#wait the point is ... i was thinking that i regret not going to la but i could pick a grad program somewhere else

[damiansgoodgirll]

I BEG YOU

Don’t break my heart part 3 please ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

you ask, i deliver

part one, part two

the judgment day x reader (platonic), damian priest and rhea ripley x reader (platonic), drew mcintyre x reader

‼️family issues, fear of abandonment, reader might have daddy issues, damian and rhea being the besties i need in my life ‼️

don’t break my heart - part 3

it was right after monday night raw ended that you had no energy left in you.

you knew it was going to be complete chaos when the shein version of the judgment day ruined damian’s match. rhea’s blood was boiling at the sight of damian being attacked by his ex members. so, you knew chaos was going to happen when her theme song echoed into the arena.

she told you to choose. she said that no matter what your decision was, her feelings for you weren’t going to change but she made clear that she was going to kick liv and dom’s asses. she told you - you can stay here and wait for us backstage or you can join me - and honestly, you thought about it but ten seconds later you were running by her side.

the crowd erupted in happy screams when they saw you by her side.

rhea pointed liv, you pointed jd, and finn too.

finn knew that you wouldn’t have picked him over damian and rhea but he wasn’t expecting to see you against him.

“don’t do this…” he told you “you’re gonna regret this” he didn’t mean to threaten you, he just wished you weren’t involved at all.

“i don’t care…i’m tired of hiding” and with that you simply attacked him. carlito saw the scene and simply came to the rescue, trying to take finn away from you.

while rhea tried to attack liv, damian was still in the ring with jd so you you went to attack him “move” you simply said. his face was stone cold. maybe finn was right, jd had a crush on you but you couldn’t care less.

of course liv and dom ran away, like the cowards that they are and in the meantime damian took his time in finishing jd.

the crowd cheered when they saw you, dam and rhea standing there in the ring, hugging each other, knowing that no matter what, you would always have each other’s backs.

while backstage, rhea and damian took their time answering questions and doing interviews but you were too tired from the event that occurred that all you wanted to do was to end up in your hotel room and sleep all night long.

walking towards the exit, you spotted drew who kindly waved at you. drew was the same as jey or la knight for you, just kind acquaintances because they were friends with damian and rhea but nothing more.

“hey kid” he smiled at you. his nickname made you smile “great fight out there”

“oh” you awkwardly smiled “that…that was nothing but thank you”

“are you going back to the hotel?” he asked, probably already knowing the answer, seeing you with your bags and tired look.

“yes…i was thinking of calling an uber, i fear damian and rhea will take too long with interviews right now…” you smiled.

“don’t call them, i can give you a ride, plus we are staying at the same hotel right? in downtown?” he asked and you nodded “i’m going back right now, you can ride with me”

“are…are you sure?” you didn’t want to be a bother so you doubled checked.

“positive, let’s go” he smiled and walked towards the rental car he got for the show. you’ve never been alone with drew before, only talked with a few times when he was training with damian so the idea of driving with him for 30 minutes was making you nervous.

but the car ride was quite and silent. not awkwardly silent, just comfortable enough. soft music playing in the background, drew watching the road as you watched some raindrops falling from the sky.

“you have talent kid” he broke the silence, waking you from your thoughts.

“oh, thank you…” deep down you knew you had talent, but that being the reason of getting kicked out of your family always made you feel guilty sometimes. you always wondered and imagined how your life would be if you actually had applied for college as your parents wanted for you. maybe you wouldn’t be this shy or weird while meeting new people. maybe you would be more confident about yourself. maybe you would have a boyfriend and a lot of friends.

there was always that voice in your head that screamed what if

“you don’t talk much uh?” he softly teased, making you smile a little.

“not really, no…i’ve always been like this, i guess…” lie. growing up you were talkative and you remembered your mother always telling you to shut up because you talked too much - what would she say if she could see you now?

“i get it…i was really shy growing up, then i started getting more used to the job, working with live crowds for all these years made me change the conception i had about myself…and i worked a lot on me, that helped me” he said, talking about himself but like he was giving you an advice.

you had to work more on yourself and you knew it, you just didn’t know if you were ready yet.

“yeah…big crowds helped me a bit but i still have to get used to it” you smiled.

“about that…everything okay today?” he didn’t want to overstep but he was worried about you. he couldn’t understand what finn did to make you run away like that.

“oh with finn?” he nodded “yes, he just said some things he shouldn’t have said…nothing major”

“got it” he smiled, realising you didn’t want to talk about it.

the rest of the car ride was spent with him just talking about his family. you were curious about it because he always talked about them so nicely that you actually wanted to know how he felt having his family and friends proud of him “and what about your family y/n? i’ve never seen them at the shows…”

he may have overstepped because you didn’t answer. he knew something because people talked but he didn’t know the full story and the one person who knew the truth was you.

“nothing much to say…they have other hobbies” you tried to avoid the argument as much as possible and you were happy dropped the conversation right there.

once at the hotel you thanked him about the car ride and told him that you were tired enough that you would have fallen asleep in the lobby any minute.

“yeah, i’m pretty tired too” he smiled at you “listen, in case you need more car rides or just someone to talk to, here’s my number, goodnight kid” and with that he left.

he gave you a piece of paper with his number on, kinda old fashioned but you liked it.

once you got to your room, you tiredly took a second shower and change into your pjs. you were so tired that you haven’t even eaten yet but at the moment you couldn’t care less.

before you could drift off, you received a text from rhea.

from rhea🖤

hey girl! sorry we took so long, we just finished with interviews, are you still in the arena? do you need a ride to the hotel?

from you

hey rhea! don’t worry about it! i can’t wait to see all of your interviews! i’m already back at the hotel and ready to sleep lol, but thank you so much for the offer!

you kinda didn’t mention how you got back to the hotel because you knew that if you did, rhea and damian would kept asking you questions that you didn’t want to answer. so you simply told her that you were about to sleep and that you would see her tomorrow.

but before falling asleep, you memorised drew number and decided to text him a “thank you for the ride, have a good night!” and then you drifted off.

drew would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy receiving your text. he was up all night staring at the ceiling and thinking of you. he’s been feeling some sort of attractions towards you but he thought that it was just a game his mind was playing to him. but sitting next to you and driving with you made him realise that maybe his attraction was actually a crush. he wished he could get to know you better but he knew and he saw - from the brief conversation you had in the car - that you wouldn’t open up to him, that he had to gain your trust and he was willing to do that.

morning came and you and rhea were already hitting the hotel gym as you waited for damian to join you.

“so…” rhea started talking “everything okay with the uber last night? did they get you here safely?” rhea knew about all the horrendous stories she read about uber drivers being maniacs so she tried to avoid them as much as possible, and so did you.

“oh…” you thought for a second “no i actually didn’t call an uber last night…uhm, drew drove me back here”

rhea was a little shocked for a moment but before she could say anything, damian both greeted you “what are we talking about here girls?” he gently smiled at you.

“drew as in drew mcintyre?” she asked and you nodded.

“what happened?” damian’s tone was more serious.

“nothing, drew just drove me back to the hotel last night and rhea is shocked about that” you wanted to avoid that conversation as much as possible but their looks made you realise that you would have to explain everything that happened last night.

“why him?” damian asked.

“because you were taking too long and drew saw me calling an uber so he offered? plus we are staying in the same hotel so i don’t see the problem”

“yeah but him?” it’s not rhea didn’t like him, they were friends. she didn’t like the idea of you and him alone together.

“yes rhea, him. he just drove me back, nothing else happened” you sounded irritated and damian noticed it.

“okay well, what matters is that you are here and everything went fine, right?” damian asked, hinting at rhea to drop the topic. she simply nodded and went back to her training.

you were just doing your exercises when a notification pop up into your home screen.

it was a text from drew.

hey kid, no problem at all! i told you, if you need car rides or anything else, just give me a call ;)

“what is making you smile like that?” rhea asked with a hint of curiosity.

“oh nothing, i just received a text…”

“from who?” damian teased you.

“no one you should worry about” you teased back.

“ouch…” rhea pretended to be offended “you’re keeping secrets now?”

“gosh, no! it was nothing important anyway” you quickly replied, tried to focus on your exercises. rhea and damian shared a look without you noticing it, they were determined to find the mysterious person behind your morning smile,

i will keep it mind lol! are you still in bed? i’m working out with damian and rhea and i’m already tired :(

you quickly answered back. in that moment you realised that maybe he didn’t wanna talk to you and you were just being a bother. what if he didn’t want you to text him? what if you were being a bother? what if, what if, what if were already overworking in your mind but before you could think of something worse, drew texted you back.

still in bed but i will hit the gym in a few minutes, i really don’t feel like it after last night but i have to…guess if i won’t be too late i’ll see there ;)

yup, you were smiling like a teen in love and you really couldn’t understand why. it’s not that you had a crush on him, right?

“is it drew?” damian asked.

“what?”

“you have this happy smile since this morning and seeing that last night you and drew were car buddies…something might have happened…” he explained to you.

you were quiet for a minute. nothing really happened between you and drew but you couldn’t deny that you enjoyed his company, even if you didn’t have much of a conversation. he was kind and you couldn’t lie, he was hot, maybe too hot for you but aside from that, nothing happened.

before you could say yes or no, drew entered the gym with his teasing smile on his face.

“morning guys” he said smiling at damian and rhea “morning kid” he said smiling a little longer than to you.

rhea was beyond in disbelief “what was that?” she asked drew.

oh no, you thought. she was ready to cause chaos even outside of the company.

“what?” drew asked.

“that little stare at y/n, what was that?” she asked, a little more irritated.

“nothing to worry about, i just said good morning” he wanted to be petty but you knew rhea was a master in that.

“sure…don’t fuck with me drew” she started to get more defensive over you.

“okay can all we please calm down…” you said making them all turn their heads back to you “nothing is happening, can we please just go back to training please?” rhea was hesitant for a moment “please?” but she knew she couldn’t say no to you when you had those puppy eyes.

she didn’t wanna make you uncomfortable but she didn’t like this whole situation between you and drew.

“fine” she turned around and went back exercising with damian.

is she always like that?

drew texted you, making it hard for you not to laugh out loud. you simply nodded at him and he winked at you, making you blush.

two hours later and you were a sweaty mess “i need a shower, maybe two” you joked with damian, agreeing with you.

“i think i’ll rest for a bit…” damian said and you nodded.

“yeah” rhea joined “me too…i’m too tired today, plus we have to be back on the road tomorrow…i wanna sleep in today, y/n?”

“i’ll take a shower and then i’ll decide, probably i will order something to eat…” you smiled.

truth was you didn’t wanna stay in. you had to energy to spend the day in bed so you were probably going to sneak out and visit some places. so when you all left, you were quick to shower and to dress up.

wanna have lunch together? take out sounds nice but i think you would like some company :)

you smiled when drew texted you.

sure, i’ll meet you in the lobby in 30 minutes if that’s ok with you?

you waited for his reply with a little anxiety, so when he told you that it was perfect for him, you started your makeover and found something nice to wear.

you couldn’t lie, your heart was beating fast and faster the moment you approached the lobby.

“here we go” you whispered softly, mostly to yourself.

when you saw him, you couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was. he was a really hot man, you saw him fight almost naked every single week so you were used to it but seeing him all suit up, clean and fresh, did something to you.

“hey kid” he greeted you “you look good” he genuinely smiled at you.

you weren’t used to compliments su you didn’t really know what to say, apart from thank you.

“you don’t look bad either” you teased making him chuckle.

you were kinda surprised when he opened the car door for you. no one ever did anything nice like that - not that you ever dated anyone but being treated nice like this in general made your heart skip a beat.

the restaurant he chose was nice. not too fancy but it was cozy and nice “i hope you like it” he smiled at you.

“it’s really nice drew, thank you” growing up you became shy and more introvert so you didn’t really know how to make long lasting conversations but seeing drew being so happily awkward and shy made you happy.

the first few minutes were pretty awkward, you reading the menu and drew doing the same, deciding what to eat and taking your sweet time with it. you both opted for some fresh pasta and some chicken salad, both wanting to keep it healthy but still enjoying your lunch out.

“how are you y/n?” he gently asked.

“oh, i’m good thank you…what about you? still thinking about your victory at summerslam?” you smiled.

“of course, i will think about that moment for a while now” he chuckled “what about your summerslam?”

“mine was…something” you tried not to make it too awkward but it was like a fresh wound to you, you were still hurting about the betrayal and it will hurt for a while.

“yeah, i can imagine that…do you wanna talk about it?” he asked, fearing he overstepped.

“i…well, i wasn’t really expecting the group to break up like that, i knew there was tension but not that much…you know, they are, were like a family to me” you breathed out “and now damian and rhea are all i have, i can’t let them down you know?” you feared you may have talked too much but with drew’s kindness it came natural to you.

“i’ve been there, betrayals will stay impress in your mind but it will get better eventually…” he smiled at you and you felt more comfortable talking with him.

while eating, he talked about the most stupid things he liked but that made you happy, hearing something new from someone new.

“y/n…” he called, his serious tone more pronounced “can i ask you something? it’s a little personal and you can say no if i make you uncomfortable but i’m just curious…” he asked and you nodded “i’ve heard things…mostly rumors about you…everyone claim to know you but i feel like they don’t even know what they’re talking about” he said and you let him continue “they’ve been talking about you are basically…alone, that you don’t enjoy the other women company, they’ve been talking about how and your family don’t have any connection, how they think it’s your fault…basically a lot of stuff that i’m pretty sure it’s not real…that’s why i wanted to hear it from you, you are the only one who knows the truth…”

you weren’t going to lie but it kinda made you feel bad what your colleagues thought of you.

“i mean…they are not that wrong, i’m not good at making friends, i tried, since i joined wwe but it felt like i wasn’t really welcomed so i decided to stay by myself, at least until i met rhea and damian…and they are quite right about me not being in contact with my family but they don’t know the full story…and if you don’t mind i would like to keep it private for now” it was hard for you talking about your family.

“yes of course, i don’t wanna make you uncomfortable at all, but i thank you for opening up to me, i really appreciate it” he genuinely smiled and you felt like you could probably trust him.

so you ended up lunch with two pieces of cake and fought for who was going to pay. like the gentleman he is, of course, he offered to pay.

“thank you for this amazing lunch drew, i really enjoyed it…it was nice having someone to talk to” you truthfully said once you both got out of his car and he smiled at your genuine words.

“anytime kid” there was a moment after he spoke where you were both silent, not knowing what to do or what to say.

“uhm… i think i’m going to rest for a bit now” you awkwardly signed to the hotel entrance, trying to make him understand that you were about to leave but that you didn’t want to leave him standing right there in front of the glass doors.

“oh yeah, i think i’m going to rest too, so, uhm, thanks for coming with me” he said making you chucked while he got closer to you “i’ll see you on the road” he slowly lowered his head and gave you a gentle kiss on the cheek “take care” he smiled before going back to his room.

now, you were the one who was left standing there in front of the doors.

with your happy face and bright smile, you came back to your bedroom, unbeknownst to you, rhea saw everything from the her hotel room as the window was facing down the entrance.

“oh i’m gonna kick his ass” she said before leaving her room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

definitely be making part 4, i was just going to wait raw next monday to see if something happens with tjd! if you have any ideas or recommendations let me know in the comments!

[ohbueckers]

HEART OF A WOMAN. she has choices she should make i think she’s choosing it right now.

09, CHAPTER NINE. LET ME GO.

ju speaks. i sincerely apologize for the delay on this. i still think it’s poorly written despite the fact that i rewrote it so many times but i needed to get it out lol. i’m breaking hearts but i promise you’ll be somewhat satisfied with the ending. features some more crash out paige but more in a player’s prayer type of way… alsooo please vote on this. pairing. wnba!paige bueckers x female!oc. warnings. angst, maya appearance (she comes in peace)???

flashback, july 2022.

it feels like another lifetime—back when everything was louder, sharper. we were at that point where the distance between us wasn’t just physical but emotional, and it seemed like every call was another argument.

i almost didn’t make it to nai’s birthday in la that year. she was already stuck there because of her internship, and it was the one time she really wanted me there. we’d fought for days leading up to it, about God knows what, as usual. it always started with something small, like a misunderstanding or something i said without thinking, and then it snowballed. the kind of arguments that made you feel like you were suffocating in your own words, digging your heels in just to avoid apologizing.

but then… it was her birthday, and i couldn’t stand the thought of missing it, even though we couldn’t seem to stay on the same page. i almost said, fuck it, and didn’t go. but i knew i would regret it, so i pulled myself together and got on that damn plane.

i was in connecticut, locked into summer workouts with the team, drowning in exhaustion, trying to get through the motions and keep myself healthy. i kept putting off calling her, though, too busy wallowing in the mess we’d made, thinking about how far away we were, how it was easier to fight than make up.

but then that morning came. i called her in the middle of my frustration, half-hoping she’d just pick up and yell at me because, hell, i didn’t know how else to make things right. and when she did, when she finally answered and said she was waiting for me, everything felt like it clicked into place again.

we barely got to speak that day. the others were around, laughing, singing, but all i could do was watch her. nai. there she was, sitting across from me, a quiet storm in the way she held herself. i could’ve sworn everything about her felt like home in that moment, even when it was all so messed up. and when they started singing “happy birthday,” she was still just the only damn thing i could focus on. how she looked. how she sounded. how she made everything feel like it was meant to be, even when we were fighting for our lives.

i was supposed to be done with her. more importantly, she was supposed to be done with me. i told myself that a million times. but the truth was, the more she tried to leave it all behind, the harder it got to stay away.

and all i could think was, i’m not done with you. i’m never going to be done with you.

present day, july 2025.

“you still watching her?”

rickea’s voice broke through, her sneakers squeaking against the court as i dribbled my ball against the hardwood almost absentmindedly. it’s a game day. crew is here, some of the team, but kea, cam and i had been about an hour earlier than shoot around just for the hell of it.

“i’m not watching her,” i snapped back with a low grunt, lining up my jumper. it bounced right off the rim, almost to taunt me, and i didn’t miss the way rickea’s smirk widened. my head isn’t in this game. it probably won’t be by the time seven rolls around either.

i was watching. too hard. nai had noticed only once, and instead of waving me off or sending me a smile, she looked away and pretended it didn’t even happen.

“yeah, okay. so how’d you know i was talking about nai?”

i shot kea a side glance, annoyed that she’d even said her name out loud. “got her there,” cam chimed in, strolling over from the other side of the court with her own ball. she leaned against it, watching me with an all-too-knowing grin. “you two been a little quiet lately.”

i hesitated for just a second. not long enough for anyone else to notice—at least, i hoped not—but just enough to think about the silence between nai and me. quiet wasn’t even the word for it. it was like being stuck in a purgatory i couldn’t escape, knowing exactly what i wanted to say but being too damn scared to say it.

i hated how easily my thoughts drifted to her, even now, with kea and cam prying at me. i could still feel the last conversation we had replaying in my head—the way her words had cut deeper than she probably even realized. she probably didn’t even mean for them to. she said it like she didn’t. no more half-steps.

i know what i want.

i don’t know if i’m capable of getting it and keeping it.

and i couldn’t keep expecting her to wait around for me to figure it out.

“it’s called being busy,” i shot back, offering a forced smile that would hopefully get them off my back. it didn’t. “you know, prepping for a game? the thing we’re all ‘posed to be doing right now?”

“yeah, we’re busy,” cam said, dragging out the word like it was some great revelation. “but you’re distracted, and we know why.” she raised an eyebrow, looking like she was having way too much fun at my expense. “when was the last time you two even talked?”

“oh, wait,” kea interjected, putting a hand to her ear like she was trying to remember something. “was it that awkward ‘hi’ in the tunnel yesterday? or did you manage a full sentence this time?”

“ha, ha,” i deadpanned, dribbling my ball almost aggressively to drown them out. “check up, bro. let’s see who’s focused,” i said with the smuggest smile on my face, tossing the ball to rickea and squaring up in front of her.

“you’ve got a lot of nerve for someone who been bricking shots all morning,” kea pointed an accusatory finger at me, and i rolled my eyes, pulling up my joggers.

“less talk.”

she jab-stepped left, then tried to blow past me, but i was ready, cutting her off with a quick shuffle to the side. “nah,” i mumbled, poking the ball loose and snagging it before she could recover. “try again next time.”

“you’re feeling yourself now, huh?” kea challenged, jogging back to defend as i dribbled toward the hoop.

“always,” i shot back, faking right before crossing over to my left. i breezed past her and went up for an easy layup, the ball spinning perfectly off the backboard before dropping through the net.

as soon as my feet hit the ground, i turned to cam, sticking my tongue out at her like a kid who just won a playground game, sticking a big, fat ‘L’ on my forehead. “too slow!” i said, grinning as i jogged backward toward the three-point line.

“one layup isn’t a highlight reel!”

i was about to fire back when it happened—nai walked by on the sideline, clipboard in hand, her focus seemingly on the players warming up. but just as i turned to look, she glanced my way and caught me mid-stare. she didn’t look away this time, and before i could think too much about it, she gave me a smile. not one of her usual polite, professional smiles, but something softer. brief but intimate, just enough to pull me in and spit me right back out when she turned away again. it was so quick, i almost convinced myself it didn’t happen.

my heart did this annoying little flip, and i nearly tripped over my own feet as i turned back to the game. the ball rickea had passed came flying toward me, smacking me lightly in the chest.

“oh, my God, we lost her again.”

the door to the supply room squeaked as i nudged it open with my shoulder, balancing a stack of extra towels in one hand and my clipboard in the other. game days were always crazy—organized crazy, thanks to me—but i was good at it. every minute was accounted for, every detail triple-checked. there was no room to think about anything else, and i liked it that way.

setting the towels on the shelf, i glanced down at my clipboard, double-checking the inventory count against my list. the sound of faint footsteps caught my attention, and i glanced over my shoulder. my heart dropped—i think to my ass—when i saw her.

maya.

she hovered in the doorway, hands shoved into her jacket pockets, her expression hesitant. it was a strange look for her—maya never hesitated. she moved like she always knew exactly where she stood, always so sure. but now? now she just looked… conflicted. i think everything that happened knocked her down a notch.

my first instinct was to tell her to leave, but i refrained. “hey,” i said finally, turning fully to face her. my eyes narrowed slightly as i studied her. “what’s up?”

she stepped inside, letting the door click shut behind her, and suddenly the room felt smaller. “can we talk for a second?” she asked, shifting on her feet.

i leaned back against the shelf, crossing my arms over my chest. “talk about what?”

maya hesitated, her eyes flickering to… well, everything but me before meeting mine again. “about everything,” she said softly, almost like she wasn’t sure the words would come out. “about… you, me, paige. all of it.”

“you don’t have to do this.”

“i think i do,” she replied quickly, almost too quickly, like she’d been waiting for the chance to say it. “i just… i wanted to say i’m sorry, nai. for everything. for how it all played out.”

i studied her for a moment, trying to gauge how much of this was for me and how much of it was for her. “i should’ve told you.” still, it was hard to hold onto any lingering anger when she looked at me like that—like she genuinely meant it. “about me and paige. i shouldn’t have kept it from you, maya. that was fucked up.”

maya’s lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes dropping to the floor for a moment. “yeah,” she said softly, almost like she hadn’t expected me to admit it. “maybe. but i wasn’t exactly innocent either.” she glanced back. “i should’ve walked away when i realized.”

“realized what?” i asked, tilting my head, though i already had a feeling i knew the answer.

her laugh was small, humorless. “i mean… it was obvious, nai.”

i froze, still gaining the nerve to ask, “obvious how?”

maya raised a brow, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. “oh, you’re serious.” she shook her head lightly, as if the answer should’ve been clear. “even when you weren’t saying it out loud, it was all over your faces. the way you talked to each other, the way you didn’t.”

i feel terrible. “maya—“

“it’s not a dig,” she interrupted, holding up her hands. “it’s just… the way you two are. it’s not something you can really hide, nai. trust me, i tried to ignore it. thought maybe i was overthinking or projecting or whatever. but i wasn’t.”

i swallowed, hard, trying to find the right words, but nothing felt like enough. maya sighed, leaning back against the door like she was anchoring herself there.

“look,” she said, softening her words up as if i was fragile. “i get it. you don’t owe me anything. but i wanted to tell you that i talked to paige.”

my head snapped up at that, her name alone making my heart skip. “you did?”

maya nodded, her eyes steady on me. “on the phone a few nights ago. i needed to get it off my chest, you know? everything that went down… it was a mess. and i don’t think paige even realized how much of it was on her until we talked.”

i nodded, and she continued.

maya squinted at me. “paige said she loves you.” the words didn’t sound new. paige had been telling me she’s loved me since high school—sometimes with her words, sometimes with her actions, and sometimes in the quiet spaces between. so why did it strike me like a blow this time? “and i believe her. but… i don’t know. does it ever feel like she only tries when she’s scared you’ll leave?”

my breath caught, and for a moment, i couldn’t think of anything to say. the question wasn’t meant to hurt me—at least, it didn’t feel that way—but it landed right where it was supposed to. deep, direct, in the places i tried not to think about too much. i was immediately defensive. “you can’t—“

maya tilted her head slightly, studying me like she was trying to figure out how much of this i already knew. “maybe not. but it’s worth asking, isn’t it?”

i wanted to deny it. to tell her she didn’t understand, that she didn’t see the weekends during college, the little moments that no one else got to witness. the times when paige showed up, not because she was scared of losing me but because she wanted to be there.

but maya wasn’t entirely wrong, was she? there were times when it felt like paige’s love came in waves—strong and all-encompassing when the fear of losing me loomed, and quieter, more distant, when she felt secure. it wasn’t that she didn’t love me; it was just… complicated.

“she tries,” i said finally, convincing myself of it. “paige does try. maybe it’s not perfect, but she loves me. i know that.”

maya’s lips pressed into a thin line. “i just needed to say that. to let you know i’m sorry for my part in all of this. and… i hope it works out. for you and paige.”

i could see the sincerity in her eyes. she wasn’t here to stir the pot or make things worse. she was here because she cared, even if her timing was terrible.

“thanks,” i said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.

and then she was gone, leaving me alone in the supply room with her words ringing in my ears. i leaned back against the shelf, closing my eyes as the weight of it all settled over me.

maya’s voice played on a loop in my mind: paige only knows how to love when she’s afraid of losing something.

and for the first time, i wondered if maya was right.

i’d gotten to the office earlier than usual, telling myself it was because i had work to do. but really, i just wanted to be alone. birthdays used to mean something, but now they felt more like a reminder of how much had changed. the kind of day where you couldn’t help but take stock of everything and everyone in your life—who was still there, who wasn’t, and who only came around when it suited them.

my desk was a mess of papers and sticky notes i didn’t feel like sorting through. i kept staring at my laptop screen, pretending to work while my mind wandered. i thought about the flowers that would probably show up later from people i barely spoke to. the texts i’d get from coworkers who’d remember because of a calendar alert. and, of course, i thought about paige.

the no-contact rule was still in place, and even though i knew she was respecting it, part of me still wondered if that was her way of playing it safe. keeping distance until she was sure i wasn’t going anywhere. that had always been how it felt between us, and i couldn’t help but think that today, of all days, would be the one day she might break the silence.

and i was right. “we can make an exception for a national holiday, right?” she teased.

there she was, leaning in the doorway, a bouquet of flowers in her hands. her grey nike tech was speckled with rain droplets, her hood pulled up but not doing much to hide the strands of blonde hair sticking to her forehead. still, her eyes found mine instantly, scanning me like she was trying to read me before i even said a word.

“paige,” i dragged out, my name on her lips almost like a scolding, but the slow upturn of my smile completely gave me away.

she bit back her own grin, her lip caught between her teeth. “happy birthday, nai.”

i stood up, the flowers still in her hand as i crossed the space between us. she handed them to me without a word, and i hugged her almost instinctively. she was still damp from the rain, but it didn’t matter.

“you’re very early,” i said into her shoulder, my words muffled.

“nah, this is perfectly timed,” she replied, pulling back slightly but keeping her hands on my shoulders. her thumbs pressed gently into them like she knew how tense i’d been all morning. “besides, i didn’t wanna risk showing up and missing you.”

i rolled my eyes playfully. “you think i’d skip out on my own birthday?”

she smirked. “i dunno. you don’t exactly seem excited about it.”

“hmm,” i paused, screwing my eyes shut as i leaned into the massage. “it’s too early to be excited,” i shot back.

“fair,” she settled, tilting her head as her thumbs hit just the right spots. “nika and them flyin’ in today.”

that pulled a genuine smile at me. she mentioned it a bit ago, how some of her old teammates would be coming to see her play soon. “yeah? when’re they landing?”

“this afternoon. nika texted me last night about it,” paige said, and i can’t help but think about how good we are at this small talk thing. it’s so easy to get lost in what feels normal. “we play storm in two days, so… figured we’d spend some time together before the game.”

i nodded, knowing nika had been one of the constants in paige’s life since their freshman year at uconn, and i’d always admired the way their friendship seemed to hold its own weight, no matter what else was happening around them.

“i’m assuming you wanna see them,” paige added.

“duh,” i replied easily, cracking one eye open to give her a pointed look.

“i’ll set sum’ up,” she replied, and i nodded. her hands stayed on my shoulders, pausing just long enough to tap them before stepping back. “you good? you seem… off.”

i hesitated, caught off guard by the question even though i shouldn’t have been. paige had always been good at reading me, sometimes better than i wanted her to be. “yeah,” i said quickly, too quickly. “just… long morning already.”

“mmhm,” she replied, clearly unconvinced, but she didn’t push. instead, she leaned against the edge of my desk, her hands slipping into the pockets of her hoodie.

“you sure?” she asked again after a moment, and i knew i wouldn’t be getting away with saying nothing.

she stated at me, and i found my lies slipping away. my mouth fell wider with each passing second, and when her eyes darted to my lips, i seemed to snap up out of it, busying myself with the tax of fixing an already perfect vase of flowers onto my desk. “i just—i talked to maya.”

i could hear paige shift in front of me before letting out a quiet chuckle. “okay,” she said, dragging the word out like she already knew where this was going. “what she say?”

her tone was casual, but when i looked up at her fully turned figure, she had that look in her eyes—guarded, careful, like she was already bracing herself. “nothing bad,” i started, furrowing my eyebrows. “just… stuff about us. about how things went down.”

paige raised a brow, crossing her arms over her chest as she tilted her head slightly. “uh-huh. like what?”

“like how it always feels like you only show up when you’re afraid of losing something.”

i couldn’t help but watch her, waiting for her reaction. for her to say something, anything.

paige’s posture shifted immediately, her arms tightening over her chest as her lips pressed into a thin line. “you letting her feed you bullshit again, nai?” she asked.

“don’t do that. it’s not bullshit,” i replied. “it’s how it feels sometimes.”

“to who? you?” she challenged, taking a step closer. her eyes searched mine, narrowing slightly, but there was no malice in them—just frustration. “or maya? ’cause she loves spinning her little stories, and you know that.”

“paige.” i sighed, shaking my head as i tried to keep the conversation from spiraling. i didn’t exactly want to argue. “this isn’t about maya. it’s about me, about us.”

“nah, you just said you talked to her,” paige shot back, gesturing vaguely toward me. “and now you’re standing here like she knows me better than you do. like she knows us better than we do,” she argued, adding a, “c’mon, that’s not fair.”

“isn’t it, though?” i asked, meeting her gaze head-on. “you’re here now, but only because it’s my birthday. because you knew i’d expect you to show up.”

paige’s eyes flickered away for a split second, down to her pocket, before snapping back to mine. “you really think that’s the only reason i’m here?”

i didn’t say anything. i didn’t need to—the look on my face must’ve told her everything.

her shoulders dropped slightly, and she let out a humorless laugh, shaking her head. “that’s crazy, nai. you know that’s crazy, right?”

“it’s not about how i see you, pai—“

her expression had hardened, like she’d put up a wall i couldn’t reach past. “you know what? maybe you’re right. maybe this whole thing is just me showing up when it’s convenient.”

“you know that’s not what i meant.”

“nah,” she cut me off, stepping back toward the door. “if that’s how you feel, then what am i even doing here? clearly, it don’t matter.”

“it does matter,” i said quickly, but the words didn’t seem to land. fuck, i’m an idiot.

“not to you, it don’t,” she replied, her voice clipped. she paused for a second, her hand on the doorknob, before turning back to look at me. “it’s cool. you got your flowers. happy birthday, nai.”

and just like that, she was gone. the click of the door felt louder than it should’ve, and i stood there, staring at the empty space she left behind, wondering how we managed to end up here—again.

“nai… she… fuck, nika.”

i swirled the half-melted ice in my glass. the bourbon wasn’t hitting the way i needed it to, but it was definitely hitting. i don’t drink fucking bourbon. i’m sure i’d drink about a gallon of it right now though. “we had this argument earlier. it’s like she doesn’t see how hard i’m trying, you know? like she’s convinced i only show up when i’m scared i’m losing her or something.”

nika leaned back in her seat, eyebrows raised. “those her words, or yours?” she asked, the corners of her mouth twitching.

“hers,” i mumbled, tipping the glass back for a too-big sip.

“damn.” right!?

i scrubbed a hand down my face, leaning into the bar like it could hold me up. my stomach twisted, and for once, it wasn’t from the alcohol. “she just—she don’t get it, you know? like, yeah, i fucked up before, but i’m trying now. i’m really trying, and she doesn’t even see it. she doesn’t even try to see it. at least i’m trying, like—“

“maybe ease up on the drink first before you start spiraling,” azzi cut in from the other side of the bar. she was nursing a soda, her judgmental stare boring into me like an older sister i didn’t ask for.

i shot her a glare. “you’re ‘posed to be team paige.”

“i am team paige,” she said, crossing her arms and smiling sweetly. i stuck my tongue out at her.

the bar in nika’s hotel was louder than i expected for a wednesday night. maybe it was the group of us taking up the corner table, or maybe it was just me being on edge. i felt like i was moving through the motions, laughing when everyone else did, nodding along to conversations i wasn’t really following.

it all started to show as soon as the alcohol kicked in. i could feel myself slipping, letting it take me to that reckless place i always ended up in when it came to her. i stared at my phone, the glow of the screen blurring slightly as i typed out another text. i didn’t care if she was out, if she was at her party surrounded by people who probably cared more than i ever showed. i just needed her to hear me.

and here i was, sitting in a damn hotel bar, drunk as hell, making everything worse just because i couldn’t leave her alone. but i texted.

and texted and texted and texted.

paige: so youure just gonna ignore me? 10:21pm

bet

paige: you wouldnr even be mad rn if you just let me fix it 10:24pm

but you don’t rven want to let me try bro

paige: i hate when we don’t talk 10:26pm

can we talk?

the words blurred slightly as i reread them, but i didn’t delete anything. instead, i kept going, typing out every thought that popped into my head, no matter how ridiculous it sounded.

paige: please baby jus wanna hear your voice 10:27pm

paige: i came w my mind made uo today 10:31pm

i just couldn’t sau it i’m so sorry

could’nt give it to you

delivered. delivered. delivered. not a single one read.

my phone buzzed in my hand, and for a second, i thought it was another notification. but no—her name lit up the screen, a call coming through. my heart jumped into my throat. i stared at it, frozen, until it rang out.

“shit,” i mumbled, fumbling with the phone as i stumbled out of my seat.

nika grabbed my arm to steady me. “where you going?”

“outside,” i mumbled, shoving my phone into my hoodie pocket.

the rain hit me as soon as i stepped out, the cold shocking enough to sober me up just a little. i ducked under the hotel’s awning, the noise of the rain hitting the roof above me almost drowning out the sound of my phone. my fingers shook as i called her back. the phone rang once, twice, three times before going to voicemail. i swore, pulling my hand into my jacket pocket.

well, the first call goes to voicemail.

the second one does too.

i try a third time, pacing.

finally, the line clicks. “paige,” nai says, and i can hear the hesitance in her voice. i can hear it, and i hate that i put it there.

“nai,” i breathe, her name coming out in a rush. the rain’s loud on my end, and i know she can hear it. “i—i’m sorry, okay? just—please don’t hang up. i had to talk to you. i can’t… i can’t keep doin’ this, fuck—“

“you’re drunk?” she asks flatly. i could hear the music in the background, and i conclude that she probably hadn’t seen my texts.

“you’re mad at me…” i continued. “i get it… i walked out on you, but you could barely look at me today, and—“

“paige, shut up. where are you?”

“outside nika’s hotel,” i muttered, wiping my face with my sleeve even though it didn’t help.

“stay there,” she said, and the line went dead.

a party hadn’t been my only surprise tonight. hell, it hadn’t been my only surprise of the entire day.

i should’ve been celebrating, right? enjoying the fact that people cared enough to throw me this party, that everyone had gathered in one place for me. but all i could think about was paige. and everything that came with her.

i hadn’t expected to hear from her at all tonight, let alone get the damn text messages that practically screamed desperation. though, half of me still passed on the alcohol for tonight as some kind of gut feeling. i knew she was drunk. i could tell from her words—hell, i could tell from the way she sent them in a blur, as if she couldn’t hold the phone still long enough to type a single coherent sentence.

i should’ve been upset. angry even. all those stupid things she’d done, all the mess she’d made, all the times she’d promised to change and then didn’t—it all came rushing back. i should’ve been furious. but there i was, standing in the middle of a damn party, my damn party, staring at my phone like it held the answers to every question i’d ever asked.

and then came the call.

it wasn’t even a question of if i would answer. i couldn’t not.

“nai,” her voice came through, shaky and full of guilt. “i—i’m sorry, okay? just—please don’t hang up. i had to talk to you. i can’t… i can’t keep doin’ this, fuck—”

i had to step away from the group. i couldn’t focus on anything but her voice, the sound of it cracking through the static, pulling at something deep inside me. the music in the background was too loud, but i heard every word she said.

“you’re drunk?” i asked, my voice flat, trying not to let the frustration leak through.

“you’re mad at me…” she trailed off, and i knew exactly where this was going.

her text messages had been pleading, full of “baby, please”s and “i’m sorry”s, but this? this felt different. it wasn’t just her trying to get me to forgive her. it was her trying to convince me to fully let her in again. it was her realizing i was slipping. again.

and there couldn’t have been any more confirmation.

i drove through the rain, the windshield wipers squeaking as they tried to clear the downpour. i pulled in front of the hotel’s awning, the lights from the sign reflecting on the wet pavement. i killed the engine and just sat there for a moment, my fingers gripping the steering wheel as i took a deep breath.

the knock on my window pulled me from my thoughts. i glanced up, and there was nika, standing in the rain, her coat pulled tightly around her. i rolled the window down just enough to hear her.

“she’s over there,” nika said, nodding towards the edge of the awning, her finger pointing to one of the hotel’s pillars. “she wouldn’t come inside or anything until you got here.”

i stared at the spot for a second. the rain was coming down so hard, the air was cold for it being summer, and paige was still out there, waiting. waiting for me. i didn’t know if that made it worse or better.

“thanks,” i muttered, forcing a tight smile. nika didn’t say anything else, just gave me a quick nod before heading back inside. i guess she figured this wasn’t a time for pleasantries.

i got out of the car, the rain immediately soaking through the jacket i threw over the nice blouse cam had gifted me. i could hear paige before i saw her, her voice cutting through the sound of the rain.

“nai, baby, look, i swear i didn’t mean to fuck everything up—”

“paige,” i interrupted. i couldn’t let her ramble on, not like this. “you don’t need to explain anything right now. just—”

“no, no, just listen! i’m so sorry,” she cut me off again. she took a step closer, and i pushed at her hips, trying to keep her at a distance. “i know i messed up. i know i fucked up, so many times. but—fuck, nai, i’m here. i’m here right now, and i’m gonna make this right. you don’t really believe maya, do you?”

this was a side of paige i hadn’t seen in a long time. she wasn’t trying to be strong, wasn’t trying to prove a point. she was just…asking.

“i believe you,” i stated plainly, avoiding her eyes as i tried to pull her toward the car.

paige’s shoulders dropped, her brows furrowing as she complied to my pulling. “you’re lying.”

i exhaled sharply, finally getting somewhere as i wrapped my fingers gently around her wrist. “i want you to get in the car.”

“i don’t… wanna get in the car, bro. i wanna talk.”

“we can talk in the car,” i insisted, not wanting to drag this out any longer. it was already too much.

paige dragged her feet along the pavement, her rambles continuing, making it harder to get her to the passenger seat in a timely matter. “you look so good tonight.” “fuck.” “i’m sorry for ruining your night.” “i didn’t mean to mess this up.”

finally, i opened the passenger door, and paige slid in with a small, unsteady huff, like she was relieved to be inside. i crouched down beside the door, lowering myself to her level as i reached for the seatbelt.

paige shifted slightly, still muttering under her breath, her words blurred together in the same cycle of regret and self-reproach. “i’m gonna fix this. i promise i will.”

“i don’t need you to,” i said, my voice barely above a whisper as i clicked the seatbelt into place, making sure it was secure. paige paused, and i tightened the strap for her, putting my focus solely on that.

“what? i know…” she hiccuped, shifting again as she tugged on the zipper of her jacket, scrunching her face up like the fabric had been bothering her. i reached out and helped her get it off her arms, the motion feeling almost automatic. “i haven’t been the best girlfriend, ex.. whatever.”

“it’s fine.”

“it’s not fine.” and she said it again, almost as if to tell the truth for both of us. “it’s not fine and… i’m gonna do right by you, swear, baby.” her words trailed off into another hiccup as she looked at me, her eyes pleading. i didn’t respond.

i’m sick of words. so sick of fucking words.

“did you have a good birthday?” she continued, her voice small now, and i could tell she was getting tired too. “i know i’ve been a mess—”

“it’s okay,” i said, my tone flat, trying not to let her guilt weigh on me. “we’ll talk when you’re sober.”

“nai, i just need to—” she started, but i cut her off, shaking my head.

“we can get everything straight… when you’re sober. not now.”

her face fell. “i got you a promise ring,” she blurted out, her eyes wide and frantic. “i was gonna give it to you. but i… i couldn’t. i couldn’t, nai, i was gonna do it today. i really was, but i didn’t know how.”

i was frozen for a moment. “what?” the word came out before i could stop it. i blinked, trying to process what she was saying. “promise ring? you… had a ring for me?”

i stayed silent, my chest tight as i processed everything she was saying. the ring, the flowers, her promises. it all felt like a cruel reminder of everything i had to let go. everything we had been and everything that we weren’t anymore.

paige hiccupped, the alcohol causing her words to slur further. “yeah… had it in my pocket. i came all ready to give it to you, but… i couldn’t. just couldn’t.”

“paige, stop it,” i finally whispered, my voice breaking slightly. i finally looked at her. really looked at her before attempting to get up. “you’re embarrassing yourself.”

her face faltered, but she didn’t let go of me, her hands trembling as she reached for my face, pulling me closer. “what do you want, nai?” the way she said it... “you want me to stop showing up? you want me to leave you alone? ‘cause i can do that. i can leave you alone. i can do that if that’s what you really want.” the way she pleads like she’ll do anything, has me on the verge of believing it.

my heart pounded in my chest. she was still holding onto this idea, this hope that i could come back. her eyes softened, and she leaned in closer, like she was trying to get through to me, but it felt suffocating.

“just let me go, paige,” i said, my voice hoarse. “let me go. please,” i muttered, lolling my head to try and get out of her grasp. i pressed my hand into her thigh, steadying myself on the ground.

her hands only gripped my face tighter, her thumb running over my jaw, her touch too familiar to the first time. too much.

silence. and then, “that’s what you want?”

i closed my eyes, trying to ignore the way her hands felt on my cheeks. the way her voice cracked, desperate and pleading, it hit something deep inside me. no, i wanted to say. no, i don’t want this. but living a lie had been outdated.

“yes,” i finally managed.

her thumb slid up under my eye, gently brushing away a tear that escaped. “look at me when you say it.”

no. no, no, no.

“look at me, nai. tell me you mean it,” she repeated.

i mean it. the words felt heavy, like they were being dragged out of me, but they were the only thing that made sense anymore.

i lifted my eyes slowly, meeting hers. “i mean it,” i said, barely a breath, but enough for her to hear. “i need you to let go, paige.”

for a moment, there was nothing but the sound of the rain against the pavement and our uneven breaths. her grip didn’t loosen at first, like she was weighing the words, like she was holding onto the last shred of something she didn’t want to let go of.

but then, just like that, she pulled her hands away from my face, the movement stiff and mechanical. her eyes became empty, almost like they were looking right through me. she didn’t say anything—didn’t try to argue, didn’t plead. she just withdrew, the shift in her demeanor so abrupt it was as if the weight of everything we had was just… gone.

“okay.”

i turned then, slowly at first, and then more decisively as i made my way back to the driver’s seat, the rain still coming down hard around us. i didn’t look back, even though i felt her eyes on me, even though i knew she was still there.

after so many tries, i realized i couldn’t do this again. i couldn’t let her in.

and for the first time in what felt like forever, i let go, and it felt… right?

[auggieblogs]

"I'm not even drunk" | OP81

Oscar Piastri x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of being drunk?

Author's note: Hiiii, beautiful people. I hope everyone is doing good. This one shot is inspired by a tiktok I watched recently. It was very cute and I hated it so much (I was jealous). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Happy reading:))

��୨୧⋆ ˚masterlist

It was your 21st birthday, and Las Vegas was the chosen destination for the celebration. Oscar, your boyfriend, planned the entire trip, determined to make it the most memorable birthday you'd ever experience. Initially hesitant about the idea, it took a considerable amount of persuasion, involving nearly the entire Formula 1 grid, especially Max, to get you on board. The Formula 1 drivers were on a break, and they were ready to party.

The night kicked off with Lando popping champagne during the cake-cutting ceremony. You were handed a glass, and with a cheeky grin, Lando said, "Cheers to being legal everywhere now! Except maybe on Mars." You felt the bubbles tickling your nose as you laughed with joy.

But then came the tequila shots with Max and Checo, and suddenly, sophistication was replaced with the burning sensation of regret and lime wedges.

By the end of the night, you were on a first-name basis with every type of alcohol, and Oscar gave you that "we're going to need a mop later" look.

Oscar, being the responsible partner he was, barely had a drink. He watched over you, wanting you to enjoy the night to the fullest.

As the night ramped up, you were on the verge of climbing onto the pool table, ready to deliver a speech that probably would've made Shakespeare question his career choices. Oscar intervened just in time, gently pulling you down with a, "Let's get back to the room, baby. I think you've had enough." You, however, were convinced the party had just begun. "No, Oscar, the night is still young," you slurred.

"But love, you'll be exhausted tomorrow, and the hangover won't be fun," Oscar reasoned, successfully convincing you to return to the hotel room.

Eventually, Oscar managed to coax you into a cab, where you continued to babble about how you weren't even drunk and thanking him for the incredible night. Your words were a bit of a jumble, but Oscar simply smiled, appreciating your genuine happiness. He sat next to you, nodding along with a patient smile, occasionally muttering an "Oh, really?" or a "That's amazing" to keep you going.

Upon reaching the hotel, you clung to Oscar like a drunken sloth. In the elevator, you gave him a squinty-eyed grin, saying, "I'm not even drunk, Oscar!"

He shot back, "Really? What's with the wobbly legs then?"

"You, baby," you replied with a wink, your laughter echoing off the elevator walls. Oscar just chuckled, probably wondering if he should get you a helmet.

Exiting the elevator, Oscar tried reasoning with you, "You're wasted, love." You straightened up with all the dignity of a penguin trying to impersonate a giraffe. "I'm as sober as a cat in a cucumber garden!"

Back in front of your hotel room, Oscar, in full dad mode, hands on hips, challenged you, "Prove it! Show me you're not drunk."

"Oh, I'll prove it," you announced, pulling out your phone to make a phone call to Lando. "He'll tell you I'm as sober as a... a really sober thing!"

When Lando answered, you shouted into the phone, "Lando, tell Oscar I'm not drunk!" Lando's laughter erupted from the speaker, "Yeah, you're definitely drunk, you muppet."

You rolled your eyes and handed the phone to Oscar, pouting, "He's the drunk one, not me!"

Determined to seal the deal, you declared, "I can tap dance to prove I'm not drunk!" And without waiting for a response, you started a wobbly tap dance routine in the hallway ( which was more like a human interpretation of a malfunctioning robot than a dance).

Oscar doubled over with laughter catching you just as you lost your balance. "Alright, alright, you've made your point!"

As you both stumbled into the hotel room, still giggling, you managed to blurt out, "Best birthday ever," before collapsing onto the bed. Oscar, smiling like a lovestruck puppy, joined you on the bed, engulfing you in the biggest bear hug and said "Happy birthday, love. You're never drinking again."

[sthavoc]

Hi bestie!! Can I please request this It’s Enzo’s birthday party at a club and you’re friends but not like besties and of course you have a huge crush so during the party he tries to spend a lot of time with you and you’re like is this real? but a lot of friends and girls are congratulating him so he steps away.

So when he comes back to you he says “I know what I want as my present” and you’re nervous like ok ? and he goes “I want a kiss” so you smirk playfully and say “oh sure close your eyes” and you kiss his forehead and he looks at you like stop messing with me and you go “oh is this not what your looking for ? Maybe you want this ?” And you kiss idk his cheek and you get closer and closer to his mouth until he says “don’t tease me you’re gonna regret it “ and you’re like “prove it “

And bam. Sparks fly. 🎆🎇

My inspiration was this video honestly he looks so good ! Thank youuuuu

https://x.com/enzovarchive/status/1767580921610268732?s=46&t=RPVpXPGkWnVvjZR8AmB-Qw

🎉꡴ 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 | ENZO VOGRINCIC

·˚ ༘ pairing: enzo x fem!reader

·˚ ༘ summary: for enzo’s birthday there is only one thing he asks and wishes for, a kiss from you.

·˚ ༘ warnings: teasing.

·˚ ༘ note: guys I’m so lateeee but I still can’t believe enzo turned 31. he looks so good in that videooo. where I live it’s still enzo’s birthday so I decided to still post something. I’m so sorry if I have any grammar mistakes, I didn’t have time to proofread.

Today was Enzo’s birthday. You couldn’t help but feel the excitement pump through your veins as you stood in front of the man, your heart fluttering with joy as well. The devoted attention only made your heart go faster and the thoughts that were rambling all over your brain couldn’t be controlled.

You couldn’t believe that Enzo instead of spending his birthday dancing and hanging out with the rest of his friend group was spending it with you, out of all people. It was surprising because the both of you were not that close as much as the rest of the cast, and even if you weren’t you still couldn’t help but gain the feelings you accumulated.

“espérame tantito chiquita, ya regreso.” Enzo walked away quickly to be able to greet the people who were arriving at the club for his birthday.

He had been going back and forth in greeting, but he would always come back to you. Tons of girls were trying to flirt with him and being touchy but he would find a way to shut them out and come back to you.

You waited stirring your drink patiently with your hand resting above your chin. “No me imagine que fuera a venir demasiada gente.” His voice crashes your thoughts but immediately makes a smile appear on your lips.

“Pues te lo mereces.” The soft smile continues on your lips as you watch him, he as well smiling at you. “¿Te la estás pasando bien?”

“De masiado.” He drinks. “Pero te aseguro que to tan bien como ellos.” He points to the guys.

They were all gathered in a huge circle causing a riot. Their screams of enjoyment filled the area and the voices of singing did as well. They were for sure drunk.

“Hmm. ¿Y que te dieron?” You make a motion with your chin towards the birthday bag that he had placed over the bar table.

“Un perfume, o algo así.” He shrugged squinting his eye for a split second. His next sentence followed after a sip of his drink, something that made you think. “¿Te acordas que me preguntaste algunas veces que quería para mi cumpleaños?”

“¿Ah huh?” You nod not thinking so much about it.

His eyes stared into nothing else but your eyes. “ Ya se lo que quiero”

His look made you a tad nervous, swallowing you replied. “¿Y que es?” but his answer was the cherry on top for your nervousness.

“Un beso tuyo.” He smirked as he noticed your reaction, but you thought, two can play that game. You weren’t sure if it was the alcohol.

“¿Un beso?” Your lips reflected his smirk as you stared at him. Was he getting closer? or was it the tension that was growing?

“Sí.” He passes his tongue through his lips wetting them.

You had thought about wanting to kiss Enzo, there was no denying it. But for it to ever happen was never in your thoughts, for you guys never spoke on the daily or for hours.

The bit of alcohol you had in you was giving you the confidence you needed.

“Dale.” You nod followed by a smirk, but thought of something. “Cierra los ojos.”

He did as follows, and obviously what he didn’t see coming was that you got closer to his forehead instead of his lips. This action made his eyes instantly open and made you giggle.

Enzo let out a small sigh as he smiled again, his eyes talked more than his mouth. A look that told you he didn’t want to be messed around with anymore.

“¿Oh eso no es lo que quieres? Quizás, ¿es esto?” You let out with a hint of tease in your voice.

Your lips met his cheek but they slowly began to move towards his lips, staying close to his but not moving.

“Ya no juegues chiquita, lo vas a lamentar.” He whispered with his hot breath hitting you making you swallow.

He was challenging, and that’s what you liked about Enzo. He would prove what he was capable of doing.

“Pruébalo.” You say.

And you didn’t need to tell the man twice. His hand went towards the back of your neck pulling you towards him to cut the space that was left between the both of you. Kissing Enzo felt like a craving you were finally able to eat, a problem you were finally able to solve, and the satisfaction that came after that felt amazing.

He would constantly bite your lip but you didn’t stay behind, as so would you.

But the two of you remembered where the both of you were so you cut the kiss. Your lips couldn’t help to form a soft dumb smile, the plumpness of them was noticeable to Enzo as he passed his finger through your bottom lip, this made him bring you back for another kiss that caught you by surprise.

“Otro regalito que quería.” He whispers making the two of you chuckle.

“Feliz cumpleaños Enzo.” You looked him in the eyes as both of your hands rested on his shoulders.

To Enzo, this was the best gift he had received through the whole night because it came from you and it was you.

[k-dokja]

bf vinny hong x reader fluff ❤️

I haven’t read this for months and I really shouldn’t write for a series I know nothing about anymore but c’est la vie...

He thought about it. Buying a ring for you to celebrate your two-years anniversary might have been a luxury for him, but with his new income, it’s not too far beyond his reach. He shouldn’t really think about this when his mother lies ill in the hospital, but he has never been rational about you.

It’s strange and silly to think about what he’s doing. He pushed everyone else away, even tried to push you away at one point. The keyword is “tried” because he never really succeeded. Not when you read him before he could do it and he was too greedy to let you go.

It’s selfish and stupid, all of these things he wants.

Again and again, he thinks that he should let you go. You wouldn’t listen and now he thought about a ring. He gave you the chance to leave, times and times again. You wouldn’t listen and now he’s thinking about giving you a shackle because he’s horrible and awful and he’ll break your heart.

Gold would look nice on your skin. He has decided.

But giving it to you is another story. He pockets the purchase and ignores its weight in his coat.

"What do you want to do for our anniversary?" Vinny asks once when you're half-asleep in the morning, too soft and fragile for him to leave without breaking his own heart, too.

"Huh?" You blink, still slow to wake. "Whatever is fine, as long as I'm with you."

You slump back to sleep, content to be in his arms when you deserve so much more. After a few seconds, you perk up again, and a look of confusion is on your face. "Wait, you remember our anniversary."

Vinny shrugs, a little disgruntled that you have to point that out. "Not really, it just comes to mind." But it's a lie and he knows it. He remembers that day in September when you asked him what he wanted for his birthday, and he realised he only wanted you. What he did back then might have been a mistake, dragging you into his mess.

But he wishes he could regret it more. Maybe you wouldn't be here, stuck being happy with the bare minimum.

"So, do you have anything in mind?" Vinny asks again, running his fingers through your soft strands.

You lie back down with a happy smile, "I already said anything is fine." Just like that, you slip back to sleep again. He hates that it takes you so little to be happy. You should want more, demand more from him, so these ugly feelings would feel justified in their existence.

Instead, he glances down at your hand on his chest and wonders what your ring finger would look like with his gift on it.

[aesthetic-bbyg]

BEACON OF HOPE ~ Sanji

LA!sanji x fem!reader

Warnings ! : being yelled at, daddy issues bc it’s the best fanfic seasoning, angst, fluff, abuse from parental figure, double standards, misogyny (or sexism?)

Nattie speaks: a lil something to y’all fed + I need a man like Sanji to comfort me and my daddy issues🙏

ZEFF WAS IN SOME SORT OF MOOD that day. The harsh trudging of his footsteps as he exited and entered the kitchen while bellowing orders was more then enough evidence to prove your point. Nobody in the kitchen even dared to breath the wrong way, afraid of the ex-pirates response. Even Sanji had managed to bite his tongue and hold back any snide remarks to keep the Zeff’s anger at bay.

You avoided any trouble all day, not causing a disturbance when a costumer was being particularly rude. You simply did you’re job was a waitress, took down orders and dropped them off at the kitchen, later coming back to collect the food and give them to the diners. You’d refused to even think about slacking off just a bit, not going over to Sanji for a couple flirtatious exchanges like usual. The Baratie was flooded in a thick tension but all was well, for the most part.

The business was booming with people, that certain point of the day where all the seats were filled with snobby, rich people. You’d been rushing between tables, taking down orders as quick as possible since these people didn’t recognize patience. It was overwhelming and overstimulating, making your temple throb in pain as you dragged you feet into the kitchen. You called out the order in a loud voice, sticking the scribbled notes onto the overhead where Carne cooked up a steak.

“Table 8 says they’ve been waiting for their drink for twenty minutes, y/n, hurry it up!” Zeff’s voice sudden boomed as he marched into the kitchen, you nearly flinched at the sound of his voice, swallowing down a remark about how those twenty minutes was actually a dramatized two minutes. Nonetheless you collected a few cups and took them straight out to table 8, some rich couple and their equally rich kids.

You gave them a kind smile, despite wanting to desperately slap their cocky smirks off their faces. “And are you ready to order?” You questioned in a chirpy tone, reaching for the notepad in your pocket and the pen tucked behind your ear.

“My, we just got our drinks, give us a minute to look over the menu.” The woman scoffed, you sucked you teeth in, blinking slowly and offering another wide grin.

“My apologies, I’ll be back in a bit.” You shoved the notepad back in its place, walking to a booth that was empty, though the table crowded in a mess of dishes. You reached for the sliver platter that held the receipt and a pitiful amount of berry left as a tip. “Assholes.” You mumbled, taking the money and collecting a few plates and cups.

The brewing storm in your head had begun to cloud your vision, sometimes you just wanted to quit and make a dramatic exit out of the shitty restaurant but you never had the balls to. The whole service you’d been good, held your shit together despite wanting to break down on the inside, bit your tongue, but the one moment you got vulnerable ended in tragedy.

In a fit of cursing out some of the customers out in your head, you didn’t take notice of the waiter coming out the kitchen at the exact same time you were entering. The collision led to the shatter of two plates, one cup and a mess of silverware clanking on the floor.

“Fuck.” You mumbled, watching as the waiter scurried away nervously, leaving you at the scene to deal with the approaching man.

“What the hell are you doing!” Zeff shouted, tone practically rumbling the whole restaurant as you stared up at him in utter shock. You felt like a kid again, having to guiltily stand there while an adult went on off on you. The man threw insults that he’d probably regret the next day, humiliating you over a few broken plates. You just stared down at the dirty floor, feeling tiny compared to him. “Clean this up and get out of sight!”

He walked past you, leaving the judging eyes of the kitchen crew to watch as you bent down, slowly picking up the larger chunks. You didn’t even realize that Sanji was approaching till the shadow of his figure loomed over you. You jumped, backing away in fear as you wide eyes met his. The boy frowned, taking notice at the tears pooling in your eyes and you’re quivering lip. You looked like a kicked puppy, that was enough for him to toss the shards of porcelain and help you up.

He took you out the back door, away from the staring eyes as he heard small whimpers escape your mouth. “It’s okay, darling, it’s okay.” He whispered, arms wrapped around your figure, his hand coming up to brush your hair. “The old man is just giving a hard time because he has a stick up his arse.”

You let out silent cries, tears dripping down your face and onto Sanji’s apron, his soothing tone helping ease the tightness in your chest. You felt stupid, and weak, crying over getting reprimanded for something that was your fault. Now your were taking valuable time away from both you and Sanji’s jobs, that’s all you thought about and it made you cry harder.

Funny enough, Sanji was thinking the opposite. He didn’t care about his job, or the broken pieces still laying on the kitchen floor, or even the fact that Zeff could come out any minute and yell at the two for slacking. All he cared about in that moment was you, making sure you cried all the tears you had, making sure that your trembling hands stilled. He placed chaste kisses on your head, standing there until your sobbing quieted down.

He slowly pulled away, hands still placed on your shoulder with a cautious look. “You look lovely, darling.” He chuckled at the sight of the black mascara that began to run down your cheek.

“Piss off.” You muttered humorously, taking the clean rag he offered and wiping away any evidence of your breakdown. “I hate today.”

“I know you do.” He whispered back, taking the cloth and gently swiping away the parts that you missed. “Beautiful as always.”

“Why are old people such assholes.” You shoved your head into his chest, words muffling as you did.

“Because they can’t get it up anymore without breaking a hip.”

You let out a chuckle, smiling against the material of his shirt, his chest vibrating with his own laugh and it calmed you down even more. You took in a deep breath, hands reaching down low, making the cook tense. You grabbed the pack of cigarettes he always had in his pockets, lifting the box with a sly smile.

“Get your head out the gutter.” He laughed quietly, reaching for the lighter in his other pocket as you shoved a cigarette into your mouth.

“Ready to go back in?” He questioned, watching as you puffed out a cloud of smoke.

“Yeah.” You replied quietly, taking a long drag while Sanji opened the door, allowing you to step in first. Gentleman, as always. “If Zeff smells this thing, I’m blaming you.”

The older man hated the stench of burnt out cigarettes that lingered in the air because Sanji had bad habit of lightening one every few hours. The ash tray on the extra table shoved in the corner of the kitchen was full, and Zeff always lectured the blonde on it, Sanji typically never cared enough to stop.

“Blame me all you want, darling, I’ll take the fall each time.” He winked at you, grabbing a dust pan and broom. He lazily swept up the mess, dumping it into the nearby garbage bin, something he knew Zeff would also yell at him about.

“He’s gonna kill you.”

“I’d like to that old man try.” Sanji smirked, giving you that classic flirty look that made the butteries flutter in your stomach. “Now, get back to work.”

You mocked a salut, rolling you’re eyes as you made your way to the kitchen doors, “Yes, chef.”

THE REST OF THE DAY HAD GONE smoothly, the sun hid itself behind the horizon as the dinning area emptied. Most of the guest had migrated to the bar, the party boomed at the other end of the restaurant.

You and Sanji were the only two in the kitchen, he was showing off some new dish he came up with, claiming it was the best thing on the VIP menu.

“We have a VIP menu?”

“Yeah, but it’s so secret that none of the guest know about it, not even the old man.” Sanji grinned, hand off the plate to you. “Now, the food critic decides.”

You rolled your eyes with a playful smile, picking up the fork and scooping up a bite into your mouth. The mixtures of taste were perfectly balance, unique flavors creating a wonderful sensation. There something about Sanji’s cooking that made you feel so safe and warm, you always teased that he was like a granny. He was able to create that familiarity in his food, something you eat every once in a while that reminds you of home.

You placed the fork down, dramatically folding your hands on your lap as you chewed down the food, “This dish, its…absolute shit.” You held back a smile, looking up at the cook.

Sanji glared at you, hands placed firmly on his hips. “You’re starting to sound like Zeff.”

“Ugh,” You groaned, “Don’t remind me.”

“I can’t believe he made you cry.” Sanji slid off into the seat right next to you, watching as the memory of his yelling flickered in your head, lips dipping into a soft frown. “Fuckin’ arse.”

“It really was my fault.” You mumbled back quietly, “But it was the fact that he yelled at me, you shoulda’ seen that look in his eyes.”

“I see it every day, darling.”

You didn’t like to reminisce on the past, especially since it was such a pain to even think about, both physically and emotionally. You didn’t open up about your family, or the crew you use to be a part of before running into the open arms of the Baratie. You were truly a mystery, you’re past locked up in a box and buried deep in the sand. Though sometimes, it escapes, poisoning you’re mind and breaking you down.

Zeff’s blow up triggered that poison, it spread like a virus, clouding you’re head for the rest of the day. Even now, you’d begun to dig up memories you didn’t want to remember. It was enough to make a fresh wave of tears build up, but you refused to cry this time, not allowing a single droplet to escape as you blinked them away. Though the quiet sniffle gave you away as Sanji glanced over at you, taking notice of the redness under your eyes, a silent confession that told him you were upset.

“You all right, darling?” He asked quietly, brows creased with worry, “Zeff isn’t here, he can’t make you feel like shit anymore.”

“It’s not that.” You whispered back, inhaling a shaky deep breath, “I’m just..thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” He asked, a comforting hand coming to hold yours. “If you need to talk about something you can talk to me.”

Silence filled the room as you struggled with making a decision, the truth was you’d probably start crying your eyes out if you opened your mouth. But the longer you held in these memories, the more toxic the venom became, it was tug-of-war between yourself and your conscious. Then again, the same trauma of the memories is what makes it such a hard task to open up.

You licked your lips, squeezing his hand gently and looking down. “I came from a pirate crew, but this pirate crew in specific was my family. Everyone on the ship was made up of all my relatives, mom, dad, siblings, cousins.” You saw the man nod from the corner of your eye, silently confirming his attendance. “My dad was the captain of the crew, and god he was a fuckin’ pain in the ass.” You voice cracked, words beginning to distort as you sucked in a deep breath. “My job on the crew was to basically be a maid, to pick up after the messes he made. Scrub the bird shit off the ledge, mop the deck, shine his shoes, serve him food, serve him drinks, anything a basic human can do I had to do for him.” You’re sadness had slowly began to turn to anger, your eyes lifting to finally meet his. “I got nothing in return, not even a few berry for the trouble.”

Sanji frowned deeply, rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb. “Why would your father do this to you?”

His questioned made you scoff, because it was the same thing you asked the eighteen years your spent on the torturous ship. It wasn’t until you grew out of the naivety that you realized the answer. “Because I was a woman, and as a woman it was my job, my place, to provide service for the men. I was treated like shit all my life, and no one dared to say a thing.” You stood up, hand pulling away from his as you ran it through your hair frustratedly, moving to pace the kitchen. “The men believed that it was the job of a good wife to give and give, while they just take. I seemed to be the only one who didn’t believe this. But no one could ever speak up to the man, the captain himself, god forbid you disobeyed that asshole because he was never wrong, no matter the situation.” You finally sat back down, picking at your nails. “For years I was treated like nothing more then a slave, yelled at for being to slow, never praised for my work, only picked on what was wrong. It changed my way in seeing people, and it permanently left a scar on my everyday life. Hearing Zeff yell at me that way, it’s just..”

“I know, darling, I know.” Sanji cooed, for soft and tender, “That day, when you first arrived at The Baratie, you had a mark on your left cheek.” The cook swallowed thickly, recalling the day you’re feeble body came to the doors of the restaurant and begged for help. “Was that from him?”

The day before you escaped the ship you’d been refused food, as a punishment for not finishing your chores in time. When you spoke up about being hungry and the unfairness of it all, you received a harsh slap across the face. That was it, that was the last bit of disrespect you’d take. So you set off to steal a life boat and run away from the horrible treatment. “Yes, it was.”

“Bloody hell.” Sanji muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What was the name of your families crew?”

“The Calavera pirates.” You replied, Sanji leaned in closed, placing a finger on your chin to lift your gaze towards him.

“I’ll remember that name until the end of my life, and the day I find them, know that your same pain will be brought upon them.” His tone was so serious and low. His threat sent a chill down your spine, and not because you were scared of it, but because you knew he meant it. “You deserved so much better, darling.” He whispered, bringing you into his arms and planting a kiss on your hairline.

Sanji so desperately wanted to open his mouth and say that he’d treat you like a queen if you’d just give him a chance. But the man’s feelings were shoved down before they could tumble out his mouth. He chose to remain silent, allowing his actions to speak for him. With this new confession he made it his mission to take the extra step in making sure you were treated right. He would be your shoulder to cry on or someone to love, whatever you wanted. It was painful, the amount of love he held in his heart and he was unable to fully show you it.

But if he must wait all his life, he will.

sobbing but wanting to smash at the same time

lord pls send help.

[finnsbubblegum]

Make Yourself At Home (Pedro Pascal X Reader)

Pair: pedro pascal x new actress f!reader

Warnings: fluff, age gap, talks of financial issues, living together (let me know if i missed any)

Summary: Pedro offered you to stay at his house for free to help you with your renting issues.

Words: 2.1k

A/N: My Pedro Pascal era hasn’t ended yet and I keep thinking about him all day all night. I hope to meet him someday, I’m sure he’s a very nice person as I imagined him to be. I’m crying😭 Hope you like this fic! (not proofread)

“The filming is postponed?” You were shocked at the news.

You just started your acting gig and worked multiple jobs to support you and your family financially. You barely afford your own place in LA to achieve your dreams as an actress and now you have to extend your rent until the filming continues. You could go back to your hometown to live with your family but you didn’t want to. Because you had waited a long time for the opportunity and now you had gotten it so you didn’t want to let it go to waste. Acting had been something that you had always wanted to try and enjoy. 

“Yes, I’m sorry. There’s something going on and we will let you know later about the details.” The staff explained to you.

“Okay. Thank you for telling me.” You pat her upper arm.

“No problem.” She smiled and left.

You sighed and wandered back and forth thinking how you could afford your living expenses in the next few months while you waited for the filming to continue. You called your best friend and told her everything. 

“I have to send money for my parents at home, my rent is due, what am I going to do, liv?” You told your best friend on the phone.

Pedro Pascal, the actor for the main character of your upcoming movie, heard your conversation. He was friendly to everyone and very kind. You met him a few times and had filmed a few scenes with him. Your first impression of him was very nice and he really was a nice person after you knew him for a while. 

“Hey, you okay there?” Pedro suddenly approached you.

“Oh!” You flinched when he touched your shoulder.

“Sorry, did I startle you?” He chuckled and pulled his hand away from you.

“No, no.” You were embarrassed.

“I just saw you walking back and forth and wondered if you were okay.” He chuckled softly and fixed his glasses.

“Oh-uh-yeah, I’m okay. Thank you for asking though.” You smiled at him.

“Okay.” Pedro put his hands inside his pocket and nodded.

Then he turned his heel to walk away but something was holding him back. He was debating whether to follow his heart or his logic. He had a crush on you since he met you but he was not sure if he should go for it or not. 

“Uh-” Pedro turned his heel back and faced you again.

“Yeah?” You raised your eyebrows.

“Do you want to go get dinner with me after this?” Pedro finally had the courage to get to know you more.

“Yeah, sure. I’d love to.” You nodded.

You didn’t expect Pedro would invite you to dinner with him.  You had always been a fan of his. He was an amazing actor. Your heart was beating faster. You wanted to jump in excitement. Pedro Pascal just asked you to have dinner with him?!? Pedro Pascal, are you kidding? Were you dreaming?? But you had to act normal or he would think you were a weirdo.

“Thank you.” You thanked Pedro as he helped you take off your jacket.

“Do you have any allergies?” Pedro asked you while he read the menu.

“No.” You answered him and read the menu.

“I’ll have salad, please.” You looked at the waiter and closed the menu book.

“Just salad? You sure?” Pedro raised his eyebrows.

“I have to keep my weight.” You shrugged.

“Okay…I’ll have salmon. Thank you.” Pedro pointed at the menu and showed it to the waiter.

Then the waiter left so it was now just you and Pedro alone waiting for the food to come. You felt kind of awkward because you were too nervous to say anything. You were afraid of saying something wrong that would make Pedro regret asking you out for dinner. It was not a date, you knew it. But you need to give a good impression to your favorite actor and co-actor. You kept grabbing your glass and drinking because of your awkwardness. Pedro chuckled and shook his head as he saw you. He knew you were nervous and he found you cute.

“So..what are you planning to do while the filming is halted for a while?” Pedro started the conversation.

“Uhm..I’ll have to work more I guess.” You didn’t want to go into details.

Pedro nodded. He understood your position because he used to be there too when he was younger and trying to achieve his dream to be an actor. There was a moment of silence for a while.

“I don’t mean to offend you but if you need help just let me know. I would be willing to help. I’ve been there so I know it’s hard.” Pedro wanted to help you.

“Thank you.” You smiled at his offer.

After dinner, Pedro drove you home. He parked his car in front of your apartment.

“Thank you for dinner and driving me home, Pedro.” You turned your head to him as you unfastened your seatbelt.

“Anytime.” Pedro looked at you and smiled.

“See you?” You smiled at him, your hand ready to open the car door.

“I’ll see you soon.” He rested his hand on the steering wheel.

Pedro wanted to ask you something but he was hesitating. His finger tapped the steering wheel. 

“Wait-” Pedro stopped you before you got out of the car. 

“Hmm?” You went back to sit in the passenger seat and closed the door. 

“I heard your conversation earlier. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, trust me. But I really want to help you. I hope you don’t mind. I have a guest room in my house. No one is using it.  You can stay at my place if you want. As long as I can help you.” Pedro looked worried.

You were ashamed of your situation, especially in front of your celebrity crush. But his offer was a really good one. You could save a lot of money by receiving his offer. And he was not a creepy old man. He was always nice to everyone and you. You felt comforted by his presence. Maybe you should think about it.

“Thank you for the offer, Pedro. That’s really nice of you. I’ll think about it.” You smiled.

“Yeah, sure. Take your time. Just text me or call me when you decide.” Pedro was relieved at your reaction.

“See you.” You bent down to wave your hand at him.

“See you.” Pedro waved his hand as he drove away.

You spent your night rolling around your bed. You couldn’t stop thinking about Pedro’s offer. It was a really great offer but that would mean you would be living with him under the same roof. You were not his girlfriend so is it okay? But he was the one that came up with the idea so it must be okay for him. 

“Okay. I think I’ll give it a try.” You nodded as you decided.

The next day, you called Pedro’s phone to tell him your decision.

“Hello?” You heard Pedro’s voice from the phone.

“Hi, it’s me. I’ve made up my mind.” You told him.

“Really? What do you think?” Pedro sounded excited.

“I think I’ll say yes to your offer.” You chuckled softly.

“That’s great. Should I-uh-Should I come get your stuff today? I’m free in the afternoon.” Pedro couldn’t wait.

“Uh-yes, of course. I’ll start packing my stuff.” You didn’t expect him to be this fast.

“Okay. Talk to you soon!” Pedro hung up the call.

You breathed out in relief and started packing your stuff. You called your landlord to inform him that you would not continue the lease. He gave you a date to have a meeting with him to do some paperworks and you agreed. 

“Is this all?” Pedro asked you while he helped you move your stuff to his car.

“Yes, for now. I’ll send the rest using the delivery service.” You helped him move your stuff inside.

It was a few minutes drive to his house and you finally stepped inside his house. You looked around in awe. His house was beautiful, the interior design, the furniture, all were beautiful. 

“You have a really beautiful house.” You complimented his house.

“Thank you.” He smiled and looked around his house proudly.

“Come here.” Pedro asked you to follow him as he dragged your suitcase.

“This is your room. I hope you like it. There’s a bathroom inside.” He opened the bathroom door and showed it to you.

“Thank you, Pedro. You’re a lifesaver.” You put your hand on his upper arm.

“No problem.” He smiled.

“Well, I’ll leave your stuff here. And make yourself at home.” Pedro patted your shoulder and left the room.

“Good night, Pedro.” 

“Good night.” He closed your bedroom door.

You were too tired to unpack so you just went to shower and went to bed right away. The bed was so comfy and the sheets smelled good. You felt comfortable there. You set an alarm to wake up early so you could make breakfast for you and Pedro. He didn’t let you pay any cents for staying at his house so that’s the least thing you could do. 

*alarm rang*

You yawned and stretched. You got up, washed your face, tied your hair and wore your bra. Then you walked to the kitchen and opened his fridge. There were not many things but you saw some eggs and bread so you decided to make scrambled eggs and toast. 

“Morning.” You heard Pedro’s voice behind you.

“Oh! Morning.” You turned your head to him as you cooked.

His hair was messy and his voice was hoarse. He looked so sexy you wanted to touch his fluffy hair. But you needed to take it easy. You had just been here for a night.

“You really don’t have to do this though.” Pedro peeked from behind you.

“You let me stay here for free, let me make you breakfast.” You smiled as you moved the eggs to the plates.

“Okay, if you insist. Thank you.” Pedro put both of his hands on your shoulder and squeezed them.

“This is for you.” You smiled and put the plates on the dining table. 

“Thank you.” Pedro raised his fork and started eating.

“I’m going to the gym after this.” Pedro told you as he chewed.

“Okay.” You nodded.

Then Pedro went to the gym and left you home alone. You didn’t have work today so you decided to clean his house. You checked a few rooms and finally found the room where he kept his cleaning stuff. You started off with dusting the furniture then vacuumed his house. His house was pretty big so your back hurt vacuuming every spot of his house. You didn’t realize you spent hours cleaning his house until Pedro had come back home from the gym. 

“What are you doing?” Pedro was confused as he saw you vacuuming his living room.

“Uh-cleaning?” You got scared just like a little kid caught doing something bad by her parents.

“Baby..” Pedro sighed. He slipped. He just called you “baby”.

“I didn’t ask you to live with me to be my maid.” Pedro walked closer to you and took the vacuum cleaner away from your hands.

“I don’t want to be a free-rider, Pedro. I thought I could clean your place as a payment for letting me stay here for free.” You explained.

“You’re not a free rider. You don’t have to worry about paying me back. With you just being here, it’s already a payment.” 

“What does that mean?” You didn’t understand.

“I have had a crush on you since we first met.” Pedro confessed. His cheeks redden.

Your eyes widened. Pedro Pascal had a crush on you? Your heart beat faster.

“I like you.” Pedro finally said the words.

“Pedro..” 

“I know-I know. You must think I’m crazy. Will you forget about it?.” Pedro stepped back because he thought you didn’t like him back.

“Wait-I didn’t get a chance to tell you how I feel?” You stopped him.

Pedro turned his head and faced you. 

“I think I like you too.” You chuckled.

“You think?” Pedro raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

“I like you too, Pedro.” You giggled and shook your head.

Pedro sighed in relief. He was finally able to tell you his feelings. You felt butterflies in your stomach. You couldn’t believe you just confessed to your celebrity crush and the fact that he liked you too?! It was a dream that you thought wouldn’t happen but it actually happened. 

“Don’t clean up again? Okay?” Pedro demanded.

“Okay.” You giggled and nodded. 

[yourtypicalslvt]

Could you do a Fermin smut when he punishes the reader for being a brat? 💘

Brat

Fermin Lopez x fem!reader

Summary:Request says it all

Word count:2.2k

-Warnings Dom!Fermin, Sub!reader Fingering, Stimulation, orgasm denial, p in v, spanish , use of Papi in a sexual way, crying, Aftercare!! Just pure filth.

A/N- This honestly took me like at least a week to make idk why. Also first time writting smut in years😭

To say the least fermin was pissed. He is pissed because you've been acting like a brat all morning. Not doing the simplest things he's asked you , even was as far to give him attitude when he was leaving for training like telling him to stay with you, that you could entertain him in a different ways and when he told you no, that he couldn't miss training because if he did xavi would probably leave him out next game. After he explained why he couldn't stay you started whining.

Fermin was done with your bullshit at that point so he bent down (since you were a couple inches shorter than him) and whispered in your ear "sigue comportándote así y luego te arrepentirás" and just left.(keep behaving like that and you'll regret it.)

That small comment had you weak, but even if you were weak you still weren't done being a brat. So while he was at practice you decided to shower put on some light makeup on and a lingerie dress that made your tits look perkier and barely covered your bottom (x).

It's been almost two hours since fermin had left and that meant he could get here anytime soon so you started cooking up dinner. Peeling and cutting some potatoes and cooking your meat. Halfway cooking you heard the front door open and you obviously knew it was Fermin.

“Hi amor Ya llegue” was the first thing fermin said when walking into the kitchen, checking your outfit out. (Love, i'm here.)

“Lo sé, literal mente estás aquí conmigo, genio” you said with an eye roll which he did not appreciate it since he landed a hard smack on your ass making you squeal in pain. (I know, you're literally here with me, genius)

"No se quien te crees pero a mi no hables así, me entiendes? Yo no soy tu amigo o hermano pa' que me hables así". (I don't know who you think you are but don't talk like that to me, do you understand me? I am not your friend or brother so that you talk to me like that)

"Claro, lo que dices" you scoff continuing with your cooking. Fermin was still upset with you, he grabbed your arm hard and whispered into your ear. (clear whatever you say)

"Me voy a ir a duchar, deja la comida ahi y te espero en la cama , que ya me canse de tus tonterias, te has portada como una mocosa y necesitas un castigo, no crees"? His eyes are dark, and you can tell he's not playing around, and you know that if you disobey him you'll get a bigger punishment. ('m going to take a shower, leave the food there and I'll wait for you in bed, I'm tired of your nonsense, you've behaved like a brat and you need a punishment, don't you think")

"Yes sir" you ended up saying, turning off the stove and heading into the bedroom while Fermin made his way to the bathroom.

"Ohhh my g-god" You moan out while Fermin was pumping his fingers in and out of you. "No bebe dios no es el que te hace sentir tan bien" You weren't even paying attention to whatever he was saying, the pleasure his fingers are giving you bring you closer to your orgasm. Fermin knew your body very well so he knew when your getting close. (No baby, god isn’t the one making you feel good)

You whine out when he took his fingers out of your dripping pussy for the first time. You were desperate you wanted to cum but you knew this would happen if you acted like a brat.

“Papi por favor, déjame correr estoy desesperada” you cried out when he plunges his fingers back into you.(daddy please let me cum, im desperate)

“Mi vida, tu no eras una buena chica hoy, no creo que to lo mereces” you were sobbing at this point and he hasn’t even put his cock into you, just his fingers.

“Por favor, perdóname por no ser una buena chica, te prometo que nunca mas voy a actuar de esta manera, solo por favor te suplico que me folles, por favor papi , por favor” you were close to your orgasm but you knew he wasn’t going to let you cum on his fingers. (Please forgive me for not being a good girl, I promise I'll never act this way again, just please I'm begging you to fuck me please daddy please.)

“Mira a mi preciosa bebe arruinada por solo mis dedos y suplicando que te folle, hm tal vez lo haga solo por que te vez muy preciosa suplicándome” (Look at my beautiful babe ruined by just my fingers and begging me to fuck you, hm maybe I will it just because you look so beautiful begging me)

After what it felt like eternities, Fermin finally pulled his sweatpants and boxers off. You were excited to say the Least. But you didn’t expect for him to pick you up and out you in your knees, mouth facing his erect cock inches from it. “Realmente no pensaste que te follaría así tan rápido sin que me la mamaran, ¿verdad?" He said in a low raspy voice. You shook your head at the question but you both knew you were lying as you really Expected him to fuck you right there and then. You didn't even noticed you zoned off until you felt him pushed his cock into your mouth, face fucking you. (You really didn't think I'd fuck you like that so fast without getting blown off, did you?)

"Dios mio..ugh tu boca es como una cueva para mi polla (omg your mouth is like a cave for my dick")

You look up to Fermin tears in your eyes. "Mi pobre bebe toda triste por que no te folle"? His words making you moan on his cock. Your eyes were teary, pussy aching and nipples hard. (My poor baby, all sad because I didn't fuck you?)

"Joder amor voy a correr.. ugh donde quieres que te lo choree eh? Tu boca o tu cara" He asked you, but being unable to answer him with his cock in your mouth. "Mierda no me importa lo hago en tu boca" At this point you weren't even sucking him him, he was just fucking his cock into your mouth. (Fuck love imma cum.. where do you want me to squirt it? Your mouth or face? Shit I dont care Im doing your mouth.)

Seconds later Fermins liquid was squirted into your mouth. "J-joderrrrr" He said dragging the "r". (fuck)

"ng..mhm" That's what's echoing in the walls of yours and Fermin's bedroom. Echos of your moans and whimpers, bed frame hitting the wall repeatedly loud enough for your neighbors to hear.

Fermin's cock pounding into you from the back filling you up just enough giving your ass some spanks from time to time. You guys have been going at it for hours. Practice ending 4 hours ago at 5 which makes it 9 now.

"vamos mi vida yo se que tienes otro dentro de ti vamos corazón" He whispered referring to you giving him another orgasm after giving him 4 already.(come on, my love, I know you have another inside of you, come on, sweetheart")

The wetness of you dripping pussy was heard. Your loud moans and screams. Fermins dirty talk bringing you close to your orgasm.

"Fermin e-estoy muy cerca p-por favor déjame correr please" You were able to sob out since your face was pushed into the mattress while you ass was up.(Fermin I'm very close please let me cum please")

"Aguantate nena" He whispered. (hold it baby)

"No p-puedo por favor Fermín dejame correr" you cried (I can't please Fermín let me cum)

"No, no vas a , uh, correr todavía" He whispered once again but you couldn't hold it any longer so you just let it all out with a loud moan. That made Fermin mad since he slapped our ass hard making you cry out in pain. (No, you're not gonna cum yet)

"Yo te dije que aguantaras no"? he asked and you nodded your head.(I told you to hold on, no)

"Entonces por que no entiendes"? (So why don't you understand)

"Lo siento, no pude contenerlo, lo intenté pero no pude" You said sobbing (I'm sorry I couldn't contain it, I tried but I couldn't)

"A mi no me importa, ponte en tu espalda que no a terminado contigo" (I don't care, get on your back, I'm not done with you)

You being the brat you are you disobeyed his request and he wasnt having any of it. So of course he got mad so he grabbed your waist and flipped you over and rammed his cock into you at full force.

"Todavía no sé cuántas veces tengo que hacer que te corras para que dejes de comportarte como una mocosa” You could feel the tip of cock hitting your cervix at full force bringing you closer to your orgasm. Dirty words were heard around the room, the cries and moans of you begging him go let you cum. (I still don't know how many times I have to make you cum before you stop acting like a brat)

Fermin cock wasn’t big big but it had girth, a girth that stretches your pussy good enough even though it can hurt it still gives you pleasure.

“Ugh e-estoy muy cerca p-por favor , Mhm-uhn” you whimper out as he slowed his movements down. The way his cock stretched you was making you see stars. Eyes rolling back when it hit that spot. (im so close please)

“No sé si debería dejar que te corras todavía” he whispered giving you hard but slow thrusts. (I don't know if I should let you cum yet")

"P-por favor papi por favor” you cried out while your left hand went down to rub your clit and your right to play with your nipple. (Please daddy, Please)

Fermin clearly didn’t like that since he slapped your hands away.

“No no no nena, es mi trabajo hacer eso, no tu, entiendes"? He grunted while his left hand rubs your clit fast. The pleasure of his cock repeatedly hitting your cervix and his fingers rubbing your clit was enough to bring you on edge. (No no no baby, it's my job to do that, not you, you understand)

"Dios dios amor por favor estoy muy cerca" You yelled out feeling your orgasm on the verge of cumming out. (My God, love please I'm very close)

"córrete para mí amor, sé que puedes venir bebé" He encourage you and with a loud moan your juice started squirting out. Fermin pulled out of you while your juices were wetting the sheets, he slapped your pussy a couple of times making more of your juices squirt out. The more Fermin slaps your pussy the more sensitive you become since hes repeatedly slapping your sensitive clit. (Cum for me my love, I know you can baby)

"Por favor, deja de golpear mi clítoris, soy muy sensible, por favor." You managed to squeal out with all the sensitivity on your pussy. Not even begging stopped him from giving your pussy more slaps. After like two minutes he finally stopped slapping it but you were sobbing now. (Please stop hitting my clit, I'm very sensitive please)

"shsh shsh mi vida lo se lose pero tu te merecias este castigo y tu sabes eso" He said while calming (trying to) you down. Since you were uncontrollably sobbing he decided to get you to sit on your butt (by the clean side of the ofc) and go inside the bathroom. (shsh shsh, my life I know but you deserved this punishment and you know that)

"Quédate por favor no te vallas" you once again sobbed out. Fermin's face dropped when he heard you say that and he honestly felt bad for the whole thing. (Stay. please don't leave)

"No corazon, no me voy a ir , solo voy a prepararte un baño ok mi vida"? He said calmly while kissing your head and heading to the bathroom.After Fermin was done with the bath he went back into the bedroom , picked you in and brought you the bath but before putting you in it he made sure to grab a cloth and clean your the inside of your folds. After that you both got into the bath cuddling a bit. (No sweetheart, I'm not going to leave, I'm just going to prepare a bath for you, ok my life)

"Lo siento por ser una mocosa hoy" You whispered feeling a bit sleepy making Fermin smile. (I'm sorry for being a brat today)

"Está bien amor, pero ya sabes para la próxima lo que pasará" He whispered back getting both of you out of the bath and into the bedroom. You both got changed into your pj's, changed the bed sheets and got into the bed. You guys cuddled and fell asleep but not before he whispered into your ear. (It's okay, love, but you know what will happen next time.)

"esta ha sido y será tu última vez siendo una mocosa" (this has been and will be your last time being a brat)

Safe to say this definitely wasn't the last time 😉.

[baby-alien11]

Las Vegas Grand Prix (Y/N Ulrich Universe)

taglist: @volturi-girl-imagines @dessxoxsworld @camiesully @ethanlandryluver @nowitsmissing @aliciacat20 @gabbylovesreading @nikfigueiredo @itsaaliyah2 @callsignwidow

Inmediatly the day after Jack's birthday, the final details of the luggage for the week and a half trip to Las Vegas continued, and thanks to not being a long trip like the Monaco one, the flight was shorter and without time zones changes, fortunately, and that also meant carrying a bit more of luggage than the last time

"I still can't believe the entire grid was at our house", Jakob commented while waiting for the plane to arrive, "I wanted to laugh at Lando's face"

"Don't worry, I did it in representation of all of us", Skeet mentioned, "I think he was about to cry"

"I bet he regrets sending that message", Naiia said

"He does", you nodded, "He doesn't said it out loud, but anytime anyone mentions it, he looks embarrased"

"Also I think he's scared of us", Jack commented, "I don't know why"

"As if we aren't acting a bit threatning anytime he's close", you joked in his ear making him laugh

"How does it feels to be adopted by Charles Leclerc?", Jakob asked in a joking way, "Anna, what was most shocking, the adoption or the cars?"

"The cars, absolutely", Anna responded quickly, "I did not expected to see that car in our entry, at all"

"At least is a limited adition car", Jakob pointed out, "And it looks amazing when we all get together and the cars all parked next to each other"

"Are you trying to get any of them to let you borrow one?", Skeet laughed

"I want to take Megan on a date in one of the new cars, that's all", Jakob justified, "We now have Aston Martins on the family, so please, just for a few hours, you aren't going to be in town for this week and half of the next one, please, any of you"

"You own a BMW, you know how to fly a plane, you know how to ride a motorcycle", you enlisted, "And you are asking us if you can borrow one of our exclusive cars?"

"Yes, please", Jakob nodded

"Okay", you accepted, "But if I see a single scratch, even a small one on Scraps, you are paying for it"

"Scraps? As in Corpse Bride?", Anna asked

"Yeah", you smiled, "It felt very fitting for the color of the car, I even considered naming it Zero as the ghost dog on Nightmare Before Christmas, but I love Corpse Bride a bit more"

Interrupting the conversation, a steward aproached to say that the plane was about to land, at what your little group stood from the seats to grab the five suitcases, golf clubs, the two travel bags and baby dragon Jake to go to the van waiting on the entrance to get you close to the plane, which was openning the door revealing Carlos and Charles stepping out to help with the suitcases and talk to the adults

"Last time there were only two suitcases", Charles commented seeing how the things were getting off of the van

"They left with four suitcases last time, so this isn't surprising", Carlos shrugged

"Guys, everything good?", Lando intervined stepping out of the plane, "That is a lot of packaging"

Finally, with all the suitcases out of the van, all of you turned towards the plane, but the moment they saw Lando standing there, Jakob and Naiia started to laugh out loud holding into each other to prevent falling into the floor, at what Lando returnded to the plane to avoid more humilliation

"Guys, you can laugh later", Skeet joked, "We have to take the things to the plane"

Controlling their laughs, the twins grabbed two suitcases to keep walking towards the plane where the stewards took all the luggage to prepare it for the flight, while Charles and Carlos stayed outside, just as Max did when the trip to Monaco was

"We're sorry again for intruding in your house during summer break", Charles said, "Specially without notice"

"And also for the excesive amount of gifts", Carlos continued

"It was surprising and weird", Skeet admited, "But you left the kitchen clean, so it wasn't a big of a problem"

"How is the lodging going to work this time?", Anna asked

"They are going to stay in the same hotel as us, the Wynn, in the same floor as us, close to our rooms", Carlos responded, "And Ferrari already organised an activity for social media"

"And if they want to explore the city on their own, they'll have a Ferrari to do it", Charles continued, "And on race day, or night, they'll be arriving with us"

"Everything is controlled", Carlos finalised, "They'll be good"

"And you already have our numbers in case of emergencies", Charles added, "And of course the party after the race for Jack's birthday, it will be held in the XS Nightclub, a private event just like last time"

"Did you guys rented the entire place?", Jakob joked

"Yeah", Charles nodded, "It's actually inside the hotel, so it wasn't a problem"

"More like in the Encore, but it's connected", Carlos continued, "Basically all of us, will be staying in those two hotels"

"And Martin Garrix is going to be the DJ", Lando exclaimed from inside the plane

Happy to hear the plans for the trip, the goodbyes started walking a bit far from the plane due to the fact that it was preparing to fly again

"The rules stay the same as last time, have fun, take care, always give us updates, don't bet all your money in casinos, and don't try to go to Area 51", Skeet said, "It's not going to be good for your careers, and it's not going to be worthy because you are not going to be able to enter"

Laughing for that last comment, both of you started to walk towards the plane, where Carlos and Charles were already inside

"Don't get married with a fake Elvis", Jakob yelled as both of you were stepping into the plane

"But I'm bringing my nicest white dress", you joked in response

"And we have the rings", Jack also joked, "Lando agreed to be my best man"

"Oh my God", you groaned, "Don't ever said that again"

With Jack laughing, both of you entered the plane to finally start the flight to Las Vegas

"They wouldn't be capable of marrying there", Naiia said, "She wants to wear a Vivienne Westwood or something from Kleindfield for the big day"

"Say Yes To The Dress?", Anna asked refering to the TV show

"Every season", Naiia nodded

After a flight that felt short thanks to the proximity of the countries, the plane landed in the private hangar, where some other planes were also there, including Max's

Once everything was on the van, the two of you plus Carlos, Charles, Lando, Alex, Rebecca and little Leo, started the road to the hotel, watching how the lights of the city were starting to turn up, and all the promotionals for the race, including the sphere

"While getting here I was hearing 'Vegas' by Doja Cat in my head over and over again", you shared with Alex and Rebecca while waiting for the rooms to be ready, "This city is even better than the movies or series"

"And just wait until it's the weekend, it gets even better", Rebecca commented

"What are you going to do during the week?", Alex asked with curiosity

"Explore the city, play golf, also going to Saint Honore and all the restaurants asociated with, relax in the pool, go shopping", you responded, "And of course attending the race, and the party after"

"And remember that we have a breakfast scheduled with the rest of the girls", Rebecca mentioned, "We still need to agree on a day"

"I think it should be a day where all of us are here and avaliable", Alex commented

"And if Kelly, Carola, Egle and Louise bring the kids taking them in count", you added

A bit later, the rooms were ready, and because they were a lot of luggage in the group, all of you went to the floor where all the rooms where, and wait until they luggage arrived, to finally enter the rooms that were next to each other

"This is beautiful", you comented as the concierges left the luggage inside the room, "The view is amazing"

"We have two bathrooms", Jack exclaimed from the entry foyer

"What?", you asked walking towards him seeing the two bathrooms with small differences, "This is rich rich"

"Old money rich?"

"A bit worse"

"What if we use the one with the bathtub to get ready and that, and the other for normal use", Jack proposed

"That's a good idea"

Openning the suitcases, the two of you started to put some clothes on the closet as well as shoes and bags, and then in the bathtub bathroom putting your skincare, make up and hair products; and after all of that and being too tired after the flight, both of you changed into your pajamas and then decided to order room service for dinner, but before ordering anything, there was a knock on the door at what you stood up from the bed to walk in there and see through the doorhole that at the other side Charles and Carlos (plus Leo) were waiting in the hallway

"It's Charles, Carlos and Leo", you exclaimed before openning the door, "Hi guys"

"Hi, we came to give you your keys for the weekend", Carlos said as they entered the room

"We also came to ask if both of you wanted to have dinner with us, but we see that you are already in your pajamas", Charles added leaving Leo on the floor to explore the place

"Yeah, we are a bit tired after the flight and unpacking", Jack responded grabbing Leo to scratch him in the back, "We were planning on ordering room service for dinner"

"And also tomorrow we'll have a reunion with Silvia for the activity that we planned", Charles mentioned, "It's going to be a fun one, we promise"

"And your car keys for the week", Carlos continued handing you the keys, "It's a Ferrari Purosangre in the color 'Blu Corsa', it's on the parking lot, and it has a lot of space in case you go shopping"

"Nice", you smiled, "Thank you"

"Okay, I think that's all", Charles sighed, "Well, we'll see tomorrow, have a great night, enjoy your dinner"

"And don't worry about the prices, Ferrari is paying everything", Carlos mentioned

"That is very generous, thank you so much", Jack nodded passing Leo to Charles, "And again thank you for having us"

"At the contrary, we are glad that you are with us, you are kinda like our lucky charms", Carlos joked, "When you went to Monaco, Charles won, and since that he won again in Monza and COTA, and I won in Mexico, maybe we'll win again this time"

"Anyways, have a good night, sleep well and we'll see tomorrow", Charles smiled

After leaving the room, both of you stood there thinking abot what they said realising it was true after remembering the wins and podiums of the team including the second place in the constructors championship

"Holy shit", the two of you murmured

The next day after a good nigh of sleep, both of you woke up a bit early to have breakfast and start the day with the ones who already arrived, and then at night visit the theatre company that did the Scream'd Musical Parody

For that day, you chose to wear a jean romper with red converse and your Prada black purse with your hair lose in your back, while Jack used an elbow lenght white shirt, light jeans and checkerboard vans, and then leaving the room

Noticing almost all the rooms were silent, both of you asumed that they were still sleeping so keeping it quiet, you walked towards the elevator to go have breakfast, but before pushing the button for the elevator, the door of another room opened, at what both of you turned to look in that direction, seeing as Checo and Carola along with Chequito and Carlota, so you waited until they were close

"Hey guys"

Checo greeted once they were next to you, at what he introduced Carola and the kids to both of you and then call for the elevator

"I've heard so much about you two", Carola mentioned after the presentations, "It's so nice to finally meet you"

"It's nice to meet you too", you responded, "Also the kids are so cute, we almost die of cuteness when they showed them during Mexico"

"¿Es ella la que hace los maquillajes bonitos?", Carlota asked her parents reffering to you

"Si, es ella", Carola nodded, "Y el es a quien vimos en la pelicula de los aliens azules"

"Genial", Chequito exclaimed watching Jack with excitement

"We showed them your Halloween costumes, and they loved them", Checo explained entering the elevator when the doors opened, "And we saw Avatar during summer break"

"Seriously?", Jack asked surprised

"Yeah, they loved it, especially the second one with the water animals", Carola responded

"There wasn't a problem with the strong scenes? Like deaths and that, or even the one in the first movie with the Tree of Voices", Jack asked with a bit of concern

"We just covered their eyes or they didn't pay a lot of attention at times, and also Emilio and Olivia took naps during the movies", Checo shrudded his shoulders, "By the way, do you want to sit with us for breakfast?"

"Yeah, sure", you nodded after looking at Jack to confirm it, "Thank you"

When the elevator doors opened on the first floor, both of you followed the family since they knew more the hotel, arriving to the Terrace Pointe Café where they lead you to a table for six to give the menus and then leaving

"So, how was your birthday?", Checo asked Jack

"It was fun", Jack smiled, "The friday we had a small party with our friends, and on saturday we had a brunch with our families, and Y/N did the cake"

"Strawberry shortcake with a few chocolate chips on the filling to add an extra flavor", you explained with pride

"It was like the most amazing cake I've ever tasted, and I'm not saying this only because I love her, it's because it was the best cake ever", Jack exclaimed

"And it was the second time I baked a cake", you mentioned

"Really?", Carola asked with impression

"Yeah", you nodded, "My main dessert is cookies, and recently I wanted to experiment with something more complicated, the first cake wasn't that good, but then I did another and it was so much better"

Soon after, the waiter arrived to take the orders for the breakfast and in the meantime the food was ready a few drivers arrived to greet both of you and congratulate Jack for his birthday before going to another table close to yours, and also meeting Franco and Liam who were nice (even though both of you missed Logan and Daniel)

Almost after finishing breakfast (and with Carlota now sitting next to you), Charles and Carlos apeared next to the table greeting everyone and then letting both of you know that the reunion will be held as soon as breakfast was over, so after finishing eating an saying goodbye to the family and thanking them for inviting you to eat together both of you left

"Olvidamos decirles que nosotros seremos sus padres adoptivos por esta semana", Carola sighed, "¿Deberíamos decirles antes de que se alejen mas o cuando terminen su reunión?"

"Creo que van a tardar por que según lo que menciono Carlos les van a proponer varias ideas", Checo mentioned, "Cuando terminen la reunión les diremos"

"Va a ser divertido estar a su cargo", Carola smiled, "Son buenos chicos"

"Esto puede servirnos de practica para cuando los nuestros crezcan", Checo joked

"Ni siquiera lo digas, todavia no estoy lista para ese momento"

Meanwhile, you and Jack were walking with Charles and Carlos to the meeting while talking until arriving to the conference room where the marketing team of Ferrari was organizing everything for the week and the end of the season and after meeting Silvia and the marketing team, the meeting started

"We have a main idea of what we like to do, and a few other just in case you want", Silvia started with a presentation in front, "The first one is like a sketch were we'll see Charles and Carlos arriving in the roadway in one of Ferrari sports car, and you are going to be standing next to them with a few suitcases, there's some dialogue in between, they give you keys and the four of you enter the city together in the cars, what do you think?"

"That sounds amazing", you responded with interest

"Do you want to hear the other ideas?", Silvia asked

"I think we are pretty excited for this one", Jack said looking at you nodding

"Then this will be, we'll be filming tomorrow in Corn Creek, and we'll do a small costume testing with the Ferrari collection and the music choice", Silvia said, "We also came with this idea becuse both of you had background related to motorsports and cars in general, so we thought this was very fitting, now let's do the costume testing and then we'll give you the script"

Standing from the table, both of you went to the area where all the clothes options were to start trying on some outfits and the hairstyles for the sketch, you recieved the scripts for the commercial to practice a bit (and both of you confirmed that neither Carlos or Charles knew how to act) and to keep memorizing them for the next day

"Guys, thank you for your time", Silvia exclaimed after finishing with the basics, "We know that you'll have plans while you're here, so we'll let you go, and remember that we'll leave the hotel at six in the morning to film, but right now, have a nice day"

Saying goodbye to everyone and thanking them for their time, both of you left the room to walk around a bit until sitting in one of the lounges

"Early day tomorrow", you joked, "How do we organize our plans for the week?"

"I mean, we could stay here for a few hours exploring the hotel and then in the afternoon we could go to visit Majestic Theatre, and then return early to sleep at lest eight hours", Jack proposed, "And tomorrow after filming we can go to Saint Honorés"

"That seems like a perfect plan", you smiled

"Great", Jack exclaimed standing up and taking your hand to also stand up, "Now let's go, I want to buy you something"

"Babe, I should be the one buying you something, it's your post birthday week", you laughed hugging him by the waist at what he hugged you by the shoulders

After spending the day shopping on the boutiques inside the hotel and having lunch with Pierre, Flavy, Esteban and Yuki, and after that visiting the cast of the Scream'd Musical Parody, and preparing your stuff and sleeping early, the part of waking up at four in the morning was difficult, but on the good part sleeping on the van was an option

"Can we ask what's the story of the stuffed dragon?", Charles asked seeing it on your arms during the road to the location

"Our first date was in an amusment park in Montreal and I won it for her on a game", Jack explained, "We named it baby dragon Jake because of Jake Long American Dragon which is a cartoon of the 2000"

"And we also puked after the roller coaster", you added half asleep, "Don't go on a roller coaster after eating, it will end badly"

"Did that really hapenned?", Carlos questioned

"Yeah, it was in the same trash can", Jack nodded, "And later Y/N's dad exposed us on instagram about that"

"But it helped us as a bonding experience", you smiled

A bit later, you arrived at the location where the set was being prepared for the shoot, and as soon as they got out of the van all of you were taken to the trailers for hair and make up to prepare for the filming, in which you ended up with a cropped white shirt, jean shorts, leather ankle boots, with your hair with defined curls and natural make up, and red sunglasses, while Jack was wearing a burgundy shirt, dark jeans, black leather boots and grey sunglasses

After the looks were done, they left you in there to have breakfast and also taking pictures and filming Tik Toks for later (you almost did the Juno trend but you realised it wasn't a good idea to do it in case someone entered)

Around eight in the morning, they came for you to go and do a little photoshoot before filming

"You look good", Charles said as both of you aproached

"Thank you", Jack responded holding your hand so you don't fall

"This clothes are comfortable", you mentioned as the four of you stood under the same umbrella

"Okay guys, we're about to start", the photographer exclaimed

Leaving the umbrella aside, the four of you started to pose individually, in pairs and in group, and after that was done the time to film the video arrived, at what both of you stood on your marks on the side of the road with utilery suitcases

"Okay, first we'll film the boys arriving and we'll film sequentially", the director exclaimed, "Roll camera, action"

The first shot started with Charles and Carlos arriving and stopping the car before entering the city

"Finally, the first of three races", Carlos sighed, "What do you say? Try to win them all?"

"You know my answer already", Charles smiled

"Hey!", you exclaimed knowing the time of your dialogue, making them look at both of you

"Can we have a ride? We're going to the race", Jack also exclaimed

In the car, Carlos and Charles smiled at each other, before Charles throwed a set of car keys which Jack was quick to catch

"And cut", the director yelled, "Bring the other car"

As quickly as possible, the other car was colocated next to the other one, both in the rosso corsa tone, at what Jack entered in the pilot seat and you in the copilot, restarting the filming with shots of the four of you before a last one from behind as both cars entered Las Vegas

Right after finishing the shooting, both of you changed into the clothes you arrived and taking the bags with the gifts which included the clothes you wore, they returned the two of you to the hotel since Charles and Carlos had to stay to film more things

"Hey", Guanyu greeted when both of you encountered him on the way to the elevator, "How was the filming?"

"It was fun, except for being in the sun for most of it", Jack responded, "By the way, we're sorry about the news"

"Yeah, it's unfair considering how the car was working this season, for you and Valtteri", you added, "How is it going?"

"I'm still looking at my options for next year, considering there's only one seat left, but anything's good at this point", Guanyu sighed

"Well, we don't doubt that you'll get a good offer", you assured, "By the way, how's Sweetcorn?"

"She's doing great, still shy around other people, but happy", Guanyu smiled

"If you and her travel to LA sometime, we could arrange a playdate with Tatum and Butters", Jack proposed, "That could help her"

"Yeah, let's see", Guanyu smiled

Saying goodbye to him, both of you entered the elevator to go to the room and change, your outfit was a black with grey sheer fabric top with pink jeans and pink boots with your Prada black purse and your hair lose with a few small brainds, while Jack chose a magenta short sleeve shirt, light jeans, and black converse

Going on the elevator again, both of you went to the parking lot to enter the car and drive to the location with the guide of Maps

"It's here", you said pointing the local, "I can't believe we are here"

"After months of seeing it on Tik Tok, we are trying the doughnuts"

With excitement, both of you left the car after leaving it in the parking lot, noticing there wasn't a lot of people as you enterd, seeing only three people in the line

"Good morning", the owner exclaimed when it was your turn, "What can I get you?"

"Can we have a Mix and Match of six?", you asked

"Sure", the owner nodded grabing the box, "Which ones?"

"Cookies and Cream, Birthday Cake, Strawberry Crumble, Crème Brûlée, Pumpkin Spice and Cannoli, please", Jack responded

"Okay, anything else?"

"An horchata milkshake, and if it's possible can you add a birthday candle, please?", you asked at what Jack looked you with love

"Let me see what I can find", the owner smiled passing the order to the register box, "By the way, I'm a fan of yours"

"We could say the same about you", you smiled, "We see your content on Tik Tok all the time"

"When we planned this trip this was the first place we knew we had to visit", Jack added

"Thank you guys, are you here for the race?"

"Yeah, we are guests of Ferrari", you nodded, "They invited us for Jack's birthday"

"Aw, that's so sweet, we're also going to be in the Paddock Club, so if you want more doughnuts, we'll be there"

After paying for the food, both of you went to sit to one of the tables to start eating, and while chosing which one to taste first, the owner, Alexandra arrived with the milkshake, two straws, the candle and a lighter

"Here's your horchata milkshake, the candle and a lighter", Alexandra said leaving the things on the table, "When you finish with the lighter you can leave it on the counter, enjoy the doughnuts and the milkshake"

"In which doughnut you want the candle?", you asked Jack

"Birthday Cake is the only correct answer"

Smiling, you put the candle on the doughnut and then light the candle

"Make a wish and blow the candle", you said resting your head on his shoulder

Without thinking too much, Jack blew off the candle at what you applauded, with that, Jack divided the doughnut in two to share it

"This is amazing", you commented after the first bite

"Great third celebration", Jack nodded

After a few minutes, three of the doughnuts and half of the milkshake were already gone, and you were about to try another one, until you heard a voice you hadn't heard since 2022

"If it isn't my star, Y/N Ulrich"

"Miss Weller", you exclaimed standing from your seat to hug her, "It's so good to see you"

"I can say the same thing", Miss Weller responded breaking the hug but still holding your hands, "By the way, I'm proud of everything you've acomplished at the moment"

"Thank you", you smiled, "By the way, this is my boyfriend Jack"

"Hi, it's nice to meet you", Jack greeted shaking hands with the older woman, "Y/N's has told me a lot about you"

"It's nice to meet you too, young man", Miss Weller nodded, "I can recognize talent from affar and I've seen your movies, and you have a promising future"

"Thank you so much", Jack smiled, "Do you want to sit with us?"

"I have a bit of time, thank you, just let me get my tea"

Seeing her leave to the counter, you sat again next to Jack, waiting for a few minutes until she returned with a cup of tea

"I'm so glad to see you again", you said, "I thought you were still in LA"

"I moved here mid 2023, I bought a small theatre, remodelate it, and now I have a group of kids and teenagers in my class, and I also got an asistent teacher this year, that has been helpful a lot", Miss Weller explained, "I have a class in one hour actually"

"That is amazing Miss Weller", you smiled, "How is your group?"

"They are amazing, since we are a small company we do everything, costumes, hair and make up, scenography, utilery, we do a play every six months because of that", Miss Weller responded, "And I know I'm asking too much and you probably have things to do, but would you want to come to today's rehearsal?"

"I mean, this was our only plan for today, so we'll be glad to go", Jack exclaimed while you nodded

A bit after, the three of you left, but not after you and Jack bought doughnuts for everyone and took photos with the owner of Saint Honorés, following Miss Weller's car arriving to a small building in Clark County

"This is nice", you said while getting the doughnuts out of the car

"Just wait to see the inside", Miss Weller exclaimed openning the doors

Following her inside, the first thing that both of you saw was a small reception with a few photos of plays and old cast members including yours in middle and high school along with posters of musicals, to then enter the main space which was a school type theater that kinda reminded you of your high school one

"The bean bags are here", you exclaimed seeing them in the stage

"Of course they are, they are one of my signatures", Miss Weller smiled before turning to look at Jack, "I don't like chairs because I find them uncomfortable and with pillows you don't have support on the back, and bean bags feel more fun, which is important in my form of directing"

Leaving the doughnuts in the table at the front that served as Miss Weller desk, you went to the stage to sit in one of the bean bags

"This feels like in the old times", you said

"But now you have three tattoos", Jack mentioned reffering to the snake tattoo on your hand, the tornado one on your arm and the 'divine feminine' phrase on your lower back

"Yeah, a lot has changed", you nodded, "Come on, sit with me"

Going up the stairs, Jack sat in the bean bag next to yours

"This is comfortable", Jack commented

"I think the theater has to be this place of comfort and be who you are and have fun with your friends and castmates", Miss Weller spoke, "I like having the bean bags for script lectures because my kids are much more relaxed and have more fun during that moment, and it doesn't matter if is a dark or happy story"

"Like when we did Le Mis or West Side Story", you remembered, "They were tragedies but we were singing 'Master of the House' and 'America' like there was no tomorrow"

Just as Miss Weller was abut to say something, the front door opened followed by another voice you hadn't heard since 2020

"I'm here! Miss Weller, did you saw the Ferrari parked outside? I know that beacuse of the race there are a lot, but I didn't expected to see one in here..."

"Spencer?", you frowned seeing your ex-boyfriend

"Y/N?", Spencer did the same

"Jack", Jack murmured at the scene that seemed like part of a comedy

"He's my assistant, he's been very helpful", Miss Weller informed, "I found Y/N and Jack at the doughnut shop and I invited them to the class today, and they also brought doughnuts for everybody, why don't you grab one and go with them?"

Still a bit confused about the situation, Spencer grabbed one of the doughnuts and a napkin to then sit in another bean bag

"So, how you've been?", Spencer asked you

"Good, it's been good", you nodded, "By the way, this my boyfriend Jack"

"Nice to meet you, man", Spencer greeted

"Nice to meet you too", Jack responded, "You know, if Lando was here, I would put the initial music of Mamma Mia"

"Oh my God", you groaned

Knowing that Spencer would be confused, you pulled out your phone to search through your Instagram dm's and showed him

"Ew, what the fuck?", Spencer exclaimed after reading them

"Yeah, now we are kinda friends with him, and all the drivers", you sighed, "By the way, I thought you were in Iowa"

"I was, then at the start of the year I started to have problems with my parents, and I decided to leave them, I found that Miss Weller was searching for an assistant and I told her my situation, and gave me the job so I moved here", Spencer explained

"That sucks, I'm sorry", you said with a bit of sadness

"It's okay, I'm better now"

"So, how are the kids?", Jack asked trying to lighten up the atmosphere, reffering to the theater group

"They are really enthusiastic, but I won't lie, they can't be insufferable sometimes, like the little girls sometimes talk about Sephora and skin care, what the fuck is Drunk Elephant and retinol? And the boys sometimes say things as 'skibidi toilet', I don't know what they talk about most of the time"

"And the older ones?", you asked this time

"They are a bit more relaxed, more into influencers, Tik Tok, videogames and those kind of things, and I swear I've seen every color of Stanley Cups, you are one of their favorite influencers actually"

"That's nice", you smiled

"Anyways, what are you doing in Vegas?"

"We are here for the race, we were invited by Ferrari because of my birthday", Jack responded

"Red Bull did the same in my birthday but in Monaco, and we are now friends with all of them and the WAGS"

"So, the Ferrari is yours?", Spencer questioned

"Borrowed for the week", Jack answered, "But Lance gifted us Aston Martins, long story"

"Hey kids", Miss Weller spoke, "I'm sorry for interrupting your conversation, but the kids are arriving soon and I thought we could give them a little surprise"

Agreeing with the idea, both of you went backstage to hide, while Miss Weller and Spencer continued preparing everything for the class, which started when all the students arrived

"Welcome to today's class", Miss Weller exclaimed, "Before starting with the rehearsal, I would like to say something that happened me before coming here, as you know I always bring my tea to drink and today I went to Saint Honorés to buy one, and I encounter one of my old students along with her boyfriend, we talked a little and I invited them to come to the class, and they also bring doughnuts for everyone"

"Spencer is eating one", a little girl exclaimed

"Is there enough for everyone, there are three boxes of twelve", Spencer responded

"Guys, you can come out", Miss Weller interrupted the bickering

Hearing the signal, both of you appeared on the stage at what all the students started to scream in excitement, which made both of you to smile

"Now, now, save your vocals kids", Miss Weller laughed, "They are going to be in our rehearsal and also answering your questions, so why don't you start warming up and we start with the rehearsal"

"Do you need us to move the bean bags?", you asked

"If you don't mind", Miss Weller nodded, "Just leave them at the back"

Doing as she told, you and Jack moved the bean bags to the back of the stage, before stepping down to sit next to Miss Weller, while all of the students and Spencer went to the stage

"We're doing Matilda this winter", Miss Weller told you, "All of them are participating, we are mixing aspects of the play and the movie"

"Like the young and older performing together 'Revolting Children'?", Jack asked

"Exactly the reason", Miss Weller nodded, "That is the number we are rehearsing because is the bigger"

"Do you mind if I go talk to the one playing Matilda?", you questioned, "As a former Matilda I would like to talk to her"

"Of course you can, and feel free if any of you want to give advices"

Standing from the seats, you aproached the stage seeing as most of them were starstruck

"Hi guys, before you start, do you mind if I ask who is playing Matilda?"

"Me", a ten year old readhead girl exclaimed raising her hand

"Hi, sweetie, what's your name?"

"Lucy"

"Lucy, as a former Matilda I would love to give you some advice, what do you think?"

"I would love to"

Smiling, you went to the stairs high fiving the other kids before taking Lucy's hand to sit in the bean bags to don't interfiere in the coreography

"So, how are you?", you asked her

"Good, excited"

"That's good, how do you feel about being the lead?"

"It feels good, I like the character a lot, I've watched both movies"

"So you know the character and all her characteristics, and the songs"

"Yeah"

"That's perfect, but you know what has been a characteristic of every Matilda interpreter? They made the role theirs, they give Matilda their personal touch, Mara Wilson made her Matilda an icon with the movie, Milly Shapiro solidified the character on Broadway, Alisha Weir gave a new twist to the character, that's what you need to do, think what you can add to the character to made her your own"

"How do you do it when you played it?"

"Well, when I did Matilda, I made her sassy and mischievous with a bit of sweetness and of course her sense of justice, 'Naughty' was so much fun to perform with that characteristics, which ones would you give to your Matilda?"

"Strong, kind, with a big imagination, determinated"

"Those are great features, do you think you are achieving them?"

"I try to, but I also focusing on having fun with my friends"

"Lucy, I think you are going a great Matilda because you are focusing on having fun which is the most important thing"

"Thank you, can I give you a hug?"

"Of course you can", you smiled at what Lucy was quick to hug you, "And last advice, dont' drink too cold and also drink mint tea to take care of your voice, okay?"

"Okay"

Leaving the stage, you returned to your seat next to Jack, and start watching the rehearsal and everyone having fun while doing it, which was the best part of all

"Now that we finish this first part of the rehearsal, we'll do the Q&A", Miss Weller exclaimed, "Grab a doughnut and a napkin, go sit while we prepare everything"

At the same time that the kids were taking their seats, you and Jack went to the stage to grab two bean bags and sit almost at the edge of the stage

"So, who wants to start?", you exclaimed at what almost all of them raised their hands, "Okay, the sugar is making effect, you, the one with the Call of Duty shirt"

"What are you doing in the city?"

"We are here for the race, Ferrari invited us for my birthday", Jack responded before picking another

"Do you have a funny story while doing a play with Miss Weller?"

"I do", you laughed looking at Spencer for a second, "So, we were doing Carrie: The Musical, I was playing Chris Hargenssen, and Spencer here, was playing Tommy Ross, and while we were rehearsing the prom scene, I pulled the aluminion bucket so hard that instead of falling at the side, it landed on Spencer's back, and I still feel bad about it, Spencer, I'm sorry"

"Don't worry, it's okay", Spencer shrugged

"What was more fun to film, Avatar or Scream?"

"Both of them have a special place in my heart, so it's hard to chose any of them", Jack responded

"Do you have pets?"

"We have", you smiled, "I have a cat named Tatum, I found her in the area of the carrots of my garden, she's strawberry blonde"

"And I have a sphynx cat named Butters, he was given to me four years ago by the Avatar crew, and basically both cats are our kids"

"Are you going to see 'Wicked'?"

"Yes, we are, we are planning on a double feature with Gladiator II", Jack responded

"What's a play you wanted to do but couldn't do?"

"First is 'Mamma Mia' because we were going to do it until quarantine started, and also 'Heathers', but school wouldn't let us do it because it was too violent, which is ironic because we did Carrie which is more bloodier"

"Why did Spider saved the bad guy at the end of the movie?"

"Because he is a good person, and I gave you three more movies"

"What was your favorite coreography from Riverdale?"

"Jailhouse Rock and Cherry Bomb, those were the most fun to learn"

"When you went to the Eras Tour, what was your favorite era?"

"I always liked 1989, so that one"

"I'm a rep girl, also love folklore"

"How many Ghostface masks do you have?"

"I have the classic one, the old and dirty we used in Scream VI which they gave as a wrap gift, and a metalic one from Spirit Halloween"

"I also have the classic and the old and dirty, a pink rinestone, a silver rinestone, and got a purple metalic this year from Spirit Halloween"

"Is there a project you would like to do?"

"Dancing With The Stars, and I sent an audition to a project recently anounced, so fingers crossed", you smiled, "Also work with Guillermo Del Toro"

"A rom-com, also fully being in another superhero movie"

"What is the best prank you've done on each other?"

"I know the best answer to this", Jack laughed, "This was while I was filming 'Everything's Going to Be Great', and of course I don't have my phone while filming, so when we got a little break I grab my phone and I see that Y/N sent me a phot, and when I opened it, it was a fake wound in her leg, because she's an ultra talented VFX make up artist, but I forgot about that when I saw it, and I facetimed her like really scared"

"And I answered smiling and asking him what did he think about it"

"And I told her in complete dessesperation that she needed to go to the hospital in that moment, and she started to laugh and told me it was a prosthetic, I calmed down, but the entire set found out and it became a joke"

"And then you took revenge on me, because when he returned from filming, I was making cookies in my kitchen, and he was still sleeping in my room, but after I put them in my oven I heard him yelling that one of my bottles of fake blood was leaking, and since I had my supplies in my old closet, I panicked because my clothes were there, so I ran there and what do I found? Jack standing next to my supplies laughing, he didn't get cookies for a week as a punishment"

"Where do you get the fake blood?"

"First the Riverdale crew gave me like small bottles to practice, and when the show wrapped the gave me the contact of the fabricant to order it, also Radio Silence gave me another contact to it"

"Let me just interrupt for a second to say that when we were doing Carrie, Y/N was in charge of bringing the fake blood, and I thought she was going to bring like one or two bottles, but when monday arrived, she pulls a gallon of fake blood out of her rehearsal bag", Miss Weller spoke

"In my defense, I told my dad while he was on set, to like go to buy it in the weekend, but he gave me the gallon, that Roberto Aguirre-Sacassa decided to gift", you mentioned with fun

"Did you took anything from the Riverdale set?"

"Well, I got a lot of clothes as goodbye gifts, and also took a Pops menu"

"When we went last year to visit and film our cameo, they gifted me the jacket I used and also gave me a Bulldogs jersey"

"Have you seen edits of yourselves on Tik Tok?"

"All the time", Jack nodded, "We sometimes send it to each other like 'look at this one' and things like that"

"Which has been your most challenging role?"

"With not doubt, Spider, mostly because all the physical work and effort and learning the na'vi language, and how to breath underwater for a long period"

"For me, it has to be Eva from Bring It On, for the cheerleading aspect, we actually collaborated with the cheer squad of the school to be able to do everything correctly"

"Kids, one last question, we need to return to rehearsal", Miss Weller announced

"What's your favorite videogame?"

"Dress to Impress and Dead by Deadlight"

"Fortnite"

"And with that we finish the Q&A, you guys made amazing questions, but now take water and prepare for the second part of our rehearsal", Miss Weller instructed, "We'll do the 'confromting Trunchbull' scene, and another one to 'Revolting Children', if you still don't know your lines, take the dialogues with you"

Returning the bean bags to the back of the stage while the kids returned to the stage to prepare everything for the scenes to be rehearsed

"Hey, Lucy", you softly called the girl, "When you do the scene, have a strong and focused face, but try to not make it look forced, okay?"

"Strong and focused, not forced, got it", Lucy nodded

"Have fun kids", Jack exclaimed while sitting again

"Spencer, who is playing Trunchbull?", you asked him at the time Miss Weller started with the blocking of the scene

"Kevin, he auditioned for the role because he found funny to play it, and he also loves Emma Thompson", Spencer responded turning from his seat in front to talk, "He's doing an amazing job"

"When do the presentations start?", Jack asked this time

"On december 19, all weekend, we'll start selling the tickets next week and hopefully, they'll sell completely"

"What do you mean by that?", you frowned

"Since we are a new and small theater company, is a bit hard to get people to attend, the parents and friends come, but we don't sell all the tickets, and the costumes, props, escenography, depends on that"

Hearing that, you and Jack look at each other with concern at the same time that the kids laughed at something

"Spencer, is there an Instagram or Tik Tok?", you asked him after a few seconds of silence

"Yeah, I created one of each, but we don't have a lot of interactions, why?"

"I have a few ideas"

In between a small recess, you approached Miss Weller to tell her your ideas to have more audience, at what she smiled warmly nodding in agreement, which caused that you and Jack started to film a few videos and took photos for the social media of the theater company, and after the rehearsal ended at all, both of you filmed a few Tik Toks with the kids and took a few group and individual photos with them, before saying a goodbye words

"Before leaving we just want to thank Miss Weller for inviting us to come to the rehearsal and being able to see how talented all of you are, as well as we enjoyed responding your questions and helping with your social media account", you started to speak, "You guys are so talented and full of energy, and it's amazing seeing how you enjoy and love what are you doing"

"And because we want to continue to see you enjoying the acting and theater world, we would like to do a donation to help you grow"

At the instant that those words left Jack's mouth, all of the kids gasped in surprise, while Miss Weller and Spencer stared in shock

"Of course, if Miss Weller agrees", you added

"Guys, are you serious?", Miss Weller asked

"I mean, you made me and my friends love musical theater, and now you are doing the same with your amazing group, so we would love to see them grow", you smiled, "So, would you let us give a donation?"

"It will be amazing", Miss Weller exclaimed with tears in her eyes, "Thank you so much"

"Don't worry, our accountants will handle everything for the transfer", Jack assured

"And again, thank you so much for inviting us to be part of this rehearsal day and be able to meet your talented kids, it was so great to see you again after two years", you nodded, "Kids, you have a amazing guides on Miss Weller and Spencer, listen to them, hear their advices and trust in them, and we know that you are going to do an amazing production of 'Matilda'"

With that last words, both of you started to say goodbye to everyone in there and wish them luck for the presentation, before leaving the building with the company of Spencer, as Miss Weller instructed

"It was nice seeing you again, and that you are happy", Spencer said

"Thank you", you nodded, "It was also nice seeing you, and that you scaped an environment that wasn't good for you"

"I mean, the kids are savages and I'm kinda like their older brother they like to bully, but is better than my parents", Spencer sighed

"Hey, I'm going to have a party for my birthday on saturday after the race, that Charles and Carlos organized, if you want to go", Jack said, "It's going to be at the Wynn, we'll sent you the invitation so you can enter the building"

"Thank you so much, I appreciate it, but I don't think I could go, because a few cousins are coming to the city"

"We'll send it anyways in case all of you want to go", you shrudded, "And we'll try to acomodate the agendas to come and see the play"

"Even try the other to come", Jack added reffering to the friend group

"That would be so amazing", Spencer exclaimed, "Thank you"

After sending him the invitation and saying goodbye, both of you entered the car (with you driving this time) to leave and continue to explore the city

After spending the week hanging out with everyone which included you going to a breakfast with the WAGS and kids (in which you did face paints to all the kids), and Jack playing golf with the boys, and watching the practice and qualifying sessions from the room window and F1TV, the night of the race arrived, and knowing at what hour you were suposed to leave the hotel, both of you slept until mid-day, to have a brunch and start getting ready early

Just as your hair was done getting straight and you were fluffying Jack's hair, the door of the room was knocked, at what both of you left the bathroom and Jack went to open seeing Max on the other side with two cans of Red Bull

"Hey guys, I brought you something to stay awake all night", Max greeted, "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure", Jack nodded letting him in

"Hello Sid", you joked

"The fact that I put a meme of me as Sid in a virtual car doesn't give you the right to call me that", Max laughed openning the cans to give them to both of you, "First night race, how are you feeling?"

"It feels like a completely different vibe compared to a day race", you responded putting a straw in the can to drink the energy drink

"How are you feeling? Considering you can win the championship here", Jack asked Max

"I know I can win it, but with the car being shit it's going to be tricky, and we also brought the wrong rear wings which is not helping, but with my win at Brazil there's hope, I just need to end ahead of Lando, doesn't matter the place"

"You know what you and Checo need to do finishing the season? Destroy the RB20 like a piñata, and then burn it", you said, "And upload it to the YouTube channel"

"That's sounds lovely, by the way, can I hide in any of your houses during the week of february 18?"

"You don't want to be on the group car launch, right?", Jack laughed

"Oh, absolutely not", Max exclaimed, "It's like the worst idea ever"

"That's your community service", you joked

"The FIA is a fucking joke right now", Max complained, "First we cannot say bad words, then I got community service and Charles only a fine, they put our lives at risk like in Brazil, I got a twenty seconds penalty, we can't talk bad about them or we get fined, it's just unfair"

"Don't forget the british bias", you added

"Next year I'm going to appear with a british passport, I don't know how, but I will, anyways, before I leave, I need to tell you something, but you have to keep it private until we announce it"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?", Jack nodded

"Kelly's pregnant, we're going to have a baby"

"Bitch, you can't just told us news like that this casual", you said with a few happy tears falling from your eyes, "Is this for real?"

"One hundred percent", Max confirmed

"Congratulations, this is amazing", Jack smiled

"And we wanted to tell you this because we are close friends"

"Bitch, you are going to ruin my make up", you joked with tears still falling from your eyes, "I'm so happy for both of you and sweetpea"

After Max left the room, both of you continued to get ready dressing in the outfits chosen for the night, yours was a black corset top, black shorts, thigh hight red boots, with a Ferrari jacket and a red Prada purse, with you hair straight, golden earrings, your initial necklace, your Van Cleef bracelet along with your Trinity Bracelet and your Ghostface ring (in honor of the first six movies, the seventh was inexistent to you), gold eyeshadow and red gloss, while Jack was wearing a short sleeve white shirt, black jeans and white sneakers along with his Ferrari jacket that matched yours and his initial necklace and matching Trinity bracelet

"Babe, can you help me with the zipper?", you exclaimed holding the top against your chest

"Yeah", Jack nodded at what you turned so he can do it, "Gorgeous, are you sure they sent the correct size? This looks a bit small"

"It's the correct size, is just that this is very thight"

"Okay, hold it thight and breathe in"

Doing as he told you, you held the corset to your body and suck in your breath, at the same time Jack closed the zipper

"Can you breathe well?"

"Totally"

Finishing getting ready, both of you started to prepare your bag with both of your things

"Let's do the check", you said with all the things in your bag, "Lip gloss, antibacterial, facemasks, tissues, our room keys, your lip balm, our passes, a hair tie, phone chargers with portable batteries and gum"

"We have everything", Jack nodded

Having a bit of extra time before leaving for the track, both of you took some photos and videos (and you finally did the 'Juno' trend which ended up in both of you laughing)

When the time to leave for the track arrived, both of you left the room to find Charles, Carlos, Alexandra and Rebbeca in the along with people from Ferrari

"The video already has four million views across YouTube, Instagram and Tik Tok", the media person of Ferrari said while going to the track, "It was a complete success"

"That many in a few days?", you asked with surprise

"People are loving it", the media person nodded

"It's because we are amazing actors", Carlos commented

Arriving at the paddock, the Ferrari crew and some photgraphers took photos and filmed the entrance, which included photos with the group of Elvis impresionators

"This is huge", Jack commented with his arm around your waist

"Bigger than the Monaco paddock", you nodded

"Guys, we need to go for a pre-race reunion, so the hospitality is open or you can explore", Charles spoke

"I think we are going to explore a bit", you said

"Okay, just come to the hospitality at least thirty minutes before evything start so we all can go to the garage", Charles nodded, "Have fun"

With that goodbye, the Ferrari boys entered the hospitality and the two of you started walking around, with the first stop being the spot to get tags for pets, in which both of you got tags for Butters and Tatum and for the pets of all the family, eating food from the Gordon Ramsay garage, and taking photos in some spots and with fans, also taking a photo in front of the wedding chappel in the Paddock Club

"I swear if I see Danica Patrick you're going to have to hold me thight because I can't stand that woman", you sighed while walking around

"You're going to turn into feral kid?", Jack joked

"Oh absolutely, I can't believe she said that I was overdressed at fourteen at a NASCAR race, I was wearing sweatpants, a short sleeve shirt and sneakers, and keept talking bad about me since that, and on top of that she's a horrible person"

"At least you don't work with her", suddenly Jenson Button passed next to both of you saying that and leaving

"That was so random", Jack said watching the World Champion walk away

"Yeah", you nodded

Walking a bit more around, both of you stopped to meet and take photos with the F1 Academy drivers and Susie Wolff, and walk around the paddock more, being stopped by a reporter

"Hi, I'm Giselle Zarur from Fox Sports Latinamerica, do you mind if I ask you some questions about the race?"

"Sure", both of you nodded

Making sure all of you looked good, the interview started

"Hola a todos, estoy aquí con Y/N Ulrich y Jack Champion, jovenes talentos de Hollywood, how are you guys?"

"Good, we are enjoying the vibe previous to the race", you smiled

"Since the nepo babies interview back in may, both of you attended Monaco with Red Bull, and based of the outfits, which are amazing, I guess you are with Ferrari this time"

"Yeah, with Monaco we went as Max guests because of Y/N's birthday, and this time Charles and Carlos invited us for my birthday and also gave us this jackets", Jack responded

"I can guarantee that both of you are the best dressed of the entire weekend"

"You are so sweet, thank you", you exclaimed, "I love your outfit too"

"Thank you, I know you are close friends with Max and Checo, have you been able to talk to them this week?"

"Yeah, we have, at the start of the week we had breakfast with Checo, Carola and their kids, and they also are our adoptive parents for the week, and we talked to Max earlier, we would like that both cars work the same to see them both in the podium, but the car is acting weird this year", Jack explained

"And we have to talk about the video you did with Ferrari, it was amazing, how did the idea came out?"

"It was Ferrari's idea, they had another ones that we didn't hear because we said yes to that one, and it was such a fun day", you answered

"Lastly, who do you want to win the championship?"

"Max, of course", you smiled, "We're supporting our bestie"

"Well, thank you so much guys for your time, do you mind giving a few words to the mexican audience?"

"Hola a todos, los amamos", Jack said in broken spanish looking at the camera

"Vamos Max, Checo, Carlos y Charles", you exclaimed, "Nos vemos en la carrera"

With those last words, the two of you said goodbye to her, and decided to go to the Ferrari hospitality to rest a bit before going to the garage to start with the pre-race events (and being dissapointed when Bruce Buffer didn't screamed all the names like last year), and watching the amount of people gatter in the track, both of you decided to stay in the garage

After the anthem ceremony and while the last details were being prepared, an ingeenier gave both of you headphones to hear the radios and cancel the strong noise of the cars

Thankfully the race started without any crashes or accidents (and both of you were glad that Franco was able to race after his quali crash), and everything stayed calm, except for the fact that Alex and Pierre's cars broke and drama with Ferrari (which you witnessed in first line), and holding hands thightly during the last lap since Max was ahead of Lando, and wanting to scream and jump when the race ended with Max as World Champion

"Guys, Carlos said that if you want you can go to the Red Bull garage", Carlos cousin said taking the headphones, "I think that after the podium the reunion is going to be long"

"Seriously there's no problem if we go?", Jack asked

"Not at all, they knew you would like to go to celebrate with Max", Caco confirmed

After assuring two mre times that it was sure to leave, both of you walked the small distances between garages, seeing as everyone at Red Bull was celebrating the championship wearing the shirts, hoodies and hats for the ocasion; the moment Max's performance coach saw you, he was quick to hand two packs of everything the team brought to celebrate at what both of you were quick to put the caps on

"That's my bestie", you exclaimed when Max aproached to hug you, "Your fourth championship! I know we became friends in april but I'm so proud of you"

"Congratulations, it was an amazing race", Jack smiled hugging Max

"It feels good to finally wrap this battle", Max sighed breaking from the hug, "Difficult year, shit car, but I did it, now, at what time starts the party?"

Thanks to the conflict between Charles and Carlos during the race, the team reuinion would be long, so both of you returned to the hotel with Red Bull, to change for the party

Your ouftit was a pink sparkly dress, gold heels, along with a gold bag, with your make up, hair and accesories the same, while Jack was wearing a black button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, black jeans and white sneakers

Arriving at the nightclub, you noticed most of the drivers and the girls were already there, along with some of the reserve drivers, the F1 Academy girls and some mechanics from the teams, and Martin Garrix was already playing with Lando by his side

"Guys, look who I found"

As you heard Yuki's scream, both of you turned to the VIP section to see him standing with Daniel next to him, at what both of you almost ran towards that part to hug him

"We didn't see you all week", you exclaimed once the hugs ended

"I know, I just came for the party, I had to make time to come", Daniel responded

"How you've been?", Jack asked

"It was a bit hard at the beggining, but right now I'm happy, more relaxed", Daniel smiled

"They should at least let you have a proper goodbye, with donuts and all of that", you said, "Not announce it on a random tuesday"

"I mean, it already happened, so there was nothing to do", Daniel shrugged, "But Logan and I couldn't fail to this party"

"Logan is here?", Jack exclaimed

"Yeah, he's there", Daniel nodded pointing at the free bar

Turning to look at that direction, both of you saw him with Alex, Lily M and Franco talking

A bit after Max (who already had alcohol in his system) arrived, going straight to the bar, to later go to the VIP area where both of you were sitting in one of the couches

"I have shots", Max yelled followed by a waiter with a tray full of shots, "Sponsored by Checo"

"I thought it was going to be Almave again", Jack commented taking two glasses to give one to you

"That was because we were on a yatch, we have real tequila this time", Max responded as the rest was arriving to the area, "So, cheers for Jack's birthday, and my four championship"

With the first shots of the night, the triple celebration (Jack's birthday, George's win and Max fourth championship) started, which lasted till the early morning

When the sunrise arrived, you and Jack were snuggling in one of the couches with a few drinks in your systems, while some of the drivers that were still there and not so drunk looked worried

"When are they suposed to return home?", Logan worriedly asked

"We have until tuesday in the morning, before going to Qatar", Charles responded, "Why we let them drink so much?"

"I think that was Max, who is still celebrating", Valtteri said looking at Max drinking another gin tonic, "We need to take them to their room before it gets worse"

Being the ones who were left at the party, Tiffany and Lily M helped you walk and Flavy carried your purse, while Alex and Esteban were helping Jack and the rest making sure there weren't any cameras close to film

"Scott is going to be so happy knowing we got wasted in Vegas", you giggled while going to the elevator, "He's one of my high school best friends"

"Is the first time you drink like this?", Esteban asked

"We took two bottles of tequila to our Halloween party", Jack mentioned, "It was a success"

"The folks are gone, it's time for big fun! Big fun! We're up till dawn, having some big fun! Big fun!", you sang softly

"We need to get them to expulse all the alcohol before letting them sleep", Flavy said

"Can I change for my pajamas before that?", you asked half asleep, "My dress is new"

"Don't worry, we'll do that", Tiffany nodded

By the time the elevator arrived to the correct floor, you and Jack were more asleep than everything which caused that the rest had to drag you across the hall to the room, where Flavy pulled the key out of your purse to open the door, and leave both of you sitting on the couch to start with the process of making sure both of you survived the morning and the rest of the day

After spending the rest of the sunday and part of the monday recovering from the hangover thanks to the others (mostly Flavy since she was the most capacitated for any medical aspects), the time to return home arrived, and thankfully, the small problem Carlos and Charles had during the race had been solved

"Now we are wasted for real", you murmured while entering the plane

"My heart still hurts", Jack complained sitting next to you

"You guys drank alcohol like it was water", Charles commented

"Blame Max, he kept giving us drinks", you mentioned, "With the rest of you helping"

"At least none of you ended up with a cut on your nose", Lando mentioned

"But you won a race after that", Jack pointed

"Yeah, that was the good part", Lando conceded

"Yeah, you are funny while being drunk", Carlos joked

"What kind of things we said?", Jack asked

"Well, hermanita started to sing something about big fun"

"Big fun from Heathers The Musical", you specified while putting the hood of your new hoodie on (that was gifted by Max, part of his World Champion collection), "Amazing movie and musical"

"Both of you fell a few times, threw up almost all morning, wanted to tweet about it but we prevented it, wanted to go and knock all the doors of the floor and order room service, but we all stopped you", Carlos enlisted, "And then you fell asleep almost all sunday"

"I mean, it could be worse", Jack shrugged, "By the way, we didn't saw Max after that"

"According to George, on sunday, he was leaving for the airport, and Max was still at the bar, it was nine in the morning", Charles responded, "And before I forgot, is there someone going to pick you at the airport?"

"My mom", Jack responded

After that, the three hour flight was spent with you and Jack sleeping, and the other three making sure the two of you were still breathing

When the jet landed on LA around early afternoon, Charles stepped down first while Carlos and Lando made sure that both of you look the most presentable posible

"Hi", Charles exclaimed once he was in front of Anna, "So we have a little situation, we had the party after the race, and they got drunk, they are okay, but still a bit hangover"

"Are they hurt?", Anna asked with concern

"No, just hangover, we taook care of them", Charles explained

Just as he finished saying that, both of you got out of the plane with the help of Carlos and Lando while the stewards got the suitcases out

"Mom!"

"Anna!"

"Hi my love, hi angel, are you okay?"

"Just a bit tired", you responded while Carlos was preventing you from falling

"The race and party was amazing", Jack said at the time Lando was helping him walk

"I'm glad", Anna smiled

With the help of the three drivers, both of you entered the car with the suitcases on the trunk, to finally go to home and rest for a few days and then go back to normal, ending a succesful trip to Las Vegas

[keyforshort]

Dimension 20 Live Highlights

*Spoilers*

Cast was;

Murph - Riz/Kugrash

Emily - Ylfa (Jet cameo)

Zac- Pib (Pis)

Ally - Kristen

Siobhan - Ruby

Setting - Unsleeping City

Pib oneshotting Don Confetti by eating him and becoming the new Don

Yfla and Ruby immediately play fighting but also kinda real fighting and being unsure of what was happening

Pib: "Wait am I the adult here?"

Pib and Ylfa both thinking the Bodega was Ylfa's grandmas apartment

Ruby commanding the sweets aisle

Lemone coming to life and Gilear (who was a table) making him his bitch

Epona holding a table at gun point and Riz not reacting until remembering it was Gilear

Pib pretending hes a New York native

Riz almost getting oneshot by a disintegration ray until zac reminded him of uncanny dodge, and then getting swapped out for Kug anyway

Riz's reaction to gettting disintegrated was just "ow"

Kug and Pib going for each other almost immediately (I didnt realise Riz had left because Murph started hissing)

Ylfa trying to play Gin Rummy with everyone she meets

Ylfa beating La Gran Gata at Gin Rummy

Pib and La Gran Gata having the most instant flirty energy

Ruby asking everyone if they're Ceresian and Ylfa thinking she means lesbian

Ruby being Ylfa's lesbian awakening

Wally thinking he's in Die Hard

Ylfa holding Chunggledown Bim's ass cheeks closed like a vice

Kristen elbow dropping table Gilear because she misunderstood a plan

Pib getting shoes and renaming himself Pis (and regretting it immediately because the audience would not let it go)

Pissandra

YLFA ADOPTING AURORA NEBBINS

Kugrash kept turning people into reverse centaurs

Aguefort saying "You guys do the plan, while me and Babayaga do something else" "what?" "SOMETHING ELSE"

Chungledown Bim getting a nat 1, Siobhan getting up and spinning in a circle celebrating like 10 times before realising no one else got up at all

CDB getting another catastrophic failure, Brennan sitting on the floor in reaction to it

The cameramen struggling to get Ally in frame when they all got on tbe floor together. Finally getting them in frame and then they FUCKING MOVED AGAIN

La Gran Gata calling him Pib, the audience yelling "Pis!" And the LGG going "No, PUSS IN BED MOTHERFUCKERS"

Jet lives

Will add more if I think of them

[patibato]

[Bitter Sweet Sixteen] 002-A28 - Stand by "ME"

Momiji: Huh…?

Nanaki: …Failed?

Ushio: …

Muneuji: …

Kiroku: …Wh …

Akuta: —Huh, I failed?

Even though everyone else passed, it's just me?

……Wo~w.

Muneuji: Sensei, I do not agree with that grading.

Akuta: …Muneujii…

Muneuji: I tried applying Isotake's actions to the criteria you set out, and in my opinion, there are a few discrepancies.

Sakujiro: Oh? A grade from a student's point of view? That's rather brazen, but interesting. Do enlighten me on what is wrong, and how.

Muneuji: With both being selected as candidates, and going on the tour, I didn't have any heartfelt expectations, and yet—

Carried along on Isotake's energy, I wound up participating. There are some parts I regret about it.

But I completed all the work left in my hands. I accomplished all that and more.

I fulfilled my duties and became passionate. It had been a while since I enjoyed myself so much.

The funny faces he showed me on sleepless nights were very amusing.

Nanaki: Sakuchan-sensei, can I say something too?

…I started getting annoyed with people a few days in. I felt like I didn't care what happened anymore.

But… Akuta. When looking at what a dumb, reckless idiot he is—

I feel like the things I worry about are stupid. I felt like I was an idiot for trying to look cool.

It's fine to be more unpresentable. It's fine to not give up on connecting with people-

It's fine to eat the omelette rice he got from the convenience store by putting natto on it…!

Akuta: Natto omelettes are good…

Nanaki: That's how he made me think. It… might be different to Sakuchan-sensei's opinion.

Kiroku: I-

…Isotake… accepted… my strange art, and sensibilities… without… denying… me…

And… compared to me, who didn't finish the lantern… …Isotake… is different—

……He didn't… give in…!

The success, of the festival… was definitely because… he kept on… going… and opened a path… with his own power…

And he… wore the same t-shirt… for three days… straight…

Akuta: Guess I didn't get changed much…

Kiroku: …I wouldn't, be able… to do that… it's incredible…

Sakujiro: …I see, so you all have your own thoughts on this. I understand.

Kurama-kun, do you have anything to add?

Ushio: …

Akuta: …

Ushio: I wonder. To be frank, nothing much comes to mind—

Akuta: Doh!

Ushio: He's blatantly egotistic, blatantly stupid, and a full-fledged loser.

He's a dumbass, I never understand what he's saying. The way he acts is nonsensical—

But, I think it's fine for a kid to put his all into being one.

Akuta: …Hey, are you complimenting me?

Ushio: With my whole body and soul.

Sakujiro: —Is that all?

Ushio: …

Sakujiro: Does anyone else have more to say?

Muneuji: I do. …I'm just, in the middle of calculating what.

Nanaki: Umm… there's that. …You know, that.

Kiroku: … …

Ushio: Yeah, we've got nothing.

We can't think of anything. Let's give up.

Akuta: -…Aaah… got it…

Well, c'est la vie. What can't be done can't be done.

Thanks for searching so much for me, guys! I love you. …You too, Sensei.

—Well, I'll be off.

Momiji: W-wait! Akuta-kun-

Sakujiro: …Mwaha…

Momiji: Sakujiro-san?

Sakujiro: Mwahaha… hahaha…

AAH HA HA! FUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Kafka: …

Akuta: Huh… no, what…? D-did I not time my exit right…?

Muneuji: Have you gone mad, Karigane-sensei?

Momiji: (His true nature's coming out… Even though he said earlier that he acts relatively normal at school.)

Sakujiro: That's RIGHT! Leaving now is MUCH too soon, Akuta-kun! Sit down! I'll aim this chalk right for your brow!

Akuta: Awawawawah, g-g-g-got it!

Sakujiro: Please listen closely, everyone.

Though I have a purpose in life, I do not possess a dream.

I've none of the glittering, shining hopes, dreams, or passion that you youngsters emit.

Not even when I was your age. Not before, nor ever since.

However—

When I heard Akuta-kun's speech at the festival venue, with his ego on full display, giving his straightforward and honest thoughts…

I felt as if something was suddenly circulating through my body.

I learned through firsthand experience that someone's passion could be transmitted into me, in which nothing had ever naturally occurred.

To put it simply, it "touched my heart"… that's what I would call that phenomenon.

For Tourism Ward Mayors, spreading "affinity" to those with no relation to the area is your duty, your work.

Imparting new passion to travellers will change it from a stranger's area into their own—giving meaning to the moment they experience that is our ambition.

And so, I have established a new grading criteria just now.

"Passion Evangelist"—

Isotake Akuta-kun. I offer you ten thousand points for that talent of yours, and along with that, I endorse you as the leader of the Day Team.

What do you think, Young Master.

Kafka: …

Akuta: …

Kafka: I approve.

Momiji: …!

Akuta: … For real?

…

Hoo—

All Five: HOORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Akuta: Well, my place is this way, so…

Muneuji: Right.

Akuta: …

Ushio: …Aren't you going to go?

Akuta: No, I'm just reluctant? It's a weird feeling!

Kiroku: ……That's… rare…

Muneuji: …

Nanaki: With all of us passing like this… I can't help but feel like we did something bad to the egg.

Kiroku: -…

Akuta: Cheer up! Don't you suppose it's enjoying itself at a beautiful lady's house or something!?

Nanaki: Y-yeah, yeah! I mean, its shell is sturdy! I'm sure it's fine. Yeah.

Kiroku: …Mhm…

Ushio: …Anyway, me and Muuchan live this way, so. See ya.

Muneuji: Hold on.

Ushio: Hm?

Muneuji: …I have something I wish to discuss with you all.

Akuta: Huh, what what? You sound serious, what's up?

Muneuji: I recalled this during Oguro-san's explanation earlier. That day, at the old school building—

I saw the Principal.

Ushio: Huh?

Nanaki: Really? Why would he be there?

Muneuji: I don't know myself. At first, I assumed he was simply on night patrol.

However, the reports said there were no injured parties. And then, too, I assumed he managed to escape one way or another like we did.

After all, at the online closing ceremony held afterwards, the Principal gave a speech as usual. However, try to recall.

That day, the speech was given through voice alone, with his camera off.

Kiroku: …Now that, you mention it…

Nanaki: So to summarise, you think that has something to do with the egg?

Muneuji: Correct. …There's also the matter of that mysterious slimy substance, and Ohno's disappearance.

Nanaki: …Right. Ohno-kun… They still haven't found him, have they.

Akuta: Yeah~ if I'd gotten a proper shot at that time, it could've been used as evidence…

Kiroku: …M… maybe you… didn't see… right.

Ushio: Muuchan's got good eyesight, even in the dark. And he absolutely doesn't lie.

Nanaki: But of all people, the Principal would have no reason to go out of his way to bring that extraterrestrial egg and sticky stuff to the old school building.

Muneuji: …

You… may be right. Perhaps I'm being too suspicious.

However, I felt it best to tell you all about it. …Please keep it in mind.

Nanaki: Got it. Thanks for letting us know.

Kiroku: …ank, yo…

Akuta: —Alright! With that said and done!

No point staying here forever. I'm starving, so let's head on home!

Nanaki: Yep. See you tomorrow.

Kiroku: … Bye… bye.

Muneuji: Let's continue getting on tomorrow.

Ushio: Let's go, Muuchan.

*tapping and bubbling*

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Masterlist

[xxsycamore]

in your opinion, what would Napoleon think about Mc who waits till marriage to do the tra la la 👁️

Oh I'm sure he understands and respects her wish! It would be interesting to see how this gets brought up, if we have to judge by Chapter 20 of his main route (the first time they slept together) because he seemed eager to go all the way after a more passionate kiss or two. Of course, there would be signs, MC's body language... still, I imagine him being a little surprised if she were to stop him at that point! He listens to her carefully, with the same serious look in his eyes he always has in those moments, hands immediately retracting, gaze locked on hers - he makes it clear that he's respecting all she has to say. Once she informs him she plans to wait until marriage for this, he nods right away, not wanting to leave her hanging for an answer as she might look nervous sharing this, putting his hand on her arm, saying "Then we're going to wait." Then his head begins to fill with thoughts, he checks up with himself if he expected this from her maybe, out of his strong wish to understand her deeply. Then there's a flashing image of her in a wedding dress in his mind, and it sinks in that he straight up accepted that this IS going to happen, that THEY're going to wait for it. Then he will laugh at himself for it, because that's how helplessly in love he is with her - but I also feel like he'll be quick to correct himself, especially because this could be very early on in the relationship and he wouldn't want to appear possessive of her. But since I'm sure MC feels the same way as him in this scenario, she might have to laugh at him too, and maybe they both need it in order to get rid of the tension.

(mentions about sexual tension and arousal and bloodsucking under the cut)

Now. Would that mean that they necessarily keep their hands off each other? That depends entirely on MC's boundaries because Napoleon would be reassuring that he won't cross the lines she established. If she's up to making out, he's more than ready to do that. Now, in the game we see him say on multiple occasions "If you do that I won't be able to control myself" BUT I think he handles himself just alright. If he withdraws to warn that they're getting a little caught up into it, chances are he's talking about her and not himself. Not because he doesn't have a hard-on, oh no. It's pretty much a given at this point, he's probably told her not to worry about him (but they would stop earlier if it makes her uncomfortable of course). It's easy to go down that slope in the heat of the moment, so I also imagine him talking to her about it in a moment where their minds are completely free of arousal, just to establish if she wants him to control her like this, or he should be more lax with it. He doesn't want her to regret anything later on, if she feels like she revealed too much of herself to him (like needy sounds and faces, their bodies grinding through the clothes, hands getting too bold).

I think his self-control gets shaken only by one thing and that's bloodlust. If there's anything he won't be trusting himself with, that's drinking from her. Keeping the urge at bay is one thing, but if he actually drinks from her it's most likely happening when he's already pretty worked up, so he must refrain from it. He doesn't want to scare her with his neediness either. Does that mean no (more) bloodsucking until marriage? It probably does.

[pablotorresgf]

i’m not the only one- Pablo Gavi

In which you weren’t enough to make him settle.

Warnings: this is pure angst!

Notes: guys I know I’ve gone ghost but I hope you guys enjoy this, I know it’s not very long. I’ve seen all the fluffy request and I’m trying my best to write them!

You wished you hadn’t logged into Twitter. You wished you could unsee everything, every picture, every tweet. You had noticed that Gavi was trending on Twitter, you thought nothing of it thinking it was about the upcoming match, but once you clicked on his name photos and videos flooded your feed. In one picture Gavi, your gavi, had another girl sitting on his lap. Hand in hand. In a blurry video the girl pulled his face towards hers and they started making out. If the other picture wouldn’t have been leaked you wouldn’t have noticed it was your Gavi.

All those photos and videos went viral in seconds. Your socials were blowing up.

“Golden boy Gavi having too much fun to remember he has a girl at home” one of his fans had tweeted. “I can’t believe Gavi would do such a thing” you were glad that some of his fans were on your side, seeing as he a countless of times declared his love and admiration for you. You felt betrayed and embarrassed. Betrayed by all the Barcelona boys who claimed to be your friends, betrayed by Gavi himself who always promised to protect you and never hurt you. You were humiliated. Humiliated about how thousands of people were finally having the satisfaction of dragging your name across the dirt.

You decided to text Pedri to see if he knew where Gavi was, but you regretted opening Instagram too. Half of the Barcelona team had posted videos of them drunk, but what hurt you most was that Pedri had posted a video of Gavi and that girl dancing on each other and he was hyping them up. This was the same Pedri that you had a strong platonic relationship with, the same Pedri that would argue with Gavi if he ever did something to make you sad. You knew that they weren’t in the right state of mind but none of that mattered to you, they did what they did.

You were beyond exhausted and had no energy to argue even if Gavi returned home or ended up leaving the party with that girl, you wouldn’t be surprised.

Gavi was currently in the back seat of a Uber with pedri on their way home. Gavi knew he had fucked up he felt insanely guilty, he didn’t know what was going through his mind when he let that girl flirt with him let alone kiss him. At this point Gavi was hyperventilating Pedri was trying his hardest to calm him down. “Cálmate Tío, llámale aver si sabe lo que paso.” Gavi wanted to scream at him, calling him stupid of course you knew, his name was trending all over social media, pictures and videos were leaked. But as Gavi looked for your contact he saw that your messages were green, and that calls would go straight to voicemail. Clicking on the instagram app be noticed that your account was no where to be seen. “Pedri no me sale su cuente y los mensajes no se mandan y no suenan las llamadas.” Pedri let out a deep sigh he was feeling extremely guilty as well, he was supposed to be your best friend he was supposed to keep Gavi in check for you, he was supposed to discipline him for doing what he was doing instead of encouraging it. Pushing his luck he decided to call you. Straight to voicemail. Texts were green. Your account was completely gone. “Me bloqueo también.”

When Gavi arrived home he decided to sleep in the guest room, he knew that you didn’t want to see him by your side when you woke up.

He was up before you that morning with a nasty hangover. But was worse was the guilt eating him alive. His relationship was slipping and he wanted to fix it. He made breakfast for the both of you and waited for you to wake up to talk to you.

As you woke up you were certain that Gavi wasn’t home. You headed straight to the kitchen and saw Gavi sitting there with a guilty look on his face. You were amused, amused at the fact that he had the nerve to sit at the table with breakfast ready like if he wasn’t kissing another girl the night before, amused by the fact that guilt was eating him alive. That’s just how you wanted him to feel, guilty, embarrassed, and ashamed.

“Amor, necesitamos que hablar” he stated. You were disgusted at the pet name that was coming out his mouth. The same pet name that used to make you feel like the only girl in the world, now making you feel like the other women.

“Mi nombre es t/n, no es amor, nomas t/n.” You corrected him with a disgusted look on his face. You had no more respect for the boy in front of you. You had no more tears in you. You were just disappointed and angry. All you thought about last night was how you were going to break up with him in the most heartless way. You wanted him to feel just how you felt last night.

“Baby please… don’t be like that.” He said while standing up and taking step towards you.

“That’s not my name Pablo.”

“Perdóname por favor bebe, no estaba pensando bien ya se que eso no es una excusa pero no era mi intención.”

“Are you hearing yourself Pablo? I trusted you enough to go to that party i fucking trusted Pedri too so nothing would happen, but then this happens! You cheat on me while mostly all your team is there you know how humiliating that is seeing all these pictures and all your fans finally having the satisfaction of us not being together. You looked so happy in those fucking videos you were having the time of your life having another girls tongue down your god dam throat and all you have to say is sorry? You said while tears were streaming down your face, you couldn’t keep your emotions in. “It was embarrassing but thankfully all this will be over because you won’t be seeing me anymore.”

“What do you mean?” He said with his voice trembling.

“We’re done Pablo, there’s no more Gavi and y/n, i hope she was worth it.”

“No-no y/n, I made a mistake I know that but you have to understand that she didn’t mean anything it was a mistake, it’ll never happen again.”

“I know it won’t happen again Gavi, because we’re done. Over.”

Realization started to hit as you took in the scene in front of you, you almost felt bad, you’ve never seen gavi this broken down before he looked like a little kid who lost his mom at the store. There was a pout present on his face with tears streaming down his face. It took all your self respect to not hug him and comfort him, but instead you walked past him and grabbed your keys.

I have loved you for many years

Maybe I am just not enough

You've made me realize my deepest fear

By lying and tearing us up

[hooked-on-elvis]

ELVIS USES THE 'F' WORD DURING A CONCERT 🤬

PICTURE: Elvis performing live at the Hilton (International) Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 30, 1974 (Midnight concert, 12:00 a.m.).

Elvis Presley was humble and kind to everyone, everyone — even the ones who demonstrated not being keen to his music or holding prejudices against him, something he usually took it in a stride, showing his understanding and mature side when comprehending it was only their right not to appreciate his music or performance, therefore he didn't hold resentment for his haters/detractors or took it personally in any way, but Elvis wasn't cold blooded and sometimes he snapped back at the rude and mean people that crossed his way showing extremely senseless hate to him.

On August 30, 1974, Elvis was performing in Las Vegas at the Hilton International Hotel. It was his second show at the night (Midnight concert). Out of the blue, while Elvis talking to the audience and getting ready to sing another tune, a fan lady in the audience screamed 'I love you Elvis'. Elvis kindly replied, 'I love you too, sweetheart', and then another person said something to him (inaudible in the recorded material) to which we can hear Elvis replying, 'Well, I don't take that for granted'.

Suddenly, right following this endearing moment between a music idol and his fans, a smart-ass in the audience, probably trying to make Presley uncomfortable or just intending to call some attention for himself, shouted, 'I HATE YOU, ELVIS'. Without even thinking twice, Elvis immediately snapped: 'FUCK YOU.'

Elvis, who was in a great mood, very talkative throughout the concert, cracking jokes and even demonstrating some karate moves at some points, surely wasn't up to go on with that distasteful situation any longer, depriving his fans of some more valuable and joyful moments of his performance, so, without waiting for any kind of reaction from the unwelcome hater, Elvis begins singing 'An American Trilogy' and the show went on as smooth as if nothing of that nature had ever happened.

I wonder if the guy left the showroom or not. Probably he didn't.

Not much time later, Elvis can be heard laughing and then saying, "Just kidding" still in the middle of the "An American Trilogy" performance. I'm sure Elvis didn't feel proud of what happened in the way he responded the "fan" because he knew this could leave a permanent impression on this person. His (somewhat) apologize was not a matter of "damage control" concerning Elvis' image as a performer, in my opinion, but the will not to let that person go home feeling mistreated by him. Elvis was sensitive to other people's feelings. His close friends have said many times how El could be pissed off at someone, act impulsively in his anger but then immediately regret it afterwards and apologize the best way he found suitable. As I said, Presley never treated fans, who took their time to watch his live performances, in that manner but he just couldn't help feeling upset by that guy's bothering remark and that's completely forgivable - even because some of us would have done even worse in his place, if we can be honest with ourselves. As it seems, EP probably regretted the impulsive reply, but the guy totally asked for it.

This snippet is from a concert in Las Vegas, on August 30th 1974. The moment happened right after he finished singing 'Hound Dog'. You can hear the FULL CONCERT HERE (that moment begins at 35:23).

I recommend you to listen to the full concert. There's many great moments of Elvis on stage that day. One of the nicest things, right at the end of the concert, is when Elvis tells the audience that Dean Nichopoulos (son of his doctor, George Nichopoulos) is in the audience. Elvis tells them that Dean requested for him to perform 'Suspicious Mind', to what he shares with the audience that he would but under one condition. He made a deal with Dean that, if he sang the song, the boy would have to workout in Memphis at the karate dojo there, every day starting from the moment they went back to Memphis after the engagement was over.

This is the friend Elvis was. He wanted the best for the ones he cared for. 🥹⚡ Can we have any more doubt on why his friends and coworkers and all the fans talk so highly on Elvis since always? It is not exclusively because of who he was as a performer, much less because of any favors granted them over the years too. It happens simply because of who Elvis was as a human being and how special and loved he made people feel whenever he was near. Precious boy! My heart can't stand the amount of love and appreciation I have for Elvis, seriously. He was not only one of the greatest performers the world has ever seen. He was one of the precious souls to ever walked the earth - a faulted man at times, but a great human being, a figure of love, generosity, compassion, loyalty, true friendship and so much more. God bless his soul. 💙

LIVE ALBUM 'Elvis: Night Fever in Vegas'. Release: 1997. Recording Type: Live Soundboard Recording. Location: Las Vegas, Nevada. Date: August 30 - 1974, Midnight Show.

CLARIFICATION ON THE LIVE ALBUM COVER PICTURE — 'Elvis: Night Fever in Vegas', released in 1997.

Looking for pictures of that August 30, 1974 concert, I found Elvis wearing different suits. I was so confused on which one was the right picture from that concert that I had to do some research, otherwise I wouldn't be in peace. Here's what I found, I hope it can help clarify some fans too.

At the concert that moment happened, Elvis was not dressed as the cover from the live album shows. He was dressed in the Two-toned Wine Glass Leather Two-piece suit (picture above is from the actual concert on August 30, 1974 - Midnight concert). For the dinner concert earlier that night (8:15 p.m.) he wore the Emperor Beige Leather Two-piece suit. On the live concert album cover released in 1997, is a picture of Elvis dressed in the Chinese Dragon suit, first worn during the latter part of the 1974 August/September Las Vegas engagement. To be exact he wore the Dragon suit for the first time on September 2, 1974, therefore that picture used as a cover to the live album with the recorded August 30, 1974 concert can be either from September 2, 1974 or from one of the next Vegas engagement concerts when he wore the Chinese Dragon suit again (September/October 1974).

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

SOURCES ⚡

For last, I'd like to thank/mention www.elvisconcerts.com for being a precious source of enlightenment on Elvis' concerts dates and the suits worn by him, with their amazing index on the website. It helps me A LOT getting the accurate info for the pictures of Elvis onstage (1969-1977) that I share in my posts. Other sources for the info on this post were: elvisoncd.com [concert setlist], Pinterest [pictures], Youtube [ELVIS WORLD and J.R. The King of London (Channel 2) [recorded concert].

[wildflower-otome]

[Translation] Shuuen no Virche EpiC:lycoris - Lucas Proust - Salvation Epilogue After Story

Source: Shuuen no Virche -EpiC:lycoris- Otomate Sweet Box Story Book -L'histoire de Lycoris- Note: Major spoilers for Lucas's Virche de la Coda -Émotion- Salvation Epilogue below.

Ep. Lucas - The longed for distant future

—Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times.

Ceres and I were killed again and again. Over and over, we suffered while still alive.

At the point where enough time had gone by that I no longer knew how much time had passed in the world of the living—.

‘...............?’

Before I realized it, I was alone at the center of the underworld—standing in a field of black lycoris.

Although at first I had no idea why I was in such a place.....

‘.....Ah, I see now.’

-I remembered.

She, who was so kind, had had her sins forgiven, and had gone on ahead towards the light.

Meaning the only one left here was I, the great sinner.

......It had been my intention to go alone to Hades to start with.

I wouldn’t scream and cry and beg for forgiveness but—.

‘Haha. To think I would feel so lonely simply because she’s not here.....’

“Lonely”, a word that didn’t seem to suit the underworld, echoed out across the empty space.

.....During the period of time when we had taken our punishment together, just as we had promised each other, we had never left each other’s sides.

Even if being with me meant accepting punishment beyond what she deserved-.

(.....I regret involving her in my suffering.)

Nonetheless.

(I don’t regret our being together)

Because she had been at my side, I had been able to continue to face the sins I had committed.

—My beloved. A too kind person who had fallen in love with a foolish cold-blooded killer like me.

The person who had come for me, even if it meant having to take her own life.

‘Then, this time— it’s my turn to come for her.’

I took a step forward.

The moment I stepped on one of the lycoris, my entire body was enveloped in an indescribably excruciating pain.

‘...............-’

But even then, I didn’t stop walking.

—Despite bleeding from all over my body.

—Despite the wails of hatred from those I had murdered continuing to condemn me.

—Despite seeing an illusion of my little sister saying, “Big brother”.

‘This time for sure, I won’t go down the wrong path.....!’

Simply in order to meet her, the person whom I had desperately wished for a destiny with—

* * *

.....It was a long, long journey.

Maybe many decades, or even hundreds of years had gone by in the world above.

Or perhaps it all took place in an instant.

—But I felt in my body enough time had passed to do over countless lifetimes.

All the while I had not stopped even once, continuing to aimlessly walk, and walk, and walk—......

I arrived at a solitary yet beautiful place where there was nothing but the lycoris at my feet, stretching off into the distance—

‘...............This must be it.’

.....I couldn’t sense anyone there.

Still, without any concrete proof, I was certain that this place was my final destination.

‘...............’

I took a single breath.

Ruthlessly driving myself onward in a body that had died an infinite number of times, I began my final walk.

—The place I headed for was the spot where a single white lycoris was blooming in the middle of the flower field. 

Kneeling down at that place, I reached out a hand towards the courageous flower that continued to bloom with all its might.

‘.....I’ve come for you. Let’s go see Nadia together.’

When I whispered softly-.

‘—Lucas-!!’

Turning into human form in the blink of an eye, she embraced me with joy.

.....I hugged her back, glad that I hadn’t been mistaken after all.

‘.....I’m sorry for making you wait. You must have been lonely in a place like this for so long.’

‘.....That’s not true at all. I always believed that you’d come for me, Lucas.’

‘—Thank you.’

Full of emotion at her words, I kissed her there and then.

After remaining that way for a few seconds and feeling the warmth of her body, I reluctantly broke away.

‘I’m sure I haven’t atoned completely yet, but- If I made you go get Nadia all on your own, I would be breaking our promise. That’s why I came for you.’

Standing up, I held out a hand to her.

‘.....Yes. Let’s go to heaven, Nadia is waiting for us.’

She had at first looked surprised, but soon smiling she took my hand without hesitation.

And then, we began to walk towards the single ray of light shining down from heaven, hand in hand.

‘Once we reunite with Nadia, what would you like to do first?’

‘Hm, let’s see....I’ll have to tell her about us getting married. I’m sure she of all people will be happy to hear it.’

‘—That sounds lovely. I’d love to hear Nadia calling me big sister once more too.’

 ‘...............I’m sure she will, but I wonder if I still have the right to call myself her family.’

‘Please have confidence in yourself. Lucas, now and in the next life, don’t forget you’re her one and only brother, alright?’

As we spoke of our hopes and anxieties, we steadily continued to move forward.

Unable to bear the feeling of love that welled up in me at having her cheer me up even when I was being so pessimistic, I looked at her next to me and asked a single question.

‘—My love. Will you continue to be my wife from now and in the future?’

And when I did, with a smile so bright you wouldn’t think we were still in Hades-.

‘Of course, my husband......!’

She vowed her eternal love to me.

.....In that case, I would no longer hesitate.

I smiled and held her hand tightly so as to make sure I would never let go of it.

‘.....As your husband, this time for sure, I promise to protect your gentle soul and love you until the end. .....Please, I beg you, don’t let go of my hand. Just as I did—I want you to desire a destiny with me as well.’

Even if, in the times ahead, a virtuous person deserving of her were to appear—I would no longer be able to let her go.

‘I love you. From the bottom of my heart.’

The woman who had not given up on a sinner like me.

—Who had chased after me, even into the depths of hell itself.

* * *

A small shadow came running towards us from the other side of the pure white world.

Breathing hard—but looking earnestly happy.

‘Brother, Sister.....!’

At the end of our long journey, she jumped into our waiting arms.

—Come, let us go.

To a world where we can live together as a family, this time for sure.

[tenaciousjalapeno]

Testing the Cat Lady, Part 5

5/?

Pairing: LA Buggy the Clown x Reader

Summary: You've done a thorough job of getting on Buggy's nerves during the tour of the town, but he still wants to show you a good time. All goes well until dinner turns into a mess.

Warnings: language, mild violence, no use of Y/N

Word Count: 2200

While in a clothing shop, you quickly realize just how important it was to Buggy that he maintain a good image to the townspeople. Right in the middle of the store, a silent argument raged between you two. Your face saying, “Get ready, captain. I’ll bankrupt you,” and his returning with, “I know where you sleep.” Sounds like a problem for future-you. Skimming the store, your eyes land on a beautiful suede coat. From years of training on your mother’s part, you had developed a good eye for expensive, well, everything. Clothes, accessories, home decor. The whole shebang. As soon as you lay eyes on it, you know that it’s going to be the priciest thing in the shop. Maybe even in town.

“Excuse me,” you say to the shopkeeper, pointing in the direction of the coat. “Could I try that coat on? The suede one.” The woman’s eyes light up as she hastily agrees and heads to bring the coat over for you. Flashing a shit-eating grin Buggy’s way, you swear you see his eye twitching. Returning with the coat in hand, the shopkeeper helps you slide into the jacket.

“Oh, what a lovely fit!” she exclaims. “It’s like it was made for you!” You turn in front of a floor length mirror, assessing how it hugs your body and moves with you. Whether she means it or is just looking to make a sale, you have to admit that she’s right. It looks fantastic, if you do say so yourself. After a few moments, you decide that you’ll take the coat, much to the shopkeeper’s delight.

“Hey, doll,” Buggy butts in, “isn’t it a little warm to be buying that? Wouldn’t want you to get sick from the heat.” Try as he might to sound genuinely concerned, you weren’t fooled. The clown was trying to get out of his earlier agreement. Had it not been for his comment about sausages, you might’ve actually considered giving in and forgoing the coat. But he made his bed, and now he has to lay in it. A deal’s a deal.

“Oh, darling,” you respond with a honeyed tone, throwing his earlier pet name for you back in his face. This time you’re sure of it; his eye is twitching. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll save it for chilly days. Besides, didn’t you just say that you’d treat me to anything?” Your fake boyfriend looks between you and the shopkeeper who’s now waiting at the counter. The choice has to be made: his reputation or his berries?

Finally, his face sets into a wide, forced grin as he leans forward to hover over you. He’s going for intimidation, making it clear that you’ll regret this some way or another. You can’t say whether or not he hit the mark, it definitely stirs something in you. “Of course. Nothing is too good for my sweetheart.” He straightens up and heads toward the counter, giving you a small shove on his way past. “I hate you,” he whispers.

“Suck my ass,” you whisper back.

Several minutes later, you hum happily as you lead Buggy out of the shop. Both of you held up your ends of the bargain, scoring you a new coat on his berry. “I should put you on bathroom duty next month.”

“Probably, but you won’t.” You twirl around to face him, chuckling. It’s a risky little game to play, telling him what he can or can’t, will or won’t do, but seeing as he’s been lenient with you so far, rolling the dice seems low stakes this time around. As unpredictable and sporadic as he is, more often than not, his threats towards you are empty.

“Oh, really? You think looking cute will get you special treatment?” He scowls as he trudges forward, scoping out nearby places that you might enjoy. Despite how deeply annoying he finds you right now, he still wants to show you a good time. Besides, the more he escorts you through the town, the more convincing it will be that you two are actually in a relationship. Or at least that’s what he’s telling himself.

“Maybe.” He rolls his eyes at your cheeky attitude. You’re right, but he’d sooner eat gravel than admit it. Finally, a pub and line of shops and entertainment comes into view. Perfect for keeping you interested enough to shut up, he hopes.

“Come on, shithead,” he says, putting his hand on your lower back and steering you toward a bookstore. The gentle manhandling sends a thrill up your spine that doesn’t stop until it’s wrapped around your brain, making you short circuit. After a few seconds, you snap back to earth and shake whatever that was from your head. What is with me today, you wonder, but quickly conclude that all this time out at sea is beginning to mess with your head.

Several hours and another 10 thousand berries later, you find yourself in the pub with Buggy and a few other crew members that you’d bumped into along the way. The food will take a while, but in the meantime, the crew takes no time downing several beers each. Except for you, that is.

“You look ridiculous,” Buggy states, eyeing your colorful, fruity drink. You’re on your second one already, your first being pink with a bendy straw, and this one being red and blue topped with a little umbrella. Almost reminds you of your captain.

“What,” you ask, defensively, “It tastes good. And there’s plenty of beer and whisky on the ship, so I’m gonna treat myself to something tasty while I have the chance.” He looks at you, unimpressed.

“I’m treating you, you little leech. And slow down on those. I already have to be your personal wallet; I don’t want to be a babysitter too.” You brush him off as you sip the last of your drink. There’s not even a hint of the taste of alcohol, so you don’t know what he’s making a fuss over.

Third drink ordered and halfway gone, he rolls his eyes at you once more. The food came at the same time as your drink, so he’s hoping to gods that the food sitting in your stomach will soak up some of the alcohol. Those hopes are crushed, however, when you get up to use the restroom and nearly fall on top of him. “See, this is exactly what I was talking about,” he whines, steadying you. “Just because it tastes good, doesn’t mean it won’t get you piss-drunk.”

You giggle at the frustrated man before you. “Aw, Cap’n, I’m just a bit tipsy is all.” The slurred words do nothing to convince him. In that moment, he decides that he’s cutting you off and never letting you drink again. “Good time” be damned because there was no way he was carrying an overgrown toddler back to the ship.

“Yeah, whatever, just go use the bathroom then we’ll head back and get you to bed.” He waves you off, and you turn toward the restroom. No qualms were had with that. After the long day out, you were ready to start winding down. The date outing had been a lot more fun than you’d originally anticipated. Being spoiled by your captain, or blackmailing him depending on who you asked, was nice and all, but what really made your day was simply getting to spend uninterrupted time with him for once. Despite how much of an ass he was, you had still come to consider him a friend. The fact that you’d only get to see him for maybe an hour a day if you were lucky never felt like enough. The domestic life you’d previously settled into was nice – peaceful, even – but something about Buggy made you feel alive. It took you back to your days as a traveler, which was probably why you had such an easy time adjusting to life aboard the Big Top.

Due to your inebriated state, every ounce of your brain power goes toward getting to the bathroom in a straight line without tripping over your own feet. All focus set on watching your step, you don’t notice a man walking in your direction. Your shoulders hit each other, causing the man to spill the drink he’d been carrying onto himself. You immediately start to apologize, but he cuts you off. “Watch where the fuck you’re going,” he yells, grabbing you by your collar. In an instant, his aggression sobers you and makes your body freeze in panic. “What, are you too stupid to talk?” Within seconds of hearing the man’s booming voice, Buggy’s detached arm flies over and smacks his hands off of you. Another few seconds later, the rest of the captain appears in front of you, acting as a shield from the angry patron. The man’s eyes go wide, trying to process what he just witnessed.

Buggy looms over the man. Barely able to suppress his rage, he growls in a low voice, “Don’t. Touch. My. Crew.” The aura emanating off of him is terrifying. Of all the times you’d seen him angry and violent, even the day that you’d first met him, nothing came close to his current state. Never before had you heard him speak with such abhorrence. Glancing over to your fellow crewmates, even they seemed alarmed. It wasn’t until now that you realized the three of you had the attention of the entire pub.

Stupidly, the man, not wanting to hurt his pride with so many eyes on him, straightens up and points his anger at your captain. “Mind your own business, asshole. Keep your big, ugly nose out of- UGH!” Buggy watches in stunned silence as the man hits the ground. He was about to put the man into an early grave only to have you beat him to the punch – literally. As soon as the man is down, you drop to your knees above him, pounding your fists clumsily against his face.

Between strikes, you shout out angrily at him, “Don’t! Talk! About! The captain! Like! That!” Fueled by fury, you probably could have kept going until his face was caved in. However, a cackling Buggy pulls you off of the man, holding you like a feisty kitten who’s pissed to be picked up. Trying to wriggle free, you now yell at your captain. “I’m not done yet! Let me go!”

“Nope, that’s enough, killer,” Buggy laughs, throwing you over his shoulder. He turns his attention to the bartender, who seems undisturbed by the kerfuffle, and sets enough berries to cover the tab and a hefty tip on the counter. “Sorry about the trouble.”

“Don’t be,” the bartender says nonchalantly, ignoring the groans of the man still laid on the floor. “That guy blew in a few days ago and has been causing problems ever since. Thanks, Captain.” Several more people thank Buggy as he heads out the door, waving his hand behind him. Fresh air fills your lungs and finally brings you back to your senses.

“You done?” Buggy asks. You’re still disgruntled, but your anger has simmered down a little. Taking only a few moments to mull it over, you hum a response, urging him to put you down. He lightly sets you back on your feet, looking down at you with an amused smile. “I knew you had some tricks up your sleeve, but I didn’t know you could fight.”

“Barely. He made me mad is all.” Buggy chuckles as he begins to make his way back to the ship, you following suit. Both of you walk in comfortable silence, him maintaining a soft smile all the while. Upon reaching the deck of the ship, he turns to you.

“Thanks, by the way. It’s nice to know my sweetheart has my back.” He wholeheartedly means it, but can’t get the words out without twisting it into some sort of joke. For half his life, he’d had to take care of himself. The times where he could count on someone else to stick their neck out for him were far and few between. Trying to express his gratitude any other way felt too vulnerable, especially considering how few times he’d had to do it in his adult life.

You roll your eyes at him. You want to quip back with something snarky, but something about his body language holds you back. Tension held in his shoulders and avoidance of direct eye contact all but scream that he’s uncomfortable uttering the words. A small smile falls upon your face. “Anytime, Captain,” you say. He relaxes at the response, but you don’t want to drag out the conversation and make him feel any more awkward. “I’m going to hang out on deck for a little while and enjoy the fresh air.”

He nods and heads towards the lower deck. “Sounds good. See you tomorrow, doll.” As he disappears, Mango strides past him, making his way over to you as you sit down and kick your feet up on a barrel. You greet him with some head scritches before sharing with him the highlights of your day, together enjoying the warm breeze and starlit sky.