#Almost Paradise Season 1

[ghostlyarchaeologist]

Zing!

Almost Paradise S01E06 Rise of the Kalangay.

#Almost Paradise #Almost Paradise Season 1 #Alex Walker #Ernesto Almares #Christian Kane #Arthur Acuña #ghostly'sgifs

[nival-kenival]

I think it's fun, when watching anything Christian Kane is in, to look for any of his songs/him singing, because he does it a lot

#nahl no #christian kane #its so neat. like i watched that ep of SPN he was in and when dean pulled up outside the bar i was like.... thats christian singing isnt it #just watched 50 to 1 and yup. theres at least 2 of his songs in there that i caught #leverage is obvious (s3e6 the studio job) #almost paradise iirc he partially wrote Lone Wolf in season 2? #iirc he wrote the yodeling bit in the tv ep of the librarians #obvs the L.A. song in angel #yeah i just think its cool #a fun little game to spot his discography/singing

[lnfours]

paradise on earth | l.n

summary: summer in love.

warnings: smau, actress!reader, obx cast, fluff, language, lando is 100% whipped, might make this a mini series idk yet

face claim: steph bohrer

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

obx

liked by y/ny/l/n, hichasestokes, madisonbaileybabe and 3,383,817 others

another summer with our favorite pogues ☀️ season 3 coming to netflix soon

200,922 comments

y/ny/l/n

poguelandiaaaaa 🫶🏻

obx

we love u 🩷

netflix

looking forward to this one! 🤩

madisonbaileybabe

P4L 🤍

obx

our queen kie 🥹🥹🫶🏻

y/ny/l/n

liked by landonorris, madisonbaileybabe, hichasestokes and 2,093,872 others

another summer with my favorite humans 🌊 season 3 is coming to u super soon 🩷

302,827 comments

madisonbaileybabe

my heart ❤️ i love love love you

not pictured: y/n watching f1 between takes

y/ny/l/n

i love you most 😚

and don’t expose me 😔

danielricciardo

is it too late to get a cameo in season 3?

y/ny/l/n

netflix can we get a drive to survive x obx collab??

netflix

on it 🫡

landonorris

can i partake?? i’m the one who showed you this show 😔

y/ny/l/n

no loser

madisonbaileybabe

i can’t do this anymore

landonorizz04

LANDO???????

obxxf1stan

she’s one of us 🫶🏻

landonorris

liked by y/ny/l/n, lnfour, maxfewtrell and 3,098,883 others

beep beep 🚙

203,882 comments

mclaren

landoooooo

quadrant

boss whippin it in the jolly 😮‍💨

y/ny/l/n

how much for a ride, mr. uber driver? 🤔

landonorris

free if you get me a cameo 😌

landonorizz

LANDO FLIRTING????

madisonbaileybabe

y/ny/l/n i support

liked by landonorris

y/ny/l/n

ihy stfu

y/ny/l/n

liked by landonorris, madisonbaileybabe, oscarpiastri and 2,452,004 others

filming is wrapped which means i get to stay in bed all day

390,432 comments

madisonbaileybabe

hottie

y/ny/l/n

let’s get married

madisonbaileybabe

say less.

landonorris

😴 <- you

y/ny/l/n

🤓 <- you

landonorris

lies

lnfourupdates

liked by y/ny/l/n and 1,083 others

lando in charleston today!

89 comments

fan1

charleston???

fan2

his obx cameo dream might be coming true

dannyricscowgirl

i don’t think he wants the cameo as much as he wants y/n

boxboxcl6

ur so right.

username004

did i miss something? 🤨

maxsrichbabydaddy

he 100% has a crush on y/n

y/ny/l/n

liked by landonorris, madisonbaileybabe, rudeth and 3,932,005 others

breakfast and dinner

1,003,444 comments

landonorris

no pic creds? 😔

y/ny/l/n

sorry 😬

madisonbaileybabe

get away from my wife landonorris 🤺

landonorris

can you fight???

madisonbaileybabe

yes i can 😤

georgerussell63

how romantic, almost like you two are a couple or something 🤨

landonorris

???!??

lewishamilton

that nighttime sky tho 🤩

landonorris

i’m not lookin at the sky tho 😅

y/ny/l/n

😳 errrrr

mclarenfan0481

LANDO?

georgerussellsmerc

oh i fear he just exposed himself

lando.jpg

liked by y/ny/l/n, charles_leclerc, danielricciardo and 3,092,665 others

summer on film 📷☀️

tagged: y/ny/l/n

1,004,772 comments

y/ny/l/n

my personal photographer 🫶🏻

landonorris

oh so that’s what i am to u 😔

danielricciardo

HAHAHAHA

oscarpiastri

is that baguette good tho? y/ny/l/n

y/ny/l/n

‘twas exquisite 😮‍💨

madisonbaileybabe

🥺 stop

y/ny/l/n

🥹 crying.

charles_leclerc

glad ur having a good holiday!! ❤️

landonorris

you too, mate 🥺❤️

georgerussell63

so, like, was i right or..?

landonorris

cannot confirm or deny 😌

maxfewtrell

confirmed: he’s down bad.

georgerussell63

KNEW IT.

landonorris

??!?!?!?

y/ny/l/n

liked by landonorris, rudeth, madisonbaileybabe and 3,654,886 others

1989 tv - track 17 - verse 2

456,987 comments

madisonbaileybabe

🥺 i’ll cry

y/ny/l/n

🥺🥺🫶🏻🫶🏻

landonorris

my book worm 🧡

danielricciardo

WAIT YOU FINALLY ASKED HER?????

oscarpiastri

finally after all that yappin 😩

y/ny/l/n

#4 on the track but #1 in my heart, baby!! 😤

georgerussell63

WHY COULDN’T YOU HAVE TOLD ME??????

landonorris

bc u would’ve blabbed 😬

georgerussell63

fair, actually

hichasestokes

FINALLY!! now i fear she won’t stop talking about you even more now landonorris

rudeth

i second that, she was actually insufferable

y/ny/l/n

stfu???? 😐

landonorris

sorry. but, i’m also not 😅

carlos_sainz55

she’s also all he would talk about if it makes you feel any better hichasestokes rudeth

landonorris

liked by y/ny/l/n, madisonbaileybabe, lewishamilton and 2,982,224 others

what’s that song from grease? something about summer loving? idk..

393,440 comments

lewishamilton

ok fine this is adorable

landonorris

thank u lew lew 🥺🫶🏻

lewishamilton

i told u not to call me that

y/ny/l/n

MET A BOY! CUTE AS CAN BE!!!

landonorris

she thinks i’m cute 🥹🥹

maxfewtrell

so does like.. half the population, mate

landonorris

yea but she’s the only one that matters 😌

y/ny/l/n

🥺🥺🥺🥺

madisonbaileybabe

🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺

BACK! AWAY!

landonorris

NO 😤

fan1

i love how they’re both fighting for her love

oscarpiastri

didn’t think you were a grease kinda guy

y/ny/l/n

he wasn’t until i made him sit down and watch it 😌

danielricciardo

you have taste. i like you.

landonorris

hey, i have taste !

oscarpiastri

.. no

y/ny/l/n

hey! you’re so pretty! it 100% makes up for ur lack of taste! 🥰

danielricciardo

uuuuuhhhhhhh 😅

pierregasly

crickets …

alex_albon

LMFAO that’s actually funny

charles_leclerc

sorry, mate..

landonorris

OH COME ON.

#lando norris #lando norris x reader #lando norris x you #lando norris x y/n #lando norris smau #lando norris social media au #lando norris fluff #smau #social media au #formula one smau #f1 smau #ln4 #ln4 x reader #ln4 imagine #ln4 fluff #ln4 fic #ln4 x you #ln4 x y/n #ln4 smau

[kcrossvine-art]

hi birds of paradise and of prey! I sincerely hope your 2024 has been kind to you so far, and if it hasn't, I hope it starts being fucking nicer soon. We got eyes on it and are ready to take it out should it fail.

I'm coming to the end of my list here soon, so if anyone has ideas on what they'd like to see next, please do hit me up! Even if its just a piece of media with interesting food in it and not a specific dish you wanna see. My roommate got me a recipe book from that TikTok fantasy tavern guy, "recipes from the lucky gryphon"? So we could also take a shot at a few of those, although im not really familiar with his work. Regardless-

We will be making Stuffed Cabbage from Lord of the Rings Online today!

(As always you can find the cooking instructions and full ingredient list under the break-)

MY NAMES CROSS NOW LETS COOK LIKE ANIMALS

SO, “what goes in to this Stuffed Cabbage?” YOU MIGHT ASKYou cant kinda put whatever you want for seasonings and even the meat filling. I used ground beef but pork and lamb are also stellar candidates.

Yellow onion

Garlic

2 eggs

Ground beef

Rice

A head of cabbage

Oregano

Thyme

Red pepper flakes

Cumin

Crushed tomato

Tomato sauce

AND, “what does this Stuffed Cabbage taste like?” YOU MIGHT ASKBa bawsa

Very, very filling wow

2 rolls filled me up for a meal and i made about 20-ish from one head of cabage

A bit plain tbh, the texture is great but I'd really double up on the seasonings

A blank canvas for you to impart your spice preferences onto

Reheating makes it taste almost identical to fresh

Would pair well with a hot sauce dip

could also go well with an artichoke dip

If you run out of room and need to layer the rolls, I'd try experimenting with pouring some of the crushed tomato and sauce inbetween the stacked rolls. Otherwise the ones at the bottom lack a lot of the tomato flavor. However it might make the bottoms on the rolls laying ontop soggy?

. Where rice called for, used long grain white rice

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

I've never blanched anything before. Theres not much western food that calls for it, meanwhile whenever my friend from malaysia shows a dish they ate, 9 times out of 10 the vegetables are blanched. Much easier process than the fancy name might suggest- boil water and dunk the thing in until its done. Whatever 'done' may be for the thing you are cooking.

Also for the ground beef (or whichever meat you use) you don't have to cook it beforehand, but in doing two tries at making these cabbage rolls i would recommend you at least season your meat before mixing it with everything else. The meat will cook to a safe temperature inside the cabbage rolls, i just prefer the taste and texture of it when cooked twice.

I give this recipe a meandering 7/10 (with 1 being food that makes one physically sick and 10 being food that gives one a lust for life again.) I want to review more horrible recipes, truly i do, so that the rating scale isnt always a 6 and above, but whenever i try something horrible its like "why the fuck would i put all the effort into making and sharing a review of this thing i Do Not Want others to eat????" yknow?? Would people be interested in roasting horrible recipes? 

🐁 ORIGINAL RESIPPY TEXT BELOW 🐁

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion

6 cloves of garlic

2 eggs

2 lbs ground beef

1 1/2 cup cooked rice

1 large head of cabbage

28oz crushed tomato

14oz tomato sauce

Oregano

Thyme

Red pepper flakes

Cumin

Salt/pepper

Method:

Saute garlic and onion in butter over medium heat until onions are caramelized. When done, remove from heat and let cool.

Season the beef to your liking with cumin, red pepper, and salt. Very, very lightly cook the beef in the same pan used for the garlic and onions. Cook until it starts to brown, but dont let it darken. 

Beat eggs thoroughly with oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Add all of the above ingredients together in a bowl with (cooked!) rice. Mix thoroughly then cover and let rest in the fridge.

Core and blanche your cabbage in boiling water, peeling them off as they become limp.

Once you've separated all the leaves, cut off any thick stems that would prevent the leaf from folding.

Put roughly 2 tablespoons of meat filling into each leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf inwards and roll it up. Place each cabbage roll seam-down into a casserole dish.

If they don't all fit in one layer, its more than okay to stack. Try not to stack more than 2 layers though.

Once you've used all the cabbage, take your can of tomatos and pour them over the rolls. Mix some oregano into the tomato sauce and pour that over the rolls as well.

Bake uncovered in the oven at 350 for about 2 hours. Dont worry if a bit of tomato on top looks burnt.

IF REHEATING LEFTOVERS: Bake 10 cabbage rolls in the oven at 320 for about 40 minutes. Reduce time for less rolls.

#cross cooks lotr #food recipes #cabbage rolls #digital art

[mimisempai]

There's so much I love in those few seconds alone. There's what's implied. There's the fact that it's Aziraphale who calls Crowley. For me, that's very important when you see that in season 1 it's always Crowley who reaches out to Aziraphale. There's the fact that Azirapahale called often enough for Crowley to be able to discern the different tones of his voice. There's the fact that Crowley lists the reasons for the different tones and what they imply. Aziraphale calls Crowley when he's bored (just the concept of Aziraphale being bored thrilled me), we don't know the result, if Crowley comes, how he helps Aziraphale to overcome his boredom… but he calls him. Aziraphale calls Crowley when he wants to tell SOMEONE he's done something clever. Crowley's use of someone. We know that someone is Crowley and no one else. I'm surprised by the fact that Crowley doesn't say "You call me when you want to tell ME you've done something clever". As if he doesn't want to admit that their relationship is exclusive after all. (I'm probably extrapolating, I know). And the third reason for Aziraphale calling, when something’s wrong which is just as important, because it means that when Aziraphale has a problem he turns to Crowley.

And here, there's the same.

Look Aziraphale who use the same wording as Crowley.

It's nice to tell someone about the good things you've done. SOMEONE again. Implying, "It’s nice to tell YOU about the good things I’ve done." And Aziraphale may well have added afterwards that it was because he was no longer reporting him to Paradise, we all know that this was just factual reports. Not the kind of enthusiastic speech he must have made to Crowley on the phone or over a drink. Just the difference in expression when he says it's good to tell about the good things you've done (he uses "good" and Crowley uses « clever" btw) and he speaks from Heaven tells a lot.

AND I'm coming to what isn't said at all, but is crystal clear, which is that Crowley doesn't say it bothers him. He lists the reasons for Aziraphale's calls, but at no point does he say or even show that it bothers him. Honestly when Crowley says, "This is your something's wrond voice." you can almost hear afterwards, "And here I am."

#good omens #aziraphale #crowley #anthony j crowley #Mr A. Z. Fell #michael sheen #david tennant #😈😇 #good omens 2 #GoodOmensSeason2Spoilers #GOS2Spoilers #GoodOmens2Spoilers #ineffable husbands #meta post #sort of

[youkissedareaderinthedark]

Waiting

Synopsis: It’s never the right time for Y/n and Max. It takes the right place to get them together

female reader x max verstappen

(this fic is set from 2018 to 2022, ik it’s not ideal that it’s set in the past but it’s the timeline that made the most sense for the story)

It’s 2018 and life is good for Max Verstappen. He’s three months away from entering the new race season and he’s just coming off a fairly successful one. He’s got a pretty good car, a team that believes in him, and a country that supports him. Things in his career were changing, getting more serious, and Max decides he might be due a new place to live.

Maybe not to live full time, just a place to go home to after a long weekend. He loves his mom and sister, Victoria, but flying back to Belgium almost every week was a hassle, and he needs someplace that made his lifestyle easier. A few drivers live in Monaco, that might be a contender. It's in the middle of Europe, so close to most of the races, it has a lot of privacy, traveling to and from there is easy, and of course the tax benefits, so why not?

Max spends a few days thinking and researching Monte Carlo. He talks to his friend and Monaco resident, Daniel Ricciardo, who, predictably, loves the idea, and then talks to his mom and Victoria about it. The three of them come up with the idea that Max buys an apartment in Monte Carlo, lives there during the race season, and comes home during gaps in the schedule, summer break, and after the season ends.

The Verstappen family finds a suitable apartment and once it’s bought, they spend a few days scrambling around to the house trying to decide what Max should bring and what he should leave. It’s December, so Max will spend the rest of 2018 at home with his mom and Victoria before leaving for Monaco in January.

Max liked Monaco from the first time he traveled there to race and fell in love with it when it became the place he’d call home for a while. He gazed at the tall trees and the turquoise water and even though it was winter, it looked like a summer paradise.

All of his stuff from home wasn’t supposed to get here until tomorrow, possibly later if the shipping company was dodgy, so all he had to live off was the carry-on and two suitcases he brought on the plane with him. His mother helped him plan what furniture he should buy for his place, and he figured he should get a move on that if he wanted a place to sit for dinner tonight.

The apartment complex he chose was nice, almost luxurious, and even though money was not a problem, not crazily expensive. Two bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a nice kitchen even though Max couldn’t cook very well, it was good. It was semi-furnished, the kitchen and bathroom were basically done, but the bedrooms, living room, and dining room were empty so he would spend the next few days at furniture stores.

It’s Day 7 of living in the new apartment and Max is fumbling with the parts of a coffee table. When he suddenly hears a beeping noise coming from below him. The apartment downstairs. He figures.

Probably just an alarm. Is what Max thinks until the beeping noise doesn’t stop, and the Dutch realizes it’s a fire alarm. It’s fine. It’ll turn off in a second. But then Max hears a muffled voice and a clanking noise, then repeated thwacking noises, against his floor?

Curiosity killed the cat, but Max decides curiosity could also be fun and before he can stop himself, he’s walking out of his apartment and towards the elevator.

He does the math on which room would be the one below his on the way down and is knocking at the door he thinks is the correct one. “Hold on!” A voice calls through the muffled alarm. He hears another faint curse before the door swings open and reveals a woman, probably around his age, looking frazzled and a bit panicked.

“Hi. Are you okay?” The words tumble out of his mouth and Max realizes he’s had no idea what he’s doing until now. “No. Can you help me turn that stupid thing off?” You reply as if he is not a stranger, and this is totally normal.

Why not? He thinks before saying it out loud, and you open the door wider to reveal a smokey kitchen. “The smoke alarm is up there, I just forgot how to turn it off” You point to the detector on the ceiling near your fridge. The 21-year-old steps onto the chair that is strategically placed underneath it and uses the little knowledge of fire safety he learned in a health class in high school to disable the alarm.

“Oh. Thanks” you say as he steps down. “I’ve just realized I haven’t seen you before, did you just move in?”

“Yes, I moved to Monaco and started living here about a week ago. I’m Max, by the way, I live in the apartment above yours” He sticks out his arm in a handshake.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Y/n. I’ve been living here for three years, so if you need something, just let me know” You smile and he’s glad he now knows someone in the building.

“Thanks, I’ll see you around” you say the same as Max turns and lets himself out of your room. The man realizes as he gets into the elevator that he has no clue if something was on fire or not, or if you were okay or not. Well, I’ll see her around, I’ll ask then.

You don’t see Max again until the middle of the night, about two months later. You don’t know it, but Max has just returned from the first race in Australia and is trudging back to his apartment from the airport, desperate to get some sleep. You’re walking to the elevator, just coming back from a midnight snack excursion to the vending machine on his floor. “Oh hey. Max right? You okay?” You ask with what he deems too much energy.

You're wearing what looks like pajamas, a Monte Carlo crewneck and a pair of shorts. “Fine, just tired” He’s really not in the mood to talk, but he doesn’t think this will last long. “You want a cookie?” You’re holding a bag of his favorite biscuits, ones that he thought he could only get in Belgium, and surprises himself when he nods his head. “Why not” And takes it from your hands. “Thanks Y/n” The driver is already walking away. “Goodnight Max”

Strangely enough, the same thing happens when Max gets back from Bahrain. It’s like a replay from the last interaction; You’re in pajamas, carrying a bag of cookies, and he’s trekking down the hallway to his flat. “Hi Max, you want a cookie?” Without hesitation, he grabs the one in your hand, and with a yawn-covered thank you, he’s turned around and heading back to his original destination.

Instead of a two-month gap between your encounters, Max sees you the next day. It’s 10am, and the driver decides to utilize the balcony attached to the apartment. Every apartment has one, and because of the side of the building his room is on, it faces a view of the Monegasque streets and the ocean in the background. It’s a beautiful sight, so Max should probably be more surprised when he hears someone else outside.

Soft music, the clattering of utensils, and occasionally the sliding of doors, all audible and coming from the apartment below him. Max looks over the railing from his seat at the edge of the platform and sees you. “Hi Y/n” His mouth is calling out before his brain can stop it. You look up and smile. “Good morning, Max” You pause for a moment, wondering what to talk about with the kind-of-stranger that lives above you.

“Were you just coming home from vacation last night?” You remember the suitcase by his side and the tired expression on his face that only someone that has been away from home can have.

“I mean, I was away, I wouldn’t call it vacation though” You two have to shout to be able to hear the other clearly and even though it’s piercing the calm morning air, neither of you seem to mind. “So a work trip, then?”

“Yeah”

“What do you do for work?”

“It’s a secret” Now, Max is not sure why he says that. Maybe because he doesn’t want his neighbor and possibly friend to know he’s a high-profile Formula 1 Driver. Maybe he just doesn’t feel like telling a neighbor and possible stranger his work. Or maybe he just feels like being difficult.

“A secret?” You shout back. “Yes! A secret!”

“Well can I know the secret?”

“No! Then it wouldn’t be a secret!”

“Fine! When do I get to know the secret?” Max pauses for a second, contemplating his options.

“I’ll surprise you. One day I will just tell you. Out of nowhere”

“What if I don’t see you for another month?”

“Then you’ll have to find a way to see me!”

“Fine!” It’s a word that is usually shouted in frustration, but the Dutch man hears the smile in your voice and is surprised to feel his own face twisted into a grin.

You take Max’s words as a challenge and you’re not going to lose. The next few days, you go up to your neighbor’s floor multiple times, hoping to catch him leaving or going. You step out onto your balcony in the morning and again at night, shouting, looking for his accented voice. You even wandered up at midnight a few times, anticipating him to come walking tiredly down the hall again. You can’t exactly figure out why you’re so anxious to know this secret your neighbor has, you just know that you do.

So two weeks later, when you’ve very nearly forgotten about this whole ‘secret career’ business, you see him trudging down the hall again, you ignore his tired face and speak maybe too loudly for 1am. “Did you just get back from your secret work trip?” A smirk comes onto your neighbor’s face.

“Maybe” He continues walking, even ignoring the bag of cookies in your hand. “If I see you tomorrow, will you tell me?”

“Maybe” And then he’s turned the key into his door lock and is gone.

The next morning, you’re out on your balcony as usual, eating breakfast while listening to music, when you faintly hear the slide of a door coming from above you. You pause the song playing on your phone and wait. Max knows you’ve heard him and he interrupts the silence. “Good morning, Y/n”

“Hi, Max. Long night?”

“Long few days, yes”

“Wait, I’ll be right back” You quickly hurry inside to retrieve the bag of cookies you didn’t finish last night and bring them out onto the platform.

“Will you tell me now?” Then with the best angle you can manage, throw them directly up and hopefully over to his balcony. He catches them and thinks back to a few hours ago. “Weren’t you eating these last night?” “Don’t worry, I only eat like three” You hear the bag crinkle, and then his voice.

“I am a Formula 1 driver” You’re eyes widen. You’ve had a lot of time to think about all the possible secret careers Max could have, and while celebrity was one of them, you did not expect that. Just as you hear the sliding door open again, you move to shout. “Wait! Tell me about it”

Of course you knew what Formula 1 was, everyone who lived in Monaco did, but you didn’t know much about it since you only pay attention to it when it comes to your country. “Okay. But I don’t want to yell anymore, come up and I will tell you” And surprisingly, he does.

Without a touch of discomfort, Max answers any questions you have and asks a few of his own. You tell him that you got the opportunity to go to the International School of Monaco and moved into this apartment so you could attend. You tell him about the life waiting for you back home, the place you would go return to in a few months.

“So, you are moving back there soon?” He asked. “Yeah. Not immediately though. I’m gonna stay until summer ends and if I haven’t found a good job by then, I’m leaving”

“I will be the best neighbor possible then” By August, you can safely say he was.

Max told you about his schedule for racing and you told him about yours for school, though much simpler than the one he lived by. You make a tradition of welcoming him home with a bag of cookies, whether it be minutes before 12 Sunday night, or just as the sun begins to set Monday evening.

Max makes a habit of going down to your balcony every time he returns from a race, either for Monday breakfast or dinner. You both sit and watch the Monegasque view with awe before you either have to go to class or start your homework. Due to the crazy prices, you’ve never attended the Monte Carlo race, you usually just watch from the balcony of the other neighbor you’re friends with that lives across from you but Max surprises you with a ticket after he asks you whether you’d be interested in going or not.

You cheer with your friends from your spot on a balcony above the track when he goes P4 and the two of you enjoy the biscuits together that night.

In June, Max celebrates your graduation with you and your friends from university, who have accepted Max into the friend group by now. The eight of you spend a week basically living at the beach and enjoying life just as young adults before Max goes back to racing and the seven of you have to find jobs.

The summer break is in August and Max goes back to Belgium to spend it with his mom and Victoria, while you are in Monaco, looking for the job that will keep you there. You loved your home country, you loved your family and high school friends there and everything it had to offer you, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t over-the-moon excited once your acceptance letter for the International School of Monaco came in. Nothing was chasing you away, but so much from Monte Carlo was keeping you there.

When Max returns at the end of August, he has no idea whether you’re still there or not. He has your phone number and you two have been texting back and forth through the weeks, but you play his own card when you tell him, “It’s a secret”

Like he has done so many times before, Max is standing tiredly in the elevator of the apartment building he’s just returned to from the airport and is terrified when the lift stops, and you step in matching him all the way down from the drowsy eyes to the two suitcases at his side.

“No” he says, face stretched into disbelief. “No way” He tries to look into your eyes, but your head is tilted down. “Tell me you got a job”

It’s silent for a moment, and Max thinks you haven’t when suddenly you’re grinning, and the suitcases fall open, revealing themselves to be empty. “Okay. I got a job” A laugh falls out of your mouth and the Dutch pulls you into a hug, trying to wave the sadness off.

“Oh my god, that was not funny! Don’t do that again!” He scolds you but he’s laughing as well.

“You found one though? You will stay?” He suddenly pulls back, hands on your shoulders looking for the only answer he’ll accept. “Yeah, I found one. It’s good too, I got a salary and proper days off to see my family and everything. I’m staying” Your eyes are sparkling with joy and Max wants them to stay that way.

“Thank god, I don’t know what I would’ve done if I didn’t have you here, keeping me sane” “Me either” You hug one more time before Max says, “C’mon, you are buying me the biscuits now, that was mean” “Oh, I’m mean? What about when...” And you two continue to banter all the way up to the floor that is not yours but feels like it could be.

The Formula 1 season starts again in September and the traditions between you two remain but are more appreciated. You have no more homework to do after dinner, so Max comes down almost nightly to sit on your balcony or at your dining table and listen to the music you’ve chosen. You still eat breakfast with him every Monday morning if he’s home before you go to work, and when you return, sometimes Max joins you in grocery shopping after one too many complaints about the food you make for dinner.

“If you don’t like it, go make it yourself Verstappen! I am not your maid and you do not have to be here” The neighbors next to his apartment could probably hear you, so Max just offers to buy the groceries himself somedays.

You two don’t fight often but when you do, it usually takes a few days the silent treatment until one of you swallows your stubbornness and pride and apologizes with a peace offering. The driver doesn’t like it when you fight, but he finds it a bit funny when you do because it’s always when you get annoyed by his complaints or when he’s tired of you forgetting stuff at his apartment. It reminds him of a married couple fighting. A couple. You remind him of a couple. Max decides he likes the sound of that.

Max also decides he loves the hugs you give him after he returns from a race, good or bad. He decides he loves coming to your apartment before you make dinner so he can help you cook. He decides he loves the gesture of you two making a key for each other because Max didn’t think it was a good idea for you to have your door unlocked for him most of the time. He decides he doesn’t mind you forgetting your belongings in his apartment because sometimes once you notice they’re gone, you leave them at his apartment for him to use. By the middle of October, the final thing Max Verstappen decides is that he likes you.

When Max walks into the Red Bull Garage Friday afternoon for the Japanese Grand Prix thinking bout these decisions, he sees a woman sitting in one of the chairs and a toddler in the one next to her. The woman must feel his gaze because she looks up. “Hi Max, I’m Kelly. Nice to meet you”

And then suddenly the woman is not a stranger. She’s smiling a mind-numbing smile and Max isn’t thinking when he says yes to having lunch with her Monday afternoon. He isn’t thinking when he says yes to extending his hotel in Japan so they can spend more time together. He isn’t thinking when he flies back to Monaco with her next to him and he goes back to her apartment, not his. His brain only starts to work when he sees it’s almost midnight on Thursday and he realizes he hasn’t gone home yet.

He hasn’t gone home to you, and he doesn’t know how you’ll react. Shit, he doesn’t even know how he’s reacting. Max has just figured out that he likes you, but he’s been in another woman’s house for two days.

Both you and Max have brought people home to your apartments. One of you will go to the other’s place and when they realize the door is locked, they don’t knock and wait for the other to answer, they give the other privacy and say good morning the next day as if nothing happened. There have been one-night stands but never two-night stands; You’ve been in relationships since moving to the building but not since Max moved in, and vice versa for him. You’ve never introduced someone to each other, and now he’s gone and ghosted you.

The driver doesn’t hesitate to gather his things and head back to the complex. It’s not Monday so you have no reason to be up late when you have work in the morning, and somehow, he knows he won’t see you until dinner the next day.

You don’t ask Max where he’s been. You don’t send him a million text messages and you don’t call a thousand times. You want to, because you’re worried about him, but you don’t because somehow, you know. You think it’s when of those unspoken girl things. Even though you don’t know the woman, you know she exists, and you know it’s time for you to step back so she can step in. With this realization, you wave your sadness away as if it was an annoying fly, push your feelings back into your heart where they belong and should never get out, and continue with your day.

When Max opens the door to your apartment Friday evening to have dinner with you, you don’t ask him where he’s been, you just congratulate him about Sunday’s race and tell him that you’ve made plans with your friend group to go out for dinner.

“There’re no reservations, so you can come last minute if you want. I just didn’t feel like making anything and missed everyone, y’know?” “Yeah” The Dutch swallows the lump in his throat. “Yeah, I’ll come. Are we leaving now?” “Yeah, it’s at that one place on...”

Max follows you down the hall and in the silence between you two, he realizes that you know that he met Kelly, and that you both know this is someone he will introduce to you.

The Red Bull driver thinks he thought the action into existence because when Max comes home from Abu Dhabi, Kelly Piquet is by his side. You don’t need Max to tell you, you hear his voice and a woman’s come from his apartment when you’re eating breakfast on your balcony Monday morning. It’s getting cold. You use it as an excuse to eat at your dining table inside until you feel warm again.

You haven’t talked much to Max since the end of October because you rarely see each other. The races are all back-to-back until Abu Dhabi and when Max isn’t traveling, he’s at her apartment. You’re spending more time at work getting ready for Christmas and are glad for the distraction. Your coworkers tell you that everything at the building is ‘double-time’ to get ready for the break and it’s bittersweet because it takes a lot of effort to get it all done in time but knowing you don’t have to think about work during the break and the money you get paid makes it worth it.

You can’t avoid the couple forever though, and that fact proves itself when you run into them in December. Today was the last day at work before Christmas break, and you’re checked out. Even though it was nearly 8’o clock at night when you left the building and was exhausted, you rushed into your apartment to get the suitcases you’d gratefully already packed and leave for the flight you had to catch.

You’re not paying attention when you step into the elevator, looking down at your phone to get music playing through your headphones, when Max calls your name.

“Oh, hey Max” You look at the woman next to you and just as you’re about to introduce yourself, Max does it for you. “Kelly, this is Y/n, she lives in the apartment below me” “Hi, Y/n, so nice to meet you” She shoots a charming smile at you, and you do your best to give her a real one.

“Hi Kelly, nice to meet you” You’re glad neither of them tries any small talk with you and ride the elevator down to the lobby fixing your headphones in silence. “Have a good Christmas, Y/n” Max says on the way down and you realize that he has become just like any other neighbor, one that you ride the elevator in silence with and just wish each other happy holidays when you converse.

It’s sad, what you two have become, but you know better than to try to go back to the way things were before. “You too Max, and you too Kelly” You smile at the two of them before exiting the lift, dragging your suitcase behind you.

A holiday with your family and high school friends turns out to be exactly what you needed. You love Monaco and are glad to be living there, but there’s something comforting about your hometown that no other place can bring. With everyone’s work out of the way, you spend Christmas decorating the house with your family and shopping for presents with your friends.

You let yourself forget about Monte Carlo for a few days and submerge yourself in the safety of your home. It’s refreshing, it’s loving, and it’s welcomed. New Years is fun; You spend some time with family before going out at night to celebrate with your friends and your New Year’s Resolution is to come home more often.

You return to your apartment in January and let the Monegasque winter cool you. You don’t know where Max is, you haven’t texted him since New Years, and that was just a “Happy 2020” message and just assumed he was either in Belgium or with Kelly. You try to make yourself not care and it’s almost easy because at this point, Max barely lives above you anymore.

You focus in on work again and spend time with your friends whenever you can. It’s enjoyable and even though it’s not exactly what you imagined, it’s nice nonetheless.

This lifestyle takes you to March, when something you could’ve never imagined happens. The Corona Virus is announced as a world-wide pandemic and Monaco is shut down. Your work is forced online and suddenly you’re in your apartment building all the time.

You’re friends with the woman that lives across the hall from you, Andy; she’s two years older than you but she was the first person to welcome you to the building and you have a good friendship. You two are suddenly traveling between the two apartments all day, looking for anything to do while you’re trapped inside. Her family lives in France, so like you, she’s living alone and you guys' bond over that.

She reminds you of Max, who just then remembers he lives there and comes back a few days after the pandemic was announced. You’re on your balcony, gazing out at the empty streets of Monte Carlo that you are not used to, when his voice calls out from above. “Hey Y/n”

“Oh, hey. Max right? Did you just move in?” You joke, but the sentence has serious and slightly angry undertones, and you don’t try to hide it.

“I’ve just been away. Not exactly on vacation, something between that and work” He lets your joke run on for a second before breaking it. “But seriously, how are you? We haven’t talked in a while”

“I’m good. I’ve just been working and hanging out with my friends. Well, not anymore, obviously. It’s usually just me and Andy”

“Who is Andy?”

Over a year living there and he still barely knows anyone besides you. “The woman that lives across the hall from me”

“Oh, yeah. Andy”

Max still has no idea who she is, but he doesn’t want to stop talking to you. He realizes he will have to break the ice first. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. I’ve been at Kelly’s place a lot and whenever I am here, I can never find you”

“It’s okay. We’ve both been busy with different things”

Just as the driver is about to interrupt, saying that it’s not okay, when you start to talk.

“Why aren’t you with Kelly, by the way?”

“She decided to go back to France to be with her family. She has a young daughter, Penelope, and Kelly wants her to be surrounded by family, not stuck in the house with her mother all the time. She said she’d be back when this is all over, but who knows when that will be”

“Sorry, Max” You don’t know if this means they’ve broken up, but apologizing seems like the right thing to do. You two are silent for a moment.

“Y/n. What are we going to do?”

“Well, me and Andy have a few ideas”

And in the way male/female friendships work, you two are acting like no time passed since the last time Max ate dinner at your house. Immediately, you, Max, and Andy are spending every non-working moment with each other, desparate to interact with someone that is not on a screen.

You three take advantage of the empty streets of Monte Carlo; going on walks whenever you want, lying on the beach even in the cool April air, and seeing every sight that is usually too crowded to enjoy. Your trio enjoys the rooftop all residents have access to and litter it with whatever outside activities fit. You binge watch a lot of shows, switching between Max’s apartment, yours, and Andy’s to view them in. In May, Andy convinces you and Max to try art as a way of passing time, and it brings many trips to the nearest craft store.

By June, Max has wall art and your fingertips are burnt from all the times your hot glue gun scorched you. He’s also reconnected with the friends you once shared, and after Andy joins the group, the nine of you spend the hot days lying in the sun at the beach and wading in the pool outside your building. The other members of your friend group are spread throughout Monaco due to their work, but because the world has literally stopped, they aren’t worried about having trouble getting to you three.

The Formula 1 season starts again, and you and your friends fill the weekends by trying to learn more about F1, half for Max’s sake and half because you’re all bored.

Everyone is stir crazy, so you’re glad that by July, plane tickets are available and after spending nearly five months together, every single one of you spends at least a week with your families and away from each other. It’s not summer break for drivers yet, so Max hangs around the people he’s friends within the paddock.

The Red Bull driver does spend his break with Kelly though. He travels to France and spends a week getting to know Kelly again and playing with her daughter. He doesn’t know where their relationship stands. They were officially dating before the pandemic started, and they decided to go on a break while it was going on. Kelly invited him in hopes of figuring out their relationship and what they want to do when the world goes back to normal.

After talking about how they feel, what’d it be like if they were together again, and everything that would have to change for them to work. After spending five months apart, Max isn’t sure he wants the same things he did in February, so the couple breaks up for now, and he goes back to Belgium to spend much-needed time with his mom and sister.

You return from your vacation much like last year’s holiday break, refreshed and prepared for whatever the world could throw at you, as long as it’s not another pandemic. Everything is definitely not back to normal but it’s more normal than it was in March, so you appreciate it.

By September, half your work week is in person and Monaco gets a bit of life back. Your neighbor gets a bit of his life back as well; Max told you about him and Kelly, and things aren’t 100% normal with you two yet, but it’s definitely getting there.

Due to your enthusiasm, Halloween brings you two back together and on the 31st, Max is on your balcony, eating a bag of cookies from the vending machine, and watching little kids trick or treat beneath you. Not many kids live in your building, but you buy a bag of candy just in case someone shows up and share it with the man next to you while you wait.

In the cool November air, Max comes over for dinner nightly and when Andy isn’t with her boyfriend, she’s there too. There are only three races left in the 2020 racing season, but Max uses them to visit your balcony and eat breakfast with you on Mondays. You only have about a week left until the holiday rush starts in your building again, so you frequent your friend’s apartment and bother him with all the things you two should do with your friends for the holiday season.

You convince Max to buy a fake Christmas tree, but he draws the line at decorating gingerbread houses. You make him watch Christmas movies with you and he pretends to hate every one of them, but when you each have a blanket wrapped around your shoulders and a cup of hot chocolate warming your hands, you know he’s enjoying it.

Your neighbor goes back to Belgium for the holidays so it’s just you until your work stops for the break. The rush is a little less stressful than it was last year because you’re not a rookie anymore, but you still don’t appreciate going home way after your original hours end.

Clocking out and the overtime check you receive after is sweeter this year, partly because you don’t run into any girlfriends on your way out of the building and to the airport to catch your flight home. You're glad to see your hometown keeping its holiday charm and holding on to traditions that track all the way back to your childhood.

You party on New Years with your friends and a few days into 2021, you’re on another plane back to Monaco and everything waiting there for you.

You don’t spend much time with Max though; when you see him after you’ve finished unpacking, he tells you that’s he’s flying to England to Red Bull Headquarters for a while to start preparing for the upcoming race season. He tells you that Red Bull is supposed to be a serious contender for the Driver’s Championship this year and he can’t disappoint. Understandably, you nod, telling him ‘Good luck’ and see him off when he leaves a few days later.

You wish you had more time with him. When you look back, you realize you spend a lot of time with Max, but it never seems like enough. You wished time would move slower in the mornings, so you two could sit in the Monegasque quiet and watch the tide come in and out while you eat breakfast. You wish he came to your apartment earlier for dinner so he can “help” or really just watch and hand you ingredients and read off instructions for the recipes to you.

You tell yourself you shouldn’t wish these things, that he and Kelly could get back together any day, and that you shouldn’t get attached because you know his career will take him all over the globe. But then your heart speaks up, telling you to enjoy the time you have with him, and you listen.

Your neighbor returns on the cusp of February and is prepared to surprise you from his balcony, when he sees a man out on yours. Looking down, instead spotting you reading or eating, there’s a man, sitting on what Max deems his chair, sipping out of a glass. You’re nowhere to be found, probably serving yourself inside, and the Dutch hurries to close his doors when he hears yours open.

Max assumes he’s just one of your lovers, but when he comes outside a day later, the same man is again sitting in his chair, eating off one of your plates.

Fine, a two night-stand, he thinks, but is wrong when he checks again a day later, and still sees the same man sitting in his chair, drinking out of one of your mugs.

This time you are out there as well, and Max doesn’t hesitate to shout to you. “Y/n! Hey Y/n!” You look up. “Oh, hey Max! You want to come over for dinner later?”

It’s about 2 in the afternoon, and Max hopes that man is gone by then. “Yes, sure. Who is your friend?” The words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them.

“That’s Adrien” You are interrupted by your friend speaking. “Hi. I’m not eating here mate, don’t worry” Adrien has a French accent and even though Max has never minded them before, he doesn’t like them now. And I am not your mate. He thinks, before shouting down to you again, “I don’t care, mate. See you later, Y/n” And without waiting for your response, the driver goes back inside and closes his back door.

Instead of coming around 6 when Max knows the food will be done already, he walks to your apartment at 5 to help you cook and see if your friend has left. Unlike almost every time Max has stood in front of your door, he knocks and waits for you to open the door. “Hey” You’re about to say that he doesn’t have to knock and wait, then he can come in anytime, then remember Adrien and stop your mouth from saying those words.

“Your friend has left?” he asks, taking off his shoes. You hum yes and move to the kitchen to continue cooking. You tell Max about him over the music playing in the background.

You met him during your third year of college and bonded over the class you had together. You stayed friends during your final year and Max is about to ask why he isn’t a part of the friend group he met when you all graduated, when you tell him Adrien left school after final exams were done to leave for England. “He’s training to be a doctor, and he wanted to get a head start on preparing for the course set to start in August”

Apparently, he’d been living in the UK all this time, and came back to study under a doctor here in Monaco as in intern. “He told me he wanted to surprise me and asked one of our friends where I lived. Kind of creepy, but I haven’t seen him in a while, so I guess it's okay? He was friends with everyone, but then he left, and nobody knew when he was coming back”

You also tell him that Adrien grew up in France, and that he doesn’t like motorsport. You say the last one with a teasing smile, and while Max rolls his eyes, he mentally adds it to the list of things not to like about Adrien.

Max fills you in on everything he did at Red Bull headquarters and for a while, it feels like nothing ever changed. A Netflix show plays while you semi pay attention and Max cleans up, something he first insisted on doing ages ago. You say goodnight a couple hours later and then your routine starts again.

You and Max see more of Adrien as time passes. He’s staying in Monaco for a full year, and he seemingly wants to catch up with his college friends. Every Friday night, you all go out to eat and as often as they can, Max and Andy go with you.

You see him more often though, as he usually comes to your apartment on Sundays. It’s an old tradition you two had in college; you would go over to his dorm and watch either a football match or a movie. Sunday is your day off from work though, and you usually spend it with Max, so you tell him he can come over once the Formula 1 season starts.

When the race in Bahrain begins, you convince him to skip that day’s match and watch the race with you. Predictably, he loses interest quickly and while you cheer on Max’s podium finish, he sits on his phone, waiting for you to change the channel.

This is how it goes for months. You go to work and hang out with Max during the week. You go out to dinner on Friday nights, and when Max leaves for a race, Adrien comes over and keeps you company while you cheer on your neighbor.

When the cars come to Monaco, you are standing above the track with the Dutch fans, breathing in the warm May air and listening to the roar of each engine. Max goes P1 and you nearly lose your voice shouting. You also met his mom and Victoria; they were in the same section you were in and without even realizing they were related to your best friend; you become friends with them, and they help you find your way down to where Max was allowed to see you. You went home while he stayed out with the other drivers and left a bag of cookies in his kitchen before going to bed.

As the racing season goes on, so does yours and Adrien’s friendship. You still make him watch the race every Sunday but let him pick what you watch afterwards and what you two eat for lunch.

Adrien was a good friend to you back in college. He did his best to help you understand the class you shared together, no matter how many late nights it took. He vouched for you when you came in late and didn’t hesitate to give you whatever snack he had in his bag. You two spent a lot of time together on campus and would be lying if you said you didn’t miss him.

One Sunday night in August, after you and him spent the afternoon out in Monte Carlo, you’ve migrated back to your apartment and onto the balcony, now recalling memories of your college days. Max is in Belgium for the summer break, and your friends are all doing their own things.

“Remember the water balloon fight between my dorm and yours?” You say, both of you collapsing into laughter. “Of course, I remember! You soaked my brand new shirt!” Adrien exclaims.

“You threw one at my shoes! I needed to get revenge” You defended. “And then I got revenge by chasing you all over your room”

“Didn’t we break a lamp?” You remember.

“You did, I did not”

“Yes you did! When you grabbed me, I fell and then you fell on top of me” You trailed off, thinking back to that day.

“Then I fell, and...” You both fall into silence, recalling the look in his eyes and the hesitancy between both of you.

“And then, I wanted to kiss you” Adrien says, turning to you. The mood shifts, neither of you laughing anymore. “I wanted to kiss you then, and I want to kiss you now. I’ve missed you, Y/n. When I first heard of the internship of Monaco, I was the first name signed up. I came for the experience, yes, but I also came for you”

When you hear this, you don’t know what to think. You remember having feelings for Adrien two years ago and missing him terribly after he left, but a lot has changed since you graduated. You loved the days you spent with him, but you remember the days you spent with Max, too.

A part of you wants to get up and tell him no, tell him that you like someone else and that he is too late, but then another part of you thinks of Max, and how you are not even certain of your feelings for him, and that you don’t know if he feels the same way.

Max is thousands of miles away right now, and Adrien is right in front of you. So you stop reaching into your heart for feelings for Max and extend your hand onto Adrien’s face to pull him closer to you. His lips press against yours and you wallow in the feeling to ignore the fact that you are not thinking, and how sometimes it is easier not to.

Because the race after the summer break is in Belgium, Max stays with his mom and doesn’t come back to his apartment until Monday afternoon, 24 hours after he went P1 at Spa-Francorchamps. He comes to your apartment for dinner as usual and because he does not see Adrien there, he assumes he was never there at all.

Max continues to think nothing has changed since he left Monaco and you can’t really blame him. Adrien has taken you out on a few dates since you kissed on your balcony, but nothing is official yet, so you don’t bother to tell your neighbor anything.

The most PDA you two express in front of other people is a kiss on the cheek, and to Max, could be very platonic, so he doesn’t think anything of it. The Dutch carries on with his regular routine of excelling on track, celebrating at your apartment with a bag of cookies, then coming by throughout the week to hang out until he has to leave again.

You spend Halloween with the rest of your friend group this year by watching horror movies on one of their couches and picking out of a candy bowl. By then, Adrien has asked you to be his girlfriend, and now spends entire weekends at your apartment. You don’t tell your friend group until the beginning of November and for the most part, they’re all happy for you.

The Red Bull driver though, does not know how to feel. He doesn’t exactly know what will change between you two, but he does know that he doesn’t want it to. Max thought it would just be you two for a while, traveling between your apartments, supporting the other’s career, and always being there for one another when his car underperforms, and your work is too stressful. He knew there’d be someone else one of these days, he just didn’t think there’d be someone else now.

Max tries to think back to what you did when he dated Kelly and even though he didn’t particularly like it, he tried to stay away. On weekends where there was no race scheduled, he’d stay out of your apartment after he saw Adrien entering one Friday night and not leave until Sunday night.

He walked down to yours for dinner one evening, then stopped after seeing Adrien’s hoodie on the back of your couch. He goes out on his balcony less because more often than not, you and your boyfriend were out there, eating and laughing for too long to Max’s liking.

The Dutch knows he has no claim over you, that he should not be upset he’s distancing himself from a girl he insists is only his best friend, but he can’t help feeling jealous and disliking Adrien.

You are happy, but you could be happier. Adrien is wonderful; he’s handsome, he’s gentlemanly, he takes you out on nice dates, and he always makes time for you, but it just doesn’t feel as great as it sounds. You think you two work better as friends, you don’t see a future in the Frenchmen and there’s no spark between you two. You’re happy to be in a relationship, but what good is a boring relationship?

You miss Max. You appreciate him distancing himself out of respect, but you’d rather be hanging out in his apartment than Adrien coming over to yours every possible moment.

While you’re walking into your apartment building late in November, you think that this isn’t at all fair to your boyfriend and are thinking of how and when to break up with him when you see Max. “Hey Max” You smile at him. “Hey Y/n” He pauses for a moment.

“Listen, there is a race mid-December, and I know you like to spend your entire break with your family, but you remember when I told you that I’m competing with Hamilton for the championship this year?” He asks, recalling your text conversation a few weeks ago.

“Yeah?”

“Well, if we continue to tie in the points, and I win the race in December, I would win the Driver’s championship and...I want you to be there” His voice lowers as he finishes his sentence.

“I could reserve a ticket for you, and you would fly to Abu Dhabi with me there and back and you’d get home in time to spend Christmas with your family-” You cut him off.

“Max. I’d love to watch the race. I want to be there when you become World Champion” You grin at him, and he smiles back relieved. “Okay, I will come by later and we’ll talk about it, yeah?” You nod and exit the elevator once it stops at your floor.

You call Adrien when you get inside who was planning on coming by for dinner to let him know that you have to cancel. He sounds a bit dissapointed, but you’d see him in a few days, you weren’t worried.

A few hours later, you have a ticket alongside Max to Abu Dhabi from Thursday morning to Sunday night. The rest of November and the middle of December go by quickly. as predicted.

Your work keeps you busy, and any free time you have in spent preparing for the race and your trip home Monday afternoon. Before you realize, it’s 6am and Max is knocking at your door to collect you for the drive to the airport.

Though tired and a bit stressed, you and Max talk and laugh the entire way through the airport and take turns annoying the other on the plane. When you arrive hours later, Max leaves to the paddock to do media duties and puts you in charge of planning what you do that night.

The Dutch is friends with multiple other drivers on the grid but wants to spend all the time he can with you. When you told Adrien you were taking this trip with Max, he was unsure about his girlfriend spending 4 days with the man she tells him not to worry about, but he can see how much you want to go and sends you off with a kiss and a message to have fun.

You watch FP1 and 2 from the best seat Max could get you without bringing too much attention to you and he meets you in the parking lot when he’s given the okay to leave. You two spend the rest of the day wandering around the city and competing to see who can find the better dinner spot.

FP3 and Qualifying go well, and the hours you spend together afterwards are a little less carefree. It’s obvious your neighbor is anxious about Sunday and you try whatever you can to help him. You both have rooms right next to each other but much like your apartments in Monaco, he spends most of his time in your room.

The atmosphere at the track the next day is so exciting you wonder why you haven’t attended more races. Max was quieter than usually that morning and when you’re seated and waiting for the five red lights to go off, you understand why.

The entire race is spent on the edge of your seat as you watch Max and Hamilton overtake one another. The entire arena is almost silent when your best friend crosses the line first and you shamelessly jump around cheering, copying everyone around you. You’re almost laughing with relief while you walk down to parc ferme to reunite with your friend.

By the time you get there, he’s just finished the post-race interview and is about to walk to the podium celebration when he sees you. An immediate grin paints both of your faces and you don’t hesitate to push through the crowd in front of the barriers. He meets you halfway and pulls you into a hug through the barricade, not caring about everyone who surrounds you.

He’s sweaty and the arms around you make you feel warmer than you already are but you’re both grinning because he’s the world champion and you’ve watched this all happen right from his side. It’s a hug that makes you question everything and you don’t think you’re going to hesitate to answer any of them.

Max’s flight is leaving tomorrow afternoon while yours in leaving tonight, so you watch him spray champagne on the podium and hug all his friends with a bittersweet smile. Your Uber arrives just as he’s leaving to celebrate with his team, so you send him off with a tight hug, a congratulations, and promises to see him in January. He’s still beaming at you through the window of the car and it’s an image that plays in your head through the rest of December.

You spend your holiday thinking things over, and you’ve decided to break up with Adrien the next time you see him. It’s not fair to be in a relationship when one of you isn’t totally happy with the other, and it’s not fair to be in a relationship where one person is constantly thinking of another.

You tell Adrien that you think you’re better off as friends, and understandably, he gives you a cold shoulder that matches the chilly January winds. Adrien leaves Monaco in February to go back to England to resume his medical studies and you can’t wholeheartedly say that you’ll miss him this time.

Max knows from Andy that you broke up with the Frenchman and he stays away for a few weeks in case you’re still getting over him but comes to your apartment around Valentines Day out of impatience. The Dutch man is a welcomed sight, and he happily reclaims his chair on your balcony and helps you make dinner, just as he’s done a million times before.

To make up for the time lost, Max comes over almost every day until he has to leave to train for the upcoming 2022 racing season at Red Bull Headquarters. In the true nature of your friendship, you welcome him home with a bag of cookies and without knowing it, you both decide you hope you don’t find another boyfriend anytime soon.

Life goes on a bit like this; Monday through Wednesdays, Max comes over for breakfast and dinner, the two of you somehow never running out of conversation. Thursday through Sundays, Max is in a different city, racing and dominating the track. Sunday nights and Monday mornings, a bag of cookies and a rant about the weekend is expected.

And every hour of every day, you two are unknowingly thinking about how much you wish the other would never leave. When you two hang out with your friends, they know for a fact that you two are the last people are Earth to know that Max likes you, and you like Max.

It’s every longing glance and hug that lasts a bit too long that reveals your feelings for one another. They think it’s adorable but also a bit pathetic because it goes on for months, so you can imagine the relief when the invitation arrives in Max’s mailbox.

The Grand Prix Trust is a charity used to support anybody that was actively involved in Formula 1. The Trust gave aid to anybody that was going through financial problems and enabled clients to continue in the motorsport industry. The charity allowed promising young drivers to continue competing and keep employees working with their teams.

Donations are the main source of income for the trust and to keep the flow of donations going, the team behind the cause chose to host a charity gala. It would be a huge event held in April and even though just about everyone in the F1 community was invited, plus one’s were heavily encouraged.

Max knew he was attending, it would be almost wrong not to, he just needed a plus one. The first and only person that came to mind was you, but if he wanted to bring you, he needed to ask you and that was far too nerve wracking.

He received the invitation a month in advance and both he and his date needed to RSVP within the week, which meant Max had less than 7 days to ask you.

He thought it over for a bit, and instead of asking you on your balcony over the dinner you made together, he accidentally blurted it out while you were cooking in your apartment. “Will you go to the charity gala with me?” He didn’t even realize that the words escape his mouth until you’ve turned around.

“What?” The Dutch wants to smack his own face in idiocy. “Oh, um, do you want to go to the charity gala? With me?”

He adds the last part quietly. Instead of laughing in his face like he thought you would, you smile at him. “Yeah, Max, I’d love to go with you” He has to move his head away, so you don’t see his reddened face and lovesick smile.

“Be careful, do you want to set off the smoke alarm again?” He jokes. “Do you not like how it turned out the last time that happened?”

You spend the days leading up to April 16th putting your outfit together and preparing yourself for the event. You weren’t usually nervous about these types of things, but Max told you to expect hundreds of people and you’ve never met any of them before, so you’re sure your anxiety is understandable.

You and Max speculate about the gala all the way until Saturday night when you’re in your respective apartments getting ready. Max has been ready for about half an hour and is waiting on his balcony, nervously. “Y/n! Are you ready yet?” He shouted, knowing that your balcony door was open enough to hear him.

“Almost! Two more minutes!” You yelled, putting your earrings in and checking yourself out in the mirror. You had a gorgeous dress on, shoes and jewelry to match, and a beautiful hairstyle to complete it. You stepped out onto the platform. “Okay! I’m ready!” You looked up to see Max standing over his railing.

“You look amazing, liefde” (love) The pet name slips out in his awed state. He’s known you for almost three years and he’s seen you dressed up before but not to this extent, he had to remind himself to close his mouth and stop staring. “Hold on, I’ll be right there!” He called out before closing the door and making his way down to your apartment.

He knocked on the door, even though he knew he didn’t have to. “Are you ready?” He said as he held out his hand once you opened the door. “Yeah, let’s go” You placed your hand into his outstretched one and locked your door.

He held the car door open for you and let music fill the nervous silence on the way there. The venue is just outside Monte Carlo, so it’s not a long drive but you feel like the scenery passes by slower than usual.

It’s an extremely high-profile event, so as soon as Max’s car pulls up in front of the red carpet leading up to the doors, the flashes of cameras fill your vision. The driver gets out before you to open the car door and offer his hand. As soon as your face is visible, the clicks of the photographers seem to multiply and the only thing you can do is to keep smiling while Max keeps a hand around the small of your back and guides you along with carpet.

Just as your neighbor told you, you only have to stop along the carpet to pose for photos, interviews are optional, and Max would gladly skip media at any event. The venue is beautiful, filled with people mingling around courting a date and champagne glass. He leads you to your table where a few people are already seated.

“Y/n, this is Daniel, and his girlfriend, Heidi” Max has told you all about the Australian Mclaren driver and you can’t help but mirror the smile on his face.

“Hi, Daniel, Max has told me all about you, it’s nice to meet the man behind the stories. And it’s nice to meet you, Heidi, I love your dress” You compliment the woman sitting beside Daniel.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Y/n. And Max has told me all about you too” The older man grins and winks at Max. “It’s nice to meet you as well, Y/n, you look beautiful” Heidi says. You thank her and Max points to the couple next to them.

“That’s Lando, and his girlfriend Luisa, that’s Charles, and his girlfriend Charlotte, and that’s Carlos, and his girlfriend, Isa” He finishes, pulling out your chair and sitting in his own.

“Everyone, this is Y/n” You smile at everyone around the table after Max introduces you. “Not your girlfriend, Max?” Lando jokes as Lusia hits his arm.

“No, I live in the apartment below him actually, and we’ve been friends since he first moved in” You deny, but no one missed the smile and blush on each of your faces.

“Y/n, do you want to go grab drinks with us?” Charlotte asks you. “Yeah sure, I’d love one” All five of you get up and they lead you to where a waiter is walking around with a tray. Max watches you talk and laugh with the other girls with an infatuated smile.

“Just friends for a while, Max?” Daniel teases.

“Yes, we are just friends” The Dutch shrugs.

“Well, you shouldn’t be” Lando emphasizes. “Mate, it’s so obvious you like each other. Tonight’s the perfect night, just tell her how you feel and kiss her”

“When did I ever tell you I liked her?” Max questions.

“You didn’t, it’s just extremely obvious” Carlos interrupts.

“Do not worry, Max. We saw the way she looks at you, trust me, she likes you” Charles assures. Just as Max is about to respond, the five girls walk back to the table, giggling.

“You picked a good one, Max” Luisa teases as you just blush and smile. “Okay, okay, that’s enough. Y/n, I’m going to go donate, do you want to come with me?” Your neighbor says, offering his hand once again. “Yeah sure, I’ll grab my purse” You reach behind you and get up from your seat, leaving your friends smirking at the table.

“I’m sorry about them, they just-” You interrupt. “Max, it’s fine. I like them” You squeeze his hand as you both place your donations.

You two go back to your table and continue to talk, mostly about you and Max. You share stories about each other over the years, all with grins and flushed cheeks. When the music starts playing, almost everyone seated floods to the main floor to dance to the live band on the stage. It’s mostly upbeat music until a slow song starts to play and people pair up on the floor.

“Will you dance with me?” Your date offers his arm. “Of course” You smile as you wrap your arms around his neck, and he moves his arms to around your waist. It should’ve been awkward, two ‘friends’ just staring into each other’s eyes, swaying to the music but it wasn’t. Max’s eyes were enchanting, and the music playing softly in the background created a beautiful atmosphere.

“Do you want to come outside with me?” He leans toward you, his lips brushing the shell of your ear. “Yes” You whisper back as your date takes your hand and leads you outside.

The venue has a patio overlooking the city and the view of all the shining lights below you combined with the glow of the stars above you sculpted a captivating scene.

He brings you to where the railing stands and grabs your hands. “Y/n” He takes a breath before staring into your eyes.

“Y/n, I really like you. I’ve liked you for a while now and I know you broke up with Adrien a few months ago and we live really close, and this could go terribly wrong, but I had to tell you”

“Every time I come to your apartment it’s like a completely different world, one where I don’t have to put on a face and answer a bunch of nosy questions, I can just breathe and talk and laugh with you for as long as I want and It’s the only world I want to live in. I know-” At that, you’re looking at him with so much love and the only thing you can think to do is cup his face and press your lips against his.

Max responds immediately, moving his hands around your waist and kisses you back. He moves his lips against yours before pulling away. “I really like you too, Max” you say, not moving your hands from his face. Even after his speech, his face didn’t redden until then.

You two walk back into the gala, smiling like idiots, and the eight others sitting at your table grinned knowingly.

“I’ve only known about those two for a few hours, but I feel like I’ve waiting ages for them to get together” Heidi says to her boyfriend.

“Yeah love, knowing him, they have”

#formula 1 driver imagines #reader insert #max verstappen x reader #formula 1 imagines #reader x f1 driver #best friends to lovers #slow burn #neighbor trope?

[sugolara]

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝

Feat. Katsuki Bakugo x Shoto Todoroki x Izuku Midoriya x fem! reader

A series. Book One

cw: gore, quirkless! au, apocalypse! au, zombie! au, weapons, death, angst, lots and lots of blood, cannibalism, suicidal thoughts, updates thursday/sunday, slow burn, cross-posted on ao3, wattpad, qoutev

˗ˏˋ+ ´ˎ˗ After a deadly virus leaks all over the world, every country is forced to close down it's borders and airports to prevent anyone from coming in and out. Though, it's to late for some people. The dead has rose and is looking for revenge.

Inspired by, ''The Walking Dead''

(ongoing)

playlist!

" Space Junk - Wang Chung " Wolf - First Aid Kit " Into The Black - Chromatics " My Life In Rewind - Eagulls " Hush - Trills " Bad Before Good - Dayone " Run Boy Run - Woodkid " You're So Cool - Jonathan Bree " So Bored - Gorgeous Bully " Operations - Duster " Blue Light - Mazzy Star " Civilian - Wye Oak " Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers " Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses " Skyfall - Adele " Struggling Man - Emily Kinney (original: Jimmy Cliff) " The Last Pale Light In The West - Ben Nichols " Up The Wolves - The Mountain Goats " Blackbird Song - Lee DeWyze " Be Gone Dull Cage - Kiev " Into Dust - Mazzy Star " Warm Shadow - Fink " Tomorrow Is a Long Time - Bob Dylan " Poison Tree - Grouper " Rhymes Of An Hour - Mazzy Star " You Are The Wilderness - Voxhaul Broadcast " Running - Delta Spirit " People, Turn around - Delta Spirit " The Lion's Roar - First Aid Kit " Pain - Boy Harsher " The Setup - Favored Nations " The Old Death - Ben Nichols " Revolution - Red Shahan " The Man Who Sold The World - Nirvana " Beautiful Mess - Balian " The Day The World Went Away - Nine Inch Nails " Mr. Splitfoot - Paris Motel " Empty Words - Bowery Electric " No Longer Making Time - Slowdive " Step Away from the Cliff - Blue-Eyed Son " Paradise - Silverberg " Take Care (To Comb Your Hair) - Ty Segall " Glad I Had a Friend - Galt MacDermot " Machine Gun - Portishead " Shadows of Planes - Duster " No Peace at All - Aldous Harding " Save Us from Ourselves - Digital Daggers " I'm No Heroine - Emily Wells " Salt in the Wound - Delta Spirit " It's All Right - Sam Cooke " To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra " 6 Underground - Sneaker Pimps " Edge Of The World - Dayshell " Bye Bye Bye - School of Seven Bells " Arsonist Lullaby - Hozier " It's All Over - Johnny Cash " The Stars Just Blink For Us - Say Hi " Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division " Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Guns N' Roses " Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty " Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band " You Are Not Alone - Mavis Staples " Welcome - Harmonia & Eno ‘76’ " Hope We Can Again - Nine Inch Nails " outside - Oneheart " sleepless - Odyzon " Alesund - Sun Kil Moon " Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd " Don Abandons Alice - John Murphy " Wicked Game - Chris Isaak " Rule of Rose OST - Playing Airship " 1908 - Repulsive " I Shall Cross This River - The Black Atlantic " Easy Way Out - Low Roar " Wherever You Are - Ulrich Schnauss

table of contents:

Season 1: Episode 1: Begin Episode 2: Not alone Episode 3: Gone but not forgotten Episode 4: You belong in this world Episode 5: Because all life is precious Episode 6: Musutafu, we'll meet again Episode 7: Izuku: I'd always thought there be more time

Season 2: Episode 8: During these two weeks Episode 9: Diopside, like your eyes Episode 10: For the first time in a long time Episode 11: Almost complete Episode 12: Determined to survive, stay alive Episode 13: Fear Episode 14: Katsuki: You are going to beat this world

Season 3: Episode 15: Away with you Episode 16: Three months ago Episode 17: Slowly withering away Episode 18: Don't die, not yet Episode 19: How long before I’m alone Episode 20: Nothing else to lose Episode 21: Shoto: Everything you would be will be gone

Season 4: Episode 22: Trouble Episode 23: For however long that'll be Episode 24: Searching Episode 25: The fallen city Episode 26: Stay who you are Episode 27: All together Episode 28: F/n: With you beside me

Season 5: Episode 29: Here Episode 30: Cruel Episode 31: Too loud Episode 32: Back on road Episode 33: All is lost Episode 34: Safe in your arms Episode 35: And so it begins Episode 36: At stake Episode 37: Sorry or whatever Episode 38: Familiar eyes

Season 6: Episode 39: A relief Episode 40: Upcoming trouble Episode 41: Never to easy Episode 42: To good for death Episode 43: Old memories Episode 44: A stroke of luck Episode 45: Be aware Episode 46: Bait Episode 47: A thump in my heart Episode 48: Belong to me Episode 49: One step closer (Towards you)

Season 7: Episode 50: Sorston Episode 51: Tenderness Episode 52: Here to stay Episode 53: The start Episode 54: Crushed Episode 55: Reporting to duty Episode 56: Good morning and goodbye Episode 57: An end to sorrow, grief & regret Episode 58: On the move Episode 59: Confirmation Episode 60: The world was on fire and no one could save me but you

Season 8: Episode 61: Not who you were Episode 62: Just you and me Episode 63: The Plaza Episode 64: The other side Episode 65: To be ready Episode 66: You're here Episode 67: So long, my dear Episode 68: Discard me Episode 69: Secrets you'll soon share Episode 70: I wish you nothing but the best Episode 71: For as long as I live Episode 72: Goodness and kindness can't survive, at least not in the world I dreamed of

Season 9: 6/16/04

to be continued...

Book two: To The One You Left Behind

taglist: @mikeyswifie @k0z3me @sky-angel101 @stevenknightmarc @nahwajinswhore @mn-0p @a-helen113 @azrral @mary-jinx @chixkadee @flowers-4-you @im-the-groot

#bnha shoto x reader #bnha tomura #bnha deku #bnha midoriya #bnha dabi #bnha class 1a #mha shouto x reader #mha denki #mha ochaco #mha bakugou #mha #bakugou x y/n #bakugou x reader #bakugo katuski #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki x reader #bakugou katsuki #katsuki x y/n #mha izuku #izuku midoria x reader #izuku x y/n #izuku x reader #mha midoriya #izuku midoriya #midoriya x y/n #shoto todoroki #shoto x you #todoroki shoto x reader #sugolara! #welcome to the new world

[paradiseprincesss]

paradise's masterlist.

☼ - fluff

❀ - smut

☽ - angst

jonathan crane (batman trilogy)

☼ espresso - a cute timeline of jonathan and readers relationship.

☼ imperfect for you - you and jonathan spend a quiet sunday morning together, and he comforts you after a rough week.

❀ stole your car - jonathan and you break up, but your willing to do just about anything to get his attention once more.

❀ experience - psychiatrist!reader falls in love with patient!jonathan crane.

❀☼ after hours - jonathan is your boss, and he seems to have it out for you.

❀ mind games - [DARK/NON-CON] stalker!jonathan crane develops an obsession with you, and he keeps tabs on you through his camcorder.

☼ intro (end of the world) - jonathan reflects on how much he truly loves and appreciates you.

☼ bye - whilst running away from your psychotic ex-boyfriend, you accidentally find yourself in the arms of a certain doctor turned villain.

☽ ghostin - your deceased fiancee visits you in your dreams.

❀☼ tattooed heart - you're rachel dawes's college-aged best friend and roomate. one day, your lecture notes get mixed up with her court documents, and in a rush to bring them to her at the courthouse, you accidentally bump into the infamous jonathan crane.

☽ eternal sunshine - after you leave the love of your life, you find it almost impossible to let him go. however, there's a new medical procedure that can be done to erase ones memories of a person permanently. out of pain and suffering, you make the conscious choice to forget about jonathan, even if it breaks your heart to let go of all the good memories along with the bad.

❀☼ goodnight n go - you're the little sister of rachel dawes, and one day while visiting her at work, you run into jonathan crane. the two of you are instantly drawn to one another, and when rachel confronts jonathan about falcone, he makes his attack on her - all while protecting you at all costs.

jackson rippner (redeye)

❀ double fantasy (part 1) - [DARK] you're an assassin offered 5 million dollars to take jackson down, but your plan doesn't pan out the way you hoped. ❀☼ double fantasy (part 2)

❀ diet mountain dew - jackson fucks his little angel after a hard day of work.

☼ don't wanna break up again - jackson falls in love with his targets girlfriend, and he finds out that the target is abusing her so he tries to save her.

neil lewis (watching the detectives)

loading...

robert fischer (inception)

❀☼ million dollar man - robert takes you on vacation for your anniversary, and you give him fashion show in the new lingerie he buys you as a thank you.

❀☼ pov - as a call girl, your life was chaotic, but you suddenly meet a client who changes your perspective of everything you thought you knew.

❀☼ supernatural - robert falls in love with his much younger sugar baby.

jim (delinquent season)

☼ CPR - you teach jim how to love again after his divorce.

thomas shelby (peaky blinders)

loading...

#jonathan crane x f!reader #jonathan crane x y/n #jonathan crane x you #jonathan crane x reader #dr jonathan crane #cillian murphy imagine #cillian fic #cillian murphy #cillian murphy fanfic #cillian fanfic #cillian x fem!reader #cillian murphy x reader #cillian x reader

[ghostlyarchaeologist]

Christian Kane Twirling Props: A Masterlist

Leverage

Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5

Leverage Redemption

Season 1 | Season 2

Kane's Kitchen

Season 1

The Librarians

Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4

Almost Paradise

Season 1 | Season 2

The Miscellaneous Section

Aka, the rest of his filmography!

#christian kane #christian kane twirling props: a series #leverage #leverage redemption #the librarians #almost paradise #a pinned masterlist to gather together all of the twirly boi's prop spinning #behold my masterpiece! #this was a truly epic series that turned out much larger than i expected it to! #current count: 183 twirls (and 184 gifs!) #and that will definitely be added to with redemption season 3 #so there will be an update around then! #ghostly'sgifs

[etrnlsanshine]

this is part two of (almost) all the fics I've read and enjoyed on here for you all to check out. go show some love to the creators! ✨ are all-time favorites. will be updated for ongoing fics and whenever I find new ones.

most of this is 18+ so please be aware of that. a note for the authors of these fics; if you're reading this, if possible, please lmk if you've changed your @, otherwise it'll be impossible to find these fics again. thanks so much!! <3

also, click here for smau fic recs! and click here for part one, which is fics with poly pairings.

✨perfidy by @in-san-ity oneshot, 20.8 k words, 18+

rotate by @lookingforluna oneshot, 9.4k words, 18+

✨murphy’s law by @atzfilm miniseries, completed, 5 chapters, 18+

✨back to you by @ateezmakemeweep mini series, completed, 12 chapters, 18+

broken by @atxxzist series, ongoing, chapter 6/?, 18+

oh he’s good by @yoongiseesawmp3 oneshot, 11.4k words, 18+

Crescent by @sorryimananti-romantic oneshot, 17k words

sharing is caring by @atzsslut oneshot, 5.4k words, 18+

live game by @nateezfics oneshot, 1k words, 18+

demon days by @agustdiv1ne oneshot, 5.5k words, 18+

seasons out of time by @nonclassyparty series, chapter 1/?, 44k words

✨the most brilliant darkness by @hongism oneshot, 26.4k words 

If Without You by @sorryimananti-romantic oneshot, 14k words 

good lil boy by @sorryimananti-romantic oneshot, 23k words, 18+

-none yet

stranger by @atzfilm oneshot, tiger hybrid!yeosang 

summer nights by @honeyhotteoks oneshot, 8.5k words, 18+ 

closer, face down by @ncteez oneshot, 14k words, 18+ 

it’s not living (if it’s not with you) by @urfavoritevampire series, ongoing, chapter 1/? 

promise by @sorryimananti-romantic oneshot, 23k words 

in this sweet flow by @hongism oneshot, 9.1k words, 18+ 

your hand by @smileysuh oneshot, 6.6k words, 18+ 

hide and seek by @kitten4sannie oneshot, 5.2k words, 18+ 

the kraken by @atzfilm oneshot, 25.5k words, 18+ 

caffeine addiction by @beginningofwonderland oneshot, 6.1k words, 18+

we all need love by @yunholuvrr

series, ongoing, chapter 6/?, 18+

out of the woods by @sluttywoozi

mini series, completed, chapter 3/3, 18+

most vulnerable by @taexual oneshot, 7.2k words 

happy accidents by @mingtinys oneshot, 4.5k words 

Like This by @hanjisungs-bigtittyg0thgf oneshot, 6.2k words, 18+ 

late night by @binniesbobastay oneshot, 18+ 

✨you’re the one that i want by @ateezmakemeweep series, completed, 25 chapters, 18+ 

playing with fire by @ateezmakemeweep mini series, completed, 5 chapters, 18+ 

a small secret by @seung-hwa oneshot, 7.3k words, 18+ 

✨paradise lost on AO3 series, completed, 10 chapters, 18+ 

#san x reader #seonghwa x reader #yunho x reader #mingi x reader #jongho x reader #yeosang x reader #hongjoong x reader #wooyoung x reader #ateez x reader #ateez smut #san smut #yunho smut #seonghwa smut #yeosang smut #jongho smut #hongjoong smut #wooyoung smut #mingi smut #choi san x reader #jeong yunho x reader #park seonghwa x reader #jung wooyung x reader #kim hongjoong x reader #kang yeosang x reader #song mingi x reader #choi jongho x reader #tay's fic recs

[dilftesbiggestfan]

No cause it’s so offensive to not defend your close friend who you know did nothing wrong WHILE on vacation that THEY took you to.

Why didn’t Garroth, Travis, and Nana jump in and say anything? Didn’t Garroth literally just mention a few episodes ago that Dante hasn’t dated anyone since Nana in Highschool? And Nana confirmed it by punching him, fully debunking the cheater propaganda and then Jess remembered that and showed us that he in fact didn’t cheat contradicting herself again for the 200th time. nah cause they were so fake to Dante I can’t believe he took them to a one week 5 star cruise afterwards none of them deserved it he’s better than me fr most annoying part of that season was when aphmau came in with her 4 foot self involving herself in something that had nothing to do w her and talking about some “where’s Dante I gotta teach him a lesson1!1!1 🤬” girl you barely reach his kneecap he can literally pick u up and throw you out of a window sit down you have much more important struggles to worry about like how your boyfriend can’t be around kids and how you almost dated your half brother. Now be grateful you’re even here in love love paradise mrs grown woman who swims with toddlers in the kiddies pool and Nicole.. you also grow up you’re crying childishly cause he doesn’t date you 💀 it’s not the end of world seriously get over it y’all never were and never will be a thing leave that man aloneeee there are many fish in the sea go date Katelyn instead if you want one with blue hair so badly

As usual Zane and Lucinda were the only reasonable, logical and smart two to not involve themselves in this mess

#And when Garroth and Travis were telling Dante to apologise.. Apologise for what? Not wanting to date somebody? 💀 #mystreet #dante aphmau #aphblr #aphmau dante #minecraft diaries #garroth ro'meave #laurence zvhal #aaron lycan #aphverse #nicole von ronsenburg #aphmau #travis valkrum #zane romeave #Nicole’s very pretty too she can get anyone she wants but she’s crying over Dante who doesn’t want her? Like… his loss girl but don’t haras #him go date Katelyn or something if you want a partner with blue hair that badly #Lucinda aphmau #Dante mystreet #nana ashida #Don’t take this too seriously I’m not genuinely mad over blocks I like being overdramatic to make it sound more entertaining that’s all #I don’t genuinely hate anyone mentioned here #Except garte but I didn’t mention him just thought I’d say I hate him cause I do

[kylobith]

Little Town Tails

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Summary: After saving up for years, Halsin fulfils his dream and opens his veterinary practice in a quaint little town.

Ship/Pairing: Halsin x Fem!Tav

Trope: Modern AU, Meet-cute, Little countryside town, Cosy

Word count: 1,441

Read it on Ao3 here

Listen to the dedicated playlist on Spotify here

Sunlight pierces through the cherry blossoms, dancing upon the cobblestone of the old arched bridge leading into Heawick. It is a quaint little town, tucked away between rolling hills dotted with hazel trees, a grove, and meandering streams. No modern architecture has defaced its landscape, leaving its traditional limestone facades to stand the test of time, which they did brilliantly.

After all, anybody lucky enough to settle down in Heawick can only fall in love with its old streets and picturesque shopfronts, and this urged most of the inhabitants to care for the outside of their homes almost as much as they did the inside. Those who are too old to tend to them can usually rely on the kindness of good-hearted neighbours, who do not hesitate to lend a hand for anything. Trimming the growing ivy without removing it, plucking juicy fruits from branches, cleaning windows; there is never a task too daunting when it comes to helping out.

It is early on a spring morning and the elderly man who lives nearest to the bridge has already been up and about for hours to water every planter lining up the road and hanging from the old lampposts with their flaky paint. Another project held captive in the neverending pile of documents and forms on Mayor Ravengard’s desk.

The bakery at the corner of the first crossing has long finished its first batches of pastries and bread, filling the air with mouthwatering scents. A few souls are already dragging their feet to its doors, still wiping the sleep out of their eyes as they seek some warm breakfast. On the opposite side of the street, a sweaty young man carries crates full of fruits and vegetables. He sets them up outside the greengrocer's shop, ensuring they are stable enough to sustain the shaking and bumping of passersby and customers.

Near the tiny park at the heart of the town, some owners walk their dogs, waving at neighbours and friends, wishing one another good morning when they have enough caffeine in their veins to wake them up. The barber reads his newspaper on one of the benches, seizing the opportunity to enjoy the first beautiful day of the season before going to work.

All is well in Heawick, as it always is. It is rarely eventful since so few people inhabit it.

‘Come here, Scratch. Good boy.’

While giving the white dog a loving pat between the ears, Halsin turns the sign on the door, officially opening his practice. He leans casually against the doorframe, his gaze fixed on the world beyond his house, a triumphant surge coursing through his veins. So many years of hard labour and sacrifice, this seemingly small victory holds the weight of a lifetime’s worth of dedication and perseverance.

After perusing office space offers on every website known to man and visiting many a wretched place, having found this little corner of paradise to establish himself was nothing short of a miracle. And what a place it is!

Everything is ready for him to welcome his first furry patients. After renovating the place himself, he designed a welcoming surgery for owners and animals alike, creating an environment in which he would not mind staying for hours on end every day. Each nook and cranny has been sterilised for the animals’ well-being and he dedicated a corner for the comfort of his own dog, whom he expects to become his official assistant. Photographs of Scratch and the pets of friends from his hometown printed on canvas are the only decorations in the waiting room, ornamenting the otherwise dull, pastel-blue walls. At the welcome desk, a duck he whittled himself sits on top of the counter between two bowls of treats; one for the pets, one for the anxious owners.

Karlach, his newly hired assistant, insisted on having more decorations brought in, but Halsin was more than hesitant to indulge her. While the young woman certainly is enthusiastic enough for both of them, he can tell that if he does not put his foot down, the practice would have stuffed animals from floor to ceiling.

After giving the place yet another proud look, Halsin walked over to the reception, sneaking a treat to Scratch on the way. He sits behind the computer and plays old-timey folk music from his music library. He stretches his back and spins around on his chair, kicking his feet.

Now he just has to wait.

While one of his favourite songs plays, he browses the latest wildlife photographs on the National Geographic website, smiling at the wholesome snapshots and zooming on each of them to observe any detail capturing his attention. He is halfway through the second page and sipping his cold herbal tea when the door opens and the little bell tinkles. His eyes shoot up and he stands from his chair.

But it is no patient. It is merely Melly, the baker’s mother, who comes to bring him some fruit pastries wrapped up in a small lavender-coloured box topped with a bow. As soon as she catches a glimpse of him, her eyes illuminate and she gives him a wave.

‘Good morning, Halsin, dear!’ she chimes.

Grinning from ear to ear, he bypasses the desk and comes to shake the old lady’s hand. Curled up on his cushion, Scratch looks up, but ignores her arrival and goes back to sleep.

‘Good morning, Melly,’ he greets her back. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘Oh, nothing, love, nothing at all! I came to see how you were faring on your first day.’

Halsin gazes around with a chuckle.

‘It has been quiet so far. In fact, you are the first person to walk in.’

‘Is that so? Ah, well, do not worry, dearie. The people in this town have been praying for a doctor and a veterinarian closer to home for decades. They will come.’

The thought warms up the man’s heart. Not that he has been worrying about the lack of patients so far, but he has come to wonder on multiple occasions about how long it would take for the first appointments to come in. He has bills to pay after all, and the renovation of what used to be a woodworker’s shop was not cheap, no matter how many things he did himself to save up on better equipment.

‘Would you like some tea, Melly?’

‘Oh, no, darling, thank you,’ she chuckles with a dismissing wave of her hand. The old woman hands him the lavender box. ‘I brought you this, thought you might need a little encouragement for your first day.’

‘How lovely of you, thank you!’

‘I will not linger, I fear that my old face would scare even the sickest hound away,’ she jokes while patting his shoulder. ‘Would you like me to take some of your business cards to display at the bakery? I’m sure that my son would not object.’

Melly does not even wait for him to respond before grabbing a quarter of the cards neatly stacked on the countertop. She shoves them in her cardigan’s pocket. The garment seems to have survived many decades, yet has retained its charm. Halsin always finds himself smiling at the sight of the ducks knitted around the waistline, complementing the beige diamond stitches all over it.

‘Do you need me to bring you lunch later, love?’

‘No, Melly, thank you. I have already planned my next few meals, but it is nice of you to offer.’

‘Very well,’ she smiles, patting his cheek. ‘You know where to find me if you need anything.’

‘I do. Thank you for everything.’

Out of courtesy, he accompanies her to the door, the pastry box seeming so tiny in his large palm, when it is a normal size in anybody else’s grasp. Before leaving, Melly turns to look at him, running a wrinkled finger underneath her chin.

‘Where is that eccentric assistant of yours? Is she not helping you today?’

‘Karlach? Oh, she is touring the neighbouring towns to leave calling cards in shops and town halls.’

‘Oh, good, good. What a tempest, this girl!’

Halsin laughs, scratching the back of his head.

‘She is, but I am sure that the animals will love her. I can already tell that she will love them first anyway.’

‘Well, as long as she works well…’

Without adding another word, Melly crosses the road, absent-mindedly waving at him while she looks around for cars. Once the old lady has returned to the bakery, Halsin takes a deep breath of countryside air and moves to close the door.

That is when he sees her.

#Halsin #Halsin Silverbough #Halsin x Tav #Tav #Baldur's Gate 3 #BG3 #Baldur's Gate #Halsin x OC #Halsin x Fem!Tav #Modern AU #BG3 modern au #bg3 romance #BG3 fanfiction #BG3 fanfic #BG3 fic #Baldur's Gate 3 fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #Little Town Tails

[anonnnimaaa]

Why does the main couple of Alice in Borderland have so many similarities with Aruani? LET'S ANALYZE WITH ANÓNIMA

Similarities between Armin and Arisu:

1. They are both extremely intelligent and at first are not able to see their potential, they always depended on their friends to believe in themselves. Examples: When Armin convinced the troops that Eren was not an enemy thanks to Eren and Mikasa's motivation and when Arisu won his first game thanks to Karube telling him that he would get them out of there.

2. Both had survivor syndrome, as a result of these events, in the case of Armin when he received the serum on Erwin and in Arisu's case after overcoming the game of tag. They both have low self-esteem and, in the case of Arisu in that game, he also blames himself for not thinking of a better solution, since logic and strategy was always his strong suit and he desperately wanted to protect his friends, do you think? remember someone?

3. Both go through a period of wanting to die and hating life, they are constantly thinking about sacrifice for the good of others, we see this facet of Arisu more developed in the second season (the game of the king of clubs) while with Armin remains persistent throughout the anime.

4. They have been seen planning strategies with their respective teams, being the ones who organize what will be done next and give the respective orders, they influence others thanks to their great intellect, ability to speak that they develop thanks to the fact that they acquire more confidence in themselves. People listen to them and admire them, they also expect them to be the ones with the answers and they put responsibilities on them that they feel unworthy of most of the time.

Similarities between Usagi and Annie:

1. They are very reserved girls, they hardly open up to anyone easily, although if you break their shell you can see that they are a teddy bear. This shell is born because they have Daddy issues, Usagi because her negligent father preferred to climb the mountain rather than stay with his daughter, and Annie because Mr. Leonhart's son of a bitch treated her as if she were a weapon.

2. Because of these, the two women believe that the only one they can trust is their father. However, due to the trauma, they both begin to feel more alive when they are away from home, Usagi in Borderland, because she does not have to feel that her father abandoned her, and Annie in Paradise, away from her father's abuse. For both of them, their father in almost the entire series is their reason for being and acting.

3. They are both athletic, again due to the influence of their dads. However, they never leave behind their intelligence or their human senses despite wanting to be lone wolves. Usagi shows great empathy for those around them and despite her traumas and believing that at first she had to be alone to survive, she manages to open up and give life another chance. Annie is shown to be kind in Paradise, saving several comrades she had to betray and in the end, returning to save the world, because atoning for her sins and having a new beginning becomes more important than her father.

4. Both Usagi and Annie are the only ones who manage to motivate Arisu and Armin. Not only do they look for answers in them, but they challenge them and make them rethink things, making their romantic interests grow thanks to that.

#armin arlert #aruani #annie leonhart #aot #armin x annie #alice in borderland #arisu ryohei #usagi yuzuha #similarities #analysis

[tismrot]

UNHEALTHY, NEURODIVERGENT GOOD OMENS BRAINROT

It really gets to me - how my brain was my own (my obsessions, emotions and intrusive thoughts were about me, my life, my relationships) until I watched that last episode.

I’d seen Season 1 a couple of years back and thought it was cute. I noticed the #ineffablehusbands hashtag via Instagram and I remember thinking “aww” - I didn’t care all that much. It wasn’t a Thing for me.

And then I notice season 2 is out on Prime, I wait a couple of weeks to see it and then, having finished some other shows I needed something new to watch while walking on my treadmill.

First episodes were… cozy. I shamefully have to admit I went “oh, right, they had that impossible love thing going on” when watching these episodes, and I thought it would be nice if they got together by the end, and it certainly looked like it was heading there, in a meandering, fuzzy way.

By the fifth episode I’m quite invested, of course, and after Beelz and Gab revealed their love in episode six, I was like YEAH, now Aziraphale and Crowley kinda gotta, don’t they? Still no brainrot yet, just the regular “I’ve watched almost all of this show now and the main characters are into each other, so I’m rooting for them”.

And then, of course, the Final Fifteen. It took me from [casual viewer in her 30s] to [teenaged, autistic me, alone in my room all of the equivalent of junior high, obsessively teaching myself to read and understand Elvish, sewing elven dresses for myself that I wore to school, listening to nothing but Gregorian chants and the LotR soundtrack, watching the movie until the cassette was ruined].

I’ve now read Ars Goetia, Paradise Lost and Dante’s Inferno. I re-read all of Jane Austen (and I’m not even a fan). I bought the script book, I’ve read thousands of pages of fanfics, and I’ve written probably 300 myself (of which some is published. It’s not very good, but it’s there, I made it, it’s the child of my brain that was born from this obsession). I draw again, and I haven’t for years. Everything I do and say and feel finds a parallel or reference within then GO universe.

And. I mean. I may be autistic, but since the days in my room during my teen years, I have lived. I have been around the block and I haven’t kept my nose clean, I’ve been terrible and terrific and out there, I’m an extrovert and I’ve made so many friends and enemies, I have experiences. When I was 14, I had very little of that at all. I did not see the brainrot coming, I had no idea I was still capable, I thought my own life had been dramatic enough.

3 months later, and I still can’t sleep. I see them when I close my eyes. I watch other kind of media and make notes for my fic. I want to break free, but God knows I’ve fallen in love, and I am BROKEN over this. Give me season 3 or give me a stash that lasts until then.

(This gif depicts me throwing Good Omens out of my brain)

#crowley #good omens fandom #ineffable husbands #aziraphale x crowley #good omens 2 #crowley x aziraphale #ineffable spouses #innefable husbands #crowley edits #ineffable divorce #good omens brainrot #good omens tv #crowley good omens

[skyeblue8]

𝓐ɳԃ Ɲσɯ ᗯҽ Ԩαʋҽ 𝜏ԋҽ Sɬσ𝜏ԋ Ꮢιɳց... 💤

-> This was arguably one of my more easier headcanons to come up with as a lot of the Ring's aesthetic, and its overall theme is inspired both by my favorite indie character/game, Albert Krueger from Dream Therapy With Dr. Albert Krueger.

-> Some of the inspo for this was also taken from fellow Tumblr user @gravcore and their design of Belphagor (who may be female in my headcanon going from her brief mention in Episode 8, Season 1):

-> For those who haven't played or seen the game, be sure to refer to that as I'll be referencing a lot of what happens in the game into this Ring.

-> Honestly, something about the main guy being a demonic dream doctor/therapist just works perfectly for Sloth's central themes with medicine and demons. Plus, the world's set in a futuristic-esque scene so it just fits like a glove.

Now, onto the usual world development...

·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊

┊ ┊ ┊ ✧

┊ ┊ ✦

┊ ✧

✦

Sloth's Environment:

✧ Now, contrary to what I just stated above, there were a few minor difficulties in deciding how I wanted to world of the Sloth Ring to be laid out. For starters, I didn't want to reuse the cloud-like atmosphere I used in Lust cause that would just make it less unique to the environment.

✦ To counter this issue, I headcanon that the skyline and general atmosphere in Sloth is always dim and always patterned with stars and large, oval-shaped portals within the sky that look like planets from a far distance. The ground beneath the demons' feet in this Ring is entirely non-existent, being little more than a permanent pitch-black copy of the night sky on Earth.

✧ The Ring's color scheme will be directly similar to that of DTWAK in the aspect that it will be blue, light blue, hot pink, and magenta. I'd also accept things like light blue, deep blue and turquoise like the picture above as it reminds me of the Aurora Borealis which has its own dream-like feel to it. Despite the general time of day in Hell, it'll almost always resemble night in Sloth.

✦ As for the general layout of the Ring, I wanted to make it a technological dreamscape world with a semi-city-esque environment like some of the Envy and one of my other future Rings. Moreover, I believe Sloth would coincide with the whole deception theme that we've seen in Envy and Lust:

✧ Again, with reference from @gravcore, Sloth will essentially resemble a rather sleepy, but widespread environment, namely in the residential areas with bright, sparkly wires stringing from the buildings.

✧ In the notably more city-like areas, however, it'll establish just how heavily advanced in technology the Ring is. The notably tallest structures will be places like hospitals, shopping centers, cell-towers, companies, advanced arcades, and relaxation centers.

✦ Actually, now that I think about it, I'll be keeping the aspect from Vivzie's version of Sloth that the place has various floating islands & buildings in the environment that'll reside atop various microchip-ridden clouds that drift near the floating portals mentioned earlier. (Said portals only lead to various locations within the Ring itself, btw).

✧ I'm aware I gave the floating island idea to Envy as well, but that just goes along with Envy's propensity to steal ideas from other Rings.

✦ Moreover, the Sloth Ring in itself looks like a futuristic paradise where people don't need to move, grow, develop/change for the better, or utilize a great deal of effort in their day-to-day lives. The technology here is by far the most advanced in Hell, and the Ring is often praised for its frequent new developments in the general STEM field/Entertainment field.

✧ In terms of entertainment, it specializes in its constant creation of new apps, video games, phones, laptops, TV's, VR simulations, and all the good stuff people like to indulge in.

✦ In terms of medical STEM advancements, it's a wide and unashamedly mass producer of various drugs and narcotics unique to Hell that makes the masses happy/content. (Said drugs are referenced to the Joy drugs in "We Happy Few")

✧ Now, what all these hospitals, drugs, relaxation centers, and various technological devices being massed produced by Belphagor all have in common is that they function more as "Soul Suckers" much like the succubi in Lust. For instance:

★ Hospitals/Drugs = Soul Suckers -> Rather than helping sinners w/ physical or mental illnesses, they actively work to either numb the sinner via Belphagor's special "Happy Pills" or straps them in and allow their condition to worsen so their souls drain away while in the Hospital

☆ Screens = Soul Suckers -> They do the same thing, though with a person's laziness and procrastination that makes them ignore their own needs until they waste away from lack of regulation

★ Relaxation Centers -> You get the jist. They turn too much relaxation and exploit into soul-draining under the guise that you're "getting better" or "de-stressing"

✦ Now, for the sinners who get their souls sucked within any of Belphagor's establishments, they have a relatively decent chance of becoming one her Dream-eaters (DTWAK). It's not a paradise, though, as their minds and bodies are lost and they become devout drones until she "relieves them" of their duties. You'd have to go through some pretty tough shit in order to get actual Healthcare in Hell, well, in Sloth, anyway.

·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙

Sloth's Residents:

✧ To keep this from getting too long, here are our Hellborns/Sinners:

-> Dreamcatchers (@gravcore); Cyborg/Normal Candlehead Goat demons (I know that's Bephomet, pls just roll with it) [Hellborns]

-> Dream-eaters, Hell-born/Sinner cross-mutants, anyone else [Typical Sinners]

·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙★•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙

✦ Nothing much left to say about the residents except that they're fairly lazy due to their environment. Those who are cybernetic are fairly a little more energized and useful to Belphagor moresoe than those who aren't, ironically. For more about the Dreamcatchers, check the link above.

✧ The Sinners here are really anyone who wasn't mentioned as Hellborns, and are also closely associated with either the night or laziness. Their color schemes differ from the Ring and those from it.

✦ The High-class is really made up of whomever has or spreads enough laziness or leisure to affect the rest of Hell (i.e. Vox or highly successful pro-gamers or manufacturer). The "low-class" would essentially be those too lazy and unmotivated to even leave their houses, thus developing a rather sloppy, poor visage; Dream-eaters; and the Dreamcatchers (sry Mx. Creator) as they're seen as pests given how they like to affect dreams and (in my headcanon) feed off the dreams and, in turn, the souls when people are sleeping. No one knows how they keep getting into houses.

....

-> Also, can anyone please give notes if my headcanons don't make any sense? Please! The feedback is greatly appreciated 😊

#Sloth Ring #helluva boss critical #vivziepop critical #helluva boss critique #helluva boss criticism #hazbin hotel critical #helluva critical #helluva boss #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel critique #Skye Blue's 7 Sins #helluva boss rewrite #rewrite #DTWAK

[barclaysangel]

Junior Wheeler if he was 9 years old during season 1 of Chucky (oneshot)

Hey y’all! I could not for the life of me figure out a proper name for this oneshot, so this is what we got. This AU totally escalated and I needed to write something involving it. In this AU, Junior is 9 and the younger cousin to Jake. Caroline and Lexy are also twins and 9 years old in this AU, but they won’t be mentioned in this oneshot.

Idk if I’ll continue writing this AU because I hate following the show’s timelines. But if y’all just want fun found family stuff where Junior’s 9 and doesn’t follow any timeline, then maybe I’ll do that instead. Also I wrote this within 3 days and without rewatching 1x08 so this is all by memory. Pls lemme know what you thought about this! Comments help fuel and motivate me!

Enjoy :)

Tags: @series-thoughts @zelinksupporter @streets-in-paradise

Word count: 2.3K

Junior didn’t mean for things to get this far. 

Chucky wanted him to kill his dad but he couldn’t. How could he? Sure, his dad was mean sometimes. Sure, he put Junior on a diet and was constantly having him run laps. Sure, if his dad was angry he would grip onto Junior’s shoulders so tightly that he would leave bruises—bruises that would be obvious right now if he didn’t have a shirt on. But that didn’t mean that he wanted to kill the only adult left in his family. 

And then his dad called him and his mom a “quitter”. 

What happened next was something he couldn’t quite process just yet. 

His dad started to go downstairs and without thinking, Junior’s temper got the best of him. 

He pushed him down the stairs. 

His dad stumbled forward and then fell, smacking his head what looked like a hundred times before finally making it to the bottom…

…and a pool of blood began forming from his skull and slowly surrounding his body. 

After that, it was like a blur.

Everything seemed to go far too fast for Junior to control and the next thing he knew, he was at Chucky’s house with that blonde woman that looked so familiar, Tiffany.

Wasn’t he supposed to feel different now? His dad was dead, Junior was finally free…but why didn’t he feel free? He didn’t feel safe. He couldn’t even eat the chocolate chip cookies that Tiffany gave him, his stomach was just twisting in knots. 

One door, one…two…three…four windows. He noted in his head, going back to a habit he had whenever his dad yelled at him, counting every single exit strategy he could find. 

It felt like he might need it, with all the Chucky dolls that were in the room and the other woman that called herself Chucky. Something about her seemed so bold yet also mean. But it’s not like Junior had anywhere else to go. He had no parents and he doubted that Jake would want to be around him. Junior was always a brat to him. Jake would rather be with Devon. 

Except Devon was tied to a chair right now and kept staring at Junior, wanting him to help him. But there wasn’t anything Junior could do, he was too afraid. He just had to keep looking away. 

At least Tiffany was nice to him, he could accept that. There was something almost motherly about her, but it made him want to cry if he focused too hard on that. 

He missed his mom so much…

“Well, I don’t see a lady.” Junior suddenly heard the woman Chucky say to Tiffany, having been so distracted that he missed almost the entire conversation. The way woman Chucky stood up and faced off to Tiffany reminded Junior far too much of his father’s intimidating stance. 

Before he had time to really try and find more similarities, Tiffany smacked the woman Chucky so hard she fell to the floor and the slap was almost loud enough to echo in the entire room. 

Junior gasped and jumped, his eyes now locked on the fallen woman. Then, it was like something strange happened. She seemed to have woken up, looked around the room in both confusion and horror, and then looked right at him. 

Suddenly, she didn’t look like she did before. She looked almost afraid and panicked. 

Maybe it was because Tiffany hit her? He thought to himself. 

Then Chucky, the one in the doll that Junior had been carrying on him until he got to the house, told Tiffany to kill her. 

Tiffany looked like she was about to cry but the woman Chucky didn’t look at her. She kept looking at Junior instead, staring at him in a way as if she was trying to figure out why he was here. But she should’ve known that since he had been there for almost an hour, right? 

“Junior, kill her!” 

Junior was snapped out of it, blinking a few times as he stared at the doll. “W…what?”

“Come on, you already bumped your dad off already! She shouldn’t be any different, she can’t even move!” Chucky snapped at him, once again reminiscent of his father. 

Junior looked down at the woman again and she was shaking her head just slightly. This time instead of looking fearful, she held a comforting gaze, whispering something to him about how it was going to be okay. He wasn’t sure if that was actually what she was saying, there was a roaring in his ears and his heart was racing far too fast. He couldn’t breathe and soon his vision blurred with tears filling his eyes. 

I don’t want to do this! 

I don’t want to kill anyone!

I just want Jake! 

I want my mom! 

I want to go home!

A small squeak of distress left Junior’s lips and then Tiffany was lunging at the doll Chucky with what looked to be a small knife in her hand. Before he could keep watching, the woman Chucky’s hand grasped onto his shirt and tugged him down, moving to his knees. Then her hands were around his face, a gentle grip on him to keep his face right in front of hers. 

“Look at me, okay?” She said quickly. “Don’t look behind me, just look at me. You don’t need to see that.” 

She was probably right because Junior wasn’t sure if he did want to see since he could hear both Tiffany and doll Chucky screaming, so he kept his eyes on the other woman. 

“What’s your name?” 

“Huh?” 

“What’s your name, kiddo?” 

“J-Junior…Junior Wheeler.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Junior. I’m Nica, Nica Pierce.” 

“I thought your name was Chu—��� 

“I’m not him,” Nica quickly said, “He…he’s not here right now, I am. I won’t hurt you, I promise.” She spoke in a reassuring tone and even though Junior wasn’t sure if he believed her, something about her genuine eyes made him think that he’ll be okay. 

“How old are you?” She asked this time. 

“Nine.” 

“You’re so young…are you in fourth grade?” 

Junior shook his head. “Third.” 

“What’s your favorite subject?” 

“English…I like reading.” 

“That’s good, reading is really important.” Nica smiled softly at him and Junior couldn’t help but to return the smile. 

“Do you like music?” 

“Yeah, I do.” 

“What’s your favorite song?” 

“...‘We Got The Beat’ by The Go-Go’s.” 

“The Go-Go’s? You got good taste, kid.” She chuckled a little. 

Chucky’s voice screaming out cut off the questions, “YOU FUCKI–!” 

Nica’s hands moved up from his cheeks to his ears, cupping them in an attempt to block the sound of the angry doll’s cursing. Junior couldn’t hear what exactly she was saying but through the muffled noise, he could understand enough that she was telling him that it’ll be okay and to breathe. 

He didn’t understand the “breathe” part at first until he noticed that his breathing had picked up again. Junior kept looking at Nica and started mimicking her own breathing, in through his nose and out through his mouth. The more he looked at her, the more he realized that her eyes were gentle and comforting, as if all she cared about in that moment was him. 

It reminded him so much of the way his mom would look at him. 

And somehow, in all that chaos, he started to feel safe. 

For just a brief moment, Junior looked over Nica’s shoulder to see Tiffany starting to approach them, a needle in her hand. “What are you doing?” He blurted out without thinking, not entirely sure if the needle was meant for him or for her. 

Nica seemed to know the answer because she whipped and immediately moved herself up enough–somehow not moving her legs despite Junior having seen her walking before–to shield him with her own body, and even had her arms out to make sure he stayed behind her. “Tiffany, please. Let Junior go. He’s just a child.” 

“I’m not gonna hurt him! I’d never hurt him,” Tiffany said as she waved around the needle, certainly not making Junior feel relieved over her comment, “besides, he has no father anymore. No mother. And every little boy needs a mother.” 

“And you think you’ll be a good enough mother for him? Tiffany, you’re a murderer.” Nica spat out, venom in her voice. 

“So is he,” Tiffany retorted in a casual tone, “he pushed his daddy down the stairs. He already has such great potential!” 

“I didn’t mean to…” Junior whispered so quietly he barely heard himself. But Nica must have, because she didn’t move away from him at all. In fact, she moved herself just enough that she almost completely blocked his view of Tiffany with her head. 

“You manipulated him,” Nica started, “you and Chucky both did. What he needs is stability and he sure isn’t going to get it from you.” 

“Of course he will! He’ll be with us!” Tiffany replied enthusiastically and took another step closer to the both of them. “My twins are getting older, they’ll be adults soon and they’re off doing their own things. But with you…we can start over! We can raise Junior and be a happy little family!” 

Twins? Junior thought to himself, unaware that Tiffany and possibly even Chucky had children. What did that mean? Were they humans like Tiffany? Or dolls like Chucky? Junior doubted he’d get an answer nor did he fully believe that he wanted an answer anyway. 

Once again looking over someone’s shoulder, there was a man. He didn’t recognize him but there was a gun in his hand, looking at Devon and then at the three of them. Junior opened his mouth to say something but Nica beat him to it. 

“You really think that you’re capable of having a family and being happy?” Nica laughed sarcastically, almost sounding like Chucky for a moment. “You’re not. Everything you touch, you destroy. You don’t know how to love…and you certainly don’t deserve love either.” 

Tiffany looked at Nica as if she had been the one to get slapped, shaking her head with tears now in her eyes. “No…that’s not you saying that, Nica baby. That’s Chucky.”

Nica leaned a little more forward to face Tiffany, away from Junior and he was now able to see the man getting closer as quietly as he could until he was almost right behind Tiffany. “Oh no, Tiff…this is all me. Not Chucky. Me.” She said strongly, keeping herself in front of Junior. 

Before Tiffany could do anything, the other end of the gun that the man was holding connected to her head. He must have hit her much harder than when she hit Nica just a few minutes ago because she was unconscious before hitting the ground. 

There was silence for maybe a second or two before the man pointed his gun at Nica. “Kid, get away from her!”

Junior’s eyes widened and he tried to throw himself in front of Nica. “No!” 

His attempt failed because Nica immediately used her arm to push him back behind her. “Junior, stay back!” She told him quickly and kept herself in front of him in a protective manner. 

The man still had the gun pointed at them, more at Nica but Junior was right behind her, but she began speaking to the man. “You’re Andy, right?” Nica asked him and Junior supposed that she took his silence for a yes. “I’m Nica. Chucky, he-he possessed me but I’m not him, I’m me. I’m in control right now.” 

The man—Andy—didn’t seem to believe her so Junior managed to speak up. “It’s-it’s true…Tiffany hit her and then she was Nica. She’s nice to me…please don’t kill her…please…” 

Junior started to find it hard to breathe, tears filling his eyes once more just as Nica spoke again. “Andy, please. I’m not going to hurt anyone, just please put the gun down…you’re scaring him.” 

Andy looked right at Junior, not saying anything before he slowly lowered his gun and Junior felt like he could breathe again. “Are you Junior?” Andy asked him and he nodded after a moment. “Your cousin, Jake, told me to find you.” 

Jake’s okay…he wanted to find me…I’m not a brat to him! He must love me then! Junior thought to himself but decided not to voice them out loud. Instead, he looked over at Devon and pointed at him. “Chucky tied Devon up. He needs help.” 

Andy nodded and put his gun in his pocket, going over to untie Devon. Junior managed to hear Nica quietly say something along the lines of, “Did I do that?” before she turned her attention back to Junior and cupped his face softly. “You okay, honey?” 

“Uh huh.” He nodded, no longer feeling like he was about to burst into tears. That was a good thing, his father would complain about him not being a man if he did end up crying. 

Nica smiled gently at him, her eyes so caring. “We’re going to get you out of here, okay? You’re gonna be back with your cousin and be safe and sound before you know it.”

“But…what about you? You’re coming with me, right?” 

“I can’t stay here, I don’t know what Tiffany will do to me. So I’ll be leaving too,” Nica reassured him and smiled at Junior again, “we’ll figure everything out together. You ready to go, Jun?” 

He didn’t know what was going to happen next. Where he or Jake will go, what will happen to Nica. He hated not knowing. But he didn’t have any other choice. He couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t stay with killers even though he was one now. 

So Junior nodded and looked at Nica as bravely as he could. 

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

#Luna talks #admin #Chucky #Chucky 2021 #Child’s Play #Junior Wheeler #Nica Pierce #Andy Barclay #Tiffany Valentine #Charles Lee Ray #Devon Evans #Jake Wheeler #Logan Wheeler #Little Junior AU #Little Junior Wheeler #Chucky fic #AU