#they could maybe meet up around the emmys

[baronessblixen]

Saw your tags--

I wonder if DD is traveling somewhere to interview his next podcast subject? (If so, crossing my fingers it's GA.) Or maybe like you said, he's on vacation. Curious~.

I think he's on vacation. Would it make sense for him to travel to his guests? I assume he has something set up in his home to do the podcast. So it would make more sense if they visited him. But of course, with technology being what it is these days, you no longer even have to be in the same room.

Gillian could maybe? perhaps? potentially? visit him when she's going to the Emmys? PM is nominated and her own movie is, too, so I'm sure she's going. I just hope they'll do the podcast, no matter where in the world they might be.

[upsidedownwithsteve]

Emmy 🌸

Can I get a smutty little blurb of us and bestfriend!steve spooning in bed and it gets a little handsy😇 dry humping is underrated.

leighanne leighanne leighanne 🧡

18+

It was inevitable, really.

Too many nights sprawled in Steve’s bed, a movie forgotten on his television screen, the sun dying behind the houses across the street, sleep tugging at you both.

It was inevitable, really.

Too many hormones, too many close calls, too many what ifs? Too many glances at lips, too many jokes that suddenly sounded more serious than the week before.

You woke up with Steve curled around you, the TV dark static, the credits long rolled. It wasn't anything too out of the ordinary, bodies pressed together, your back to Steve’s chest, a heavy arm thrown over your waist and his nose pressed into your hair, his soft breaths telling you he was still very much asleep.

You would’ve slipped back into it too, if you hadn’t shuffled slightly, adjusting yourself against the boy and the pile of pillows around you, the stray popcorn kernels that had missed both the bowl and your lips.

It was inevitable, really.

You felt it then, hard and insistent, impossible to ignore - pressed against the small of your back. Steve’s sweatpants did little to hide it, the thickness, the length, the heat. You gasped, eyes wide, more awake than before and you knew it was wrong, you knew you shouldn’t have done it. But it was inevitable.

Wasn’t it?

You rocked backwards, feigned shifting in your sleep until your ass rocked against your best friend’s cock and it fit snugly against the curves of you. Bottom lip tucked between your teeth, you heard your heartbeat in your ears, felt it rattle your ribs, felt it shake the bed frame and when the boy didn’t stir, you did it again.

Hips rocking, shifting ever so slightly, ass moving up and over Steve’s cock, eyes slipping closed, squeezing shut and lip parting in a silent gasp when the head of him caught the seam of your folds underneath your flimsy shorts.

Steve sighed in his sleep, a husky, low moan and his hips canted forward to meet your own, eager, wanting. Right there, right on your clit, the perfect nudge, just right there—

“Shit, shit, I’m— I’m sorry, I— fuck—”

Steve woke, voice rough and sleep slurred, moving too slow, his brain barely catching up with the situation but you felt awful at the embarrassment you heard in his words and he made to move away, a little clumsy as the mattress dipped, his arm dragging from you waist.

You wanted to whine, you wanted to beg. So you caught his hand instead, kept it on your waist until the heat of it made your bones turn softer. It was easier to talk if you kept facing away from him, your cheek pressed to the pillow, your ass still popped out enough for the tip of Steve’s cock nudge against the swell of it.

“Stay, Steve.”

You heard the boy gulp, swallow tight and sharp, his hand flexing on your ribs. He paused, maybe to check if he was awake, maybe to check if you were. “What?”

“Keep going,” you whispered. “I don’t want you to stop.” You swallowed too, licking your lips nervously, suddenly terrified that this was the wrong thing to do. “You can keep going, if you want.”

Steve didn’t say anything, but he lay back down, closer than before, close enough for you to feel his lips on the back of your neck when they parted. His hand gripped your waist, fingers flexing over you until your shirt - his shirt - gave way and his touch found your skin.

“Yeah?” He whispered and his voice was rough, but so much more awake than before. His cock twitched, seeking out your heat, already leaking in his too tight boxers. “S’okay?”

You nodded, body burning, eyes focused on Steve’s closed bedroom door, waiting with enough anticsorion to make your head throb, hoping he’d make a move. “Felt good,” you told him.

You felt more than heard his soft “fuck,” breathed against the nape of your neck and before you could say anything else, Steve moved, all experimental, his hips rutting against your ass, his cock pushed between your cheeks, rubbing himself there.

“Shit,” he groaned, head falling forward until it rested against your shoulder. “Tell me if you wanna stop, okay? Just let me know—”

You shook your head, cutting him off with a plea. “Steve—”

The way you pushed back against him told the boy everything he needed to know. “Christ,” he groaned, eyes fluttering shut. He didn’t know where to look, the room just lit enough for him to glance down and see his cock nestled against your ass, a damp patch already spreading on the front of his sweats. “Say my name again, fuck, say my name like that, please—”

“Steve,” you complied, whiny and breathless and trying so hard to keep quiet. The dark gloom surrounding you both made it feel all the more forbidden. You took his hand from your waist, dragged it slowly enough for him to reject you if he wanted, your fingers tangled with his as you guided him towards your tits. “Steve, please, touch me.”

You didn’t need to ask again, Steve groaning low in your ear, his teeth scraping at your jaw as his big hand grabbed the cup of your bra, pulling it down so he could get his palm over you, squeezing roughly and soothing finger over your hardened nipples. He pulled at it, humped against you a little faster when you moaned into his pillow.

“Could come like this,” Steve whispered, nose knocking against the crown of your head as he moved closer, swearing into your hair when you lifted one leg and draped it over his, his cock slipping down to slot between the folds of your cunt, the dampness there making it easy for him to feel you beneath your shorts. “Gonna come like this, fucking hell, that okay? Shit— that what you want, babe? You wanna make me bust in my pants?”

You groaned, a hand thrown back to fist in Steve’s hair, pulling at him until he mouthed at your neck, more teeth than lips, nodding frantically when the head of his cock nudged up against your clit, rubbing through your folds.

“Yeah,” you agreed, “Jesus Steve, yeah, m’gonna come too, don’t stop—“

That was inevitable too.

[lee-laurent]

Crushin' - Quinn Hughes

Summary: Quinn's crush on Brock's sister starts to cause some issues

wc: 7.8k

content: fluff, angst, kissing, grinding, mentions of sex but no smut, friends with benefits

notes: hi! i'm like working through writers' block rn. so... here is this i guess

Emma Boeser, known to those close to her as Emmy, had always been fiercely independent. Growing up as Brock's younger sister meant that she was no stranger to the world of professional hockey, but she had long ago sworn off any romantic involvement with hockey players. The glitz and glamour that others saw were just distractions to her--hockey players were trouble, and she had learned that the hard way. Now, she focused on her career, determined to make a name for herself that wasn't tied to her brother and his achievements.

Emma had secured a role in the Canucks' PR and marketing department, a job that she actually enjoyed going to. She was good at it too--organizing press events, managing the team's public image, and navigating the chaos of media day with ease. Her colleagues respected her, and the players knew she was off-limits, a professional boundary she had enforced since day one (one that her brother was glad to back up).

Quinn Hughes, on the other hand, was everything a star defenceman could be--talented, dedicated, and just the right amount of cocky. He had quickly made himself a name in the NHL, and his focus had always been on the game. Off the ice, Quinn was reserved, not one to seek out the spotlight unless it was absolutely necessary. But there was one person who managed to catch his eye every time, no matter how hard he tried to stay focused on his career--Emma.

Quinn had noticed Emma from the moment she started working with the team. She was striking, not just because of her looks, but because of the way she carried herself. There was something about her confidence and no-nonsense attitude that drew him in, even if he couldn't quite figure out why. They'd had only a few friendly interactions, but Emma always kept things strictly professional.

~~

It was after a team gala that their relationship shifted. Emma had been working late, ensuring everything ran smoothly. Quinn had stayed behind, nursing a drink as the event wound down. He noticed Emma, finally off the clock and enjoying a rare moment to herself. She looked relaxed, maybe a little tired, but still as composed as ever.

"Long night?" Quinn asked, leaning against the bar beside her.

Emma glanced at him, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "You could say that. But it's part of the job."

He nodded, studying her face. She was always so put together, always in control. "You did a great job tonight. Everything went off without a hitch."

"Thanks," Emma replied, raising her glass slightly. "But I'm sure you're not hanging around just to compliment the event planning."

Quinn chuckled, appreciating her directness. "Maybe not. I guess I was hoping to get to know you a bit more... off the clock."

Emma arched an eyebrow. "Off the clock?"

"Yeah," he said, meeting her gaze with a confidence he wasn't sure he really felt. "No work. Just us."

She considered him for a moment before downing the rest of her drink. "Alright, Hughes. But let's keep this simple. No strings, no drama. Just... fun."

He agreed without hesitation, not realizing at the time how much more complicated things would become.

~~

Emma wasn't one to complicate things, especially when it came to her personal life. Her rule was simple: no dating hockey players. The lifestyle, the endless travel, the pressure--they were all things she wanted no part of. But when it came to Quinn, that line had blurred.

What started as a one-time thing after a team event quickly turned into a series of late-night encounters. It was easy, convenient, and, most importantly, private. Emma liked the control it gave her--she could have what she wanted without risking her independence or her brother's wrath. And Quinn? He played along, meeting her in the middle of the night, leaving before dawn, and never asking for more.

Their relationship was built on stolen moments. Sometimes it was at his apartment, other times hers, but always with the same unspoken agreement: no one could know. Emma was strict about that, even more so than Quinn. The idea of Brock finding out was enough to make her heart race--not from excitement, but from pure dread. She knew her brother would lose it if he found out she was hooking up with one his teammates, especially Quinn, who was practically family to him.

For Quinn, those nights with Emma were a mix of heaven and hell. Being with her, touching her, was everything he wanted. But every time she slipped out of his bed, leaving him alone in the dark, it tore at him. He wanted more--he wanted her in his life in a way that went beyond just the physical. But he also knew that pushing for more could mean losing her altogether, and that was a risk he wasn't sure he could take.

At work, Emma was the epitome of professionalism. She was efficient, focused, and kept a cool distance from the players, especially Quinn. In meetings, she barely looked his way, addressing him with the same detached tone she used with everyone else. It was as if the Quinn who whispered her name in the dark didn't exist during daylight hours.

Quinn noticed, of course. He noticed everything about Emma. The way she would set her jaw when she was stressed, the little lines that formed between her brows when she was deep in thought. He noticed how she avoided his gaze during team meetings, how she never lingered when passing by him in the halls. It was like she had put up a wall between them, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through.

It was frustrating, especially when Quinn would catch a glimpse of the Emma he knew--the one who laughed at his jokes and leaned into his touch when they were alone. But at work, she was distant, almost cold, and it gnawed at him. He found himself wanting to bridge the gap, to make her see that they didn't have to keep pretending.

One afternoon, after a long practice session, Quinn saw his chance. Emma was standing by the rink, talking to one of the other staff members. She was dressed in her usual work attire, her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, and her expression serious as she discussed logistics for an upcoming event.

Quinn approached her, waiting until the other person had walked away before speaking. "Emmy, do you have a minute?"

Emma glanced at him, her eyes narrowing slightly as if to warn him to keep things professional. "What is it, Hughes?" she asked, her tone brisk.

He resisted the urge to sigh. "I just wanted to go over some of the plans for the charity event next week. Thought we could grab a coffee and talk it through."

She hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. "I'm pretty swamped right now," she said, already turning to look at the iPad in her hands. "But I'll email you the details later."

"Come on, Emmy," Quinn pressed, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "It's just coffee."

Emma shot him a look that was both annoyed and pleading. "We can't, Quinn. Not here."

The way she said his name sent a shiver down his spine, but it also made his chest tighten with frustration. "It doesn't have to be like this," he said quietly. "We don't have to pretend."

She shook her head, tucking the iPad under her arm. "Yes, we do. I told you, this is how it has to be. We agreed."

"Yeah, well, maybe I'm not okay with that anymore."

Emma froze, her eyes searching his face for a moment before she looked away. "Quinn, please. Not here."

The vulnerability in her voice was new, something she rarely let slip. It softened Quinn's resolve, but only just. He nodded, stepping back to give her space. "Alright," he forced a smile. "I'll see you later, then."

Emma didn't reply, turning back to her work as if the conversation had never happened. But the tension lingered, heavy in the air between them.

~~

As the weeks passed, Quinn found it harder to ignore the growing feelings inside him. He was falling for Emma, and he knew it. It wasn't just about the physical connection anymore, though that was still a big part of it. It was about the way she challenged him, the way she made him laugh, and the way she kept him on his toes. She was different from anyone he'd ever been with, and he couldn't shake the feeling that she was exactly what he'd been looking for.

But the more he tried to let her in, the more she pulled away. Emma was stubborn, and Quinn was beginning to realize just how deep her fears ran. She had been hurt before--by a hockey player, no less--and she wasn't about to let that happen again. No matter how much she cared for Quinn, she couldn't bring herself to break her rule.

Quinn found himself torn between respecting her boundaries and wanting to push past them. Every time they were together, he tried to show her how much he cared, how much he wanted more than just sex. He'd hold her a little longer, kiss her a little softer, hoping she'd see that he wasn't like the others. But Emma was like a fortress, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a way in.

One night, after a particularly grueling game, Quinn found himself lying awake in his bed, his mind racing. Emma had been distant lately, more so than usual, and it was driving him fucking crazy. He missed her, missed the way things used to be before his feelings got in the way. He knew he should be grateful for what they had, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was slowly losing her.

He picked up his phone, scrolling through their old messages. Most of them were short, simple texts about when and where to meet. But buried between the lines was a connection that went beyond just physical need. Quinn could see it, even if Emma refused to admit it.

Without thinking, he typed out a message: Can we talk?

He hesitated before hitting send, his thumb hovering over the screen. Part of him was terrified of what she might say, of hearing the words he didn't want to hear. But he couldn't keep going this like, stuck in a limbo with no idea where they stood.

Finally, he pressed send and waited. The minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. He stared at the screen, willing it to light up with her reply. When it finally did, his heart skipped a beat.

I'm busy right now. Maybe later?

Quinn's shoulders sagged, the tension in his chest only growing. It wasn't a no, but it wasn't the answer he wanted either. He knew Emma well enough to know that "maybe later" was her way of putting him off, of avoiding a conversation she didn't want to have.

But Quinn wasn't willing to let it slide this time. He needed to know where they stood, needed to know if there was any hope of something more.

I'll wait. he replied.

Emma didn't respond, and Quinn didn't expect her to. He set his phone down and stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out what he'd say when they finally did talk. Part of him knew he should be careful, that pushing too hard might drive her away for good. But another part of him--the part that was tired of pretending--was ready to take the risk.

As the hours passed by, Quinn's thoughts continued to circle back to Emma. He thought about the way she smiled when she let her guard down, the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention. There was something there, somthing real, and Quinn was determined to make her see it.

When his phone finally buzzed with her reply, his heart raced. But when he read her message, his hope deflated.

Can we just keep things the way they are? I'm not ready for more, Quinn.

He stared at the words, feeling the weight of them settle in his chest. It was exactly what he feared, but hearing it--reading it--still hurt more than he expected.

Despite the sting, Quinn couldn't bring himself to walk away. To put his phone down. Not yet. He knew that if he wanted to be with Emma, he'd have to be patient, to wait for her to come to terms with her feelings. And as much as it pained him to do so, he respected her wishes.

Okay, he typed back. But I'm not giving up on us, Emmy

There was no response, but he didn't need one. He knew it was going to be a long road, but he was willing to wait as long as it took. Because for Emma, it was worth it.

~~

It was another late night in Vancouver, and the city was quiet outside Quinn's window. The game had been tough, a hard-fought win that left him physically drained but mentally wired. Emma had come over, as she often did after games, slipping into his place with the practiced ease of someone who had done it a hundred times before. They hadn't said much--there wasn't a need for words when they both knew what they were there for.

But tonight felt different to Quinn. There was a tension in the air that he couldn't shake, a weight pressing down on his chest as they lay in bed afterward. Emma was curled up next to him, a dull ache in her thighs, her breathing slow and steady as she started to drift off to sleep. Normally, Quinn would have let her, content to hold her in his arms until she inevitably slipped away before dawn. But not tonight.

"Emma," he whispered, his voice low and hesitant.

"Mmm?" she murmured.

There would be no going back. The words were there, waiting to be said, and he couldn't keep them bottled up any longer. "Can we talk?"

Emma's eyes opened, and she shifted slightly to look up at him. "About what?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

"About us."

She frowned, already sensing where this was going. "Quinn, we've talked about this. You know how I feel."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "We haven't really talked about it. Not like we need to." He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Emma, this isn't just... physical for me anymore. It isn't just about the sex. I care about you. A lot."

Emma's frown deepened, and she pulled away slightly, sitting up in bed. "Quinn, don't--"

"Just listen to me, please," he interrupted, sitting up as well. He could see the walls going up, the defences she always put in place when things got too close. But he was determined to push through them this time. "I'm falling for you, Emma. I think I've been falling for you for a while now, and I can't keep pretending that I'm okay with this being just... whatever it is."

She stared at him, her expression filled with surprise and something else--something that looked a lot like fear. "Quinn, you know I can't--"

"Why not?" his voice raising with frustration. "Why can't we be something more? We're good together, Emma. I know you feel it to."

She shook her head, wrapping the sheet around herself as if it could protect her from the conversation. "It's not that simple, Quinn. You know it's not."

"It is that simple," he insisted, reaching out to take her hand. "We care about each other. We have fun together. The sex is incredible. We could have something real if you'd just let yourself believe it."

Emma's hand tightened around the sheet, and she looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "Quinn, I have rules for a reason."

"Rules?" Quinn scoffed, feeling his frustration boil over. "Emma, you're not living your life. You're hiding behind these 'rules' because you're scared."

She flinched at his words, but her expression hardened. "That's not fair."

"Isn't it?" Quinn pressed, his voice softening as he saw the hurt in her eyes. "Emma, I'm not trying to hurt you. I just... I want more. I want us to be more. But I can't do that alone."

There was a long silence, the air between them heavy with even more tension. Emma finally looked at him, her eyes filled with fear, doubt, and maybe longing. But then she shook her head, her walls returning.

"I can't, Quinn," she said quietly. "I'm not going to break my rules. Not for anyone."

Quinn's heart sank, but he forced himself to nod. He had known this was a possibility, that she might not be ready to take that leap with him. But hearing her say it still hurt more than he could've ever imagined. "Okay," he whispered. "I understand."

But the truth was, he didn't understand. Not really. Because he couldn't see why she was so determined to keep them apart when it was clear they could be so much more.

~~

Emma could feel Quinn's words threatening to crack the carfeully constructed walls she had built around herself. She had always been so sure of her rules, so certain that she needed them to protect herself. But hearing Quinn say that he was falling for her, that he wanted more, made her question everything.

It wasn't that she didn't care about Quinn--she did. More than she had ever intended to when they first started sleeping together. But that was exactly the problem. Caring about Quinn meant opening herself up to the possibility of getting hurt, and that was something she couldn't afford.

"Quinn," she began, choosing her words very carefully. "I made those rules for a reason. I've seen what happens when you get involved with hockey players. The lifestyle, the pressure--it's not something I want stacked on top of my own work."

He frowned, clearly not satsified with her explanation. "But I'm not like that, Emma. I'm not just some random guy looking for a fling. I want to be with you, for real. Why can't you see that?"

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I do see it, Quinn. But that doesn't change the fact that it's a bad idea. We're too close to Brock, too close to the team. If things go wrong--"

"They won't," his tone was firm. "I know it's scary, but we can make it work. We can take it slow, keep it private if you want, but I can't keep pretending this is just about sex."

Emma bit her lip, her mind running a mile a minute. She knew he was right, that what they had was more than just physical. But admitting that, giving in to it, felt like stepping off a cliff with no idea if there was anything there to catch her. She had promised herself she wouldn't get involved with a hockey player again, and yet here she was, teetering on the edge.

"I can't," she said again, shaking her head. "Quinn, I can't risk it. I'm sorry."

The words felt hollow, even to her, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything else. She looked at him, hoping he would understand, but the hurt in his eyes told her that he didn't. Or maybe he did, but he wasn't willing to accept it.

"Fine," Quinn said, his voice flat. "If that's how you really feel, then fine."

He moved to get out of bed, grabbing his clothes from the floor. Emma watched him, her heart aching at the sight of him pulling away. She wanted to reach out, to tell him she was sorry, that she didn't mean it. But the words stuck in her throat, choked by fear and doubt.

Quinn dressed quickly, avoiding her gaze as he headed for the door. Emma felt a surge of panic as she realized he was really leaving, that his might be the end of whatever they had. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but the door was already closing behind him before she could find the words.

And just like that, he was gone.

Emma sat in the empty room, the silence keeping her stuck in her spot. The bed still smelled like him, a painful reminder of what she had just pushed away. She curled up into a ball, pulling the sheets around her as if they could somehow shield her from the reality of what had just happened.

She had been so certain she was doing the right thing, sticking to her rules and protecting herself. But now, with Quinn gone, all she felt was an overwhelming sense of loss. She had never let herself get this close to anyone before, not since the last time she had been burned by a hockey player. But Quinn... he was different. And that was what made this so much harder.

The tears came before she could stop them, spilling down her cheeks as she buried her face in the pillow. She had told herself that she didn't need anyone, that she was better off alone. But now, she wasn't so sure.

Meanwhile, Quinn was walking the streets of Vancouver, the cold night doing little to cool the fire of frustration and hurt burning in his chest. He had laid his heart on the line, told Emma how he really felt, and she had shut him down. He knew she was scared, that her rules were her way of protecting herself, but it didn't make it any easier to swallow.

He kicked at a loose piece of gravel on the sidewalk, watching as it skittered across the pavement. He wanted to be angry, to blame her for being so stubborn, so unwilling to let him in. But deep down, he knew that wasn't fair. Emma had been through a lot, and her fears were valid. But that didn't change the fact that he was hurting, that he wanted more from her than she was willing to give.

Quinn found himself at a small park, the trees bare and the benches empty in the late hour. He sat down, his head in his hands as he tried to sort through all the feelings in his head. He had never felt like this before--so out of control, so vulnerable. And it scared the hell out of him.

But what scared him even more was the thought of losing Emma. He knew she cared about him. There was something between them. Something worth fighting for.

As he sat there in the dark, he made a decision. He wasn't going to give up on Emma, no matter how hard she pushed him away. He knew it was risky, that he might get hurt in the process, but he also knew that it would be worth it. Emma was worth it.

He stood up, heading back to his apartment. He wasn't going to let her fear dictate their future. He would give her space if she needed it, but he wasn't going to walk away. Not yet.

Because sometimes, the best things in life were worth fighting for. And Quinn was ready to fight.

~~

The Canucks were on the road again, heading into a critical stretch of the season. This time, they were in a small city with a reputation for rowdy fans and intense games. The hotel was nice enough, but the schedule was grueling, leaving the players and staff little time to do anything but eat, sleep, and prepare for the next match.

Emma was there, of course, coordinating PR events and managing the team's image as she always did. She was good at her job--meticulous, organized, and (usually) calm under pressure. But this trip felt different. Ever since the conversation with Quinn a few weeks ago, she'd been on edge, constantly looking over her shoulder, half-expecting him to show up and push her again.

She'd managed to avoid him for the most part, keeping their interactions strictly professional. But then tension between them was palpable, simmering just beneath the surface. Emma threw herself into her work, hoping to distract herself from the nagging thoughts that kept creeeping in whenever she allowed herself a moment to breathe.

That night, after a long day, Emma retreated to her hotel room, exhausted. The PR duties had been endless, and she was looking forward to nothing more than a hot shower and collapsing into bed. She had just slipped into her pajamas, an XL Canucks t-shirt, when there was a knock at her door.

It was late--too late for any of the players or staff to be knocking at her door for work-related matters. For a brief moment, she considered not answering, pretending she was already asleep. But something compelled her to go to the door, her hand hovering over the handle as she took a deep breath.

When she opened the door, her heart sank and fluttered at the same time. Quinn stood there, dressed in a hoodie and sweats, his hands shoved in his pockets. His expression determined and vulnerable, and for a moment, she was at a loss of words.

"Quinn, what are you doing here?" she whispered.

"I had to see you," he replied, his voice steady. "Can I come in?"

Emma hesitated, glancing down the hallway to make sure no one was around. The last thing she needed was for someone to see them together like this. "Q, it's late. We can't do this here."

"I know it's late, but I don't care," he said, taking a step closer. "Emma, please. Just... let me in. We need to talk."

There was something in his eyes that made it impossible to say no. With a resigned sigh, she stepped aside, allowing him to slip into the room. The door clicked shut behind them, the sound loud in the quiet night.

Quinn didn't waste any time. As soon as they were alone, he turned to face her, his face serious. "I can't keep doing this, Emma. I can't keep pretending I'm okay with the way thing are."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "We've talked about this, Quinn. You know where I stand."

"No, we haven't really talked about it," he countered. "You've told me how you feel, but you haven't listened to how I feel."

Emma looked away, unable to meet his gaze. She knew what was coming next, "Quinn, please. Don't do this."

"I have to," he said. "Emma, I'm in love with you. And I can't keep pretending that I'm okay with this just being sex. Because it's not, at least not to me."

The words hit her like a punch to the gut, winding her and leaving her breathless. She had known this was coming, had seen it in the way he looked at her, the way he touched her. But hearing him say it out loud made it real in a way she wasn't prepared for.

"Quinn..." she began, but he shook his head, cutting her off.

"No, just listen to me," he pleaded. "I know you're scared. I know you've been hurt before, and I know you've made these rules to protect yourself. But Emma, you can't shut yourself off from the world forever. You can't yourself off from me."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she blinked them back, determined not to let them fall. "It's not that simple."

"Yes, it is," he insisted, stepping even closer until he was right in front of her, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek. "It is that simple. We care about each other. We have something real. Don't you want to see where this could go?"

Emma closed her eyes, leaning into his touch despite herself. "I'm scared, Quinn. I'm scared that if I let you in, I'll get hurt again."

"You won't," he whispered, his thumb brushing away a stray tear that had slipped down her cheek. "I'm not going to hurt you, Emma. I promise you."

The dam broke. All the emotions Emma had been bottling up for months came flooding out in a rush. She let out a choked sob, her hands gripping the front of Quinn's hoodie as she buried her face in his chest. "I don't know how to do this," she admitted, her voice muffled by the fabric.

Quinn wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as she cried. "You don't have to know. We'll figure it out together."

For a long time, they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms as Emma let herself be vulnerable for the first time in years. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders, but at the same time, she was terrified of what was to come next.

Finally, she pulled back just enough to look up at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "I don't want to lose you, Q. But I don't know if I can do this."

"You can," he assured her, his hand gently carressing her hair. "We'll take it one step at a time. I'm not going anywhere, Emmy. Not unless you tell me to."

She shook her head, her grip on his hoodie tightening. "I don't want you to go."

"Then I'm staying," he said, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

The kiss was tender, a promise of what was to come if she could just let go of her fears. Emma felt something shift inside her, a crack in the armour she'd built around her heart. She looked up at Quinn, her heart pounding in her chest as she realized how much she wanted this--wanted him.

Without another word, she closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his in a kiss that was different from all the ones that had come before. This one was slow, deliberate, filled with all the emotions they'd been holding back. It wasn't about lust or need--it was about something deeper, something that scared her just as much as it thrilled her.

Quinn responded immediately, his arms tightening around her as he kissed her back with the same intensity. The world outside ceased to exist; all that mattered was the two of them, alone in the quiet of the hotel room.

They moved together in perfect sync, their movements slower, more meaningful than before. It was as if they were discovering each other all over again, but this time with their hearts fully in it. Quinn laid her back on the bed, his hands reaching under her shirt. She shivered, his skin cold against hers. She gripped his hair, bringing his body closer to hers so that their hips were pressed together. There was no rush, everything felt slow and loving.

As they lay together afterward, their breaths heavy in the air, Emma felt a peace she hadn't felt in years. For the first time, she felt hope that a relationship could work for her. As she drifted off to sleep in his arms, her mind still buzzing with the emotions of the night, there was a small part of her that couldn't shake the fear of what was to happen next.

~~

The soft light of the morning filtered through the thin curtains of the hotel room. Emma stirred in her sleep, the events of the night before replaying in her mind as she hovered between dreams and waking. She could feel the steady rise and fall of Quinn's chest, his arm draped protectively around her waist.

For a moment, everything felt perfect. Peaceful. But then she remembered that it wasn't just another night together. This time it was more intense, more meaningful. Emma knew she couldn't pretend it was just a casual hookup anymore.

Quinn was awake, too, his fingers gently tracing patterns on her back. He didn't want to move, didn't want to ruin the moment they were sharing. But he knew they couldn't stay like that forever. Sooner or later, they'd have to face the consequences of what they had become, and that thought terrified him.

"Morning," he whispered.

Emma tilted her head up to look at him, her eyes still heavy with sleep. "Morning," she replied, her voice barely audible.

They stayed like that for a while, just looking at each other, neither one wanting to be the first to speak about how things had changed between them.

"What happens now?" Emma finally asked, her voice wavering slightly.

Quinn hesitated, searching her eyes for any sign of doubt. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I do know that I don't want this to be the last time we wake up like this."

"I don't know if I'm ready for that," she confessed, her fingers absently tracing the outline of his collarbone.

"I know," Quinn said, his voice gentle. "But I'm not asking for you to be ready right now. I'm just asking you to think about it. To think about us."

Emma didn't respond right away. She wanted to believe they could make it work, that they could be more than just a secret. But the reality of their situation--of Brock, the team, and her own fears--loomed over her like a storm cloud.

Before she could find the words to respond, a sharp knock echoed through the room, shattering the moment of quiet intimacy. They both froze, their eyes locking as the sound registered in their tired brains.

"Emma?" Brock's voice called from the other side of the door. "You up?"

Panic surged through Emma's veins as she scrambled to sit up. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not like this.

Quinn's eyes widened in alarm, his hand gripping the sheets as if to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "What do we do?" his whispered urgently.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath, her heart pounding in her chest. "You need to hide."

"Where?" he hissed, his eyes darting around the small hotel room. There was nowhere to go, nowhere that wouldn't immediately give him away.

"Just--" Emma was cut off by another knock, this one more insistent.

"Emma, you in there?" Brock's voice was more concerned now.

Her mind was racing, trying to come up with a plan. But before she could do anything, the door handle began to turn. Brock was coming in. Emma always gave him an extra key to use in case of emergencies. And her not answering him was an emergency in his mind?

Quinn barely had time to leap out of the bed, grabbing his clothes and diving into the bathroom just as the door opened. Emma could feel her heart in her throat as she watched him disappear, her pulse pounding in her ears.

Brock stepped into the room, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Em, what's going on? Why didn't you answer?"

Emma forced a smile, suddenly feeling like she was going to be sick. "Sorry, Brock. I was just getting up," she lied, pulling the covers a little tighter to her chest.

Brock's eyes narrowed, his gaze sweeping over the room before landing back on his sister. "Are you okay? You look... I don't know, off."

"I'm fine," she replied quickly, hoping her voice didn't betray the panic she felt. "Just tired, that's all."

Brock didn't look convinced, but before he could press any further, a loud clatter came from the bathroom. The sound of something falling, followed by a muffled curse.

Emma's blood ran cold as Brock's head snapped toward the bathroom door so fast he could've gotten whiplash. "What was that?" his voice was twinged with suspicion.

Her wind went blank, all possible excuses failing her. She couldn't come up with a single plausible explanation for the noise. All she could do was watch in horror as Brock took a step towards the bathroom door.

"Brock, wait--"

But it was too late. He was already pushing the bathroom door open, his eyes widening in shock as he took in the sight before him. Quinn stood there, half-dressed, his face covered in guilt and resignation. He had clearly tried to get dressed quickly, but it obvious what had happened. There was no hiding it now.

"Quinn?" Brock's voice was low, dangerous, as he turned to look at his sister, his eyes blazing with anger. "What the hell is going on here?"

This was exactly what Emma had been trying to avoid, the confrontation she dreaded from the moment she and Quinn had started whatever it was they were doing.

"Brock, I--" she began, but Brock cut her off, his voice rising with anger.

"How long has this been going on?" he demanded, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "How long have you been sneaking around behind my back? Sleeping with my teammate?"

"Brock, it's not what you think," Quinn interjected, stepping forward, his hands raised as if he was approaching a wild beast.

"Not what I think?" Brock's eyes darted between the two of them. "What am I supposed to think, Quinn? You're in my sister's hotel room, half-naked, and you expect me to believe this is just a misunderstanding?"

Emma couldn't help the sense of guilt that was creeping in when she saw the hurt in her brother's eyes. This wasn't how she wanted him to find out, not like this. But there was no taking it back now, no undoing the mess they had created.

"Brock, listen to me," she started. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd react like this. But it's not Quinn's fault. It's mine. I... I care about him a lot."

Brock's anger faltered, replaced by confusion. "You care about him? Emma, you've always said you'd never date a hockey player again. You've always told me--"

"I know what I've always said," Emma interrupted. "But things change. People change. I didn't expect this to happen, but it did. And I didn't tell you because I was scared of how you'd react."

Brock stared at her, "You should have told me, Em. You're my sister. I deserve to know what's going on in your life.

"I know," she mumbled, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Brock. I never wanted to hurt you."

The room was silent for a long moment, then tension in the air thick. Quinn stood by the bathroom door, his heart heavy as he watched the siblings. He knew this wasn't giong to be an easy conversation, but it was necessary if he and Emma were going to have a chance of being together. They had to face this head-on.

"I just... I can't believe you didn't tell me," Brock said quietly, his voice tinged with sadness.

"I'm telling you now," Emma said softly. "And I'm telling you that I care about Quinn. This isn't just us hooking up. It's something more."

"You really care about him?"

"I do, Brock. I really do."

Brock glanced at Quinn, who stood there with a look of determination on his face. It was clear that he wasn't going to back down, that he was ready to fight for Emma if that's what it took. And as much as it pained him, Brock knew he couldn't stand in the way of that.

"Alright. But if he hurts you, Emma... if he breaks your heart, I swear--"

"He won't," she interrupted, "He won't."

Brock nodded, "Okay. But you two owe me an explanation. The whole story."

"We will," Quinn promised. "You deserve that."

Brock turned to leave, to give them some space. They had made it through the worst of it, but there was still so much unsaid, so many obstacles they would have to overcome.

~~

The morning after Brock's discovery, there was still a tension in the air. The team was scheduled to leave the hotel soon, and Emma could feel the unease radiating from Brock as they packed up their things.

Brock waited until they were in the parking lot, away from the rest of the team, before he turned to Quinn. "We need to talk."

Quinn nodded, "Yeah, we do."

They walked a few steps away from the bus, finding a quiet corner where they wouldn't be overheard. Emma watched from a distance, she could see the stiffness in Brock's shoulders.

"What the hell, Quinn? You're supposed to be my friend. How could you go behind my back like this?"

Quinn swallowed hard, knowing that Brock had every right to be angry. "I didn't mean for it to happen this way. I never wanted to keep it from you, but Emma... we weren't really sure where we stood. I was trying to respect her wishes."

Brock let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. "Respect her wishes? You're supposed to respect me, too. I trusted you, Quinn."

"I know. And I'm sorry. I hate that I hurt you, Brock. But I care about Emma. I care about her more than I've ever cared about anyone."

"This isn't just some fling to you, is it?"

"No. It's not. I know how it looks, and I know why you're pissed. But Emma means everything to me. I'm not going to hurt her, Brock. I swear."

Quinn could see the conflict in his friend's eyes, the way he was struggling to reconcile the betrayal he felt with the truth of Quinn's words. Finally, Brock let out a long sigh, ruunning a hand through his hair.

"I'm still mad as hell at you. But if you're serious about her... if you really care about her, then I guess I don't have a choice but to deal with it."

"I am serious, Brock. And I get why you're angry. But I promise you, I'm going to do everything I can to make this work."

"You better. Because if you screw this up, Hughes... if you hurt her, I'm coming for you. And nothing will stop me."

Quinn didn't flinch at the warning, understanding the protective instincts behind it. "I won't hurt her. You have my word."

Brock didn't say anything for a few seconds, then finally extended his hand. "Alright. We'll see how this goes."

Quinn shook his hand. It wasn't a full reconciliation, but it was a start.

~~

Emma sat by the window on the back of the bus. The conversation between Brock and Quinn had gone better than she'd expected. Now, more than ever, she needed to decide what she really wanted.

As the bus rumbled down the highway, Emma continued to stare out the window, her mind drifting back to all the events that had led her there. She thought about the walls she had built around herself, the rules she had clung onto so tightly. They had been her armour, her way of protecting herself from getting hurt again. But now, she was starting to realize that those same walls were keeping her from something she truly wanted--something real with Quinn.

But could she really risk everything for him? Could she trust him not to break her heart, not to shatter her into pieces like she'd been before?

She thought about the way he had held her in the hotel room, the way he had looked at her with such sincerity, such unwavering care. He had been patient with her, understanding her fears even when she hadn't fully explained them. He had been willing to wait, to take things at her pace, and that meant more to her than she could express.

Emma knew that she couldn't keep running from her feelings, couldn't keep hiding behind her rules. If she wanted to be happy, really happy, she needed to take a leap of faith. She needed to let Quinn in, to trust that he would catch her if she fell.

She made her decision. She was going to give Quinn Hughes a real chance. It wouldn't be easy, but she was tired of being afraid, tired of letting the past dictate her future.

~~

After they arrived at the next hotel, Emma waited until most of the team had gone up to their rooms before she approached Quinn. He was standing by the luggage cart, talking to one of the staff members, but when he saw her coming, he broke off the conversation, his eyes locking onto hers.

"Emma? Everything okay?"

She nodded, "Can we talk?"

"Of course. What's on your mind?"

Emma led him away from the group, finding a quiet spot near the hotel's entrance. "I've been doing a lot of thinking. And I've realized something."

Quinn nodded, urging her to continue.

"I've been scared. Scared of getting hurt again, scared of what might happen if I let someone in. But... I don't want to be scared anymore."

His eyes softened, and he took a step closer, reaching out to gently untangle her hands, holding them in his. "Emma..."

"I want to give us a chance, Quinn. A real chance. No more hiding, no more pretending it's just physical. I want to see where this can go."

Quinn's face lit up with a smile. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that." He squeezed her hands, his thumbs brushing over her knuckles. "I promise you, Emma, I'm all in. Whatever it takes, we'll make this work."

Quinn leaned down to kiss her, a soft, tender kiss that held all the promises of the future they could create together. Emma knew she had made the right choice. She was taking a risk, but it was a risk worth taking.

Later that evening, as the team gathered for dinner, Brock found himself watching Emma and Quinn across the room. They were sitting together, not hiding their connection but not flaunting it either. He could see the way Quinn's hand rested protectively on Emma's knee, the way Emma leaned into him, a soft smile on her face.

He could see how much Quinn cared about his sister, how much Emma softened around him. It was becoming glaringly clear to him that this wasn't just some fling, that they were both very serious about making it work.

Brock let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure he was ready to fully forgive them, but he knew that he couldn't stand in the way of their happiness. If this is what Emma wanted, if this was what made her happy, then he would find a way to be okay with it.

He caught Quinn's eye from across the room, and for a moment, they just looked at each other. Then, slowly, Brock gave him a slight nod, a silent acknowledgment of the understanding they had reached earlier.

Quinn returned the nod. And as Brock watched Emma laugh at something Quinn said, her face lighting up in a way he hadn't seen in years, he realized that maybe, just maybe, this was exactly what she needed.

[rubyvhs]

remedy (i) — sam winchester

series masterlist

summary: you meet jessica’s friend group that she’s talked so much about and one person who’s she’s never talked about — tags: underage!reader, 22 year old!sam, med student!reader, smoking, cursing.

You’re a lot of things but weak isn’t one of them. Okay maybe just a little. You’re only slightly weak when it comes to Jess’s pout, her ‘please, c’mon’ and those green eyes— okay so only a little corruptible, but it means nothing.

It means nothing that you’re now standing alone at a party where you hardly know anyone and you feel like sleeping outside on the open road might be more entertaining. Not just any party too— one of the biggest parties, Lily Carson’s birthday. 

Basically anyone who looked her way was invited, birthday presents were plethora but not required and you wish you could say that she’s a bitch to everyone, but really, she’s one of the nicest people you’ve ever met. Which is why you started gaping at Jess when she suggested (begged) for you both to go. You don’t know Lily personally but she’s popular, obviously, and she invited Jess so why shouldn’t you come?

“C’mon, girl,” Jess starts as she comes back from a round of beer pong, “you can’t stay rooted in the same place the whole time, that’s not why I made you come.” 

Why she brought you at all was the question. What were you doing here other than being awkward? You haven’t even seen Lily the whole night and she’s the birthday girl. Jess is way more of a party girl than you are, she’ll attend each one and somehow keep her grades up but it isn’t even that. You don’t hate coming, you just don’t prefer it. Too many people more often than not cause overstimulation, crying and too many emotions. You’d rather steer clear.

“I didn’t want to come.”

She rolls her eyes. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to my friends.” You knew all her friends, who would be new? Oh, probably people who aren’t majoring in med school. You met Jessica at lunch in your first year, she asked if you had company, you shook your head, she sat down, and the rest is history. 

You had plenty of friends from your major but none from outside so someone from law was quite thrilling since you’re not usually one to make friends easily unless you connect through school first. 

But throughout the past two years you’ve known her she’d usually hang out with your friends, she knew them all anyways, than you would go see hers. Now it’s different though, you don’t know of many people in your class that would go to a party on a Tuesday night so you’re sure you don’t know anyone here— well, until now.

Jess drags you to a different room. Fifteen, if not more, people are sitting in a circle— or something resembling it. Some of them on the floor, the couch, the tables with the booze. “Guys, here she is!” She introduces you with a big smile and most of them look up to wave at you. 

You want to say what catches your attention are the cute guys (there’s quite a lot) but it’s how freaking pretty these girls look. Like Jess. God, everytime you decide to leave your house your insecurities grow double their size. 

She starts pointing at her friends for you, “This is Emmy, Mary, Gen—” And it’s a damn long list. Longer than it should be, but you try to keep the ones you care about in the back of your head: Gen, Brady, Stella. No one really caught your attention the way those three have, they look like they’re more your style, laid back, on their phones, talking to Jess like they’re closer to her than the rest of the group. 

You sit between Gen and Jess on the beige couch, Brady and his girlfriend (?) at the foot of it, his hand around her shoulders. “Spin the bottle?” Someone from somewhere in the room says and you sigh. Yeah, this is why you don’t go to parties. The alcohol (which you don’t drink), the games (that you don’t play) and the making out everywhere. 

You grew up pretty reserved before you came to Stanford so you haven’t even had your first kiss, you haven’t smelled alcohol and you most definitely haven’t seen parties this big. 

“Brady?” Someone from the doorway shouts which makes most of us look up at— this person. Who isn’t real. I’m imagining him. “Hey, Jess, Gen,” he acknowledges both people I’m sitting between. Does that mean he’s real? No, no, just a figment of my imagination. He says my name next. A small nod. 

Kill me. Kill me now. How does he know who I am? I want to smile and greet him back but I feel like my body is just gone. Thankfully, he leaves my direct vision after slapping Brady’s shoulder, sitting opposite us on the couch next to a couple on another one. I look over at Jess with wide eyes.

“What just happened?”

“I should be asking,” she sighs, “you see one cute guy and turn mute.” Another thing about reserved upbringings? Never even had a boyfriend. Or seen cute guys.

“Cute?” I exhilarating aggressively, “Jess I would kill myself if I was him. He’s too beautiful for other people to see.” Her eyes widen and she leans forward. We’re already talking into each other’s ear at this point since everyone abandoned the ‘spin the bottle comment’ ever since this guy came in. “What’s his name?”

“I literally just said it when he said hi to you, which by the way, you’re so freaking rude! You didn’t even nod when I introduced you.”

“His name, whore.”

“Sam, slut.” You nod once and lean your back completely against the couch. You try so so hard not to look at him, he’s right in front of you at this angle, if you could just— he’s looking at you. In you. 

He smiles when you hold eye contact and you, like the dumb bitch Jess argues you are, look away quickly. Gen tells some stupid story about something that doesn’t matter to you no matter how hard you try but she’s so cute that you try your best to focus. His green eyes. Were they green? Not as green as Jess’s but they were green under this low light. His Long hair. Those shoulders.

Someone (the same guys who said ‘spin the bottle’?) suggests that you dip and almost everyone in the room agrees. You leave the party with about nine people, which, woah, too many human beings in one place. You see Lily on the way out, wish her a happy birthday, then run back to the group who’s getting two cars. 

You ubered here, not really sure what to expect or if you would be able to park somewhere safe, so you look at Jess with a frown. “What’s happening?”

“We’re going to McDonald’s. You wanna get in Sam’s or in Brady’s car?” 

“Neither, I could uber.” And even as you say it you feel a presence behind you, hovering. Jess is looking at him, but you’re sure if you look anywhere near his face you won’t be able to process the words out of his mouth.

“C’mon,” he draws out your name a little and you’re forced to look up when he stands next to the both of you, getting a cloud of his perfect cologne, “it’s safer this way, since we’re all together. Jess is coming with me, you should too.”

You nod once. Like before, nothing is going on in your head. God, screw this. How can you be so bad at talking to human beings when you're supposed to treat them for a living? 

“By the way, I haven’t seen you around, you’re law?”

You shake your head, taking a small step back that’s barely noticeable but allows you to breathe a little better. His eyes are brown and green. Is that possible? 

“Med. you’re pre-law?” He nods with a smile, putting a hand on Jess’s shoulder to drag her to the car and you follow along.

It isn’t even a tight fit since unlike half of the student population, Sam drives an SUV. You’re in the back with Jess and Gen, some guy who’s name you forgot is with Sam. He’s about to plug his phone in when Jess snatches it from him, “Nuh-uh, Sammy. You promised I can have it next time.” Next time? How many times has Jess been in Sam’s car? Are they together? No, can’t be, you two were just talking about him. 

But she did roll her eyes. Is it because they’re together? “Jess, I swear if I hear any Taylor Swift—”

Jess? And Taylor swift? What kind of joke is that?

“Shut up and drive, Sammy, nearest Mac is still ten minutes away.” But she says it like she’s glad. You and Gen look over her shoulder to choose songs with her, you decide on casual playlists everyone will like and both girls are calm enough to carpool all the way, meanwhile you’re texting your little sister that you’re out with friends so she can know where you are.

Okay, so maybe you listen to murder mystery podcasts too much— sue you for wanting to stay safe. You’ve occasionally gone out where boys were involved and so getting in their car was inevitable but most were nice enough to get into your own if you asked, just helped calm you down way more if you’re the one driving. 

You arrive and everyone’s out of the car, you’re the last one out when you notice Sam's not moving. The car’s parked, isn’t he coming inside?

You can’t believe you’re doing this. You’re speaking to him. “Sam, you coming?”

He looks back at you with that smile of his, that seemingly never leaves his face. “Yeah, just—” and he seems a little hesitant before he opens his armrest. This is it. You pissed off the wrong serial killer who looks nothing above twenty two. 

He takes out a pack of cigarettes and you let out a breath of relief. “I don’t like encouraging them and all that. I’ll finish up quickly and come inside.” You agree but don’t make a move out of the car, even if you do look away from him. “Do you? Smoke?” You nod a little but shrug right after so you confuse him more than yourself. 

You haven’t in a while, a few months, maybe. They’re expensive and money’s tight more often than not. Your parents send over as much as they can, which means you’re doing better than most of the people in school, but you try to be responsible so you’d only do it if someone offers one. A disposable, a cigarette, whatever they had.

“Come up.” It makes a smile stretch on your face as you get out of the car to get in the passenger's seat. “Pull it back. The seat.” You do and it puts you in a way more comfortable position. 

“Chad was just makin’ sure Gen was comfortable,” because she was sitting behind him, “how come I’ve never seen you with Jess before?”

“Oh, we don’t— or I don’t go out often. I don't go to parties and stuff like that ‘cause it’s,” God curse whoever invented oversharing, “yeah, anyways, I don’t do parties. I came ‘cause Jess promised brunch tomorrow if I come.”

“Brunch?” He asks with a small laugh, like it’s a ridiculous offer. 

You shrug, watch him take a cigarette out of the pack and pats himself down for a lighter then— “oh shit.”

Life is in your favor today because you’re grinning as you take out your own lighter. You usually keep it on you for aesthetic purposes, but times like these, they’re really handy. “Lighter?”

He looks over and nods, puts the cigarette between his teeth, his eyes meeting yours intensely. You could’ve lighted it up while it was between his fingers, you’re in the car, there’s no wind. But that doesn’t seem to be his point of view because he leans in and you do too, lining the lighter up, checking hastily so you can get back to staring into those oh so gorgeous eyes. With so many colors. 

The cigarette lights and he takes a pornaghraphic drag, arching his back a little to get comfortable and it almost makes you pass out. He repeats his earlier ridicule.

“Yeah, brunch,” You shrug a little, moving to face him more. You notice his phone is connected and playing music though it’s very low, “She’s paying so it’s basically a free meal for the week.” He chuckles through another drag and shakes his head.

“That’s true.” He offers the cigarette and you take a beat. Okay maybe a little more because he checks in, “It’s blueberry.” And it’s a ridiculous thing to say, he notices and shrugs. “Jess was the  one who bought it for me, my birthday was a week ago.”

“Oh, happy birthday, then.” He acknowledges your words as you take the cigarette between your own fingers to bring to your lips. You’ve shared smoking with other people, a whole car of people smoking the same thing— nothing new— but just the two of you? Sitting in the car with the low music… something is different. “How are exams— LSAT mocks are soon, right?” And if it’s the dumbest thing you could’ve said, he doesn’t mention it.

“Yeah, next week. They’re just mocks but I think they’re counting them as the finals.” You nod, not really understanding. Med school was way different than… this. Way way different. But you tried to be mindful of all the majors just so you could be able to open conversations with other people.

“That’s nice, must be stressful.” You wish you could say you’re usually better at conversations with strangers but unfortunately you’ve always found comfort in speaking about school whenever you don’t know the person in front of you. Really really lame when you’re talking to a guy you like.

You hand the cigarette back, “Shouldn’t we go back inside?” You ask quickly, wanting to leave.

He takes a breath, “I— uh, I gotta finish this first.”

“Why?”

“Emmy’s trying to quit. ‘S why she rode with Brady, he doesn’t smoke and she’s having a hard time.” Oh. That’s generous.

“You’re close with Emmy?” You take a beat before asking the real question that’s been on your mind, “and jess?”

He taps the cigarette out the window then look over at you with a small line between his brows. Just as you were about to backtrack. Not your business, you’re sorry, anything— “Not really. But I’ve known everyone since freshmen year and they're my friends so I try to be considerate. And I think what Emmy’s doing is good.”

For a second you think that’s that and are about to tell him that’s nice, maybe compliment him and then run out of the car but he smiles a little then adds, “Me and Jess are just friends too. Dated in my sophomore year for a few months, that’s it.” 

Oh. That’s good to know, you suppose. Not that it matters or whatever. He hands you the cigarette again and you steal at his eyes, trained on yours, before you take it from between his fingers, your hand slipping against his. You mutter a slow apology. He responds with a warm smile. “What about you? Boyfriend?”

That’s the question of the year. “No, no boyfriend.”

“And this group?” He nods over to the Mac you’re parked in front of. “You know any of them?”

“Except Jess, no. Just met everyone today, a lot of people.”

“So most of the people you know are from Med?” You nod. “You know Lana?” 

“Yeah, do you?” 

“Yeah, Lana’s an old friend, she got me into Stanford,” that earns a frown from you and he explains further, “helped me choose where I wanted to go since I didn’t have lots of options. I needed to get somewhere on a full scholarship. Said Stanford offers the most scholarships so I applied.”

“Woah, you’re here on a full scholarship? Really?” You see his proud nod, and it’s too damn cute. “That’s incredible, Sam.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Your phone pings and you thank god because opening a new conversation would be the end of you. You want to talk with him, and he obviously doesn’t mind your company if he’s opening topics but— it’s scary. And awkward. Though the latter is because of you. 

You see a text from Jess asking where you are, another from your sister to ask who you’re with, and a last one from one of the PA’s for your anatomy class. 

“You okay?” You nod quickly and open the one from your PA to make sure nothing was wrong but— hey, give me a call when you’re free, we need to discuss your last exam.

“Fucking anatomy.” You groan, shutting your phone off. You look up and notice Sam’s raised eyebrow. “What?”

“Anatomy 108?”

“Yeah?” In Med you take the same course four times throughout the school year. The first time you take it it’s called 101, then 102, then 104 and 108. It’s something you wouldn’t know unless you take Med or are interested enough to ask because it’s hard to explain in detail. 

“You’re— you’re taking anatomy? You’re a sophomore?” Oh. Oh shit. Yeah you’re a sophomore, shit shit. 

You can’t lie here, one, because he’d know, two, because you only take anatomy in your second and last year, and you damn well don’t look like you’re in your last. “That makes you, what, eighteen?”

God you wish, at least it wouldn’t kill you. You quickly hand him his cigarette before you break the news, “I’m seventeen.” His face drops and he sits up a little straighter, no longer as playful as he was before. 

So what if Sam’s possibly twenty-two? You’re only a few years younger, and he’s so gorgeous it wouldn’t really be that wrong to do something. Couldn’t you have pretended to be eighteen? Who said honesty is the best policy? Fuck them, man.

“Sam?” You ask when he’s been quiet for too long, even if only a couple of seconds that the music fills. “You okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” He shuts the car’s engine off and raises the windows, “let’s go,” once you’re out of the car he throws his cigarette onto the ground and takes out a packet of gum, then hands you one too. You take it with a smile.

You spot everyone pretty quickly, Gen, Jess and Emmy, the only girls you remember, are sitting on a booth so you head there and the whole way you’re getting looks from jess that you try to ignore. 

You wish it could be like that. And maybe it would’ve been. Maybe he would’ve kissed you or asked for your number or something if you’d kept quiet. 

part two; and all my life, I’ve been wanting this forever.

title from: static by alice shone.

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[hazbinwhoree]

Hi, Thank you for answering my yandere ask. Do you think you could write a part two? Maybe Adam takes Sera to his house to meet the reader, and as soon as the reader sees her, she books it under Adam's bed, terrified out of her mind, just wanting to go home. Maybe Sera feels sympathy/empathy for her and secretly tries to help her get home?

Milk & Cookies

Part 2/2

A/N: This is the final chapter to this story, but if you want more Yandere I’m working on another story on my page. I based this chapter off Milk & Cookies by Melanie Martinez.

Sera insisted on meeting (Name). (Name) was hardly interested until Sera got her alone, Adam distracted by Emmy. “Here,” Sera whispered, holding out her hand. (Name) held her hand out and Sera dropped a small vial into it.

“Put the contents in his food and he’ll be knocked out for hours. You can escape.”

(Name) tucked the vial away in her pocket. Adam was done with Emmy, walking back into the room. “What are you two talking about?” “Nothing.”

In order for the plan to work, (Name) needed to knock out both Adam and Lute. Lute interacted with her much less, but was always lurking around, standing guard. So (Name) casually asked Adam that night if Lute could join them for dinner.

Adam seemed a little surprised, but not suspicious and agreed. They were in the kitchen, (Name) making pot roast for their meal. It was done, and she was now plating servings. When Adam left to go grab Lute, (Name) poured half the vial into Adam’s meat and half into Lute’s. She threw out the now empty vial.

Adam and Lute were sitting at the table when (Name) came out of the kitchen with their food. She set their plates down in front of them and neither of them hesitated to dig in.

(Name) sat down with her own plate, eating slowly and eyeing Adam and Lute. Adam finished his meal and abruptly fell unconscious, slumping over the table. “Sir?” Lute asked, concerned. But then her eyelids fluttered, and she too fell unconscious.

(Name) wasted no time, rushing out of the apartment and out into the public. “Sera!” She screamed, ignoring the looks she was getting from the angels.

“You did it.” Sera appeared behind her.

(Name) had never felt such relief. “I did. Can you get me back to Hell?”

Sera waved her hand and opened a portal. “Hide, child. They will come for you.”

(Name) nodded and leapt throught the portal. She knew exactly where to hide. The Hazbin Hotel. The princess could help her, maybe she could even get Lucifer to help her. She ran there as fast as her legs would take her.

Meanwhile, Adam woke up, looking around the room, disoriented. Lute was passed out over her plate, and (Name) was nowhere to be seen. Adam was quickly furious. She had tricked them!

But it didn’t matter.

Adam would tear Hell apart to find her.

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Mystery of love

Previously / Next chapter

a/n thank you once again to peeps who read. Every time I’m like nah… maybe I should end this you all bring back the spark again.

summary: when two lost souls meet at their mutual friend’s party sparks fly, the question is if whatever they feel can actually bloom into something more? But that’s the mystery of love.

warning: toxic past relationships, cheating, creepy ex’s

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You two had stayed wrapped up practically all night. The dim kitchen light danced across your skin. Noah felt like a teenage boy again. One who had just discovered what kissing a girl felt like. It was addicting. One hit and he was gone. All of him was all of you. There were moments when he didn’t know where your body started and his began. For weeks Noah had wondered how your lips felt. How you tasted. That cherry chapstick driving him near crazy. And now you were here. In his arms. He was holding you. Touching you. Your arms were wrapped around him.

It felt as if Noah could breathe again. All the noises in his head slowly faded. Till all he could hear was his heart. Or maybe it was your heart. His hand slowly moved beneath your shirt, fingers barely touching your soft skin, yet it made you flinch as you pulled away, pushing at his wrists. “Did I do something?”, Noah instinctively stepped back slightly, giving you space to breathe. Your eyes met his. The rosy cheeks. The puffy lips made him yarn to lean in but he stood his ground.

“If we’re doing whatever this is…”, you motioned between you two, “we should probably talk”. A chill ran down Noah’s back yet he still reached out, giving your thigh a slight squeeze, “I’m ready to listen whenever you’re ready to share”, a soft smile touched his face before he planted a feather-like kiss onto your forehead. You stayed silent for a moment before letting out a deep sigh, “Dan…”.

Noah’s body instantly got ridged. How that man slotted himself into the happiest moment you two shared was insane. The dusting of him left a bitter taste. “We met in college. It was me, Emmy and Violet. I Met Dan at a party. A charmer, eager to take me out”, you muttered, wrapping your arms across your chest. Shoulders slumping instantly. Noah’s jaw tightened. The start of the story felt awfully familiar to how you two met. No surprise that you had been running for the hills ever since.

“I haven’t had a boyfriend before him so you can probably imagine how it felt to have a guy, a popular one among our peers, show interest,” a bitter laugh slipped past your lips as you shook your head as if still in disbelief, “He was a charmer that turned controlling and manipulative overnight.” Noah took a deep breath in, “Did he hurt you?” He knew that that one word carried more than one meaning. Each one valid in their own way. Each not something he would wish on anyone.

“He cheated on me twice with Violet. Talked me into staying with him after the first time”, it felt as if you just threw a granite. Noah clenched the side of the kitchen island you were sitting on, “Fuck me”, he let his head hang before turning to you. The same mask of indifference firmly plastered on your face, “Don’t feel sorry, it’s in the past now”, “Doesn’t matter, that’s still fucked up”, reaching out he cupped your face, leaning in to kiss your nose before letting his eyes drink you in.

“Can I ask you something?”, Noah muttered after a few moments. You nodded, trusting him with his words. “How is Matt involved in all of this?”, the question instantly made you let out a chuckle. Of course, he would be curious about that. “Emmy used to live with me, Matt stayed over a lot at the start of their relationship, and Dan…”, you motioned around, “he has a tendency of showing up uninvited.”

Noah frowned, “Has”, he narrowed his eyes, “has he been coming over here?” And here it was again. You had forgotten what it felt to have someone who heard you. “It had stopped”, you pointed out. “But…”, Noah urged, you sighed, “After he bumped into us, he’s been pretty… active”. Noah let out a slight grunt, “Why didn’t you tell me?”, “It doesn’t concern you”, you clipped back, sliding down the island. Instantly regretting the choice cause now it had left Noah towering over you. “Like hell it does”, he said firmly, “some dick is banging on my girl's door, I think it concerns me quite a lot, actually”.

You let your eyes grow wide as his words sink in. “Your girl’s”, you mused. “Yes”, Noah nodded eagerly. “I don’t remember agreeing to that”, you poked your finger at his chest. “Look, you don’t want labels we can go without them but you and I, we are exclusive”, his voice left no room for interpretations. You watched him. Trying to catch a glimpse of a lie. Anything. But all Noah did was lean in, brushing his lips against yours softly. Drowning out all the nagging noise.

“So you are mine to take care of not-girlfriend”, planting a big kiss on the tip of your nose he let you push him off, “You’re insane”, shaking your head you tried to hide your smile. “For you, yes”, Noah practically sings songs. You shoot him a serious look before your eyes filled with concern.

“I just don’t want him to hurt you”, your voice was barely a whisper. “Me?”, Noah frowned. “Yes, Noah, he could do some dumb shit, mess with your band”, you whined, already dreading your ex’a next move. Once that would come when he would get a chance to see you happy again. “I would love to see him try”, Noah snorted, you clicked your teeth, shooting him a look.

“I’ve got you”, Noah moved closer to you, wrapping his arms around you, “You’re no longer alone in this. I have your back, you just need to let me try”. You looked up at him, reaching out to brush your fingers over his jaw frowning, “Can you be mean so I would find a reason to not like you?”, Noah chuckled softly, “So you do like me?”, wiggling his brows he leaned in kissing your shoulder, “Mind to remind me?”

It felt surreal still. Waking up a couple of days in a row to Noah right beside you. You had forgotten how it felt to be safe. To want to wake up. To smile first thing in the morning. You two had fallen into an easy pattern. On days when you worked, Noah would drop you off, chasing a kiss before watching you cross the street. He would pop back home then. Doing whatever that felt right at the time. Picking up pieces of music he had pushed aside because he felt too overwhelmed. You two would always end up together at the end of the day, however. Marsh throwing a fit now whenever Noah would take longer to come back. It felt right. It felt meant to be.

“This”, Noah pulled out a random book, lifting it for you to see. “Republished”, you nodded, “The original, I think was printed out in 1974”. It had been his idea. A book shopping not-date. The not part had started to make you chuckle by now but you loved that he did it. Giving you space to feel it out. Not trapping you between labels that felt so unnecessary.

“Shit”, Noah whistled, you simply hummed, “I think they have a copy of the original in the central library”, it was an old classic. The new republished cover was way more modern and picturesque. Of course to attack buyers. “We should go check it out sometime”, Noah pointed out, putting the book back on the shelf. “You would go to check out books with me?”, you chuckled only to find him looking at you with one raised eyebrow. “I’m already in a bookstore, holding your new treasure and we’re building your a new shelf tonight”, he listed the plan you had made, making you roll your eyes, “Okay, okay… yes sure, we can go”. He leaned in as he always seemed to do, brushing his lips against the crown of your head.

“What else is on your radar?”, he moved the stack of books closer to his chest, glancing around. “This will be all”, you ran your fingers over the crisp backs, “We don’t have these copies at ink and paper”. That’s the only exception you had for buying books elsewhere. “Awesome, look around while I pay”, he moved past you swiftly. “Noah…”, you grunted following right behind him. “You trained him well”, the cashier chuckled looking at you two. “We have a good reward system going”, Noah shrugged making you let out a gasp as you punched his arm, “You’re unbelievable”, you grunted, feeling your cheeks go crimson. “Coffee?”, he asked innocently. “Only if I'm paying”, you pointed a finger at him, one that Noah pretended to bite.

You once again found yourself in a small coffee shop. Once again Noah had made you responsible for his coffee order. The only difference was that you were sitting on his lap now. Fingers brushed through his hair as you two sat in comfortable silence. Your eyes drifted back to him. The features of his face. The sharpness it had regained. “What are you thinking about?”, you whispered not wanting to chase the calm moment away.

“Mind is blank”, Noah inhaled deeply. “That’s good?”, you asked, intertwining your hand with his. Smiling at the sight of his tattooed knuckles. “I think I’m slowly settling into a calmer state of mind”, Noah admitted, “And I don’t remember the last time I had a proper girlfriend”, he added with a chuckle. You narrow your eyes making him throw his head back in a laugh, “I mean not-girlfriend, sorry, yes”.

You bit your lip, contemplating your next question, “Are you prone to sleeping around?”. Noah’s face instantly grew serious as he looked at you no doubt sensing the fear lurking deep inside. “Not really I had a phase. With so much traveling it was easier but I’m almost celibate now”, you couldn’t help but let out the most obnoxious chuckle, “Oh you poor thing”, you tapped at his thigh.

“Thank you”, he nodded dramatically, “now I'm saving myself for you”, he winked. “Shut up”, you pushed at his chest, cheeks getting pink once more. “I’m dead serious”, Noah drew a cross on his chest making you roll your eyes, “I hate you”, “I hate you too”, he muttered, kissing your cheek, before reaching for his coffee.

“We’re having a little friend get-together next weekend actually”, he said softly, seeming excited about it. “That’s fun”, you smiled at him. “Do you want to come as not my girlfriend?”, Noah lifted one eyebrow, looking at you with a smirk across his face.

“Noah”, you shook your head. “I would love for you to be there”, he reached out brushing his thumb over your lip, “Just… All I care about is having you there”. You watched him for a moment, “Will you be showing me off?”, “Oh, absolutely”, Noah nodded eagerly. “Fine”, you shrugged, “We’ll test your skills”.

You had Noah’s hoodie on, frowning at the manual in your hands. From the moment you two had came back home it had been a never ending battle with that tiny book full of absurd instructions. “I’m convinced they forgot a set of screws”, Noah leaned over, counting the premade holes. “They had one job”, you grunted feeling slightly annoyed. Even if it was fun you two had been crouched over for a couple of hours now and your back was starting to kill you. “I can pop into the shop real quick and get a set”, Noah suggested, leaning over the wooden panel to kiss Marsh’s head. Nuzzling his face into his fur.

“It’s not important, we can do it next time”, you waved it off. “No, I will go. You promised to show me how to decorate”, Noah pointed out, “Got to make my shelf at home to impress you”. You chuckled softly. “I can start making dinner then”, you crawled across the floor, flopping right next to him and Marsh, “That way we can eat when you get back and do this while watching anime”, “Sounds like a dream”, Noah muttered, reaching out to craps his hand behind your neck, pulling you closer to him. The kiss making your toes curl. Marsh mowed from beside you, making Noah chuckle, “Don’t get jealous dude”. “I mean… he’s been number one lately”, you fake coughed. “Are you in lack of attention?”, Noah turned you both over hovering over you, “My shelf is”, you mused, making him chuckle. “I won’t take long”, he kissed your lips once more before standing up.

You had barely peeled a couple of potatoes when the doorbell rang again. Reaching for the tea towel you quickly dried your hands. Smiling when you saw your key still inside the dish on the hallway table. “Someone forgot the key, huh”, you chuckled. “No, but I’ll take one if you’re offering”, your whole body froze as that voice filled your head. You moved to shove the door closed only to be met with a sharp shove from the other side, making you stumble back, “Not so fast, doll face, I got unfinished business”, and you watched through blurry vision as your ex’s polished boot stepped onto your fluffy carpet leaving a dirty imprint.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

@broken0mens @supersquirrel1996 @lma1986 @collisionofyourkissmakesitsohard @private-vampire @mayaslifeinabox @niicolelynn

[missnxthingg]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 - 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 - Lando Norris x Actress!Reader (Enemies to Lovers & Fake Dating AU) 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 - Lando Norris really messed up on the first time meeting one of Hollywood’s newest and hottest stars, Y/N L/N. But when his reputation gets too bad, she might be the only one who can save his career from being completely doomed. 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒 - 4.6K | 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 - Swearing, mentions of sex, angst 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 - Very very sorry for the delay! Life was a mess and I needed to get things in order. It's coming to an end 🥺 last one will be the last chapter, but let's enjoy while it lasts. Also, this one is for all of us Lando girlies who love to see him succeed in Interlagos!

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𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 - 𝐈 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐃𝐎 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓

The morning after the fight was a rollercoaster of emotions for Y/N. She woke up feeling cold, the covers kicked to the bottom of the bed, and no one lying next to her. By now, waking up next to Lando felt familiar and too comfortable for her liking. She had grown fond of having him pressed against her every morning, his arms draped around her waist and his nose buried in her neck. It felt weird to not have him next to her when she opened her eyes. And then she remembered why he wasn’t there.

She really wished she could go back to sleep and pretend the previous night hadn’t happened.

Y/N wrapped herself around the covers once again and groaned, feeling almost like a truck ran over her body the previous night. She could blame it on the only margarita she had the night before, but she knew she could only blame the fight she had with Lando. The memories of them confessing their feelings for each other was almost too painful. It was killing them; and maybe it was for the best to call off their “relationship”, if they could even call it that.

As most days in November in Brazil, it was bright and sunny outside, but Y/N was convinced it was for the best if she stayed in for the entire day. Maybe she could catch up on her watching list on Netflix, order junk food and cry her heart out while no one was watching. After all, she was only required to go outside tomorrow, when her PR team asked her to accompany Lando to the paddock during media day.

She managed to not cry just fine so far that morning, but the universe was making it really hard to keep it together. If the emotions weren’t enough, Y/N found out that day that she was nominated for an Emmy Award. It was all over social media, with everyone congratulating her and posting clips of her performance on her latest show. Her phone was blowing up with calls and texts, but she didn’t have the energy to celebrate it.

Suddenly, it all felt too lonely. Y/N had just acquired the biggest conquest of her career, one that she has dreamed of her entire life, and she had no one to celebrate it with. The person she wanted to celebrate with the most was nowhere to be seen. So she cried alone in that hotel room, because there was nothing more she could do. She should’ve been out there celebrating that conquest, but she was weeping for the loss of Lando Norris, of all people in the world.

He wasn’t having the best days himself. After she left, Lando couldn’t bring himself to fall asleep even if he wanted to. He could only think about Y/N leaving their room crying after saying she didn’t trust him; after telling it all went wrong because he could only think about himself. All the work he did to try getting to her heart gone to waste, only because he forgot to apologize. 

After a couple of hours after finally getting some sleep, Lando was woken up by knocks on his door. Max had come for him after he didn’t answer his phone for the entire morning. His best friend understood what happened almost immediately when he opened the door, his eyes blood shot from crying too much. Lando sighed before crying more, feeling completely powerless with the situation he was trapped in.

“I fucked up”, Lando admitted, completely defeated. “And fuck, I love her so much. But she’s gone”.

Max tried to cheer him up, attempting to get the pieces back together before he was required to be on track, talking to countless journalists about his job. Lando didn’t want to talk about anything with anyone at that moment, only to Y/N if he could. In the end, with all the suffering he was going through, she was the only person he wanted to talk with to make it better.

“It’s not her fault. It’s my fault. All me. I’m always the problem”, he thought, all day. Everybody knows that Lando can get himself down a self depreciation hole, but now he actually knows it was all entirely his fault. So it was a little harder to get him out of there.

He heard of her Emmy nomination later that day, while they were waiting for breakfast at a bakery. Lando felt a boast of energy in his body, feeling so proud of his girl’s achievement. But when he remembered she didn’t want him there to celebrate it with her, he felt sad once again. He had to retreat back to his hotel room, because it was too painful to pretend nothing had happened while he was outside. People were starting to recognize him, and they could all see the sadness painted all over his face. He couldn’t do it anymore.

The first time Y/N and Lando met again after the fight was on the Thursday morning, as they were waiting for a car to pick them up at the hotel to drive them to the track. He felt uneasy to be around her, not getting to exchange a single world to her. She had grown into his best friend over the past couple of months, him always wanting to share everything with her all the time. So when she avoided his eyes like the plague, it hurt him too much.

Still, he wasn’t one to give up so easily. Lando approached her as she was distracted and said what he was dying to say the entire day. “Congratulations on your Emmy nomination. I’m very proud of you”, he kept his voice low, almost as if he was afraid to say those words. Y/N was looking away from him, but her eyes met his once she heard the words. It was as if she was trying to figure out if it was a figure of her imagination or if he was really saying it to her.

He finally got to see how bad she was as well. Lando knew her like the palm of his hand by then, so he could see that she was suffering too. But he saw a little bit of the light come back to her eyes with his words. But as much as she wanted to throw her arms around him and give him the tightest hug, she knew she had to be tough. So she toughened up and gave him the coldest response. 

“Thank you”, she nodded, looking the other way the second after. If Y/N stared into his eyes for too long, she would give into him. Only a few words from him were enough to ignite the fire on her heart once again.

“I would like to talk to you eventually”, he said, still facing only the side of her face. Lando watched her close her eyes and hold her breath. She was trying to not cry again. “If you want to, of course”.

“Not now, Norris”, she walked away without even looking him in the face.

It was hard to pretend everything was fine as they walked together in Interlagos, especially with the whole media surrounding them and ready to fire questions if they noticed something wrong. Luckily, since there was no racing happening, Y/N got to stay buried inside the McLaren motorhome until it was time to go back to the hotel once again.

Everybody noticed something was wrong, especially with the look on Lando’s face. His mood was so down that even Zak Brown noticed it. And judging by how Y/N hid herself in the McLaren hospitality until the whole thing was over, he put two and two together. He tried talking to Norris, but Lando kept assuring everything was fine. No one in the team, specially those who knew the relationship was fake, knew what was going on. How did the lovey-dovey couple go from posting cute pictures on social media to no talking in a couple of days?

Impressively enough, the whole thing that happened between Lando and Y/N didn’t affect his performance at all. He secured P2 in sprint qualifying and maintained the position on the sprint race. And if that wasn’t enough, he got pole position for the main race on Sunday. Yet, he couldn’t feel happy about it enough. None of that seemed to matter, because he couldn’t feel joy at all without Y/N.

He could’ve finished in any position – he could’ve won, for that matter – and he would still feel nothing. It hurt too much to receive nothing but an empty “congratulations” and a lifeless hug, just for the cameras to capture. Lando wanted to punch a wall, and he wanted to punch himself for what he did.

Later that day, when he was back at his hotel room with Max, Lando couldn’t control his crying anymore. He had been excellent at not bursting into tears through the past few days, but it was getting too hard to bottle in the feelings, especially when Y/N’s hands felt cold on his as they walked with fingers laced in public. His best friend had to hug him in order to hold him up and not crumble to the floor.

“Come on, mate. You need to stop crying and go get some rest for tomorrow”, Max pleaded, now having Lando sit down in his bed. “I know this whole thing is hard, but I can’t stand to see you this sad when you should be celebrating the perfect weekend you’re having”.

“I think I lost the love of my life, Max. So of course I’m crying”, Lando wiped off his tears, but they kept streaming from his eyes. “I can’t feel happy without her. She’s everything to me, and knowing I fucked her up makes me feel so stupid. I’m so fucking stupid to not apologize to her.  I did everything, but forgot the most important part of it all”.

“Have you tried apologizing again?”, Max asked and Lando nodded.

“I said I wanted to talk to her whenever she was up to talking, but she ignored me”, Lando sighed, throwing his back against the bed. “I would do anything to go back in time and fix this”.

“You don’t need to go back in time to fix this”, Max said. “Look, mate, she has admitted having feelings for you, right? So find the right words, put your pride aside and get her back”.

“You don’t know her. She is as hard-headed as I am. No simple apologize will make her forget the dickhead that I am”, Lando said. “And maybe I really don’t deserve her. She needs someone who has never treated her less than the amazing person that she is”.

“Lan…”, Max tried talking again, but his friend needed to vent more than hearing more advices.

“I would do anything to see her happy again, you know? It’s even worse to know she’s suffering too, because I can never get out of my head that it’s my fault. And I could make her so happy if she gave me another chance. I just know it”.

“I’m not the one who’s supposed to be hearing those words. Talk to her, tell her everything bottle inside you. This time, remember what I said: find the right words. And if it doesn’t work out, well… you already have nothing. You have to at least try”.

Lando went to sleep that night with Max’s words in his head. Months ago, he vowed he would do anything to make Y/N trust him, and he’s yet to try everything in his sleeves. There’s still one more chance, and he would take all the chances he had to have Y/N back.

When Sunday morning came around, Y/N felt almost hungover with the exhaustion from that week. She dragged herself out of bed for the fifth time that week and put on a sundress to enjoy the nice and warm weather outside. Then after breakfast, she waited at the meeting place in the hotel to get to the paddock, ready to put on her best acting and pretend everything was alright. Today would be crucial, because all the eyes would be on her and Lando through the main event of the weekend.

Through the night, before he fell asleep, Lando thought of a thousand ways to get Y/N to talk to him. And if she was finally going to listen to him, he knew what to say. But all his plans were lost when he saw her standing at the hotel lobby, waiting for the car to take them to the track. He thought of a lot of ways to approach her, but he simply rushed into her encounter. And as if their eyes were magnets, she turned to look at him just a few seconds before the collision. Before she could protest, Lando had her engulfed by his body.

She was taken by surprise with the action, but she was even more surprised to how her body reacted to it. Y/N immediately melted into his touch and let her arms around his shoulder, feeling her chest burning into flames and feeling easy to have him so close. She buried her face in his neck and let all the tears she was holding in for days finally fall in relief.

“I’m so sorry about everything”, he whispered in her ear, holding her a little tighter. “I have so much to apologize to you and the right words to say everything, but so little time right now. I don’t want to go one more second without talking to you, because it's been too much for me. I miss you, Y/N”.

“Lando”, she leaned back and looked between his eyes. Y/N could see how this entire thing has impacted him as well, and it hurt to see him hurt too. So she softly ran one of her thumbs though his cheek and smiled, tired of fighting.

“Y/N”, he encouraged, still too nervous with her response. But he felt a little better to see the smile on her lips once again.

 “Go in that car and win this race. For me”, she held his face between her hands and squeezed it carefully, assuring him that they were okay, at least for now. Lando was so happy that he pulled her back to the hug.

“For you, anything”, he kissed her forehead, knowing a proper kiss would be too far. “I promise that after the race, I have so much to talk to you about”.

“Don’t worry about it now, okay?”, she searched for his hands and gave it a squeeze. “We’ll talk later”.

Lando couldn’t let go off Y/N after that. They still were very quiet around each other, but it was a relief to have her hands laced with his all the time. Even better to have his arms wrapped around her as they cuddled in his driver’s room during his break. And you can bet he felt amazing when she pressed a kiss to his cheek before helping put on his balaclava.

“Good luck, Lan”, she whispered in his ear as he pulled him for a hug. “I trust you”.

And with the words he has been waiting for months to hear, Lando went into his car with the boost of confidence he needed. So far, he hadn’t won a race in Formula 1, but he had been so close for a lot of weekends. Always P2, never the winner. But now he had the confidence who could make him pass anyone in front of him. He was going to win for Y/N, just because she asked him to. So when he crossed the chequered flag before any other driver, he felt his entire life flash right in front of his eyes. Every sweat and tears dropped for this moment, who had been a long time coming. All these years had finally paid off.

Once he parked the car, everything moved in slow motion for him. The mechanics pulling him in for a hug, and all the other drivers who came to congratulate him as well. It could be a scene taken out of a film, quite easily. And when Lando saw Y/N standing right next to Zak Brown behind the barricade, he could feel his heart at his mouth. She was drowning in proud tears, applauding him with all of her strength. So he didn’t care about anyone else who was calling his name; he simply approached her and gave her the biggest kiss they ever shared. 

It’s been only a couple of days since he had last kissed them, but Lando missed her lips as if it had been a year since he last did it. And with that, he felt a weight being lifted off his shoulders, knowing everything was finally alright. His reputation was saved, he had a race win, and he had his favourite girl right there with him. It couldn’t get better than that.

Lando chased her lips once she tried to break off the kiss, not wanting to let go off her yet. But she managed to separate them between giggles. “My P1. I’m so proud of you, Lan, congratulations!”

“I love you”, he mumbled against her lips. “I love you so fucking much”.

Y/N didn’t say it back right at that moment, because there’s still a lot that needed to be said between them before those three words. But she kissed him again, and it said it all. She didn't have to say she loves him because Lando knew it. Looking into her eyes, tasting her on his lips, he knew she felt the same. So he didn’t care about getting no response, because he knew it all in his heart.

“I’ll be back in the blink of an eye. I promise you”, Lando pressed another quick peck to her lips before proceeding with everything he’s required to after the race.

Lando stood on the tallest step of the podium and raised his trophy as high as he could. He splashed his champagne bottle to make a mess on everyone, spotting Y/N on the ground and spraying the liquid far enough to reach her downstairs. He was glowing, and anyone could see that. It showed through the pictures, the interviews, the small talks with people from his team. McLaren made sure the debrief was short so they could all go celebrating the moment that has been a long time coming.

He was ready to party, but there was one more thing left to do.

“You stink of champagne”, Y/N was giggling between his arms. He was spinning her around as they walked into his hotel room, finally having some time along after the race. Nothing could kill the big smile he had stamped on his face.

“Smell it. It’s Chanel”, he joked, pulling Y/N for another kiss. Lando had her pressed against the door once it was close, and it felt too good to have his breath taken away once again by her kisses. He wanted to touch her everywhere just to know she was really there, but once his hands darted under her dress, she stopped him there.

“Not now, Lan. We still have a lot to talk before all of this”, she broke off the kiss, and he agreed with a nod. Suddenly, he was nervous once again, knowing the talk they needed to have had the potential to fix or fuck everything. “Hey, where’s that big smile you were giving me before? I miss it”.

“It is terrified of losing you”, he admitted, making Y/N’s eyes soften for him. She rubbed her thumbs on his cheeks and pouted, making him open a small grin once again. “But you’re right, we need to talk”.

“We don’t need to do this right now, Lando”, she said as he pulled her to sit in bed. He cut her before she said anything else.

“But I want to”, he said, pulling her hands to entwine with his. “Listen, I don’t think any amount of words can fix what I did to you in the past, but I'm very, very sorry. For every bad thing I said about you and every time I mistreated you. Y/N, you never deserved to hear those words from anyone, and I'm sorry I took too long to realize that”.

Y/N nodded and waited quietly while listening to what he had to say. But she could tell that he was nervous, so she encouraged him by rubbing her thumbs on the back of his hand. Lando looked down and smiled at the gesture. It showed how much she cared about him, even though he keeps fucking her up.

“You jumped into this crazy idea just to help me in the blink of an eye, and I never showed you gratitude. Even when I didn’t deserve, you were kind, and you took care of me. And I kept breaking your heart over and over again”, he admitted. “And I regret all of that. I'm so sorry, and I promise you, I'll change”.

“You already have changed”, she ran her fingers through his curls and looked between his eyes. “I know you have, Lando, or else I wouldn't have opened up to you. I just couldn’t bring myself to believe that it was really happening. So I tried to shield myself as much as I could from falling in love with you”.

Lando nodded, a little sad to know that he hurt this relationship so much that she tried not to feel anything for him. But it was nice knowing she felt the same all along, even though they needed some healing.

“And I know you're not the idiot you used to be with me. I understand that you changed and, for you, I would do anything. I would do it all again if I had too”.

“I'm sorry for being so selfish. I was so busy thinking about myself that I forgot how much I had hurt you in the past. I forgot to apologize, and I thought that giving you flowers and kisses would be enough to mend a broken relationship from the start. I was willing to do anything to make you trust me that I forgot the most important part of it all”.

“You understand my point, right?”, she asked, and he agreed with his head. “You showed me that you’re someone worthy of loving, but I just couldn’t trust you at all, because you never showed regret. But now, looking you in the eye, I know that you truly are sorry”.

“I regret every bad word I ever said about you”, he assured. “I think I made my point very clear, but I want to assure you that this thing we have, with sex and the ‘enemies with benefits’, was never just that for me. I would always have that tingle in my heart whenever I was intimate with you and with all the little nice interactions we had, my ice heart started melting for you”.

“Trust me, I know the feeling”, she assured him between giggles. “I also have to apologize to you. The insults weren’t one-sided. And I know you might think it’s all your fault now, but we both know I was a bitch to you as well. So to start in the right place, I have to say, I’m sorry too”.

“Well… I deserved it”, he shrugged, hanging his head down, but Y/N softly brought it up by taking it between her hands.

“No, you didn’t, Lando. You filled me with compliments, and now it’s your turn to take them”, she said. “You also have the kindest heart in the world. You take care of people, and you’re always the energy in the room. You’ve taken care of me on times I needed, and you brought light into my days. You taught me the purest form of love. You make me laugh, and you make me feel like a princess whenever I feel like I'm a monster. You're a good person, Lando. So if anyone is a bitch to you, they better apologize”.

“I used to be so scare of love, but you make it so easy”, Lando looked at her with adoration in his eyes, feeling so great to have his face between her hands. “I love you so much”.

She smiled at him, knowing for sure that now it was safe to say it back. With her eyes filled with tears, she admitted: “I love you so much too, Norris”. 

Y/N pulled him for a sweet kiss, finally pouring all the feelings she had for him into her actions. And he savoured every single second of finally having his dream girl all to myself. Lando slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer.

“I thought I had lost you”, he whispered against her lips, feeling his eyes welling up with tears of relief. He felt it all too hard in his chest. “I'm so glad you're here with me”.

“Yeah, I thought we were doomed”, she admitted too, lacing their fingers together and giving his hand a squeeze. “But love always finds a way”.

“For you, I'll hang the stars in the sky, only to bring them back down if you want them back”, he confessed, now pulling her face between his hands. “I hope we can finally stop with the PR thing, or the friends with benefits thing, or whatever other stupid label between us, and properly be a couple”.

She giggled with him and nodded in agreement. “I want it all with you, Lan. You and me, to the end of times”.

“Forever, my love”, he pulled her for a hug and pressed countless kisses to the top of her head. “Also, now that you’re finally talking to me, congratulations again on your Emmy nomination. I’ve never been so proud of you”, he poked her sides and she laughed with his actions.

“Thank you, love”, she kissed his nose, making him blush a little.

“I’ll never get enough of praising you for this. I was so happy when I heard the news. I knew you were extraordinary, and it was just a matter of time until they recognized it”, he affirmed. “I almost exploded for not getting to celebrate it with you”.

“To be fair, I celebrated it crying alone in my room”, she confessed between laughs. Lando's heart faltered at the confession and his smile dropped. Y/N deserved a proper celebration to this incredible achievement in her career.

“You're kidding, right? So we have three things to celebrate tonight”, he said, making Y/N frown in confusion.

 “What's the third thing to celebrate?”

“My grand prix win, your nomination and our love, now very much official”, he cracked a smile, making her laugh with his statement. Y/N just had to pull him for another hug and lots of cheek kisses.

“You’re so adorable”.

“Come on, let’s get ready. We have a party to go to”.

As she watched him waltz into the bathroom for a shower, all smiley and happy, Y/N felt her heart lighter again. Everything was exactly where she wished for it to be, and she could finally enjoy it all with him. Love is weird, and sometimes it blossoms in places you would never expect. But it’s good to know you’re loved back, especially by someone as amazing as Lando. In the end, love always makes it right.

⋘ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 // 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 ⋙

⤳ 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 - @celestialams @lizaschronicles @kapsylia @igotnorrrizz @hiireadstuff @bishhhitsaurion @mrsmaybank13 @bborra @sltwins @riccdannyf1 @67-angelofthelordme-67 @ctrlyomomma @lan4cha16 @alltoomaples @ellen3101 @hellyesjaehyun @tastebaldwin @sweate-r-weathe-r @carmenita122 @m0cha-bunny @lqvesoph @itscrzy @fangirlvibez @poppyflower-22 @livelovesports @logischeroktopus @happy-jj @saturnbloom77 @cmleitora @formulaal @secretgal66 @taisferrari-blog @sunsshinesunny @eclipsedcherry @tems13 @readingbringsjoy @naanibubbletimmispeach @kenzeyeballs @alilcloudy @architect-2015 @tillyt04 @eringaitskill @honeyhatty12 @dreamercrowd @demig0d0fapollo @mxmtewnz @whatamidoingwithmylife-ramdom @beyond-the-ashes @ijustgomessitupx @floraav @laiba26mindflay3r @books0fever @marialovesf1 @sltwins @ourteenagetragedy @katieschry1 @loveofmylife12 @diaa-20 @urfavsgf @chilisandmilk @elleeeee21 @likedbygaslyy @notturlover @c-losur3 @brizzy-xo @gorgrussell @ellasaddiction2 @morketheduck @kravitzwhore @darkacademicvibes @jenna123456789 @crispymcniall @minkyungseokie @theovalentine @arsyao @phantomxoxo @noobmaster6931 @ohlahlaa @c0rpsecore @rafegirly @darleneslane @annalisenelson @nataliambc @amorydsmt @slytherinholland

crossed means i can't tag you! dm me and maybe we can get it fixed

[sturniolo04]

Kinks M.S.

Bf!Matt x Gf!Fem!Reader

Summary; in which Matt likes to be called daddy

My Boyfriend of 4 years aka Matthew Benard Sturniolo aka the horniest boy you will ever meet. We were currently sitting in between Matt's leg with my back rested against his chest watching the random movie  that came on that really had my attention until Matt started kissing on my neck aggressively  I pulled away looking at my boyfriend giggling at his sexual tension

Emmy: Bae what are you doing

He looked at me blankly quickly cover his growing erection in his sweats hoping I wouldnt see it

Matt: Nothing j-just come lay back down

he said as he pulled me back in the same position we were in two seconds ago and it wasnt even 2 mintues and he started rubbing on my thighs hungrily

Emmy; Baby

I said looking at him then looking down at his bulge in his sweat pants

Matt: Sorry i-i

He said quickly trying to hide it

Emmy: Baby you could have just asked me to fix it

I said biting my lip

Matt: well can you

Emmy: Of course i can

I pressed my lips on his as he grabbed my face to deepening the kiss his hands traveled underneath his hoodie that i was wearing slipping it off on my body

Matt: fuck your so beautiful

 he said admiring my figure i giggled at his cuteness proceeding to take off his shirt and running my hands down his chest stopping at the hem of his sweat pants taking them off slowly and proceeding to tease him kissing his v-line not touching any of the areas he wanted me to touch

Matt: Babee please godd

he groan throwing his head back in complete pleasure after moments of continuous teasing he couldnt take it

Matt: That's it

He said flipping us over so he was in charge

Matt: my turn

he said scanning body which was still clothed with my shorts and you talk about a tease he started to kiss me through the fabric of my shorts as i tugged on his hair

Emmy: Mattyy please

I pleaded wanting him to just fuck me already

Matt: tell me what you want daddy to do

Emmy: everything pl-please just do something anyhting

i practically screamed out he climbed off of my momentarily to grab a condom and slide it onto his length before climbing back onto my body sliding into me slowly

Emmy: daddy

I softly moaned as my hands traveled up gripping his biceps. As he thrusted in and out of me  harshly.

Emmy: fuck Matt

he grunted sounding not satisfied with what he was doing angling his hip hoping to find satisfaction and sure enough

Matt: I knew it was there somewhere

he grunted seeing that he harshly attacked my g-spot

Emmy: FUCKK MATTT RIGHTT THERE

I screamed out tighten my grip on his hair i felt a familiar knot in my stomach telling me i was close and i could tell Matt was too seeing his thrusts started to get sloppy

Emmy: Daddyy i am soo close

I said closing my eyes immediately taken by all the pleasure coursing through my body

Matt: Me too babygirl

His breath hitched as his high approached placing his hand around my neck while aggressive thrusting coming down from his high

Matt:fuckkk

He groaned he came and pulled out of me laying down next to me out of breath I giggled at his tired out state he looked at me laying next to him 

Emmy: Babe

i said while propping myself up on my elbow admiring my now tired boyfriend

Matt: hm

He turned his head to look at me

Emmy: where did Daddy come from

I asked laughing at the thought as he put his hands on his face chuckling

Matt; I dont know i was just in the moment and

he said justifying himself

Emmy: so safe to say you have a daddy kink

Matt: Maybe

I looked at him as he reply uncertain

Matt: ok yeah i do

 i giggled as he said that turning my body to now be laying on my stomach he stared at the ceiling for a minute and then proceeding to get up to put his clothes back on and giving me his hoodie to put back on

Emmy: hey daddy can you take me to get food

I asked as i felt his eyes on me

Matt: Of course babygirl lets go oh and nice ass

he said slapping my ass making me immediately grab my butt which hurt from the sting

Emmy: MATTHEW

[imagines--galore]

HELLO HELLO I SAW YOUR LITTLE JIM HAWKINS POST AND I GOTTA ADMIT! I LOVE THE BOY TOO!

was wondering if could request a little jim x reader who meet at the academy and have a little rivalry before becoming lovers? thanks! remember to take care, drink lots of water and stay safe!

Summary: Jim Hawkins & Y/n Y/l/n. Two of the most promising candidates to arrive at the Interstellar Academy in years. From academics to knowing their way around a ship, the both of them were on equal footing. Too bad they see the other as a rival. Then again, perhaps it was a good thing. For if they were to team up, they could conquer the entire galaxy if they wanted to. But when did that rivalry changed into something more? Pairing: Jim Hawkins x Reader Rating || Genres || Warnings: T. Romance. None. A/N: I mean who doesn't love the boy :3 Ok so the song I decided to pick is Téir Abhaile 'Riú by Celtic Woman. And I borrowed some elements from Kingdom Dance from Tangled because I love that scene. :3 And this got a little longer then I intended it to be.......I added too much detail to everything. Woops? Had a lot of fun with your request though!

You pursed your lips as you observed your reflection in the full length mirror. To say Emmy had been insistent about you donning a pretty outfit for the occasion would be an understatement. Your roommate had practically threatened you with it, saying she would no longer speak to you if you did not dress up. Honestly the female Canid didn't need to threaten you, no one could say no to her. Not even you.

So when she had dug through your closet and taken out the articles of clothing she deemed worthy for the event, you had put them on with no complain. A blouse and a corset with a skirt paired with shoes. The latter you had picked out yourself, having no desire to wear anything impractical should you need to kick someone in the nuts.

"You look gorgeous, Y/n." Parla your third roommate trained one of her several eyes in your direction, while simultaneously applying some black goo to the eyelashes of her remaining eye. "By human standards." Quel barely glanced up from where she was oiling her arms. You were thankful she was, your android roommate had a tendency to squeak when her joints would run out of oil. Emmy grinned proudly as she put the final touches to your hair and stepped away to appraise her work.

"Maybe you'll catch a sailor's eye while in town y/n." She giggled, prompting you to roll your eyes at her. "I doubt I'll have the time." You crossed your arms over your chest. "Since I will be making sure you don't run off half-drunk, Parla doesn't get in trouble because of her wandering eye and avoid Quel being stripped for parts by some con-person."

You had grown to be protective of your roommates over the years you had lived together. Emmy cooed as she reached out to embrace you sweetly. "You don't have to worry about us, honey! We've all excelled at our combat classes. Not to mention we'll have dates who can protect us." Both you and Quel glared at Emmy who only gave a nervous laugh. "Did you have to rope us all into dates?" The android asked, her mechanical voice somehow sounding annoyed. "Its best to go in a large group." Parla came to Emmy's rescue. "My grandmother says there might be some pirates or thieves in the crowd. And given the number of people that have come for the Ball, its best to find strength in numbers."

Emmy nodded enthusiastically. "Perhaps it is best to accept our fate and simply go along with the situation." Quel spoke as she stood and gently placed a hand on your shoulder. You sighed, closing your eyes briefly before shrugging and allowing a smile to play on your lips. You weren't about to be a spoilsport and ruin everyone's fun. After the month all of you had had, with the exams and revisions and tests and selecting the courses you would be majoring in, you all deserved a break.

A bright smile pulled at your lips and Emmy very early squealed at the sight. "Here's to having a night none of us will ever forget!" You stated with conviction, opening the door and leading your friends out of your shared room.

Little did you know how true those words would be for you.

                                          ————————–

The town of Aonadh enjoyed a rather prestigious position. On one hand it was the closest to the reputable Interstellar Academy. An Institute that had been thriving for years and housed the future generation of sailors for the Queen's Armada. Many living in town had relatives who went there, or had some other form of relation with the Academy.

On the other hand, the town served as a harbor for many ships. From merchant vessels carrying riches and trading goods, to the crafts bringing new hopefuls to begin the next phase of their journey. The port of Aonadh was always bustling, always busy. There was never a quiet moment. Every other hour would bring a new ship in. Either to relieve itself of its cargo, have repairs done, or pick up people who wished to travel.

Really town was a small word for Aonadh, but the people refused to call it a city. Their ancestors started as humble farmers before the location of the Academy changed their status to something more. They were proud of what they had accomplished over the years as well as their status so a town it remained. One could find almost every life form residing in town, Arcturians, Aquanogs, Canids, Centaurous, Cragorians, Densadrons, Felinids, Geeories, Humans, Macriki, Mantavors, Minotarous, Optocs, Roboticas, Sirenius, Tuskrus, Zirrelians and a hundred more. No one could remember the first specie that lived in Aonadh and no one cared. Everyone was treated on an equal footing and the town had a huge council that had a member from every specie living in Aonadh.

There were several attractions that beckoned the young Cadets at the Academy to spend their time off in town. From pubs that never ran out of ale, to shopping markets that overflowed with the finest wares. Not to mention the massive library that housed more then a million scrolls, books, hoverstories and maps. To say nothing of the lavish streets and squares where something was always happening.

Of course the ports were the most exciting place to be. One could meet new people, learn about shipping from seasoned sailors, or even catch a tour of one if a Cadet was so lucky.

At present the excitement going about had something to do with several large ships that had docked not a day ago. Ships carrying Cadets who had passed out over the years and were coming back for their annual party of sorts. The Annual Ball it was called. Held every ten years. A huge affair. One of the biggest ones to ever occur in the entire galaxy. Guests of honor and other people of importance were sent invitations, while the rest of them simply showed up. Unless they were on duty or had anything of importance to attend to everyone came.

                                          ————————–

It was certainly the busiest Jim Hawkins had seen it. In the years he had attended the Academy there had been several festivals he had attended with his friends, but not one of them came close to the excitement of today.

However that excitement had died down to be replaced by a burning annoyance at the sight of the only other human in his year. The very human who was now sitting at the same table as him, both of you sipping from your drinks.

It wasn't that you had anything against being set up for a blind date, it was the boy you had been set up with.

What existed between you and Jim was something of an anomaly. The both of you were the best in your batch, and quite frankly, some Professors seemed to be of the notion that you were both the best Cadets they had seen in years.

If only the two of you got along.

A bitter rivalry had formed between the both of you. Neither of you remembered who had taken the first shot, but all you knew was that you had to one up the other. And that was how it had been your entire career at the Academy.

Spiteful comments thrown at one another. Hateful glances whenever the other would be praised. Childish pranks just to annoy the other. Goading and baiting that resulted in either one or both of you getting into trouble.

The list was endless.

Honestly, if it wasn't so entertaining the Academy would've had taken action years ago. You often wandered if perhaps you and Jim had a betting pool going around in the Academy. Parla had dropped hints here and there, but you weren't quite sure.

Well, whatever existed between you and Jim, it was destroying your evening. As soon as it became clear who your date was, Parla and Quel had made themselves scarce, having the intelligence to stay clear of the obvious Supernova that was about to erupt given yours and Jim's expressions. Emmy had quickly taken you aside, begging you to go along with it, and explaining how Lyon, her crush for a good year and a half, had said he didn't want to ditch his friend while he had fun.

So Emmy had offered a solution.

Correction.

Emmy had offered you as a lamb up for slaughter.

And being the soft-hearted idiot that you were, you had relented, agreeing to going along with Emmy's plan. Only because you knew she was half in love with Lyon, and maybe this night he would work up the courage to tell her of his feelings as well.

And as you sat there, watching your best friend sway in the arms of the half-felinid and half-human male, you couldn't help but give a small smile at the happiness that seemed to radiate from the both of them.

"There must be a Supernova freezing somewhere." Stars, even his voice was annoying.

You turned your head back to look at him, that annoyed frown returning. "And what makes you say that."

He smirked, hands behind his head as he rested against the back of the booth. "You were actually smiling. I thought she-demons never smiled. Something about bursting into flames and the world coming to an end, that sort of thing."

"I smile plenty Hawkins." You responded, pursing your lips. "I just don't happen to smile at maggots such as yourself." The insult, if it were called that, seemed to bristle him enough to warrant an eye roll, though he didn't respond.

Seemingly taking his silence as a win, you returned your attention to the dancing couples. The music was lively and there would certainly be more people coming in soon. Sighing, you wished you could join in the dancing. Of course there was no chance of that happening.

You had no desire to ask a stranger, for fear they would try something untoward. And there was no way in the entire galaxy you were about to ask Jim Hawkins to dance with you.

Glancing at your empty glass of drink, you stood and stretched, completely missing Jim watching you out of the corner of his eye. "If I am to tolerate your company for the rest of this evening I'm gonna get another drink." He rolled his eyes, prompting you to give him a glare that had one too many cadets backing off in fear.

But not Jim. Jim was used to your glares and stares and returned them at an equal footing.

Walking toward the bar, you waved at the many tentacled bartender who was quick to give you your drink. The glass was a little too full, prompting you to walk carefully back to your table.

Perhaps it should've been better that you kept your attention on the people around you rather then the drink you were trying not to spill.

A boisterous group of sailors jostled you, propelling you forward and causing your drink to spill.

Nearly emptying the entire contents of it down the front of one of the sailors who had bumped into you.

"What the hell!? Watch it!" He cried out, swiping at the front of his uniform in an effort to wipe away the liquid. Of course, that didn't help.

Angry at loosing your drink, you glared at the male. "You were the one too drunk to walk properly, how am I to blame for your incompetence?" Maybe it wasn't the wisest of decisions to be picking a fight with someone who looked like he had some Densadron blood in him, but you didn't care.

You were already having a horrible evening, so why not make it worse.

Your words only served to make the male, and his group of friends angry. Pursing your lips, your hand slipped to the hidden slit of your skirt where you kept a taser knife for safety reasons. Your fingers itched, ready to pull it out when suddenly the stare down between you and the male was broken by a very familiar voice.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you."

Astonished, you pivoted on your feet, just in time to see Hawkins drape an arm around your waist and pull you to his side. That wasn't what shocked you.

What shocked you the most was the smile he wore. One that was directed at you.

"Making friends I see." He continued while your brain tried it's best to compute the situation that was going on. "I'm sorry about that, my girlfriend gets a little light-footed when shes had one too many."

Girlfriend?!?!?

The group of sailors seemed to be calming down somewhat. Jim had that effect on people whenever he stepped in to stop a would-be squabble.

Ironic considering the numerous fights he had started in his younger days.

"How about she pay for the damage to my uniform, and I let her go." The male grunted, scowling down at the both of them. Suddenly his eyes zeroed in on you the way they hadn't before. A lecherous smile formed on his lips, one that had you scowling in disgust. "She can either pay money or show me a good time. I don't mind either." The rest of his group laughed boisterously, elbowing one another, wearing the same smile as their friend was.

His words seemed to snap you out of wherever your mind was. Pushing aside Jim's previous words, and trying hard not to comprehend where his arm still rested around her waist you opened your mouth to tell the disgusting male where he could shove something where the sun don't shine.

A firm but light pressure around your waist had you stopping. You watched, astonished, as Jim moved to stand in front of you, his stance protective, and an anger in his eyes that had you blinking in surprise.

"Or maybe I should have you reported for showing such disrespect to a future Captain of the Royal Armada."

It was then that the group realized who they were speaking to. Their gazes flitted to the pin you had proudly stuck to the right side of your chest. A coat of arms that assigned your rank, despite having not even graduated yet. Jim had the same pin, though his was hidden by the jacket he wore. Though he made no effort to hide it as he pushed aside the front of his garment to reveal it to the buffoons.

Being Captain meant you had authority and power that no lowly sailor had. It didn't matter what age you were, so long as you were a rank above, you held power.

And at that moment you wanted nothing more then to throw the idiot in jail for daring to make such a proposition to you.

The group began to retreat, taking their friend with them. The danger past, Jim turned his attention to you.

"You okay?" He asked, his eyes roving over your frame, as if looking for some sign of injury.

You nodded. "I'm fine." Despite there having been no physical altercation, you were still a little shaken. "You didn't need to step in. I had it handled." You finally said, still clutching your half full glass. Jim rolled his eyes.

"Not from where I was standing."

You scowled. "I was ready to fight him if I needed to."

Jim raised an eyebrow. "And get expelled so close to graduating? You're reckless Y/n, but I know you're not that reckless."

"And why should you care? Wouldn't you prefer to graduate top of the class all by yourself? Not share your spotlight with anyone."

He nodded. "I would." He paused before a teasing smile pulled at his lips. "But then who would be my rival when I make Captain?"

You waved your hand. "I'm sure you would find someone else to piss off."

"I doubt they would be as beautiful as you."

You gaped at him, had barely voiced your astonishment when his eyes widened in realization of what he had just said.

A bright blush overcame his cheeks, one that had him gulping nervously, raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck.

"Y-you think I'm.............beautiful?" You could barely believe the words coming out of your mouth. An awkward shrug was his only response.

Normally you would've teased him mercilessly about revealing something so intimate. But right then? Having just been saved by him, and watching him stand there, unable to meet your gaze, you couldn't help but smile.

"Don't tell me its because of my beauty that you've been a pain in my ass all these years." Your tone was light, teasing, compelling him to respond in his usual sarcastic way.

"That and you're annoying." He stated, a smile pulling at his lips as his blush began to recede. You hummed. "I didn't take you as the romantic type Hawkins."

He leaned closer. "Theres a lot of things you don't know about me y/l/n. Though one thing I can tell about you, is that you've been wanting to dance the entire night but have been too stubborn to ask me." Now, it was your turn to blush as you glared at him. Had you been that obvious? But Jim wasn't deterred.

"Shall we?" He held out a hand, indicating that you take it if you wanted to fulfill your wish to dance.

You pursed your lips, your previous annoyance for him rising to the forefront. You would never call what you felt for Jim hatred, but you wouldn't call it affection either.

But right then, you mused as you took his hand and he led you the dance floor, maybe you could label your feelings for Jim as undetermined.

For the time being.

The dance floor had lost a few dancers as the musicians in the corner prepared to play yet another song. You looked around, feeling a little nervous. It had been awhile since you had danced, and while you had no doubt in your dancing skills, you didn't trust your partner fully.

"You're not going to drop me during a dip or something like that are you?" You asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Jim laughed before shaking his head. "No, I promise I won't."

You frowned, leaning up to press the back of your hand against his forehead. "You're not running a fever are you?" You inquired, feeling your own forehead to compare the temperatures. He flushed at the sensation of her touch against his skin.

"No, why would you ask that?" His questions prompted you to shrug. "Well you're being nice to me, and neither of us have thrown an insult at the other in the last five minutes.

Jim nodded, looking impressed. "Must be a new record for us." He commented to which you laughed softly. "And I'm nice to you because I am a nice guy Y/n." He stated, to which you let out a very unlady-like sound. "Oh please, you've been anything but nice to me since we first met Jim."

Alright so it was strange to call him by his first name, but he had used your first name. And when he had? You had felt a sliver of warmth flicker in your heart. Maybe he would feel the same sensation you did?

Well you were right. At least about the warmth part. And though Jim felt that warmth in his heart, same as you, he also felt it steal across his cheeks.

God! He had never blushed so much in such a short span of time his entire life.

"Well you didn't make it easy now did you? You just had to be a smartass." You smirked. "Better a smartass then an idiot." Jim rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his toned chest. "I don't know, we've both done some pretty idiotic stuff over the years."

The musicians were still tuning and drinking. Apparently it was their break, and while there were several other couples standing around waiting for the dance to begin, your and Jim seemed to be encapsulated in your own little world.

"True, but they've been fun years. Memorable." You stated with a nostalgic smile, thinking back on all the times you had gotten into trouble playing pranks on your rival. "Ones neither of us will be forgetting for a long time." He agreed, matching your smile with his.

Your eyes met his, and you suddenly realized just how much Jim had changed over the years. He had been a little reckless and rebellious in the start, but those traits had toned down over the years. They would never be gone completely, but he had matured, no doubt about that. And not just personality wise, you mused, eyes roving his face, as if you were seeing him for the first time.

He had grown a lot taller the past few years. Taller then you at least, since he was a good head taller then you. And he was handsome, there was no denying that, and kind, given how he had just helped you out of what could've been an ugly situation. Not to mention he was extremely loyal, a trait you had always admired in him despite your rivalry.

Little did you know Jim was thinking along the same criteria. Remembering the day he had met you, and how annoying he had thought you were. With your perfect hair, perfect uniform and perfect scores. Then again his scores had always been perfect too, but he made up for it by being messy and a little rebellious.

You? You were always the picture of perfection. Even so close to graduation, every aspect of your life seemed perfect. From your scores, to your attendance record. Your gorgeous face, and expressive eyes to your hair that always looked so soft that he had to fight the urge to touch it at times.

Though today, he didn't hold back. Raising his hand, he brushed a loose tendril behind your ear, and if his hand lingered a little longer then necessary, and if it brushed against your ear, causing a gentle shudder to race through your body.

Your eyes never wavered, and it looked like he was about to say something.

Just then the music started.

Jim cursed, prompting you to raise an eyebrow at him. "Its a fast jig. I'm not really good with those." You smiled and shook your head. "Thats alright, I can teach you. Its easy."

So saying you quickly placed his hands in the appropriate places, one at your waist, the other holding your own aloft, fingers intertwining togther. As soon as you started moving, Jim cast his eyes downwards, trying his best not to step on your feet.

"Hey!" Your voice compelled him to look up, nearly catching your foot but you gave him a reassuring smile. "Eyes on me. You gotta dance right. Don't worry about my toes, they're made of steel."

He gave a dry laugh, but did as you asked him to. Neither of you looked away from the other, allowing the music from the minstrels and the voices of the singers to overtake all your senses.

You would sometimes tease him for a misstep, he would comment about your being a talented dancer who hid their talent, but there was no malice in your voices. Only playfulness, and dare you think, affection.

The jig began to pick up speed, the footwork getting a little complicated, but the steps were ones that kept repeating over and over, and Jim had always been a fast learner, and he had seen many people dance to this particular song over the years.

So when the part came where he had to twirl you away from him before bringing you back, the move was so effortless and fluid that it looked like you had rehearsed it. Your hair and skirt flew about you as you twirled back into him, your back against his chest, his arms around your body, hands clasped, keeping you close.

You tilted your head, breathless from the dance, your gaze meeting his. Suddenly all that playfulness became charged, and your eyes glimmered with a passion you had never felt before. His lips were so close to your own. To him your lips looked so inviting.

But then the dance continued, and you straightened in his embrace. This time though, this time neither of you spoke. Neither of you looked away as you continued to dance. Hearts beating faster, steps picking up speed, your movements becoming wilder more impassioned.

You twirled away from him, holding one side of your skirt aloft. The song was coming to a close. The last verse had begun, where you would dance around your partner, slow and playful, never breaking eye contact.

And the final chorus? That was the main attraction. Knowing what was to come, Jim braced himself. You took a running start, jumping a little as you neared him to give yourself enough momentum to fly upwards, only to have Jim catch you around your waist, spinning in a fast circle.

A laugh fell from your lips, your arms held aloft at your sides, enjoying the sensation of flying through the air. As Jim began to lower you, your head tilted to look at him once more. Your arms dropped to wrap around his broad shoulders, while his rested around your waist.

The song had ended, the both of you were breathing heavily, twin smiles of jubilation stretching your mouths as the crowd around you roared. It seemed both your dancing had attracted quite the crowd.

And the cheering doubled tenfold when Jim suddenly closed whatever distance was left between the both of you and fused his lips with yours. A moment of disbelief, where your eyes widened almost comically, before closing shut, lips moving as you kissed him back.

It was blissfully sinful, the way he kissed you. You sighed almost dreamily against his lips, allowing your fingers to play with his hair. Jim was no better, he was doing his best not to let his hands explore too much. You were still in public after all.

"What in the furthest reaches of the galaxy is happening here?"

The shrieking voice tore your apart. Extremely reluctantly, you might add as you both turned to glare at Emmy and Lyon in annoyance. Emmy looked like she was about to faint, while Lyon looked utterly bemused.

"We weren't disturbing you while you locked lips, so why're you disturbing us?" You asked, your arms still around Jim's shoulders. Then again his hands still rested on your back, keeping you close.

"Weren't the two of you just at each other's throats?" Lyon asked, blinking stupidly at the two of them. Jim smirked. "Well I can get to her throat again if you prefer. Though not in the same way as before." His words had Emmy squeaking, Lyon gaping, and you rolling your eyes and smacking the back of his head. "Lets not ruin their innocence Jim." You grinned.

"Maybe we should take this someplace private?" You whispered, gesturing between the both of you. "Away from prying eyes." Jim needed no further prompting.

Grasping your hand, he began to lead you out of the tavern. "Don't wait up!" He called out to your two best friends.

"What did I just say about ruining their innocence Hawkins?"

"What? We can always say we just played a game of battleship?"

"Really? That's the euphemism you're using?"

"So long as it clarifies that I'm gonna beat you at whatever we'll be doing."

"What makes you think you're gonna win?"

"I always win."

"Oh, we'll see about that!"

Emmy and Lyon stood blinking in disbelief as you and Jim walked out of the tavern, continuing your arguing.

"Were they talking about having sex, or actually playing Battleship?" Emmy asked, sounding just as bewildered as she looked. Lyon made a face.

"Knowing them, they were actually talking about the latter before moving on to the former."

Emmy shook her head. "Oh, there was nothing in the betting pool for this." She giggled. "Everyone is gonna be so angry."

[lesbianpepsi]

sweet as honey | part iii

pairing: jenna ortega x blind!fem!reader

words: 4.741k

masterlist

warnings: ableist remarks, swearing, mentions of smoking/drinking, bad writing

authors note: hey guys, i just wanna say thank you to the anons who pointed out my mistake and made me realise how insensitive my old ver of this chapter was. i have rewritten it and changed it, i hope this is better

After your first date with Jenna the two of you have gone on many, many more dates. 

By the third date you and Jenna did actually go to that restaurant you were supposed to go on your first date. 

You couldn't help but feel utterly euphoric anytime Jenna asked you out on another date or even held your hand, hugged you and kissed you. If there's a heaven you're more than sure it's with Jenna.

Altogether you've been on six dates with Jenna, and each date you could feel yourself falling harder and harder for her.

Maybe that's why when Jenna calls you on a sunny Sunday morning her words leave you stunned with silence.

"Y/n? Did you hear me?" She asks, breaking the silence. You dumbly nod your head, coughing soon after as you shake your head.

"No, yeah, I- what?" You stumble over your words with confusion as Jenna giggles over the phone.

"I asked if you wanted to be my date to the Wednesday Emmy Party." She repeats for your sake. Yet again, the words feel like a positive slap to the face. 

Jenna wanted you to go to the party with her? A party full of famous actors? 

"It's not gonna be huge, if that's what you're worried about. Just a small gathering of the cast at Joy's apartment to celebrate that the show won twelve emmys." Jenna explained in a reassuring manner, taking your stunned silence as a sign of rejection.

"Oh yeah, just a small party full of famous actors, no biggie right?" You finally say, laughing nervously. "Are you sure you want me to be your date though? I'm not exactly the same level as you guys." 

"Of course I want you there, I know for a fact Emma is dying to meet you. I can tell she's getting annoyed with how much I talk about you to her."  She says with a giggle, probably biting her bottom lip nervously as she awaits your answer. 

You let out a breathless sigh, a nervous smile on your lips. What's the absolute worst that can come out of it?

"Okay, I'll come as your date." You finally answer her question, your smile turning into one of relief as Jenna immediately starts saying 'yes!' over and over like an overused child finally getting the toy they've been begging for.

You chuckle as you nod your head, biting your lip. 

"You talk about me to your friends?" Jenna groans through the phone as you laugh, a smug smile on your face. 

"Shut up." Jenna replies through a small laugh. "The party is on Wednesday, I'll pick you up?" She confirms as a small static sound rippled through the phone.

You snort a laugh at the day, finding it much more ironic than Jenna was. 

"Yeah I'm free Wednesday and Thursday, so it doesn't matter if I get hung over." 

"I didn't know you were so rebellious to drink under the legal age." Jenna teases you, her voice becoming more static on the phone. You rolled your eyes as you scoffed. "Like you didn't admit to being hung over when recording a scene in 'X'." 

"Stalker much?" She quips back with a dry laugh. 

"Oh yeah because I would be such a stalker with my binoculars, staring and following you around the place like a peeping tom." 

"Oh whatever, I'll see you Wednesday?" Jenna replies, you chuckle as you nod your head, as if Jenna could see you.

"I'll be waiting." You say with a nostalgic smile. "I won't make you wait too long." She finished with her own soft smile.

—————

"I'm so fucking nervous." You complained with a groan as you dropped to sit down on your bed, rubbing your sweaty palms against your jeans. "All of them are actually famous people. All of them!"

Delilah -your childhood best friend- chuckles as she patted your shoulder. "You're overthinking it, babe, they're just a bunch of dickheads who are known while we're a bunch of dickheads who aren't known." She tries to reassure you but it simply went into one ear and right out through the other. 

"But they're Jenna's friends, if they don't like me then Jenna might lose interest in me." 

"You're crazy if you think that. Everyone can see she's head over heels for you, hell, the media even knows." She replies swiftly as she squeezed your shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. 

You turned your head to look at hers. "Well I can't see that, can I?" Delilah shakes her head as she laughs softly, loosening her hand on your shoulder before you feel her take it off.

"Then you can hear it in the way she speaks to you, it's as if she's the one who's speaking to a famous actress." Delilah says as she stands up from the bed, picking up the dishevelled clothes off of your floor and folding them for you. "If it is shit then just give me a call and I'll pick you up, okay? I'm staying the night here anyway so it's not an issue."

That's true, Delilah had to ask to sleep at yours since she had a fight with her own girlfriend Claire, and like the good friend you are you told her obviously she could crash at your place.

You sigh as you nod your head at her words, running a hand through your hair. "I guess you're right." Delilah smirks at you as she opens the drawer full of clothes, neatly keeping the now folded clothes. "Of course I'm right." 

Abruptly, loud knocks are heard from the other room. You let out a rigid breath as you stand up stepping towards your wardrobe as you grab your cane. 

"Wish me luck." You ask Delilah as you run the cane along the wooden floor, heading towards the living room. "You won't need luck." She replied with ease as she walked alongside you to the door.

Opening the door for you, Delilah stood by your side as she grinned at Jenna. 

The brunette looks slightly surprised at Delilah but she doesn't stop smiling as she gives an awkward wave.

"Hey, nice to meet you, I'm guessing you're Delilah?" She asks as Delilah nods her head with a grin. "The one and only. Nice to finally meet you Jenna, Y/n talks about you very often." 

You not so subtly elbow her side as you smiled at Jenna, walking out of the apartment as you naturally went to grab her elbow. "She's more delusional than me, ignore her." You tell Jenna as she giggles, looking back at Delilah who leaned against the doorway waving at them.

"Have a great time, remember curfew is at midnight, young lady." Delilah teases as you and Jenna walk towards her car, rolling your eyes under the glasses as Jenna giggled once again. 

"So you talk about me to your friends, huh?" Jenna jabs at you playfully as she opens the car door for you, reciting your words from Sunday's phone call. 

"Shut up." You grumble as a soft blush attacks your cheeks. "Bullying the blind is a very cancelable thing, you know."  

Jenna is the one to roll her eyes this time as she smiles, taking your cane once you've sat down on the car seat.

She joins you in the front soon after she keeps your cane in the back seat, revving up with its surprisingly quiet engine.

"So who's at this supposed casual party then?" You ask her with a curious face as you nervously play with the hem of your shirt, a habit you've picked up since you were little. 

"Emma, Hunter and his husband Fielder, Joy, Georgie, Steve, Naomi, and Johnna and. Oliver can't come since he's currently filming another movie which is in another country." Jenna lists off as she drives towards Joy's apartment, where the party was being held. "I told you it isn't a massive party, so don't worry. Plus they're all very excited to meet you." She reassures you once again, at the same time she speaks, you feel her place a hand on your thigh.

You smile as you lay your hand over hers, gently caressing your thumb along her knuckles.

"I'm just as excited to meet your friends too, even though I'm shitting bricks over it." You say afflicting a chuckle from Jenna, you feel her squeeze your thigh in an attempt to calm you down. "If you feel uncomfortable at any moment just tell me and we'll leave early, okay? Nobody will shame you or be mad."

You let out a gentle sigh at that, a bit relieved at her kind words. "Thanks Jen."

Jenna smiled at your side profile briefly before she turned back to focus on the road. 

The rest of the car ride was full of mindless conversations between you and Jenna as the low music of Hozier filled the rest of the car. 

As usual, when Jenna parked the car she went to grab your cane before opening your car door open for you, and just as usual you gave her a small kiss in gratitude, resulting in Jenna having a soft blush on her nose and cheeks.

Jenna's elbow is already out for you to latch onto with your non-dominant hand. She double checks you're ready before the two of you make your way to Joy's apartment which thankfully has elevators since she lives on the ninth floor.

"I think they're playing UNO, right now." Jenna mentions as the two of you entered the elevator, her pressing the button '9' as the soft hum of elevator music filled your ears. 

You dryly laugh as you lean against the metal wall as the doors close. "Don't think I'll have much of a chance of winning." Jenna rolls her eyes as an amused smile rises on her face.

"Don't worry, they get distracted so easily that I bet they'll forget about it within five minutes." She says as she moves to stand by your side, leaning her head on your shoulder as you grab her elbow gently, drawing small circles on the clothed skin with your thumb. 

You chuckle at her words. "So they aren't like you then, little Miss Competitive?" You tease.

Jenna can get quite competitive, that's something you picked up quite quickly. Whether it be board games, video games and especially with football (or soccer as she calls it). 

"Oh no, Georgie is even more competitive than me. We once played one match of monopoly that lasted two days in total. In the end we had to call it quits but I was so close to winning." Jenna replies confidently, as if she was truly the one who was going to win.

You chuckle as you nod your head, turning your head soon after to place a feather light kiss to her head. "I don't doubt that for a second." You whispered with a low chuckle before pulling away from her head, leaning your head back against the metal cold wall of the elevator.

The elevator dings loudly as the door slides open, a robotic voice coming through the small intercom telling you and Jenna that you're on floor nine.

With a nervous smile you and Jenna make your way to Joy's apartment, Jenna knocking loudly three minutes before entering.

Music hits your ears the moment the door opens, the familiar voice of Lady Gaga filling it up even louder as you enter further into the apartment.

Your nerves spiked as you heard the chatter get loud and louder as you and Jenna walked into the living room where you could smell the strong scent of tobacco mixing with alcohol infiltrating your nose.

"Hey guys." Jenna greets the group, their heads instantly snapped towards her voice as you and her stood side by side. "This is Y/n, my-" She stops, not knowing what to say.

You haven't asked Jenna to be your girlfriend. Jenna hasn't asked you to be her girlfriend.

"-date, she's my date." Jenna finishes swiftly as she grins proudly at the fact you're her date.

A mix of "Hey, Y/n" and "Hi"s are thrown around the room by a myriad of different voices.

"Hey, Y/n, nice to meet you! Finally I can put a name to a face." A feminine voice speaks up, her voice sounding as smooth as a pearl. By her voice you guess you guess it's Emma Myers, one of Jenna's closest friends.

You chuckle aa you turned your head in the direction of the voice. "Wish I could say the same." You joke, hoping, praying they'll laugh at it rather than freezing up and wondering if they should or not.

Thankfully a snort of laughter is heard along with a few gurgles before the person laughs even harsher than before, coughing loudly.

"Jesus, someone take Naomi's drink away from her." A more masculine voice says this time, chuckling as he does.

"That's Georgie, the one who sucks ass at monopoly." Jenna whispers in your ear as she guides you to a free spot where you and her can sit on the couch. 

"I heard that." The voice you know as Georgie speaks up from close to where you sit. 

"Well, it is true Jen was winning and you were on the brink of bankruptcy." Someone else speaks up with a slight slur in their voice, indicating they've definitely drank a few before you and Jenna arrived.

"That's Johanna, she's a lightweight." Another voice speaks up before Jenna does, the voice is coming from beside you making you turn your head in the direction. "I'm Joy by the way." She introduces before she points at Hunter and Fielder who are sitting on the floor. "Hunter and Fielder, our local gays are currently sulking on the floor since they lost at Uno."

"I only lost because Hunter got me out." A deep voice says which you presume is Fielder's voice. "That's only 'cause you're the worst at Uno." Hunter replied with a smirk as he took a sip of his drink.

“I’m Steve.” Someone else announced from the other side of the room. You turned your head in the direction of the voice as you smiled politely. “Hi Steve.”

“Fielder might be bad at Uno but you lost seconds later, Hunter.” He remarks as he ate some of his chips from a bowl.

You laugh lightly as you loosen your grip on your cane but don't let go. Now knowing everyone's voices gives you much more confidence.

"Thanks for having me over, by the way, and congratulations on the twelve emmys." You say with a smile as you turn your head to look at the direction of where the music was coming from.

"No need to thank us, we're all more than happy to finally meet you after Jenna has been chatting our ears off about you." Joy replies, sipping her wine as she smirks at Jenna.

You grin as you turn your head to your side where Jenna was sitting. "So not only you talk Emma's ear off about me, but to everyone?" You jab playfully at her once again, Jenna's cheeks turn a scarlet hue shade as she turns to glare at anyone who laughs at your words.

"They're being dramatic and they're drunk, they don't know what they're talking about." She murmured trying to sound annoyed, but she had a small smile on her lips the entire time. "Sure." You remarked with your own smile.

Your fear and anxiety dissolved as the minutes passed, your fear that Jenna's friends wouldn't like you absolutely thrown out of the window.

Well that was until two hours passed.

You were in the middle of a conversation with Emma as Jenna and a few others such as Naomi, Georgie, Fielder and Johanna had left the room to go smoke on the small balcony near the kitchen. 

As Emma finished her sentence you felt a tap on your shoulder, jumping slightly your turned in the direction of the touch.

Steve chuckled awkwardly at your reaction as he plopped down next to you, forcing you to move up on the couch.

“Can I ask you a few questions about, you know?” He asked you with a slur to his voice, his breath having a strong smell of alcohol which definitely confirmed that he was quite drunk.

You nodded your head as you smiled at him. “Of course, and you can say blind, it's not like it's a bad word.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he laughed.

“Aight, cool. So do you know what Jenna looks like or what any of us looks like or are you completely blind?” He questions curiously as he sips out of a beer bottle with a burp.

“I lost all eye sight when I was in my teens so I don't know what any of you look like.” You explained to him before adding. “I did get a description from Jenna on how she looks, so I’ve got a pretty good idea in my mind.” A soft smile forms on your lips as you think of the memory.

On your fifth date with Jenna, you went over to her apartment for the first time and Jenna cooked for you an incredibly delicious meal. 

That night Jenna let you explore her body but it wasn't in a sexual way. She was wearing a shirt and jeans the entire time as your hands roamed her body as she described herself to you in great detail. 

She held your hands as she placed your hands on different parts of her as she described herself in detail to you. 

Her hair, her face, her neck, her arms, her waist, her stomach and even her legs. There wasn't anything sexual about the interaction, it was only meant to be viewed as something soft and intimate. 

Steve hummed as he dropped his now empty beer bottle to the ground, yawning as he lazily turned to look at you.

“Okay, okay.” He mumbled. “Why do you wear glasses inside then? Is it ‘cause like blind people's eyes kinda get nasty after they turn blind?” 

“Steve.” Emma whisper yells as he gives the drunken boy a look. He raises his hand, faking arrest as he rolled his eyes. “Jeez Emma, chill. I’m only asking questions and she said she was alright with it. Didn't you, Y/n?” 

You decided not to take his words to heart before you nodded your head. “It’s fine, honestly.” You reassure her with a sweet smile. “Before I turned fully blind I always wore sunglasses since it would reduce the glare from the sun and could help me much better with seeing with the small sight I had. After I completely lost my vision I guess I just never stopped taking them off, and I guess it’s because I also don't like how my eyes look.”

“That's fair. I mean no offence or anything but blind people’s eyes just look so creepy.” He replied with a lazy smile as he chuckled, moving his hand to scratch at his small beard. 

“Don't be a dick, Steve.” Joy voices up from her seat, glaring at the boy momentarily before going back to talk with Hunter. 

He scoffs slowly as he ignores her, deciding to see how far he could push you. 

Not knowing what to say you awkwardly laugh as you shuffle further away from him. 

After a few moments passed you presumed he was done speaking to you but you were unfortunately proven wrong the second you opened your mouth to speak to Emma.

“I couldn't imagine being blind, it sounds proper shit and miserable.” He says with an exaggerated sigh. “I mean you can't even see your girl, you only have to imagine her.”

“Steve, stop.” Emma repeats again as her voice becomes more firm. You swallow down your emotions as you try to give a small smile.

“Life isn’t automatically bad just because I’m blind, I actually love my life and wouldn't exchange it for any other life.” You reply trying to keep your emotions at bay and not let his words affect you. 

He sighs dramatically once again as he shakes his head. “I dunno man, being blind sounds shit. How're you supposed to even please your girl if you don’t even know where she is without her speaking?”

“How’re you supposed to please your girl with your one inch pinch?” Hunter remarks, sounding annoyed as his eyes narrowed on him. “Just shut the fuck up.” 

Steve snickered as he narrowed his eyes back at Hunter, crossing his arms over his chest. “Jesus, people are such snowflakes these days.”

As Hunter and Steve get into a heated argument you lean closer to Emma, in a whisper you ask her, “Can you please go get Jenna?” 

She nods her head immediately as she squeezes your shoulder in a silent agreement, standing up moments later and heading towards the kitchen.

“We’re not sensitive, you're just being a blatant asshole to Y/n.” Joy intervenes as she defends your honour, you smile in relief as you scoot further away from Steve, the grip on your cane tight. 

“I was just asking the blind chick some questions, is that a crime now too?” He asked in a mocking voice as he now turned to glare at Joy. 

A blind chick? Is that really all he saw you as? 

You swallowed nervously as your fingers began unconsciously tapping against your cane, a small frown on your lips.

“Why are you being such a dick?” Hunter asks him with his voice becoming more gruff. Steve laughs in disbelief as he turns to look at you. “You said you didn't mind my questions, true or false?” He questions you with a click of his fingers. 

You didn't know what to say as you tried to open your mouth, no words coming out as you felt incredibly uncomfortable by the entire situation. 

Steve scoffs as he clicks his fingers at you again acting as if you're a dog and he’s your owner. “Are you dumb as well?” He asks you in an annoyed tone.

“What the fuck did you just say?” A voice that reminds you of heaven says darkly, storming into the room. You sigh in relief as you gingerly put your hand out for Jenna to grab, to which she holds onto instantly, interlocking your fingers. 

You stand up next to Jenna as you grip your cane tightly.

He shakes his head again as a breathless sigh escapes his dry lips. “Nobody can take a joke these days.”

Jenna scoffs angrily as she glared at him. “Jokes are meant to be funny, I hear nobody fucking laughing, Steve.” She snarled as she ran her thumb along the skin of your hand. 

“That’s ‘cause you all can't take a fucking joke, nobody appreciates dark humour these days, fucking hell.” He grumbled, glaring right back at Jenna as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

You're frozen in place as you listen to the unfolding argument, your heart speeding up uncomfortably in your chest. 

“Apologise to Y/n right now.” Jenna demands dryly, not breaking eye contact with him. “If she can tell me where the remote is then sure.” 

Jenna’s grip on your hand tightened as her jaw clenched at his words. Fearing the argument was going to escalate quickly you tug at her hand making her break the staring contest to look at you with concern. 

“Apologise to my girlfriend right fucking now.” She growled out in a venous voice, her eyes never leaving the boys. 

Your heart stopped at her words as your eyes widened under the glasses. Girlfriend? Jenna thought of you as her girlfriend?

The two have an intense stare off as everyone else in the room holds their breaths, not knowing whether they should stop the argument or let it be.

Steve scoffs as he takes his eyes off Jenna standing up, laughing drunkenly with a shake of his head. “Fuck this, I’m out. This party was too lame for me anyway.” He announced as he headed towards the apartment door, slamming it shut behind him. 

Nobody moved, nobody uttered a word; all frozen in spot as to what just happened. 

You couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt crawling up your spine at the argument. If you didn't come none of this would've happened. 

Swallowing down any emotion in your voice you shakily slipped your hand free from Jenna’s. “Can you take me home please?” You gingerly whispered to her, your head hanging low. 

“Of course, I’ll go get my keys.” She replies instantly leaving the room to go retrieve her keys from the kitchen. 

“It was really nice to meet all of you.” You say, turning your body to face where the rest of them were, a weak smile on your lips. “I’m sorry for the whole mess and leaving early.” 

Emma moved to squeeze your shoulder momentarily as a sympathetic smile toyed on her lips. “You don't have to apologise for something that wasn't your fault.” She informs you.

You sigh as you nodded your head weakly, trying to let Emma’s words win the battle against your guilt. 

“We need to hang again, but without Steve this time.” Georgie says making you and a few others let out a weak chuckle. 

Jenna waltz back into the living room moving to your side and you quickly latch onto her elbow with a weak grip. 

“Thanks for having us over.” She says to them as she gives them a soft smile. All of them smile back as Joy nods her head.

You and Jenna make your departure without another word; no words being exchanged between you two as you head into the elevator.

The moment the doors closed in the elevator Jenna let out a sigh before she pulled you into a bone crushing hug, you're almost surprised you didn't drop your cane at the sudden movement. 

“I’m so sorry he said those things to you, Y/n, you didn't deserve any of that.” She whispers in a feather light tone of voice, her small arms surprisingly strong as they wrapped around your waist.

With one hand you wrapped it around her neck as you smiled a weak smile. “I know but it's okay, I promise. People say stupid shit all of the time especially when you have a disability; you just have to learn to not take it to heart.” 

“But he shouldn't have even said any of those things to you.” She added, removing one arm from around your waist to place her soft hand on your cheek. “You out of everyone don't deserve anything like that.”

Your heart melted at her words, nodding your head weakly. “I don't care about what he said, what I care about is what you said.” 

Jenna cocks her head to the side confused as she gazes at you. “What?” She questions confused, not knowing what she said.

“Apologise to my girlfriend right fucking know.” You quoted with your smile growing on your lips. “Last time I checked I didn't even know I was your girlfriend.”

Jenna’s cheeks turned a scarlet red shade of embarrassment as she let out a little. “Oh.” 

You giggled amused at her words as your fingers played loosely with the hair at the back of her neck. “Oh? Is that all you have to say?” You teased her before adding in a whisper. “Ask me.” 

“Ask you what?” Jenna asks, confused as she leaned into your touch. You rolled your eyes under the glasses as you paused your movement. “Ask me what I think of being called your girlfriend.” 

Eager to know your answer Jenna repeated your words with ease as she smiled nervously. “What do you think of being called my girlfriend?”

You smirked as you leaned even closer to her, your lips hovering over hers as you whispered. “That it's the only thing I've wanted to hear from you since our first date.” 

Jenna’s lips immediately connect with yours the second you finish speaking, sighing against your lips as she pulls you even impossibly closer to her.

You've never had what you'd describe as "perfect" in your life. But now to you, Jenna is the epitome of it. It's how you've always wanted life to feel, calm, and content; and you have that when you're with Jenna.

—————

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authors note: i hope this was better

[rinndjarin]

A Shot Breakdown of the new TLOU S2 first look!

*Cue Little Sadie* Ellie at the dance. Looks like it’s ripped directly from the game. No notes. Though this does make me wonder if we’ll be getting this scene sooner rather than later. In the game, we don’t see this scene until the Farmhouse. I think I read somewhere that Craig Mazin isn’t a big fan of flashbacks, so we might be seeing some stuff in chronological order. 

The tattoo! And the chemical burn. No idea where this shot is, but it looks like Ellie is either drawing or at a workbench. Either way, it looks great. 

The great Catherine O’Hara! I’m so excited to see her here. When her casting was first announced, many people, myself included, believed that she would be playing the Seraphite prophet, but then in an interview she mentioned that she was doing scenes with Pedro, so that wouldn’t make sense. I’ve seen others say that she’s might be playing a therapist-type character in Jackson. The editing in the trailer definitely makes it seem like that! But I think this is a misdirect. Joel’s dialogue in this trailer is definitely him talking to Tommy like at the beginning of the game. I don’t think he’s talking to Catherine there. So who is she talking to? It could be Joel in a different scene. It could also be Ellie. It could also be someone completely different. What a mystery! I’m so excited to learn more about her character. 

Oh Joel. My sad old man. He looks so broken here. Pedro, your Emmy is coming! Like I said before, the editing makes it look like he’s talking to Catherine, but I believe this scene is with Tommy. 

This shot is going to keep me up at night. What is this?? When is this?? Why is my daughter screaming? She has a bandage around her chest, she’s on a gurney, and someone is holding her shoulder. Could be Maria? My prediction is that this is Ellie right after being brought back to Jackson after Golfing, and she’s having a freak out. It seems like she’s looking at something (someone?) What if Joel’s body is in whatever room that is? I’m not sure. I’ve seen some other people suggest that this could be some kind of nightmare sequence which could also be very possible. I saw another suggestion that this could be Ellie getting the chemical burn to cover her bite mark but I’m skeptical of that. That scream is way too emotionally charged in my opinion. Whatever the case may be, Bella is showing their acting chops here and I see awards in their future. 

Another shot that has me stumped. This must be Jackson right? Let’s say for now that it is. Is Jackson under attack? By who? Raiders? Infected? This looks like way too many people to be Abby’s crew. Maybe this is a flashback. I saw someone suggest that this could be a a flashback to Tommy defending Jackson so that we can see his sharpshooter skills. That’s definitely possible. If it’s not Jackson, then could it be a flashback to a Seraphite conflict? Those wooden walls could suggest a Seraphite village. I’m not sure. This one is a doozy.

Tommy!! He looks so good. I cannot wait to see more Gabriel Luna in this role. He’s gonna kill it. So this shot comes right after the one with the people running towards that wooden gate (possibly Jackson) and with the editing, it looks like Tommy is on top of that gate. It could very well be the same scene or it’s two different scenes spliced together. I think it’s very possible that this shot is from the scene where Tommy and Joel save Abby. I doubt this is Tommy in Seattle since this is very clearly winter. 

The Seraphites! They look awesome. I’m thinking this must be the scene with Ellie in the park on her way to the Hospital on Day 2. It could also be Abby’s Day 1 when she meets Yara and Lev, but I’m starting to think we won’t be seeing Abby’s Seattle days until Season 3. There have been no casting announcements for Yara and Lev.

Dina! My lovely Dina. Okay so I’m not really sure where this shot would be, but I’m thinking it’s somewhere in Seattle because of the coat she’s wearing. Isabela Merced was wearing it while shooting with Bella in Vancouver for Seattle scenes. In the tunnels maybe? The theater? Not sure, but she looks great! I love Dina, and I think Isabela is gonna be great. After seeing her in the Alien: Romulus trailers, I’m confident that she’s going to knock it out of the park. 

Ellie unleashing Hell? Amazing. You go girl. 

If you look closely, you can see a person standing on the ridge in this shot. My guess is that it’s Abby or Owen scouting out the Jackson area. 

Jeffrey Wright is back as Isaac! Let’s go! One of my few complaints about Part 2 is not seeing enough of Isaac. He’s such an intimidating character and I need more. Jeffrey Wright is going to DELIVER. 

First look at Kaitlyn Dever as Abby! Another shot that could’ve be ripped right out of the game. I think Kaitlyn is going to be an amazing Abby, and I hope for her sake that she doesn’t go on any social media when Season 2 premiers. IYKYK.

Nothing much to say here except that this is most likely Jackson/early game. It’s hard to tell who the riders are. It could be any combination of Ellie, Dina, Jesse, Joel, or Tommy. Or maybe they’re random patrollers from Jackson; who knows?!

This has to be the subway scene in Seattle Day 1! I love that level; the introduction of the Shamblers, the red flares, clickers and WLF everywhere. It’s gonna be good.

Clicker in the subway! Makeup looks amazing, but of course I’m not surprised. This show cannot and will not miss. 

“I saved her.” Yes you did, Joel. You saved your babygirl. Like the first shot of Joel, I think he’s talking to Tommy here. Most likely not Catherine O’Hara (but I’m open to being surprised!) Pedro just brings so much vulnerability and softness to Joel. He’s the same character from the games, but he’s also not. It’s not better or worse, just a little different, and I applaud Pedro for his performance. 

[winterrrnight]

could i request something with a fem reader that’s of another cast from a different show of your choice, & she meets drew through madelyn. maybe they hit it off on their first meet and start texting one another almost every night. basically a mutual pine and by the end they admit their feelings. make it real fluffy!!

love your writing btw 🖤

thank you for the request anon!! The idea sparked a huge inspiration in me and I loved writing this! I definitely got carried away while writing so this is longer than most of my stuff. I added a small twist of my own and made the reader gender neutral :)

love affair

PAIRING: drew starkey x actor!gn!reader

SUMMARY: the reader and madelyn cline are co stars on glass onion. on being invited to madelyn's birthday party, the reader meets a certain someone.

WARNINGS: small mentions of anxiety, alcohol consumption, getting sick

EDITH SPEAKS: my first request! this is LONG, and this is GOOD and I LOVE how it came out!! I hope you like it too! I wasn't able to come up with a title so I decided to go with a song based title, love affair is such a good song i definitely recommend listening to it :)

Please like and/or reblog if you enjoy it 💌 feedback is always appreciated!

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It's your co star Madelyn's birthday today, and she is throwing a massive party. She's invited her friends from all the shows or movies she's been casted in before, and it's safe to say you're excited yet nervous at the same time.

You haven't been in the film industry for as long as Madelyn, you did a few minor roles here and there before you landed your major role in Glass Onion alongside Madelyn. That's where you met her for the first time, and you both hit it off really well. Glass Onion is your first project which got you a lot of exposure, so before Glass Onion you hadn't been to many parties thrown by big celebrities. This is the first one you're going to, and you're determined to make it one of the best nights of your life.

You quickly get ready, wearing an outfit which looks absolutely gorgeous on you and gives you loads of self confidence. You prepare yourself to socialise with many new people and to try to make new friends. There are going to be so many other people in the film industry; who knows, you may land a deal in another blockbuster project.

Your cab pulls outside of your house and you get inside it. You direct the driver to Madelyn's house and he takes you there in under 20 minutes. Before you can even reach the party, you can hear the music a distance away from her house, which tends to overpower your nervousness over your excitement.

The cab driver drops you outside her house. You walk up to the closed door and take in a deep breathe before ringing the bell. You can hear the chattering of the people inside. The door opens and you see Madelyn on the other side. You grin widely upon her presence.

"Happy birthday beautiful!" You say ecstatically, hugging her and kissing both her cheeks.

"Thank you darling!" She says laughing. She beckons you to come inside. You walk in to see the biggest crowd of people you've seen together in a house.

You turn to Madelyn and hand her her gift. "Oh my god you didn't have to bring me one!" She says, taking it from you and hugging you again.

"Nonsense! It's your birthday, you definitely deserve to get one."

"Thank you so much. Come on, let's get you some drinks and I'll introduce you to some people." You follow her lead to the kitchen, where she gives you a drink. You thank her and take the cup from her.

"Hey Madison!" She yells out. Madison turns around and sees the both of you. She comes up to you rushing.

"Oh my god hi!" She says, smiling widely as you hug her. "It's so nice to finally meet you!"

"You too!" You say, smiling just as widely as her.

"You were so good in Glass Onion, like, come on. That's some Emmy level acting right there." You feel your cheeks slightly warm up at her compliments.

"Thank you girl, but let's talk about Kiara! She's amazing and you're so talented!"

"Oh stop it," Madison says, laughing. You take a sip of your drink as you make some more small talk with her.

"Look there's everyone else," Madelyn says suddenly, looking across the room. You see she's looking at the group of the cast of Outer Banks. You recognise all of them. Madelyn takes you by your hand and you three make your way to the bigger group.

"Hey guys!" says Madelyn, and everyone replies with a varied version of 'hello'. Madelyn introduces you to everyone, and you hug all of them one by one and make small talk with them.

You and Madelyn now walk to the only person in the group who you haven't met yet: Drew Starkey. You may or may not have found him attractive in the show.

"Hi Drew, it's so nice to meet you!" You smile, and give him a hug.

"You too! I finally got around watching Glass Onion some time ago and you were out of this world," Drew compliments. You feel flattered from all the compliments you've been receiving today.

"Oh my god, thank you! But you as Rafe is just something else. I really cannot imagine anyone else playing him. You embodied his character so well."

"Thank you so much," he smiles. You feel your heart flutter at the small motion. You both join the group, and watch everyone talk and laugh among themselves. You look on your side at Drew, and take in how pretty he looks in the suit he's wearing. You notice the earring dangling from his ear and the rings he's wearing. You feel yourself almost swooning.

Drew whips his head in your direction but before you both can make an eye contact you turn your head away. You feel your cheeks heat up when you hear him chuckle. He totally caught you staring. You down the entire drink in your cup.

"Do you need some more?" Drew asks you. "I've run out of mine too."

"Oh... yeah sure." You both excuse yourself from the group and walk to the kitchen. Drew fills both your cups and you thank him for it. You start to feel your head slightly throbbing from the loud music playing from the speakers which are right next to you and Drew.

"Hey uh Drew?" You call him out. He hums in response. "Would you like to go out in the garden?"

"Are you okay?" He asks, slightly worried.

"Yes, yes I'm fine, it's just, the music is too loud and I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed by the number of people here," you say honestly.

"Yes of course," he says. "You'll feel better if you get some fresh air." You both leave the house and go to the garden. There is a small fountain set up in the centre of the massive garden, so you and Drew sit next to each other on the edge of the fountain.

"Thank you for coming out with me," You say, feeling grateful there's someone with you to help you feel more relaxed.

"You don't have to thank me sweets, it's all fine. I'm guessing big crowds aren't your thing?"

"No, they really aren't. I haven't been around in the industry to be used to such a huge amount of people in one room. It does make me anxious."

"Don't worry about it," Drew says softly. "It takes time to get used to it all, the big crowds of people, the paparazzi on the streets, the overwhelming number of events to attend. Your mind will slowly start to feel relaxed as you spend more time in this industry. Becoming famous comes at a price." He laughs.

"Oh it definitely does," you giggle with him. You both sit in silence, the sound of the music muffled. You have already starting to feel more relaxed, and you think it's because of Drew's presence next to you.

You like this feeling.

↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊˎ-

"Okay now I have to try this casserole, you've mentioned it atleast five times already." You laugh. Your and Drew's position has changed from the edge of the fountain to the grass on the ground. You both sit in the grass, your legs crossed as you play 20 questions.

"What can I do, it's just that good," He says proudly. To every food related question you asked him, Drew managed to give "my famous chicken casserole" as the answer.

What you both have not realised is that it's been over two hours since you both have been sitting out here and chatting. The party had started to die down in the last half hour. So many people had left, and the music was now playing at a low volume. You feel your phone vibrate, so you pull it out to see Madelyn calling you.

"Hello?" You say.

"Where are you? Did you leave?" You hear Madelyn on the other end. She sounds frantic.

"Oh no I'm outside with Drew, we're in the garden," You reply. There is a silence on the other end of the phone. In a few seconds you are met with the constant beeping, signalling Madelyn ended the call.

You hear the door open and watch Madelyn walk out to you both. "Way to go guys, you could've atleast told me you're here! I was worried when I couldn't find you inside. You aren't the kind of people who leave without saying goodbye so I knew you hadn't left for your homes, which made me a lot more nervous when I couldn't find you inside." She rambles, and then starts to breathe heavily after she finishes.

"We're so sorry Madelyn," you say, getting up from the ground. "Me and Drew got so lost in conversation that we didn't even realise where the time passed."

"Yeah, it's also getting late now, so I think we both will just leave now," adds Drew, as he stands from the ground too. You nod along his words.

"Unless you need any help inside?" You ask.

"Oh no, don't worry about that." Madelyn is quick to connect two and two together. She sees the spark between you two, and starts to feel all giddy upon the possibility of you both getting closer. "I hope you had a fun time." She smiles at you both.

You turn to look at Drew who looks at you back, both of you just softly staring into each other's eyes.

Oh you definitely had fun.

And so did he.

"We did," you say, turning back to look at Madelyn. "We'll just leave now. I'll book a cab."

"Oh no, I'll drop you," Drew pipes in.

"No it's okay, it'll be such a hassle for you. It'll only take me a few seconds to book one."

"No no, I insist. It can be unsafe to be alone with an unknown cab driver this late at night."

"He's right, he can drop you. It's best you don't go home alone." Madelyn adds.

You look at the both of them, and give in. "Okay, thank you Drew."

You both exchange your last goodbyes with Madelyn and wish her a happy birthday again before you leave her house together. Drew's car isn't parked that far from her house. You reach the passenger door but before you can open it for yourself, Drew opens it for you.

"Oh, why thank you kind sir," you say in a posh accent as you sit down. He just giggles at your reply and walks around the car to sit in the driver's seat. He starts the car and begins to drive.

You connect your phone to his Bluetooth speakers to put on some music. After searching around your playlist for a few seconds, you find your favorite song.

"Oh my god I love this one!" Drew says, bobbing his head to the beat.

"You do?" You say happily.

"Yes! Their recent album is just simply a work of art."

"Right! It's my all time favorite album! It's everything." On the drive to your house, you and Drew vibe to music and surprisingly, you both have a lot of common music taste.

Drew drives up to your house, but he just doesn't want you to leave. Not yet. This is too soon. He wants to spend more time with you, get to know you better.

But it's getting late at night. And as much as you don't want to leave either, you know you have to go.

"Drew, could we exchange numbers?" You ask, shyly. He just nods his head with a smile and gives you his phone. You put in your number and ask him to text you so you can get his.

"Thank you for the drive Drew," you say softly. You stare into his eyes yet again. There is so much you have to explore, so much more you need to know about him. He's lived a different life before you came in it, and you want to know about it all. You want to know every single thread that's been woven together to create this beautiful man in front of you.

"You're welcome," his voice just as soft as yours. You want him to stop you. You want him to tell you that he doesn't want you to leave. You want to stay with him and talk some more.

But he doesn't say anything.

You give him another smile and step out of the car and walk to your house.

Drew is controlling himself from calling your name out. Why are you getting distant from him by each passing second? Why aren't you staying? He doesn't want you to leave.

↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊˎ-

You freshen up in your washroom and change in some comfortable clothes before lying in your bed. You hear your phone vibrate so you pick it up to see it's a text from an unknown number.

unknown number: hey it's Drew :)

You smile at the text. You quickly save his number and shoot him a text back.

you: hey :)

drew: oh you haven't slept yet?

you: nope, not sure if I'll be able to fall asleep tho, my insomnia keeps on kicking in

drew: ugh same, insomnia gets the best of me

And you both kick it off again. It's almost 3 am at night, but you're up texting Drew. You feel like you are 13 years old, and you are getting to text your first ever crush. The nerves, the skipping of your heartbeat each time Drew uses a heart in his texts all make you feel like a little teenager again.

And you love it.

↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊˎ-

It's been almost three weeks since you met Drew, and all you have to say about this is that your life has changed for the better. He's there for you every single moment you need him; when you need someone to celebrate your small successes with, when you need a shoulder to rest your head on when you're sad, when you need someone to just listen about what's been bothering you.

In return, you love to be by Drew's side as much as you can. You try your best to reciprocate every little thing he does for you.

But one of the biggest things Drew has done for you is get in contact with one of the directors he has worked in the past, who now has casted you in his upcoming movie. The script impressed you a lot, and you're super excited to start working on it. And you just don't know how you can thank Drew for it.

"Sweets it's the fifth time today you've thanked me for it and it's only 9 am! I swear, I've done nothing, all I did was just call him up." He smiles at you, as he hands you a plate of the pancakes he made.

"But now I'm getting to act in this big movie Drew! You really don't know how grateful I am for that," you say, digging into the pancakes.

You were over at Drew's home last night to watch some Netflix together. You ended up falling asleep in between the show, so Drew carried you to his room carefully. When you woke up this morning, it took you a few seconds to realise where you are.

"I have to do something for you in return, otherwise I'll just feel guilty." You tell him.

"What? There is nothing to feel guilty about. No more talks about this okay? You and me, we're close friends, we do things for each other without expecting a thank you in return."

Friends. He didn't intend to say that, but what else can he do? He doesn't want to risk what you both have created so lovingly by admitting his feelings for you. What if you don't like him back?

Friends. Why do you feel a pang in your chest upon hearing this word? But, that's what you are right? You haven't told him how you feel about him, so that makes you friends, right?

An awkward silence falls over you two which only involves the sound of the forks and knives scratching against the plate and of you both chewing. Once you're done eating, Drew takes your plates and puts them in the dishwasher. Meanwhile you gather all your stuff and get ready to leave. You say nothing except a simple goodbye and leave his home.

↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊˎ-

You're sitting in your room with your script in your hand as you read it and try to memorise your lines along with it. The sound of your phone ringing makes you lift your head up from your script. You see it's Drew calling you. You get slightly worried because he doesn't call you very often, you both usually prefer texting but when he does call you, it's something urgent.

"Hello?" You say after accepting the call.

"Uh... are you free?" You hear Drew's voice on the other end. Except, he doesn't sound the same. He sounds sick.

"Oh my god Drew are you okay?" You ask worriedly, getting up from your bed and finding your shoes and other things you'll need if you have to leave the house.

"Just a little sick," he then coughs, which definitely doesn't indicate to a 'little sickness'.

"I'm coming okay? Just give me a few minutes." You cut the call and quickly pop on your shoes, pick up all your stuff and leave your house.

You reach his place really quickly and rush inside. You realise you didn't ring the bell but then you remembered he's alone and sick so it's best to not disturb him from his bed.

You enter his room to see the lights switched off, the curtains drawn, and Drew's body lying under the covers. You walk up to him and carefully lift the duvet from his head. You softly gasp at how pale he looks. There are loads of scrunched up tissues lying around on his bed.

"Hey," he says, his voice hoarse as he tries to smile at you.

"Drew, bub," you say nothing else. You feel so bad for him, he must be feeling so sick. He notices your frown and lifts one of his hands up to your hand.

"Hey I'll be fine, now that you're here to take care of me," you softly chuckle at his words, as you caress the back of his palm. You lean in to press your forehead against his to see if he has a temperature. At that moment, Drew feels his cheeks heat up, and not only because of the high temperature he has.

When you feel his forehead scorching hot against yours, you quickly rush to his medicine cabinet and find the pills you need. You then get a glass of water for him. You carefully wrap your arms around his body and help him sit up in his bed. You hand him the water and a pill.

He takes the pill and you tell him you're going to make some vegetable soup for him. You go to his kitchen, find all the ingredients you need in his fridge and start to whip up the soup. You work quicker than usual, because you know you need to get this to him as quick as you can. When the soup is simmering away on the stove, you go back to his room. He's still sitting in the same position, his head leaned back against the headboard and his eyes closed.

You drag one of the chairs in Drew's room closer to him and sit down. He opens his eyes and looks at you.

"I'm so sorry for bothering you, I really didn't know who to call." He says.

"You don't have to apologise, I'm here for you always," you say softly, taking his hand in yours again and rubbing his skin just as you did before. He seems a lot more relaxed upon this gesture from you.

"You are sweets, you are always there for me. You're there for me when I need someone to talk to, you're there for me when I need someone to tell my dad jokes to."

"And you are always there for me Drew," you add. "You're there for me when I need someone to listen to my crazy theories about the movies I watch."

Drew gives you a soft smile, and you both look into each other's eyes just the way you always do, and you find yourself getting lost in them again. It's like you've found a home in those striking blue eyes.

"Sweets?" He calls you out. Your heart flutters each time he calls you that. "Can I tell you something?" Maybe it's the high temperature that he has that's making him do this, or maybe he's just tired of being just friends with you. Whatever it is, he is ready to tell it to you.

"Yes?" Your heart starting to beat faster. You have a small hunch of what he might say, but you don't want to get your hopes up just to get hurt.

"I think... I think I've fallen for you." He whispers. You look at him with your eyes wide, his hand still in yours.

You can't believe your ears. He said what you had the slightest hunch he'd say. But you didn't think you would have guessed right.

The person you fell for because he told you he will always be there for you no matter what has also fallen for you.

On the other end, Drew looks at you and tries his best to read your expression. Are you going to tell him the same, or are you about to reject him? He can't tell what's going on in your mind. He breathes deeply as he watches you look at him with wide eyes.

"I'd never thought I'd hear this but Drew, I fell for you too, so fast, so hard." You whisper back. He lets out a sigh of relief.

The person he fell for because they told him taking care of him is one of their topmost priorities has fallen for him.

You lean in and press a soft kiss on his forehead and another one on his cheek. "I'll give you a real one when you get well." You say, smiling so widely.

That night, you stay over at his place. You sleep next to Drew, his head resting on your chest as you rake your fingers softly through his hair and occasionally press a kiss to his forehead, his cheek, his temple, his chin, his nose.

He's yours, and you're his.

The world has finally fallen in place.

↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊˎ-

TAGLIST: @runningfrom2am @ragingsammie

[fieldofdaisiies]

Welcome to Burlesque

paring: Gwyn x Azriel | type: fluff | words: 6,8k | warnings: none; for @gwynrielweeksofficial day AU, thank you so much for organising this great event💛 read on ao3

Show a little more Show a little less Add a little smoke Welcome to Burlesque

Maybe this idea is stupid? Maybe it is incredibly stupid. 

“Och!” Gwyn thinks and wants to throw her head back and groan out loud, but she is in public, so she growls internally. She curls her fingers tighter around the pole she is holding onto in order to not tumble around in the bus. Her feets are planted wide on the ground, and for a moment she hopes to just grow roots so she never has to leave this bus.

Why did she even come up with such a stupid idea?

Well, Gwyn thinks and blows out a long breath, it technically wasn’t my idea.

No. It was Nesta and Emerie‘s idea. Nesta and Emerie’s brilliant idea. Gwyn loves her best friends, more than anything in this world, but this idea was stupid. Still is. And why she agreed…it will forever be a mystery to her. 

Doubts, doubts she hoped to shove away, start to bubble up inside her mind and make her stomach coil. Despite being determined and often rather confident, Gwyn worries she will not be good enough and make a fool out of herself. It is not easy to let go off such thoughts, even harder to fight against them—

So captured by her uncertainty and the whirlwind of thoughts within her mind, Gwyn nearly misses her stop. And honestly, the thought of missing it doesn’t sound too appalling. But something, almost like a little pull on her chest, makes her move, her steps treading carefully over the floor of the bus when she leaves and then over the in-ice-covered streets.

She could be at home now, wrapped up in thick blankets, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, watching the Idol or The Voice, day-dreaming about a future where she finds herself standing on a stage.

Everything you dream ofBut never can possessNothing's what it seemsWelcome to Burlesque

Tendrils of breath curl in front of her face when she exhales a long breath — maybe the day-dreaming is soon over and her wishes actually become reality? Because what she is about to do…

Gwyn rubs her gloved hands against each other. Her heart is beating rapidly, her stomach coiling even more, as nervousness grows rapidly within her chest.

She stops in front of the large sign that one can see for miles - aglow and shining brightly, inviting. The door below is similarly lit, the lettering on top of bright.

If she left now, no one would know she was even here. She could just tell Emerie and Nesta that she got a headache and had to stay home. What a brilliant idea, Gwyn thinks, but—

“Hey, sweetie!” A lovely female voice sounds behind her and Gwyn spins around. The blond woman now moving past her, simultaneously uses her key to unlock the door and shrugs off her coat.

“I’m Morrigan, but everyone calls me Mor. I sit at the entrance. You must be Gwyn. Come in, don’t want you freezing to death out here.” Mor holds the door open for Gwyn, who can only follow her invitation, lips parted slightly. 

There is no way back now – and how the hell, does Mor know her name? 

For a split second entertains the thought of running, but then she realises how stupid that would look. She tries to summon every little ounce of confidence, letting it settle into her chest, inhaling one deep, long breath. 

“Hi, pleasure to meet you.” 

Tossing her coat onto the counter and smoothing out her hair, Morrigan turns to her again, “The pleasure is fully mine. Your coat.”

Gwyn places her bag down and hands her coat to the blond woman. 

“Emmy, already told me you’d come and about your incredible talent. I can’t wait to hear you sing.”

“She did?!” Gwyn asks, slightly overwhelmed.

“She did.” The blond woman flashes her a bright smile.

Morrigan is beautiful, Gwyn thinks, her smile radiant, her red dress stunning and she starts to question her own choice of clothing - leggings and a sweater.

“Are you ready?”

She has no time to answer— her expression must have given her away before Gwyn even had a chance to open her mouth. So Morrigan steps into her, her manicured hands landing atop Gwyn’s shoulders.

“I‘m sure you will do amazing. Emmy showed me a few of your videos, you are incredibly talented. You will set this place on fire.” Morrigan grins from one ear to the other, her smile so radiant it rivals spotlights.

But when her lips turn into a softer, more delicate smile, the blond female asks a question that sends a pang of hurt right into Gwyn’s heart.

“Do you have someone you want to make proud? Or someone you want to prove something to? It is always a nice motivation for auditions.” Mor drops her hands and turns toward the staircase. “Whenever I auditioned for modeling jobs, I always kept in mind that I wanted to prove to my father that this is my life and my decisions and studying at Harvard truly wasn’t for me.”

Gwyn only half listens, and offers the blond female a tight smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. She is a little unfocused, now that her thoughts start to wander after Mor mentioned “someone you want to make proud”.

Because in her life there is —was— someone she wants to make proud. Her twin sister. Her late twin sister. Catrin Berdara. She died in a car crash six years ago, a memory that still haunts Gwyn, a pain that will never fade and that has left a wound within her heart that can never be healed. She has learned to live with the loss of her sister, but that doesn’t mean it the day hasn’t left its scars.

Someone you want to make proud. A new sense of determination suddenly fills Gwyn when she replays the words in her mind. She wants to make her sister proud and this thought truly motivates her — Morrigan is right. She is doing this for herself, but also for her sister. Catrin loved to watch her sing, loved when she sang for them, and now Gwyn is going to make her the proudest sister ever. 

This thought also gives enough self-confidence to straighten her posture and follow Morrigan down the staircase with confident steps, her shoulders squared.

Within seconds, Gwyn is absolutely mesmerised by the place, all the flickering, glowing lights, the immaculate decor. It doesn’t look cheap or tacky - everything here looks luxurious, lush, formidable. Absolutely amazing.

Her lips part slightly when her gaze trails from the bar to the stage - the stage she would maybe soon perform on. The stage a few women are currently performing on. The one in the middle is the leader, Gwyn knows and then her eyes move to her best friend. There is Nesta! 

And she looks absolutely breathtaking and amazing. She hasn’t found Emerie yet, but she might be somewhere in the back, restocking things for the bar. 

Excitement slowly seeps into every fibre of her body, and she feels anticipation. Maybe it wasn’t such a stupid idea after all. And maybe working in the same place as her friends, doing the thing she loves most, is quite amazing. 

Something there in the darkIs playing with your mindIt's not the end of daysIt's just the bump and grindShow a little moreShow a little lessAdd a little smokeWelcome to Burlesque

Gwyn watches in astonishment, how coordinated everything is, how beautiful the woman in the middle sings, and how gracefully everyone dances. It is a stunning show and suddenly she can’t wait to be part of it. She wants to be part of this incredible group!

Okay, Gwyn thinks, maybe this was not a stupid idea at all. She wants to be part of it, within the seconds that follow small fractions of her nervousness start to fade, dissipating into thin air.

She knows the dresses they are wearing are very short and very revealing, and with some things that happened to her in the past, it scared her a little when Nesta told her about it. But her best friend took some part of the fear from her - they have a bodyguard here, and he is the best (according to Nesta also in other places aka the bedroom) and he always makes sure the girls are 100% safe. No one ever gets to touch them or only look at them the wrong way. The bodyguard will immediately kick them out.

And this comforts her. A lot. 

“There you go. I need to head back to work, checking guest lists and stuff.” Mor brushes her hand over Gwyn’s shoulder. “If you need me, I am up in the booth,” —Mor points upstairs again— “until then, chin up, shoulders squared, smile and sweep them off your feet with your talent Gwyn.”

Gwyn thanks her and watches her leave, drawing in some deep inhales, and closing her eyes — some mind-stilling techniques she has read about in a book that actually help her a lot.

After a moment, Gwyn places her bag on one of the barstools, eyes aglow as they dance over every single person on the stage, then once again lock onto Nesta. This is fully her thing, Gwyn knows this. Her best friend enjoys every little moment of this dance performance and she can’t wait to share this happiness with her. 

Most of the former doubts have all of a sudden vanished and it even leaves her surprised herself. But it is a good feeling, a wonderful and very welcome feeling.

A smile blooms on Gwyn‘s face, her mind immediately memorising the song, the performance, the–

“We are still closed,” a velvety and at the same time cold voice says behind her, startling Gwyn so much she nearly jumps a little.

Gwyn spins around, and her breath catches. 

A man, tall, strongly built, and with beauty that is beyond her emerges from the shadows of the room behind the bar. He holds a towel in his hands, drying himself off, his black shirt is slightly unbuttoned at the top showing some tendrils of ink on his tanned skin. 

Gwyn meets his eyes and in a voice that is much stronger than she has expected it to be, she says, “I am not here to watch.”

The handsome man casually tosses the towel over his shoulder, gaze slowly running over her. It is not in a sensual way, or in one that would make her uncomfortable. No, he is curious. He is assessing her. 

Casually, he leans his hip against the counter and crosses his arms over his broad chest and the corner of his louth kicks up.

“So you are here—”

“To perform. You are going to audition for the lead role, aren’t you?.”

A man, even taller than the other, appears next to his colleague and Gwyn immediately knows who he is. 

Mr Man-bun-devilish-smile-stunning-body-and-god-between-the-sheets, or simpler Cass. Or…Nesta‘s friend with benefits.

Gwyn has heard a lot about him. And has heard him a lot already as well – Cassian is not the calmest in the bedroom, that much she knows. Now at least she finally has a face to Nesta‘s secret lover who also slipped out of their flat before she got up. (The pictures of him on Nesta‘s phone don’t count.)

“That is right,” Gwyn beams, I‘m here to audition. Music has by then settled into every cell of her body, it nearly makes her sway her hips, and she knows it hasn’t been a bad decision. Her best friends just know her too well, even though she might not have thought so herself at first.

“I heard you have a lot of talent, Gwyn.”

She concludes, her friends definitely share too much about her…but she offers Cassian a polite smile and then thanks him. 

“Are you ready?”

Gwyn grins, and despite the kernel of nervousness still deeply-rooted within her chest, she says, “Born ready.”

It steals a small laugh from the male she still doesn’t know the name of. Cassian chortles loudly and says, “Good, because here comes Ri.” Cassian winks at her and turns toward the staircase. Gwyn has no time to ask “who?” because—

“You must be, Gwyn. I‘ve heard so much about you, and your talent. I can’t wait to hear you on the stage.” 

When she turns, Gwyn is met with a tall female in her early forties, her long black hair cascading down her front in loose waves, her make-up immaculate, just like the grace with which she walks, the long robe revealing hints of her long legs.

“I‘m Rita, the owner of this club.”

“Gwyn,” she reaches out her hand and Rita shakes it, the smile on her lips widening.

“You are ready for this, Gwyn, and everything that comes along with it.”

Gwyn holds her gaze, and inhales a deep breath. She is going to do this. For her best friends. For her sister. For herself. She can do this. She has talent, she knows this, and this might be a big step, but definitely one into the right direction.

In a voice that is confident, she says, “Yes, I am.”

“Then enough of the chit-chat. Get onto the stage, and show us what you got!”

Rita claps her hands twice and all girls stop dancing, and finally Nesta spots her, her eyes widening in delight and a joyful noise slips through her lips.

“You came,” she nearly shouts and beams at Gwyn.

I did, Gwyn thinks, and returns her best friend’s expression. 

⋆｡♪ ₊˚ ⋆｡♪ ₊˚

“Good luck. Show her what you got!” Azriel says and braces his hands on the cool countertop, watching how Gwyn turns back to him, a beautiful, barely-there smile on her in-freckles-covered cheeks.

“Thank you,” she answers politely and then follows after Rita. Azriel’s gaze stays on her, almost already a little enthralled by her, by her beauty—

“That looks like a severe crush to me, and that after, hmmm,” —Emerie, finally having emerged from the storage room, looks at her wrist, at her imaginary watch, and then back at Azriel— “after mere seconds. Congrats, Azzy.”

She flashes him a wicked grin, and Azriel tosses an ice cube at her. “I don’t have a crush,” he protests. 

“Of course, and you also definitely don’t look at my best friend like she is the most beautiful woman you have ever seen.” Emerie rolls her eyes in a dramatic manner.

Gwyn is most definitely the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, Azriel thinks, but in a voice, tinged with annoyance, he says, “I don’t have a crush, Em.”

“Whatever you say, lover boy.”

“Don’t call me that,” he snaps, but has to grin. When Emerie laughs loudly, he stretches out his arm and curls it around her shoulder, putting her in a playful headlock.

But his arms loosen just a moment later and drop to his side when—

Oh-oh, sometimes I get a good feeling, yeahI get a feeling that I never, never, never, never had before, no, no

He has expected her voice to be good, but that good? No way. Azriel’s mouth falls open, eyes widening, his lips feeling a little dry. 

“Fuck,” he breathes and hears Emerie giggle next to him. When he slowly turns to look at her, he sees the woman watch with nothing but pride and absolute amazement how her best friend performs.

“She is incredible,” Emerie whispers and folds her hand over her heart, tears glistening in her dark eyes. 

“She is,” Azriel agrees in the same breathy voice. “She really is.”

I just wanna tell you right now that II believeI really do believe thatSomething's got a hold on me, yeah

Azriel watches the rest of the performance in astonishment and can’t stop himself from grinning when Rita claps loudly and officially announces that Gwyn got the job, as they would never find a better option in the entire city.

He also watches how her friends rush to her, embracing her tightly, all three of them cheering, and jumping around like crazy hens. He finds it amusing, and aöthough he won’t approach her anymore today, he will try to catch her tomorrow, maybe talk a little with her.

⋆｡♪ ₊˚ ⋆｡♪ ₊˚

“Congrats, by the way,” Azriel leans against the door, holding it open for Gwyn. Gwyn raises a brow, a bright smile on her lips. 

“On what?” she asks, but actually knows the answer. 

“On landing the role,” Azriel chuckles and Gwyn walks past him, her scent immediately hitting him – of waterlilies and a lake after rain, fresh and wonderful. He loves it. 

“You are the barkeeper here right?”

“A barkeeper, but yes.” Azriel follows her down the staircase and Gwyn looks at him over her shoulder. “Em’s your boss, right?”

The man dips his chin, the smirk not fading. “She is and she really loves to emphasise this.”

Of course, Emerie does, Gwyn thinks and has to giggle to herself. They continue the rest down to the bar and stage sharing a bit of small talk, mostly very superficial things, but it is a nice start to get to know each other and for the little spark between the ignite and start to glow brightly within their hearts. 

Just like the previous day, Azriel once again watches Gwyn perform, his sole focus on her, and not on the other women around her. Of course, Nesta catches him staring and winks at him across the room and also Emerie pats his shoulder. 

“Not a crush,” she chuckles when she passes him with a tray full of freshly washed glasses. “Sort them in.”

“Pulling rank?” Azriel raises a brow.

Emerie smirks, and crosses her arms over her chest. “Always. I need to make sure my men really work and don’t just drool over beautifully red-haired singers.” She winks at him and turns away, leaving Azriel alone. Alone to stare and day-dream about Gwyn’s utterly beautiful voice. He is mesmerised by it, absolutely – she is a siren and he a sailor, fully enthralled by her angelic voice, following her out into the deep blue sea. The sea – her eyes somehow remind him of an ocean, wild and free, and–

Azriel shakes his head. Definitely not a crush…right. Who is he fooling? But falling so easily? After such a minimal amount of time?

“Good god!” Azriel expresses and picks up the first glass to dry it off. He hates to admit it, but he knows Emerie is right. He truly has a crush. 

And this crush doesn’t get better. No, it only gets worse. 

He can’t stop himself from marveling at her every day she returns for practice. She is gorgeous and he loves how her whole demeanor changes when she is up on the stage. It feels like a weight falls from her shoulders and on the stage she moves freely, wildly, joyfully. Like a bird in the wind. She is flying and nothing can stop her. 

And despite her nervousness before her first performance, and the snarky remark from her rival colleague Merrill, who says that Gwyn is not ready yet, she turns in a free spirit once she starts to perform. 

The seven sisters got nothing on himI'm talking about a lover who's fast as the windEveryone will talk about how he got me fixedIt ain't voodoo, it's just that twistHe will be the greatest lover that ever come to passDon Juan ain't got the half the chanceHe's a tough lover 

With each day, and every performance that follows, the weight seems to fully leave her shoulders until Gwyn is nothing more than a radiant soul, full of brightness and happiness whenever she steps foot into the building. 

Azriel finds himself drawn to her, and is truly thankful that Gwyn seems to feel the same. She often seeks him out after a performance, just for a short talk, or a short drink, before she heads home with Nesta, them giggling and whispering giddy while departing and Azriel wants nothing more than to know what they are talking about. If they are talking about him. 

⋆｡♪ ₊˚ ⋆｡♪ ₊˚

“You’re sure it is alright?”

“100%!” Azriel hears Gwyn assure Nesta. He places the last glass down and then takes off his apron, placing it neatly on the counter. 

“I hate letting you go home alone.” Nesta curls her around Gwyn’s shoulders.

“I will be safe.” Gwyn places her hand on Nesta’s forearm, then pats it. “It isn’t that far.”

With a sigh, Nesta steps away. “You call me when you arrive at home.”

“I don’t think you will be…available,” Gwyn snickers, and tilts her head into Cassian’s direction. He is already impatiently waiting at the staircase. 

“Then text me. I need to know you are home and safe.” Nesta kisses Gwyn’s cheek and finally fully steps away from her, heading towards Cassian. Gwyn shows her thumbs up and Nesta nods, letting Cassian wrap his arm around her and then they leave. 

Leave them alone. Just the two of them. Rita is still somewhere around, but probably in her office, so she doesn’t count at this moment. 

“I am also heading home now,” Gwyn tells Azriel and awkwardly slides off her stool. 

“I’m taking you.” Azriel bends down and then straightens up, holding a motorcycle helmet in his hand. “Allow me to give you a ride. I really don’t want you to go home alone. At night.”

As much as Gwyn wants to say yes, she can’t. Something restrains her from doing so. It might be the close proximity a motorcycle provides, and the thought of having to be so utterly close to Azriel, to a man, or her nervousness about her growing feelings for him, but she can’t say yes. At this moment, it is simply not possible. Being so close to a man, letting a man so close to her, is still not so easy. It has gotten better over time, much better. She doesn’t fear Azriel, or Cassian or the men who come to watch the show, but crossing a line of distance…this is something else. 

Something that still makes her feel uneasy. 

Azriel rounds the counter, giving her a look that seems a little impatient. “Yes?”

“Thank you very much, but you really don’t need to.”

“I know,” Azriel says, his voice soft, “but I want to.”

And then it happens. To quick. So quick that it startles her. She doesn’t want to flinch. Not because of him. Not because of his touch. But with the surprise and her already being tense due to the conversation before, she cringes the slightest bit and prays that Azriel hasn’t noticed. 

Her heart slams into her belly when she takes in the look in his eyes – he did notice. Gwyn can barely stand to face him a moment longer. She can’t bear to see the hurt within his hazel eyes. 

“I’m so sorry,” Gwyn says quickly, her voice hushed. “I need to leave now.” She heads for the staircase. Before the first step, she turns back to Azriel and over her shoulder she says, “This has nothing to do with you. I want you to know this. This only has to do with myself.” 

Then she is gone, leaving Azriel alone in the dim room, in his heart a little crack and in his mind nothing but confusion. In the days that follow, things between them feel awkward. They both want to apologize, but they don't know how to start. They mostly avoid each other until Gwyn decides to take the first step and talk to Azriel…

⋆｡♪ ₊˚ ⋆｡♪ ₊˚

“You sing?!” Gwyn’s voice is joyful and surprised, eyes full of brightness. 

“No, I don’t.” Azriel furrows his brows. 

Gwyn puts her hands on her hips. “I‘m not dumb, Azriel, I heard you. You were totally singing in the storage room.”

His gaze meets hers. “I can‘t sing,” he says but Gwyn wants to hear none of it. She shakes her head and smiles.

“You can sing! You should perform with me.”

Azriel’s furrows his forehead, then turns away from her and starts to dry off a glass. Some of their former lightness has returned. He knows they have to talk about what has happened, but right now he is happy that they at least talk again. “I would never sing in public,” Azriel says and places the glass down and picks up a new one. “Sorry, but that will never happen.”

Gwyn sighs dramatically, and lifts her hands only so she can place them on the bar counter. “I guess I‘m going to call you shadowsinger then, only revealing your beautiful singing voice when hidden by darkness.”

She grins in triumph over her invention of the word shadowsinger (the perfect description for him) and it even elicits a small chuckle from Azriel.

He turns to her and an adorable blush blooms high on his cheeks. “You are impossible, Gwyn.” He tosses his damp towel at her, but Gwyn elegantly catches it and pokes her tongue out at her colleague, cheeks equally rosy.

But the playfulness fades from her face and a more sincere expression settles there. “I actually came here to apologsie to you, Azriel.”

“You don’t have to apologise.” Azriel straightens up and once again tosses the towel over his shoulder. “You did nothing wrong. I touched you without your consent.”

Her heart warms at his kindness, at the understanding and empathy within his hazel eyes. So, Gwyn takes a step forward and places her palms on the cool surface of the counter. She smiles at him, and closes her eyes. “I flinched, and I want you to know that this wasn’t because of you, Azriel.” Slowly, her lids open and she meets his gaze. Azriel is already looking at her, patiently waiting for her to continue. 

“It had nothing to do with you.”

“I startled you and–”

“Can we maybe sit down somewhere and talk?”

Gwyn has specifically chosen to get to work a little earlier this day so he can talk to him. She wanted to catch Azriel alone and she knew the best time for that would be before work. She wants to let him in, and offer him a proper explanation. She knows that there is something between them. The secret glances, the shy smiles, the spark between them, it is all there. The lightness when they talk, the playfulness, the little teasing every now and then. She most definitely has a crush on him and she can sense that it is vice versa. And she doesn’t want to let this wonderful thing that could be between them be destroyed by her past. 

Enough was taken from her back then. She can’t allow it to have control over her whole life. 

Accepting this job offer here, was one of the first steps into the right direction. This is now the next one. 

Once they are seated, a glass of water in front of both of them thanks to Azriel, Gwyn inhales deeply, closes her eyes and takes a moment to calm her breathing and her mind. And then she is ready to open up. She first tells Azriel about her sister, Catrin. How much she loved her, how they grew up together. And then, when her voice is already hoarse and tears roll down her cheeks, she allows him to learn a part of herself that hardly anyone knows. Apart from Nesta and Emerie, no one knows actually. So this is a major step, but one that feels good. She likes to let Azriel in, open up to him, offer him an explanation for why she flinched. But it is not because she feels the need to do so, she does it because it feels right. Being with him does. Opening up to him does. Letting him in does. 

Azriel stays calm the whole time, lets her talk and listens, his own eyes watering. 

“You are so strong, Gwyn,” he eventually says. Gwyn shakes her head and tears fly away. 

“You are,” Azriel protests. “And the fact that you now stand here, with a smile on your lips, performing every night with nothing but brightness in your soul…I am very proud of you.”

She doesn’t need him to say it, but it also feels damn good and she smiles through her tears and is now the one to reach out, placing her hand atop his. “Thank you for listening to me.”

“Thank you for sharing this part of your past with me.” He revels in the touch of her soft skin against his, and that she feels comfortable enough with him to hold his hand. “Thank you for letting me.”

“I know that I can trust you, and this part of myself is safe with you.” Gwyn holds his gaze, neither of them able to look away. Sparks ignite anew between them, their gazes locked, hands still in each other’s hold. 

“Always,” Azriel whispers, and flips over his hand, stroking the back of hers with his thumb. “And so are you. I will make sure nothing ever happens to you again, Gwyn. And so does Cass. You are safe here, you know this.”

“I do,” she hums and leans forward the slightest bit. “I know that I am safe here and that nothing can happen to me here.”

He returns her smile, and it is the most beautiful thing Gwyn has ever seens. Her heart is beating so fast, it is hammering against her rib cage and if they keep looking at each other for a moment longer, she knows it will burst right through her chest. 

“Sometimes…” Gwyn averts her gaze for a moment. “Sometimes the demons are still there. I feel like they linger somewhere in the back of my mind and I can’t always keep them locked away. But it is getting better.” 

When she turns back she finds nothing but understanding on Azriel’s face. “I know exactly what you are talking about,” he tells her, still gently caressing the back of her hand. “But I’ll promise you that together will make them leave forever.”

⋆｡♪ ₊˚ ⋆｡♪ ₊˚

“What are you doing?” Gwyn looks over his shoulder and Azriel snatches the notebook close.

“Nothing,” he grumbles, his shoulders tensing. He places his hand atop the little, black book almost like protecting it from her prying eyes.

“Oh, secrets?” Gwyn raises a teasing brow, surrounding him, hands braced on her hips. “Are you writing a song?”

Azriel frowns. “You have practice now.”

“In five minutes.” She grins, and it warms Azriel’s heart. He can't help it, it just makes the corner of his mouth tip up.

“You should warm up before practice,” he answers, voice still flat.

“I‘m already warm.” A hint of fire fills her eyes that would almost knock Azriel off his feet if he weren’t sitting down. 

“Now?” She raises her brows. “Is it a song? Or a poem? Tell me, Azriel, are you one to spout poetry?”

Gwyn places the back of her hand against her forehead, sighing dramatically. “Shall I call you Azriel Shakespeare from now on?”

Chuckling, he places his notebook down and rises to his feet. “You can soon call me yours, Berdara. Go on a date with me. Tomorrow.”

He is smirking, and Gwyn’s heart skips a beat. She feels her cheeks heat, filling with colour. His eyes alone make her knees feel weak, but she won’t give in so easily. 

Tapping her index finger against her chin, she tilts her head to the side. “I would never go out with a colleague and I‘m busy tomorrow.” 

“Come on, it‘s just a date.”

She leans against the dresser behind her, grins and then says, “Nope.” 

Azriel raises a brow. He is not hurt by her answer. It is playful teasing between them and he knows she likes him just as much as he likes her. 

He scoffs and then rolls his eyes. “Go to practice now. And then make the decision.” 

This is playful banter, Gwyn knows this. Azriel would never push her. Not after having learned about her past, and even before. He is a good man, with a good heart. He would never cross a line where she would no longer feel comfortable. 

“My answer is: nope. N.O.P.E.” She puts a stress on each letter, arms now folded over her chest. 

She can’t say yes. Not yet. She doesn’t want to rush things with him. She first wants to get him to know a bit better, and also she wants to make him fight a little. He shouldn’t have it that easy. But he’s persistent and won’t let her go so easily. “Think about it again, Berdara.”

Now Gwyn is the one to roll her eyes. “You are impossible, but okay, I will think about it.” She forces a grin onto her lips and grabs her bag before a moment later disappearing into the changing room.

“What’s on the agenda today?” Azriel calls after her, but has to wait for his answer until she appears again. And that in a very short, and white silken dress that makes Azriel gasp. 

“Bound to you, sweet love.” She smiles delicately at him and then heads for the door. 

“Come, or you’ll miss the whole performance.”

Of course, Azriel follows, but regrets it a moment later. Or actually when Gwyn starts to sing. The rug is pulled out from under his feet in this moment and he is a goner, lost and falling and hitting the ground hard. She is perfect, and amazing and hopefully soon his. 

I found a man I can trust And boy, I believe in us I am terrified to love for the first time Can't you see that I'm bound in chains? I've finally found my way I am bound to you

Whenever she is on the stage Gwyn becomes alive – her soul feels light, just like her feet. She sings with her whole heart, pouring every small ounce of emotion into every song. And it is perfect.

⋆｡♪ ₊˚ ⋆｡♪ ₊˚

“Allow me to drive you home today?”

“You are persistent.” Gwyn chuckles at Azriel. 

“Hey!” Azriel throws up his hands in despair. “I did not ask about a date again. Only about driving you home.” He leans his shoulder against the doorframe. “Nesta is sleeping at Cass’ place aka Cassian‘s and my place again, so…I don’t want you to go home alone and I really need an excuse to not go home immediately.”

“You don’t want to go home?” Gwyn raises a brow.

“I don’t what it is like when Cass is at your place, but when they are our place they are not quite calm in their…love making.”

Gwyn understands immediately, internally face-palming herself and then grimaces. “Fine,” she says, but then remembers something. 

She turns to him with a grin. “But only under one condition.” There is a mischievous glint in her eyes that nearly brings Azriel to his knees.

“Go on,” he drawls.

“You show me the song you wrote.”

Azriel’s eyes widen, but the surprise fades quickly and he laughs. “You really don’t forget anything, do you?”

Gwyn grins, and shakes her head. “Not the important things.”

“Impossible.” Azriel pushes off the doorframe, and reveals the motorcycle helmet he held behind his body, now holding it out into her direction. “Alright then. You allow me to give you a ride, I‘ll show you the song.”

She closes the distance between, her hand reaching for the helmet. “Alright then,” she says with a bright grin.

It is almost like a movie scene, Gwyn concludes, when moments later finds herself atop his incredible motorcycle, her legs on either side of it and Azriel’s hands…she allowed him to fix the strap of the spare helmet he somehow owned and…

God! Gwyn looses a breath she forgot she was holding in. He is so close, the scent of his colon everything she can smell and his smile — oh damn him and his stunning smile.

“That’s alright?” Azriel asks, trying to move the helmet around but it is perfectly in place. 

“Perfect,” Gwyn tells him and Azriel pats her helmet before mounting the bike himself, always careful. 

“Hands on my waist.” Gwyn follows his order, scooting a bit closer, her breath catching once again. 

“Will you go fast?”

“If that’s what you like?”

“Is it what you like?”

Azriel turns to look at her, and before he closes the lid of his helmet, he smirks. Then he starts the motorcycle. “Hold on tight, Gwyn.”

Her arms naturally curl around his waist and they take off. 

It is almost like flying, Gwyn thinks. No, this is what flying must feel like — being weightless and fast with the wind whipping against your body. She laughs from the bottom of her heart, the sound pure and full of joy.

As gently as he placed the helmet he also removed it again, his fingers tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. “I hope you enjoyed it so much that you now let me drive you home more often.”

She doesn’t answer him verbally, but she straightens up and kisses his cheek, “Thank you so much for the ride.”

Azriel thinks he is very lucky that it is dark, so Gwyn might hopefully not see the terrible blush on his cheeks. He brings up a hand and scratches the back of his neck. 

“And now the song?” She smiles at him expectantly. 

“Only under one condition.” Azriel smirks and Gwyn fights the urge to roll her eyes. 

“You perform the song at the next show.”

⋆｡♪ ₊˚ ⋆｡♪ ₊˚

She would have never said no. Not to such a wonderful offer. The song he wrote, it was perfect, his talent obvious. But the fact that he wrote this song for her. 

It had nearly knocked her off het feet. Even hours after had been gone, Gwyn sat in her bed, reading over the lyrics, memorising it.

And today is the day — she is performing his song. It feels like the greatest honour and she can’t believe her luck that he has actually written a song for her to perform. A song just for her. That he started to write because of her. 

The spotlights are warming her skin, Nesta dances close to her and she sings, from the bottom of her heart, enjoys every single note and relishes in the feel of it, happiness reaching the top, seeping into every fibre of her body.

Hit it up, get it up Won't let you rest Hit it up, get it up This is not a test Hit it up, get it up Gotta give me your best So get your ass up Show me how you burlesque.

The song ends and Gwyn is breathless. She throws her arms around Nesta and cuddles her tightly while cheers and applause rain down on them. Tendrils of damp hair curl around her face, and Gwyn knows she has never felt that alive and happy. This was amazing. The song was. Azriel’s song. 

She turns her head, and from across the room meets Azriel’s gaze, his eyes alight, and a beautiful, bright smile on his lips. 

Gwyn inhales deeply and then sets out for him. She quickly crosses the distance, running, practically flying over the ground and then throwing her arms around his neck. “The song was brilliant,” she cheers and Azriel lifts her off the ground. 

“You were brilliant,” he says and has no chance to continue. 

Gwyn’s soft lips meet his and fireworks explode within them, nothing but bliss and joy in the air around them. 

And when she pulls back and looks at the grin on his face, she knows she is falling massively for him. And fast. And head over heels. But it doesn’t scare her. It feels too good and too right to scare her. Now that she shared her past with him, no obstacle lies between them and she can’t wait for what the future has to offer for them. 

She won’t go fast with him. She will take her time, getting to know Azriel first and then they will see where it leads them. But she knows, whatever direction it will be, having Azriel in her life is one of the best things that could have happened to her.

(*this story is using original songs from the Burlesque movie)

[honeybunniii333]

Was asked for Bedwarry angst by a friend! And I realized I've never written for them, so :P

Sorry it took literally 2 months. My lore has gotten so crazy lately.)

TW: FOR MENTIONED PET DEATH! (It's not in detail by any means. But the story is centered around Barry losing an animal. So if that's sensitive for you, I'd recommend not reading any further.)

"Blue?.." Ed's voice called out from the sliding glass door. It was soft, gentle... like he was afraid Barry would shatter if he spoke any louder. He wasn't sure why his first insinct upon finding Lily had been to call Ed... and not bury her. Maybe because he knew he couldn't do it by himself?... or at all. Ed had buried Mavis, and Emmie and Figaro... and clover, after all. Barry had simply stood there and watched him do it. He didn't even have it in him to bury them. Another way he failed those poor babies.

Ed had found his way to where Barry was hiding. Tucked against a tree staring into the window of the little house he kept the animals in. It was a shed he's fixed up, with a little fenced-in area to play outside in... painted bright colors that right now felt mocking. Ed's face was downcast, eyes somber and eyebrows furrowed with sorrow. He knelt down beside him and reached out to brush hair out of the other boys face. "Hey.. look at me...please?"

It took more effort than it should have to force his eyes up to meet those of his best friend. "There we go." Ed forced a smile, but it was twinged with a sadness they'd both grown pretty used to. That was the downside of this... the loss it came with.

"I'm sorry..." he managed to choke out, leaning forward to rest his head on the taller teens' shoulder. Edward was quick to wrap his arms around him. "And why in the world are ya sorry?" He whispered, rubbing his thumb over the stitching at the hem of his best friends shirt. Always fidgeting with something, it almost made Barry laugh... almost. "For making you do this every time... I know you hate it just as much as I do, and I sti-"

"That's my job, man." He laughed, pushing the shorter boy back a bit so that he could look over his friend, who was now looking very puzzled. Though that was nothing new, Edward Quinton was an enigma, and Barry was positive regardless of the length of their friendship. Edward was never EVER going to stop confusing him. "What do you mean your job?"

"I'm your best friend Barry, I do what you can't do for yourself." And maybe Barry preferred it that way... after all, what was Eddie if not confusing? "You're such a dork.."

"Hey, that says more about you than it does me! You're the one who keeps me around Bluebell." He huffed, shoving the other back with much less force than he normally would and getting quickly to his feet. "Now, where's the shovel at? Let's get this done so we can have a nice memorial and go watch a movie."

"Garage." And off Ed was, grabbing the shovel from the garage and beginning a task he'd grown somewhat used to over the years. Adding another tiny grave to the little cemetery. It wasn't a large cemetery, and Barry prided himself on that. He was able to patch up and nurse most animals back to health. The majority of the pets buried there had simply passed of old age or terminal illness... but a few of them hadn't, and that fact would never bother him. But Ed was there, and Ed always made things a little easier. Picking up the slack and helping with the heaviness of it all. Before he even knew it, they were both standing in front of a tiny little grave. Ed wrapped his arm around him, and they both gave their best wishes to little Lily before once again, making the somber walk back up to the back door and on inside.

Barry could still recall first meeting Ed. It was hard to forget, of course. Considering it had changed his whole life. Barry had always been alone, his parents were always gone, his older brother ignored him the majority of the time, and he wasn't very good at making friends. And he had been content with that, and then he'd been smacked upside the head with a soccer ball, and after that, he'd never been alone again. 2 years old onward, they'd been attached at the hip. And here they were 16 years and counting still spending most weekends like this. Huddled up together on Barry's couch, binging old horror movies with graphics that looked more like a highschoolers experimental art piece than certified animation. And maybe Barry preferred it that way,

[koffeesfancy]

Sorrel Ch. 2 | Letitia Wright x Reader

Summary: An American in London, you have recently graduated university with no job prospects so you take up a gig at a Guyanese bakery and become enthralled in the world of a regular customer.

Genre: Romance, fluff, angst

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 1535

You couldn't escape Kerry's knowing smirk as soon as you walked through the door of your shared apartment. You had already flooded her phone with texts about your embarrassing encounter while at work. The second you put down your bag, she was on you.

"So, how was it?" Kerry asked, leaning against the kitchen counter with a gleam in her eye. "Were you so starstruck that you fainted into her arms?"

You tried to brush it off, heading straight to the fridge for a cold drink. "Who?" you replied nonchalantly, but your flushed cheeks betrayed you.

Kerry's grin widened. "Oh, come on. You know who. Letitia Wright. Emmy nominee. Black Panther star. Ring any bells?"

You groaned inwardly, taking a long sip of water to buy yourself time. "She was just picking up some stuff. No big deal."

"No big deal?" Kerry echoed, clearly enjoying this. "Girl, you were probably sweating bullets. Did you even manage to say a full sentence?"

"More like a half sentence," you mumbled, but she heard you anyway and burst out laughing.

Kerry had always been the outgoing one, the one who could charm a room full of strangers without breaking a sweat. She found your shyness endearing, but it was also a source of endless amusement for her. Especially now, knowing that you had been face-to-face with a celebrity.

"So, did she ask you out or what?" Kerry teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

You rolled your eyes. "She was just being friendly. Besides, she probably is chatty with everyone."

Kerry's expression softened a bit. "You know, you're pretty cute when you're flustered. But seriously, Letitia Wright? That's kind of a big deal."

You sighed, collapsing onto the couch. "I know, it's just… I never expected to meet someone like her. And she kept asking me questions! I could barely keep it together."

Kerry joined you on the couch, her tone more comforting now. "Hey, it's okay. Anyone would be nervous meeting a celebrity. And you handled it just fine."

You gave her a grateful smile, though you weren't entirely convinced. "Thanks, Kerry."

She nudged you playfully. "So, did she say anything interesting?"

You thought back to the encounter, the way Letitia's eyes had seemed to sparkle with genuine curiosity. "She asked a lot about me. Where I'm from, what I'm studying. It was almost like she actually was really interested."

Kerry's eyes lit up with excitement. "See? Maybe she was interested. Maybe she liked you."

You shook your head, but a small part of you couldn't help but wonder. "I don't know. It just seemed surreal."

Kerry wrapped an arm around your shoulders. "Well, surreal or not, it happened. And who knows? Maybe she'll come back."

You nodded, feeling a bit better. "Yeah, maybe."

Later that evening, as you settled into your cocoon of blankets and pillows with your laptop, you couldn't help but do a bit of research. You found articles about Letitia's work, interviews, and even a few personal tidbits. It was fascinating to learn more about her, to see the person behind the fame.

One article caught your eye—a recent interview where she talked about a short film she was working on in the area. The film was a passion project, something deeply personal and meaningful to her. She spoke about immigration, wanting to tell stories that mattered, and highlighting voices that often went unheard. You felt that you could relate a bit due to your own confusing legal encounters studying abroad in the U.K., although you could not imagine the amount of stress Letitia and her family must have endured immigrating almost two decades back. 

You admired her even more after reading that. It wasn't just her talent or her looks; it was her passion, her drive to make a difference. You thought of her as a child, acclimating to a new country and under pressure to assimilate juxtaposed to her now, a successful adult who seemed to juggle her Guyanese and British identities confidently. The young Letitia would definitely have been proud if she knew who she'd grow into. It made the encounter at the bakery even more special.

You thought about your own identities. You felt a bit aimless in virtually every way. 20-something years old, so too young to have things figured out, yet too old to waste time. 

The next day at the bakery, you couldn't help but feel a bit more confident. Maybe Kerry was right. Maybe there was something about you that had caught Letitia's attention. And maybe, just maybe, she'd come back.

As you worked, you found yourself daydreaming about what you would say if you saw her again. This time, you wouldn't be caught off guard. You'd have something clever and interesting to say.

The bell above the door jingled, snapping you out of your thoughts. You looked up, half expecting to see Letitia. But it was just a regular customer, a kind elderly woman who always ordered the same thing. 

You sighed, pushing the thoughts of Letitia to the back of your mind and focusing on bagging her salara and bara. But as you handed the woman her order, you couldn't help but glance at the door, hoping.

As you were leaving the bakery, the warmth of the late afternoon sun washed over you. The sky was a brilliant tapestry of oranges and pinks, signaling the end of another bustling day. The familiar scent of baked goods still clung to your clothes as you stepped out onto the cobblestone street, the air filled with the distant hum of traffic and the chatter of pedestrians.

As you locked the door behind you, you noticed a small crowd gathering down the street, a buzz of excitement and curiosity emanating from the group. Curious, you walked over, each step bringing you closer to the lively scene. The historic buildings lining the street, with their charming brick facades and quaint shop windows, seemed to frame the action perfectly.

The scene ahead was a flurry of activity. Cables snaked across the pavement, connecting large, imposing cameras to an array of monitors. Bright, portable lights were being adjusted, their glow contrasting sharply with the warm hues of the setting sun. A large boom microphone hovered over a group of people, capturing every word and sound. 

Your heart skipped a beat when you recognized Letitia among them, standing at the center of it all, talking animatedly with what must have been actors. She was dressed casually in loose jeans and a simple white tee, her gold jewelry glinting in the fading sunlight. Her shaved head gave her an air of effortless elegance, and you couldn’t help but be drawn to her vibrant energy.

Letitia's expressive gestures and animated conversation with the actors revealed a glimpse into her passion and dedication. She moved with purpose, her voice clear and confident, commanding the attention of everyone around her. The crew responded to her with a mix of respect and admiration, their focus unwavering as they listened to her ideas.

You stood at a distance, not wanting to intrude but unable to tear your eyes away. The scene unfolding before you was mesmerizing. Actors mingled and rehearsed their lines, their laughter mixing with the ambient sounds of the city. Letitia occasionally called out instructions, her voice cutting through the din.

As the crew started filming, you found yourself completely captivated by the process. It was like a glimpse into another world, one that you never thought you'd see up close. The energy was palpable, a blend of creative chaos and meticulous coordination. You watched as the scene was rehearsed and filmed, each take bringing the story closer to life.

You shifted your position slightly, trying to get a better view without being too conspicuous. That’s when it happened. Letitia glanced in your direction, her eyes sweeping over the crowd. For a brief moment, her gaze met yours, and you felt a jolt of electricity run through you. You stood frozen, your heart pounding in your chest.

Then, to your amazement, she smiled warmly and gave a small wave. It was a simple gesture, but it felt like the world had slowed down around you. You managed to lift your hand and wave back, a shy smile spreading across your face. The connection, however fleeting, felt surreal.

Letitia turned her attention back to the scene, but the brief interaction left you buzzing with excitement. You watched for a while longer, feeling a bit like a kid watching their favorite superhero come to life. The way Letitia moved, spoke, and interacted with everyone was mesmerizing.

Eventually, you tore yourself away and headed home, your mind buzzing with thoughts of Letitia and her film. Every detail of the encounter played over and over in your head. You couldn’t wait to tell Kerry about it, and you wondered if you'd ever get a chance to talk to Letitia again.

As you walked, you imagined what you might say if you saw her next time. Maybe questions about her project, or how inspiring it was to see her in action. The possibilities danced in your mind, and for the first time in a long while, you felt a spark of excitement about the future.

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[callmewrinkles3]

You Belong With Me - DR3 x fem!OC

Masterlist

Summary: Em’s settling into working with the boys full time, and Renault are treating her with respect so it’s a good time. Even though women want to flirt with Dan, he goes back with her every night. Maybe they do belong with each other after all.

Word Count: 6k

Warnings: Smut (oral sex (f&m receiving), handjobs, fingering, piv sex, not exactly private sex), mentions of alcohol.

A/N: Another race week, another full chapter about these two! Hopefully this is a little more interesting than Baku was. As always, if you’ve got questions or comments let us know, and thank you for loving our Emmy the same way we love her.

October 2019

They’d arrived in Austin from Mexico early on Monday morning, the four of them half stumbling off the plane and being met at arrivals by Scotty. It wasn’t a long flight, but the five am takeoff meant it was before two when they got out of bed. Could they have booked later? Probably, but Dan wanted as much time as possible in Austin and Em wasn’t going to argue about it. They made their way to the hotel and checked in, everyone going to bed for a couple of hours before getting up and meeting for lunch. Em spent half the time they were supposed to be sleeping curled up in Dan’s arms, trading lazy kisses in between naps.

The decision was made to head out that night to Dan’s favourite bar. Monday was chilled out, it was Halloween that week so any other day would be busier, and they didn’t want to deal with loads of people. It involved dirt cheap drinks and good country music. Plus a dance floor that Em knew she’d insist she wasn’t going to get on before Dan pulled her onto it. And then if she played her cards right he’d pull her into a corner to make out before anyone could see them. Just because their friends knew they slept together now didn’t mean they wanted to share all the things they did.

Unusually for a weeknight the bar was busy, a bachelorette party on one side of the bar and a couple of birthday parties there. They’d managed to grab a booth for their first couple of drinks while they teased Scotty about being a Red Bull athlete and sitting in the Racing Point garage that weekend with his girlfriend. It didn’t take long for people to start saying they wanted to dance. Blake insisted he was staying there to keep the table, Em saying she’d do the same. But before long Dan had grabbed her hand and pulled her out to dance to the bluegrass that was playing. They moved to the music, Em letting go of her nerves being in the large crowd.

Everyone was dressed for the occasion in cowboy boots and denim. She had the pearlescent pink boots that Dan had bought her the year before with a matching hat on her head, denim shorts and one of Dan’s flannels over a white tank top. She was cosy and comfy and happy being there with Dan until she could feel eyes staring in the back of her head. The way they went from her to Dan and back again. It was like a sixth sense how she could tell the girl staring at them from across the room. Her outfit looked like it came straight from 2007 Taylor Swift, long blonde hair and legs for days. Her cowboy boots were heeled and black, wearing a white handkerchief dress and a black cowboy hat on her head. Em couldn’t fight against that. She was Emma from Liverpool who’d just started working for Blake and Michael, she wasn’t any better than the beautiful personification of cowgirl Barbie. She could deal with that, she’d go back to her hotel room alone when Dan decided to leave.

But she wasn’t giving up without a fight. The girl was looking at Daniel with a smile on her face and Em decided to do what usually worked for her. She put a hand around Dan’s bicep and pulled, pointing to the bar and he followed. His hands went around her waist, one of her hands on top of his as they made their way across. Usually that stopped girls who were coming to flirt with Dan, but this time it was useless. Even Dan’s arm around her as they stood at the bar did nothing. It was like Em was completely invisible, the blonde taking advantage of them stuck in the same place to stand beside Dan and begin to flirt and all she could do was wait and listen.

“Hey, what’s your name?” Em watched from the corner of her eye as Dan let go of her and turned. She knew him so well, how flirty he was, how kind he was. How he always made people feel like they were the only person he’d ever spoken to.

“I’m Dan, and you?” He was pulling out his politeness, the way he was around sponsors and people he was meeting through work. He always took his time and asked questions and spoke carefully to them. He was raised to be a gentleman - he always was with Em, and usually was with most people - and it was clear to her he was only doing it out of politeness. It meant that she felt more comfortable ducking under his arm, holding on tightly. The clueless look on his face would have been the most adorable thing in the world to her if it wasn’t for how awkward the entire situation was.

“Amber-Lynn. It’s so good to see ya. Do y’all come here often?

“First time here.” Dan raised his eyebrows, the signal that he had no idea what was actually going on. It made her smile anyway because they just wanted their drinks and to get away. Really though, it meant that he just wanted this to be over so they could go sit back down. Get away from Amber-Lynn and spend time together.

It was a total lie that they’d never been there. Dan had discovered it his first year racing in Austin and went every year. He’d dragged her to it nearly as soon as they’d made it to Austin the year before, it was where after his DNF they’d come up with the sex ban to see if she was his bad luck charm.

She didn’t blame Amber-Lynn for flirting with Dan, she had to stop herself from drooling every time she spent time around Dan. He joked about his curls getting the girls and he wasn’t wrong bout it. He was handsome, he knew it, and Em was absolutely crazy about every single part of him. From his big smile to his nose and jaw to his tattoos to his gorgeous tanned skin to his big beautiful neck and the way she just wanted to mark it all up she loved all of him. If it was a different situation she would have tried flirting with him the second she saw him in a bar - she had flirted with him in a bar the week after they’d agreed they weren’t going to sleep together again - but she never would have done it if there was another woman holding his arm and leaning into him. Not when the guy she wanted to flirt with was holding another woman with his arm around her hip.

To everyone else it was just friends when they’d been standing against the wall. None of them realised that his hand wasn’t in the small of her back, but his fingers were inside the dark denim back pocket, cupping the swell of her ass. Nobody got to see how his fingers bounced against her, how his thumb rubbed slow circles just under her waistband to torture her. Part of it was how he kept her grounded and stopped her anxiety when so many people were around and it was a busy place, but it was also a guaranteed way to turn her into a needy mess and ruin the underwear she was wearing. The only times he took his hand away was when they were on the dance floor or going to get drinks at the bar, but then they went back to their old habits. She hated to admit that she loved it, but it was the truth. It was just another way that Dan made it clear he was right there with her.

Once their glasses were finally in front of them they went to leave, heading back to the table Blake was at. But Amber-Lynn followed, trying to get Dan’s number. Em was completely tongue tied at the sight, shocked that even when Dan gave a no she came out with offering her own. This was a new kind of ridiculousness that she had never seen before. She knew girls flirted with Dan, knew they came offering all kinds of promises and to make his dreams come true. But she never saw it so she never got jealous about it before. Generally in the paddock the rumours about her and Dan were enough to keep people away whenever the two of them were together, and it helped.

“No, thank you,” Dan said and he tried turning away but they weren’t fast enough before the blonde spoke again.

“You sure? I can make it worth your while.”

Dan’s jaw dropped and Em just watched his reaction for a moment. He didn’t give a response, instead he turned and pressed a kiss to Em’s lips, deepening it for just a moment before pecking them again and turning back. Amber-Lynn stared for a second before flouncing off and Em leaned against him.

“Did anyone see?” She asked, Dan shaking his head.

“We were behind the pillar, we’re good. A couple of hours and we can go back to the hotel?”

“Sounds nice.”

“You know I only want you, right?” He asked her and Em nodded before they went back to the table.

She slid into the bench after Dan, his hand going straight back to her pocket and rubbing those circles against her hip and upper ass. They chatted with Blake, taking sips of their drinks before Scotty came over with his girlfriend and a tray of shots to share with everyone. It was the first time Em had properly spent time with Chloe, laughing with the other woman and chatting even as she just wanted to leave. The bar was busier than expected, it was noisy, there was too much going on. She started leaning against Dan, her arms around his waist and her head on his shoulder in their universal sign of “I want to go home”. She wasn’t at the press a kiss to his jaw stage yet, but it was coming soon

Everyone always watched as they acted like that, their little ways of communicating so different to the rest of their friends. They could have conversations without words, the two of them communicating through a smile or a raised eyebrow. Even a hand squeeze could mean a million things but they always knew the right one. Michael and Blake thought it was fascinating to watch. Em didn’t fully understand it herself, but she and Dan just knew each other on that level where nothing else mattered.

“Wanna go back to the hotel?” Dan whispered into her ear, Em nodding but trying not to do it too quickly. She was tired and tipsy, and she knew in about twenty minutes she was going to go from being too clingy to being jealous. All she wanted was to be back in their hotel room in Dan’s arms. The blonde’s face was still stuck in her head, the surprise and delight that Dan was going home with Em herself and not a girl throwing herself into his arms. She couldn’t get the image of Amber-Lynn staring at Dan, at the man Emma loved more than anyone in the world, as if she owned him and Em was nothing but a bug on her shoe. But instead it was the opposite, they said goodbye to everyone and walked out, Dan taking her hand as soon as they were outside. He was getting them an Uber and she just buried her face in his chest as he kissed the top of her head.

Even in the car they stayed holding hands, the surreal nature of the situation fully hitting Em there. Dan could have gone back with anyone else that night, but instead she was the one going with him. She didn’t know how she’d become just so lucky. They were going back to the fancy hotel room that Renault had booked, and Dan was going to fuck her brains out because that’s what he always did when he was this clingy as they went back to wherever they were spending that night. It was a beautiful thing in a city she’d grown fond of.

They’d barely made it into the elevator when Dan’s hands were pulling her close, deep kisses as they went to their floor. She was smiling through them, watching Dan’s lust blown eyes stare deeply at her, his lips perking up in a smile.

“You look so fucking pretty,” he murmured in between kisses, only stopping as the doors opened. Em’s hand was wrapped in Dan’s larger one as they half walked, half stumbled to the door. She managed to wave her keycard in front of it and get the door open, laughing at Dan’s movements.

Once the door was closed she was pinned against it. One of Dan’s hands was at her neck, thumb stretching to press against her lips. Em opened her mouth and began to lick softly at the digit. Revelling in the groan Dan let out she pushed against him. Her legs were held apart and need began to run through her as his free hand crept under the tank top she was wearing, pushing the front of it over her head and around her shoulders.

“Danny, don’t tease me. Please, Babe,” she groaned out as the familiar fingers traced the cup of her bra.

“That’s what you were doing all evening. Being so cute. I bet you’re soaked, right?” He let go of her neck to open her shorts, his thumb leaving her mouth with an obscene pop. It took no time at all for two long digits to get inside her underwear and make Em groan. “Let me hear you. You don’t need to be quiet here, promise.”

She couldn’t stop her hips from moving without her realising, pushing against nothing in an attempt to find friction. She felt one finger enter her before the second one joined it, her groan muffled by his shirt. Dan knew every single way to make her body fall apart, keeping her steady as the sound of her wetness pulling him in filled the room.

“More, please?” She asked without realising, a grin on his face as he realised.

“Your clit?” A nod the only response as his lips latched onto her upper chest. Em knew she was a debauched mess, shorts and underwear pulled down around her thighs, tank top up and half over her head. The awkward way it was wrapped around her arms made her tits stick out and Dan took full advantage of his access without her hands able to fist his hair.

Her orgasm grew in her belly, pants and groans mixed with Dan’s non stop pressure. Her head fell back against the door as she opened her mouth in a soundless scream. Pleasure went through every cell in her body, if it wasn’t for Dan holding her up she’d have fallen from the force of it. Once he coaxed her through it he carefully pulled his fingers out and licked them clean of her.

“I told you. I only want you.” She pulled him for a kiss, her boobs pushing against his still clothed torso but she didn’t care. He was there and Dan always did this and always made sure she was happy and satisfied when they had sex. This time she pulled him back towards the bed. She pushed his shirt off and they pulled the others pants down, Dan sitting on the bed and pulling Em into his lap.

“Wanna watch you ride me. Will you do that Baby girl?” Em was unable to deny him anything when he looked like that. She leaned down to take him into her mouth for the shortest few moments, pressing kisses and licks up his dick to make sure he was fully hard. She didn’t actually need to, but she couldn’t resist it purely for the little moan Dan always let out. She crawled up his thighs, her arms around his neck as he slid into her. It was perfect and took her breath away like every single time.

“Missed this,” Em moaned as she took his earlobe between her teeth and nibbled lightly.

“It’s been two days, Baby. You feel so good. So, so good for me. My best girl right here who takes me so well.” His dirty talk continued but Em barely heard it as she was lost in sensation. Her lips moved and pushed kisses up and down his jaw. She wanted to lean in and suck a mark, make him hers, but she stayed away. Dan’s fingers dug into her hips and helped her keep her pace, bouncing up and down in his lap. She let out random noises without meaning to, Dan tightening his grip on her when she did.

“You always make that noise whenever you’re close. Such a cute little squeak from my cute girl. I love hearing it from you Baby.” She pushed faster, her fingers on her clit as Dan kept going. She couldn’t tell when her orgasm hit but she knew Dan’s wasn’t far behind. His hips stuttered against hers as he came, pulling her tight against him. They both fell back against the bed as they realised where they were and what they were doing. Kisses were pushed to her head and she smiled, holding on for a moment before she knew she had to let go and clean up.

But Dan let go of her first, going into the bathroom. A moment later he was back, helping Em off the bed and kissing her cheek. There was a towel and warm water for her to clean up. On the bathroom counter was one of the merch prototypes for her to sleep in. When she got back to the bed she was slightly tipsy and warm and cosy, Dan pulling her in for a final kiss before they were going to sleep.

Tuesday was the second day of her fake weekend so she spent it wandering Austin. There was the offer of a rental car from Renault, but she turned it down in favour of using Uber or buses to really get to grips with the city. There was a store offering custom denim and she decided to go in for a look at it. Instead of just looking, she bought four pairs of jeans that were made to measure for her. The fabric felt good against her skin, and the staff were lovely. Part of her was terrified to spend so much money on clothes. She was a Primark girl at heart even though the bag on her arm was thousands of pounds. Dan had insisted that she got paid a large amount of money because of the work she was doing after their conversation in Russia, and he’d insisted on back pay for her too. Her bank account was healthier than it had been in years.

But she was photographed on a regular basis now, and while Renault let her wear team gear for work she still had eyes on her. People had commented when she wore the same pair of vans to work for a full weekend. This way she could have comfy jeans that worked well for her. She picked up a denim jacket too, and the tailor promised that they’d not only have the clothes ready for her by Friday, but they’d get delivered to COTA to make sure she got them.

“Are you sure? I can try come back in, I think we’re in Austin till Monday,” Em said as her offer was waved away.

“It’s fine. Do you have an office for me to say it’s for?”

“Say it’s for Daniel Ricciardo, care of Emma Smyth. That way it’ll get to me.”

“Of course. And if you need anything let me know.”

She got texts from Dan while she was sitting in a Starbucks. He was working out with Michael before doing interviews for Renault about his new teammate, and she just replied with photos of her drinks. The photo of the barbecue she was eating got a “EMMMMYYYYYY” in response, but she put her phone down and enjoyed it. Smoked chicken, mac and cheese, and a garlic dill pickle were perfect. It was even nicer that none of it was mixed together so she could really enjoy it. From there she walked through the UT campus and found a bench to sit and read on. The last thing on her day off was a trip to Lyndon B Johnson presidential library. It was full of history and fashion and things that happened in the 60s in the US and she loved every minute of it.

Dinner that night was the six of them - her and Dan with Blake, Michael, Scotty, and Chloe. From Thursday Chloe was in the Racing Point garage with her brother which meant they would barely see each other. She was someone Em could see herself being friends with long term and they swapped phone numbers over plates of food. Neither woman spotted the slightly widened eyes that Scotty and Dan gave each other at the rapidly forming friendship. If they had, the response would have just been laughter. It was a good night to have before the chaos of COTA and the US Grand Prix began the following morning.

And begin it did. Her alarm went off at six, Em rolling out of Dan’s arms grumbling. He was getting up too to work out, and when he got back she was showered and changed. Her foundation was nearly finished and she frowned, trying to get the last out of the bottle. She should have gone to Sephora the day before.

“Everything ok?” Dan asked and she held up the almost empty Rimmel tube for him to see. Less than a minute later there was a glass bottle sitting in front of her and Em looked up at him.

“I bought a new party shirt. Figured you could do with new foundation, the sales assistant helped me pick your shade.”

“Danny…” She trailed off looking at the bottle. Accepting something like this felt too much. He was constantly buying her bags or shoes or accessories and it always felt strange to take them.

“Consider it for work. You need new foundation, we’re getting photographed today. It’s the UT stuff before a load of sponsor stuff, right? With my helmet launch?”

“Yeah, it is.” She accepted the work excuse and decided to go with it, opening the bottle and pumping out some of the liquid. He’d gotten her shade perfect, Em spreading the liquid on her skin and patting it in. The rest of her makeup didn’t take long and she was ready to go by the time Dan was showered and changed. His curls looked perfect and she couldn’t help but steal a kiss from him before they left the room.

UT was busy. The deal had been that Dan was showing how much of a football fan he was with a Longhorns inspired helmet, looking almost exactly like a football one. Em was there in the background as his assistant, iPad in her arms as she tracked what they were doing. Dan was in his element while he showed off for the students. The cheerleaders were doing a performance that she watched and Em started feeling self conscious around them.

It was stupid. She was nearly thirty, of course she didn’t look like a teenager. But the night in the bar had started her insecurities going wild and this was nearly as bad again. Just the idea that she and Dan wouldn’t have the same kind of time together. It was weird and kind of hurt and she stood as in the background as her black and yellow shirt would let her.

“You ok?” Dan asked as he came over and she nodded her head.

“Never better Danny. Just tired.”

“Y’know, right? It’s you and me.” He reached out to squeeze her hand and she squeezed back to let his words wash over her.

“I know. You know too?”

“Always, Emmy.”

The next two days just felt like constant work and she was thriving on it. Race weekends had a carefully constructed schedule down to the minute and she knew exactly what she was doing. It was standing in the background watching interviews happen, or running between Renault and the FIA if something was needed. Officially she shouldn’t have, but when Cyril mentioned he needed someone to do something she volunteered when there was time. Everyone had to pitch in together and she was happy to.

During FP2 someone found her in hospitality, depositing a parcel for her. It was her jeans and she grinned before wrapping them back up to bring with her to the hotel. It was constantly running doing things, making sure that the weekend was kept on track for them. Em barely remembered what she was doing between sleeping and back to the track. Her usual broken race weekend sleep continued, but it was a little bit easier than usual. Maybe it was Austin or maybe it was the good mood in the Renault camp but it was everything for her.

It was getting ready for the race when Dan noticed her jeans. Em could feel him eyeing her up from across the hotel room as she slipped her feet back into her cowboy boots. Instead of her traditional Renault gear she’d put a Longhorns jersey on, Dan grinning and pressing a kiss to where her neck and shoulder met.

“Are you sure we have something to do today? We can totally stay here,” he murmured but Em turned around to look at him.

“You have a race, mister. A race where I’m so confident you’re going to get good points today.”

“Oh really? How confident?” A raised eyebrow made Em feel brave.

“Blowjob confident, Baby. Finish above ninth and I’ll give you one the second we’re alone.” Dan squeezed her, pulling her in for a kiss before they had to go be professional and get their shit done. But they squeezed hands before leaving the room, Em’s iPad and schedule firmly in the Kate Spade tote bag she loved. It was the first one Dan had bought her that she accepted from him because it wasn’t too expensive and it fit everything she needed for a busy race day. It didn’t take long for him to get her others, but she still came back to the original one.

The morning of the race was always weird for her. She met Chloe for breakfast in the paddock, feeling awkward sitting in Racing Point hospitality even though she knew it was ok for her to be there. Chloe’s dad introduced himself too, and Em waved at Lance when he spotted her there. She didn’t know the younger Canadian well, but she knew he was friends with Dan’s teammate for next year and Dan got along with him. It was more than enough for her to like him.

Before long it was back to the garage, her earplugs in before she slipped her well used headphones on over them. Em stood beside Blake while everyone went on the grid. Technically her pass let her onto the grid, but she never did it. She’d rather stay there and know she was where she belonged than risk making a mistake. So she watched as everyone started coming in and the formation lap happened, and the Sky F1 commentary was piped into her ears with lights out and away we go.

Every single race meant she worried about Dan. She worried about going into turn one, about racing incidents, about something just breaking mid race. But she watched as he kept going and pushing forward, careful overtakes and following strategy. She stayed there in her spot for the entire 56 laps, eyes on the yellow dot on the map that marked Dan’s car. As long as she lived the adrenaline would never stop, the worry she felt watching him slip into the car. She couldn’t imagine watching him getting into one without the halo on, but she knew he was more used to driving without it than with it.

The final lap her heart was in her throat as Lando seemed to catch up, but Dan managed to get through the chequered flag in sixth. The garage was cheering and she grabbed Blake into a hug as they celebrated. It had been such a hard couple of weeks with races and this was huge. Both drivers in the points, Renault as good as assured fifth in the constructors unless something huge happened. Considering how the season had begun it was good news. Dan grabbed them both in for a hug when he got back after doing his media round, slipping behind a stack of tyres to kiss Em in celebration. Usually she’d refuse, but she couldn’t help kiss him back quickly before he went for a debrief.

The plan was set, they were heading out to a bar Dan knew about for drinks, Scotty declining his and Chloe’s invitation to spend time with her family. While Dan was debriefing Em agreed to pack up Dan’s bag from his driver’s room. She’d gotten everything together and was sitting on the massage table, legs swinging from the height as she waited. Could she head downstairs? Sure. But Dan had completed his end of the bet, she wasn’t going to make him lose out on it.

“Ready to go? I figured we can head out and shower in the hotel before barbecue and drinks.” Dan grinned seeing her, his hands on either side of her hips as he kissed her.

“Nearly. I believe I promised something the second we’re alone.”

“I figured the hotel.”

“Nope.” Em reached up to kiss him before pushing Dan away slightly, sipping off the table and getting onto her knees. His hands moved to the side of her head as Em stared up with wide eyes and puckered lips. Her hands were quick to undo his jeans and pull them and his briefs down so she could pull him out. Dan was half hard without her touching him but once she began kissing up and down his shaft and moving her hand before she began working him fully.

She didn’t know how long she knelt there, head bobbing up and down with Dan’s hands in her hair as he murmured praises to her. Before Dan she’d hated going down on anyone, but the constant praise and support from him meant it had become easy now. She hummed the way she knew made him go insane, feeling him against her throat as his hips thrust shallowly.

“Fuck, Emmy, Baby, I’m gonna cum,” It was a strangled groan as Dan did, Em not moving away until he was finished. She pulled off as he half sagged against the massage table. He helped pull her up from the hard linoleum floor and pulled her in for a hug. Dan leaned in to kiss her as she went to move away, putting himself back together with his free hand.

“Congrats on sixth, Danny.” She grinned and he dove in for a kiss, tasting and holding her closely.

“You’re amazing, you know that right? Like you didn’t need to do that.”

“I wanted to.” They stayed like that making out until a knock on the door disturbed them.

“You two nearly ready? People are starting to wonder where the fuck Dan is!” It was Blake, and Em blushed while she leaned her head against Dan’s chest.

“Yeah Em was filling me in on the off week stuff! We’ll be out in a few.” He looked at her and had a soft smile, pressing another kiss to her forehead. “I swear if we didn’t need to get out of here I’d have you across that table right now. But that’d take at least an hour and we don’t have time for that.”

“Smooth, Ricciardo. Smooth.” She checked herself in the mirror before picking up her bag and making sure she was presentable to leave.

“I try. New jeans?”

“I found a place that does custom denim. Was it a good idea?”

“My emotional support ass looks excellent in them.” She laughed but Dan pulled her back before letting them leave. “You always look good. Do they feel good?”

“They’re soft. Even the seams feel good.”

“It’s what you deserve, Emmy. We can go into it tomorrow to take a look?”

It was a squeeze of her hand before they left, Em slightly ahead of Dan so he could watch her ass move in the dark denim. Talking to everyone was fun, the travelling staff planning on going to the hotel bar for drinks and food before the early flight in the morning. Instead she was heading back to the UK with the boys on Tuesday morning. It was a wave and a promise to talk to people in the factory next time she was in Enstone as she left with everyone.

They stopped at the hotel to change before food, the four of them sitting around a table at a barbecue restaurant with food placed in front of them. All of the sides came in giant baskets to be split between them, but Em’s brisket came on its own plate so she could have that at least. She was happy enough with that, but a few moments later a plate was put in front of her with fries and broccoli just for her. A glance at Dan told her everything she needed to know about the reason she had it.

The bar choice that night was a random place advertising line dancing that they ended up in, a couple of other drivers arriving too. Charles came to their booth with Pierre, the two speaking in French while Em held on a little with them.

“Anglais? Ma français n’est pas bien mais je suis bourré.” She got the words out to make Charles laugh, Pierre surprised at her language skills.

“Je te l’ai dit! Elle dit français. Sorry, Ems, we’ll stick to English. Pear didn’t think you actually spoke French.”

“E tu aiuti l’Italiano! But no, that’s my language skills. How’re you boys doing? Is this as fun as Vegas for you Charles?”

“Eh.” Pierre wriggled his hand and Charles shook his head, so she decided the best thing to do was get a tray of shots for the table. Was it healthy? No. But she knew secondhand what the Red Bull pressure was like and had seen how this year had been for him. If she could make it a little easier she would for the Frenchman.

It wasn’t long until Dan came over to her, pressing kisses to her cheek and holding her tight. She leaned against him and missed his first question until he spoke again.

“Wanna go back, Babe? I think I owe you.” She flushed but the dark of the bar stopped it from being obvious as she said her goodbyes, the two of them leaving to get a cab back to the hotel. Dan’s hands barely left her for the entire trip, and as soon as they made it to the hotel room he had her up on the desk as he got to his knees for one of his favourite things.

After they were both completely satisfied and ready for bed they were curled up, Dan’s arms around her as her head lay on his chest.

“I really like Austin,” Em whispered lowly to not break the calm of the night. “Last year I kind of hated it here after your DNF. But I like the city now I’ve spent time here. You spend more time in LA than here though, right?”

“Yeah. Austin’s great though. I keep thinking I should be here more. Maybe we could go on holiday?”

“That’d be nice. It’s the kind of place I could see bringing our kids. I think they’d like somewhere like this.” Her words slurred as sleep pulled her under, but Dan stayed awake for another half hour running her words through his head. Kids with Emmy? He’d never seen a future with a specific woman in his life. But he could see it with her.

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