like he always did. But it was already 10 in the morning and she wondered if Sebastian forgot about his promise of coming over.

She was just about to text him when Aurora's cellphone rang, startling her. Sebastian's name was on the screen and she immediately picked it up.

“Hello.” She greeted him.

“Uh.. hey, Aurora.” Sebastian's voice traveled through the speaker, his gentle voice made her heart flutter.

God, she really needed to control her reactions towards him.

“Hey, Sebastian.” She replied, smiling from ear to ear.

“How are you?” He asked.

“I'm good, thanks. How are you?”

“I'm good too, thanks. Umm..listen, I'm really sorry for letting you know too late but I'm afraid I won't be able to come to your place and practice our scenes together this weekend.” He said quickly and her heart dropped to her stomach.

“Oh.. okay. Yeah, that's.. fine. What's going on?” She asked, trying to mask her disappointment.

“I.. uh.. something unexpected came up and I need to focus on it for now. So, I'm really sorry, Aurora.” He replied.

“Oh, right. Okay. What about tomorrow?” She asked, still trying to have hope in her heart that he would be able to come the next day.

“I'm really sorry but the thing that came up.. it needs my attention this whole weekend including tomorrow. So.. I'm really sorry but I can't come either tomorrow.” He explained and she couldn't help but felt her heart dropped even more.

“Oh, okay. That's fine. I hope everything is okay?” She asked, hoping whatever it was that he had to focus on wasn't something bad.

“Oh yeah. Everything is fine. Nothing to worry about, really.” He replied.

“Okay.. that's good to know.”

“Yeah. Well, I gotta go. Take care, Aurora.”

“Thanks Sebastian. I'lll see you at the shoot then?”

“Yeah. I'll see you at the shoot. Bye.”

“Okay, bye.”

He hung up first, leaving her hanging, causing her to finally feel the disappointment in her heart.

She sighed as she looked at Aurora's cellphone screen. All the preparation she did that day was apparently for nothing.

She didn't want to think badly about him but he sounded kind of weird, like he wasn't telling her the whole truth. But she decided to brush it off. Maybe he did have something urgent that came up. Yes, she was disappointed that he couldn't come, but she was going to meet him at the shoot of Pumping Black for three whole months anyway, well, at least for a month, assuming she would switch to her own body after Aurora finished her jail sentence. So she shouldn't be too disappointed about it.

Having the castle all to herself she decided to enjoy it and also practice for the shoot herself. There were still many lines she needed to memorize and she needed to determine how she was going to perform them.

Being an introverted girl at heart she enjoyed being alone. She spent most of her time learning her lines but when she got bored she explored the whole castle.

Aurora's castle was truly a beautiful castle. It had everything anyone could ever need. She felt it was such a waste of space having a huge place just for one person. She knew if she was Aurora she would just move to a smaller place, like Sebastian's penthouse for example, which was still big compared to the apartments she had stayed at over the years, but she thought it was enough for someone with a status like Aurora.

Of course she knew that moving to a different house was something she couldn't decide for Aurora. But if she really was going to be stuck in Aurora's body forever, she would definitely move out of the castle.

Speaking of switching bodies, she had opened Aurora's cellphone earlier and read the messages Aurora and the private investigator she had hired had exchanged over several days. The investigator had texted Aurora saying they had found a lead of where the Gypsy woman might be and told her that they needed more money to pursue the lead because it was leading them overseas. They asked for five thousand dollars! She knew she needed to ask Aurora whether she would agree to it or not. But knowing how Aurora would definitely agree to pay the investigators more, she decided to just ignore it for now. She didn't want them to find the Gypsy woman so soon so she decided not to reply to the investigators question just yet. She would just prolong it as long as she could.

It was 7 at night during dinner when she finally felt the subtle feeling of being lonely. It wasn't the first time she was eating dinner alone. She had spent many nights alone back in Silicon Valley, but at least she had Lara back then as her neighbour. Now, Aurora's neighbours were far away. Her castle stood on top of a hill and had tall fences surrounding it. There were no humans around in her immediate vicinity.

Her eyes started to burn as tears started to form in her eyes. She never knew being a famous model and actress could feel so lonely. She wondered if Aurora ever felt that herself.

She realized being Aurora was not as much as fun as she once thought and she started to miss her own life.

She sighed and blinked furiously to stop herself from crying and decided to have a chat with Lara, her ex roommates and her parents. It had been a while since she last chatted with them.

Unfortunately none of them replied to her text, it seemed like they were all busy. She couldn't call them because she was sure she would sound different in their ears. So she had to fight the urge of calling them and just wait until they texted her back.

Having nothing else to do after dinner she decided to go back to learning her lines that night and hoping her friends or her parents would text her back soon. She couldn't deny that she missed them too.

Her friends and parents finally texted her back several hours later when she was getting ready to sleep. She spent a short time chatting with them and was glad all of them were doing okay. However, she still couldn't shake the loneliness in her heart. She ended up going to sleep imagining Sebastian again, lying down beside her and just being there for her. She wondered if that would ever happen. She wondered if a real relationship could happen between them. With that thought in mind she finally fell asleep with Sebastian's gorgeous face etched behind her eyes.

—

The next Sunday turned out more or less similar to the day before. Since she had allowed Rosa and Nelson to take the weekend off she was alone again in the castle.

In order not to feel so lonely that day she decided to turn the TV on out loud and just leave it on for the whole day even if she wasn't watching it. She also tried to focus back on learning her lines. The next day was the first day of shooting and she didn't want to mess it up.

Despite the loneliness she felt, she survived that day and was able to memorize almost all of her lines from the movie, making her feel more confident in doing the shoot.

It was finally the first day of shooting and she woke up feeling excited yet nervous. Rosa and Nelson both came to work and she felt much less lonely with them around.

It was 8 in the morning when she arrived at Universal Studio Lot for the shoot. She was scheduled to have her first shoot with Sebastian and Jennifer Aniston that day.

Heart pounding hard, she walked out of her car and was immediately welcomed by one of the crew members from the movie. She was quickly taken to her trailer and soon had her hair and make up done.

The scene they were going to shoot that day was in a wedding reception of one of Celeste's cousins so she was wearing a beautiful peach dress, something one of Celeste's cousin's bridesmaids was supposed to wear. Her hair was styled in soft waves and pulled back in a half up half down style, a floral hairpiece placed at the back completed the look. She smiled at the mirror as the make up artist and hair stylist were done and felt she looked the most beautiful she ever had in Aurora's body.

“You look absolutely beautiful.” The make up artist, Lisa said.

“Thank you, you did a wonderful job.” She smiled at Lisa.

“Thank you, Aurora. I didn't have to do much. You already look beautiful naturally.” Lisa commented, making her blush.

“Thank you again, Lisa.” She smiled.

“You’re welcome. You know, those that have worked with you in the past told me you would be a pain to work with. But, I find you to be nice and pleasant to work with.” Lisa commented.

“Yeah, I heard about that too.” The hairstylist, Shannon commented.

Her heart seemed to stop as she heard their comments.

“Well, rumors aren't always true huh.” She said quickly.

“Yeah, that's true.” Lisa nodded.

She was saved from commenting on the subject further when a crew from the movie came to fetch her.

It was 11 when she walked out of her trailer and was quickly ushered towards the studio where the set of the wedding reception was located.

As she walked towards the set she looked around hoping to find Sebastian or Jennifer but they were nowhere in sight. She was surprised that when she got on set, she was the first actor there. Well there were plenty of extras of course, and Maya as well as Hannah were there too. But Sebastian and Jennifer were still nowhere to be seen.

“Hi Maya.” She stopped next to Maya and smiled.

“Oh hey Aurora. Excited for today?” Maya turned to her.

“Yeah, excited and nervous.” She replied.

“Oh don't be. I'm sure you're going to be great.” Maya smiled and patted her arm.

“Thank you Maya.” She smiled.

“Hello everyone.” Jennifer Aniston appeared on set with Sebastian walking next to her.

She looked up and smiled at both of them. Jennifer smiled widely at her while Sebastian looked at her like a deer who just got hit by a headlight. His jaw dropped a little and he seemed to be mesmerized as he continued to stare at her, making butterflies fly around in her stomach. But then he quickly looked away and continued to walk towards her, making her wonder again why he did that.

“Aurora darling, how are you?” Jennifer stopped in front of her and gave her a brief hug.

“I'm good Jennifer, thank you. How are you?” She asked.

“Good too. Excited for today.” Jennifer smiled.

“Hey Maya.” Jennifer then continued to walk past her and greeted Maya, leaving her and Sebastian standing face to face. Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she looked up at him.

“Hi.” Sebastian looked down at her and smiled a little.

“Hi.” She smiled back. Sebastian looked gorgeous wearing a blue suit. The suit highlighted his ocean blue eyes even more. Staring at them made her heart flutter.

“You look.. good.” Sebastian said, looking at her from top to toe and she couldn't help but blush.

“Thanks. You look good yourself.” She smiled.

“Yeah. Thank you.” He smiled back but she couldn't help but notice how quickly he averted his eyes from her.

“So, ready for the dance?” He asked and her heart skipped a beat.

Yes, there was a dance scene they were going to shoot that day. It was nothing elaborate, just them dancing slowly to the music while talking, which was why they didn't prepare much about it. But it still made her nervous.

“I hope so.” She chuckled.

“Yeah, I hope so too.” He replied.

“Maya!” He called out suddenly, startling her.

“Sorry. I need to talk to her.” Sebastian said and she nodded.

Sebastian turned away from her and walked towards Maya who had walked away from them and was talking to one of the camera men.

Once again she felt Sebastian was kind of different towards her and she wondered why that was.

She decided to try and forget about it for now and focus on the shoot she was going to do that day. She was a professional actress and her feelings about Sebastian's behavior was not her priority.

The first scene they were going to do was a scene during the wedding reception where Mike, Celeste and Celeste's mother were going to talk.

She took a deep breath as she waited for everyone else to be ready and she repeated her lines in her head.

Half an hour later they were finally ready. She sat between Sebastian and Jennifer at one of the circular dining tables on the set. Extras were all ready around them, sitting on tables next to them. The actors playing Celeste's cousin and her husband were seen sitting at a special table in one corner of the room.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she noticed all the cameras facing towards them. It was one thing to practice the scenes at home or at the table read, the vibe was completely different during shooting and her hands started to sweat as the realization dawned on her.

She closed her eyes for a moment, made a silent prayer in her heart that she would not mess things up, then imagined herself as Celeste, being in her cousin's wedding, having a chat with her mother and boyfriend.

She opened her eyes just as she heard the sound of a person calling out “Scene 20, take 1, mark!”

A clapperboard was clapped then she heard Maya shout “Action!”

She picked up a fork and knife and started to eat the dish in front of her which was chicken gallantine with potatoes while she waited for Jennifer to start her line.

“So, Mike. How's the preparation for the Tour de France going?” Jennifer as Mary Nichols, Celeste’s mother said, looking towards Sebastian.

Sebastian, who was also eating, swallowed and cleared his throat. “It’s doing well.”

“Oh, that's good. I hope nothing like what happened last year will happen again, huh?” Jennifer snickered, referring to an accident Mike got himself into during last year's Tour de France.

“Mom!” She exclaimed in annoyance.

“What?” Jennifer turned to her, her eyebrows raised.

“Could you not mention that again, please?” She replied, exasperated.

“I was just expressing my hope that Mike will not get into the same situation again this year. I didn't mean to offend you, Mike, I'm sure you understand that, right Mike?” Jennifer turned to Sebastian with her eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah, I know you mean well Mrs.Nichols.” Sebastian nodded, then he placed his fork down and took a gulp of water.

“Will you excuse me for a minute? I need to go to the restroom.” Sebastian put the glass back on the table then pushed his chair back and stood up.

“Okay.” She looked up at Sebastian with concern all over her face. Sebastian gave her a small smile. She smiled back then watched as Sebastian left the table.

“I wish you didn't mention the accident, mom.” She protested as soon as Sebastian left them.

“Celeste, I mean no harm, you know that.” Jennifer defended herself.

“Yeah, it's just.. it took him a long time to get over the incident. Both, physically and mentally.” She commented.

“I understand, Celeste. I'm sorry if what I said caused you and him to feel uncomfortable.”

She sighed. “It's okay, mom.”

“So.. all of your cousins have been officially married now. When are you going to take the same step?” Jennifer asked.

“Oh mom.. why do you have to ask me that?” She whined.

“Celeste, you're almost 30, I had you when I was 25 having been married since I was 23. I'm just concerned, honey.” Jennifer said, reaching out and patted her hand.

“I know. It's just.. getting married is not exactly on our minds right now. Mike is focusing on the Tour de France this year and you know I have my own career to think about.” She explained.

“Well, you can't prioritize both your careers all the time. Before you know it, time has flown by and you will regret not having started a family sooner.” Jennifer advised.

“I know. I'll try and talk to him about it.” She sighed.

“Yes, you should. Celeste, listen. If he isn't willing to do the next step with you, maybe he's just not the one.” Jennifer said and looked at her pointedly.

“Oh mom. I love him. Okay? And I will wait. I'm not going to push him into doing something he doesn't want to do.” She stated, her eyebrows knitted together.

“But it's for your own good, Celeste. If he isn't willing to commit, I say you better dump his ass and find someone else who will. If he really loves you, he wouldn't hesitate to commit. I'm just saying. I love you so much, my baby girl. And I just want what's best for you.” Jennifer said as she reached out and placed her hand on her cheek.

She sighed as her eyebrows straightened and stared at Jennifer.

“Thank you, mom. I love you too. And you don't need to worry. I know Mike loves me. He just.. he still has this ambition, you know, of winning the Tour de France before he can focus on something else.” She said.

“Tour de France is just a race. He has been doing that for years hasn't he? He shouldn't prioritize a race over you. I'm just saying.” Jennifer dropped her hand from her cheek and stared back at her, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah. Thank you mom for the enlightening conversation.” She said coldly then she pushed her chair back and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Jennifer asked.

“The restroom.” She replied then she started to walk away.

“Cut!” Maya shouted and she stopped in her tracks.

Maya sauntered over to her with Sebastian following behind her and they stopped in front of her.

“Okay, that was good, Aurora. But could we do that again? You need to show more how annoyed you are at Mary towards the end.” Maya requested.

“Oh, yeah, of course.” She nodded.

Maya left them and went towards Jennifer, leaving her alone with Sebastian.

“That was good, Aurora. You did a good job.” Sebastian smiled at her and she couldn't help but blush.

“Oh, thank you Sebastian.” She looked up at him and for a split second could see the admiration in his eyes when he looked at her. But once again he quickly averted his eyes and started to walk back towards the table.

She sighed and wondered what was going on with him. She turned around and followed him and tried hard to brush the feeling away.

It took them four more takes before Maya was finally satisfied. She breathed a sigh of relief after Maya told them that.

The next scene that was scheduled to be shot was of her and Sebastian dancing and talking. The makeup artist and hairstylist touched up her makeup and hair as she sat on a chair by the side of the set.

She looked across and watched Sebastian talking with Maya and he laughed. Her heart swelled as she looked at him laughing and she couldn't help but smile. But then he glanced at her and abruptly stopped laughing. He said something to Maya and turned away, walking to the other side of the set.

If her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, it seemed he purposely avoided her. Again she couldn't help but wonder what happened. She contemplated whether or not to ask him about it. It made her sad to think that he could be purposely avoiding her. She wondered if she did anything wrong.

Her thoughts about them were gone however as they started to do the next shoot. Once the cameras started rolling she could see the change in him and how he turned to act like he used to around her.

“Celeste..” Sebastian whispered as she was shot walking towards where the restroom was supposed to be. He was standing behind a wall not seen from the reception area. His hand shot out, grabbed hers and he dragged her behind the wall, making her jump in surprise.

“Mike! You scared me!” She protested, clutching her chest.

“I'm sorry, sweetheart.” Sebastian looked down and smiled at her. She could now see the adoration again in his eyes and it made her heart flutter.

“What are you doing?” She asked as Sebastian let her hand go.

“I.. uh.. waiting.” He replied.

“For what?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.

“For the right time to come out.” He replied, blushing as he said it.

“Oh, Mike. I'm sorry about my mom.” She sighed.

“It's okay, honey. What did you talk about? You look annoyed.” He said as he raised his hand up and his fingers started to stroke her cheek gently, making her breath hitch.

“I.. umm..” She forgot! She forgot her next lines, so focused she was at how his fingers felt on her cheek.

“Cut!” Maya shouted and her shoulder slumped.

“Aurora! Focus!” Maya shouted at her.

“I'm sorry.” She turned to Maya and grimaced.

“The usual marriage talk.” Sebastian said.

“What?” She turned to him, looking at him in confusion.

“Your next line.” He replied.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah. Thanks.” She nodded, feeling the blush rising in her cheeks.

“No problem.” He smiled at her warmly, making the butterflies fly around in her stomach.

“Aurora! Go back!” Maya shouted.

“Oh yeah, okay.” She nodded and turned around back towards the reception area, kicking herself mentally for being so unfocused because of Sebastian.

They started to do the scene again until the part where she forgot her lines came up.

“It's okay, honey. What did you talk about? You look annoyed.” Sebastian said as he raised his hand up and his fingers caressed her cheek gently, making her breath hitch again.

“The usual marriage talk.” She grumbled.

“Oh, right. Typical at an event like this.” He commented.

“Yeah. I don't understand why she needed to push it on us. I mean.. we have our careers to think about.” She said, looking up at Sebastian expectantly.

“Yeah. We do. I mean, once we're ready, we'll do it but right now we both know it's not the right time.” He stated.

She didn't respond immediately and she gazed at him, trying to convey a million emotions through her eyes. Sebastian stared back at her and once again she felt like he was seeing into her soul, making butterflies fly around in her stomach.

“When will the right time come, though?” She asked slowly.

“Oh Celeste, please don't ask questions like this. I don't know. Okay? I just.. you know what's on my mind.” He stated as he dropped his fingers from her and he balled his fist in agitation.

“I know. The race! Which has been on your mind for the past.. what? Fifteen years? It's what's on your mind when we met five years ago and it still is.” She grumbled.

“I'm sorry, honey. I just need to win this one.”

“You've been saying that since we met.” She said pointedly and she could see the hurt flashed in his eyes.

“Because it's important to me, Celeste. You know that!” Sebastian protested.

“Am I not important to you?” She asked and Sebastian’s jaw dropped.

“Honey, of course you are! You’re the most important person in my life!” He exclaimed as he placed both hands on the sides of her arms.

“Then maybe.. maybe you need to show it.” She said slowly.

“I’ll show it right now. Come on!” Sebastian said and her eyes widened.

He grabbed her hand and guided her back towards the reception area. She could hear slow romantic music playing and some people were slow dancing on the dance floor.

Sebastian guided her onto the dance floor and they stopped at the edge. They stood facing each other. Her heartbeat raised as she gazed at Sebastian who was smiling warmly at her.

“Celeste Nichols, would you please give me the honor and dance with me?” He asked as he picked her hand up and kissed it gently, sending shivers down her spine.

“Oh, Mike. Of course.” She sighed and nodded.

Sebastian smiled wide and picked up her left hand with his right then placed his left hand gently on her waist. He pulled her closer to him and their chests almost touched each other. He started to sway to the music slowly and she followed.

He continued to gaze at her softly as she tried hard not to hyperventilate and shifted her mental state back to being Celeste.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Sebastian started to say.

“Hmm..” She mumbled and he sighed.

“You are important to me. Soo important that I want to give you the world! I mean, you know how much money I can get if I can win the Tour de France. I’ll get money not just from the race itself but also from sponsorships and advertising deals, you know.” He explained.

“I know. But I don’t need the money, Mike.” She protested.

“Honey, I know you’re a successful model but we will need more money in order to live comfortably and start a family. You know I still don’t make much with my current condition in the team.” He sighed.

“You can quit racing and continue your father’s business.” She suggested and Sebastian’s face quickly turned sour.

“You know it’s not my passion running a slaughterhouse.” He objected.

“I know, but it keeps the money coming in. And you know you just need to continue it. Everything has been set up by your late dad. I mean, I’m sure he would have wanted you to run it instead of having it run by a third party.” She suggested.

“Celeste, please. I don’t want to run it. I hate it there. Just.. trust me. This year will be different. I can feel it! Yesterday Alex brought in a new doctor. This doctor successfully made the American cycling team win at the Olympics! She said she has a method that will make us stronger and have better endurance. She’s going to start the method tomorrow.” He said excitedly.

“A method? What kind of method?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.

“She hasn’t told us yet what method she’s going to use.” He replied.

“Interesting.” She commented.

“Yeah. If I win the Tour de France this year then I can retire and we can live comfortably and start a family.” He said with hope in his eyes.

“Well, if you win, aren't you going to be needed for next year’s race?” She asked.

“No, I’m.. I will be too old. I don’t think Alex is going to let me stay in the team next year.” He replied, his mouth turned into a frown.

“So you want to go out with a bang.” She stated.

Sebastian’s mouth turned up into a smile. “Yes! You know me so well, Celeste.”

She couldn’t help but smile back at him, both, as Celeste and as herself.

“Trust me, Celeste. I love you and I want to give you the best life you can get. But I can’t if I don’t win this year’s race.” Sebastian pleaded.

She didn’t immediately respond to him but stopped dancing. She released her hands from his hand and shoulder and cupped his face.

“Mike Taylor, I need you to know that I love you, no matter what happens. Even if you don’t win the race and you have to retire and do a regular nine to five job, I will still be here. Because I love you as you are and not because you’re a pro cyclist.” She stated, gazing at him sternly.

Sebastian gazed back at her. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise. Then a smile broke on his face.

“I love you so much, Celeste Nichols. I don’t deserve you but I will try to make myself worthy of you.” He said slowly, giving her a look of complete adoration, making her heart beat so fast in her chest.

“By winning this race?” She asked.

“Yes.” He replied.

“Fine. I said I love you as you are and this ambition of yours is a part of you, so..” She trailed, dropping her hands from his face.

“Thank you for understanding, honey.” He smiled.

He leaned closer to her, making her heart do somersaults in her chest. Then he placed both hands on the sides of her face and kissed her forehead gently, making her smile. Then they continued to slow dance, but their bodies were even closer than before. His left hand took her right hand, he placed his right hand on her waist and she placed her left hand on his shoulder, then she turned her face to the side and leaned her cheek on his chest.

The cameras continued rolling as they slowly danced. It felt very comfortable to dance in his arms. She could smell his signature scent wafting from his suit. She could hear his heart beating fast in his chest. She could feel his hand in hers starting to sweat, making her wonder if he was as nervous about the dance as she was.

“Cut!” Maya shouted and Sebastian immediately let her go and stepped back, startling her.

“Okay, we got it! Great job you two!” Maya shouted at them from the side of the set.

“That was really good.” She commented and looked up at him.

“Yeah, as usual you did a great job.” He smiled but his smile didn't reach his eyes, making her heart plummeted.

“Umm.. I have to go and get ready for the next scene.” He continued, his eyes averting hers yet again.

“Oh yeah, okay. I'll see you.. hmm.. the day after tomorrow I think, for our next scene together?” She asked.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He nodded.

“Okay.” She nodded and he smiled then turned around, leaving her alone on the dance floor with people walking around her as the set was starting to be cleaned up.

She sighed as she watched him go and kept wondering why he acted so differently around her.

Maybe he has some kind of problem. The thing that came up yesterday probably stressed him out. She tried to reason. But deep down she had an inkling that she was the reason he was behaving like that towards her, as if she had made a big mistake.

She walked back to her trailer with a frown on her face and her shoulder slumped. The dancing scene was the last scene for her to shoot that day so she could go back home if she wanted.

She contemplated on staying to watch the others shoot, but decided to go home instead. She was tired and tense and needed to relax.

So she went to her trailer, changed into her own outfit and went straight home. Feeling the complete opposite of what she thought she would feel at the end of that day.

—

The next day she didn't have any shoot or any other work scheduled, but she knew Sebastian was going to shoot some scenes with Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie and Chace Crawford. She was curious about it so she decided to come to the studio and see it if she was allowed. She also wanted to try and talk to him about his change of behavior towards her. It was still bothering her and kept her almost awake the entire night.

Thankfully security let her in so she could watch the shoot. It was being done at a studio next to the one she was shooting at the day before.

When she arrived the shoot was already starting. The studio had been set like they were in the racing team's headquarters with two different areas set up. One was a changing room area with lockers while the other one was a room similar to an infirmary with a small hospital bed in the middle and an ominous machine standing next to it.

She could see Sebastian, Chris, Anthony and Chace with other actors she assumed to be part of the racing team, standing side by side facing Jude Law who seemed to be informing them of something. They were all standing in the changing room area.

Then she saw Rooney Mara standing to the side of the room behind a door, seemingly waiting to come out. After a while Jude Law opened the door and Rooney came in.

She watched as Rooney gave a chilling performance as the racing team's new doctor. She was tough, stern and mysterious. Being the professional that she was, she nailed the scene in one shot, allowing them to move to the next shoot in the next area.

The actors were given some break time and they walked out of the set to their designated chairs. She saw Sebastian walking towards his chair and just then he looked up at her.

She waved at him and smiled a little. He looked a little surprised but then waved back at her and nodded. She thought he would come and approach her but instead he turned his back on her and sat on his chair, his hand grabbed a bottle of water on the floor and he started to chug it down.

Her heart plummeted seeing how he behaved towards her, but she tried to make up another reason for his weird behavior. She thought maybe he didn't approach her because he wanted to focus on the shoot. He wanted to stay in character maybe and talking with her would just ruin that. She finally reasoned. With that thought in mind she continued to watch the shoot.

The scene they were shooting next was the scene where Rooney’s character Ava performed a stress test on the whole team.

She watched as Sebastian walked into the room with the hospital bed and ominous machine alone and faced Rooney.

Rooney circled him and prodded his arm, making him wince.

“Strip down.” Rooney commanded and Sebastian's eyebrows raised.

“I need to see what I'm going to work with.” Rooney continued when Sebastian didn't make a move.

He looked at her defiantly and they stared at each other, unblinking. Finally, Sebastian took off everything but his boxer shorts.

Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at his body. He was lean but muscular with sculpted biceps and a six pack stomach. She had seen his naked upper body pictures and even his fully naked body in movies before, but to see him in person like this was a completely different experience.

“Lie down!” Rooney commanded.

“Which test is this?” Sebastian asked.

“Lie down!” Rooney commanded and Sebastian quickly laid down on the bed.

Rooney strapped his wrists and ankles onto the bed and put electrodes on his biceps, quads, neck, calves and both his temples.

“You will feel a shock.” Rooney said.

“Okay, wh..” Sebastian responded just as Rooney threw a switch on the machine and Sebastian's body started to convulse. Electricity coursed through him and his face contorted in pain. She couldn't help but be horrified to witness the scene in front of her. She knew Sebastian was just acting, but he looked to be in so much pain that it was unbearable to watch. The scene reminded her so much of the scene where Bucky Barnes had his mind wiped out when he was still the Winter Soldier.

“Do you want me to stop?” Rooney asked. “Nod if you want me to stop.”

But Sebastian didn't say anything, he looked at Rooney with his face in agony but he endured the pain.

Rooney glanced at her stopwatch and looked at Sebastian with a gleam in her eyes.

Sebastian continued to endure the pain as the machine hummed menacingly, louder and louder until..

“Stop! STOP!” Sebastian screamed.

Rooney turned off the machine and wrote down the time as she consulted her watch. Sebastian caught his breath, tears streaming down his face.

“F""k.. “ Sebastian said.

“Why?” Sebastian continued.

“Baselines. Your muscle’s maximum ability to contract is higher when the mind is not involved.” Rooney answered.

“How’d I do?” Sebastian asked.

Rooney didn't answer. She stared at him, reading something in his face.

“It is a difficult test.” Rooney finally said.

Sebastian's face fell.

“Let me go again.” He quickly said.

Rooney paused her movement. She gazed at Sebastian, reading him, unpeeling him.

“You would submit yourself again to this? Willingly?” Rooney asked.

“I can do better.” Sebastian stated.

“The pain will break you.”

“I don’t care about pain. I care about winning.”

The sentence triggered something in Rooney. For a split second she almost looked like she might smile, but..

“There are no do-overs in the Tour. Why would I give you one here?” She asked but her eyes gleamed as she said it.

Sebastian slumped, seemingly feeling devastated and like a failure.

“Cut!” Maya shouted.

“Okay, that was amazing, Rooney, Sebastian. We got it.” Maya continued.

She was amazed at how both Sebastian and Rooney were able to nail their scenes in one take and made a mental note to ask them for some tips.

There were several more scenes that were shot that day. She ended up watching all of them as she was fascinated by the whole shooting process and wanted to learn as much as possible by watching the other actors perform.

It was 6 in the afternoon when the shoot was finally done for that day. She waited for Sebastian by the side of the set. Throughout the whole day he effectively ignored her and she was itching to ask him about it.

He finally walked off set and walked towards her with Chris, Chace and Anthony walking next to him.

“Sebastian.” She called out as they went nearer.

“Aurora, hey.” Sebastian greeted her.

“Hey Aurora.” The other guys greeted her and she nodded.

“Today was amazing. I loved watching all of you perform. You were all amazing!” She smiled at them and they smiled back at her.

“Why thank you, Aurora. That's very nice of you to say that.” Anthony said.

“Where are you guys going by the way?” She asked.

“Umm.. We're going out for dinner. There's this new place near Chace's apartment that he said has the best Kung Pao chicken.” Chris replied.

“Oh, I see.” She nodded.

“We'd love to ask you to join us but..” Chris glanced at Sebastian, waiting for him to continue.

“We're having sort of.. a boy's night, you know. So.. I'm really sorry.” Sebastian said, staring at her, his eyebrows furrowed.

Her heart dropped at his answer. She was certain now that he was avoiding her. The question was why. Unfortunately she couldn't find the answer that night.

“It's okay, Sebastian. I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow.” She said and they nodded.

She gave them one last smile, her gaze lingered for a moment at Sebastian who was gazing back at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Then she turned around quickly as she felt the telltale sign of tears forming in her eyes.

—

She woke up the next morning with bags under her eyes. Once again she found it hard to sleep because she kept thinking of Sebastian. Several times she almost texted him to ask him why he acted so different towards her for the past few days, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Still feeling sleepy and worn out she left the castle having only drank a cup of coffee and nothing more. She wasn't hungry. She had no appetite whatsoever.

The scene that they were going to shoot that day was an outdoor shoot done at, coincidentally, Mulholland Drive. Sebastian and the others were going to be shot doing a local racing at Mulholland Drive. She was supposed to be shot being in the crowd and watching them.

When she arrived on set, which was only several miles away from the castle, Sebastian, Chris, Chace and Anthony were already there, wearing their team's signature cycling jerseys which were blue in color and had the team's name, “Inverness” written at the back.

She didn’t have time to greet Sebastian and the others because she was immediately ushered to her trailer.

Once Lisa and Shannon finished putting make up on her and styled her hair, she was rushed to the spectator's box.

There was a monitor at the spectator's box where people can watch the progress of the team. She sat on a chair in the box and watched the screen.

A real pro cyclist team had been hired to do the hard stuff but since some shots were for close-ups, the actors were also needed.

She watched as Sebastian and the other actors started the race. Chris, as the fastest rider, was obviously leading the team. Behind him was Chace, Anthony, another actor in the team by the name of Johnny, and Sebastian was at the tail.

The shoot for the part of the actors took several takes. It was on the fourth take that something unexpected happened.

They were riding past a curved road when all of a sudden a stray dog came out from the woods next to them and ran in front of Sebastian. Sebastian was surprised and steered his bike to avoid the dog. He couldn't control his bike and crashed.

“Sebastian!” She shouted in panic. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she saw Sebastian toppled over and fell down on the ground hard.

Chapter 15 >

Taglist

@dhoruwolfie @kandis-mom

[akariarda]

What life used to be

Part 1 @46674332-Thank you for the request!Looking forward for more requests,I really enjoyed writtung this!

What Misako and Garmadons's life used to look like when he was fighting venom(it's before Lloyd)

"Hey, Garmadon," Misako said as she sat next to her husband, who was on the couch.

"Garmadon," she repeated, seeing that he wasn't responding to her calls.

"Hey... You fell asleep on the couch again," Misako whispered in his ear.

"What, hmm," Garmadon yawned, unaware of his surroundings.

"You fell asleep on the couch again, dear," Misako repeated and brushed his hair off his face.

"You should get a haircut."

"I thought you liked my hair?" Garmadon semi-defensively and half-jokingly replied.

"I do, but it's getting in your eyes," she told him.

"Wow, really?" Garmadon teased, draping his arm over her shoulder.

"You could get ticks from that." Misako replied and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going to make us some coffee."

"What's the rush?" Garmadon asked, pulling her back onto the couch and wrapping his arms around her.

"Enjoy the morning, dear. I thought you didn't have much work today."

"I don't," Misako said, settling into his embrace. "But you clearly slept in late, look at the time."

"You don't have to go to the city today?" Garmadon asked.

"No," Misako said, looking at him.

"Then you don't have to hurry so much," Garmadon said, kissing her on the lips when he saw her staring at him. "Take some time for yourself."

"Okay, but after I make us coffee," Misako said, getting up.

"I'm not a coffee fan," Garmadon told her.

"I know, but you'll need it," Misako chuckled. "Try not to fall asleep before I get back."

*******

"I should go to the monastery," Garmadon said.

"That's good, isn't it?" Misako asked, seeing the expression on his face.

"Yes, of course," Garmadon said, taking a long sip of coffee to hide his feelings.

Suddenly, coffee seemed like a good idea.

"Why are you even asking?"

"Garm, you know you can tell me if... if anything is happening," Misako turned to him, looking into his eyes.

He tried to avoid meeting her gaze, but finally took a deep breath after a while and locked eyes with her.

"I had a big argument with Wu," he confessed. "I mean, we used to argue sometimes, but lately it feels like we're constantly fighting..."

"Maybe that's normal," Misako said, moving closer to him.

"You think?" Garmadon asked, sounding discouraged as he gently held her chin.

"It's probably just a rough patch you have to overcome."

"I hope so," Garmadon sighed.

Misako kissed him on the lips, anything to comfort him.

It seemed like he accepted the idea.

"Can you come with me to the monastery today?" Garmadon asked after they separated.

"Of course, but unfortunately not until I sort out some things with work..." Misako said, looking at Garmadon.

She couldn't help but feel her heart fill with love for him.

Whenever she looked at him like this, she couldn't imagine him arguing with anyone.

She couldn't imagine him being cruel, as some used to describe him at times.

"You know what, who cares about work. I have a free weekend; I'll make it up and explain to the boss somehow,"

Misako couldn't help but be overjoyed when she saw the expression on his face.

She rarely saw that expression.

"Maybe then everything will be okay," Garmadon smiled. "It will be the three of us here again, like in the good old days."

'Before Wu actually became the third wheel when the two of us started dating,'Misako thought but didn't say aloud.

"I hope so. Can I drive?" she asked, looking at him.

"Of course, but please try not to drive like a maniac," Garmadon said, getting up.

"I'll try," Misako said, taking the car keys.

"Wait, actually," Garmadon interrupted her.

"What now?" Misako asked.

"Why drive when we'll probably need to climb anyway?"

"A little exercise wouldn't hurt," Misako said, grabbing him by the arm. She just wanted to drive.

"And besides, we don't have a..." she trailed off, looking at him, to which he smirked.

"How about taking the dragon?"

"That's a nice idea," Misako said and smiled back.

She was really looking forward to going to the monastery.

******

"And here we are," Garmadon happily said as he jumped off the dragon.

"Oh my god, we could have gone a bit slower," Misako remarked as she finally landed on the ground.

"For someone who loves fast cars, you have a pretty weak stomach," Garmadon noticed.

"Garmadon, Misako," Wu exclaimed when he saw them. "I'm glad you came."

"Really?" Garmadon skeptically looked at him.

"Absolutely," Wu replied. There seemed to be a certain tension between them.

"Okay, then let's go inside," Misako interjected, pulling Garmadon's hand as she felt things slipping out of control.

"What brings you here today, brother?" Wu asked when they entered.

"I thought you needed help," Garmadon replied.

"Yes, I do," Wu responded after some hesitation.

"Well then, I'll go help," Garmadon said and went to the training room.

He acted like everything was normal, but Misako could feel a certain distance between the brothers.

"What's going on?" she asked Wu once Garmadon had left.

As much as she hated to admit it, in these situations, Wu was a much more rational person than her husband.

"I didn’t think he would come, that's all," Wu sadly said.

"Yesterday he definitively informed me that he won’t help me anymore. I must admit, it was a bit of a relief."

"But why?" Misako was confused. As long as she had known the brothers, Wu was the one who advocated more for their brotherly bond.

"He's strange," Wu muttered.

"You both are strange," Misako helplessly said.

Why couldn't she understand what was happening?

"Yes, but he..." Wu began then turned away from her so he wouldn't have to look at her face.

He pretended to study some carvings on the wall.

"Misako, I'm glad you're here because he... It's like he's drawn to golden weapons."

"I don't understand," Misako swallowed. "They are beautiful. Why wouldn’t they attract him? They are also very powerful."

"But that never interested him before," Wu told her, turning to look at her. "I think it's related to...

BOOM!

"I think we need to find him," Misako said and headed towards the training hall."

******

Garmadon quietly entered the training hall. He knew Wu didn't want him in the monastery, and he knew why.

The evil within him was constantly stirring, and he had a feeling he was drawn to the golden weapons.

'Take them,' as if a voice was telling him. '

Take them and create ninjas in your image.'

He almost reached for them, but then he remembered Misako.

He remembered why he had asked her to come with him in the first place.

'Not today,' he said bleakly to the weapons and turned to go back to his brother and wife when he felt he had stumbled on something, and then

BOOM!

*****

"Oh my god, Garm, are you okay?" Misako exclaimed when she saw that a shelf almost hit him on the head.

"Brother," Wu sighed with disbelief. "We got scared."

"I know, I'm fine," Garmadon said, looking at them.

From their faces, he could tell they had been talking about him.

He looked at Misako and immediately knew she understood everything.

He felt impossibly guilty about it.

"Should we go home?" Garmadon asked her.

"I think we should," Misako said, checking the time. "We'll just catch the bus."

"Well then, brother, until next time," Garmadon said, patting Wu on the back.

"Take care of yourselves," Wu called out to them instead of saying goodbye.

*****

"You talked about me," Garmadon said as they walked home.

"Yes, we did," Misako sighed.

"So you know everything," Garmadon swallowed.

"Yes, I know," Misako said.

"Why didn't you tell me how you've been feeling lately?" Misako gently asked him, taking his arm.

"When I'm with you, I don't feel that way. But every time I get near the monastery..."

Garmadon sighed and moved slightly away from her.

"Golden weapons?" Misako asked. "Is it about them?"

"Yes," Garmadon said, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"You know... Sometimes I just think about how unfair the world is, and how it would be better if I reshaped it in my image."

"I know how you feel when you think everything is against you," Misako sighed. "But no one can stay good with so much power..."

She turned and saw Garmadon looking at her strangely.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You just said something that I wanted to hear," Garmadon smiled. "If I touch the golden weapons, I know I won't be able to stay calm."

"How many times have you fought for Ninjago," Misako reassured him. "You've already helped people."

"I know. When we have a child, I want to be the greatest hero ever," Garmadon dreamed.

"And you will be," Misako said, feeling sure. She took Garmadon's hands and pulled him along.

"Let's have some fun. We have the whole afternoon. Not everything in life has to be so bleak."

"No, it doesn't," Garmadon smiled back.

[meownotgood]

mags, first of all: sorry to hear that you are being a overworked, I do hope for free time coming your way soon (and also for time to do the laundry, I stg since I switched form student to a worker, that's become one of the most complex chores).

I just wanted to drop in, as of lately I have reread a bit of your works (I stg I am not a stalker, I am just ... anxious for stuff and reading about aki in your comforting writer is the best way to calm down) and albeit I love everything in your writing, one thing that low key stood out to me right now is the brilliance of the dialogues.

they are always genuinely well-structured, like whenever aki and reader talked in «under the influence» I was able to follow through the flow easily and most importantly I felt like even their more casual conversations revealed so much.

but also one thing that struck out is how emotionally intelligent the characters are! I really love miscommunication in fics, but I feel like there's such a genuine clarity and understanding in each of your fics in the dialogue that it makes me feel ... comprehended and understood; almost as if everything can be fixed by talking about it and the other person will always be understanding. it truly feels comforting.

I'll now disappear and leave yah! (don't feel like you have to reply to this, as I know you are busy, I just had to submit my word vomit to you!).

have a nice day!

🥹🥹🥹 I always appreciate seeing you in my inbox... I love ya bunches....

thank you for saying so... I'm happy to hear it... truthfully dialogue is always the hardest thing for me to write!! 😭 I rewrite it so many times, I'll have like a draft of what I want the characters to say and I often rewrite it to get their voice right. especially in smutty fics because the dialogue there is the most important part 🏃‍♀️ I think I've grown better at it over time... I want to improve more...

I appreciate you and I'm wishing you a good weekend!!! I shall write more akis for you soon, I promise 🫡

[spotofmummery]

I kinda already wanna mingle with the folks opening up booths, is there an opening date and would people be open for random tags for light rp?

That's a great question, actually, Anon! I didn't really have a solid date in mind (it was just a weekend thing for booth reservations), but I figure anyone who wants to further interact at the Swap Meet is free to RP whenever they so want - it doesn't have to just be limited to this weekend.

I'll put together a main Swap Meet post to list participants and use a tag [#FFXIV Swap Meet] to help organize.

I'm tagging folks who have already rented a booth in this post. If you don't mind random interactions for your booth with others, drop a reply in this post, and I will add your information to the main post I'm creating.

If not, no pressure, no need to reply - RP is not mandatory!

@cadrenebula

@celestialspark | FFXIV blog: @heiress-incognito

@pinxli

@dragonwithgoggles | FFXIV blog: @zuraoftheblack

@jhola-ffxiv

@ravingsockmonkey

[twoidiotwriters1]

Copycat: Genesis —(Marvel Fem!Oc)

A/N: @siriuslysirius1107​ THERE IS A CHAPTER BEFORE THIS ONE MAKE SURE YOU’VE SEEN IT -Danny

Words: 1,931

Phase Six Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Listen to: ‘CVS’ -by Winnetka Bowling League

xxxi: Something Else

Parker was so delighted about eating in a fancy restaurant for the first time in years that eventually she got infected by it. He was being transparent with his fun, sharing his free time with her was all he wanted and he was clearly taking advantage of every little moment.

Most of the night was wasted just talking, which was weird, cause Cat wasn't that kind of talker and Parker was afraid of scaring her off by making an out-of-line joke again, but they still couldn't shut up.

Cat felt guilty for freaking out, she was always blurting out hurtful things whenever her friends opened doors she made a point to keep closed. It got her thinking, wasn't the whole point of her latest mission to open new paths?

"You know..." she began. "If you really plan on coming every month or so... at least do it during the weekends or holidays. Getting a doctorate ain't easy."

Parker stared at her in surprise, he blinked a couple of times before replying. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, right. I'll do that."

Cat waited, but when she realized he was too busy staring she pressed. "I don't have to worry, right? You won't cause trouble."

"Yeah, no," Parker chuckled. "Don't worry, Jane Doe. Just like when you were in my universe, I'll take care of it, you don't have to worry about it."

"I hope so," she sighed, pushing the food around on her plate. "If you're going to be risking the stability of time and space, at least do so in a wise way."

He laughed quietly. "You got it."

As they left the restaurant, Parker stepped closer to her out of instinct. He glanced down and noticed she was snuggling closer to him as well, locking her arm with his. "Aren't spring nights supposed to be less cold?" She complained though it was actually her anxiety making her shiver.

"Sometimes," he smiled down at her trembling figure. "If we walk fast we may get warmer."

"Let's get going, then!" she huffed. "I should've brought a sweater..."

Parker's eyes glanced down at her sundress, and he looked like he was very glad she had forgotten to. "Sorry for upsetting you before," he said. "I thought you'd laugh... but now that I think about it, I guess it triggered you."

Cat stared at him not getting what he was saying, he'd left unsaid essential parts of his message. He groaned in frustration, took a breath, and tried it one more time. "I don't dream about you dressed in white. That's just— that's absurd."

"I never talked about marriage with anyone, not seriously," she replied, finally understanding. "I used to joke about it with Pete, but I mean... we also said we'd live with MJ and Ned, and we'd have lots of dogs, so it wasn't like... real plans. Even if some part of me liked the idea."

"Oh?" He tilted his head. "Oh. I'm... so then..."

"I'll save you the trouble of rambling nonsense," Cat snorted. "People used to joke about our wedding when we were kids. I freaked out cause I thought you were telling your aunt some story like they used to—"

"Oh, crap, no," he put a bit of distance between them. "I'm not insane—"

"Meh," she shrugged. "I don't think you're reasonable, either..."

"Let's go back to your story," he replied with a frown, but also smirking.

"I don't really do those kinds of plans... sharing a life with someone and committing to some type of forever... I'm way too independent and impulsive for that. I can't make those promises anymore."

He nodded, thinking it through. "Yeah, even when I was dating Gwen it was hard to be sure of our future."

Cat frowned. "You were going to move out of the country with her."

"Your Peter was about to leave New York for college at some point, but that didn't happen, did it?" he raised a brow. "My point is, sometimes Gwen needed me and I wasn't there for her, sometimes I couldn't choose her."

"But she understood."

"Doesn't mean she liked it," his face fell a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "We made allowances because we were in love, but not everyone does that, and when you do, you don't want to do it all the time. It's hard to plan out a future when you don't know if you'll even survive til next week. It's scary."

Cat thought of Matthew, and how hard he'd tried to help her even when he was angry. She remembered cleaning his wounds and asking him to be careful, to not get in fights he couldn't handle alone. She remembered Kate and Peter being reckless, and how she'd valued their happiness over her own safety. None of them was obligated to take care of the other, but they did, and most times it hurt.

"I get it," she meditated. "I'm lucky to have landed with the right people, they're all so willing to stay even when I make things hard..."

Parker smiled. "From what I've heard, this world is full of people willing to risk their lives for you, that counts for something. I'm happy you're starting to understand what that means."

"Huh," she frowned, remembering Shuri's words, that people followed her to battle just because they liked her. "I remember telling Pietro and Wanda that I wasn't fond of humankind when we first met, but look at me now, MJ was right, I'm a bit of a Miss Congeniality."

Cat felt his knuckles brushing against hers and she almost reached out, but she quickened her pace instead. Parker caught up with her effortlessly. "Do you have cookies at home?"

She glanced at him in confusion. "I don't. Why?"

"Let's buy a couple on the way," he grabbed her hand and tugged her forward confidently. "Coffee and cookies are the best way to end a date."

It'd been a long time since Cat had wasted an entire day like that, she was so used to having something to do, so little time to spare, that she wasn't sure it was okay to be doing nothing at all. There were people to call, and plans to make... yet she genuinely enjoyed the little moments of the day. Parker's grip on her heart was firm and determined, and she didn't even know it.

Cat took their coffee and cookies to the fire escape and sat there with Parker on opposite sides of the little structure. She was telling him about Russo, and how easy it'd been when she decided not to kill him. It felt big, even if not much had changed afterward.

"You had a lot going during the two weeks we didn't see each other," Parker's thumb was circling the rim of his cup of coffee, thin vapor rose from it, warming his skin.

She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and Felix was sleeping beside her. He'd hissed at Parker, arching his back as he ran up to Cat to make sure the young man couldn't approach her, Parker didn't even bother to appease the creature, he just sat further away to not stress him out.

"My world moves fast, and I don't take breaks between things..." Cat sighed, absently scratching the cat's head. "I do, sometimes, but the longer it takes for things to happen, the bigger the problem, so I prefer it when there's no pause."

Parker frowned at her explanation, Cat spotted the change in his expression and chuckled, nudging his thigh with her foot. "It has its compensations, don't be sad..."

"Really?" He asked in a dubious voice.

"Well," she took in her surroundings. "Moments like today feel more special. Big problems make the little things in life better."

Parker's gaze softened, it was so easy to read his face, she liked talking to him. "You think so?"

"Let's take a picture before you go," she suggested abruptly. "Harley says he would hate not to have one of me as I was the last time he saw me, in case I die or..." Cat paused, realizing she was ruining the moment.

Parker picked up on her uncertainty and he replied. "Harley's right. What if next time I come you're not here? I don't have a single picture to remember you!"

A shy smile formed on her face. That was the old Parker she'd met two years ago, not the stranger constantly trying to catch her, but the boy who talked her ear off, made her laugh and didn't care if she agreed with him or not. He was much more attractive when he didn't try to fit into her narrative.

"We should call it a day..." Parker grabbed the plate of cookies that was between them, he also took his almost empty cup of coffee and tried to get up.

At the same time, Cat tried to reach for the plate, almost bumping heads. They froze at the sense of proximity, and Cat locked eyes with him. His big eyes reflected the moonlight, and she briefly glanced at his lips. She held tighter onto the cookie plate. "You can take the cups."

"It's fine, I'm sticky."

"You're sticky?" She asked bemusedly.

"I can hold numerous things and they don't slip," he wasn't meeting her eyes, his gaze glued to her hand. "Because of my spider abilities... that's something I do..."

"I prefer my plates with no cobwebs in them," she teased him.

He chuckled nervously, shaking his head a little. Parker shifted his weight from one foot to the other and as he did he ended up even closer to her. "They're not cobwebs, it's like— like a synthetic wire, but I don't need to web anything my fingers have these—"

"Peter."

"Yes?" He asked weakly.

She opened her mouth to speak, their faces were getting closer... and then...

"Mrreow!" Felix jumped onto her leg, bumping his little head against it. Parker gave a start, dropping a couple of cookies in the process.

"Felix!" To her surprise, her voice came out in a tone of annoyance. The cat stared at her with wide, innocent eyes as he continued to purr. Parker mumbled something about doing the dishes and slipped back into the apartment. Cat glared at her pet.

"You cockblocking traitor!" she whispered angrily. "I can't believe he is the one guy you decided to hate."

Felix huffed indignantly and jumped off her. Cat picked up her stuff and went inside, she closed the window behind her after Felix jumped in and curled on the couch. The dirty white feline went back to sleep right away. Parker was washing the dishes.

"Leave it, Bug, I'll do that tomorrow."

"No, it's fine, it's the least I can do after you paid for everything," he said, not even looking over his shoulder to respond. That frustrated her.

"It's okay," she said, walking closer to where he was.

"I'm almost done— No biggie."

She stood right behind him. "Look at me."

He tensed, taking a moment before obliging. Parker turned around and gave her that cute tight-lipped smile. Her heart pounded with anticipation. "I should go," he sentenced.

"Oh," she blinked. "Really?"

Parker seemed amused by her reaction. "I said I would leave, and I promised May I'd be back soon."

"Well, soon is not necessarily right away," she stepped closer, though she did not touch him yet. "You can stay... if you're tired."

Parker hesitated, a smile playing on his lips. "Cat, if I stay, we both know it won't be because I'm tired."

She tilted her face up, but only a little. "It's up to you... you wanted me to trust you, right?"

He bit his lower lip and frowned, staring at her as if pondering his options. "See the problem here is I don't want it to be about me, I need to know what you're thinking too."

"I'll give you a hint," she replied quietly, pulling him down for a kiss.

Next Chapter—>

Taglist.

@mikaelsonwhxrebae @ieatpanicattacksforlunch​​​​ @jesuswasnotawhiteman​​​​ @siriuslysirius1107​​​​ @greengarsstuff​​​​ @itsyagirl01 @23victoria​​​​ @espressopatronum454​​​​ @jkthinkstoomuch @slytherinnqueen​

[tranquil-turbulence]

SS Month ‘23 - Day 13

Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14

Prompt: Vampires

WARNING(S): N/A

The little cafe was crowded for a weekend morning. Scanning the room quickly, he found the one he was looking for in a booth in the back near the wall, slowly sipping from a to-go cup.

Shaking off the cold morning air, he made his way past the tables and slid into the booth, the plush leather pleasant to his weary bones.

The hooded person looked up from their cup with a wry little smile. “Well, well. Hello there.”

He didn’t reply at first.

“Eh… this one isn’t very talkative, are you…?” The hooded person sighed, shaking their head. Baby pink spilled out around the sides of it, belying light hair.

“I’m not here to make smalltalk, I’m here because you need to tell your master to stop sending people into the Depths.” His voice was rough and gritty, low and vaguely threatening.

The hooded person blinked.

“The last one she sent nearly killed my mother,” the young man snapped, dark eyes narrowing. “She has nothing to do with my activities. At least tell your master to leave my family out of it.”

“... seriously…?” Finally, the person lifted the hood from her face and heaved another sigh. “I’ll tell her. The next time a slayer tries to go after your parents and brother, let me know - they aren’t even supposed to be showing themselves to your family in the first place.”

Nodding firmly, he sat back in the booth.

“So… can I buy you a cup? Coffee, tea, water…?”

“I drank yesterday, I’m just fine.”

“Oh, right, new moon.” She shook her head and waved it off. “Sorry, I always think of the full moon whenever I see you. Maybe I’m just thinking of Naruto.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that. He’ll never let me live it down.” Rolling his eyes, the young vampire snorted.

The girl laughed. “He’d never let you forget it! ‘I guess that means she was closer to me when we were kids, huh Teme’? I’d pay to hear him gloat.”

The young man scowled as she continued to laugh. “I’m not gonna stay just so you can keep making fun of me.”

“Oh, Sasuke, who’s making fun?” Poking his cheek, she gave him a playful smile. “Lighten up a little. I’ll tell my master to stop chasing down your family, and you can keep visiting me while I’m on break! Sound fun?”

“You know it’s gonna drain my energy faster just to keep coming here in the daylight, right? That means more slayers are gonna be riding my ass.”

“Then I’ll visit you,” she insisted with a firm nod. “It won’t be too hard. Mikoto-sama loves me.”

“She loves you because you’re the only girl I tolerate.”

“Aw, see? I knew you cared.”

"I'm leaving now." He made to get up.

"C'mon, Sasuke, I'm only teasing." She went to grasp his wrist. "All joking aside, I'll try to bring word of the other territories when I can. Just be patient; everyone and their mother is looking for the Snake right now and news is going to be very scarce."

Sasuke paused, turning to look her in the face. Her narrowed eyes and determined line of her lips stared right back at him.

He sighed, gently tugging his wrist free of her grip. "I'll try. But if that bastard goes for my brother again, I'm making my move without you."

The concern in her expression disappeared, replaced with something like exasperated pride. "Master Senju is not gonna be happy to hear that, but I trust you to do what you must. Just be careful this time."

[russellsppttemplates]

Sharing is caring (George Russell)

A long weekend with the Russells

Note: english is not my first language. I know this is very very very overdue, but hopefully it's still enjoyable!

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Tw: pregnancy

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog

"Are you guys doing well back there?", you asked the kids as George drove the four of you up to his parents' house. According to the screen display, you still had a little over an hour until you arrived at George's parents house where you would be staying for the long weekend to enjoy some family time before the season picked up again.

"Does anyone need a bathroom break?", George asked, looking at Olivia and Arthur through the rear view mirror, "I'm fine", Olivia chirped in, "me too, I'm okay", Arthur added.

"You're doing okay, too?", George asked you, hand on your thigh as he drove, "I'm fine. I never want to say it too loud, but I think morning sickness stopped two weeks ago", you added.

"Little one has had enough causing raucous", George whispered, turning his attention back to the road ahead.

"We're nearly there, right, daddy?", Arthur asked as he recognised the streets as the car approached his grandparents' house, "yes, we just turn here and at the end there", George replied as you texted your mother in-law, letting her know to open the big gate so no one had to get out of the car.

"Guys, you're here! Did you have a good trip?", Allison welcomed you into the house, hugging the kids who immediately ran and hugged her legs, "grandma!!", they excitedly said.

"We did, it was fine. There was a little traffic at the end, but we were so close I think it barely bothered us", you said as you greeted Steve, walking inside the house and making sure the kids left their shoes by the door.

"I'm going to take the bags upstairs", George said, kissing your forehead, "I'll be right back", he smiled as you ushered Olivia and Arthur to the bathroom, "Y/N, here, darling, our some slippers on!", Allison offered.

Since Allison and Steve lived on their own again, as every child had now fled the nest, they updated the bedrooms, you and George staying in the guest bedroom with a double bed and the kids occupying the room they had for whenever the grandchildren stayed over.

"Lunch is ready, so when you can come down, we're waiting for you", George's mother called him as he helped you sort out the room for your children, "we'll be down in a little, thanks!".

After eating and helping tidying the kitchen, George took the kids out to the garden, hoping to use up their energy since they spent the whole morning inside a car.

"Is the swing alright, dad?", George questioned, "yes, me and Benjy sorted it out a few weeks ago. It's good as new", he answered, prompting George to take the kids to the renovated swing set.

When he was younger, he didn't spend too much time at home since racing required him to spend a lot of time away, but the times he did spend back home were filled with memories os this swing.

"Is this the old swing you told us about?", Arthur said, unsure of the whole apparatus since he heard stories from when his father and his uncle and aunt were much younger.

"Yes, me and uncle Benjy used to spend a lot of time here with auntie Cara, too! Who wants to go first?", he said as Olivia volunteered.

"It's safe, Arthur, see?", she said as she balanced her body back and forth, making her brother feel a little more comfortable with the whole thing, "I'll share it with you later, okay?".

"Sharing is important", George began, "and the fact that you guys always share is very nice, me and mummy are very proud of you", he said as Arthur picked some flowers from the grass and gave some to Olivia.

"We're siblings, of course we share everything", Arthur said naturally. It was true. For him, even if Olivia picked on his buttons a few times, he wouldn't ever not want to share something with her.

"Would you want to share your things with somebody else?", George tried as the kiss both looked at him like they didn't know what he was on about, "what I means is, would you mind having to share your things with someone else?", he clarified.

The pregnancy news were still between you and George, excluding your doctor. Because the kids could easily spill the news to somebody else and you had been specially careful so the news would stay between the people you wanted to until the doctor considered it was okay.

"I always share with my friends, too. But yesterday I had all the grapes mummy cut up for me because they were really good and I really wanted them", Arthur admitted as Olivia quirked a brow, "I think we could, yes. Even our toys, we share them too", Olivia added.

George seemed satisfied enough with the answers, hoping that when you broke the news they wouldn't have a complete meltdown.

"C'mon, Liv, it's Arthur's turn", George requested gently, the girl hopping off so her brother could have a go.

"What is mummy doing?", your son asked, "she was helping grandma with tonight's dinner when I asked if she wanted to come with us", George offered.

When they arrived back in time to have a quick shower and get ready for family dinner, you and George dressed them in comfortable clothes since it was just close family. Once they started arriving, the kids found their spot on the floor of the living room, playing with toys and colouring books while the adults caught up with eachother.

"Y/N! I haven't seen you in so long!", Cara said as she came up to you for a hug, "we've been busy, but we managed to sort some time out to come up here", you smiled, offering her the little pastries you had been working on with your mother in-law, "these are delicious!".

Excusing yourself from the group, you went to check on the kids, sitting on the sofa and getting a few cuddles from your nieces and nephews, "auntie Y/N!", one of them gasped, "you almost fell asleep while I was showing you my drawing", he said as Arthur snickered, "I'm sorry, sweetheart, you can show me again, please", you offered, rubbing the sleep away from your eyes.

"Darling, do you want some wine? We found your favourite in the shops the other day, Steve bought a couple of bottles", your mother in-law smiled as she stretched her arm to receive your glass when you were all in the dining room, "I don't, thank you for thinking of me, though", you smiled, exchanging a look with George that wasn't missed by his sister.

"I saw that!", Cara pointed out, "what was that?!", she questioned her brother, knowing he would break under her stare.

"Y/N has something to tell you", he quickly offered, passing the ball to your court as you felt everyone's eyes on you.

"This is not how it was supposed to go, but there wasn't a proper plan either, so... we are having a baby!", you announced, unfolding your leggings and letting your small baby bump show.

"Oh my goodness, another baby!", Allison cooed as your children looked at George for confirmation, "you're going to have a little brother, guys!", he said as they ran to hug you baby bump.

"I noticed your tummy was bigger, but I just thought you had a big lunch!", Arthur said, delighting everyone as they laughed, George watching everyone congratulate you before also congratulating him, "congratulations, darling", his mother kissed his cheek.

"We've been a little more careful this time around, did all the tests and in the blood test, the doctor told us were having a little boy", you smiled, kissing the top of your kids' heads as they latched onto your sides.

"Well, we can celebrate with the wine still! Some juice for you, Y/N", Steve poured in your cup.

When it came to bedtime, the kids didn't want to sleep in a separate room from you, and since the bed was big enough, you allowed them to sleep with you and George.

"That's what I'm saying, guys. It doesn't mean mummy is sick, but it means she needs our help more, she won't be able to do all things at once and it's our job to make sure she rests, as well", you heard your husband tell the kids while you brushed your teeth in the en suite bathroom.

"Time for sleep, kids", you said, lying down on the mattress, you and George brushing each of their hairs as they switched off, almost like a button, "they used up all their energy today", George began, "Did you know these two were wondering how they could help you, because they were worried that you are tired. You even fell asleep on the sofa..!", George tried his best to mimick his nephew shocked expression, earning one of your beautiful laughs.

"I love them so much", you sighed, "and I love you", you kissed his lips.

Kissing your forehead, George's hand managed to reach your bump despite the little boy latching on you like a koala and your daughter lying on top of him, drawing random shapes on it, "not as much as I love all of you".

[bluestar22x]

Bed Of Roses

The Writing Contest - Chapter 9: Bed Of Roses

Summary: Nora and Javi go out on his boat for a day

Pairing: Javi Gutierrez x Female!OC (Nora Delaine)

Rating: 18+ Series

Word Count: 4,700(ish)

Warnings: Fluff, romance, smut, mention of a previous inconsiderate/selfish "lover" (abusive?)

Author’s Note: Bed of Roses is one of, if not my favorite Bon Jovi song so I had to use its title for Nora and Javi's first time together. <3

xxx

You weren't sure what woke you up so early that morning with the blackout curtains covering the whole bedroom window and nothing but the sound of quiet, even breathing behind you, but it was barely five in the morning and you weren't asleep anymore.

You rolled over in bed and smiled at the face that greeted you; bedhead curls and a soft, peaceful expression. Javi was in a deep slumber and would probably continue to be for another couple hours or so.

You were still trying to get used to sharing a bed; to waking up to him every day you were together. The latter was easy to get used to, the former would take a while yet.

You and Javi had started sharing a bed whenever you visited each other the very same night you'd celebrated his forty-fourth birthday. Just because you'd agreed to wait for sex, it didn't mean that you couldn't lay close to each other at night, right?

Maybe it would've been easier to wait until the boat trip, there was a temptation that came with him sharing the same mattress as you, his body mere inches from yours, but you didn't regret the decision and Javi actually slept better, longer, with you than alone, or so he claimed. You had no reason not to believe him.

Resisting an urge to trace his prominent facial features with the tips of your fingers you slipped out of bed as carefully as possible so not to disturb him and made your way out of his bedroom, eventually finding yourself in the kitchen.

Javi's chief had the weekend off, so you had the massive room to yourself. It was honestly a little daunting, but you took time to explore it and get the lay of the land.

It took a while but you eventually found the optimal pan for cooking eggs and you stole a carton of them from the fridge. You figured you could make omelettes for breakfast. It seemed appropriate considering they were what you and Javi ate your first morning as an official couple.

As you cooked the omelettes on a stove that you were scared to get a scratch on if you moved the pan just slightly wrong, you started to sing softly, a habit that sprung up whenever you were alone. It was a way to fill the void, to keep you comfortable within the otherwise eerily silent space.

"Bon Jovi?"

You jumped in your spot and Javi gently squeezed your right arm as you spun around to face him. "Sorry, I did not mean to startle you, cariño. I was captivated by your singing voice."

You blushed. "It's not that good. I couldn't even win my third grade talent class with it."

"It is that good," he insisted.

You sighed. There was no use arguing with him about it. He'd only double down on his opinion.

"To answer your question, it was Bon Jovi. His song Bed of Roses. It's one of my top favorites, period."

"And why is it such?" he asked curiously.

"It's the feeling he put into the main chorus," you replied. "The power behind his words. And the longing. The person in the song, they aren't with the right partner; they belong with someone else but for some reason they're apart and it's torture for him. Hence the bed of nails. But that's obvious, right?"

"I'm not familiar with that particular song, so no," Javi said slowly. "But I will listen to it on Spotify on my way out."

You frowned at him. "Where are you going?"

He rubbed your arms as he turned you away from the stove for a moment to meet his gaze. "Just grabbing some supplies for our afternoon on the Pacific. I'll eat breakfast and go. In no time at all we'll be free!"

"So, do I get to guess what you're getting?" you inquired as you finished up cooking breakfast and placed the omelettes in the two plates you'd set aside.

Javi pursed his lips and shook his head. "No, it's a surprise, mi amor."

You rolled your eyes dramatically. "Fine. I'll wait." You shook the spatula in your hand at him. "But don't take too long or I'm leaving without you. I'll take my rabbits instead."

"An hour tops," he swore.

x

Javi kept his promise and had already loaded everything you'd both need for the day in his Land Rover when the time was up.

He drove you a half hour out to Monterey Bay, where he kept his small yacht. You'd never been with him before, but he'd gone boating there several times when you were writing your first script together.

The area was gorgeous with the ocean backdrop and the breathtaking cliffsides and beaches. You'd seen the Pacific Ocean almost every day since moving to LA, but the appearance of the water by Monterey was something else. You couldn't wait to get out on the water, sitting on the yacht he'd named...Tess?

"The name's from a Nic Cage movie?" you guessed as Javi lent a hand to help you get on board without losing your balance.

He gaped at you. "You have not heard of Guarding Tess?"

"I'll take that as a yes," you said with a chuckle. "We can watch it together later tonight when we get back to the house. For now, why did you choose that particular movie as inspiration for your boat's name?"

"It's the last movie I watched with my father," he told you somberly. "It's what mended the fence, as much as it could be at least, all things considered."

Your heart was nearly torn out of your chest by the sadness in his ever expressive eyes. You knew his father's illegal activities and him pushing Javi to be his heir had caused deep fissures in their relationship, but you hadn't quite realized how much it had meant to Javi that he'd gotten a chance to bond with his father again in his final days. For him to name the boat in honor of the movie they watched together...

It reminded you that as privileged as Javi had been his whole life, he hadn't been as privileged as you. You'd been raised by two loving, supportive parents, overprotective to a fault, but that was nothing compared to what his family had put him through.

And even though they hadn't deserved it, even though he was too good for them, all he'd ever wanted was their love, their approval. Like any other child.

You curled your arm around his right shoulder and ran your fingers over the wavy hair at the base of his neck and flashed him a soft smile. "No matter what his job was, he was still your father," you said gently. "And I bet he'd appreciate your choice in its name, whether he'd express it or not."

Javi nodded and let out a big sigh. "I think so too."

"So where to, captain?" you inquired, wanting to return to the present, the reason you were standing on his boat's deck.

"I was hoping you'd keep me company while I steer the yacht out to deeper water," he answered.

You grinned. "I'd love to."

His face brightened and he whisked you inside, to the captain's bridge at the front. It was tight quarters but there was a seat in the corner by the side windows on the right side of the room for you to settle down in and watch him work.

As much as you would have loved to go out to sunbathe with a nice breeze in your face, the view you had of him was quite competitive, Hawaiian shirt and all. He looked so at home steering the yacht out, making you wonder if he'd been Prince Eric in another life. Or maybe a pirate's son. Both were very appealing to your inner teenager, even though you'd never been bitten by the ocean bug.

You let your eyes wander over his tall frame, taking your time while he was distracted. His handsome nose and broad shoulders. Those biceps and the way his jeans were snug in all the right places.

Javi was a catch as far as you were concerned, inside and out, and in times like this, that troubled you because you had no right to be so lucky; to be able to call him your boyfriend.

That was what the voice in the back of your head yelled at you, no matter how many times the people in your life told you otherwise. No matter how many times you were told it's not about deserve, but rather what you earn.

You and Javi had both earned a place on this yacht through the risk you'd taken by opening up to each other. For seeing beyond the surface. Your relationship had been a leap that had paid off long before this day.

After Javi had put enough distance between the shore and the boat to be happy, you both stripped down into your swim wear - you a full piece navy blue bathing suit and Javi a striped red speedo that even half covered by the shirt he still wore had you staring for far longer than you'd intended.

He grabbed the cooler he'd brought with him and followed you out on the back deck where you both sat down on beach towels side by side and smeared an excessive amount of environment friendly sunblock on each other.

Once that chore was done, you washed your hands in the ocean and Javi dug two sub sandwiches from a local sub shop in Salinas out of the cooler along with a couple bottles of soda.

You beamed and thanked him appreciatively. Your sub was made exactly as you liked it even though you were pretty sure you'd only ate subs once with him before that day, and it hadn't been from the same shop.

You both scarfed down your lunches, the morning having lasted longer than either of you expected.

Like overfed lizards, you both basked in the sun afterwards, flat on your backs with your sunglasses pushed close against your faces.

You talked about the weather, Javi's history with boating, even threw out ideas for your next co-written script, but you avoided talking about your plans that involved his bed below deck.

You didn't really need the words. A brush of a hand here, a loving nickname there. Unnecessarily whispered words in ears and easy laughter. To a distant observer in a passing helicopter it would've looked innocent, but everything happening between you was a promise. Neither of you wanted to rush it, to force it. You weren't certain it could be forced though. You wanted him so bad, but you were looking for a sign to take that particular leap.

It happened when Javi tucked you into his side, an arm wound around your shoulders, squeezing them lightly. It felt only natural then to peck him on the lips, to let that simple but tender kiss grow deeper and longer, frenzied even, to clamber up onto your knees and sit with his hips straddled between your own as your hands caressed the naturally golden skin under his shirt.

He lifted you off him before you could start unbuttoning it and led you down the steps that would take you to the small yacht's only bedroom, but it was a spacious one.

It was also thoroughly decorated with a dozen lit lavender candles and rose petals, soooo many rose petals. They were on the floor, on the corner chair, even on top of the cream colored bedspread.

Your eyes lit up even more than they already were at the sight, though you had questions.

"When did you do this?"

"This morning," he replied between kisses to your neck that had you gasping. "Called in a friend's favor."

"I hope not Nic," you panted as your heart rate sped up.

He shook his head. "You have not met them yet."

"And I don't need to," you said, almost squeaking. You weren't used to sharing the details of your sex life with anyone but Sierra, and anyone spreading rose petals in the room would've known their intentions. For god's sake, there was a pack of condoms and lube out on the night stand. You really hoped his friend hadn't been the one to buy those.

Javi belly laughed at your quick add on before taking your face in his hands and kissing you on the mouth again, making your head go fuzzy.

"What made you decide to go with the classic rose petals?" you questioned before nipping his bottom lip.

He let out a soft grunt. "I was inspired by the song you were singing so wonderfully this morning. I thought you would like a bed of roses of your own. Sans thorns which are not much more comfortable than nails, I imagine."

You giggled at that last bit, but your eyes welled up over his thoughtfulness. "Thank you, Javi. It's perfect. You're perfect."

"No, you are," he countered quickly. "We haven't even made it fully into the room and I want to combust."

'Wouldn't want that yet," you said, smirking while your lips were still brushing his.

"Hmmm," he agreed, distracted, reaching for the shoulder straps of your bathing suit blindly, his half lidded eyes focused on your face instead.

You felt the room's cool conditioned air against the bared tops of your breasts and just like that you were jerking out of his hold, hesitating.

Javi's eyes broadened and he studied you in surprise, then out of concern when he saw the sudden nervousness in your expression. "What is it, mi amor? Is this too fast?" His hands found your upper arms and squeezed them reassuringly. "We can stop if you want. It was not my intention to pressure you into this."

You shook your head hard, fast. "No, no. It's not anything you did. I promise. And I want this too. I have for a while. It's just...I'm not..."

You took a deep breath. You didn't really want Javi to know, not right then, but he deserved to know the reason behind your reluctance. No lies; only truth. "It's just that I haven't had the greatest experience with this before. I've only been with one other guy a few times, during college, a guy who my mother, of all people, nudged towards me. A son of an old friend. It brought a whole new meaning to parent trap but it worked. For a while."

"He hurt you?" he asked, outraged, and for a moment the fire in his dark, intense eyes belonged to the son of a cartel boss. He looked like he was ready to demand a name and hire a hitman.

"I don't think it was intentional," you said weakly, having never really been sure yourself. "He treated me fine out on dates and with friends and staying at home on movie night. He just didn't think much about making love. It was very...mechanical. And he didn't...ease into it." You shifted your eyes so you weren't looking directly into his, flushing at the awkwardness you felt spilling one of your deepest secrets, even to him.

You feared Javi would pop a vein in his neck. "So he did hurt you. And he didn't even try to make it enjoyable for you? The nerve!" He spat, muttering several swears in Spanish before palming one of your cheeks as he so often did, his eyes going soft again.

"It's not supposed to be like that, hermosa, not even the first time; you deserved much better," he said fiercely, and your heart leapt.

"I know."

Javi made you believe. He made you believe you deserved better and made you believe this would be better - because he loved you. Despite not having been on the receiving end of romantic love before, you recognized it. He was too earnest every time he called you amor to have any doubt.

The lack of that kind of love was why you'd broken up with your ex less than twenty-four hours after the third awful experience with him, to your mother's dismay. You'd never told her the real reason, just that you weren't right for each other. A huge understatement. You also had never told her that you'd stayed with him for as long as you did for her sake.

You rested your hands on Javi's firm chest and found his gaze again before letting your mouth hover tantalizingly over his. "Show me what it's supposed to be like, Javi," you quietly begged. "Please. Make love with me."

You wanted so badly to know what it felt like when it was good. When you didn't feel like you were just being used.

A low groan, an almost pleading sound, escaped Javi on an exhale and his eyes fluttered shut as he leaned forward to kiss you again, pouring all his desire for you into it.

He began walking you backwards towards the bed and you gladly let him, smiling again as you allowed yourself to focus on the present again. You were with Javi. You could trust him to take care of you.

"I promise I didn't bring a stereo," he said breathlessly between kisses.

You giggled, immediately recalling what he was referencing.

“I’m not against movies having music in the background of a love scene. Not in the slightest. They usually add to it. But Nolan turning on that stereo? So not him. He wouldn’t want to drown out his partner, you know? They were alone, no one to hear them. It was unnecessary and made it less intimate."

"Good," you said, lips curving up, "Cause I stand by what I said."

"Of course - why not? You are right."

Javi ducked his head down to suck on the pulse point on your neck and you moaned as you tilted your head away, giving him more space to work with. You were already burning up from his touch.

"Fuck," he murmured, tightening his grip on you, panting a little as his lips parted from your skin. "Make that sound again, cariño."

You obliged him before sliding your hand down, over his arm then his soft belly and he shuddered as the back of your hand grazed the bulge in his speedo before wandering back up again. You hadn't done it on purpose, but you were happy with the result, fully enjoying every second you got to see and hear him in this manner.

You bumped into the bed and Javi helped you lay down on it, an arm banded around your upper back supportively. He flowed with you, kneeling on the bed, hovering over you, his breaths tickling your neck.

You took your time exploring each other, hands caressing over each other's bare skin, yours sliding under his shirt and his moving up your thick thighs. His smooth touch left your skin hot, kept you in the present.

You unbuttoned his shirt without looking, eyes locked with his, the moment charged with an intimate tension that made your stomach swoop.

He shrugged off the shirt once it was hanging open on him and you worked on his speedo next, exposing a trail of dark hair that pointed your gaze down to his generous girth. Giving into temptation you took it in hand and gave it a few firm pumps that drew quiet moans from him and had him shutting his eyes while you gnawed on your lip in concentrated observation.

It wasn't graceful, but he helped you out of your bathing suit and removed the bedspread from underneath you speedily, slowing back down once you were as naked as he was and he had rolled on a condom.

He peppered kisses down your neck and chest, his scruff scraping your skin, making you shiver, before enveloping one of your nipples in his warm mouth, teasing his tongue around it, drawing it into a stiff peak. You arched into it, gasping, the stimulation more pleasing than you would've ever expected. You dug into his shoulders, holding him tight as he worked on the second one and hummed happily, enjoying the taste of your skin and the bite of your nails.

One of his hands roamed down, over your curves to the v between your thighs and you nodded at him when he glanced at your face, seeking permission. "You can touch me, Javi. I want it." It would certainly help you relax for him.

He dragged his fingers into your heat and started making circles around your clit, not too fast or slow. "You are a dream, mi amor. One which I fear I'll wake up from," he admitted against the top of your breast.

"Don't then," you said, jaw dropping as you lost your mind to the pleasure mounting in your body. You'd gladly live in a dreamscape if it meant you had all the time in the world for this.

It took some time for you to fall apart, but Javi was patient and after he dipped two of his thick fingers into you a few times the tension snapped, the resulting throbbing pleasure stronger than any orgasm you'd ever managed to give yourself.

"Javi," you breathed out as you unraveled, and he clutched onto you tighter, in a deprived manner, your tone of voice too sinful for him to not react. Every muscle in his body ached, pleaded for his own release.

"Need you cariño," he rasped, reclaiming your lips for more desperate kisses.

You nodded eagerly, eyes not fully open. "Do it, Jav. Please. Now."

You splayed open for him and you heard him curse in Spanish again before his hands found your thighs once more and he sank into you with a set jaw, fitting your bodies together like they were meant to be. It almost made you tear up because it was already so different, so much better than your last experience.

Javi looked to you once more for reassurance, unsure, and you kissed him lovingly. "Move. Move Javi."

He started gliding in and out of you at a steady pace, his face ever close to yours, and you reached out for one of his hands, intermingling your fingers, an act he met you halfway on.

"Shit, you feel amazing," he murmured to you and you smiled.

"You too. You're so good to me Javi."

"Let me see, hermosa."

You knew what he meant, understanding him better than anyone you had ever before.

You met his eyes again, and your breath was stolen from you on the sight of his sweet chocolate eyes fully dilated, boring into yours so deeply you felt like your soul was bared to him. It wasn't scary with him, being vulnerable, not after his reaction to your past, not when he was being just as vulnerable as you were being. Javi had always worn his heart on his sleeve, but never so much as when he was looking into your eyes as he rutted into you. He was mesmerizing, extremely romantic, and not at all selfish.

You could feel your core tightening and by the pinch of his brows you knew he felt it too, a thought that drove you even faster towards your second climax.

You moaned loudly as he nudged something deep inside you, something that had you convulsing around him, white hot bliss flooding your body in a way you'd never experienced before.

You gasped as the last strong wave hit you and he bucked his hips into you harder, frantically even, as he neared his own peak.

"That's it, that's it," he chanted, muscles taut and forehead sweaty. "Nora."

You writhed under him, grappling at him as his anxious movements continued to make you feel good and the words falling from his mouth made you hum.

Javi quickly gathered you up in his arms and buried his face into the space between your neck and chest as he came with a strangled groan that ended with a low whimper, a sound that nearly sent you over again with him. You cradled his head against you, enjoying his affection and the happiness spiking in you. You both stayed like that for some time, hearts thumping against your ribcages and lungs laboring for air.

"Are you alright?" Javi asked eventually, pulling away from you just enough to scan your face.

"Amazing," you told him, laughing, tears of relief threatening to form.

He frowned when he noticed your watery eyes and settled his hands on your jawline.

"I'm fine, honey," you promised him, kissing his sloped nose. "I just...for years I wasn't sure I'd ever find someone like you. I was pretty sure I wouldn't. But here we are."

"Here we are," he repeated, a wide grin spreading out on his face. He touched his nose to yours. "And you are the same for me. I've never felt more lucky."

A little longer and he hesitantly parted his body from yours, standing to dispose of his used condom and clean himself up. You took a few minutes for yourself to lie in the massive king sized bed, allowing yourself to live in your afterglow for as long as possible, then left to clean yourself in the bathroom too.

When you returned you removed the damp sheet you'd been laying on and slipped back into bed with Javi, who looped his arm around your waist and settled in for the nap you both had silently agreed on.

It was easy to dose off with his warm body molded to your back, embraced by his comforting arms.

x

The world was dimmer when you stirred awake later that day, but it was not quite sunset yet, thankfully.

You could feel that the spot on the bed behind you was empty before you turned to check.

Curious to where Javi had gone, you sprung to your feet and walked through the inner rooms of the yacht, quickly finding him in the lounge area, a closed in portion of the deck that had scenic windows on three fourths of the walls. He was sprawled out on the couch, bare feet prompted up on the very top of it while his head rested on a small pillow. He was reading a book, consumed in it and completely unaware you were up.

"Hey," you said, yawning, and he shot up.

"Hey," he parroted grinning at you.

"You didn't wake me?" you inquired.

"I couldn't bare to," he admitted. "You looked so peaceful. It is rare I wake before you."

He stepped forward to innocently peck you on the lips and you slipped a hand into his, squeezing it.

"I'm going to start dinner," he informed you. "If you want, wait outside. I'll bring the food to you."

"Okay."

You headed out on the open portion of the deck and sat on one of the sides, taking in the ever breathtaking and unnerving sight of nothing but ocean around you for miles around.

Fear surged in you automatically when a fin popped out of the water, perched on an arched back, but you quickly realized it was not the right shape to belong to a shark.

And then you saw it come up for air and you relaxed at the sight of a far less intimidating face, one belonging to a dolphin with a dark grey body and light grey underbelly. You recognized it as a Common Dolphin. Though you'd never seen a dolphin in person before you knew enough about them to know it was, well, common off the coast of California. You thought they were even more beautiful than their bottlenosed counterparts who were much more famous.

Three other heads popped up, a couple of those smaller, juveniles, and your breath caught in your throat. A whole pod was swimming around the boat curiously.

"Javi!" you called out, trying not to shout in fear of scaring them off, but you were too quiet for him to hear in the kitchen. You had to run to find him.

"Javi, you've got to come see this!" you exclaimed tugging on his arm. There was a puzzled expression on his face as he let you lead him out onto the deck but when you pointed out the dolphins his confusion morphed into a bright smile.

"Splendid!" he chuckled as they playfully zipped through the water at the edge of the boat. "Look at them go!"

He beamed at you and you beamed back, the pod's energy infectious, rousing you both.

You couldn't have been happier.

xxx

Tagged: @harriedandharassed

xxx

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[i-luvsang]

hi!! sorry for the late ass response, i've been wanting to reply earlier but life has been pretty hectic :(.

personally i love love loveeeee pet names!! like even the super silly ones like 'skrunkly' and 'pookie' i always forget not everyone uses those and most ppl probably find it cringe. it's very endearing in my opinion? pet names and nicknames just feel more personal for some reason?? like recently i've started using my nickname more and most of my friends have started referring to me using my nickname and idk it just makes me so happy :,)

and thank you so so sooooo much for the writing advice <333 the 'asking yourself questions to guide your own thinking' tip is so helpful!! i think when i do an attempt at writing or try to progress an idea i get overwhelmed at how much i still need to think through if that makes sense?? like my concept or idea is so small and i have to think abt a plot, and the progress and just the logistics behind everything?

i've also spend some time on pinterest making boards with like locations for visualisations? idk i'm a very visual person whenever i do an attempt at writing so i kinda needed that and it's actually been so much fun!! i've also had some fun ideas for a playlist regarding certain small ideas, i have a few songs that kind off give the same vibes i want to go for and it kinda helps me visualise and create some sort of scene in my head where the song would work as bg music yk? it makes me excited just thinking abt developing my ideas and actually writing it!

sadly i haven't had any time to start writing yet :(. i have some exciting ideas and in general i've been feeling more excited to actually write instead of feeling like procrastinating the process but i've been so exhausted lately bcs of school so i haven't rlly been in the right mindset to write, like whenever i have free time i just want to rest.

my assignments this year are bigger and more important so i'm trying to actually study this year and procrastinate less. so far i'm proud of myself bcs i spend this weekend actually doing my work and writing down important future deadlines instead of procrastinating and doing everything last minute so!! big win for me!!

enough abt me tho!! how are you?? how is college going? how are your classes going? and also if you don't mind me asking, what are you majoring in?

ps. i'm very excited for your upcoming fics!!! — 🎧

hELLOOOOO no worries at all darling !! i'm glad to here that you love pet names because i love using them hehe. i agree that silly ones are so much fun to use and super cute. yk i've always wished i could have a nickname that my friends call me but it's just never been a thing LOL but i have my online friends who call me nicknames and i love that <333

even if you haven't had the time to start writing yet, i'm super glad to hear that you think my advice is helpful for you !! i wish you the best of luck when you do find some time !! i totally get feeling motivation but not having the time or energy :,) it's like DUDE THE ONE TIME I ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE WRITING I CANTTTTT i've been behind on writing too tbh. i have a collab fic due at the end of the month and i'm only a few hundred words in akfjaksjdf

babe you should be so so proud of yourself, the fact that you've been able to battle procrastination and stuff like that is honestly super impressive and absolutely something you should be proud of, so i'm glad that you are !!!! but even if there are times where procrastination gets the best of you, remember that that's alright too! we're not built to be perfect at this <33

in terms of me! lollll i'm not fighting the procrastination too well myself, but that's alright lol. it's a very mixed bag if i'm very honest lol the adjustment has been pretty hard and i'm feeling a lot of old anxieties come back since i'm so overwhelmed. but! i've still been having a lot of nice experiences with new friends and experiences and i think that once i'm able to settle down i'll be having blast far more than i am now hehe. classes themselves aren't too bad though!! i took a pretty light course load for this semester which i think was a really nice choice for me. and i'm majoring in studio arts !!

askdhfjs i'm very glad you're excited, i am too !!! i hope you'll enjoy what's in storeeee

[blackfire-fanfiction]

Yeah man thag was fun. have a nice night! Do You want to do this again here next time? Or is this more of a Discord thing? I'm not entirely sure. Should we schedule it?

Thanks for chatting with me! I'm fine doing this over either platform, so whatever you're more comfortable with is ok with me.

My schedule tends to be hard to predict sometimes, and this weekend is definitely one of those times. I'll definitely be free tomorrow to reply, I just don't know when. Just start a convo whenever and if I'm online I'll reply asap!