#rules for stealing stars

[jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists]

for the uh. ask thing! top 5 books ^^

The Simon Snow Series by Rainbow Rowell - Of course this is my number one. Current obsession ❤️❤️ It’s honestly such a slay series omg my absolute favorite right now.

Under The Whispering Door by TJ Klune - Actually took me out. Obsessed with this book beyond all reason. It’s a love letter to grief and what comes after death and the uncertainty of life; with an extra little love story thrown in ❤️ This was such a beautiful read and it honestly made me cry and laugh and UGH I love it!

Rules For Stealing Stars by Corey Ann Haydu - Beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL! A story to family, abuse, hiding, and learning how to not just survive, but to thrive. My favorite part of this book was the magic and the scenery. I would definitely recommend this!

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - FUCKING BEAUTIFUL ❤️❤️ A well-written story about a trans boy trying to prove himself to his traditional Latinx family with a dash of deathly romance thrown in 😌 Absolutely GORGEOUS! I loved the vibes of this book. A perfect October read 😍

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe - Wow. Just wow. The mystery, suspense, and overall adrenaline of this story was INTENSE and refreshing and all the right things. In this story you learn of a girl named Nora who isn’t who she seems, her not so secret girlfriend, their best friend, and two bank robbers dead set on keeping them hostage. I could go on and on about this book and it’s brilliant storytelling, but I think it’s best for you to just experience it for yourself.

[tending-the-hearth]

okay but what if echo did testify in the senate.

what if it was broadcasted live, all over the galaxy, because they believed riyo would be proved wrong.

what if echo's words are sent out and heard by everyone, everyone listening, for once, to a clone, a clone who tells a story of horrors, of experiencing things no natborn could ever dream of surviving, of running and taking his family with him, of the desperation to provide his sister, the youngest of them all, with a life far, far away from war and harm, of watching, feeling, hearing his home destroyed, and being able to do nothing about it.

(fully imagining a scene similar to hevy’s testimony in @meridiansdominoes’s fic, just echo staring down every single senator around him, making sure every single one of them hears the words that he's saying)

omega would be standing with riyo, hidden away from the cameras, of course, but watching her brother with the brightest, most awe-filled eyes

rex, sitting in the warehouse with hunter, wrecker, and tech, watching echo and trying not to cry, because that's one of his boys up there, defending every single one of their brothers, protecting them.

tucked away, their children fast asleep, cut and suu listen, cut unable to stop the bittersweet smile as the brother he barely knows pours his heart out and tells the story of the clones.

somewhere, hunkering down, a deserter hiding, cody hears his echo, hears his ad, and all he feels is fierce, burning pride for him, and wonders about what the ramrod, reg-following shiny would think of himself now.

maybe crosshair hears the broadcast, watches it tucked away in his bunk, alone and exhausted, staring at the face of his ori'vod, and something starts to stir, something that makes his heart yearn just a little for his siblings.

and maybe, just maybe, hidden away on some isolated planet, there’s a trio of clones sitting in darkness.

one of the clones isn’t even listening to echo’s words, only his voice.

a voice he hasn’t heard in years.

far away from coruscant, fives shares a look with tup and dogma, and makes a decision.

they’re helping their brothers, continuing the fight they started.

[hellobitchlet]

I have a lot of thoughts about Topaz and the IPC that this update has brought up again, but I'm going to wait until I actually finish the event and stuff before I post them.

For now, I'm just going to leave it at this; I genuinely believe that Topaz had the perfect set up to be Hoyo's best written, complex villain since Otto if she had been done properly. But their insistence on pretending that she's a good person and that there's literally anything good about what she tried to do to Belobog instantly ruined it, and the doubling down on her being 'good' and allowing her to have a good friendship with Trailblazer (while they're acting weirdly about Boothill for merely stealing things in his texts) is just making everything worse.

[brandwhorestarscream]

for orange energon since the color can be associated with health how about something involving that and for yellow maybe it can cause paranoia or increased perception or something

I'm so glad you said this! I'd had this thought of a certain type of energon being harvested from whatever organ is responsible for Primus's immune system, and this thought was born:

Orange energon can either function as the elixir of life or as a guaranteed death, depending on when it was harvested. If it's harvested while the body is tranquil, the so called "white blood cells" are not in an activated state. Drinking this unactivated orange energon grants invulnerability: the body can't be injured, nor can it age, while under the effects. On the opposite end of the spectrum though, if orange energon is harvested while the body is combating something, the immune system is in its active state and is very aggressive. It will attack and destroy anything that is perceived as a foreign entity. Anyone who drinks activated orange energon will be consumed from the inside out, as their body registers as an enemy. The orange energon will spread, multiply, and devour them, breaking them down piece by piece inside their own veins. It's a terrible way to die, honestly

[lyntergalactic]

tonight i'm thinking about the fact that, if the darksaber and defeating the previous holder thereof is the way to become mand'alor, and you do succession elder wand style

one of the disaster lineage should be mand'alor

GO WITH ME ON THIS

so maul has the saber and is ruling, right. and then sidious beats him which would make him mand'alor. from there you can go a couple ways:

mace beats palps, anakin beats mace, obi-wan beats anakin, anakin kills obi-wan, line technically ends with anakin

anakin eventually defeats sidious for good, line dies with anakin

number one but the line ends with obi-wan because he technically didn't fight back against anakin at the end there and threw the fight

OR if you say palps doesn't count because he wasn't fighting maul for mandalore, ahsoka should be mand'alor

i cannot stop laughing about this

[greenhillguy]

tag drop ✌️

[cureastro]

TFW half of your favorite Precure teams explicitly break the laws of at least one government.

Also the other half either are working with a temporarily dead monarchy or the fairies don’t have a government, and neither earth knows about the precure anyway

[hunnieknight]

I keep looking at the Star rail nyas. And always have this responds in my mind

You ask how Kafka can get someone pregnant, but here's my answer.

Kafka, no matter your gender and no matter Kafka's gender, will always get YOU pregnant. I don't make the rules, I just state truths

Girlboss Kafka

I think it is funnier if it happens to male readers or readers who biologically can't get pregnant.

Kitty hsr

Reader is a male cat, masculine is described to reader (as cat), pregnancy mentioned

A/N : I DO NOT DO MALE READER REQUEST as i am a cis!female and i think that isn't my place to do so. This is the only exception for comedic purpose.

---

So female cats yes? Okay a female cat and there is a risk of pregnancy, right? Well, that's not a problem because the Astral Express cat is a tomcat!

Such a chubby cheeks!Round jowls a sign of virile and alpha tomcat. The cheeks were made to protect face when fighting,oh, such a masculine trait in a cat.

Then BOOM, kittens in the house.

The crew was confused how the hell kittens managed to get in. Did you steal them? Are the kitten yours? Since when did you get out?

The surprise in their face when seeing a female stray cat, hanging out around their studio house, Kafkat, one of the infamous Stellaron Stray gang.

Welt managed to catch the Kafkat and see no sign of pregnancy on her, yet the fur of the kittens are awfully similar to hers.

Vet visit and the vet confirmed the kittens are yours!

"BUT HOW??"-March

Anyway, Astral Express got these cute kittens to take care of~

They grow up to be a menace

---

.

.

.

.

.

Guess someone will have a sibling soon!

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

VODIKA

THIS IS UNFAIR

Tup is the parent who goes to all of his kid's soccer games and beats up all the soccer moms and their kids who bully them. FACTS.

My brain is stuck on dad!clone mode~

So. Here's Tup! For @the-bad-batch-baroness 😘

The best dad. But also, largely, a single dad. (Mom travels for work, so she gets to be the fun parent.)

Soft and gentle, his kids biggest supporter and their number 1 advocate.

He's got two kids, a son and a daughter, born in that order.

Both of his kids grow their hair out like him, which means mornings are Tup does his hair, then his son's, and last his daughter's.

Trusts all of his brothers to babysit, though Dogma gets stuck on babysitting duty most often.

When he's not on shift, he can be found in his bunk with his kids cuddled against him, while he makes up stories for them...and any other kid who meanders their way into the room.

Tup is one of the only people on the ship who can consistently tell which kid is which. Though it doesn't stop him from taking home one of his brother's kids.

[shadow4-1]

I just finished reading most of your works here and i love them. If the reader touched 141 first and it made them attached to us, what about 141 tried to seek any simple physical contact/presence from us? Brushing strand of hair? Braiding/tying reader's hair? A slight touch on cheek? A tiny flick on forehead? Whatever that makes them sure they can feel your presence around them

Oh yes, I really enjoyed making that post!

Here's a few little moments between you and the 141 that makes you think about your relationships with each of them:

You think that maybe Soap has gotten too comfortable with your friendship when he starts eating and drinking after you. He's not a germaphobe, but you know him well enough that you've never seen him eat off of anyone's plate. You remember asking him about it months ago too. He said it was rude...so why has he been asking to have a sip of your Coke? Or taking bites of your sandwich when he thinks you aren't looking? You chalk it up to him just messing with you.

You think that maybe Gaz has finally loosened up a bit around you. He's always so uptight and straight-laced, even around Soap too. But he drags you along to get into some quiet mischief. Like stealing some of Price's cigars (he pins the blame it on Soap) or sneaking up to the roof to see the stars. It kind of feels like he's actually acting his age when he's around you and well...it's nice.

You think that maybe Ghost has finally started to accept you when he starts slipping little things into your packs. At first you don't even notice it, but it isn't until you see him do it do you question him on it. He gripes that you're always forgetting things but...you know better. Your pocket knife has never been sharper and you never seem to run out of your favorite gum.

You think that maybe Price is a bit more protective over you than the rest of the guys. You suppose it makes sense, but some of his rules catch you off-guard. You're not allowed to shower unless you tell him you're going to. You're not allowed to walk certain wings of the base unaccompanied by either him or Ghost. You're not allowed to go out on Liberty by yourself either. When you try to question him on it he blames it on the bad behavior of the 141's previous medics, except...you're pretty sure they've never even had one before you. You chalk it up to him just being fatherly. After all, you've seen the pictures of both you and Gaz that he keeps in his wallet.

[harmoonix]

🔥Femme Fatale Placements🔥

🌟 In Astrology 🌟

👑 ATTENTION: LONG POST 👑

-🔥 Scorpio in big 6/ Aries in Big 6(Sun, Moon, Rising, Venus Mercury, Mars)

ICONIC, MISTERIOUS, FABULOUS, MESMERIZING

-🔥 Sagittarius in big 6 (Sun, Moon, Rising, Venus, Mercury, Mars)

There is NO femme fatale out there without Sagittarius Energy in it, they carry the way to the top for the misterious elite fatales

-🔥 Libra/Taurus in big 6 (Sun, Moon, Rising, Venus, Mars, Mercury)

Venusian Energy - Blessed - Pretty as fuck - Admired by people, aesthetically beautiful, natural, lovely

-🔥 Leo in big 6 (Sun,Moon, Rising, Venus, Mercury, Mars)

Of Course there is NO femme fatale without a Leo in it. They are always the star of show 💅🏼

-🔥 Capricorn/Aquarius in big 6 (Sun,Moon, Rising, Venus, Mercury, Mars)

Saturn Energy - Big influence and impact in world, worldwide appealing, extravagante, iconic, classyyy, royal vibes

-🔥 Midheaven in Scorpio Degrees: 8°, 20°

The world perceives you as being a very misterious person

-🔥 Midheaven in Leo Degrees: 5°, 17°, 29°

Getting People's attention very fast, could attract a lot of eyes on them very easily

-🔥 Midheaven in Capricorn Degrees: 10°, 22°

Having great authority, being very classic and charming, very good appearance

-🔥 Midheaven in Cancer Degrees: 4°, 16°, 28°

Very angelic Energy, could have a very peaceful aura and people perceive these people as "an real angel"

-🔥 Midheaven in Aquarius Degrees: 11°, 23°

Getting a lot of attention especially on internet, Being unique and different, The world perceives you as a rare diamond

Lilith Related PLACEMENTS List ⚸

-🔥 Lilith - Ascendant aspects (Both harsh and positive aspects applying)

Having a very fatale energy in your Ascendant, indeed very appealing and good looking, could attract jealousy very fast and could make others feel intimidating by your pressence

-🔥 Lilith - Moon aspects (Harsh aspects)

This placement is mostly like others are very jealous of you especially the women/girls around you, they want to be you and they can't... And thats making them to explode

-🔥 Lilith - Sun aspects (Both harsh and positive aspects applying)

HIGH rebellious and attractive energy, you don't like people to tell you what you do, you do your own rules. With this aspect people can be very drawn to you or to your energy because they know how powerful you can be, you have an imense magnetism

-🔥 Lilith - Venus aspects (Both harsh and positive aspects applying)

These people have the power to break hearts, they have a very good appearance and can look very intimidating to others, can attract very hot partners

-🔥 Lilith Mercury aspects (Both harsh and positive aspects applying)

These people have a very hot way of talking, their voice their words, they can turn you on.. so easily they know how to make pleasure and how to destroy people with their words, they stand up for themselves talking while wearing a gold crown on their head

-🔥 Lilith - Mars aspects (Both harsh and positive aspects applying)

These aspects are the "Hotter than hell" thing, these people are having a very high fatale energy who can get a lot of eyes and jealousy on them, they can steal your heart

-🔥 Lilith - Saturn aspects (Both harsh and positive aspects applying)

The rare diamond shinning through ordinary rocks, here Saturn restricts Lilith energy, so Lilith can feel very destructible and dangerous, very misterious and mesmerizing energy but also with a lot of lesson, is like you need to learn about your shadow side and your power and of course your sexual nature

Aspects List that can indicate having a very femme fatale energy: (Square, Opposition Conjunction, Sextile, Trine, Quintile, Bi-quintile applying + Parallel/Contra-Parallel)

-🔥 Venus - Pluto aspects

-🔥 Mars - Pluto aspects

-🔥 Sun - Pluto aspects

-🔥 Ascendant - Pluto aspects

-🔥 Mars - Venus aspects

-🔥 Sun - Venus aspects

-🔥 Mars - Ascendant aspects

-🔥 Sun - Ascendant aspects

- 🔥 Neptune - Ascendant aspects

- 🔥 Neptune - Mars/Mercury aspects

- 🔥 Neptune - Venus aspects

- 🔥 Neptune - Pluto aspects

- 🔥 Saturn - Pluto aspects

- 🔥 Saturn - Venus aspects

- 🔥 Lilith - Neptune Aspects

🔥Aries/Scorpio/Aquarius Risings = Sirene eyes

🔥Sagittarius Risings = good and mesmerizing appearance

🔥Leo Risings = the most shining star on the Broadway

🔥Virgo Risings = Charming and beautiful face and body

🔥Pisces Risings = Enchanting and mystic aura

🔥 Gemini Risings = Mirific aura, magical voice

- 🔥 Having These Degrees in your chart can mean you have a very mesmerizing energy🔥🔥

• Having 2°,5°, 7°, 9°, 10° 12°, 14°, 17°, 19°, 22°, 24°. 29° Degrees

- 🔥 Having Theses Degrees in your chart can mean you have a very good appearance and appealing, dreamy like:

• Having 1°, 4°, 6°, 8°, 11°, 13°, 18° Degrees on any inner planets or Important asteroids

- 🔥 Mars/Venus/Mercury/Sun/Pluto/Moon/Neptune in the 1st/5th/8th/10th/11th houses makes your attractive in the public eye

- 🔥Lilith in the 1st/2nd/4th/5th/houses gives a very magnetic aura and vibe

-🔥 Lilith in the 10th/11th/12th houses have a very big influence on others

-🔥Lilith in 6th/7th houses attract people from a lot of places, especially envious people at the workplace and in their relationships

————————————————————————

I loved to make this post so much😍, there are definitely more placements and aspects to look into but the post would be wayyyy longer if i would make all of them, maybe i will make a part 2 if i see people wanting such type of content 🤗 Don't forget to always check your sidereal or vedic chart for more and deep understanding, the Sidereal chart is like your inner world 🌎💗😊

I hope everyone reading my notes has a good day full of light and warm energy 🤍🤍🤍 have a very lovely day!🤍🤍🤍

[doofnoof]

Sun and his Good Boy Points™ /J

In a few short years, “Pizza Boy” became one of the most popular pizza places, their human like androids making fast deliveries and more profits. As you go to pick up your pizza from the front door, the delivery android seems to be nearly out of power. It asks to recharge before heading out.

[overcatic]

random (vedic) astro observations cause im bored

1. ashleshas love braiding & twisting their hair (brided/twisted hair resembles the body of a serpent and braiding one’s hair is associated with storing and protecting one’s energy, which is a major theme with ashlesha (protecting one’s family, privacy, wealth, life force, etc.) — ex. young thug.)

2. i can easily spot aries lagna through their alien head shape (big forehead & broad temples with a narrow chin.)

3. sun in rohini can make a woman known for her beautiful voice and/or feminine appeal (softness, sensitivity, motherly nature.)

4. the 7th aspect of saturn is where most of your effort and hard work is directed.

5. aries is the celestial horse, that is why they look and walk like that. most likely to have horse-like physique, physiognomy & hair.

6. rahu in the 1st gives serpent-like beauty and charm. their eyes have the power to hypnotize people.

7. sun conj. ketu (if positively placed and aspected) can make someone free of ego. most likely to have a jesus christ type of mentality. very naturally seductive. great dancers, especially if the sun rules the 3rd or 5th house. early awakening of kuṇḍalinī can be seen here.

8. saturn in the 1st house is one placement i’ve repeatedly seen in the charts of narcissists. charismatic, controlling, cruel, and really good at weakening people’s self-esteem. they can quite literally steal people’s life force (sun).

9. sidereal gemini is the sign of soul union. geminis, in this reincarnation, are meant to meet and be with their soulmates. this is especially seen in punarvasu, the star of return/reunion.

10. the house 2nd from venus can accurately indicate the type of partners you attract. 6th house: doctors, surgeons, politicians, lawyers, healers, etc. 8th house: bankers, journalists, astrologers, psychologists, etc. 12th house: creatives, activists, authors, musicians, animal lovers, etc.

11. swatis have a special affinity with spiders. (spiders = saturn. swati is the exaltation of saturn.)

12. atmakaraka falling in the 8th house of navamsa indicates that the soul reincarnated to serve, heal, and help; because the 1st house (purpose) is the 6th from the 8th. and if there’s a planet in the 1st, the person/people represented by it are the ones who the soul seeks to serve and heal.

“ that’s it for today! namaste xx

[fishing-lesbian-catgirl]

Like a month or so ago I had a dream where Griffin McElroy died and so they stopped doing MBMBAM but they started a new series of The Adventure Zone where Travis was the dm and Justin and Clint were the players. The dream consisted almost entirely of listening to this new series where Justin and Clint were clearly very sad, uncomfortable, and not really into it but Travis kept trying really hard to make it work by being obnoxiously positive. Each week it got worse and worse, they kept bringing on guest stars for a single episode but they never had any chemistry and it made it even more awkward somehow. Travis was still just as bad of a dm as he was for Graduation. Then, a few months into the podcast, doing the only thing that could possibly make it more awkward, Travis introduced a new player character that was clearly just an ai voice trained to sound like Griffin that he was controlling. The next like four episodes of the podcast were about Justin, Clint, and False-Grifin’s characters trying to steal a wall mounted tv stand from a target while Travis changed the rules to make whatever they tried fail over and over.

I think the dream ended there, but I didn’t really think about it at all until today when I remembered something funny from Monster Factory and thought “man, Griffin McElroy made a lot of funny stuff when he was alive, shame he died” before realizing that that only happened in my dream

[coff33andb00ks]

Rule Breaker - Pt 2

max verstappen x single mom!reader

{prev} {next}

warnings: cursing, reader y/nsplains, jos is an asshole, fluff, barely proofread, logan tries to flirt, y/n's bestie is a tumblr girlie at heart, kiddo steals the show Summary: Max has it all...right? Besides, he's too busy collecting trophies and completing side quests for anything else. Until... You moved across a whole ass ocean to start over, uprooting you and your son's lives to become social media admin for cars that drive in circles. word count: 6833 auth.note: thank you all so much for the love for part 1!!! ily all and i'm having so much fun writing this

The paddock was relatively quiet so early in the morning. Unable to sleep, y/n had left the hotel and made her way to the track. She was taking the opportunity to explore the settings on the camera and getting her bearings since she didn't have any work duties to complete until later in the day. She had expected Kevin to want to come with her, but he'd opted to sleep in with Ellie, who would bring him to the track later. So she wandered, exchanging the occasional greeting with others. Stopping to take a photo of a bird perched on the fence in front of pit lane, she backed up, crashing into someone.

"Whoop, s'cuse me, sorry," she said, turning to apologize properly. She recognized the two men by their faces but her mind blanked on their names.

"It's alright, ma'am. Didn't mess up your shot, did we?" His American accent was a happy surprise.

"I don't think so." Smiling, y/n lowered the camera. "My fault, and I'll blame it on being new."

"Marketing?" The other man guessed.

Australian. And suddenly she remembered their names. "Social media. I'm y/n."

"So great to meet you." Logan tipped his head slightly. "Carolina?"

"God, you can take the hick outta Carolina, but you can't take the Carolina outta the hick." He grinned and she laughed. "North Carolina, yeah."

Oscar stared at Logan. "How did you guess that? She just sounds plain American?"

"No, dude, it's the lilt. It's like when George got pissed we couldn't pick up on the different English accents."

"Can he pick up on the different American south accents?" y/n asked.

Logan rolled his eyes. "He knows Brooklyn, Midwest, valley girl, and just south."

"In his defense it's hard to pick out each individual one," Oscar pointed out.

Y/n shrugged. "You've got a point. I sound different from people that grew up just an hour from me."

"Yeah! And I know mine's been butchered from so much time in Europe." Logan nodded.

"You still sound more like home than anyone else I've met."

"I was gonna say the same thing – you sound like home." He smiled, a soft, genuine smile that had her smiling in return.

"And what do I sound like?" Oscar asked with a grin.

"A magical place far, far away," y/n told him. She covertly checked the time and wondered if hospitality had finished setting up so she could get some coffee.

"Hear that? I sound like Star Wars."

"She's using southern charm on you, dude," Logan snorted.

"Well it's working, I'm charmed."

A giggle bubbled up her throat and she let it free, raising her camera and giving them a hopeful look. "Okay?"

"Hang on—" Logan fussed with his hair, and y/n laughed when Oscar reached to help him, then they both had to fuss with Oscar's hair. "Think we're presentable enough?"

She nodded, moving so the sunlight was beside them. She got several photos and thanked them. "I'll send them to y'alls social media teams?"

"You can just send it to me." Logan began patting his pockets for his phone.

"Unbelievable," Oscar muttered under his breath, and y/n barely heard it, giving Logan her number and adding him to her contacts once he'd sent her a text.

"I should get going – Sorry for bumping into you."

"Don't apologize, I'm glad you did."

As she walked away she gave her head a little shake, smiling to herself when she overheard Oscar's grumbling that Logan had flirted with fuckin' Red Bull's social media admin. Something told her to glance back and she did, amused to see Logan watching her. Don't show interest, don't show interest, don't—

He gave a little wave. And she smiled, waving back.

Fuck.

Ducking around the corner, she wandered until she found hospitality, grogginess taking over as she made her way to the back to fix herself coffee. She recognized a couple engineers and mechanics that she'd met in Milton Keyes and greeted them, settling into a corner to drink and look over the pictures she'd gotten.

She was on her second coffee, had uploaded the pictures to her laptop, and was editing the first batch for a short video when the chair across from her was pulled out, taking her shoe with it.

"Sorry," Max said when she yelped, chuckling as he bent to pick up her shoe. "Didn't know you were attached."

"Bad habit I'm afraid." Taking the shoe, she shifted to put it back on. "Picked it up when I was pregnant now I do it without thinking."

"For the swelling?" he asked, sitting down and taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah." After tying the shoelace she shifted, tucking one foot beneath her. "Good morning, by the way."

"Morning. Already working?"

"I'm gonna do a short photo tour of the track. I got some nice shots."

"You walked the track?"

"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, so… It's beautiful first thing in the morning."

Max nodded, picking up his coffee again. "Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Max, you should know that hotel beds suck. Especially with a three year old sleeping sideways and a snoring friend in the other bed. Is this where you tell me you slept great?"

"Haha, no. My sleep was shit but it wasn't because of the bed. I didn't get enough." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I was up late sim racing."

"Okay, explain sim racing to me," she requested, slipping one earbud in so she could check that the music she'd selected went well with the photos. Tweaking it as he began to talk, she realized she was barely paying attention to her work, exporting and posting the video to all the platforms then closing her laptop to focus on him. He talked with his hands. It was something she'd picked up on already, that if he was focused on the topic he used his hands. Maxplaining the fans called it. Finishing her coffee, she listened intently, propping her chin on one hand.

 He smiled, almost shyly, as he finished. "It's something I truly enjoy. I'm not very sociable. I like going out once in a while, but I prefer to stay in, yeah? And I can spend hours in the sim without thinking twice."

"I spent the last few days watching a lot of interviews. Not just of you and Checo, but everyone on the grid," y/n said softly. "Leclerc talks about piano and his family, Norris talks about gaming and DJing, and Hamilton has his six hundred side projects."

"Yes?" He didn't look or sound impatient for her to get to the point, and she appreciated that.

"The thing is, they all have passions outside of racing. This – formula one, fastest cars, all that – is a goal, a dream, but they all have something else they love, that they can pursue now." She paused, meeting his eyes. "The only thing I've seen you passionate about is racing."

He blinked once, nodding his head. "Because it is my passion."

Y/n regarded him carefully for a moment. "You're very lucky, Max."

That must have surprised him, because his brow furrowed. "Why do you say that?"

"Not everyone is able to be successful following their passion. Being able to do what you love for both a job and hobbies is almost unheard of, yet you're doing it. You break records and win races and yeah you've had a few setbacks but you're still in love with this. And on your off time you're training to be better and studying tracks and you go home and race on your computer." She shook her head in amazement. "You're incredibly lucky, that your passion is not only something you're good at but something you can be immersed in nonstop, and that you haven't lost your love for it."

"I guess I am lucky," he said carefully. "But luck had nothing to do with me getting into formula one."

"I know." She held up her hands, not wanting him to think she thought he was in the position he was purely by chance. "I can't imagine how much work you've done over the years, or how many sacrifices you've had to make. It's just… In my experience, passion doesn't always equal financial stability is what I'm trying to say."

"What's that saying? Do something you love and you never work a day in your life?"

Y/n snorted. "That's bullshit. I love sleeping and yet I still have to work."

That made him laugh and she rolled her eyes, even though she enjoyed the sound. "Surely you love more than sleep."

"I love a lot of things. Maybe that's been my problem all my life. I find things and fall in love with them and when I think hey this might be it something new and shiny comes along and I fall in love with that."

"There's nothing wrong with being passionate about many things," Max said gently.

"That's what I keep telling myself. And yet—"

"Are you saying you don't love your job?"

She froze, a wave of panic rippling through her. "Uhmm… Since it's technically my first day I can't answer that."

"Okay. Do you love your social media?" he asked, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table.

The table which was, suddenly, smaller than she remembered.

"I like engaging others. I like creating conversations and seeing my work appreciated," she finally said.

"You sound like a PR person. Do you love it?" He enunciated each word slowly.

She couldn't say yes. The answer wasn't no, either, because she didn't hate it. "I personally hate it. But you've learned how to make it work for you, yeah? How to word things to spark a conversation among followers? What type of content people appreciate?"

"I like to think so."

"Stop being so unsure of yourself. You study it, right? At your last job when you posted a video and no one liked it what did you do? "

She exhaled harshly. "I compare it to ones that did well and pick it apart to see why it didn't work."

"Why?"

"Why?" she echoed.

"Why did you pick it apart?"

"Because I wanted it to do well," she said slowly.

"And these conversations you want to create, do you join in or sit and watch them happen behind the safety of your screen?" He reached over, gently turning her laptop so he could see the screen.

"I engage. I reply and ask questions to make the viewers want to keep the conversation going."

"Why?"

"Because—" She clicked the mouse, bringing up the comments below the video she'd posted to Instagram. "These comments? Come from people that love this brand – or sport. Some of them are trolls who just want to start up an argument to make their boring lives more interesting for a few minutes, but for the most part it's people who care. People who want to see this team do well. People who had the dream of doing it themselves but life got in the way. People who watched it with their parents and still watch to stay connected to someone they love. It's little kids who want to be like you. It's people who spend their hard earned money on a t-shirt or a hat or a ticket to see someone they admire live out their dream." She took a quick breath, scrolling through the comments. "If I don't like or respond to them, they feel like their opinions don't matter. And maybe they don't in the grand scheme of formula one. But they want to be seen and heard. When I click and they see that Red Bull Racing liked their comment or replied with an emoji or whatever, they have a few seconds of elation, and their support of this team is cemented just a bit more."

Max blinked at her, and she continued even though she heard him draw a breath to speak.

"I know very well how horrible social media can be. However, I've seen how it fosters growth for a company. You're not stupid, I'm sure you've seen how TikTok challenges or Instagram livestreams have brought in more support. Not to mention money. If a post of you wearing your Red Bull shirt gets a million likes, I can probably pull the data and show you that a hundred thousand people went to view the shirt on the official shop and probably twenty-five thousand ordered one. A silly picture of you arriving for race day or a new helmet design pulls people in and gets them excited. And, yes, it makes money. Which in turn pays the salaries of everyone on the team."

"Y/n."

She sucked in a breath. "I'm—"

"Passionate," he whispered before she could say sorry.

"I know what it's like to enjoy something and never feel included," she murmured. "So, yeah… I guess I love what I do, because I like that I can include people in something they love."

His hand covered hers briefly. "For a moment there, I even loved social media."

She watched his fingers squeeze hers before they slid away, wondering why his touch lingered. "Yeah?"

"It's easy to forget that there are real people saying nice things. Sometimes all you can see is the negativity."

"Negativity only breeds more negativity—"

"And when you look at it, it's all you'll see," he murmured.

"Well… So far everything I've posted today has been met with positivity."

"That's good."

"Okay, a few comments about wanting to see Lando on the podium. Thank you for letting me rant about why I do what I do," she said, glancing at his hand without meaning to.

"You let me do the same," he reminded her. Lifting his chin, he waited until she looked at him again. "Are you too busy to see what I was talking about?"

"I don't have anything scheduled until after lunch."

"Perfect." He lightly drummed on the table and stood. "Do you want to see my rig?"

"You do know I won't have a clue what anything but the computer and monitor are, right?" Smiling, she stood and began packing away her stuff.

Closing her laptop, he handed it over, catching her earbud when it fell off the edge of the table. "Maybe you'll like it so much you'll want one of your own."

*-*

He was rambling, he knew he was, telling her about the setup and his plan for the 24 hour race over the weekend and how he had everything scheduled so he could do two of the things he loved most. But he could tell she was paying attention, actually listening, as if she really cared. Rubbing his palms against his thighs, he finished and looked up at her.

"So this is your actual job and the f1 thing is just a hobby?" she teased.

Laughing, he got to his feet and got himself a can of Red Bull. "It's just racing, y/n."

"And racing is life."

"Absolutely." He watched her muffle a yawn behind her hand.

"Am I allowed to mention it in my posts? Because it sounds so badass. Sim race stint then qualifying, chug a Red Bull, sim race stint then race."

"You can mention it, not like it's a secret." He watched her hide another yawn and cleared his throat. "Looks like you need a Red Bull."

She shook her head. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Nodding, he checked the time. Just over an hour before he had to meet with his trainer. "Of course."

"I hate Red Bull," she whispered.

He choked on a laugh. "You what?"

"I've tried so many times! I can just about stomach one of the flavored editions, but the original? Tastes like battery acid to me." She looked embarrassed and covered her face with her hands. "Please don't tell anyone."

"You hate the drink. So you accepted a job with a team owned by the drink company." He wanted to laugh. It was so absurd to him.

"Yes," she groaned.

"That would be like me taking a job at Instagram."

"I know it's so bad. What makes it worse is I love Monster—"

"Of course you do," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Please say you won't tell anyone. If corporate hears, I'll probably get fired. It's in my contract that I can only drink that while in pubic during race weekends which means I've got to either stick to water or learn to fake it."

"Your secret's safe with me," Max promised, breathing in the aroma of her perfume as she moved past him to get her bag.

"Thank you. I think Ellie would kill me if I told her I have to find a new job."

He didn't want her to go so soon. Ridiculous because he knew he'd see her in just a few hours. By the end of the weekend he'd be sick of seeing her. Sipping his drink, he finally sighed and cleared his throat. "You can take a power nap."

She whipped her head around, sending a wave of her perfume his way. "What?"

"A power nap." Before he could stop himself he was setting down his drink and taking her bag off her shoulder. "Thirty minutes, and you'll feel great."

"Max—"

"You need to be alert and focused, and I don't have a Monster for you to drink. Please, I insist." He motioned to his bed in the far corner, gently nudging her shoulder when she hesitated.

"You're sure?" she asked softly, and when he assured her he was she bent to take off her shoes, looking almost elated as she walked over to the bed. "Wait, I need to set an alarm."

"I'll wake you."

She lifted an eyebrow and he pulled out his phone to set a thirty minute timer. Satisfied, she sat on the edge of the bed, thanking him several times as she laid down and curled up on her side. "Thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes," he murmured, sitting on the couch to answer emails. It was fifteen minutes before she stopped shifting and kicking, and when he heard her breathing even out he knew she was asleep. Resetting the timer, he stood and carefully pulled the blanket over her, then returned to the couch and tried his best to ignore that she was sleeping in his room.

Her phone started buzzing on the table. She didn't stir so he ignored it, focusing on his email. That was impossible though so he cleared out his unread texts, one foot bouncing each time he heard her breathe. A mistake. It had been a mistake. He jumped up when her phone began to buzz again and, glancing from it to her, he realized she would undoubtedly sleep through it. He picked it up and was about to silence it when he saw the name on the screen. Ellie. That was her friend that was helping with Kevin… Something could be wrong, so he answered the call and lifted the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, we just— Who's this?"

"Max. This is Ellie?"

"…Yes…" The woman sounded wary. "Why are you – Oh! Max! Right of course. Um, is y/n okay?"

Max looked over at her, smiling faintly when she shifted. "She's fine. Taking a nap, actually."

Ellie snorted. "Of course she is."

"Is everything okay with Kevin?"

As though aware of the question, Kevin began chattering in the background. "Yeah, he's perfect. I was calling to let her know we just got here but I ain't got a clue where to go."

"Are you at the main entrance?" he asked, slipping out of the room so he wouldn't wake y/n. Ellie told him where they were and he nodded as he pulled out his own phone to text one of the team assistants. "You're going to walk down to the turnstiles, scan your passes and come through. Someone will be there to meet you and bring you to the motorhome."

"Ok perfect. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. We'll be downstairs to meet you." Ending the call, he checked that the assistant was going to meet them then reentered his room. He closed the door and silenced his timer. "Y/n?"

She hummed in her sleep, and he smiled while he crossed over to the bed.

"Y/n," he called gently. She groaned, shifting to face away from him and it suddenly occurred to him that when he went to bed that night he would smell her on the pillow and the sheets. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea, but it was too late now.

Would he be an asshole if he had his sheets changed before the end of the day?

Leaning down, he gently touched her shoulder. She inhaled sharply and he saw her eyes snap open. "You have company on its way," he said softly, tugging the covers back in case she tried to get comfortable again. His eyes swept down, locking on the skin bared by her shirt, which had ridden up in her sleep. "Come on, you had a nice nap, time to wake up."

"This bed is so much more comfortable than the one at the hotel," she mumbled, slowly sitting up and turning to face him. Smoothing down her shirt, she stretched and sighed, blinking as she focused on him. "Oh! Ellie and Kevin!"

He laughed as she leapt to her feet, his hands immediately moving to steady her. "It's fine, they haven't even made it to the paddock yet. I've sent someone to meet them."

"Oh," she murmured. "Thank you."

His hands were on her hips, and he forced his breathing to remain calm as she rested her hands on his forearms. The space, which had felt roomy and open, now felt tiny with how close she was to him. He was painfully aware of the scant space between them and each place their bodies touched, but more so of her. That heady floral scent of her perfume and the softness of her palms against his skin. The gentle lushness of her hips. He could hear every breath as his gaze traveled up from her hands to her face, lingering on her slightly parted lips before settling on her eyes. "You good?"

"Yep."

"Right. Sorry," he mumbled, releasing her hips and taking a step back. "I'll get your shoes."

What was wrong with him? It hadn't been so long that he got turned on like a teenager just from touching a woman… As he bent to retrieve her shoes he counted back, dragging a hand over his face in humiliation. What must she think of him? He'd brought her to his room, showed off his fancy toys, then let her sleep in his bed. She probably thought he wanted to fuck her—

You do.

—which couldn't be further from the truth. He was just being nice. Because she was nice. That was all.

Wasn't it?

And why, he wondered as he handed her shoes to her and told her about answering Ellie's call, did he care what she thought? Not caring was his specialty.  

"How do you feel?" he asked, finishing his drink in one gulp.

"Refreshed. Thank you so much, Max." She tied her shoes and ran her fingers through her hair. Her lips moved but he didn't hear a word she said, watching her gather her hair and twist and twirl it, securing it with a band from her wrist.

Witchcraft.

"That okay with you?" she asked, slipping her phone into her pocket.

"Of course," he answered automatically.

She clapped her hands together. "Great! I'll put up a post asking for fan questions."

Max blinked, pinching his brows together. "Fan questions."

"Well we can't do an impromptu Q and A without questions." She had her other phone out now, fingers flying across the screen. "We'll do it this afternoon? Just let me know the best time."

Fuck's sake. What had he agreed to? More importantly, how had she gotten him to say yes? Everyone knew he had a low tolerance for marketing. He could take it back and say no, he couldn't do it today. He could tell her to get Checo to do it, that he would do it another time. He'd gotten out of marketing and social media stupidity without a problem plenty of times before. But he was already opening his calendar, going over his schedule, already telling her the open slot he had at 5, and was already putting Q and A with Y/n in that space.

"Perfect," she enthused, shouldering her bag and heading for the door, her fingers still tapping swiftly on the screen. "They should be here about now, right?"

Nodding, he followed her out the room and down, smiling when Kevin came through the front door with a woman he assumed was Ellie. The boy dropped her hand and sprinted over to y/n, who dropped down to hug him tightly. Max looked on, chest squeezing, searching for something that had been lacking, as mother and son talked and hugged, their words overlapping. They both understood each other perfectly, though, and he smiled at Kevin's excited retelling of what he'd had for breakfast. Introducing himself to Ellie, he reached to shake her hand.

"Mister Max!" The boy squealed.

"Kevin!" He was down in a split second, Ellie forgotten and chest constricting tighter as Kevin hugged him like a long lost friend.

"I saw two cats and a horse!" Kevin tugged at his shirt, grinning as he showed off his Red Bull merch.

"You did? What kind of cats?" he asked, taking the boy's cap and beginning to roll the brim for him while the boy described the cats and then the horse. Returning the cap, he enthused over animals, telling him about his own two cats and pulling out his phone to show him a few pictures.

"I miss Cotton," Kevin said with a small pout.

"Is that your cat?" Max saw his trainer approaching and gave him a quick nod.

"Yeah. We can't bring him to Eng-a-lund so Aunt Ellie's sister has him." Kevin's pout melted into a faint smile. "But she sends lots of pictures!"

"That's good. And maybe you'll be able to get him soon."

"Mama says it's s'pensive." The boy sighed as though he had to earn the money to bring his beloved cat to England.

"I know," Max sympathized. "Go with your mum, yeah? I've got to go train."

Kevin's face puckered in confusion. "Train? Like Shang?"

Y/n cleared her throat. "We watched Mulan on the flight last night."

"What did Shang do?" Max vaguely remembered the movie, but it had been years since he'd seen it.

"He made a man out of 'em."

"Okay, doodle bug, we have to let Max get his workout in," y/n said, flashing Max a smile. "If you ask another question he'll start singing the song."

Max stared at her then turned his attention back to Kevin. "What song?"

Because he had to. Because hearing her groan as her son began singing a song about being a man was priceless. And the dramatic way she hung her head when Ellie joined in made him laugh. Kevin giggled, cutting off his singing and looking at Max hopefully. "Will you watch it with me?"

"I—"

"Mister Max is too busy to watch a movie," y/n cut in.

"We'll watch it this weekend," Max promised, hating the sadness in the boy's eyes. Relieved when it disappeared in a flash, he gave him a high five and stood.

"Yay!"

He exchanged a look with y/n, who sighed and nodded, reaching for Kevin's hand. "I'll see you later," he said.

"5 o'clock," she reminded him as he headed out.

*-*

"So…"

Y/n groaned at Ellie's knowing tone. Watching as Kevin was snatched up by Lando so he wasn't crashed into by Charles in the impromptu game of football, she folded her arms over her chest. "So?"

"He had coffee with you."

God, here we go.

"Showed you his private room and his expensive computer setup… Let you take a nap in his bed—"

"He's just being nice," y/n insisted.

"And he's gonna take time out of his ridiculously busy weekend to watch a movie with Kevin." Ellie hummed, taking a sip of her tea.

Ignoring her, y/n looked on as Lando, Oscar, and Logan pretended to fight back the others while Kevin kicked the ball towards the goal. They were all shouting, dramatic and over the top, and above it all she heard the sweetest sound of her son's laughter. When the ball rolled into the net there was a roar that rivaled a championship game, and she joined in the cheering and applauding.

"You could do worse," Ellie murmured.

"Would you stop?" Y/n rolled her eyes, giving Logan a thumbs up when he gestured to the football and Kevin, understanding they wanted to have another quick game.

"He's cute."

"They all are," y/n muttered without thinking, lifting her camera for a few photos for her personal collection. Recognizing Checo when he suddenly appeared in the viewfinder, she snapped more photos, lowering the camera to watch.

"You know—"

"I can't wait for you to start your job so I can come and try to partner you up with a coworker," she huffed, snorting when Ellie gasped.

"You wouldn't."

"In a heartbeat."

"Besides, there's only one person in that group that's technically your coworker," Ellie said.

"I'm not here for that."

"I know." Ellie leaned against her briefly. "Wouldn't be me if I didn't encourage a delusion, though."

"Yeah…" Y/n laughed softly. "It's my first day, of course everyone's already in love with me."

"Exactly."

It was what she loved about Ellie. No matter what, she could make her laugh. Grinning, she watched Kevin bump into Oscar, who immediately collapsed with an exaggerated howl of pain, holding the leg that Kevin hadn't touched. "And they're all so good with kids."

"Total dad material, every one of them," Ellie agreed. "Not a stepdad, a dad who stepped up."

She choked on a laugh, playfully swatting her friend's arm. Because she knew Logan had overheard them. "Stop—"

"And probably more than willing to crack your back—"

"Oh my god." Clapping a hand over her face, she sensed someone approaching. "I have to work with these people."

"Only until they fuck a baby into you."

"Hey, y/n, your kid's so cool," Logan said.

Her face burned but she slowly pulled her hand away, giving him a weak smile. "Thanks."

He propped his hands on his waist, breathing heavy as he watched Kevin dart between Lando, Oscar, Checo, and Alex. "He always this energetic?"

"Fify-fifty. He's either like this or so quiet I worry he's up to something."

Logan chuckled. "Is he a troublemaker?"

"Nah, if he's quiet it's because he's focused on his cars or studying a bug."

"Christ! Get it away from me!"

Y/n's heart lurched at the sudden shriek from Lando, and she barely saw him sprinting away from her son, who was holding something in his hands.

"It's a frog, mate!" Oscar shouted behind him.

"Don't care!"

Kevin slowly walked over to y/n. "Mama, look!" he said, eyes shining with excitement. His cheeks were a little flushed from the hard play and he was giggling. "Mister Lando scared of a l'il frog."

"He's just not a country boy like you, honey," she soothed. "But maybe we should put the frog somewhere he'll be safe?"

"C'mon, Kev, I'll help you," Logan offered.

"Hmm," Ellie hummed once Logan had scooped Kevin up, cupping one hand over the boy's to keep the frog from jumping away.

"Shut it."

"I didn't say a word."

"Please, that hmm contained at least two paragraphs, ten innuendoes, and a pointed reference," y/n said, trailing behind Logan. Looking on as he set Kevin down near the tree line, she got a few pictures of them releasing the frog. She cringed when her son wiped his dirty hands on his shorts but Logan didn't seem to mind, lifting him up and carrying him back to her.

"He's free!" Kevin squealed. "Thanks, Mister Logan."

"Anytime, Kev." He tousled his curly hair after setting him down, flashing a shy smile at y/n.

She returned the smile, eyes following Kevin as he ran back to the game. "He's gonna pass out as soon as we get back to the hotel."

"He could probably run circles around all of us all night," Logan chuckled.

"True…"

"So like…" He cleared his throat. "Are you married?"

God, she loved Floridians. "No," she answered, turning to look at him. "Are you?"

"God no." He made a face at the thought. "So you're single?"

She nodded, already formulating how she would turn him down if he asked her out. She was too busy. Not interested in anything romantic at the moment. It never hurt to be honest, right? She couldn't lie and say she just had a messy breakup or—

"Would you be interested in – I'm not trying to hook up or anything," he said quickly when she opened her mouth. "Just, like, as a friend? I know how it is to feel like a fish out of water here. I'm kind of used to it but I can remember feeling like I was alone and surrounded by people who didn't understand my Americanisms."

"Oh." Aw. Damn it, she couldn't say no to that. "I… Yeah, sure, I'd like that."

He smiled. "Awesome. Maybe we can do something tomorrow after practice?" he suggested.

"Sure, sounds great. Text me?" she requested. Her phone alarm started going off and she pulled it out to silence it. "I gotta go. I'll see you later."

She waved to Ellie and mimed that she had to get some work done, waiting for her friend to wave back before making her way to the garage. While walking she got a message from one of the mechanics that the cars were photo ready and quickened her pace, envisioning the photos she would get of the mechanics and engineers. As she worked she asked questions, truly interested in what everyone did, a small idea forming that she'd run by Mr. Horner later. She knew that she would enjoy mini profiles on the team, with just the most basic of information like their names and where they were from. Maybe how long they'd been on the team, what had brought them to formula one…

"Thanks so much guys," she said as she finished up, declining the offer of a cold Red Bull. Her alarm went off again – twenty minutes to get ready to meet Max in the lounge back at the motorhome – and she switched off the camera, waving bye and turning to leave the garage.

She slammed into a human wall, grunting in surprise as she stumbled back. Twice in one day, really? The bump had caused the camera to slam against her ribs and she rubbed the spot gently. "I'm sorry! Wasn't looking where I was going."

She expected a chuckle, a reassurance that it was a hazard of the job. Maybe even an apology in return. Instead, the older man sneered at her, looking her up and down in such a way she felt like a child caught misbehaving. "You need to learn your place."

She gulped, fear prickling through her embarrassment. And even though she knew she hadn't done anything wrong, she found her mouth opening to apologize. "S-sorry."

"Horner know better than to hire amateurs," he muttered, scoffing. "He obviously didn't hire you for your looks."

She bristled at that. "I beg your pardon?"

"As you should." He brushed past her.

She felt weak. Clammy and cold. Shuddering slightly, she swallowed hard and left the garage, heading straight for the motorhome, where she was able to catch her breath. Who the hell had that been? He'd been wearing a Red Bull pass, so he had to be on the team. He was obviously important. She couldn't imagine him being considered her boss, not when everyone else had been so nice and—

"Ah, y/n, are you ready to do the Q and A?" Max asked.

Y/n felt her lungs burn and sucked in a breath, staring at the cup of coffee she'd made herself. "Y-yeah, I'll meet you up on the deck?"

Please go up, please go up, please go—

"What's wrong?"

Goddammit.

"Y/n?" He looked and sounded concerned, and she ducked her head as he walked over. "Hey…"

"I'm fine," she lied.

"You're a terrible liar," he said, leaning against the counter. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm just overreacting." Rubbing her hand over her face, she shook her head and reached for the coffee. "Just a run-in with an asshole."

"But I haven't seen you in three hours." Max's lips barely twitched at the corner.

"Not you, a different asshole." She felt her cheeks burn and groaned. "I'm not saying you're an asshole!"

"You don't have to, I already know I can be an asshole at times." Folding his arms over his chest, he met her eyes. "Who was it?"

"That's the thing, I don't even know. I was coming out of the garage – You know, I went down to get pics of the mechanics? Anyway, I was about to text you about the Q and A and wasn't looking where I was going and bumped into him."

"Who?"

"I don't know. Older, kinda tall? Sour faced." She raised a hand to the man's approximate height. "I apologized and he told me I need to learn my place, then said I was an amateur and Horner obviously didn't hire me for my looks – I didn't ask his name because I was in shock. All I know is he had a Red Bull pass."

Max's brow furrowed, and she felt him tense. Then, to her surprise, he described the man perfectly.

"Yeah, that's him." She bit her lip. "You know him?"

"Unfortunately," he muttered. "It's my dad."

"Oh." Y/n looked down at her coffee. "Sorry."

"Me too." He sighed, pushing away from the counter. "Don't listen to him, yeah? You have more right to be here than he does, and you're not an amateur. As much as I hate social media, even I can tell that you're excellent at your job."

"Thank you," she whispered. "I just… I've spent my entire adult life working to improve myself and discover my own worth as a human being, and I can give other women empowering pep talks, but I still freeze when a man that thinks he's better than me talks down to me."

"Fuck him," Max said simply. "He's not your boss, he can't control anything you do in your life."

"Either you're really trying to make me feel better or you really don't like your dad," she murmured. When he didn't reply, she slowly lifted her gaze. Seeing the muscle in his jaw twitch, she felt a pang of sympathy. If the man had been that rude to her, a stranger, she couldn't begin to imagine what he'd been like to his own son.

"If he speaks to you like that again, you let me know."

"I don't want to cause a fuss—"

"Not wanting to cause a fuss is why he thinks he can get away with it," Max pointed out. "I'll speak to Christian—"

"Max, no, it's literally my first week!"

"Which is why you have to set boundaries now. He'll either treat you with the respect you deserve or he'll be banned from the paddock."

Y/n blinked in shock. "You'd have him banned?"

"In a heartbeat." The look on his face told her he was serious, from the determined set of his jaw to the way he kept his eyes level with hers. "So either you mention it to Christian in the team meeting or I will."

"God," she groaned, knowing that this had to be just one tiny item among a long list of infractions for Max to want him banned. "Okay. I'll tell him before the team meeting tomorrow."

"Good. Come, let's do the Q and A. You ready?" he asked, taking her empty cup and throwing it away.

"Yeah." Grateful for the distraction, she walked to the stairs with him. "I did a clip of you looking confused and posted it on TikTok and Instagram that went viral because I captioned it When You Ask Max Verstappen About Anything But Racing. Oh and I found out Tumblr fans love making gifs of you laughing. Twitter likes making memes out of your face. Whereas Facebook is mostly a bunch of boomers commenting about how I'm ruining the integrity of the sport."

"I really do hate social media," he snorted.

"And that is why I'm doing social media," she teased. Halfway up the stairs, she slowed, turning to look at him. "Thank you, Max."

"For hating social media? You're welcome."

taglist

@spookystitchery | @halleest | @lyannesworld | @llando4norris

[sanemistar]

entry 2 :: hoodie season — satoru gojo

𝜗𝜚 synopsis: fall is your favorite season of the year, and it’s because you get to steal your boyfriend’s hoodies. 𝜗𝜚 starring: satoru ft. fem!reader ﾉ 𝜗𝜚 cw: reader is depicted as shorter than satoru (height difference)

ᡣ𐭩 | back: event masterlist ︴jjk masterlist

“you should totally get this one, toru.” you tell your boyfriend, as you point at a sky blue hoodie that you coincidentally spot while you’re walking around the city together with him.

“so that you could steal it, right?” satoru replies back sarcastically, he knows that it’s been your intention from the very moment you’ve made the suggestion. being satoru’s girlfriend, you’ve managed to develop a habit of stealing his clothes, especially his hoodies. they always keep you warm on cold days. your hoodies are yours, and his hoodies are also yours. it’s like an unspoken rule between the two of you by now, not that he minds it, though. he likes seeing you wearing them, so it’s pretty much a win-win situation.

“you know me so well.” you giggle as you hold onto your boyfriend’s forearm. the two of you walk into the store and buy that sky blue hoodie.

“anything for you, love.” your wish is his command, he can never say no to you. another reason why you wanted to buy it the moment your eyes laid on it, aside from wanting another hoodie to steal, was because that its color reminded you of satoru, his beautiful eyes to be more specific, so it holds a special and a significant meaning to you. from now on, whenever you’ll wear it you’ll be immediately reminded of your beloved boyfriend, which will come in handy when he’s out on long missions and you’re left yearning for him.

in return, satoru also naturally develops a habit of buying extra hoodies especially for you, he’s totally smitten with seeing you wearing them. he’s very tall, so all his hoodies look too big on you. he’s simply obsessed with the way they make you look, so adorable and endearing. it’s almost as if you can see little hearts in his eyes. he's definitely going to make you try the new hoodie on first thing when you two get back home, and you best believe he’s gonna fall head over heels for you all over again.