#when he said it would be very special to him to win a trophy as the captain of this club 😭😭😭

[whitehartlane]

“i want to win a trophy. especially when you’re captain and you win a trophy, it means something… it would be very very special to me. i will do anything for this. i’m not calling myself a legend of this club right now—i want to win something.”

[idkwhatimdoinghere1655]

30th - Carlos Sainz

<word count - 3298>

Carlos woke up, slightly groggy with his body still feeling heavy with sleep. As he usually did, his arms instinctively reached over to the other side of the bed, his hands feeling around for you. But, he was met with an empty space and cold sheets.

"Darling?" he softly said, hoping you had just disappeared into the bathroom. However the cold sheets said otherwise. You hadn't been there for a while, and you normally always told him when you were leaving or if he should be expecting your absence.

He slung his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his eyes to try and wake himself up a bit. His now open eyes landed on your vanity table, a brown box now sat in the place of your makeup bag. His curiosity was piqued, so he walked up and looked at the box.

Lo and behold, his name was perfectly scrawled on the lid. He looked around the room, trying to see if you were hidden anywhere. Sighing and opening the box, he spotted a printed photo. It was an old one from his 17th birthday, coincidentally the first one you had spent together.

He had been at a race, and you had gone to the track to surprise your first ever boyfriend. Carlos had been surprised to see you there, since he didn't think you'd be interested in going to his races - especially back then.

Yet your interest made his silly high school crush turn into something a lot more, something that he didn't quite know what it was back when he was young. He was an emotionally confused, hormonal teenage boy who had the girl he had only seen in his dreams right in front of him.

Picking up the photo, he remembered the exact moment it was taken. He had brought his trophy to you, to show you an accolade of his success. His mum was watching on, smiling at the happiness on her son's face. You had your arm around his shoulder, he had his arm around your waist as you both flashed a big cheesy grin at the camera.

There was another photo underneath, and this one caused a light flush to coat his cheeks. His mum nearly missed it, and that made it even better. As she was walking away, Carlos remembered how he couldn't resist and had tugged you in for a short but sweet kiss.

It was your first kiss, his first kiss, and your first of many together. There was a small label over the top of the trophy, which was still clutched in his hand. 'Find me', it said. Now he saw where this was going.

A little birthday scavenger hunt that was combined with a walk down memory lane. He took himself through the house and all the way to the living room, where his trophy was proudly sitting on the mantelpiece.

Yes, he had won many more since that one, but that one had special significance to him and it always would. Just as expected, there was another brown box that was identical to the last one. He lifted the cardboard lid, another photo waiting for him inside.

This was from two years later, a year before he had joined F1. He was a superstar as ever, and it was dawning on him that he would have to be away from you a lot more. You'd be going to university, and he'd be travelling the globe.

Both you and Carlos knew that this was what he had to do, but it didn't make it any easier. The photo in question was from his last race in the junior formulas. Another win for Carlos Sainz, and one of the last he'd celebrate with you for the time being.

You were holding his trophy, the same dazzling smile on your face as he kissed you on the cheek with people celebrating around you. He ran his fingers over the small version of your face.

To him, you hadn't aged a day. You were still as stunning now as you were back then, which was nearing on 15 years ago at this point. The pair of you were young, slightly dumb, and very much in love. The delusion, which was brought down to innocent naivety, that you'd be able to do such long distance was conceived as something easy by the both of you.

You'd soon find out that that wasn't the case, but it wasn't something he was wanting to dwell on too much. This time, on the base of the box, there was another short note written on it. '15.3.15' was the message.

That was the date of his first ever F1 race, but he couldn't think of anything associated with it. All he really cared about was that he got his first ever points, but you couldn't be there to see it. You were at university, and he remembered your relentless effort to make your schedule align for the first race.

Alas, you couldn't make your way to Australia, and he had to settle for a very happy phone call that you had gotten up extra early to make. You had watched the race, and he knew how excited you were for him to get those 2 points.

Yes, 4 people had DNFed and 2 people had DNSed, meaning he finished three places from the back of the pack, but it didn't matter. Carlos had gotten his first ever F1 points, and you couldn't have been prouder of him.

Little did the both of you know, that was the last time of pure happiness that he had seen before he had ruined it all, but he hoped you had glossed over that and moved straight onto the next part of the joyful times with your scavenger hunt.

He was wracking his brains for anything that he could find associated with the date in the house, but he was drawing blanks. He didn't have any physical momentos of the day, well none that came to mind.

There weren't any pictures in the house of him on that day either. While he was still thinking, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Carlos smirked to himself as he saw your name pop up on his screen, and he opened the text from you. 'Stumped already?'

He chuckled, wondering how you had figured out that he was already stuck on your little treasure hunt. 'Maybe just a little' he replied, watching as you began to type back to him. The three dots bobbled up and down on his screen, before a message appeared on the screen.

'What was in the news that day?' and that was when it hit him. In Madrid, the local news was all about their hometown hero, Carlos Sainz, getting his first points in Formula 1. He remembered you sending him a picture of the paper you had picked up, and you had kept it over all of those years.

He knew it was in a drawer somewhere, he just needed to figure out where. Walking to the office, he rummaged through your desk drawers, hoping he wouldn't stumble upon another clue. Then, he felt another buzz. 'Carlos you are ruining my treasure trail, get out of my desk.'

There was his confirmation. Again, he was wondering how you were omniscient and how you had known where he was in the house. But, he closed the desk drawers as instructed and he internally thanked whoever was out there that he hadn't found whatever was in there. It was simply a little help for later.

'Check the cabinet in the living room,' another text buzzed through. If he kept on acting clueless, then you would do all the work for him at this rate. But, he persevered and headed to the living room cabinet. Just as expected, it was at the top of one of the drawers.

Carefully pulling the thin piece of newspaper out of the drawer, his eyes were drawn to the next note of his trail. 'I was going to do 55 clues, but I thought that would be such an awful idea and would take way too long, so you get 5 instead. For clue number three, I want you to remember the first time we saw each other after our little... sabbatical'.

As he figured, you had glossed over your little 2 year break that had been the loneliest 2 years of his life. He knew exactly what you were referring to this time, and he took himself upstairs to the prized framed photo of the two of you that sat proudly on his bedside table.

He didn't see the note on the offset, but he found it taped to the back of the frame. You probably realised that he would spot it if you put it on the front, so you had to be a little sneaky. He allowed himself some time to look at the photo, even though he saw it multiple times a day.

Carlos could practically feel the humid Singapore air clinging to his skin as he looked at the photo, yet another that his mum had taken. He had gotten his best ever result in F1, a 4th place. Yet, he didn't know you were there. His parents had brought you along, since you had some time off.

He was overjoyed, and he could've sworn his heart had stopped when he got back to the garage after interviews and saw you there, with his family. He stopped in his tracks, before his dad saw him and so did you.

At that point, Carlos' instincts took over, and you both knew what was going on. He started taking steps towards you, and you did the same. There was no hesitation as he wrapped his arms around you and kissed you with every ounce of love he had in his body.

It didn't matter that you'd had practically zero contact over the past 2 years, you still knew each other like the back of your hand. You were still the girl who teenage him had fallen madly in love with, and he was still the charming racer that you had become so enamoured with. After that day, you knew you were together for the long haul, and you wouldn't have it any other way.

As they had preempted the moment, another picture was taken of the perfect sight of the two of you reuniting. When his mum had sent it to him, he had instantly gotten it printed and framed. He took it wherever he went without you, and he always would.

The note taped to the back said 'Grease is the word'. Now, he knew what you were talking about, but he didn't know if the tickets to said show were in your desk drawer or not. 'Is this the desk drawer?' he texted you.

'Sure is,' you replied, and he went back to the office and back to your desk. He looked in the drawer that he hadn't checked in earlier, and there they were. The Grease Tickets He remembered the day you had said you had a 'surprise' for him, only to take him to a theatre to see Grease live on stage.

If it wasn't for the puppy eyes you had given him, then he would've walked straight out of the theatre without a second glance. He had gone in just because you asked, and he unfortunately couldn't say he had hated it. Well, he had pretty much been watching you the whole time as you mouthed the lyrics and smiled at your favourite scenes. He couldn't help but find it utterly adorable.

He could see you in the poofy dresses, the sun shining on you as you sang to your heart's desire. He definitely wouldn't want to be one of the T-Birds, but he would be if you really wanted him to. Plus, he definitely wouldn't be opposed to seeing you in those tight leather pants.

When you asked what he had thought, he just said he had enjoyed it. Oh, what a mistake he had just made. Then you made him watch the movie version at home, and he got to see you mouth the lyrics and smile along again. He enjoyed the movie version more.

One thing he loved about you was how you kept little mementos like these tickets. You liked to preserve memories in the form of little tokens and trinkets. Whether it be tickets from a movie, a pebble from the beach or a receipt from a restaurant, you always kept the little things from special outings and events.

On the back of the tickets, the final note was written on a sticky note. 'You've made it! I'm surprised you haven't gotten bored and nagged me to just tell you where I am, or you have, I'm not sure. Anyway, for your final clue, I am going to send you out to a place that you have at home, and on track.'

Well that was too easy. Carlos closed the drawer and walked out to the garage, but he saw nothing. He felt confused, unsure of if his confidence in his clue-guessing skills was warranted in this situation. 

He stood there for a few more seconds, until he heard the door to the garage close behind him. Turning around, he was greeted with nothing. Just the closed door. However, it wasn't just the door. On the door, there was another note taped to it. 

"Where have you always wanted to go?' and he instantly knew what you were talking about. But, surely you hadn't, right? At the bottom of the piece of paper, he saw a small 'P.S' scribbled on. 'I need you to say it out loud so I can hear it'.

"Hawaii," he said, pretty loud. He also hoped that he had gotten it right, since there were many places he wanted to go that his racing schedule hadn't taken him to. Besides, he couldn't do many tourist-y things when he was traveling most of the time. 

"Ding ding ding!" you laughed, jumping out from behind one of the cars in the garage. Carlos just stood there in complete shock, unsure of what to do with himself. You had a Hawaiian shirt on, complete with a hula skirt and flower garlands around your wrists and neck.

All he could do was laugh, "What the hell are you wearing?" he managed to choke out between the fits of laughter he was letting out. He felt bad, since the look on your face told him that you thought he should've been taking this a little more seriously. "Hey, darling, I'm sorry, you look adorable," he doubled back, closing the gap between you and putting his hands on your waist. 

"But I do want to know what this is all about," he pressed.

"Well, the treasure hunt was just a little bit of fun that I wanted to do for some good memories on a special day. This stunning outfit it for... something else." you smiled, moving away from him and back to the spot you were hiding behind the car.

You reemerged with a white envelope in your hand, holding it out to him. "Happy birthday, Carlos." you softly said, and he took the envelope out of your hands. He eyed you sceptically, before ripping the top of the envelope open. 

Carlos took the papers out of the envelope, his eyes scanning the words on the page. "Wait, really?" he asked, looking over it again and again. But low and behold, there were the plane tickets all the way to Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport.

"It's kind of hard to get you gifts, so I thought this might be worth a little more, you know?" you said, really hoping he'd like it. Thankfully, you could tell by the glint in his eyes that he really did like it. 

"Oh baby thank you, seriously," he smiled, wrapping his arms around you in a hug. "You know you really didn't have to go through all this effort, right?" he told you. 

"Carlos, you're 30 now. You've not got long before you're in a nursing home and can't even wipe your own ass without help," you quipped, and his eyes widened in mock outrage. 

"I will have you know that I am nowhere near being sent to a nursing home! You're stuck with me, and now I think you've designated yourself to wipe my ass when I'm old and frail," he retorted with a feigned tone of hurt. 

"Oh shush. Anyway, go sit in the living room, there's a little more to do," you told him, pushing him in the direction of the door. Carlos just shook his head and laughed, walking out of the garage. 

"Getting bossed around on my own birthday, you sure are cruel to me," he tutted, going to sit on the couch as instructed. He watches as you disappeared into the kitchen, still finding the Hawaii outfit funny as ever. 

"Happy birthday to you," you started to sing, walking into the room with a cake covered in candles balanced in your hands. "I have just realised how awkward it is when I am the only one singing, but anyway," you laughed, and Carlos could only giggle at your awkwardness. 

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Carlos, happy birthday to you," you quickly finished the song, just to get it over with. "Blow out the candles," you told him, and he did exactly that. 

"Thank you, darling." he smiled, leaning over the cake to give you a short yet sweet kiss on the lips. Looking at the cake, he saw that it was absolutely plastered with various memes that had been made of him over the years of racing. 

"I would have done the chili pepper, but Ferrari beat me to it last year. So, I had to get creative," you explained.

"You know, a normal cake would have been perfectly fine, you didn't have to go through so much effort," he sighed. He had told you this every year for the total 11 birthdays that you had spent together, yet he knew you would never listen to him. 

And he never wanted you to listen, not deep down. He loved the effort you went through to try and think of fun things to do for special events like birthdays, and he had enjoyed his trip down memory lane. Plus, he was getting a lovely trip to Hawaii with the love of his life and a cake that was funny as ever. 

"But thank you, really. I have had a wonderful day so far, and I'm barely an hour in, so I am doing pretty well for myself," Carlos said. 

"Don't expect this next year, I have officially exhausted my bank of idea for dumb things to force you through on your birthday,"

"Hey, it's not dumb. I loved every second of it," he reassured, you, putting the cake on the coffee table and leading you over to sit next to him on the couch. "Thank you, genuinely. I would've been happy with just having you here, so this is beyond anything I can ask of you."

"You deserve it," you smiled, leaning into his side as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you into him. You could smell the faint scent of burnt candles in the air and you sat in peace. "Feliz cumpleaños, Carlos." 

God how he loved it when you tried to speak Spanish. Was the accent off? Yes. But, was it one of the cutest things ever, in his mind. "Gracias, mi amor," he replied, planting a soft kiss on the side of your head, praising his lucky stars that he had you. He had lost you once, and he sure as hell never would again.

A/N - What a day! Carlos' birthday, Charles won Monza... next week is the 5 year anniversary of he won in Spa, he wins in Monza (there is something coming out for that, don't you fret) and I am having a wonderful day. I felt shit to begin with, but now? I do not care.

Happy birthday Carlos! Even when you're driving a Williams, I will still be watching out for the smoothest of operations 🌶🌶

|masterlist|

[beyondthesefourwalls]

Twin Fire Signs

Summary: When the majority of your squad intentionally leaves you drunk and alone at a bar, you resign yourself to finding your own way home and dealing with your wounded pride in peace. But then your phone rings, the name of the last person you expected to be calling you on a Friday night flashing on your screen. You know you shouldn’t answer, but too much tequila has never led to great decisions. 

Pairing: Jake Seresin x Reader (no use of y/n)

Word Count: 5.2K

Warnings: language, drinking

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—

You were drunk. 

There wasn’t really any denying it now, just like there was no denying that you were alone without any of the people you came here with. It took a complete lap of the bar and waiting outside of the bathrooms for an eyebrow raising amount of time for you to accept it, but it was an inevitable conclusion now: your team, your squad, had ditched you. By the looks they had exchanged in the ready room in the tower, you were sure the invitation had only been extended as a courtesy and that none of them had expected you to actually say yes. Which was fair, because up until this point, you hadn’t. But you decided to accept on a whim, high off the adrenaline from the phenomenal flying you had just done, mixed with a lapse in judgment and a previous night of feeling particularly lonely. You had been off-brand craving social interaction. Now, you were regretting it and remembering why you preferred being alone. They had bought you a few shots, and all it took was a quick trip to the bathroom for you to come back and all of them be just…gone.

You never should have let your guard down. 

There was a reason you had declined nearly every invitation from them to go out for drinks, and it wasn’t because of your desperate need to keep work separate from your private life. You knew the people on your squad were assholes, and you knew they didn’t like you all that much. You were the lone Lieutenant Junior Grade amongst a squad of Lieutenants. On top of that, the first woman of said rank to not only make it there, but be handed the trophy at the end of Top Gun. 

You were good. Very good. You knew it, and so did the rest of the squad you had been assigned to when, following your win, you were transferred from Corpus Christi and stationed at Top Gun permanently two months ago. You had come in and blown them all out of the water, and none of them particularly liked it. 

You should have known that something like this would happen tonight. 

You tried not to let it bother you as you plopped down on a barstool. The bartender, an older man tattooed from his bald head to the tips of his fingers, slid a glass of water in front of you with a roll of his eyes. You gave what you hoped was an appreciative thank you and hiccuped as you took your first sip. After downing half the glass and a handful of bar pretzels, you fumbled with your phone, looking through several rideshare apps to see which one would get you the cheapest and quickest ride home so you could sulk in private. 

You were debating if the extra ten bucks for a ride that would show up five minutes quicker was worth it when your screen switched over to an incoming call. Your eyes widened in shock at the name staring up at you. 

Lieutenant Seresin

Oh no. Oh no. 

It was almost 10pm on a Friday night and Hangman was calling you. And you were drunk. He hadn’t come out with you all tonight, but that wasn’t uncommon. If you were an outcast in one regard, he was an outcast in another. Your squad wanted little to do with you, but they worshiped him. But instead of humoring them, he spent the majority of his time with the special squadron he was also assigned to, who were spread out amongst other teams on base. 

You didn’t think that he'd said two words to you that weren’t criticism or a challenge since that day. So why the hell was he calling you now?

You considered not answering and letting the call go to voicemail. You stared at the name for so long weighing your options that the screen darkened as the vibrations stopped. You heaved out a sigh of relief, only to squeak in surprise when the phone started vibrating again. 

You tried to take a deep breath when you answered, a slightly high pitched “Hello?” being offered. You winced when it was quickly followed by a hiccup, and then another.

“Are you drunk?” 

Fuck.

“Um. Yes.” 

You winced at your answer. Being blunt was one of your many character flaws, but you probably could have tried to have a little more tact, considering who you were talking to. 

“Are you still at Lumpys?” 

“Yes,” you answered automatically, but your brows furrowed as your alcohol soaked brain processed his words. “Wait. How did you know that?” 

“Are you okay?” he asked, completely ignoring your question. The bar was so loud around you that you had a bit of trouble hearing him, but that last tequila shot must have done you in, because you could hear annoyance, certainly, but you thought maybe you heard concern, too. You took a gulp of your water to try and clear your mind, because there was no way. 

You must have taken too long to respond because he snapped out your name, your first name, and you almost gasped at the sound of it. You don’t think he’s ever actually said your name before; the deep timber of his voice sent a shiver down your spine. 

Oh no. 

Now was not the time for your thoughts to run away from you into that territory. 

“I’m drunk,” you said dumbly. 

You could practically feel the pause on the other end before he let out a sigh of your call sign that sounded almost angry. 

“Are you safe?” he asked, since you hadn’t directly answered his question on being okay. You took in your surroundings with a long glance, your normal ability to clock everything delayed. 

Lumpys wasn’t the nicest place. You had never even heard of it before tonight. It was dark and loud and smokey despite the laws prohibiting it in California. It definitely wasn’t a military bar, that was for sure. You wondered for the first time why the rest of the squad had chosen this spot when the Hard Deck was so close to base, as well as two or three other bars that were frequented by uniforms not of the biker variety. You swallowed the lump that formed in your throat when you realized that maybe they had done that on purpose, because you were coming with them and they knew they wouldn’t stick around. From the end of the bar, the bartender glanced at the water in front of you to see if a refill was needed before rolling his eyes again and looking away as he cleaned glasses. 

“Well,” you drew out, pushing down the unwanted emotions suddenly hitting you. “I can’t decide if the bartender is a giant tattooed teddy bear or a gang enforcer. Could go either way, honestly.”

He cursed on the other end and you thought maybe you heard the sound of a vehicle starting. You weren’t really sure, thinking maybe the loudness of the bar was making you hear things, but then his next words affirmed it. 

“Don’t move. I’ll come get you.” 

Your eyes widened and you sat up straighter in the barstool you had been slumped over in. “Wait, what?” 

“I’m coming to get you.” 

“No, no, you don’t have to do that. I was about to get an Uber or something-” 

He said your first name again, and it set butterflies loose in your stomach that you tried desperately to catch and put back in the box they came from. His voice lowered into something gentle, a tone you hadn’t heard in weeks from the fellow aviator. “Just hang tight. I’ll be there in 20, maybe less.” 

You thought about arguing with him and insisting that that wasn’t necessary and you could make your way home just fine by yourself. Even if you were sober, you’d have been in charge of finding your own way home tonight. Quarterback had given you a ride from base after work, and you had assumed you’d be able to catch a ride back, too. But he was long gone with the rest of your squad. 

“I…okay,” you finally said, accepting your fate. 

He hung up without a goodbye, and you were sure if this was a regular phone call, you’d roll your eyes at how rude the gesture was. But all you could focus on at this point was the sound of your name in his voice and the fact that he was apparently coming to get you. 

You were fucked. 

You chugged your water, some of it spilling down your chin in the process. When you set the glass down it was with a little too much force right as the bartender walked by. You winced at the annoyed look he shot you. 

“Sorry,” you mumbled. He refilled your water with a glare and without a word, moving onto other customers before you could say anything else. You took another gulp of it with a grimace and then set your head in your hand, taking in a deep breath. 

Your team leader, Hangman, Jake, would be picking you up from the bar, because the rest of your squad had abandoned you after you had taken a few too many shots. 

The same one who you had more respect for than anyone else, who you’ve also maybe harbored a crush on since you came to Top Gun, and who had barely looked at you since you almost kissed four weeks ago.

Great. 

Lieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin was a legend in the small population of aviators in the US Navy. He was truly the 1% of the 1%. You tried to model a lot of your own career and techniques after him. It helped that you seemed to be similar on an instinctual level, and you had the same indifferent attitudes. Standoffish, as some would say. You both knew you were good, too good to be true in a lot of ways. You had earned the right to have the attitude. 

You had been thrilled to be assigned to the same squad as him. You were excited to learn as much as you could from him, to befriend him. And that’s what it had been, at first. The two of you flew together well, and it translated on the ground. He noticed the similarities too, and didn’t hesitate with sharing notes and advice with you. He was so passionate and intelligent about what he did, and that’s what drew you to him first. He knew what he was doing and wasn’t ashamed of it, and that had attracted you more than anything. His good looks certainly didn’t hurt, though. 

You had taken to spending time together between hops, and eventually, started talking about more than just flying. It turned out you had a lot in common outside of the Navy, too. He was so easy to talk to. But then almost a month ago, you had been alone in the rec room, talking about the previous night's Cowboys game, of all things, when he had suddenly stepped into your personal space. 

His eyes had been dark and intense, and you could feel the heat emanating from his body. The intoxicating combination of his cologne and the smell of jet fuel that you had started associating with him had been even more palpable that close together. You thought he was going to kiss you, to finally give into the tension you thought had been building, and you wanted him to. But then just as quickly as he stepped forward, he had pulled away, leaving you hanging and confused.

And you’ve been that way ever since.

After that moment, things had been different between you. He barely spared you a second glance when you were on the ground and criticized everything you did when you were in the cockpit. You had tried to speak with him, to understand what the fuck had happened, but Jake Seresin was just as good at evading on the ground as he was in the air. So you buried your feelings as deep as you could inside of yourself and tried to mark him off as just another asshole who wasn’t worth your time.

But damn if the alcohol and the way he said your name and sounded something like concerned didn’t have your heart racing and you questioning everything. 

A little over fifteen minutes and another glass of water later, a shiver ran through your body. You turned your head right as the door to the bar swung open, eyes meeting the unmistakable figure of the aviator occupying your mind. He wasn’t donning his usual khaki uniform or flight suit that you were used to seeing him in — snug jeans hugged his legs and a white shirt clung to his chest, and you realized it was the first time you’d seen him so casual. Your lips parted slightly as you watched him look around. He stood in the entrance, scanning the room with narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw. Your heart skipped a beat when his eyes finally locked onto you.

You raised your hand in a pitiful, unneeded wave, and in the dimly lit bar, you swore you saw some of the tension leave his shoulders. He started making his way through the crowd to you immediately. You watched him with wary, cautious eyes. 

“You alright?” he asked. His demeanor remained stoic, but those intense green eyes that you had admired for so long seemed to hold a blend of concern and something else you couldn't quite decipher. From this close up, you could see the way they flicked up and down your body as if assessing for himself your current state. 

“Yeah,” you said softly, feeling flushed under his scrutiny. “I’m fine.”

He gave a slight nod, his gaze lingering on you for a moment before he turned to the bar. Without a word, he pulled out his wallet and slipped his credit card from the leather. Your eyes widened. 

“Wait, Hangman, no.” 

You scrambled for your wallet in your tiny small crossbody bag, but before you could get the zipper opened, your self-appointed savior waved you off and handed his card to the approaching bartender. You watched in defeat as the card was swiped and handed back and his signature scrawled on the receipt all in what looked like one smooth motion. Why had you not thought to pay your tab before he had shown up? You were never going to live this down. 

“Finish your water and we’ll go,” he told you as he slipped his wallet back into his back pocket. 

“It’s my third glass since you called me. If I finish it I can’t be held responsible for your upholstery.”

You squeezed your eyes shut as soon as the words left your mouth. You rubbed at your temples with a groan, your face twisted into a disbelieving grimace. “Please tell me I didn’t just say that.”

To your surprise, Hangman let out a chuckle. Your eyes popped open in shock. His laughter was a rare occurrence in your presence these days, and the butterflies in your stomach fluttered wildly at the sound. Damnit.

"You did," he replied with a faint smirk, his stoic demeanor cracking just a bit. You groaned, and the blonde laughed again before he glanced around the bar, his expression settling back into something more serious. “Are you ready?” 

You slid off the barstool, feeling slightly unbalanced on your feet. When you stumbled, he reached out to steady you. You sucked in a breath. It was a simple touch, but it sent a jolt of electricity through your body. For a moment, the two of you just…stared. It was almost reminiscent of that day. But then a bottle broke from a few feet away, shattering the moment — whatever it was — right along with it. Hangman cleared his throat and dropped his hand back to his side. 

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you home.” You thought maybe you saw the faintest hint of red creeping up on his neck before he turned away, and your mind struggled to rationalize it. 

Once you were outside, the cool night air hit you, and it was a welcome relief. You breathed in deeply as you followed behind him to where his large black truck was parked. You knew from one of your conversations before that he had boughten it last year when he was stationed in California after only ever leasing vehicles before. It was a way for him to establish roots now that he was given the opportunity to settle in one place. 

The lights flashed as he unlocked it, opening the passenger door and motioning for you to get in. You hesitated for a moment, wondering if this was really how your night was going. You chanced a glance at the man holding the door open and he raised an eyebrow, clearly wondering what the hold up was. You could have laughed at the irony. It took you a second to realize that you had. 

“What’s so funny?” he asked, and you felt the heat of embarrassment in your face. 

“Nothing,” you muttered, and you turned away before you could say or do anything else to make a fool out of yourself. 

The leather seats were comfortable when you clumsily climbed in, and the interior of the car was immaculate, crisp and clean just like you often thought he was. It didn’t surprise you a bit. Hangman settled into the driver's seat, and you couldn't help but steal glances at him as he started the engine. He handed you his phone to put your address in and as country music played quietly over the speakers, he put the truck in drive. 

You didn’t know what to say, and Hangman seemed content with the quiet. You watched him from the corner of your eye as he drove, the muscles in his arms flexing with every turn of the wheel. You couldn’t help but wonder what those arms would feel like around you, holding you against him. It was a dangerous thought, and you shook it off before it could take root.

You closed your eyes and leant your head back against the seat as you let the wind from the open windows cool your skin. The effects of the alcohol were slowly wearing off, leaving your mind clearer, but no less confused. Being in his presence like this was still throwing you for a loop. 

Why had he dropped everything and shown up for you tonight, after doing everything professionally possible to avoid you for the last month? Why had he ignored you to begin with? 

Why did you even care? 

Neither of you spoke the entire way, and all the questions in your head were like a stoking fire that was rapidly sparking by the time he turned into your apartment complex. Instead of dropping you off in front of your building, he pulled into one of the visitors spots and put the truck in park. He didn’t kill the engine, though, and you wondered if that meant something. 

For a moment, you both just sat there, staring straight ahead. You could feel the tension between you, slowly but surely simmering. You knew the smart thing to do would be to get out of the truck. Thank him for coming to get you and go inside, and then come Monday morning, go back to the same routine. You knew you were capable of it — you had mastered the art of indifference years ago.

“Think you’ll make it upstairs?” he asked, disrupting the silence. You frowned at his choice of words, feeling just the tiniest bit offended. You knew how it looked, being drunk and alone. But he was the one who took it upon himself to show up. He had no right to judge you. You couldn’t help the scoff you let out. 

“You didn’t have to come get me, you know. You didn’t have to call at all.” 

His eyes widened before they squeezed shut, and it was almost like he realized the tone of what he said. You shook your head with a sigh, suddenly so unbelievably tired. 

“Thanks for the ride,” you mumbled. You unbuckled your seatbelt and leant down to grab your purse from the floor. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

Hangman’s hand shot out and grabbed your wrist before you could open the door. You turned to look at him and found him staring at you intently, his green eyes dark and brooding.

“Wait,” he said, his voice urgent and rough. “I’m sorry.” 

“Are you?” 

He said your name in such a way that you knew nothing would follow it, the blonde at a loss for words for once in his life. 

"How did you know where I was?" you blurted out, the words escaping before you could censor them. But the question had been plaguing you since he called, so you didn’t backtrack. You felt like you had a right to know. 

You could see the tension in his jaw before he spoke. “Quarterback.”

You raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Quarterback told you where I was?”

“Yes.”

“Did he call you, or….?”

Hangman let out a long sigh, tilting his head back to rest against the seat. “The squad was at the Hard Deck like they normally are, being obnoxious —” 

“Like they normally are?” you couldn’t help but interrupt. He cracked a half smile, the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes as he dipped his chin in agreement. Your shared tolerance level for the other members of your squad was something you had discussed at length before. 

“Like they usually are. I asked them where you were, since you were the only one not there and I had heard you tell them yes earlier. He told me they left you at Lumpy’s. They thought it was funny.” 

You nodded slowly, processing the information. You’d be lying if you said it didn’t sting, just a little bit, that they went as far as going somewhere out of the ordinary just so they could leave you there and make you the punchline of a joke. You let your eyes close and sulked in the feeling for a brief moment. You didn’t need these people. You didn’t even particularly like them, outside of being in the air. But damn. You swallowed thickly and shook your head, as if to completely dislodge the feeling. You supposed them ditching you wasn’t necessarily surprising. You knew how they felt about you, just as they knew your opinions, too. What you were surprised about was that Hangman had bothered to ask about your whereabouts in the first place. It was almost like he cared. Almost.

“So why’d you come?” you asked, still trying to understand. “I could have gotten an Uber.” 

For a long moment, he just stared, and you looked right back. His expression was hard to decipher. The streetlights outside cast shifting patterns of light and shadow across his face, and you felt like he was seeing right through you. Still, he said nothing. The silence stretched on, tension growing thick in the air. You couldn’t stand it. 

You were about to ask him again, to demand an answer, when he finally spoke. His voice was low and measured, a hint of anger looping through the words, and you shivered at the tone of it. 

“They had no right to leave you there like that. I couldn’t — I had to know you were okay.” 

You stared at him, feeling something deep and aching stir inside you. You didn't know what to say, didn't know how to react.  Everything was suddenly so much more complicated than it had been before.

“Jake…” you whispered, and you don’t know if it was the way you used his first name over his callsign or if he was just finally ready to get it off of his chest, but it was like the single syllable finally cracked the floodgates open. 

“I was seeing somebody,” he said. You sucked in a deep breath at the words, a soft “oh” falling from your lips. He continued on before you could think to say anything else. “For a while. Almost a year. She’s exactly what I always pictured I wanted, you know? She travels a lot, but we were figuring it out. But we were serious.” 

A beat passed, and you cleared your throat in the silence of the truck. You almost felt awkward when you asked, “Were?” 

He nodded, clenching his jaw, before laughing in a way that sounded more self-deprecating than you had ever heard from him. “I’m a lot of things, darlin. But I’m not a cheater, physical or otherwise. It wouldn’t have been so easy for me to catch feelings for someone else if she and I were meant to be together. And the way I had started to feel…” 

He cut himself off with a shake of his head, gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned ghostly white. You processed the words slowly, mulling over them over and over again as you tried to figure out the implications behind them. 

“About me?” you dared yourself to ask, your heart beating hard in your chest and damn near holding your breath after you did. 

He met your gaze head on, his green eyes blazing with an intensity that made your breath catch in your throat. “Yeah,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “About you. I think I’ve been feeling this way for a while now, but it wasn’t until that day in the ready room that I realized I couldn’t keep denying it anymore. I care about you more than I should.”

The weight of his words was heavy, and you felt a flush start to creep up your neck. It was like all the air had been sucked out of the truck, leaving the two of you suspended in a moment that felt both infinite and fleeting. You didn't know what to say, didn't even know exactly what you were feeling right now. You never thought he would feel the same way that you did, to the point where he had apparently broken up with a girlfriend you had no idea about. But then he hadn’t said anything, hadn’t acted. 

You had no idea what any of this meant. 

You opened your mouth to speak, to ask him, but before you could get a word out, he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours. You gasped against his mouth, but his lips were warm and firm and you couldn’t help the way you relaxed into it. It wasn’t more than a press of your lips together, neither of you moving to deepen it, but it left you dizzy like it was the most intense kiss of your life. 

When you pulled back, you were both breathing heavier, your foreheads pressed together. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, voice thick with something that felt emotional. “I shouldn't have...not yet. But I had to know what it felt like.” 

You swallowed, focusing on one word.“Yet?” 

Hangman, Jake, nodded, and the silence stretched on for a long moment. You were still reeling from his kiss, the emotion, your own confusion over your feelings and what it all might mean. Then he sighed, loud and deep. From this close, you could smell the peppermint from the gum he always chewed on his breath. He pulled away so he could look into your eyes and cupped your cheek. The smile he gave you was tinged with sadness and longing, and the strangest mix of hope. You knew before he said anything that nothing would be happening tonight. 

“I’m not…I’m not ready yet,” he said softly. Even though you knew something of the sort was coming, there was a flash of disappointment. He must have read it on your face, because he was quick to try and reassure you. “It’s not you. It’s just…I just ended it with her. And I’m still confused as hell over what I feel for you. I think you both deserve more than me rushing into something without figuring that out. Please understand.” 

You nodded, even though you weren't entirely sure if you did. You wanted him, that much was clear. But you also didn't want to be someone's rebound. You wanted something real, something meaningful. And you were willing to wait for that. You just hoped he was too. 

“Okay," you whispered, taking a deep breath. "I understand.” 

He smiled at you again, a small, sad curve of his lips, before leaning in to press his forehead against yours. "Thank you," he murmured, his breath ghosting over your lips. "You're amazing, you know that?"

You wanted him to kiss you again. You ached for it, almost. But you knew if you closed the distance that you’d be going back on everything he had just asked for and the understanding you had promised him you had. So instead, you swallowed thickly and pulled away from him all together. He seemed to understand the distance you were creating and released another deep breath, clearing his throat. 

"Thank you," you said, your voice barely above a whisper. "For coming to get me." 

He nodded, and the two of you fell into silence again. There was something in his eyes that made you think he wasn't done yet. "Can I walk you up to your door?" he asked, his voice laced with a hint of desperation. 

You hesitated for a moment, unsure if it was a good idea. But at the same time, you didn't want this moment to end, either, even if it was just a few more minutes. "Sure," you finally said. 

The two of you got out of the truck and made your way up to your apartment, the silence between you heavy. He was walking so close that you could feel the body heat radiating from him, and you were starting to feel hot all over. When you reached your door, you turned to face him, unsure of what to say. You drew your bottom lip between your teeth as you stared. 

"Thank you again," you said softly.

He nodded, his eyes searching yours for a moment before he let out a deep breath. "Of course,” he said, before leaning in to press a soft kiss to your forehead. Your skin tingled when he pulled away. “I'll see you Monday?" he asked, his voice uncertain. 

You nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you then." 

He stepped away, staring for just a moment longer before he whispered out a goodnight and turned and walked back down the hallway. You watched him go, a strange mix of emotions swirling inside of you. You didn't know what was going to happen between the two of you, but you thought maybe you were ready to find out. You turned to your door and pulled out your keys, taking a deep breath before unlocking it and stepping inside. 

---------------

Main Masterlist

Notes: More of The Blonde One™️needed to be added to my masterlist. I hope you enjoyed whatever this was lol. Likes/comments/reblogs are the best encouragement!

Thanks to @roosterforme @mak-32 @thedroneranger for the help! And to Mak for the prettiest banner that finally gets to see the light of day😍

[thealtoduck]

Dream of You

Bodyguard!Reggie Mantle x Idol!Male Reader

Kpop Idol AU (Idol x Bodyguard)

Y/g/n = Your Group’s Name

Y/c/n = Your Company’s name

Warnings: Smut, bottom!Reader, top!Reggie, bick dick!Reggie, secret relationship, anal sex, unprotected sex, rough sex, age difference (Reggie is a couple of years older than you), blowjob, cum in ass, maybe ooc!Reggie (idk i haven’t watched Riverdale since Season 3), motel sex…

Summary: You’re a famous idol from a beloved kpop boy group and after a night of winning an award at music show you meet up with your secret boyfriend Reggie…

(A/n: Hi… )

(Special thanks to @roses-r-rosie3 for pre-reading this a while back 🫶)

——

You were a member of a six membered group called Y/g/n under the relatively unknown company Y/c/n. Just last year your group had started gaining traction for your amazing skills in singing and dancing as well as your lighthearted but loud dance music.

You even managed to get your first win on a music show a couple of months ago. Leading to most of you crying as you accepted your first trophy and sang your encore stage. Now you were back with a new mini album, which sales numbers had steadily gone up since your last comeback. And as you attended another music show to promote.

”And the winner is Y/G/N!!! Congrats!” The music shows M/C announced as confetti cannons went of making you and your members jump in both fright and excitement. The six of you now had 3 wins on your comeback title track.

You excitedly sang your encore stage and waved to your fans as you held up the trophy. Once you finished you went backstage towards your dressing room. Once you got there you were met with your security team waiting inside to escort you out.

You went to walk past one of your guards to go change but he grabbed your arm making you turn to him. It was Reggie. ”You were great out there” he said softly with a smile. ”Thanks” you said as his comment gave you butterflies.

You and Reggie had been secretly dating for a couple of months, ever since a passionate night a couple of days after your first win where he had ended up taking your virginity. The two of you would often go on sneaky dates together at night to draw attention.

You and the others went and changed out of your stage outfits and got ready to go home. Security grouped up around you as you prepared to leave, Reggie standing himself next to you, you’re hands sligtly grazing each other.

They escorted you past the fans and to a minibus that would take you home from the music show venue. You smiled for the pictures the fans took and blew them a kiss. Reggie smirked at your antics.

Reggie was quite popular within your group fandom because they thought he was very handsome and also because of his close friendship with you and your members. He always seemed extra protective of the six of you when he was on duty compared to the other guards.

You entered the minibus along with your members and sat down in one of the seats putting on your seatbelt. The others were excitedly talking about your win as your driver drove you back towards your dorms.

Your phone lit up as you got a text notification from Reggie, you opened your phone and read:

Reggie: I’ll pick you up in an hour

Y/n: Okay, i’ll wait outside the dorm building

Once the minibus stopped outside your dorm building you followed your members inside. When you got to your shared apartment the others didn’t waste anytime before collapsing on the couch and turning on the tv.

You went in to the room you shared with your group leader ”Hye”. You changed in to a black hoodie and a pair of dark jeans to not draw attention, you also packed a change of clothes in a backpack. You joined your members in front of the tv for a while.

They were watching a new popular drama about a female idol dating her bodyguard and you couldn’t help but avoiding looking dircetly at the screen the context of the show making you feel awkward. The ficitional idol’s relationship with the bodyguard had been revealed to the public causing huge scandal.

Her and the bodyguard were now arguing about the strain their relationship took on her career and if their relationship was even worth continuing. You frowned at the scene playing out on the tv and distracted yourself with your phone.

You looked at the time, wanting to get away from watching the drama. You saw that it was finally time to meet up with Reggie. ”Guys, i’m gonna go sleep over at a friend’s house, i’ll see you at practice tommorow” you told them. They all each gave you a goodbye hug before you got up and you walked out the door.

It was nice feeling as the cool air hit your face when you stepped out of the building. You didn’t have to wait long until Reggie’s car pulled up beside you. You opened the door and sat down next to him and as soon as you closed the door you immediately felt his soft lips press against yours.

You kissed back passionately and once you both pulled back for air he uttered a ”I’ve missed you”. ”We were together a little more than an hour ago” you commeted. ”I meant i missed being able to kiss you” he corrected as he started the car and drove in to traffic. One hand on the steering wheel and one softly holding your thigh.

As he drove you through nightime Seoul you told Reggie the plot of the drama the others had watched but you intentionally left out the part where everything went wrong for the couple.

He was driving towards the outskirts of town where you had managed to find a good subtle rendezvous spot that gave the two of you the privacy you wanted. It was a sleazy motel. No one would expect to find an Idol there.

Reggie pulled in to it’s parking lot and parked the car outside the small motel. The two of you got out and made your way in to the building and walked to the front desk that was being run by a middle aged man. Reggie asked him for a room for two with one bed, which caught the man off guard at first but he handed Reggie a key.

As you both turned to leave the man called out ”Hey!”. Making both you and Reggie turn back, the man was now focusing his attention at you, studying your features. ”Are you somekind of celebrity? I feel like i’ve seen you somewhere” he asked.

You shook your head and lied casually ”No, i just have a recognisable face”. Before the man could get another glace you and Reggie made your way out and towards your room.

You entered the small motel room and kicked of your shoes and threw your backpack on to an empty chair. You went and laid down on the soft bed spreading yourself out. Meanwhile Reggie closed the door and checked that the curtains were fully covering the windows so no one could spy in on you.

”Come on Reggie, i’m waiting” you said needily. Reggie then turned to you and came over and layed down on the bed next to you. You quickly engaged in a hungry kiss, lusting for the other. You climbed on top of Reggie and stradled him as you made out.

Reggie’s hand slipped down to your ass, squeezing it through your pants. You let out a soft moan against his lips making him smirk, he moved his hand to your front and started palming at your crotch, making you grow hard from the pressure he applied.

You touched Reggie’s large pecs over his shirt feeling them up. Reggie liked the feeling and started unbuttoning you pants, as if you were in competition to see who could make the other moan the most.

Reggie slipped his large hand inside your underwear taking your dick in his firm grasp. You groaned quietly from his grip of your cock as he slowly moved his hand up and down your shaft. While Reggie touched you, you started unbuckling his belt and unbutton his pants, wanting to make him feel good.

You climbed between Reggie’s legs and started pulling off his pants, you pulled them all the way down and pulled them off, throwing them aside. There was a huge tent in Reggie’s underwear, thin fabric concealing his throbbing manhood.

You layed between his legs your face hovering his awaiting dick, you pulled down Reggie’s underwear setting his thick cock free in front of you. You gave a lick up his shaft making Reggie’s bite his lip at the touch of your warm wet tongue.

When you got to the tip you teased him by putting your lips around it, giving small licks on it but not fully going down on him. Reggie made an awating groan, trying not to give you the satisfaction of giving in to your teasing.

Once you realised he wouldn’t budge you took more of his manhood in to your mouth, your mouth felt stretched out as you tried to take his fat cock. Reggie reaching down putting his hands on the side of your head as you accepted more of him.

Reggie moaned in low tone, as the warmness of your mouth felt amazing around him as your saliva coated his dick. ”Fuck” Reggie swore quietly in pleasure as you took as much of him in your mouth as it would allow you.

You then started moving up and down on his cock. You set a steady pace that drove Reggie crazy as you worked his length. After a couple of minutes Reggie felt himself getting close, but he didn’t want to cum yet.

”Stop” Reggie said lightly lifting your head as you brought your mouth off him. ”My turn” he said sittng up in the bed. You laid down on the bed a Reggie’s body hovered over you. He stripped you both of your shirts. Revealing his own meaty muscles to you.

As you made out Reggie started pulling your pants down, once he got them off you were naked beneath him, your own cock hard in anticipation. ”So beautiful” Reggie uttered stroking your thigh. He stood up and went to his own bag and picked up a bottle of lube, spreading some on his fingers.

He got back on the bed and spread your legs to give him access to your tight awaiting hole. Reggie started teasing his fingers over your enterance just like you had done to him. ”Reggie, please” you said in a lustful begging tone.

That was all Reggie needed to start pushing a finger in to you, prepping you for his thick length. He added another finger to stretch you out further, and then another. Once he had loosened you up he slowly pulled out his fingers.

Reggie fully took of his underwear and smeared more lube on his monster length and positioned himself at your enterance and started pushing himself in to your ass. You moaned loudly as Reggie’s huge cock split you open. ”Taking me so well” he said comfortingly had he held your legs spread.

Reggie only just managed to fit his whole manhood in your tightness. You gripped the sheets in a sensation of pain and pleasure as you tried to adjust to his large size. ”Reggie, you’re so big” you whined making him smirk.

”That’s right, and you look so beautiful taking me” Reggie gloated to himself. Once you were adjusted to his size he slowly started moving in and out of you with a slow pace. Reggie loved how warm and tight your hole felt around him.

As Reggie moved inside you, you let out breathy moan as he took your ass. You gripped at Reggie strong chiseled body, squeezing his big juicy chest. ”I love seeing you like this” he said lustfully.

”Your fans could never see you the way i see you” he bragged to himself as he started rolling his faster as he plowed your hole, making you moan even louder. You swore in pleasure as you felt Reggie’s cock deep inside you.

Your bodies glistened with sweat as Reggie powerfully thrusted in to your heat toching against your prostate making your mouth gape in bliss. Reggie placed kisses to your neck as he whispered praises in your ear.

Reggie then swiftly pulled out of you and flipped you on to your stomach with your ass in the air, showing your loose gaping hole. He gripped your hips and thrust his cock back in your ass as you moaned Reggie’s name loudy in to the matress.

”That’s good baby, such a nice warm hole ” he said as pounded his hips against your beautiful round ass. In your bliss you felt your climax getting close as Reggie monster cock pummeled your prostate.

”Reggie- I’m gonna-” you said breatily but was unable to finish as shot ropes of cum on to sheets below you. The sight of you so undone and sweaty made Reggie long for his own release.

He grabbed you around the chest and pulled your upper body towards him, your back against his chest as his meaty cock fucked into you, leaking his pre-cum inside you close to his release.

”I’m close” Reggie said as he relentlessly took you. ”Cum inside me” you told him needily and with a only few rough thrusts in between Reggie buried his manhood inside you, flooding your insides with his cum.

You both panted heavily in exhaustion. Reggie slowly pulled out of you and let you lay down on the bed. Then he went to the bathroom where he wet a towel in the sink and came back and started cleaning your leaking hole. He then layed down next to you and pulled the covers over the two of you.

He pulled you close to him and you cuddled. ”I don’t know how i’m supposed to be albe to walk tommorow, much less dance” you said as you both let out a small chuckle. ”Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out” Reggie said with a smile.

He then held you close as you both drifted off to sleep…

[jgracie]

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ WHERE’S THE TROPHY? HE JUST COMES RUNNING OVER TO ME!

↳ part one / the chronicles of jj & smartiepants!

(american)footballer!jason grace x fem!reader

masterlist | rules

on the radio . . . the alchemy (taylor swift)

an this is dedicated to everyone who said i should write a part 2 thank u for supporting my agenda <3 AND thank you to all the people who helped me understand hs football culture i hope this was a realistic depiction 😓 !!

football never failed to make you feel anxious. before you started dating jason, you didn't really care for it, only showing up for games because you liked the whole 'team spirit' thing and because it was a good excuse to hang out with your friends. now, however, things have changed

since it was jason's whole life, you took it upon yourself to learn all about the rules of the game and the roles of the different players (with a special interest in jason's role for no reason in particular). now, whenever you showed up to a game, you'd actually be watching your school's every move, ignoring your friends' banter and focusing on jason and jason alone

'this is just a friendly match' is the mantra you kept repeating in your head as you watched. you knew that deep down, having a match sprung up on him like this bothered jason, even though it wouldn't count for anything. you also knew that this would affect his skill regarding the game. at this point, you've memorised jason's every move by heart, and you could tell that today just wasn't his day

the rest of the team looked pretty hopeless too. with their captain in this condition, how could they stay positive? they relied on jason to lift their spirits and up their motivation. little did they (and you) know, jason relied on you to lift him up

ever since you started actually paying attention to games, cheering him and only him on, wearing his jersey with his surname plastered on your back, his prowess went from amazing to formidable. there were times when juggling schoolwork, social life and being the captain of the football team really got to him, and he almost considered shutting himself off from the world. but then he'd remember your sugary smile and kind words and addictive lips and he'd feel rejuvenated. just the thought of you alone was like a lifeline to him

this was one of those times. he turned to look at you, sitting all pretty on the bleachers. despite being in the midst of a sea of purple, jason could pinpoint you within a millisecond. he gave you a small grin, and you waved at him as you sported a smile of your own

"go jason!" you yelled, your voice making jason feel like he ate some of the ambrosia greek demigods would in those myths you learnt about in class. all of a sudden, he was full of energy and quickly passed that on to his teammates, hyping them all up for the rest of the game. they could still win this

and they did. others believed it was a miracle, but jason knew what it was. it was you. if you weren't there, they probably would've suffered a scathingly embarrassing loss against CHB high, who'd been shading them for their 'too rigid' style of playing. begrudgingly, their headmaster brought out the trophy, about to present it to jason when he realised the boy had disappeared

jason didn't care about the trophy. instead of collecting it, taking a few pictures and making a speech, he ran over to you - nearly jumping over the barrier between the bleachers and the pitch to give you a very heated kiss. how could he care about the trophy when his real prize had been here all along?

(the picture of the two of you kissing had been passed around school and you'd gotten teased relentlessly afterwards, but you didn't care. you truly were in your own world - who were you to fight the alchemy?)

[alltoomaples]

you are in love - CL

pauses, then says "You're my best friend" and you knew what it was, he is in love

pairing: artist!fem reader x charles leclerc

synopsis: recalling the moment when everyone except you two sees that you were meant to be together

note: i've visioned taylor swift songs as originals by the reader in the writings hence using it for fictional reasons only. Sending no hate and/or shade towards the girls Charles had dated previously/dating currently. All my love and respect for them and their privacy. French phrases and words are from google translate so apologies for any errors found.

a/n: here's a looooonng post that hopefully makes up to all my lack of writing pace. i'm picturing a part 2 for this one but i'll let you guys decide about it. i really appreciate your support and love! thank you for putting up with the slowest writer to exist. hope you'll enjoy this as much as i did. happy reading!

until i found you masterlist | other works

. . . .

It all started in the year 2006 when you attended your first karting race with your dad. He is your guy who introduced you into the world of motorsport and ever since you heard the sound of fast cars and that smell of burnt tyres and gasoline on the very first day of attending monaco grand prix, you fell in love with the sport. Specially and specifically, that fast red car, Scuderia Ferrari.

You developed a passion to drive so you asked your dad if he would take you along to karting that he goes during weekends with his best friend, Hervé Leclerc. Your dad never thought you would become his best pal and share the same found of interest in the sport, so he was over the moon when you asked him.

After a month, you joined your dad and even practiced kart races with your new friends, Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc. As much as you wished to be a racer and race along your kart friends, you were more into music and that was priority for you. So you go to the race events to cheer for your friends as much as possible.

Just as any other day, the three of you went on kart race. And not to mention, the trio were very much competative than intended to which made these races highly intense and interesting.

“You two are going down today” Pierre said, as he wore his gloves. “In your dreams, Gasly!” Charles said, strapping in his suit. You shook your head while picking your helmet, walking towards the two of them. “Well nice chat boys but that podium is mine” You say, wearing your helmet and then ruffled their heads.

And just like you said, the podium was yours. You crossed the line first, following Charles and Pierre. Your dads watching you three and cheered you on. The track team handed you trophies and just like champange on motorsport, you were given carbonated drinks that fuzzed out just the same and the boys sprayed all over on you while you did the same going left and right with your eyes closed.

Jules, Charles’s godfather, came over to us to congratulate, giving you the biggest hug first. “Hello?? nous avons également remporté une victoire aujourd’hui" (we also got a win today) Pierre said, making us all fall in a laughter as we broke the hug.

“Eh bien, le gagnant mérite un long câlin" (Well the winner deserves a long hug) Jules said, running his hand over your head as he leaned in to kiss your head. “I agree with Jules” Charles said, while Jules stood between the boys. Charles looked at you and cheered on.

“Et c’est mon meilleur ami vous les gars !! Le gagnant est mon meilleur ami!" (And that’s my best friend you guys!! The winner is my best friend!)

You felt giddy when he said that out loud, your and his dad alog with Jules witnessing the moment. You and Charles shared the same thought as you two started running towards each other, engulfing in a hug. Smiles and laughs all around you.

“Hey attendez-moi!!" (wait for me) said Gasly as he joined you two in a group hug.

And that’s when you made your best friend for life.

. . . .

You eventually went on your journey to pursue your dreams of being a musician. While working on it, you also decided to study your masters in Literature for fun as you adore reading and writings of the great authors and writers of old times. You got aceepted in New York University for September intake of 2018. The very same year when Charles got his seat in Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 team.

You were thankful that you were there when he received this news and you were so over the moon for him. It wasn’t just his dream but yours too. You still to this day, remember how it was revealed all too well.

“Charles, Y/N is here!” Pascale gave you a hug as she welcomed you in. And he walks down into the room, seeing the two of you have a talk.

“Did you hear anything from the universities you had applied for?” Charles asks, getting you a glass of water as you all stood in the open kitchen. You looked at him with a staright face, and that’s when he slammed both of his on the counter.

“NO WAYYYYY!! vous l’avez n’est-ce pas??” (you got it didn't you?) he exclaimed, jumping with happiness which made you laugh.

“Uhhhuh, New York Univeristy!! Et ce n’est pas moi, tu l’as aussi Charles” (and its just not me, you got it too charles) you say, this time you jumping with excitement and on verge of tears.

“Hold on, est-ce que tu lui as fait demander une demande pour moi aussi maman??” (did you made her apply for an application for me as well maa) Charles asks Pascale, making her laugh and nods her head no. As you shook your head, you call out for Arthur and Lorenzo as you grab your phone and go to Charles to show him.

“Charles Leclerc, vous êtes maintenant pilote de Formule 1 pour Alpha Romeo Sauber" (Charles Leclerc, you're now a Formula 1 driver for Alpha Romeo Sauber) You say, your voice breaking as tears started spilling out of your eyes. Pascale gasped, Lorenzo and Arthur with mouths wide open while Charles stood still, looking and re-reading the post. He chuckled as he had no words to say. He turned towards you, eyes filled with tears as you hugged him.

“Vous l’avez fait. Vous en avez fait le meilleur ami!!" (You made it. You made it best friend!!) You say, swinging side to side as you hold him tight while the two of you cried on each other’s shoulders.

“Non, nous l’avons fait! Parce que je ne pourrais pas le faire sans toi (no, we made it! cause i couldn't done this without you)” He whispered as he brings you much closer than before.

“Je suis tellement fier de toi Charles! Et votre père et Jules aussi!" (i'm so proud of you charles! and so is your dad and jules) You say before you break your hug. You wipe off his tears with your thumb and pat his back. He then walks over to his brothers while you hug Pascale, she congratulates you as well.

They open up a bottle of wine and celebrate together with the whole families around at Leclercs, for all the new beginnings that’s about to embark. And as the leclerec brothers were chatting up about it, Charles zoned out as he looked at you, talking with his mom. He felt so content, safe and grateful that he had you since day 1, through all the ups and downs, through the dark times with his dad and his godfather passing away, the two of you always picked each other up like always.

But this time, he felt something within him that he couldn’t explain. He sees you laughing with his maman, looking simply gorgeous with this glow that he thought how has he never saw this until now. Am i falling for Y/N? Charles thought to himself but his train of thoughts couldn’t run any further as he heard the glass tapping.

“I’d like to make a toast, to my families, Y/L/Ns and Leclercs, for all the support and love you have given me. I couldn’t have made it here without you guys. To papa Leclerc and Jules, me and charles are gonna make you so proud! and last but not least, Charles Leclerc!” You say, hold your glass towards his direction. “Je ne serais pas venu ici sans toi, mon meilleur ami! Voici de nouveaux départs!!” (I wouldn't have made here if it weren't for you, my best friend! Here's to new beginnings!!)

“Hear Hear” everyone erupts, clinking their glasses as you two hold each others gazes, raising your glasses to one another.

There’s a photo session to remember that very night. Many polaroids for everyone. At the end of the day, Charles took one polaroid of the two of you, smiling as he held it in his hand. He went into his room and stood in front of the picture frame he had, one with his dad and other with Jules. He sighed to himself as he continued his trail of thoughts that he had.

“Je ne sais pas si cela arriverait de sitôt ou tard, mais je pense que c’est elle” (I don’t know if this would happen anytime soon or later but i think she's the one) he says to himself.

And on the other side, as soon as you reached home and said your goodnights to your parents, you went in your room. You changed into your pjs and then you found the polaroids sticking out of your coat. You took them out and held in your held, as you sat on your bed. You felt something that you couldn’t explain. Was it giddy or the so called butterfly effect? you thoughts went on and on to the point you started thinking ‘am i falling for him?’.

You stood up quick, twirling around but shook your head to not build in too much hopes.

He’s my best friend, you mumbled.

You went near your desk where you had a picture of you and Jules on the day you won the podium at kart race. You placed the polaroid next to him as you sighed with a smile on your face.

“Jules, si c’est lui, j’attendrai que tu me donnes un signe. Et j’espère que tu m’attendras, mon meilleur ami” (Jules, if he's the one, I'll wait for you to give me a sign. And I hope you'll wait for me too, my best friend)

. . . .

Fast forward to 2020, you were now officially working with a music label as a songwriter. You wanted to work first as writer and when it’s the right time, you’ll become a music artist yourself someday. As you worked on your dreams in London, Charles was chasing down his. He was now officially driving for the red team you two dreamed and grew up as fans, Scuderia Ferrari. Even if you were miles apart, you’d still keep a close eye on your best friend.

When you went to New York for your masters, you two would keep in touch soo often that eventually, it turned from daily calls, to one day a week, then eventually, one day in a month to end up with random texts in months or so. At this point it felt like what you had felt before you left Monte Carlo was nothing but emotional of saying goodbyes. You still held to the last string of hope but only to get shattered when you saw the headlines of him being in a relationship. You were happy for the couple, you really did. And yet through all this only one person knew you actually weren’t.

“Pierre, je vais vraiment bien. Ne vous inquiétez pas à ce sujet” (I'm fine really. Don't worry about it) You said, sipping your coffee as you were invited by him and his girlfriend who also was your classmate from highschool, Kika at the cafe as you were attending the British Grand Prix. “Kika s’il vous plaît aidez-moi ici” (Kika please help me out here) you pleaded to her, squeezing her hand which made her chuckle.

“Y/N i love you but we’re just checking in on you. From what he’s told me, it seems like you two were the ones” Kika expressed, giving you a smile. You pulled your tongue towards the both, making them laugh.

“Well i appreciate you two for caring about me but trust me, there wasn’t even something to begin with and he seems quite happy with her, at least she’s better for him than the previous one duh” You say, stating the obvious. “All i care is as long as he’s happy, i’m happy!” You say, leaning back on your chair.

“In that case, we need to set up a date for you!” Pierre says, looking at you. Kika clapped her hands, nodding her head as she agreed. “We’ll set a blind date for you!” Kika exclaimed with excitement in her tone. “You guys don’t have to-” “Nope, and its a done deal! Now i’ll see you ladies at the end of the practice session” Pierre cut you off as he stood up, hugged me and then Kika as they shared a quick kiss before he runs down to AlphaTauri HQ.

“Soo is it cool to deny the offer of blind date” You say to Kika while interwining your arm with hers. “Oh mon dieu tu vois quelqu’un!?!” (Oh my god you are seeing someone) She said, shock all over her face as you laughed.

“Why didn’t you tell me!”

“Well Pierre didn’t let me!”

“That’s true! Now who’s the guy, parlez-moi de lui” (tell me about him) Kika said as you two exited the cafeteria.

“Well its not like we’re seeing each other exclusively. We just hitted off during one of the writing sessions. His name’s Brad, he’s an artist. We went out for drinks and then i asked if he was interested to tag along on F1 race with me and he said yes. He wanted to come for today but he had practice session at studio so he’ll be joining on race day” You say, smile all over your face. Kika engulfed you in a hug as she twirled around you.

“I’m soo happy and i cannot wait to Brad and tell all embarrasing stories” “Va te faire foutre!” (Fuck off).

Eventually that day you got a call from work soo you had to skip friday and saturday session, which meant you weren’t able to surprise Charles. And on the race day, you came along with Brad. You introduced him to Kika and Pierre as you ran into them while making your way to the F1 paddock. You quickly excused yourself as you wanted to surprise Charles.

As you entered the Ferrari Garage, you came across Andereas, Joris and Lorenzo. You chatted with them for a while and before you knew it, Charles walks out of his room.

“Joris, you left your-” Charles stopped himself from talking as he stood still. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing or at the moment he questioned whether he was hallucinating.

“Est-ce que je vois des choses ou est-ce que c’est vraiment vous??” (am i seeing things or is it actually you) He mumbled, making all fall in pits of laughter as you rolled your eyes.

“Eh bien, belle façon de dire que tu m’as manqué aussi trou du cul” (well, nice way of saying I missed you too asshole) You say as he runs to you and engulfs you in a big hug. And god did you miss these hugs!!

“Bonjour meilleure amie” he whispers with a big smile. “Bonjour meilleur ami” you whisper back with a bigger smile. (hello best friend)

The race had ended and Charles finished P4. Knowing Charles, you knew he’d beat himself up for not getting podium, but he really did a great job in your opinion. Once the post-race events were done, Charles came back to the motorhome to find you squealing out loud.

“C’est mon meilleur ami! Forza Charles Forza Ferrari” (That’s my best friend!) You say as you jump run towards him, tackling in a hug. Everyone in the room chants along, making him feel mood-boosted. You broke the hug and grabbed his face in your palms.

“Je suis si fière de toi Leclerc” You whispered to him, looking straight in his eyes. The two of you get a bit lost in each others eyes until Kika and Brad came by next to you. “Merci Y/N/N” He whispers back to you.

“Hey why don’t we celebrate tonight before you head off to your next destination?” Brad suggests, Kika nodding in and so did you. “That’s would be great! What do you say?” You ask Charles and he simply nodded in while his phone started ringing.

“It’s my girlfriend, i gotta take this” He says, suddenly the atmosphere turned upside down awkard. You quickly spoke out before things went anymore weird. “Oh sure! Tell her we said hey and i’ll text you the venue and timings. See you tonight” You said in a hurry and Charles gave a small smile before he left the premise.

“I guess we better get this party started” Kika said, grabbing you by your shoulder as she saw your expression got changed. You quickly shared a smile and made your way out.

The party was great. You tried to get your mind off and talked with Brad and Kika more instead because Kika and you agreed that you might make things more akward than the afternoon events.

As you were getting drinks with Kika, Brad sat around with Pierre and Charles. Charles was engaging with Brad to get to know him and Pierre was holding back his eye rolls so bad.

“At one point, we envy you alot mate” Brad said to Charles, confusion written all over the face of the monegasquean. “May I ask why?” Pierre said, letting a chuckle out.

"That’s cause you’ve got no idea how much y/n talks about you, Charles. She really goes on and on about you, your friendship and how you're her favourite person and best friend. She really looks up and cares about you mate” Brad said with a smile over his face.

At this point, Charles looks down at his hand before he looked up to see you, standing there while you laughed about something Kika said. At that moment, he felt like it was that moment before you two left. A deep sigh left from his mouth as you caught him, staring at you. You pulled your tongue at him, making him chuckle.

“She’s the best person ever and anyone that has her in their life, they’re the most luckiest ones” Charles says, looking back at his empty glass before looking at Brad.

“I don’t know about you two, but you seems to be gentleman. Do look after her, even if she says she don’t need anyone, that’s when you really need be there” Charles spills out his emotions, making himself think that he had enough drinks. He excused himself for the bathroom.

“Pierre, not trying to intrude personally, but does y/n and Charles realize they’re more than friends at this point?” Brad asks out of curosity.

“I’ve been waiting and pining for these two for years. So to answer you my friend, we all are waiting for that very moment” Pierre said, as the two of them clink their glasses.

. . . .

December 2023. The time of year were everything had changed.

You were back in Monaco during the holidays. You were now officially working as an independent artist as well as songwriter. You had released an EP back in 2021 and it became a massive hit. Now not only you were signed by the leading music label but many great artists want you over for writing sessions. You finally made it!

And just like all times, your best friend became your no.1 supporter. He was soo thrilled when you shared the news with him and he’d always be the first to share any news or interact with fanaccounts of mine. This made you heart swell with love for him. And a bit more love for more than a friend best friend gets.

You pretty well hided yourself with the feelings and just like a teenager, you pinned after him while he was in relationship. When you came back home, you took your time off from social media and wanted to spent time with yourself, and well, avoid charles relationship gloats. And that’s your first unexpected change you definately didn’t saw it coming.

“It’s unfortunate how things turned out Charles though. Didn’t thought he’d do just when season got ended” your maman says, maman Leclerc and Kika nods along. Yours, Leclercs and Gaslys were over at Leclerc’s residance for the holidays and all the ladies were in the kitchen, prepping up for dinner.

“What do you mean?” You say, mixing up the veggies for the salad. They all look up stunned at you, like a deer caught in front of the car.

“Y/N. Charles and his girlfriend mutually called it quits” Kika says, passing you the salad dressing. “Oh noooo! That ain’t good” You say, feeling genuinely sad that they ended.

“Hope that mistletoe will let you two see what we all have been waiting for” Pierre whispers as he came in between me and Kika. You shoved with your elbow sharply to his hip, which made him squeal like a girl.

Dinner was lovely, having everyone together at this time. My père and père Gasly gave toasts along with our moms and after desserts, mama Leclerc suggested for me to sing some songs. Then, i played the songs everyone had requested and then Charles suggested to give me some rest so he brought out the speaker and played some jazz songs. Everyone made a pair and started dancing under the moonlight. While i was busy capturing the pictures, I caught Charles walking in his room through my camera. I set my phone back in my pocket and made my way to his room.

The door to his room wasn’t fully closed when you reached up there. You stood by the door to see him, staring at the picture frames he had held in there.

“Knock knock” You whisper, so that he doesn’t get startled. Charles turns around to see you, his face lights up with a smile and waves you to come in. You walk in the room and stand next to his desk. You haven’t been able to talk as he had only came home today and the past few weeks have kept the both of you busy.

“I’m sorry Charles” You say, playing with the hem of your sweater.

“You heard huh?” Charles said, sigh left his mouth as his back was facing you while he looked towards the pictures.

“Yeah, maman told me” you say.

“It was about time y/n, because quel est le sens si vous n’êtes pas avec quelqu’un avec qui vous voulez être” (what’s the meaning if you’re not with someone you want to be with) Charles says, turning around to see you.

“Vrai. Si votre cœur dit que c’est elle, c’est elle” (True. if you're heart says she's the one, she's the one) You say, smile all over your face.

“I mean, look at our Gasly and Kika! Bénissez-les tous les deux aahh” (Bless them both) You say, keeping your hand over your heart.

Charles looks at you, his chest getting all warm and fuzzy just being around you. If anyone else was in the room, they would definitely say ‘garçon est-il tellement tombé amoureux’ (boy is he soo fallen in love)

“I tell you a secret. This is between me and you. I’ve been writing a song based on them” You say, giggles and happy jumps around while Charles chuckled, shaking his head and gets his head around and get rid of the nerves.

“Je pense que c’est toi, y/n” (I think you’re the one, y/n) Charles blurts out, making you go to still mode.

“Hum hein?” (Uhmm huh?)

“Je pense que je suis tombé amoureux de toi mon meilleur ami” (i think i've fallen for you my best friend) Charles says, walking closer to you as he grabs you hand. He takes you towards the picture frame and points out his finger to the polaroid.

The very same polaroid you kept yours next to the picture with Jules to find him kept his next to Jules as well.

You shook your head as you couldn’t believe this and before Charles could ask you, you grabbed your phone quickly.

“I guess he did send me the sign that i somewhat missed out and i cannot believe i missed it” You mumble, while you found the picture.

“What are you talking about y/n/n?” Charles asks, him totally getting confused. You simply smiled and turned your phone towards him.

“At the day when we took this picture, i didn’t knew what i was feeling so i asked Jules to give me a sign. Et il l’a fait” (And he actually did) You exclaimed, tears welding up your eyes. Charles looked shook and looked up and down between your picture and his before he looked back to you.

“Je suis tombée amoureuse de toi aussi, ma meilleure ami” (I’ve fallen in love with you too, my best friend) You whisper, wrapping your arms around his neck.

Charles mimicked your smile before he pulled you in a kiss. His hand cupped your cheek while yours runs through his hair. Both of you gets lost in the moment, like you’ve been waiting for your whole life. Both of you pull back as you ran out of air.

“Merci de m’avoir attendu” (Thank you for waiting for me) Charles says, resting his forehead on yours.

“Vous valiez vraiment la peine d’attendre, mon amour” (You were definately worth the wait, my love) You say, as you rub the tip of your nose with his.

. . . .

“It was ABOUT time that you two finally got together” Arthur said, Pierre chiming in with ‘THANK YOU!’ while everyone had a laugh about it.

“So let me get this straight, everyone except us knew this” You gasped, placing the glass of wine you all were having. Everyone chanting in yeahs made you and Charles look towards each other.

“To be honest, it was the very same day when you raced with Pierre and Charles” Pascale says, your mom nodding along with her.

“Ahh yes. I clearly remember me and Hervé agreeing with Jules when he said that you two are meant to be together” Your papa chimes in, with a smile on his face with hint of saddness as he misses his best friend and a son figure to our family, Jules.

You walk over to your old man, embracing him in a hug. He hugs you back, patting your back. You pull back, asking him if he’s alright and he nods.

“Here’s to Mr. and Mrs. to be Leclerc” Your dad toasts, raising his glass. Everyone hoots and cheers as dad gave a push, making you stand next to your fiance, the love of your life, your best friend.

He looks towards you and you towards him, pulling in for a kiss. Kika, Pierre and Arthur hoots in the background, making you pull apart and chuckles leaves your lips.

“Now can we hear Y/N’s music, you said its based on real events!!” Kika exclaims, getting all excited. Little did she knew it was based on their relationship. And a part of yours as well.

“The stage’s yours now, mon amour” Charles whispers, leaving your side to get the speakers for you. You connect your phone to the speakers.

“Well I recently finished with the mixing and couldn’t play for much perfect timing. I hope you’ll enjoy listening to as much as i had creating this. This is You are in Love.”

. . . .

let me know if you are interested for pt.2 :)) until next one, see yaa

check out my works: until i found you masterlist | other works

[pablitogavii]

we need more angry bird gavi fics 😩☝🏽

Harsh Reality

I've seen that twitter is going crazy calling Gavi "overrated" because he didn't have such a strong first game. I think he is a very talented and great player who will only further improve in the future. Now, let's enjoy the story :)

You were feeling a bit sick last couple of days so you couldn't go to the stadium to watch your boy debut for the new season, but you were watching in on TV of course!

You were very happy when Barça won their first trophy of the new season thinking that your boy will come home very happy and proud. But when the door opened and you saw him toss his sweaty kit into the laundry basket angrily, you knew something was bothering him.

"Hola princesita.." he smiled leaning down to kiss your head and you smiled wanting to ask what's wrong but he was already in the bathroom ready to take a shower.

When he came out freshly showered, you were taking your medication and then he plopped on the bed besides you sighing heavily.

"Congrats on the win cariño..que pasaba contigo huh?" you say running your hand through his hair and he moved so that the was laying his head on your lap and you smiled at his clinginess.

"Have you watched the game??" he asked looking up and you smiled nodding your head.

"Of course I did! It was amazing!" you say confused when his face fell instead of being decorated with a smile.

"I thought so too..until I read Twitter!" he said and now you knew very well what was going on and why he was in such a bad mood despite the win.

"Amor..we've talked about that so many times..those people always find someone to judge and you shouldn't take it personally" you continue to play with his hair and he just groans enjoying the way it feels happy that he could at least come home to you after everything.

"I don't care about them amor..but fans too..they say I'm overrated..that I played so bad..and I tried to cover all my areas! I did everything Xavi asked me to do!" he said and you let him speak wanting him to know that you'd always be there to listen.

"Those are not fans precioso..you're a special kind of player..and even everyone on the team say you're the heart of Barça. Just believe in that yourself and you'll have a great season.." you say and he got up placing his hands on either side of your face while looking at you deeply.

"Call me that again princesita.." he smiled and you blushed leaning in and pecking his lips lovingly.

"You're the heart of Barça cariño.." you say and he smiled finally moving closer and kissing your lips passionately in response. It was really what he needed to hear today.

"Te amo mucho..you know that right?" he said after pulling away and you blushed nodding your head cuddling next to him when he laid besides you.

"Of course I know..I'm tu princesita.." you smile nuzzling your nose into his neck and he smiled nodding his head and kissing the top of your head.

"Si..you are amor..only girl that can deal with such an angry bird" he chuckled at the nickname fans gave him and you often used as well which he liked to hear. You looked up smiling at him happy that he was feeling better after talking it through with you. It made you feel like you could help him somehow.

"You're my favorite angry bird cariño..and I love you too..so much!" you say and he leans down to kiss your lips.

"Please don't ever leave me princesita.." he said and you moved a little seeing worry in his eyes and you needed to reassure him that he has nothing to worry about.

"Pablo.." you say with a pout and he dries his tear smiling through it and that really broke your heart. You knew Pablo feared his fame worried that it would push you away from him. He was worried you would get tired of dealing with constant publicity, fan's comments, hate and complications. Little did he know, none of that mattered because you're heart belonged to him forever.

"I could't do this without you.." he says and you moved close caressing his face and kissing his lips softly trying to put all your emotions into that one kiss.

"I'm not going anywhere cariño..I promise you that okay?" you say and he smiled nodding his head and pulling you closer so you could both rest in each other's arms.

"They will never leave you alone princesita..just because of me" he said sighing and you drew invisible shapes on his naked chest enjoying the way his warm skin felt underneath your fingertips.

"I don't care what they say about me..or you..I know the truth..and my heart is only full when we are together like this..that's all that matters" you say kissing his chest near his head and it really melted Pablo's heart.

"Thank you princesita.." he said and you smiled nodding your head and kissing him back before you both fell asleep holding tightly onto each other knowing that as long as you're together nothing bad could happen.

[hphmmatthewluther]

HPHM Ship Week: Day 2 - Soulmate AU

It's time for another ship fic! This time we have a look at how things might go in a world where relationships and destiny have an odd connection to each other...

Again, thanks so much to @hphm-ship-week for organising this event!

It seemed like a perfectly ordinary evening as the students of Hogwarts filed into the Great Hall. They’d been called in earlier than usual for some sort of special assembly. Amongst the crowd, within the Slytherins, a girl with bright pink eyes and messy brown and orange hair looked across the room.

“Looks like it’s only the fourth-years.” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Wonder what this is about?”

Ismelda, who looked on with her usual lack of enthusiasm, shrugged. “No idea. Probably something dull like a new room we’re not allowed into.”

Barnaby had his eyes on the back of the room. “Oh, there’s something under the cloth! Maybe it’ll be….a cake?”

Merula looked across at him. “Barnaby, I don’t think it’ll be a cake. The cloth would get icing on it.”

“Oh yeah.” Barnaby said, frowning. “What do you think it is, then?”

Merula had to get up on her tiptoes, but she saw what Barnaby was talking about. “Hmm…some kind of trophy? Maybe we’ll have a new inter-house competition! I’ll get to kick Luther’s arse again!”

“Doesn’t he kick your arse all of the time?” Ismelda pointed out, flicking the hair in front of her eye.

“It’s…” Merula hissed, clenching her fists. “It’s 50/50. We’re rivals, damn it! I get just as many wins as he does!”

“Maybe.” Ismelda shrugged. “But he doesn’t care about it like you do. So that means he gets an extra win.”

“Oh, are you guys talking about Matthew?” Barnaby asked, innocently. “He’s over there if you want to say hi!”

As the fourth-years sat down, Merula was unable to stop herself from turning to Ravenclaw. Sure enough, sitting at their table a few seats down was Matthew Luther, spinning his silver bracelet around on his wrist. There was a moment when he looked up at her, but Merula scowled and looked away.

“Whatever this is…I’m going to beat him!” she muttered under her breath. 

A few minutes passed, and Professor Dumbledore stepped into the middle of the room, as Filch dragged the cloth-covered object over. “Welcome, fourth-years!” Dumbledore’s voice boomed, “welcome to a very special moment in your magical journeys. As you know, our society has enjoyed relative tranquillity outside of the occasional dark wizard. The reason for this is that everyone knows that the person they end up closest with is the most perfect one for them.”

Merula had only been half-listening when she realised just what Dumbledore had been saying. This didn’t sound like “inter-house competition” talk.

“This part of our world has been kept secret from all of you until now, and I ask that you do not discuss it with anyone in the lower three years. There will be severe punishments if this happens. Do I make myself clear?”

The whole room nodded, muttering to each other. Merula also noticed Matthew clutching his stomach. He always did that when he was stressed. She’d always found it odd how someone so capable at magic could have such an adorable habit. No, no, nott adorable, maybe…silly. Yes, silly. She definitely didn’t think it was cute or anything like that.

“So!” Dumbledore brought his hands together before reaching for the cloth. “Behold the secret to your happiness. The Mirror of the Soul!”

Dumbledore pulled the cloth away, and there stood a luxurious mirror, the glass held aloft by what looked like silver branches complete with leaves. There was a loud “oooo” as people craned their necks to see more properly.

“One by one, you will come up and gaze into the mirror.” Dumbledore explained. “You will then get to see your soulmate. From there, you will have free time for the next two weeks to find and get to know your soulmate even better. Following this, you will be given new timetables for your lessons together.”

Merula blinked once or twice. She wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. Soulmates? The thought enveloped her head so quickly she barely realised that she’d got up into the queue of fourth years, all excitedly chattering to each other about who their soulmate might be. Barnaby ended up near Matthew in the queue, and Merula could only watch as Barnaby excitedly began to talk with him. Looking at them standing like this, Merula hadn’t realised just how tall Matthew was until now. Even though he was slouching, he was still more or less at the same eye level as Barnaby. A vague curiosity about what he’d look like standing upright appeared in her head for a moment.

Once the line had been formed, the soul-reading began. One by one, each student went up, stared into the mirror, and stepped away with a significantly changed expression, be it surprise, relief, heartbreak, or anything else. Merula had to cover her mouth to laugh as she watched Penny walk away with an incredible look of confusion on her face. The K’s passed into the L’s as Jae walked away happy and Chiara walked away incredibly flustered, and didn’t miss the look they gave each other. By the time they’d reached the L’s Merula had barely started thinking about who she wanted her soulmate to be. She’d honestly never even given it much thought, never exactly subscribing to fate or destiny (unless of course it was her destiny, that being one of greatness).

Having gone just before Chiara, Barnaby jogged back down the line to Merula. “That was so cool! I never even expected it! Oo, Matthew’s next.”

Matthew slowly made his way up to the mirror, taking deep breaths as he did so. Merula scoffed. “Look at him…who’d he reckon his soulmate would be? Lobosca? Tonks?”

Barnaby’s smile turned into a frown. “Actually, um…he didn’t think he had one.”

“What?” Merula asked aloud. “But he’s…” she paused and fumed for a moment, before turning back to Barnaby. “What’s with him?! Why can’t he see how popular he is? How much people just love him! Why on earth would he think he couldn’t have a soulmate?”

Barnaby shrugged. “You know how indecisive he gets. This might help him, though.” He pointed out, before moving towards the others. 

Merula turned her attention back to Matthew. He’d been staring into the mirror for a while, the glow of the glass illuminating his face, his green eyes focused on whatever he was seeing. It must have been important, as Merula noticed his tongue slightly stuck out in concentration. He always seemed to do that right before coming up with another of his brilliant plans, often thwarting her own. She didn’t mind, though. She liked the challenge, especially from someone like him…a thought which she wasn’t going to fully process at that moment.

Eventually, Matthew pulled away from the mirror, his eyes wide. He didn’t seem to have a stomach ache anymore, and simply walked down with the other Ravenclaws who had been soul-read. Merula tried to keep her face still as she realised what she’d been hoping for. The Ms-Ss passed by in mere seconds from her perspective. Before she knew it, it was her turn.

She huffed, and strutted over to the mirror, making a show of how totally beneath her she found all of this. She rested her hands on the silver and gazed into the mirror. She felt herself lean forward, her face passing through the glass, and suddenly she was somewhere new. Refusing to let this sort of thing get to her, she swam through the clouds, trying to find something or someone.

Giving up, she yelled out “Hey! Anyone there?! Isn’t someone supposed to be telling me who my soulmate is?!” But there was nothing.

A deep fear arose within her. Did she even have a soulmate? Could anyone, feasibly, realistically, want to spend their life with her in it more than anyone else? The thought made her feel very afraid as the clouds around her began to grow dark. She’d be alone, wouldn’t she? She’d done it to herself after all, it was how she wanted it…but it wasn’t so simple, she realised. This was more than being a lonely heart, dreaming of romance. She had become a lonely soul, desperate for any human connection. And no one would give it to her, right?

The answer to that question appeared embarrassingly quickly. She knew the one person who might possibly understand how she felt. Who knew loneliness. Who knew how it could make you throw your life away for no good reason. Who knew how tricky it was to rebuild everything, but also knew how important doing so was. The clouds had parted.

Before she knew it, she was back in the Great Hall. She wasn’t sure how long it had been, but she turned to try and voice her thoughts.

“...Oh…” was all that emerged from her mouth. She walked away from the mirror, back across the line, and sat down. She turned, and found that she had sat next to him.

He looked over at her. You okay? His expression read.

No point denying it, is there? Her expression replied. I suppose you’re stuck with me.

Matthew’s eyes widened and he pointed to himself. No, no! You’re stuck with me.

Merula simply rolled her eyes. Fine, we’re stuck together, then. Not much different from how we were anyway. Matthew couldn’t help but laugh at that. Merula smiled as well, her eyes fixing on the open door. You know, with everyone stuck on the soul-reading, we could just leave.

Matthew considered this. As long as you don’t think we’ll get caught…

Who could keep up with us? Merula held out her hand, and Matthew took it. They turned to run, out the door, out the school, and away…

***

Merula found herself in her bed. She opened and closed her eyes a few times, before her eyes widened. She twisted around and planted her face into her pillow, cringing at herself.

This isn’t fair. I thought I wanted to be alone, but then that Smartarse showed up and now…now I’m having dreams where I’m his…

She paused mid-thought. The word filled her brain. She didn’t need some magic mirror to know that they were more similar than most people knew. She knew and he knew, and somehow she preferred it that way. She knew now, in her soul, that this was unavoidable. She’d have to do something about her crush on Matthew Luther.

[chirpingfromthebox]

PWHL Minnesota's Post Game 5 Press Session

You can watch the whole thing here! Be sure to give their video some likes/views/nice comments/all the things that help them out for making these sessions so accessible.

At the table were Lee Stecklein and Kendall Coyne Schofield.

(and featuring special drop-in guest Kelly Pannek)

This is one with a lot of moments you really need to see or hear to fully appreciate. I've done my best to point out when something special is happening that isn't fully captured by the words, but you can only do so much. I've included all the questions.

Transcription (and minimal interruptions from me) under the break.

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REPORTER: Every championship, I’m sure, is special. But when you think about maybe 50 years from now people are talking about this one, what does it all mean to you in that sense?

KENDALL COYNE SCHOFIELD: There’s something very special about being the first to do something in life. And for us to be the first Walter Cup champions is something that is extremely special, that will be a part of this league’s legacy forever. You know, I’ve been a part of a lot of teams that have won and that haven’t won, and for whatever reason you remember the teams that win. And our coach had a talk to us about that this morning, coach Klee, when he said, “I won the Calder Cup-

[whispers to Stecklein] was it 30 years ago?

LEE STECKLEIN: [whispering back] 30 years.

KENDALL COYNE SCHOFIELD: 30 years ago today.” And one of his teammates reached out to him saying good luck and just the connection he has with that team that won it all.

I think when you end on top you never forget it. It’s a feeling that you chase every day. Whether you’re in the weight room, you’re on the ice; we’ve been chasing it all season. But the legacy of this trophy is only going to keep growing, growing, growing. But to be the first is an honor, it's a privilege, it’s extremely special. And it took an entire team effort to be champions. From start to finish.

If you look at the way that we won, you know, we were almost out. As soon as we knew we weren’t out- There were times that we got down but we never got out. And that group in there believed that we could be champions and we never lost sight of that. We believe in each other. It didn’t matter who was on the ice, we knew that that person on the ice, that line on the ice, that goalie in the net, was going to get the job done. And we did that.

LEE STECKLEIN: Yeah, I would just add, it’s always special to win any championship, any trophy, but [Lee starts to get choked up] to get to do it here and to get to do it with this person next to me is incredible, because we wouldn’t be here without her. She hates when I say it, but it’s so true. And she’s just a really special player, a really special person. And I am so grateful to have had this experience with her.

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REPORTER: Lee, out of curiosity after game 4, obviously a devastating loss for the team, you guys saluted your fans, you were all at center ice, you addressed your teammates, do you mind sharing what was said?

STECKLEIN: [laughing] I honestly don’t entirely remember.

R: [to Kendall] Do you remember?

COYNE SCHOFIELD: [smiling and putting her hand on Lee’s shoulder] I’m on the outside of the pile so I cannot hear over Lee.

STECKLEIN: I think, again, I mean, it sucks to think you’ve won and, you know, obviously that’s hockey. Call’s off and you have to figure it out. But we had a chance to figure it out. We had another game. It wasn’t over. Umm, so I hope I said something like that. [laughing] But I’m not positive.

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REPORTER: And for yourself Lee, you chose to step away from the National team and you’ve come back to play in this professional league, so where does this rank in things you’ve won and big games you’ve played in?

STECKLEIN: [Laughing] It’s impossible to rank things. When you get to win the last game of the year and hoist the trophy, you're just so grateful, because it’s always a special group. And it has to be to do something like this. It takes a team. A team that’s committed to each other, that believes in each other and the process. And like Kendall said, there were moments this year, unfortunately especially at the end, where we were pretty down and we were able to pull it together. I’m just really proud of this group and again it wouldn’t be possible without Kendall Coyne and her leadership.

R: And is it as heavy as they all say?

STECKLEIN: Oh yes.

COYNE SCHOFILED: It is heavy.

But just to echo on Lee a little bit too, is I always believe that winners win. They find ways to win. And when you look at Lee Stecklein’s career she’s literally won everything that there is to win in women’s hockey. You look at the minutes she’s played, you look at the leadership she shows on and off the ice. She doesn’t want me to talk about it, but she’s an unsung hero. And if you ask anyone in that room they would tell you that exactly. And I just think there’s a lot of winners in that room that have won big moments, but Lee’s done it all.

----------------------

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REPORTER: Congrats you two.

STECKLEIN: Thank you.

KELLY PANNEK: [from off camera] You ladies done?

[Kendall and Lee start laughing]

We gotta go celebrate!

R: [to the other reporters] We ready to wrap it up?

Okay, time for two more.

STECKLEIN: [laughing] Dude, you're supposed to be here too!

[Kendall and Lee laugh]

PANNEK: I- I got- They don't want to talk to me!

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REPORTER: Visualization is so important in sports. And I have to imagine that a moment came last night before you fell asleep where you imagined what this would be like if you won. Can you compare what you imagined to the actual experience that you’re feeling right now?

COYNE SCHOFIELD: I don’t want to say I don’t remember what I- I just went to bed. I was tired. [Lee and Kendall laugh]

I had a 10-month old baby on the plane, I was exhausted.

No, I think we all went to bed knowing that this is it. This was game 5. I think that gave us, honestly, peace. Because we’ve gone the distance in each series. You know, we had a reverse sweep on Toronto. I think a lot of people counted us out in that moment.

[Kelly walks into frame wearing all the championship regalia and carrying a bottle of champagne in one hand and drops beers she had in her other down on the table for her teammates. Then disappears back out of frame.]

And then we move onto to this moment. We come from Toronto right to Boston and I think there was a lot of peace knowing that this was it. Like, it emptied the tank, not that we didn’t empty the tank every game that we played, including the double overtime game. We were exhausted after that.

Knowing that this was the last game, this was the last day of the season, this is the last day that this group will be together was something that I think we took peace in, pride in. And we went out and played like it.

----------------------

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REPORTER: One more. A moment came at the end of June of last year when someone on the other side of the bargaining table said, "Okay, we have a deal. We have a CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement]. We have a league." Tell me what you’ve imagined this season needed to be and how close it came.

[CFtB: I feel compelled to butt in here, to point out that you'd swear these last two question askers were auditioning for a play, because they ask these like they're presenting a work of art or something. By their questions and the way they ask them you'd swear they were authors hired to write the novelization of the season.]

COYNE SCHOFIELD: It’s hard to put into words when you start with a blank sheet of paper. And you’re envisioning all the things that women’s hockey has deserved for so long. And you build out that sheet of paper over time, over time, collaboration, conversation.

You know Stan [Kasten] will tell you that it was the most collaborative bargaining table he’s ever been a part of and I know he’s part of the Major League Baseball, so they’ve had their fair of negotiations. But what I think was so special about the conversation was, we want the same goal. We want this to be successful.

And them, you know, and I hate saying "them," because we were all on the same- yes, there’s two sides to a bargaining table, but we all wanted the same thing. And them asking, "What is it that you need? What is it that you want?" And listening to them too, to their experience in pro sport. You look at the other side of the table, Stan Kasten, Royce Cohen, you know, Billie Jean [King], Ilana [Kloss], the list goes on and on and on. We’re asking them, "What do you think?" And it’s not because they want something less or more, we want what’s right.

We got that piece of paper signed, but then to see it, to live it, and to experience in real time has been something that’s been very special. I can’t say thank you enough to all the people who are behind the scenes who’ve made this possible. I don’t think people realize the tireless days. It’s 24-7 in this first year. There were so many positives. There were so many things that we've learned that are only going to get better in year 2 and year 3 and beyond. But this league and all of their staff have worked around the clock for us to make this league as successful as it was in year one.

And you mentioned June, we signed that document in July 1 and we dropped our first puck January 1. Can you name another professional sport league that starts in 6 months? And in the capacity and the magnitude and the professional standard in which we’ve done every thing this year. I mean, it’s remarkable. And credit goes to the league, Mark and Kimbra Walter, and obviously the players who have battled their butts off all year long. All six teams.

So, yeah, I dunno if that answers your question.

[Kelly pops back into the table]

PANNEK: Wait, I’m gonna jump right in there, because she won’t say this-

COYNE SCHOFIELD: [with a look on her face like someone who knows their sibling is about to do something embarrassing:]

Kelly.

PANNEK: [pointing towards Kendall]

This. The only reason this happened? From players’ side? Is because of Kendall. Like, legit? The only reason. And she hates it. But it could not be a more fitting end for her to lift the trophy, for her to score the empty netter. It’s that woman right there. And to do it with a growing family and amongst all these other things, she still shows up and does her job every single day. Not just a hockey player. She has like seven other jobs on top of that. The biggest one is creating this league for all of us other players to play in.

COYNE SCHOFIELD: Thank you, Kelly.

PANNEK: We gotta go party, guys!

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[the reporter group starts to clap, but the one of the dudes who I'd swear are taking a creative writing class butts in quickly.]

REPORTER: Last- Last quick, last question, I promise. There’s no doubt in my mind that your lap at the all-star game led to all of this. Could you have imagined [long pause] that night [another long pause for the drama of it all] that it would lead you here? [ANOTHER PAUSE] To this moment?

COYNE SCHOFIELD: Yeah, that was a big moment for the sport. And while it was a 14 second lap, that was essentially heard around the world. It was a moment that catapulted the conversation that was so long over due. And that was: What is the reality of women’s professional hockey? And what does that look like? And how do we change it and how do we get there? And I believe that moment really catapulted the conversation and the efforts to get us where we are today.

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end of interview

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For anyone unaware, the all-star game lap the novelist/reporter was referring to was from the 2019 NHL All-Star Weekend when she became the first woman to compete in an NHL skills competition. And you can watch a video of that here.

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

I just hope Shoma has also big fanbase as Yuzuru has, so that even in moments of being underscored or facing challenges, he feels the support and never experiences loneliness. And I want this support to continue even after retirement. Shoma has made significant contributions to this sport and always delivered breathtaking performances. I hope he always feels loved, now and in the future. Of course he does not need anyone's support to feel okay, but I want him to get the appreciation he deserves. I just do not want anyone to forget him and his contributions to figure skating. Today's score made me think about such things.

Shoma has a huge fan base, obviously not as big as Yuzu's (which is basically a once in life occurence and tbh I am not sure that level is desired), and I think and hope that Shoma has long realized that we as his fans love and support him not only for the victories but for who he is. I think already back at IdF he learned that we appreciate him if he's in 1st or last place and NHK's scoring doesn't change that.

Also Shoma survived the disappointments of Worlds 2019, the disaster of IdF19, the disaster that was WTT 2021, he did have his share of unfair judgment over the years even ofc antis would never admit that and he never gave up and he would come back stronger and proof everyone wrong who ever called an end upon him. Shoma may be at a different stage of his career and obviously sooner or later he will quit competing but until then I don't see him going down without a fight. Yes first his NHK comments sounded awful but a day after it sounded like Yuma was actually a motivator to try his best. He also said he wouldn't suddenly quit, so this is all hopeful. Now I just hope judges treat him fairly. Again I am not mad if Shoma's not winning with mistakes or if someone else was clearly better that day but NHK was none of this as he was clearly the best skater at NHK and that's what made me mad and sad.

Shoma also not only has fan support but also the support of his family, his girlfriend Marin, his coach Stephane, his pyhsiotherapist Demi, his friends as Koshiro, Satoko and Keiji and I am damn sure they all tell him how supported he is.

I also think for the future things look bright. He is already the frontliner of The Ice and One Piece on Ice was also very successful, he is invited to many ice shows. I don't think we have to worry for him.

Only time will tell if Shoma's contribution to figure skating will be recognized in the future but it is already while he competes. Yuma just once again confirmed Shoma as the skater he looks up to at NHK. Plenty of junior skaters and younger senior skaters call Shoma among their favorites, some even have copy like costumes of his programs.

Shoma has written his name in the history books of figure skating as 2 time world champion and first to land the quadruple Flip. No one will take away those achievements and NHK scoring also won't take away any of his glory. Yes Shoma may not always come in first place, but that takes nothing away from how special he is to skating.

Inside Skating published some very nice articles on Shoma over the years and each reads not only like praise but also if you track back old articles skaters have admired Shoma from way back when he was just a little junior. This article from today is a recommendation.

He already left his mark in the sport. He's not where he is because of favors and fed politicking as some envious haters say but because his skating is magical - spell binding and ppl inside and outside the skating world appreciate Shoma. I am sure.

[lya-dustin]

All is Bliss

Chapter 39

Cw:mentions of death in childbirth and actual death(aftermath of the Battle of the Gullet)

Taglist: @mercedesdecorazon @darylandbethfanforever9 @aemondx @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @alexandria-millie @ewanmitchellcrumbs

Gif by @nastasyafilippovnas

They need the courtiers, the council and as many lords as they can.

Jena and Samantha brought the young women to her side with ease, but the older generations were very set in their ways.

Aemma had really given it her all with New Year’s Eve gifts, a special mass and ending the celebration with a tasteful feast.

Not that it moved the hags, most of them thought Aemma was too much like her mother to even give her a chance.

Free bread and ale were given to the smallfolk, servants and serfs were given a bonus and whatever complaint the Small Council had against the spending, the young queen would look at her husband or her lover and ask them if they remembered whose bright idea was to split the treasury.

For effect, Jena had recommended that she hold her hand over her belly now that she had begun to show.

And it had worked.

The Casterly Rock reserve had been recalled given the danger it posed to have the Red Craken getting it as he took Lannisport and used to replenish the stores for winter.

And, because Aegon wanted to throw a tourney in a week for Aemma’s eight and tenth nameday and he wanted to be generous to all and give the city something nice to say about him.

A wonderful thing Alicent will return to, a celebration thrown in someone else’s honor and Ser Criston being told that he must crown Aemma because his king commands it.

If Cole knows what’s best for him ---whatever arrangement he has with the Queen Mother hinged on his devotion to her--- he will lose the tilt and let anyone else win.

Jena’s money and emerald bracelet is on Aemond winning.

It’s the sort of bad luck these two lovers have around them like nasty perfume.

“Don’t wait up, darling. Kiss the children goodnight for me.” Jasper said as he hurried out the door and left her with an affectionate kiss on the cheek. “The prince has called for a meeting.”

“Will you tell me about it when you return, my love?” she asked, affixing his cloak on his shoulders before sending him on his way.

She had a hunch that Aemma would not be told of it, battles and things relating to the war are things that bar her from the small council on account of being the enemy’s figurehead.

“I will, make sure Prudence has her unicorn and Olyvar isn’t breaking into my solar again and we have a deal.”

Same deal as always, be the mother of my children, and I will be your coconspirator.

The Triarchy is closing in on the Gullet as they speak.

Sharako Lohar has been sent along with ninety warships to break the blockade and open the trade routes.

He had fought Daemon before, claimed to be behind a tear in Vhagar’s wings when he nearly shot Laena Velaryon out of the sky and promised to have control of the Gullet by the fifth day of the new year.

That was tomorrow.

Aemma’s nameday is the day after that, on the sixth.

Lohar hopes the king will have more than just the queen’s name day to celebrate.

Great fucking gift the Myrman has planned, with any luck he may only bring her brothers as hostages and not trophies.

“I think it would be beneficial for the queen’s health that she be told of this. The surprise may cause a miscarriage.” Orwyle is the only one to ring up the elephant in the room: Aemma. “Give her grace time to come to terms with their deaths instead of having it all done on her nameday of all days.”

It would have been better, but they’d never agree to it.

Aemond would have to be the one to tell her and he can’t face her when it would destroy her to know Lucerys and Jacaerys are dead when he doesn’t truly grieve their loss.

Jena would be the one to tell her, the look he shares with Ironrod says it all.

Oh, fuck.

Can’t even have a normal nameday in this family.

Everyone is acting strange around her, walking on eggshells and treating her as if she might shatter.

She is only turning eight and ten tomorrow. Sure, Daella Targaryen died at that age, but really, the young queen doesn’t know what’s going on with everyone.

Aemond had come to her bed after his meeting last night, not because he wanted to bed her, just to hold her.

For a man who claims not to have a romantic bone in his body, he was quite the romantic.

Jena has been trying to tell her something, but she cannot get a word in edgewise all day.

Now that she is taking a break from having her hair braided, Aemma finally gets to know what she has been trying to say before someone interrupted her.

“My husband and Aemond asked me to tell you before you learn of this tomorrow. The Triarchy has agreed to work with us, apparently Ser Otto sent ravens to them, and they have only just responded.” The blue-eyed woman looks at her with empathy and something that looks like pity.

Aemma hates pity.

“What?” Aemma asked, hoping she heard her wrong or that the fleet is still far far away from here.

“They are taking the Gullet as we speak.” Jena answered and Aemma feels herself grow faint.

But she doesn’t faint, no, she holds on to the back of her chair and prays the Kingdom of the Three Whores takes hostages instead of trophies.

If they were seeking Daemon, he was back at the Riverlands waiting for Aemond to come to him and fall into his trap.

He didn’t even want Aemond, he wanted Criston. Criston who engineered Rook’s Rest. Daemon may have been looked down on by Rhaenys and Corlys after Laena’s death, but Rhaenys still had been his only living cousin.

Fire and Blood extends to vengeance too.

“Where’s Baela, she needs to know as well.” The queen steels herself and has them summon her cousin and stepsister because she has to know that they may lose more family today.

There is smoke in the horizon by the time Baela comes, she spends time in the tiltyard whacking at strawmen with a wooden sword under the watchful eye of Willis Fell and Cousin Daeron.

“I heard already, they have set Spicetown on fire, they say, they say---” Baela cannot say the damn words and crushes her in a tight embrace and says the words they both had been dreading, “--- they, the Myrmen killed Jace.”

[devilsainz]

Sorry for the cringe, just made this to vent after today. English is not my first language, if theres a cringe inducing grammar error let me know, but also dont take it seriously at the same time because whatever.

-

He was there. Sat on his bed in his driver's room. In silence. His expression tense, his gaze, distant, and his fist, closed, holding his phone, after he saw the post confirming he had that 10 seconds penalty that dropped him from the already bitter p4 to p6. He was there, but he wasn't either. Charles observed him.

And Charles not only observed him, but felt him. Charles knew that feeling all too well, he passed through the frustration of feeling positions slipping away from the palm of his hands that he uses to manage his steering wheel. These are things that only racing drivers know. There are thousands of sports in this world and they all deal with loss or failure, but these are things that he felt like only racing drivers knew. He is a racing driver. Carlos is a racing driver.

Charles observed him, his back against the door to protect him from any inconvenient stupid person daring to knock the door there. Good thing it didn't happen. He knew carlos face when he showed anger, and he knew it would be worrying to let someone snap his so assured self control.

But what he knew too was the change of his eyes when tears were also fighting him to let them fall, and how it was silly of them to think they could win against a f1 driver, a job everyone seemed to only see the big digits, the opulence, and forgot at what expense they did come, to be under the eyes of the world through every victory and... every failure. Tears don't win against them. At least not until things settled down after the adrenaline, the media press interviews, the politeness to their fans that asks for a selfie or a sign. Maybe, in the dark of the night, they win, but not now.

After he observed him for some time, letting the silence breathe for itself - they were past the "awkward silence" stage of their relationship years ago anyway - , he let himself sit next to him on the bed. He touched his shoulder gently and inclined him to put his head on his lap. Carlos just let him do it, complacent, still distant but his calm response being an affirmation of their intimacy.

Charles observed the man layed on his lap, and started to caress his hair. The fingers that needed to be precise on the stering wheel were now soft as cotton, as he was touching something as special as a trophy. He caressed his hair like it was the sole reason he had these fingers at that very moment while he looked down at his man's expression. Carlos blinked, slowly and his chest expanded and sighed on a huge breath.

At that moment, Charles knew that if he tried, he could keep reading Carlos' mind like moments ago, but now his own mind went somewhere else. It went to last year, when he was through that very same position but with a championship in his hands intead. He remembered how Carlos held him with right amount of strentgh, how he let him vent, how he was patient even when he got bitter after that Silverstone blunder. They both are racing drivers, after all.

He remembered that and understood why he was in this position at this moment. Carlos taught him that, even without concious effort. Sure, sure, Sebastian was the one who really felt more like a mentor to him, but with Carlos he learned the lessons that transcended all those numbers and this f1 racing driver stuff. Carlos taught him how to live life, in a way that his past teammates couldn't.

He layed down his head, his lips met Carlo's cheek with a tender kiss. "I'm here. Through everything. We're in this together, babe.", he said, softly but firm. Carlos met his gaze and nodded. He could say "thank you" but he didn't need to say cause he knew Charles knew. He knew Charles knew when he wanted to say he loved him, too, but this one he said, as a sacred whisper: "love you, babe", and turned his head back to where he was, and his thoughts to his own place.

Charles smiled kindly at his man. He wasn't blind to what people said in the media, even though he avoided: "he's not on leclerc's level", "he's just there because of Santander", "his friendly relationship with Charles is nothing but PR", and he also knew the "omg they are so cute together", "they are never beating the fruity allegations", "i need someone to look at me the way they look at each other", "he turns into a giddy schoolgirl next to Carlos".

And he knew for better or for worse, nothing could change that, really. People who critized them or Carlos would keep doing so, as the people who defended them. But he knew that neither of them actually knew how it was like to be with him. They laughed, joked together, and they did that oh so well, but this wasn't the whole thing to it. What really made them what they are were moments like these, nothing but silence and a quiet empathy that communicated something more important than thousands of words. Because at the end of the day, they are racing drivers. And they loved it and loved each other, in victory or failure.

They both knew it.

[kanesonforever]

Hello!

I like Kaneson very much like you.

Did you see the interviews Harry said about Sony's 100th goal this time? Harry said he was proud of Sonny and was lucky to play with him. It's the same as the interview that Sonny did in celebration of Harry's record. I think Harry remembered and told Sonny the same. It's so romantic.

Harry seems to love Sonny very much. Sonny seems to love Harry a lot, too. Harry doesn't treat other players like Sonny, does he?

Their love is really special.

I'm from a different country and what image is kaneson in England? Are there many people who like Kaneson?

They are indeed very romantic. There's something very theatrical in Kane Son's interactions with each other! They look so in love! Everything else disappears when they are together! It's just two of them in their world together!

I don't think Harry treats any other player this way! I think he is buddies with some of the English speaking players like Doherty, Dier! But I think with Son it's totally different and more than friendship! It's more Romantic! I mean come on the way the dude looks at his Sonny!

I always say Harry is so soft for his Sonny...The way he looks at Son, the way he smiles and giggles around Son is pure Love and pure Romance! It is very evident in Harry's behavior, his glances that how much he cares for Sonny and is very protective of him. Harry's love for Sonny reflects or shows through his eyes.

No offense to anyone but I feel Harry has more chemistry and spark with Son than he has with his wife. Harry and Sonny has a certain level of comfort with each other. I think they find comfort in each other. I mean even if they are not touching or hugging you can see the comfort they share with each other! Though I love their PDAs, and little touches and PDAs are their love language. But even when they are sad or not even talking directly you can see the comfort just in being together! They were born to be together ❤️ I mean in passionate moments you can feel the sexual tension between them but at the same time in normal moments you can feel the comfort and ease they have between them. Their chemistry is solid. They find solace in each other I feel.

Their love story deserves a happy ending. I hope they win a trophy together. I would love to see them actually kissing on that day 😅

[russilton]

saw some photos of lewis at the event for his foundation and in a new bereal with roscoe, it made me suddenly realize that lewis would make a fantastic wag actually. is anyone else seeing the vision for racer! george and lewis as his trophy wag.. we need to have this conversation

wag! anon continued: this following aesthetic is what i meant when i said lewis would be perfect as a wag- https://www.tumblr.com/wagsthetic/712419747544825856/mood-board-wagsthetic?source=share , like i can just envision a fic where george is races and wins championships in his thirties and lewis (preferably wearing pearls) arrives to watch his partner race. i need everyone else to see this vision.

(A reminder to folks new here, I kinda hate the term WAG and prefer not to use it on my blog. The abbreviation and how historically it’s been used give me the Ick. Please don’t send asks using it.)

It sure sounds like you have a very specific vision in mind Anon, and if it calls to you you should try writing it.

I can’t lie the idea doesn’t specifically appeal to me, but that’s just taste for you. My favourite fic of all time is a trophy husband George AU Badrieh wrote me, so I certainly understand the pull. But I find it a lot harder to imagine Lewis not as a driver, when George still is, at least in a glamour role. It’s not quite what I personally enjoy in stories I write about Lewis.

I get stuck in areas like how they meet, how they begin talking, dating, etc. I know Lewis loves fashion and music now but who knows if he would have got into that without his time as a celebrity. I have however certainly thought about au’s where Lewis turns to a more mechanical or strategic job if he was unable to keep racing after an accident. I can’t imagine an F1 world where Lewis’ talent and skill isn’t used. He’s so clever I think it would suit him to see things others can’t, little hidden elements of artistry in a formula one car that don’t always show up in data sets. I can imagine George meeting a Lewis like that. One who’s pride is still wounded from giving up his dream, but he buries himself in whatever he can do to connect to the cars he once drove.

Maybe he thinks no one remembers him but statistics nerd and fledgling driver George does. George who still uses driving lines he saw Lewis take once when George was just a kid. George who takes the time to really listen and George who points out there are thousands of people who remember Lewis and wonder where he went when Lewis withdrew into himself to cope with the crippling disappointment. What happened to a burning talent who crashed in the off season and was dropped by Mclaren like a hot pan. Another driver who appeared and disappeared so fast, churned up by the machine that is motorsport, unable to quickly switch to something like indy car because of the therapy needed, and too ashamed to try again.

Maybe I just started thinking about this Lewis leaning over Georges back to point out where he’s loosing time and George being distracted by that calm strong voice and those giant arms. Trying to listen to Lewis telling him about breaking zones while he sees Lewis’ watch glisten on his wrist.

Anyway yeah sorry anon, not quite my cup of tea when it comes to writing, but if you love it you should write it! The first idea that drives you to write is a special one.

[sizemo]

My coaching career has not been smooth but today was the best day

In the 2022-23 Europa Conference League final that ended last night, West Ham United defeated Fiorentina 2-1 to win the championship, raising the European championship trophy again after many years.

After the game, West Ham coach Moyes also accepted 캡사이트 interviews after the game and talked about his views and feelings about the game.

Feelings about winning

"(Winning the title today) is fantastic, I've had a long career but moments like this don't come often. It's a great moment for us, West Ham is a great club and it's getting better and better. Getting better and getting stronger is another step on our way to continuous improvement. We are unbeaten in the Conference League this season (we only lost the Conference League semi-final once last year) which is unbelievable gone."

So is winning today the best moment of his career?

"I have to say my coaching career hasn't always been smooth sailing, but today was the best day of my coaching career because when you're celebrating, having your family here and winning in the last few minutes of the game — - We did the same against AZ Alkmaar - they don't happen often. It was a great night, a great feeling.

If someone said three years ago when I took the job that we were going to avoid relegation this season and end the season as Conference League champions, they would have said you were crazy. And then we did it two years in a row, then we got to the semis, then we got to the finals... wow, it was incredible. "

"Yes, we know we haven't had a good season in the Premier League this year, but it was a great game for us. The players did a great job, everything they did."

You were seen handing the medal to your 86-year-old father after lifting it

"He's still going strong and still wants to come and watch us play. It's fantastic, it's a great moment to have your family playing with you. It doesn't come often as a manager. You have to work really hard. work."

"It's been really good, I've had a long football career and you don't have a lot of moments like this, but thankfully tonight we got the result we wanted. My dad was here. I was just with him Group photo on the pitch, it's a great feeling. He's still going strong, he wants to play. It's a great time to get your family in the game. These moments, as a manager, they don't come around very often.

"It means a lot to my dad and to me. Family, they've supported you in football since you were a little boy. In football you don't always get good moments but today against It's a great moment for us."

"The family, starting with the little boys, they always want to support you. Sometimes you don't have a lot of good times on the football field, but today was a great moment for us."

On the feeling of coaching West Ham United

"West Ham are a fantastic club in the east end and they've done a lot in the community. It's a big family club and I think it's getting better and better. We have a huge stadium and we've played all season long. It was packed, and tonight was another step in our way of continuing to improve."

"Other than that, I think it's a good time to mention the Golders, unfortunately they can't come. We lost David and unfortunately we lost Jacqueline, so I think we remember It's really important to live with David Gold because it's very special to him."

[sbknews]

Goodwood Revival to honour Carroll Shelby

Today – 11 January 2023 – on what would have been Carroll Shelby’s 100th birthday, Goodwood is delighted to announce that the legendary American driver, car manufacturer and entrepreneur will be celebrated at this year’s Goodwood Revival, over the weekend of 8-10 September 2023. The centenary of Shelby’s birth will be honoured with one of Goodwood’s signature tributes, comprising cars that were not only raced, but also designed and developed by the 1959 Le Mans winner. Running across the weekend, the celebration will include the likes of the MG-TC in which Shelby competed for the very first time, in 1952. Shelby’s impact on motor racing can be seen each and every year at the Revival, and 2023 will be no different, as an assortment of Cobras – the Anglo-American sports cars for which he is best known – are set to take to the track in the all-star Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration. Meanwhile, the Whitsun Trophy will host a number of examples of the Ford GT40, whose design Shelby played such an integral part in refining. As Goodwood celebrates 75 years of the Motor Circuit, and 25 years of the Revival, it’s a chance to reflect on the motorsport legends who have joined us over the years. Carroll Shelby is no exception, having raced at Goodwood during the Circuit’s heyday in arguably one of the most important and dramatic races in the annals of British motorsport: the 1959 RAC Tourist Trophy. This race saw him share the winning DBR1/300 with his co-drivers Jack Fairman and Stirling Moss – the latter a late addition after his own car was eliminated in a spectacular fire during a routine pit stop. Earlier in the season, Shelby had won Le Mans, sharing the same DBR1 with Roy Salvadori, and victory in the Tourist Trophy secured the World Championship for Aston Martin. Once racing returned to Goodwood with the institution of the Revival, Shelby wasn’t far behind, attending the third iteration of the event in 2000 where he ran a Shelby Daytona Coupe driven by American IndyCar champion and F1 driver Danny Sullivan. In what is a momentous year for Goodwood, we are very much looking forward to celebrating Carroll Shelby as an iconic figure, whose legacy is keenly felt at Goodwood and in the wider motorsport world. “Goodwood held a very special place in my grandfather’s heart,” said Aaron Shelby, board member of Carroll Shelby International. “He competed there as a driver in an Aston Martin and returned to race at the Circuit with the Shelby American team cars during the 1960s. Carroll attended the Goodwood Revival with his Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, and as a Word War II aviator he especially admired the vintage warbird exhibit. We’re honoured that the Duke of Richmond and his team have chosen to honour the 100thanniversary of Carroll’s birthday this year. We look forward to a marvellous weekend at the Goodwood Revival.” The Duke of Richmond said: “It’s such a privilege to be celebrating Carroll Shelby at the Goodwood Revival this year. He was a good friend and I remember when Carroll first came to the Revival back in 2000 – having raced and famously won at Goodwood in the 1959 TT – bringing with him his infectious personality and competitive spirit. It will be wonderful to see those glorious cars that Carroll raced and designed in action at Goodwood once again over the weekend.” Taking place across the weekend, the Shelby tribute will join the full race schedule for the Goodwood Revival, Friday 8 - Sunday 10 September.

For more Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival check out our Shows dedicated page Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival Show News or head to official Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival website https://www.goodwood.com/motorsport/ Read the full article