#and maybe you would have a jet ski by now

[misskattylashes]

My controversial Milex theory

So, common lore is that Miles has always been this free and easy, liberated rocker, and Alex was the repressed, closeted one, holding Miles back from coming out. But recent events have made me think differently. There was the Miles at church thing, the realisation from Knee Socks that that is possibly about Miles and his religious guilt (the ghost in your room etc), and now the Suki Waterhouse thing. He has deliberately posted her song, congratulating her on her hit. It is an unusual move for him, but there won’t be any speculation about them because she is settled with Robert Pattison and they have recently had a baby. It is like Miles is making an effort to show there is no bad blood between them.

Why? Well I am thinking that maybe he is gearing up to come out, and seeing as Suki was his biggest publicised romance and she was supposed to have left him for Bradley Cooper (who it is rumoured also gay/bi) then Miles is now saying between the lines that it is no big deal what happened between them.

Alex always gets the bad rap because he is the one who has had long term girlfriends, but I think we have to look closer at Miles. He too has been in situations where he was sticking his tongue down the throat of a Page Three Girl or some model, and his lyrics in the early days were full of ‘she’ and ‘girl’ much more than FWN or Humbug. Even his videos always had females in them, just as much as AM’s videos (and let’s not forget, Alex has never fully interacted with a woman in an MV).

Personally, I think from 2008 – 2015 Miles and Alex had a casual thing going, but listening to Alex’s lyrics from this period, I would say that he realised early on that he was in love with Miles, and it was an open secret. See any clip of the Monkeys being interviewed around this time and the other boys pull faces when he talks about Miles. Whereas I think Miles was still convincing himself he could ‘go straight’ if he wanted to. I say this because in between DWYA and CDG we have EYCTE, and twice Alex has made reference to them ‘falling in love’ during this time, and by the end of the tour, Miles looks as lovesick and smitten with Alex as Alex has with him since 2008. Miles could no longer fight his feelings and had to come to terms with his sexuality, but by then he had mucked Alex around too much, and Alex had to go back to being CEO of Arctic Monkeys, so Alex wouldn’t commit to him. Hence you get CDG (but you also get the Ultracheese). This led to their breakdown around 2017 -2018. But instead of what everyone thinks, that La Cigale was the beginning of the end, I think it was the opposite.

By NYE 2018/2019 they are in their local in Bethnal Green, celebrating (Louise is there but Alex is trying to ignore her) and by Change the Show, Miles’ lyrics are no longer gender specific (apart from Caroline) and he sounds more annoyed at Alex rather than full of angst and hurt like CDG.

Then we get to OMB/The Car.  OMB is full of songs where Miles is reflecting upon his own behaviour, and on The Car we have Jet Skis and Hello You that hint at their reconciliation.

So in summary, I think Alex’s closet is very public but in their inner circle everyone knew the truth, but Miles’ struggles were far more internal and it took for him to realise he was in love with Alex for him to come to terms with who he really was and he had to become comfortable with that before they had any future.

#i'm not making Miles the bad guy #but i think his internalised homophobia is deeper than we thought #alex turner #miles kane #milex #milex theory

[uglyducklingofthe2000s]

Count All The Freckles On Your Face - LN

Summary: After a jet ski accident on holiday Lando learns just how much y/n means to him and how impossible it feels to have to leave her for a race.

Very freckled reader!

I was going to make this a car accident story, but that felt a little too cliche and I know Lando has been out on jet skis before so we're running with that.

Having Max and his friends all out on a yacht in Monaco is a pretty great way to spend his day. Especially when he gets to have his girlfriend there in a bikini. Or it was great until he notices one of his friends checking her out then he called on her and quietly asked if she might put something else on. Though he excused it as her not wanting to get too cold.

"Are you sure you don't want someone with you?" Lando asks as he clips the buckle of her life vest on.

"I've been on a jet ski before, Lan. I think I can handle it." Y/n smiles brightly before she kisses him. "I'll be fine."

"Ok, if you insist. But I want some photos of us on there together before the end of the day." Lando laughs then watching her climb on.

"I promise. So long as you're getting some with your future husband too." Y/n grins gesturing to Max who puts his middle finger up to her earning a kiss to be blown in his direction. "Love you too Max, even if you're constantly trying to steal my boyfriend. I respect he was yours first."

Max and y/n have that classic best friend and girlfriend friendship that forms resembling that more of siblings who can't get along.

Lando moves back to sit on the sun bed with Max looking at something while y/n and a couple of her friends ride around on the jet skis.

Things take a bad turn within a matter of seconds.

There's some yelling, a thud and splash before it's followed by screams. At least that's how things happened from Lando's perspective on the deck of the yacht.

She hit the bow of the yacht when the jet ski steering locked. They dragged her out the water and called for an ambulance to meet them at the dock while doing everything as instructed. But inevitably it all lead to the same thing.

Hospital with hours of scans, tests and trying to stitch up the head wound which hadn't let up bleeding much at all due. Although they tried to slow it.

"She'll wake up, it's just sedatives keeping her asleep now." The doctor explains while Lando pulls a seat to the side of her bed. "But there's no reason to suggest the head injury would be anything more than a concussion and maybe a bit of memory lapse."

"Thank you for everything. Really." Lando states with a rough voice that gives away how much emotion he's trying to withhold. The doctor leaves and Lando shifts a little in his seat as Max looks at his friend who has been a shell of a person. "You don't have to stay mate, it's late. You should get some rest."

"What about you? You leave for a flight tomorrow." Max mumbles earning a glare that just about threatens to end their friendship there and then. "Alright, I'll see you later."

Then Lando is left alone with y/n.

He just looks at her, the harsh fluorescent lighting of the room.

His eyes scan across her face looking at the cinnamon dusting of freckled covering her slightly sun burnt skin. Without thinking about it, he finds himself trying to count the freckles to pass the time, pausing when he has to figure out if it's two freckles merged together or just one bigger freckle. Then his mind drifts to thinking about how the cooler weather in the winter makes since of them fade. Although they've only been together 7 months, having started dating in winter when her freckles were much less.

In the winter she has 168 freckles across her nose and cheeks.

The idea of only having spent part of one winter and part of one summer with her nearly makes him break into a cold sweat.

Suddenly before he knows it, nearly two hours have passed and he is knocked from his dreaded thoughts when y/n pulls her hand from his grip and raises it to the bandaged stitches on her head.

"What the hell?" Y/n croaks as then shooting up to sit making Lando stand and try to make her focus on him.

"It's ok, it's ok. You...you hit your head when the steering locked on the jet ski. You got stitches. You just need to lie down." Lando explains quickly making her swallow thickly. "You've been out for a couple hours."

"It hurts. My head, it hurts." Y/n mumbles lying back down with Lando's guidance.

"I'll get a nurse. See if they can give you anything."

After getting her something to help with the pain, Lando sighs rubbing his hands together nervously.

"You have to go. I'll be out of here by the time the race weekend is over." Y/n states reading his mind even with a head injury. "I'm not going to hold it against you, Lando."

"I'd hold it against me." Lando murmurs before sighing softly. "You know you had 168 freckles on your face when we met and now you've got like...way over 300. I couldn't even count them all."

Y/n can't stop her smile then opening her arms which means him lean over and hug her.

"You still have to go, Lando..."

"I know."

-

Lando hates being in the paddock without y/n. All he wants is to get her there but the doctor said travelling in a plane wouldn't be the best for her. So instead, he's just texting her every 5 minutes to make sure she's ok.

Though he left Max with her so he feels somewhat reassured that she's being cared for. The two might fight like siblings but Max will take care of her like a brother too and if Lando asks for him to do it then you can be sure he'll keep her safe.

"Lando..." Jon sighs seeing Lando return to his drivers room after the qualifying debrief and just begin to fall apart. "She's ok. I checked on her every 5 minutes like you've been doing and I called to make sure she was watching."

Lando nods before rubbing his hand over his face then trying to hide it as his emotions overwhelm him. He's never cried over a girl like this before and he's not enjoying it.

"Alright, y/n can you talk to him?" Jon sighs after getting her on FaceTime.

"Baby? What's going on? Why are you so upset?" Y/n frowns through the screen.

"Baby, I wish you were here. It's horrible being here without you." Lando states hating the sound of his voice. "I need you here."

"It's less than 48 hours before you see me again and you'll be working or sleeping for most of that." Y/n smiles lightly but Lando still looks completely unsatisfied with that. "It'll fly by and you can stay on FaceTime with me until you're asleep if you want."

"You'd stay on FaceTime with me all that time?"

"Of course I would. I miss you too...even if I can't memorise how many freckles you have because you don't have any." Y/n teases while Lando rolls his eyes a little at her.

So they do spend the rest of the night on FaceTime. Max making continuous and and frequent appearances on y/n's side. He does earn himself a warning to not be hugging or getting too cosy with y/n, much to both Max and y/n's honesty.

"How you going to say that when she won't shut up about you?" Max laughs then wincing when she clearly elbows him out of shot. "Ah, vicious."

"Ok, bedtime. Come on." Y/n yawns unknowing that while still on FaceTime her boyfriend is texting Max telling him to check on her every so often which earns a thumbs up through the screen that y/n thankfully doesn't notice. "Can I give Max a hug goodnight?"

"Fine. If you must." Lando hums while she laughs a little and leans down hugging Max before she stands up blowing him a kiss and heading up to her room. "We're staying on the phone right?"

"Yes."

Unsurprisingly they both fall asleep pretty quickly and when Max checks on them after heaving silence for 15 minutes. He ends the call and pauses since y/n is a weirdly silent sleeper, he also carefully checks her pulse. Then sighing in relief when he feels the gently thudding.

-

Lando didn't make the podium but he tended to all the post-race demands before taking off faster than the cars when the lights go out.

He didn't tell y/n that he'd be coming back so quickly. So when he walks into his apartment to find y/n's tear stained cheeks as she sleeps against Max who is away and playing on the games consoles. Lando's only hoping Max didn't ignore his girlfriend crying because of the game.

"Max, what the hell?" Lando hisses gesturing to the sleeping body beside Max.

Max only looks down looking confused for a moment before he laughs a little and nods.

"She missed you and told me she just needed to cry it out." Max explains making Lando's inside churn with emotion, his own eyes getting a little shinier.

"Ok, baby. Let's get you away from the man who will let you cry while he plays...are you playing Spider-man?"

"It's a good game." Max argues quietly while Lando gently pulls y/n up as Max grimaces. "She was crying pretty hard at one point but when she went quiet I checked for a pulse to make sure she was alive."

"Right, thanks." Lando hums sarcastically before he manages to finally pull her up into his arms, slightly stirring with a mumble of incoherent words. "Night man, I'll see you in the morning. And really thank you for staying with her and keeping me in the loop."

"It's not problem, you know I do love her like family by this point and I didn't enjoy seeing her hurt any more than you did. But see you tomorrow, mate." Max nods as Lando disappear feeling the approval and validation of Max worrying for y/n being the final nail in the coffin.

Lando loves this girl and he will for the rest of his life.

Lando falls asleep, pulling her tight against himself but not without a quick shower, just to really clean off travelling so soon after a race.

Morning comes and goes with neither of them shifting. Too at peace in each other's hold to move, despite y/n not actually being conscious of the fact it's Lando who is half-suffocating her with hold tight his hold has been on her all night.

Lando does wake up first and he takes the time to count the stitches on her head. 9.

9 stitches.

Y/n suddenly shifts, moving and groaning as she almost seems to try and escape his hold before she groans, then after a sharp inhale she suddenly leans forward closing in on his t-shirt before inhaling like she can only breathe air filtered through the fabric.

"You're home." She whispers making him laugh a little.

"You got that from smelling me?"

"You always smell the best. So yeah." Y/n grins still keeping her eyes closed as she nuzzles down into him. "Max smells nothing like you."

"Are you saying he stinks? Because I'll tell him and never let him live it down."

"No. He just doesn't smell like you and you are my favourite person in the world." Y/n shrugs innocently then wincing a little when Lando brushes her hair back and his fingers run over her stitches.

"I'm sorry, does it still hurt?"

"No. I just...hate knowing I'll have a scar there from it." Y/n mumbles finally looking up at Lando and connecting their gaze. "I'll get over it, so long as I have you to wake up to. It sucked missing the race."

"It sucked not having you there for the race. I couldn't get back here fast enough." Lando smiles then kissing her. "and for the record, stitches and scar or not I love you and I want you with me all the time. I'd squeeze you in the car with me for races if I could...and if it was safe."

Y/n pouts a little, tears lining her eyes before she sighs softly and kisses her with a grin.

"I love you, baby." Landowhipsers really wanting to emphasise the fact he loves this girl more than he know a person could love another person.

He'd give her everything, every penny he owns and every belonging he has if she asked him for it. But he knows she wouldn't because she just loves him without everything else.

"I love you too, baby." Y/n sighs then reaching over to the clock to check the time. "Is Max still here?"

"Yes. Somewhere."

"It's 3 in the afternoon, we've just left him out there."

"He's capable of taking care of himself...more of the time."

Y/n hums deciding that she's happy for Max to be left if it means she can stay tucked up in here as long as possible with Lando to make up for lost time over the weekend.

#f1 #fanfic #formula 1 #lando #lando norris #lando norris imagine #lando norris x reader #lando norris x y/n #lando x reader #norris #ln4 #ln4 x reader #ln4 imagine #ln4 fluff #ln4 fic #Lando Norris fic #McLaren #mclaren formula 1

[dannyricsmirrorball]

fifth wheel • ln4 part 2 ੈ✩‧₊˚

ੈ✩‧₊˚ pairing || lando norris x reader

ੈ✩‧₊˚ genre || social media au

ੈ✩‧₊˚ summary || y/n is always fifth wheeling george, carmen, alex, and lily.

ੈ✩‧₊˚ a/n || hope you guys enjoy part 2! part 3 will be out soon as well ;)

part 1 part 3

liked by lissiemackintosh, landonorris, and 79,420 others

yourusername 🐚🌊🌅

username1 summer break y/n is slaying

username2 she tagged along george and carmen’s trip 😭😭 they really can’t get rid of her

carmenmmundt 😍😍

⤷ yourusername i love u

georgerussell63 stop stealing my girlfriend

⤷ yourusername never!

georgerussell63 also come downstairs, me and carmen have been waiting for half an hour! how are u not ready yet???

⤷ yourusername patience is a virtue georgie

⤷ landonorris that’s code for 2 more hours georgie

username2 omg lando y/n interaction. he’s defs w them rn!

lilymhe missing youse 😓

⤷ alex_albon am i not enough?

⤷ yourusername u cant compare to me and carmen alex don’t be silly

⤷ alex_albon oh ofc my bad

username3 ig lando and y/n really aren’t together

⤷ username4 what? what makes u say that?

⤷ username3 look at his recent

liked by lilymhe, redbullracing, and 755,565 others

landonorris waves and friends 🤙

redbullracing that jet-ski looks familiar 👀

username5 omg lando in the red bull life vest

username6 OMG the girls hands in the second pic??? y/n????

⤷ username7 it’s not her

⤷ username6 how do u know?

⤷ username7 she’s not in thai land. she’s in spain w carmen and george, lando is in thai land obv w lily and alex and a few of their other friends.

⤷ username8 or maybe it’s just lily lol

lilymhe cowabunga dudeee 😮‍💨

⤷ yourusername omg lily stop this.

⤷ landonorris yeah what she said 😟

f1wags lando spotted w mystery girl in corsica

username13 kinda looks like y/n…

⤷ username14 i wishhhh but y/n is w george and carmen in ibiza now i’m pretty sure

⤷ username15 nah i’m convinced that this is y/n (i’m delusional)

username16 how do we manage to get all these pics but not one that has an identifiable face

⤷ username17 maybe it’s for the better. he doesn’t owe us anything, we should respect their privacy.

username4 wasn’t he just in thai land?

landonorris

liked by carlossainz55, danielricciardo, and 543,980 others

landonorris summer lovin’

username18 he’s gone girls 🫠

username19 this looks a lot like y/n just saying

⤷ username20 u guys need to get over this. she’s literally in ibiza. he is not.

maxfewtrell down so bad

⤷ landonorris u would be too

yourusername cute congrats

⤷ landonorris cheers mate.

⤷ username21 damn we were really off, they really are just mates

⤷ username22 idk sounds kinda bitter to me 🫣

alex_albon you have definitely never watched grease

⤷ landonorris how does this have anything to do w grease??

⤷ alex_albon yeah i’m not even surprised

mclaren 👀👀

⤷ username23 admin what do u know?!

username24 lando norris soft launching?? never though i’d see the day

riabish ahhh so cute

liked by landonorris, oscarpiastri, and 92,403 others

yourusername happened so fast

⟟ ibiza, spain

tagged carmenmmundt, georgerussell63, danielricciardo, heidiberger_

heidiberger_ fave gal 🤍

⤷ yourusername miss u already babe 💘

⤷ danielricciardo what bout me

⤷ yourusername free enchante beach club 🧐🧐

⤷ danielricciardo hmmmmm

⤷ enchante we’ll see what we can do yourusername 😉

⤷ yourusername thanku for coming in clutch admin!

username25 she couldn’t third wheel lily and alex so she decided to find daniel and heidi LMFAO

⤷ username26 don’t think she’s third wheeling anymore… 🫣😟

username26 DONT THINK WE DONT SEE THAT LAST PIC Y/N

username27 y/n soft launching. what is happening?

username28 i’m still convinced that it’s lando

⤷ username29 she literally tagged ibiza, i don’t think she can make it anymore clear. they’re in two diff countries 😐

landonorris cute 👍

⤷ yourusername thanks dude

⤷ username30 yeah they were def talking and then fucked it up and are both bitter abt it

⤷ username28 yeah ok ig it’s not lando

liked by georgerussell63, charles_leclerc, and 142,309 others

yourusername mems under the sun

username32 slayed the summer dump

carmenmmundt best vacay w the best people

⤷ yourusername 😘😘

username33 when are we gonna find out who the man is?!

landonorris nice

⤷ yourusername 👍👍

username34 jesus christ what is going on lando and y/n

alexandrasaintmleux the prettiest 🤍

⤷ yourusername miss u 💘💘

alex_albon you know how to swim??

⤷ yourusername cant wait to swap ur hair dye when u least expect it albono

liked by danielricciardo, jackdoohan, and 450,981 others

landonorris almost at the end

tagged alex_albon, lilymhe, georgerussell63, yourusername

username34 OMG HE TAGGED Y/N THEY ARE DATING

⤷ landonorris we played paintball, she’s in the first pic.

alex_albon why’d u make it sound so dramatic “almost at the end”

⤷ username35 alex is nothing if not a hater

username36 what i would do to play paintball w lando, alex, george, lily, and y/n

carmenmmundt oh.

⤷ landonorris carmen…

⤷ carmenmmundt ig u and ur gf have more in common then i thought 😐😒

⤷ username37 what does this mean…?

⤷ username38 if i speak 🤐

username39 i fear we need to stop being delulu… he basically said it’s not her in the last pic and she didn’t even like or comment

liked by lance_stroll, arthur_leclerc, and 98,431 others

yourusername twas’ a perfect summa

username37 holy shit

username38 that dress looks familiar…

⤷ yourusername yeah me and every other bitch own it 🤷‍♀️

⤷ username39 i have never seen someone deny and squash rumours as quickly as lando and y/n have been doing

⤷ username38 y/n calling lando’s gf every other btich 😭 she’s so messy

alex_albon food that isn’t breakfast… in bed. freak!

⤷ yourusername okay freak.

username39 time to accept that y/n is no longer the designated third wheel and it’s not bc she’s w lando 🫠

francisca_cgomes sexy 💞💞

⤷ yourusername loverrrrr

lilymhe wonder why 🫣

⤷ carmenmmundt hmmmm i wonder…

part 3 here!

#lando norris x reader #lando x reader #lando norris #formula 1 #alex albon #george russell #lily muni he #carmen montero mundt #social media au #mclaren #ln4 imagine #ln4 #ln4 x reader

[swiftispunk]

your summer dream | joel miller x f!reader

day three–activities

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pairing: joel miller x fem!reader rating: 18+ minors dni word count: 8k series summary: fresh on the heels of the worst breakup of your life, you find an unexpected kindred spirit (and maybe a little more) in family friend joel miller, who's agreed to tag along for seven days to a tropical resort with you and your parents. series warnings etc:[NO OUTBREAK] we'll call him dad's buddy!joel, fairly soft!joel, age difference (28/50), alcohol, food, sexual tension, smut like whoa smut (will specify with each chapter), fluff, anxiety, mentions of infidelity, mentions of divorce, jet skis????, secret relationship. chapter summary: tensions soar as you and joel open up about your past relationships. later, an unwelcome message becomes the catalyst for a new experience. chapter warnings: brief smut, mutual masturbation (m+f), use of a sex toy, brief dirty talk, little bit of competency kink, sexually explicit thoughts, sexual tension, flirting, mutual pining, discussions of infidelity + marriage, feelings, alcohol, food, oops only one jet ski (you were warned), shitty moms bc i can't help myself apparently, POV swapping. no use of y/n.

A/N: who said the smutty summer fic series can't have feelings? no one, so i did it. we are right on the edge now, ya'll so hang on tight. also please don't hate mom too much, she's just a little misguided. also - i'm so sorry, tess babygirl ily.

followers suggestions in this chapter: jet skis, reader getting turned on by joel figuring out said jet ski, joel replacing reader's swimsuit

The first sound could have been anything.

Maybe he'd rolled over in his sleep or stretched a muscle a little too far. That's how you justify it anyway, as you lay awake in your bed, keyed-up and restless after your evening with Joel. Because surely he couldn't have been–

Except then the second sound comes, undeniable this time; a quiet, strangled moan, carrying easily through the thin wall that divides your room from his. 

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck, you shouldn't be hearing this. You bite your lip, turning over on to your side and struggling just to get a breath in as a hot wave of arousal spikes through you at the image your mind is currently conjuring up.

Joel is–fuck. 

You find yourself squeezing your thighs together in search of relief, suddenly aching with need. Something stops you from actually touching yourself–that same feeling again from the bar, that feeling that it would be too much, too close to something real. To get off with him, even if he'd never know...feels like crossing a line.

Then comes the sound of a rough, heady sigh of release followed by the quiet pad of footsteps and a tap turning on. No mistaking it now. 

You burn where you lay, frozen in place as you fight to stay silent, to make sure he doesn't know you'd heard. You swallow back the heat threatening to consume you whole and wait for the tap to turn off, listening closely for the gentle thud that tells you he's made his way back into bed. 

Sleep evades you after that, as you stare wide-eyed out your balcony windows until the initial shock wears off. The buzz of arousal never fully leaves your body though, and when you do finally begin to drift back towards unconsciousness, you inexplicably hope that maybe, maybe, he'd been thinking about you.

-

The buzz lingers as you get ready for breakfast the next morning. Your dreams hadn't let you off the hook, a never-ending collage of Joel–his hands, his arms, his chest, his thighs–spinning in your mind as you'd fallen in and out of sleep. You shower away any remaining chlorinated water from your skin along with the unwitting mess that's developed between your legs, before throwing on a pair of jean shorts and a tank top. 

You step out into the hallway, body still alight with unrelieved tension, ready to make your way straight to the resort shop to replace your stupid swimsuit. You stop in your tracks the second the door shuts behind, though, because of course there's Joel, leaning against the wall across from your rooms, plastic bag in his hands donning the resort logo.

"Oh," you greet him breathlessly. "Good morning."

"Hey," he smiles, seeming shyer than yesterday, more tentative somehow. The sunburn that had painted his cheeks the day before has faded to more of a tan, a healthy glow brightening his hooked nose. His arms look darker too and you wonder if the rest of him has turned the same colour. His light blue t-shirt conceals his chest today, a fact you find deeply disappointing. 

Besides all of that, he looks exactly the same as he had the morning before. 

And yet, everything feels completely different now. 

"Were you…waiting for me?" you ask. Your voice sounds timid to your ears too.

"Oh, uh–" he stammers, his eyes dropping to the carpet like he's considering lying. You're glad he doesn't. "Yeah."

"What's that?" You nod towards the bag in his hand. 

His smile blooms wider and he shrugs impishly. It's a ridiculously charming sight. 

"Well, uh, I kinda felt for you…sayin' your only bathing suit broke so, I, uh–grabbed you a new one."

Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"You…what?"

"Here," he says, finally meeting your wide eyes as he hands the bag to you across the hall. "If you hate it or if it's the wrong size or whatever, you can take it back. Won't hurt my feelings or nothin'."

You're quite literally dumbfounded, overcome with the thoughtfulness of it, simultaneously mortified at the memory of you drunkenly confessing your mishap to him the night before. 

You're also burning with curiosity as to what exactly Joel Miller might have picked out for you.

"Wow, um…thank you," you tell him reverently as you grab the bag from his hands. "I'll, uh, go try it on."

You make to turn back into your room but Joel's voice stops you before you can. 

"Hey, uh, what's your plan today?"

"My plan?" You face him again, shrugging. You know your parents will be at the spa all day and, truthfully, you'd been considering cashing in your own "luxury activity." You tell Joel just that.

"Activity, huh?" he smirks. "Would you, uh, mind if I joined ya?"

Is he fucking kidding? You're not sure why he sounds so uncertain; at this point you'd figured it was a given you'd be spending the day together.

"Not at all," you insist easily. And, because you're starting to feel more inclined to throw subtly to fucking wind at this point, you add, "I would–I'd like you to."

He grins, his face all calm and warm. You find yourself picturing what it might have looked like last night, contorted with pleasure. You have to look away before you think too hard about it. 

"Did you have somethin' in mind?" he wonders.

"I did but…it's kind of silly," you admit. True to your original plan, you really have been looking for something more on the adventurous side. But you have no way of knowing if that's something Joel would be interested in. You're praying he doesn't laugh you off. 

"What is it?"

Please be into it, please be into it, please be into it.

"Well, I saw they have these jet skis…and it's dumb, I know, but I've never done it before and–I know you said you're not good on boats or whatever but–"

"Alright," he agrees.

Yes, yes, yes.

"Seriously?"

He just shrugs, that same endearing smile never wavering from his sun kissed face. 

"Yeah, why not?"

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

"Okay, cool, um. Cool." Maybe if you say it enough times you'll actually start to feel it. Because the truth is, your heart is hammering in your chest, that excitement you'd felt yesterday at the prospect of spending the day with him amplified by a thousand. 

"I'm gonna go, uh, try this on. I'll meet you at–"

"I'll wait here for ya," he cuts you off. 

Good, stay. Don't go.

"Okay."

Your chest pangs the second you're alone again, a few steadying breaths needed just to refocus yourself.

Why does it feel so different all of a sudden? Hearing him last night…it's like something's been awoken, like a door's been opened that can't be shut again. 

The anticipation is driving you wild, the need to know what he'd bought for you overwhelming your brain as you dump the contents of the bag out onto your bed. Your eyes just about pop out of your skull the second you see it, a small gasp catching in your throat as you hold the swimsuit up to get a better look. 

It's like he'd been actively trying to recreate the one you'd brought, picking out an all-black number with no notable design or pattern to speak of. The only difference is that the number Joel's chosen for you is ludicrously skimpier. Your heart races as you strip off your clothes and slip on the strappy bikini, all but running to the bathroom to look at yourself in the mirror.

You contemplate your reflection, swallowing harshly as you run your hands over the material. The triangular cups of the top barely cover your tits–not because the thing is too small (Joel had nailed the sizing) but because it seems just to be designed that way, made to make you appear as though you're bursting out of it. The bottoms meanwhile are cut high on the hip, exposing a near-obscene amount of your ass and thighs, a fact you notice as you twist to get a better look.

Jesus fucking…

This is what Joel picked for you? Is this what Joel wants to…see you in? You can't deny it–you look fucking hot, anyone would in a bikini like this. Had he known that when he'd chosen it?

You kind of hope so.

You throw your shorts and tank on over the bikini and rush to meet Joel back in the hallway. 

"S'it fit alright?" he inquires when you emerge, expectant smile on his face. His eyes rake over you as though he could see through your clothes to the swimsuit beneath. 

"Great," you nod, pulse pounding in your ears, your face hot. "Thank you, again. For doing that. You didn't have to."

"'Course," he smiles. "Lookin' forward to seein' it on ya."

Your skin prickles at that. Apparently Joel has also given up on subtly then, you think. It also seems to confirm your suspicions; Joel had known exactly what he'd been doing when he'd chosen the bikini for you.

The beating of your heart erupts into a sprint as he guides you into the elevator with a big hand on the small of your back.

Today is going to be a day. 

-

Your parents are nowhere to be found at breakfast, presumably already off on their day at the spa. It's later than you'd thought–nearly ten by the time you finish your toast and coffee with Joel. You walk through the already-crowded resort to the bustling beach, passed the throng of sunbathers to a long, white wooden dock. A hut stands on the sand at the end of it, attended by a uniformed resort employee and adorned with signage indicating jet ski and paddle board rentals. The employee looks up your names on his computer; your packages include three hours of time with the jet skis, though there is one minor issue–

"We've just got the one two-seater left, are you guys cool to share?" the employee (Kyle, according to the name on his badge) asks.

You open your mouth to answer, but Joel gets there first.

"No problem," he says without hesitation and there's that thunderous pounding in your chest again. 

Of course there's only one jet ski. Of course you're going to have to share.

You're never going to survive this fucking day.

Kyle retrieves two life jackets from a closet in the hut, including one particularly large one for Joel (though you still wonder if it will fit over his broad shoulders). You peel off your shorts and tank, mindful of the way Joel is watching you, the way he inhales sharply at the sight of you in the bikini he'd chosen for you. There's no question about it today; you love the way it feels to have his eyes on you.

You take your time slipping each of your arms into the life jacket and fastening yourself in, Joel's gaze constantly trailing up and down over your body, not even bothering to be discreet about it. Good.

You're no less subtle with your own staring when he strips his t-shirt off, unsurprised to find that you'd been correct; the life jacket strains over his shoulders in the most delicious way, the slightest hint of belly poking out from the bottom. 

The sight has you feeling fucking primal, like you could just bite into the flesh there and nuzzle under the life jacket, making a home against his chest forever.

Keep it together.

You leave your clothes in the hut and then Kyle tells the two of you to wait by the shoreline. In the distance, you can see streams of white cutting through the blue water, the other jet skiers nothing but faint black dots against the clear oceanic backdrop. Further out, sailboats meander in the calm waters, miles out from the swimmers that occupy the resort's sandy beach. The lone jet ski that remains is sitting on a launching pad attached to the dock and you watch with fascination as Kyle mounts it and expertly steers it towards you and Joel, its noisy engine coming to a halt as Kyle parks it in the knee-deep water closest to the sand.

Turns out Kyle is also your designated jet ski instructor, a quick lesson necessary before the two of you can head out on your own. You can sense Joel's uneasiness when he volunteers to be the one in charge of driving the thing, awkwardly situating himself into the driver's seat and looking obscenely out of place. You almost feel bad for subjecting him to this, even if you are openly ogling his thighs spread open across the wide seat of the watercraft and the way his thick arms brace powerfully on either side of his body when he grips the handlebars.

What's more, Joel seems to figure out the mechanics of the thing without any trouble at all, quickly mastering the controls in a matter of minutes, impressing even Kyle as he takes an experimental ride around the bay, just a small circle through the open water before he's cruising back towards you with a smug smile on his face.

There's something inexplicably hot about how naturally he picks it up, how competent his massive hands look when they squeeze the throttles, like he's been doing this for years rather than trying it for the first time today.

"Right on, man," Kyle praises Joel, while you offer him a performative little round of applause that makes him smile even wider. "Let's get you on there and try that again."

He's talking to you now, you realize, beckoning you to mount the watercraft in the seat behind Joel. Kyle holds the jet ski steady as you cautiously wade through the shallow water, gripping Joel's shoulders for stability as you swing a leg over the seat and settle in behind him. 

The watercraft hums beneath you, sending shivers up your spine that only multiply when Kyle tells you to grab on to Joel's waistline. You scooch a little closer to his back, your legs splayed out on either side of his hips as you tentatively wrap your arms around him, a charge seeming to pass between the two of you when you do.

"Ready?" Joel asks you over his shoulder.

"Mhmm," you nod. As ready as you'll ever be.

You brace as Joel takes off, driving the jet ski in another circle around the bay, the sudden movement making your stomach do a backflip before you adjust to the sensation. You're once again taken by his handling of the thing, his body leaning into every curve and bump and wave, picking up speed as he takes the circle a little wider this time, letting both of you bask in the feeling of gliding over the open water. By the time he steers you back to Kyle, you're itching to know how it feels to take it even further, to jet freely out over the sea. 

You finally get the okay from Kyle to do just that and now you wrap your arms even more securely around Joel's middle, your chest pressed flush against his back as he revs the watercraft to life beneath you.

"Hold on tight," Joel reminds you, as if you aren't already sewn to his body. You squeeze yourself impossibly closer and then—

You're off. 

He starts slow, quickly gaining speed till you're flying over the surface of the water, leaving a white wake behind you. The sandy beach becomes a blur as you fly out into the open ocean, warm wind whipping your hair around your face wildly.

Your grip around his waist tightens when he turns a wide corner, spinning the jet ski around to face the shore. He repeats that action a few times, an unbridled rush of adrenaline coursing through you every time he tilts the watercraft left and right between bouts of dizzying head-on acceleration.

It's amazing. Beyond cool. If you were with anyone else, you'd be jealous you weren't the one driving. But, honestly, the only thing more beautiful than the feeling of jet skiing along the pristine, tropical sea is witnessing Joel competently steer the damn thing.

When he finally comes to a stop, you're surprised to hear him laughing delightedly, unabashed and joyful, his tanned face split into a dazzling smile. You can't help it—you join in too. Everything about the moment feels exhilarating. Free. You wonder if Joel feels the same. 

"How'm I doin'?" Joel calls back to you over the hum of the watercraft's engine.

"Awesome, I think," you laugh back. "Not gonna get sea-sick, are you?"

He chuckles, and so do you, because it just feels fucking good.

When your laughter subsides, Joel cuts the engine, leaving you bobbing on the surface of an uninhabited patch of sea. You're suddenly taken by how quiet it is out here, the bustling crowds on the beach more than a mile away now, nothing but the sounds of gentle waves crashing into the jet ski to soundtrack your silence. 

You turn your gaze away from the beach towards the ocean, sighing at the sight of the crystal clear water against the expansive sky. Without thinking, you lean your head against Joel's back, perfectly serene. 

"Y'alright?" Joel asks softly, peering over his shoulder at you. He doesn't tell you to move, so you don't. 

"Good," you answer truthfully, your voice unintentionally reverent, still mesmerized by the pristine vision before you and the comforting solidity of Joel beneath your cheek.

"What's up?" he presses, twisting further to get a better look at your face. 

You sigh. "It's just really pretty here."

You peek up at him to see him smirking down at you warmly.

"Yeah, it is," he agrees but you can't help but notice that he's still looking at you.  

You're not sure if it's been two seconds or two hours when Joel finally drives the jet ski back to the dock. You return your life jackets and retrieve your clothes but opt to remain clad in your swimsuits while you walk through the sand towards a quiet patch of beach lined with plant life and palm trees, far from the crowds. 

"That was fun," you muse, genuine, as you stroll aimlessly with Joel at your side. The sun beats down on your exposed skin while your wet feet collect sand between your toes. Once it feels like you're far from any possible intrusions (for some reason, that seems important), you seat yourself down on the sandy earth in the shade of a palm tree, leaning back into your hands with a contented sigh.

"I actually agree," Joel smiles, joining you with a quiet grunt, his age shining through as he takes his place on the ground beside you.

Fifty, your dad's friend, your brain reminds you.

Whatever, you don't care anymore. You don't think you ever really did. 

He sits with his knees up, leaning over them with his hands clasped together, gazing off into the ocean. 

You feel so peaceful with him, rejuvenated by your new experience and the fact you got to share it with him. You find it doesn't hurt at all when you admit,

"Chris would never have done that." You shake your head, staring upwards towards the cloudless sky, squinting against the sun's rays. You know you're not supposed to be thinking about him but this is different. This is about letting Joel know you.

For some reason, you want that.

"Chris…" Joel sounds unsure, perhaps cautious not to push you; he'd seen how you'd reacted to your mother's mentioning of him the other night. "Your–?"

"My ex," you fill in, only a trace of venom coating your words. "The guy I was supposed to be here with."

"'Stead of me, you mean?" You glance over at Joel to find he's smirking somewhat roguishly. It's infectious, that smile–you give him one back.

"Yeah," you nod. "I'm not complaining, though, sorry. I am glad you're here. Like I said, probably never would have done something like that with him."

"No?"

"No. Honestly, the longer I'm here, the more I'm starting to think he might have been a total piece of shit."

It's not quite what you mean to say. Because it's not so much the setting that's making you realize what an asshole Chris had been, so much as the person you've been sharing it with.

Joel nods contemplatively, and it's quiet for a moment. Eventually, his curiosity seems to get the better of him. 

"What'd he do?" he asks.

You sigh, long and mournful. 

"Or—you don't have to say," Joel offers, sensing your sadness. "F'you don't want to."

Somehow, it's the fact that he gives you the choice that makes you absolutely want to. 

"No, it's okay," you say, and it is, you think. You shrug. "He cheated. Not with a stranger, either."

"Who?" Joel's voice is flat, simmering with something sinister that you can't quite place. 

"My best friend," you reply, sounding much the same. 

"Shit."

He whispers it to the sand, his head shaking back and forth. 

"Yeah. So I lost two people in one go." Your tone is decidedly cutting, because it's easier that way. 

"Jesus," he breathes. "M'sorry, sweetheart. That's—that ain't right."

Your growing dejection is eased by a sudden wave of warmth, a familiar rapid pounding in your chest.

Sweetheart. He'd called you sweetheart.

Your gazes lock, his sympathetic browns flecking with life as they reflect back the glittering sea. It's strangely encouraging, so you go on. 

"But it was all this stuff before too, I guess," you continue, finally breaking the eye contact to stare at your fingers, scooping up handfuls of sand and pouring it back into the earth in cascading streams. "Like the jet ski thing—he would never have done that. He'd have made me feel shitty for wanting to. It's like, I don't think we ever had fun together."

"How long were you…together?"

"Three years."

"Why?" Now you hear it loud and clear, what had been just a sneaking undercurrent to his words a moment ago, now irrefutable: anger.

You face him again, brows furrowed. It's the most direct he's ever been, you think, and easily the most callous. He seems to catch himself right away. 

"Sorry—" he amends, his tone quickly softening. "Stupid question."

You sigh again, but it doesn't come out as dejected this time.

"No, I guess it's valid," you admit. You just hadn't been expecting it. "I don't know. My parents always liked him. My mom especially. And sometimes it was good. I guess I saw him as a stable option. I was twenty-five when we started dating…most of my cousins were already married at that age." 

"But you don't want that? Marriage, I mean?"

"Sure, I do," you shrug again. "In my own time."

"You deserve it," he says without delay, almost like he's been waiting to. You smile softly at him, eyebrows raised. 

"T-to go at your own pace, I mean," he backtracks. "And to be married, I guess, f'that's what you want." 

"Nice save," you tease him. But he just smirks, neither one of you bothered in the least. 

"So what's your situation?" you turn on him now.

"My situation?" 

"My dad said something about you and your partner…" 

"What’d your dad say?" Joel asks, small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Just that you'd…separated."

"Hah," he laughs. "Makes it sound like we were married or somethin'."

"You weren't?"

"No."

"Oh."

Your curiosity is threatening to eat you alive, but you try to take a page from Joel's book and bite your tongue. The rhythmic swell of crashing waves takes over your conversation for a long while, as you wait for him to go on if he wants to. 

"Maybe you know the story, but, Sarah's mom left just after she was born," he says at last, voice low and pensive. "Didn't give a reason–just left. We were young when we had her, weren't ready for it. She wasn't, anyway."

Shit. You don't know that story. You watch his face carefully, but his stoic expression reveals very little. Or maybe it's just been so long that it doesn't pain him to talk about anymore. His voice is level as he speaks anyway, plus, you imagine he's had to explain this part of his love life many times before considering–

"You raised Sarah on your own, right?"

"S'right," he nods. "Sorta looked after my brother too. Didn't really ever think about datin' or nothin'. Never really had the time."

"Hmm."

"Then Sarah went off to college, which kinda freed me up a bit. Wasn't really lookin' for love, or anythin’," he grins. "But I saw some women on and off, nothin' serious."

You nod slowly, offering him an understanding smile of your own.

"Then I met Tess," he says, matter-of-fact and affectionate all at once as his drawl wraps around her name. You're not prepared for the prickling tinge of jealousy it elicits. Your gaze falls from his face to stare at the sand again. Fuck. Get it together.

"This was a couple years ago now," Joel goes on, oblivious to your irrational reaction. "We got along right away. She was smart, way smarter'n me. And strong…steadfast, you know? Set in her ways, but not in a bad way. Just–sure of herself. I liked her. But I don't think it was ever enough for her. I guess I was sorta…scared to be happy. Not just with her, but with anyone. She was always tryna get me to let go, relax a little."

"You seem relaxed here," you note faintly.

Your eyes meet again–finally–and you find he's smiling, soft and a little sad.

"M'tryin'," he murmurs. 

It surprises you a bit, to learn that his easy-going disposition is something he's been actively striving for. It had seemed to come so naturally, or so you'd thought.

There's another pause as you hold his gaze for another minute too long, the moment finally snapping when you press him further. 

"So…what happened?"

Now Joel sighs, wringing his hands together between his knees. 

"The question of marriage did come up. We'd been seein' each other almost two years at that point and I never even–I just never even thought to ask if that was somethin' she wanted. She'd been married before, so I just thought...I don't know. 'Course, when she asked about it and I told her that, that I hadn't thought about it…she didn't take it too well. Asked what the hell we were even doin'. And I didn't have an answer, 'cause I didn't know."

He shrugs simply as a humourless laugh falls from his lips. 

"So that was pretty much where we ended it," he concludes. "We both figured there was no point goin' on after that. She moved back to Detroit and that was it."

You frown. He doesn't sound especially torn up about it but you ache to comfort him nonetheless. It feels like last night, when he'd griped about his age, the way it had inspired the urge to reach out and touch him. You'd fought that urge yesterday, but not today. 

Today, you place a hand on one of his broad shoulders and squeeze. 

"I'm really sorry, Joel."

He doesn't tense at your touch; rather, your eyes meet, his slightly crinkled at the edges from the tight smile pulling at his lips. It's all the encouragement you need to keep your hand there as he goes on. 

"S'alright. It was probably for the best. Amicable, all things considered. Nothin' like what you went through." He shakes his head, that same smoldering bitterness from before creeping back into his voice. "I mean, that's–that guy's a fuckin' idiot."

"I know," you agree with a sardonic smile. 

"I mean it," he says, new intensity coating his words as he reaches one of his big hands behind him to rest it over yours on his shoulder. Heat pools along your spine at the weight of his palm on your skin. "You're a–you're a beautiful girl. Sorry–woman, and–"

"Actually, can I be honest?" you stop him.

He smirks. "Ain't that what we're doin' here?"

He grips your hand a little tighter and you grin softly back at him.

"I honestly feel like–just a girl still. Especially after everything that happened. Like, sometimes it feels like I never grew up, you know? Like I got frozen at the age I met Chris. Now, here I am, almost thirty–stunted again. I thought things would start making sense by now, but they don't. I just feel…more lost than ever."

You don't know what spurs the sudden avalanche of truth, but it's too late to take it back now. Joel sighs and his fingers squeeze yours again, harder this time, firm and resolute. 

"Things never really start makin' sense," he tells you frankly, though his voice oozes compassion, his eyes boring into yours. "But you'll be okay. You deserve better'n a dumbass boy like that, anyway. Better off holdin’ out for someone who'll—who'll treat you right. Someone who can care for you...properly."

You swallow harshly, heartbeat stuttering violently, your eyes never breaking from his. You hear the double meaning in his words; had he intended it?

"Like who, Joel?"

His breath catches noticeably, eyes widening just the slightest bit and you swear you feel him leaning in closer, close enough that it would be so easy to remove the space between you and connect your lips with his— 

Only then you catch two figures approaching along the white sand. You rip your hand out from under his and Joel twists around to see what you're seeing: your parents sauntering hand-in-hand towards your spot in the shade.

Fuck. Panic quickly consumes you. Had they seen—? What could they have seen? You hadn't done anything. It's fine.

Fuck.

Thankfully, they seem relatively oblivious as you hastily jump to your feet, wiping sand off your practically-bare ass, greeting them with a wave an innocent smile.

"There you two are!" your dad is saying as he gets closer.

Joel takes longer to rise from the sand, his head hanging between his legs momentarily before he doggedly gets to feet with a laboured sound. 

"Hey! You guys have a nice time at the spa?" you ask, smoothly (you hope) steering the conversation towards them and their day. Joel is at your side then, though he keeps a safe distance away. 

"It was amazing," your mother sighs dreamily. You notice the piña colada she's loosely clutching in her free hand. Jesus, you could use one of those right about now. "What have you two been up to?"

"Would'ya believe this one got me on a jet ski?" Joel chimes in, nodding towards you and sounding shockingly collected despite the sudden interruption. 

"How 'bout that?" your dad remarks, smirking as he glances between the two of you. "Didn't think that's something you'd be into, kiddo."

God, you swear it feels like your parents don't know the Adult You at all sometimes.

"Well, I had a good driver," you shrug, smiling innocuously towards Joel, who averts his eyes to the sand with a shy grin of his own.

"They made you share? That's too bad," your dad gripes. Classic. If only he knew how truly grateful you'd been for the opportunity.

"Didn't mind it so much," Joel confesses. There goes your heart again.

"Um, I'm gonna go get ready for dinner," you announce awkwardly, desperate to be out of there, too jittery to keep up the charade any longer. "I'll see you guys there."

You give them each a cursory nod, throwing in one extra for Joel behind your parents' back as you take off.

You all but run from the scene, burning with energy, the buzz from this morning reawakening tenfold as you race back to your suite. You'd been so close, so close to something else, so close to something more. 

And so damn close to getting caught. 

Fuck it, you decide, as you change out of your swimsuit and into the tightest, skimpiest dress you'd packed.

You're in too deep now, so ridiculously attracted to Joel in every possible way. You'd seen it from day one, but today his heart had been on full display, just as yours had been for him. It makes you want him even more desperately.

That incessant voice from the day before–the one that had constantly sought to remind you that Joel is fifty and your dad's friend–has finally fallen silent, forced into submission by something far stronger, something you're done denying. 

-

"So I checked my Facebook messages today," your mom starts while you finish up dinner that night. Your father's already excused himself, mentioning something about a darts tournament going on in the bar. Joel'd stayed back when your father'd asked him to join, much preferring the opportunity to stay right where he is, beside you.

He's been unfocused since you'd left him on the beach, hard up since he'd first laid eyes on you in the hallway this morning, let alone in your new bikini. Just the thought of you wearing the swimsuit the rest of the week, only you and he privy to the fact that he'd chosen it for you...it's been driving him fucking crazy. You've been driving him fucking crazy. All day, he's been warring with the need to kiss you, touch you…all the while terrified of the potential consequences if he does. He'd almost caved right there on the beach, your lips and your body drawing in him like a moth to the flame.

And now at dinner, he's barely eaten anything, distracted, as he fights to keep his eyes from feasting on you in your tight, pretty dress, the thin fabric clinging enticingly to your sticky skin. It's getting impossibly hard to hold himself back from you. He imagines you smell like salt water and sunscreen and all he wants to do is tear you away from the table so he can finally fucking taste you if you'd let him—

"Oh?" you ask, sipping at your white wine. You sit up a little straighter, the shift pushing your chest out a little more prominently. Joel averts his gaze to stare at the drink in his hand, his dick twitching in his shorts. Fuck, he needs to get his shit together.

"Don't get upset, okay?" your mother continues.

That sobers him. His eyes are back on you in a heartbeat, carefully gauging your reaction, noticing the exact moment you tense with wariness.

"Okay," you mutter tersely.

"Chris sent me a very nice message," she goes on and now Joel tenses too, hot rage brewing under his skin just as it had on the beach when you'd confessed what the asshole had done. He watches your face, noting the way your eyes tighten and your jaw clenches haughtily. 

"Did he?" Your voice is level, but Joel can hear the burn beneath it. 

"He said he hoped we were having a nice time," she says and Joel has to bite his lip to stop himself from telling her to just shut up. He'd already seen it that first night, the way it hurts you to hear her talk about him, the fiery sadness that paints your features at just the mention of his name. How does your mother not see it?

You just shake your head disbelievingly, whether at Chris's sentiments or your mother's choice to tell you about it, Joel's not sure. 

"And he asked me to pass a message on to you," she continues when you say nothing. 

"I don't want to hear it," you argue firmly but Joel can hear the quiet waver in your voice. 

"Sweetie, please, he just wanted to say he was sorry for how everything happened," she harps and now there's no missing the emotion that flits across your face, the subtle wetness that sprouts in your eyes. Fuck. Joel can hardly stand it. "He said things didn't work out with him and Heather—"

"Don't," you say warningly. Heather. Your best friend? Joel can only assume. His ire burns even hotter than before. The fucking dumbass had cheated on you, dumped you without warning, and now he's apparently crawling back? Fuck that. 

"He feels terrible, sweetheart."

Good, Joel thinks. He should.

"Don't you think you could find it in yourself to forgive him? At least talk to him? He was such a nice boy."

Joel aches to jump to your defense somehow, but what could he do? Argue with your mother? How could he do that without revealing how much he knows? How much he already feels such a fierce need to protect you? As far as your mother is concerned, it's not his place to get involved. 

A single tear streams down your cheek and you wipe it away swiftly, putting on a brave face that's far from convincing. It's the final straw that shatters Joel's resolve.

With his eyes deliberately glued to the drink in front of him, he reaches out under the table to place a comforting hand on your knee. You rather pointedly keep your gaze fixed forward but he doesn't miss the way you stiffen just the tiniest bit at his touch. He panics briefly; maybe it's too much, maybe he's gone too far. But then your own hand comes down to rest on top of his, a silent assurance, emboldening him to apply the faintest hint of pressure as he squeezes your leg.

I'm here, he hopes to convey. It's okay. 

"Not gonna happen," you tell your mom at last. Joel thinks your tone sounds a bit stronger now, more absolute. 

Something about it fills him with pride.

"He asked if you would consider unblocking him so he can message you himself," she presses on, seemingly undeterred. "At least give him a chance."

"I'm not gonna do that," you bite back, your grip on Joel's hand tightening, resoluteness growing. "Shouldn't you be on my side, mom? You know what he did."

"Everybody makes mistakes," she insists with a shrug that's far too nonchalant. Joel chews harder on his lip, shaking his head minutely–too small for your mother to notice–his fingers pressing harder into your thigh. "And I am on your side. You two were so good together, I just want you to have that back."

"I don't want him back," you snap, finally throwing Joel's hand off your leg to rise from the table. "And you can go right ahead and tell him that."

Your eyes linger on Joel's for one fleeting second before you're turning on your heel and storming out of the dining area.

-

Joel'd wanted desperately to follow after you, to find you and tell you everything would be okay. More than that, he's aching to touch you again, instantly struck by the loss of your skin beneath his fingers. 

Nerves keep him stuck at the table, though, that same fear once again holding him back, telling him that to follow would be too much, that it would somehow give away the truth of whatever it is he's feeling for you. It's probably irrational; it's not like your mother has any way of knowing about the indisputable electricity that's been flowing between the two of you since this morning. He could just lie, say he was going to walk the beach or head to bed. But the whole situation just feels so precarious, like the two of you are teetering on the edge of something, a hairsbreadth away from diving headfirst into the deep end. 

Your mother apologizes to him profusely for exposing him to the uncomfortable exchange. He politely lets her know it's fine, though he'd rather tell her that her apology is misdirected, that she should be saying sorry to you instead. 

He unwillingly follows her to the bar where your dad's still engrossed in his darts tournament. Joel stays long enough for one drink, long enough to not raise any suspicions when he quietly excuses himself to make his way back to your adjoined rooms.

In the empty hotel hallway, he considers your door, considers his options. He doesn't have a plan, still isn't exactly sure what it is you need right now–certainly not sure what it is exactly he intends to offer you. Ultimately, he enters his own room with a resigned sigh, flicking on the light before coming to a grinding halt, cock coming alive in his shorts again when he notices something different.

The door that connects your rooms is open, an unmistakable sound echoing through the paper thin walls that separate your room from his.

-

Your skin feels like it's on fire.

All day it's been festering, white hot tension pulling at every nerve in your body, a powder keg about to explode. Ever since you'd first found him in the hallway this morning, Joel's been everywhere, the near-constant proximity and your near-kiss on the beach almost too much to bear after what you'd heard last night.

And then your fucking mother had to bring up Chris, pulling the rug out from under your perfect day with Joel. It had felt so easy to talk about Chris on the beach with Joel, safer somehow. But your mother's betrayal had torn open the wound and simmering electricity had turned to blinding rage as she'd relayed his unwelcome message.

The onslaught of emotion had threatened to consume you whole. That is, until Joel had placed his hand on your bare knee and fucking squeezed, sending goosebumps up your legs and heat down your spine, replacing any and all emotion with nothing but need, need, need.

Need to forget Chris, need to spite your mother, but more than anything, need for Joel.

As you'd stormed off from the table, that overwhelming cocktail of anger and arousal had followed you all the way back to your room. You'd hoped Joel would follow you, desperate to have his touch back or at the very least, his presence. 

You'd stared at the door between your rooms, remembering a thought you'd had earlier that day; how after last night, a door had been opened that couldn't be shut again. You'd decided to make it true in a literal sense, unlocking the adjoining door and leaving it open, just a crack.

An invitation. No subtly. Not anymore.

You'd paced and paced and waited and waited, but he hadn't come. The uneven pounding in your chest had refused to settle, the ache between your legs only growing with time, desperation taking hold and fogging your judgement.

Eventually, you'd resigned yourself to the fact that Joel wasn't coming and the need wasn't subsiding. You'd stripped out of your swimsuit and turned out the overhead lighting, deciding to take yet another page from Joel's book and just take care of yourself, fishing out the vibrator you'd handily packed from your suitcase.

Maybe it's stupid, maybe it's reckless, but you don't care. You leave the adjoining door open, just in case.

The toy is pressed against your clit, your mind already clouded with pleasure, when you see Joel's light turn on, a beam of fluorescence poking through the crack in the door. An audible whimper escapes you, his presence on the other side of the wall turning you on way more than you know it should.

You pull the toy off you when you hear his footsteps come to a stop, presumably having noticed you'd left the door ajar. Another involuntary whine catches in your throat and your pussy clenches around nothing as you wait with bated breath to see if Joel will accept your silent offer.

One step, two steps, three steps…with each slow, quiet thud he gets closer to the door till you swear you can hear his hand hovering over the doorknob above the dull buzz of your vibrator.

Eons of charged silence seem to pass before his low voice is suddenly echoing through the crack in the doorframe.

"Don't stop," he whispers. It's punctuated by the sound of a zipper coming undone.

Fuck fuck fuck.

He's right there, right on the other side of the door. He knows what you're doing and he doesn't want you to stop. A fresh wave of wetness gushes from your core, your head spinning at how intoxicatingly thrilling it feels.

You bring the toy back to your clit, gliding the end of it through your soaked folds, teasing your entrance and exhaling breathily. You've been so pent up all day, aching for relief. You finally find it the second you slip the toy inside your heat, a contented sigh slipping for your lips at the welcome stretch.

"Fuck," you swear you hear Joel breathe, cracked and ragged. Is he–? You strain your ears, listening for any telltale signs that he's touching himself too, but all you can make out is a quiet rustling and the sound of his shallow breathing.

But then you hear it–the same lascivious sound you'd heard last night. Joel fucking groans, deep and low, and any doubt melts away. Your mind is suddenly flooded with images of him with a fist around his cock, just on the other side of the wall. Unlike last night, you're certain he's thinking about you–how could he not be? The hushed sounds you're making as you fuck yourself with the toy are just for him and you know he knows it.

Your uneven breaths come faster when you circle your clit with your free hand, angling the toy inside you so it nudges against that spot that has pressure building in your core, heat rising as you involuntarily let out a breathy moan, stars dancing across your vision when Joel echoes it.

Then, just as you're about to fall over the edge, Joel's gravelly voice once again cuts through the hush.

"You gonna come?" he implores darkly. Oh god, fuck–

"Yes," you keen, louder now, inhibitions fading as your orgasm threatens to consume you, the steady circles of your fingers on your clit increasing in speed while the toy hums away inside you. 

"Yeah?" Joel grunts, his gruff voice coaxing you closer, compelling you to imagine how it would feel to have Joel inside you instead, how much fuller it would feel, how much better it would be. 

Another lewd moan, louder now, and you're so close now, the flame that's been burning dull in your core all day eager to burst into a forest fire. 

"Yes, Joel, fuck–"

"Go on, sweetheart," his voice commands you, breathless and hoarse. "Fuckin' come. Come with me."

Holy fuck.

It's that damn endearment that finally does it, his firm encouragement snapping the tension in your centre as you come, back arching off the soft bed, your mouth falling open in a silent scream. You hear Joel quietly cursing as the waves wash over you, the buzzing toy inside your cunt holding you on your high for what feels like an eternity. 

You're mildly conscious of a familiar broken sigh coming from Joel's side of the door, the same one you'd heard last night. Release.

Joel's come too.

"Holy shit," you breathe when it hits you what you've just done together.

And then it's painfully silent, the only sounds remaining that of the rushing waves outside and your shared ragged breathing.

When the last of the aftershocks pass, you pull the toy out of yourself to rest it on the nightstand. It's fucking drenched, which you could have predicted, but you can't bring yourself to do anything about it right now, can barely bring yourself to fucking move. 

It's like last night all over again, your body frozen in place–stunned, as you take several, short, steadying breaths. Only this time you're left wondering…now what? You eventually hear movement from his side of the door, but he doesn't come through it. Should you go? Your muscles refuse to let you get up off the mattress, still too scared to be the first one to cross that final (literal) threshold.

You turn on your side and stare out your window. You wait. And wait. And wait. But he doesn't come.

Eventually, you must fall asleep, because the next thing you know, you're dreaming you're wrapped in Joel's strong embrace under a flowing waterfall, your bodies intertwined below clear, warm water. The scruff of his beard against your cheek feels vividly material, so real you could cry. Your mouths connect in a deep, slow kiss before your thoughts are finally consumed by darkness. 

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#joel miller x reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x y/n #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller smut #dbf!joel miller x reader #dbf!joel miller #dbf!joel miller x you #dbf!joel x reader #dbf!joel x you #joel miller fluff #vacation!joel #pedro pascal character fanfiction

[cameronspecial]

Maybe they're still on the ski trip and Zach goes out to the hot tub and so does the reader and they end up making out in the hot tub and then go back to Zach's room and things escalate from there 🤭🤭

A Favour To His Health

Pairing: Zach MacLaren x Reader

Warnings: SMUT

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 1.4K

Masterlist

Even with Zach’s concussion, Y/N and Zach have been trying to make the most out of their romantic getaway to the mountains. It was supposed to be a family trip with Zach’s family, but with Avery sick, the rest of his family decided to stay back. This leaves a nice big cabin for the couple to spend the weekend in alone. They made pizza, had a game day and all that was left was hitting the hot tub. Y/N searches through her suitcase for her bathing suit but comes up empty wherever she looks. Her clothes are now littering their shared bedroom like a tornado just came through. Zach enters the room with his swim trunks on and towels for both of them over his shoulder. “Woah, Baby. Are you moving in? What’s with the mess?” he jokes, coming to wrap his arms around her waist. His head rests on her shoulders and he tickles the skin of her neck with his lips. She ignores him for a second, continuing her search for her bathing suit. 

“I can’t find my swimsuit,” she complains with a groan. “I can’t go in the hot tub.” She turns around in his arms. He looks down at her with a smirk, “Well… You don’t necessarily need one. I know of one suit you always have.” She looks at him with raised eyebrows, “Zach, I can’t do that! What if someone sees?” “Come on, no one is around to see. It’s just you and me. I’ll join you. In solidarity, of course,” he offers, reaching for the waistband of his trunks. She stops his hands mid-chest, “Fine. We said we would make the most of the trip and I guess this counts towards that. But, let’s wait until we get to the hot tub.” His grin can’t be sedated. 

He takes her hand in his, dragging her out to the back porch. He turns on the tub and hits the jets. Their towels are placed on the deck chair. He can see her hesitance about getting naked; her eyes looking around for any trespassers in the woods. His swim trunks come off first to make her feel more comfortable. He gets into the water and sighs at the feeling of the jets on him. “Hop in, Baby. The water is a delight,” he tells her,  holding his hand out to help her in. She takes her time removing her clothes, teasing him with the way her hips move from side to side. He knows what she is doing and he chuckles at her movement. Her bare body sits beside his, resting her head against his shoulder. She lets out a moan, “God, this feels good.” This causes Zach’s eyebrows to rise as he feels a certain lower body appendage do the same at the sounds she is making. He wraps his arms around her shoulders, bringing the side of her body flush against him. 

His head drops to her neck and he kisses along the side, finding his desired spot. His lips rest on her pulse point, nibbling at the skin underneath. “This was your idea and you couldn’t even last five seconds. You know you aren’t supposed to do any stressful activities because of your concussion,” she teases. He shakes his head; the hairs on his head tickling her. “I promise you, Baby. This doesn’t stress me out. It actually does the opposite, so you are doing my health a favour.” Her leg swings over to straddle his hips. She can easily feel his hardness against her core. Her body ignores the feeling; instead, she goes in to kiss his lips. Their lips move against one another, fighting for dominance. He lets her win and enjoys the feeling of her tongue exploring his mouth. At a certain point, the heat from the water and their activity get the best of them and Zach’s hands cup the bottom of her thighs. His feet plan on the floor, straightening so he is now standing with her in his grasp. He sits her on the edge of the wall and gets out of the tub. 

Her body spins to face him, jumping back into his arms. He uses one arm to grab a towel to get rid of some of the liquid running down their skin and to provide some warmth against the frosty night. He brings them upstairs to their room, placing her lightly on the bed. The water on her skin dampens the bedsheets, but they don’t care. His hands spread her legs apart and he buries himself in her juices. Chlorine slightly mixes with her taste. His tongue finds its way into her hole, curling inside of her and drawing itself back into his mouth. As he brings his tongue back in, the tip scraps against her wall and causes her to moan out. He does this a few more times before removing his tongue. He places a kiss on her clit, replacing his lips with his fingers. His fingers start to rub her in a slow circular motion. Her hand grabs his wrist, “Faster.” He obeys her orders speeding up. “My good baby, now, let's make sure you are wet enough for my dick,” he whispers close to her ear. His digits dive into her depths, scissoring to stretch her out. 

He moves his fingers in and out of her, speeding up at her begging. “I love your pretty sounds, Baby,” he praises, attaching his lips back onto her clit. He gives it a few sucks and he can feel her walls cling to him. She is sent over the edge, pleasure coming in waves. 

He pulls out of her, bringing his head up to her face. “I love you,” he tells her. She smiles at him, “I love you too.” She takes his shoulders in her hands and flips them over. With her on top, she starts kissing her way down to his hard cock. Her hand finds its way onto his butt, giving it a cheeky squeeze. She takes him into her mouth and sucks the head of his cock. “Baby, no teasing, please. I need you,” he pleads, weaving his fingers through her hair. She listens to his words and takes him further into her mouth. He lets out a loud groan, “Good, this feels so good.” She bobs her head up and down, pausing every so often to pull off and kiss him on his tip. His dick starts to twitch with her wrapped around him and she pulls off of him. “No…no… no. You are coming inside of me tonight,” she instructs, getting onto the bed. She gets onto her hands and knees, turning so her butt is facing him. She grins back at him and he positions himself behind her.

She can feel him teasing her pussy, pulling the tip in and out. “Sto-.” Her words are stopped by him plunging into her. She can feel him hitting her cervix and he holds onto her hips so he can bring her back down on him. His hand rounds her neck, bringing her up so her back is flushed against his chest. “How deep can you feel me, Baby? Does it feel good? Tell me how good I am making you feel,” he questions, not letting his pace slow down. She tries to meet his thrust and attaches her lips to his. She breaks away, “Harder.” He starts entering her with more power, satisfying her needs. “So good, Zach. You always fuck me so good. You feel so good.” “Perfect because I want you to come around me, Baby. You make me feel so good. So show me that I make you feel the same as you make me feel,” he groans, kissing her where he made a love bite. 

He can feel her start to clench around him again. His hand attaches to her clit and rubs it to help her climax. The combination sends her to heaven, cumming around him. “I’m right behind you, Baby,” he informs, helping her through her orgasm. She can feel him spasming inside of her, giving her his warm seeds. She collapses on the bed with him still inside of her and his chest pressed against her. They move so they are both on their side. His arms wrap around her and he pulls her to him. He is about to pull out of her, but she stops him. “Wait, can we sleep like this?” she asks, wrapping her arms around his. He kisses her shoulder, “Of course, Baby. Whatever you want.” “I love you,” she mutters. “I love you too.” Sleep finds its way to both of them. 

Taglist: @loves0phelia

#the other zoey #zach maclaren #zach maclaren x reader #zach maclaren smut #drew starkey #drew starkey x reader #drew starkey x you #drew starkey x y/n #drew starkey x female reader #drew starkey imagine #drew starkey fanfiction #drew starkey fic #drew starkey one shot #drew starkey smut

[smoooothoperator]

untouchable

02: Don't Blame Me

Lando Norris x OC (Violet Sinclair)

same group friend, unrequited love, acquittances to lovers, ski trip, love triangle

Words: 1.7k

Warnings: just lando being in love

a/n: Hello my loves! I hope everyone had a nice Christmas!! Just to say it: I'm reading ACOTAR and I swear I'm in love :) so yeah, I obviously had to add something about it. And yes, they place they will be staying looks kinda like Velaris!

Masterlist

Official Playlist

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Every way of feedback is very welcomed

Sitting on an airplane, no matter if it's a commercial fight or in a private jet, with a couple, will always be tedious. 

And sitting in front of Harry and Eloise during the flight is like injecting a dose of self torture. Watching how he holds her, wrapping his arm around her is just a little tease of what I will be witnessing this whole week, watching how.he kisses her and how they cuddle because of the cold weather.

“Lando said he will go to the airport to pick us up” Harry said, making me nod and sigh. 

“That's so nice for him!” Eloise smiled. “Isn't it, Violet?”

“Mhm” I hummed, looking out the window.

It's not the first time something like this has happened. It feels like Eloise is trying to set me up with him, to make me look that he's a gentleman and someone I could be with. 

Maybe she knows that I like Harry? 

I focus back on my book, the one of many that came anonymously to my door. I just don't know who is the one that sends it, but it feels like that person knows me so well because it's the one I wanted.

“Oh? When did you get that book?” Eloise asked surprised when she saw it. “It was the secret admirer?”

“Secret admirer?” Harry asked, confused. “What?”

“Yeah! Every two weeks she receives a package with a book on it” Eloise explained. “She even receives her favorite book with different editions and languages”

“Oh, really?” Harry frowned, looking at me.

“You saw it” I said. 

“But I thought it was a collection you made by yourself, not because a creepy stalker is sending them to you” he frowned, looking away. “So stupid, and the fact that you welcome those gifs make it worse”

I frown looking at him. Stupid? 

“Well, I think it's cute” Eloise argued, making Harry scoff. “It's for sure someone that pays attention to her and wants to make her happy”

Something I don't like about Harry is how little attention he paid to me since he started dating Eloise. We were friends before he started dating her, we respect each other and never hide things. But somehow, he changed. He changed the way he talked to me, it only took him a few months to change his behavior. 

The moment the plane landed I got up first, grabbing my bag and the coat. I heard Harry sigh heavily, getting up and walking behind me.

I saw the flight attendants taking our suitcases out of the hold and I walked towards my suitcase, going towards the car I recognized as Lando's.

“Hey- oh” Landon said, getting out of the car but I immediately got inside of it after putting my suitcase in the trunk. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing” I sighed. “Just Harry being an idiot”

“The usual, then” he nodded, making me sigh. “That’s nothing new, I guess”

I sighed, looking back at the book in my hands, thinking that Harry would be right, maybe. Maybe it is something creepy, having someone that keeps sending me books and gifts, someone that knows my address. Should I be concerned? One thing is having a secret admirer at school that leaves little love notes on your backpack, and another thing is having someone that sends you books to your apartment’s front door.

“Nice book” I heard Lando say, looking at the book on my lap.

“O-oh, thanks… it's new” I nodded. 

He smiled and nodded, looking back at Harry and Eloise sitting on the backseats, and he started to drive.

“The house is really nice. Max, Pietra and I arrived this morning” Lando started to say. “It has really nice views”

“Where are Pietra and Max now, by the way?” Harry asked, frowning.

“Buying groceries and going to the ski shop to rent our equipment for the week” Lando answered. “I made them a list so if you want to add things…”

He gave us his phone with Max's chat open, messages of what he has to buy were written on it. I looked at the list, but what really got my attention were three things.

-Coffee (the mocha one)

-Ginger cookies

-Marshmallow bears

Those are things I like. How did he know that? Maybe it was Eloise who told him.

“Is there anything you need?” he asked me.

“No, no. It's alright” I nodded, passing the phone to Eloise.

I looked back at the book, frowning. This was exactly the book I wanted, one I have been talking about for a while with Eloise. Maybe she is the one that gifted it to me? And the other books? But why didn't she say anything? Why send them anonymously?

I looked back at her, how her hand was held by Harry's while looking at the groceries, resting her head on his shoulder.

God, I wish that was me. I wish he paid me as much attention as he pays to her. I wish I never introduced her to him.

I wish… 

The way to the house Lando rented was beautiful, showing an amazing snowy landscape with trees and the roofs of the houses covered with a white blanket. The chimneys of the houses were working, making sure to keep the house warm. And not far away, a mountain. It was a perfect picture, just how I imagined that city in the book I was reading.

“Wait until you see the views of your room” I heard Lando say. 

I looked at him and smiled nodding, looking back at the road and humming softly the song the radio was playing.

Every time she smiles my heart jumps. That’s what being in love feels like, I guess.

Arriving at the rented house I hear Eloise and Violet gasp, making Harry and me laugh. It wasn’t too big, but spacious. The porch of the house had a table with a few chairs, somewhere where you can sit and have a hot drink while looking at the ski zone next to the house. It has been snowing since this morning, so now the roof was covered in snow, but that didn’t mean that the interior of the house wasn’t warm.

“It’s a nice one, Lando” I heard Violet say behind me after she grabbed her suitcase from the back of the car. “This time you’ve outdone yourself”

“I’ll take that as a compliment” I laughed softly, watching her walk away carefully, trying to fall because of the snow. “I'll go pick up Max and Pietra, just get comfortable in the house”

Only a few minutes later I saw Violet walking out of the house, with her hands making tight fists and her jaw clenched.

“I'm going with you” she said, making me frown. “Don't give me that look! You and I both know what those two will do once they get inside their room”

“Oh, yeah” I nodded, laughing softly. 

I drove away, with her sitting on the passenger seat next to me. I heard her hum softly the music, watching outside the window.

Something I like about her is how simple she is, the way she can be happy with little and simple things. How something like snow falling can change her mood in a matter of seconds, or how a song she likes that is playing on the radio makes her sing under her breath.

Violet Sinclair is someone you definitely fall in love with the first time you see her, it's impossible to not love her. Everytime she walks in a room all eyes go to her, at least mine. The way her perfume hypnotizes me when she walks by or when she's close to me is something I never knew I could experience in my life. 

How can Harry be so cruel with her? How can he not love her? Why would he prefer Eloise before Violet? Why can't she see the way he is with her? Why can't she see that I love her?

Everytime I have her close to me it is like having a little taste of heaven.

“Did you see your room?” I asked, breaking the silence that fell between us.

“Yeah” she nodded. “You were right, the view from my room is perfect”

“I'm glad you like it” I smile. “I left that room for you, mine is actually at the other way of the house”

“Why? You came first, you had every right to pick the room you want”

“Because I know how much you love winter and snow” I said looking at her, and in that moment I saw her blush. “And I know how similar is this place with the one of your books”

I know her like the palm of my hand. And it might sound stupid, or delusional, or even creepy, but this week I want to show her how much I love her. 

I want to make her forget Harry.

When we arrived to the market where I left Pietra and Max I parked the car so I could help them to get all the things on the back of the car, making Violet wait inside the car.

“What did you do to make her come with you?” Max asked, surprised.

“Nothing, actually” I sighed. “I think it was Harry himself”

“God, that idiot…”

Everyone sees the way he treats Violet. Well, everyone except Eloise and Violet. And it just makes me feel worse, because it looks like she is under a spell that blinds her and doesn't make her see how he really is.

“I wonder at which moment he started to be an asshole with her” Pietra sighed. “She doesn't deserve to be treated like that”

“No, not at all…” I sighed.

When we went back to the house all of us walked with the bags in our hands inside of it. Harry and Eloise were out of sight, but the noises upstairs gave us an idea of what they were doing.

“How can they be so disgusting?” Max groaned, taking the things out of the bags and putting them on the cabinets.

“Let them be…” Violet sighed.

Why does she keep defending him? Why does she have to be in love with him and not with me?

taglist

@elisysd @racinggirl @ninifee1802 @kakorrhaphiphobia @landoyesrizz @lorarri @bellwhysomean

#f1 #f1 fanfic #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fic #f1 serie #formula 1 #formula 1 imagine #formula 1 drabble #formula 1 x reader #formula 1 fanfic #formula one #formula one imagine #formula one fanfic #formula one x reader #formula one fanfiction #lando norris #lando norris x oc #lando norris blurb #lando norris x reader #lando norris imagine #ln4 #ln4 x reader #ln4 imagine #ln4 fluff #ln4 fic #mclaren

[daisybell17]

Loki’s Birthday!

You knew Loki wasn’t all too familiar with surprises and so you woke him up with a breakfast plate instead

“happy birthday to you! happy birthday to you!” you sung quietly, walking in with the tray

Loki slowly woke up and saw you and your cute face singing and carrying a tray of food

“good morning my love” he smiled looking at you and sitting up

You sat the plate of food on his lap and gave him a long kiss

“happy birthday my love”

“mhm thank you honey”

“so…what does the birthday boy want to do today?” you asked as you ran your hand up and down his chest

“just want to spend my day with you” he smiled

“we can do that, but remember we have your birthday dinner tonight” Loki groaned, remembering the event

“do we really have to go? I just want to stay here with you” He said as his hand grabbed your chin

“mhm yes my love we have too! your friends are all going to be there” You gave in and kissed him

“really?”

“yes love now go and eat the birthday breakfast i made you” you kissed him once more and went in for a shower

“thank you for cooking my love you know how much I love your food”

“always!” you shouted as you got in the shower

You and Loki got ready for the day since you had about 10 hours to kill before his birthday celebration

“so…what would you like to do today my love?” You asked, placing your arms around his neck

“hmmm you know what? i want to try something a little more…daring” He smiled

“Oh? Like what my dear? I assume this activity is one of Midgardian invention then”

“You could say that…Well Mobius recommended this excellent idea to me!”

“Oh don’t tell me its jet skiing? You know that’s his favourite activity to do.” You say, not really wanting to get wet today

“Oh not that my love…its another activity…just trust me ok?” He pleaded

“Ok ok! I trust you…anything you want today birthday boy”

You followed him…blindly…worse mistake of the day

“LOKI ARE YOU CRAZY?!”

“WHAT? CANT HEAR YOU LOVE” The wind thrashing against you both

“I SAID ARE YOU CRAZY?!”

“OH…YES! I THINK THIS WAS A GREAT BIRTHDAY IDEA”

“IM GOING TO KILL YOU”

“NO YOU WONT YOU LOVE ME!”

“LOKI I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DROP ME IM GOING TO STAB YOU”

“JUST TRUST ME LOVE, MOBIUS SAID SKYDIVING WAS EASY!”

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN TRUST MOBIUS?! LOKI IM GOING KI- AHHHHHH”

“WOOOOOO!!!”

Loki took you skydiving on Midgard and he had an absolute blast while you passed out from fear

Landing safely on the ground you looked furious at Loki

“Love, ok let me just say you said i can do anything for my birthday!”

“YES I DID…BUT I THOUGHT MAYBE YOU WANTED TO GO SHOPPING!? OR HAVE A PICNIC?! OR VISIT THE GARDENS! OR HELL…SEX! PASSIONATE, HOT, HEAVY AMAZING LOVE MAKING SEX BUT NOOOO SKYDIVING!”

“Hey! I still want the passionate, hot, heavy and amazing love making se-”

“NOPE”

“awh come on! did you not enjoy skydiving? its something off both our bucket list!”

“hmph”

“love…i know you know we weren’t in any actual danger, i have magic remember?”

”i know just scary….”

“love I would never hurt you…never”

You smiled “I know….it was just so sudden…” you sighed… “did you enjoy your activity for the day my love?”

“i did…and I especially liked it because you were with me” He smiled at you and gave a longing kiss

“I love you idiot” you say as you pulled apart

“Love you too my darling” Loki said back. He loved you so much and this day was one of his favourites

“Ok! So…your birthday dinner?”

“Yes! Hmm but how about scuba diving with sharks befo-”

“I don’t want to hear another word of it” You say sternly

“Just joking my love, lets go, I look forward to seeing my friends…and you can get mad at Mobius too”

You smiled “Ok ok I love you…Loki you mean everything to me”

He blushed “And you are the answer to my life my love…i love you.”

——————————————————————————

(a/n): it’s loki day!! everyone say happy birthday loki!! bbg is holding the timeline everyday i wish she had a break today :( ill hold it for you <//3 but yes happy birthday loki mwah!

#loki #loki laufeyson #mcu loki #loki god of mischief #loki marvel #loki series #loki season 2 #tom hiddleston loki #loki 2011 #happy birthday loki #loki day #loki’s birthday #mobius #lokius #loki x reader #loki fluff #loki x reader fluff #celebrating loki’s birthday #loki yggdrasil #loki laufeyson is my darling #loki birthday celebration #happy birthday to the loml #loki is the love of your life #loki is a tree #loki is amazing #i love loki #loki day!!

[fazedlight]

Heights (angsty Lena character study)

She wasn’t afraid of heights.

It was the sensible assumption, given that she hated flying. And she couldn’t even say she hated it, really. Some of the most fun she had was in getting her pilot’s license, designing and testing her own jet. There was no faster way to fly, and there was a certain thrill to being in the air.

But there were memories, too.

People often assumed that her mother’s death was the worst day of her life. And she supposed it was, in a sort of retrospective way. Maybe it had been replaced at that point by when she shot Lex, and then replaced after that by Kara being sent to the Phantom Zone. But she had felt those horrors in the moment. With her mother’s death, she hadn’t understood. She knew something was wrong, she knew she had witnessed something horrible at the lake, but she also knew that her mother would be back. Her mother always came back.

Her first time in a plane came at the age of 4. Strange men took her away from the familiar fields that she played in with her mother, going on and on forever until she was brought to an expanse of asphalt. She had never seen an airplane up close before. She took in the loud sounds of jets taking off and the smell of motor oil and felt confused as they loaded her up into the plane.

As the plane rolled down the runway and rotated up to the skies, Lena watched in horror as the world fell away. “What are you doing?” she screamed, clutching to Miss Pizzly. “My mom is there! My mom is there!” She begged for them to turn around. They didn’t. She would have a new family now, because her mother couldn’t be there. She watched in horror as the world became smaller and smaller, taking her away from everything she had ever known.

She wasn’t afraid of heights. She simply hated them.

#mel writes ficlets

[knipiko]

Change (In a house of flies) || Leon Kennedy x reader ANGST ||

Word count: 1k

A/N: I havent written in a while so dont expect anything good LMAOO

Summary: Leon was never a shell of a man he was, no matter what. he will still be the love sick Leon S Kennedy like he was yesterday.

WARNINGS!: Angst, Leon still loves ada, leons kind of a ass but hey we love a good angst fic

You were a simple person, never needing much. Maybe that was from the grueling days you spent in training to become where you were now, or maybe it was from how troubled you were financially before you were taken into the DSO’s hands. But there was one thing you needed, and that was the truth. 

It was a chilled night with you and your partner, Leon Scott Kennedy. The man who survived Racoon City, Saved the president's daughter, and managed to finish his mission in Lanshiang, China with the help of Helena Harper. He was an incredible man, he was your man. But with a loyal, corny and friendly guy came a troubled and traumatic past. He never spoke of it unless it was needed, but you didn't care. You were never the one to pry deep in someone's past, especially Leon Kennedys.

“I can’t wait to just go home and take the longest fucking bath imaginable..” You shifted the strands of hair collecting over your face and pulled them behind your ear, holding your rifle firmly. You had just recently reunited with Leon after splitting up in the tunnel system to clear more ground and eliminate possible threats. He was a little later than you expected, but you just brushed it off as he had more ground to look through. This place was a disaster, you both were in Germany. In the tunnels of the Umbrella Corporations underground system because of some reports about a heavy amount of missing people around the area, with wires poking side to side or firmly against the spheritic walls, the wet concrete smell and the small puddles of water from one of the leaking water pipes just made the entire trip have a somehow relaxing feel to it. 

Leon had found Ada on his way to meeting back with you in the tunnel system, he missed her. More than he missed you during all those solo missions you leave for. Sometimes you would be gone for weeks, even months. And he would sit there in sorrow, not for his woman but for another he could never truly have, he would cry nights on end about Ada when you were gone, keychain in hand. The same one Ada gave him for the jet ski in Spain. He was stunned when he saw her in the tunnels, lovestruck and felt like he was meeting her for the first time all over again. Leon tried to forget about Ada, but he just couldn't. He talked with Ada, interrogating what she was doing in Germany. Ada kissed him goodbye before they parted ways as he began to find you again, realizing his mistake immediately after parting ways with his first love.

Leon just looked ahead of him, his handgun shifting in both of his hands,”Mhm..” He hummed. You glanced at his hands moving the handgun to each palm, his hands clammy,”Hey, you okay?” You slowed your walking speed to match his, Leon was never this nervous during missions. He looks– no, glances at you before holding his handgun firmly in his right hand, his entire body tensing up,”Yeah.” His jaw clenches up as he kept his eyes forward with the seemingly never ending tunnel. Leon was never like this, from the dozen of missions and the thousands of times you two have hung out, this was odd. His chest pinged with guilt, pain, and regret..

I mean, he WAS your boyfriend. Was it the humidity that made him sweat? 

That made him avoid eye contact with you when possible? 

That causes his back to straighten when even a single syllable slipped from your lips?

The whole situation pulls you from reality,’I'm overthinking this, I don’t even have a reason to overthink!’ You try to calm yourself and reach some form of explanation in your head. You chalk it up as some form of his past trying to come back in his mind, trying to pay no attention. Leon exhales as he sees an elevator, a sigh of relief. You both walked inside, Leon reaching the lines of buttons and pressed the 9th floor, just above where the both of you were. Your brain still trying to find rational understanding behind whatever the reason was behind his nervous behavior, not knowing what was such a big deal.

You swallowed your own spit, worry towering over you. If you just asked again he wouldn't want to talk, but it's better than nothing. Right? You turned your head towards Leon, clearing your throat to make his attention pull towards you,”You know, you're really shitty at lying about your feelings.” You grinned, trying to lighten the mood. After not receiving a response you speak again,”I know I shouldn't pry but, I love you. And I want what's best for you.” That made Leon's heart burn with guilt. He felt awful, but his feelings could never change for Ada. No matter how much he loved you.

You just weren't her. You weren't as flirtatious or mysterious as her, nothing like the beauty he was blessed by when he first saw Ada.

Leon just stood there in the elevator, letting the doors open as he walked out and searched a singular room. Anxiety swallowing him whole, You walked into the room and shut the door behind you, becoming more irritated than worried,”Leon, please.” You pleaded with him, his heart just crushed itself into pieces. Blinking the tears from his eyes before turning to face you.

He sighed,”I saw Ada while we were split.” You became confused, is that all he was worried about telling you? No, it couldn't be,”Is that all?” You asked, folding your arms together. Leon wiped the sweat off of his palms, looking at you with concern. You stared at him, your brain unable to put two and two together. No matter how easy it was, because part of you didn't want to believe what the other part was trying to say. 

Leon shook his head, running his hands throughout his hair,”No, uhm. You know how much I love you, right?” Leon smiled, at least tried too. He knew what he was about to confess, if he didnt he would forever be stuck with these ties of pain and being unable to seek forgiveness in himself. You stared at him, your tone becoming worried,”Yeah?... So, what about you and Ada?” 

He fumbled with his gun,”There's no easy way to say this but uh,” He paused, putting his hands on top of his face before wiping the sweat off, pinching the bridge of his nose,”Say it, Leon. You're making me nervous!” You spoke, practically shaking at the suspense. Leon bit his bottom lip, looking at you,”Me and Ada, well. Kissed, and I've realized I've loved her more than I've ever, loved you." He paused,"Your just not her.”

Her.

You were never Ada, could never be anything like her, and you knew it. From the countless stories and the handful of interactions with Ada you now understood.

That look Leon gave her.

That smile Leon gave her.

The way Leon even talked about her.

He was in love with her.

It was never you, he just needed a replacement to forget.

Forget about her.

...

You were stunned, unable to speak as you wet your lips. Jaw to the floor as you slowly shook your head, Leon continued,”For your comfort, I tried to hide the truth.” Your eyebrows furrowed, staring at him with pure disbelief at what the words were coming out of his mouth,”You only ever cared about your own comfort, Kennedy.” You stumbled against the own weight of what you said, your entire world was crumbling down. And you couldn't stop it. You were furious. You wanted to scream, curse every entities name for putting you in this position. For even meeting Leon Scott Kennedy.

“I still love you, just not the same amount as Ada.” Leon tried to come up with some excuse as he put his hands up dismissively. “You never loved me to begin with, Leon. I'm doing this mission without you.” You adjusted the rifle in your hand and opened the door, walking off.

Leon really hasn't changed since he was in Racoon City, not like he thought he has.

#leon kennedy angst #leon kennedy x reader #leons such a DICK #Spotify #gonna throw up #this is so bad #wtf is this

[tickle-bugs]

Pre-Flight Checks

@allytheally: hi :) here's a prompt: you reblogged this thing a while ago about the seatbelts on aircraft (one on the shoulder, waist, and individual ones for the thighs) (https://www.tumblr.com/tickle-bugs/715247149506609152/hey-there-i-work-with-fighter-jets-super-hornets?source=share) and I think it'd be great if you wrote something incorporating this idea... like maybe lee!hangman and ler!rooster or lee!mav and ler!iceman and/or ler!slider? honestly any pairing would be cool

“Gooooood mornin’, Rooster.” The heavy impacts of boots on the stepladder send Bradley’s eye twitching. Hangman’s presence has a volume the way bright light slowly wears on the eyes.

“What do you want?” 

“Me? I just came over to help with your pre-flight checks.” Hangman grins, cocksure. A sliver of sunshine lights up his eyes over the edge of his aviators. 

“I’m clear, but thanks.” Bradley gives a little ‘shoo’ motion with his hands. 

“Lemme give it a second opinion.” Hangman hoists himself up to get a better view of the cockpit. He makes a big show of scanning over the switches and buttons and humming in thought. 

“Knock yourself out.” Bradley snorts and turns away. Hangman’s indecipherable muttering falls easily away under the buzz of his brain. He double and triple checks everything, noting the feel of each switch and knob under his practiced hands. Finding the rhythm of his plane is half the ritual.

Wiggling fingers fit suddenly into the curve of Bradley’s waist and he barks out a laugh, knees jerking against the straps holding him. 

He blinks at Hangman. Hangman grins at him. 

“Don’t--” Bradley dives to grab his hands, but the seatbelts, ever-dutiful, wrench him back into place. 

“Oh, now that sounds like you’ve got somethin’ loose. No pilot should be making that noise.” Hangman tuts, but he doesn’t stop, just lets his stupid hands do their stupid crawl across his stupidly sensitive stomach. Bradley lets out a giggly shriek and tries to fold in half. 

“Oh, Mav wasn’t kidding. This is my lucky day.”

“Youuuu--” Whatever half-baked insult Bradley was aiming for is smothered by his own laughter. 

“Meeeee. Say, are you ticklish anywhere else? Gotta catalogue this for future use. Scream once for yes or twice for no.” Hangman tazes his sides and Bradley’s voice cracks around his laughter.

He’s going to die in this plane. He better die in this plane, otherwise he’s going to gut Hangman like a fish.

…No, he won’t. 

Bradley manages to plant his hand square on Hangman’s face and start pushing, and the ultimatum between continuing the torment or falling onto concrete makes Hangman finally, blessedly let go. 

“Seems like everything’s in order. Pleasant skies, Rooster.” Hangman pats his shoulder and hops down out of sight. 

In his mind’s eye, he’s shaking Hangman by the shoulders until his brain falls out of his ears. In practice, he’s turning his burning face and shy half-smile back towards the controls with hopes of killing both.

…

“Mornin’, Bradshaw.” Hangman pops up like a gopher. Bradley jumps and nearly flips his lounge chair. 

“Seresin.” He exhales tightly through his nose. He stays very still—maybe he can still salvage the last throes of the sun-warmed nap he was finding his way towards. 

“You seem tense.” Hangman cocks his head in something that passes for concern. The rushing ocean suddenly sounds more like an omen. 

“There’s no one else around for you to bother right now?” Bradley leans up on his elbows to search for the other Daggers. He can hear Fanboy laughing somewhere, he thinks, but Hangman’s giant head blotting out the sun is the only thing he can see. 

“Nope!” Hangman makes a big show of cracking his knuckles and stretching his fingers. Bradley’s eyes widen. 

“Don’t you dare.” 

“You’ll have to be more specific. Don’t what?” The expression that Hangman generates overshoots innocence by a country mile. 

“Tickle me, you asshole.” Bradley winds an arm around his torso and scrambles up in his lounge chair. The fluttery kick of anticipation slaps a smile straight across his face. 

“I can’t believe you fell for that.”

“Fell for--”

Bradley pauses as it dawns on him. Watching it dawn on Hangman is worse--his entire face brightens with mischief. 

Bradley starts stammering through a protest and giggling through another, but Hangman’s kneeling over him before any of it becomes coherent. He flails hard enough to send them both tumbling into the sand. Never in his life has he been more grateful to be alone, if only to keep the pitch of his laughter between him and the menace causing it.

He makes a note to keep his shirt on at the beach. 

…

Maybe a week or so of this puts Bradley in a…strange headspace. Distracted. 

Touch is nice, but there’s more of it lately, enough to make him notice and crave its absence in a way he hadn’t before. When Phoenix leans into his side or Fanboy claps his shoulder, he misses the warmth of their touch after. Even Hangman’s utter nonsense sets a gentle buzz into his chest. It’s dizzying. 

He’s so lost in the ache of it that Mav catches on, and it kicks solidly into that tangle of ‘complicated shit’ between them that he keeps putting away for increasingly rainer days. He’d gotten so used to Mav tiptoeing around him as if he were fragile that the first gentle touch on the shoulder almost shatters him. 

The Daggers meet for a barbecue at Mav’s and Bradley shows up early with a bottle of Ice’s favorite Pinot. Things may be complicated, but the mushy smiles on Ice and Mav’s faces are not. It’s nice, putting ‘complicated’ in motion towards being something else. Something lighter. 

Later into the night, Bradley’s got his feet kicked up on the couch in the hangar and the radio crooning slowly in his ear. 

He watches Mav and Ice dance--more of a sway, really, as they banter. Mav’s got a playful tilt to his smile, one that suggests he’s being as much a menace as he’s visibly in love. Bradley smiles and hums along, halfheartedly wondering what Mav might be pestering Ice with.

“This seat taken?” Not waiting for an answer, Hangman picks up his ankles and takes their spot. Bradley brings his heels down hard on his thigh. He gets a swat on the ankle for his trouble. Still, the weight of Hangman’s arm on his legs is comforting. Solid. 

A room full of people to bother, yet Hangman finds him. Hm. 

“Why’re you so obsessed with me lately?” Bradley nudges him with his ankle. Hangman’s eyebrows raise.

Well. He’d meant to say that with a bit more tact but it’s out there now, between them. 

Hangman snorts softly and passes Bradley a beer. He pops the caps on both and pockets them. Probably donations for Coyote’s collection. 

“Don’t flatter yourself, Bradshaw.” Hangman gives him an utterly complex and unreadable look before taking a swig of his beer. ‘Complex’ and ‘unreadable’ are not words that belong anywhere near him. 

“You didn’t answer the question.” Bradley frowns. 

“It’s a stupid question.” 

“Seresin.” Bradley leans forward to smack his shoulder. 

“Alright, fine.” Hangman exhales tightly. “You’ve been moping around like a dark fuckin’ cloud these past few weeks and we couldn’t figure out how to get you out of it. We ran out of ideas and eventually Mav realized he couldn’t hide from us anymore, so he coughed up a solution. Something he said we could try, and I quote, ‘at risk of your lives’. Never thought he’d suggest tickling, but--”

“You went to Mav?”  

“Yeah, and Mav—“ Hangman imitates the way Bradley’s voice cracks— “told Phoenix to try it if all else failed, she told Bob, Bob told me, and now we’re here. And it worked.”

Bradley’s brain stalls out. He sits up, bracing his elbows on his knees. He drops his face into his hands. 

“Oh my god. So everyone knows?” He peeks through his fingers. Hangman shrugs.

“Well, I don’t think Fanboy was paying much attention.” He scratches idly at his jaw. 

“Mav said if all else failed. I didn’t—you guys didn’t try anything else.” Bradley fiddles with the label on the bottle. 

Hangman raises his eyebrow in the precise shape of ‘oh really?’. 

“Remember when Bob tried to buy you soup? Or when Payback made a fool of himself trying to sing Great Balls of Fire? Or when Fanboy tried to introduce you to Star Trek? Or—“

Oh. 

For maybe the only time in his life, Hangman snaps his jaw shut. Bradley furrows his brow. 

“Look…point is, you keep making that exact face you’ve got right now, and concerned parties asked me to investigate.” Hangman swirls his finger around Bradley’s face. He swats it away on habit, but fondness bubbles in the base of his throat. 

“Concerned parties?” A smile sneaks under his mustache.

“Yeah, Phoenix and the rest of them were worried. Not me though.” Hangman takes a long, incriminating swig from his bottle. 

“Not you?” Bradley tilts his head teasingly.

“Nope. I’m a neutral party. Like Sweden.”

“It’s Switzerland, dumbass.” Bradley knocks shoulders with him. Something about Hangman’s smile tells him he already knew that.

“Sure. Whatever.” Hangman throws his arm across the back of the couch. His fingers brush Bradley’s arm. The fondness settles into a resonant hum deep in Bradley’s chest.

“You’ve got your shit with Mav and your past. I get it. But some of us would like to see you smile more than twice a week.” Hangman gestures with his bottle. His movements are loose in the practiced Seresin way, but the care on his face is stunningly plain. 

“Some of us?” Bradley grins. Hangman narrows his eyes. 

“Concerned parties.” His cheeks grow rosy even as he scowls. 

“You are obsessed with me and I’m telling Phoenix.” Bradley pats his shoulder and makes a break for it. A fist grabs a handful of his collar. 

“Like hell you are!” 

The (thankfully empty) bottles clatter to the floor as Hangman wrestles an already-laughing Bradley back down to the couch. He tries not to think too hard about hearing Mav cheer in the background. 

…

Bradley does not start fights. He does not. He finishes them.

He slips past Phoenix and Bob, nodding in passing, and ducks up to Hangman’s Super Hornet. He can feel their eyes on him--especially Bob, he’s got a killer stare for someone so quiet--but he ignores it. 

It’s not a fight, not really, but if he thinks about what he’s doing too hard he’s going to lock himself in a supply closet somewhere. 

Bradley hops up the steps alongside the cockpit. 

“Rooster! To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing your ugly mug?” Hangman grins and bats his eyelashes. 

“I heard you were challenging Mav. Wanted to get a good look at you before you spend the rest of the evening with your face to the tarmac.” Rooster holds up his fingers like a picture frame. 

“Try not to miss me too much.” Hangman winks, insufferable as always. 

“Miss you? Every second you’re not buzzing around down here is a second of peace.” Bradley reaches up and knocks on his helmet. 

“Would you kindly get the fuck off my plane?” Hangman swats lazily at him. Bradley bats his hands away. 

“Before you go, just thought I’d see how your pre-flight checks are going?”

Hangman goes rigid. Bradley grins evilly at him.

“Bradshaw, don’t you fuckin’—“ 

Bradley fumbles with Hangman’s hands and flight equipment until he can jam his fingers right into the soft parts of his side. Hangman yelps and nearly jumps out of his skin. The seatbelts ensure there’s nowhere for him to go, and the clacking of the buckles only spurs Bradley on.

“I thought you’d put up more of a fight than this, Hangman.” Bradley tuts and shakes his head, worming his fingers up under straps to get at his ribs. Hangman well and truly shrieks.

“I am g-going to kill you!” Hangman shakes with the force of his laughter, folded awkwardly into his seatbelts. He shoves uselessly at Bradley’s chest. 

“And I’m never gonna let this go. Think I could get you to do that again, or are you a one hit wonder?” Bradley squeezes quickly at Hangman’s thigh. His hands slap down hard on top of Bradley’s and he starts cackling his way to incoherency. 

Bradley raises his eyebrow and times the squeezes to every escape attempt. It’s incredibly entertaining to listen to Hangman reinvent the squeal. He wonders if the other Daggers know about this yet. 

The sound of a throat clearing nearly sends Bradley toppling backwards off the plane. Strong hands heave him upright and he turns--Maverick’s eyes crinkle around the edges of his sunglasses. 

“Appreciate you getting a head start on destroying him, Rooster, but I believe that’s my job.” Mav pats him on the shoulder. Bradley goes to duck away, but Hangman makes a swipe for his sides, and he can’t let that stand. He leans back into the cockpit and tickles Hangman’s ribs until he’s screeching between hiccups and an interesting shade of red. 

“Aren’t you ssssupposed to help me?” Hangman crumples in around Bradley’s hands, wriggling like a worm on a hook. 

“Help you? No. Teach you? Sure. Wheels up in two minutes. Hopefully you’ll learn a thing or two about getting your ass handed to you.” Mav pulls Bradley back by the shoulder. He lets it happen. Hangman thunks his head back against his seat, chest heaving. 

“Bold words, Pops. We’ll see who comes out on top.” He clicks his tongue and winks. Insufferable bastard. 

“See you in the skies, Hangman.” Mav pokes Hangman’s stomach. 

…

The lounge at Top Gun hums with quiet chatter through the evening as the Daggers share drinks. Bradley’s tucked against the wall with Phoenix and Bob under his arms. He’s half watching Fanboy and Payback fumble through a game of pool, half listening to a story Phoenix is telling, and fully content to lose himself in the sound of her voice. 

The door slams open, welcoming a sweaty and disgruntled Hangman to the room. Scattered laughter and teasing applause kicks up among the other Daggers. He gives the entire room the finger. 

“Yeah, laugh it up. I was off my game.” He pushes his hair out of his eyes. Coyote offers him a pity beer. He takes it. 

“I wonder why.” Bradley chuckles. Phoenix swats his chest. Hangman locks eyes with him, absolutely feral. Bradley goes to make a run for it, but Phoenix hooks her arms under his. He could break her grip if he really tried, but…

When Hangman barrels towards him and tackles him over the back of the couch, Bradley can’t say he doesn’t deserve it.

#ok this was supposed to be mostly lee!hangman but i started thinking about bradley and blacked out #hope you still like it tho!! hangman still gets got as he should #idc if you tag this as ship btw #background icemav bc they are married #special thanks to chock who reminded me that writing is fun and i like to do it <3 #my fics #top gun maverick #ticklish!rooster #ticklish!hangman #bradley 'rooster' bradshaw #jake 'hangman' seresin #not tagging the other daggers they're barely here <3 #idk how I feel about this fic still but it was fun to write

[uglyducklingofthe2000s]

okkk i love the shy series and i have a idea for another part, i know you wrote that she is open and more herself with lando so maybe the drivers and their significant others are all together on like a boat or a party or a dinner at the end of the season and maybe they all get to see her and lando in their own little bubble and totally focused on each other and they get to see the more louder and open parts of her her that specifically come out around Lando, i just think it would be so cute if they got to see how comfortable she really is around lando

What He Sees - LN (Shy series)

Love this request. It's kind of short, a bit more of them only getting a glimpse rather than like a whole moment. Going with a party on a yacht, because what is the point in living in Monaco if he isn't going to celebrate his engagement with other F1 drivers if it's not on a yacht?

Also this is the first Shy post with a tag list, there's only like two people on there because only one other person replied to the post that I asked people to reply if they wanted to be on it and I don't know if the people who liked wanted to be tagged too. So please REPLY on this post specifying if you want to be added too.

The F1 drivers really wanted to get together and have a party to celebrate Lando's engagement. So it was all arrange for time off and they got a yacht sorted for the party. Knowing how shy y/n, they didn't bother making it as a surprise party.

But everyone is having a good time and the congratulations over the news.

In honesty, nearly everyone assumed Lando would be the last on the current grid to put a ring on anyone's finger. Until y/n, he seemed to enjoy the bachelor lifestyle and was very committed to it. Even the first few months of the relationship, when it was out of public knowledge. They doubted the relationship lasting long, not because they don't like y/n, but they also don't know her all that well.

Even when the couple arrived at the party, she was so quiet and just really kept to Lando's side.

Though at one point she moves to get drinks and Oscar decides to have a talk with her on their own.

"Are you having a good time?" Oscar asks making her whip her head up before settling when she realises it's him. "Don't worry, most of the drivers are leaving soon. It's surprisingly hard to get everyone in one place for a day for a group of people who all have the same time off."

"I really didn't expect there to even be something arranged...although Lando seemed to know it would happen." Y/n sighs softly before she nuzzles down a little.

Oscar and Y/n talk for a bit before Lando appears with Lily, both obviously looking for their significant others.

"Trust us to find the two of you hiding away from everyone else." Lando laughs moving towards y/n and hugging her tightly. "Max brought his jet skis. Would you like to get on one with me?"

"Ok." Y/n nods making Lando grin at her then kissing her a couple times softly which earns a grin.

"I missed that smile. Come on, baby." Lando smiles locking his hand with hers before she follows him with Lily and Oscar having already left the room to join the others while the fiancé's had a moment.

-

A couple hours later, there is some drivers who have left, but more importantly y/n and Lando have separated themselves onto the back deck after y/n decided to go sit with her feet dipping in the water.

"What's going on inside that head of yours?" Lando asks making her lift her head from his shoulder, looking back to for a moment to check that there's no one else close by before she kisses him.

"I'm thinking about how amazingly lucky I am." Y/n states for once not whispering. She has had one drink just on the demand of a cheers in their honour and it's seemed to loosen her up just enough to not feel hyper aware of other people's presence.

"Yeah, you're pretty lucky. I'm a catch." Lando jokes before laugh when she pokes him in the side and laughs with him. "You're stuck with me for life now. I'm never letting you go."

"Never? What if I change my mind?"

"Should've done that before I put a ring on it." Lando shrugs loving the sound of her laugh which is just the best sound in the world to him.

"I guess it's a good thing I love you so much that I would never change my mind." Y/n hums as Lando takes her hand pulling a move he's pulled a million times before, but never so out in the open. He's even surprised when she follows his guidance and moves over to straddle him. "Now we just need to get the wedding over and done with."

"Yeah, and we'll have a winter honeymoon."

"Hey! Keep your pants on! The rest of us are still up here!" A slightly drunk Max shouts down to the couple making y/n squeak and toss herself back, momentarily forgetting the water is out behind her as she hurtles back into it. Only gasping before she's submerged in the blue depth. "Oh sorry!"

The laughter above doesn't sound very sorry and every Lando has to laugh a little as y/n resurfaces and tries to climb up but he ends up lifting her up onto the deck, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her shivering body.

"You're fine. It's alright." Lando chuckles kissing her forehead while her teeth chatter and she tries to hide herself by nuzzling into him. It might also be for some warmth but she is definitely reignited in her shyness. "Come on, let's get back up there."

They go back up and while the group only got to see a few brief moments of the side of y/n that Lando insists exists only with him, they understand now. They get it that the two have a connection and he makes her laugh.

There's always something special about the guy that mans you laugh when you think no one else is watching.

"You guys really just have to ruin a moment." Lando states in a joking scolding manner as they get back up to the top deck. "Scaring my fiancé gets you uninvited from the wedding."

Y/n can't hide her smile over Lando's slightly protective joke as they sit down and Lando pulls her legs over his lap. And they spend the rest of the evening just enjoying the last of the daylight and sitting in the sunset.

A lot of photos are taken on Lando's demand and really y/n doesn't talk much more but she definitely warms up to being around the whole grid.

Tag list: @celestialams @oosnapitskat

[dandylovesturtles]

This one is breaking the rules but aaaauuugh they're both really good prompts so I will do April and Raph Trick, just for you anon

(and answering this as a screenshot in case I ever want to write that other prompt too lol)

CWs: none really, other than some brief discussion of injuries from the fic

---

April's on a jet ski with Warren Stone when a very loud and repetitive sound comes from a fog horn in the sky. It takes her a moment to realize the sound is her ringtone, and it's actually coming from her bedstand. Blearily she blinks open her eyes and rolls over, fumbling until she finally grabs it and stares at the screen.

5:03 AM is what she sees first, and she prepares herself to verbally murder whoever is on the other end of the line, until she actually pays attention to the caller ID and accompanying picture.

Raph. An old picture of him making a silly face for the camera.

She's suddenly wide awake. Raph would never wake her up so early on a school morning for no reason. Which means something's happened.

She swipes to answer before the ringtone dies, nearly yanking her charger out of the wall with how fast she raises the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Um, hey, April..." His voice sounds hesitant, and April's suspicions are confirmed. "Sorry for calling so early, I just... wanted to catch you before you went to class."

"It's fine, big guy," she says, because it's Raph, and because his tone is screaming that something is wrong, bad wrong, and she could never be mad at him for calling her at any time when something is wrong. "What's up?"

"It's, uh... well. Something happened. It's... I don't even know where to start."

He's not telling her to meet them somewhere, so whatever happened isn't currently still occurring. April decides, then, to cut to the chase.

"Who's hurt?"

She hears Raph take a shaky breath, hears what sounds like a thud as he leans heavy against a wall. Then...

"Leo."

Blood turns to ice in her veins. She sets up fully in bed, pulling her legs to her chest and closing her eyes. Not again.

"What stunt did he pull this time?" she asks, but there's no heat to it, just the echoes of the distress she's barely holding back. Raph, at least, seems to understand.

"We don't know. We were chasing these yokai guys - there were three of 'em, so we split up. Leo chased one of 'em up onto the rooftops, and... uh..." Raph clears his throat. "We think... well, Donnie thinks he fell. Or was... maybe pushed."

Fell off a roof. April almost feels like she heard wrong, it feels impossibly mundane. Those boys have been running around on rooftops since before she knew them, and their shells are tough; she can't imagine any of them being too hurt by a tumble unless it was from really high up.

But she can tell from Raph's tone of voice that Leo was hurt - seriously. If this were a, "Haha, Leo fell and broke his leg," moment, she would have gotten that call from the boy himself.

She keeps her eyes closed, like that will somehow force reality away. Predictably, it doesn't work. "How bad is it?"

Raph takes too long to answer, and she fists her hand in the sheets while she waits.

"He's, uh... Well, he's breathing right now," he says, quickly, and she sucks in air too sharp and fast, "but he wasn't when we found him. And... I... I don't know, April."

April listens helplessly as Raph's voice cracks on the other end of the line. She wishes they were having this conversation in person, so she could give him the biggest hug she can manage, but that's not how life is.

"He's... he's not waking up. He's just... laying there. He looks so still, he... Even after the Krang, he never..."

Raph chokes up, and she can tell he's trying hard not to cry. She wonders if he's let himself break down yet, and thinks probably not, because he probably hasn't left Leo's side until now, which means he's stayed strong for Donnie and Mikey.

But Raph doesn't have to stay strong for her. She's the big sister, after all.

"It's okay, Raph," she says, her own tears starting to fall, her own voice shaky, but she only lets as much show as she needs, to encourage Raph in his own feelings. "It's okay. I'm here."

There's another thump from the other side of the line, Raph hitting the floor, if she had to guess, followed by one sob, and then another. And then she can hear him crying in earnest, and she lets him, repeating the same things over and over, I'm here, it's okay, let it out, I love you, we'll figure it out.

Later, April will get a shopping list of anything the boys need from Mikey. Later, she'll will trek down to the sewers and see her boys. Later, she'll take care of chores and harass Donnie into sleeping and do everything she can to cheer Mikey up. Later, she'll talk to Splinter and help him stay present for his sons. Later, she'll hold Leo's cold hand in hers and try to will her baby brother to wake up by force.

Right now, she has a different baby brother to take care of, one who needs her because he feels like he can't go to anyone else. The clock reads 5:14 AM, and that's okay. She'll be here as long as she needs to.

#dandy trick or treat #fic: i may be invisible but i still look good #rise april #rise raph

[swiftispunk]

your summer dream | joel miller x f!reader

series announcement + intro

series masterlist | title inspo | follow (and turn on notifs for) @swiftispunkupdates for updates

pairing: joel miller x fem!reader rating: 18+ minors dni series warnings etc: [NO OUTBREAK] we'll call him dad's buddy!joel, fairly soft!joel, age difference (28/50), alcohol, food, sexual tension, smut like whoa smut (will specify with each chapter), fluff, anxiety, mentions of infidelity, mentions of divorce, jet skis????, secret relationship. no use of y/n.

series summary: fresh on the heels of the worst breakup of your life, you find an unexpected kindred spirit (and maybe a little more) in family friend joel miller, who's agreed to tag along for seven days to a tropical resort with you and your parents.

A/N: well besties. it's finally kicking off. happy summer! this series is acting as my thank you for 6.3k followers, because this series was basically co-written by my followers. ya'll took one little idea in response to an ask and fucking ran with it so hard, you pretty much gave me no choice but to write it. i have tried to include as many of your ideas in this story as possible. this series will be seven parts (excluding this prologue), one chapter for every day of your vacation. updates will not be regularly scheduled because, well...it's me. sorry. this series is not meant to be anything more than sweet, sexy, summer fun and is self-indulgent as all hell so pls just take it for what it is ☀️✈️ - love, han

*intro warnings: mentions of infidelity and breakups

Drive your car down to the sea / All the while you build a scheme / Take her hand and walk on with her / Make it real, your summer dream

This is not the vacation you'd been hoping for. Almost thirty-years-old and jetting off for seven days to a resort with your parents.

It's not that you're ungrateful–Lord knows you need a good holiday–it's just that he was also supposed to be coming. The man you'd thought had been the love of your life. The man you'd been planning to marry one day. 

Apparently, he'd had other plans. Namely, fucking your best friend and dumping you on your birthday. Three years down the drain, over in an instant.

The sunny skies and balmy beaches of Costa Rica feel infinitely less enticing now, clouded by heartbreak and misery.

But you'd made a promise to yourself and you've sworn to stand by it–you won't think of him on this trip if you can help it. It's like your mom had said: maybe the time away would be good for you.

You have to admit that right now, it hardly feels that way. 

What's worse, your dad had insisted his buddy come along in your ex's place. Some older guy you've met only a handful of times, supposedly going through a bit of a rough patch himself.

"Joel and his partner just separated–maybe the two of you can bond," your dad had suggested. 

Yeah, right.

What could you possibly have in common with a newly single fifty-year-old contractor? He'll probably just be a miserable killjoy the whole time. 

Although, you think, you'll probably be just the same.

next ->

series tag list (sign up above) @lifeiswrite @midnightr0in @darlingjeon @westeros-needs-me @bitchwitch1981 @soph55 @butiknewyoudlinger @kyloispunk @disassociation-daydreams @johnwatsn @joelsversion @serenaxpedro @maryrhodalouandted @atticrissfinch @lumoverheaven @ladyfiery47 @pedrostylez @ehopehobihope @moonlightdreamingworld @pr0ximamidnight @theduranreflex @amanitacowboy @uncassettodiricordi @thetriumphantpanda @saradika @bunnyslipperss @harrisonispunk @pedropascalfan221 @remuskinniesblog @sstarboy777 @jsengsstuff @miaispunk @sexygaypalpatine @joelmillerswifu @heartfairy @tieronecrush @morallyinept @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @he4d1nthecl0uds @kaitspamx @blkcali @love-the-abyss @huffle-punk @akah565 @wmsfornumberone @heyferris @princesapedro @milla-frenchy @keepsmeupatnight @hiddenbabynyc @kireena-crossing @tinygarbage @skajab @joelscruff

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x y/n #dbf!joel miller #dbf!joel miller x reader #the way this series will be the complete antithesis to what I am writing with cat lol #inside of me there are two wolves #masterlist imminent also

[thoseboysinblue]

My Type

Part 2

Christian Pulisic x reader

You have a chance encounter with Christian, who happens to be just your type.

Word count: 2400+

Requested: No

Warnings: Swearing, drinking

Part 1

"Elllls" you groan collapsing onto the bed beside her, "we have a problem."

"Are you too hungover to function? Because I'm too hungover to function right now," she says turning to face you, "can you turn off the sun please?" she whines as you let out a small laugh.

"No, well yes, I'm hungover and feel like I could die, but I also have a slightly bigger problem," you say, handing her your phone so that she can see the notification.

"Oh shit," she grins, "I told you he'd find you."

"Yeah, I have no clue how he managed that though," scrolling through pictures you were tagged in from the night before. "Damn it Ella, you fucking tagged him didn't you" you huff at her. "I might have, but I didn't actually think he'd see it, he must get a million notifications a day, he was obviously looking for you" she smirks as she gets her own phone out.

"What am I going to fucking do, I can't accept that, but it would be rude not to wouldn't it?"

"Why can't you accept a follow request, y/n, maybe he likes you, and at the very least, it would be a fun story to tell," she chuckles.

"He's got 7 million followers, Ells, that's why, a follow from him is just asking for it," you sigh.

"Maybe it's him asking for it," she winks at you, "for the love, it's just an Instagram request, not a marriage proposal, accept it, see what happens."

"I could kill you for this," you roll your eyes at her.

"Or you can thank me for it" she giggles.

Ella is busy typing away on her phone as you hit accept on his request, not bothering to follow him back.

"Damn it" she sighs, "our boat for today cancelled, I'm going to try to get us booked onto something else." You nod at her, "that sucks, want me to look for something, I hate for you to be the one dealing with this on your bachelorette party, but we can always just do another beach day if it doesn't work out."

"No, I think I've got something else lined up," she smiles.

What you didn't know is, she'd woken up to an Instagram message from Christian:

Christian: hey, thanks for the tag 😉

Ella: hey, no problem, she's already threatened to kill me so you better be worth it 🙄

Christian: I will be, promise. 😇 So, I don't want to crash your party or anything, but what are you guys plans for the day?

Ella: Well, we had a boat booked, but that seems to have fallen through, so maybe just another beach day unless I can find a last minute booking.

Christian: It could be your lucky day...I happen to have a boat, and jet skis, and a pool, and I can have a fully stocked bar if you'll tell me what you guys like to drink. But really, I don't want to crash your party, so no pressure to accept or anything ☺️

Ella: I mean, are you sure you don't mind?

Christian: not at all, really, I'll get some food ordered too, guessing you guys are as hungover as we are, what about drinks?

Ella: we've got tons of alcohol with us we can bring, so just whatever you want will work 😉 you sure you're ok with this?

Christian: Positive. Here's the address. 📍 couple of hours?

Ella: yeah, I'll get this lot moving. See you then, hope this isn't a complete disaster 😭

"Girls," Ella shouts, "we've had a change of plans, our boat cancelled so I've got another one lined up, but it's a 40 minute drive, so we need to be ready for the minibus to pick us up in an hour."

You hear everyone groan and start shuffling around to get ready. After showering, you pull on a fuschia bikini that complements your sun kissed skin perfectly, and leaves very little to the imagination as well as some shorts and a sheer top. You pack your bag for the boat, throwing in your towel, sunscreen, AirPods and a book for when you inevitably need to drown out the rest of the group.

You head to the kitchen and fix mimosas figuring the fastest way to cure your hangover is to have a little bit of a buzz again. After a couple of drinks you all head to your waiting minibus. You climb into the back, listening to everyone chatter about the guys you'd met last night and mostly dodging questions about Christian, the group still none the wiser to who he actually is.

You pop in your headphones and lay your head against the seat and doze off on the drive. When you feel the bus come to a stop you wake up and look around at the clearly residential area you are in, a couple of the girls squeal when they see a few people come out of the house you are at, and Ella turns to you "don't kill me, please" she begs.

"Ella, what the fuck?" you roll your eyes, even though she can't see them through your sunglasses. "Our boat really did cancel and he offered," she smiles devilishly at you. "If this wasn't your party, I'd fucking kill you" you grit your teeth at her as she pulls you from the van.

"It will be fun, I promise," she smiles again, trying to encourage you, "you look hot by the way," she wiggles her eyebrows as Christian walks over and she gives him a quick hug. "Thanks for saving the day," she smiles sweetly at him as he nods, his eyes completely focused on you.

"No problem, glad I could help" he grins at her as she turns to go into the house, "the pool is out back, there's breakfast and drinks waiting in the kitchen," he shouts after her, still not taking his eyes off of you. "Hey, y/n" he offers you a smile leaning in to kiss you on the cheek before you bring your hand to his chest to stop him, " hey, Christian" you mutter pushing past him to head into the house.

Once inside, you grab something to eat, a hard seltzer, and some water before heading out to the pool. You find a lounge chair away from everyone and lay your towel down before shimmying out of your shorts and shirt. You lay down on the chair, popping your headphones back in and turning on some music as you watch everyone through your sunglasses.

You see Christian wander out of the house, shirtless with his swimming trunks slung low over his hips as he talks to a few of the others, damn he looks good, too good, you think to yourself as he scans around, smirking when he sees you. You know he can't see you watching him, but your cheeks flush when you've presumably been caught staring.

A few minutes later, he comes over and sits on the chair next to you, picking your phone up to see what you are listening to before turning off your bluetooth function so that the music is now coming through the speaker of your phone. "Do you mind?" you quip at him, it coming out a little more harsh than you intended. "I like this song" he says, unbothered by your apparent indifference, as you pull your earbuds from your ears and put them back in the case.

You both sit in silence for several minutes, listening to the music, your heart hammering away in your chest as you try really hard not to completely freak out over the fact that this trip is going very differently than you thought it would. "Can I ask you a question?" he says continuing to look straight ahead, his eyes also shielded by a pair of sunglasses, his arms folded behind his head. "I'm guessing you're going to ask your question no matter what I say, so go ahead," you answer him.

"Did you already have that jersey, or did you just buy it for this trip," he smirks turning to look at you, his eyes raking up and down your body as his lips part slightly, tongue grazing along the lower one.

"Neither actually, borrowed it from my brother," you say, turning over and adjusting your chair so that you could lay on your stomach, giving him a good view of your ass that's barely covered by the bottoms you're wearing. "So your brother is a fan, that sounds like a win for me" he chuckles as you roll your eyes and shake your head. He quickly realizes the current view he has of your ass isn't going to do him any favors, so he decides to get in the pool, but before he does he leans down to say lowly in your ear, "be careful in this Florida sun, y/n, you don't want to get burned." He runs and does a cannonball into the pool splashing you in the process, to which you just raise your middle finger in his general direction and hear him let out a hearty laugh.

After a while, you sit up and decide you probably should put on some more sunscreen. You chug down about half of your water and then set about rubbing yourself down. Just as you finish with your front side, Christian comes back over and sits down, offering you another of the hard seltzers you'd been nursing. You take it from him and mumble a thanks, cracking it open and taking a long drink.

"Do me?" he says nonchalantly. "Pardon?" you sputter nearly choking on your drink. "Sunscreen, I need some, I can feel my shoulders burning," he smirks cocking an eyebrow at you. You start to hand him the tube of sunscreen but he shakes his head at you, "my hands are full" he says, holding up his beer and phone. You roll your eyes and sit down behind him, your legs draped over each side of the chair so that he's sitting between them.

You take a deep breath and squeeze some of the sunscreen out onto your fingers, slowly starting to work it onto his shoulders and back, smirking to yourself at the low moan he lets slip past his lips. "Can I ask you a question?" you say quietly as you continue trailing your hands over his exposed upper body. "Mmmhmm" he says as his head falls forward completely lost in the feel of your hands on him. "Why are you doing this?"

His head snaps back up and he turns to look at you, "Doing what?"

"This, inviting us here, giving up whatever plans you had to spend the day with a bachelorette party of people you don't know?"

"Well, I actually didn't have any plans to give up, we are doing exactly what I was going to do no matter if we had other people over or not, and my new bff Ella, was in a crisis and needed a boat, which I happen to have," he grins at you.

"Have I done something to upset you?" he says, taking the sunscreen from you and gesturing for you to switch places with him. He scoots backwards, giving you a place to sit between his legs as he starts to rub some onto your shoulders. "No, I'm not upset, just not sure what I'm doing here," you mumble, "surely you've got other prospects you could be entertaining."

Your breath hitches as he slides his hands under the strings on the back of your bikini, "maybe I do, and maybe I don't, but is it so bad to think that just maybe, I wanted to get to know you a little better, you aren't like anyone I've met, and that intrigues me."

"Why, because I'm not throwing myself at you?" you scoff.

"That is a bit refreshing actually," he chuckles. "But, no, it's not just that, I'd be willing to bet we have a lot more in common than you think, y/n."

"What could we possibly have in common, Christian? We are obviously from two very different worlds," you sigh. "Well, for starters, I think we both prefer to stay home over going to a night club, if I'm remembering what your friend said about you last night correctly." You let out a huff, knowing it's true and start to stand up to move back to your chair but he settles one hand over your waist and squeezes lightly, letting you know he doesn't want you to move just yet.

"I'd also say we have similar taste in music judging by your playlist," he grins, "and your brother is a fan so I'm wondering if you've watched me play?"

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't," you quip, not giving in to his not so subtle attempts at flirting.

"We also now share our best friend Ella," he chuckles, "and she loves me, she even followed me back on Instagram, unlike some people."

"So is that what this is about? Is your pride a little hurt that I didn't already follow you, or at least follow you back?" you laugh quietly, "Ella is a hopeless romantic, of course she followed you wanting to play cupid."

"Are you not a hopeless romantic?" he says, turning you around to face him. "No, I'm far too jaded for that. I told you last night, I didn't think I was what you were looking for in that bar, and I still believe that to be true, if you're looking for a hook up, I'm probably not your girl, and god knows if you want more than that, I'm definitely not it."

"What if I said, I wasn't looking for anything? But that maybe I found something I wasn't expecting, even if that's just a friendship," he says, pulling his sunglasses off so that you could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"Then I might believe you."

"Look, I noticed you before I realized what you were wearing last night, that jersey just happened to give me a reason to talk to you. I'm not asking you for anything, y/n, just give me a chance, please."

"I guess I can do that," you offer him a small smile, seeing his expression light up.

"Really?" he asks, as you nod in response. "Wanna ride?" he says with a smirk, noticing your expression change slightly. "On the boat, y/n, get your mind out of the gutter," he chuckles as you shake your head at him, clearly lost for a response. "There are several ways I'd like to render you speechless, but for now, I'm just asking if you'd like to go out on the boat with me."

@chelseagirl98 @neverinadream @masonspulisic @pulisicsgirl @swimmingismywholelife @lovelynikol16 @nyctophilic0vitnir @lunamelona

#christian pulisic #christian pulisic imagine #Christian Pulisic x reader

[cleabellanov]

Jet-Skiing through Identity: a deep dive into Mobius M. Mobius (part 5)🚤

The analyst is now going on missions, and he is doing such a great job. Plus, he's looking damn good doing it.

I think that in episode 2, "Breaking Brad" (one of my favs, like i really really love this one) , we get to see both extremes of Mobius as a character, which is great! We begin with his steady personality, looking for trouble to resolve it, not to cause it.

This is when we can see Mobius and Loki use that trust that they previously built, and working together. The comfort emanated in the scene where they're trying to fix that TemPad, for example, feels so good and natural specifically because it has background. (...and they're very, very good together. And Tom and Owen always knew what they were doing. Anyway, you get the point.)

Brad/ X-5 is a complicated person, and the others knew that when trying to get information out of him. Does that stop Mobius from trying to ease the atmosphere with one of his jokes? No: he's still running to the beat of a good heart, he can't help it. His way of being, this approach, is part of him, and we've seen that in season 1 as well.

The trigger is, however, pulled in him when Brad tells him he's a nowhere man. He usually endures things well, so what made him snap this time?

I think that hearing it out loud, AND put like that (f u brad), Mobius finally got hurt by the emotions he was trying so hard to suppress.

Distancing from that, and all the past he knows nothing about, he alienated from himself too, because they are essentialy part of him.

Saying "You're a nowhere man" to Mobius is similar to saying "What, like you did with your mother?" to Loki. It's a half truth that hurts especially because it was left in the darkness. Like someone flashing a lantern in your eyes after you've been wandering though a cavern.

We can see he uses denial too as a coping mechanism, in our most beloved scene: the pie room one. He doesn't admit it at first, but with Loki being Loki (and the person he cares the most about as well), he admits he's wrong: "Listen, that wasn't tactical. I lost it".

So it's not pride when he doesn't want to see his mistakes! it's a need to make everything perfect, for others more than for himself.

It's also no secret that Mobius finds comfort in food, especially pie. So having a sweet with Loki certainly calms him down.

Next, he tells Loki:

"The TVA is the only life I've ever known. I like it!"

and

"Something bad I can handle. What if it's something good?"

Does he really like his life there, or only the meaning of it?

I interpret him not wanting to look, not even now, for avoiding feeling guilty about leaving that behind. Maybe he even draws a parallel, and realizing that he has a life on the timeline it hits harder that so did all the people from the timelines he pruned

But also, he can't leave his mission! He can't leave Loki! Remember how in season 1 he told Ravonna that if he could go anywhere, anytime, he'd go to his place on the timeline? This changes now, when it's actually possible. A life he never known doesn't have a purpose for him. This one, though? This one definitely does.

One last thing thing I want to mention *for today* is how sweet Mobius is telling Loki that he's the God of Mischief. After years of this title being used negatively, Mobius says it as a compliment. He not only knows the comfort of touch (s2e1), but of words of affirmation too:

see you for the next part!! I underestimated how long this series of analysis would be :)), but only 2 more parts to go 💙

#well come on you're the God of Mischief!!! Right?? #english is not my first language #so sorry if i did any mistakes #character essay #character analysis #mobius my beloved #mobius m mobius #owen wilson #loki #loki series #lokius #lokius nation #tom hiddleston #marvel #mcu #mobius #💚💛 #show some love to this💛💚

[sarcastic--metaphor]

toxic yuri custody battle pt. 1

As promised, I'm trying to write a fic where bubblegum and marcy survive the fall at the end of The Star and Bonnie is stuck raising Finn.

This first chapter is just to set up the rest of the fic but in the future, I'd love for Bonnie to get intensely attached to Finn & for Marcy to constantly threaten to turn him just to get back at Bonnie (and maybe she likes them both despite them being prey...)

(There will also be lots of rage-filled toxic love/hate yuri)

Excerpt:

“...you could join me…”

All day, the only thing Bonnie could hear was The Star’s mocking tone echoing in her dome. 

Her knuckles were bruised dark pink from punching vampires and, more than once, her own tank out of frustration. Repairs were going painfully slow, far longer than the original sixteen hours that Tank originally proposed. After all, she was working alone, was still recovering from her injuries, and had to handle attacks from stray vampires foolish enough to consider her easy prey. 

And then there was the child.

Word count: 1822

+++

Bonnie only barely escaped with her life. 

Her plan gone to shit, the fall, The Star… 

In those moments of weightlessness, she was ready to accept her own death in exchange for The Star’s demise. When she was young, she had visions of rebuilding the world after the extinction of the vampires at her hand. A permanent home, perhaps even her own nation. Peace and prosperity under a blue sky.

But with the non-vampiric population crashing, with all plant life withering and dying out from the endless dark skies, Bonnie was willing to lay her dreams to rest along with every other ally she watched perish.

She was ready to put this all behind her.

But she didn’t die in the fall. And she couldn’t kill The Star, either. 

The horde of vampires sent to save their princess pulled Marceline from Bonnie’s grip and left her to plummet to her death. Before she could think, her centuries of survival instincts kicked in and she unsheathed two of her stakes. Bonnie gouged them into the side of the vampire hive to slow her fall before making her escape into the decrepit tunnels and sewer system below.

The vampire drones chased her, of course. They sought vengeance for their princess and the approval of their king. 

But even then, Bonnie refused to die. She returned to her tank with her clothes in tatters, none of her stakes or other weapons remaining. Covering in wounds oozing sugary syrup. 

All she wanted was the armored safety of her tank. What she didn’t expect was that damned child. 

“Ah, ma’am!” the Tank A.I. said, “Your heart rate is erratic and you are bearing at least five wounds that will require immediate-”

“Can it!” she said. Bonnie could feel her hands shaking. She walked past the baby playing on the floor, almost stepping on him. The interior of the tank was listing from side to side. Or was that her?

The panels within her mobile home slid open to reveal their stockpile of medical supplies. She sat herself in the little alcove and tried to focus on what to do next. Bonnie’s first instinct was to reach for the jet injector already primed with anesthetic. 

She hesitated.

When she had a team, she could immediately dose herself with pain killers and trust that either Huntress or Martin would patch her up in her addled state. Now, she had no one. 

Without a word, Bonnie grabbed one of the hundreds of stakes they had and clenched it between her teeth. She set to work cleaning and sewing her wounds herself. All the while, Tank kept talking to her. She was updated on the auto-repairs the tank was able to make on its own, primarily to internal systems. But the treads and other exterior damage would take at least two hands to fix. So on and so forth. She wasn’t really paying attention and Tank knew it, too. But it helped to have something fill the silence, something other than her labored breath. 

When she was done, the stake she used as a bit was pockmarked with imprints from her teeth. She threw it to the ground, spat out some splinters, and finally allowed herself to reach for the anesthetic. 

“Oh, ma’am.”

She snarled and clenched her fist. “What?”

“The baby!”

She looked. In between long and slow blinks, she saw the human child waddle across the floor. He was reaching for the stake. Bonnie didn’t think it was a big deal, she wielded a stake herself the moment she was big enough to hold one. But the pointed end was much sharper than the baby’s discarded toy sword, and because of her biting, the wood had splintered a bit. 

Bonnie, unwilling to get up from her seat at the infirmary station, merely kicked the stake farther away. The baby paused and looked at her with bewilderment. 

She narrowed her eyes and thought, If you start crying, I sweat to-

Then the child changed course and came right up to her. He put his hands on her bloodied boot and slowly raised himself to his feet. He smiled at her. 

“Where… where’s the others?” Bonnie asked. She was beginning to slur her words. One way or another, she wasn’t going to keep awake for much longer. Her wounds and fresh stitches throbbed beneath their itchy bandages. 

“What others, ma’am?” Tank asked. 

Bonnie swore under her breath. Those strange outsiders from another world, they didn’t make it, then. And they left their fucking baby in her tank. 

Tank said, “Please, you need to rest. I can keep watch over Finn.”

She blinked. “Finn?”

“My recordings indicate that at least once, our new friends referred to the child as Finn.”

“Oh,” she said, tired. Bonnie would have to decide how to handle the situation later. She finally injected herself with those blessed drugs and crawled into her sleeping tube. As she began to lose consciousness, Bonnie heard the hydraulic slide of her tube doors opening. She wanted to tell Tank to close them, but she could no longer find her voice. 

What she did detect were two chubby hands feeling their way in the cool darkness of her tube, pawing at her dirty boots and ripped pants, before coming to rest near her hip. 

Bonnie fell asleep to the sound of her guest’s shallow snoring. 

+++

“...you could join me…”

All day, the only thing Bonnie could hear was The Star’s mocking tone echoing in her dome. 

Her knuckles were bruised dark pink from punching vampires and, more than once, her own tank out of frustration. Repairs were going painfully slow, far longer than the original sixteen hours that Tank originally proposed. After all, she was working alone, was still recovering from her injuries, and had to handle attacks from stray vampires foolish enough to consider her easy prey. 

And then there was the child. 

Against what would usually be her better judgment, Bonnie left the entrance to the tank open. She had to come in and out too frequently to keep it closed, but despite Tank’s best efforts to keep the child occupied, the baby was still determined to crawl outside and get himself killed. 

There used to be a good few human settlements at a distance from the vampire hive. A handful with populations in the hundreds. One with a population in the thousands, well guarded and heavily armed. More than one would’ve been happy to take in the baby, to give him to some parent who’d lost their own child to disease or vampires. 

But as Bonnie said to The Star, the population was crashing. Had crashed, even. Those settlements were almost all gone now. All that remained in this wasteland were loners and tiny groups of survivors. 

There was no one else who could take in the child. 

And as much as Bonnie was concerned with the big picture -slaying The Star and the Vampire king, driving their kind to extinction- not even she could simply abandon an infant to the elements. 

That still didn’t mean she was happy to have him around. Humans aged slowly, it’d take at least a decade before he’d be able to fight. 

Bonnie grunted and heaved as she refitted the tank’s metal plates, ignoring the way the stitches in her side pulled and ached. It wasn’t pleasant, but it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as when she had to replace the treads or get the tank off its side. 

A little voice in the back of her head asked her, what was ten or so years to the hundreds she already lived?

She had survived alone, in groups, as a child, and as an adult. Martin and Huntress and all the allies she had before were all born into this world, too. And they put up a good fight. She still never would’ve condoned bringing a child into this world, but he was already here now. And he was stuck with her as much as she was stuck with him.

A shrill voice giggled behind her. Speak of the devil. 

Bonnie raced back to the entrance of the tank and caught the baby before he could tumble over himself. She set him back inside. 

“Stay,” she said, as if he were a dog. As if there were any dogs left in this world. 

But the baby only cooed at her. He brandished a small, wooden sword and waved it through the air. It looked like a stake that Huntress hadn’t finished whittling, but in the hands of a little kid it might as well have been a mighty blade. Bonnie hadn’t noticed it when she first returned, but her tank was littered with ripped up toys and more than one damaged A.I. sensor. 

It seemed like the baby ran out of worthy opponents in the tank and sought a greater challenge elsewhere. 

Or he was just restless and Bonnie was merely projecting on him. 

The baby babbled his nonsense and seemed to ignore her. He slapped his sword against the floor of the tank as he gazed up at Bonnie.

Then he hiccuped and made a series of alarmed sounds. 

Bonnie felt a shiver go down her spine and spun on her heel, stake already sailing through the air. 

She missed the vampire that’d snuck up on her. It hissed and lunged, but killing was like second nature to her. Bonnie had another stake in her hand before she knew it and a moment later, the vampire was replaced by a cloud of dust. 

“Excellent eye, young man,” Tank said. 

Bonnie went to retrieve the stake she threw. “Hey, I was the one who got it.”

She sheathed her weapons and absentmindedly touched her eye-patch. Since losing her eye, she was loath to admit she lost some of her depth perception. Hitting targets at even a mild distance was a little more challenging than she was comfortable with. 

So she made up for it by expanding her arsenal and improving her hand to hand combat. 

Bonnie returned to the child and picked him up for the very first time, examining him. 

He smiled at her, his free hand grabbing at the air. He seemed interested in her pink hair. 

“Sugar’s bad for babies,” she said. 

The child ignored her. 

Bonnie sighed. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to rebuild her team again, get herself some more people she could rely on. 

“Sorry you had to wind up in this world. But maybe…” she said, staring at his innocent eyes, “Maybe you’ll do alright.”

Bonnie would never call herself the nurturing type, but she liked the idea of having someone who could carry on her work if she were ever to bite the big one. 

The Vampire King had his ward, maybe what she needed was one of her own. 

Letting his fist close around her finger, Bonnie said, “Welcome aboard, Finn the human.”

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