#so uhhh... new trailer dropped huh?

[ner0phyte]

rg

[car-karaoke]

Cake

Prompt 38: "Just pretend to be my date" with Alexander Ludgwig

Requested by the lovely @normatural

Warnings: none, just fluff

You had only been working as a makeup artist on Vikings for a few months, but it has been the most incredible job you'd ever have. All of the cast were shockingly nice to you, especially considering you were still getting used to working on such a huge show. More times than not, you took twice as long as the other artists, making sure every painstaking detail was to your utter satisfaction. Your end products were incredible, but you found yourself always apologizing for taking so long. Only a few times did someone show any annoyance to it

One of the extras was in a mood that day. She was playing a shieldmaiden, and you were currently working on perfecting a bloody gash on her cheekbone. Your tongue stuck out ever so slightly in concentration when she cleared her throat rudely, causing you to fumble and drop your brush

"Shit" you muttered under your breath, grabbing the now dirty brush and putting it in your cleaning solution. You grabbed a fresh one and focused your attention back on her face, which now smudged unpleasantly to your critical eyes

"I'm just going to need to re-do this little part here, just hang in there I'm sorry" you stated quietly to the actress. She huffed dramatically and looked at her watch

"Do you really need to fix that? It's not like it really matters. You're not even one of the important makeup artists here. Besides, I'm supposed to look bloody and war-beaten, not like I'm going to prom" she finished with raised eyebrows

Her comment hit you in the gut. You tried your best to be confident in all parts if your life, especially your job, but given the fact that you were already worried about your work enough as it was, you couldn't help the pit you started to feel in your stomach. Before you could stammer out a reply, a voice rose out from the corner

"Hey! Are you kidding me?? There is NO reason to talk to someone like that! Especially not a damn behind the scenes staff member. They are the only reason we look as amazing as we do. Get the fuck out of here and do it yourself then" Alex yelled, already out of his chair and walking towards yours

You were shocked at his response. Although Alex was always a perfect gentleman to you, you never expected he would stick up for you like that. The woman got up from your chair and muttered an apology to you before leaving. Alex shook his head in frustration and leaned against the counter, arms crossed, looking down at you

"Sorry if you were going to say something, I just kinda snapped on her. That pisses me off when I see people getting treated like that" he admitted

"Of course I dont mind, thank you" you smiled up at him. He returned your smile and gave your shoulder a supportive pat before sitting back down in his own chair. Your friend was working on his makeup at the moment. You never understood how she could be so calm while being more inches away from such attractive people

"Y/N, do you mind taking over for me? I'm nearly done, but I just need to make an important phone call" she carefully said. She knew full well that you have always really liked Alex. If you were a betting woman, you'd say there was no actual phone call.

"Uhhh....yeah! That's okay, I can finish up for you" you shyly smiled. You rarely got the chance to work on the bigger actors/actresses. She sent you a knowing smile before heading out, leaving just the two of you in the trailer

You settled in, trying to concentrate on your job rather than the piercing blue of Alex's eyes. As you went to work, you casually asked him how he had been doing recently and what his plans were for the weekend. Most of the cast and crew had the next few days off

"Eh, not a whole lot is new with me. As far as plans go, I'm supposed to be heading to a friend's wedding. But it's a rather small wedding, and my buddy didn't tell me until just this morning that almost everyone is going with a date....and I don't have one" he laughed awkwardly

Before you could stop yourself you blurted out "You don't have a girlfriend?" Typically, you weren't that forward. Alex gave you an amused smile before your eyes bulged out and you tried to backpedal. "I'm sorry... I don't know why I just said that. That was really rude oh my god. I'm so sorry" you stuttered

Alex grabbed your hand reassuringly with a laugh. "You're fine Y/N! Don't worry. And to answer your question, no. I'm single as a pringle" he smiled. "What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked without hesitation

"No" you replied shyly, starting to blush a little. Then you put your foot in your mouth again. "I'll be your fake date to the wedding if you want! I'm a sucker for wedding cake" you blurted out. Embarrassment immediately followed you, causing you to facepalm yourself

To your surprise, Alex busted out laughing. "Fake date huh? I'm down for that if you're being serious" he stated. You looked up at him with shock

"Uhm...I mean yeah! Of course I'll go with you! I can just be your friend, dont worry. You dont have to pretend to be into me or anything" you said awkwardly. God you were bad at this

Alex just beamed at you, his eyes crinkling from his smile. "Alright, it's a date Y/N" he simply said, writing his number down on a piece of paper and giving it to you. You couldn't believe this was actually happening

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was the day of the wedding. You were all ready to go, a simple but fancy enough dress on, hair done in loose curls framing your face, and semi-bold makeup on point. Alex was going to be picking you up in 5 minutes. You were pacing around your small apartment trying to gather some extra confidence. You knew you looked good, but this is Alex we're talking about. He basically looks like a god at all time

A knock on your door broke you out of your daze and you jumped involuntarily. Taking a deep breath, you opened the door to reveal Alex in all his glory. He looked incredible. You couldn't help but stare at him. 'Think Y/N, tell him he looks great' you thought to yourself. Before you could muster up the courage to say anything, Alex interrupted you

"Wow Y/N...you look gorgeous!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, eyes shamelessly looking you up and down. You blushed and shyly thanked him. He handed you a small bouquet of flowers, all of which happened to be your favorite. You gawked at the array of colors as Alex chuckled

"I asked Laura what your favorites were" he quietly admitted. Laura was your friend and coworker. You were overcome with emotion and looked up at him happily

"Alex, you know you didn't have to do this. Especially since I'm not like... you know... your actual date or anything" you stammered. You played with your fingers nervously

"Well as far as I'm concerned, you are my date. You look gorgeous and you're my friend. So what if we're not actually dating" he said simply before taking your hand and leading you to his car. He opened the door for you and you just shook your head and laughed

The wedding venue was gorgeous. It was an outdoor ceremony and reception. Even though it was summer, the night got chillier as it went on. During the ceremony, Alex wrapped his arm around your shoulder casually. Your legs were touching, and you tried with everything you could to keep yourself together. Alex sighed as the ceremony concluded and the happy wedded couple kissed

"I love weddings" he sighed with a smile. You glanced over at him, forgetting how close his face was to yours

"Yeah? Me too" you said quietly. "Something about two people in love committing themselves to each other. It's beautiful"

Alex just hummed in response, dreamily looking at you. "Beautiful. I agree" he whispered. You felt like you were about to melt right there

"You're charming Ludwig, you know that?" You responded softly. He just smirked

"And you're gorgeous" he stated. You blushed like mad and thanked him. "You know, you're treating me like we're actually on a date. Not saying that's a bad thing, but still. I thought you just thought of me as a friend" you joked, trying to cut the sexual tension you were feeling. His eyes narrowed at you

"That's because I do wish this was an actual date. I was going to ask you seriously before you suggested going as a 'fake date'..." he admitted sheepishly. You couldn't believe your ears. Instinctively, you took your hand and grabbed his

"Alex....you have no idea how bad I wanted this to be an actual date too" you started laughing lightly. "I just didn't think you were into me like that. I thought you had a girlfriend to be honest" you stated

He smiled and got up, pulling you along with him. "Well....hopefully I will have a girlfriend soon. Because I'm looking at this wonderful, talented, stunning woman right now and I want to get to know everything about her" he said confidently

You couldn't help the blush that overtook your cheeks, shaking your head in disbelief. "Oh is that so? She must be a very lucky woman. I'm kinda jealous of her" you amusingly smiled. It was his turn to shake his head in laughter

He wrapped his hand around your waist and led you over to the dining hall. He dramatically twirled you as you walked, before kissing your hand like a disney prince would

"Come on love, let's go get you some cake"

Hope you liked it hunny!!

@normatural @thevikingsheaux @lisinfleur @dangerousvikings @tephi101

[stormy-boy]

Rivals to What? (Part 2/2)

Part 2 of the first ask.

Cruz Ramirez couldn’t believe it. Of all the people she could have fallen in love with, it just had to be him. The guy who insisted that she couldn’t be a racer. The guy who slammed her against the wall at the Florida 500. The guy whose ego was too big for his cab. But it happened nonetheless. It must have been because he wasn’t just “that guy.” He was something more.

When she first started approaching Jackson, it was with the goal of making amends. Cruz didn’t like the idea of there being bad blood between them, so she wanted to at least let him know that there were “no hard feelings.” But he rejected her. She expected as much. So she tried again… and again… and again…

She didn’t know why she was so persistent. She should have just given up the first time. But Cruz wasn’t one to give up, especially on other people. So maybe that was part of why she kept trying. Or maybe it was because she thought she saw something in him. Some potential. The potential to be better. And after that night at the bar, she believed it.

It took a while. All her usual tactics of motivating people seemed to be wasted on him. Those tactics included being annoyingly positive to the point of driving him crazy. They also included song and dance, which made Jackson roll his eyes so far back that all you could see was white.

“Morning, Storm! Ready for another great day of practice together?”

“Ughhhhhh.”

But they must have had some effect, because he started doing things that she normally wouldn’t have expected him to do. Things that could almost be called nice.

The first time she fell for him must have been at the race at the Heartland Motor Speedway. She had placed fifth, her worst race of the season. She was driving away from a recent interview to the trailer lot when a few other Next-Gen racers, those of which she didn’t know very well, gossiped loudly as she passed, with the intention of being overheard.

“Ramirez hasn’t been doing so well lately.”

“Yeah, there’s a reason why she’s the only girl in the Piston Cup right now.”

“Girls like her just can’t keep up with men.”

It took everything in her power not to burst into tears on the spot. And she probably would have, if Jackson hadn’t happened to overhear them as well.

“Ohh, so you’re all men, are you? Last time I checked, men insult other people to their faces. So go on then—”

Jackson revved up next to Cruz, just daring them to come forward with his eyes.

“—tell it to her face.”

The boys exchanged looks. They weren’t willing to go that far.

“Thanks,” she had told him after they scampered away.

“They’re not even in the top 10,” Jackson scoffed as he watched them leave.

It wasn’t much, but it did prove to her that he cared. That he cared for her, when it seemed he didn’t care for anyone but himself.

She wanted to know how he could be like that. So confident. He admitted he wasn’t as confident as he looked, but he was at least more self-assured than her. So he could impart some of that courage to her, even if it was in the form of crude demands to “Just be more confident, duh” or half-assed suggestions, because Jackson wasn’t too good at raising people up. But he’d get better at it. And the effort alone somehow helped.

Cruz was also relatively new to the racing scene, so she benefited from learning a few methods from Jackson, who was no longer a rookie himself. Methods that a veteran like Lightning wasn’t so aware of himself. And that was when she realized just how much of a talented racer Jackson really was. That he was a hard worker who very proud of his expertise. And though he was snarky and sarcastic, there was something charming about him. And that was when she fell for him a second time.

The third time was a little different.

—

The day was like any other day. They had just gotten done practicing at the local racetrack when Cruz decided, right then and there, she was going to tell him how she really felt. The trouble was, though, that she had no idea he felt the same way. As far as she knew, he perceived her in a solely platonic manner. And the very idea of Jackson Storm rejecting her feelings—brushing them off like they were nothing, laughing at her even—was enough to stall her engine. But she had to tell him. She was Cruz Ramirez after all—there wasn’t a challenge she refused to face.

It almost seemed like Jackson knew, because there was an tense mood in the air that neither of them could quite put their tire on. They idled awkwardly by the tunnel leading to the outside, like they were waiting for one of them to say goodbye first, but neither of them quite wanted to leave just yet.

“What?” Cruz asked suddenly, though Jackson hadn’t made a sound.

“What?”

“Did-did you—?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Oh…” Cruz shifted the dirt with her tire, refusing to meet Jackson’s gaze.

Jackson narrowed his eyes at her, sensing that something was up. “You’re acting weird, Ramirez…”

“Am—am I?” Cruz uttered a crazed kind of laugh. “HA! Ha ha…ha…”

Jackson watched her do this with cool composure. “Are you going to say something, then?”

Cruz tensed up. This was it. Would she go for it? “Uhhh…nope!”

Jackson continued to study her with an vaguely inquisitive look on his face, which made Cruz all the more nervous. He must have seen right through to her. His ability to read people was like none other.

“What is this, anyway?” he asked suddenly, giving her a quick up-and-down.

“What?”

“This?” He gestured to the track. “You and I hanging out and stuff. What are we—friends or something?”

Cruz was conflicted. Was this the moment? Would she finally tell him how she really viewed him? Did she really think of him as a friend?

“….no.”

Cruz observed the most crestfallen look flash across Jackson’s face. It was akin to what she saw at the Florida 500 when she had beaten him. But it was only for a split second. His face hardened just as quickly, and he gave a dry laugh.

“Ha. I knew it. You were just trying to siphon some racing secrets from me. Either that, or you think I’m some poor lost soul that needs guiding. Well I’m glad you told me, so I can stop wasting my time.”

Jackson swiveled around to exit through the tunnel, and she could have sworn she caught his features adopt a pained quality.

“Because… because it’s not even like I liked you anyway—”

“We’re more than just friends!”

Jackson halted in his tracks. He froze like this for a second, facing away from her, not moving an inch. He slowly turned back around, and there was that look again. He was trying to figure her out. “What?”

Cruz winced, and she drew back slightly, wishing she could have worded her feelings more eloquently. “At least—at least that’s how I see you.”

Jackson didn’t look surprised. It was like he knew all along. But he did appear… pensive. What? What was it that he was thinking? Was he considering the best way to turn her down without hurting her? But no, he was Jackson Storm after all. Maybe he was determining the perfect way to reject her as viciously as possible. Maybe—

He locked onto her with a steady gaze. “Why?”

Cruz thought only for a second, and then her words started spilling out faster than she could produce them. “Because… because you’re what I wish I could be! Confident. Sure of yourself. You never let anybody tell you you can’t do something, because you always believe that you can! You never stop working to get what you want. And you defended me at that one race, so maybe you do care. And you’re actually sort of nice sometimes, like how you’ve been helping me with my racing. And you’re really talented at that, and not to mention, you’re—you’re really attractive and—”

“Huh.”

Cruz glanced up and Jackson was taking this in with a calm but curious expression. ‘Huh’? What does that mean? Just tell me already! I don’t even care anymore if you don’t like me, I just need to know if you do or you don’t, the suspense is killing me!

“I wish I could be you.”

Cruz frowned. That wasn’t the response she was expecting. “Really?”

Jackson dipped his hood, training his eyes on the ground. “I would never say what I really felt about someone like you just did.”

Cruz didn’t know how to take this. Did she make a mistake by saying all that? But didn’t he just say he admired that about her?

A cryptic, faint smile spread across Jackson’s face. He still didn’t look her way. “Not to mention you know how to make everybody love you.”

“Oh… didn’t you tell me that at the—?”

“Including me.”

Cruz’s jaw dropped open, and her crankshaft started rotating at what seemed a million RPM. Was he saying what she thought he saying? She found it hard to breathe. Words no longer made sense to her. “Wha….WHAT?”

When she peered up at Jackson, she noticed that he still avoided her gaze. He pressed his lips together and moved them around aimlessly, something she noticed him doing whenever he had a lot on his mind. He shifted his weight back and forth, and Cruz realized that he must have been embarrassed. Embarrassed?! Jackson Storm: embarrassed??

The two of them bathed in that awkward silence for what seemed like hours. Cruz reckoned she would overheat from the very thought of him and her together. As more than friends. She wondered if Jackson was experiencing something similar. Then suddenly, both at once, they felt the need to speak the thoughts racing through their minds.

“Jackson—”

“Cruz—”

And then their eyes finally connected. And Cruz watched Jackson’s face take on such an innocent look of intrigue toward the future—their—future, that she felt herself grow warm with mirth. Then he relaxed into something mildly content. He gazed at her like he suddenly appreciated her for just being there. And it felt so out of place on someone like him, and yet… she believed it.

“Sooo…” Cruz’s eyes darted around. “What does that make us now?… Friends?”

“No.”

“Rivals?”

“No.”

“Then…?”

“Lovers.”

I got the idea of Jackson doing the weird lip movement from a similar thing he does when talking to Lightning after the “Morning, Champ!” line.