#we have to put together sounds and one of them is 'a sound that makes you laugh'

[straylightdream]

across the room

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: jeon wonwoo x f!chubby reader

I caught your eye across the room. No one can feel the tension between me and you. There's no need to mention all the things I wanna do. You wanna do 'em too. We both know we'd be over if they knew

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞(𝐬): friends to lovers, mutual pining, secret lovers, romance, angst, smut

𝐚𝐮(𝐬): nonidol

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 6k

𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: lots of body insecurities, cussing, mentions of drinking, angst, having to keep a “relationship” a secret, so much making out, open ending, wonwoo is kinda a former fuckboy.

𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: dry humping, oral (both rec), handjob, fingering, protected intercourse, multiple positions, couch sex, cum eating, snowballing?

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 18+ nsfw

𝐚𝐧: wrote this a while ago and decided it was time to fully rework it.

🎧: hush hush - the band camino | talk fast - 5 seconds of summer

𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬.

His hands held your face as your lips moved together. His lips were completely intoxicating as they moved against yours. There was something about this touch that just drove you absolutely wild. You’re sitting next to each other on your couch. Your fingers gripped his shirt holding him closer to you. He pulls his lips ways from yours and smirk plays across his lips. He well aware of how much he’s turning you on.

“What’s your endgame here?” You ask with your voice low.

“My goal is to have you naked on this couch,” he says completely serious.

“Is that right?” you ask raising your eyebrow.

You and Wonwoo had started this flirty thing a month ago. You’re complete opposites he’s a drop dead gorgeous man with the body of a Greek god you’re a chubby girl who hasn’t ever fooled around outside a relationship.

You felt like this is a game of cat and mouse and once he gets what he wants he’ll be done. This wasn’t the first time you had shared a steamy make out session. Normally things between you got a little handsy but nothing more.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours for a gentle kiss and pulled away resting his nose against yours.

“I think we’re wearing too much clothing,” his lips brushed against yours.

You were so turned on you were trying to think logically and not tear off your clothes and jump him.

“I think you need to behave,” you reached up resting your hand on his cheek.

“Baby you’re killing me,” he groaned, pulling away from you.

“I think you’ll live,” you smile as you rest your hand on his thigh.

“You’re giving me blue balls babe,” he leans forward and presses his lips to yours.

“I think we can have fun without taking our clothes off,” You say as your hand moves to his jean covered bulge.

A groan passed his lips you massaged him. Leaning forward he placed his hands on your soft sides and pulled you onto his lap.

You hadn’t ever sat on his lap before and you felt extremely self conscious about your weight. Your hips starting grinding against his. His lips were connected to your neck gently nipping at your skin. He pulls his lips away from your skin and holds your doughy sides helping move your hips. Your hands held his face so he was looking at you. Pulling off his glasses they set them on the table next to the couch. His dark eyes lust blown as he stared at you. His lips pressed to yours and as he pulled away he gently bit your bottom lip.

“Even if we don’t have sex can we shed some clothes?” his voice is low.

“Sure,” you say with every intention of keeping your clothes on but making sure he feels good.

Crawling off his lap you sit on your knees on the floor between his legs and look up at him with big doe eyes. His bottom lip is captured between his teeth as he stares down at you.

“What do you want to happen from here?” he putting the ball in your court.

“Take your pants off,” you say, attempting to sound sexy.

He stands up in front of you and quickly pushes down his jeans and boxers. His already hard cock springs free, he’s bigger than you imagined. You had seen Wonwoo shirtless, but you hadn’t ever seen him fully naked.

His pants are pushed down to his thighs and he is sitting there watching you in anticipation. He silently removed his shirt so he’s basically naked.

Sitting up you’re still sitting on your knees. Your hands rest on his thighs. You were going to be brave right now. Wonwoo’s one of the hottest men you have ever seen and he wanted you. Right then you wanted to make him feel good. Reaching forward you stroked his hardened length. A groan passed his lips as he closed his eyes.

Leaning forward you licked the underside of his excitement. His eyes popped open as he watched you take him into your mouth.

You take him as far back as you fully can until he’s touching the back of your throat.“Baby that feels so good,” he pushed his fingers through hair. Gently you bobbed your head as your hand helped work his length.

A slur of curse words passed his lips letting you know he was getting closer and closer to coming. You hadn’t given someone head in a really long time and you were worried you wouldn’t be good at it, but by the way he was saying your name he seemed like he was really enjoying it.

“Fuck-fu-“ you’re getting wet just by the sounds of his moans. “I’m coming-“ You have zero desire to pull off. You want him to fall apart in your mouth. You feel the warm liquid from his release in your mouth and swallow without even thinking about it.

He tugs your hair gently pulling you away. Looking up at him you run your tongue across your bottom lip.

He pulls you onto his lap and presses his lips to yours for a heated kiss. He doesn’t even care that he can taste himself on your lips.

“That was so hot,” he groans with his lips ghosting against yours.

“I wanted to make you feel good,” you say, feeling proud of yourself.

“You made me feel amazing,” he smiles as his hands move up your sides resting under your breast.

“Let me make you feel good,” he says, pulling your shirt up.

“It’s okay, how about next time?” you say as you push your shirt down.

His eyes brows knit together as he looks at you with a confused look. “Did I do something wrong?” He asks.

You shake your head and say, “I want to have sex with you, but I want to take this slow.”

You were taking things slow because you were afraid that he was going to run once he got what he wanted. You also had a fear that once he saw you naked he wouldn’t want to be with you. He was known for liking pretty skinny girls.

“Okay we can take it slow, but can I at least touch these,” he asked as his eyes were locked in your large breast.

Silently you nod. Reaching forward, his hands hold your breast. His bottom lip is captured between his teeth as he looks at you with a lust fueled look. As his hands grope your chest you fight back moaning. You want more desperately but you’re too afraid. His hand moves to the edge of your shirt and your eyes pop open quickly. You’re terrified of him seeing you without your shirt. You watch as his hand crawls under your shirt. His hand rested on your breast under your shirt and his touch felt electric. Hungry eyes stay locked on yours as his hands massages your breast. His lips connected to your neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses.

The sound of your phone ringing caught both your attention. Wonwoo looked up at you with wide eyes for a moment.

You wanted to ignore the call, but Wonwoo reached over and grabbed your phone. It’s Seungcheol’s name on your phone.

“I can send it to voicemail,” you say, still caught up in the moment.

“Answer it, he’ll start asking questions if you don’t.”

-

This whole “thing” between you and Wonwoo was a secret. Nobody in your friend group is aware that you two have something going on. Before this all started Wonwoo had been extremely vocal about not wanting to hook up with anyone in the friend group. You weren’t even exactly sure how this all started. It still blows your mind that he’s interested in you. You’re far from his normal type, and the moment you met him you couldn’t lie you had a crush on him. In the beginning it started with longing looks on your part. You couldn’t help but stare. He's just so pretty. It wasn’t long before he started staring back at you. You were completely caught off guard the first time he walked over and talked to you. Shortly after the longing looks he started touching you. They were innocent touches, like he would touch your arm while he spoke to you. When he started resting his hand on your thigh that’s when things started heating up.

You were at a party at Seungcheol’s house when things started to really change between you. It had been a couple weeks of him touching you, and you were standing in the kitchen talking while everyone was drinking throughout the house. You’re leaning against the counter and Wonwoo is standing right in front of you. You’re telling him some random story about when you had to take care of a very drunk Soonyoung. He seems like he’s barely paying attention to what you’re saying. His pretty eyes seem to be locked on your lips.

“Did you hear anything I just said?” you ask.

He shakes his head and lets out a nervous laugh. His little laugh always gave you butterflies.

“Should I leave you alone then?” you are curious as to why he isn’t paying attention to what you have to say.

Reaching up he pushes a piece of your hair behind your ear and you can’t help but smile at this simple gesture. He leans forward and his lips brush against your ear, “I can’t pay attention to you because I really want to kiss you.”

Your heart races at his words as you pull away from him and look up at him unsure if he’s being serious. He tilts his head to the side and gives you a smile. He is well aware of the effect he’s having on you.

“Why is that?”

“Because I can’t seem to think about anything other than what your pretty lips will feel like against mine,” he reaches out and touches your arms and you immediately get goose bumps.

“Then are you going to kiss me?”

He bites his bottom lip and pulls away from you. He takes his hat off and pushes his fingers through his hair. He seems oddly nervous which is extremely unlike him.

“I would like for that to be something private with us alone.”

You look around the house and see that it’s filled with all your friends, and you really didn’t want them in your business when it came to your “relationship/friendship” with Wonwoo.

“Well you can always meet me at my place later,” you say trying to be confident.

He smiled and nodded his head, “I’ll leave in ten minutes and then you leave in thirty minutes. I’ll meet you at your place.”

From your first kiss you knew you were in trouble when it came to Wonwoo.

-

You answer your phone and Seungcheol is asking if you can come over for a party he’s having. He mentions that Soonyoung and Mingyu are on their way and he’s gonna call Wonwoo next. You tell him you’ll be there in twenty. Hanging up your phone you slowly crawl off of Wonwoo, who is still basically naked on the couch.

He gives you a strange look as you reach on the coffee table and grab his phone that has just started ringing.

“He wants to hang, we probably shouldn’t show up together,” you trying to act like it doesn’t bug you that this whole thing is a secret.

Wonwoo takes the call and agrees to head over. He hangs up his phone and pulls his boxers and pants up and finishes getting dressed. You head off to your room to find something to wear. You were in nothing but a pair of leggings and a big shirt. Wonwoo stands in your doorway watching you as you pull out a sweater to wear.

“Did you want to head over together?” he asked.

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” you ask knowing that the group will wonder why you drove over together.

“Probably not,” he says walking towards you.

“You should probably head over and I’ll meet you there,” you say as he stops in front of you. He looks down at and holds your face for a long moment before he leans down and presses his lips to yours for a heated kiss. Pulling away from you he smiles and says, “thank you for earlier. I need to return the favor.”

You stare at him unsure of what to say. Your body is screaming at you to tell him he can return the favor whenever, but your mind is too self conscious to say that.

“I’ll see you at Seungcheol’s,” you say, changing the subject.

“See you there,” he says before walking out of the apartment.

You hear your front door shut and you sit down on your bed and let out a heavy sigh before rubbing your face. You kept telling yourself that you needed to be confident when it comes to Wonwoo, that he clearly wants you, but you can’t help the walls that you have built up. You’ve had a few shitty ex boyfriends that have drained any self confidence you had.

Ten minutes after Wonwoo left your place you drove over to Seungcheol’s place. You’re greeted by Soonyoung and Mingyu hugging you, and Wonwoo gives you a simple hello as if he wasn’t naked on your couch not even a half hour ago. A bunch of the other boys have showed up. Vernon just arrived with his girlfriend and her roommate. In the living room everyone is sitting around drinking beer and hanging out. Standing in the kitchen with Soonyoung you can feel Wonwoo’s dark eyes on you. The tension between you is thick and you can’t help but wonder if the group has any clue if anything is going on.

Walking back into the living room you sit across from him.

You’re sitting on the couch when you feel your phone vibrate. Opening your phone you can’t help but smile as you read the text Wonwoo.

From Wonwoo: I would much rather have you naked right now.

Your cheeks burn as you read his text. You shoot him a look and he just smiles at you, well aware of what he’s doing.

“Come here,” Seungcheol says to catch your attention.

The rest of the evening you continue to hang out with the group. Wonwoo leaves long before you, he has dinner plans with some friends. The moment he leaves you feel all the sexual tension in your body is relieved.

You head home when the little party starts to die down. You head to your place and lay down in bed and scroll through your phone. You smile as you see you have a text from Wonwoo.

From Wonwoo: are you going to Soonyoung’s place tomorrow for the party?

From you: Yes I’ll be there.

It takes less than a minute before you receive another text from him that reads,

From Wonwoo: okay good. I think you should wear that pretty pink dress.

You know the exact dress he’s talking about. You wore it the night you shared your first kiss.

From you: Why should I wear that?

Another text quickly comes in that reads,

From Wonwoo: Because I’ll reward you with something that makes you feel good.

Butterflies flutter in your stomach as you read his text. You know exactly what he means and you have every single intention of wearing that dress. As you lay in bed you can’t wait to see Wonwoo tomorrow at the party. You know this is probably just a game of cat and mouse, but you think you’re finally ready to let something more really happen.

-

Loud music played throughout the house. Standing in Soonyoung’s backyard you watch your friends and lots of strangers were drinking and having a good time. Yuna standing next to you holding her drink she’s telling you about some dance audition she had earlier. Looking across the yard you find Wonwoo talking to Chan. Your eyes lock and he smiles at you. His dark eyes stay locked on you as he’s listening to Chan.

Yuna Notices right away that you aren’t fully paying attention and looks at you with a curious look. She asks you, “So who has your attention?”

You try your hardest not to panic as you look at her.You need to lie you can’t let her know you’re staring at Wonwoo.

“I was looking at Chan, he's over there talking with his hands and I was wondering what he was saying,” you lie.

“Oh,” she says, not bothering to ask you any more questions.

She walks inside to find Vernon and you make your way through the crowded house heading over towards the kitchen. You reach into the fridge and grab a bottle of water. You weren’t the type of person who really ever drank at these parties other than maybe one beer. Your friends tended to get a little crazy and sometimes needed someone to take care of them. Your whole life you had always been dubbed the mom friend, and from the moment you met Seungcheol and all your friends that didn’t change. You watch as Wonwoo and Chan are walking towards the kitchen.

“Hey (Y/N),” Wonwoo smiles.

“Hey boys,” you say looking over at Chan who is holding a beer.

“Where’s your drink?” Chan asks, noticing that you’re holding a bottle of water.

“I don’t feel like drinking tonight, and someone is going to have to make sure Soonyoung gets put to bed safely,” you say with a little laugh.

“Let’s be real, someone needs to take care of all their drunk asses,” Wonwoo says, shaking his head.

“I thought you were sober and not drinking tonight?” Chan asks.

“I think all of you need more than one person to take care of you,” you let out a little laugh.

“True,” Chan said before taking a drink of his beer.

Chan heads over to Swungkwan leaving you alone with Wonwoo. It’s rare that you and Wonwoo ever get a moment alone at an event with your friends. That might be why people don’t actually think something is going on between you. Literally nobody even has the slightest idea something is happening.

You’re leaning against the counter as he’s watching you. The tension between you is thick and you wish you could kiss him, but you knew that wasn’t an option. You don't need everyone in the room to know what’s going on between you.

“I see you wore the pink dress,” he says as his eyes travel up and down your soft body.

Looking down at your feet you can’t help but blush,”I wore it just for you.”

He steps closer to you so there isn’t much distance between you. Looking around you look to see if anyone is paying attention.

“I think I said that I would reward you for wearing this,” He leans closer as he whispers loud enough for only you to hear.

“Is that promise?” you look into his dark eyes that already look lust blown.

He nods and steps away from you. A shiver runs down your spine as he smirks at you.

“I look forward to that later,” you walk away from him. You feel his eyes on you as you walk off towards the bathroom. You need a moment alone, he managed to leave you feeling extremely flustered without even trying.

Walking into the bathroom you shut the door and took a deep breath. The sound of someone knocking on the door catches your attention.

“One minute,” you say softly. Whatever drunk girl that needed to use the restroom could wait a minute.

“It’s Wonwoo, let me in,” you hear him say on the other side.

Reaching forward you unlock the door and step back. He steps inside and shuts the door and locks it. You know this is dangerous that someone could have seen him come into the bathroom with you.

Leaning against the bathroom counter as he walks towards you like a hunter stalking his prey. He grips your soft hips and helps you sit on the edge of the bathroom counter. He stands between your legs and his large hands rest on your soft thighs.

“I need to kiss you,” he says leaning forward so his lips brush against yours.

“Then kiss me,” you say feeling bold.

He leans into your lips and wrapping your arms around his neck. Your lips move together and you thank god that he joined you in the bathroom. You weren’t sure if you would ever get over the feeling of his lips on yours. Never in your life have you ever felt the sparks you felt when you kissed Wonwoo. Pulling his lips away from yours he gently tugged on your bottom lip and you couldn't help the soft moan that passed your lips.

“You’re so beautiful,” he groans with his lips ghosting yours.

“You’re beautiful too,” you say. You aren’t sure you’ll ever get out how pretty he is.

“As soon as this party is over I’m going to make you feel good,” he says as he rubs your thigh under your dress. He leaves you wanting more as he pulls his hand away from your skin.

“Okay,” you say softly.

He leans forward and presses his lips to yours for another kiss before stepping away. You watch as he leaves the bathroom and you stay in there for a couple minutes hoping people wouldn’t notice you’re in there together.

Walking out of the bathroom you look around hoping nobody noticed you leaving shortly after Wonwoo.

The house is filled with too many people you didn’t know and loud music. You wander around alone contemplating how long you had to stay before acceptably being able to leave. You look off into the kitchen to find Wonwoo talking to Chan once again. As he watches you walk by you can feel his eyes burning into you. You find Yuna and Mia sitting on the couch and you walk over and sit next to them. They’re talking about Mia and Seokmin’s wedding and you know this is the perfect topic to keep your mind off of Wonwoo.

An hour passes when you notice Wonwoo is no longer at the party. He’s always been the type of person who leaves a party without telling anyone. You thought this situation might be a little different though.

At midnight you take this as your opportunity to say your goodbyes to the group. You drive home and you can’t help but feel a little nervous about seeing Wonwoo.

-

Laying in your bed you can’t seem to fall asleep. You’re on edge waiting to hear from Wonwoo in some capacity.

At two in the morning you butterflies fill your stomach at a text from him.

From Wonwoo: Can you pick me up?

You know that he wants you to pick him but because if anyone drives by and sees his car at your apartment at two in the morning it will be obvious that something is going on.

From you: can be there in ten. Meet me outside.

You’re playing with fire and you’re well aware of that. Since this thing started between you and Wonwoo you hadn’t ever picked each other up in the middle of the night. You knew that this wasn’t just going to be you guys hanging out and making out. Wonwoo had promised to make you feel good, and you knew that consisted of you taking your clothes off.

The drive to Wonwoo’s apartment is short and you find him outside waiting for you. You pull up to the curb and he jumps in and leans over to press his lips to yours for a soft kiss.

As you start driving he reaches over and rests his hand on your thigh. His thumb gently brushes against your skin sending a shiver down your spine.

The short drive to your place seems to drag on. It feels like an eternity as you pull into your parking spot.

Slowly getting out of your car you shut the door and take a deep breath. You watch as Wonwoo walks towards the front door. You’ve never been happier that you live alone.

Opening the door you walk inside. Looking over at the clock near the door it reads 2:45am. You know that this isn’t going to be an innocent make out session. He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks at you with lust filled eyes.

Taking a deep breath you tell yourself that you are ready for this. That you’re brave, that you’re a confident woman who loves her own body and is ready for this.

“Why do I feel like you’re overthinking this?” He steps towards you.

“Because I totally am overthinking everything right now,” you nervously smooth your dress down.

He reaches up and rests his hand on your arm and his dark eyes lock on yours, “what are you thinking about?”

Silently you stare at him for a long moment. You know you need to be honest with him. “What happens after tonight?”

He pushes his hand through his hair and stares back at you before he says, “what do you mean?”

“What happens after I finally have sex with you? Are we over because the thrill of the chase is over?” you hated that what you were asking was so brutally honest but you needed to know.

“Do you really think that little of me?” he says as if he is pretty hurt by your question.

“I’m trying to be realistic here. I know damn well I’m not your type,” your building up a wall in an attempt to save yourself.

He takes your face in both his hands and says, “this isn’t some game to me. I want you, because I really like you. This isn’t just about trying to have sex with you.” Butterflies flutter around your stomach as he leaves you at complete loss of words.

“Okay,” you say softly.

Leaning forward he presses his lips to yours while he’s still holding your face. Your lips move together for a heated kiss. The room feels like it’s spinning as you get wrapped up in his touch. His hands slowly move from holding your face to resting on your neck. Pulling your lips away from him you take a slow breath as you stare at him with lust blown eyes. He licks his lips as a smile plays on his face. He steps back and pulls his shirt off. The sight of him standing shirtless in front of you makes your mouth water.

“God how are you even real,” you groan as you reach out dragging your hands down his abs that seem to be cut from marble.

“I workout a lot,” he says ever so casually.

“I’m well aware,” you shake your head and look up at him.

“I see you’re still wearing the dress,” his hand moved up so they’re playing with the edge of your sleeve.

You nod silently.

“Can we take this off?”

You want to say no, but you need to be brave. He’s made this very clear that this isn’t some game to him.

“Yeah.”

He steps behind you and slides the zipper slowly down the back of your dress. You feel the cool air against your skin. You close your eyes as he reaches up and moves the dress of your shoulders. You stand in a pool of fabric and the cool air against your skin is a reminder of how bare you are.

The feeling of his lips against your bare shoulder snaps you out of your thoughts. Instinctually you wrap your arms across your stomach. His lips move to the side of your neck kissing the right spot that he knows drives you wild. With his lips ghosting your skin he says, “you’re so pretty.”

Your eyes pop open when you feel his lips move away from your skin. He stands in front of you as his dark eyes travel up and down your soft body. You’re on full display, and you’re worried he isn’t going to like what he sees.

“Thank you for trusting me,” he says as he works on unbuckling his belt.

You reach up and unclasp your bra, and work on taking it off as he takes off his pants, and his shoes.

You're both standing there in nothing but your underwear and your heart starts to race at what is going to come next. His lips are once again on your neck, but this time his hand hungry hands are roaming your curvy body. Biting your lips you hold back a moan as his lips move down to take one of your hardened nipples into his mouth. Your back arches against him craving his touch.

“We need to get to my bed or the coach,” you moan.

He removes his lips from your skin and smiles. Reach down, he takes your hand and leads you over to the couch. You sit down on the scene of your earlier crime where you gave him head yesterday. You watch as Wonwoo quickly walks over to his jeans that are on the floor where you had just been standing. He pulls a condom out of his wallet and tosses it back into the puddle of clothing on the floor. He walks back over to the couch and sets the foil packets on the coffee table and looks over at you for a moment.

“Do you want to continue?” he asks. You silently nod. “Please tell me you want more,” he says.

“Wonwoo I want every single part of you.”

“Okay,” he says as he pushes his boxers down. He once again stands in front of you completely naked and you aren’t sure if you’ll ever get over the sight of him naked. You fully understand why all women and men that encounter him always talk about how hot he is.

You stand up taking this as your cue to lose your own underwear. Hooking your fingers into your panties you push them down your thick thighs.

“Sit down on the couch,” he says.

Silently you listen and sit down on the couch. He kneels in front of you and looks at you like he’s about to eat you alive, and you would be lying if you said it didn’t turn you on to no end. His hands rest on each of your knees and push them apart slowly. He reaches up and grabs your butt pulling you closer to the edge of the couch. He kisses his way up your inner thigh until his lips brush the top of your mound. Closing your eyes you fight back moaning as he licks your already wet slit. Your fingers tangle in his hair as he laps at your bundle of nerves. He adds one of his long fingers into the mix. It’s not long before he has you completely on the edge and moaning his name. Another finger is added as he sucks on your clit. This man is very good with his fingers and his mouth. Your eyes about roll back in your head as the coil in your stomach feels like it’s tightening.

Tangling your fingers in his dark hair you hold him close to your wet core. “Won-“ his name is a broken cry as you're so close to the edge you can taste it. “Please-“

Your orgasm feels like a white hot wave as you come against his mouth.

Coming down from your high you stare at him with lust filled eyes. He stands sporting a proud smile at his handy look.

“I promised you I would make you feel good.”

Reaching down he picks up the foil packet and tears it open with his teeth. Your breathing is still uneven as you watch him slide the rubber down his hardened length. Sitting his glasses down on the coffee table. He sits down on the couch next to you, and automatically connects his lips to yours for a searing kiss. His fingers tangle in your hair as he moves to pull you onto his lap. You’re hovering over his cock as your lips continue to move together. Pulling your lips away from his you bit your bottom lip as you rest your hand on his tone chest. His hand moves to your soft hips and stares into your eyes as he guides you down his straining cock. Closing your eyes you moan as he stretches you in the best way possible. He bottoms out leaving you sitting on his thighs. Silently you stare at him taking in the feeling of him stretching you. He feels as if he was made for you. Reach up, taking his face in your hands and say, “oh my god you feel amazing.”

“Baby you feel incredible,” he groans.

Slowly you start moving your body up and down his length. His hands stay resting on your sides helping to guide your movement.

Your lips crash together and you roll your hips into his. This felt just like you hoped it would. Your hand talon into his shoulders as you moan into his lips. With each movement he’s pushing you closer and closer to the edge. He’s so big he’s stretching in the most delicious way.

His lips move down your next leaving a trail of gentle nips and wet kisses. All the oxygen feels like it’s being sucked out of the room as the coil in your stomach is tightening. Your finger snakes down and rubs your sensitive clit. All the nerves in your body feel like they’re alive as you’re getting closer and closer to the edge.

His dark eyes are locked on yours as he reaches up, taking your face in his hands. You close your eyes you roll your hip faster. Your knees are starting to burn but you don’t even care. You desperately want to come. “Look at me,” he groans. Opening your eyes. You stare at him as he pushes you closer and closer to the edge. He thrusts up to meet each of your movements. He’s hitting just the right place as he lifts his hips thrusting into you.

When he pushes you over the edge you see stars. Your whole body burns and everything feels so warm. Throwing your head back you moan his name riding out your high. You roll your hips trying to help him find his own release. He catches you off guard when he moves both of you so you’re flat on your back and he’s hovering over you. He pauses for a moment. Leaning down, crashing his lips into yours. Pulling away he slides into you again. He rolls his hips into you over and over as you high wash over you.

Reaching up you tangle your fingers in his hair pulling him close to you. Your lips move together as his thrust grows sloppier. He groans your name as he finds his release.

He collapses on top of you and you can’t help but smile. He stays there for a long moment before he pulls himself of you. Slowly he walks off to the bathroom and discards the condom before walking back over and sitting on the couch next to you.

“Did you maybe want to lay in your bed together?” he asks, catching you off guard.

You nod your head and smile. You take his hand and lead him off to your room. Laying down in bed Wonwoo lays close to you and pulls your soft body close to his. It’s not long before you fall asleep in his arms. You aren’t sure what any of this means but you hope maybe one day you and Wonwoo can have something more than secret little moments together.

If you have asked to be tagged I request that you please reblog. If you could leave comments and or tags that would be greatly appreciated.

[natalchartnurtures]

PAC: Your Person's Sexy (Thoughts+) Fantasies About You

Let's expose your person's unfiltered sexy thoughts about you *evil smirks*

Pile 1

A little about your person to see if u picked the right pile:

Ok wow I feel like your person is an incredibly deep person. They don't seem like that at all on the surface tho lmao. They might have a bit of an RBF (regardless of gender). They don't express HALF OF THE EMOTIONS RUNNING INSIDE OF THEM. I'm seeing an iceberg in my head rn; their energy is like that uk... that's just how they grew up. I'm also hearing that they may have mommy issues of some kind that you may or may not know of, or it's just that their mom is a very practical person and doesn't enjoy showing affection much, which would explain your person's lack of overt emotional expression. But BOY do they have some deep-ass feelings for you! Let's expose them together through this reading, yea? 🤭 (after their mini energy check)

They might have a spiritual streak to them, but idk if they are conscious of it or not (could be different for different people here). But in any case, they have a pretty strong connection to both their intuition and God-source or whatever they like to believe in. Again, they might not look spiritual AT ALL, but the way they move through life screams "I'm divinely led by God himself." Haha, love this person tbh. They're giving me Stoic-with-a-mushy-heart vibes. What a cutie pie.

They almost look at you as if you are a dream. Come. True. As if you were bestowed to them as a gift for making it so far in life. For all the hard work they put in to build their life, you're at the other end waiting for them to come home to you. Jeez, do you SEE HOW DEEP THEY FEEL FOR YOU? That was directly channeled wow... it's almost as if they worship the ground you walk on (in their mind, cuz they a lil stoic cutie pie).

Extra messages on the side: You guys may be in a relationship now or will be in one soon. You guys dream about each other a lot. They have a strong and intimidating aura. They seem very sure of themselves. They might really stand out to you, especially in a crowded room.

I was hearing a song while reading for this pile too—Never Be the Same by Camila Cabello. So excited!

If that resonated, let's expose your person's (unfiltered) sexy thoughts about you cuz now we KNOW they don't always show what they feel. 😏 This should be fun.

K, this is what I see. This person DREAMS about holding you down and dominating you in bed and letting allllll their sexual frustration out. Cuz remember spirit told us about how stoic they are? They hold back their sexual desires towards you as well, and boy are they extremely sexually frustrated. They fantasize about being a beast in bed with you, and as I SAID THAT, I saw them wanting to make the bed shake while fucking your brains out hahaha whoa... This person is intense for you, phew! They wanna let all of their feelings out with you in bed, and that's something they fantasize about. They might be into light BDSM too. They looooove the idea of choking you, or if they have, they looooove thinking about it OVER n OVER n OVER again lmao.

This person is wild for u. Ur like stuck in this person's brain. They're addicted, like in that song I channeled earlier Never Be the Same. It says, "blurring all the lines, u intoxicate me." Wow. If y’all have already had sex, THEY CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT, and if y’all haven’t, they can’t stop thinking about what it WOULD be like. They imagine putting you in all kinds of positions, they imagine how you'd sound when you moan, and how you'd look if they did something you liked. 😏🤭👀

This person is honestly tired of being so uptight and stoic in life, and you give them a chance to be free and be themselves, I heard. Aw, and that's why they're so hooked on you—cuz u give them life again 🥺.

This person LOVES you bro idk what kinda love spell u cast on them—they’re fucking WHIPPED when it comes to you. They fantasize about making you really wet and eventually making you cum. They love the idea of very wet sex with you (lol that's what I heard). You don't know what you mean to this person, and the only way they think they can show u is through physical intimacy and sex. One of their love languages might be physical touch. They loooove the idea of kissing and hugging and loving on you for hours. They love the idea of touching your sweet spots till you can’t resist them anymore. 🫠🤭

They love the idea of sneaking kisses and touches with u in public or semi-public places. They like knowing that they're the only one who can touch u like that 🫢👀🙆🏾‍♀️.

You're everything this person ever dreamed of. To them, you're the light of their life, I heard. They loooove your body, your mind, and most importantly your coochie cuz girrrrrl he be whipped by that kitty cat purrrr hahaahah. Or if you guys are reading for a crush—if you DO have sex, he WILL be (he doesn't see this coming at all 😈🤭).

He prolly fantasizes about you first thing in the morning and wakes up with a boner lmao. Or maybe he has wet dreams about you and accidentally wakes up at night (well it ain't your fault u cute n sexy af 🤷🏾‍♀️).

Side note: He prolly masturbates to you more than u think/know cuz he sure as hell would be out here pretending he doesn’t lmao.

Yea, to sum it up, you have ur person on an energetic LEASH, and they yearn for your loving soooo much—doesn’t matter if you have had sex or not 🙃.

Tehe, that's all I have for you today, pile 1! Stay eternally sexy and juicy I love you!

Pile 2

A little about your person to see if u picked the right pile:

Your person has MAD big dick energy—I love that about them. They're hot, abundant, and very giving. They make a hell of a first impression, I hear. They seem so extroverted lmao; they remind me of a Leo, n they may have big Leo placements. If not, it's just their energy. Tho to you, they SHINE like the sun. U love their vibe and especially their childlike aura ✨️.

They may have some energy vampires around that want them only for their light, and it really does take a toll on your person... but you're different. They see you as a kind and nurturing soul, and boy, do they appreciate you SO MUCH for it. They're very grateful for your presence. They love your voice too, I hear... something about you is so soothing... healing and feminine. Ugh. It's so beautiful! It's almost as if in a world where they get taken advantage of a lot, the thought of you is their oasis... their safe haven. Aw, they love thinking about you 💚.

Extra messages on the side: This might be a workplace/school/college crush. This person loves your work ethic and vice versa. They love looking at you, especially during work lol; u distract them, and they love it :p.

I was hearing a song while reading for this pile- "Marvin Gaye" by Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor.

If that resonated, let's channel their (unfiltered) sexy thoughts about you!

First of all... you get their, ahem, horses RUNNING every time they see you. EVERY. TIME. Just something about you makes their body go nuts! Lol, they may have to hide their boners a lot at work/school/college 🤣.

It’s your feminine vibe tbh. You come off like an EMPRESS to this person—fucking irresistible! Gosh, they just wanna come and claim you for themselves and never let you go! You give them blue balls, I hear 😂 (aw, that's sad).

Oooh... they have baby-making fantasies with you. They love fantasizing about consensually nutting inside you—it makes them WEAK to think about that 😆😛💦.

They love your hair! They fantasize about pulling your hair in bed passionately while getting lost in your coochie, girl. Oooh, they might really enjoy imagining y’all doing doggy style a lot. Ughhh.

Your vibe feels very healing to them, and you feel very emotionally nurturing to them, as if you were made just for them. Ooh, I hear "Made For Me" by Muni Long if that resonates for anybody. That's how u make them feel! They love imagining themselves letting their guard down and just getting lost in you and with you, tehe.

They LOVE to fantasize about your boobies lol. They love your chest, boobies, and shoulders region. Oh! And your back as well—they could stare at them for hours 😆.

They fantasize about kissing and touching you in these areas especially, and... it keeps them up at night :p.

They love that you're different from the people they've known/come across in their life. They... fantasize about having healing pillow talks with you while y’all caress each other’s hair 🥺. Aw, this is too cute. Gosh... my heart—

Side note: This person has felt very misunderstood and lonely growing up, so with you, they fantasize about being accepted and loved for the very first time... sheesh. That's rough. My heart goes out to them. You're truly a gift to this person.

K, moving on. This person might really like your feet? Like fantasizing about giving you foot massages and maybe massages in general to take away your stress, to help you relax. They love the idea of TOUCHING YOU deeply. They might think u have really pretty skin, and they can't get enough of your touches (if u ever have).

They might fantasize about role-playing too? About you playing a damsel in distress, and they come in to your rescue, and then y’all cum together 🤭🤣.

This person might have a great sense of humor too lol.

Ooh, I heard they LOVE undressing you with their eyes... they might have really intense eyes, and your eye contact could really take you off to another dimension haha.

This pile is more emotional than it is dirty, so maybe y’all haven’t had sex yet. So, they kinda leave their fantasies open to possibilities, so there aren’t a lot of sexy details coming through.

But yea, this person feels an emotional connection with you, and it's so damn beautiful. More than anything, this person just wants to make sweet love to you... ugh, so precious.

That's all I have today for you, Pile 2! I love you, and stay sexy and sweet 🫂✨️

Pile 3

A little about your person to see if u picked the right pile:

This person might present as being super resistant to change. They might like their comfort zone A LOT and prefer to operate from it no matter what. They may have a stubborn streak as well. Honestly, they give me Taurus-in-the-lower-octave kinda vibes lol.

This person may like you but not overtly tell or show it to you? This may be my situationship pile… or many people in situationships have messages here. K, I'm also getting that this person might love partying and going out in general? May have a lotta friends and be very social in life, generally speaking. They might be someone who has commitment issues or they just struggle when it comes to romantic relationships, cuz it seems to me as if this person has yet to learn some hard lessons around romance and partnership. They may have player tendencies? (This isn't for all of you tho, you'll know if it's for you.)

They might enjoy instant gratification over long-term when it comes to relationships AS OF right NOW in their life. I'm getting that the universe sent this person your connection to help them mature 🤦🏾‍♀️ (isn't that fun 🙄).

Lol anyways...

Extra messages: situationship, FWB, sexting

Channeled song i heard while chanelling this pile: Ride It by Larissa and Jay Sean

If that resonated, let's channel their (unfiltered) sexy thoughts about you 👀🙆🏾‍♀️😈

Daytime sex. They loooove fantasizing about fucking you anytime they like lol. Something about that makes them sooooo horny lol. They fantasize about fucking you so good that you'll have no choice but to come back to them EVERY single time. They like to imagine "hitting it from the back," and you're all sweaty and up against a wall, and they have their hand on your mouth to keep you from screaming. (Goddamn that's hot!)

They may not have access to you right now, or maybe it's cuz you're both super busy people, but they wish they could have quickies or fun sex with you ANY time (this message be coming in STRONG lol).

They looooove watching your body when they do you (for those of you that have already had sex with this person). If you haven't, then they fantasize about fucking with the lights on lol. Something about watching you writhe under them and responding to their body just TURNS THEM ON HAARDD haha.

Also, I can't help but get an FWB vibe from this pile. Please take it only if it resonates. IF you ARE in an FWB situation, they ABSOLUTELY love it. They look forward to every time y’all are about to do it :p

This person may be quite emotionally immature, and so they have more sexual desire for you than actual emotion, but I feel like it's the same way for you too. I get a mutual, consensual vibe here. So if it’s not, please pick another pile, it’s OK. This pile ain’t for you, princess 🙂

I'm also getting that a lot of you have already had sex with this person, and THEY LOVE IT. They looove it when you ride it; it drives them WILD. And if you haven't, they drool over fantasies about it 👀🫠.

They love thinking about fucking you anywhere but on a bed lmao. Like, say, a car or in a parking lot? This person would have you anywhere and anytime, if they could—phew!

They touch themselves a lot when you're not around too. This is when their fantasies creep in like Santa through the chimney, and they think about having a chance encounter with you, giving in to each other's horniness, and getting caught up in the moment. They love spontaneously fucking. Some Sag energy coming through rn. They may love your ass and thighs too—gosh, they could love gripping it while doing you. Sheesh. You're the best sex they've had in a long time (your person's words, not mine), and they really appreciate your encounters being so mutual but fun at the same time. If that hasn't happened, that's what they want: mutual fun.

This person is never not horny for you lol.

That's all I got for you, Pile 3! This was steamy af! Stay sexy, and I love you 🫂

[hyunsuloves]

hiii can u pls write headcanons for thanos x fem reader in and out of the games? ty and have a good day ❤️

boyfriend thanos.

warnings … might be typos idk

lovely notes … i can finally have an authors note like an ao3 writer… sorry this took so long i got into a relationship, took finals, and had to put my dog down

꩜ [ 673 words ]

IN THE GAMES

thanos / player 380 would protect you with his entire life. he doesn’t want you to be in the games in the first place, so he’s gonna guard you with his all.

he’s so protective and jealous that it borders on the line of toxicity. it definitely concerns the other players how possessive he gets over you.

he runs to your defense without a second thought. if a player dares to cross you, he’d be at their throat in an instant.

“what the fuck did you just say?” “su-bong, leave it alone.”

you never leave his side, like ever. if you’re in a game, voting, or just minding your business before lights out, his hand is practically glued to your waist.

he’s very large on pda, very large. it’s like his hand is magnetized to every part of your body. his hand is on your waist, lower back, thigh, or nape, or his fingers might just be interlocked with yours.

hates for you to call him thanos. it makes it sound like you’re just another random person to him and not his significant other. call him by his name, a nickname, or and pet name and he’s a goner.

he doesn’t want the other players to know the full extent of your relationship. while he wants them to know that you’re together, he doesn’t want them to be aware of how deep his love runs for you.

would actually lose his mind if anyone were to do as much as breath in your direction. he knows people in the games can’t be trusted and he knows that you know. yet, he can’t help himself but want to shield you from all of them.

gives you his food because he doesn’t want it. even if he had the appetite to eat, he’d still give you the majority of his meal.

“i’m not hungry.” “did i ask? now cmon, have mine.”

he stares at you when he thinks that no one else is watching. he adores you heavily, and he can’t do anything but helplessly glance at you.

whenever he touches you, he lets his hand linger for just a little bit too long. the feeling of your skin under his fingertips grounds him.

OUT THE GAMES

he will never leave your side. like ever. after the terror you’ve been through, he’d be damned if he let you slightly out of his sight.

surprisingly, nam-gyu is chill with you guys. the few times you’ve hung out with him, he’s been one of the calmest people you know, opposite to thanos.

he’s always there to listen to you. he’s always your shoulder to lean on no matter what.

takes you out on the most lavish dates. since the both of you are pretty rich now, he wants nothing more than to shower you in luxury.

“baby, let’s go out tonight.” “we literally went out last night.” “who cares? live life.”

he can’t fall asleep unless you're next to him. if you’re not aside him, he’d stay up for hours on end. he craves the feeling of your warm body next to him.

he wants to spend every waking moment with you. it’s to the point where it’s an unusual amount of time, but neither of you comment on it.

he writes all of his songs about you. you’re his muse who inspires all of his creativity. after the games, all of his songs suddenly became love songs.

everything he sees reminds him of you. minuscule things such as oversized hoodies, butterflies, and even strawberries.

“baby, i saw a strawberry ceramic cup and it reminded me of you.” “really?”

he can’t keep his hands off of you. wrapping his arms around you, putting a hand on your shoulder, or even having his hands on your waist. he’s so infatuated with you that it’s insane.

he’s obsessed with kissing you and he’s so corny about it. he often finds himself smiling in between kisses or staring at you for a few brief moments afterward.

[dmwrites]

The End seemed safe. Cleo thought. Nothing was safe, therefore, the most dangerous place to be would probably be the safest. She knew it didn’t make any sense, but nothing did, with gravity losing its pull and blocks getting sucked up into the sky and the damn moon not so much setting anymore.

Cleo went to the End by herself, and she regretted it. Not just becasuse the endermen were agitated and began pulling her rotting corpse of a body apart, but because she was alone. But the endermen were annoying too. Cleo understood it, to some extent. The world was ending, and it was either pulling up the few blocks of endstone that made up the ground under their feet, or pull her apart. They tore at her, her skin and bones taken from her body with screams to echo her own. They stayed angry, even if she didn’t look at them.

Cleo stopped fighting after a while. As far as she knew, everyone in the overworld was probably dead or gone now, so what really was the point? She was alive, but in the hands of terrified endermen. Soon, surely, she would join her friends in the afterlife. At least, that’s what she hoped.

And when the end of the world came and went, what remained in its wake was everywhere. Cleo lay in pieces, watching the world around her fall apart in ways that didn’t even make sense. She tried to call out for death, but there was no sound. The very little bit of her undead consciousness that remained held on, watching in horror.

And then, there was silence. For a long, long time. And Cleo was alive. Well, she was dead, but she’d always been dead. Death, it seemed, didn’t want her.

Her body lay in pieces, unseeing, hurting, and she wondered, in thoughts that took eons of effort to construct, if she would remain in this vacuum of time and space forever- almost nothing, but painfully enough.

And then, something changed. It wasn’t obvious at first, as the pain consumed her constantly. But then something touched her cheek. Something smooth, soft, warm, so different from every feeling that had consumed her for so long. Cleo couldn’t see, couldn’t speak, was torn so far apart that she was hardly anything at all, and yet she felt the warm touch of a human being. And then, a touch on her eyelid. Then her bottom lip. Then her neck. Someone was putting Cleo back together.

The pain was still there, but lessened now, day after day, as her body was reconstructed. Nerves and muscle and tissue were woven into place, and Cleo became more and more aware. First it was touch, the tugging of string, the swipes on a hand. Then smell. The person smelled of flowers, of sun-soaked soil. Then she could hear, a gentle humming that soaked into her very skin.

And then, one day, Cleo could see. Hands pulled away from her eyes, and there was a face hovering over her own. Long brown hair curtained Cleo’s face from the outside world, wherever that might have been. Cleo blinked hard, and the face came into focus. A long, angular face and wide blue eyes. Familiar. Not here, not in the reality Cleo had been pulled apart in. But familiar.

“Hi Cleo,” Pearl said. “You can hear me, can’t you? Blink twice if you can- your voice box isn’t re-installed yet, sorry ‘bout that.”

Cleo blinked twice, and Pearl’s face lit up in a huge smile.

“Cleo! Oh, I’m so glad you can understand! Golly, I… I’ll keep plucking away at this- you! Just… stay with me, okay?”

Pearl sewed Cleo back together with strings of sunlight and moonlight, all intertwined together to make her skin whole again. Gentle touches as she moved muscle and bone back into place, somehow reforming Cleo like she was clay. Pearl talked as she worked, fingers flying with hesitant assurance over Cleo’s body.

“I just never expected my cousin to actually come to visit. Silly girl.”

“It was horrible, just horrible to fall into that hole and not know where we were going to come back out. My wonderful friends, each one of them popped out of existence, one after the other.”

“They’re safe now, though. I saw to that. You will be too, Cleo. We all will. I promise.”

“I knew I had to find the rest of you, bring us to our new home.”

And at some point, Cleo opened her mouth and spoke.

“Pearl.”

“Oh golly goo! Cleo! Oh my god! You scared the life out of me! Does it hurt at all, does everything seem right?” hands flew to Cleo’s throat, gently palpating and examining. Pearl had a huge smile on her face.

“It doesn’t hurt. Not at all,” Cleo answered.

Pearl laughed, a kind of choked up noise that was so painfully human, something Cleo thought she’d never hear again. For the first time in a very long time, Cleo felt hope.

“Oh, I’m so glad, Cleo. You don’t know how afraid I was. Still am, because you don’t exactly have all your bits back, now do you. There is still your legs, and more nerve endings…”

As Pearl went to put a hand to Cleo’s face, Cleo grabbed her wrist. “How are you doing this, Pearl? This shouldn’t be possible. What you’re doing is… I don’t know, magic?”

Pearl shook her head. “Cleo, please just let me work. It’s not… just trust me, okay?” She wrenched her hand out of Cleo’s grasp.

Cleo knew this was real. She could reach out, touch Pearl’s hair, her face, her hands. She could see Pearl work now, leaned against an obsidian tower, looking out over a vastness of endstone, and darkness beyond that. An end island she distinctly remembered watching fall apart into nothingness. But here it was. Whole. Here she was. Almost whole. And there was Pearl, finishing up the stitching on Cleo’s legs with golden string that seemed to shine with a light that came from within itself.

Cleo stood.

“Who are you?”

Pearl walked her, arm in arm, to the portal in the middle of the island.

“I’m Pearl.”

Cleo looked at her. Underlit from the swirling portal like this, she looked tired. Her sunflower crown was wilting. Her green dress was coated with endstone dust. She was Pearl, but Cleo knew she was someone else too.

“Are you coming with me?”

“No. I’ll meet you there. I have others to find,” Pearl reached forward and hugged Cleo tight before stepping backwards into the end portal and disappearing.

The End was quiet now. Endermen had reappeared at some point, strolling among the reconstructed pillars and paying her no mind. Cleo looked over the island in grim amazement, more questions in her mind then answers. She ran a hand down her arm, assuring herself once more that she was real, she was as whole as a rotting corpse could be, and all of this was real too. It was. She was. Despite it all, she was going to be okay. She was going to see her friends again.

Cleo jumped into the end portal and closed her eyes.

——

The first day on the Hermitcraft season nine server, Cleo found herself counquoring a woodland mansion (“who on earth does this first day?” Cleo asked herself multiple times) with Impulse, Gem, and Pearl.

Pearl and Cleo died to a creeper explosion at the same time, and ended up respawned in the bed they’d set just for that purpose.

“Hi.”

“Hi Cleo.”

Cleo looked at Pearl. She was dressed in a pair of shorts and a hoodie, hair thrown back messily. Cleo almost wouldn’t have believed that this was the same girl who had stood over her in a flowing green dress, with her magic needle and thread, if it wasn’t for the knowing smile Pearl gave her.

“I guess I owe you,” Cleo said.

“You don’t owe me a thing,” Pearl replied, shaking her head.

“But-”

“Cleo! Pearl! Impulse just found a library and I’m pretty sure he’s gonna get blown up by creepers! You gotta come watch this!” Gem interrupted, yelling at them from a broken window.

“Coming!” Pearl replied, and took Cleo’s hand. “Come on, Cleo. We’ve got much more fun ahead of us. The past can wait.”

Cleo followed Pearl, still with more questions then answers. But Pearl was right. They were all together again, and there was much fun to be had. Cleo pushed the memories of pain, of light, of hope, into a small corner of her mind, and went to watch Impulse climb a ladder. He did get blown up, as it turned out. And it was hilarious.

[thoughtfulfiction]

Scooters Suck!

Author’s Note: Another dad!Justin rewrite. I have a new request planned to write next and then I’ll go through my inbox on my main and get those written and posted but as always if you want to see an old fic rewritten let me know!

You weren't scared of your toddler. Really, you weren't. She just wasn't the nicest person in the world before 9am.

Her ability to sleep in was probably unheard of and uncommon when it came to kids, which is probably why she barely took naps anymore. But in the morning? Remi was practically a zombie. Think, a tiny version of the Incredible Hulk. Don't wake her up. It’s borderline dangerous when she's woken up too early.

With all that being said…you had to navigate this situation very delicately.

"Remi?" you whisper. "It's time to wake up sweets."

From her spot in the middle of her new toddler bed you hear her sigh, her little body moving up and down like asking her to get up is going to be the end of the world. Her sleepy groan sounded like an old man after a 50-hour workweek. "Shh mama, I'm still sleeping."

Justin had a habit of mumbling incoherent, gruff sounds instead of words when he felt it was too early, and it seemed Remi had inherited his dislike for mornings, complete with her own dramatic flair. He usually didn't even speak to you in the morning if he felt like it was too early to be awake.

You walked over to her half asleep form, running your fingers along her cheek and kissing her head.

"I guess daddy is going to leave for his game today without his special basket..." you trail off and she sits up abruptly in bed, her hair and eyes wild.

"Oh no! I forgot to finish his basket!" She was now miraculously fully alert, already using you to scoot herself out of bed to head out of the room.

"Remington, please go brush your teeth and get dressed before you go into the playroom. I'll help you grab your stuff and we can finish it together. But you have to go to the bathroom first, got it?"

She nods excitedly, tossing her blanket to the side and heading to the drawers to pick out some clothes. "Got it mama!"

You shook your head at the complete 180 in your daughter's aura as you stepped into the playroom to grab the basket she'd been working on. The Chargers were headed to Carolina this afternoon to play the Panthers and Remi took her pre-travel activities very seriously. She liked to call it her version of gameday preparations. Her job was to make sure her daddy had everything he needs to secure the win and more importantly…come home as soon as possible. The gifts would oftentimes be prepared ahead of time but for whatever reason Remi ran out of time yesterday and with Justin coming home in an hour, the two of you were on a time crunch.

This “special basket” started when Remi was two, as a way to distract her from the fact that Justin wouldn’t be home. The idea began with simple comforts like a favorite snack or a small toy, but her growing creativity and determination turned the baskets into heartfelt packages that meant as much to Justin as they did to her. Even if it was just for two days, that one night without him was hard on her. So you came up with an idea to have this “basket” ready for road games to keep everyone happy. You knew that leaving Remi was hard on Justin too. You could’ve sworn he cried a little the first time he had to leave for an away game when she was born, even if he denies it to this day.

Remi was running around the room, putting her finishing touches on the main items, then headed over to the kitchen, grabbing her step stool to look in the fridge for a couple Gatorades.

"Lellow? Or blue?" She said aloud to herself, holding both bottles up. She shrugged and closed the door, grabbing both of them and walking back to the playroom to carefully put them into the basket. You watched as she meticulously made sure everything was up to her toddler standards, stifling a laugh when she stepped back to examine her work, an adorably intense look on her face that seemed eerily familiar. She then asked you if she had any room to add one more gift.

Before you could answer, a voice sounded in the hallway.

“I thought I heard my two favorite girls in here.” Justin pokes his head in, kneeling down and opening his arms. Remi didn’t hesitate—she took off and jumped right into them. She kissed his cheek and clung to his neck as he stood, holding her securely in his arms.

“Hi daddy.”

“Hi mini. What are you up to?”

“Me and mama made you some stuff. Wanna see?”

He walks her over the table, gently setting her down so she can begin her presentation. She started with the Gatorades, pointing and naming each color. Showed him a “note” that she had finished and had you sign approximately three seconds before he came home, and a new Nike beanie because she claimed that the one he had been wearing was “yucky.” She had pointed it out a week ago, wrinkling her nose and saying, “daddy, it’s all fuzzy and gross!” before insisting that he needed a new one.

"Yucky" was one of her favorite words to get her point across.

Justin chuckled as he examined the basket. "This might be one of your best ones. I love it. Thank you both."

“I have one more suprise, wait right here daddy. Don’t leave.” Before he can give her a response she runs out of the room. She returns with her hands tucked behind her back, a mischievous grin on her face. “Ta-da!” She reveals her tiny stuffed panda. “You can take Baby Po with you. He’s my strongest stuffy, I promise. He can take care of you, like the o-line does, right?”

“You’re exactly right bub. Looks like watching film with dad has been paying off.” You hold out a hand, and Remi slaps it enthusiastically for a high five.

Justin grabs the basket and the panda and follows the two of you back into the living room to say goodbye. He gives Remi a long hug, spinning her around just to hear her laugh. “Good luck daddy, try your best okay?”

“I will try my very best. You’ll be good and listen to mama?” She giggles a little but says yes. “Pinky promise?” Justin asks and Remi nods solemnly.

“Pinky promise,” she repeats, holding out her tiny finger. Justin hooks his much larger pinky around hers, and they both kiss their joined hands to seal the promise.

“I love you, Mini. I’ll see you in two days.”

“Love you too. I’ll set a timer.” Remi responds, walking to her room and you can’t help but laugh a little listening to her humming a made up tune.

You can’t help but laugh. “She’s too much sometimes.”

Justin grins, watching her disappear. “She’s so smart, it’s honestly a little scary.”

“Tell me about it. Sometimes I forget she’s not even four yet. Never a dull moment with that one, that’s for sure. Anyway…” You gesture toward the counter. “You have everything?”

“Yeah, I’ve got it.” He exhales softly, his eyes meeting yours. “Guess this is it. I love you. I’ll call when I get to the hotel tonight.”

You hand him the basket and lean in for a quick kiss, your voice dropping to a playful whisper. “I love you more. Go kick some ass.”

Before Justin can respond, Remi comes running back into the room. “Wait! One more hug and kissy!”

He crouches down again, letting her wrap her tiny arms around him. She plants a big kiss on his forehead like he’s done to her a thousand, then pulls back with a giggle. “Okay, now you can go.”

Justin stands, shaking his head with a grin as he grabs his bag. “That kid, I swear…”

“She’s got you wrapped around her finger.” You smirk, giving him one last wave as he heads out the door.

After lunch and half of a movie, the two of you needed something new to do. “It’s such a nice day out. Do you wanna go to the park bub?”

“Yeah! I can bring my scooter!” Remi’s eyes lit up with excitement. This scooter had been the latest thing she loved. Every single day she wanted to take her scooter and go somewhere with it. Last week, she even asked if she could bring it to preschool.

“You can ride your scooter but you have to wear your helmet and wait for me to walk with you.”

"Okay mama!" She nods excitedly, already heading off to the mud room. “I need my shoes!”

A park outing usually consisted of Remi needing a snack, a bottle of water and potentially the stroller in case she was too tired to walk back home. You gathered all of your things while Remi waited for you. In the midst of gathering everything, a sudden crash that echoed from the garage, followed by a high-pitched scream has you frozen you in place. For a split second, your mind raced with worst-case scenarios. Then, instinct took over, and you bolted toward the door.

“Remi!” you called, your voice shaky as you threw the door open. The sight in front of you sent a jolt of panic through your chest.

She was crumpled on the floor, her scooter tipped awkwardly to the side. Her small body shook with sobs as she clutched her arm to her chest, her tear-streaked face looking up at you with pure fear.

“Oh, baby…what happened?” you asked, rushing to her side. Dropping to your knees, you carefully lifted the scooter off her and set it aside. “Did you fall off your scooter?”

She nodded wordlessly, her lip trembling, and reached out with her good arm. “Mama…” she whimpered, her voice breaking your heart in two.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart. It’s okay, I’m here.” Gently, you scooped her up, cradling her against you as her little fingers clung desperately to your shirt. Her sobs shook her tiny frame, each one twisting the knot of worry in your chest a little tighter.

As you carried her back inside, a thousand thoughts raced through your mind. Was it just a bad bruise, or something worse? Was she in unbearable pain? How could you have let this happen? You swallowed hard, forcing yourself to stay calm for her sake.

On the couch, you rocked her gently, whispering soothing words and brushing her hair out of her face. “Shh, it’s okay, baby. Mama’s got you. You’re so brave.”

It took a few minutes, but her cries eventually softened into sniffles. Her tear-drenched face pressed into your shoulder as you kissed the top of her head. “Let me see your arm, bub. I promise I’ll be really gentle.”

When she hesitated, you gave her an encouraging smile. “We’re just gonna look, okay? No touching.”

She nodded reluctantly, and you peeled back her sleeve. Your stomach sank at the sight of the angry bruise already spreading across her tiny arm. You bit back a gasp, keeping your expression neutral. “You’re so tough, sweetheart. I think we need an ice pack to help make this feel better.”

Although you probably shouldn’t have, you got on Google to check for signs of a broken arm on your phone while Remi distracted herself with a show. You’d noticed some discoloration already which wasn’t good and she wasn’t really moving it away from her body and after 15 minutes, you took off the ice pack and handed her the remote. “Rem, can you hold this with your other hand?”

She tried but quickly dropped it, her face scrunching in frustration. “It hurts, Mama.”

You put your phone down and paused the tv, making your daughter stop and stare at you like she was offended. “Sweetie, I think we should take you to the doctor for your arm. So we’re gonna go on an adventure in the car and the doctors are going to look at your arm and make it feel soooo much better. And then we can come back home and finish the movie.”

“I have to see the doctor like uncle Mitch for my ouchie? Why?”

“Yes! Exactly like uncle Mitch. But we’re not going to see him, we’re gonna see someone else because they have special tools and everything that kids need. Some things that I don’t have for you here. So we have to go see them and they’ll make the ouchie feel a little better. Is that okay with you?”

She gave you a small nod, holding her good arm out. “Can I hold you?” Which was her version of asking to be carried. You picked her up again, mindful of her injured arm and she nestled against you, her small fingers gripping your shirt as you buckled her into the car seat.

The drive to the hospital felt endless. You kept glancing in the rearview mirror, watching her doze off in between small whimpers. Once you arrived, you texted Justin: Call me as soon as you can. It’s important.

Remi clung to you through it all until the nurse offered her some children’s ibuprofen and asked if she’d like to watch a movie while waiting for her cast. The distraction worked wonders—she was now enthralled by the screen, giggling quietly at the animated characters despite the disaster that was the last couple hours.

You stepped to the other side of the room when Justin's name flashed on the screen and you answered the call. “Hey," he started slowly, his voice already sounding tense. "What’s going on? Your text sounded like it was an emergency. Are you two alright?”

“I’m fine,” you sigh, “but Remi fell off her scooter and her arm was really swollen so I took her to the emergency room. It’s broken.”

“Oh my god.” His voice cracked slightly, the weight of those words hitting him hard. “Okay, um…What did the doctor say? Is she in pain? Did they—do they have to do surgery? What happens now? How—how did this even happen?” The questions came rapid-fire, his tone a mix of panic and guilt. You could almost hear him pacing on the other end of the line.

“Justin, slow down,” you said gently, though you couldn’t help but smile a little at how frantic he sounded. Usually he was the chill parent. “She’s okay. She’s a little trooper, honestly. She’s been so brave. They gave her pain meds, and we’re just waiting for her cast to be molded. No surgery needed, thank goodness. They even gave us a little cast cover for when she showers. She’s very excited about that.”

He exhaled, the sound heavy and strained. “I can’t believe I’m not there. I should be there.”

“Hey,” you said firmly, keeping your voice low but reassuring. “She’s fine, and you’re not a bad dad for being at work. You know that, right?”

“But I should be there,” he said again, more to himself than to you. “She probably cried, didn’t she? I hate that I wasn’t there to hold her.”

“She did, but only for a little while. She was scared, but we got through it. And now she’s sitting here laughing at a cartoon. Babe, she’s okay. She knows you love her.”

There was a long pause, and you could hear him taking a shaky breath. “Does she? Because I feel like I’ve been gone so much lately. What if she thinks I don’t care?”

You softened, your heart breaking a little for him. “Justin, stop. She knows. She’s been asking about you nonstop since we got here. In fact, she’s probably going to demand to talk to you as soon as I hang up.”

“She’s really okay?” he asked, his voice quieter now, almost hesitant.

“She’s better than okay. She’s handling this like a champ. Honestly, you should be proud of her—and yourself. She’s got that strength, and pain tolerance, from you, you know.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, and you could hear the faintest smile in his voice. “Can I talk to her?”

“Of course. Let me grab her.” You turned back toward the bed, where Remi was still glued to the movie, her uninjured hand clutching Baby Po. “Bub, guess who's on the phone? Do you wanna say hi?”

Her face lit up instantly, knowing exactly who it was before she reached for the phone. “Hi, Daddy! Guess what? I’m getting a blue cast, and the doctor gave me a sticker! But they didn’t have Paw Patrol stickers, so I picked a fishy one. It’s funny, right?”

You can hear him laugh on the other end, sounding much more relaxed after hearing her voice. “Very funny. I bet that fishy sticker is the coolest one they had. Can't wait to see it when I get home. And Remi? Thank you for being so strong today. I love you more than anything.”

“More than cookies?” Remi asked, her voice filled with wonder.

“Way more than cookies,” Justin replied with a chuckle. “Even the chocolate chip ones.”

Remi gasped dramatically, her eyes wide as she looked at you for confirmation. “Wow! That’s a super lot, Daddy. I love you more than my pink sparkly shoes!”

Justin laughed, his voice warm and steady over the phone. “That’s the super-est love there is, mini,” he said softly, the pride and love in his tone unmistakable.

He hadn't let her out of his sight since he came home Sunday night. After the win, they had an off day, which he gladly spent catering to her every need.

“You hungry mini?” Justin asks, feeling like he could use a snack himself.

“Yeah! Can we get ice cream? Pleeeease?” she sang, fluttering her lashes in a way that seemed suspiciously calculated.

Justin froze, then cleared his throat dramatically, turning his attention to you with exaggerated disbelief. “Do you see this? Look at her!”

“What? Why are you looking at me?” you asked, holding back a laugh.

“This is your fault,” he said, gesturing at Remi as if she’d just pulled off a master plan.

“My fault? What did I do?”

“She got that from you! Batting those eyelashes and giving me that little face—it's the same move you use when you want something. You both know I’m powerless against it.”

“My baby broke her arm okay? If she says she needs ice cream then we should get her some.” You try to reason with him.

Justin shook his head, though a grin tugged at his lips. “Her wrist is broken, Y/N. Ice cream isn’t exactly a medical treatment.”

From the couch, Remi giggled, her little voice ringing out as she piped up, “I need ice cream medicine, please!”

“Oh, really?” Justin raised an eyebrow, glancing back at her. Remi nodded vigorously, her eyes wide with innocent pleading.

You give him a pointed look. “And where did she get this ice cream obsession from?”

Justin sighed dramatically, giving in with a smile. “Fair point.” He stood up and headed toward the cabinet in search of a bowl, the pink one has been a crowd favorite this week.. “Remi... chocolate or vanilla?”

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, casting a glance at her injured arm resting on a pillow. You caught her gaze and gave her a small nod, as if to say “go ahead.”

“Both, please!” she said, her voice sweet and determined.

“Smart choice, kid,” You said, grinning. “Put daddy to work.”

Before you can hear Justin's response to your teasing, the doorbell rings and you get up to go answer it. On the other side of the door is three large men holding sparkly balloons, a giant teddy bear, a couple bags of candy and a huge bottle of bubbles.

"You guys, what is all this?" You step aside to let Simi, Cameron and Foster in. Remi is already in Cam's arms, showing off her cast by the time you get back to the living room.

“Tell me everything. How did it happen?” Cameron asked, looking at Remi with such tenderness that it made her giggle. He was her second favorite player, right after her dad, and he always made her feel like the most important person in the room.

The little girl sighed dramatically, resting her head on his shoulder, and began telling her version of the story from the beginning. She didn’t stop talking until she’d relayed every detail to Cameron, then she shifted her focus to Foster and Simi.

As Justin came back into the room from the kitchen, he stopped, taking in the scene with a shake of his head. He could hardly believe how spoiled Remi was—though he secretly loved every second of it.

The moment Remi saw him, she hopped off the couch, toddling over to him with a huge grin. “Thanks for the ice cream, daddy!” she said, her face lighting up.

Justin smiled, lifting her into his lap. “Anything for you, mini.”

Simi, Foster, and Cameron all took turns showing off the gifts they’d brought her. As each one came out, Remi’s eyes grew wider, and Justin’s heart swelled as he watched her in awe. The best part, though, was when they all gathered around to sign her cast.

When it was Justin’s turn, Remi asked him sweetly, “Can you sign my cast, but no ugly footballs, okay?”

He chuckled softly, his heart skipping a beat. “No ugly footballs, promise.” He focused, carefully drawing the best heart he could manage.

You caught Justin’s eye for a brief moment, and in that look, you both shared an unspoken feeling. There, on the couch, in the middle of all the laughter and excitement, was the perfect little girl that you two had created—a living, breathing testament to your love. A sassy three-year-old, full of life and energy, who couldn’t be tamed, but would always be adored beyond measure.

Justin wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world. As he held her close, he felt like he wanted to bottle up these moments, to keep them frozen in time forever.

[slippinmickeys]

A couple of months ago on Discord, several people were super kind and supportive when I threw out a couple of questions about releasing fic. They encouraged me to post the fics set in the Funfetti Universe (SO GLAD I named it that, womp womp) as its own story on AO3 and @calimanc asked for a prompt: Thanksgiving play at school with Mulder complaining about history being whitewashed while Scully is recording and being like "shut up and watch your son." Something happens with Addams Family Values vibes.

I knew I'd have a minute to write today, so I loaded the old prompts onto AO3 last night, and sat down today and cranked this one out.

Thanksgiving Pageant

It was cute. He had to admit it was cute. The little black outfit with an old white handkerchief looped over his son’s little shoulders. 

Scully had sat at their kitchen table with Elmer’s glue and construction paper, doing her best not to swear as she held together two gummy pieces of black paper that would serve as the headband of William’s Pilgrim hat in the school’s Fall Show. William, oblivious to his mother’s consternation, rehearsed his lines with halting earnestness. 

“We were so thankful to learn how to grow food in this land,” the boy said. 

“In this new land,” Scully corrected him. “‘We were so thankful to learn how to grow food in this new land.’”

“Can you do the part before mine, mama?”

“Sure,” Scully agreed, flitting her eyes to Mulder, who was very much trying to keep his mouth shut. Her look communicated quite clearly that he’d fucking better.  

“‘The Wampanoag showed us how to take care of the land and plant crops like corn and beans,’” Scully recited, part of her glad that it was another kid who had to pronounce ‘Wampanoag.’ 

“We were so thankful to learn how to grow food in this new land,” William finished, beaming at his success. 

“Good job, bud,” Mulder said, turning to his son, his hands dripping dishwater everywhere. “Gonna end the show with a bang.”

“Can I be done?” William asked. 

“You may,” Scully said, and William darted up the stairs without another word, no doubt to the LEGO table Mulder had set up for him. His bedroom door closed with a resounding snick. 

“I can’t believe they’re still doing Thanksgiving pageants,” Mulder said, shaking his head. “It’s such whitewashing bullshit.”

“We can address Colonial violence with him when he’s older, Mulder,” Scully sighed, clearly not in the mood to be having this conversation. “In the meantime, can you grab me a binder clip off of your desk before this capotain becomes a permanent part of my thumb?”

Mulder put the last pan in the rack by the sink and dried off his hands, then swung into his office for the requested binder clip, a piece of equipment he was pretty sure he’d liberated from the FBI supply cabinet when he’d moved from the basement to the fourth floor. 

He set it on the tabletop next to her and leaned down to drop a kiss onto the end of her nose. 

She attached the clip to the hat she was making and looked at her sticky fingers with distaste.

“It’s a kindergarten play, Mulder,” she said, leaning back in the chair. “What would you have them say?” 

Mulder lowered himself across from her and leaned forward, elbows on the table. Upstairs they could hear the distant, muted sounds of William humming happily to himself. 

“He goes last, right?” Mulder said. 

Scully nodded. 

“How about something like ‘What you just watched was a sanitized and oversimplified whitewashing of history. While this story is comforting and well-intentioned, it obscures the colonial violence, cultural erasure, and exploitation Indigenous people endured as European settlers expanded their presence in North America.’”

His wife stood up and gave him a deadpan look. “It’s perfect. Age-appropriate. He definitely wouldn’t stumble over any of those words. No notes.”

She moved to the sink and began washing the gunk off of her fingers. 

“I think so too,” Mulder agreed breezily. He thought but didn’t say that it would be a great touch if William pointed at his classmates dressed as the Wompanoag and highlighted the fact that they’d all be dead of smallpox within five years. That would teach ‘em.  

XxX

Scully held up a small digital camera trying to get the entire stage to show up in the viewfinder. Satisfied by her framing, she lowered the little device into her lap. 

“By filming this, you’re perpetuating-” Mulder started.

“Stop,” Scully interrupted. “What I’m perpetuating is my mother’s tolerance of what she considers our weird choices. She will watch it 33 times and show it to all her neighbors. It is what it is, Mulder.”

The elementary auditorium was chocked full of parents and bored older siblings, coats strung across a line of seats to save them. It was very warm. 

“It smells like feet in here,” Mulder said. 

“It kind of does, yeah,” Scully agreed. 

“We should have sat on the edge. We could have snuck out right after William’s class did its thing.”

“His teacher already hates us, we’re going to be conspicuously present and smiling,” Scully said without looking at him. “Before, during and after the show.”

The school was K-5, which meant they’d have to endure five more Thanksgiving-themed song-and-dance routines. Mulder couldn’t help but twist around in his seat and locate the nearest exit.

“Relax, Mulder,” Scully said, noticing his nudgyness. “There’ll be lemonade and cookies after. You can have as many as you want.”

“I don’t think elevating my blood sugar is going to make up for losing 45 minutes of my life to this-”

“Shhh,” she shushed him quiet. The lights of the auditorium had begun to lower. 

Shortly thereafter, the kindergarten class shuffled out on stage, stumbling into each other and missing their marks. Several waved to their parents in the audience, loudly, and one little Pilgrim began to wail and had to be escorted off the stage. 

After a song in which the music teacher was the only one who knew and sang all the words, William and several classmates took a big step forward and held hands. William was on the far right and would be the last to speak. He waved at Mulder, who couldn’t help but laugh as he waved back. 

The Indian on the far left had to be prompted to speak, but it flowed fairly well after that. 

“We didn’t know much about this land, but the native people taught us.”

“We learned new ways to live and we tried to work together.”

“We wanted to say thank you for all the help we received.”

“So we invited the Wamp. The–how does it go again, Ms. Wendy?”

Beside him, arm holding the camera as steadily as she could, Scully quietly chuckled. It was almost William’s turn. 

He stepped forward with a big smile and Mulder, having heard the phrase maybe fifty times, was ready for We were so thankful to learn how to grow food in this new land. So it was something of a surprise when William said: 

“What you just watched was a sanitized and oversimplified whitewashing of history.” 

The auditorium went deadly silent. 

“Oh my God,” Scully hissed. 

William, unphased, continued, “While this story is comforting and well-intentioned, it obscures the colonial violence, cultural erasure, and exploitation Indigenous people endured as European settlers expanded their presence in North America.”

Mulder was both astonished and impressed. His son had not only gone full Wednesday Addams, but he’d repeated–word for word–the exact words Mulder knew for a fact the boy couldn’t have overheard. 

William then turned toward the stage and pointed at the cluster of his classmates who’d been dressed as the Wampanoag.

“Oh no,” Mulder said, reaching out to grab Scully’s arm. 

“What-” she began.

“In five years,” William announced loudly, somewhat gleefully. “You will all be dead of smallpox!”

Several audience members gasped, even more laughed, and two little Wampanoag started crying. The stage descended into chaos. 

Beside him, Scully slowly lowered her camera and turned to Mulder with a horrified look on her face. 

“Tell me you got all that on tape,” Mulder said. 

“Oh my God, Mulder.”

“You still want to stay for cookies and lemonade?”

[estebunny]

esteban ocon sharing 10 things he loves

via GP Racing August 2024

Marvel Cinematic Universe - I'm a big fan of superheroes and all the Marvel films. I've watched them many times, recently with my girlfriend. We caught up on 20 years of Marvel movies in one month, which was pretty good! I've also used them as inspiration for some of my special helmet designs. Like the one with Spiderman in Austin a few years ago or Deadpool in Vegas last year. And there's more to come, for sure.

Diabolo Fraise - This is my favourite drink. It's very French. You may not have heard of it, but in France you can go into any bar and order it. They'll know what it is. It's a strawberry syrup with lemonade: very sugary, but very, very nice.

Table football - I like table tennis a lot and table football - foosball - as well, which is very French. I got a table football set for Christmas and I'm always very competitive.

The smell of fuel - It's hard to explain, but I just love the smell of fuel. Not diesel, not kerosene, not ethanol. But unleaded, 98, no ethanol in it - I have a weird addiction to it. I grew up in a garage because my dad was a mechanic and I just loved that smell, always. And I remember once he saw me trying to take a sip of it - when I was five or six years old - but fortunately he managed to stop me because I was really about to drink it! It hasn't changed to this day. It just smells so good…

Five Guys burgers - Burgers are my cheat meal. And when I want a proper one, I go to Five Guys because it's awesome. Double bacon cheeseburger with mushrooms and medium fries - nothing beats it! And if it's Saturday night, the Five Guys on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, with friends, it's just perfect.

Bowling - I'm good at it. In the town where I grew up there weren't many things to do in your spare time. And on weekends it was a simple choice: either go to the cinema or go bowling. More often than not we went bowling. Of course it got competitive. I'm not a pro, not even close, but my personal best is 190, which isn't too bad. That's where I am at the moment, but hopefully I'll get to 200 one day - it won't be easy, but we'll see.

Sim Racing - Of course it helps. A lot of drivers use it as a training tool, but I like it a lot too. And even if I wasn't a professional driver, I think I'd still do a lot of sim racing. I like to compete - and Gran Turismo is always fun.

Drifting - We sometimes organise something with Mick Schumacher and my friend Thomas Neubauer, who drives for Ferrari in GT - and have a bit of competition. It's all about who can reach the maximum speed at the maximum angle, so it's always fun. I also like off-road buggies. That's what we do a lot with friends - take a day off and go through a track in the woods, stop and have a snack, enjoy the scenery. I like motocross - but I can't really do it, because it's a bit dangerous. My dad broke his leg when he was younger so I know it's not a joke. But I'm sure I'll get on a bike one day.

Tuning cars with my dad - I really like cars. It may sound like an obvious statement from a racing driver, but there aren't too many petrolheads among us drivers. But it's one of my passions. I didn't like it so much before, but now I love putting my hands in cars. It gives you a better understanding of things if you're really into it. With my dad we love to tune cars every now and then, experimenting to make them go faster. It's great because we have no restrictions, or rules. So we can make something that wouldn't necessarily be allowed on public roads, but could be a great track car.

Radio-controlled cars - This is something I do a lot, also with dad. It reminds me a lot of the times we did karting together. It's very similar, only the cars are smaller. I like the 1/8 scale TT category, nitro version, not electric, and find it interesting because you can do it on all terrains. I love the setup side and the competition. I'm not a pro, although if I'm honest I'm not too far away - and one day I'm sure I'll be competing at a more serious level. In F1, there are a few drivers who are very good. Lewis Hamilton, for example, you could see he did it as a kid and he hasn't lost it. And Oscar Piastri is also good. Of the three of us, he's probably the best because I think he's competed at a national level in Australia. I've had the chance to race against pros, but only during test sessions. But in the future I'm going to compete for real.

[thewritetofreespeech]

Hiii! Happy New Year! 🎉🎉🎉 Can I request Having Nanami wear a vibrator where his wife controls it by remote at distance.

Nanami being at a boring conference with reader sat across him and then reader turning it on, off, more intense, less intense and him having to act as if nothing is happening. He struggles to keep composure, having a flushed face and shaking a little bit. At the end of the conference, nobody guessed what was happening, the ones who noticed something with Nanami though he wasn't feeling well. When Nanami is finally alone with his wife, he hungerily kisses her completely turned on and feeling hot!

[changed this request a little to Nanami/wife!reader and when they used to work corporate sales together]

tags: namamixf!reader, office romance, boss/employee {reader is the boss}, vibrators, oral sex, sex in an office

-------------------------⌚-----------------------------------

This was torture. And Nanami had actually been tortured as part of his Special Grade training.

He wasn’t sure why he entertained this idea from [Y/N] when she suggested it. Happy wife, happy life he supposed. But when she came to him with those big eyes, that pleading smile, and the vibrating cock ring in her hand, Nanami couldn’t say no.

“Let’s go over the figures from this year’s quarterly reports in comparison to last year. I will pull them up on screen…oh…looks like that’s not the right one…”

Nanami grit his fists and teeth harder than anyone in the room. They were all in pain from listening to their old, dull supervisor drone on (in a meeting that could have just been an email) for the last hour. Meanwhile his dick was constantly being serviced by the pulsing vibrations of the ring around his cock. His wife was across from him. Demure as ever. Cruelly wearing his favorite suit; a little blazer skirt number and a blouse that gave the appropriate amount of office cleavage but was further to Nanami’s torment. She just sat there, calm as ever, while the secret remote on her person continued to turn the gauge up and down between too much & not enough stimulation.

“Kimori-san, let me help you.” [Y/N] offered as she got up to assist their boss with the slides. She leaned over to look at the presentation laptop and Nanami had to grip the armrest on his chair to stay put. That appropriate amount of cleavage winking at him further as she corrected the PowerPoint.

“Thank you [Y/N]-san. Now, as for the figures….”

Nanami couldn’t hear the rest of the meeting. Between the blood rushing through his ears and the sound of vibration, which he was sure others could hear but made no comment on, all the information was lost on him. The only thing he paid attention to was when their superior finally said that he was done and released everyone back to their duties.

Carefully, Nanami waited until everyone had left and then stood from his chair while discreetly covering the front of him with his padfolio. “[Y/N]-san,” he called as he noticed his wife lingering as well, “may I see you for a moment to go over some notes?”

“You should really schedule a meeting, Nanami-san.” That glint in her eye set Nanami’s soul aflame. He didn’t want to be teased anymore. “But I suppose I can make an exception. We have just a few minutes before lunch anyway.”

They head for her office. He was just a lowly salaryman. Making an exceptional amount of money for the company but still just at a cubical. [Y/N] was the real bread winner, and the better sorcerer. She was the one that had gotten him the job after he left. As a favor to her kohai and fellow expatriate. Sometimes Nanami wondered if it should bother him how much of the time she’s the boss, but then there are times like this, when he was following behind her and watching her perfect ass in his favorite skirt, that he can’t be bothered.

The door to her office closed behind them and the sound of the latch might as well have been the sound of Nanami’s will breaking. He pounced on her. Kissing her fierce and mussing up the perfect lines of her perfect suit. “Wait! Wait! Wait!” [Y/N] managed to get out as she broke away from him for a second.

She held up her fingers and whispered the incantation for a Curtain quickly. “These curtains won’t do the trick.” She said, wrapping her knuckles against the flimsy but elegant blinds against her window. “Can’t have people thinking you’re moving up on the ladder by going down on the boss.”

Nanami groaned and moved in on his wife again. Kissing her soft neck. Feeling her warm body pressed against the door. “Nanami….” She moaned as she let herself be pinned. “Don’t leave any marks. I can’t do anything about those.”

“Let them see.” He was too lust crazed to care.

To avoid conflict in the office, no one really knew that they were married. Superiors and the appropriate human resource contacts knew, but no one else. They wanted to avoid favoritism and animosity in the workplace. Be practical. On most days that was fine with Nanami. He wanted no special treatment. But on a day like today he just wanted to rip down her flimsy curtains and displace the actual Curtain to fuck her hard against the glass. Let everyone see who [Y/N] belonged to in and out of these walls.

They make their way off the door and over to [Y/N]’s desk where she sat on it. “Take this off.” He demanded.

“Awww…is it too much for the big, bad Special Grade.” Nanami groaned when her foot brushed against his bulge. “I thought you could handle it.”

“Please…” He would try begging now. Right off the bat. Nanami wasn’t too proud.

[Y/N] smirked as she leaned back on the desk with her palms. “Well…ok. But if I’m going to do something for you, you need to do something for me.” Nanami looked down as he watched her spread her legs as much as her hiked up skirt would allow. “It is lunch time after all, Nanami-kun. Itadakimasu.” Drool filled his mouth before Nanami even bent down. Undoing his belt and top of his slacks to take the pressure off before diving in between his wife’s legs. “Oh….Nanami….”

It seemed she had prepared for this in her outfit choices today. Not only was she wearing his favorite suit, but she was also wearing thigh high stockings instead of full, with thin lace panties that were easy to pull to the side to give him access. “Oh Gods…just like that baby…” [Y/N] moaned. Her fingers in his hair. Massaging his scalp. Mussing up his perfect hair. “Your tongue feels so good.”

Nanami moaned an appreciative sound against her folds as he continued to lap at her. She was already so wet. Clearly not immune to their game as she liked to pretend. A few more flicks and she would be over with. But what was the fun in that….

“Uggh..! You fucking tease!” [Y/N] growled as he pulled back from her. Licking her with just the very tip of his tongue. Causing her to quiver on the desk at the stimulation and tickling. “We don’t have time for this!”

“I guess you’ll just have to wait then.” Wait like he did. Suffer like he did.

“Alright! Alright! I’m sorry. I took it too far.” She apologized. She then scooted closer to him on the edge of the desk. “I just…please Nanami…I wanna cum before you fuck me…please…”

Her helpless little whimpers were his one, true weakness. It was how they ended up in this position. Those big eyes. Those pleading words. Nanami would do anything she asked.

Leaning forward Nanami pressed his tongue firmly against [Y/N] again and she all but fell back against the desk. Her moans and curses ring out as her stocking clad knees brush against his ears. “Oh Gods yes, yes! Right there! Mmph! Oh god Nanami!” Nanami had to physically hold her to the desk to keep her from bucking off as his tongue made quick work on her. Pushing her to orgasm and making those stocking clad knees shake against his ears. “Oh my God….that was amazing…”

“Take it off now.” He told her.

[Y/N] smirked. “I will, I will.” She promised. “But….before that…” She reached down and pulled Nanami to his feet by his tie. “I want you to fuck me with it on. So I can see what it feels like.”

Nanami groaned. He wanted the ring off but the thought of fucking her with the ring on made his cock that much harder. He was already aching from earlier and providing his service. It was probably best it stayed on, so he didn’t cum the minute he was inside her.

Nanami released his slacks the rest of the way and let them fall to his ankles with his underwear before he slid into [Y/N]. Her hot wet cunt eagerly accepted him. Walls twitching with enthusiasm around his cock. “Oh fuck…” [Y/N] moaned. “Oh fuck your dick ‘s so big right now.” She seemed delirious with pleasure. “Fuck me Nanami.”

He held on to her hips and did just that. Pounding into her to the point that he was pretty sure the desk moved. It was hard to hear it scraping across the floor with [Y/N]’s moaning so loud. She reached up to kiss him, hot & messy, while blindly reaching around the desk and found the remote. One quick switch and the ring was vibrating again. Causing both of them to moan at the sensation that was between them.

“Oh….fuck….” [Y/N] could barely speak. Just look down between her legs at his cock inside her and the ring against her clit. Shuttering and convulsing as the little toy forced her to orgasm again.

“Take it off.” Nanami was pleading this time. The feel of her cumming around him too much to bear, and he desperately needed to cum.

Apparently, the little toy had a release switch on it as well, which [Y/N] had the sense still to be able to press it. The cock ring let go and Nanami followed quickly after. Cumming harder than he had in months and what felt like buckets into his wife. Spilling onto the rich wood stain of her desk and possibly staining her carpet.

“Hells…that was amazing…”

“I thought we agreed we weren’t going to do any displays of affection in the office.” Nanami reasoned.

“Hey, I was all for tormenting you and then fucking your brains out when we got home.” [Y/N] told him. “You were the one that couldn’t wait.”

She whimpered in pleasure as he pulled out of her. Gobs of cum spilling out. He handed her some tissues from the other end of her desk. “We’re not doing this in the office again.”

“Fine, fine.” His wife agreed after she cleaned up and hopped down from the desk. Legs a little shaky. “Scouts honor. From now on, I’ll only let you fuck me in our bed.”

“….I didn’t say that.”

[Y/N] made a teasing ‘ooooo’ at his comment but helped him clean up as well. “Perfect timing. Lunch break is nearly over.”

“I never work overtime.”

Nanami gave his wife one final peck before she released the curtain and all was again right with the world. “Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance, Nanami-kun.”

“Will do boss.” He said as he exited her office, as if nothing had happened. As if they were just normal colleagues.

He went back to his desk and continued working for the rest of the afternoon.

“Hey Nanami,” on of his associates greeted as they came back to their desk as well, “we missed you down at the café. Did you get lunch somewhere else?”

“Yes.” He told them. “I ate lunch from home.”

[lvsjuno]

NATIONAL ANTHEM ch.3

Pairing — BF!Rafe x younger!kook!Fem reader

Navigation — Part 02 | Part 03

main masterlist - Spanish version

The morning sun bathed the Cameron garden in a golden light. I was now sitting at the breakfast table with Sarah, Ward, and Rose. Rafe, as always, was sitting beside you, pouring himself coffee while glancing at his phone. The table was full: fresh juice, toast, fruits, and that atmosphere of apparent perfection that always surrounded the Camerons.

The morning had started peacefully, a complete contrast to the previous night; after what had happened, You had fallen asleep at your boyfriend’s house, which meant you had woken up in a wonderful way, seeing Rafe at your side this morning. There was nothing better than the morning version of the Cameron boy to start the day.

You both came down after showering together and getting ready. As soon as Rose saw you coming down, she sent the entire breakfast to the big backyard garden that Tannyhill had, with a beautiful panoramic view.

The breakfast was passing by with apparent tranquility. Rose offered you more fruit, and Sarah shared an anecdote about her last boating trip with Topper. Ward read the newspaper, but his ears seemed to be tuned to every word being said at the table.

“You slept well, didn’t you?” Rafe murmured, leaning closer so only you could hear him.

You turned your body to face him, returning his gaze and getting lost in his hypnotizing eyes. “Better than ever"

The conversation was interrupted when Sarah put her phone down on the table with an exaggerated sigh.

“Maybe we could go to the beach or somewhere later,” Sarah commented, glancing at you. “We should make the most of summer from day one.”

You loved the idea of spending the afternoon with Sarah. Even though saw her all year round, summer was perfect for doing nothing or be out creating summer memories, maybe shopping, walking along the coast for hours while gossiping about other Kooks, or just lying on the Camerons' boat to sunbathe. But before you could respond, you noticed Rafe letting out a small sigh and leaning back in his chair.

“I think it’s time you found another friend. Spend some time with Wheezie or something, but leave my girlfriend alone,” he said, trying to sound casual, but the disdain in his voice was clear.

Sarah turned her head toward him, crossing her arms in a defiant gesture.

“Do you have a problem with that?”

“I just want to have a good summer with my girlfriend without her worrying about you, Sarah,” Rafe replied, taking a sip of his coffee, not taking his eyes off his sister.

Before Sarah could respond, Ward lowered the newspaper and looked at both of them with a stern expression.

“Enough, Rafe. I won’t tolerate your arguments, especially not during breakfast.”

Trying to lighten the mood, you leaned toward Sarah with a soft smile.

“Sounds like a plan, Sarah, we could go somewhere later, but I’ll drive this time.”

“You’re going with Sarah?” Rafe interjected, his tone softer when addressing you, but with a slight hint of disapproval. “What if we do something together?”

“We can do something later. Summer is long, plus I already promised Sarah we’d go somewhere,” you replied calmly, placing your hand over Rafe’s to calm him down, he used to get upset quickly and it was better to avoid a bigger problem.

Sarah rolled her eyes, but before she could say anything else, she froze, staring at the dock.

“I’ll be right back, I forgot something I wanted to show you on the boat,” she said.

Sarah got up from the table quickly and began walking toward the dock, her hair flowing in the breeze. followed her gaze, slightly confused by the sudden and strange action, while Rafe brushed it off, slouching in his chair with an exasperated sigh.

“See?” he said, his tone laced with sarcasm. “She always has to get attention.”

You decided to ignore him and didn’t respond, simply taking a sip of your juice, still thinking about Sarah’s behavior.

“I’m going to see what she’s up to,” murmured, standing up from the table.

“Why don’t you just leave her? It’s probably some nonsense or something weird with Sarah,” Rafe replied, trying to stop you to go.

“I’ll be back in a minute, you won’t even notice I’m gone,” said with a soft smile before heading toward the dock.

As you got closer, could make out Sarah stopping abruptly, her gaze fixed on the boat. It was then that you saw John B, leaning over the tanks, trying to move them quickly.

“What are you doing here?” Sarah exclaimed, walking toward him.

John B tensed, clearly surprised, but didn’t stop working.

“I’m just taking the tanks to fill them.”

“If you say so…” syou replied, appearing from the side of the boat, looking at him with disbelief and doubt. “Are you okay, John B?”

“Yes, your eye looks unpleasant”

he replied, lifting his head with a carefree smile. “Tell Topper he won the first round. Next time, the least I’ll do is leave him with an eye like this.”

John B continued transferring things to his small boat, while still listening to Sarah’s words.

“Can we stop with this Pogue vs. Kook thing? It’s so stupid,” she said, leaning against the end of the boat, facing the guy.

“It’s easy to say that when you’re a Kook,” he said, looking at her more closely before turning around and continuing on his way.

“Forget it, Sarah, he’s a stupid Pogue. Let’s go back to the table, your brother’s waiting for me”

Sarah didn’t say anything else, just turned around and started walking back to the house, while Aurora stayed behind, watching the path John B had taken.

The sea breeze gently caressed your face as you walked alongside Sarah along the boardwalk. You had decided to get away from the complex drama at the Cameron house, and although the sun continued to shine brightly, there was a freshness in the air that helped you both relax.

"I'm glad we went out today," you said, looking at Sarah with a smile.

"I told you you'd have fun," Sarah replied, laughing as she took off her sunglasses and ran them through her hair. Despite the tension of the morning, there was something in her demeanor that suggested a need to clear her mind.

"Well, we should enjoy the summer as much as possible," Sarah said, looking toward the horizon with a playful glint in her eyes. "How’s everything with Rafe?"

You let out a soft laugh and glanced at Sarah before answering.

"Well, you know... with Rafe, everything’s a bit... intense, but things are going well, luckily," you shrugged, as if everything was clear in your mind.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, curious. You playfully shrugged your shoulders.

"He's possessive, you know how Rafe is, but I’m not going to say I don’t enjoy it," you said, letting out a nervous laugh. "But deep down, everything’s fine. As usual, you know. How about with Topper?"

The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky with warm colors as the two of you continued walking along the shore.

"Rory, can I ask you something?" Sarah said, looking at you with some nervousness.

You raised an eyebrow, unable to stop yourself from smiling, knowing Sarah wanted to talk about something serious.

"Of course, anything you want, Sa," you replied casually, knowing your friend needed some advice.

"Well... how is someone supposed to know when they’re ready to... you know, take the next step with someone?" Sarah asked, looking ahead, her face slightly flushed.

You made a surprised face but instantly relaxed, leaning a little toward Sarah, smiling knowingly.

"So, Topper, huh?" you responded in a playful tone.

Sarah nodded, her gaze a little evasive.

"Yeah, it's just... lately he's been pushing a lot to... you know, go to 'third base,' and I feel weird, I don’t know if I’m ready. How did you know you were ready?" Sarah admitted, her tone more serious, though still hesitant.

"I don’t know, I’d been in love with Rafe for like two years, it was something I wanted to happen. I mean, have you seen your brother?" you said with a laugh, looking at Sarah with a playful smile and noticing her friend's disconcerted face.

You took a moment before responding, it was important to the younger girl, and you didn’t want to give bad advice that would lead to an uncomfortable situation. "But seriously, you need to talk to Topper about how you feel. You should feel comfortable with him, those moments are for two people who feel at ease with each other. There’s no rush for that moment. If you don’t feel ready, you don’t have to do anything just because he wants to."

Sarah let out a nervous laugh.

"I know, but sometimes I feel like everyone around me is doing it, and I’m the weirdo who isn’t..." she said with a sigh.

You looked at her, completely understanding how she felt.

"Look, if Topper can’t understand that things have their own pace, then he needs to grow up a bit and see reality. Relationships are for enjoying, not for feeling like a race," you explained with a reassuring smile. "You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, never, Sarah."

Sarah smiled, grateful for your words, although there was still some doubt in her eyes.

"Thank you, seriously. Sometimes I think I just need someone to remind me that not everything is that complicated," Sarah said, her tone much more relaxed.

You laughed and playfully nudged her.

"Well, I’m not sure I’m the right one for that, but I can help if you ever need some advice... but I warn you, you might hear or imagine things that you won’t like very much," you joked with a mischievous tone.

Sarah let out a nervous laugh.

"I don’t want to know anything about what my brother does to you, please!" she replied quickly, as both of you burst into shared laughter, walking side by side. "I’ve had enough listening to them sometimes."

[sergeantbarnessdoll]

Ooo hi!! If it’s okay, can I please request a Ransom x fem!reader where she is Harlan’s assistant, so she’s around the house, therefore, Ransom, a lot. As we all know, Ransom is (understandably) not a big fan of his family, but at the same time he is absolutely head over heels for his grandpa’s assistant so he’ll gladly suffer through his family if it means he gets to see her🤭 Anyways, he’s all flirty (of course) and sweet with her and THOROUGHLY enjoys making her all flustered and shy (she has feelings for him too). And I don’t know why, but I can see Harland pushing them closer together, like he sends Y/n on an errand to Ransom’s house and they happen to get snowed in and get to spend one in one time together and their feelings come out 🤭

Pushed Together » Ransom Drysdale

Pairings: Ransom Drysdale x Female Reader

Summary: You’re Harlan’s assistant and he pushes you and Ransom closer together and you two get snowed in at his house one night and feelings come out.

Warnings: Fluff, language, flirting, kissing, pet names

A/N: Thank you for the request @kpopgirlbtssvt 🩵

Written on my phone. My apologies for any mistakes.

Header made by @buck-star

GIF IS NOT MINE! Gif credit goes to the creator.

“Mr. Thrombey, I find that paper you were looking for.” You walked in Harlan’s office. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” You apologized when you seen his grandson Ransom in his office.

“You’re not interrupting, Y/N. You remember my grandson Ransom, right?” Harlan says, gesturing a hand toward Ransom.

“Yes, I do.” You nodded. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Drysdale.” You greeted Ransom with a smile.

“Call me Ransom, sweetheart.” Ransom winks at you, grabbing his jacket. “We’re not finished here.” He says before leaving.

You put the paper Harlan was looking for on his desk in front of him.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Thrombey?” You asked politely.

“I’m good for now. Thank you, Y/N. You can take a break if you like.” He says.

You nodded before leaving his office to take your break. You went to the kitchen for something to drink and sat down at the dining room table, getting on your phone.

“Shouldn’t you be looking for something for my grandfather?” Ransom asks, walking in the dining room.

“He said I can take a break.” You told him.

“I didn’t know my grandfather believed in taking breaks.” He chuckles before going in the kitchen.

You continued to scroll through your phone while Ransom rummaged through the kitchen for his cookies. He came back a few minutes later and sat down at the table next to you.

“Want a cookie?” Ransom asks, handing you the cookies.

“Sure.” You answered.

You reached in the bag of cookies and got a couple. Harlan walked in the dining room at the same time, stopping in the doorway and leaning his shoulder against the doorframe. He smiles to himself, seeing you and his grandson interacting. His smile widened when he got an idea.

“I see that you two are having a good time.” Harlan says.

You and Ransom looked over at Harlan.

“Don’t mind me. I’ll leave you two to it.” He says before leaving the dining room.

“I uhh-” You stuttered.

Ransom chuckles and leans back in the chair, eating the cookies.

“You look nervous to be alone with me, darling.” Ransom smirks.

“I’m- I’m not nervous.” You say nervously.

“Then why do you sound nervous?” He asks.

“I-” The words died on your tongue.

Ransom chuckles. He knows how to make you shy and flustered. He does it often.

“Hugh, leave Y/N alone.” Ransom’s mom said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ransom rolled his eyes at his mom before standing up and leaving the room.

“Mother.” He says, walking past her.

His mom sighs as he walks away. You stood up too, not wanting to make anything awkward.

“I should be getting back to work.” You say.

As the day went on, Harlan came up with an idea to push you and Ransom together.

“Is there anything else you need me to do before I go home, sir?” You asked Harlan.

“No, I’m good. Have a great rest of your night and see you tomorrow.” Harlan says.

“You too, Harlan.” You smiled.

You grabbed your things and walked out to your car. Ransom happened to be waiting outside, leaning against his car when you walked out of the house.

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” Ransom speaks up, accidentally startling you.

“Oh umm- yes, it is.” You say nervously.

Ransom pushes himself off of his car and walked towards you. You walked backwards till your back hit your car. Ransom was so close to you that you could feel the warmth of his body. Your heartbeat quickened and your breath hitched in your throat.

“This- This is wrong.” You almost whispered. “I work for your grandfather.” You say.

“I don’t care.” He says.

You got even more flustered when Ransom put a hand on your car next to your shoulder. You glanced at his hand before looking back at him.

“I should get going.” You said.

Ransom gently moved you to the side so he could open the car door like a gentleman.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He says.

“You too.” You say, getting in your car.

Ransom shut the car for you. You started your car and drove off. Ransom smirks to himself as he walks to his own car, getting in it and leaving. Little did the two of you know that Harlan was looking out of the window of his office, watching the little interaction between the two of you.

The next day, Harlan decided to put his idea in motion. He had you go to the living room to give Ransom his cookies and to make sure he was staying out of trouble. You walked in the room at the same time when everyone was arguing about something. You don’t know what they’re arguing about, probably a family problem or something like that. Ransom didn’t insert himself in the argument with his family. He was sitting in a chair and playing with chess pieces on the small table next to him as his family argued amongst themselves. The only reason why he’s even there is to see you. You brighten up his day any chance he gets to see you.

“Well, isn’t it my grandfather’s cute assistant.” Ransom turned his attention to you. “And she brought me my favorite cookies.” He says.

“Hugh, stop flirting with your grandfather’s assistant.” His mom warns. “Is there something you need, Y/N?” She asks you.

“No, ma’am. Harlan told me to give these cookies to Ransom.” You answered. “I’ll be getting back to work now.” You say.

You glanced at Ransom, feeling blush creeping up on your cheeks when he gave you a wink. You walked out of the room, going back to Harlan’s office. Harlan walked in his office after you.

“Did Ransom get his cookies?” Harlan asks.

“Yes he did, sir.” You answered.

“Excellent.” He smiles.

Harlan sat down at his desk and you sat in a chair in front of his desk, getting back to work. A moment later, Ransom walks in the office and took a seat in the chair next to you. You looked up from the piece of paper you were reading to see Ransom looking at you with a flirtatious expression on his face.

“Is there something I can do for you, Ransom?” You asked, trying your hardest not to sound nervous, shy, or flustered in front of your boss.

“Nope.” Ransom answers, eating a cookie. “You’re pretty and fun to look at.” He says.

“O-Oh.” You stuttered.

You felt yourself blushing uncontrollably at this point. You already know Harlan noticed the blush on your cheeks without having to look up.

“You know, I will say this.” Ransom begins as he stood up. “You hired an amazing woman as your assistant, grandad.” He says to Harlan before walking out of the office.

“I did, didn’t I?” Harlan agrees, giving you a smile.

As the day went on, Harlan continued to give you little tasks to get you and Ransom closer to each other. You didn’t question it and neither did Ransom.

“Is there anything else you need me to do before I go home, Harlan?” You asked, putting your jacket on.

“There is one thing.” Harlan leans forward and wrote something down on a small piece of paper. “There is something at Ransom’s house I would like you to get and bring it to me tomorrow. Here’s his address.” He says, handing you the directions to Ransom’s house.

“Will do, sir. Have a great rest of your evening.” You say with a smile.

“You too, Y/N.” He smiles back, leaning back in his chair.

You got in your car and started it. You typed Ransom’s address into the GPS on your phone before leaving Harlan’s driveway. The drive to Ransom’s house wasn’t as far as you expected it to be. Due to the snow on the roads and coming down from the sky, you drove carefully and cautiously. When you got to Ransom’s house, you rang the doorbell and wrapped your arms around yourself tightly to keep yourself warm.

“Well, if it isn’t my grandad’s beautiful assistant.” Ransom flirts. “Come inside.” He says, his voice sounding welcoming.

You smiled and walked inside. You looked around from where you were standing, taking in the sight of Ransom’s house.

“Not that I’m complaining, but how do you know where I live?” He asks.

“Your grandfather gave me your address and told me that there’s something here for me to get.” You explained.

Ransom chuckles and shook his head. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion.

“What?” You asked.

“There’s nothing of my grandfather’s here.” He says.

“Oh ok. I’ll just-” Yours and Ransom’s phones went off.

You guys looked at your phones, seeing a weather alert, saying to stay off the roads until the morning. You looked out the window, seeing that you were snowed in with Ransom.

“Looks like you’re stuck here with me.” Ransom say.

“Looks like it.” You said.

“I’ll make you some tea so you can warm up.” He says, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

You shivered when Ransom touched you. Ransom took it as a sign that you’re cold, but he also knows it’s you acting shy and flustered towards him.

“You have a lovely home.” You complimented.

“Thank you, darling.” Ransom smiles, handing you a cup of tea. “I’d give you a house tour, but you need to warm up first.” He says.

Ransom put his hand on your lower back, gently ushering you towards the living room. You took your jacket and shoes off before taking a seat on the couch next to Ransom. Ransom, being the gentleman he is, draped a blanket over your lap. You smiled and thanked him.

“You do know why my grandfather sent you over here, right?” Ransom says.

“He told me get something from here, but he didn’t tell me what it is.” You said.

“Like I said, nothing of his is here.” Ransom said. “I think he’s playing a little game to get us closer together.” He says.

“What do you mean?” You asked.

“In the past couple days, my grandfather has been telling you to do little things to get you closer to me. Also, he always notices when I’m flirting with you and he doesn’t tell me to stop it.” He says.

Now that you realize it, you have noticed that the little things Harlan has told you to do lately has been getting you and Ransom closer to each other. Ransom flirting with you is nothing new. He’s been flirting with you since the day he met you.

“If I’m being honest, I like you.” He confesses.

“You what?” You asked, making sure you heard him right.

“I like you.” Ransom repeats. “A lot. That’s why I always flirt with you. Plus I think you’re cute when you’re shy and flustered around me.” He says, smirking to himself.

You felt blush creeping up on your cheeks. You didn’t know what to say or think. You weren’t expecting this at all. Your boss’s grandson just confessed his feelings to you. If you’re being honest, you like him too. You just didn’t want to be unprofessional and confess your feelings to Ransom and risking Harlan hearing you. Now that you two know his plan to get you two together, it doesn’t seem as unprofessional as you think it is now.

“I-I like you too.” You tell him nervously. “I just didn’t want to look or sound unprofessional in front of your grandfather.” You explained.

Ransom chuckles before putting yours and his tea cups on the coffee table. He moves closer to you, putting his arm on the back of the couch.

“Everything about me is unprofessional, sweetheart.” He says.

You looked in his blue eyes. You quickly and easily got lost in them. Your eyes drifted down to his lips. You couldn’t help but notice how soft and kissable his lips are. You were caught off guard when Ransom lunged forward and kissed you. You squeaked against his lips when you fell back against the couch. Your hands grabbed onto his sweater, clutching it tightly. The kiss was filled with so much passion that it took your breath away. Ransom pulled away, looking deep in your eyes and panting heavily. You were panting heavily too.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do that.” He says.

“Me too.” You say.

Ransom smiles and pecks your lips softly a few times.

“When the snow lets up, do you want do go on a date?” He asks.

“Yes.” You answered with a smile.

You leaned up and kissed him softly and sweetly.

“My grandfather will be pleased when he finds out we’re together now.” Ransom says, making you giggle.

💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸

-Bucky’s Doll

[trailmix-silent]

"Millie cheated!" - why it's wrong and kinda misogynistic

I started writing this not long after the season finale, but I only finished it now. I'm sure many people have already voiced similar opinions on Millie's pregnancy reaction, but whatever. I wanted to rant about it too.

So I mainly want to address a theory that appeared soon after Sinsmas aired, and it seems many people believe in it. Many seem to think Millie cheated on Moxxie, which is why she seemed so distressed when she found out she's pregnant. I think that's pretty much the only argument behind that theory, but correct me if I'm wrong.

Honestly, not only do I not believe in this theory, but I think it's kinda ridiculous.

As we've seen throughout the show, Millie clearly loves Moxxie. As of now, they've only been married for a little over a year, and they still seem to be in the lovey-dovey phase. They flirt, compliment each other, and are just really wholesome together. Not only that, but Millie has put her life on the line numerous times to save Moxxie. From fighting a giant fish monster, to breaking into a human government facility, to single-handedly eliminating most of a mafia family. Moxxie has also saved her multiple times, like in Murder Family. It seems like there's nothing they wouldn't do for each other.

Additionally, there doesn't seem to be any issues in the bedroom. We all know Millie happily pegs Moxxie on the reg. They've also flirted in a not-so-innocent way. And let's not forget the whole spinning-and-shooting-while-making-out thing they did in C.H.E.R.U.B.

And if that wasn't enough, she has shown no interest in other potential partners. Like, anytime someone flirts with her, she either looks disgusted, or straight-up kicks them across the room.

All this to say, Millie seems to be pretty happy in her marriage, and doesn't crave any outside affection. I can't think of any reason as to why she would cheat on Moxxie. With this in mind, what other reasons could there be behind her negative reaction to her pregnancy? I have a few suggestions:

First, the pregnancy could be unplanned. Actually, that's most likely the case. Because believe it or not, a woman's natural reaction to an unplanned pregnancy is usually not to leap of joy.

Second, she could be nervous about Moxxie's reaction when he finds out. Obviously he's not gonna be mad or aggressive, I think Millie knows that. But it's possible that they haven't even discussed having children yet, so she has no idea if he'll be happy or upset. Or, on the contrary, maybe Moxxie has said he doesn't want kids. Given his severe daddy issues, he may not want to be a father himself. Whatever the case may be, an unexpected pregnancy can damage even the happiest of marriages.

Third, financial issues. IMP is a very small company, and we've seen that all the employees are struggling to pay the bills. The most recent example would be Blitzø and Stolas stealing clothes from a store. We've also seen M&M's apartment building, which looks old and run-down. Under such circumstances, taking care of and providing for a baby is not ideal.

Fourth, the dangerous conditions of their work. Both Millie and Moxxie travel to the human world to assassin people for a living. Many times, they have ended up in dire and even life-threatening situations. What if one day, one of them won't return home? I can't see them both quitting, since they seem pretty happy with their profession, and being unemployed wouldn't exactly improve their finances.

Finally, and this may sound crazy, but what if Millie just...doesn't want kids? Like, at all? That's also a very real possibility.

So, with all of this in mind, why do so many immediately accuse Millie of cheating? I'm no expert, but I think these accusations stem from some classic TV drama tropes. According to tvtropes.org, surprise pregnancies can result from a fling, an affair, a long-term relationship, or through supernatural influence. We can rule out the fling, and probably also supernatural means. So the father is either Moxxie, or an affair partner.

Cheating is a very common theme in TV shows and movies. It adds drama and conflict, which makes a plot more exciting. So I suppose it's not completely strange that some believe this is the case with Millie. Though, I believe there's more to it. I actually think this could be a case of unrealistic gender norms (just hear me out).

For much of history, women have been expected and even pressured to bear children. That has created a distorted image of what women want, that still persists today. Surely you've heard or seen someone online talking about how "all women deep down want children" or "women can only be happy as mothers". At times, this can bleed into the media we consume. How many times have you really seen a happy childless couple in a TV show? As a contrast, how many times have you seen a woman be unhappy, then she gets a child, and suddenly all her sadness is gone? Or the classic childless career woman, who's bitter and angry all the time? You get it.

Media often portrays motherhood as the happy ending for all women, which is just inaccurate, especially in modern times. More and more women are choosing not to have kids for various reasons. They live happy, fulfilled lives. It seems that this shift in society is slowly being recognized by writers and portrayed properly, which is great. However, those outdated expectations are still present.

Going back to Millie, if we look at her life, it seems that so far, she's walking the path that many women in stories have walked before. She met a good man, fell in love with him, and married him. Now they're a young happy couple who's been married for just over a year. Now there's only one thing left: children.

For a viewer who's used to this classic story, to the point where they expect it, it's not surprising that they are suspicious over Millie's reaction. On the surface, it seems she has no reason to be upset over being pregnant with her loving husband's child. Thus, by that logic: she must have cheated.

I don't really have anything else to say, so I'll wrap this up. To summarize: Millie is not a cheater, she has plenty of valid reasons to react they way she did, all women are different, and media has lied to you.

If you agree, disagree, or just wanna add something else, feel free to comment your thoughts! I'm curious about what other people think. Just...y'know...don't be a dick.

Have one last cute M&M pic:

[gemallass]

Accidentally made a 1,198 words ficlet as a sequel of sorts to this post

Can you imagine that's how Stan finds out that Ford regresses? 🥺

Without waiting for a proper response to his knocking he barges into Stanford's room, after all, Stanley is a man on a mission right now: Making sure his very intelligent but also knucklehead of a brother doesn't miss on a proper meal, which, could end up in two different ways.

Case one, he has to wake him up. Or at the very least get him conscious enough that he can get a bearing of his surroundings, and, hopefully, not feed the floor too much of his food.

Stan doesn't care if Ford ends up falling asleep on the table while he cooks something up for the both of them. He doesn't care if Ford blinks one eye at a time and eats even slower, which delays the task of washing the dishes and has him counting the stains on the ceiling for the next hour. And he certainly doesn't care if he has to guide or even carry Ford back to his room when he, inevitably, ends up falling asleep at the table again.

So long as he's not starving and overeating later, anything is fair game.

Case two, he has to convince him to get away from his work, which is never easy. And after having had a few arguments over eating (turned) cold hard food, bringing the meal to said room and leaving him to it isn't an option anymore.

They both know hot meals are a privilege, why waste it?

But they also know that the habits that once helped you make it to another day are hard to get rid of.

Stanley also isn't balancing the plate on his lap, either, when there's a perfectly fine table in the kitchen. Thank you very much.

He complains, mostly to himself, no doubt, about how he can feel his stomach disintegrating due to not having put anything in it--never mind the fact that he merely woke up minutes ago--but stops abruptly when he's inches away from the end of the bed-couch. And with a hand still hovering above the covers, he finally takes in the scene before him.

His brother, the interdimensional criminal, certified badass, owner (and creator?) of a hundred spacey-looking guns and the man that went through hell at the hands of a yellow demon--who Stan also wishes he could turn into his personal punching bag to use until the end of times--and still got out alive, with most of his sense of self intact, even, was sleeping with a goddamned plushie of half his height.

And with a dark blue pacifier in his mouth.

Oh, he's so not letting dear ol' Sixer live this down any time soon. He rubs his hands together while a mischievous grin appears on his face at the mere thought of a few remarks and jokes he could do.

After all, Stanley is not going to miss the chance to expand his arsenal of things to tease Stanford with. I mean, c'mon, he looks utterly and completely adorable! What's Stan to do? Ignore it and break the sacred sibling's code? Blasphemy in its purest form, he says!

Plus, the guy looks pretty relaxed too, a whole change from the usual deal. And vulnerable, which, did also differ a bit from the usual.

Hm.

That last thought brings his previous scheming and snickering to a sudden halt. He takes a seat on a free spot on the couch, careful to not touch the sleeping man at his side, suddenly overwhelmed with the need to let the peaceful atmosphere continue. Maybe even keep it from being disrupted.

Yeah, he could do that.

Because at last, Ford hadn't woken up at the slightest sound, and started pacing as if he hadn't been asleep moments ago. At last, Ford didn't seem to be fighting for his life when he was supposed to be the most relaxed, according to normal people (and verified by his fellow nerds). At last, Stanford hadn't jumped out of bed and taken the stance of a threatened wild animal when his brother, his twin, Stanley, entered his space. Something that he seemed to have learned for survival purposes--which Stan can also relate to--and that he doesn't really fault him for, yet that it came with a price when people close to you were involved. Hurting them one way or another.

Which, speaking of, he isn't sure if Ford would take kindly to him knowing about... This... That he does.

Stanley doesn't think anything about it. Really. Specially since it seems to be so effective on helping Brainiac sleep for once. And it appears to be harmless, so, who cares? Not him, that's for sure. But, if Ford had wanted him to know, he would've spoken or at the very least mentioned it, right? Back on the boat, there were nights where they slept on the same bed due to old not-so-happy memories resurfacing, or even just nightmares involving either them or the other, and they could use the reassurance that everything was and is okay and also that the other was safe and relatively healthy (some habits did start to catch up with them and did not mix well with the old man problems. (Cursed be the nicotine manufacturers on Stan's case)).

Did Stanford need it then and there but abstained from it to not seem "weird" in his brother's eyes? Please! Stanley ran a business in Gravity Falls for 30 years, for Moses’ sake!

Surely he knows that the jokes he throws at him are just harmless banter and that he never means it as a genuine attack, right? He must know he wouldn't judge him for something like this, right? Jeez, Pointdexter, I wouldn't hit you so low. Stanley thinks. Not again, never again.

Were it not for the--quite painful--pang and literal growl of his stomach, Stanley would have continued studying his sleeping brother and thinking about how to approach the topic. If at all. But alas, he's needed somewhere else. Somewhere with fresh food. And maybe coffee.

As gently and slowly as he sat down, he gets up, but freezes mid-way through when the still figure decided to not-be-so-still anymore. His brain scrambles for a way to book it out of there without making a sound while his heart beats in his ears. Finally, when he sees that Ford was definitely still asleep, and that he also feels his soul come back to him, he gives the rest of his body permission to continue working as usual. His lungs being the first to get back into action with a big release of air and subsequently an intake.

He glances back at his brother with a soft smile one last time before deciding to take his leave.

Stanford can have his secrets. Stanley would make sure to guard and protect them (and him). Ford didn't have to know that Stan knew, if that's what he had wanted in the first place. Stanley could keep his mouth shut.

Besides, it wouldn't be lying if it was never brought up. Nothing for him to deny, so, Stan is on the clear here.

. . .

Hopefully.

[chaos-potat]

Childhood Dreams: lost.... (part 3/6)

Donnie stared at his phone. The blinking green dot labeling Tim felt taunting. They seemed to be heading for a dead end. They were at a shipyard—a warehouse. The question was, which one? He looked up at his brothers in the Shell Razor with him. Raph seemed more anxious now that he had the support of his family. Leo had seen them running out and insisted they all go on this ‘patrol’ together. He’d told them Raph and Donnie went together too often and Donnie had just gotten back from a solo patrol, and how they had always seemed to be gone for hours without fighting a single crime in that time. Plus they all “needed each other” since they didn’t have weapons anymore. Donatello tapped his finger on the side of his phone, glancing at Mikey who he could see was zoned out in boredom, looking to the front. Leo seemed almost smug in a way—they were all together because he had forced it. No one wanted to be out here. It was supposed to be a relaxed night.

Donatello looked up and suggested in a barely hidden nervous voice, “Why don’t we check the shipyard, w-who knows what goes on in the warehouses?” He tapped his leg on the ground and rubbed his teeth together as he anxiously awaited Leo’s reply.

Leo seemed to catch on that he was hiding something. He nodded and raised an eyebrow, his mask moving up to convey his skepticism. “Sure, Donnie.” He spoke in a patronizing voice that made Donnie’s jaw clench. “We can go looking there with ‘no’ leads, right.” Leo chuckled slightly, less smug and more tense. He was frustrated he still wasn’t being clued in. He hated being left out on something important like this. He hoped his brothers weren’t in trouble with anyone.

Raph rolled his eyes and crossed his arms tight, rolling his neck and popping it loudly as he grumbled to himself. Donnie glanced at him anxiously before looking back to his phone to check if they had moved. His heart dropped and the world went silent. Everything was still as he stared at the now blank map. The blinking dot had vanished. His hands shook slightly, and he realized he’d stopped breathing. He took some shaky breaths—more like gasps, but everything was fading out—he couldn’t see anything but his phone. He could hear his heartbeat ringing in his ears, the beat slowly increasing. His eyes stung already, and he swallowed in an attempt to calm himself. He didn’t know what was going on. His hand clenched the phone, causing it to make an uncomfortable straining sound.

The sound was enough to shake Mikey from his daze. He wiped drool from his mouth as he looked over at Donatello, seeing the shaking, the uneven breath, the dilated pupils. “Uh, Dee, you good?”

Donatello flinched as he heard his nickname, and he shook off a bit to try to snap out of it. “Uh, y-yeah, Mikey, I’m fine…” He cringed at his inability to hide the terror in his voice. He stared at his phone a moment longer before shutting it off. He shot a small weak smile at Mikey. “It’s fine.”

Mikey raised an eyebrow, not believing him but not thinking it mattered too much to him. He shrugged. “If you say so, dude.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs before putting his hands behind his head and shutting his eyes again. He smiled to himself as he went back to daydreaming.

Raph looked at Donnie, shooting a ‘what just happened?’ look his way. Donnie’s lips were in a tight frown, he was so overwhelmed with fear he couldn’t hide it from Raph at all. Raph tensed up in his seat, and the chair creaked under his pressure causing Leo to glance over curiously. They slowed to a stop just outside a group of warehouses, a little further from the hidden one that Tim’s location was last at. Donnie practically leapt out of the Shell Razor as soon as the door opened. He ran to the alleys between the warehouses, Raph following closely behind him much to the dismay of Leo

“Hey,” he hissed at them in a whisper yell. “We move as a team.” He chased after them, leaving Mikey to lock up the vehicle in a rushed panic before running after them.

Donnie leaned against a wall and shut his eyes. He looked at his phone again to try and remember where Tim was last. His hand instinctively reached for his staff to fidget with it, his hand falls through the air and he cringes slightly.

“This was the…” He trailed off as Leo caught up.

Leo panted as he leaned into the wall. “What are you two doing? I’m the–” Leo stopped short as he saw two motorcycles, a large one with claw marks on it and a small one with larger pedals. He jumped back and leaned into the wall, peeking from behind it to look at the vehicles. “Dogpound and Fishface…” He looked at Donnie with a confused expression. “How did you know they were here?”

“It doesn’t matter, “ Raph snapped at him. “We’re here, let’s kick shell.”

- - - - -

Prev | Next

Full fic

I'm gonna add the drawings on the top of the writing instead of trying to cram it in where it takes place from now on.They will be in the proper place on AO3 though. The expressions were fun to draw. I wanted to try to type my own experiences with Donnie's panic, hopefully my writing is clear on detail and stuff. Leo was making me frustrated when I was writing, he was being such a butt and I chose this lol, I love Leo.

[shivayagojo]

BAHRAIN GP, crashing hot mess

masterlist

f1

It's time for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Round 4 kicks off the second race of this triple header.

see comments below

florence4ever: Ava coming into this GP with a big lead is just what she needs

> greenbanana: hopefully that podium streak continues

madmax: Max has been fast all of practice. Please Max string it together 🙏

bbisbroke: Ferrari please step up your game! Lewis needs his 8th 🏆

> team44: As much as I love LH, Ava is having a much stronger season right now.

youtube.com

Porsche F1: Ava or Duds

Admin: Welcome, Ava, to your first challenge for the Porsche YouTube channel. We've got a set of quotes and you have to tell if you said that or we made it up. Ready?

"I feel I'm about to be real exposed right here. I don't where to went to find some of these, but sure. Let's do this."

"Someone get this guys eyes checked. He's driving like he's seeing colors for the first time."

"Oh that's definitely me. It was like in my F3 days or something. Don't remember the guy I said it to."

Admin: Correct.

"This isn't driving on rain, this is ice!"

"That doesn't sound like me. I would never come about the rain. It's rain too much in Belgium for me to hate it."

Admin: That is correct. It's not you.

"If I see another damn backmarker on this lap, I'm going to crash into them."

"Hah. That definitely sounds like something I would say, but I don't think I said that one."

Admin: Correct.

"My biggest fear in the world is garlic getting in my nails when I cook."

"... That's not me, is it? There's no way I said something as stupid as that."

Admin: That actually is you.

"What? When did I say that?... I mean, yeah, I definitely do think that's annoying cause when you cut or grate garlic it has their weird texture that stick to everything and digs between your... Damn, I think I did say that. How the hell did you guys find that?"

          SATURDAY'S are beginning to look like hell for Ava. She has the pace, the raw pace, to put this car on pole every time. But every time something goes wrong. In Australia it was the setup, in China it was the whole car. Somehow she managed to bag pole in Japan, but here in Bahrain her chances of pole were looking bleak.

          MAX VERSTAPPEN was on fire the entire weekend. Bahrain always favored the Red Bull cars and Max was a driver who could drag a tractor to the podium. Though surprisingly, he had not gotten a single on this year. So Bahrain was redemption for the Dutch. He set the fastest laps in all three sessions, bagging pole by more than two tenths of a second. His old rival, Charles Leclerc, was right behind him. Charles had beaten Max on this track before. And he was looking to do it again.

          WHERE WERE THE PORSCHES? Well, Vettel had managed to slide up into P4 after Russel slid wide in Turn 3. Florence was down in P6 however. No biggie. It could've been worse. What's the worst that could happen on race day?

f1

Quite a mixup for Qualifying. What does Sunday have in store?

see comments below

madmax: MAD MAX ON POLE!!

> undiagnosed: DU DU DU 

chuckleclerc: Max vs Charles is back!

> vettel_forever: Hopefulky Seb can make it an exciting three way battle!

> delulu: Max and Lando was fun, but this was what everyone wants 💪

heavyoncopium: Ava Florence to come from P6 to the dub 🥇

ava_fan_12: Ava Florence's race pace is insane. P6 today, P1 tomorrow. Let's goooo!! 🚀

> f1fanatic24: This is her year!! P6 today, P1 on Sunday 💪🔥

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID

MAX VERSTAPPEN

CHARLES LECLERC

LANDO NORRIS

SEBASTIAN VETTEL

GEORGE RUSSELL

AVA FLORENCE

LIAM LAWSON

LEWIS HAMILTON

OSCAR PIASTRI

CARLOS SAINZ

FERNANDO ALONSO

ALEXANDER ALBON

ANDREA KIMI ANTONELLI

PIERRE GASLY

ESTEBAN OCON

NICO HULKENBERG

OLLIE BEARMAN

LANCE STROLL

YUKI TSUNODA

JACK DOOHAN

GABRIEL BORTOLETO

ISACK HADJAR

          FLORENCE HAS THE LEAD of the championship. With 2 wins and a podium in every race so far, she's been consistently at the top. But the world of F1 never seems to make it easy for Ava and she knows it. P6 would be a fine condition for any top tier driver like Ava. But this was just the beginning of her test.

"Welcome to Bahrain International Circuit where we kick off Round 4 to this already eventful championship. Let's have a look. We've got 57 laps ahead of us here under night lights. 5.41 is the track length. And the lap record set by Pedro de la Rosa in 2005. On the grid, we've got Max Verstappen starting on pole. He's won twice in a row in Bahrain. 2023 and 2024. He's looking to make it three times."

"Yup, tracks like these certainly favor the Red Bull as they've got both cars in the top ten. So Liam Lawson has a great opportunity to score some big points today."

"That great number of points we'll see as we've got five lights on... AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO! Immediately, a quick start by Florence. She catches Russell napping on the start. Behind, Norris trying to make a move on Leclerc as they head down into turn and OH RUSSEL LOCKS UP HIS BRAKES AND THERE'S IMMEDIATELY CONTACT WITH SEBASTIAN VETTEL!  LECLERC IS ALSO CAUGHT UP IN THE MIX AND IT LOOKS THEY'RE OUT OF THE RACE!"

"So that's Russel, Leclerc, and Vettel all effectively out of the race. They've all hit the barriers as Max sails on ahead. And where's Ava?"

"She's down in 17th, Martin. It appears she might have also been caught up in that accident... and yes, she has. Her front wing has been damaged. So she's going to need to pit. That is not the start she would've wanted. The championship leader, effectively dead last as the Racing Bull passes her. Up ahead, it's still Max Verstappen leading the race. Now with Norris behind him. So the both of them got cleanly away from the damage. And Norris benefits hugely from because he's up to P2 and his championship rival is down in last. Nothing could be better for Norris here."

FLORENCE I've got damage! Front wing.

HENRY Understood. Bring it into the pits as soon as you can.

FLORENCE This absolutely bloody idiot.

LAP 2:

"Here is Ava Florence coming into pits. She going to change her front wing. At least the good news for her is, instead having to overtake 21 drivers to win, she only needs 18 as Vettel, Leclerc, and Russell are out of the race."

LAP 5:

"Here comes the first of her victims. Yuki Tsunoda just having no pace here in Bahrain. Coming into Turn 3, Florence had the DRS and that was really no competition."

LAP 9:

"Verstappen comes into the pits. He's going to be coming for a set of new soft tires. Norris is now leading the Grand Prix. But I have a feeling he won't have that lead for very long."

"I think so too. Let's have a look at where Ava is. She's gotten past some of these drivers that are coming into the pits. But now here she is side-by-side with Gabriel Bortoleto. These two have given us some amazing battles before."

"Through Turn 10, Bortoleto remains ahead, but Ava has the DRS, she has the slipstream. She's going to try around the outside in Turn 11. Full throttle up into 12 and now it's Ava with the inside line. She'll get the move to stick on Bortoleto."

"Just superb racing from both drivers. Bortoleto was keen on not giving up that place, but Florence was just hounding through the entire sector to get it. And just about gets her through. Tremendous stuff between the Audi and Porsche."

LAP 13:

"From one rookie to another, Ava Florence lunges into Turn 1 on Antonelli and moves up ahead into P11. So, that's already 8 places she's covered. Florence is just on fire."

"Antonelli didn't stand much of a chance therd, did he? Just kind sat there as she took the inside line. Goes to show how powerful that DRS is on that Porsche."

"Indeed, Martin, and as now — once again — Ava going for the overtake. She dives into the inside for Turn 8, around the hairpin, brilliant overtaking and she gets past Alex Albon. That's two positions in one lap."

LAP 18:

"Ava Florence comes in her for her pit stop. So does Lando Norris. Both of these drivers on the longer end of the soft compound tires. We see it'll be the hard compounds for Norris and for Ava... that'll be the softs again. So she will be going for the medium tires on her final stint."

"Definitely an interesting choice considering Norris lasted about the same amount of time on these tires. Now we'll see whose strategy works out better. McLaren or Porsche."

LAP 20:

"We're onboard with Ava Florence chasing down Oscar Piastri as they exit Turn 4. Ava gets the speed out of the corner. She's right on Piastri's tail. Could this be another overtake for Florence? No, not yet. She backs up on the hairpin. But now, as they cross the DRS detection zone, Florence will have the DRS. Sharp turn and down the straight they go. Florence with the DRS, she's in slipstream, she pulls out and it's another overtake for Florence! She's up in P9."

"Yeah, once again, brilliant move. I think she just very good awareness of the track. She knows where the DRS zones are, so shes braking to behind Piastri so she gets the DRS and not him. Very smart overtaking by her."

LAP 24:

"So far, things have gone quite well for the Porsche after their catastrophic start. Vettel is out of the race, but Florence is up into the points. She's staring down the back of Fernando Alonso as they come down the main straight to begin Lap 24. Florence has the DRS... Just a little too far back though. Doesn't get an opportunity into Turn 1."

"She's going to be really close to him into Turns 3 and 4. Florence again has the DRS. She's closing in the gap even more. Tucks her car on the outside of the hairpin-"

"Ooo, so close they are together. Alonso and Florence, side-by-side, who is going to get the push. Alonso trying to squeeze her out, but Florence just gets ahead! She moves up into P8! Brilliant!"

"That's a very tough overtake to make. Around the outside into Turn 4, never leave the throttle once after the exit and narrowly avoid a crash. That's just beautiful racing from two talented drivers."

"That was Fernando Alonso and Ava Florence. Ironic, isn't it? We've Florence take some Fernando's iconic celebrations. I wonder if she'll do another one if she gets to the podium this race."

"Well, the chances are looking strong for her. Blinding pace. Let's see where she goes from here."

LAP 29:

"Alright, our second set of pitstops are beginning as Hamilton comes into the pits for a fresh set of hard tires. Hamilton, not really finding a good grove in those soft tires in his first stint, but did in his second. So hopefully it'll be prime time for him to gain some valuable points in Bahrain."

"Ferrari need him to perform badly, too, with Leclerc out of the race and he's going to come just behind Florence. So, let's see what she's doing."

"Well, Martin, Florence is still out on her second stint. She did drag her tires longer than everybody else and we've her extend the life of grip throughout the race before. Right now, she wants to overtake Liam Lawon in that Red Bull."

LAP 31:

"My goodness she's fast Martin. Two laps ago, the gap was 2.3 seconds. She's cut it down to just about a second. She's going got get DRS on this main straight and all of a sudden, she's right there. Liam Lawson is definitely going to see her in mirrors."

"She is super fast on these tires. Lawson has already done his second pitstop for hard tires, but Florence is still finding a stronger pace than him. It reminds a bit of Kimi Raikkonen in his hay days. How he would just find tremendous pace anywhere on the track? If that's just the beginning of Ava's development, then she's got a wonderful career ahead of her."

"Indeed so, Martin. Only 19 years old, a rookie no less, and atop the championship charts. Last time we saw this was with Lewis Hamilton, but uh, Lewis couldn't quite get the championship that year. Maybe Ava will be the first."

LAP 32:

"Back onto the main straight to start a new lap. Florence with DRS, she's in prime position for the overtake - DIVES INTO THE INSIDE... MAKES IT STICK! And it's goodbye to the Redbull and hello to the podium for Porsche!"

LAP 42:

"Everything has gone quite swimmingly for Ava here. She managed to extend that gap to Lawson quite a bit. And now she's coming into the pits..."

"Norris and Vertsappen are just a little too far off for her to catch up with these older tires. So she's gonna have a crack at it with these these fresher mediums."

LAP 47:

"Is that who I think it is, Martin? It's Ava Florence behind Lando Norris. She's cut down that gap significantly. So that pit for the medium compounds definitely helped as she's found tremendous pace here in Bahrain and with 7 laps to go, she's looking to take P2 for herself against her championship rival."

"So, her streak of podiums is going to continue, isn't it. This is going to be four podiums in a row for her compared to Lando's one. I think that's where majority of the lead came from. Just her consistency."

LAP 49:

"Down the main straight, the start of Lap 49. Florence less than a second behind Norris. Gets the DRS. Norris is going to have a hard time defending on these older tires. And Florence just cuts down that gap even more! Down into Turns 2 and 3 they go. Another DRS zone. Florence is looking to make the move stick on the hairpin as she's done before. TRIES THE INSIDE - LANDO COVERS - OUT THE OUTSIDE SHE GOES. NOT ENOUGH. Lando holds on."

...

"Third DRS zone in Bahrain. Ava once again lunges to the outside, is going to try to convert this to the inside, but Lando just has that extra inch of space to cut her off into Turn 13."

LAP 50:

"The laps are counting down for the Belgian driver. I'm sure both drivers are feeling the pressure at this point. One driver who isn't: Max Verstappen. Lead the race since pole till now. He's five seconds ahead of both drivers. He's going to very comfortable-

"Sorry to cut you off Crofty, but Florence tries to overtake down the inside of the hairpin again, but locks her brakes, goes too far ahead and doesn't make the turn in time. So, still behind Lando."

"Very interesting stuff to see here and that's going to help Lando as the gap between them as extended slightly."

LAP 53:

"This is all she has. The final lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Lando. Ava. Separated by three tenths of a second. Hard on the brakes into Turn 1. Into Turns 2 and 3 they go. Martin, can she do it?"

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it? Second DRS zone, Ava's pouncing on Lando. No attempt at the overtake in Turn 4, but I think she's looking for another DRS zone. Minor left hand turn and then the fast right-to-left sections in sector 2. Crossing the DRS detection zone into Turn 9, and the tricky Turn 10-"

"Lando's skirts a bit on the exit. You saw him try to readjust his steering and that's just what Ava likes to see as she's pouncing on the DRS. Side by side they go. We've seen song and dance before, Martin, AVA HAS THE INSIDE LINE IN TURN 12 BUT LANDO IS GOING NO WHERE. THEY SO CLOSE. AVA JUST AN INCH BEHIND HIM. SHE TUCKS IN HIS SLIPSTREAM FOR THE FINAL STRAIGHT - TURN 14 - AVA LUNGES TO THE INSIDE. ENOUGH SPACE FOR HER TO TRY. SIDE BY SIDE THEY ARE DOWN ON THE FINAL STRAIGHT. THE CHECKERED FLAG AS FALLEN. VERSTAPPEN AS ALREADY CROSSED. BUT IT'S ABOUT AVA AND LANDO AND NO! IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR THE PORSCHE! SHE CROSSES THE LINE JUST A HUNDRETH OF A SECOND BEHIND LANDO."

"What a nail-biter? Down until the checkered flag she stayed on the side of Lando. You really didn't know if she was going to get ahead until the flag fell. Tremendous."

"I'm sure for Lando, but Ava will not be too happy about that. Podium still, but not the exact position she wanted."

FLORENCE F***. I'm sorry.

HENRY That's still P3, Ava. Tremendous work.

porschef1

Good drivers drive. The best survive the carnage.

see all comments

delulu: Alright admin, we see you 😭

moistbananas: Someone could tell me the admin as a crush on Ava and I'd believe them.

> gp2engine: lmao it's clear as day they're in love 🥰

meep: Does the admin reply?

> porschef1: only for Ava

> delulu: 😭😭

florence4ever: That should've been P2 but we'll take it it.

> chuckleclerc: Could've been so much more if George "He turned into me" Russell didn't fumble Turn 1.

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX RESULTS

1. MAX VERSTAPPEN (+25) 2. LANDO NORRIS (+18) 3. AVA FLORENCE (+15) 4. LIAM LAWSON (+12) 5. LEWIS HAMILTON (+10) 6. OSCAR PIASTRI (+8) 7. CARLOS SAINZ (+6) 8. FERNANDO ALONSO (+4) 9. ALEXANDER ALBON (+2) 10. ANDREA KIMI ANTONELLI (+1)

11. PIERRE GASLY 12. ESTEBAN OCON 13. NICO HULKENBERG 14. LANCE STROLL 15. JACK DOOHAN 16. OLLIE BEARMAN 17. GABRIEL BORTOLETO 18. YUKI TSUNODA 19. ISACK HADJAR

20. CHARLES LECELRC (DNF) 21. SEBASTIAN VETTEL (DNF) 22. GEORGE RUSSELL (DNF)

BAHRAIN POST RACE INTERVIEW

Interviewer: Max, third year running you've been the winner at Bahrain, but this is your first win and podium of the season. Can you tell us about that?

Max: Yeah, I mean, the first couple of races, I didn't the car that much pace to even qualify for the podium. Obviously a bit frustrating for the team, but then we were able to do something good today and I'm sure it'll be a massive boost for everyone.

Interviewer: Lando, congrats on your second place finish, but you were very close to loosing it. What happened there?

Lando: Don't really know too much to be honest. I thought I had a comfortable lead until I started seeing Ava in my mirrors. So, it was just a tough battle. She was very quick out there, but we managed to hold out until the end.

Interviewer: Ava, you had a rollercoaster of a race, first with the accident at the beginning of the race and then to almost taking P2 on the final corner. Can you tell us more?

Ava: You know I'm really glad you're here because at least I can look at something pretty while I'm sulking. Yeah, it was a tough race. Seb was taken about my this walking torpedo and then I had damage so I was basically last on the grid. We made some changes to our strategy to big thanks to the team for that. And then yeah just frustrating at the end. So close to a P2 finish but Lando just held it out. I should be happy with the results, but I'm not. But whatever. We'll see what we can do next round.

f1_leaks:

Footage from the cooldown room in Bahrain. Max and Ava discussing George Russell's incident:

Max: Dat incident met George was echt bizar. [That incident with George was crazy.]

Ava: Ik weet het. Hij kwam als een raket aan. [I know. He came crashing like a missile.]

Max: Heeft u schade? [Did you have damage?]

Ava: Ja. Hij spinde en chipte mijn voorvleugel. Ik verloor al mijn positie in bocht 1. Gekke gek. [Yes. He spun and chipped my front wing. I lost all my position on Turn 1. Crazy madman.]

see comments below

disguised_cope: Nothing see to here. Just two half-Belgian drivers dissing on Russell.

> delulu: Ava 🤝 Max: Hating on Russell

burntmellows: George has fumbling other people's races so many times it's not funny.

f1

George Russel to receive a 5 page grid penalty in next race's qualifying for causing a collision in Turn 1 of Bahrain.

see comments below

bottas: KARMA!

florence4ever: KARMA!

delulu: KARMA!

vettel_forever: KARMA!

chuckleclerc: KARMA!

toasted_waffles: KARMA!

avaflorence

Bahrain: Hi. That's the best introduction I have.

see comments below

florence4ever: No MAMA you already have the black and white aesthetic, don't fall into depression now!

> delulu: it's happening. She's turning into a Ferrari driver. 😭

> kachow: Ava to Ferrari confirmed?

lando: That was scary for a few laps.

> avaflorence: I'm coming for you in Jeddah 🔪 🔪

fernando_alonso_official: You did well chica 👍

> elplan: Help why is typing like a grandpa 💀

> avaflorence: Thank you, El Padre. Does this mean you'll let me win in Spain?

> fernando_alonso_official: No.

WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

WORLD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP

A/N: Semester about to start soon. It might slow me down, but I'll try best to get as frequent updates for you guys as possible. 👊

By the way, I also have a book out on Amazon. It's called The Human Art of Film on Amazon.

taglist: @freyathehuntress @allthings-fandoms

[ag-updates-and-archives]

L.S. Dunes: “Making music together is an intimate relationship. We’re not f*cking, but we are giving each other all of our selves”

L.S. Dunes was never supposed to be a ‘proper band’ but, even by the prolific standards of its esteemed personnel, the post-hardcore collective have gathered unheralded momentum. Ahead of sublime second album Violet, we join vocalist Anthony Green and guitarist Frank Iero to find how what started out “low stress” has grown into a towering monument to positivity and hope…

January 15, 2025 Words: Sam Law Photography: Jonathan Weiner

L .S. Dunes’ abstract band name remains open to interpretation even within their five-strong gang. Back in 2022, explanations were offered on how these none-more-cultured musicians felt drawn to its rhythmic echo of the authors of great literary works: J.D. Salinger, W.B. Yeats, R.L. Stine… The imagery of shifting sands chimed with the realities of impermanence and change that weigh on men facing down middle-age. Even the ‘accidental monogram’ of LSD appealed: a drug for those looking to tap into their deeper consciousness, and to truly connect with the world around them.

Grabbing time with vocalist Anthony Green and guitarist Frank Iero to delve into imminent second album Violet six days before Christmas, however – a period when even the busiest players have called it quits for the year – we can’t help but wonder whether ‘L.S.’ still stands for ‘Low Stress’?

“Eh…” Anthony grins, knowingly. “The meaning of that name does change from time to time.”

Currently battling a sinus infection while in recovery from from a nasty norovirus at home in Doylestown, PA (“It was like a cycle from a scary movie. Your kid would have four days of pooping and throwing up, then three days later you would get it, too!”) the singer could be forgiven for eschewing press duties. Likewise, Frank is with family in New Jersey, relishing the calm before a jam-packed 2025 including a My Chemical Romance U.S. stadium tour whose 365,000 tickets recently sold out in a matter of hours. Neither man – nor bandmates Tim Payne and Tucker Rule of Thursday and Coheed And Cambria’s Travis Stever – need the project that was started as an easygoing distraction in the depths of lockdown. But the more of its mesmerising moments and glitteringly sincere sounds they unearth, the deeper they feel compelled to dig.

“It’s funny,” Frank picks up. “Anything that you do, that you really love and care about and put effort into, is going to come with some kind of stress at times. You’re gonna push yourself. You’re gonna want to expel extra energy into it. The biggest stress for this band is scheduling. Everyone is so busy and has so many things to do that it’s hard to make the touring and release schedules work. That can be stressful. But the important stuff – the creative side, making the music, enjoying the craft of being in a band – has never been stressful. That’s the easy part.”

“A certain amount of stress is good in any situation,” agrees Anthony. “It helps with growth. It draws focus to things that might need attention or care. But generally L.S. Dunes’ stress has to do with ‘outside stuff’ like planning or time. The inside stuff has always been right where it should be.”

Keeping track of every show they’ve ever played is many a musician’s dream but, predictably, Frank and Anthony have long since lost count. Both are surprised, all the same, to learn that L.S. Dunes have played over 100 shows between first hitting the stage at Riot Fest 2022 and today. Having insisted that this band is by no means a side-project, the proof is in those miles racked up.

“Anything worth doing is worth doing for real,” Frank grins. “But no-one is telling us to do it. None of us need to be away from our families. We’re driven by love for the music we’re making. Being a professional musician is a dream I’ve had since I was a kid. More people than I can count told me I how wasn’t good enough, or that it wasn’t going to work out. So to still be so fired-up after 20 years, rather than being beaten down, is an incredible thing.”

"We knew this was going to be more than a side-project"

Hear Anthony on why the members of L.S. Dunes are drawn to the band "like a magnet"

Maintaining ‘creative purity’ isn’t an issue, but that kind of hard-touring means survival within the music industry machine. Fortunately, navigating it together has only bound them closer.

“Dealing with the music business is a lot like dealing with the force of a wave,” Anthony explains. “We have the benefit of knowing what it’s like to go out there and be crushed by that wave. To go too far from shore. To go for too much. With L.S. Dunes, we’re so much more able to go out there and set our own pace, surf around, enjoy it more. We’re not fighting anything. We’re not biting off more than we can chew. It’s a luxury to choose how much of that force we give ourselves towards.”

“You’ve got to navigate the business side,” Frank runs on, “but what a great fucking problem to have. It’s like finding diamond shoes that are just a little too tight. It’s made this band stronger and our music more fully-realised, too. The story of us making our first record Past Lives during the pandemic has already been told. We’d written instrumentals that were jammed with riffs and melody. Just so full of notes. Then Anthony came in and, I don’t know how, but he found space for his vocals and ripped it.

“Making an album second time out, we were writing with the expectation and understanding of what everyone would bring to the table. We knew it was a record fans were actually going to listen to: a follow-up to another one they already had. We’ve lived and toured together on the road, getting closer as human beings, creatives and bandmates. We knew each others’ idiosyncrasies and insecurities, when to leave space in something you’re writing for someone else to fill-in. Those trust-falls are so important for an endeavour like this. Making music together or having this kind of creative bond – this give-and-take – with other artists is an intimate relationship. We’re not fucking, but we are giving each other all of ourselves...”

Frank Iero knows the old musicians’ fable of Tom Waits and the empty guitar may be more myth than reality but, as with the best tall tales, facts shouldn’t be allowed to get in the way of the truth.

Legend has it the infamous Californian troubadour walked into an anonymous music shop one day, lifted an old six-string from the racks, rolled it over, turned it upside down, rattled it, shook his head and left. A week later, he returned to the same store and picked up the same guitar, raised it to his face, sniffed the fretboard, peered into the sound hole, hung it back on its stand and went on his merry way. Another seven days passed and he was back to go through the same odd routine. The store owner came over to ask why the esteemed Mr. Waits had so deeply examined this instrument without ever strumming a chord, and if he’d like to properly take it for a spin. ‘Nah,’ shrugged old Tom. ‘That one ain’t got any songs left in it.’ Then he left the store never to return.

“It’s true, man,” Frank grins at the beloved anecdote. “I really believe that every instrument has a soul of some sort; something inside it that you need to draw out. Every so often you’ll get that ‘Harry Potter chooses a wand’ moment where there’s a connection that just blows your hair back.”

Such was the feeling when Frank received a new Fender Highway Acoustic Electric X from a friend close to the beginning of Violet’s creative process. Immediately falling in love and sitting down to noodle through a thank you video, the record’s title-track hit him in its gorgeous entirety.

“It just fell out of me,” he says, the recording still available as proof. “I believe that song was meant to come from that guitar on that day. Sometimes, you’ve just got to follow the road signs.”

"We’ve all been artists our entire working lives, we don’t have anything left to prove"

Hear Frank on why there is no fear of failure in L.S. Dunes

Chronicling L.S. Dunes’ short existence so far, such instances of organic alchemy and easygoing serendipity are in plentiful supply. Anthony stresses that rather than conventional milestones – massive shows, hitting sales targets – the defining moments are smaller-scale, more personal: crying together over shared loss on the bus; tapping into their “telepathy” as songs come together; seeing the signs and synchronicities that prove this band was meant to be.

“It’s too profound to be about some accolade or accomplishment,” he says. “It’s not something obvious you can just put your finger on.”

Frank sighs. Not undermining their other, more conventionally successful bands is a priority for all of L.S. Dunes. But that success is a double-edged sword whose swing it’s liberating to escape.

“I’m gonna be as honest as I possibly can,” he gives a cautious, lopsided smile. “When you’re in this line of work for as long as we’ve been, a certain sense of legacy and fear can creep in. Bands that have been around for a long time can become wary of taking risks and creating something new that might ‘tarnish a legacy’ or ‘disrupt a legendary status’. In this band, there’s none of that.”

Frank has spoken before about his fandom for English art rock icons Radiohead, and there is something of what he describes in how that band’s core members – Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood – founded The Smile to forge onward musically without the weight of legacy. Following the thought, it’s fascinating to think whether the reaction to Metallica’s mega-divisive Load/Reload era would’ve been kinder had The Four Horsemen dropped those albums under a different name.

“We’re in a very unique place,” Frank continues. “We’ve all been artists our entire working lives: 20-something years each. We don’t have anything left to prove. We’re not afraid of pitfalls. There isn’t any trepidation. At the same time, L.S. Dunes is still a new band and we’ve got our whole creative lives in front of us. There aren’t any preconceived notions of what a second L.S. Dunes album should sound like in the way there might be for a fifth or sixth Thursday or Coheed or My Chem record. We’re writing the script as we go along. No rules. Nothing to prove.”

Unfettered creativity sees Violet unfold in bold and unexpected ways. Lead single Fatal Deluxe is both familiar and fresh, bridging the band they were and the one they are becoming with equal measures shimmer and swagger. Paper Tigers pulls together its sludgy tempo, big riffs and soaring vocals to euphoric effect. The aforementioned title-track is a masterclass in grandiose, melancholic post-hardcore: beautifully layered, emotionally complex, unapologetically mature. No song is more emblematic of the sublime interpersonal chemistry than opener Like Magick. A late-in-the-day addition that started life as an Anthony Green solo song, its build from a low, breathy intro is true to the title – a starry sleight of hand that proves anything is possible with spark and a little belief.

“Music is magic,” Anthony evangelises. “It can be a time-machine. It can be a healing force. It can be anything you want. As a musician, sometimes you forget that in pursuit of ‘The Big Song’, but when you really whittle it down it’s just you with your record player and your fucking soul. And how those things harmonise. That’s the fundamental foundation of everything [about this band].”

Frank grins. “You and I might not have grown up together. We might not know each other. But from thousands of miles away I can put my finger on a string on a piece of wood, have that vibrate into a microphone and record it, then when that’s played back, it resonates this little drum inside your head and conjures up an emotion: happiness or sadness, hope or nostalgia. How magic is that?!”

"Music should surprise you, it should be magical"

Hear Frank on the joy of having no boundaries to your creativity

Painted in terracotta pink, slate grey and wavy greens and blues, Violet’s cover depicts a figure in a boat at sea. Contrasting coldly with Past Lives’ orange and beige artwork – five equal elements in perfect harmony that might represent the members of the band – it feels more eerily unexplained. From this writer’s perspective, it is an image of a wraith, perhaps the Grim Reaper himself, trapped in a storm. Frank and Anthony stroke their chins at this observation, like psychologists whose patient has just seen a blood-splatter in a Rorschach test. Darkness or light, they insist, is in the eye of the beholder, and their own understandings of the image are grounded firmly in hope.

“Are those stormy seas, or are they open waters?” challenges Frank. “Is it sunrise or sunset? Is that figure trapped or are they escaping? Are they looking for something? Longing for it? I’m happy that artwork isn’t actually purple. With the title Violet, that would be too much. But beyond that it’s important that things can’t be fully defined. Open-ended ideas are key. I like to think it’s a person alone, fighting for a way out. To me, that’s hopeful. But maybe I’m the one who’s fuckin’ nuts!”

“It’s like a Tarot card,” elaborates Anthony. “It’s so interesting to me that someone might see Death in that image. Reading Tarot, when you draw Death, you’re actually foretelling a new beginning. Often, new beginnings mean killing something old. That can be hard. But it can also be necessary.”

Over those 100-odd shows L.S. Dunes have played so far, past negativity had worn on the vocalist. Although far from a permanent fixture in their set, the closing line of Sleep Cult – ‘Sorry that I wish that I was dead’ – particularly needled. The kind of artist who needs to re-live the root emotions every time a song is sung, it was a lyric that drew him back into a shadow that he thought he had escaped, and he’d often stumble offstage emotionally rinsed and in tears.

“If I’m going to be singing a song 100 times I need it to light my path,” he reasons. “I was in a real dark place when I was doing Past Lives – and I hate it when artists say that because people are in a real dark place all the time – but I was honestly going through such a tough patch. Feeling free from some of that I selfishly wanted these songs to represent it. Hope is a weird word. A lot of the time hope is about letting go rather than hanging on. I needed to make something that meant that even if I found myself in that destructive mode, it was about destroying something that needed to be destroyed rather than my will to keep going.”

Lyrically, the word ‘violet’ does not appear on this album bearing that name. Originating from the vocal sounds Frank overlaid on his instrumental, it stuck with both that song and this longer chapter. Research would reveal that the colour represents spiritual wisdom, acceptance, strength and creativity. The flower has medicinal purposes. Lapsed Catholic Anthony remembers how priests in Lent would wear violet vestments to symbolise both the brutal passion of Jesus Christ and the promise of salvation and rebirth that always comes in the spring. As writing progressed, it became emblematic of a subtle, cerebral optimism that pulses throughout.

‘You have got a hope that there is something more for us to make / In the midst of understanding / Brick by brick we split the take,’ Anthony croons on I Can See It Now… close to the record’s beginning. By the end, he’s waving farewell to, ‘All the words in history / Aggravate to based in longing / All the wounds that I forget / Things I thought would last forever...’

Understanding. Conciliation. Acceptance. As feelings go, they haven’t the bombast or inherent drama of new love or heartbreak, outrage or jubilation, but these songs know they’re just as capable of changing our world. First time out, L.S. Dunes raged against the atrocities of January 6, 2021 on Bombsquad. In January 2025, 12 months since entering the studio again with producer Will Yip, Violet will blare as the perpetrators of that day take back the highest offices of power.

“We’ve had this secret that we were waiting to release out into the world,” Frank says. “And, for me, to provide something that feels hopeful or uplifting at a time when things aren’t hopeful or uplifting – to be a light in the darkness – is an artist’s job. Things happen for a reason. Maybe that makes this the best time for Violet to come out. In times of darkness, the last thing that we need is more despair. I was asked recently what, other than music, makes me hopeful on a daily basis. Honestly, it’s my kids. They allow me to see on a second-by-second basis that not everything is dark and shitty. The kids I’m surrounded with know the difference between good and bad. They want things to be better. They see what’s fucked up. They think it’s crazy when we can’t seem to fix it. Being an inspiration for them is so important: showing that [that fight] is not all for nothing.”

Conventional success – that double-edged sword of fame and fortune we spoke about earlier – may not be the endgame for L.S. Dunes, but there’s nothing lacking in sense of achievement.

“Success is about being friends and caring about each other,” stresses Anthony. “There are plenty of people my age doing this job that don’t even like it anymore, but they don’t know anything else. To be 42 and still making this music and building this band for each other is a gift. There isn’t some big thing we’re working towards. It’s about doing what we’re doing. That gets more exciting to us every day. If that feeling stops at some point, we’ll know what to do. Until then, we’re going to keep digging and writing music and playing shows. It’s what we’re made of. It’s who we are.”

“I’m never thinking about the end,” nods Frank. “Success is being there, being present, being gracious for the time we have. I continue to write and create things without thinking about it much in the same way that I don’t think about the next breath I’ll take. It’s just what I do. And in the same way that no-one knows when it’s the last time to go outside to play pretend with their friends, I won’t know the last music I ever make. I just keep going and going and hope that the next thing is better than what came before...”

Violet is released on January 31 via Fantasy Records.

L.S. Dunes are on tour in the UK and Europe with Rise Against from January 28. They will also play headline dates in Leeds on January 30 and Cardiff on February 10. Get your tickets now.

[wanderingmind867]

My Batman '66 Episode Idea, inspired by the Cupid scenes in the House of Hades.

Episode Titles: Cupid sounds the Call/Batman against the Wall

Special Guest Villian: Dean Martin as Cupid

Plot of Part Two: We pick up where Part One left off, with Batman and Robin about to be killed via an elaborate deathtrap put together by Cupid. In ten minutes, an arrow will slice through the rope holding them and a giant glass heart in the air. When the heart crashes to the floor, the dynamic duo is sure to die. How are they going to get out of this trap!?

Well…their freedom all depends on Batman successfully managing to disarm the giant Cupid statue. His hands are just close enough to the utility belt for him to reach his bat laser beam. And then it becomes a simple matter of firing the thin laser at the head of the arrow. Once the arrowhead is broken off, Batman manages to slip one of his hands free of his restraints. Then he pulls out the batrope and throws it at the Cupid Statue. From there, he helps free Robin and they successfully climb to safety. And now it's back to the hunt for Cupid!

In the time it took them to slip out of their trap, Cupid's masterful scheme has begun at the monarch theatre. All the guests who drank his spiked punch or merely watched and listened to his performance onstage fell under his hypnotic spell. He got to all the major officials in the city, and Cupid is now master of all! By the time Batman and Robin manage to catch up with him, he's already making plans to redecorate Gotham Town Hall so it can become his own private office.

Now that Batman and Robin are really down and out, they need to think of a way out of this mess. Because Commissioner Gordon, Chief O'Hara, even Alfred and Aunt Harriet have all fallen under Cupid's spell. With everyone they trust out of commission, who can Batman and Robin turn to? Well, the answer there is simple. So simple that only a purely objective and analytical device like the Bat Computer can figure it out.

You see, Cupid's spell only works on those who either (A): Feel Romantic Attraction; or (B): Can see and hear him. This means the only people capable of defeating him are aromantic people or people with no sense of sight or sound. So this shows Batman and Robin how to save the day. They're gonna have to find an aromantic citizen or criminal or something to guide them, while they fight crime with ear plugs and blindfolds.

Now, I don't really know which villian or citizen the dynamic duo recruits to help them, but I could definitely see them ending up recruiting all the aromantic people in Gotham (which has to be at least a hundred or more people, considering gotham's size). And then a blindfolded and ear plugged Batman and Robin crash into City Hall. And with a legion of gothamites helping them in the fight, Cupid is swiftly defeated. Down for the Count, Batman and Robin haul him off to jail. But not before first thanking their fellow gothamites. "Aromantic you may be, but today you've shown you truly know the meaning of helping your fellow man. Thank you, citizens".

The last scene of the episode is back at Wayne Manor. Aunt Harriet and Alfred are recovering, and the news is reporting on how Cupid's crime wave failed due to Cupid underestimating the people of gotham (as well as Batman and Robin). But Cupid wrote a note to the Batman (he's not allowed to read it aloud, since his voice is so hypnotic), and the news is reading it live for the very first time. In the letter, Cupid swears he'll break free and have his revenge. One day, even Batman won't be immune to his charms! One day, he will conquer this pitiful city! One day…

Aunt Harriet then remarks on how ghastly it is, that a man like Cupid could use love as an instrument of evil. And then Bruce delivers a speech about how love can be used for both good and for bad, and how honest, noble citizens must always remember to use it in the proper way. And then Aunt Harriet proposes a belated Valentine's Day party, just the four of them. And we end on a sweet domestic shot of Bruce, Dick, Alfred and Aunt Harriet.