#the winter break isn’t for the drivers or teams; it’s for me to get a break from than man

[gottalovef1drama]

As a german F1 fan: there’s nothing worse than seeing the german commentators pulling up to the red bull garage, because you just know that they’re about to whip out Helmut old fart Marko and interview him again and he’ll be sooo difficult to listen to. I’m sorry but y’all don’t understand the pain of having to endure that man every single weekend. I can’t do it anymore.

[pucksandpower]

Hi!! I always see fics of Charles being the one who isn’t believed he’s in a relationship (and i eat it all up cause it’s such a fun trope 😌) but what if it’s the reader’s turn. Like she’s a normal university student who always talks about her boyfriend but her friends and her fellow students just don’t believe her so Charles decides to surprise her and just be the proof. Thanks in advance!!

Daydream

Charles Leclerc x engineering student!Reader

Summary: You are living the dream … except no one actually believes that your boyfriend is really your boyfriend

You walk into class after the winter break with a sun-kissed glow and a new watch on your wrist.

Your friend Matteo notices it immediately and lets out a low whistle.

“Wow, that has to be the most realistic looking fake I’ve ever seen! Where did you get it?” He asks with a grin.

You roll your eyes but smile back. “It’s not a fake. Charles gave it to me for Christmas.”

Your friends barely give you a chance to get the last word out before they burst out laughing. You feel your cheeks flush in embarrassment and annoyance.

“Oh sure, I’m certain that your very real boyfriend, Charles Leclerc the Formula 1 driver, just happened to give you a €340,000 Richard Mille for Christmas,” your other friend Livia jokes.

“Come on guys, I’m serious! Charles and I have been dating for months now. We met when I was interning with Ferrari last year,” you insist.

But your friends just keep chuckling and shaking their heads in disbelief.

“If you were really dating an F1 driver, you would be posting cute couple-y pics all over Instagram. There’s no way anyone in that position could resist showing off a little,” Matteo argues.

You let out an exasperated sigh. You and Charles agreed to keep your relationship out of the public eye for now to avoid media scrutiny. But your friends just see this as further proof that you’re making it all up.

“Maybe he’s embarrassed to be seen with an engineering student,” Livia quips.

That stings a bit, even though you know she doesn’t mean for it to.

You slump down in your chair, absentmindedly fiddling with the exquisite watch on your wrist. You hadn’t realized it was worth so much when Charles gave it to you. The way his eyes lit up when you unwrapped it on Christmas morning was priceless. He was so excited to spoil you in any way he could. And now your friends think it’s just a cheap fake.

Charles is always doing ridiculously romantic things like flying you out on a private jet just so you can spend any free weekends together and sending you bouquets of roses bigger than you are. But no one believes that he’s really your boyfriend. To them, it’s all just part of an elaborate scheme you’ve concocted.

You met Charles when you were one of ten engineering graduate students selected for a prestigious internship with Scuderia Ferrari. You spent six months working in Maranello, learning from some of motorsport’s brightest minds.

Charles took an interest in you immediately. He would come by your workstation in the aerodynamics lab, peppering you with thoughtful questions about your projects. You would discuss aerodynamic principles and simulations for hours. Even ex-team principal Mattia Binotto said the two of you had a visible “synergy.”

Your internship had since ended but your relationship with Charles continued. You tried to play it cool at first, not wanting to seem overly eager. The day after you went back to study in Milan, he asked you out to dinner. Your first date lasted five hours as you talked endlessly about everything under the sun. You were amazed at how you never ran out of things to discuss.

Over the next few months, you grew closer and closer. Charles would take weekend trips to Milan just to see you, even if it was only for a few hours. He told you that you grounded him and reminded him that there was more to life than racing.

When he asked you to be his girlfriend after inviting you to the Monaco Grand Prix, you were shocked but ecstatic. You knew then that your hectic schedules won’t make it easy but Charles is unlike anyone you’ve ever known. He makes your heart race faster than a V12 engine.

You’re shaken from your reminiscing as Matteo waves a hand in front of your face. “Earth to Y/N! Come on, tell us where you got the watch. I want to get one too! It looks so identical to the real thing that we could probably sell it to some suckers on eBay.”

You shake your head with a huff. “Forget it, I’ll tell you all about my ‘fake’ boyfriend another time.”

For now, you’re just counting down the days until you can see Charles again.

No matter what anyone else may think, the two of you know that your love is real.

***

You’re humming along to your playlist as you drive Charles’ Purosangue on the winding roads leading to Milan. The SUV handles like a dream and you’re thoroughly enjoying the feeling of having 715 horsepower under your feet.

Your own trusty Fiat had broken down while visiting Charles in Monaco over the weekend. He insisted you take the Purosangue for the almost four hour drive back rather than waiting for a rental. You tried to decline at first, anxious about driving such an expensive vehicle. But Charles wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“I don’t like the idea of you driving all that way alone in some random rental car,” he argued. “This will be much safer and more comfortable for you, mon amour.”

You finally relented, unable to resist when he turned on the charm. Charles gave you a lengthy tutorial of all the car’s features before sending you off with a lengthy kiss and plans for your next visit.

As you pull into the Politecnico di Milano parking lot, you realize just what a scene you’re about to cause. The other students are used to seeing you in your almost ten-year-old Fiat, not a glittering metallic Ferrari.

Sure enough, jaws drop and whispers follow you as you step out of the driver’s seat. Matteo quickly spots you from across the lot and comes jogging over eagerly.

“No way! Is that ... is that a Purosangue?” He gapes. “What are you doing with that?”

“Funny story actually. My car broke down when I was visiting Charles in Monaco last weekend. So he let me borrow this while mine is in the shop.”

Matteo stares at you blankly. “Visiting Charles ... in Monaco?” He throws his head back and laughs. “Your dedication to this bit is honestly impressive, Y/N. But there’s no way that the Charles Leclerc just gave you his Ferrari to drive back to Milan.”

You sigh but you’re determined not to let Matteo get under your skin this time. “Believe what you want. But I had an amazing weekend with my boyfriend before heading back to reality today.”

You head into class, Matteo trailing behind you, still shaking his head in disbelief. Livia immediately jumps up when she sees you.

“Shut up, is that really a Ferrari outside?” She gasps. You nod nonchalantly and take your seat.

“Y/N here is trying to convince us that her boyfriend let her borrow it over the weekend,” Matteo says with an exaggerated eye roll.

“You do realize those start at €390,000 right?” Livia says. “Why on earth would Charles Leclerc of all people let you drive his brand new ultra luxury SUV around?”

You throw your up hands in indignation. “Maybe because he’s my boyfriend and he wanted to help me out! Why is that so hard for you guys to believe?”

But instead of listening to you, other classmates join the conversation and chime in with their own theories about why you suddenly have a Ferrari.

“Maybe she rented it to play a prank on everyone,” suggests Liam.

“No way,” Eva argues. “Maybe she got a big inheritance? Some distant rich relative died and left their fortune to Y/N?”

You groan internally. But before you can respond, your professor walks in and instructs everyone to take their seats.

Through the lecture, you catch people whispering and pointing discreetly at you. By the time class ends, you just want to go home and video chat with Charles about your frustrating day.

As you pack up your things, Livia comes over. “So have you thought about what you’ll tell people when they see you getting out of that Ferrari for the foreseeable future?” She asks.

You blink at her. “The truth? That Charles loaned it to me while my car is in the shop,” you say slowly.

She pats your shoulder. “Come on Y/N, the joke was funny at first but now it’s just getting sad. No one actually believes that you’re dating Charles Leclerc and driving his cars around. Just tell us where you really got it so we can all move on from this weird fantasy life you’ve constructed.”

You stand up abruptly, shoving your notebook in your bag. “It’s not a fantasy,” you spit sharply. “It’s my real life and I’m sorry you can’t accept that. But I don’t need to convince you or anyone else.”

You storm out of the classroom, blinking back frustrated tears.

Pulling out your phone, you text Charles.

I miss you. My friends still think I’m making this all up. I can’t wait to see you in Spain next race.

Charles texts back immediately.

Not as much as I miss you. Don’t worry about what other people think, we know our love is real.

And you looked so hot driving my car 😉

You smile down at your phone, comforted by his words. You may never get your friends and classmates to believe your relationship, but as long as you and Charles know the truth, that’s all that truly matters.

Sliding back behind the wheel of the shiny Ferrari, you feel your stress melt away. Who cares what anyone thinks? You have an amazing boyfriend who trusts you with his most prized possessions. And someday when you and Charles are ready to share your love with the world, everyone’s jaws will drop in disbelief.

For now, you’ll just enjoy the ride.

***

It’s nearly time for summer break and you’re sitting outside with Matteo, Livia, and some other friends, soaking up the sunshine.

“We should all go backpacking around the Greek islands in August!” Suggests Livia. “We could start in Athens, then ferry to Mykonos, Santorini, and end in Crete. Who’s in?”

Everyone voices their enthusiasm for the idea. Then Matteo turns to you. “How about it, Y/N? Take a break from your ‘boyfriend’ and come adventuring with us common folk.”

You take a deep breath and stir your coffee, debating on how to break the news. “That sounds amazing but I already have plans for the summer.”

“Oh yeah? Going home to see your family?” Matteo asks.

You take a deep breath. “Actually, Charles and I are going on a vacation for a few weeks.”

Your friends erupt into laughter.

“A holiday? With Charles Leclerc?” Livia giggles. “Girl, your fantasies are really taking off lately!”

You frown in annoyance. “I’m serious. Charles chartered a yacht and everything. I wish you could see how excited he is for our first big trip together. He’s been planning it for months.”

Livia pats your hand gently. “Sweetie, we know you’re probably feeling financial pressure with school and all. You don’t have to lie about going off on some glamorous vacation. If you can’t afford to join us in Greece, just say so.”

You stare at her in disbelief. “This isn’t about money. Charles and I have been looking forward to this since the start of the season! I’m sorry that our relationship is still so unbelievable to you.”

Your aggravation must show on your face because Matteo holds up his hands appeasingly. “Look, I’m sure whatever you end up doing this summer will be great. But clearly this whole Charles charade has gone too far. It’s time to come clean.”

You stand up abruptly, grabbing your things. “I don’t need to come clean about anything. My relationship with Charles is real, whether you choose to believe it or not.”

You storm off fuming. Your friends’ outright refusal to even entertain the notion that you could be dating Charles is so patronizing and demeaning. Do they really think so little of you?

That night, you vent to Charles over FaceTime about the conversation.

“I just don’t get why it’s so hard for them to believe me! I know we’re not exactly a super conventional couple but it’s like they think I’m delusional,” you sigh.

Charles gives you a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry they’re being like this, mon cœur. But try not to let it upset you too much. We know the truth about our love. That’s what matters.”

You nod, cheered as always by his encouragement. “You’re right. I’m just so excited for our trip! Sailing around the Mediterranean with you all to myself? It’s going to be a dream.”

Charles grins. “Oh I can’t wait either. The yacht has a hot tub on deck under the stars. I want to make sure it’s just as magical as you deserve.”

You spend the rest of the call discussing your vacation itinerary and plans for when your families will join you in Sardinia.

Charles reassures you again not to worry about what others think.

“Soon we’ll share our love with the world. But for now, let’s just focus on us,” he says softly.

By the time you hang up, your frustration has faded. Matteo and Livia may not believe you but in a few short weeks you’ll be cruising the bright blue Mediterranean with the man of your dreams.

The day finally comes for your trip to begin. As Charles helps you aboard the sleek yacht, you forget all about your friends. They don’t know him like you do. And they definitely don’t know how he kisses you goodbye at the airport or the special way his eyes light up when he says “I love you.”

This vacation will be everything you’ve been dreaming of. And you know Charles will do whatever it takes to make it unforgettable.

As the yacht pulls away from the marina, the only thing on your mind is the blissful weeks ahead with your love. Everything else fades blissfully into the background.

***

You walk with the group of engineering students through the halls of Maranello, thrilled to be back at the Ferrari factory. You did your internship here last year but walking around still feels surreal.

As you pass the simulator room, you hear someone call your name.

“Y/N! Hold on a second!”

You turn and see Gianni, one of the simulator engineers you befriended during your internship. He jogs over holding a sleek black ring.

“Charles left this after his session the other day,” he presses the familiar band into your palm. “Can you get it back to him?” Gianni asks.

You grin, turning the ring over in your hands. Charles hates taking off his Oura fitness tracker but has to for simulator runs.

“Of course, I’ll give it back to him when I’m in Monaco.”

You turn back to your friends, expecting this to be the final push they need to believe you.

But Livia just rolls her eyes. “Come on Y/N, he is obviously in on this whole charade. I bet you convinced him to play along!”

The other students nod, chuckling. Your smile disappears.

“What? No, Gianni and I really worked together when I interned here! This isn’t some weird prank,” you insist.

Matteo pats your shoulder condescendingly. “It’s alright, you don’t have to keep pretending with us. We get it, you want people to think you’re dating Charles Leclerc. But it’s getting kind of sad now.”

You clench your fists in frustration as the group moves on. Why are they being so stubborn? You clearly know people here and have a real connection to Charles.

When you pass the aerodynamics lab, your mood lifts a bit. Your favorite team leader, Fabio, is there working on computational fluid dynamics simulations.

“Y/N! So great to see you back here!” He greets you warmly and pulls you into a friendly hug.

You chat with him for a few minutes, explaining about the visit. As you say goodbye, he adds, “Tell Charles I said hi when you see him this weekend!”

But Matteo just scoffs as you walk away. “Let me guess — he’s in on it too?”

You don’t even bother responding this time, too irritated. Why should you have to convince your so-called friends of anything? You don’t owe them proof when they’re clearly set on ignoring it.

As the tour concludes, Livia pulls you aside, her expression serious.

“Look Y/N, we’re a bit worried about you. All these stories ... it just seems unhealthy. We think you should talk to someone,” she says gently.

You gape at her. “Unhealthy? Because I mentioned my boyfriend a few times on a trip to his workplace? You guys are unbelievable.”

Livia frowns. “Come on, it’s more than that and you know it. The jewelry, the car, the traveling ... it’s all an elaborate fantasy life. We just want what’s best for you.”

You feel anger bubbling up inside you. Livia reaches for your arm but you jerk away.

“You want what’s best for me? Then start believing me! I love Charles and he loves me. I don’t need therapy just because you refuse to accept the facts,” you snap.

Livia looks taken aback. You don’t wait for her response, just turn on your heel and stalk away fuming.

You pull out your phone and call Charles, needing to vent. When he picks up, the sound of his voice instantly calms you.

Charles listens patiently as you recount the horrible field trip. “I’m so sorry they’re being like this, ma belle,” he soothes. “But you handled it well. Don’t let them make you question yourself.”

You sigh. “I just wish they could see how happy you make me. I hate that our love seems so unbelievable.”

“It’s their loss for not seeing what we have,” Charles replies. “Soon everyone will realize that I only have eyes for you.”

You chat for a while longer, feeling reassured. Your friends’ doubt used to make you sad but now it mostly just angers you.

You know the truth. This weekend when you fly to Monaco and fall asleep in Charles’ arms, what Matteo and Livia think won’t matter one bit.

The only thing that matters is the love between you and Charles.

And one day, both of you will make sure the whole world knows that it’s as real as it gets.

***

It’s Friday morning and you’re stuck in your Principles of Advanced Aerodynamics lecture, anxiously watching the clock.

The Italian Grand Prix weekend starts today but your professor refused to excuse you from class early. Which means you’re missing out on precious hours with Charles before free practice later today.

You resigned yourself to not seeing him until tonight when the classroom door bursts open.

And there stands Charles, looking unfairly handsome in a Ferrari branded polo and jeans.

“Sorry to interrupt professor,” Charles flashes a charming grin. “But I’m going to need to steal Y/N away for the weekend.”

He shoots you a playful wink and your heart melts.

Your classmates erupt in excited whispers as they realize that the Charles Leclerc is standing in front of them. Your professor’s lips are moving but no discernible sound comes out.

The professor struggles to find words for a moment. “You’re ... you’re Charles Leclerc!” He stammers.

Charles smiles humbly. “Yes sir. And as I’m sure you know, the free practice for the Italian Grand Prix starts today. I’ll need to have my good luck charm there with from the very start.”

He extends his hand to you.

You grab your bag, legs wobbling as you make your way to the front. Charles wraps a supportive arm around your waist.

“You see professor, Y/N is my biggest supporter. My results improve dramatically when she’s present. So surely any Ferrari fan would agree that she must be trackside all weekend?” Charles urges charmingly.

The professor nods mutely before seeming to find his voice again. “Yes, of course! We certainly want the best results for Ferrari here at home. Y/N, you’re excused for the day. If you give me just a moment ...” He rummages through his bag with shaking hands and pulls out a Ferrari phone case.

“Would you mind?” He asks sheepishly.

“Not at all,” Charles smiles, taking the case and scrawling his signature across it with a provided permanent marker.

Your professor looks ready to faint. “Thank you so much. Enjoy the race weekend. Forza Ferrari, sempre!”

Trying not to laugh, you quickly gather up the rest of your things. Your friends watch wide-eyed as Charles takes your hand.

“Ready, mon amour?” He asks.

When you nod, he sweeps you into his arms and kisses you passionately in front of the entire class.

“I missed you,” he murmurs against your lips.

You cling to him, dizzy from the kiss. “Not as much as I missed you. I can’t believe you came here just to pick me up.”

Charles caresses your cheek. “I’ll always come for you. Now let’s get going to Monza. I want to show you how much I appreciated your good luck texts before practice.”

He keeps your hand clasped firmly in his as you make your way outside. When you glance back through the windows, your classmates are still staring after you in stunned disbelief.

Once you’re in the familiar 488 Pista, you finally let out the laugh you’ve been suppressing. “Did you see the looks on everyone’s faces? I thought Professor Mancini was actually going to faint.”

Charles grins. “I know dramatic gestures aren’t usually my style but I wanted them to see once and for all that you’re mine.”

He lifts your intertwined hands to his lips. “No more doubting our love after today. And I meant what I said — you’re my good luck charm, Y/N. Having you here this weekend means everything.”

You smile up at him softly. “I’m just happy I can be here to support you.”

He kisses you deeply, still parked outside of the Politecnico, not caring who sees. And you know without a doubt that this amazing man and your once-in-a-lifetime romance are completely real.

The rest of the day flies by in a blur of excitement. In between practice sessions, Charles takes any chance he can to steal moments alone with you in his driver’s room.

His tender kisses and whispered reminders of his love send your heart racing faster than an F1 car.

***

It’s race day in Monza and you’re walking through the paddock hand-in-hand with Charles. His physio and press officer trail behind you both as Charles waves to the cheering Tifosi in the stands.

Suddenly, you hear voices calling your name.

You look over to see Matteo and Livia leaning over the fence, trying to get your attention.

“Y/N! We’re so sorry we didn’t believe you!” Livia shouts.

“Please come talk to us!” Yells Matteo. “We feel awful about everything!”

You stop short, conflicting emotions swirling through you. Charles senses your hesitation and squeezes your hand supportively.

“What do you want to do, mon cœur?” He asks. “I can try to get them paddock passes last minute if you want to talk.”

You bite your lip. Part of you wants them to witness first-hand the depth of your relationship with Charles. To show them just how wrong they were to mock and belittle your love.

But another part of you is still hurt by their stubborn refusal to believe you all this time. Do they really deserve VIP paddock access after the way they treated you?

“I don’t know, Charles ... they were so patronizing about our relationship for so long. I’m not sure they deserve the reward of paddock access after demeaning my feelings,” you reply.

Charles nods thoughtfully. “I understand. It’s completely up to you, of course. But it could be nice for them to see up close just how real our love is. Watching us together will help it finally sink in.”

You feel a smile tugging at your lips. Charles does make an appealing case ...

“Alright, I can’t say no to that adorable face,” you laugh and kiss his cheek. “But maybe keep them waiting a bit first as payback!”

Charles grins mischievously. “I think that can be arranged.” He pulls you in for a passionate kiss, dipping you backwards dramatically.

The crowd erupts in cheers and whistles, a wild and beautiful sea of Rosso Corsa.

When you come up for air, you see your friends watching open-mouthed from the stands. Charles winks at them over your shoulder before leading you away, his arm curled firmly around your waist.

Several hours later, Matteo and Livia finally receive their paddock passes. They rush over to you right away, profusely apologizing again.

“Seeing you and Charles together in class was unbelievable, but this ...” Matteo trails off, darting around at the bustling paddock with wide eyes. “You really are dating an F1 driver!”

You exchange an amused look with Charles. “Yes, that is what I’ve been trying to tell you for many months now,” you laugh.

Livia hugs you tightly. “I’m so sorry for ever doubting you. But after today, we’ll never question your relationship again.”

Charles wraps an arm around your shoulder. “I hope after witnessing our love up close, you will see there is nothing Y/N wouldn’t do for me, just as I would do the same for her.” He gazes down at you tenderly and you feel your heart skip a beat.

You and Charles both laugh as your friends turn red. “We’re really happy for you two,” mumbles Matteo. “Hopefully we can all start over now.”

Charles smiles kindly. “Of course! Y/N’s happiness is what matters most to me and I know how important her friends are to her.”

You feel yourself falling even more in love with this man and his endless patience and compassion.

The race keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. When Charles takes the top step on the podium, you and your friends scream loudly enough to be heard in Milan.

That night at the celebration, Charles gives a sweet toast about how your love inspires him.

Matteo and Livia watch with tears in their eyes.

“Wow, when you said your boyfriend was romantic, you really meant it,” Livia whispers.

“I told you, Charles is one-of-a-kind. I’m so lucky to be his and to be loved by him.”

Charles comes over and pulls you into his arms, nuzzling your hair. “I’m the lucky one, mon ange.”

He stops and takes both of your hands, gazing into your eyes intently. “I never want you to doubt what we have, Y/N. You are everything to me. My whole world.”

Matteo shakes his head in wonder as he takes in the pure love clearly shining in both of your eyes. “We’re so sorry we ever doubted that what you have is real. Seeing you together, it’s obvious your love is straight out of a fairytale.”

You grin up at Charles, your heart overflowing. With his kisses still lingering on your lips and surrounded by friends who finally believe, you feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Now everyone can see your love just as clearly as the two of you always have.

***

Today is the day you’ve been working towards for years — your graduation from the Politecnico di Milano with your Laurea Magistrale in Aeronautical Engineering.

The auditorium is packed with proud families as you line up with your classmates, dressed in formal robes and caps. Charles insisted on coming, despite it being right before the start of a triple header. And having him here means the world to you.

When your name is called, you grin widely as Charles’ cheers rise above the polite applause of the audience. He gives you a standing ovation, not caring that he is blocking everyone’s view.

His pride and support brings happy tears to your eyes. You blow him a discreet kiss and see him pretend to catch it, pressing his hand to his heart.

After the ceremony ends, you rush straight into Charles’ arms. He swings you around then kisses you deeply. “I’m so proud of you, mon amour! All of your hard work has paid off.”

You hug him tight, overwhelmed with emotions. “Having you here today, supporting me every step ... it’s the best gift I could ask for.”

Charles strokes your hair tenderly. “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything. But I do have one more surprise ...”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an envelope with the unmistakable Ferrari seal.

Handing it to you, Charles bounces excitedly on his toes. “Go on, open it!”

With shaking hands, you open the letter and read the words offering you a position as a Junior Aerodynamics Engineer with Scuderia Ferrari.

“Charles, what ... how ...” you stammer in shock.

He smiles widely. “Enrico Cardile was very impressed with the work you did during your internship as well as your thesis.”

You continue staring at the letter. “But I don’t want special treatment just because I’m your girlfriend. I want to earn a position at Ferrari on my own merits,” you say uncertainly.

Charles grasps your hands. “Mon ange, you know I would never influence the team’s decisions. They want you because of your skills, not our relationship. I only asked if I could deliver the news as a graduation gift when I found out.”

You bite your lip. “It’s just ... I don’t want anyone thinking that I didn’t earn this.”

“Listen to me,” Charles quickly gets serious. “You are the most talented, driven, and intelligent person I know. You’ve worked relentlessly for this and Ferrari recognizes that. Please don’t doubt for one second that you deserve this.”

His sincere words dissolve your concerns. He’s right — you interned successfully with the team already. You can do this.

You throw your arms around him again. “Then I accept the offer! I’m going to be a Formula 1 aerodynamicist!”

“You will be incredible, Y/N. I can’t wait to see you thriving there. You’re going to change the world with that beautiful mind of yours.”

You cling to him, overwhelmed with emotions. “I couldn’t have done any of this without your love and support. You gave me the strength to keep pursuing my dreams.”

Charles tips your forehead to his, eyes shining. “And you gave me the gift of true love. My life is so much richer with you in it.”

He kisses you until you’re both smiling too widely to continue. Taking his hand, you turn to look out at the gathered families, classmates, and professors mingling around.

Just months ago, no one believed your relationship with Charles was real. But here you stand, ready to take on the world together.

Your storybook romance has grown into an unshakable partnership.

As Charles squeezes your hand, you know that the next chapter of your lives will be even better. You can’t wait to build your future with this amazing man — both on and off the track.

***

10 years later

You take a deep breath as you walk into the familiar lecture hall at the Politecnico di Milano. Looking out at the eager young students, you remember sitting in their place not so long ago. Back when you were just starting your engineering studies, never dreaming you would one day return as a guest lecturer.

Charles insisted on coming with you today and you scan the room until you spot him sitting inconspicuously in the back row, trying his hardest not to draw attention to himself. He gives you an encouraging thumbs up.

“Good morning, everyone. For those who don’t know me, I am Y/N Leclerc — Head of Aero Development at Scuderia Ferrari and former student right here at Polimi.”

As you start your lecture on the aerodynamic theory behind Ferrari’s latest championship-winning car, you easily slip back into the familiar rhythms of university life.

Discussing complex simulations and wind tunnel testing with these eager minds reminds you of the days you were in their shoes.

You can hardly believe it’s been 10 years since you sat in this very room, never imagining the incredible journey ahead.

After joining Ferrari, you and Charles found ways to balance your personal and professional lives through compassion and communication.

Winning your first World Championship together was a euphoric blur of champagne and ecstatic team celebrations. Being the first female Director of Aerodynamics in Formula 1 was daunting but Charles never stopped believing in you.

When he got down on one knee after winning in Monza and asked you to be his wife, it was one of the happiest moments of your life. Planning a wedding while chasing championships was no easy feat but your passion for racing and each other kept you going.

Now, five championships later, you’ve settled into a blissful rhythm as partners both on and off the track. There were tough times and painful losses but coming home to each other’s arms helped erase the remnants of any bad day.

As you wrap up the lecture and open the floor to questions, a female student raises her hand. “As a woman working in F1, what’s the best advice you can give aspiring engineers like me?”

You smile, thinking back on your own self-doubts starting out. “Don’t be afraid to take up space and make your voice heard,” you tell her. “Formula 1 needs more brilliant women like you. If you love the science and the cars, pursue this career fiercely no matter what anyone says.”

The student thanks you excitedly and you make a mental note to talk to Charles about establishing an engineering scholarship for female students.

After the lecture finishes, Charles comes up to greet you with a tender kiss. “You were incredible up there. I’m so proud to call you my wife.”

You kiss him back, still just as dizzyingly in love as that first date all those years ago. “I couldn’t have done it without my biggest cheerleader here supporting me.”

As you walk hand-in-hand back to the car, you think about how far you’ve come together.

A storybook romance, successful careers, and most importantly, an unbreakable partnership built on love and trust.

When Charles said your love would overcome any doubt, you never imagined how right he would be.

But now, as the Italian sunlight glints off your matching wedding bands, you know the best is still yet to come.

[sparkleofpizza]

The Alchemy

Lando Norris x fem!reader

Two idiots.

THE 2020 SEASON

WINTER BREAK London, England, 2020 

Formula 1 might be on a break, but university isn’t. I’ve been studying non stop and working all my free time to get extra credit so I’d be able to graduate early, right at the end of spring so I’d have the rest of the year more chilled out. 

But being a 21 year old college student, living alone at an apartment at a college campus meant trouble, obviously, and that’s how after long hours of studying at the library, instead of being in my bed catching up on some sleep, I was at a frat house party. 

The music was blaring and I was nursing my third drink of night, but in all honesty completely tired now that the alcohol had relaxed me. 

I was sitting on the couch, watching my friends dance around me. I grab my phone to get some pictures of them when I notice a new notification. 

Lando: what are u up to on a Friday night as a college student? 

Lando and I have been texting non stop since the end of the 2019 season, our friendship solidified. We even hung out a couple of times in between Christmas and new years. And now he has been bugging me that I’ve been working and studying too much. 

Me: I’m at a frat house party 

He instantly replied back. 

Lando: YOURE WHERE DOING WHAT 

Me: I’m at a frat house party 

I smirk to myself as I texted back the same question then before. 

Lando: no way, you’re messing with me 

I open the camera of my phone, scratching my arm out as I smile hazily before snapping a picture and sending it to him. 

Lando: OMG ARE U DRUNK???? 

Me: yessss 

I expected him to make fun of me, but his answer caught me a bit of guard. 

Lando: are u alone? 

Lando: who’s with u? 

Me: my friends are around here somewhere 

There a few minutes of silence from his since and I wonder if our conversation is over. He probably fell asleep. 

My phone buzzes again. 

Lando: how are u going home? 

Me: I’ll walk back to my apartment, why? 

He’s typing and typing and typing. I bite my lip anxiously, wondering what he’s going to say. Is he going to ask me to let him pick me up? Like in those romance books where the guy picks up the girl from a party when she’s drunk? 

Lando: ok 

My face falls momentarily. 

Lando: I’m not in London  

Lando: be careful and text me when you get home safe 

I smile, so he was considering picking me up. 

Melbourne, Australia, 2020 

The world was insane, and I was going insane with it. I was higenyzing my hand every time I touched something. I was in an alert state of the coronavirus. 

“They should have canceled the race.” I say, taking a seat with Lando, Carlos and Caco at the McLaren hospitality. “They are saying there are employees who got infected.”

I squeeze hand sanitizer on my hand, rubbing it. 

“You’re talking about as if it’s some kind of zombie apocalypse.” Lando chuckles, draping his arm casually over the back of my chair “Relax, they wouldn’t keep up the race if it wasn’t safe.” 

Carlos nods “Lando is right.” 

I scoff with a tense smile “Oh, but they would. FIA doesn’t care about it, they care about the money. They always have and always will.” 

The boys are silent for a moment before Caco nods his head. 

“Hamilton and Vettel said something similar during the press conference.” He says “And they’ve been around the same amount of time you have.” 

My phone rings and it’s Sophie calling. I quickly brings it to my ear, listening to what she has to say. My frown only deepens when she says two McLaren employees tested positive for covid and that there are more people around the paddock with symptoms as well. 

I hang up the phone. 

“The teams principals are gathering together to get FIA to cancel the race.” I tell them, watching as both drivers’ faces fall in disappointment “Two McLaren employees tested positive and there are other people around the paddock who are feeling ill as well.”

We gather our things and start to make our way to the McLaren garage, probably the news will get there first if the race is canceled. 

I hang back on the group and Lando slows his steps to walk beside me. 

“Can’t believe we just got back and we’re already going to leave and be without racing.” He groans, a whine voice a bit high pitched.

“It’s better for it to be canceled and you getting the chance to race again when it’s safer, then getting sick and ending up in the hospital.” 

He sighs, shoulders slumping slightly. 

“You’re right. I was just excited to give my all at this new season.” 

I smile “I know, and you will soon.” 

He smiles back at me, nudging me with his shoulder. 

“So, are you gonna be able to graduate this spring?” 

“I am! I mean, I’ve been doing everything possible for it to happen and I think it will.” 

Lando smiles and for a brief moment his fingers brush against mine in a sweet gesture. 

“That’s great. I’ll make sure to be there cheering for you at your graduation.” 

And my heart flutters at his words. 

PANDEMIC  London, England, 2020 

“Did I do it right? Are you listening to me?” I ask into the microphone I bought. 

Lando’s face show up on the screen of my computer, grinning widely. 

“Hiiii! Yes, you did. Now turn on your camera so I can see your face.” 

“How do I do it?” I ask, completely lost as I had never used the app discord before. “Oh, never mind, found it.” 

“Look at you!” Lando beamed “Are those bunny ears on your hoodie?” I chuckle as I put on the hoodie over my head so he can see the bunny ears “You look adorable! Doesn’t she look adorable, chat?” 

I tilt my head to the side, confused.

“Chat? What chat? It’s just the two of us here.” 

Lando laughed “I’m streaming, muppet.” 

“You’re what?!” I screech “Lando! Why didn’t you tell me we’d be live? I’m in my pijamas!” 

He laughs again “You still look adorable and the chat agrees with me.”

I huff, flustered at his words and at the fact that I’m live for god knows how many people while I’m wearing my bunny pajamas. If people didn’t take me serious before, they never will now. 

“Now, here’s what we’re going to do.” He claps his hand, a mischievous smile on his face “You’re going to play LOL with me.” 

“LOL? But I only know how to play the sims.” 

“Yes, you’re going to play LOL. I think it’s the easiest for now.” 

As I download the game and start to follow the tutorial, all while sharing my screen with Lando and him judging me at how I can manage to keep dying on the tutorial, I wonder how in the holy hell he managed to convince me to play online with him. 

Finally, after an eternity, I finish the tutorial and I start to play with him. Lando keeps instructing me because I don’t even know what buttons to press on my keyboard and he keeps screaming that I’m not running fast enough. 

“Oh my God!” I scream “I died! I died!” 

Lando laughs delighted. 

“My screen is black and white! Why is my screen black and white? Is my computer broken? LANDO!” 

That only makes him laugh harder, that infectious laugh of him as I keep yelling questions of what I should do next. 

My dad opens the door to my bedroom, peeking his head inside, looking concerned as he calls out my name. 

“Are you ok, sweetheart?” He asks, walking further into the room “I can hear you screaming from the living room.”

“Yeah, sorry dad. I’m playing online with Lando and I died.” 

My father chuckles, bending down slightly to look at my screen. He smiles at Lando while waving. 

“Hello, Lando. Have you been taking care of yourself while quarantining?” 

Lando smiles back as he nods “Yes, I have. Your daughter also texts me everyday reminding me what I can and can’t do. It’s like she thinks I will die because I’m living on my own.” 

My dad looks amused at me, but he knows I’m right and Lando would have probably set his house or fire by now if I haven’t been instructing him properly on certain things. 

My dad pats my head as he stands up straight again “I will leave you kids to it. Take care, Lando.” 

“Thank you, Jenson! You too!” Lando smiles. “Now, where were we?” 

Later that night, after four hours of online gaming with Lando, I lied in bed scrolling through my social medias. I couldn’t help to read the comments people were making about our live stream together. 

Jenson Button worried about Lando I CANT

OMG y/n checking up on Lando daily to make sure he survives 

So am I the only one who thinks there’s something there? 

She can’t suck on her dads fame anymore bc he’s retired so now she’s going after Norris 

I sigh, closing Twitter and putting my phone on the bedside table. People are mean. 

Spielberg, Austria, 2020 

July and we’re back at Formula 1. The season is being cut short, there won’t be fans attending, but we’re back at racing. 

I finished my finals a week ago, just in time to go back to traveling. My dad gave an hour-long lecture about safety and health before finally letting me board the plane. 

I haven’t seen Lando and Carlos yet, but I have met uncle Seb who is pissed off at Ferrari for firing him over the phone. I could tell for the way he was talking about meetings and stuff he has to do that he’s plotting something and I couldn’t help but smirk at whatever hell fire he will bring down on Mattia Binotto. 

I enter the McLaren garage and I smile underneath my mask as I see Lando talking to his engineer. He turns his head when he hears my footsteps. 

He basically bonces on his feet until he meets me halfway. 

“Hi!” He says loudly “It’s so good to finally see you in person again!” His eyes are wide “Can I hug you? I want to hug you. I know I probably shouldn’t, but I want to. I haven’t touched anyone in months and and…” 

I cut him off with a laugh as I wrap my arms around his middle, resting my head on his chest. Lando brings his arms around me, squeezing me onto his body. 

“Hi, Lando. I missed your energetic aura.” 

I feel his grin against my shoulder, even with half his face covered in a mask. 

“I missed you.” He says back. 

He detangles himself from he hug, but keep his hands on my shoulders. He analyzes my face. 

“You really do look good with bangs.” 

I chuckle, running my hands over the bangs I cut on my hair after a moment of reflection and desperation when I couldn’t leave the house. 

“Thank you. It was a moment of… insanity, but at least it looks good.” 

He laughs “Oh I know. You texted me like fifteen times saying you did something horrible and it was just bangs.” 

I shake my head “Hey, to be fair you called me at two in the morning to ask me how to kill a wasp and I had to wake up my dad to ask him.” 

Lando's eyes widened in mock sadness. 

“Hey, your dad loves me! I’m sure he was very very delighted to be woken up in the middle of the night to give out instructions on how to kill a wasp.” 

I snort out a laugh. 

Later that weekend, after the race was finished, I watched as Lando parked his car in p3. It was the first podium of his Formula 1 career. He had been screaming on the radio during the last five laps and I was grinning like an idiot behind my mask. 

He got out of the car, helmet still on as he ran to the team, letting them hug him and clap his back. The whole McLaren garage was in a frenzy of celebration. 

I’m waiting for him by the parc fermé, to guide him to the podium and then to the press conference room where they interview the winner, second and third place of the race. 

Lando takes off his helmet and balaclava and I see his whole face for the first time this year. He has a huge smile on his face as he runs to where I am. 

“My first podium!” He yells 

I smile “Congratulations, Lando. It was beautiful to watch.” 

He wraps his arms around me, jumping around and making me jump with him as I laugh. 

“My first podium! Oh fuck! I’m gonna get a trophy!” 

I giggle, letting him jump around with me “Yes, you are, Lando, you’re getting a trophy!” 

He then stop jumping and just gazed into my eyes, the smile never dropping out of his face. 

“Fuck, I’m so glad you’re the one here and not Sophie.” 

My heart leaps on my chest. 

“I’m glad I’m here, too.” 

Silverstone, England, 2020 

It was the Silverstone Grand Prix weekend, there were going to be two weekends of races here. My dad had decided to come along since this is his home race and he wants to relive some of the memories. 

I walk inside the McLaren hospitality with my dad who is babbling about my graduation to one of the mechanics that have been working here since his driving days. 

I hear someone yell my name and I know that voice very well. I turn around and there is Lando, no mask on his face, grinning widely. 

“Hey.” I smile back, walking to where he’s sitting 

He stands up fast and lifts his hands up, holding a beautiful bouquet of pink flowers. 

I gasp in surprise. 

“I couldn’t go to your graduation because the attendance was limited, but I couldn’t let it pass by.” He hands me the flowers before enveloping me in a hug “Congratulations, love. I’m very proud of you.” 

For some reason his words and sweet gestures make tears gather in my eyes. It’s probably because I was expecting my graduation to be a big even, full of people who I love and cherish and that didn’t happen because of the pandemic. 

“Thank you, Lan. This means a lot to me.” 

He squeezes me before letting me go. He wipes some of the tears that leaked out to my eyes. 

“I know this is a special moment and you wanted it to be a big celebration. We’ll go out to celebrate once things get better, alright? My treat.” 

I smile, hugging the flowers to my chest. 

“You’re the best, Lan.” 

He winked at me. 

“Only the best for my best girl.” 

My dad stood to the side, watching the scene with a smile on his face. I didn’t know that now, but he took pictures of all of that happening. 

Krasnodar Krai, Russia, 2020 

Carlos broke the news to the team two weeks ago during our weekly zoom calls. Lando had shut himself out the moment his best friend on the grid said he’s leaving McLaren to go to Ferrari. 

He hasn’t been answering my texts or sending me TikToks. He even declined my calls and I was growing not only worried, but annoyed as well. 

I knock on his hotel door late at night. My flight had landed an hour ago, I got to the hotel, showered and now here I am knocking on his door. 

Lando opens the door, his curly hair disheveled and he’s only in sweatpants. 

“You’re not room service.” He says 

I glare at him. 

“You’ve been ignoring me.” I accuse him, hands on my waist. 

“I uh… I’ve been busy…” he stretches the back of his neck “a lot of work.” 

“We work together, I know you haven’t been busy.” I glare even harder now “Stop lying to me.” 

He stepped to the side and let me inside his room. I walk past him, going to the middle of the room as I stand there with my arms crossed. Lando sits on the bed and looks at me. 

“What’s going on with you?” I ask 

“There’s nothing wrong with me.” He answered too quickly. 

“Lando… you’ve been ignoring me ever since Carlos told us that he’s leaving for Ferrari.” 

He grows quiet and looks away from me. 

I sigh. “Lando, just because he’s switching teams it does not mean he won’t be your friend anymore. It will be a bit different because you won’t be together all the time like the past two years, but he’s not gonna forget about you.” 

He nods. “I know. Carlos already told me all that.” 

“Then why have you been ignoring me?” I ask confused. I thought he was isolating because he was sad that Carlos is leaving, but if he’s already on good terms with it, than what’s wrong. 

“Because I’m preparing myself from when you leave me as well.” Lando says, he doesn’t look at me, his eyes trained on the carpet floor. 

“Wha- What?” I ask completely dumbfounded “What do you mean when I leave you as well?” 

He runs a hand through his hair “You’re an intern at the communication department and- and you just graduated from uni. I know you will leave me at the end of the year as well. You’ll move on to much bigger and better things. I’m just… trying to soften the blow of being without you.” 

There’s a moment of silence as I process his words. He still won’t look at me and I’m too stunned to speak anything. He’s sad because he doesn’t want to be without me. 

Finally, I snap out of it. 

“Oh Lando.” I whisper softly, kneeling in front of him and peering up at him. “Lando, no.” 

He shakes his head “I know, ok? I’m not dumb…” 

I cup his face in my hands to get him to stop talking. He looks at me in surprise and I can see the broken look in his eyes. 

“I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Please, don’t lie to me.” He whispered brokenly “Just rip the bandaid already.” 

“I’m not lying.” I say, catching a stray tear from his eye with my thumb and wiping it away. “McLaren hired me to be their junior PR manager. You would have known that if you haven’t been declining my calls, you muppet.” 

He widens his eyes. 

“You’re not leaving?” 

I shake my head “No. You’re stuck with me.” 

Lando breaths out a laugh, resting his forehead against mine as he closes his eyes. 

“Oh, thank god. I’m not ready to say goodbye.” 

I smile, enjoying our close proximity. 

“You don’t have to say goodbye. I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Good… good.” He mumbled. “I don’t want you to leave my side.” 

We stay like that for a few moments longer, before he helps me stand up from the floor. Lando pats the bed and I soon join him. We lay on opposite sides, he covers us up and we stay in silence, enjoining each other's company as we fall asleep. Right now we don’t need to say anything, everything is understood in the comfortable silence that hugs us. 

Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, 2020

It was yet once again the last race of the season. 

Lando had a great finish in p5, and although he had a happy smile on his face we took team pictures and toasted, I could see he was sad. This was Carlos's last race as Lando’s teammate. And I could see Carlos was a bit sad as well. 

The team principals had gathered together and rented out a club in the city so the party would be just the Formula 1 team and drivers. We had been traveling together all year in the middle of the chaos of the pandemic, so we were all kind of in the same boat, if someone was sick, the odds of everyone else also being sick were extremely high. 

I watched from a far as Lewis celebrated his seventh championship. I chuckled as he, Valtteri and Toto started a shot competition between the three of them. Sebastian was chanting chug chug chug and waving his hands around. 

I feel the familiar presence of Lando standing beside me as he nurses his drink. 

“How was your second year as a Formula 1 employee?” He asks me. 

I smile against the rim of my glass. Just one year ago he had asked me the same question, at the rooftop of the VIP lounge at the paddock, hours before the last race of the season began. 

“It was weird. My last year as an intern, next year I will have to reinvent myself to be on top of my game.”

“You’re already on the top of your game.” He nudges my shoulder with his arm. 

“Yeah, but I still haven’t proved myself here.” I point out. 

Lando frowns, turning his body around to look at me. I’m leaning against the wall and now he’s looming over me. 

“Have you been getting hate online?” 

I give him a weak smile. 

“Let’s not talk about this right now. Tonight is about celebrating.”

He’s still frowning and opens his mouth to protest when I cut him off. 

“How was your second year as Formula 1 driver?”

He chuckles, probably recalling the same memory from last year. He rests his forearm on the wall right beside my head. 

“It was good and weird. I got my first podium ever. I also lost my first teammate…” Lando smiles a bit. “And I got you to be here with me one more year.”

I smile, raising my glass. 

“Here’s to another year of Norris and Button traveling around the world together.”

Lando grins, clinking his glass against mine. 

“Together.” He repeats. 

[sterredem]

Fashion icon

F1 grid x Mercedes!driver!reader (slight Logan sargeant x reader)

Face claim Pinterest girls (and various celebrity’s)

Warning not proofread, spelling mistakes

Summary Y/n is a ‘fashion icon’ this is showing her looks and the love of the public (and a few of her … friends)

A/N Lots of time skips (you will need to read caption to understand that). Also that last cover took a lot of time to make so I would appreciate if y’all would show some love.

Also I would love if you commented! It only takes a few seconds and it really helps with a writers (me) motivation for writing (which I have lost over the last few months due to a lack of feedback and comments)

Instagram

121.134 comments

Formula1.News Y/n Y/l/n had arrived at the first race of the year! After the winter break the new season has begun and the Mercedes driver has arrived back again!

View all 4.725 comments

User1 Already looking amazing!

User2 I love her style!

User3 HERE WE GOOO!!! race season begins again!

User4 I’m looking forward to see her outfits this year (after the amazing year last year)

User5 How can a person look so good?

User6 Exited for the race!

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Instagram

Liked by LewisHamilton and 1.124.321 likes

Yourusername a P6 for us. Wasn’t our best but it’s only the 2nd race. But where in the points! So for that here is the weekend photo dump!

View all 213.735 comments

User7 What a great performance!

User8 Mercedes dominance again??

User9 She looks so good

User10 her outfits are always so good!

User11 Not the best results but it’s getting better…?

User12 POINTS!!

User13 I’m in love

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Instagram

4.154 likes

Kymillman ON THE CATWALK

Y/n Y/l/n, comanly known as one of the mire fashionable people in the paddock, has arrived in style!

View all 15 comments

User1 We love his style.

User2 🔥🔥🔥

User3 👸👑

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Instagram

LoganSargeant posted a story!

Yourusername Replied to your story

Aawwww

I love you

You’re so cuteee

LoganSargeabt Love you two❤️

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User4 Reacted to your story

WHAT?!

She looks so good tho…

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User5 reacted to your story

A date??

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User6 reacted to your story

Pls tell me where she got her outfit🙏🙏🙏

Logansargeant She says to DM her

OMG?!??

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User7 reacted to your story

I love her style!

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Twitter

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Instagram

112.321 likes

F1.Gossip Y/n Y/l/n entering the Miami Paddock. She is very happy to be there it seems, is this the only thing she will do this weekend? Or will we also see her at the Met Gala this Monday. Read more on our website

View all 2.754 comments

User1 Oh?!

User2 She is gorgeous…

User3 She is THE fashion icon from the paddock

User4 what I think is amazing is that Y/n and Lewis (both really invested in clothing’s) are on the same team

User5 ICON

User6 👸👑

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Twitter

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Instagram

514.725 likes

Y/n.13 Y/n has arrived at the Met gala! She has chosen to go for the butterfly look, more pictures will be posted soon!

View all 13.253 comments

User7 SHE LOOKS SO GOOD?!

User8 I love the look!

User9 I’m so happy she is there!

User10 Anyone see her and Lewis’ interview? I loved it!

User11 she isn’t out little secret anymore😢🥲

User12 for real! I saw her talking with so many famous famous people

User13 The butterfly theme is so cute!

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Instagram

liked by SabrinaCarpenter and 2.624.725 others

Yourusername 20 of my favourite outfits from this year (now that I am named a fashion icon by VOGUE Check it out!!)

View all 254.826 comments

User1 I love all of these!

User2 VOUGE?!?!? MY GITL IS KILLING IT!!

User3 There are all amazing!

User4 The all have the same but also a different aesthetic. I love it!

User5 I love you

User6 Fashion icon indeed!💕

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VOGUE

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[saintslewis]

❝ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 | 𝐅𝟏 ❞

pairing: f1 grid (not all) x black fem driver!reader

summary: in which reader takes the f1 pilots to experience her culture and the beautiful country that is South Africa.

warnings: south african slang, cussing, social media environment, mentions of food, borderline chaotic

saint’s team radio 🎀: you have no idea how excited i was to write this. i love my country so so much and to be able to share it with all of you is a blessing. thank you @exotic-iris13 for requesting this! side note, December is in summer so i hope i don’t confuse you! enjoy!

please like, comment and reblog! (i’m watching you)

fc: @/mbbaarrhliii on ig!

tags: @non-stop-imagines @perfecttrashface @mauvecherie-writes @purplelewlew @arshiyuh @yeea-nah @alika-4466 @louvrepool @sheluvsf1

imessage: THE OFFICE 🏎️

y/n: i just got my braids done losers

charlie w a ferrari: but the season’s over, we won’t see it :(

carlito: plus didn’t you already have them done last month?

landinhoooo: no guys december braids usually mean a vacation, so where are you going? 🤨

y/n: firstly, you know wayyyy too much about the braids thing 😭

honey badger: that was oddly specific i have to say, lan

yukibae: yeah that was weird

landinhoooo: wtv 🙄 where are you going, y/n!

y/n: my mother is requesting the presence of all of you so you’re all coming back home with me 🤭

carlito: mi vida, wouldn’t that be too soon? winter break just started

kika’s bf: also how would it work? accommodation, transport, all those things

y/n: are you saying no to an african mother?

lew <3: guys say yes, she’ll show up to your house and force you

alexander!: not to mention it’s summer that side (she kidnapped one of my cats, say yes)

princess george: okay, let’s say we all go. what is going to happen?

y/n: i’m just saying, you haven’t lived if you haven’t never experienced a South African summer

mad max: I don’t know, y/n. just please don’t guilt trip us

mickey schumi: i can already feel her frown from here

y/n: i was going to pay for everything but since none of you want to go, i’m saving money 🤭

landinho: wait

kika’s bf: wait hold on

charlie w a ferrari: why didn’t you say so in the first place?!

honey badger: now that you’ll be our sugar mommy, ofc we’ll all be there

princess george: that clears out so much

y/n: you guys are a bunch of IDIOTS

alexander!: there has to be a catch???

landinho: ALEX SHUT UP WE’RE GOING ON A FREE TRIP

carlito: we’ll even dance to that one music playlist of yours

y/n: all of you have to wear my merch next season and you’ll let me win two races back to back

mad max: now y/n-

y/n: uh oh! looks like max is paying for everything!

charlie w a ferrari: JUST SAY YES

mad max: okay, you’ll win two races and i’ll slow down

princess george: i just did some quick research and y/n, you’re seen as a national treasure??? and lewis is considered Nelson Mandela’s grandchild??

y/n: well, yes! don’t question my country, okay? 🫶🏽

yukibae: yes ma’am 🫡

oscahhh: i went for a run, what did i miss??

landinho: we’re going on a trip and y/n is paying 😝

honey badger: except max, he’s paying for his own things

mad max: i’m not??

y/n: three races and i’ll get you a new console

kika’s bf: CAN I HAVE ONE??

landinho: NOOO I NEED ONE, PLS Y/N

y/n: we all earn millions every race??? get it yourself????

kika’s bf: i’m going to tell kika you’re bullying me

y/n: she’s coming on the trip too along with all the other wags 🤭

yukibae: and where’s YOUR wag, y/n? 🤨

y/n: yuki shhh pls i’ll literally buy you an island

charlie w a ferrari: NUH UH YUKI TELL US

landinho: yuki what do you know

princess george: whoever isn’t y/n’s wag, say so RN

everyone: NOT ME

lew <3: damn

landinho: I KNEW ITTTTTT

honey badger: IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW AHHH

alexander!: I HAVE TO GO TELL LILY

oscahhh: have you guys never seen them interact in the media pen? it’s like they’ve been married for 27 years

logang: and how do YOU know that

oscahhh: mate, you told me

y/n: 🙄

y/n: go pack for this trip before i shave your eyebrows 🫶🏽

y/n’s instagram story

seen by kehlani, ferrari and 34,282,722 others

-

“There’s no way you got cars for all of us.” George and everyone else really couldn’t believe that the lengths you went through to make this trip as perfect as you could. “Not to mention booking out the Four Seasons!” Carmen interjected, walking next to her boyfriend.

You watched as everyone filed into the Mercedes vans waiting for them on the airport runway where the large jet had landed. You couldn’t believe you got everyone to come to South Africa in the first place but guilt tripping them had worked a charm, complaining that you don’t have a home race and that your mom would be pissed.

Very easy to fool these guys.

The skies of Johannesburg weren’t all too clear but you could tell that it was summer. Deciding to rather catch up with everyone at the hotel a bit later, you used a private exit to the airport so that you could visit your mom and sister before anything else. Plus you knew a big deal would’ve been made if you had announced that you were coming home so posting will do for now.

“Bathong, where are your friends? I thought you’d all come here.” Your mother said whilst setting up the extremely long table in her backyard so you were sat on a pool chair just watching her.

bathong - more of an expression of confusion or shock

“It was going to look suspicious if i came here with all these people with the same vans following each other.” You replied. “I booked the Four Seasons, it should be big enough for all of us.”

“Oh okay, that’s fancy. So where’s your boyfriend?” Your mom asked with a grin on her face that earned a head shake from you.

“Ukuphi uLerai?” Where’s Lerai? (younger sister)

“Usaseskholeni. Unfuna ukuyomlanda?” Your mom replied. She’s still at school. Do you want to go fetch her?

“Yeah, i want to surprise her. So let me go and I’ll see you later when I drop her off.” You stood up, saying goodbyes to her as your mom went about what she doing.

Hopping in one of your various cars that you kept in your mother’s garages, you quickly texted your boyfriend when an idea popped in your head.

imessages!

y/n: do you want to cause a bit of chaos

lew <3: sigh

lew <3: what kind?

y/n: i’ll pick you up rn and we’re going to pick my sister up from school 😝

lew <3: should i be scared?

y/n: slightly, see you in a few 😚

-

To say you caused a bit of chaos would be an understatement. You hadn’t realised that your sister’s school was huge and this whole time, you forgot what you and your boyfriend did for a living. Picture this: a Lamborghini Urus parked outside where many high school kids are obsessed with it, you and Lewis stepping out to call your little sister, kids recognise you two, you apologise to your sister with ice cream.

You end the day off with lounging in the room with your boyfriend, laughing at the reactions of your fans to the news of you being in the country. You had planned this whole visit out, wanting everyone to get their rentals tomorrow morning then taking them everywhere.

yourusername

liked by pierregasly, bellahadid and 937,728 others

yourusername home 🇿🇦

view comments

user there’s no fucking way, YOU’RE BACK??

yourusername and i’m with my FRIENDS 🤭

youryoungersister a facetime would be nice next time 🧍🏽‍♀️

yourusername well, no!

landonorris y/n, what is a kota?

yourusername if you’re up for it, we can get some today

georgerussell okay but what IS it

yourusername DON’T WORRY

georgerussell I’M WORRIED

carlossainz55 you didn’t say it was going to be this hot

charles_leclerc she warned us mate 😭

danielricciardo btw max is still hanging out with that cat he found at breakfast

lilymhe i’m obsessed with this place, i never want to leave

francisca.cgomes you’re still in the hotel room 🫤

alexandrasaintmleux i just googled gold reef city, CAN WE GOOO PLS

alex_albon WHATS THAT

loganseargent IT’S AN AMUSEMENT PARK

user i just drove in the four seasons driveway, guys there are so many cars lined up for them 😭

user she comes to the country when i decide to LEAVE??

dbngogo stfu you’re back? 🥹 come to Konka 🫵🏽

landonorris WHAT’S THAT

dbngogo it’s a nightclub 🤭

sza CAN I JOIN Y’ALL

yourusername ofc bae

lewishamilton there’s a flower bouquet that says Mandela’s grandchild for me 🧍‍♂️

user oh fuck he knows the joke

georgerussell told you

f1 y/n bring back our drivers 😣

yourusername bring back kyalami then we’ll talk

user oop-

-

SOWETO

south western township

Not wanting to waste any time, Y/n scooped up her friends to visit her hometown, where she grew up and dreamed of this very moment.

The convoy of extremely expensive cars that sped through the route to Soweto had caught the attention of many people, including the news that announced your arrival.

Briefing the boys (and the girls) on their menu choices of your favourite foods, they all equally decided that they’ll start training when they get back home. With the food place being right across a park with a large parking lot, it was convenient for you.

Being the host for this whole trip, you went ahead and ordered for everyone, speaking through the hole in the wall to specify orders and paying a hefty price including drinks. You watched as all your friends climbed out of their respective cars, leaning and sitting on the hoods of the cars as they all bonded. The vibrant atmosphere of your home country made everything feel like summertime.

Getting help carrying all that food to the group, everyone took their orders and observed them. “So, amagwinya are fat cakes, they’re very filling. A Kota is a uncut loaf of bread with stuff inside like hot chips, sausages and other things that you can specify for your Kota.” You explained, everyone immediately digging in and their faces said it all.

“And for you, Lew, you can have the fat cakes and the hot chips. I have to say, you’ll be full for the entire day.” You turned to your boyfriend who gave you a kiss before trying the food.

Later that day, dinner at your mother’s was a success, everyone finishing their plates and sharing different stories under the Johannesburg stars.

The next day was filled with fun activities, hitting up the amusement park Gold Reef City then late night karting, the friendship between everyone was growing as smiles never left their faces.

a week later

yourusername

liked by patooward, mclaren and 3,728,912 others

yourusername south africa my baby, it’s been amazing 🇿🇦

view comments

landonorris take me back (we’re checking out of Four Seasons)

danielricciardo and what about your gf that you met? 🤨

landonorris she’s coming to the next race 🫡

maxverstappen33 three wins and that’s it

yourusername do you want me to tell on you to my mom?

maxverstappen33 no 😨

charles_leclerc i need another kota

alexandrasaintmleux we’re actually shaking for one right now

yourusername askies 🤣 sorry

loganseargent never thought i’d ever be an avid lover of amapiano

user what multiverse are we in that Logan, the most american person to ever exist, is saying this

user it’s the South Africa effect baby 😝🇿🇦

lewishamilton can we come here every winter break?

carlossainz55 can we please? all my joy is at Gold Reef City

alex_albon i just want her mother’s cooking again, changed my life

f1 y/n, what did you do to our drivers

yourusername if you add kyalami to the calendar, you’ll know 😚

lilymhe someone gave me a painting of you and i will be hanging it in my home

francisca.cgomes to complete the shrine

landonorris to our Sugar Mother Y/n

yukitsunoda i got all the recipes, i’m ready

yourusername we need 20 kotas stat! 🫵🏽

oscarpiastri even your money looks so cool 😭

user if this is not the greatest representation of our country, i don’t know what it is

mercedesamgf1 can we join next time? 😔

yourusername no

tyla I LOVE YOU

yourusername I LOVE YOUUUU

-

saint’s notes: ahhhhhh hope y’all enjoyed! mwah 😝 i tried but it feels sorta rushed?? idk, let me know

[the-architect-of-ferrari]

hey guys! I was formerly fellow-meme-lover but I have retired that name after like 7 years. I am now @the-architect-of-ferrari in honor of that one article about Carlos (pictured). I’m a little surprised no one had taken that username yet but I’ll gladly have it.

I decided to change my name because I want it to reflect the main focus of my blog moving forward: Carlos Sainz. This is also going to be a bit of a goodbye to Ferrari post and clarifying what my blog will look like after AD24. So continue reading after the cut if you’re interested.

I am a fairly recent f1 fan, I only started casually watching late into the 2023 season, and it wasn’t until the winter break that I started getting serious about f1 and more involved.

It was during this time that I discovered Charlos, and they were my absolute favorite duo on the entire grid. I remember thinking the entire Ferrari team was a giant mess, and that the only thing they had going for them was their driver pairing. I spent the off-season watching old interviews with them, seeing posts about them on tumblr and twitter, and learning everything about them that I could. I initially liked Charles more, as he was the first driver I really learned about, and I will always be fond of him for gifting me this sport and fandom that means so much to me.

Over time though, I naturally gravitated more towards Carlos. I couldn’t explain it but there was something about him that connected me to him, and soon his happiness was my happiness and his sadness was my sadness. When the news of Lewis’s move to Ferrari dropped on February 1st, I was devastated. I could only think of how Ferrari was Carlos’s dream and it was now coming to an end. All season I’ve been dreading having to make this post, having to say goodbye, but I can’t put it off forever. I truly believe that the team hasn’t done right by Carlos in a lot of ways, but it was his dream, and I want him to be happy more than anything else, and for his sake I sincerely hope that a return to Ferrari is possible one day. I think he will be happy to know that regardless of what the future holds, he will always be a part of the team’s history, and everything he gave to them will not be forgotten.

As for Charlos as a duo, they were always the duo I loved the most of the entire grid. It wasn’t always easy at times, with their occasional fights, with the frequent fan wars, and the accusations of it being a PR friendship. But I think if you went back and watched old videos of them together, you can see the fondness in their eyes clear as day, and it lingers in their familiarity with each other to this day. Four years as teammates isn’t nothing. I don’t know that anyone will be able to make me laugh as hard as they did, or cheer me up on a bad day the way they did. In the future, even if they’re not teammates I will still try to post about them as much as possible, even if it’s a 3 second clip of them chatting at a driver’s parade or something idc.

But with that said, my no.1 driver from now on will always be Carlos, and so what I post will reflect that. As a Charlos fan, I was reluctantly a Ferrari fan because that is the team they drove for, but now I will be with Carlos 100%. I will no longer be solely posting about charles and carlos, and instead will post things more like what i have been posting lately, which will include other driver pairings like versainz. I’ll also just post general f1 stuff sometimes if i think i have something important to say. But mostly i will be talking about Carlos.

For now though, let’s make the rest of this season count. I’ll be with you always, Carlos.

¡Vamos, toro!

[youkissedareaderinthedark]

Expectations

Synopsis: To keep it short, the grid’s reaction of you dating Jude

young female mercedes driver reader x 2024 F1 grid

A/N: technically, this is a part 2 to “don’t expect the expected” and while you could probably read this as a stand-alone, it’s recommended to read pt1 🫶

. so

. the drivers on the grid kind of had an idea you were dating jude before the rest of the world did

. you were suddenly spending most of your free time in madrid

. you expressed a lot more interest in la liga than they would’ve expected

. they saw your recent instagram posts

. and after your first few posts about seeing real madrid games, it wasn’t hard to narrow it down to who you might be dating

. also, watching jude walk through the paddock with you and sit in the mercedes garage was all they needed as confirmation

. carlos is the most excited about your relationship

. he’s been a real madrid fan for forever

. he thinks jude’s a really good addition to the team

. and carlos just likes the guy in general

. he’s the first driver on the grid to welcome and befriend jude

. he helps set an example of how the other drivers should treat him

. because the grid isn’t used to having a boyfriend around instead of a wag

. they didn’t really know how to act

. as your teammate and one of your closest friends on the grid, george goes kind of “big brother” on him

. he acts friendly and everything, but he makes sure jude is treating you right

. “are you okay?” “yeah, why?” “oh, well I just saw jude storm out of your driver’s room, I wanted to make sure everything was okay between you two”

. “y/n, you said jude met your family over winter break, how’d it go?” “everyone liked him! they said he was very nice and they thought he was good for me” “good, i’m think he’s good for you too. not that you need my permission or anything I just-“ “I get it george, thank you”

. lando forms an almost sibling-like bond with jude

. because even though lando’s 4 years older than him, they’re at the same level matutrity wise

. this could include teaming up with him to make fun of you

. “stealing” jude away and wondering off in the paddock

. and accompanying you to real madrid games when he’s in spain

. the two of them become goods friends in a short period of time and even though they’re pretty chaotic together, you’re happy they’re getting along

. charles befriends jude surprisingly quickly

. at first, he gets to know your boyfriend because of how much he’s with carlos

. but eventually their own friendship forms

. it mostly consisting of jude teasing charles about his unimpressive football skills

. and charles’ jokes about jude being a terrible driver

. you know they have plans to teach each other their professions at some point

. and you can’t wait to watch and laugh at them

. you expected nothing less of daniel to get along with jude faster than everybody else

. jude told you multiple times how excited he was to meet danny

. and likewise for daniel

. they get along super well, they have similar senses of humor and clicked very quickly

. danny also has too much fun teasing you two all the time

. “oh look, the lovebirds are here”

. “jude, your girl just got a podium, how are you gonna spoil her?”

. “y/n come get your boyfriend he’s been so depressed without you”

. anyway

. the point is

. unless the guy gives them something to be upset about

. everyone likes jude

something short and sweet for now. i have so many ideas that i cannot wait to write and i’m so excited for you all to see them

[liaromancewriter]

Winter Wonderland

Premise: Cassie and Ethan enjoy the holiday decorations around town, leading to a candid conversation about their relationship.

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff. Words: 1,475

A/N: This is set during the Secret Dating phase in Lia Land. Submission for @choicesholidays Winter 2024 and @choicesjanuary2025 prompt "hot chocolate:

Cassie Valentine discreetly glanced at her wristwatch beneath the table, wondering if there was still a chance to salvage her evening plans.

She had already changed into street clothes an hour ago and was ready to clock out when she received a page to report to the Diagnostics Team office. Dr. Ramsey had been clear from the start. The team’s schedule was unpredictable, and all members had to forego time off as needed.

As the latest and the most junior member, Cassie had to flex more than others since she was juggling a tough residency and diagnostics fellowship. Still, there was an upside to all the time spent at work—she got to do it with her boyfriend.

Not that anyone else knew the delectable Ethan Ramsey was hers, she mused with secret amusement. She knew, and that was all that mattered.

She side-eyed Ethan at the front of the conference table, facing the videoconference screen she hadn’t known existed until today. His eyes were alive with curiosity and interest as they consulted with a colleague in California. The virtual consult would determine if the team was required on-site for the diagnosis.

Cassie wouldn’t mind a couple of days of sunshine. Winter had Boston firmly in its grip. Of course, there was something magical about walking through a winter wonderland during the holiday season. Twinkling lights strung on palm trees didn’t have the same appeal as snow-dusted oak trees.

“Thank you, Dr. Amherst. We’ll review the patient file and get back to you tomorrow.”

Ethan wrapped up the call, and Cassie refocused her attention on the job at hand. She really hoped tomorrow didn’t mean they would be working late into the night. But, with this team, you never knew.

“I don’t know about the rest of you,” Baz said, stretching his arms, “but I could use a break before we work on the diagnosis.”

“I agree,” June said. “I’d rather come in early and approach the case with fresh eyes.”

Cassie held her breath in anticipation. Ethan seemed to hesitate, but then he nodded in agreement.

“Let’s pick this up tomorrow morning. Not much else we can do today.”

Baz and June wasted no time gathering their things and heading out. Cassie wasn’t far behind, but she stopped when she saw Ethan sit down at his desk and flip open the patient file.

“It’s late, Ethan,” she said, not hiding her exasperation. “Are you really planning to keep working?”

“I just want to go over things while they’re still fresh in my mind,” he said, sliding on his glasses.

He looked up at her. “Go home, Cassie. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not going home,” she said, settling into the seat across from him. “I’m heading to Faneuil Hall to check out the Christmas tree and holiday decorations. Come with me.”

Ethan smirked, amused. “Isn’t that for tourists?”

“And for doctors who’ve spent fourteen-plus hours in a space that smells like antiseptic. I went last year, and it was nice.”

He rolled his eyes. “I see those decorations every day on my way to work. I’ll pass.”

“Fine,” Cassie said, pulling out her phone. “If you change your mind, you’ll know where to find me.”

When his phone pinged, Ethan glanced at the screen. “What’s this?”

“I just shared my location with you,” she explained. “I’ll keep it on until I get home.”

Almost ten minutes later, Cassie stepped out of the car, thanked her rideshare driver, and drew in a deep breath of the crisp evening air.

Just what I needed, she thought, feeling the tiredness fade away.

The scent of roasted chestnuts and pine mingled with the faint melody of holiday carolers stationed near Quincy Market. Strings of twinkling white and multicolored lights wound their way around the lampposts and tree trunks, casting a soft glow on the historic architecture.

Huddled inside her thick parka, Cassie trekked down the cobblestone streets, her boots crunching softly against the uneven stones as she admired the holiday wreaths adorning shop doors, their vibrant ribbons fluttering in the brisk evening breeze.

Tourists exclaimed excitedly at storefronts showcasing meticulously arranged scenes of snow-covered villages, glittering ornaments and festive garlands. Meanwhile, hardy Bostonians paid no mind to the spectacle, staying laser-focused on their holiday shopping lists.

Cassie treated herself to a steaming cup of hot chocolate and a bag of tiny, freshly fried donuts before settling onto a bench outside Faneuil Hall to people-watch.

A massive Christmas tree towered over the square, draped in a cascade of shimmering gold and silver lights that seemed to light up the night sky. Nearby, a family of four posed for a picture in front of an illuminated reindeer installation while a couple took a selfie, their cheeks rosy from the cold as they huddled close.

“Got room for one more?”

Cassie’s heart lifted at the sound of her lover's familiar voice. She turned to see Ethan and couldn’t help but break into a wide smile.

“Always.” She shifted to make room for him beside her.

“Christ! It’s fuckin’ cold tonight,” he shuddered as the wind picked up.

“You should’ve grabbed a hot chocolate on the way,” Cassie teased, taking an exaggerated sip from hers. “Here.”

She offered him the bag of still-warm donuts, grinning when a dusting of sugar landed on his coat and the corner of his mouth as he took a bite.

“Relax, babe,” she said with a laugh as he muttered about the mess, brushing away the sugar particles with a napkin. “You missed a spot.”

Cassie leaned in and licked the sugar from the corner of his lips. Ethan turned his head, his lips brushing against hers, and then he placed two fingers under her chin, holding her in place as he kissed her deeply and without hesitation.

Firecrackers burst in the distance—or was it her racing heartbeat and the rush of blood to her head? Cassie didn’t know or care as she fell into the moment.

All too soon, their lips drifted apart and the kiss faded into a whisper as their foreheads touched, sharing a quiet, unspoken connection.

“Excuse me?” a man’s voice interrupted. Cassie glanced up to see the other half of the couple who had been taking selfies earlier. “Sorry to disturb you, but could you…?”

He held out his phone to Ethan, then glanced uncertainly back at his girlfriend. Cassie grinned at Ethan’s hesitation and decided to take pity on him.

“I’ll do it,” she offered, stepping forward.

She took a few photos as the couple wrapped their arms around each other and struck playful poses for the camera. The last photo had them kissing softly under the Christmas tree lights. Cassie thought it might be the best one of all, envying the openness of their relationship.

As the couple walked away, thanking her with bright smiles, Cassie sighed wistfully and settled back onto the bench beside Ethan.

“What’s that sigh about?” he asked, raising a curious brow.

“Nothing,” she said, avoiding his gaze as she gathered the empty cup and paper bag to toss in the trash.

“Do you wish we weren’t keeping our relationship secret?”

Cassie was always amazed at how astutely Ethan could read her feelings. She supposed it was inevitable when two people had been in an intimate relationship of one type or another for almost nine months.

“We’re private people.”

“That’s not what I asked, Cassie.” He took her hand, intertwining their fingers. “Do you want to go public?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Our families and my close friends know. It should be enough.”

“But…?”

Cassie rolled her eyes. He could be relentless, like a dog with a bone. She knew he wouldn’t drop it easily.

“But I hate how the nurses flirt with you at work while I have to pretend it doesn’t bother me. Or how, if we took a selfie right now, I couldn’t post it on Picta because, as far as the world knows, I’m single.”

“I’m not posing for a selfie on Picta under any circumstances,” Ethan murmured.

“Wanna bet?” she shot back, glaring at him.

Ethan smirked, his lips twitching as if to hold back a retort. Instead, he leaned in closer, his voice low and teasing. “You’d lose that bet, Dr. Valentine.”

Cassie raised an eyebrow, a challenge glinting in her eyes. “Careful, babe. I always play to win.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Come on, let’s get out of here before I freeze my balls off sitting on this icy bench.”

She grabbed her things and fell into step beside him, their fingers brushing but not quite holding. As they walked into the twinkling glow of the holiday lights, Cassie glanced at him, a quiet smile tugging at her lips.

Maybe the world didn’t need to know about them just yet. Moments like this were enough.

A/N: In case you were wondering. Ethan lost that bet. 😂

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

All Fics & Edits: @bluebelle08 @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @jerzwriter @justyourusualash @lady-calypso @kyra75 @mainstreetreader @peonierose @potionsprefect @queencarb @quixoticdreamer16 @snoopdogcone @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction @loreofyore

Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Ethan & Cassie only: @cariantha @custaroonie @youlookappropriate

[harley-sunday]

Feels Like Home [01]

Summary: When an unexpected three-week break between Monza and Singapore finds Daniel back on his farm in Perth he’s desperate to use this time to clear his mind, figure out his future in Formula One, and find his way back. He didn’t expect a new neighbour, a sassy two-year old, and three alpacas would make him realise that sometimes, what you’re looking for is right in front of you.

Pairing: Daniel Ricciardo x reader (unnamed OFC)

Warnings: Language

Word count: 2.7k

AN: Yes. Hi. Hello. Believe it or not but I started writing this fic because I desperately needed some good guy!Daniel being cute with kids in my life. The idea was just a short one shot. Ha. Who was I kidding? Because here we are, six months and nine chapters later... I really hope you like it, please come yell at me in the comments, on anon, or in my DMs about any and all things about this story you want to yell at me about. I probably deserve it. ♥

Masterlist

There’s something about being here, on his farm outside of Perth, that he doesn’t experience anywhere else in the world. Not in Monaco, not in Los Angeles, not even in Austin, or Montana. 

Because here- Here, he doesn’t have to be Daniel Ricciardo, Danny Ric, DR, or the Honey Badger. He doesn’t have to be a Formula One driver, an eight-time race winner, the most beloved driver on the grid, and the fan favourite. He doesn’t have to be Red Bull’s wild card, Renault’s saviour, or, most recently, McLaren’s scapegoat. Here, he is Daniel. And it’s enough. 

Or, at least, it used to be.

Lately, there's been a yearning in his heart that he's unfamiliar with. Or he pretends to be anyway because he’s not ready to put it into words yet, not ready to speak into existence what he really wants from life. Afraid he'll jinx it if he does. 

And so he keeps it to himself and lets his heart ache for something more in silence while the life he does know slowly keeps on falling apart around him.

***

Daniel rests his wrists on the handlebar of his dirt bike and lets out a breath he seems to have been holding in ever since he retired on lap forty-five of the Monza Grand Prix four days ago. Looking out over the valley below, he feels more grounded than he has in a long time and he hopes that the next two weeks will give him the peace he so desperately needs after the shitshow that has been his season so far. 

The sun’s already low in the sky, casting a golden glow over the somewhat still barren trees and shrubs even though he can tell winter is slowly coming to an end from the sprouts of green that have started to grace the landscape with their presence. There’s a kookaburra laughing somewhere in the distance and he takes it as his cue to fire up his engine again for one last run around his dirt track before it gets too dark. 

He knows technically he isn’t supposed to ride his bike during the season, knows technically McLaren could issue him a hefty fine for breaching his contract, but if they ever were to find out he figures they can just take it out of the settlement they’re due to pay him at the end of the year. He’s promised Zak he’ll do whatever it takes to score as many points as possible in the last six races but he also decided early on that he’s no longer going to let the team dictate what he can or cannot do in his time away from the track. 

There’s a meeting tomorrow, with Blake and Michael, where they’ll try to figure out his future in Formula One. There have been a few offers, both from teams who want him as their second driver and from teams who want him to become their reserve driver, but he’s still undecided, not sure if he wants to settle for another midfield team or stay in Formula One without really being in Formula One. 

By the time he completes his lap his head is somewhat empty, too busy instead to focus on keeping his bike under control and not ending up in the dirt. It’s almost dark now and so he opens the throttle wide and guns it home, a race against an invisible clock that, unlike this past season in Formula One, he wins every single time.

Once his bike is safely back in the shed he makes his way over to the house, hosing his boots down before he takes them off at the back door and leaves them to dry on the shoe rack his Dad made for him when he bought the farm. He changes out of his gear in the mud room, making a face when he takes his socks off and catches a whiff of the smell but laughing then because he remembers them smelling so much worse after a race in, oh let’s say, Singapore. With nothing but his boxer shorts on he steps into the kitchen and heads straight for the fridge, taking out an ice cold bottle of water. The sigh of relief when he rolls it against the back of his neck almost obscene. It might be winter but temperatures in western Australia are still as high as a beautiful spring day in Monaco.

It’s then the intercom rings and for a moment he debates ignoring it, not sure if he’s up for telling yet another local journo looking to make it big by trying to get an interview with ‘shunned McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo’ that now really isn’t a good time  and that any requests for interviews should be made through Blake anyway.  

Plus, he gave his family and friends the access code to the gate when it was first installed, so he doubts any of them are waiting for him to open it, not in the least because they know better than to just show up without a text or call in advance.  

In the end, his curiosity gets the better of him and so he walks over to where the control panel of his alarm system hangs in the living room and pushes the button needed to connect to whoever’s at the gate, “Hello?”

“Hi,” the screen comes on then, the black and white image showing a woman wearing a Stetson hat. She’s staring somewhere into the distance, her face obscured by the shadows the brim of her hat casts under the streetlight, but her voice comes through loud and clear, “Sorry to bother you this late-”

“It’s seven thirty,” he shoots back almost effortlessly.

“-but I wondered if I could maybe ask you to keep it down with the dirt biking a little?” 

“I’m sorry, what?”

She looks up and into the camera then, pushing her hat a little higher so he can finally see her eyes, “It’s just- We’ve got a flock of alpacas over in Eagle's Nest and they tend to get a little jittery from all the noise. Especially when they try to settle in for the night and-”

“I’m sorry,“ he can’t help but grin, running a hand through his hair, “but I’m going to need a little more context here.”

She laughs and he thinks it’s the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard and so he’s a little distracted but then he sees her taking her hat off, revealing her face and- Fuck. She’s gorgeous. He watches her as she shakes her head, a smile tugging on the corners of her lips, “Shit, sorry. I probably should have given you a bit more to go on.” Putting her hat back on she straightens up and points to somewhere over her shoulder, “Your neighbour on that side, Oscar Linton? He’s my granddad. I think you know him, right?”

“Old man Linton!” He smiles and nods, “Of course I do.” When he first bought the farm he made sure to introduce himself to his neighbours and while he likes to think he has a good relationship with all three of them he’s always had a soft spot for the elderly man further up the road. So much so that he always makes sure to drop by for a chat whenever he finds himself back in Perth. It’s then he connects the dots and recognises her from some of the pictures Oscar has up in his living room. All of a sudden he feels guilty for not going to see his neighbour yet even though he has been home for two days already but maybe he can do that tomorrow or-

“He fell a few days ago-” her voice pulls him out of his thoughts unintentionally and his guilt triples in a matter of seconds. There’s a sad smile tugging on her lips which makes him prepare for the worst. 

Surely they would have let him know if- He remembers the pile of unopened letters waiting for him on the kitchen counter then and curses quietly, “Shit.”

“He’s ok,” she’s quick to reassure him, as if she knows what he was thinking. “He spent a couple of nights in hospital and still has a long way to go but at least he’s home again.” She takes a deep breath, “They had to replace his hip and he’s got a broken wrist but,” she shrugs, “it could have been worse.”��

It’s then the absurdity of the situation hits him, with him in his boxers in his living room and her on the other end of his kilometre-long driveway, talking into a metallic box. He shakes his head and pushes the button that opens the gate automatically, “I think maybe we shouldn’t have this conversation over an intercom. I could make you a cup of coffee if you want? Or something stronger? I make a mean-”

She bites her lip and seems to hesitate.

“Just a quick cuppa. It’s the neighbourly thing to do, right?”

He sees her nod, “Yeah, ok.”

He can’t help the grin that spreads across his face, “Happy days.” 

***

The house is not at all how you expect it to be, much more modern and open-planned than any of the other farm houses in the area. The west-facing wall has been completely redone in glass panels, offering a stunning view of the valley and surrounding paddocks and you can’t help but admire the interior design of both the kitchen and the living room, which is masculine but still inviting. You wonder if he decorated the place himself or if he hired some interior designer to do it for him.

“Here you go,” Daniel, who told you ‘You can call me Dan’ when he greeted you at the door with a bright smile and an outstretched hand- offers you a cup of steaming hot coffee and motions for you to join him at the kitchen table. He’s wearing white sweatpants and a matching white sweater that look incredibly comfy and that make you want to wrap yourself around him and hang onto him like a koala bear. Wait. What? 

You take your hat off to try and keep from ogling him, placing  it on the chair next to you before you sit down and smile at him, “You know, all these years I thought you were called Danny Ric because that’s what Granddad keeps calling you. I’m not sure I can get used to Daniel.” 

Daniel laughs, the laughter lines in the corners of his eyes even more prominent now, “Trust the old man to keep that gag going.” He shakes his head then, “I can’t believe he fell though.”

“Yeah,” you agree quietly, blowing into your coffee. “We’re lucky Mrs Mackenzie found him when she did or-” You let out a ragged breath and see him nod, his eyes kind, and it makes you continue, “His hip was completely shattered and his wrist is broken in three places so it’s going to take a while before he’s up and running again- I mean, if his new hip ever heals completely- He’s already seventy-eight so-” You hear yourself starting to ramble and so you fold your hands around your cup and try to calm down a little. You’re not even sure why you’re even telling him all of this, but he’s a friend of your granddad and so you figure he’s good people. “Mum and Dad wanted to come back from New Zealand to help out but-” you look up at Daniel and shrug, “I spent a lot of time on the farm as a kid, right until I left for uni, so it made much more sense for me to move in with him for the time being.” 

“That’s a pretty big thing to do,” Daniel says with a kind smile, a warmth to his brown eyes that you can feel yourself get lost in. “You sure your family can miss you that long?”

You don’t really know what he’s getting at, whether he’s talking about your Mum and Dad or the husband and kids he thinks you might have left behind to come back to Mundaring, and you don’t really know you want to tell him your truth either, after all you’ve just met him, so in the end you shake your head and settle on an honest, “I’ve got everything I need right here.” 

He eyes you suspiciously but doesn’t push it and instead he says, “If you’d have me I’d love to come over to see him some time. I’m still here for almost another two weeks  and-” 

“I’m sure he’d like that,” you offer with a smile. “He always tells me what a nice bloke you are.”

Daniel leans back in his chair and grins, spreading his arms, “Can’t say I blame him. I’m the best.” 

“He says the same thing about the postie,” you tease with a casual shrug, “so don’t get too excited.” 

“Ouch,” Daniel brings a hand to his chest, “that hurts.” 

You pout, “So sad.” 

“Very,” Daniel agrees quietly, trying his best to keep a straight face. He puts his arms on the table then and leans forward, “Before you stomp on my ego some more, why don’t you tell me the real reason you’re here. What’s up with that eagle’s nest over in some paddock?”

“Oof,” you pull a face and shake your head, “you were so close.” You can’t help but laugh when you see him pretend to be hurt at your comment. You take a sip of coffee before you explain, pointing in the general direction of your paddock, “Your dirt track borders Eagle's Nest, the paddock Granddad uses for the alpacas in September and October, and I guess normally it isn’t a problem because you usually aren’t home during this time of year but I heard you yesterday and today and-”

“Yeah, we had an unexpected three-week break this year so I figured-” Daniel waves his hand around for you to continue then.

“It’s just, we have three pregnant females this year and- I don’t know if you’re at all familiar with alpacas?”

He shakes his head, “I didn’t even know you guys had alpacas. Your granddad and I just tend to talk shit about Mrs Mackenzie and them over a cuppa but I've never really asked him about the farm to be honest."

You throw him a look, knowing all too well your granddad doesn’t drink coffee.

He quickly backs down, “Fine, I drink coffee, he drinks tea.” 

“There you go,” you mouth with a wink. “Anyway, alpacas are basically scared of everything, even their own shadow, so you know, someone riding a dirt bike close by doesn’t really help with keeping them nice and calm during these last few weeks of their pregnancy.” 

“Gotcha.”

“They’re usually out on the other side of the paddock during the day, so anything until five in the afternoon is fine” you offer, not wanting to deprive him of his hobby completely, “but we have their feeders and the shed they can hide in during the night out over in your corner, so-”

“You’re giving me a five pm curfew, basically,” he says with a raise of his eyebrows.

“Just until the end of October.” You bite your lip, “I’m sorry, it’s just-”

“Nah, no worries,” Daniel puts his hand on your forearm and gives it a squeeze to let you know he means it. “I’d do anything for old Oscar.” Then, with a grin he adds, “And his girls.” 

You can’t help the heat that rises to your cheeks and try to hide it with a smile, “Thank you.”

He squeezes your arm again, “He’s gonna be fine by the way. He’s tough, that one.”

“Speaking of Granddad,” you risk a quick glance at your watch, letting you know it’s almost eight fifteen, “I should probably head back.” You push your chair back and grab your hat, putting it on as you tell Daniel, “Thank you for the coffee.”

“Anytime,” he says with a grin as he stands up as well, following you to the front door. “Tell him I’ll come by soon, ok?”

“Will do.” You turn around then and smile again, something about not getting your hopes up but doing so anyway when you ask, “I’ll see you around then?”

Daniel tips his imaginary hat, “Yes ma’am.” 

[milflewis]

niamh i would love to hear more about the "you see me every day" ficlet... where they say "what's a fuck between friends"...

said fic in question. ok so. i’m thinking valtteri and lewis are so close yk? but it’s more the kind that comes from being there for each other. day in day out. doubt they talk much and then valtteri is leaving and he’s not leaving lewis obv. lewis Knows that. but. he’s leaving. and then abu dhabi happens and that’s. thats. yeah.

so when bahrain testing swings around they’ve kind of taken a step back. nowhere else to go really is there? when you’re that close? and it’s not like they’re getting closer lol. who cares what lewis thought might happen during the winter break before the last race happened. who. cares.

but they’re still good ! valtteri still looks for lewis when he enters a room and he smiles when lewis sits next to him and the car is. like. terrible and george is good. eager. so eager and willing to learn and not valtteri which isn’t fair but this is just the inside of lewis’s head so it’s fine. he’ll do a few more minutes of mindfulness later to make up for it. it’s okay.

they’re at the end of a triple header and lewis is so tired and sore and he mb needs a hug but angela has gone to bed and miles didn’t come with him this race and then valtteri is there and he’s asking lewis if he wants to come over to his hotel room and eat room service and drink a shitload of apple juice and lewis is like. why are u made out of dreams and happiness. but like. in his head bc that’d be weird. which sums most of the things he wants to say to valtteri so he’s used to keeping them to himself.

how they end up kissing with valtteri’s hand down his pants and thumb soft and tender under his ear as he makes these hurt noises into lewis’s mouth. lewis doesn’t actually know. but they do. and look. lewis has never had a valtteri before. but he has fucked another driver (michael) and he has fucked another driver who was a friend (seb) and he has fucked another teammate. one he still got on after (jenson) and one he didn’t (nico). and the one thing that tied them all together was that it was Cool (jenson)! it was Good (seb) ! it was Not Bad (michael)! it was Yeah This Will Be The Last Time, I’d Say, Lewis. No. No, Don’t Start. I Told You I Was Proposing To Vivian. You Knew This (nico)! so he’s like. so got this. and he’s saying that it was cool and good and not bad and fun (his own addition) and that. um. yeah.

and valtteri who is looking at him. valtteri who has never quite known why lewis looked at him and picked him and kept doing that. valtteri who didn’t know what to say to lewis after abu dhabi and ended up saying nothing at all. who handed him a helmet and a dream team thank you lewis and a picture of his naked arse and has watched a car hurt lewis in a way it never has and not known what it felt like for the first time in a long time. valtteri who has also never had a lewis but has slept with driver before (daniel. once. seb. twice. mika. four times.) says it doesn’t have to mean anything and watches lewis smile and nod. relieved.

and then bc he can’t help himself. he says. what’s a fuck between friends. bc he wants lewis to admit it. even now. wants to hear lewis pick valtteri as his friend. even if that’s all they are :(

[f0point5]

I started watching f1 specifically bc of Max but sergio did grown on me and man im so sad bout him, apart from his own fuckups, I think luck was definitely not on his side at all this season and the last races you could see the own team didn’t even try to get him there, buuut, I read one of your responses and tbh you opened my eyes, there’s realistically -RIGHT NOW- no one prepared for that 2nd seat, so I’m kinda curious about how the whole ordeal will conclude, tbh I hope they keep him, and if they don’t, they pay him a shit ton of money so Horner ends looking like a clown

And speaking of Horner, honestly, I believe RBR needs a whole new reorganization, starting from him, I strongly believe he should have stepped down from the TP position since his scandal and probably all the loses the team suffered this year could’ve been avoided. If it isn’t clear, I hate that little terrier man and Jos should have fought harder to get him out (allegedly) n e ways, any plans for the winter break? Or any predictions?

RBR does not have anyone that is ready for that seat. It’s probably going to be Liam and they’re going to burn him out in less than a year.

But they can’t keep Checo now. They don’t want him there, they’ve made that clear to him. Realistically Liam can’t be any worse, but mentally he will suffer more than checo I think. I think he will do a Gasly.

They should have looked outside RBR while they still had options. But I guess because getting checo out is so hard they couldn’t ask any driver to wait until now to confirm a seat. It’s really unfortunate.

I don’t believe that the people who left rb left because of his scandal. I think the scandal was only ever a sign that the relationships between key figures at RBR had soured beyond repair and the Austrians wanted him gone. They failed in the coup. But I think all the in-fighting and however things have been run over there has unsettled key figures enough that they want out. Even without the scandal, I think whatever led to that car being so bad (which begun last year) is the real reason people are leaving.

I also think Jos was only ever doing the Mateschitz/Marko dirty work and was all too happy to do it because Horner won’t back down to him and he hates that. I don’t think Jos has anywhere near enough connections to get anyone gone unless the agenda is supported by someone more important.

My only prediction is that checo leaves 😂

[outsideratheart]

Christmas Miracle (Alexia Putellas x reader)

A/N: This technically is not part of my advent calendar series but you guys wanted angst and who am iIto say no. To the anons who sent requests for this, i hope you like it. I know it isn’t quite what one of you asked for but I did try to use both of them to build the fic.

2022 was a rollercoaster of emotions for both you and Alexia. You had immense success with Barcelona despite failing to complete the quadruple. Then Alexia had her injury the day before your first game with England. Whilst the summer was one you will remember for the rest of your life, it is one Alexia wished never happened. 

Off the pitch you spent endless hours at media events and photoshoots, luckily you had each to lean on when things became too much. 

It was the reason why your final appearance of the year was bearable. FC Barcelona requested that the captains of the female team attend the gala so that they can talk about how the women’s game is progressing. 

By the time the event ends both of your social batteries are drained and you are ready to go home. 

“Tonight has been the best so far” you lean back against the leather seat letting the coldness of the fabric calm you. 

“That’s because it was our first one where the world knows we are together. We didn’t have to hide our love” Alexia rests her head on your shoulder. Her fingers interlock with yours as they lay in your lap. 

There were many reasons why the night was a success but none came close the one Alexia said. The summer was a test for many reasons yet despite this your relationship with Alexia grew stronger than ever. Being in a different country when your girlfriend was going through the hardest time of her live didn’t stop you from being there for her and Alexia’s injury didn’t stop her from cheering you on from Barcelona. It was during the final when Alexia asked you if you she could tell the world about the two of you. You obviously said yes having been waiting for her to comfortable enough to do so. 

“I got to dance with the most beautiful girl in the world and everyone else had to watch on in envy” you recall the moment in your head, it was one that had never happened before. The music slowed yet you and Alexia stayed on the dance floor as you swayed to the beat. The crowd around you becomes less relevant with every verse that is played. 

“We certainly stole the show” Alexia says. 

“What’s next? We are officially on winter break. I didn’t really get an off season due to AMOS cup, I’m ready for a holiday” you ask Alexia knowing that she has been working with your manager, who just so happened to be hers, to make sure you got at least two weeks off. No photoshoots, no interviews, no distractions in the slightest. 

“I’m thinking Australia. Me, you, mum and Alba fly out on the 22nd then have an open invite for anyone to join us between Christmas and new year” Alexia used the words thinking loosely. Truth is she has been planning this for a couple of months. 

“That sounds like heaven” you dip your head slightly to kiss her temple. A smile dugs at your lips when you feel her relax into your touch. 

The two of you sit in comfortable silence as the radio plays a Spanish Christmas song that Alexia seems to know all the words to. You make a mental note to ask her about it later having never heard it before.

You are calm and still in that moment, holding the woman you love but then out the corner of your eye you can see a set of car lights getting closer and closer. You think it is going to stop but when it becomes clear that the driver has no plans to do so, you do what comes naturally. You protect Alexia. You quickly shift in your seat so that your back is against the door. Alexia doesn’t have a chance to question the movement as the car is hit. 

The force of the impact causes the car to roll but enough times that it remains upright. 

All Alexia can hear is ringing through her ears, her vision is blurred but she tries her hardest to come to her senses. She squeezes her eyes shut then focuses on her breathing. When she opens them again everything is back in focus. The sight she saw filled her with panic and struck fear within her. 

“Ale” Your voice is strained and she can only guess how much pain you must be in.

“Baby, you’re ok” Alexia words are more a form of reassurance for her than you.

She is frozen. What does she do? Does she try to move you? No, in the TV shows they say never move the person as it can cause more harm. There is a deep wound on your side no doubt from the car hitting you. She reaches one arm behind your head whilst the other one applies pressures in hope of stopping the bleeding but she feels warm liquid on her hand which is near your head. When she pulls it away her hand is covered in blood.

“Can you lean forward for me?” 

You eyes fail to focus as they stare into space but you do as she says. When you do Alexia can see a cut on the back of your head. This only fills her with more panic as she knows head injuries are very serious.

“Are you both ok?” The driver, who has managed to get out of the vehicle, asks the two of you.

“I am, I think. Y/N is hurt badly, she has cut to her side and a deep cut on the back of her head. It could be worse I don’t know. What do I do?” The panic grows tenfold as Alexia says your injuries out loud.

“Alexia are you hurt?” the driver asks.

This earns a scoff from the midfielder. How could he not see the shape you are in. Why would he ask about her and not you.

“She is hurt” it is all Alexia can bring herself to say.

“I know and I have already called 112. I have told them that Y/N is injured but they asked me about you”

This made more sense.

“I’m ok, I think” Alexia looks herself up and down and repeats her words.

“You have” you cough suddenly “a cut on your eyebrow”

If the situation wasn’t as serious Alexia would have laughed at your selflessness. Here you are, clearly in pain with god knows how many injuries yet you have taken the time to check her out.

She wants to make a clever remark but when she looks back you she see’s your eyes slowly closing, as if you cannot take no more. The pain rushing through your entire body is becoming too much to bare.

“No, No” Alexia begins crying as the severity and the possible outcome of this becomes real.

“Y/N, baby, mi amor, mi alma” She uses every nickname she have ever given you in hopes that one will register.

“I love you Alexia” It was said like a last affirmation of your love for her “If this is where my story ends then I want you to know I have loved every minute spent by your side and I wouldn’t change it for the world” a single tear runs down your cheek and Alexia is quick to wipe it away.

“Don’t cry for me baby. Focus on the good times we have had, they are ours and will stay with you until the end of time” 

Those are your last words as your body succumbs to the pain. 

The paramedics arrive not long after. As they load you into the ambulance the driver, one that the team had used and who had gotten to know you and the rest of girls well, tells Alexia that he called Jonatan and he has let the team know what happened.

The hospital waiting room is eerily quiet as multiple families wait for updates on their loved ones conditions. Alexia is sat alone in the corner, her hands stained red with your blood. The white trousers she wore are now more pink. Her mind wanders to what happened. She soon finds herself angry with you, which angers her more given the current condition you were in, you chose to put yourself in harms way to safe her. It reminds her of when you were watching some action film, the name escapes her but she remembers you saying that you would sacrifice yourself for her, you said you would take a bullet for her, she never thought for a minute that you would ever prove this to her.

She is so caught up in her own mind that she doesn’t see that she has company.

“Ale” Alba takes a seat near her sister.

The feeling of comfort that her little sister brings shocks Alexia but in that moment she has never been more grateful for her.

Words fail Alexia as every negative emotion rises to the surface. Her body racks with sobs as Alba pulls her close whilst fearing the worst.

“Is Y/N —“ Mapi cannot say the words out loud in fear of getting the answer she didn’t want to hear.

Ingrid pulls her close now knowing how her girlfriend would react if the worse were to have happened to her best friend.

“No, No. Y/N is fine. She is the strongest out of all us. Tell her Alexia” Pina all but begs.

Still, Alexia cannot bring herself to face the team. She cannot look them in eye and say that she is reason why you are in surgery, all because you made the split second decision that her life holds more value than your own.

“Alexia” Leila whispers as she crouches down in front of her friend “are you ok?” 

Again Alexia didn’t expect it. Why was she getting asked about herself when you were in much worse shape. Then it hit her, the nurses must not have told them anything about your condition, they weren’t family. At least not according the the hospital. 

“It was bad Leila. There was nothing I could do. One minute she was holding me then next thing we got hit by a car. She’s hurt Leila, there was so much blood. Her side and her head” 

The team hang on Alexia’s every word as they get told what happened. 

“She is alive, yes?” Mapi asks and for the first time since entering the hospital she has hope. 

“She’s in surgery” Alexia looks up and faces her team “she was unconscious when we got here but the doctors said she had a heartbeat” 

“That’s good Ale” Alba tries to reassure her sister. 

“No Albs, you didn’t see her. She said goodbye, like she was already giving up” 

The girls listen in shock. You had never given up on anything in your entire life, you were too stubborn to do so.

“Y/N doesn’t give up and she won’t leave, not without living her life with you. She has plans for the two of you Alexia. She has told me over and over again about how she plans on marrying you and having a family with you. How one day your children will celebrate with you both as you win games and trophies. Trust me Alexia, she has plans for the two of you and she won’t leave this earth having not done any of them” Mapi uses every ounce of positive energy she has to reassure your girlfriend knowing that you would do the same if you were in her position.

“I don’t if we will get that future maps. I know this is hard for you too, I know she is your best friend and I know that you must be just as scared as I am” Alexia stands for the first time since the team arrived. She stands so that she can embrace her in a hug.

“She’ll be ok Alexia. Our Y/N doesn’t give up without a fight. She needs us to be strong because she can’t” Mapi responds.

The team sit, pace and stand in the waiting room as the doctors work on you in the operating theatre. A hour passes before they see a man, in his late 40s, dressed in scrubs approach them.

“Are you the family of Y/N Y/L/N?” the surgeon asks and everyone nods in response.

Alexia is front and centre as she listens to him explain the surgery and what is next for you.

“I know it must be scary but the surgery went well. She had a brain bleed and some internal bleeding, both of which we were able to control rather easily but due to head trauma she is in a coma” 

Upon hearing this several girls gasp in shock whilst Alexia’s face remains stoic. 

“A coma?” she needs him to confirm what she heard was correct.

“A medically induced coma. Head traumas can be difficult to recover from. You don’t realise how much we use our brain because the tasks come so easily to us. Y/N needs to heal before she come back to you, ok?” 

“She is going to be ok though? The crash was bad, I thought I was going to lose her” 

She can tell the doctor is thinking carefully about his response. The chances of recovery were high but the truth is they won’t know how well the surgery went until you wake up.

“Your girl is a fighter Alexia” 

What she does next is unexpected. She pulls the doctor into a hug, thanking him over and over again for saving you. He of course says it part of his job and that the hard part is all on you. Visitors are allowed and he explains that due to the circumstances and with it being the holidays he will allow everyone in to see you.

“You go in first Ale” Alba hesitantly pushes Alexia towards your room.

Alexia froze at the threshold almost as if she was waiting to be let in. There you laid, unconscious, helpless and unrecognisable. If you were to ask anyone who ever met you and they would say that your eyes were unforgettable yet in this moment as your eyes remain closed Alexia tries and fails to remember what they looked like. The tube that was helping you breath causes a level of panic and fear inside Alexia that she never thought possible. 

When she plucks up the courage to enter the room she doesn’t go straight to you. Instead she chooses to stand at the foot of your bed, her mind running a hundred miles an hour as flashbacks flood her mind. 

She has seen the movies so she knows that she should talk to you and that could help but in there moment she is speechless. 

Then she sees your personal belongings on the table beside you. In the clear bag was your jewellery. Some was what you wore for the gala but what she wanted the most was your everyday Jewellery. Your necklace and the ring you always wore on your middle finger. Every since you met you had these items having been given them when your grandmother passed away. 

She proceeds to place the necklace around her neck and places your ring on her finger. The small sentiment brings her peace having it feel like part of you is with her. 

“Mi alma” she takes a seat beside you bringing your cold hand to her mouth as she places several kisses on the back of it. 

”You talked about our story ending but it is only just beginning. I have so much planned for us, you have to wake up that I can show you” Alexia wipes her nose “Please Y/N”

You don’t answer her, how could you. 

Alexia is alone with for you almost half an hour. Alba knocks gently on the door as not to scare her sister. 

“They can come in” Alexia says like she knows what her sister is about to ask. 

With that rest of the Barcelona girls enter your hotel room. Some go straight to your unconscious form, others watch from afar. 

It’s when Alexia sees Mapi frozen in the door way, much like she was, does she move from your side. 

“She saved my life Maria” Alexia confesses almost like it was a crime. 

“I know” the defender nonchalantly replies. 

“How?” 

“It something she would do. She loves you and I could tell my the way you were acting that there was something more to it than just a car accident” 

“I’m so mad at her. Is that wrong?” Alexia knows that she shouldn’t be mad that you saved her live but the cost of that it sit well with her. Should the worse happen, how could she live with herself. 

“Oh I’m mad at her too Ale. When she wakes up she will have us both to deal with” Mapi tries to lighten the mood knowing that the alternative wasn’t an option. She had to remain optimistic and plan for the future. A future in which you wake up. 

Hours pass, the moon takes place of the sun in the sky and the team get told that visiting hours are over. Unfortunately these rules applied to Alexia regardless of how hard she argues. 

“Ale” Alba grabs her sister’s shoulder “you’ll go home, get showered and get some sleep then we will come first thing in the morning”

“I can’t go home. I can’t go back to our home without her” the vulnerability of Alexia’s current state is not something Alba is used to. 

“Then we will go to mama’s and the three of us will come here together tomorrow”

And that is what happens day in and day out. The Putellas women visit in the Morning, the doctor allows Alexia to stay throughout the day and then the team visits in the afternoon. 

4 days after the accident, the doctors are happy with your progress so they take the breathing tubes out. The hope that was slowly leaving Alexia get reinstilled. 

Everyday Alexia talks to you. She tell you stories about what has been happening in the world. She shares her favourites moments that the two of you have shared over the years. Mapi brings in her iPad and talks you through the tattoo designs she has come up with, even stating which ones you should get. 

When Christmas Eve comes the energy amongst the team is down. So when Jana and Bruna suggest decorating your room for when you wake up everyone agrees it’s a good idea. 

Alexia allows it but doesn’t join in. Every year the two of you decorate your house and doing it without you feels wrong. 

“Mija, why aren’t you helping?” Eli asks as she sees her daughter sitting outside your room instead of with you. 

“I can’t do it anymore” she runs her fingers through her hair in frustration “I have tried to be positive but what if she never wakes up or worse what is she—“ 

“Ale you can’t think like that. Y/N is strong. From what you and the doctor have told me her injuries are bad which is why it is taking so long for her to heal” 

“I really love her and I don’t think I can do this without her” Alexia collapses in her mum’s arms as once again her emotions overwhelm her. 

“I know you do and I know she loves you. Your story isn’t over, this is just a story you will tell your children” Eli says. 

“I will not tell my children how their mother almost died protecting me” Alexia is quick to respond. 

She hopes to never talk about this every again. Once you wake up this can be put in the past. 

“I spoke to the doctors. They said I can stay here tonight with it being Christmas Day tomorrow. Will you and Alba come visit us?” Alexia asks her mum. 

“Of course. Who needs Australia when we can come to the best hospital in Barcelona?“ 

Her mothers joke causes Alexia to laugh maybe more so than necessary. She couldn’t believe how much had changed in just under ten days. You are suppose to be in Australia right now and instead you are fighting for your life. 

When the next morning arrives Alexia feels hopeful for the first time since the crash. It wasn’t just ‘you will be ok’ hope, it’s something different, something more powerful. 

“Merry Christmas Y/N” Alexia kisses your temple. 

“I don’t know what you have got me this year or if you even had the chance to get anything but I want you to know that the only thing I want is for you to wake up. These past ten days have been the worst in my life”.

She wipes her tears for the umpteenth time. 

“I need to see your beautiful eyes, hear your infectious laugh, I need you Y/N” 

Alexia goes to her bag to get your present. The small black velvet box which she had bought almost a year prior is held firmly in her hands. 

“I had plans Y/N” Alexia opens the box to reveal the silver band with a small diamond in the centre. 

“Alba helped me pick it out so I know you’ll like it. She misses you by the way, mum too and Nala, Ay Dios Mío she has no idea what is going on” 

“I love you with all my heart and I planned to go into 2023 with you as my fiancée” Alexia pulls the ring out of the box as she plays with the diamond. 

She then places it on your ring finger, breathing a sigh of relief when it fits perfectly. 

“You suppose to ask me first” your voice is hoarse. 

You slowly open your eyes, squinting slightly due to the brightness of the lights. It takes a few seconds to realise where you are and how you got there but then you remember. 

“The crash. Alexia, are you ok?” You reach for her face. 

“I’m ok, thanks to you. You saved me Y/N” 

You see Alexia start to get emotional. A sight that doesn’t get easier no matter how many times you see it. 

“Come here mi amor” you use all of your strength to move yourself across the bed so she can fit. 

Alexia wants to argue. She wants to tell you to be careful but she is craving your touch. So she buries herself into your side. 

“Careful. That hurts” you tell her and her hand reaches to where the wound on your side is. 

“There was so much blood. I thought I was going to lose you” Alexia has told many people this but it is much harder saying it to you. 

“Hey. We don’t have to talk about it. Let’s talk about this” you hold your hand up for the two of you to look at. 

The ring was beautiful. 

“I bought it last year when we were in Dubai. I was waiting for the right time to ask you” 

“And you thought that now, in a hospital, was the right time” you tease her. 

“I never actually asked you” Alexia rises to the teasing. 

You raise your eyebrow in response. A smirk pulls at your lips as you wait. 

“I love you Y/N. I had so much I wanted to say but I don’t want to waste anymore time. If I have learnt anything in the last few days it’s like life is short and I don’t want to spent another day without you as my fiancée. Y/N Y/L/N will you marry me?”

“I will” it was the easiest answer you have ever given. 

When Alexia shifts her weight you know what is coming. The kiss is likr something you have never experience before. The passion in it makes you emotional and when you feel Alexia’s tears on your cheek you know she must be feeling the same thing. 

“I wished for a miracle and here you are” Alexia pulls away. She lets you hugs her, hold her in your arms whilst reassuring her than you are ok. 

[h2bakugou]

Can I have bakugo x reader who acts a lot like kenma? You can do gendernetural!

Please hydrate!

a/n: of course!! i do be using the wiki to find out his personality cuz half the time i forget, i haven't seen haikyuu in a minute, i might rewatch the first two seasons-

summary: quiet, composed, analytical. the three words most students in your class use to describe you. despite your reserved nature and awkward aura, bakugou decides to approach you.

key: (y/n) - your name / (f/n) - first name / (l/n) - last name / (e/c) - eye color / (h/c) - hair color / (y/q) - your quirk

warnings: swearing, fluff

word count: 2.5k

;cut for length;

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»»————-　★　————-««

It’s a cool autumn day, the cool wind rustling the bright-colored leaves on the trees. With the air getting much colder, it was time to break out your winter costumes when it came to training.

You stood by yourself like usual, listening to instructions. Of course, the exercise today was grouping you in pairs. And despite being possible acquaintances with at least half of your peers, you didn’t really consider them friends.

It wasn’t because you hated them, you were reserved, quiet, and rarely showed any emotions, often having others perceive you as cold and hard to read.

“It’s just a simple team-building skills exercise. You’ll most likely have several occasions in the field where you’re working together with other heroes and agencies, especially on bigger cases. Your pairs have already been chosen for you so when your names are called find your partner.” Aizawa’s look hadn’t changed at all. In fact, you almost wondered if his outfit had changed during the summer or not.

But it seemed like what he wore during the hottest days of June or July was currently fitted on him now. 

Name after name was called, slowly dwindling down the remaining students that could be paired.

“Kirishima, (Y/n).” It wasn’t that much of a surprise to you when you heard your name. Kirishima meandered over to you, shooting you a sharp-teethed smile before glancing back at Kaminari and Sero, who had been paired together.

“Bakugou, Todoroki.” That was a pair you certainly hadn’t expected. Watching as Bakugou’s eye seemed to twitch he teamed up with the half-and-half boy, not very thrilled to do this exercise with him.

The training was fairly simple, you were to rescue a training dummy from a random hazard under thirty minutes.

In your case, your dummy was trapped in a sinking car.

You hadn’t expected to get wet today, and even if your quirk allowed you some help under the water, it was still going to be cold. It didn’t help that Kirishima kept asking you questions.

You were thinking of a strategy as you rushed to the scene. 

“I think the best plan is to try and get the car out of the water.” 

No that is a stupid plan. You can’t lift the car, with water inside of it you’d just sink to the bottom.

You didn’t have a solid plan, but you could finish fairly early if you could break the window and retrieve the dummy.

Using this plan, you’d need Kirishima to harden and break the window.

After reviewing the area where the car had begun to sink, you could feel the cameras on you, your entire class observing you. It was uncomfortable, you frankly wished you’d been paired with someone like Mineta so your fight would hopefully be uninteresting to those who despised the purple-’haired’ boy.

“Harden and break the window when we get to the car. Trying to save the car is just going to slow us down.” You spoke plainly, kicking off your shoes as you stared at the strikingly blue water.

“Break the window, got it!” Kirishima was ready. Jumping into the cold water, you fought the urge to swim back out. Pushing on, you swam to the car, hoping you’d be able to hold your breath long enough to get the dummy out.

Kirishima swam beside you and quickly hardened part of his body, noticing how much harder it was to move underwater.

After a few attempts, the glass hadn’t budged. You needed air. Swimming back up, your heads popped up above the water.

“We need momentum.” Kirishima wasn’t getting anywhere. 

“Use your feet on the window behind the driver's side. I’ll swim through and get the dummy.” You ducked back under, sucking in a breath to keep with you. Kirishima came back down, finding that hardening allowed him to sink faster.

Using your advice, he hardened his feet and lower calves, kicking through the hard glass of the window behind the driver’s side. You kicked out any remaining glass and swam through, quickly navigating for the seatbelt buckle.

It was hard to see, the water made things blurry, but after some searching you found it. 

The dummy was heavy, but with enough force, you were able to pull it out of the seat and bring it into the back seat, handing it off to Kirishima. 

However, as you were preparing to swim through the broken window, your foot got caught in a seatbelt. From the thrashing and moving trying to maneuver the dummy, your legs had gotten tangled.

Yanking your legs did nothing and you were running out of air. Kirishima had taken the dummy back to shore only to realize you hadn’t popped back above water.

Quickly diving back in, he was lucky to find you still moving.

Squeezing through the window, he helped free you from the seatbelts, cutting them free from your legs before helping you back above the water.

Gasping for air, you choked on water that spewed from your mouth and nose, completely unaware of just how long you'd been down there for.

“That was a good plan, next time don’t get stuck!” Kirishima’s cheery voice guided you back to reality as you swam back to shore, resting as soon as your body no longer had to float to hold itself up.

Training was over for you and Kirishima, and you’d passed with three minutes to spare. You were handed a towel and escorted to change out of your wet costume.

However, you had to return after changing into the regular training uniform.

That’s when Bakugou approached you.

“How’d you think of that plan so fast?” Bakugou’s question doesn’t seem like much of a question at all. He’d gone before you so he was done with training as well. You didn’t respond at first, opting to try and seem as invisible as possible, hoping that maybe he was talking to Momo who was within an earshot of your conversation.

“Oi!” 

“It just made sense.” Was all you could conjure up to say, proceeding to move away from Bakugou after answering. However, Bakugou wasn’t pleased with this. He then decided to follow you around like a lost puppy, trying to catch up with you every time you migrated away from him.

“What’s your deal?” Bakugou finally cornered you away from the class, pushing your back against a wall.

“Please stop following me.” You didn’t want to look the blonde in the eyes. Your heart was beating faster than before. This was such a vulnerable position. You couldn’t place your finger on what it was exactly you were feeling, but the thumping of your heart was starting to hurt your head.

“Tch, dumbass.” Bakugou grumbled, his cheeks pink as he walked away, folding his arms over his chest. You didn’t mind standing still for a bit, no one could see you, but you feared you’d get into trouble which would only cause a scene. You slowly added yourself to the back of the class, opting to pay minimal attention to the lesson.

A week later, a similar scenario happened. Bakugou cornered you in the library while you played a hand-held console during lunch. You chose to eat quietly somewhere else and spend the remainder of your time in the library, safe from the noisy cafeteria.

However this time, Bakugou didn’t say anything to you. He took a seat in front of you. He debated on saying a few things to you, but it appeared that as long as he was quiet, you seemed unbothered.

Though you would occasionally catch him staring at you, which caused him to grumble something under his breath.

And then there was the day where he showed up with some sort of snack.

You can’t eat in here.

“I didn’t see you eat lunch. Eat dumbass.” Bakugou passed you the snack bar. You stared at it. 

Is this some sort of peace offering? If so, why in the one place where food isn’t allowed.

You left the snack bar in its spot for the remainder of your time in the library, only reaching for it when it was time to go. Bakugou glared at you as you opened it as soon as you got outside of the library, only to watch you nibble on the bar before throwing it away, conveniently by the sign that says ‘no food or drink in the library.’

This wouldn’t be the last sort of ‘offering’ Bakugou would give to you. You seemed to tolerate him as long as he was quiet, and he was determined to find out why. Which is why he eventually asked to study in your room.

When he walked in, he was surprised to see how different your room looked.

He half expected it to look as normal as possible, similar to Ojiro’s room.

However, your room was decorated to your liking, with a poster or two on the walls, a comfy-looking blanket draped over your bed, a desk, a tv, and other various decorations.

“Why are you so quiet?” Was the first of many questions Bakugou had to ask you during your study session which you had reluctantly said yes to since he’d asked you during breakfast around other students.

It felt weird to be sitting with him privately in your dorm. Your heart was beating fast again and it was weird. You hadn’t been able to get Bakugou out of your head since he had started all these surprise visits.

“Not much to say.” You replied simply, working on your homework swiftly.

“There’s gotta be something you like, you’re not that fuckin’ boring are you?” Bakugou’s words were harsh, but they weren’t meant to be mean.

“I like video games. But you do not.” You lifted your gaze to meet his, his lips parted in awe.

“I do too play fuckin’ games.” Bakugou stood his ground.

“What games do you have?” This was the first question you’d ever asked Bakugou.

“C-cooking Mama.” Bakugou hung his head in defeat.

“They have multiplayer challenges, correct? We could play together after we finish.” You weren’t at all judgmental of his seemingly childish game choice, but it seemed that you had a copy of the game as well.

After work, you sat on your bed alongside Bakugou and the two of you competed against one another in cooking challenges. You won most of them considering you’d completed the game in its entirety and knew the in and out’s of doing the most with your time, how to get perfect dishes, etc.

You decided to let Bakugou win a few times, but it was almost as if he could tell you were letting him win. 

Throwing down his console softly onto your bed, he forced your back against the mattress as he hovered over you.

“Stop going easy on me!’ Bakugou semi-shouted. You stared up at him with a seemingly blank expression, but the heat that burned your face was clear to you. 

Bakugou’s warm features, albeit a bit brash and rough, were gorgeous to look at. His tough crimson eyes and his explosive blonde locks, you were almost sure this feeling you were having was one of affection, not that you knew anything about it though.

Let alone how to act on those feelings. And you had observed that Bakugou struggled to be upfront with his feelings too.

Staring down at you was mind-blowing to Bakugou. He could see your face so clearly, your eyes were wide and full of some sort of emotion even though you acted as if you were simply just observing what was happening.

His eyes couldn’t stand to stare at just your eyes though. They travelled all over your face, finding little details to look at before they found your lips.

An unknown force pulled him closer to you, his lips landing on yours. Moving against them softly, he kissed you. Your eyes widened ever so slightly as you felt his lips on yours.

You couldn’t move. It was electrifying. Yet you were slightly confused.

You didn’t know how to move your lips against his, though you gave it your best effort, now you felt embarrassed as he pulled away staring at you.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve asked if you-”

“I don’t know how to kiss.” You cut him off, explaining that it wasn’t that you didn’t want to kiss him, but because you didn’t know how too.

Bakugou’s eyes widened as he stared at you. Almost as if he found your statement horrifying. But he began to grin, trying not to laugh.

“If you’re going to laugh about it you can leave.” You knew you shouldn’t have said anything. Bakugou’s serious expression returned.

“Just follow my lead, it’s not rocket science.” Bakugou grumbled, leaning back down to kiss you. You did as he said, closing your eyes, trying to follow what his lips were doing.

You began to move your lips against his, trying to mimic what he was doing, until he swiped his tongue along your bottom lip which drew an embarrassing mewl from you. Pulling away, Bakugou couldn’t help but chuckle at you.

“You- what was...” You were in the middle of catching your breath and trying to ask what he had just done.

“Let’s continue our lesson.”

After half an hour of more kissing, you were completely exhausted. You’d tried to keep up with Bakugou, but every time he felt that you were getting cocky he’d pull some trick, like licking your lower lip. He also ran his hands into yours and raised them above your head, all while his lips attacked yours.

You were in some sort of haze after, completely astonished from it. But one thing was on your mind.

“Are you my boyfriend now?” You asked quietly. Bakugou’s face began to turn red.

“Yeah sure.” Bakugou stared at you for a few seconds as you packed up your things.

You were hard to describe. His peers had labeled you as quiet, composed, and analytical, and while those were true, you were also clearly intelligent along with cute.

Watching you get flustered was adorable, and he couldn’t place a finger on why. Perhaps it was just your innocence or being confused on how to kiss someone, but regardless of the fact, you were dating now.

Keeping it under wraps was easy. Bakugou spent more time with you alone, away from everyone where he learned more about you.

“I have a hard time making friends.” You expressed in his arms. Explaining to Bakugou about why you were quiet, or always by yourself, he began to learn more about you just by listening to you.

But no matter how strange you seemed to make yourself sound, he couldn’t think that it was quite the opposite.

You said you were awkward and dull? You weren’t. You were pleasant to be around, always calming Bakugou down. And you were so nice to look at you, Bakugou honestly thought you were some sort of beautiful angel.

Pulling you in for one more kiss, Bakugou held you in his arms, interrupting your story-telling. You kissed back almost instantly, now educated in the art of kissing someone back.

Pulling away, Bakugou gave you a small smile to continue. You nuzzled into him, resting your head on his chest as you continued to talk about little things.

You’d found someone who understood you, even if you had to explain it to him along the way. You’d also found someone to play cooking mama with.

»»————-　★　————-««

masterlist

[softkuna]

𝚁𝙴𝙽𝚃-𝙰-𝙱𝙾𝚈𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳 | meian shugo

𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚁𝙴𝙽𝚃-𝙰-𝙱𝙾𝚈𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳! 𝙴𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑... 𝙼𝙴𝙸𝙰𝙽 𝚂𝙷𝚄𝙶𝙾

Meian settled into a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon that he rented from some fancy schmancy place. His date would be waiting for him not too far from that point. From her profile photos, she was cute. Small from what it seemed, but when you’re 6’5” most people were small. The profile was very obviously not written by herself seeing as most the answers included “my friend likes…”

He pulled up the map and sent an ETA through the app. He rolled the window down, letting an arm fold out while his hand remained on the wheel. Driving was his serenity and it was a damn shame he couldn’t drive as often as he wanted to. He was a humble man, not one to brag about his garage of cars. Not one to talk about how he liked to fix’em up.

It took all of 15 minutes to reach the meet up point. He saw you, but your head was down in your phone, hand along your neck and fingers tapping at the skin. He was supposed to be your boyfriend for the day. He had a date or two already to which he was tipped generously for his time. It was a natural thing for him. He was a relationship type of guy. He was always more on the natural air of things, confidence coming with age. With a face like his and a career like his, it could only grow with each person who approached him.

But for some reason, seeing you look so nervous while waiting for him made him want to not lay it on so heavy. Others he laid it thick with the ‘doll face,’ ‘pup’, ‘sugar’. (One date he didn’t even need to leave his room. It was a zoom call where he had his camera off. She had told him ‘I want you to piss my parents off.’ )

You looked up to see your date for the evening, Meian Shugo. He was in a black Jeep, high off the ground. His smile was broad, confident, gleaming. All the confidence you had built up from Shoyo had suddenly vanished. You thought you’d do so well this time but the butterflies swarmed in your stomach so violently you feared their wings would cut through your stomach.

There was a moment of silence, both of you staring at each other until he barked a laugh and hopped out of the car. Oh lord he was huge. Massive. You resisted every fiber of your being that wanted to ask him about the weather.

Meian placed a hand gently between your shoulder blades, guiding you to the opened passenger side door, “I don’t bite… much.” With a wink, he closed your door and sat on his own side.

“I-is this your car?” Your stammering was adorable.

“Nah,” he waved a large hand, “Rented it. I do own one like it back home.” He gestured a thumb behind him, pointing to a figurative ‘home.’ You nodded once and fluttered fingers to your cheeks, covering the blush when you felt his eyes on you.

He blinked at your non-winter-weather outfit; light wash and high waisted denim shorts with a thick belt. They looked big, but he figured that was the style now’a days. You had on some cream colored spaghetti strap tank top that cropped just above the belt. And a dusty pink cardigan made of…

“Ey, hon, what’s this fabric? Mind if I-?” He pinched a little between his fingers, rubbing the material. It was soft. Really soft. Nothing like he’s seen before.

“Polyester? I think??” You pulled it off and looked at the tag, “Yep! It’s not mine though. It’s my friend’s. They likes to dress me up.”

“Aren’t ya cold?”

“A little, but we’re in a car so it’s no big deal.”

His arm hung out the window, pulling back in to shift gears here and there. You stared out to the horizon, stiff as a board. You weren’t the easiest to talk to at first, often muttering single worded responses.

You couldn’t help it. He was handsome as hell. Shoyo had a boyish charm to him, especially with how energetic he was, but Meian. He was a man. A sharp edge to him that definitely couldn’t be read as anything other than comfortable masculinity.

Snapping out of your daze, you perked. You were going across a bridge. A beautiful one at that. You could see the sun just above the ocean. Probably an hour or two before sunset. Both of your hands gripped the car window,  “Meian,” you called with a slight pitch in your voice, “this is gorgeous!” You beamed at him a tad over-excitedly.

His lazy smile broadened, “Figured you’d like it.” It did say in your profile that it was one of your favorite spots to be at.

Within another set of minutes, awkward silence melted into comfort. The car stopped in an empty parking lot. It wasn’t like there were many people at the beach around 4 PM on a winter weekday. Your eyes were glued on the man as you watched his hand shift the gear to park and suddenly you remembered his proposition.

You were learning how to drive a stick shift.

“Alright pup, gonna teach ya a new trick,” He reached underneath the seat, craning it back as far as it could go. Not like it was far considering how long those legs were. Nervously you unbuckled, leaning on the console to peer at the petals.

Your heart stopped and your lips pursed slightly. Meian took one look at your expression and bit back his laugh. You looked up to him with a crease in your brow, “Why are there three petals?”

Soon enough, you were in the driver’s seat and he was in the passenger side. You searched for the lever to pull the seat up and blushed when Meian reached under to show you. At this point, it wasn’t even that he was uncomfortable to be with. It was quite the opposite. He was relaxed and maybe a little teasing. If people were colors, he’d be a serene seafoam. No, what made you nervous was how attractive you found him and how he so perfectly acted out the role of boyfriend.

“Let’s start in first, ‘kay?”

You nodded, swallowing down your anxiety. Push out of your comfort zone. More like shove you out the comfort window.

“Remember which one’s the break?” Meian peered to your legs, foot hesitantly over what you thought was the break, “Good! Now what?”

“Emergency break?” Now it was your hand’s turn to hover.

“Atta girl!” He was impressed at your memory. Most people would’ve forgotten that step if they only drove automatic. When his eyes met yours he could swear to god he saw the sparks light up in them. So you’re a praise learner, huh?

You glanced down, moving your left foot to the clutch and pressed it down. While still on break, your hand slid onto the gear shift. You waited. Picking up on the subtle clue, the captain nodded, “Yep, go to first.” His right hand hooked to the handle by the window casually.

You shifted into first. Feeling his eyes on you, you wanted to show him that you remembered his mini lesson and peered at the dash to the RPM, watching it move up before slowly letting go of the clutch. Just like that, the car began rolling.

Meian’s palm smacked the roof of the car as he hollered, lop-sided lips tugging up. You bounced excitedly, eyes switching between the gear shift, the petals, and the RPM.

You switched gears successfully not once, but twice. Each time, Meian showered you in praise. Your heart fluttered and it made you want to do more. When you turned the wheel, he encouraged you to go to the road. Anxiety crept up in you and you felt your palms sweat on the leather. He leaned the seat back, “Nothin’ta worry about. You’re a natural. Just keep doin’ what you’re doin’ and you’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Your voice wavered with giddiness and uncertainty. Should he really be trusting your novice driving skills like this? You seriously questioned his judgment calls.

He peered at you from the corner of his eye, taking in the laser focus you had on the road. Hell, you even stopped gnawing your lip like it was the last food to grace the earth. He crossed his arms and tilted his head back, deciding to close his eyes, “Sure as I can be, pup. Gotta question for ya.” You hummed, leaning forward slightly to view the empty road better. He continued, “How’d ya get so good at multitasking?”

You took a moment to answer, making sure to shift appropriately as you picked up speed, “I do a lot of art – pottery and all. Professionally.” You really couldn’t multitask as well as he thought you could, but you wanted to impress him, “It’s kind of like a pottery wheel with petal and speed and hand things. That’s the closest I can get, though. There isn’t a lot of multitasking in the other art things I do, really. Not like this.”

The Jackal’s captain fully looked at you in that moment, a small ‘huh’ leaving his lips. He took in the bit of clay that lodged itself under your bitten nails and the small stripe of white paint on your thighs from propping up a canvas before the edges dried. Meian never dated an artist before, but he wanted to now.

Comfort came after driving a few circles. Eventually you found yourself on a strip of road that extended far out. Meian remained laid back, eyes closed. He never fell asleep and instead listened to you sing along to songs that played on the radio (which was turned on after the third circle seeing as you were deemed ‘good ’nuff’ for the minor distraction).

 You occasionally chit chatted about this and that. You learned that he was an athlete – like your last date. He learned that you’re supporting yourself alone. Your parents didn’t exactly vibe with you being an artist and skipping university all together. You didn’t tell him you had a date with Shoyo, though. Just like he didn’t tell you that he was part of a professional team with Shoyo.

He felt comfortable. You felt comfortable. That’s when three things happened.

1.       You passed a 15 mph speed limit sign.

2.       You saw that you were going 65 mph.

3.       You felt Meian rest a warm palm on your thigh.

Now, in quite literally any other context, that would be a pleasant boyfriend-like thing to do. He was simply acting his part’. Surely, he did the same thing with other clients. However. That combined with the other two made your heart, lungs, and soul try to jump out of your corporeal form and into the next dimension.

First gear. First gear! First gear!

Whipping it into first, the car decided you were the bourgeoisie and it was the working class. It straight revolted, a loud clattering was accompanied by you scrambling around in a panic. Meian sprang up, but his torso was snapped back by the seatbelt’s safety. He unbuckled (like a moron) and kicked your foot out of the way from its spot to press and pull both available breaks.

You sat in silence, hands over your mouth and eyes wide. A choir of ‘oh shit’ sang in your mind, commemorating your funeral with their harmony.

It took some shuffling, but Meian went back to driver’s side. You stood next to the car by the shoulder of the road. A burning smell tickled your nose. Your date came out, hands on his hips and lips pursed to the side. Coming to you, he sighed, “Transmission or clutch went awol. Damn thing won’t start back up. Nothin’s leakin’.”

You sucked your lips in and resisted the urge to scream. Throwing up was one thing. Breaking a rental car was an entirely different one. You bowed, “Meian, I am so so sorry. I should’ve been paying attention and I-I-“

“Woah, woah, girlie, calm yourself. Don’t need’ta do any of this shit,” He bent at the waist, peering at your squinting eyes. His hand rested at the curve of your shoulder into your neck, thumb stroking calmly at the spots you had tapped at before he picked you up. The effort brought near immediate relief, but anxiety made you wonder if he was masking his anger for the sake of his job. When he smiled, you knew it was genuine, “I’m damn near 30. This isn’t even the most expensive car I’ve had this happen to. Don’t worry about a thing, pups. ‘Sides, I shoulda been watching you closer. Blame the teacher, not the student.”

The words were like warm lavender winds brushing away your damp and dead leaves. You offered to pay for the expenses, not daring to mention how it would clear out your savings. Meian waved a hand, “Nah. I got it. I make more than enough to cover this plus some.”

“Then why are you a rental boy-“

“-Help me push it, will ya?” He interrupted, not wanting to admit that it was because of a bet with his troublesome teammate.

You tried to put the car into neutral as per his instructions the best you could, jogging to the back to join him in pushing. You had to admit, the view of his arms working and him pushing a vehicle was a sight to behold. 

All the two of you did was push it to the side of the road, so no cars could hit it. You leaned on the rail protecting traffic from tipping off into the waters below while Meian called the company to explain what happened.

When he hung up, he went to put the phone in his pocket, but the sight of you stopped him. You sat on the rail, facing the ocean at sunset. The cardigan you wore slid just below your shoulders and the cool breeze tousled locks so gracefully. A ghosting feeling went through his fingers as they yearned to be the wind. He snapped a photo in landscape mode.

You turned, brushing hair back around your ear and smiled to him. He snapped another photo and you gestured to him to the spot next to you. He did, leaning his forearms on the cold metal, “Hope ya don’t mind.”

“That you took photos? I mean… I thought it was against the rules. Just ahh…. Hm. Send them to me through the app? Can you do that?”

“Think so, yeah. You looked good. Cold, but good,” The words were said as the photos were sent. You saved them with a bashful thanks.

“Since the date’s almost up, my friend’s coming to get me. Will you be okay?” You glanced down to him, leaning forward as you added pressure to the bar at your toes, keeping you from falling.

“I’ll be just fine. Gotta wait for a tow,” He paused and moved to wrap his arms around your waist and pull you to lean into him, “Makin’ me anxious leanin’ like that.” His husky laugh was whisked with ocean breeze. You followed, reveling in the warmth. He liked that you were comfortable enough to accept the gesture. It’s what boyfriends did, right? Even if they weren’t real. Even if reality settled wrong in his stomach.

“The ocean’s so pretty,” You’ve always admired how the waves soaked up the sun’s colors. Oil paintings you’ve made throughout your life a testament to that love.

Meian glanced at you, then the horizon, “Yeah, but I’ve seen better.”

“If I rent you again, take me to ‘better’,” You giggled, missing the look in his eyes and the meaning of his words. Your phone rang, “Oh! That’s my friend, they’re here now - across the street!” Head tilted back, you looked up to him, “Thank you for teaching me how to drive and I really am sorry about the car. I wish I knew how to help.”

“Not a problem, pups. Rate me good. That’s help enough.”

His arms felt empty when you left them.

He checked his phone and saw that once the time struck, the contact was erased automatically. Meian sighed, scrolling through the next few clients he had lined up - his last few dates, he decided. With good tips, he still had a good shot at the win, anyway.

“How’d this one go hot stuff? No throwing up?” There was nonchalant concern in the question. 

You sat back heavily, “No throwing up. I learned how to drive stick shift, though. Then broke the car..”

“You didn’t have to pay for that, right? Those cars are outrageously expensive, ‘specially from those rental places.”

“No, he said he made enough to cover it, weirdly enough.”

“Huh. Well that’s nice of him.,” You friend commented, “Wonder what he does.”

“Me too,” You thought about Shoyo and the up-scale restaurants he took you to, “Me too.” 

“Wait, didn’t he offer you a jacket? That was the whole purpose of the shorts! What a dick!”

Tag List: @flattykawadoorusmilkbread​ 

[gaemkyuu]

I Can’t Keep Pretending (Charlie Gillespie x Original Character)

Warnings: mentions of cheating and sexual innuendos, but nothing explicit. A/N: Just a thought that came to mind when listening Back to December by Taylor Swift. Hopefully, you like it! Disclaimer: This is a FICITONAL writing piece! In no way do I claim characters in this piece act this way in real life.

Masterlist *now taking requests ;)

I can’t keep pretending (Charlie Gillespie x Original Character)

“Happy birthday-...Charlie?” 

“Cadence?”

Both people stood at Owen’s door, speechless and shocked to see one another. After a beat and a pause, the air grew uncomfortable and awkward as they stood there staring at each other.

“Charlie, who is it?” Owen called from the Kitchen, shaking Charlie out of his trance. He motioned for Cadence to enter the apartment, who rushed over to Owen and gave him a big hug.

“Cady! So good to see you!” Owen gave her a bone crushing hug and lifted her off her feet as he hugged her, something he enjoyed as she was quite short. “I thought you were leaving today!”

“I am! I was on my way to the airport and I wanted to stop by and give you your birthday gift” Cadence handed him a beautifully wrapped rectangle box, which Owen opened up eagerly. All the while, Charlie stood awkwardly in the background, never really straying far from the front door, watching the interaction between the two. “Figured that since you were going to start shooting for season 2, these would come in handy” Owen pulled out two drumsticks and flickered light when they made contact with each other.

“You are the bestest friend ever!” He gave her another bear hug, thanking her for the gift. 

“I thought I was your best friend?” Charlie pouted, something which Cadence softly rolled her eyes to.

Owen and Cadence had been friends since they were 5 years old, as she was the first friend Owen made when he moved back to America from Germany. The two went to school together and eventually were homeschooled together when Owen pursued acting and Cadence pursued figure skating and dance. Being next door neighbours helped build their friendship too. Even when Owen scored his first gig as Crispo, Cadence was offered a spot on the Junior Olympic team and had to move to LA. Their mothers loved the timing and the two friends couldn’t complain, but as they grew older, their careers would often take them to different places. Owen lived in between Oklahoma and California, while Cadence ended up living between California and Canada. Even though their careers were taking them in different directions, they always made time for one another.

That’s how Cadence met Charlie.

When Owen started filming Julie and the Phantoms, he often visited Cadence when she was free, since she was training in Vancouver at the time. Naturally, Cadence met the cast and they all became friends very quickly, which led them to spend a lot of time together. Her and Charlie naturally hit it off as she loved everything to do with skating and he loved hockey. The connection over the ice rink evolved into commonalities with favorite TV shows and soon everyone around them disappeared. Not that anyone minded! To be honest, everyone, including Owen, thought it was a matter of time before the two got together. Cadence was calm, poised and controlled, while Charlie was the opposite. They pulled out the best in each other and when they broke up, their friends mourned over the end of their relationship too. It didn’t help that it wasn’t a pretty break up either.

“You are my best friend Charlie, but you’re more like a bro, y’know?” Charlie smiled and Owen’s phone began to ring. “It’s my mom, let me take this call!” and without a thought disappeared into his room, leaving Cadence and Charlie alone.

“So, how have you been?” Cadence couldn’t handle awkward silences and she silently cursed Owen, knowing he knew how she felt about Charlie. “Working on any new projects?”

“Other than Julie and the Phantoms, nothing is coming up. But I did do a fun Netflix short film type thing, so there’s that” He sat down on one side of the couch and Cadence followed, sitting on the other side. She sat straight, hands in her lap, shoulders a little stiff. He sat hunched over, hands linked together, shoulders sagging. “How about you? Owen said you qualified for 2022 Winter Olympics” 

“Yeah, I did. Just training for that really.” another awkward pause, both people looking for something to say. “Are you excited to start filming?”

“Yeah. I mean it’s been a while and we’re excited to get on board, so there’s that...” Anyone could tell that Charlie was looking for some way to prolong his response so that there were no more empty spaces, but how could they so that since the last time they saw each other was when they broke up? Especially when it was something that people talked about for weeks...

***

Charlie drank way too much that night. A combination of work stress and missing Cadence had gotten to be a little too much, resulting in one too many drinks and a few poor judgement calls later. Some girl at the bar had wanted his attention and Charlie couldn’t help but think she looked a lot like Cadence. Next thing he knew, she was giving him hickeys and making out with him, something Charlie didn’t fight at the beginning. However, in the drunken haze, he had a moment of clarity where he pushed the girl off of him and walked home to clear his head. He would have to explain this to Cadence because he felt guilty about it, but he was sure she would understand. 

Charlie found out the fastest way to sober up that night and it involved Cadence standing in the living room with a box of Tim Horton’s donuts, looking confused, shocked and heartbroken. Charlie then became painfully aware of the hickeys decorating his neck and the fact that he was stumbling into his apartment at 2am didn’t help his case.

“Cadence? I thought you were in Vancouver for the rest of the week?” he saw her grip on the box of donuts tighten.

“I wanted to surprise you” her voice wavered, and she took careful deep breaths to stop the tears from falling. “Should I even ask?”

“Cadence I swear, it’s not what it looks like. I had a little too much to drink-”

“If it’s not what it looks like, then what is it Charlie?” he stood there speechless and stuttered to come up with an explanation. No matter what way Charlie tried to recount the events of the night, each version sounded worse than the previous version. “So you drank too much, saw a girl that looked like me, made out with her, even though you knew I was in Vancouver?”

Charlie couldn’t speak because she recounted the events of the nights exactly as they happened. He didn’t know what else to say. “I’m sorry Cadence”

“Sorry isn’t going to cut it Charlie. I’ve been working my butt off and to come home to see you like this?! I knew being apart was hard on us, but if you wanted out of the relationship Charlie, I thought you would have the decency to break up with me and not cheat on me!” the tears spilled over and Charlie’s heart broke. He had never seen her cry and he hated being the reason for the first time that he did. She placed the box of donuts on the counter and picked up her duffle bag that she had brought with her. “I’m going to stay with Savannah. Don’t bother calling me when you’re sober”

***

“You guys, my mom is the sweetest! She dressed up Bindi in a birthday hat to sing happy birthday to me!” Owen walked back into the main living area, breaking the awkward silence that had settled between them. 

“Hey O, I gotta head out and catch my flight back to LA. My driver’s out front waiting. I just wanted to stop by and wish you happy birthday” Cadence got up quickly walking to hug the man, who gave her a big hug in return. Charlie stood up as well, not sure what to do with his body. The two friends headed for the door and gave each other one last hug.

“Thank you for stopping by! Congratulations again on qualifying future Mrs. Mathias-Perez” Owen yelled down the hall smiling and closing the door. He turned to Charlie to discuss what the plans were for the evening, but stopped when he saw the look of shock, confusion and anger on his face. 

“She’s engaged? To that guy she’s been with for six months?” Charlie couldn’t figure out if he was mad or upset or both. Sure, it had been a year since they were together, but surely anyone would agree that six months was way too early for an engagement! “Owen, you don’t even like the guy! How could you let her get engaged?!”

“Charlie, she’s happy. For the first time in a long time, she is happy. I haven’t seen her this happy since she was with you. Sure, I may not like the guy, but she deserves to be happy. If he makes her happy then who am I to take that away from her?” Owen tried to empathize with Charlie, but knowing how the relationship went down and how he was a part of both peoples’ recovery process, he couldn’t take this away from her. “Plus, I thought you didn’t care anymore Charlie”

It was true. Charlie acted like he didn’t care that Cadence broke up with him and tried to be very nonchalant about it. For the most part, he kept up this facade, when in reality it was how he was coping. He didn’t want to admit that he messed up and was the one in the wrong, but he also knew there would be no one else like Cadence.

“I don’t. I just think it’s a little messed up, that’s all.” Charlie tried to shrug it off, hoping Owen would drop it. “Anyways Birthday Boy, what’s the plan?”

***

Owen knew that neither one of them were over each other. He knew that Cadence getting engaged was Cadence trying to fill the void to forget about Charlie. He sat with her in person or over the phone every time she cried about it. He knew how much she loved Charlie and when he broke her heart, Owen watched her as she tried to pick up the pieces. He was there for all of her sleepless nights where she would toss and turn and relive that night that she left Charlie’s apartment.

Owen was also there for Charlie. He knew that Charlie’s attitude was a self-defense mechanism to ward off any attention about how he truly felt about losing Cadence, but one night he got a little too drunk and confessed to his group of friends how he really felt. Charlie didn’t remember pouring his heart out to his friends, so they kept it quiet, choosing to remain friends with both of them, but respecting the fact that they didn’t want to see each other.

Their friends became hopeful three months after their relationship when they agreed to celebrate Savannah’s birthday as a big group. It was that night that Charlie and Cadence spoke for the first time about what happened, and while no one was there to hear the conversation. They agreed that the most they could be were simply friends, even though the feelings were still there. They didn’t talk to each other unless they saw each other at a mutual friend’s gathering, and even then it was never just the two of them. They said the odd occasional happy birthday on the group chat with friends, but never addressed each other via text or call. They kept the relationship very platonic and a ‘contact only when necessary’ method. 

One can imagine how surprised Charlie was when he received a fancy invitation inviting him to her engagement party. At first, Charlie felt like it was an attack, stating that she was happier without him, but then he realized that she really meant it when she said that she wanted to be friends. This is what friends do. They invite each other to celebrate monumental moments in their lives with them. Yet Charlie felt his stomach dropped as the engagement really sank in. Cadence was moving on and he missed his chance.

He really debated as to whether or not he would go, but Owen finally convinced him that he had to go or else he would confirm everyone’s suspicion that he still loved Cadence and that he was bitter that she was moving on. No matter which way he looked at it, his absence would be felt among his friends and Cadence. Therefore, he put on his best semi-formal attire and headed to the event in Malibu with Owen. He was grateful that his other friends were there as it eased the tension a bit and helped distract him from only thinking about Cadence. However, he couldn’t stop himself from being concerned when Cadence’s husband-to-be pulled Owen aside to whisper in his ear. The look on Owen’s face meant something was up and Charlie couldn’t help but sneakily follow him. Charlie hid around the corner and peaked at his friend who was knocking urgently on the door.

“Cady, open up, it’s Owen!” he kept knocking at the door but no one answered. “Cady come on, I can hear you crying in there. Let me in” again no answer, causing Owen to sigh in frustration. He saw Owen exchange some quiet words with her fiancé, who nodded as both of them walked away, Charlie quickly hiding himself, in hopes that he wouldn’t be seen. He couldn’t tell you why he followed them, or why he walked up to the door after they had left, or why he softly knocked, but Cadence opened the door at his knock not expecting to see him. Before she could protest or ask him anything, he gently pushed her back into the room and shut the door behind him, locking it again.

“What are you doing here?” she sniffled, turning to the mirror dabbing her eyes. This was the second time he saw her cry.

“I should be asking you that question” she scoffed at his remark and felt the tears spilling over again. Charlie didn't say a single thing and sat down on the love seat. Looking around the room, he could tell it was just a small powder room for the guests to use for some quiet time or for a mother to nurse. He watched as Cadence paced the room wiping her tears, waiting patiently for her to speak and desperately trying to come up with what to do. “Y’alright?”

“I’m totally fine!!!” she yelled at him exasperatedly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you” he chuckled at her apology

“It’s fine. I deserve it” this caused a small smile to appear on her face. “Wanna talk about it?” At first she shook her head and paced around the room some more, but finally caved. She plopped down beside him on the love seat, head in her hands.

“I have the most wonderful fiancé who has been there for me and who has made me feel happy again. I should be the happiest person in the world, but I’m not. Girls would kill to have him as a husband and here I am feeling like I am making the biggest mistake of my life.” she sniffed some more and Charlie passed her a Kleenex.

“Why’s that?” he inched closer to her and started rubbing her back. It was something he did when he knew she was upset because it brought her comfort. Apparently this was something he shouldn’t have done because Cadence shot up from the couch and stomped away from him.

“Because I still love you!” she turned around and faced him, tears falling down her face. “I don’t understand why! You made out with another girl at a bar drunk because you missed me! I should be mad at you and I should think that you’re the scum of the earth! Yet, I continue to be friends with you and see you around with our friends, and I have to keep pretending like I don’t think of you! I have to pretend that I don’t miss you anymore! Wishing that you asked me to marry me and not him!” she slapped her hand over her mouth as soon as the phrase left her mouth. “I didn’t mean that... I’m not thinking straight... I’m just stressed and under a lot of pressure” Charlie was sure she was saying this to herself, making it even more obvious that she was not confident about going through with the engagement.

 “Cady take a deep breath. You’re going to trigger a panic attack at this rate” she followed his orders and sat back down beside him. He wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her arm in hopes to soothe her. She leaned her head on his shoulder, the silence filling the room once again.

“Do you still love me?” The desperation in her voice was unlike anything Charlie had ever heard from her. It was as if she was begging to hear the answer. He opened and closed his mouth several times, thinking about what he wanted to say, ultimately settling for the truth. 

“I never stopped. I’ve regretted every moment.” The two sat there in silence, letting his answer sink in. “I can’t ask you to forgive me because I don’t deserve it. I can’t ask you to be with me because I know how much I hurt you. I have debated over and over about whether or not I should try to convince you to give me another chance, but Owen was right. He was able to make you happy again after I crushed you. Who was I to stop you from moving on?” 

The door suddenly opened and in the doorway stood Owen and Cadence’s fiancé a little out of breath, but holding the key to the room. A look of shock and happiness crossed Owen’s face, but confusion and hurt crossed her fiancé’s face. Both of them rose quickly, Cadence wiping away her tears and fixing her dress, Charlie taking one big step away from her.  

“Hi Darling. Charlie was looking for the bathroom and ran into me in the hallway. I was just feeling overwhelmed, but he was able to talk me down from an anxiety attack.” Cadence knew that was the stupidest excuse for what just happened, but Charlie took that as a cue to leave, Owen following suit, leaving the two to discuss in private. 

“You alright man?” Owen asked patting Charlie on the back.  

“Yeah. Uh, I think I need to head home. Pretty sure her fiancé doesn’t want me here any more. Cover for me? I don’t want to cause a scene” Owen nodded understandingly. He could tell that more transpired between Cadence and Charlie than what they were letting off.  

Charlie drove home, knowing that Owen could easily catch a ride with one of their other friends. He drove from Malibu to LA with the windows down blasting music, lost in his own thoughts. He would give anything to have a second chance with Cadence, but he knew that sometimes you mess up so badly, that you don’t deserve that second chance. He couldn’t blame her for the choices she made that night. When his ex girlfriend, before Cadence, cheated on him, it took him a whole year before he started considering liking someone, let alone dating them. Heck, he wouldn’t be surprised if Cadence hated him for the rest of her life. Yet she confessed to still loving him and wanting to be with him, something Charlie wanted so badly. Pulling into his parking space, he lowered down the music and shut off his vehicle, the silence on the way to the door a little too much for him. He quickly got ready for bed, something he thought of as pointless because he knew he would lie there all night thinking about what Cadence said. 

What if he begged for her back?

What if they got back together?

What if he proposed to her? 

As he lay in his bed, he put on some music, hoping that the melodies would help ease his mind. This was something he always did when he felt overwhelmed. He would put on some music, close his eyes and just listen. Charlie didn’t know how much time passed as he was lost in his thoughts, but a sudden pounding at the door jolted him out of bed. Startled and a little frazzled, he took a moment to compose himself, wondering if he was hearing things or if there was someone banging on his door. His question was soon answered when the banging occurred again. Throwing on some pants, he rushed to the front door, confused as who might be banging. He glanced at the clock by the front door quickly before answering it: 12am.  

Cadence stood there for a brief second before hugging him tightly and confessing. “I couldn’t do it Charlie. I couldn’t marry someone when I’m still in love with you. I’m still pissed that you hurt me and I haven’t completely forgiven you, but I can’t be without you. I can’t be with anyone except you” Charlie held her in his arms tightly, as if this was a dream. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I put you through. Be mad at me, do whatever you want to me. Just please give me a chance to make this right” he pleaded and she held him tighter. “Will you give me one more shot?” he pulled away to look her in the eyes and the next second her lips were on Charlie’s, who gladly kissed her back. He took a few steps back and she kicked the door close with her foot, their lips never leaving each others. Their kiss was filled with so many emotions. It was as if it said “I’m sorry”, “I forgive you”, “I’m still mad at you”, “I miss you”, and “I still love you” all in one go. As they slowly separated and stared deep into each other’s eyes, the silence actually felt like it belonged. The buzz of their phones distracted them and they broke the kiss. Rolling their eyes at the text and making eye contact affirmed that they had gotten the same text. Charlie placed his and her phone on the counter, kissing her again passionately, and dragging her back into his bedroom. They had a lot that they needed to work out.

‘I told you so’ -Owen

[fleursowl]

illicit affairs

This is for @lumosinlove after I yelled in her asks that illicit affairs is such a perfect song for Sirius and Remus in her sweater weather fic, so I obviously had to write it myself and make myself cry over it (heartbreaking song!!

‘Make sure nobody sees you leave’

Remus whispered to Sirius, his knuckles brushing over Sirius’ cheekbone. Sirius nodded with a sad smile, turning his head to brush his lips against Remus’ hand. Remus let out a soft sigh, his eyes refusing to leave Sirius’, just drinking him in. 

“Gotta go now, Loops,” Sirius whispered, hating that he had to break the moment they had created. Remus hummed sadly, leaning forward and pressing his lips softly against Sirius’, like he was afraid that if he went any harder he’d get caught up in the feel of Sirius and not let him go home. 

“I’ll miss you,” he mumbled, ducking his head but smiling softly as Sirius reached up to press a kiss to his forehead.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, oui? At mine?” Sirius asked softly, like he was afraid Remus was going to say no. As if. 

“See you soon, Cap.” he murmured, cupping Sirius’ cheek for a moment before stepping back and letting him leave. 

Sirius gave him a last sad smile, longing look, and turned to go. 

Hood over your head, keep your eyes down

Sirius reminded himself, tilting his cap down over his eyes and pulling his hoodie over it for good measure as he clambered to his car parked in the shadows. As he swung his legs onto the driver’ seat he thought about how he’d much rather be swinging them over Remus’ lap instead, grinning down at the blushing boy circling his waist in his arms and drawing him closer. 

Tell your friends you're out for a run

You’ll be flushed when you return

“Remus, Remus, I really gotta-” Sirius cut himself off with a high whine, writhing underneath the boy looming over him on the bed, arms bracketing Sirius’ head and lips attached ferociously to his neck. 

“Merde merde merde, oh- mon dieu, do that thing with your lips again or I’ll end you.” Sirius gasped out, whining again when Remus pulled away to smirk down at him, his thumb trailing proudly over the marks he’d made up and down Sirius’ neck and around his collarbone. 

“Thought you really had to go? Potts will be waiting for you, hm?” he said smugly, letting out a small snort of laughter as Sirius groaned, reaching up to flick Remus’ cheek. 

“I absolutely despise you, Re. Getting me all riled up before I have to go and sit down and have dinner with James and Lily and his parents, for mercy’s sake-” the breath was knocked out of Sirius’ chest when Remus collapsed onto him, groaning and curling his arms around Sirius’ neck. 

“Then don’t go. Stay with me,” he mumbled into Sirius’ neck.

“Was that your plan all along, hm?” Sirius snorted, suddenly overwhelmed with a wave of affection for his boyfriend. His boyfriend.

“You know I’d get out of it if I could, but I owe Pott’s parents a lot, and-” yet again Sirius found him interrupted- could he even finish a sentence around here anymore? Jeez- by Remus’ lips pressing quickly against him to shut him up.

“Yeah yeah, I know. Was just joking, don’t worry. You’ll be back soon?” he said hopefully. Sirius huffed a laugh, burying his face in Remus, neck.

“Course I will, Loops. Nowhere I’d rather be, you know that.” 

And when James made very loud remarks about Sirius’ lateness, flushed cheeks and bruised neck, he found he was too happy to care how poor his ‘I went for a run and tripped’ excuse was. 

Take the road less travelled by

Tell yourself you can always stop

Remus sighed in happiness as Sirius kissed his hand that he was already holding as he kept his eyes on the road- and Remus was perfectly content to just stare at him. 

“‘M glad we’re doing this, Re,” Sirius said, glancing over for a quick second to smile at Remus and then settling his hand on Remus’ thigh. Remus titled his head back in the seat, a broad content smile on his lips. If only he could live in this moment forever.

“Me too, Sirius.” 

What started in beautiful rooms

Ends with meetings in parking lots

Sirius thinks about the start, the glancing at each other from across press conference rooms and the locker room but always missing the others’ gaze, as he drives through the night to meet Remus in an abandoned parking lot. They’d nearly been caught last time- and Remus was determined to not let it happen again. Sirius wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about that. 

He eventually pulled into a space, sitting in the cold waiting for Remus and watching the way his breath curled in the cool winter air.

And that's the thing about illicit affairs

And clandestine meetings and longing stares

Remus let out a relieved breath when he finally arrived on foot at the parking lot as he saw Sirius’ car in the shadows, looking around before quickly jogging up to the car and knocking on the window. Sirius jumped and turned to Remus so quickly that Remus had to take a step back, but Sirius still scrambled over to yank open the car door, tugging Remus up and into the seat.

“Hey. Re. You made it.” he said softly, his hands cupping Remus’ cheeks. Remus hummed in response, and the two simply stared at each other for a while, taking in every small detail and feature in case it was a while before they got to see it up so close and they had to memorise it by heart. 

It's born from just one single glance

But it dies and it dies and it dies

A million little times

Remus can’t stop thinking about the start, the start the start the start. He thinks about the start when he James and Sirius are all in an elevator together and Sirius won’t even meet his gaze, staring resolutely and steadily at James chattering on instead. He thinks about the start when Sirius flinches when Remus brushes his fingers across Sirius’ arm on the way to his seat on the plane, crumpling down next to the window and trying to pretend that he isn’t crumbling inside. 

And that's the thing about illicit affairs

And clandestine meetings and stolen stares

“You asked for this! You signed up for this, Remus! You knew what you were getting yourself into!” Sirius says frustratedly. It’s their third fight this week on the same topic. 

“That’s not-”

Sirius cuts him off. “I told you, I told you at the start that we wouldn’t bee able to tell anyone, no one, that we would have to be so careful, and you agreed anyway! You can’t go taking it back now that we’ve… now that I’ve… it’s not fair, Remus!” Sirius shouts, pushing Remus’ chest a little and just feeling even more irritated when it doesn’t budge Remus one iota.

“Yes, I signed up for that, but I didn’t sign up for you not even looking at me anymore, jumping away whenever I touch you- requesting a different physio? Really, Sirius?” Remus says harshly, scathingly, his arms folded over his chest as he glares at the boy in front of him- man in front of him. 

They show their truth one single time

But they lie and they lie and they lie

A million little times

“I’m just- we just have to be-” Sirius stuttered, shocked by Remus’ confession of truth.

“We have to be what? Careful?” Remus snorted ironically, rolling his eyes. “You’re just using this as an excuse to not be near me or around me, and I don’t know why, but-”

And you wanna scream

Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby"

Remus was stopped short by angry lips pressed to his, finding himself shoved back against the counter with Sirius’ body pressing against him. 

“Remus John Lupin. Don’t ever doubt that I want you. That I want to be around you. I want to be around you, want you so much, that it feels too much sometimes. And I have to physically stop myself from just pulling you on top of me in the middle of the locker rooms in front of the whole team and all the press, okay? It scares me. So don’t tell me what I do and don’t want, Remus, I’m not a kid.” Sirius scowled. 

Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me

You showed me colours you know I can't see with anyone else

Sirius let out a short burst of laughter, curling his hand around the back of Sirius’ neck. 

“You’re such a fucking mess, Sirius Black,” he whispered, grinning at Sirius’ wounded pout. 

“But so am I, remember? So now we match,” he said, finally meeting their lips again, revelling in the colours that exploded behind his closed eyelids as their lips moved against each other slowly again. 

Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby"

Look at this idiotic fool that you made me

They stayed in their moment of quiet bliss for a while, but eventually Sirius pulled back for breath, looking up at Remus with a gaze that took Remus’ breath away. 

“You’re idiotic with words sometimes, you know that?” he smirked, kissing Remus again before he could protest. 

You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else

Remus kissed him back happily, able to tell by Sirius’ own special language that the argument was over. They’d figure out the logistics of how to move forwards after, after after he’d just kissed Sirius some more. 

And you know damn well

For you, I would ruin myself

A million little times

“I’d do anything for you,” Sirius whispered into the crook of Remus’ neck as they slow danced around Remus’ tiny kitchen to music only they could hear. 

“Same for me. Goes without saying, Captain.” Remus replied softly, if a little teasingly.

Sirius smiled.