#this has to be one of my favourite race debriefs. the old debriefs used to be so detailed & so nice. esp the race reviews that Petronas did

[lewishamiltonstuff]

"Is this the way to Budapest?" 😂

Was gathering content for them Bono and James ASMR anons and stumbled upon this gem

[dilemmaontwolegs]

Hi,love ur stories 😍

I was wondering if u could do one based on 'I see the light' from tangled, where they meet at a mutual friends wedding or something, she was singing the song where she has the most melodiest voice and (charles, max or Pierre) somehow 'fall in love' at first sight of her along with her voice. Thx 😊😍

This was cute 💕 I hope you don't mind but I changed the setting a little bit.

Tangled Up In You || MV1

Pairing: Max Verstappen x singer!fem!reader Warnings: fluff, slight angst with his ex, more fluff WC: 2.2k

F1 Masterlist

Children were known to be resilient creatures that could adapt well to changes but Penelope had struggled to understand why her and her mother no longer lived with Max. It had been six months and still she asked where her ‘Maxie’ was and why he couldn’t come with them to their new home. 

So, it came as no surprise when she was asked who she wanted to invite to her 4th birthday party that Max was at the top of the list.

“...you don’t have to come, I can say you are busy-”

“No, I’ll be there, Kel,” Max interrupted as he put the call on speaker and added the event to his calendar. “Is P there? Can I talk to her?”

“Sorry, she’s with Daniil picking out her princess dress. The theme’s Disney, of course,” Kelly laughed softly before she sighed. “Are you sure you want to come, or are you just being nice?”

“I want to come. I miss our tea parties, and standing on tiny pieces of lego.”

The silence on the line lingered for a moment before she couldn’t help asking. “Do you miss me?” 

This time it was Max who sighed. “I’ll see you on Saturday.”

He hung up before she could apologise again. Somehow she always turned a conversation back to their relationship, but that wasn’t something Max would ever entertain. If the man knew one thing from his life of racing it was how to move forward and when the three year relationship he had run its course he had taken time to reflect, just like those post-race debriefs, and planned to use it as a lesson learned for next time.

Kelly had overdone it as usual. 

The largest ballroom of Hôtel de Paris had been transformed into a set straight from Disney and filled with actresses dressed as Penelope’s favourites princesses. 

It was easy to spot P when Max walked in because her excited squeals were impossible to miss and he followed the sound to the front of the stage where she was jumping excitedly.

“Maxie!” she screamed, running and jumping at him trusting he would catch her.

“Happy Birthday, P,” he grinned as he lifted her up into a hug. “I can’t believe you are two years old already.”

“I’m four, silly!”

“No, that can’t be. You can’t possibly grow up that quickly.”

“I can! Have you seen my princesses? My favourite one isn’t here yet but mummy said she’s going to be here any minute.”

Max scanned the room for the princesses and saw the usual ones like Cinderella, Snow White and Aurora. “Is Rapunzel still your favourite then?”

Penelope nodded with a big toothy grin. “She’s so pretty. I want to be like her when I grow up.”

Max put her down carefully and straightened the tiara sitting on her perfectly styled hair. “You are already prettier than everyone here, P.”

“There you are,” Kelly greeted Max as she left another conversation to join them, kissing his cheeks twice just a little too close to the corners of his lips. “Just in time too. Sweetheart, look who’s here.”

Penelope screamed as she spotted Rapunzel taking the stage, a long golden braid adorned with flowers hanging all the way down her back. “It’s her, it’s really her,” P squealed as she squeezed Max’s hand. “She’s beautiful.”

Max was in a state of shock as his jaw fell slack. “She is.”

The lights of the stage dimmed until only a single spotlight cast a warm glow to her skin, the braiding of hair around her head appearing like a golden crown, or more accurately, a halo.

Max recognised the song in an instant, remembering the evenings spent on the couch watching Tangled, P dancing across the living room floor as she sang her little heart out. The memory brought a smile to his lips and it only grew wider as the angel on the stage began to sing.

You double checked the wig was held firmly by the pins and not a strand of hair was out of place before running your palms over the dress to make sure there wasn’t a single wrinkle on the pastel pink material. Satisfied you were ready, you hooked the small microphone and earpiece into place and nodded to the sound engineer to start the cue.

It was no difficult task to smile brightly as the music began and you twirled out onto the stage, you lived for these days. Seeing the excitement and joy your performances made the children who witnessed it brought joy to your life. Seeing their eyes widen and their jaws drop was what motivated you to channel even deeper and give your all to the act.

All those days watching from the windows All those years outside looking in All that time never even knowing Just how blind I've been

You spotted the birthday girl at the front of the crowd and plucked a bright flower from the braid, kneeling down to tuck it behind her ear. Her smile widened and she could hardly stand still as she trembled with excitement.

You waved a hand to the ceiling and the projector illuminated it with a thousand little glowing dots and a surprised gasp whispered across the largest crowd you had ever sung to.

Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight Now I'm here, suddenly I see Standing here, it's all so clear I'm where I'm meant to be

You smiled at the little girl once more before spinning on your toes beneath the twinkling lights, the tulle skirt billowing around you as if you were floating away with them.

Around the room, the other casted characters were turning on their lanterns and raising them into the air on near invisible strings. You could perform this set a thousand times and never tire of seeing the crowd's reactions to the lanterns floating into the night sky.

And at last I see the light And it's like the fog has lifted And at last I see the light And it's like the sky is new

You scanned the crowd while they were in a state of wonderment looking up, but there was one man who wasn’t. He still held the same unblinking look of awe but he could have been oblivious to the lights the way he was staring right back at you.

There was something about the look that almost knocked you off your feet as your stomach flipped and heat burned on your cheeks under the intensity. His eyes, a pale shade of blue, drew you closer to the edge of the stage and his foot lifted as if he were to follow.

And it's warm and real and bright And the world has somehow shifted

His lips moved like he knew the words by heart and you nearly missed the line as your heart skipped a beat. The rest of the crowd faded away as you knelt back where you had been and pulled another flower from your hair.

All at once everything looks different Now that I see you

He leaned forward and you tucked it behind his ear, your fingers grazing his jawline as you retreated. You were so absorbed by his shy smile and the blush highlighting his cheeks you didn’t notice the woman standing to the side of him. For a moment, before you caught yourself, it was only him that you sang to and only him that you saw.

“Please, please can I?” P begged her mother to go and see Rapunzel but after the breathtaking performance she had been in a mood and withdrew her hand from her daughter’s. 

“No, your cake is going to be coming out in a moment - I need to be here to show them where to put it.”

Tears welled along the four year old’s eyes and her bottom lip trembled before Max stepped in. “How about I take her?”

He had been watching the stage entrance for any sign of movement since her song had ended and it was hard to hide the disappointment when she didn’t return for another. He could still hear her voice and was busy committing it to memory in the hopes he could use the sweet, melodic sound to calm his racing mind when he lay awake alone at night.

Max couldn’t explain how utterly obsessed he had become or how he wished he knew what delicate perfume it was he had inhaled when she touched his face. He ran his hand along his jawline, following where her fingers had been under the guise of a scratch, and he was glad he had tidied his beard up for the event.

“Of course you would offer that,” Kelly bit back, pulling him from his thoughts as his hand fell away from his face. “Whatever, do as you want.”

Penelope understood the permission but missed the sarcasm and Max sighed to himself as he took P’s hand and made their way to the curtains that hid the makeshift backstage area.

“Rapunzel!” P squealed as she rushed forward, towing Max to keep up until she barrelled into the princesses legs and wrapped her arms around them. “I love you.”

You had almost begun to pull your wig off when you heard a little girl call out. You turned just in time to catch her as she grappled you into a hug and you laughed softly as you tucked her hair back behind her ear to see the flower you had given her.

“Aren’t you the sweetest little girl,” you giggled as you knelt down to her height and took in the sight of the man who followed her, his hands tucking into his dress pants. You drowned in the eyes that had held you captivated before tearing yours away and swallowing the disappointment that had crept up your throat. “I hope you are having the most magical birthday with your father.”

The birthday girl looked up at him with a laugh. “This is my Maxie.”

You tried to hide your confusion but he obviously saw it as he scratched the back of his neck, the material of the shirt he wore straining as his biceps tensed.

“Uh, I am, was, her step-dad,” he corrected as he gave the girl a small sad smile before offering his hand to you. “It’s just Max, or you can call me Maxie too, I guess, if you want.”

You smiled in amusement as you shook his hand, the touch lingering a little longer as neither of you made an effort to pull away.

“I’m Rapunzel,” you said as your eyes darted to Penelope.

“Right,” he chuckled and let his hand fall back to his side as he looked at her too. “Your cake might be waiting for you, P. Do you want to go check?”

“Can you come?” she asked you with big round eyes.

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but Eugene has probably got himself into trouble without me, so I should really be going. But I must thank you, it was an absolute delight to celebrate your birthday with you. I love getting to spend time with a fellow princess.” You swung your braid over your shoulder and the sweet scent of the fresh flowers filled the air. “You can have as many as you like.”

It took all your concentration not to look at Max when that was what you really wanted to do, especially when he knelt beside you and helped Penelope to choose which flowers to take. His arm brushed against yours and you nearly lost your balance from the deep breath you took of his mouth watering cologne.

Eventually she was happy with the dozen bright blossoms she cradled in her arms and thanked you before rushing to take them back to her mother. “Come on, Maxie!” she called without looking back to see if he was following.

He rose with a sigh and you hissed as your head was tugged sharply by the pins. “Shit, sorry,” he murmured as he saw his watch had got caught in the braid. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright, it actually happens more often than you would think.” You rubbed the back of your head where the pain was worst and double checked the birthday girl was gone. “I’m Y/N.”

He repeated it with a smile as he slipped the watch off his wrist to use both hands to untangle it from the golden threads. “Would you let me take you to dinner to apologise properly?”

If you were wearing your microphone it probably would have picked up the sound of your heart from how quickly it started pumping. There was no denying this attraction between you and you could see he was equally affected by it too.

“No, I told you it’s alright,” you started, taking his hand when his shoulder slumped crestfallen. “But, you can buy me dinner if you want to make it a date?”

A bright smile broke across his face and you couldn’t help smiling back knowing it was because of you. “Tonight?”

You nodded as you reached into the hidden pocket in the dress and passed him your phone to enter his number before he sent himself a message to get yours. “You might not recognise me without all this,” you joked as you started to pull the pins out of the wig and freed your natural hair.

He chuckled and shook his head as he found you even more beautiful than before. “There’s no mistaking those eyes, I would recognise them anywhere.”

[too-many-baes]

Guardian Angel (Part 2)

Pairing: fem!reader x Castiel

Warning(s): Angstttt

Word Count: 2K

Summary: Y/N is reunited with her guardian angel Castiel

Part One

A/N: IDK about this sequel but here it is no less. If y’all wanna request a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ they are OPEN

                                                      ***********

It is the silence that replaces the hum of the engine that awakes you, not the loss of motion from the impala. You keep your eyes closed despite the fact you are clearly at your destination, unwilling to face the reality of whatever lay ahead of you.

“Well, you can wake her.”

“I’m not waking her, you do it.” This hushed squabbling continues for a few moments before you decide to put them out of their misery, stretching and opening your eyes as if you were just awaking.

Sam and Dean’s eyes are firmly on you when you open yours, as if they are calculating your moves and trying to ascertain your character.

“Where are we?” You ask quietly, your voice still quiet and shrouded with sleep.

“A safe house.” Dean’s brief explanation does nothing to give you any kind of clarity on the situation, given that the men had yet to fill you in on why they had even come to get you in the first place.

“We have a few of these scattered around, places that no one knows about. No one will be able to find you here”, Sam explains as you all exit the car, his words spurring fears of being axe murdered by two strangers rather than calming you as you’re sure he’d intended.

Dean opens the car’s trunk and despite your protests they carry your bags into the small, dark looking house. When inside you screw your nose up at the interior. The place is dank and cold with peeling wallpaper and dust covered grimy furniture.

The men were flitting around placing bags down and generally paying you no mind. You try several times to interrupt their seemingly constant movement with questions about the purpose in your presence but to no avail. Your frustrations finally reach breaking point.

“Alright stop! Both of you stop right now.” The men stand in stunned silence at your outburst. “I left my home in the middle of the night with two complete strangers on nothing but your word. I have been more than accommodating so now it’s your turn, tell me what I’m doing here.” The men exchange glances, obviously awkward and waiting for the other speak first.

“Cas asked us to get you?” Dean eventually speaks in rhetoric as if that should be the only explanation you should need.

“Yeah, you said that already. Why did he want you to get me? I haven’t seen him in three years. Three. Whole. Years. And now out of the blue he needs me?” None of it makes any sense to you.

“He told us he wanted to talk to you himself”, Sam speaks up rather sheepishly as if awaiting the vocal onslaught that you would unleash. He was not wrong.

“Well Sam guess what, I am sick of waiting so one of you explain to me right this second or else I am walking out of that door. I’ll hitchhike all the way back home if I have to.” The men obviously were not expecting this from you as they both are at a loss for words, the only sound in the dingy room being that of your ragged breaths.

With the silence smothering the room it was impossible to miss the sound of fluttering wings that used to be so familiar to you. You can see Sam and Dean’s eyes looking right behind you yet you are glued to the spot, completely unable to turn around.

“I can explain Y/N.” The words cause you to take in a sharp breath that instantly becomes lodged in your throat. The hairs on your arms rise to attention and your eyes become cloudy at the sound of his voice alone. You can feel his soft eyes on the back of your head and you want so badly to turn around and gaze into them like you used to growing up but you simply can’t bring yourself to. You’ve gotten so used to his absence that his sudden presence is overwhelming.

The waiting eats at you until your feet start turning you around against your hearts will. You gasp when you finally see him. He’s just as you remembered him. You smile seeing that he was still in your favourite vessel with the sparkling eyes. You notice that the years have done nothing to change his sense of fashion sense as he is still wearing the same trench coat and tie.

“Castiel?” You speak so quietly you’re not even sure that you had spoken in the first place.

“Hello Y/N.” You had thought you’d want to hit him, to yell and scream at him, to tell him just how awful everyday has been since he had stopped answering your prayers. You were sure that when you saw him you’d tell him of all the pain and sadness he’d caused. Now that he’s in front of you that’s the last thing you want to do, because right here and now your angel is back and standing in front of you and it’s exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

You race forward and throw your arms around his neck in a desperate embrace, his arms returning the gesture around your waist.

“Is it really you Castiel?”

“It’s me.” You laugh humourlessly as you bury your head into his shoulder in the hopes that it would hide your tears. You don’t even know if they are out of happiness or anger, more than likely your tears are just as confused as you are.

You reluctantly remove your arms from around him and increase the distance between the both of you.

“You’ve got some explaining to do.” You state matter-of-factly to which Castiel nods in response. He tells you to follow him and leads you into a room separate from the Winchester’s to afford the two of you a little more privacy.

The room is a bedroom and is in a similar state to what you had seen of the rest of the house, with cobwebs filling most of the corners of the ceiling and dust bunnies littered on the floor. Castiel sits on the bed eliciting a groan of protest from the rusty springs within. You lightly shake your head as you sit beside him.

“It didn’t take long ‘til we were back to our old ways did it?” You say in reference to the fact that you are sitting how the two of you did when you were younger and he would pop in to keep you company.

“No it did not.” You had almost forgotten Castiel’s endearingly awkward manner of speech, always speaking in formal sentences.

Neither of you speak, it seems you can’t find any words for your current predicament. There was nothing and everything to say all at once and in the jumble of all of this the words become entangled and impossible to separate.

“Castiel what is going on?” Your words are simple and to the point, the only kind available to you. He sighs, struggling to find a pin point a suitable point in his narrative to start.

“Things have gotten the better of me Y/N”, he finally admits as he begins to explain. He speaks of his time with the Winchester’s, the feud between heaven and hell and how the three of them have been at the forefront of the fight to maintain order on Earth.

You feel for your angel, his words telling you more than what he’d intended. The way he speaks shows you just how hard he must’ve been fighting this whole time and how genuine his care for a place and race that are not his own is. Time may have made him tougher and more cynical, but the angel before you is the same one you remember, the kindness in his soul completely unchanged through it all.

“So how do I fit into all of this?” You only ask once you processed everything he had told you.

“I believe that in an attempt to get to me some of the demons uncovered that I am your guardian and planned to use that information against me. As soon as I found out I sent Sam and Dean for you, in case they were following me.” He seems troubled at the information he just gave you, but you feel oddly calm about it. “I’m so sorry Y/N.”

“For what?”

“It’s my job to protect you but your affiliation with me has put you directly in harms way. I have failed you.”

“Hey”, you begin in an attempt to sound comforting as you lightly touch his forearm, “you have not failed me. I’m here and I’m with you, no harm is going to come to me. I know that, even if you don’t.” Castiel smiles his signature flash of a smile at you that somehow never quite seems natural no matter how many times he does it.

Feeling as though he had debriefed you thoroughly he stands while saying he has matters to attend to with the Winchesters and makes to leave the room. While his explaining may have satisfied him, you were far from content. Too many unacknowledged emotions and unasked questions swirled inside of you to let him leave without having them heard. You’d dealt with your joy at seeing him again, now it was time to confront the rest of your emotions.

“Is that why you never came? Because it was too dangerous?” Your question halts him in his tracks.

“Correct”, he answers with his back still facing you.

“So what, it was too dangerous to call? To let me know that you were okay? Anything?”

“Y/N there’s a lot that you wouldn’t understand.” He speaks turning to face you.

“That’s bullshit Castiel and you know it!” Your voice rises in volume as you continue, “I needed you Cas! For three years I’ve needed you. I used to pray to you every day.”

“I know”, he whispers guiltily, his eyes locked onto your tearful ones. “It caused me great pain to hear your prayers knowing I could not appear to you.”

After a moment of silence you speak again. “I’ve missed you so much Castiel, there’s so much that I wanted to tell you.”

“I haven’t missed anything.” His sentence causes you confusion until he elaborates. “I always kept an eye on you, making sure you were okay.” His confession shocks you. You had never considered the fact that he would be feeling the loss of you as much as you felt it over him.

“Then you could see how hard it was without you?” You ask, vulnerability laced within your words.

“I’m sorry”, was all he had to say in response, his way of acknowledging that he must’ve known. You know he means it with all of his being. No small 5 letter word could ever make up for all the years you’d lost with him or all of the pools you could have filled with tears from missing him, but it was somewhere to start.

“You have to promise me you’re never going to disappear again.”

“My life is dangerous Y/N, I-”

“No don’t give me that Cas, if you have to leave again you tell me. I can’t face any more years like that.” His silence urges you to move closer to him so that you were an arms width away. “Promise me”, you say softer and quieter than before.

“I promise”, he relents making a smile spread across your face. For the second time that day you pull him into a tight hug.

You both enter into the main room where the Winchester’s had occupied themselves in an effort to ignore the conversation that they could probably hear clearly through the walls.

Staring at the three men you realise you have no idea what your future holds, whether or not you’d be able to return to your home and job or if you would have to live a life on the run. Whatever happens though you know you can face it with your gleaming eyed guardian by your side, and you were never going to let him leave again.

                                                       *********

@musiclovinchic93 @ thelittlestwinchestersister 

Tagging because you commented on Part 1, hope that’s alright!

[sirro85-blog]

Dark Horses 5

Kovac hoved into view, his face caked in congealed with blood, his eyes bright through the grime, his mouth split into a grin.

"Do you feel the joy of it? The everliving fucking joy," his voice was animated and loud, "I tell you now, you'll never feel as alive as you do right now!"

Kovac looked around, his movements feral, "I love this job," another mad grin, "you'll never feel alive again!"

Costa jerked awake and looked around, he was slumped in a chair, around him soldiers worked. Staff Sergeant Frank King was binding Butlanska's wounds.

"You doing ok trooper?" Asked a voice.

Costa looked up feeling dazed, "uh, yes ma'am," he responded.

"Very good trooper, come with me," said the Quartermaster.

Something sparked in Costa's numb brain, "you called me trooper, ma'am."

"I did, would you rather I change?" Came the response.

"No, no trooper is good, ma'am" Costa said stumbling after the large woman, he'd never enjoyed being called "Cherub"

Ten minutes later Costa was sat at a table tucking into a plate of food, he had clean clothes and had enjoyed a brief shower, now the Quartermaster had produced cottage pie and vimto seemingly by magic and he was filling up on his favourite meal. The Quartemaster stood nearby, he could tell she wasn't watching him.

Captain Dorman and Sergeant Webb approached, they both stopped a distance off as the Qm's baleful glare turned to them, "evening Qm, I wanted a chat with Trooper Costa, debrief him after his escapades with the Major."

"Later."

"I was rather, er hoping, he's in our command...welfare," the Captain trailed off.

"I've got him right now, Major told me, you can talk later Hero, take Plank and get about your day," spoke the Qm.

Costa, feeling more alert and less dazed appreciated the peace, he respected his Troop commander and his sergeant but this period of calm made him feel whole again, he watched the two men walk away. He felt even better when Ty was brought across to sit with him.

"Here you go Mouth," said the Qm handing a bottle of iced tea to Ty, it was his favourite brand.

His meal finished Costa felt renewed, The Qm gave him a nod and walked away. A minute or so later Major Kovac appeared and patted Ty on his uninjured arm.

"Damn good to see you in one piece trooper," Costa here went through the ringer keeping you alive, would've been a damn shame to waste that effort," he turned to Costa, "Costa, tell Sergeant Webb I said you can carry that kukri anywhere you want." The Major nodded to them both and walked off. Ty placed his hand over Costa's and they sat in silence for a while.

"Cherub, Mouth stop lazing about holding hands and piss off back to work the pair of you," yelled the Qm and the two troopers ran for it.

The Dark Horses fortified their positions and scouts were sent out to check the secondary Bartuq positions.

Barbie stopped running and lay down on the floor, "It's too much, it's too damn wet, this isn't air this is soup!"

Becca turned back and jogged over to her, "struggling Baps?"

"Fuck your skinny ass Becca, this is too damn hot. Its a jungle, its like 1000% humidity," gasped Panther dropping to her knees beside the prone Barbie.

"Come on, it's not so bad, we round this headland and comeback down by the river, one of the rivers, we'll make it about 12k back to base." Becca said jogging round her two friends.

Knickers slowed to a stop and bent at the waist, gasping for breath, "If we, kill her here, we can, dump the body, in the river, and claim, she went on, ahead."

"Oh come on, it's not all that bad we're over 2/3 done. Only a little more suffering left," Becca encouraged.

"Listen bitch," Barbie said rolling onto her knees, "you think just because you like pain the rest of us want this?"

"I don't like pain?"

"Really!? Hurt-me-Daddy-Becca doesn't like pain? Choke-me-Daddy-Becca isn't enjoying being short of breath?" Scoffed Panther.

Becca stopped jogging on the spot, "I don't call Kovac Daddy."

"No? What do you call him? Master?" Panther hooted, "Major!!?"

"Oh Major, yes sir, I'll do anything you order Major, do you salute?"

Becca pouted and rounded on Panther, "what about you? Do you call Wolf sir while on your knees?"

Panther gave a peal of laugher, "fuck off, he calls me a goddess before we even start, he only outranks me out here, we all know Kovac is the big dog everywhere."

"Speaking of the big-dog, has the Major made a decision about this second position we need to capture?" Asked Barbie looking from her troop commander to her Sergeant.

"Nothing yet, but you can trust the Major will have a plan," answered Knickers.

Barbie nodded accepting this fact and gestured to the path, "shall we get this over with?" They started to jog down the track.

Kovac was sitting with Wolf in his office, "the plan has to be simple Wolf, there is no magic trick to this, we breech and we force them south onto the savannah and any survivors get mopped up by Towoli security forces at a later date, once the second defensive structure is captured they're finished as a power," Kovac spread his hands.

Wolf nodded, "look, overall it's a good plan but the idea of this being a rapid breech entry job, it's a bit...old fashioned."

"RBE is a classic because it works, long and short of it is, we need to get in and we need to do it fast, Dorman will breech, Becca will push in and you will sweep. I'll have Gilly set up the gunners to drive any escaping frogs south." Kovac stood, "once the Qm has the ordinance redistributed we'll give orders."

The Dark Horses were a unique force in the galaxy, taken wholesale from a regiment that had taken heavy losses they had all been trained to the same standard and even for human military were considered highly trained. I found during my time with these humans that I took their training for granted, these were not the human standard, these were the heights humanity could reach in this area. Twinned with this complacency was an amazement that humans could train, could learn a skill and develop it to a level of brilliance even to other humans. Most races known were born to their specific tasks in society.

Of course all species could develop or enhance a skill but none could break a typecast like humans could.

When the Dark Horses attacked the Bartuq defence, I realised I was watching military unit that had been working together and been led by the same officers for over a decade.

It looked like the fluid parts of a machine, 3 troop stole forwards in the gloom and placed their charges, they breached the outer perimeter and Becca led 2 troop forward, flooding the breach and securing a position. Fortified by Dorman's 3 Troop Becca pushed on and Wolf came behind to support them. Within the hour the Bartuq compound was captured.

I joined Becca and Kovac on the ridge watching the Bartuq stream out into the grasslands, their numbers greatly diminished.

"Tough bit of work that," Becca muttered.

"Butchers bill mercifully short," replied Kovac.

"Won't have to listen to Grey's guitar practice for a while," Becca said.

"Aye, hopefully Frank won't be able to save all his function in that arm."

This is a human habit, making cruel comments to alleviate a situation, they call it humour, or friendship.

Armoured vehicles poured out of a group of hills attacking the Bartuq.

"Oh fuck, what's this fart-waffle?" Asked Gilly as he joined the two officers.

Kovac cursed softly, "It's the Earth Defence Corps."

"What are the EDC doing? What are they doing here? Fucking cowboys," Becca asked.

"Forget that, that's, what? Three squadrons? Of bloody interceptor class Chimera armoured light cav, that means they must have deployed at batallion level, so they have at least a regiment of support infantry, two? They must have more armour and combat support arms to support that too...they've either deployed a goddamn Brigade of troops to this rock or they're even more incompetent than I give credit." Kovac said, his voice stunned.

"So the cannon fodder have come in strength, what else is new? If they didn't deploy a brigade to do a platoon's job they wouldn't be able to lose as many men as they like to do," Becca said shrugging.

"No, they've deployed a brigade of human troops on the border of Xhost held territory!" Kovac said, turning around and looking at the sky, "you can't do that quietly."

"Kov, does it matter? I mean..." Gilly was turning to Kovac but cut off as the Major turned and ran down the slope.

I've seen human panic and fear, I've also seen humans overcome that fear and direct it. This seemed to be what Kovac was doing

The Major was using his communicator, "all units return to the FOB, immediate withdrawal."

Gilly turned to Becca and gave a questioning gesture after Kovac, but Becca wasn't looking. She was staring at the sky.

Half a dozen Xhost warbirds were dropping in from low orbit, they dropped low over the EDC and began firing into the Chimera squadrons.

Becca had turned and streaked away, Gilly opened his communicator up and started calling instructions to Griffin Battery.

A dreadnought class Xhost ship broke atmospher and I looked up on time to see a cloudburst, a dark, stinking rain fell across the savannah and onto the foliage the Dark Horses were retreating into, I felt it hit my exterior and it burned, I slowed and as more drops hit I blacked out.

I could hear voices, human voices.

"You both look ridiculous," laughed a familiar voice.

"Good to see you weren't caught in it."

"Listen, the implication that I had found somewhere to take a nap is a vicious rumour spread by my political enemies," that voice again.

"So you avoided it and Kovac avoided it but the rest of us got soaked, including the professor," said a third voice.

"Did it have any effect on you lot?"

"Made my eyes stream," said the second voice, a woman's.

The first voice, must be Wolf I realised, "lot of red eyes."

"Stinks and makes you cry, hardly a dangerous weapon," the third vice said.

"Killed the Bartuq survivors and a few drops overwhelmed the professor," said Gilly.

"So...what is it?" Asked Becca.

"Kovac says it's propenyl sulfenic acid, according to Petra."

"Sulfenic...onion juice!?"

"Basically," Wolf said apologetically.

"Explains why I'm craving hotdogs," said Gilly.

"So, what? They've used their bio-weapons and it gave me cravings, the Xhost aren't as tough as I remember them," Wolf said.

"Except, they've landed and formed a beachhead. Kovac has contacted the general for support...till then we're on our own, the onion juice devastated the Towoli numbers."

It should come as no shock that some of the galaxy's most potent biochemical weapons have been harnessed by humans for food, drink and recreation. Nicotinoid, cannabinoid, capsaicin ethanol and goitrin and thyocyanates. All accepted toxins in the human diet.

[celestinaruns]

The river valley exacted its revenge--and it was definitely angry

At 4 am on Sunday morning, the sun was already rising in Edmonton. I had kept my curtains open, partly not expecting the light to be streaming in so soon, partly hoping for it because I thought I would sleep in. Silly, really, because I was tossing and turning all night.

I had packed everything I needed the night before. Correction: everything I thought I would need to take on the 50 km course at the Canadian River Valley Revenge, Summer Edition. I had done some research, fully expecting a 50 km trail race to be a whole other monster in comparison to the road marathons I was used to. This wouldn’t be some marked course I could breeze through, after all, and that extra 7.8 km was going to hit me hard.

Of course, even with my own nerves, I hardly knew what I was in for.

The race debrief at RVR was friendly and realistic. It actually calmed me down to hear the race directors tell us that, honestly, this course was no joke. It would be tough--but we would be fine. My favourite part of the debrief was when they discussed how much they wanted their race to be as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. No plastic markers on the course--just ground spray and sparing use of ribbon markers in the trees. No cups at aid stations. No single-use material. After spending the last month thinking on how to make my hobby of running less impactful on the environment, it almost felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. But that’s a topic for another blog post. (Spoiler alert?)

Just standing at the start line, I could tell that this was a race unlike any other I had run before. Fellow runners were friendly and conversational, despite the fact that it was 6 am and this was a race. It was very clear to me before we even started running that there was a sense of humility you can’t quite find at big city road races.

And then we were off.

The course started out fine. It was hilly and narrow and very technical, but I was feeling good. And even when I hit my first massive hill and found myself breathless, I reached the top and just stopped for a moment. The sun was still rising and there was a fog settling on the water. After that, with every view I got to see and every step I took, I started to care less and less about my time and my pace. I was having fun, despite the burning in every muscle in my body.

The fog, of course, came to bite me in the ass later in the day. The moisture turned a very narrow cliffside trail into something like a slanted wall of mud that I had to scale, stretching for 2 miles. That alone took me 50 minutes. By the time I got to the end, though, I stopped again, looked out onto the water and down at myself, covered in mud from my thighs down, with a realization finally setting in.

Today wouldn’t be about speed and pace records and other road race jargon. It was about surviving the adventurous trails of the river valley and enjoying my surroundings.

The course didn’t suddenly get easy just because I had decided to run for myself and not for anyone else, of course, but it did become a lot more enjoyable. For those that have never experienced the Edmonton river valley, it’s something else. Almost entirely undeveloped, the terrain is anything but kind. The trails have been shaped by adventurous mountain bikers, trail runners, and cross-country skiers that came before, and a lot of them have their own little quirks. I found myself smiling as I was ducking and leaping over logs, and I didn’t hesitate to use my hands whenever I reached a hill that was so steep it may as well have been vertical.

I paid big time, physically speaking. Aside from the muddy wetness in my shoes and socks, I also had splinters all over my palms and cuts on my legs and arms. I ran out of water a couple of miles before the first aid station, underestimating the heat and the exhaustion my body was enduring. But I made it there, I chugged back some cola like I had never tasted it before in my life, and I took a breather.

I hadn’t opted to drop off a box of extra things at the aid station the day before because... well, I had underestimated the course, despite all of my planning. “Just 50 km, why would I need a change of anything?” had been my thought process. As I stood under that tent, though, my wet socks squelching under my weight, I resolved that I wouldn’t be making that mistake at my next ultra.

Just over halfway through, and there it was! Already, the words “my next ultra” were passing through my mind. I must’ve been going crazy.

As I left the aid station, I realized that I felt... really good. In pain, yes, but I wasn’t nauseous or anything--and that was a big deal. Nausea while running intensely has been a huge issue for me in the past, but something about that race sat well with me. Maybe it was the solid food, or maybe it was the perfect combination of sugar, caffeine, and carbonation from the cola that settled my stomach. Either way, I was bouncing happily along Old Tramp on my way to get a poker chip to prove that I had been to the mysterious trampoline in the middle of Edmonton’s river valley. 

I loved that, too. Not the trampoline, specifically, but the hidden gems of Edmonton trail running, which includes the trampoline-- as well as Golfball Alley, with its audience of golf balls spectating your run, and Six Shooter, with its hidden plastic revolver that I have yet to find (one day). All trash, in anyone else’s eyes, but quirks and traditions that remain untouched and unmoved by everyone that makes their way through the treacherous terrain.

It was when I doubled back on Old Tramp that I missed a marker that cost me an extra 4 km. Not something I gave much thought, though. In a road race, I would have been frustrated at myself for the time loss. I remember being delayed a couple of minutes at Red Deer and muttering angrily to myself for the next few kilometres. Now, though, I simply shrugged it off. “Just part of the adventure, we live, we learn,” I told myself easily.

The race hit a lot of exposed areas after that, just as the hot sun started shining its brightest. I had just gotten my second poker chip on the other side of the river when I found that my water was already starting to run quite low, and it would be a while until the next aid station. Next time, I would get the 2 L hydration bladder, I had resolved. Next time!

In a miraculous turn of events, an unmanned water station had been set up along the route passing EPCOR, by some of its employees. It had been at the perfect time, just when my water was completely out, and that was enough to get me to the next and final manned aid station.

In a moment of inspiration, I filled one of my bottles with half cola half water, and the other entirely with water. For whatever the reason, the cola had sat well with me once before, so I thought it would help me get through the rest of the day. Only another 12 km, after all. Hardly anything in comparison to what I had just run.

Once I had my fill of some fruit and got some of my more painful splinters out, I was off once more. Again, there was an unmanned aid station along the trail where I filled up on my cola and water. It was set up by a man and a woman living in the area, both of them ultra runners, both content with spending the day helping us out. The only other time I had seen something like that had been at Boston, but this was different. I felt like I had the time to stop, take a breather, and actually chat with them. The atmosphere wasn’t filled with the same frenzy and madness one finds at packed road races. I could hear the crickets in the tall grass and had a beautiful view of the river. 

That was easily one of my favourite stops, not only because of how kind the people had been, but also because my stomach and I discovered that rice, apparently, sits very well with me in the middle of a race.

After that, the route wasn’t quite as bad. It wasn’t until I finished the race that I found out I ran another extra 4 km by taking a loop that had been intended only for the 50 and 100 mile racers. It was a mistake that many of the 50 km runners had made, though, and in the moment of racing it hadn’t clicked in my mind at all--I just couldn’t understand why the last 12 km was definitely not 12 km.

The route was fine, though, and almost too easy--which should have been the dead giveaway. The last 2 miles of the course brought me into the deep woods once more, traversing creeks and roots and fallen logs with an ironic combination of carefulness and hurriedness. Every once in a while the trail would get closer to the city and I could hear the cheers from the finish line, and then it would dive back down into stubborn and aggressive ravine. My quads were starting to give out and my feet dragging. At this point, my knees were doing most of the work and I’m convinced it was that last kilometre that gave me most of my scratches.

A brutal last kilometre, one we had been warned about that morning. The fastest finish time for it had been 15 minutes. I had taken about 21 minutes, and that alone had actually made me very proud of myself. As soon as I realized that I was near the top, I was scrambling up and running as fast as I could to cross the finish line.

And then it was over, just like that. I received my medal and my free beer. I walked around aimlessly for a bit, too scared of sitting down in case I wouldn’t be able to stand up again. Honestly, I don’t even remember if I got my burger before or after I changed into dry clothes, but I did get it at one point. I also remember defending salt & vinegar chips as the best chip flavour to a skeptic across the table from me. The rest is a bit hazy.

Even at the end, the words at my next ultra were still running through my head. Yeah, I was destroyed. Still am. My legs and arms are covered in scratches. My ankles are bruised. My fingers are still sore from the splinters that were stuck in there for hours. I have a tan line that I’m 99% sure could be turned into a meme, and so much chafing that I had to resort to wiping my body with wet wipes instead of having a full shower. But it was fun.

In the end, my wrong turns cost me an extra 8.2 km. I finished my 58.2 km in 9:21:23 on a course that was intended to be 50 km with a 10 hour time limit. I was far from speedy and definitely nowhere near the top, but I hadn’t trained on most of that terrain. I hadn’t even thought that it could get that intense, so I had mostly, and naively, kept to well-groomed trails. Once during my training, I reached a somewhat scary trail and simply turned around, thinking that it couldn’t be that bad. That trail ended up being one of the easiest singletracks on the whole course. I hadn’t known what to expect in terms of my nutrition and hydration needs. I hadn’t thought to leave changes of clothes and shoes at the aid stations. There was simply so much I wouldn’t have considered until actually running the race.

Despite the fact that I was far from my usual speedy, confident self that people see in a road race, and despite everything I hadn’t thought to do, I still just felt so happy to be there and to have been able to accomplish this amazing, insane feat. My body had done that. And yeah, my time needs work--but then I thought about how slow I had been when I first started running cross country in high school. Really slow. I didn’t quit, though, and simply just kept running whenever I could. Each step made me a little better, and the same thing applies to ultra trail races.

I feel like I’m on the cusp of a new chapter of my life, but not quite ready to leave the last one. I still want to make it to Boston in 2021 and I still have that need for speed that only road races can really satisfy. At the same time, though, I have found something I never knew I needed or wanted in ultra marathons and trail races--or adventure races, as the brutal terrain is affectionately dubbed. I think, for now, the one thing I truly want is to find a healthy, sustainable way to keep both of these in my life.

Most of all, though, I need a damn massage.

[afictionalattraction-blog]

Harry Hart x Reader

Contains some swearing - but they're quotes from the film. Also Tumblr deserves more than just a link so here’s its own copy as well.

Eggsy, Merlin and I were the only remaining members of Kingsman. If I'd been at my house at the time the missiles struck Kingsman property I'd have been dead. Thankfully, Merlin had invited me over for dinner to discuss gifts for Eggsy. His first year of being at Kingsman was about to come to a close and I had figured that, because he'd been fairly close with my husband Harry and also happened to be a friend of mine, a gift might be nice. If he hadn't have done that I'd have probably been dead.

"Eggsy... darling there is only one thing we can do."

"What is it?"

"We go shopping." Merlin finished for me. I gave him a small smile before I take both Eggsy and Merlin by the hand. Both men with a look of confusion on their faces. I know that I should be upset also, but I had to be strong for the both of them. I hate to even think about it, but if Eggsy and Tilde had waited another night to have dinner with the family, and Eggsy hadn't moved out, he would've lost everything... Everything like I had. Harry was my everything.

I was overseas working off the grid trying to get information about a biochemist designing a new bioweapon to use against the world. Wiping out billions of people in order to 'save the world', it reminded me of Harry. It was his last mission, and quite frankly I couldn't bear to think about it. I'd spent countless hours of trecking through the wild, manoeuvering my way around countless security cameras and wildlife; only to hear my husband's soothing voice be interrupted by the all-to-familiar crack of a gunshot. All of the other Kingsman agents had taken his death well but I hadn't. I'd spent practically my entire life with him, and to lose him all too soon killed me. I knew that if I was in his shoes, he'd never be able to live with himself; and neither can I. To my surprise, I've never seen my suit practically change colour like it had that night... I just hoped it could be washed and look like new or else Merlin and Carter would kill me.

"Y/N?" I turned around and looked at Eggsy. "Look I know that look, you've got to stop thinking about that day. Don't try to deny it either Y/N. Look, I just wanted to say that we're here for you... and we've also arrived at our destination. Merlin just wanted to make sure you were with us before we went inside." I gave the two a nod before walking through the door Merlin held open.

After about three hours of drinking away our problems, Eggsy notices our logo inside the bottle of Statesman Whiskey. I down my glass while Merlin mentions something about chicken. I let out a giggle before I start feeling sad again. Oh, how I wish to drink one more drink with my loving husband Harry. Eggsy and Merlin look over across the table at me again with saddening eyes. They know that when I get drunk enough, I lower my guard and those bittersweet memories would resurface.

H

Never in all my life did I ever think that I would see him again. The love of my life. My ties had already been cut and I sat there; on the plastic chair watching my husband through blurry vision, throw himself off of Eggsy. It was only at that moment that I realised it was real. That this wasn't a dream. I raced into the room he was in and slowly made my way towards him. He looked at me and smiled, embracing me in a hug. When I'd been told that he may not remember anything, I was shocked that he'd remember me... but how much of me he remembered was a question I dreaded asking.

"Harry..."

"Y/N! I thought you were going to Scottland to see your grandparents. Why are you here?" My heart shattered again into the tiniest of pieces when I heard this. He didn't remember... He'd forgotten everything that's happened over the past 25 years of being together. Harry then looked down at my hand and saw the gold band that decorated my ring finger. "Why didn't you tell me you'd gotten married?" Eggsy and Merlin exchanged a look before Merlin said something about needing to have a private word with Eggsy. I sat down on Harry's bed and motioned for him to join me.

"Harry... how much do you remember?" I couldn't bear to look at him right now. Believe me, I love Harry, but I can't see the shell of the man I've spent the past 25 years with knowing he can't remember any of it. "I know you're trying, but I refuse to force you to remember anything if you can't." I see him look down at his feet and I can't help but feel like it was all my fault. I take Harry's torso and bring him towards me and plant a kiss on his head. "Hey Harry, can you tell me about some of your most favourite butterflies?" I ask with a smile.

H

I'd spent the past few days with Harry, keeping him company like a loving spouse should. Obviously, I couldn't publically show more affection towards him; other than that of a friend. That was all he sees me as. A friend. Nothing more, nothing less. He has the mindset of someone who's in their early twenties. A year or two down the track he joins the army, then Kingsman and it was on his two year anniversary of being Galahad that he proposed to me. It seems like a lifetime ago now that I think back to it. I couldn't watch when Merlin and Ginger put him through one of Kingsman's most iconic tests. Filling his room to the very top with water in hopes that his instincts would kick in. Sadly, they hadn't succeeded.

"I've got something that I'd like to try... but you're not going to like it."

"What is it Eggsy?" The second I said those words I regretted them. In his hands was a Cairn Terrier puppy. I knew what he was going to do and looked over at Harry. He was peacefully sleeping, his chest rising and falling in a rhythmic fashion. I nod my head and turn away from his resting figure, not wanting to see Harry go through losing his beloved Mr Pickle again. I stood there, listening to the yelling come out of that room, fighting back tears and I silently prayed for the return of Harry. My Harry. Then everything stopped. At first, I thought I'd zoned out, but then realised I hadn't when I saw a certain pair of arms enclosed in a grey sweater and the soft hum of our wedding song float into my ears. I turned around and cried into his chest. I knew then that I had my husband back.

I pulled my head out of his chest and kissed his lips for the first time in over a year. Longing for him, I couldn't care less if the entire world was watching. All that mattered to me in that moment was that I had my Harry back. No words could explain how happy I was. None at all. We stopped for a moment and just cherished the feeling of being together again. Pulling my forehead from his, I looked over towards Eggsy who held the puppy in his hands, smiling at the two of us; silently fighting back tears.

"Thank you Eggsy, for keeping me company the past year... and for bringing him back to us." I smiled as his smile grew even more. "Thank you as well, Ginger, for looking after him over the year." She gave a small smile and nodded her head. "And Merlin, thank you for trying... but most importantly, for keeping me sane."

"Not a problem Y/N, besides you'd lost more than we all did combined." Eggsy nodded in agreement. I looked up at Harry as his hand went further around my waist. I put my right hand on his chest while my left was around his own waist. I stood up on my tip toes and kissed his right cheek; then I buried my face in his chest. Now conscious about the audience in the room I smiled knowing that a dust of pink covered Harry's own cheeks as well of my own. Never had I ever thought I would be as happy to see my husband as I was today.

H

Harry's Point of View.

I jumped out of bed at the sound of my door opening. I saw that it was only Eggsy, saying that he had a leaving present for me. In his arms sat the most adorable puppy I've ever seen in my entire life. I took a hold of him in my hands, smiling as I watch his nose and ear twitch. When Eggsy pulled a gun to its head and asked if he should shot him I lost my mind. Running around the room yelling that he'd have to shoot me instead. Only a madman would shoot a puppy.

"What about you Harry? You were sick enough to shoot a puppy. Do you remember?"

All around me, the drawings on the walls came to life, flying all around the room. All different colours, dancing around the place like it was an open field, with luscious green grass and a bright and warm sun, basking the entire area in a warm yellow glow. Then everything changed. I was in my bathroom, the walls were filled with framed butterflies, and right in the centre was Mr Pickles; Moving his head and looking at me. I remember shooting him, only to be beyond relieved when I realised it was a blank. I relived Valentine shooting me in the head. Me saying my vows to my beautiful/handsome spouse. Saying 'I Do' and beginning life with them by my side. I remember everything.

"It was a blank."

"Yes, Harry."

"It was a fucking blank!"

"Yes! Yes, Harry!"

"I'd never hurt Mr Pickle!"

"Yes, Harry!"

"He lived to a ripe old age and dies of pancreatitis." Eggsy lowered the standard issue Kingsman pistol as I looked down at the puppy in my hands. "You're not Mr Pickle." I looked up at Eggsy and smiled. He came in for a hug and I couldn't do much to return it without dropping the poor puppy. "Valentine has to be stopped. He has the device."

"It's alright. It's sorted. Don't worry. We have a lot of catching up to do." Eggsy said, reassuring me that it had been taken care of and that a debriefing was headed my way.

"Where's Y/N?"

"The other side of that glass." I handed Eggsy the puppy and walked out the door, seeing only the back of my love. I would never say it aloud to anyone but her/him, but their arse was spectacular. I walked over to Y/N and wrapped my arms around their waist; gently swaying from left to right while humming the song that played during our first dance as a married couple.

Y/N spun around quicker than lightning. Y/N cried into my chest while I rubbed their back and kissed the top of their head. I rested my chin on the crown of her/his head while I waited for the episode to end. The second that happened I wasted no time bringing my lips to theirs, enjoying the feeling of being myself again.

Word Count: 1931