#took a good handful of hours but it was fun

[willowsnook]

breaking rules

Can we get heavy PDA Joe and everyone’s reaction

joe burrow x gf!reader 

—-------------------—----

Your friends made fun of you relentlessly because, to a lot of the outside world, it looked like you and Joe were just friends, distant cousins even. PDA made you very uncomfortable, and that paired well with Joe, who hated anyone prying into his private life. Of course, his teammates and your circle knew that the two of you were together, but the media had yet to catch on, even though you guys lived together. 

So imagine your surprise when it was now an hour into the team’s post-season dinner party, and Joe had not left your side. Usually,  at these events, you arrive together but then break off, him going to find his boyfriend Ja’Marr, and you going to hang with some of the other WAGs. Then you meet up at the end to leave, and the cycle repeats. 

But tonight, Joe’s hand had been snugly placed around your waist, even when you were talking to other people.  Missing the playoffs had hit him hard, and you had watched him retreat into his shell these past few weeks; you were there for him when he needed it. So you weren’t shocked at his lack of conversation tonight but surprised by the touch. 

The people you were talking to left to grab a drink at the bar, so you took the opportunity to turn to Joe. 

“Are you okay?” You asked, concerned. 

“Mmhmm,” he mumbled. You looked down at his arm wrapped around you and back up at him, arching an eyebrow. “Just want to be close to you.” 

Nodding, you decided you’d let him have a pass tonight to be clingy, even though you were cringing on the inside. Ja’Marr called over to Joe from the other side of the room and you were dragged along to join them. He was sitting on a couch next to Tee, and Joe sat down in an armchair, pulling you down on top of him. Both of his friends’ eyes widened at the sight. 

“Never thought I’d see the day,” Ja’Marr said once he came out of shock. 

“I thought you guys would never beat the siblings allegations,” Tee chimed in and Joe flipped them off before settling his arms tightly around your waist, pulling you against his chest. 

You felt your cheeks flush as you settled into Joe's lap, acutely aware of the eyes on you. Joe seemed unfazed, his thumb tracing lazy circles on your hip as he chatted with Ja'Marr and Tee. You tried to relax, reminding yourself that these were your friends, but you couldn't shake the feeling of exposure.

"You good?" Joe murmured in your ear, his breath warm against your skin.

You nodded, not trusting your voice. Joe pressed a soft kiss to your temple, and you heard Tee let out a low whistle.

"Damn, Joe. Who are you and what have you done with our QB1?" Tee teased.

As the night wore on, Joe's affection only intensified. He peppered kisses along your shoulder, nuzzled into your neck, and whispered sweet nothings in your ear. Your discomfort battled with a growing warmth in your chest at his open displays of love.

"Get a room, you two!" Sam Hubbard called out as he passed by, earning a chorus of laughter and wolf whistles from nearby teammates.

Joe just grinned, pulling you impossibly closer. "Maybe we will," he shot back and you slapped him in the chest. 

Deciding you needed some air, you walked off towards the balcony, naturally with Joe right behind you. 

“I’m giving you a one-night pass for this kind of behavior only because you’ve been so depressing,” you told him and he smirked at your honesty. He stepped closer to you, sliding his arms around your waist while you rested yours on his shoulders. 

“Then I better take advantage hmm,” he said, eyes flickering down to your lips. Before you could protest, his lips were on yours, moving steadily as he found comfort in you. His hands started to dip lower, and you swatted them, causing him to smile against you. 

When you pulled back, you gave him an irritated look, and he pouted. 

“Come on princess, I just need you,” he admitted and your heart clenched at his words. You knew he was holding on to you like a lifeline and he knew you’d do anything to be there for him. 

“Fine, then let’s get a room hot shot,” you said, dragging him off the balcony and towards the front of the venue. Ja’Marr gave you a teasing wave goodbye and you flipped him off. 

Joe chuckled at your gesture, his hand laced tightly with yours as you maneuvered through the crowded room. The whispers and knowing smirks from his teammates didn’t faze him in the slightest, but you could feel your cheeks heating up again.

“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” you muttered as you both stepped outside, the cool night air hitting your face.

“Immensely,” Joe replied, his grin only widening. “Can’t let them think I’m a robot all the time.”

You rolled your eyes, but the smile tugging at your lips betrayed your amusement. Once you reached the car, Joe opened the door for you with a flourish, earning an eye roll that turned into a laugh. He climbed in after you, wasting no time pulling you back into his lap.

“Joe,” you started to protest, but he silenced you with another kiss, this one softer, less teasing, and more vulnerable.

“Thank you,” he murmured against your lips when he finally pulled back, his voice low and sincere. “For putting up with me tonight. For everything.”

Your heart softened as you reached up to brush a strand of hair from his forehead. “Always, Joe. I’ve got you.”

His smile this time wasn’t the playful smirk you were used to. It was small, genuine, and filled with gratitude. You let yourself lean into him, your fingers absentmindedly playing with the chain around his neck as the driver started the car.

For all the teasing and awkwardness of the night, you knew one thing for certain: Joe Burrow might not be big on PDA most of the time, but when he let his guard down like this, you couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

[conkreetmonkey]

Fun story: My last job was at a restaurant. They hired me among many other workers all at once. This is because the kitchen had recently burnt down, thankfully after hours and without hurting anyone, so they had to temporarily close and rebuild; can't very well run a restaurant with no kitchen, after all. Presumably they'd laid everyone off and were completely restocking their labour pool in like a week. My first day was wonderful. People were patient about training me, the manager was sweet and made sure everyone was staying hydrated, and she even personally brought me a glass of water while I was on my break. Like any person would have, I took this as a good sign. Then, over the next few months, things began to devolve. There's like 5 stories in there about the extortion, ER visits, second-degree burns, and explosive stress diarrhea, but basically that once sweet manager slowly became a demon, and my once fun and kind coworkers began doing things like threatening to harm my work bestie unless I performed unsafe work that was guaranteed to burn me due to inadequate PPE, or yelling obscenities at me for asking perfectly reasonable questions. It went from heaven to hell over the span of a single damp, mild autumn. So, as you can guess, I came to resent the place. But there's another element to it:

in my time working there, I would come to learn that the fire that destroyed the place was entirely preventable; there was a known gas leak in one of the deep fryers, and management knew, but refused to shell out the $15 to patch the line (just like they refused to give us PPE, or generally fix anything ever). Quite a long time after they found out and after many staff reports of this gas leak, one night, it somehow finally ignited, and a $15 expense suddenly turned into tens of thousands of dollars. One night, while I was manning the fryers, I noticed one of them was producing bubbles of opaque white smoke from under the oil. My coworkers assured me it was "normal" and "just some food stuck under there." I've worked many a deep fryer, and had been working those particular ones for months, and never seen such a thing before. It was pretty easy for me to put two and two together on that one. The lifers weren't having it and insisted I ignore it and get back to work. A few weeks later, I quit on the spot after getting cussed out over asking if anybody had put an order in the oven yet. My work bestie was fired shortly afterwards, for what she claims was written down as "disobeying orders." She was very allergic to the fryer oil we used, it made her break out in painful, swollen hives, but the lifers kept insisting on making her clean the fryers, so it was probably that, I imagine. Who knows, though? There came a point where it was never enough, no amount of speed or cleanliness or quality. We were always understaffed, and now they'd fired one of their best workers. I met another one of the coworkers I'd bonded with working elsewhere. It was retail, under a notorious asshole boss, but at least it wasn't there. Her arms were covered in deep burn scars the day she'd walked in, so I imagine she's used to it. I hope she'd okay. I should probably try to check in on her, actually. I never asked if she left or was fired. I know they never patched the leak. They didn't the first time. Of course they didn't learn their lesson, the whole place was just a number in the bloated investment portfolio of some silver spoon fatcat from Toronto, he didn't give a fuck. None of us ever even met him, or learned his name. Fully hands off. We'd pull like $15,000 or even $20,000 some nights, but all made minimum wage, and were always one call-in away from total collapse. They kept cutting hours. They would send people home in the middle of dinner rushes because "we're spending too much money on labour." Schedules became mere suggestions. We were never given end times to begin with. 11 or 12 hour shifts weren't uncommon on my end, but sometimes I'd only get 3. It was a coin flip every night. My point is, the place was managed, on all levels, by people who'd drown if it rained. Thinking about how perfect the place could have been still makes my heart rate increase. It filled a niche with absolutely no local competition. Our profit margins were absurd. And yet the dullards filling the office chairs didn't understand that you need cooks to produce food, and the place began creaking under their weight. I left before something gave. I suppose me leaving was something giving though, in a way. I worked my ass off for that place. I made them thousands, IN PROFIT, every night. I feel like maybe that triggered the exodus that followed, idk. Don't want to aggrandize myself too much. As far as I know, the second burning hasn't happened yet. But it will. It's all but guaranteed to. I hope that, just like last time, nobody's there when it happens. But I also hope that, unlike the first time, this time the entire place completely, unsalvageably burns down to ash, reduced to a concrete foundation. I hope there's nothing left to rebuild. I hope the cycle finally ends. I pretty much never got to take my legally mandated break again after that first shift, btw. Should have seen it as a sign, but it was just one shift right? They needed me, they said. They needed me.

[ladykailitha]

The Caged Bird Still Sings Part 19

Hello everyone! Welcome to the new year! I am back and swinging! I have a good backlog now and I'm feeling better about writing after that break. I was feeling really burned out after Christmas. I still love writing, but I didn't have the energy to do it.

But after that three week hiatus, I am back to writing 800-1000 words a day which is what keeps me up to date on my backlog when I'm posting.

I recommend reading the last chapter again as a refresher before this one (linked below).

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18

In this chapter we have the boys' night out and Eddie and Steve talk about where they stand with other.

~

Eddie was standing at the front of the hotel looking at his watch and tapping his foot, when the three adults pulled into the valet parking lot.

When Gareth got out and tossed Steve the keys, he came bounding up to them. “What time do you call this, young man?” he teased, putting his hands on his hips.

They all burst out laughing as Eddie tried to hold the serious pose and failed miserably.

“Just a small hiccup up at the stadium,” Jeff said, rolling his eyes. “A fan recognized me and Gare and we were signing autographs for about a half hour.”

Eddie paused for a moment and tilted his head to side. “You were signing autographs without me?” He put a hand on his forehead and pretended to swoon. “You have forsaken me!”

Steve turned to Gareth and blinked rapidly. “Um..is he always this dramatic?”

“No,” Gareth snorted, “he’s worse.” He turned to Eddie. “Chill out you big baby. You don’t like sports and would have been miserable.”

Eddie stopped for a moment and then straightened up. “Yeah, that’s fair.”

“God,” Jeff huffed, “I’d kill for a stiff drink. Have the front desk call Brian up and meet us in the bar.”

“Sounds good to me,” Eddie said, falling into step next to Steve as they walked to the bar, Gareth splitting off temporarily to get Brian to join them.

“Did you have fun?” Eddie asked, a big grin on his face.

Steve rolled his eyes and licked upper lip. “You’re the one that suggested they take me, aren’t you?”

“Guilty as charged,” Eddie said, twirling his rings. “But Jeff and Gareth loved the idea. They wanted to get a chance to know you better and this basketball game seemed like the perfect opportunity. Plus I know you’ve been feeling trapped in this town with all the bullshit that happened with your dad.”

Steve smiled up at him. “Well, I approve. It was lots of fun. The Harlem Globetrotters are known for their wacky playing style and over the top theatrics. So I was a little,” he held his finger and thumb really close together, “surprised when you didn’t want to come with.”

“I think I would’ve been more annoyed,” Eddie huffed. “Can’t stand it when people play normally, so having a group of players just fucking around and still have it be legal...no thanks.”

“Fair enough,” Steve said as they reached the bar.

They sat down at one of the tables and Gareth ordered two draft beers, one for him and one for Brian. Jeff ordered a double shot of whiskey and Eddie ordered a Manhattan.

“I’ll have a Coke and lime,” Steve said as a waiter took their order.

Eddie smiled slyly at Steve. “Good boy. I was wondering what you were going to order with my little ban on alcohol until you’re actually twenty-one.”

Steve snorted and rolled his eyes. “If I keep up this dry spell, I’ll lose my tolerance for it and lose my title as keg king.”

Jeff who had been taking a drink, did a spit take. “You were a what now?”

Their drinks arrived, so Steve was able to dodge the question for a moment longer. But he was forced to confess under the stern eye of Eddie Munson.

“Me and my friends would have chugging contests,” Steve said with a shrug. “I had the best time. Like always. But I haven’t even had a beer in literal months.”

Eddie blinked. “Wait, really? I would have thought for sure you would found someway to get a beer at least.”

Steve shook his head. “The people who still like me are kids and their parents. One of which is the Chief of Police. Yeah, I’ve been sticking clear of booze thanks.”

“Um...” Jeff said, rubbing his chin. “The hotel room is in Eddie’s name and he’s over twenty-one. You could literally order from the hotel and no one would bat an eye.”

“I just figured that fell under the umbrella of buying alcohol using Eddie’s money,” Steve said with a shrug. “So I just didn’t.”

Eddie slid over his Manhattan. “I wasn’t intended to dry you out completely. I just didn’t want you flashing that fake ID around using my credit card.”

“Oh,” Steve blushed and hid it by taking a sip of the Manhattan and he closed his eyes, letting the alcohol hit his system for the first time in months. “Yeah, I’m going to have to go easy on these otherwise you’re going to be dragging my drunk ass up that elevator.”

They all laughed.

Steve finished off the Manhattan while Eddie ordered a different cocktail. Then he went back to the Coke and lime as to pace himself.

They all talked and laughed and got to know each other better. Steve was only tipsy when they called it a night.

Eddie walked Steve to his room, not only because he was the suite across the hall, but because he wanted to make sure Steve got in okay.

“All right, little Canary,” Eddie said sternly. “What aren’t you, Jeff and Gareth telling me?”

Steve put his arms around Eddie’s neck and cooed, “What makes you think we aren’t telling you something?”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “I might not know you as well as I would like, Stevie, but I know when Jeff and Gareth are leaving something out. And with you a little tipsy, I thought I’d see if I could weasel it out of you.”

“Missed you,” Steve breathed, trying to grind against Eddie’s crotch. “I’ll be super good for you.”

Eddie grabbed Steve’s hips and pulled him a little bit away from his waist. “You are a treat, sweetheart, make no mistake. But you’re a little too drunk for anything other than conversation. So why don’t we get you in bed?”

Steve pouted but did as he was told. He opened the door to the hotel room and immediately started stripping his clothes off.

Eddie turned his eyes skyward, with his hands on his hips until Steve pulled up the shorts on his pajamas Eddie had gotten him his first night at the hotel. But he was grateful when Steve shimmied the top over his head, neglecting to undo the buttons.

“You look cute, Stevie,” he murmured as he came up to him, checking him out as he neared. “I thought you would. You really look good in yellow.”

Steve blushed, tugging at the hem of the top, “Thanks.”

Eddie scooped him up and carried him over to the bed, that was turned down by Rosa, like it was every night. He laid him in the bed and then tucked him in. He brushed Steve’s hair out of his face and kissed his forehead.

“Good night, little Canary,” he murmured.

Eddie moved to stand up, but Steve caught the hem of his jacket, keeping him there. He looked down at Steve and immediately his heart broke. Steve had tears in his eyes and one slid across his nose.

“Baby?”

“My dad was at the game,” Steve murmured. “We didn’t see him until after we were leaving, so we don’t know if he saw me. But that’s why Jeff and Gareth did an autograph signing, so that I could sneak past him.”

Eddie’s knees hit the floor and he was gathering Steve up in his arms from one breath to the next. “Oh, Stevie...” he whispered into Steve’s hair. “Now I understand why you guys didn’t want to tell me and I’m not mad. Well, I am but at your dad for ruining your night out. I wish I could just make him go away for you. Just *POOF* off the face of the earth.”

Steve let out a shuddering breath and then another. “But at least this means we know they’ve been staying in Indy.”

“There you go,” Eddie whispered, smoothing out Steve’s hair, “a silver lining. So we’ll make sure you get to go places other than Indy and you know what your dad likes so if there is a fun thing you want to for one of your kids like skateboarding or something that you know your dad would avoid like the plague, we still send you to those, okay, little Canary?”

Steve ran his nose along Eddie’s jaw and he shuddered with want. But he knew Steve was too drunk to do anything but sleep, so he gently untangled himself from Steve’s arms, and before he could even get to his feet, Steve was sound asleep.

“Sleep well, my little angel.”

~

Steve woke up with a pounding headache and lancing of shame down his spine. He had basically thrown himself at Eddie last night and the man had been a perfect gentleman. He threw his head back and stared at the ceiling, wallowing in his misery.

There was a gentle knock on the door and Steve forced himself into a standing position and waddled over to the door. He opened it to see Eddie on the other side, bright and cheery. Which made the pain in head throb worse.

Eddie held up a bag of McDonald’s and grinned. “I brought you best hangover cure known to man.”

Steve let him in and Eddie set the food on the table. Then he went over and started brewing a pot of coffee. He then filled a glass with water from the tap in the bathroom and handed it to Steve with two pills that were obviously ibuprofen. All this without comment or condemnation.

Steve took the painkillers with a grateful smile.

“Eat one of those Egg McMuffins,” Eddie said indicating the bag with his chin. “Then go shower. By then the coffee will have been brewed.”

“Thanks,” Steve muttered and ripped into one of the breakfast sandwiches with relish. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I behaved badly last night and I’m sorry.”

Eddie chuckled. “You were cute. But nah, I get it. You’d been dry for a couple of months there and then suddenly drinking again? Yeah, I would have been more than a little tipsy, too.”

Steve blushed and focused on his food for a moment before he said, “It was really scary seeing my dad last night, but Gareth and Jeff handled it. Better than I would have had I been alone. I really owe them.”

“I talked to them after tucking you in,” Eddie said sprawling out on the sofa. “They didn’t want to tell me because they were worried that I would forbid you from going out again. Which, I can see where they’re coming from. But I would rather know about it and plan better than not. So they agreed to tell me from now on.”

“Lucas loved hanging out with them,” Steve said, smiling around his bite of food.

Eddie chuckled. “I don’t doubt that. Jeff and Gareth had a blast, too. Jeff is talking about getting season tickets to the Pacers’ games. I told him to hold off on that for a bit to see where this goes first, but they definitely want to hang out with you more.”

Steve finished the sandwich and wiped his mouth again. “I had fun hanging out with them, too.”

“Go get your shower, little Canary,” Eddie said fondly. “I’ll be waiting for you when you get out.”

Steve got up and rummaged through his drawers for something to wear. He settled on comfort over style because even though the pain in his head was beginning to recede, it was still there throbbing behind his eyes. The shower went a long way in driving the pain further from his head so that when he got done with his routine he could walk almost normal instead of everything hurting with every move he made.

When he walked out, there was a woman arguing with Eddie. A woman he vaguely recognized. Then it hit him. Chrissy Cunningham. Their manager. The one that currently didn’t like him because he took up too much of Eddie’s time.

“You know,” he said dryly from the bathroom door, where he was leaning against it with arms crossed, “I might be only nineteen, but I at least know to talk to someone when they have a beef with me.”

Chrissy whirled around and stared at him in shock. Like she had forgotten this was his hotel room. “Steve!”

He walked up to her and huffed out a breath out of his nose. “It’s a free country the last time I checked. Eddie can spend his time and his money how ever he wants. So either suck it up or hit the road, because even I know I can’t reason him out of giving me things.”

Chrissy looked between Eddie and Steve and then sighed. “You don’t care that he’s basically your sugar daddy at this point?”

Steve crossed his arms over his chest and licked his lips slowly. “Considering the alternative is living out of my car? No. It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that Eddie wants to take care of me. So you know what? I’m going to let him. I like him. I enjoy spending time with him. I’m not a gold digger or whatever else you think of me. But I will enjoy it while it’s here.”

Eddie slow clapped. “He’s got a point. We get along great, we enjoy each other’s company, and I like spoiling people. Is my Uncle Wayne a gold digger because I take care of him too?”

She glared at him and then threw her arms in the air and then with a terse, “Fine!” she stormed out of the hotel room.

Eddie grinned. “Now where were we?”

Steve just threw his head back and laughed.

~

Tag List: CLOSED

1- @itsall-taken @wheneverfeasible @zerokrox-blog @beelze-the-bubkiss @blondie1006

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @themoonagainstmers @cryptid-system @maya-custodios-dionach

3- @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @irregular-child

4- @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1

5- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

6- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

7- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @w1ll0wtr33 @sticknpokelightningbolt @just-a-tiny-void

8- @scoops-aboy86 @kurofuckingshi16 @watermelonmite @eyehartart @dreamercec

9- @little-birch-boy @yearningagain @micheledawn1975 @sadisticaltarts @steddieislife

10- @fearieshadow @kultiras @thesecondfate @tartarusknight @genderless-spoon

[luwritesstuff]

Hi! Could you possibly do something with Eddie Diaz? Maybe his Tia sets you up on a date 🙏🏽

this one was so cute and fun to write 🙊 let me know if you'd want a part 2!

Dating in the 21st Century

wc: 831

Pepa Diaz has been your mom’s client for years now. No one gave manicures like her and Pepa had ended up becoming her best friend in the process. You'd even met Pepa once or twice at the salon, and the occasional lunch your mom dragged you to.

It wasn't uncommon for your mom to try to set you up, it had become somewhat of a ritual of you gently letting guys down and reporting back to your mom on everything that had gone wrong on the date. So when she came to you to tell you about Pepa’s nephew, you couldn't hold back the sigh that escaped you.

“Mama, that's very sweet of Pepa, but I don't know if I have another blind date in me,” you called over your shoulder while you finished mopping the front of the salon. You didn't work there full time anymore, but you still helped out where you could.

Your mom tsk’ed you and pinched your side, “Don't be so pessimistic! I wouldn't tell you about him if I didn't think it was a good idea. Pepa showed me pictures, he's very pretty, mija,” she wiggled her eyebrows and managed to pull a small smile out of you, “Just one date, yeah? You can leave early if you hate it, but promise me you’ll try. His name is Eddie, you'll love him.”

You never really could say no to your mom, ultimately. You cursed her internally while doing the finishing touches to your makeup and adjusting your sundress. With any luck, you wouldn't have to go through this whole routine again anytime soon. Maybe your mom would give you a break after this one. After a final glance in the mirror, you threw your bag over your shoulder and left to meet your date at a small cafe you'd agreed on earlier in the week.

You arrived to find Eddie waiting by the entrance in a cream, long sleeved shirt and dark wash jeans. In an effort to keep an open mind like you'd promised your mom, you let yourself admire the way his shirt tightened around his biceps. So Pepa wasn't lying, he was attractive. “Hi, Eddie right?” You smiled and held a hand out to shake his.

After introducing yourself, you both ordered a latte and a pastry before finding a table on the patio to sit in the sun. Eddie was a perfect gentleman, he paid for your drink, held your chair out for you, made sure the sun wasn't in your eyes. You felt a sudden relief and let yourself relax into your seat. “Your Tia is your biggest fan, by the way. Her and my mom wouldn't let me rest until I agreed to meet the 'most amazing young man in LA’,” you teased, grinning at Eddie over the rim of your mug.

Eddie blushed easily and you filed that away for later. “She's all talk. She's just getting tired of me being single,” he laughed and leaned back in his chair, “you'd think her full time job was setting me up on dates.” You let out a dramatic groan, “You too? My mom bought me a subscription to a dating app for my birthday last year!”

This made Eddie let out a shocked laugh and you noticed the way his eyes crinkled and you were already thinking of ways to get him to laugh more. You took turns telling first date horror stories and making each other laugh. Eddie was good at that, you found. You hadn't laughed like that in ages, not in a way that wasn't forced or awkward. Eddie told you about his son, showed you pictures, and the way you took in each one made Eddie’s heart leap with possibilities. Maybe his Tia was right, maybe you'd be good for him.

“I just feel like there's so much pressure to date, you know? I have to act a certain way, say the right things, it's exhausting. I just want to be myself,” you sighed and Eddie felt more secure than he had in years. He agreed wholeheartedly and you felt comfort in knowing that you were with someone who wasn't interested in putting on an act or playing some stupid game.

After another few hours and more shared pastries, Eddie walked you to your car. For the first time in what felt like forever, you didn't feel the need to come up with some lame excuse and you found yourself wishing the day was longer. You didn't have to ask if Eddie felt the same way, he pressed a careful kiss to your cheek and squeezed your hands in both of his own. “Can I see you again?” he whispered and you nodded, returning the kiss to his cheek, “Please.”

Your mom and Pepa spent their next appointment gossiping over your date, and the two dates after. And they were totally not smug about it, only saying ‘I told you so’ a reasonable four times.

[cherryeclipses]

first love 🤍 sam winchester x reader

Sam Winchester x Reader - minimal use of she/her pronouns. Fluff, young love, angst. Very minimal use of Y/N. Unedited This is my first fic in almost 6 years...I'm not a Sam girl so I hope this isn't too OOC

★ ˚⋆

At 5 years old my mum was murdered, by the time I was 6 dad had dedicated his life to hunting the thing that killed my mum. By 13 my dad was hunted and killed by the very same demon. I had to start a new life under the care of dad's very good friend Bobby. Life at Uncle Bobby's was fun, once you got used to the smell of stale whiskey and old books. He took me in as his own as soon as he heard the news of my father's passing, I was now his little girl who he swore to protect with his life. This meant being homeschooled and learning to shoot a shotgun, but none of that mattered when John Winchester brought his sons, Sam and Dean to stay when he went on longer hunts. Sam and Dean were my best friends, nobody understood me more than them. I would spend my mornings with Dean, who taught me everything there is to know about monsters and how to kill them. My evenings were spent having movie marathons or reading side by side with Sam. Over the years I found myself falling in love with Sam. What started as a close friendship slowly turned into an infatuation with the younger Winchester brother.

˚⋆★ ˚⋆

"I can only see the Big Dipper, I'm giving up."

"No no, look here." Sam laughed, grabbing my hand to point at another cluster of stars. "That's Orion the Hunter and over here, those three stars make up Orion's Belt." He exclaimed, dropping my hand. We had been laid on our backs stargazing for the past hour, I turn my head to look at Sam. His face illuminated by the stars, he looks ethereal, I just want to reach over and kiss him. But I can't, I mean I could but he would definitely find it weird. Surely he thinks of me a sister. I'm brought back to reality when I realise Sam's also turned to look at me. "You ready to head inside?" He asked. "I should probably get some sleep, I think dad will be back tomorrow." "Sure." I say softly, I hate when the boys leave. I love my Uncle but it can get lonely with just the two of us. The comfortable silence lingers between us for a few more seconds before we both go to our separate beds for the night. That's all it ever is, lingering stares, accidental touches and the aching in my heart.

˚⋆★ ˚⋆ make ur own timeline, a few years or months later.. ˚⋆★ ˚⋆

It was a rainy afternoon, Bobby is away on a hunt for the weekend when there's a knock on the door. Shotgun filled with rock salt bullets in hand, I cautiously open the door. "Sam?!" "Hey, I'm sorry to come over unannounced, I should've called -" before he can finish his sentence I'm ushering him inside, my arms wrapped around him in a warm embrace. "It's been too long, you never have to announce yourself" I laugh as he hugs me tighter. I take a second to look him up and down, "what's wrong?" I ask, taking a step back. "Nothing's wrong, I just had to come see you. Is Bobby here?" "No, he's helping Rufus this weekend. You never have to see me, so what's up?" "Okay, you're right. Um I've decided to go to College." He says quietly. "That's great Sam! It's what you've always wanted." I go to hug him again but sense something is off, he's too quiet. "Isn't it?" I push. "It is, it is. But it's not just that, I want to move away from this life, I want to start new, have a normal life." I finally realise what this is, it's goodbye. After several minutes I finally find something to say, "I know you want a normal life, but we can still be friends in your new normal life. I'm not even a hunter!" He smiles sadly and just shakes his head. "It's not like that, you know it's not. Maybe we will stay in contact, I just wanted to say goodbye in person." Knowing that Sam hasn't been home in awhile, this couldn't have gone over well with John or Dean, I put my feelings aside and embrace Sam in a hug. His warm, strong arms wrapping around me, it feels safe. A small tear escapes me, he'll go off to College, become the highest paid lawyer in the US and marry some hot blonde, I can see it now. Me, Bobby, Dean, all in his past. As if Sam can hear my worries, he tilts my chin up so I'm looking at him. Not wanting to get my hopes up, I start to break away from the hug but Sam leans down and our lips connect in a soft, passionate kiss. It is everything I'd dreamed of, his lips were soft, he smelt delicious like sandalwood and sea salt. His warm hands move to cup my face and I melt. My hands make their way to his hair, still damp from the rain outside. Just as I'm ready to risk it all, he pulls back. "I've been waiting so long for this." He breathes. I can't reply, I'm too stunned, so I just kiss him back, harder this time.

Somehow, we make it to my bed, clothes flung across the room. It's embarrassing to admit that this is the night I've dreamed of for so long. The sunlight peaking through the window wakes me up in the morning, I roll over and realise I didn't dream it last night. My childhood crush is in my bed, naked. The sunlight bouncing off his toned body, disheveled hair strewn across his face. I cuddle into his side, ignoring the fact that this is meant to be his goodbye.

˚⋆★ ˚⋆ a few years later

"Eric, stop giving out free drinks, those girls will never call you and you're making my business go broke!" I smack the dark haired boy over the head. "Yeah yeah, I heard you the first time." He mumbles sheepishly. It's been a year since I inherited the bar from an old hunter and made it my own. It's my pride and joy, running a business and making an honest living. "2 beers please gorgeous." My heart pounds in my ears, I'd know that deep voice anywhere. "Dean Winchester." I breathe, turning around to see the 2 Winchester brothers sat at my bar. "The one and only." Dean winks as I hand the boys their drinks. "Hi" Sam says shyly. I pretend not to hear him. "So, what awful thing brings you back to Sioux Falls?" "The usual." Deans says dryly, taking a sip of his beer. "Still looking for that damn gun." I'd heard all about his search for the Colt and yellow eyes. "Y/N please can we talk?" Sam pleads. "Of course we can talk Sam." I say snarkily. "I didn't know you had taken up hunting again?" He sighs, "it's a long story, have you got a break soon?" He gives me those damn puppy dog eyes, I want to give in and tell him it's okay and I still love him. But I can't, he gave me false hope. Adoring me, right before leaving for College and never speaking to me again. No he's going to have to work a lot harder if he wants me to be friendly with him again. I narrow my eyes at the youngest Winchester, "No I don't, now if you boys will excuse me, I've got a business to run." With that I turn and make my way to the back of the bar but not before telling one of my girls that those cute brothers at the bar can have anything they want, on the house.

"What's her problem?" I hear Dean chuckle to Sam.

★ ˚⋆

Should I make this a series or maybe write this from Sam's POV??? I hope it was okay!!!! Sorry to rush the ending.

[lucy90712]

Something about reader giving birth ? Like Pablo in the delivery room

"Hey amor I'm home are you doing ok?" Pablo asked as soon as he entered the front door 

"I'm still very pregnant so make of that what you will" I said 

"No signs of labour then?" He asked 

"Literally nothing I don't think she wants to come out" I said 

"She will come when she's ready but at least I'm back now so I will be here when you do go into labour" he said 

"But you still have training" I said 

"I know but I've been giving my phone to one of the trainers so if you need me just call and they'll give it to me and I can come straight home ok I will be here I promise" he said 

"Good because if you aren't I'm going to kill you" I half joked 

He sorted out all of his things from the teams away game before he came back and sat with me on the sofa which is where I've spent most of my days for the last few weeks because I can't do much else. The last month of my pregnancy has been tough everything hurts and I can't walk to the kitchen without being out of breath so I'm ready to be done with pregnancy but this baby doesn't want to come out. My due date was four days ago so when Pablo went away for their champions league game I was worried I'd have the baby with him gone but she's determined to stay in there forever it seems. 

After watching me struggle to get up and seeing how out of breath I was by the time I got back from the bathroom Pablo suggested we try a few things to help induce labour. He looked up a list of things to try most of which didn't sound like fun but honestly I'll try anything to help get this baby out of me. We decided to combine two of the things together and walk to the store down the street to buy spicy foods and I'm going to curb walk the whole way there and back. It took way too long to get to the store but once we got there we bought the ingredients to make something really spicy for dinner and we got chillies for me to just eat. Then we started the long walk home to rest as I'm exhausted now. 

Pablo made dinner after I'd had a nap and he made sure to cut up plenty of chilli to put on the top of mine. If I didn't tell him to do it then I'd definitely think he was trying to kill me as it was so spicy but hopefully it will do the trick if not this was not worth it. I did have some ice cream after which helped with the spice but my mouth was still on fire. For the rest of the evening we just relaxed on the sofa until we were both tired and needed to get to sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Pablo's alarm rang at just gone 6am like it always does but I was already awake which has been a trend the last few weeks although today I've been awake pretty much all night with cramps in my lower back and stomach but that's all it was just come cramping. I thought about telling Pablo but I didn't want him to miss training for no reason so I just let him get up and help me out of bed like he does every morning. He got ready for training and made breakfast for both of us which he's got better at now that he doesn't let me do anything other than what is completely necessary. Just like every morning he kissed me goodbye and said goodbye to the baby with a hand on my bump and a promise to be home soon. 

Once Pablo left I didn't do anything I didn't even move as the cramps hurt when I move but eventually I had to get up as the need to pee was too strong. On my way back from the bathroom  there was a sudden rush of liquid running down my thighs which I knew straight away was my waters breaking but I tried to tell myself that it wasn't as now that it's happening I'm not sure that I'm ready to give birth. The the first contraction hit and I had to grab onto the nearest wall as they were more painful than I was anticipating but still I decided not to call Pablo as it's not like I'm going to have the baby anytime soon and I can't drag him away from training when nothing is going to happen for hours. 

I tried my best to just breathe through the contractions but they were more painful than I had expected. The midwives told me that as my labour progressed it would get more painful and if that's true I'm not sure that I can do it as I'm already in a lot of pain. The only saving grace is that the contractions are still quite far apart so I have time to recover in between. Each time a contraction hits I pick up my phone to call Pablo but I haven't done it yet. Every time I stopped myself thinking that I didn't need Pablo with me until it was more intense but the more I thought about it the more I realised that I'm scared and in pain and I need him by my side so who cares if he misses training if he can't miss training for this then when can he. I that's when I made my mind up and picked up my phone to finally call him.

"Hola" the man in the other side of the phone said 

"Can you hand the phone to Pablo please?" I asked 

"Hey amor are you ok?" Pablo asked after a minute or so 

"My waters broke and the contractions hurt so please come home" I said 

"I'll be there as soon as I can just hold on love" he said before hanging up 

He made it home in record time mainly because he didn't change out of his training kit. I appreciated his urgency to get home but he was all sweaty so I made him shower quickly before he could be by my side. When he came back he sat right by my side and grabbed my hand which instantly made me feel better as I'm not alone anymore. He made sure I had everything I needed he got me some water and some snacks to keep my energy levels up but most importantly he let me squeeze his hand every time I had a contraction. Having him there was nice but it didn't detract from the pain, Pablo even asked if I wanted to go to the hospital to get some help with the pain but I told him they wouldn't admit me with my contractions still being so far apart so I'll have to suck it up. 

Pablo did some quick research on what can help with the pain so he got me walking around as much as I could and he found an exercise ball that he had in his home gym for me to bounce on. He tried to massage my back and shoulders to help relieve some of the tension in hopes that would help with the pain but none of it did. My pain tolerance is pretty high but the longer this goes on the more even the slightest pain seems to hurt which definitely isn't a good sign for when the real pain hits. 

"We're going to the hospital I don't care if they don't want to admit you you're in pain and I'm not just going to sit here and watch you be in this much pain" Pablo said 

"Ok but first we have to check the car seat is in properly I don't want the nurses to think we’re bad parents when we leave and the car seat isn't right" I said 

"Of course I'll check it now and put your hospital bag in the car then I'll be right back to help you to the car" he said 

"You're the best" I said 

True to his word he was back quickly to help me walk to the car where I made him promise to drive more carefully than he usually does as I'm not going over the bumps in the road at full speed while mid contraction. He did his best to drive quickly to get us to the hospital in good time but also drive carefully which isn't his strong suit but he did his best. He's already been practicing driving in a safer way so that when we have the baby in the car he isn't trying to speed down every road and he's been doing better. Pablo has done a lot of things to prepare for the baby he's been reading parenting books and he's been to baby classes with me to help us prepare for the birth and having a newborn. We even went to a class that taught us how to do cpr on the baby in case of an emergency which was Pablo's suggestion. Watching him try so hard to learn and be better for the baby just reaffirms to me that he's going to be the best dad. 

We arrived at the hospital and to my surprise they admitted me straight away as it's my first baby so they want to be able to monitor me. We got given a room then so many people came in and out to introduce themselves and to set me up to different monitors one for the baby's heart rate and one to measure my contractions plus a few others that I don't know what they do. They also checked to see how dilated I was and I was only 3cm which really made it feel like there's a long way to go. 

Time seemed to go by so slowly every hour the nurses came to check on me but my labour wasn't really progressing it took 4 hours for me to get to just 5cm. They have offered me the epidural but so far I've refused as I know that I can't walk around once I've had that and it's not guaranteed to last as long as my labour does and I can't go from no pain to a lot of pain I think that will make it worse. Pablo has been really great at encouraging me he keeps telling me that I'm doing a great job and that once this is all over we'll have our baby girl and that's been helping me not have a breakdown. He hasn't left my side apart from to go and get the food he ordered for us which only took him a minute and he's been doing everything for me like if I need some water he's got my water bottle in his hand if I need a distraction he's got a show pulled up on my laptop. 

Eventually it got dark outside and we were still in the hospital not really any closer to this baby arriving. I'm so incredibly tired but I know I'm not going to be able to sleep with the pain so really its a vicious cycle as each contraction tires me out more but they are stopping me from getting some rest. I'm physically tired but I'm also mentally exhausted I didn't realise it would take so much out of me but I'm just so drained that this is starting to feel like I'm climbing a mountain I'm never going to be able to reach the top of.

"You need some sleep love" Pablo said 

"I know but the pain is keeping me up" I said 

"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked 

"Not really but I'll be ok just make sure you get some sleep when she is here I need you to have had some sleep because I'm going to be exhausted" I said

"Promise you'll wake me if you need anything" he said 

"I promise" I replied 

Pablo can sleep through anything so once he was asleep I was able to get up and walk around or watch something to entertain myself as the hours ticked by. The nurses kept coming in to check on me too and luckily I was actually progressing so it's less likely that I'll need any medication to speed things up or a c section which is great as I really didn't want a c section. At the shift change early in the morning my midwife came in and she stayed to talk with me for a bit which was a nice distraction from the pain and Pablo's snoring. Once she left I waited until the sun came up before I woke Pablo up who was very startled but ready to go which made me laugh until he realised that I wasn't actually ready to push and just wanted some company and he settled down again. 

A few more hours went by but after a full 24 hours of labour I was ready to push. Knowing that should've been a relief but I'm so exhausted that I don't think I've got any energy left in me to be able to push. While all the bourses and doctor got ready all I did was break down in tears at the thought of the pain and the exhaustion I'm about to go through. 

"Whats wrong amor?" Pablo asked 

"I can't do it" I said 

"Don't say that you can do it I know it's been a long night but you've got this I'll be by your side the whole time and just remember once you do this she'll be here and we can hold her and love her" he encouraged me 

"But I'm so tired I don't think I have it in me" I said 

"You can do it once this is all over you can sleep for as long as you want we don't have to have anyone come if you just want to sleep but you can do it the adrenaline will kick in and you'll be able to do it" he said 

He gave me a quick kiss before the nurses all came back in and it was time. They gave me instructions to follow so I did exactly what they said and pushed when I felt a contraction. My god did it hurt though it was so hard to think about anything other than the pain but I powered through. The only thing that distracted me from the pain was yelling at Pablo about how this is all his fault and that he did this to me which isn't true we agreed to have a baby it was a joint decision but it made me feel better so I kept yelling at him. Pablo kept whispering encouraging words into my ear as I yelled at him knowing I didn't really mean it because I don't. 

Soon enough the nurses told me I just needed to push one more time and they weren't lying after one more push the sound of our baby crying filled the room which made me cry from a mixture of joy and exhaustion and maybe some other emotions but I can only deal with that for right now. Pablo cut the cord before the nurses handed me the baby and I got to look at her beautiful little face for the first time which only made me cry harder. That's when I looked up at Pablo only to see him crying too as he reached down to touch our little girls face and stroke her cheek. 

"I can't believe she's ours" I said 

"I know she's so beautiful just like her mama" Pablo said 

"I'm glad I did just carry her for 9 months and push her out my body I'd be a little offended if she didn't look at least a little bit like me" I said 

"You did so great I'm so proud of you I can't thank you enough for giving me the best gift in the world" he said 

"I'm just glad it's over now" I said 

"And I'm going to be treat you like a queen for the rest of eternity but especially now" he said 

"Thank you but right now I just want to sleep" I said 

He took the baby from my arms and gave her to the nurses to do all the necessary checks then he stayed by my side to stroke my hair until I started to fall asleep which is when he promised that he'd look after the baby and that he'd wake me if he needed me which is what I needed to hear to finally drift off to sleep. 

[ghosty-goober]

the day Emma realized her new brother was her friend, Pt 3!!

as Emma and her friends walked into a shopping mall they started talking to each other about what to steal first, while Mk was just looking around in amazement. This was the first time he’s been in a mall before, it was so bizarre (to him). Filled with people and different smells. He was even excited to ride the escalator!

Emma couldn’t deny it was kinda cute seeing this little guy bouncing on his feet while riding an escalator, but she didn’t wanna show it. She was supposed to no like him, but he wasn’t actually annoying. He was just… there. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea to include him in shop lifting. It was to late now they were already in a store looking at snacks and cute merchandise.

after Emma’s friends and Emma herself were ready to sneak out with items stuffed away in their clothes Mk had his sites set on a jacket. Emma walked over to remind him he had to steal something if they could continue to be with her friends right now. He felt sad, he knew he couldn’t successfully steal the jacket. It was to big and noticeable. So he put a small chocolate bar in his pocket and slumped over sadly.

after they left they went back out of the mall to Mk’s disappointment, all of Emma’s friends piled into one of their vans and began eating their snacks and debating on if they should steal more. Emma was having her usual fun while talking to her friends about what they didn’t today until she saw Mk’s face. He looked so… sad. Usually she’d brush it off but it genuinely made her sad.

After the group decided to head back for the day to not get caught but Emma wanted to go back in, just her and Mk. Her friends were confused but they agreed to let Emma go back in. To Mk’s surprise she picked him up and carried him in her arms back to the entrance to the mall. Mk asked Emma “why are we going back inside?” Emma just said “just getting a soda” she wasn’t actually gonna get a soda.

after entering a random shop she bought a bear, using her fake id to get it. Once she bought it she sipped it and brought Mk over to the shop they were just at before her and her friends left the mall. Once they entered she got to Mk’s level and asked him “what do you want?” Mk lit up, he could actually get the jacket! He took her hand and brought her over to a coat rack with random monkie king merchandise.

he showed her an orange hoodie like jacket with a cloud patch. Red pocket highlights and the same monkie king logo on the back that Mk had on his tank top. It was a men’s medium, no way it could have fit him! But mk looked like he really wanted it. Emma shrugged and took it with her to the shopping counter. After buying it the cashier realized Emma was one of the kids from earlier!

Emma saw them call for security and picked up Mk to make a run for it in the process she almost dropped Mk but managed to catch him but dropped the jacket. Mk was heartbroken as they sadly left the jacket behind. Emma finally lost the security guards she ran into the women’s bathroom, she sat mk down in a stall and told him to sit still “stay there until i get back ok? DO NOT wander off ok?” She sounded so demanding so Mk listened to her.

Mk waited in there for half an hour in that stall, worrying about if he was going to stay there forever. It was cold and quiet, he started crying in fear of being left behind. Until Emma opened the stall she looked like she had dirt on her face, she picked Mk up and sighed in relief. “Are you ok little guy?” She was so concerned someone would try and take him but now that she knew he was safe it was perfect. Mk hugged her and wiped his eyes from the tears he almost shed

Emma patted his back and carried him out of the bathroom, she went through hell just to get something she left behind. After leaving out the back this time and making it back to the van her friends swarmed her making sure she was ok, she confirmed she was fine and said she just had to hide to make sure the security didn’t catch her underage drinking.

As they rode back to drop Emma and Mk off a block or so away from the noodle shop Emma brought out… the Jacket! Mk’s eyes sparkled in amazement! He didn’t know how to explain it but seeing that jacket Mk felt like everything he wanted came true. Once Emma put it on him, Mk looked down at the huge sleeves on his little arms! Emma really got him this and almost got caught. She was a hero

Part 3 is done! Part 4 (the last part!) coming soon!

[jamandjazz]

My formal apology for the forgetting what Two Bit looked like when I was doing speed draws @jasmine145946 😔

[getosugurusbangs]

hngggghhhh

post 1

post 3

[heartorbit]

WAOT WERE U THE ONE TSUKASA COSPLAYER AT MIKUEXPO GIVING OUT MIKU STICKERS TO THE PJSK FANS

THATS ME!!!!! i didn't mean to just give them to pjsk fans help but i severely underestimated how many i should've made and cut out .. so i just ended up giving them to cosplayers or people who said hi to me .... T_T

THERE'S ALSO THIS SUPER CUTE BRACELET SOMEBODY RAN UP TO ME AND GAVE ME AND I TREASURE IT SO I NEED TO ADD IT TO THE POST AND SHOW IT OFF .. WAH!!!! ITS SO CUTE LOOK!!!!!!

[fallingtheseus]

“oh, drunken gods of slaughter

you know i have always been your

favourite daughter”

[willowsnook]

back to you

hi! can I request angst with a happy ending for Oscar please? Maybe exes to lovers?

Oscar piastri x ex!reader

—--------------------------------------

Three years ago

“So this is really it?” You asked Oscar, your confusion morphing into shock. “But I thought we were so good together?”

Oscar sighed, his arms crossed as he stood in your dorm. “We are good together, but I’m going to be traveling more in F2 and as a reserve driver, so it doesn’t really make sense to continue this.”

“Doesn’t make sense?” Your anger was rising now, threatening to boil over. “We’ve been together for two years, jackass. Does that mean nothing to you? Do you even care about me?”

“Of course, I care about yo,u y/n,” he said, his eyes softening. “But this is my career; I need to put it first.”

“Get the fuck out,” you snapped, and he flinched in surprise, a flash of hurt in his eyes. “Lose my number. I hope you make it to F1 and get everything you ever dreamed of, but I hope you have it all alone.”

That was the last thing you ever said to him, and you didn’t regret it one bit. You met him your first year in college in London and were a perfect match. His dry-humored personality complemented your sassy attitude, and you both had a lot of fun together. If you were being honest with yourself, it was never super serious between you and Oscar. It was nice and fun, maybe a little toxic, but the way he ended it with such nonchalance is why it still irritated you even three years later.

—-----present day—----------

You had hoped that when you accepted the job with McLaren, you and Oscar’s paths wouldn’t cross. After graduating with a marketing degree, you took a position with their partnerships team, meaning your primary responsibilities would be representing McLaren to their sponsors and helping coordinate events. Generally, the events did not involve the drivers, but with it being three weeks in between races, they were expected to attend a small, exclusive happy hour in London. And, of course, you were the lead for the event.

You were wearing a nice pair of brown plaid trousers paired with a sleeveless, high-neck black turtle neck and hair pulled up in a tight bun. You’d done this a million times before, so you weren’t necessarily nervous, but the thought of interacting with Oscar again made you physically ill.

The boys arrived at the venue together, both dressed in their own versions of business professional, and headed to where you were standing with your boss. 

“Hi guys,” she said. “I have to go, but y/n is in charge, so she’ll give you the run-down.” 

The boys nodded as she left before turning to you. Oscar’s mouth opened slightly as he looked at you in surprise. 

“Hey, y/n, I’m Lando,” Lando greeted you with a bright smile. “And this is Oscar.” 

You returned his smile widely. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

Oscar snorted at your response, and your eyes flashed. Lando looked over at him in confusion. 

“Are you really going to act like you don’t know who I am?”

Lando, misreading his comment for being a stuck-up celebrity quip, started apologizing for his teammate’s behavior. 

“I’m sorry, have we met?” You asked, feigning being puzzled and effectively getting under Oscar’s skin. 

“Don’t act like I haven’t had my hands on every inch of your body,” Oscar snapped, eyes narrowed, and Lando’s eyes widened in shock. Your eyes narrowed, and you squared your shoulders at him. 

“If I could burn off my top layer of skin to be pure from you, I would,” you said coldly. “How’s life anyway? Lonely at the top?”

He flinched at your words, and you knew you hit a nerve. In an interview from last year, you'd read that he was struggling with being lonely after joining F1, so you knew that would remind him of your parting words. 

Oscar’s jaw tightened, and his eyes flickered with something that looked like hurt before he masked it with indifference. “Life’s great, thanks for asking. It’s everything I worked for.”

“Everything you worked for?” You scoffed, crossing your arms. “Yeah, I bet it’s super fulfilling to win races and go back to an empty hotel room. Sounds amazing.”

Oscar’s lips parted, clearly taken aback by your jab, but he recovered quickly. “At least I have something to show for my sacrifices. What about you? Working events for McLaren? Sounds like a step down for someone convinced they would end up in New York, working for a top agency.”

It was your turn to flinch; that had been your dream ever since you were a kid, and you were still reeling from the failure of it not happening. But you had one last card to play against him, one you didn’t even want to. 

Lando, who had been awkwardly watching the exchange like a spectator at a tennis match, raised his hands in a desperate attempt to intervene. “Okay, guys, maybe we save this for another time? Or never? Never works too.”

“It is a step-down,” you said icily. “But a lot of dreams died after my dad did.”

It was like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over Oscar, the way he stiffened at your words. You knew it was shitty, throwing your dad’s death in his face, but he pushed you too far, and the wound was still fresh. 

“Y/n.. I-I didn’t…,” he stuttered, but you raised a hand to cut him off.

“The happy hour is starting now,” you said, trying to regain your composure. “There are only five different companies, so it shouldn’t be too overwhelming. Be nice, be optimistic about the rest of the season, and ask questions about them as well. Find me if you need me.”

With that, you turned on your heel and marched into the venue. Lando and Oscar stood in silence, watching you disappear. Lando was still shocked at how Oscar acted, having never seen his teammate lose his temper like that. 

“So you two dated or something?” He asked cautiously and Oscar shot him an annoyed look. 

“Unfortunately,” he replied shortly. 

“I’ve never seen you so worked up from someone,” Lando commented. 

“She still knows just how to get under my skin,” Oscar muttered before walking in. 

You did what you did best during the event, schmoozing your heart out. It was fun for you, and by the end of the even,t you had forgotten the interaction with Oscar at the beginning. After cleanup, you went into the bar's main area, sitting down to order a martini. 

“Mind if I join you?” A voice asked, and you turned to see Lando standing next to the chair by you. 

“Sure,” you replied. “Have fun tonight?”

“These aren’t my favorite kind of things if I’m being honest,” he admitted, and you nodded. “Our sponsors always treat me like I’m some kind of god when I’m really just, well, me.” 

“I could see that,” you said. “Thanks for doing a good job, though; you make my job easy.” 

“You make it easy for us,” he replied, and you blushed at the compliment. 

He fiddled with his drink as you both sat silently for a bit, and you sighed, knowing what he wanted to ask. 

“Out with it, Norris. I know you want to ask about it earlier,” you said teasingly. 

He blushed before meeting your eyes. “I’ve just never seen him like that. He’s always so well put together and almost polished.” 

“We bring out the worst in each other,” you said, bringing your glass to your lips. 

“But you used to bring out the best?” He offered. 

“Something like that,” you muttered. 

“I’m sorry about your dad,” Lando said, and you felt a wave of sadness wash over you.

“Thank you,” you said softly. “I shouldn’t have said it like that to him; I’m not usually that mean.”

“You were both emotional seeing each other,” Lando said warmly. “I won’t hold it against you.”

“I appreciate that,” you said. “It’s a lot of old feelings resurfacing.”

You gave him a forced smile, and he studied you until you finished your drink. 

“Well, it was good to meet you,” you told him, standing up and slinging on your coat. 

“You too,” he said. “I hope to see more of you.” 

—---------------------------------

A couple of months later, you were cursing Lando for saying that. You had been promoted, and with the new job came new responsibilities, such as managing the sponsors at races. Stepping into the paddock early that Sunday morning, you were greeted by Land,o who had arrived at the same time. 

“Y/n!” He said cheerfully. “Congrats on the promotion.”

“Thanks, Lando,” you sai,d smiling, falling into step with him as you both headed towards the garage. Oscar was already there, talking to another driver you recognized as Franco Colapinto. 

“Hey Franco,” Lando called out. “Have you met y/n?”

Franco turned at the sound of Lando’s voice, flashing a charming smile as his gaze landed on you. “I haven’t had the pleasure,” he said smoothly, extending a hand. “Franco Colapinto.”

You shook his hand, offering a polite smile. “Y/N. Nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Franco said, holding your hand a beat longer than necessary. “I don’t know how I missed meeting someone like you before now. McLaren’s lucky to have you.”

Oscar’s jaw visibly tightened from his spot nearby, and he took a step closer, crossing his arms as he observed the scene.

You tilted your head slightly, playing along with Franco’s flirtatious tone just enough to annoy Oscar. “I’m just doing my job, but thanks.”

“Doing it exceptionally well, I’m sure,” Franco replied with a grin. “If you ever get bored working with these guys, let me know. I’m sure my team could use someone with your... expertise.”

Lando let out a low whistle, clearly amused by the unfolding drama. “Careful, Franco. You’re laying it on thick.”

“I’m just being honest,” Franco said with an unapologetic shrug, his eyes never leaving yours.

Oscar finally decided to intervene, his voice cutting through the conversation like a blade. “Shouldn’t you be focusing on your race prep, Franco? Or is flirting your new warm-up routine?”

Franco glanced at Oscar, raising an eyebrow. “Relax, mate. Just being friendly.”

Oscar’s glare hardened. “She doesn’t need your ‘friendly.’ She’s here to work, not entertain your distractions.”

You raised an eyebrow, shooting Oscar a sharp look. “I can handle myself, thanks. No need to play bodyguard.”

Franco smirked, clearly enjoying the tension. “Seems like someone’s a little territorial.”

Oscar’s nostrils flared as he took a step closer, his tone laced with irritation. “I’m not territorial. I just don’t think she needs you wasting her time.”

“Oh, but she’s fine with you wasting her time?” Franco shot back, clearly relishing in provoking Oscar.

“Okay,” you interrupted, holding up a hand. “This is officially ridiculous. Franco, it was nice meeting you. Lando, I’ll see you later.”

You turned on your heel and walked further in the McLaren garage, leaving all three men staring after you—Franco amused, Lando bewildered, and Oscar frustrated. The latter’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, a storm brewing in his eyes as he watched you disappear into the distance. Franco bid both men goodbye, and Lando turned to Oscar with an amused look on his face. 

“Gonna tell me what that was about?” He teased, and Oscar shot him the finger, moving towards his side of the garage. 

After the race, you lingered around hospitality, saying your final goodbyes to sponsored guests before gathering your stuff to head back to the hotel. You just came out of the room when you ran, face first into Oscar. His hands came out to steady you, and you were about to thank him until you realized who it was. 

“Excuse me,” you mumbled, trying to get past him, but his grip on your waist tightened. 

“Can we talk?” He aske,d and you were caught off guard.

“About what?” You asked. “How you were about to rip Franco’s head off this morning for talking to me?”

He rolled his eyes, his calm demeanor fading away. 

"I wasn't going to rip his head off," Oscar muttered, releasing his grip on your waist but not stepping back. "I just didn't like how he was talking to you."

You crossed your arms, eyebrow raised. "And how exactly was he talking to me?"

"Like you were some prize to be won," Oscar said, frustration evident in his voice. "Like you were just there for his entertainment."

"As opposed to how you talk to me?" You shot back. "Like I'm some nuisance you have to deal with?"

Oscar's eyes widened slightly, a flash of hurt crossing his features before he masked it. "That's not... I don't think of you like that."

"Could've fooled me," you said, your voice softer now. "Look, Oscar, we don't have to do this. We can just be professional and cordial. No need to rehash old drama.” 

“If that’s what you want,” he said slowly, and you nodded, shifting to move past him. 

“It is, I’ll see you later.” 

—------------------------------------------------

Brazil

You hated the rain. Well, you didn’t always hate it, but it had rained the day your dad died, so you had hated it ever since. It was the world weepin,g and the memory of you doing the same was still fresh. 

“Are you okay?” Lando asked, catching you staring off in the distance at the front of the garage. It was an hour before qualifying was supposed to happen, and you felt yourself start to slip out of reality. You didn’t say anything, so Lando moved closer, pulling your shoulder so you could face him. His eyes widened, seeing yours full of tears, but you were quick to turn back away. 

“I’m fine,” you said firmly. He started to say something again, but the look you gave him felt like a shot to the heart; you looked so sad, and he didn’t know what to do. You only repeated yourself, “I’m fine.” 

You weren’t fine. You knew you were starting to spiral. The first time it happened, it surprised you. You didn’t consider yourself an emotional person, but something about the rain now made you panic. 

Lando left you and headed straight towards Oscar’s driver's room. Someone on the way told him that qualifying had been pushed to tomorrow, but he didn’t stop his stride. Banging open the door, Oscar looked up, surprised at his teammate’s panic. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked. 

“Something is wrong with y/n,” he said breathlessly. Oscar’s brows furrowed. 

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“I noticed her earlier, just standing and staring out at the rain on the track for literally 15 minutes,” Lando said. “Didn’t move an inch. I went up to her and could tell she was very close to losing it.”

“Did she say anything?” Oscar asked, already standing up and heading towards the door. Despite their current relationship, he knew you very well. He could count the number of times he had seen you cry on one hand. 

Lando shook his head. "No, she just kept saying she was fine, but her eyes... Oscar, I've never seen someone look so sad."

Oscar's jaw clenched as he strode out of the room, Lando hurrying to keep up. They made their way through the garage, scanning for you. Oscar spotted you first, still standing motionless at the front of the garage, staring out at the rain-soaked track.

He approached you cautiously, coming to stand beside you. "Y/n?" he said softly.

You didn't respond, didn't even blink. Oscar glanced back at Lando, who gave him an encouraging nod.

"Y/n, can you hear me?" Oscar tried again, gently placing a hand on your shoulder.

The touch seemed to snap you out of your trance. You flinched, turning to look at him, and the second your eyes met his, you crumpled. He quickly pulled you into his arms as you sobbed, his arm rubbing your back. 

“It’s okay, baby,” he soothed, falling back to your old pet name. “I’m here.” 

You gripped his shirt tightly, trying to calm down, and your sobs soon turned to hiccups. 

“I’m sorry,” you mumble,d trying to pull away but Oscar didn’t let you, keeping you tight against his body. You rested your cheek against his chest as his hand came up to your head, tangled in your hair. Oscar nodded to Lando to tell him that it was okay and Lando disappeared, leaving the two of you alone. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked. 

“No,” you whispered. “Can we go back to the hotel?”

“Of course,” he said, finally letting you go. He collected your stuff and gripped your hand tightly, leading you to where he had a car waiting. The traffic was insane outside the track; the number of people leaving and the weather was a bad mix. The sound of the rain against the windows made your heart start to race again, so without a second thought, you unbuckled your seatbelt and crawled into Oscar’s lap. 

His arms wrapped around you as you snuggled into the crook of his neck. Neither of you said anything for the rest of the ride, and you had calmed down by the time the car pulled up to the hotel. Sliding off his lap, you got out of the car and headed into the hotel, him right behind you. He didn’t want to overstep, but he did not want to leave you alone, so he lingered awkwardly beside you in the elevator. 

“Are you on the same floor as me?” You asked, noticing he hadn’t hit another number. 

“No,” he said, and you nodded, silently giving him the green light. 

You felt like a shell of yourself when you made it to your room, peeling off your wet outer layers while Oscar kicked off his shoes. 

“Let me draw you a bath,” he offered, and you didn’t answer, but he was already moving into the bathroom and turning on the water. 

You stared out the window, shivering, and that’s where he found you minutes later. 

“Come on, baby,” he whispered, gently pulling you towards the bathroom. You followed him wordlessly and let him help remove your clothes, not flinching under his gaze. He’d seen it all before anyway. You stepped into the bath, and he sat next to the tub, watching you as you closed your eyes and leaned back. 

“It was raining when he died,” you said, breaking the silence. “Now, anytime I hear the noise, it’s all I can think about.” 

“I’m sorry, y/n,” he murmured from beside you. 

You took a deep breath, the warm water soothing your nerves. "It was just over a year ago. He was driving home from work, and... a drunk driver hit him. It was pouring rain that day."

Oscar's hand found yours, gripping it gently. "I'm so sorry, y/n. I had no idea."

"How could you?" you said, a sad smile on your face. "We weren't exactly on speaking terms."

A flash of regret crossed Oscar's features. "I should have been there for you."

You shook your head. "It's not your fault. We both said things we didn't mean."

Oscar was quiet for a moment, his thumb tracing circles on your skin. 

“You got your wish, though,” he admitted softly and you looked over at him, confusion in your eyes. 

“About what?”

“I got everything I always dreamed of,” he started. “But I’ve had no one to share it with.” 

“You have Lando and Alex,” you said softly, and he gave you a small smile. 

“It’s not the same,” he said. “Are you ready?” 

He didn’t give you a chance to answer, standing up to grab a towel from nearby. You stood up, letting him wrap it around you and helping you step out of the tub. 

Oscar’s hands lingered at your shoulders as he steadied you, the towel snug around your body. His eyes searched yours, a mixture of guilt and longing in their depths. You could tell he wanted to say something else but hesitated, unsure if this was the right moment.

“Thank you,” you said softly, your voice barely above a whisper.

“For what?” he asked, his brows furrowed.

“For being here,” you replied, your hand brushing against his as you tightened the towel around yourself. “I didn’t know how much I needed it.”

Oscar let out a small, relieved laugh, shaking his head. “You don’t have to thank me, y/n. I’ll always be here. Even if I don’t always know how to show it.”

You nodded, the warmth of his words spreading through you like the bathwater had. It was the first time in a long while you felt truly seen.

“Come on,” he said, tilting his head toward the bedroom. “Let’s get you comfortable.”

He helped you into one of his oversized hoodies, the fabric soft and smelling faintly of him. It felt like a hug, like safety. You settled onto the bed, pulling your knees up to your chest as Oscar perched at the edge, watching you closely.

“Can I stay tonight?” he asked tentatively, his voice careful, like he didn’t want to overstep.

You nodded without hesitation. “Please.”

He moved to the other side of the bed, slipping off his shirt and grabbing the blanket to drape over both of you. The rain was still falling outside, but the sound didn’t feel as suffocating with Oscar beside you. His arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you close, and you let yourself lean into him.

As you lay there, Oscar's arm around you, the steady rhythm of his breathing began to lull you into a sense of calm. The rain outside seemed less threatening now, more of a gentle backdrop to the quiet moment you were sharing.

"I've missed this," you whispered, barely audible. "Being close to you like this."

Oscar's arm tightened slightly around you. "Me too," he admitted softly. "More than I realized."

You turned in his embrace to face him, your eyes meeting his in the dim light of the room. There was so much left unsaid between you, years of hurt and misunderstanding, but in this moment, none of that seemed to matter.

"Oscar," you started, your voice trembling slightly. "I'm sorry for what I said that day. About hoping you'd be alone. I didn't mean it."

He shook his head, his hand coming up to your cheek. 

“I deserved it,” he said. “I was so caught up in the excitement that I didn’t consider your feelings. I was miserable that first year without you, more than I’d like to admit. This world can be so lonely, but I had too much pride to come crawling back to you.” 

“I wouldn’t have taken you back anyways,” you said honestly. 

“Would you now?” He asked quietly. “Take me back?” 

You looked at him, his eyes looking deep into your own, and thought about it. 

“Maybe,” you said finally. “But you’d have to work for it.”

“Trust me, I will,” he said, pressing his lips against your forehead. 

He didn't feel alone for the first time in what felt like forever. And as you closed your eyes, exhaustion finally catching up with you, you realized that maybe people were right when they said you’d always find your way back to people you loved. 

[waywardsalt]

lord if i had the art skills required for it ya’ll would see so much bitchin space au concept art

[elderscrolls4]

I got so fucking high and drunk today oh my god how did i do this regularly with no hard drugs (MOST of the time) and hard liqour and still have the energy to stay up afterwards. Maybe i was just 15/16

[nanatsuyu]

i made a thing!

[prismaticutie]

I PLAYED OMEGA STRIKERS FOR 3 HOURS AND I JUST LOST EVERY SINGLE GAME EXCEPT FOR THE LAST ONE WHERE I DID SO WELL THAT ON THE SECOND SET I WAS ACTUALLY MVP AND GOT BAROQUE BANDITRY TO FUCKING PLAY LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOO