#and zak also getting a tattoo

[callmewrinkles3]

That’s when - DR3 x Fem!OC

Masterlist

Summary:  First part here. It’s been eight weeks since Em left Australia, six weeks since she got on her train to Liverpool. But when her closest friends pool their resources to locate her she finds herself back where everything started, just four years later.

Word Count: 11.7k

Warnings: mentions of pet death (not Em or Dans!), emotionally/mentally abusive families, angst, mentions of potential cheating, Zak Brown (he counts), mentions of fatal crashes.

A/N: It’s heeeere! Thank you so much for the wonderful reception this fic has gotten, and we hope part two is everything you’ve been waiting for. This most definitely isn’t the end of Dan and Em’s story, we’ve so much more to write about.

May 2022

--

The worst pain that Emma thought she’d ever felt in her life was when she was six years old. She was barefoot on freshly cleaned floors, running around her parents house playing an imaginary game when she slipped and fell right into the doorframe. She remembered her yells for her parents, her baby toe pointing out to the side and turning purple almost before her very eyes. The joint still ached if the weather changed quickly.

Not even the lack of sympathy from her dad had hurt more than the pain when he found her sobbing on the floor of the hallway. Not the doctor at Alder Hey giving her an injection into the aching joint that didn’t fully numb her before yanking it into place. Nothing in her life had ever hurt as much as right then, and she didn’t think anything ever could.

At least, not until she’d left London for good and arrived back in Liverpool.

She’d built up a routine in the five and a half weeks since she’d gotten on the train. The traditional grey British skies helped too. There hadn’t been a single day of sun since she’d arrived, the weather echoing her mindset as she stared out her bedroom window to the housing estate. It was miserable and cold and near constant rain. It matched her mood, no respite from the constant exhaustion and nausea she’d been dealing with since she arrived making her not want to eat anything. She could hear Michael in the back of her head, telling her to just eat a bloody protein bar when she was stressed and had forgotten to eat. But Michael probably hated her. He’d said in his texts that he wanted to find her once, and she’d read them and stared at the screen. She’d nearly written back, not realising he was online and watched as he asked her for details but she ignored it. He couldn’t have meant it. She was the one who left them.

The rain also helped when she followed her routine to go get her coffee at 11.25 - after the boxing classes she went to but hated because the instructors weren’t Michael, but before she started job hunting - because it meant she could keep her coat on. She didn’t have to see the delicate number 3 tattooed on her wrist. That was a blessing. She kept the same routine every day, the only variations if she needed to stop somewhere or do something. There was a day she had to go to the job centre, the day she thought she needed the chemist but it turned out she didn’t need to. It was easier this way.

Em felt like Bella in New Moon, time passing by her rather than her moving with it. The grey skies and constant routine didn’t really help in that regard if she was honest. Everything felt like she was going in slow motion. Without the sun she could keep her mind focused, keep herself away from the memories that were so happy they made her want to sob. Michael forcing her to stand and stretch and go for a walk through the paddock because she’d been head down working in the one awkward position all day. Blake pulling her tablet away from her when they were on the deck at the farm during lockdown and she was making a colour coded calendar of sponsor videos that needed to be filmed and published. But more than that it reminded her of Daniel.

Sunny days made her think of his wide grin and the dimples that had captivated her from the very first night they met. The way he laughed when she made a stupid joke that yeah, the sun stopped the earth from freezing but his smile did the same to her heart. It made her think of summer Christmas in Perth, barbecues and no turkey in sight as she chased the kids around the garden before getting pulled into a paddling pool. Of the sun ring she’d given him. Of her matching moon one that she’d left behind and how much she missed it.

Sunny days reminded her of Daniel, but more than that they reminded her of everything that she’d given up and how maybe she’d gotten things so incredibly wrong. That she’d lost her Australian family. She’d given up her brothers and her sister and her nibbling and the parental figures who cared about her. Grace kept asking to FaceTime and Em sent one word responses back, unable to ignore her. She could pretend to ignore everyone else, but never Grace. Those sunny days meant her family and now she was alone and she was dreading summer.

Her parents weren’t helping either. As soon as she got on the train she knew that Liverpool was the wrong place for her to go to sweep up her heart. Staying with her parents was so definitely wrong, and she shouldn’t have been surprised by how badly it was going. Instead of asking how she was, if she needed anything, even if she was ok, all they wanted to know about was the rumours. About if she was sleeping with Michael, Blake, and Dan. If the photo of Lance hugging her from when he made his pole in 2020 was another “man she’d slept with”. Because, of course, none of them would like her for who she was. It had to be something else.

She was at the kitchen table for breakfast when she finally responded, siting there nibbling on a piece of buttered toast with a cup of badly made tea.

“You need to tell us if there’s going to be a scandal, Emma. We need to be prepared. Were you sleeping with them?” Her mother asked as the cramps low in her abdomen made Em want to get sick from fear and anger and loss.

“Blake and Michael were like my brothers. Daniel was my best friend. They couldn’t keep me employed any longer and we decided a break from our friendship would be good for a while. That’s it.”

She couldn’t go into the details of what had happened or it would all blow up in her face and that was the last thing she wanted. She couldn’t tell them that she was in love and now was utterly heartbroken. If she went into the details of how heartbroken she was Em would break right then and there. The last thing she needed was for her parents to judge her on the baseless rumours. If she cried in front of them she’d never hear the end of it, and she couldn’t admit that she’d lost the best friends she’d ever have and the man who was the love of her life. That she’d be followed around by Dan’s face every time she moved because it was Daniel Ricciardo.

That was why Em spent so much time in her childhood bedroom. It was the only place in the house that didn’t scream reminders of the life she’d left behind, that didn’t immediately make her think of Dan. Everywhere downstairs was filled with the memory of when Michael had been there once on the way home from a Liverpool match. But the bedroom that still had Westlife and Spice Girls posters on the walls - the latter quickly pulled down to get Geri Horner’s face away from her - was the best place to hide. If she had her way she would never bring Dan to the house, he’d never even go near Liverpool as a city. She wanted to keep him safe from the ghosts that haunted her past, and more importantly she wanted him safe from her parents.

Daniel was everything that they would never want her to have in a boyfriend. He was a man with too many tattoos, who hadn’t finished school let alone gone to university, who she’d basically been in a relationship with for four years. A man who travelled the world and wasn’t going to settle down any time soon, who drove fast cars at dizzying speeds. They’d call him reckless and feckless and judge him on sight, not caring what Emma saw in him.

They wouldn’t listen to her tell them that he was the person who made her laugh until tears of joy fell from her eyes and her stomach hurt from laughter. They wouldn’t know that before every race she kissed his helmet and told him to go fast. They’d have no interest that he was the most caring man she’d ever met, that he’d spent the last four years trying to make sure that she was happy and safe and looked after.

All they cared about were things that were unimportant to Em right now. A ring on her finger, two point five grandkids, a house in the suburbs and a steady office job. Not apartments in different countries and tax residencies, not having friends around the world. Not having racing be such a huge part of their lives.

Her parents didn’t care that she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone else in the world, that she would always love him more than anyone else. They didn’t care that he was bigger than her whole sky. She always said that he was her sunshine, but he was so much more than that.

He was her whole world. But she’d had to learn the hard way that she wasn’t his and that knowledge and understanding still ached in her chest. If Dan loved her he wouldn’t have sent her away alone in Saudi. He would have gone back to the room to check on her, even knocked on the door to let her know he was safe. He would have put an arm around her waist and asked “are you ready to leave, love” at the party in Melbourne because that was their code for him wanting to leave. He would have kissed her forehead in bed that night, he would have hugged her.

He wouldn’t have said what he said. The Daniel that she loved, the one that she thought was in love with her, wouldn’t have said that he was done with her. He wouldn’t have said that he was done with them. He wouldn’t have left. The Daniel that she thought loved her for four beautiful years would have spent every minute that they were together in Melbourne trying to convince her to change her plans and come to Perth after the race because he didn’t need to be in London. He would have roped the kids into convincing her to come stay with them and spend time with them. The Daniel that she loved would have never let her go like that.

The worst part was Em knew that she wasn’t blameless. She could have said something, should have said something. After Christmas when things felt oh so wrong she should have spoken up then. On their trip to Sicily when it felt like they were papering over the cracks with sex and food and selfies. When they’d been talking about finding an apartment for them in London but the conversation stopped. She should have said anything. But she was so afraid of things being broken that she hadn’t realised that there was a fundamental break in their relationship that could never be repaired. Because Dan didn’t love her like she loved him.

That’s what she repeated to herself. It played on a loop in the back of her mind every waking minute of every single day since that warm April evening that she stepped on the first plane out of Melbourne. Every single hour of the seven and a half weeks since she’d seen him she kept telling herself that it wasn’t real. She’d fallen so deeply in love with Daniel and wanted him to love her the same way she loved him, so she convinced herself that he loved her. But he didn’t. Not like that. She had to come to terms with the fact that every time he said “I love you” to her it was platonic. The “Emmy”, the “Baby Girl”, the “y’know, right” was all platonic. He was the Morgan to her Garcia the exact same way it was when they watched Criminal minds on quiet flights, except she had fallen so deeply for him. She was making it up and got everything mixed up in her head. That was all it was, a big misunderstanding.

Thinking that way hurt her so much less than the other thoughts that filtered through her head. The ones like Dan was bored of her. He was sick and tired of having her around. He picked the fight because he wanted her to leave. That he’d met the blonde from the photo in Miami before and that’s why everything stopped. He’d found a woman who looked the way the media said a Formula One driver’s WAG should look, so Dan wanted to get rid of her.

It was so much easier than the “I told you so” she’d heard as soon as her dad saw her again. Better than the judging faces she saw when she came out of her room wearing the cardigan Charles had bought her for Christmas. She hadn’t mentioned where she even got it, it wasn’t worth the “stop lying, Emma. We all know you were just an assistant”. It was easier to be quiet than deal with the shocked expressions on faces when she actually appeared at the anniversary party, her press smile firmly on her face and her aunts and uncles judging her. One of her uncles mentioned that it was too safe and she wanted to scream that she was in Spa that awful day three years ago, that it wasn’t safe and she’d seen boys who were too young hold burdens they shouldn’t have to carry. Some of her younger cousins asked questions about if she’d ever met a driver and she wanted to laugh.

She wanted to tell them the story of meeting a barely twenty year old Max Verstappen, gangly and growing into himself, who’d smiled and shaken her hand. Of Charles helping her with her French and Italian in return for being treated not like il predestinato, but like a normal human. Of being one of the privileged ones to get to pet Roscoe and Coco Hamilton and feed them treats, giving Lewis a card when Coco died. Of Esteban and Lance and Mick treating her like a big sister. Of Hanna Vettel handing over one of her kids for a brief minute just inside the Aston garage while Em was talking to Chloe because she was Em and she was always there and she was trusted and liked. That she’d lived and breathed that world for a solid four years, and she’d lost her family and friends leaving it behind. 

But she couldn’t. None of them would believe her even if she told the stories and showed the photos she had. None of them counted on her, they thought her flighty. Her leaving her job without a safety net was of course something that Emma would do. She’d moved to London in her teens and had essentially run off, coming home for Christmas and funerals and that was it. She was the one who’d built a life away from them, a life that her parents constantly talked badly about her “gallivanting around the world”. But now it was over and she had to make her peace with that. She’d walked away from everything she’d had, lost everyone she’d loved.

At least she thought she had.

Every single time the doorbell rang, Em ignored it. There was no way it could be for her, so why would she go to get it? Her debit cards remained unused in her purse, and nobody knew she was there. Nobody had any idea that she might even be there. The rare moments that she spent in the living room staring out the window reminded her of that.

“Nobody’s coming, Emma.”

It was the refrain her father said when she didn’t realise what she was doing. He didn’t just mean Dan. There was nobody else in her life coming to see her. Michael and Blake were probably too mad that she’d left her work behind to see her. Chloe and Scotty had enough going on that they might not have even noticed her disappearance. Her father was right, but she didn’t want to hear it. So instead she ignored the knocks and doorbell ringing, ignored the raised voices from downstairs. Her dad was doing his usual being annoyed at a delivery driver for being there and Em went to roll over on her bed to mute the noise. But then she heard it, clear as a bell.

“Wiggle!”

Each of the boys had given her a nickname in the four years they’d spent together. Emma had become Emmy from Dan, and Wrinkles after the first night they met. Blake called her Ems, or after her rant about how Tim Tams were basically the same as penguin bars she became Tim Tam. Or Timothy. Or Tamothy. Or whatever variation of the bars he could come up with in the moment. Michael was the most creative. She was Em to him, but after he walked into her dancing around to Speak Now he started calling her Wiggle when he compared her awful dancing to the kids show. It was their thing.

She went from having no nicknames for most of her life to having more than she could count. It was ridiculous and she joked that it was the result of spending too much time with Australians. But she loved it. It was one of the things that made her feel oh so loved. And there was no greater feeling than the one spreading through her when she recognised Michael’s voice calling her from downstairs thanks to the stupid nickname.

Em wanted a clean break from them all. She left everyone thinking it was the best thing for her to do, that the people she loved could move on without her around. But the second she heard his voice again she stumbled out of the bed and ran to the top of the stairs.

“Sir, I know she’s here. I know Em is here and I’m not leaving until I talk to her.”

“There’s nobody called Em or Wiggle here, I’m not sure what you mean.”

When she got to the top of the stairs Michael said her name again, and the moment she saw him a tiny “Michael”” burst from her, the tears in her eyes making everything blurry. Michael Italiano had found her and he was at her parents front door, arguing with her dad to stop him from closing it in his face. He was there.

Her big brother was right there and she didn’t know how he’d found her but he had. Em couldn’t tell you how she got down the stairs, tears spilling as she pushed through to Michael standing there. She didn’t stop moving until his arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly against him.

All she wanted to do was ask how the hell he’d figured out where she was but she couldn’t. How had he found her in the very last place she ever wanted to be? Between her near uncontrollable sobs and the knot in her throat all she could do was rest her head against his chest and hold him tightly. It was Michael. She could feel him and smell his usual deodorant and he was right there with her. It felt like a dream but it wasn’t. He was there. She could tell by the way that Michael was holding her and the way he kept pressing kisses to the top of her head that it was real. He was there. 

“I told you I was gonna find you, Wiggle,” he whispered against her hair. It was barely loud enough for her to hear it, a warning that her parents were still close enough to listen. “Can we talk?”

She didn’t want to let him go. Letting go of him meant that he could disappear, he could leave. She’d take her hands away and he’d be satisfied that she was alive and could go without a word and she couldn’t take it. He was right there.

Em nodded into his chest, looking up and beginning to loosen her arms but Mike knew her so well and kept one of his around her shoulder, pushing another kiss to the top of her head. The last time she’d hugged someone was eight weeks before in the hotel lobby in Melbourne, holding onto Isaac and Isabella before having to let them go and Joe wrapping an arm around her. She hadn’t touched another human since then. After almost four years with her boys and their families hugs and human touch were common and she craved it. Before now she hated it, but they’d converted her to it. She was so touch deprived that actually being held by someone nearly hurt.

If she couldn’t have Daniel there with her, if she couldn’t have the one she really wanted, at least this way she got to have one of her brothers there with her. Michael didn’t let go, keeping a hold of her as she led him up the stairs. They both ignored her parents questions as they made it into her room and sat down, Em leaning against his chest for another cuddle. They were perched on the edge of the single bed as Em took deep breaths, waiting for him to speak first.

“You don’t know how many people miss you, Wiggle. I missed you so, so much. Come home?”

“I can’t.” It was hard to say so casually but she did it, watching as his face fell in shock. “I appreciate that you’re here but I can’t come back. I’ve nowhere to live, I can’t. I can’t come back to London.”

“If you wont come back, at least let me FaceTime Blake? I had to fight him to stop him getting into the car with me, part of me thinks he might be in the boot. Let him see you and know you’re ok at least?”

“Ok.” She could do that. Michael kept his arm around her while he opened his phone, Em spotting the photo of the two of them walking through a paddock together as his Lock Screen. It barely rang before Blake picked up, hair unusually askew.

“Mate did you find her? Was Chloe right? Is she ok?”

“Hey Blakey.” Em smiled through her tears, watching the shock on his face as he realised she was there. His hands reached out to the screen as if to touch her face.

“TImmy, you ok?” She nodded, unable to speak while swallowing back a sob at seeing him again. “You scared us, you know that? We miss you so, so much. I can’t wait to see you.”

“I’m not coming back. Thanks for being caring, but I can’t. I need to be away. I can’t see him again.”

“Just come home,” Blake pleaded, barely taking a breath before continuing. “Emma, please. Please just come home to us. I need my sister home with me. Nobody needs to choose between anyone, TimTam. But we need you home.”

She wanted to say no. She wanted to tell Michael to leave, to let her stay in London and try to find her new normal. But she’d left to make life easier on them and it clearly wasn’t. She could go back with them and find a new life with them all still there. And that felt right to her. She could deal with Dan on the periphery of her life rather than in the centre.

“I don’t have anywhere to stay.”

“My spare room.” Em turned to look at Mike, a grin spreading across his face. “You can stay in my spare room, it’s your room now. You’re coming home with me.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah. I’ll come home.”

“Blake, I’ll text you when we’re in London. Gonna get our girl packed up and ready to go.”

It didn’t take long for her to pack, Michael making her stay sitting as she directed him to where everything was. She hadn’t even unpacked her things fully, just pulled out what she needed as she did. But the two cases were packed, Michael had gotten her chargers together, and he brought them downstairs as Em followed behind him.

“Where are you going, Emma?” Her mother asked, watching the way Michael kept his hand on Em’s back.

“Back to London. I shouldn’t have left.”

“We never wanted you to go, everyone’s just glad you’re coming back. Chloe knows I’m here, trying to convince her not to fly over has been tough.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. She was about to tell Lawrence what happened so he’d get involved in finding you. Lance really misses you. They’re the only ones who know everything, we told everyone else you’ve family stuff happening. Well, Seb, Este and Mick might have an idea from Lance. Natalie and Ted said to say hi and to look after yourself. Charles kept asking when he thought you’d be back.”

Em could feel her parents eyes flicking between them as he spoke, taking in the names.

“Who are you talking about?” Her dad asked, Michael squeezing her hand for a moment as if to ask if he could reveal everything. Em squeezed back hard, watching as he was let off the leash.

“Em’s friends in the paddock. Chloe Stroll, her dad Lawrence owns Aston Martin and her brother, Lance, is one of the drivers. Sebastian Vettel, Esteban Ocon, and Mick Schumacher are Lance’s teammate and best friends. They all helped Em when she learned French and I think Seb helped a bit with Italian. And then Natalie and Ted are Natalie Pinkham and Ted Kravitz from Sky Sports. And of course the last is Charles LeClerc. He got you that sweater, right?” Em looked down at the one he’d gotten her the year before, fingering the soft wool.

“Yeah he did. I told him I owed him for the Italian and French lessons and he told me he owed me for the English ones and got me this. I’ve missed them all.”

“They’ll be happy to see you in Monaco. We’ve got to get going to get back to London.”

“I hope this isn’t another mistake.” Em nearly stopped as her mother commented, but instead she just looked at her.

“It’s not. This is the right thing for me.”

“Let us know if there’s going to be another scandal. We need to get ahead if there is.”

Em turned and left, not dignifying it with a response. Michael was the one who got her suitcases into his car, opening the passenger door and watching as she settled in. It didn’t take long to get on the motorway, Michael pulling into a services about halfway through the drive.

“What do you want with your coffee?” He asked, Em shaking her head.

“A caramel latte is fine. I don’t need anything.”

“Did you have breakfast?” She shook her head. “You need fuel, Wiggle.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“A chocolate muffin?”

“Maybe.”

She sipped her coffee and picked at the muffin, barely eating any of it. But finally they were getting closer and closer to London, the motorway getting busier with people leaving the city after work. She was terrified and excited at the same time, completely unsure if this was the right thing to do. They’d said they wanted her back. They wanted to see her. People were asking about her. But really would she be wanted there?

Her phone lit up with an incoming call from Grace, Em sending it to voicemail. She couldn’t.

“Who was that?” Michael asked, Em taking a sip of coffee before speaking.

“Grace. I still texted her. She kept asking how I was and saying she was worried and I couldn’t cut her off. I was trying to do it slowly. It’s easier when she’s the other side of the world.”

Michael reached over to squeeze her hand, Em squeezing back.

“We’re home.” She looked around the familiar car park, panic starting to hit her chest. Michael recognised it in a moment, a hand on her shoulder. “I’m right here, Ems. Right here. Blake’s in the apartment because he couldn’t wait to see you. Are you ready for that?”

“Yeah.” No. She wasn’t nearly ready but she had to. She had to see him and apologise for leaving him lost with work. 

Again Michael insisted on carrying her cases, the two of them arriving in together. He opened the front door to let Em through and she saw Blake the moment she stepped into the living room. He stood up, opening his arms and Em walked straight into them and clung to him again.

“God I missed you. So, so much. I didn’t think I’d get to hug you again.” Blake’s words made Em want to crack, her sobs coming out so quickly.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so, so, so sorry. I’m sorry.”

“You’re back, that’s all that matters TimTam. You’re home and we’ve got you.”

The afternoon passed quicker than Em expected, the three of them splitting takeout that she barely ate. They boys glanced at her, and she knew she didn’t look great, but she couldn’t stomach anything.

“I added you to the flight reservation for tomorrow, Ems,” Blake said and her head shot up, staring at him.

“What reservation?”

“To Nice. Monaco’s this weekend.”

“I can’t.” Cold fear caught around her stomach. Monaco was the beginning of everything. “You don’t understand, Monaco is-“

“Where everything started. Dan told us.” She looked at Michael, at the first mention of Dan he’d made. “Em the two of you need closure. Say goodbye to him in person. I’ll bring him to our hotel to do it so he’ll leave when you need him to. But you need this.”

“I don’t know if I can walk away again.” The words were choked, yet more tears flowing. She didn’t know she had anymore tears left to cry. “It was so hard the last time. I don’t think I can again.”

“He’ll be the one leaving this time. But you need it. Plus, Chloe and Scotty will be there. I put it in the group chat we found you and Chloe’s insisting. If it wasn’t Monaco she’d be here already.”

“Group chat?”

She listened in stunned silence as they filled her in on everything that happened since she’d left. Chloe’s flight to London, leaving her in laws behind, so she could try find Em. The gossip instagram sightings of her that had been used to find her. The way people kept asking about her. Brown wanting to cancel her paddock pass.

“It’s still active?” It was the one thing she was stuck on.

“Dan wouldn’t let them cancel it. He insisted that you needed it. He kept hoping you’d turn up one weekend.”

“I’ll come to Monaco with you.”

That night she lay in bed, staring at the wall. She was home. She’d get to see Chloe tomorrow, and nobody was mad at her. They all missed her and wished she’d talked to them, but they weren’t mad. She was going to get to say goodbye to Dan for a final time and then come home and start building her life up. She could do it.

Her phone rang and without thinking she answered in her half asleep haze, realising too late that it was Grace calling.

“Hello? Grace?” There was silence on the line, Em leaving it for a moment. “Are you there?”

With no answer she hung up, switching her phone off. She didn’t need this. She didn’t need to mourn anymore, not when she had a hard few days ahead of her because Monaco was the place where everything had begun and where it would end for good.

-

Dan stared at the track map in front of him, his finger tracing the oh too familiar streets of Monaco. He knew every single round of the track. Every single place he’d need to turn, he’d driven them the day before when he got back from Barcelona. When he came back to this apartment that reminded him of Emmy and cried sitting on the couch and spotting her shoes by the tv. When he sprayed her perfume on the pillow next to his because it helped him get a little bit more sleep.

He wasn’t ok. He knew that now. He knew he had monumentally fucked up and ruined the best relationship of his life because he never opened his mouth. He had flights booked to go home and tell everyone that Em was gone and he was dreading it. Having to tell his parents she’d left him, telling Michelle and Adam that she was gone. Telling the kids how much their auntie Emmy loved them but Dan had fucked it all up on them so she couldn’t come back again. 

His heart was completely broken. The one week between races meant he didn’t have to go to England, could avoid the apartments in London. His empty one and her former one he was paying rent on. Instead Dan focused on the next weekend. He ran through the circuit on the sim again and again until he was driving it as perfectly as he could but his lap times were still too high. He ate and worked out and used the sim and showered and slept and that was all he did. Focusing on anything else was too much.

Blake and Michael were still in London. They were getting in on Wednesday but not seeing him till Thursday, two days from then. And that was barely hanging on by a thread. Every morning Dan half expected Michael’s resignation letter. Blake hadn’t said anything yet, but it was coming. He knew his manager too well. The explosion and anger were going to happen and it was going to be deserved.

When Dan was feeling especially masochistic he dug down in his backpack and opened the green leather box hidden in a bottom pocket. Nestled in the black satin was a thin gold ring with a tiny diamond in it. Em deserved more, deserved a huge ring. But she’d never wear it. She always preferred dainty jewellery, made comments about how big stones were destined to fall out. He picked it out for her style, not his. He should leave it in a drawer or sell it but he couldn’t. It meant giving up on her, and he didn’t know if he ever could.

“Dan? Em? Are you home?” His head shot up as his hand dropped the ring into his bag. No. He knew that voice and she should be seven timezones away from him right now. Not walking into his apartment. 

“Danny? You here?” His mum and dad walked into the kitchen to see him, both of their faces brightening at seeing him there before taking in the expression on his face, the tears he’d let out thinking he was alone. “We thought we’d surprise you for Monaco. Where’s Em? Is she gone out?”

His throat went dry as he swallowed, watching the two of them taking in the scene. The lack of anyone else’s belongings. Her baby blue suitcase not there. 

“Danny? What’s wrong?” He hadn’t heard his mum like that since he was a teenager and scared to move to Italy.

“I…uh…I have flights to come home next week to tell you.” He swallowed desperately, unable to make himself say the words for a moment. He hadn’t said it out loud. “Em…I…Emmy left me. She’s gone. She’s gone for good and she’s not coming back and it’s all my fault.”

He could see the moment they hit his parents, the way they nearly rocked back. The devastation on his mother’s face, the shock and dismay on his father’s. 

“But you were going to propose?” Dan huffed a bitter laugh at his dad’s words, putting the ring box on the table where they could both see. “What happened?”

“I fucked up, Dad. I…I did something I never should have. I said things I shouldn’t have said. So she’s gone and she isn’t going to come back. I don’t even blame her, she was right to. I never even called her my girlfriend to her face.” They both sat and looked at him as Dan ranted, letting it out to the two people who he thought would still love him after he revealed everything. “She made me promise her not to leave her alone and then I not only did it, but I sent her away. And we fought in Melbourne. I told her I was done. She resigned when she was flying home from Australia. I haven’t seen her since the hotel and there was a letter in Blake’s and my stuff and she moved and she’s gone. I chased her away. She’s sorry for hurting everyone but I made her leave. I made her go. She’s never coming back.”

He watched his mum pull out her phone and hit a speed dial, putting it on speaker. It rang once, twice, three times, and then hit voicemail. “Hey, this is Em. If this is business related send an email. If not, leave a message after the beep.”

“Dan…” His mother wrapped him in a hug and Dan sobbed in her arms, everything hitting him now he’d said it out loud. Em was gone. His Emmy wasn’t his and she was never coming back. It had been nearly eight weeks since he’d gotten to even see her, it was nearly three months since they’d shared a bed. Not since the night before going to Saudi. She wasn’t going to run her fingers through his hair anymore. She wasn’t going to cup his cheek and kiss him, fall asleep with her arm over his chest. Curl up on his lap on a plane while he talked to the guys and she napped.

He’d never see her in the paddock again. Never get that jealousy when he saw her talking in French with Charles or Lance, never see her hug Chloe before they went to their own garages. Never watch her talk to Mick and tell him to keep his head up, that she was proud of him. 

He was never going to get to have a child who looked like her. One with her hair and eyes and nose. One who looked like him but with her personality. Never put the ring on her finger. Never ask her to please let him be her husband because he didn’t care about the rest of it, he wanted her. 

The list of things he would never do again felt sickeningly long. He’d forget how it felt to kiss her. How it felt when she woke up from a nap in his arms and smiled up at him. When they were in Sicily and ate food and he showed her where his great Nonna had lived, a house no longer occupied by Ricciardos but where his dad had carved his name into drying cement. The way she looked at him like he was her world. The way she said “I love you”. 

He was going to forget all of it in time. He’d never forget Em, never forget how she had changed his life and ruined him for any other woman, but he’d forget the details. He kept opening his messages praying for something from her but nothing. He was never going to get another one from her.

“You were going to propose.” Joe was caught on that detail, opening the box and looking at the ring he’d bought. “You had the ring, you asked me how I knew. How did…how did it happen?”

“I told her I was done.” It slipped out with another tear, Dan pushing his fist to his mouth. He’d replayed those sentences over and over and over in his head. “If that’s what you want, I’m fucking gone. I’m done here, I’m gone” Em’s face falling as he turned to slam the door. The way that if he’d taken even a second he’d have realised she knew him so well she pushed his buttons deliberately. He’d have known. He wouldn’t have left. He didn’t even kiss her goodbye.

“I can’t believe..you…I…” Joe burst into angry ranting and Dan half ignored it, feeling his mother stiffen at his back.

“Did you really say that to her?” Grace was quiet, and the quiet disappointment was worse than anything else. Italian mothers knew Catholic guilt, and at his heart he wanted to be a good son.

“Yeah. She told me to leave, that I’d been leaving her behind the whole weekend and I should go. So I told her if that was what she wanted I was gone. I was done. And then she went downstairs and said goodbye and I swear she planned it. She knew what she was doing. The resignation email was already queued. She knew she was leaving and I encouraged her.”

“The presents…” he could hear the realisation in his mother’s tone. 

“I have to tell the kids she loves them so much but she can’t see them anymore and she wishes she could be their auntie. It’s why I’m going home next week so I can tell everyone. I just want her back, Mama. I don’t know how to do anything without her. She’s my life.”

His mother sat opposite him, pulling Dan’s face up and wiping his eyes. He stared into that identical face, the same nose and curls he’d inherited.

“You can’t fix this, Danny. If she’s gone she’s gone. But if she saw you like this? You’re too thin, have you eaten?” He shook his head. “If she saw you like this she’d blame herself and you don’t want Emmy to do that, do you?”

“No.”

Exactly. So you’re going to put that away and we’re going to make dinner. You have media tomorrow and you need to get yourself ready for it. Understood?”

“Yes, Mama.” She pulled him into a hug.

“We’ll talk more when you’re ready for it. I bet Michael already told you just how angry he is?” Dan nodded. “I thought so. I’m so disappointed in you. You called her your girlfriend, you were going to ask her to marry you but you never told her that you’re dating?”

“I thought she knew!”

“You always say it. Did you even have an anniversary?”

“Monaco. It’d be four years on Friday.” Grace peeled back through the memories, shaking her head.

“I…that makes sense. You need to get ready for tomorrow. Go shower and change, and I’ll have food ready when you’re out.”

“Thank you.”

He ignored the quiet disagreement he could hear between his parents as he left the room. He just felt hollow, and when he got into the shower and caught sight of Em’s fancy custom shampoo his tears fell almost as hard as the water from the shower head.

—

Being in a hotel in Monaco felt too much like four years before and it was suffocating for Em. She shared the room with Michael, and the day before Chloe had appeared at the hotel room door, wrapping Em in a hug and pulling her to sit and talk. It was awkward and painful and part of the mistakes she’d made were full force in front of her, but it was also like she’d never been away. Having her best friend there as they people watched out the window and Chloe filled her in on the gossip she’d missed in the last few months. 

But it was Thursday and she was on a mission. Michael had agreed to bring Dan to the hotel that afternoon for her to say goodbye to him at last, and Em was on her way back to Dan’s apartment to pack up whatever was there. She wasn’t even sure what she’d left behind, but she needed to get it out of the apartment. She didn’t want to have to go to the place she almost considered home after saying goodbye to Dan for the final time.

For the first time since she’d answered Grace’s phone call and got no response on Tuesday night Em switched her phone back on, muting all her notifications but opening Spotify. Her Taylor Swift Heartbreak playlist was on repeat, big sunglasses hiding the bags under her eyes and making her blend in with the rest of the city. Last Kiss was playing through her headphones and she bit her lip as she went into the apartment building, pushing the button for Dan’s floor and waiting to go up. Their floor. Dan’s floor. He’d kept making the joke that she basically lived there, she should stay more. But London had always been their home base, really.

Never thought we’d have our last kiss. Never imagined it ends like this. Your name, forever the name on my lips. Just like our last kiss.

The music was blasting as she undid the lock, closing the door firmly behind her. Em didn’t notice the extra shoes in the hallway, didn’t hear the movement in the living room until she pulled an earbud out of one ear and heard movement. Looking up she stopped in terror as Joe and Grace Ricciardo were watching her with shocked eyes.

“Emmy?” Grace asked, worry filling her face as she took Em in fully. The panic filled her chest, her phone falling to the floor and the other earbud yanked out of her ear. They weren’t supposed to be here. They were supposed to be in Perth, far away from all of this. They were supposed to be the other side of the world and the apartment was supposed to be empty and she’d run away, why were they still here? Why weren’t they yelling?

Her hand reached out blindly, grabbing the side of the couch and holding on as it became hard to breathe. She didn’t know what was happening, panic filling her entire body as her thoughts fizzed out and she could feel herself shaking.

“Joe, get orange juice and some water? And put on the Red album, its by Taylor Swift. It’ll help her. Emmy I’m going to touch your arm and help you onto the couch. It’s just me, I’m right here Sweetheart. We’ve got you.”

“I’m so sorry, I’m so, so, so sorry,” she gasped out, Grace sitting her down and pulling her into a hug. 

“You don’t need to be sorry, we understand why. We get it. Deep breaths, deep deep breaths. Follow my breathing. In for four, hold it for seven, out for four. Follow my counting.”

She followed Grace’s counting, almost jumping when she felt someone at the other side of her. Em kept her eyes closed, afraid if she opened them it’d be just a dream. State of Grace was playing in the background and the irony made her want to laugh if she was less panicked.

“It’s just Joe. We’re both right here for you, deep breaths. We’ve got you Emmy. We’ve got you.”

“I’m right here Kiddo. Follow Grace’s breathing and we’re right here.”

It took time for her to calm down and the trembling to stop. Treacherous was playing in the background as she opened her eyes, looking at her hands. Two familiar hands were clutching hers, sandwiching her on the couch.

“You’re here?” Em asked, Grace and Joe both squeezing her hand.

“We got in Tuesday to surprise you and Dan. He didn’t tell us what happened. We’re so glad to see you.” Grace’s voice was low, Em looking over at her and leaning in.

“I was coming to get my stuff. Michael’s getting Dan to come by the hotel room so we can clear the air.”

“We missed you so much.” It was quiet as Em took it in. The warmth of the two of them beside her, the way Grace’s arm was still around her back and holding her steady. Leaving once was impossible, but leaving twice felt like torture.

“I should go. I’ll get everything when you’re not here.” She went to stand but Joe held her in place, making her look at him.

“Why do you think you need to go?”

“I left. I’m not sure why you’re being so nice to me.”

“You’re family, Kiddo.” Those simple words made her break. The tears that the panic attack had held back started, Em trying to wipe them away. They wanted her. Nobody ever wanted her and she’d walked away but they wanted her and Em felt like she was going to break in two. But Dan’s parents held onto her tightly, calming her down until Grace pushed a glass into Em’s hands.

“You’ve had a shock. Drink the juice and then we’ll talk.” Once Em drained the glass she looked at Grace, the older woman holding her hands as Joe held onto her shoulders.

“Dan told us about what happened. He told us about you not wanting to make people pick sides. But you’re our family, Emmy. Just as much as he is. No matter what happens or happened with you and Dan, we want you in our lives. Don’t take that choice from us.” She nodded, Grace beaming at it. “Now, the kids gave me presents for you. They told us you weren’t well so they wanted to make sure you felt better. Plus we picked up things for you too.”

Joe was the one who went to a suitcase and opened it, pulling out a pile of presents. There were two packets of Tim Tams to make her laugh, a giant Perth mug the size of Dan’s head, and her favourite of all. A hand made get well soon card with childish colours on it, Isaac written semi neatly and Isabella written in a scrawl inside it. Attached to the card was a small white teddy bear that could fit in the palm of Em’s hand. There was a thin red scarf on the bear, making Em grin. She let out another tear at the inscription in the card, written in Isaac’s messy handwriting.

Auntie Emmy,

Uncle Dan said you’re sick and you can’t go on FaceTime with us but we miss you! London looks like it’s raining so you should come to us to get better cause it’s sunny. Isabella named the bear London cause it’s where you are.

Lots of love and see you in winter!

Isaac and Isabella

“They don’t know?” Em asked, Grace shaking her head.

“None of us did. You know how Dan is when he’s hurt, he keeps it in.”

“We both do. He…he’s my whole world. And it’s over and I have to say goodbye tonight and I don’t know how to.”

“Emma, look at me.” Joe had never used her full name and she looked up, wiping away tears. “I shouldn’t say this, he said it to us in confidence. But Danny said the exact same thing about you. He called you his life. Now I don’t know all the details of what happened, but if the two of you miss each other so much then I think you’re destined to fix things. You don’t get two loves like this. He wants you back, Kiddo. And I think you do too.”

“Yeah, I really do.”

Em sat there, holding the teddy to her chest as Grace and Joe kept her penned in. All she wanted was to stay right there with them.

She knew she needed to leave but it was the last thing she wanted to do. Even with the assurances that she was still family it just didn’t make sense. Her family had never wanted her but the Ricciardos still did? They wanted to keep her in their lives? She couldn’t understand why. Time kept passing and the sun was moving across the sky but she couldn’t do it.

Before she could make herself stand up, the front door opened and the oh too familiar footsteps came in. Dan was right there.

“Mum, Dad, I’m home!” She stood up at his voice, Dan coming into the room and stopping still. “Emmy?”

“Hi.” He was gaunt, the tan not hiding how pale and drawn he looked. She knew they were nearly identically haggard, the split hurting both of them more than they could have believed. They met in the middle of the room, Dan opening his arms and wrapping them around her. Em clung to him, holding on so tightly that she thought she might break him. Dan was doing the same thing, pressing kisses to her head. She could hear movement around them, listening out for speech.

“We’ll make sure she’s ok,” she could hear Joe say.

“Really?”

“Yeah. If we need to we’ll bring her to the hotel ourselves.”

“Thanks.” It was Blake and Michael who’d spoken and left the room, Em barely paying attention.

“We’ll leave you two alone.” That was Grace, squeezing Em’s arm and leaving the room as Em looked up at Dan. He was staring at her, and the look in her eyes made her nearly want to look away. It was fierce and caring and she thought it was echoed in her own.

“Are you really here?”

“I’m here.”

“Are…are you going to leave again?”

Em took a breath, deciding to be brave for once. “I’m only leaving if you ask me to leave.”

The grin that spread across his face was the best thing she’d seen in months, the bright smile making her join in.

“Can I kiss you?”

She didn’t even get the words out, nodding as Dan leaned down to kiss her and it felt like coming home. He was there and they had so much to fix, so much to work out, but he was her home. The idea that she was going to walk away or leave him again was impossible.

“I love you. I love you so much and there’s so many reasons why I should have said it before now but I love you and I want you to be my girlfriend. I know we have to talk but I need you to know, Baby Girl.”

“I love you too. So much. I didn’t think you loved me. That’s why I left. But I’m not going anywhere Dan. I can’t.”

He held onto her as they made their way to the sofa, Em settling on his lap. She didn’t fit the way she used to but she rested against his chest, her hand over his heart as her other hand held the teddy against her chest.

“Who’s that?” Dan asked, Em smiling.

“Isaac and Isabella sent him with your parents, they called him London. He’s to make me feel better. They’re good kids.”

“They love their auntie. I didn’t say anything to them. I didn’t know what to say. Just you were sick and had some family stuff so you couldn’t go on FaceTime with me. Next time I talk to them you can too?”

“I’d really like that.”

It was quiet for a moment before they both tried speaking at the same time, identical words flowing into each other.

“I’m sorry.” A huffed laugh went between them, Dan holding out his hand for her to speak.

“I’m sorry. For running, for not talking. I shouldn’t have left but I couldn’t stay. I was convinced it was over and you hated me. I couldn’t stay waiting.”

“I’m so sorry for making you think that, Baby. I love you. I’ve loved you for so long. I never should have said that, I shouldn’t have sent you away in Saudi. I shouldn’t have stayed away from you in Melbourne and I definitely shouldn’t have just left the bed that morning. I should have been there for you. If you’ll let me I want to be there for you now.”

“Yeah. I want it.”

“Yeah?” Em reached up to kiss him, separating and kissing his nose next.

“We have so much to talk about. We have so much we need to fix. But we can’t do it now.” Dan went to speak but she held up a hand and he let her continue. “This conversation we need to have is gonna take time and we don’t have time in the middle of the season. When summer break happens we’ll do it then?”

“That sounds good. But if stuff comes up we talk about it straight away. I can’t lose you Emmy. When you answered that call on Tuesday I couldn’t speak. I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t lose me. Not again. And that was you?”

“Yeah. I thought you’d answer if you thought it was Mama, but I was in shock hearing you again. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Danny.”

She stayed curled up on him as they both half dozed, content to just be together. Grace and Joe came out a few moments later, looking at the two of them. Em fell asleep in Dan’s arms, unaware of what was happening around her.

“You gonna tell her everything?” Joe asked Dan quietly, watching as his son ran his hand up and down Em’s back.

“Yeah. We’re going to make this work. I got a second chance, Dad. I’m not losing her again.”

“Good.”

Em woke for dinner, actually eating the meal put in front of her. She still wasn’t hungry but having people around made it easier for her to eat. She was beside Dan, his hand on her thigh as they ate Grace’s cooking. It was quiet afterwards, Em pushing kisses to Dan’s cheek because it was something she could do now.

“Are you staying the night?” Dan asked, Em shrugging.

“I don’t know if I have anything here.”

“Your clothes are all still where they belong. I couldn’t move them.”

“Then yes.”

It was awkward as they got into bed for the first few moments, each lying on their own side and trying to get comfortable. Em took the first step, rolling over and putting her arm over Dan’s chest, resting her head on his pec and curling into him. One of Dan’s arms went around her, his lips pushing kisses to her to make her smile. It was the first night of uninterrupted sleep she’d had since she’d left Saudi.

Em woke to a kiss on her forehead as Dan eased out of the bed. “Hmm?”

“Go back asleep, Baby. Just getting up. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She put her arms around his pillow and curled into it, smelling Dan again on it. He was there and he’d told her he was getting up and it was fine. Fifteen minutes later she woke to more kisses to her face.

“Wakey wakey, I’ve got breakfast.”

“What?”

There was a tray waiting for her, bacon and eggs and a pancake on a plate. Dan’s own meal was there too, along with a bowl of fruit for them to split and a coffee each. She grinned and sat up as Dan got back into bed.

“You made breakfast?”

“You always love when I do.”

“I just didn’t expect it.”

“Happy anniversary, Emmy.”

“Happy anniversary.”

Four years since she’d been in Monaco and watched him win, four years since that night in the club and the sex that had led to everything. To the happiest and saddest she’d ever been in her life. She couldn’t help but grin, eating her breakfast and talking to Dan before going for a shower.

In the bathroom Em fully realised just how she looked. She’d lost weight, her face tight and her hair dull. She looked sick, dark bags under her eyes. And yeah she was there with Dan now but she wasn’t ok, not really. She needed to get herself together and Monaco was not the race to be back in public for.

It was too early in the morning for them to really get up, but Monaco was always weird and Dan had more media that day before and after the practices. Em had insisted she’d be fine there alone, she’d be happy on the couch with F1TV on. But Dan had another surprise for her.

There was a knock on the door at eight, Grace opening it up and welcoming the visitor in. Chloe Stroll stood there smiling, hugging Em and kissing her cheek.

“Everything good?” She asked, Em nodding.

“My boyfriend and I are good.” Chloe grinned, hugging Dan and whispering something that made him pale.

“I’m here for the day. Practice day isn’t fun from the garage, and I figured you wouldn’t want to be around the paddock this week considering everything.”

“Thank you.”

Blake and Michael were the last to arrive, the latter immediately coming over to Em.

“I’m good. Really, I’m good.” She gave Michael a hug, giving one to Blake as well.

“We need to head. I got Nat to move your interview to this morning instead of last night. I told her Em needed you because of family stuff. She was good to move because it was for Em.” Blake nodded towards her after he finished speaking, Dan putting his game face on.

“Tell her I said thanks?”

“Of course.”

Everyone except Em and Chloe left the apartment, the two women sitting on the couch with coffee and Chloe catching Em up on everything that had happened. Apart from that it was relaxing, FP1 on. Em cringed at the times, nervous watching Dan going around the track. She’d seen him be confident on it and seen him be miserable on it, and this was reminding her too much of the year before. But she had lunch with Chloe and they spent an hour painting each others nails as FP2 began. Ems were blue and purple to match Dan’s helmet from the year before, just dry as she caught sight of an orange car going into the wall.

“No. No.” Chloe grabbed her hand as Em increased the volume.

“Is the car ok?” She heard Tom say.

“I’m ok.” She breathed a sigh of relief before standing, heading to the bedroom and putting one of Dan’s oversized hoodies on.

“Em? What are you doing?” Chloe called, watching Em slip on vans.

“I have to see him.”

“Ems, you can’t. He’ll be back soon, he’s fine.”

“I have to. Chlo…if that was Scotty and something happened on a half pipe, and you were a kilometre away. You’d run, right?”

“Yeah. I would.”

“Please.”

It took five minutes for Chloe to do Em’s makeup, hiding the worst of the dark circles around her eyes and the sickly pale complexion she had. The two women had their passes, Em picking hers up from the counter and putting it around her neck. It was an active pass, it was her pass, and it’d get her into McLaren which was where she needed to be. They scanned in and were mostly ignored, just looking like two more young women who were in the paddock. Chloe slipped into Aston, promising to text as soon as she saw Lance for Em to head over to them. Em walked up to McLaren, scanning her pass in front of the security who watched with suspicion as she was immediately allowed into the garage.

Grace and Joe were standing in the viewing spot and Em crept up, tapping Joe’s shoulder. Dan’s car was back, the suspension clearly an issue and the front wing gone. Joe wrapped her in a hug, Em returning it and giving one to Grace.

“How is he?”

“Ok. He got checked out, he’s just finished media. He was going to the med centre afterwards so he could be approved, and then he’s going to his room. Head up there, he’ll be glad to see you.” She nodded, turning and going straight to it. She caught sight of a nod from Andreas and a look from Brown, but they were mostly ignored as she set her sights on her target. 

The drivers room was small, Em sitting on the tiny couch and waiting. He’d be there soon. She’d see him and get to see him. He’d be ok. She could hear his footsteps coming down the hallway and when the door opened Em stood to see him.

She didn’t know who hugged who first, Em wrapping her arms around his shoulders to hold him. Her boyfriend was so much taller than her but she didn’t care, keeping him close and rubbing his back.

“I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve got a meeting in ten though,” Dan whispered, Em kissing his cheek.

“I’ll go down with you and sit in hospitality. It’ll be fine.”

Em held Dan’s hand going downstairs, walking into the garage still holding it as they got looks. Brown came over to call Dan to his meeting, but Dan leaned down to peck her lips before he said anything.

“I’ll be over when I can. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Chloe was just outside the garage, the paddock still mostly empty while practice was happening. She draped another lanyard around Em’s neck, nodding at Blake behind her.

“You’re in Aston Martin for the rest of the weekend, Dad said yes immediately. I thought it’d keep the media away, they won’t expect you to be there. Can you tell Dan?” The second part was to Blake who nodded, watching as Em was swept down to the green hospitality.

She spent the rest of the afternoon in there until she got a text saying they were leaving, the paddock now empty of media and Em putting her sunglasses back on to head down and walk out in the gaggle of people around Dan. She blended in and nobody noticed, Em tired after the day. Once they were further into the city Dan took her hand and she smiled up at him, the two of them able to do it in public. It felt so good.

That night Grace insisted on cooking for them before leaving to go for dinner with Joe, making their anniversary dinner before hugging them and saying goodbye. It was good food and smiling, Em ending up in Dan’s arms on the couch.

“I love you.” It felt so lucky to get to say it over and over and watch Dan’s eyes light up.

“I love you too. I booked flights to go to Perth on Monday. I was gonna tell everyone that you and I were over and you’d left. I thought the kids deserved to know in person.” Em sniffed, forcing back tears as Dan kissed her forehead. “Come with me. It’s a super quick visit, we’re back in Baku by Tuesday next week. But we need this. And I think you really need a hug from them.”

“I do. I really do. What do they know?” She hated asking, clutching the teddy they’d given her even closer.

“You were sick and there was family stuff going on so you couldn’t be on FaceTime. They didn’t need to know anything else.”

“They don’t need to know anything else.” She was firm, staring up at Dan. “They’re kids, they don’t need to know what happened. All they know is they have an auntie and an uncle who love them so incredibly much.” She nuzzled into Dan more, feeling kisses pushed to her head.

“Exactly.”

The next two days were exhausting, Em not fully fit for the experience. Dan was driving and looking miserable, she was constantly exhausted and felt like she was on the verge of having a meltdown. The noise, the movement, the people were so much. Chloe was great, Scotty there and holding her hand when she needed it in the hospitality. Lance came over to give her a hug on Saturday and she waved at Seb from across the room, getting a grin back in response. Her friends had learned she was there and it was secret meetings in the back of the Aston Martin garage where cameras wouldn’t see. The hugs Mick and Charles gave her made her grin. It wasn’t unusual for the two to pop by Aston, so they could be there in secret. She felt human again.

The practice and race were a wash. Dan wasn’t lapped, which was better than the year before, but she was so fed up of hearing Brown make comments about her boyfriends performance. Give him the car they promised and he’d be able to do something with it. This hunk of junk they’d given him that was designed around his shorter teammate? It wasn’t going to work.

They went back to the apartment that evening, Blake and Michael on the couch with her as she watched Dan change into a suit for a sponsor event. Em offered to go with him, put on a dress and heels, but Dan insisted she shouldn’t do it. She needed to relax and spend time resting, so instead Em kissed him goodbye and waved to Grace and Joe who were accompanying him. She was wrapped in one of the original Ric3 hoodies they’d designed and clutched London the bear as she dozed off. It was one more night until she got on the first flight to Australia and she couldn’t wait.

She woke being lifted off the couch, Dan holding her up and carrying her to the bedroom.

“Huh?” Em asked, still half asleep.

“Just going to bed, Emmy. I got out early and wanted to come home to you.” She filed the question about getting away early to one side, instead focusing on how Dan slipped next to her in the bed and she got to curl up beside him, arms around her as he kissed her forehead before going to sleep with her.

Taglist (Let us know if you wanna be added!)

@dr3lover @sabrinaselina55 @majx00​ @tall-tanned-tattoo @lovingdennishauger @lauehr @msolbesg @f1medlife @idkwtfimdoing2 @leclercsbae @hiphopdancer101universe @mehrmonga @lewispool @saintandrea-droidsmuggler @coldheartedmar @sugarbabygirlofdaddy @nonsensical-nonce @a-distantdreamer @tita010 @leslizzle @javden @mloyer 

#daniel ricciardo x reader #call it what you want fic #ciwyw writing #daniel ricciardo imagine #daniel ricciardo fanfic #daniel ricciardo oneshot #daniel ricciardo fic #f1 oneshot #f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #formula one imagine #formula one fanfic #formula one oneshot #formula 1 imagine #formula 1 fanfic #formula 1 oneshot

[secretsaturdayshitposting]

Sometimes I think about Zak Saturdays rebellious nature and think, “no that man is definitely getting piercings and tattoos without his parents knowledge as a teenager” then I remember he’s Zak.

He wouldn’t be getting piercings and tattoos he’d be just running away to random countries and partying with the citizens of that country and getting to know them and their culture while his parents freak out over their missing kid and he’s just having the time of his life and also learning (they’d be so proud! He’d think)

Eventually this would lead to Drew and Doc putting trackers in the soles of his shoes so they at least know WHERE he is.

“Oh. He’s in Austria”

And then how they get payback.

“Should we go get him?”

“No, let’s have a fake crisis”

#the secret saturdays #zak saturday #doc Saturday #drew Saturday

[thedroneranger]

The Drone Ranger's Be Kind Rewind ⏪ ereardon Edition!

A rec reblog series dedicated to the fics that we love so much, we've re-read them!

Please enjoy @ereardon's Rewind! One of the biggest joys of this series is when someone pops into my inbox to ask if they can participate. Em was one of those people—thank you 🖤

While we continue to churn out amazing new content, let's be kind and rewind to look at some of the OG content we love! And don't forget to reblog when you re-read! Continue to show your comfort fics and favorite creators some love. It helps keep the fresh content coming :)

Let's keep this going throughout the summer, so if you're interested in participating in the Be Kind Rewind, message me. The more, the merrier!

If you want to know when a new Rewind drops, join the tag list, and check out previous Rewinds!

fics below the cut (listed in alphabetical order by title)

Frustrated, Bradley Bradshaw, @roosterforme Em’s masterlist is literally a masterpiece (seriously go read all of her stuff), so this might seem like a random pick. But it’s the epitome of a slutty one shot for me. Sex in the bar bathroom? Check. Jealousy? Check. Rooster versus Hangman battle for masculinity? Check. If you want to be hot and bothered, this is it y’all. 

Happy Little Accidents, Bob Floyd, @yanna-banana Listen. If someone is gonna knock me up after a one night stand, I need it to be Bob Floyd. Not even kidding. A traditional trope takes on a life of its own with Bob and Zak, a match made in heaven! They’re sweet, they’re spicy, I mean it’s Bobby Floyd as a dad-to-be. What's not to love? 

Killing Me Softly, Bob Floyd, @wkndwlff We love a Bob x Reader x Jake triangle in this household. I also just fucking LOVE a Bob Floyd roommate trope and this story by Taylor has it all! Sweet fluff, angst, Bobby with tattoos?? Bob is down bad for her in this and I love that for him. A sweet read! 

Sugar and Spice, Jake Seresin, @wombtotombx This was the VERY FIRST Tumblr fic I ever read and what brought me into the TGM fandom, so thank you SB! I just love an enemies to lovers story, and Grace and Jake’s relationship is such a push and pull. It also helps that the author has really in-depth knowledge of the Navy, and I’ve learned so much reading their stories! 

The Professor, Jake Seresin, @topguncortez What’s a list like this without a fic from G?? Seriously, she hits it out of the park with this one. Slightly dark, definitely condescending, asshole Jake as a PROFESSOR? Fucking hell get me a fan, I’m sweating. But honestly, their relationship is equal parts spicy and angsty and entirely believable and I just love it so much. Plus, we get a little Rooster and Bob side character action. 

Trouble in Paradise, Bradley Bradshaw, @sunlightmurdock This fic absolutely haunts me, in the best possible way. From the smutty goodness to just the painful realizations throughout and the setting, I always find myself going back to this fic. It’s also one story that literally patrols my thoughts, like it just pops up out of the blue and I love that! Katie’s entire masterlist is my fucking drug so it’s no surprise that I love this story so much, but if you haven’t read this it is a MUST. Also the setting makes it a perfect summer read! 

You Said You’d Grow Old With Me, Bradley Bradshaw, @blue-aconite Don’t want to cry today? Too freaking bad. Fe is going to make you cry with this, and you’ll love her for it. Bradley x soulmate; I said what I said.

Creator's Own

The Off-Season, Jake Seresin Jake and Meredith are just my favorite kind of duo. Both a little broken, both guarded, but too fucking attracted to each other to deny it for long. Also Meredith is the QUEEN of sass and snappy commentary (I aspire to be her). Add in a bit of an age and maturity gap (Jake is 29, Meredith is 23), a remote setting (Bar Harbor, Maine), and a dash of forbidden-ness (Meredith is the sister of Jake’s former college roommate) and you have a take on the classic roommates who hate each other trope but with nuance. But what will happen when the two inevitably fall for each other? 

Tag list and friends: @petcr3 @desert-fern @Sagittarius-Lovewitch @mygyn @sweetwhispersofchaos @horseshoegirl @the-annoying-fan @dingochef @moon42flight @thecitysgraveyard @ereardon @roosterforme @cherrycola27 @galaxy-of-stories @taytaylala12 @malindacath @violyn20 @awildewit @potato-girl99981 @shanimallina87 @blue-aconite @djs8891 @linkpk88 @furiousladyking @daggerspare-standingby @princess76179 @jstarr86 @hecate-steps-on-me @darkheartcherry @soulmates8 @roosters-girl @dempy @roosterisdaddy36 @hangmanscoming @s-u-t @mavrellover91 @chicomonks @averyhotchner 

A kind reminder, this is a 18+ blog. While not all stories in the recommendation list are 18+, please respect boundaries and do not interact unless you are 18 years of age or older.

#tgm be kind rewind #bradley rooster bradshaw #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #top gun maverick #tgm #top gun #ereardon #bob floyd #robert bob floyd #robert floyd #bob fucks

[myimaginarywonderland]

Here's why I will never not make fun of this situation.

2018: Ricciardo leaves RedBull because he doesn't want to be second driver to Max. Maybe he didn't say it but it was clear as day that was the reason. Max was a great driver that was slowly becoming the talent he is now and everyone knew that and everyone also knew Daniel would probably have to take the place as second driver in a season. He leaves to go to another team which is Renault eventhough there were engines problems with that engine in this year.

2019: An okay season in the midfield

2020: A great season. He is in the top 5, had 2 podiums and Cyril adores him. Him and Esteban both got podiums. And yet Ricciardo decides to go to McLaren. Everyone is surprised, Cyril saying that they had many changes and that it takes stability which he thought Daniel valued. He also though that Daniel would provide that stability. Not surprising given that Cyril made bats, got a tattoo and truly valued both of his drivers deeply. Nonetheless Ricciardo decides to go to McLaren. Cyril supposedly warns him not to trust Zak Brown. I feel it is also worth nothing that while I would argue that with Esteban they were close matched, after one season Lando was already shaping himself up to be a genuine great talent with beating a far more experienced driver.

2021: Yeah many people will say this was a good season for McLaren but looking at it the only real standout result was Ricciardo's win. But already he pales in comparison to Lando who continues to get podiums and is consistently in the top 10 in nearly all races.

2022: The final nail in the coffin. I frankly don't want to hear about how bad McLaren treated him. I truly don't. Yes, they did sometimes make questionable calls and yes they weren't kind at points. That doesn't matter though when one team-mate is scoring 3x the points off the other. There are no excuses for that big off a gap. The qualy stats speak volumes. No team-mate qualified worse in head to head than Ricciardo. There was all reason to drop him especially since he was already worse than Lando the previous year eventhough he won a race. It turns out that McLaren treated him horribly to the surprise of no one and once again, we are reminded that his former teamboss warned him about his exact same scenario.

The moment Oscar is announced Ricciardo fans twist him as a villain, accuse him of stealing someone's seat, call him a snake etc.

2023: This is even before the season. Ricciardo declines seats at teams such as Haas because he doesn't want to be in a backmarker. He then says he needs a break from racing and that for now he will take the role in RedBull as it allows him to focus on himself and have more time for everything that F1 makes difficult.

So what am I getting at?

Ricciardo leaves a team not to be second driver. He then leaves another team where he is beloved to go to a team that his former boss warns him about because he doesn't trust the dude that is plastered everywhere eventhough he is not the boss. Said team turns out to be shit and he then does not accept other team offers because the teams are so far back that he apparently doesn't consider it seat worthy. He also wants to take a break from racing.

Then, he joins the worst team on the grid this season as third driver in an environment that is notorious for throwing at anyone that doesn't perform to their ideals see a rookie that wasn't even halfway through the season.

Sorry if I can't stand him but he brought this entirely on himself.

#f1 #anti ricciardo

[unluckyhoneybee]

Blurbs Masterlist

In this Masterlist, you can find all the blurbs I have written. I try to keep a short story format or HC but sometimes I get carried away. Everything you will find here is requested, also BFTL, the Mick Schumacher story I have been building based on prompts and requests you send me. I have so much fun writing and I hope you enjoy it.

Not important, but my fave parts are marked like this:🌻

Smut/smutish: 🍒

Fluff:🍭

Angst: 🍋

All the blurbs:

Motorsports.

Best friends to Lovers (Mick Schumacher) MASTERLIST

All drivers.

🍭Comforting Charles after Imola (fluff) [CL]

🍭First time in Monaco with Daniel (fluff) [DR]

🍭Reconciliation after a fight with Marcus (fluff) [MA]

🍒George making you pay for bad behaviour (smut) [GR]

🍭Smitten at first sight with Arthur (fluff) [AL] 🌻

🍭You are the bane of Arthur's existence (fluff) [AL]

🍭Stepdad Charles (fluff x3) [CL]

🍒Teasing Max by flirting with Pierre [MV]

🍭Comforting Liam after a crash. (fluff) [LL]

🍭Danny loves your hairstyle (fluff) [DR]

🍒You lend a hand to Pierre (smut) [PG]

🍭Danny dating an introvert. (fluff) [DR]

🍭Fake-dating Lando (fluff) [LN]

🍭Danny comforting you after losing a race (fluff) [DR]

🍭Lando is in love with Zak's daughter (fluff) [LN]

🍭Danny is really proud of you (fluff) [DR]🌻

🍭Pierre teaches you how to flirt with Arthur in French [AL + PG]

🍭You and Charles take a few laps together (fluff) [CL]🌻

🍒Arthur and you have some time alone on a balcony (smut) [AL]

🍒You have your first time with Danny (smut) [DR]

��Michael comforts your son (fluff) [MI]

🍋🍭Liam is terrified when you crash (angsty to fluff) [LL]

🍭Danny dating a normal girl (fluff) [DR]

🍭About Max V and Alex A friendship. (fluff) [MV & AA]

🍭You and Danny take your twins to the beach for the first time. (fluff x3) [DR] 🌻

🍭Max taking care of your daughter at a family event (fluff) [MV]

🍭You take care of Marcus after an accident (fluff) [MA]

🍭Danny meets your son two weeks late (fluff) [DR] 🌻

🍭Danny gives your your well deserve trophy (fluff) [DR]

🍭Lando helps his baby daughter at 4 am (fluff) [LN]

🍋Marcus and you crash (angsty?) [MA]

🍋Michael is protective with you (angsty) [MI]

🍭You comfort Danny after Silverstone (fluff) [DR]

🍭Marcus helps with your social anxiety (fluff) [MA]

🍭Danny is the best dad and your son the best big brother (fluff x3) [DR]🌻

🍭🍒Poly relationship with Danny and Charles [DR x CL]

🍭Michael and Danny are the best dads (fluff) [DR x MI]

🍭Your son wants you and Danny close🌻 [DR]

🍭Michael helps when you faint (fluff) [MI]

🍒Danny congratulates you after your first win (smut) [DR]

🍭Your first Mother's Day with Danny (fluff) [DR]

🍭Danny is dating Toto's daughter [DR] 🌻

🍒Congratulating George for his pole (smut) [GR]

🍭First time on the paddock with Arthur (fluff) [AL]

🍭Danny talks to the baby in your belly (fluff) [DR]

🍭Comforting Danny during silly season '22 (fluff) [DR]

🍒Spending your birthday with Danny (smut) [DR]

🍭You and Danny go public (fluff) [DR]

🍭Dad Pierre on holiday (fluff) [PG]

🍭You cheer Danny before the drivers parade (fluff) [DR]

🍭Danny helps you with beer pong (fluff) [DR]

🍒You and Danny have some fun while baking (smut) [DR]

🍭You, Danny and your son get temporary tattoos. [DR]

🍭 Charles takes care of you when you get hurt [CL]

🍭 Grumpy reader and Sunshine Mick [MS]

🍭 Proud Pierre dating a UFC fighter. [PG]

🍭You, Danny and his thigh tattoos. [DR]

🍭You take care of drunk Marcus. [MA]

🍭Learning French with Pierre [PG]

🍭Felipe is a bit jealous [FD]

🍭Michael confesses to you [MI]

🍭You comfort an insecure Fabio [FQ]

🍋You comfort Danny on his future [DR]

🍭Museum date with Lando [LN]

🍭You take Daniel to a rage room [Dr]

🍭After care with Daniel [DR]

🍭Daniel falls in love with an interviewer [DR]

🍭Charles it's not very touchy but you are [CL]

🍭Charles and you ditch an after party. [CL]

🍒Pierre and you are fwb but your friends don't know [PG]

🍒You take care of Charles. [CL]

🍭Mick helps you when you get overwhelmed [MS]

🍒You always cry when you finish [CL] (not actually smut)

🍭You meet Danny's son [DR]

🍭Alex takes care of you when you have migraines [AA]

🍒Danny is a good friend and helps you [DR]

Various guys:

🍭How would they react when you say "I love you" for the first time. (fluff)

🍭How would they flirt (fluff)

🍭How would they react to your pregnancy (fluff)

🍭How would they be as stepdads (fluff)🌻

🍭How they show love (fluff)

🍭How they take care of you (fluff) [With special appearance of LH&SV]

Others.

NHL.

🍭Ryan helps you skating after a long time [RG]

🍭Jack comforts you when you are not feeling well. [JH]

🍭Fake dating Jamie. [JD]

🍭Quinn teaches your son about hockey [QH]

🍭You take care of Arber's wounds. [AX]

🍭Mitch deals with his son's jealousy [MM]

#Lando norris #Pierre gasly #daniel ricciardo #charles leclerc #George russell #Marcus Armstrong #mick schumacher #max verstappen #alex albon #arthur leclerc #liam lawson #michael italiano #Jack hughes #Trevor zegras #Ryan graves

[surely-galena]

A very short collection of Giann & Marius fic recs

(for @roshie-writes who asked in this post and I didn't want to go over the character/word limit in the comments)

i see dead people (against my will) by @samsspambox

Artem, for as long as he could remember, was able to see things others couldn’t.

Yes, Senior Attorney Artem Wing can see ghosts.

He could see ghosts and hid the ability for as long as he could remember. That was his life and, frankly, it was a good one. No one but Neil knew about his ability (and even then, he was still skeptical), he had a crush on a coworker for the first time in his life, and no ghosts had ever come to haunt him.

He just never expected to see Giann von Hagen back in the NXX office.

or alternatively: artem wing sees the ghost of giann and has to deal with the fallout. which may include telling his maybe friends

While the focus of Sam's fic here is mostly on Artem & Giann, there's a lot of Giann content (and a lot of Marius, too)! It's Marius having to come to terms with Giann dying and ghost!Giann trying to communicate with his brother through Artem. Also Giann being a little menace and found family shenanigans if you enjoy that :D

There's a Giann death scene so heads up for that (but I personally find it to be really well written). Overall this fic is a good mixture of comedy and angst and it absolutely does pull at the heartstrings!

-

you can run, you can hide, but this email WILL find you! by @actualbird

from: Vyn Richter [[email protected]] to: Marius von Hagen [[email protected]] subject: Tutoring Details

Good day, Marius.

I am Dr. Vyn Richter, a professor as well as a friend of your brother, Giann. I am sure that at this point, he has explained to you his request that I be your tutor. I agreed, though the wording of his explanation to me seems that this is a non-negotiable for you. Rest assured, I will ensure that our classes will not be a hindrance in any way. Instead, what I have planned is a course to aid your transition towards your postgraduate studies.

Attached is the syllabus and schedule for our classes, both open to reasonable adjustments. If you have questions, you may email me any time after 12:00pm.

Best regards, Vyn Richter, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Psychology Stellis University

from: Marius von Hagen [[email protected]] to: Vyn Richter [[email protected]] subject: Tutoring Details

Cool, got this. See ya. ✌️

Sent from my iPhone

-

Before going missing, Giann asks Vyn to tutor Marius. Vyn agrees. (A story of annoyance and acceptance, all told through emails.)

If you enjoy epistolary fic, look no further than this one Zak wrote a while back! I still think back to this fic and your question gave me the chance to go back and have a reread :D

The main focus is Vyn and Marius figuring out their tutoring sessions (and a prelude to found family), but there's also a lot of background Marius & Giann and Vyn & Giann. It's tagged as comedy and light angst, so you know what's going down with Giann during the events of the fic :')

10/10 would recommend, I mean the fic is already on this list of recs but I just want to reiterate that this one is really good.

-

Tiny plug-in for myself but it's just chapter 3 of my fic The L stands for Lukecrative (link leads to ch3) for a very specific scene when Marius has a flashback about getting ice cream with Giann as a kid. You don't necessarily need the context of the previous two chapters to understand what's going on, but I've provided the link for the ease of navigating straight to the ice cream scene if you wish.

-

Posts here on tumblr:

Time by @samsspambox -- a giann von hagen musing (about marius, about his mother)

yes marius and giann have matching tattoos and heres how they (emotionally) end up getting it by @actualbird -- 1.5K words; Giann takes Marius to get a tattoo and then decides to get a matching one, too, because he doesn't want Marius to be in pain alone

hey, who made the NXX logo? also by @actualbird -- Giann commissions Marius to make the NXX logo we see in HQ

@cheri-carnival 's translated comics from artist 君楽研 (jun le yan) [1] [2] [3]

Some fic concepts by me based on fake titles Sam gave me, but the second one spotlights Giann and Marius

-

Hope you find something you like in here, roshie-writes!! Have a good rest of your day!

#unfortunately it's a bit tricky to find fics focused only on marius and giann! #giann von hagen #marius von hagen #tears of themis #tears of themis fic #I have a giann & marius fic concept in my doc of ideas so maybe I should bump that up just to throw in my two cents into the tag haha

[actualbird]

Hihi zak!! Been a while, love the cookies, very zakcore, hope they were as delicious as they looked

(Um.. artbook spoilers? LMAO)

Nonetheless I am here to sob and wail over luke pearce yet again. someone on twitter(@/chanuanzi i believe? shoutout to them) posted pages from the artbook, and theyre all in chinese so i cant get extra context, but i can see with my eyes my two wonderful somewhat functioning eyes and theres art and i saw so many lukes HES SO????!?! Found out the key has feather and fire motifs which is SO HIM and i believe his phone has a sherlock tobacco pipe for some reason(?did he make his phone?? is there a brand of phone with a pipe logo in stellis?? is it his phones cover???) and his silly little socks and he still wears those godforsaken boots even in childhood bless him

theres also pages with all the other guys, AND MC!! The mc concepts looked so pretty!! Shes stunning and gorgeous no matter what. Alternate outfits for everyone,, little sketches of the guys with different emotions.. artem wink.. luke with a little cat mouth. All of which is lovely, very interesting to look at. Love how theres a specific sock drawing for all the boys, only god knows why is Vyn wearing sock garters (do you have to go that far for the aesthetic, vyn?), MARIUS COULDVE HAD A TATTOO?? No idea, i think so?? this is driving me insane. and did i mention everyone gets little alternate outfits… yeah.

Anyway, thanks for reading my rant of the day! Hope youre doing well zak! Sorry if this was incredibly long and incoherent </3 -K

hi k!! and hehe, thank u for the kind cookie words :DDD

and GOSH YEAH, ive been delightedly freaking out about all of the pics of the tot artbook ive been seeing on twt. linking one of the tweets below so others can see, check em out! i dont think u'll need a twitter to see these :D

every single luke detail has added like power to my life force i swear JKHVAKJSHFASFKA. and all of ur thoughts, UR SO RIGHT!!! out of all the details ive seen from the different pics tho, ive got so much to say!! and no idea how to order any of them orz

but heres some bits i really fixated on for some reason

(among them, yes, the socks JKHAVKJSHFA)

the socks rlly did something to me , im past saving

pls dont apologize for stuff being incoherent bc as u can see //gestures at this response. Same. maybe some other time when ive got more energy and more braincell, i can put it into words a bunch of the rlly cool things that struck me and Why from the artbook, but thats for another day mayhaps :'D

#k!anon #asks #i hope some kind soul out there can take high res scans of.....the whole book IVLASKFVALSIF

[captainnameless]

Do you truly think McLaren are wrong in this situation? I’m conflicted, I like Daniel but he’s been underperforming for a while now and I love Lando and McLaren has been my team for years…

the short answer to your question is yes.

i think they’re handling this completely wrong and listen, Daniel Ricciardo is my favorite person on that track so am i gonna be upset if he isn’t on the grid next year? absolutely. is that also the name of the game? also absolutely. Daniel has been underperforming, and while i do also think he’s been unlucky with some strategies, team orders and technical difficulties, there is driver error in that too. but i do think McLaren, or let’s say Zak Brown have handled this in a disgraceful and disgusting manner. even without official confirmation.

i’m just confused on how someone they sat down with to make a statement with not even a month ago is now apparently being forced out anyway and for a team who talk about mental health on the daily they sure do know how to completely ignore their supposed stance on that when it comes to their own employees aka people who risk their lives for them.

people have to better than other people, i do think this season Lando is better than DR, i think Max is better than Checo, i think Charles is better than Carlos. i think Alex is better than Nicholas. i can go on. that’s the name of the game; there’s P1 to P20 and they can’t all finish first. and even if Daniel was my favorite person in the universe i’d still understand that underperforming means you lose your seat. but i do feel there’s a way to do this without the theatrics and disrespect and they have chosen differently. and even if Daniel keeps the seat, which i highly doubt, the way that this has gone about just rubbed me the wrong way.

finally, i can’t help you feeling conflicted. gotta do what feels good for you. i still support Lando with all my heart and hope he goes on to do great things with or without McLaren because he’s one of the best drivers on the grid. and I also hope Zak Brown’s tattoo gets infected and they’ll hire a new CEO (:

p.s. if Daniel gets the Alpine seat maybe this has all been a blessing in disguise. i’d love to see him at a team that doesn’t diminish him any chance they get.

p.p.s Andreas Seidl is excluded from my hate xo

#at the end of the day he’s a multi millionaire while i’m working 40 hour weeks #he’ll be fine #we’ll be fine #gotta get it out my system and be dramatic about it for a bit #this should be the last i talk about it we’ll see what happens

[valkblue]

[Altair: 2, 26] ; [Elara: 7, 42] ; [Vespera: 5, 25] ; [Vivian: 33, 35] ; [Zak: 13, 15]. 🕴️

😍

— Altair

2- Do they wear perfume/cologne? If so what scents do they prefer?

No, not really. Just plain soap is his favourite. And now, he spend too much time in the wild with horses, dogs and campfires to even think to bother with anything else anymore.

The scent he would prefer would be soap with milk and herbal tones, though.

26- Have they met any of their heroes? Did they regret it?

I'm not even sure he has a hero outside of all the war veterans in his family so, I'd say no. And regretting it? Well… does having to hear the endless angry rants of highly intoxicated 'retired' general Molivar counts??

— Elara

7- Do they have any unusual fears?

She has pretty rational fears in general but, an unusual one would be any scrapping sounds she can't locate. In space or on the ground.

42- Can they speak multiple languages? If yes which all do they speak and why?

Yes, she does! Quite a few, actually!

Basic: it's her mother tongue.

Huttese: it's almost her second mother tongue. Her parents started to teach her that one so young that she's as fluent as any Hutt or Twi'lek.

Jawaese: if it's not about trade, she'll be struggling a little more with this one.

Binary: she used to understand it very well as a child but she forgot almost everything about it by lack of practice. She still gets bits here and there according to the droid that speaks to her but it's rudimentary.

… and a touch of Mando'a because she heard enough of it during childhood to be able to pick up a few words and sentences, idioms and sayings that are all typically Mando even translated to Basic. And she has no idea that they are, most of the time.

— Vespera

5- Do they have any tattoos? If so what are they and do they have any special meaning?

She has just a little one. 👀

25- Do they have a daily/nightly routine?

In that aspect, and when she isn't running for her life under the cover of dubious military ops, she has a pretty comfortingly boring routine; wake up early, do her little things around a light breakfast, work (or enjoy life if it's a day off), get home, enjoy a hot shower or bath, cook something light, read or watch TV in couch or bed (which happen to be the same in her studio) and then fall asleep like that.

Rinse and repeat.

— Vivian

33- Do they play ttrpgs? If so what kind of characters do they play? Or are they more likely to GM?

She used to!! And she tried many kind of characters but in the end, stuck to Mage in Fantasy contexts. (Magic is fun! Fireball!!!) But in other games she's been more adventurous and played quite a few one shot, huninged characters she had a ton of fun with.

But she also stuck to a player role. She's a shit GM.

35- Do they believe in fate or do they believe they are in charge of their own destiny?

As I said here, she'd have reasons to be greeting Fate (should she exists) with a baseball bat sometimes. But, honestly, she doesn't believe too much in all that. So, she's more of a 'in charge of your own destiny' kind of person actually. (But she's going to keep the baseball bat close to her hands, just in case…)

— Zak

13- Do they enjoy poetry?

Oh yes, very much. Blaher poetry is especially good too, so it helps… and it's part of all the kids first experiences with reading in school so, it's also ingrained really young.

Currently, he's reading Bohrs and Nain poetry a little more in depths and he likes very much what he's discovering!

15- What kind of sense of humor do they have? Or do they have one at all?

A very light one. Kind of an opportunistic sense of humor. He used to prank people with his friends when he was a boy but now, he likes more tamed jokes and funsies.

But in general, he's ok with any kind of humor as long as it isn't cruel, actually.

#ask games #fatesrpg #ocs #oc:altair #oc:elara #oc:vespera #oc:vivian #oc:zak

[adelaidedrubman]

1, 14, 15 for my favorite J&J pls

thanks zak nice folks botherers are here <33

1. What does your OTP like to do with their time off?

other than sex and finding shit to argue about, they enjoy spending their leisure time finding something active and engaging to do together, usually sharing one of their hobbies with the other — john will goad jessie into being dragged along on a flight or playing tennis, or jessie will announce she’s going on a camping or fishing trip for the weekend knowing damn well it will result in John Gets To Go Too? 🥺 -> John Gets To Go Too! 😤. once they’re more settled and secure in their Whole Deal, they might just do hobbies near each other, john sketching tattoo designs while jessie does her woodworking; or just relax drinking and bantering around the fire.

14. Who is taller? 

john, by a perfectly average and unremarkable amount he really shouldn’t feel compelled to brag about.

15. Who does the driving on road trips?

a subject of intense debate and lots of switching, usually jessie until she gets fed up with not having music control and john complaining about her driving and pulls over to put on dolly and take her turn complaining about his driving. jessie also does willing let john take over anytime they have to go through a larger city, she’s lived in rural areas most of her life and he’s more experienced with city driving from his atlanta days. and his form of road rage is more compatible with city driving than jessie’s erratic angry driving, he just vice grips the steering wheel and goes on furious tirades about what everyone is doing wrong that jessie gets to laugh at. on the other hand, jessie is behind the wheel anytime they go through an area without cell service where driving requires actual navigational skills, john will graciously allow her behind the wheel before admitting he needs to pull out the GPS.

#otp: stop bothering these nice folks

[queenclaudiabrown]

The Scarecrow | Chapter Six: What Lies Beneath

     Hunger wasn't something any of them felt strongly enough to act on until mid-afternoon, too grief-stricken and sickened by Eric's demise to even consider food until the growling of their stomachs became audible to the others around them.

     Natalie reluctantly went into the kitchen and opened the pantry, frowning at the contents. "Could've sworn there was more in here yesterday." She muttered. Shrugging it off as a lapse in memory due to stress- not an unreasonable assumption- she sighed and took out the few remaining cans and walked back to the living room, where the others sat. "Okay, so I've got more bad news. We're almost out of food, and seven cans, five of us, and four or five days until we're even due back... it doesn't look good. Sure, we could each eat half a can a meal and only eat two meals a day, but that's still not going to get us terribly far."

     Dave raised his hand. "There might be more in the basement. I could go and check." He suggested.

     Natalie shrugged. "Sure, be my guest. As long as I don't have to go down there." She returned to the kitchen and put the cans back where she'd found them, then returned with a plastic bag that she handed to Dave. "Here. Save you a trip or two if there's anything down there."

     Dave nodded, and stuffing it into his pocket as he went. He unlocked the basement door and held his breath as he descended the rickety steps. There was no obvious sign of food of any kind, so he went deeper and deeper.

     "I've been waiting for someone to come down here, unsuspecting like a fly ambling into the spider's web." A voice said behind him.

     Every fiber of his body tensed, suddenly on alert.

     That voice....

     He turned around slowly, swallowing a lump that felt like a watermelon in his throat that felt drier than the desert. The scarecrow stood leaning casually against the cellar wall, hidden from sight from the direction of the staircase by a shelf unit. In one hand was the bloody boxcutter; in the other, the mask. Dave wasn't sure which one was more unsettling.

     "My God." He breathed, stomach churning. He took a breath and swallowed again, and opened his mouth to scream.

     But before a sound could get out, a leather glove-clad hand clapped over his mouth. The scarecrow leaned in closely, eyes narrowed and glittering menacingly in the meager light as the edge of the boxcutters uncleaned blade was brought to his throat.

     "I might've been gentler if you hadn't tried that." The scarecrow growled, then smirked. "More fun for me, then."

     Dave wished he hadn't gone down alone.

     An hour and a half later, the grandfather clock chimed at the top of the hour, and Marty frowned. "Dave's been down in the basement a while."

     Natalie also glanced at the clock. "$h¡t, you're right. I better go check on him."

     Melody rose from her chair, grabbing the shotgun again and following her. Natalie opened the cellar door and hesitated, looking back to see Melody and both men standing anxiously behind her.

     "Do you want me to go first?" Melody volunteered gently.

     Knowing the other woman wouldn't judge her for it, Natalie breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, stepping back. Melody adjusted her grip on the gun and descended determinedly, anxious that the old steps would crumble underneath her. Creaky as they were, none did, and soon enough she was at the bottom. There she paused, the muzzle of the gun sweeping the visible area in the same path that her eyes traced.

     "Dave?" Natalie called out, two steps above her. "Dave, you've been down here a while. Are you okay?"

     There was no response, and Marty and Zak exchanged worried looks.

     "I don't like this." Melody muttered. Taking a fortifying breath, she advanced into the basement, her slow and cautious steps juxtaposing the anxiously-fast tattoo of her heartbeat.

     On the other side of every shelf unit, old refrigerator, or other miscellaneous item dumped down here, she expected to find Dave's body or the lurking form of the scarecrow. Yet deeper and deeper she led her friends, and still found nothing.

     Until they did.

     Flat on his back on the floor and close to one of the walls lay Dave, unseeing eyes staring upward. On either side and the front of his throat, dozens of slashes were carved into his throat. From them were rivers of drying blood that soaked through the neck of his shirt and pooled under him.

     "Oh no." Melody breathed. "Oh God, no."

     Natalie's mouth opened and a rapid-fire stream of German came out; none of them knew what she was saying, but they felt the weight and meaning of the words in their very souls.

     Melody whirled on the spot, scanning for any sign of the scarecrow. Disappointingly but predictably, there was not a trace, not even a bloody shoeprint.

     "Give me the gun." Zak said suddenly.

     "What?"

     "The shotgun- give it to me." He reiterated, gesturing to the firearm in her grip. "I'm gonna check the rest of the basement- there can't be much left we haven't checked- and see if I can find anything. I'll be right back, and if I find anything or anyone, I'll shout."

     Reluctantly, Melody handed the gun over, and he nodded his thanks before heading off.

     "Well, at least he probably went quicker than Eric." Marty said quietly after a moment.

     The grief that had enveloped ever fiber of Melody's being seemed to vanish like water down a drain, and now she was seething. "How the h3ll did this happen?" She demanded no one in particular. "There's only one door, and none of us have seen or heard him come in. Assuming he's working alone, he had to have brought Eric's body here and banged on the door at midnight. There was nothing that we found outside that could've made that banging noise other than someone pounding on the door themselves.

     "Well, we know which we he got out." Zak announced, returning to them. "Hatchway's wide open. He didn't even try to hide it."

     "Maybe that's how he got in?" Marty suggested.

     "There was a padlock and chains on the outside." Zak told them, passing the gun back to Melody. "Whether through the front door or the hatchway, he still would've needed either a key or another way to get the lock open."

     Natalie picked at a hangnail in thought. "He could've gotten the keys off Grace." She suggested quietly after a moment, avoiding all eye contact. "And when we were looking for her, he came and got the second shotgun that he killed Beth with. Then he brings Eric, strings him up and bangs on the door, and immediately goes around the corner and comes down here. None of us left the porch, and none of us have been down here the entire time we've stayed here. We never would've noticed."

     "That would make sense." Melody agreed.

     Zak frowned. "Still, it's one h3ll of a gamble- staying down here just hoping that one of us would come down unarmed and alone."

     Considering, Natalie tilted her head. "I thought there was more canned food upstairs. Maybe he stole some and figured we'd come down here to look for more. Even without Grace telling us there was some down here, loads of people keep canned stuff in their basements."

     Marty nodded in agreement, and after a moment, so did Zak, and then Melody. "I guess that makes sense. Alright, Marty, Zak... see if we can lock the hatchway from in here, and bring him upstairs to put with the others. Natalie, if you'll come with me, I want to do a full sweep of the house just in case."

     The others nodded, and as the women went upstairs Zak shut the hatchway, wrapping the chain through the interior handles until there was no length left. Then he hooked the padlock through as many links as he could and clicked it closed.

     Meanwhile, Marty crouched over his deceased friend's body, his gaze trailing over the horrible sight. Some of the cuts looked slow and deliberate, mostly straight and steady lines with an even depth; while others seemed spontaneous, wild, whimsical or emotional, and varied in course and depth.

     His eyes strayed upward at the few small droplets of crimson scattered over Dave's jaw and lower cheeks, and he frowned at Dave's mouth. There was something wrong with it, as if he was holding something in his mouth but it was poking almost out of between his lips. Gingerly, he eased Dave's jaw open, but he couldn't decide if it was rue or relief that he felt at the sight of burnt straw stuffed in Dave's mouth.

     Zak rejoined him. "Burnt straw." He muttered. "Tell you what, when we finally get ahold of that ßд$tдrd, I'm gonna kill him once and for all, and then the only fire he's gonna know are in hell."

     Marty nodded, his jaw set with anger. "I'll pass you the lighter."

     The pair carried Dave's body up the steep cellar stairs, and were almost immediately met with the sight of Natalie and Melody coming downstairs, the redhead carrying Dave's bedding. "All clear?" Zak queried.

     "All clear." Confirmed Melody. "Let's get this over with."

     And so for the second time in less than a day, they wrapped the body of one of their friends and laid it beside the body of another, and scoured the blood from their hands, and sat in the living room together, mourning another friend lost.

     They weren't hungry anymore.

#the scarecrow #the scarecrow queenclaudiabrown #original content #original work #original story #horror story #original character

[tonkimaster]

Has post malone done time

#Has post malone done time trial#

Posty tells Kimmel that the show will feature some major rock and roll legends. Post will be headlining the event, alongside Steve Aoki, Jack Harlow, and more. Although Malone was unharmed and unaffected by these three events, Zak still thinks that it was the curse of the box that caused them. He has been called a culture vulture several times on. Here’s hoping they stay firmly wedged in there. Aside from dental work, tattoos, and Costco memberships, Malone is gearing up for his big Bud Light Seltzer’s New Year’s Eve 2021 live stream. Since his visit, Malone has been involved in an emergency landing in his private jet, his car was involved in an accident, and armed robbers targeted his home in San Fernando. The American rapper has also been referred to as a rich child whose parents paid his way into music. They sparkle, they shine they’re amazing,” and they can be brushed just as natural teeth would. Regarding Malone’s new mouth jewels, Connellys said “they could have got three or four other diamonds out of it, so we had to waste it in order to get it into shape.” But, in Connelly’s estimation, the fangs “light up the room. “If you get a six-carat canine tooth, you need a 12-carat raw cube. Yes, introduced Malone to various musical genres. The best news is that there is still plenty of time to get your hands on Post Malone tickets. Post Malone was raised by his father, Rich Post, and his stepmother, Jodie. This tour will be his fourth major tour as a headlining act and likely the best he’s ever done - while supporting his new album released in June. “It’s very difficult to cut holes in diamonds without destroying them,” Connelly said, adding that it’s also difficult to make a tooth-shaped diamond, which may explain why you typically see diamond-encrusted teeth rather than teeth that are diamonds. The latest Post Malone tour, dubbed the Twelve Carat Tour, is set to begin in the fall of 2022. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), he has sold 13 million albums in the United States and 95 million digital singles, making him the eighth best-selling digital artist of all time.

#Has post malone done time trial#

(Apparently there’s a famous-person waitlist now.) Connelly told Rolling Stone that the results represent over a year’s worth of trial and error. The discography of American rapper and singer Post Malone consists of four studio albums, one mixtape, and 34 singles (including 12 as a featured artist). A post shared by Thomas Connelly, DDS so you know, the fangs represent a milestone in dental diamonds, as Connelly had never embedded a whole stone as a tooth before this job.

#Has post malone done time

[f1]

WATCH: Ricciardo looks back on his sensational Monza victory in Through the Visor

Daniel Ricciardo returned McLaren to winning ways last season with a shock victory at the Italian Grand Prix – a result so significant that team boss Zak Brown would later get a map of the Monza circuit tattooed on his arm for eternity. Amid drama from start to finish in Italy, spearheaded by a collision between title rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, Ricciardo made the most of a slippery McLaren and punchy Mercedes power unit to give the Woking-based outfit their first win since 2012. READ MORE: Horner, Perez and Vettel back Ricciardo to ‘find his mojo again’ after McLaren separation Indeed, despite Mercedes and Red Bull dominating up front in 2021 as they went head-to-head for championship glory, Ricciardo’s win at Monza – backed up by team mate Lando Norris – marked the only 1-2 finish of the campaign. It aould also be Ricciardo’s strongest result in papaya orange – the Australian will lose his seat to 2021 Formula 2 champion and fellow countryman Oscar Piastri at the end of 2022, having agreed to part ways with McLaren a year earlier than planned. Hit the play button on the video above to hear Ricciardo’s memories of a very emotional day for himself and McLaren in the latest instalment of our Through the Visor series. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

#F1 #WATCH: Ricciardo looks back on his sensational Monza victory in Through the Visor #Formula 1

[7xwc]

this whole thing about people trying to claim a little bit of Daniel and how everybody seems a little obsessed with the thought of saying they have something of daniel's and vice versa............. is very incheresting

#does this make sense???? #idk im almost falling asleep #but yeah #and i dont mean in like a strange creepy way #but like how cyril made that podium bet and the whole tattoo thing #and zak also getting a tattoo #and the way lando becames all glittery now when he gets daniel's attention????? #idk man #very inchresting....... #very endearing #much to think about #this man has a way around people's hearts #anyways #ignore me #yas rants #f1

[actorfrustration]

Black & White

Title: Black & White Chapter: One-Shot Pairing: Zak/OC Rating: T Fic Summary: Zak wants Lexi to meet his co-workers/friends/brothers.

[A/N - Sequel to "No Judgement". I chose another Niall Horan song for this one.]

“You…you want me to meet your friends?” Lexi asked him.

Zak nodded. “Yeah. They’ve been asking who I’ve been spending so much time with.”

Lexi was apprehensive because for the longest time Zak wanted to keep his personal life separate from his work life.

Sure, he worked with his friends, men who were his brothers at this point, but she’d always kept to the shadows. When Zak came over, he left his work at the door.

Lexi bit her bottom lip. “But…”

Zak frowned and put his hand on her cheek.

Lexi leaned in towards the touch.

“What is it, sweetheart?” he asked her.

“What if they don’t like me?”

Zak wanted to laugh. How could anyone not like Lexi? Her happy and calming energy was enough to pull him out of any lockdown hangover.

“They’ll love you, because I…I care about you and they know that. It’ll be okay, because I’ll be your side the whole time,” he reassured her, “It’s totally informal. Just cooking out and hanging out with friends. I really want you to be there.”

Lexi looked into Zak’s technicolor eyes. “Okay, but you’re not allowed to leave me. At all.”

Zak laughed and wrapped his arms around her. “Deal.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zak led a nervous Lexi into his living room.

She had tried to slip away multiple times and run back to the car. She looked through the floor to ceiling windows to the backyard.

Gracie was running around with two other dogs.

Billy stood at the grill with a beer in his hand, while a woman sat on the edge of the pool with her feet in the cool water. A tall, bearded guy she assumed was Aaron was in the water talking with another guy. The other man had to be Jay.

She’d seen pictures from Zak’s Instagram and his camera roll. She also tended to watch reruns of Ghost Adventures if she was missing Zak.

“If I go and change, can I trust you not to run off?” Zak asked. He kissed Lexi on the forehead and disappeared down the hallway to his bedroom.

Lexi noticed one of the men’s heads turn towards the living room. She squeaked and hid behind the couch.

Zak came out in a pair of black swim trunks and found Lexi. “Lex, what are you doing? Get up.”

She stood up and grabbed onto Zak’s hand as they walked out.

“’Bout time. We were about to send a…search party,” Billy said, his eyes on Lexi.

“Guys, this is Alexis,” Zak said.

“Lexi. Call me Lexi,” Lexi told them.

Aaron’s eyes zeroed in on Zak and Lexi’s intertwined hands. “So you’re the famous Lexi,” he said.

Lexi’s eyes went wide. Had Zak talked about her?

“Don’t worry. It’s all good things. Never mentioned you by name though,” Jay reassured her.

Zak led her over a couple of pool chairs and Gracie came over to them.

Lexi smiled as the border collie put her front paws on Lexi’s knees and leaned up to lick her face. Lexi giggled and scratched Gracie’s neck.

Hearing Lexi laugh made Zak smile.

“Hey Zak, come over here for a second,” Billy called.

Zak got up and Lexi finally got a good look at the tattoo that had always remained hidden to her.

She knew the story behind it. How he became possessed by a spirit in Poveglia, Italy and how it had changed his life.

Jay and Aaron came over to her and sat down.

“I’m Jay and this is Aaron.”

Lexi laughed. “I know. Zak talks about you all the time. All good things, of course.”

They quickly fell into easy conversation.

“I can see why Zak always wants to visit you after a hard lockdown,” Jay told her, “You have a very calming energy.”

“Thank you.”

Zak had often expressed the exact same thing to her. That she was the only person who calmed his mind and pulled him out of the dark place his thought often went to.

“God knows how you can put up with him sometimes,” Aaron said.

Lexi laughed. “Well, I have very strict rules when he comes to see me. He has to cleanse before he walks through the door and he leaves work at work.”

Zak looked over and saw Lexi laughing at something Aaron said. He smiled seeing her get along with his friends.

“You love her, don’t you?” Billy asked Zak. He could tell his friend was head over heels for Lexi.

“I don’t know if I’d use the word love, Bill. But I care about her a lot.”

Lexi was the white to his black. The light that counteracted his darkness.

#zak/oc #zak bagans #zak bagans imagines #aaron goodwin #billy tolley #jay wasley #ghost adventures #ghost adventures imagine

[xtrashmammalstefx]

Where My Demon’s Hide (A Zak Bagans x Nephilim Reader SMUT!)

WARNINGS: SMUT, LANGUAGE

SPECIAL THANKS TO: @xcazzax​ who not only gave me this idea but who has inspired me to maybe write Zak Bagans fics for each day of October (or at least try to). Thanks girly, for helping me get my mojo back. 😊

I arrived at the Asylum just as they were setting up the cameras. I've been with the GAC for a few years now and I have yet to have a boring day with them. They are and always will be my family. Aaron, was like a goofball older brother who smokes like a chimney, looks tough as shit but is actually chicken shit (not that that's a bad thing, lord knows I'm not brave when locked in a haunted room  on my lonesome). Billy is my punk rock brother who has also not grown out of the punk/emo phase of life. Jay is the responsible one of the group (aka the dad) who sometimes looks like he's ashamed of having raised such dumbass kids.  And there's Zak, the main man of GAC who is both crazy and beautiful. He wasn't afraid to get in an evil spirits face, and even opened up his home to those who were harming others in their old one's. It's that twisted generosity that has led to moments like these.

Aaron looked nervous and Billy seemed to not want to leave the van unless absolutely necessary. That only meant one thing.

“How is he?” I asked Aaron who was getting the equipment ready.

“Um, well...”

“ C'MON SHOW YOURSELF YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!” We heard Zak yell from inside the asylum.

“Oh,” I sighed. I swear it was like Zak attracted evil (and sometimes demonic) spirits like chocolate attracts a hoard of kids. Then again he was more than okay with investigating places with the most gruesome of histories. “I'll see if I can cool him down before the shoot. Just hang tight.”

“'Kay, good luck Y/N.” Aaron said.

I grabbed a flashlight from the van and walked in to the asylum. Zak was in the middle of reception area with a wild look in his eye. “Zak?”

He looked at me. “There's something here I-I know it!”

I looked around not seeing anything until my eyes landed on a shadowy figure hovering around Zak. Ah shit. “Zak it's not one of the residents,” I said. “One of your little friends is just being an asshole.”

The shadow looked up and snarled at me.

“Yeah I'm talking about you,” I rolled my eyes. “Now kindly fuck off before I hose your sorry ass down with holy water.”

It growled and vanished.

“Thanks,” Zak said calming down a bit.

“We really need to do something about this Zak,” I said. “You can't keep letting them get to you like that. It's how they win.”

“I know but...I don't know how else to keep them from hurting anyone,” he said. “From hurting you.”

“Well it's gone for now, and that's all that matters,” I said brushing his cheek with my hand. “Now are we just gonna chill in here or are we gonna investigate this bitch?”

He smirked. “C'mon my ghost whisperer let's get you a mic and a camera.” He threw his arm around my shoulders and escorted me back out of the asylum and to the GAC van.

Eventually the sun went down fully and the haunting hour was upon us. “Okay Y/N why don't you stay here by yourself for a bit and see what you can get.” Zak said when we reached the children's ward.. Sadistic fucker.

“Sure,” I said. He and the crew left and I sat down cross-legged on the ground and put my 'gift' to work. “Hello there. I was wondering if we could talk for a minute if that's okay.” I placed the spirit box on the floor in front of me. “You see this little box? Well if you talk into it I can hear you...er I mean the world will hear you. I for one don't really need it. So what do you say?”

“D-Do you know where my mommy is?” A small voice called out in the darkness.

I sighed. “No sweetie, I don't...what's your name?”

“H-Hazel,” she said.

“It's nice to meet you, Hazel, I'm Y/N,” I said. “Can you do me a favor and speak into this?” I motioned at the spirit box. “My friends really want to know you, and help you if we can.”

“R-Really? Wuh-What about Dr. Meanie?” she asked.

“Dr. Bronson can't hurt you anymore,” I said. “And if he tries, he'll have to deal with me.”

I suddenly felt a weight on my lap, like that of a small child snuggling up to mommy.

“I-Is this okay?” she asked.

“Yes, beautiful, it's fine.” I reached out and wrapped my arms around her. “God, how did such a sweet little angel like you end up here? This is no place for a child.”

“M-Mommy came here when I was still in her tummy,” she explained. “They took me away after I was born and I never saw her again.”

“Do you know how you ended up like this?” I asked. “You're awfully young to be as you are.”

“I-I got sick...Dr. Meanie wouldn't give me my medicine 'cause I slapped Tippy on the head for pulling my hair. One day I went to sleep, and...and suddenly I was invisible.”

“Have you tried to go into the light?” I asked. “I'm sure you'll find your mommy there, and someday I'll be there too.”

“I thought I saw it once but...I was afraid. Dr. Meanie tells us it's not safe.”

“It is safe,” I said. “I promise you it is a thousand times better than this place.” I wanted to say shit hole but I had a rule about cussing in front of kids, even the dead ones.

“It's in my room,” she whispered.

I sniffed back a tear and kissed the top of her head. “Go to it,” I urged her.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, angels belong in heaven after all,” I said brushed her cheek and she giggled.

“Thank you, Ms. Y/M,” she said standing up and vanishing through the nearby doorway.

“Good bye sweet angel,” I said before turning off the spirit box and pausing my camera.

I left the ward and got Zak on the walkie. “Alright, I'm done.”

“'Kay I'm down in the basement if you wanna...WHAT THE FUCK?!”

“Zak?” He didn't answer. “ZAK!?” Still nothing. I sighed. “Dammit.”

I took off running.

Down in the basement Zak was looking around and shouting like a madman. “Zak what happened?! What's going on?!”

“There was a shadowing standing right fucking next to me,” he said. I looked around and sure enough a tall shadowy figured hovered behind him.

“WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!” I snapped at it.

“My, my...” it said smugly. “Aren't you an interesting specimen.”

“Leave us alone, now!” I said. It laughed. “I'm not fucking around! Leave and never return to this sacred ground.” He flinched at the words I've said more times than I would like.

“Foolish woman,” he laughed. “This place is anything but sacred.”

“It wasn't in your time,” I said walking towards a nearby wall. “But now...” I took my bottle of holy water and dabbed some onto my hand. I then drew a cross on the wall.

“Is that all you got?” the demon scoffed.

I smirked. “Lesson number one in haunting,” I said taking out my small switchblade. I made a small cut on my fore finger  and drew a symbol on the wall above the cross. A symbol no demon could fight against. “Don't piss off a Nephilim.”

The empty pits where it's eyes once were widened and a loud roar erupted from its mouth.  

“I, Y/N, the daughter of Michael send thee to the house of thy uncle Lucifer...may he not have mercy on your soul.” The ground opened up and the shadow was swallowed by a wall of flames. “I hate fucking demons,” I muttered once it was gone.

Zak looked at me in shock. “Is there really never gonna be a time when this doesn't surprise you?” I asked.

“Nope,” he said snapping out of it.

“You feeling okay?” I asked placing my hand on his cheek.

“Yeah,” he said. “Thanks...”

“Anytime,” I said pecking him on the cheek.

We continued investigating and got plenty of evidence that made sleeping not an option for the next year.

That night we were hold up in a hotel. I couldn't sleep so once I was showered and jammied up I went for a walk. So many different things ran through my mind and I tried to sort them out as best I could. But then I heard the shouting...

“LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!” Zak damn near roared. “For fucks sake!” I heard him cry.

I went up to his door and knocked furiously. “Zak it's me, let me in!”

“Not now Y/N,” he begged.

“Yes now,” I snapped at him. “I know there's someone there with you and I'm the only one who can help, so let me fucking in!”

A moment later the door opened and Zak stood there looking exhausted and just done with life. It was terrifying and heartbreaking. ..but it was nothing compared to what his friend looked like. It was a snarling beast with skin resembling that of a dried date; brown and shiny. It's arm was around Zak's neck, holding him in a choke-hold. “He is mine.” It said, it's voice deep and chilling.

“No,” I said. “No he fucking isn't!”

I wrapped my arms around Zak and the demon let go as though it had burned. “A daughter of Michael...why am I not surprised?”

“In the name of my father leave this place!” I demanded.

“Brave like your father...” It said. “Unfortunately you're as foolish as he is as well. Watch your back daughter of Michael for I am not the only one in this world and my brethren aren't as friendly as I...” Friendly. My. Ass.

“IN THE NAME OF MY FATHER LEAVE THIS PLACE YOU COCKAROACH LOOKING SHIT!” I demanded once more...this time he listened.

With the demon gone I pulled back. “It's gone.”

Zak nodded. “Which one was it?”

“I think it was one of the pests you picked up at Bobby Mackey's.” I explained helping him to his bed.

“I thought we got rid of all of them?” he asked.

“Yeah well it seems this conniving little fucker did a good job of hiding during the clean up,”  I said. “You gonna be okay?”

“I think so,” he said. “But I'd still feel better if you stayed...if that's alright.”

“You don't even have to ask,” I said rubbing his back with my hand. “Jesus,” I gasped. “You're burning up!”

“I just had a hot shower...the tap might have been busted 'cause shit was that water scalding.” I rolled my eyes.

“It didn't burn you too bad did it?” I asked. He shrugged. “Alright off with the shirt.” He arched an eyebrow at me. “Not like that...I just wanna check for burns.”

He pulled off his t-shirt and tossed it aside. I crawled behind him on the bed and inspected his back. His skin was smooth, without so much as a scar. Even the tattoo on top was left unscathed. I leaned in and brought my lips to it. “You're good,” I said.

He turned around and our faces were suddenly closer than they've ever been. “Z-Zak?”

He said nothing...just leaned in and brought his lips to mine. So far in this brief life I've had four unforgettable nights.

The first was when I first met my dad when I was five. The second was when I found out what I was when I was thirteen...I felt at peace knowing everything I'd experienced finally made sense. The third was when I used my power to help the spirit of my best friend move on after a drunken asshole took her life. The fourth was the first time I went to Zak's house and gave him answers about the entities there.

And now...I was experiencing my fifth.

After a while Zak and I leaned back on the bed. His pants wound up joining his shirt, and eventually my clothes followed. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight as he pushed into me. I gasped. Like the rest of him, his length was pretty... thick.

I whimpered as he moved inside me. Our skin slapped together and he grunted with almost every thrust. I don't know how much time had passed but eventually I tightened around him, my toes curling up. “ZAAAK!!!” I moaned as my whole body tensed up.

Zak thrust a few more time, each time becoming more sloppy. “FUCK!” He groaned as he filled me up. He collapsed beside me and eventually sleep overcame us.

“I love you,” I whispered just before I fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up needing very badly to pee. I tiptoed to the bathroom (not wanting to wake Zak) and relieved myself. When I got back Zak was sitting up with a confused look on his face.

“Zak?” I said sitting back down next to him.

He looked at me and tightened the blanket around his hips. “Y/N? WHAT THE FUCK?”

“What? What's wrong?”

“What's wrong? Are you fucking serious?” he said freaking out. “You're naked! FUCK, I'M NAKED! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!”

“Y-You mean you don't remember?” I said suddenly feeling uneasy.

“I remember coming back to the room after the investigation. I-I remember the inhumanly hot shower...then I saw this..this thing...next thing I know I'm waking up naked and raw.” My unease grew.

“I-I don't under...” I suddenly saw a dark, leathery skinned figure standing beside Zak's side of the bed. It had a sickening smirk on it's face.

“My brother was right, daughter of Michael,” it snarled. “You really are foolish.”

Realization hit me like a truck.

“SON OF A-!”

#zak bagans #zak bagans x reader #Smut #demons #nephilim #ghost adventures