#it's such a weird spot to be in because like i had a phone interview two weeks ago

[i-will-physically-fight-you]

jaklsdfjkalsfjkldsaj I can’t believe I just had a phone interview that actually went well

#kat talks #it's such a weird spot to be in because like i had a phone interview two weeks ago #that went okay if wasnt for the fact I couldnt string coherent sentences #and then *this* interview went so much better #me externally: speaking coherent sentences #me internally: how the tf am i speaking coherent sentences rn!!! #It's probably because I technically have been hired on a temporary basis with the other place #so its like who tf cares if I bombed this interview because itll probably be ok #still tho like!! #job interviews are an adrenaline rush i had questions and everything #so it really felt like a mutual interview #and the way i just causally went 'oh I've been seeking other companies in the area what makes your company stand out from the rest?' #how am i successfully adulting rn idk how

[peachhcs]

the draft & the night everything changed

hughes!sister x will smith au

the night samy and will finally realize they both have feelings for one another at the nhl draft in nashville.

1.7k words

for the first real fic i’m starting with the draft which basically started samy & will’s relationship! the confessions will be its own separate post & again i’m open to asks and things you guys wanna see in this au! :)

au masterlist | part 2

with all the press and interviews, samy hardly got to see will or any of the boys before the draft. she sat with her family in their hotel room as all of them got ready for the very special and exciting night. will would periodically text her updates about everything he was doing making the brunette smile each time her phone buzzed on the table.

she smiled seeing a picture will sent dressed in his suit almost ready to head out into the seats. she loved the navy and pink combination—also loving that he took her suggestions when he sent her choices a few months back. samy quickly snapped a photo back of her own dress she was wearing. it was a simple pink and black with a small opening across her midsection. she wasn't sure if it was too little for what seemed like such a classy event, but grace quickly reassured her that she looked perfect.

her entire family experienced the draft three times already, so they knew what was coming and what to expect, but samy couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach for her best friend about to get picked in the first round tonight. will was one of the best players in this draft class and even though she's hardly seen him since they got to nashville, she knew he was feeling all of the emotions.

her phone buzzed again meaning will texted her back.

will

wow you look gorgeous

his text immediately caused a blush across samy's cheeks. her head spun around making sure none of her family saw her red face before quickly sending a text back.

samy

i'll see you out there :)

the nauseating feeling in samy's stomach had been there for days. anytime she thought about will, her heart raced. she started getting excited anytime her phone buzzed hoping it was her best friend texting her back. it was..it was a weird feeling. she's never felt that way whenever will texted. at least not since the beginning of april. she didn't know what it meant nor did she really want to know because maybe deep down, she did know.

after another ten minutes, samy followed her family into the arena. there was so many people pushing past them trying to find their seats or quickly interview the draft prospects before they got seated. mrs. hughes led the way in attempt to find anyone they were sitting with. samy's stomach was doing flips with the amount of people shoving and pushing past her. she knew the draft always went crazy, but she forgot just how crazy it really was. luke's draft in the comfort of their own home two years ago was much better than the chaos inside the arena.

"samy!" someone called her name. the girl quickly spun around trying to find the source when she saw gabe's tall figure waving his hands at her. she tugged on her parents' arms and motioned towards him.

he quickly pushed his way through the crowd until he reached the family. samy was immediately brought into a hug once she was close enough.

"hey, god, this is insane." gabe laughed a little as the rest of his family came up behind him.

"i know, how are you feeling?" samy wondered and admired his fun suit.

"nervous..really nervous." the dark-haired boy admitted.

the brunette’s face softened out as she brushed down his suit jacket. “whatever happens in there is meant to happen. it's gonna be good,” samy reassured.

"have you seen will or ryan yet?" gabe changed the subject.

"i haven't seen either of them since we got here two days ago." samy said with a small frown.

"will should be coming in soon. he was a few people behind me i think." just as gabe said that, samy spotted the familiar mop of blonde hair and will's infamous navy suit scanning the crowd of people.

"i see him." samy said and gabe whipped around to find his best friend.

the girl's feet moved faster than her mind as she pushed her way through everyone to get to will. he finally spotted her and also picked up his speed to meet her in the middle.

will's hands clasped around her back, pulling her into him. the two squeezed one another tightly, taking in the moment and the feeling of finally being together after not getting to see one another yet.

"i'm so glad you're here." will muttered into her shoulder. the girl grinned, rubbing his back in a soothing manner.

the two pulled apart, missing the knowing looks from their families watching them. samy went to hug grace while will hugged gabe.

"it's good to see you again." grace laughed as she exchanged her hug with samy.

"you too, gracie.” the brunette chuckled.

"i hate to break up the reunions, but let's get our seats." mrs. smith said, always rushing people to where they needed to be like always.

everyone nodded and will found his way back to samy's side. the girl wrapped her arm around his. “how are you feeling?" she asked.

"nervous for sure." the blonde laughed. samy smiled, rubbing his arm in hopes of soothing his nerves.

everything about will looked good. his hair was styled perfectly and his suit was pressed making him look clean and classy for the night. the feeling returned in samy's stomach as she gripped his arm through the arena.

the smiths and hughes broke away from gabe's family as they took their seats on opposite ends of the stairs. whatever order mrs. smith had for everyone's seating arrangements was thrown out the window when will insisted samy sat next to him. once again, the two missed the knowing glances from family as mrs. smith gave in and let samy sit next to will.

the absent touches, the closeness, the comments—it wasn't usual to samy and will. they had always been like that, but right now samy was seeing it in a different way. will's fingers brushing across her hand left sparks in its wake. her heart raced anytime he looked at her for longer than he usually did. she just kept telling herself it was all normal. they were usually touchy and close with one another, except this time around samy couldn't get out of her head that something was different. something felt different and she didn't know if will felt it too.

the adrenaline started rising in the room as they got ready to announce the first overall pick. will's hand clasped around samy's with a firm grasp. his face was set and focused, but samy knew he had a 100 different thoughts running through his mind.

connor bedard went 1st pick overall which was pretty expected. he was a very watched player this past year and everyone knew he was probably going first.

as the second and third picks were announced, will knew he was most likely going next. it was all based on the 2nd round pick and everyone held their breaths in anticipation.

“the fourth pick overall for the san jose sharks is pleased to announce will smith." the announcer said.

everyone immediately jumped up as a smile appeared on will's lips. he quickly brought samy into his arms before hugging his parents and sisters. his mom took ahold of his suit jacket as he took it off and made his way down to the stage. gracegrabbed samy's hand, a smile on both of their faces as they watched will put on his new jersey. blue was definitely his color and samy couldn't be prouder of her best friend.

ryan and gabe weren't far after will. samy exchanged hugs with both of the boys as she watched them make their way down to the stage like her brothers did so many years ago.

everyone knew the boys had a bunch of press to do, so they wouldn't ben seeing them until after. samy tried easing her racing mind by talking more with grace and ryan's girlfriend for the time being until she couldn't take her racing thoughts anymore and needed to use the bathroom.

the girl stared at herself in the mirror trying to make sense of why she couldn't stop thinking about will and why her heart clenched every time she saw him. she didn't get it. he was her best friend. she's seen him as a brother for as long as she could remember. why was she suddenly seeing him so differently? why did he make her heart race and her palms sweaty?

samy gained the courage to go back out with everyone. she made her way through the arena when someone called her name. the girl spun around, recognizing the voice from a mile away. will was racing towards her still in his new jersey.

she threw herself into his arms as they hugged one another tightly.

"so proud of you willie." samy said into his shoulder.

"god, this feels so surreal. i don't think i've even processed it yet." will laughed a little as he pulled back some but kept his hands on her waist.

"what did i say? i knew the sharks would take you." the girl laughed as she thought about her predictions for all the boys she made months ago. will smiled, a small blush forming on his cheeks.

"thank you for being here. it..it really means a lot." will said softly. samy smiled and that time as will stared at the girl in front of him, it all fell into place.

the two felt the pull. they felt the racing hearts and the touches. will's gaze never left samy's as her heart beat a bruise into her chest seeing him look at her like that. will's heart was doing the same as samy stared back at him, uncertainty crossing into her features as they stayed like that until someone else's voice broke them apart.

"will!!" it was grace racing towards them with their families hot on her tail. samy and will quickly broke apart just as his older sister reached him and brought him into another loving hug.

samy stepped back, smiling at the sibling’s exchange all while will never took his eyes off of her.

#hughes!sister x will smith au #samy hughes #samy x will #will smith x oc #will smith imagine #will smith hockey #boston college hockey #boston college #umich imagine #umich hockey #gabe perreault #ryan leonard

[annie115]

Pure Desire - Alternate Ending!

A/n: Alternate ending to this story . You can find the original ending here :)

I´m so so sorry for this, but that´s how it ended in my head and I wanted to share it with you :(

Warnings: smut (minors dni!!), angst

It´s been a week after Charles and you had phone sex. It still sounded so weird when you thought about it but it was just what you did. You haven’t seen him afterwards, just very briefly before the race on Sunday. You didn’t interact though, just looking at each other with you looking away quickly because you started blushing. It was awkward that was for sure but your body was aching for him. Not only because your crush on him became worse after hearing him moaning your name, hearing his heavy breath and his little chuckle after he finished. No, also because you now got a taste of how he was in the bedroom. Demanding, dominant and so fucking sexy. You wanted more and you were sure that you would immediately give him anything you want, he just had to ask.

And that’s exactly what he did. Charles thought about you all week, couldn’t wait to finally see you again on the race weekend. His noble intentions towards you were gone, almost completely. He wanted to see you in your red lingerie, he wanted to eat you out and fuck you until you´d beg him to stop. Charles valued your friendship, very much and he still didn’t want to date you, he simply wanted to fuck you. A week ago he kept telling himself that he wouldn’t do it, that he wasn’t the kind of guy who would play with you like that. But you made it so hard for him to stick to those intentions, so fucking hard.

Your little whines, your moans and your trembling voice which came through the speaker of his phone were what made it so hard.

So Thursday night came. Charles and Carlos were busy all day, giving interviews and making some videos for the fans, you were busy with working. Your boss finally told you that you could call it a night and you got home, desperate for a hot shower and your bed.

You stepped into the shower and decided to treat yourself with your favourite hair treatment and a body scrub. After what felt like an hour you got out of the shower, the whole room steamy. You put on the white bathrobe from the hotel and entered the bedroom to grab some clothes when your phone lit up. You frowned when you saw who called you.

Charles was also standing in the shower, hoping that the hot water would distract him from the thought of you. Of course it didn’t. Your body kept popping up in his head, your moans and pictures of you wearing nothing but an oversized Ferrari t-shirt with his number on it. Without really thinking about it, his hand started to stroke his cock. “Fuck”, he moaned quietly but he quickly realized that it wasn’t enough. He wanted you. He needed you.

He stepped out of the shower, unable to hold a straight thought, when he called you again. You could just do it again, right? A little phone sex never hurt anybody, did it?

“Hey Charles”, you said and tried to sound cool. “Hey, amour”, he said and you wanted to melt on the spot. “How was your day?” he asked and you started talking a little. “So, what are you up to tonight?” he asked and you sat down on the bed, playing with the hem of your bath robe. “Nothing really, it´s been a long day so I just took a shower and would’ve watched something on Netflix I guess”, you answered. “You?” you asked and he sighed. “Yeah, same here actually.” He didn’t say more but he didn’t really need to. You knew what he wanted and you wanted it to.. “Did you just come out of the shower?”, he asked and you pressed your lips together. Okay, here we go.

“Hmm, I´m just in my bath robe right now”, you answered and could basically hear his grin through the phone. “Is that so?” he asked and you quickly positioned yourself on the bed, two fingers caressing your thigh. “I thought of you, Cherie. Under the shower”, he said and you closed your eyes. “Really? Is that why you called?” you asked and he replied with a slight “hmm”. “Can´t stop thinking about you, amour. If you were here right now I would make you feel so good”, he said and you whined, starting to touch yourself on your most sensitive spot.

“Fuck, Charles I want you so badly”, you moaned when you´re movements got quicker and you pushed a finger inside your wet pussy. “I want you too, Cherie”, he moaned while stroking his cock with his eyes closed. “I want to suck you off Charlie”, you said and again were surprised about your words. Maybe you slowly got the hang of how phone sex worked. “Fuck”, he moaned loudly and you had to smirk, knowing that your words caused him to make those noises. “God, y/n if you were in the Hilton here with me I would come to your room and just fuck you until you´d beg me to stop”, he whispered and you stopped your movements immediately. “What?” you said and grabbed your phone which you had put on speaker next to you. “Charles I´m in the Hilton hotel this week”, you said before he could answer.

Charles quickly stopped touching himself and sat up. He was all in for it, the question was if you would be as well. “Do you want me to come over, amour?” he asked and you couldn’t say no. How were you supposed to say no? “320”, you just said and he hung up immediately, leaving you alone with your thoughts which were completely twisted. Deep inside you knew that he didn’t feel the same for you, that he used you for his own pleasure, not thinking about your feelings. But what if you could change that? Maybe he would fall in love eventually..

The knock on your door ripped you out of your thoughts and you got up the bed to open the door. Charles stood in front of you, wearing black sweatpants and a black t-shirt. His hair was a bit messy, probably because of his actions from earlier. “Hey Cherie”, he whispered and you weren’t able to say anything because his lips were already on yours. You moaned quietly while he entered your room, not leaving your lips. He closed the door with a kick and lifted you up on his hips to carry you to the bed. “Fuck, I want you so bad”, he gasped and undid the belt of your bathrobe which left you naked in front of him. His eyes gazed over your body, stopping at your eyes. “You´re so beautiful”, he whispered and spread little kisses all over your body.

It didn’t take long until he was over you, his hard cock thrusting inside of you with no warning. You were already seeing stars while he fucked you stupid. At one point he grabbed your leg and wrapped it around his waist to push into you even deeper, his forehead pressing against yours. “Do you want me inside?” he asked and you quickly nodded, not being able to speak. “Talk to me, baby”, he whispered and you moaned loudly, begging him to finish inside of you. He smirked and fastened his movements once more before he came undone inside of you, leaving you out of breath. He rolled down next to you and wrapped his arms around you. “You´re amazing”, he whispered and kissed your temple. You smiled at him and he looked at you with an expression you couldn’t read. “I feel terrible but I really have to get some sleep before the first practice tomorrow”, he whispered and stroked a strand of hair out of your face. You quickly nodded. “Yeah, sure I understand”, you whispered and he gave you another smile and a kiss on your nose before leaving the bed, putting his clothes on and leaving your room. “Ciao ma belle”, he said and blew you a kiss before he closed the door behind him.

And so it went for weeks. He would come over to your hotel room, you had sex, arguably the best sex you ever had with somebody and then he left. Once he even pulled you into his drivers room after qualifying. You already figured that you were nothing but a toy for him, a tool to relieve stress but you couldn’t stop. How could you? You were so deeply in love with this guy and he offered to kiss you and to sleep with you. You figured you should be happy, but you weren’t. You wanted more and he knew that, he just couldn’t give it to you. Sometimes he felt terrible, he really did. But he couldn’t help it, he was in love with your body and he loved to be in charge. The feeling that he could have you whenever you wanted blew up his ego and he couldn’t stop. Neither could you.

That was until he brought her to a race weekend. She was some kind of model, you didn’t know her and you didn’t want to know. He introduced her to you as a friend but you could see the way she looked at him and the way he looked at her. And damn, it fucking broke your heart. You weren’t able to hold back the tears so as soon as they left you ran into the back of the garage, trying to find a place to just cry alone. But you ran into Lando.

“Oh, hey y/n- what, oh my god what happened?” he asked and pulled you into a warm hug. “Shh, honey what happened?” he asked and forced you to look at him. You didn’t say anything but the look on your face said enough. “Oh no. You saw them, didn’t you?” he asked and you just pressed your face on his chest. “Come”, he whispered and led you into a little room at the back of the garage. “I noticed that something changed between the two of you in the past couple of the weeks. Y/n what´s going on?” he asked and you tried your best to dry the tears. “We had sex, Lan”, you sobbed and the look on his face changed. “What?” he asked and you scoffed. “I was so stupid. I thought something would change between us, you know? Thought maybe he would catch feelings too”, you said and laughed bitterly. “Y/n, don’t say that. I don’t know what has gotten into him, he´s usually the good guy. Listen, you´re not stupid, okay?” he cupped your face in his hands and looked at you. “But you have to stop this. It´s not good for you. I´m so sorry that I´m the one who has to tell you that but you have to let him go. I know it´s hard, but I´m afraid he won´t stop playing with you if you don´t end it.” You nodded and sobbed again. You knew he was right. You had to change something. “Thanks Lan”, you whispered and he gave you a kiss on your forehead.

You were currently on the phone with your best friend when somebody knocked on your hotel room door. “I´ll call you later okay?” you asked before you hang up the phone. You opened the door and your jaw dropped a little when you saw Charles. “Hey Cherie”, he said and wanted to enter the room but you stopped him. You inhaled sharply. “What are you doing here?” you asked and he frowned. “What do you m-“ “Shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend?” you asked and he stepped back a little. “Wow, y/n what are you talking about? She´s not my girlfriend, I told you that”, he said and you just scoffed. “Yeah, sure. You know what? It´s not that it´s any of my business anyway”, you spat and wanted to close the door but he stopped you. “Y/n, what´s your problem? I thought we weren’t exclusive and that was okay?” he asked and your eyes widened. “Yeah, okay for you! You´re such an asshole, Charles. You knew exactly how I felt for you, all this time! You kept playing with my feelings and now you have the decency to introduce me to her, thinking that I would be happy for you? Fuck off, really!” With a quick movement, Charles entered your room and closed the door behind him. He grabbed you by your shoulders and looked at you, with his stupid beautiful green eyes. “Amour I never meant to play with your feelings”, he said with a low voice. “And she´s not my girlfriend, I promise. You´re the only girl for me, really”. He leaned forward and pressed his lips on yours and for a second you wanted to give in, feeling his soft lips on yours. You closed your eyes and moved your lips but quickly thought about what Lando told you earlier. You pressed your hands against his chest and pushed him away. “Stop it. Yeah, maybe I´m the girl you´re sleeping with. But am I also the one you want to be with? Will you ever feel the same way for me as I do for you?” you asked him and tears started to build up in your eyes because you already knew his answer. He didn’t say anything. “Cherie-“ he started but you shook your head. “Go”, you said and his face dropped. “Leave me alone, Charles”, you repeated and he sighed before leaving your room and the tears finally dropped down on your cheek.

Charles closed your door and leaned at it before he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He could hear a heartbreaking sob from the other side of the door and that was when he realized: he did not only lose you, his friend, his anchor in hard times, no. He also fucking broke your heart.

I´m so sorry again but please let me know what you think!!

Part 2

#charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc #charles leclerc smut #charles leclerc imagine #charles leclerc angst #formula 1 #fanfiction #formula one imagine #ferrari #pure desire

[bitchinbarzal]

sleeping with the devil | A Fantilli

summary: adam’s dancing with the devil after his girlfriends death

warnings: death, drunk driving, car crash, no real ending.

-

Adam can still remember everything that happened that night, he remembers the screaming, crying, the lights in the hospital.

Luca remembers watching through the window of the hospital room as his parents told his brother the news, him screaming in denial. He was ripping the breathing tubes from his nose and trying desperately to claw his way past his parents to get to you.

Luca remembers holding Adam every night when he’d wake up screaming from the nightmare of reliving that night over and over again.

The only time he was ever at peace was when he was asleep and still then he had to watch you die all over again, the blood dripping down your forehead, your skin so pale. He wanted to just reach out and hold you, but he couldn’t because what came next was the replay of that drunk driver smashing into the passenger side of his car, your body being thrown out the windshield.

He never thought he would go to your funeral, constantly saying he didn’t want to go. His parents and friends tried to change his mind but he wouldn’t budge.

On the morning of the funeral Luca got ready in his suit before walking into Adam’s room, to attempt to convince him.

Instead he walked in on his brother, sobbing into your hoodie.

The sobs were gut wrenching. Much like when a little kid is hurt.

His baby brother was hurt.

Adam was startled when Luca’s hand landed on his back “hey bud… it’s time to go”

Throughout the entire service Adam held his mom’s hand and listened to everyone tell stories about you.

He liked listening to them but he knew nobody in this world could tell stories that would compare to his.

You were his best friend and the stories you shared, they would make Oscar winning movies.

You would always be his star.

After the funeral your parents spotted him and immediately wanted to talk.

“Adam!”

“Oh hi, sorry I haven’t been-“

Your mom cut him off with a hug “It’s been hard for everyone but we know you’ve been struggling. We just miss you”

That night he went back to your house for the first time since the accident and had dinner with your parents. It hurt him so bad but he knew your parents needed it to heal so he put on a brave face.

The first year was weird for Adam.

When your birthday came around, he bought and wrapped a lot of gifts. They were never opened and everyone was a little concerned for him but they let him be, just happy he was ok.

He wasn’t ok.

On your anniversary, he took himself to eat at your favourite pizza place together in Ann Arbor. It was the first time he’d been in since you passed. The guy behind the counter looked at Adam sadly before saying “I’m so sorry about your girl”

He smiled softly before taking his pizza and sitting at your table. He set out a paper plate on your side and even got a bottle of the juice you liked.

“Six years we’ve been dating huh?” He mumbles, biting into the slice.

“Love You so much baby, I miss you”

As the year went on people were less worried, he began socializing more and he was becoming Adam again.

When the draft rolled around his family knew it would be hard.

Luca prayed that the projections were right and that Anaheim would take him. So he could be as far away from here as possible.

That wasn’t the case when he was drafted by Columbus. Walking onto that stage he shook everyone’s hand before looking at the camera and opening his suit jacket to show your name largely embroidered by his heart.

At home, your parents watched on wearing their Fantilli jerseys and crying when they saw his jacket.

Holding one another infront of the tv your dad mumbled “He’s the best kid”

And when he had finished all of his interviews Adam found a text on his phone from your mom

she would be so proud of you adam. Congratulations sweetheart, you’ve made us all so proud!

he replied

thanks mom! love you guys

mom. that was the first time anyone had called her mom since the accident. she held onto that text and looked at it everyday.

Adam’s parents and Luca were concerned about him moving to Columbus.

“Adam just stay in Michigan! Stay with me another year”

Adam sighed and shook his head “No, I want to go and I want to get away with a fresh start”

“But-“

“I can’t be reminded of her in everything I do anymore! I want to go out and not have to avoid eating somewhere because she’s there in my memories” he cried out.

“Adam you need to adapt at some point”

Adam’s head swings around to face his brother, angry tears lining his eyes “I’ll never be able to ‘adapt’ Luca! She’s gone! Dead! I was driving the car-“

“You didn’t kill her!” He shouted back. Part of him wanted to stop the other half knew Adam hadn’t spoken about it and that he needed to get it out.

“I was driving the car!” He screamed, standing up and looking over his big brother “I could’ve saved her!”

“Adam nothing was going to save her” he hand rested on Adam’s arm “there’s only one person to blame and it was the drunk driver in the other car”

Luca stared at Adam’s shaking shoulders as he sobbed silently before he said “The last thing I told her was ‘you’re gonna be ok’ — I lied to her”

Luca leaned forward and grabbed his brother into his hold, squeezing him tight

“It’s gonna be ok”

“I should’ve protected her”

It didn’t take long for Nick to take Adam under his wing in Columbus. It made Luca feel better even if Nick was never his captain the boys had no bad things to say about the Blankenburg boy.

Luca was just happy he’d be looked after.

Adam met Paige at a party, Nick’s birthday party. She was a friend of a friend and they hit it off really well.

Adam wasn’t looking for a relationship and he didn’t tell anybody about Paige but he was enjoying himself, finally feeling free again.

Luca noticed his brothers happier tune over the phone and even asked Nick and Kent what was going on to which they claimed to have no idea.

Adam kept Paige private for a while, hanging out and going to dinner a few times a week. She was nice and they got along really well.

She was pretty, she was gorgeous actually and Adam felt weird about his feelings. He questioned them for a while before he eventually made a move on her in his apartment.

His body was relieved of a lot of anxiety after that, like all of his pent up emotions had just disappeared. Paige felt like a safe place for Adam. She didn’t judge him or ask questions she was just there for him.

Adam didn’t keep pictures of you guys in his new apartment or really any of your stuff with him, all of it resided in his parents house. So Paige never saw you, she didn’t know about you she just though Adam was some hockey player who liked being alone.

The were seeing each other for about six months before Adam made it official, asking her to be his girlfriend.

He’d slowly started mentioning her to his family and friends. The boys immediately calling Nick and Kent for information on the girl.

Kent didn’t like her, he said there was something off but Nick told him to play nice.

Adam took Paige to Ann Arbor to see the team play one weekend and to finally introduce her to his brother and his parents who had flown in to see Luca too. The meeting was fine, as Luca had described it but they weren’t overly eager to meet Paige.

Lately, Adam seemed caught up in hockey and his girlfriend too much so to notice what was going on around him.

That’s why it came as a shock to him when his big brother called him screaming down the phone.

“You didn’t call today? You couldn’t spare five minutes?”

“What are you talking about? What-“

Luca wants to laugh “Are you serious right now? You don’t know what today is?”

Adam scrunches his brows together “No? Should I?”

“You’re fucking with me right? You’re actually kidding me”

There was silence on the phone, both ends, before Luca said “It’s ok Adam I’ll go put flowers on her grave don’t you worry. You just enjoy your little girlfriend I’ll take care of y/n”

Adam’s breath hitched before he looked down at his phone and the date, it was the anniversary of your death.

“Luca I didn’t-“

“You know what Adam? I want you to be happy, I do! But she doesn’t deserve to be forgotten”

She stumbles “I didn’t forget!”

“Oh yeah? When have you visited? Her birthday, Christmas, your anniversary… none of it. You were too busy with her” he spat.

“Hey leave Paige out of this she didn’t do anything!”

“Whatever man, I’ll see you in the off season or whatever”

Adam was hurt. He was hurt because he had forgotten this day, it was too late to call your parents now and he was hurt his brother would dismiss him like that.

He soon shook it off and acted like nothing happened when Paige came over to stay the night.

When the Blue Jackets season eventually finished, Adam had invited Paige to come to Toronto and meet his family and friends from home.

Luca wasn’t too impressed with the idea, opting to stay in Michigan for as long as he could before headed back. He had to go back near the middle of the summer, it was your birthday party.

Every year your parents threw a massive party and they continued the tradition even after your passing instead using it as a space to gather your closest friends and family to celebrate your life.

Your mom and dad had invited all the boys from Michigan as they were some of your closest friends so Luca wasn’t alone with Adam and his new girlfriend.

Adam’s mom and dad weren’t best pleased he insisted on bringing Paige to the party

“It’s a bit disrespectful, Adam!”

“Her parents want me to be happy”

“Yes but they don’t need you flaunting your new girlfriend in their faces and on her birthday party no less”

They lost that argument with Adam not caring and taking her anyway. Paige got lost in the crowds that showed up for your party anyway, your parents didn’t really notice her.

The boys did, however and they weren’t best pleased.

“Who does she think she is?! This is y/n’s birthday!”

As the night drew in and people started to leave, a lot of guests began migrating towards the house. Which is where Adam and Paige were, in the living room trying to get warm.

Paige noticed a picture of Adam on the mantle, walking up to it and holding it in her hand “Why do they have a picture of you in here?”

Adam looked at the picture, from his draft. They were so proud.

“Oh they were really proud of me in my draft, I’ve played hockey here since I was a kid”

Paige’s face scrunched up “still it’s a bit weird your neighbour having a picture of you on their mantle”

Adam frowned “Not really, their daughter was my best friend”

best friend. ouch.

“Their daughter… this is her party right?” He hummed in response “What happened to her?”

Adam gulped and froze for a moment, he hadn’t thought about that night much lately.

“She was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver, underage too when we were in Michigan. I was in the car” he explained. He noticed an immediate uncomfortable shift in Paige’s posture after he said that.

He watched her eyes scan along the mantle some more before she stopped on the last picture, it was you both on the day you moved into your dorm at Michigan.

You were beaming so much and Adam was just happy you were happy. Kitted out in your athletics kit.

“Is this her?” Paige asked, looking at the picture with a slight shake in her voice.

“Yeah that’s Y/N” he said “Are you Ok?”

Paige put down the frame and turned to Adam “I have to tell you something”

He looked worried “What’s up, you’re scaring me”

Paige fidgeted with her fingers before she said to Adam in a whisper “It was me”

“What?”

She shook her head as if she was trying to stop herself “I was the drunk driver” she pointed to the picture of you both “That’s the girl, I killed her”

Adam’s breath got stuck in his throat and he couldn’t speak, he felt like he was drowning in his own body.

It all came back to him then, your screams, the car flipping, the scratching off the road, your sobs, crying out for help and the blood on your face as you looked at him as the life slowly left your body.

“Adam I’m so sorry! I didn’t know! You’ve never said anything about her and you don’t have pictures I didn’t even know her name they just showed me a picture” she cried, desperate for him to say something.

People had started coming in after hearing the commotion

“Whats going on?”

Adam had tears running down his face as he pulled at his hair and looked at her “Paige killed y/n”

“I didn’t know!” She screamed, everyone looked a little alarmed.

Adam’s parents sprung into action and took Paige out of the house with a simple “I think we step outside”

Johnny had turned to your parents and suggested some air “hey guys, how about we head out back again”

Leaving the boys all staring at Adam’s distraught figure in the middle of the room.

The stared for a moment before Luca approached his brother and said

“Nice job protecting her Adam, I’m sure she’s so proud”

Adam sobbed even harder, trying to hard to comprehend all of this.

“I’m sorry!” He yelled out, to nobody in particular as they’d all left him alone now. He was on his knees in tears looking at the picture of you on the mantle and he whispered

“I should’ve protected you, I didn’t protect you”

#adam fantilli x reader #adam fantilli imagine #nhl imagine

[icallhimjoey]

In 120 Hours

♥ ♥  Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: You work as a temp and are offered a very exclusive interview for a very exclusive job. You see, someone needs a personal assistant for a very eventful week, and you happen to be the perfect fit.

CW / disclaimer: 18+, language, mentions of drinking, rpf, fem!reader

Author’s note: I have no idea what being a personal assistant entails, or what London Film Festival is actually like, but we can all pretend that this is accurate shit, right? Enjoy!

Wordcount: 3K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five

“Have you got any–”

You were already holding a hand out to him. Joe saw, grinned, opened his hand to receive a piece of gum from you and looked out the car window, hand on the door handle but not quite stepping out just yet.

Then he turned in his seat, back towards you a bit, but stared into the space in front of him.

“I’m not sure how I...” Joe trailed off, then looked at you, not finishing his sentence, but hoping that his eyes would do the talking for him.

“Could thank me? Have ever managed to function without me? Will go on living your life without me?” they were all jokes, and you were smiling, but Joe just nodded and went, “Yea,” with a crazed sort of look in his eyes. “Exactly all of those things.”

Joe stalled, looked at you, until you nudged him with a knee.

“Go on, the people are waiting,” Not just the people you could see from the car, but you imagined also all the important people, actors and actresses alike, in the cars queueing up behind you.

“Come with me,” Joe suddenly said.

“I will, I’ll see you right after the–”

“No, come with. Let’s do the whole thing together,”

You hesitated. This wasn’t in the job description. Lots of things hadn’t been, sure, but those things had been, you know, not quite so out in the open. Not like red carpets were, anyway.

“I think we’ve been spotted together enough as it is, I don’t want you to-”

“I kind of don’t want to get out without you.”

And you frowned, but only slightly, because there was that smile again. Fuck, that smile had gotten you into enough trouble as it was, and Joe fucking knew it too.

You checked the time. There was over twelve hours left still, technically speaking. That was over ten per cent of the entire job – quite a few too many hours to screw everything up and risk not getting paid. You had said you were reliable. Professional. You couldn’t, really...

“Please?” Joe opened a hand, presenting you with his palm.

But, ugh.

Fuck it. Why not?

You grabbed Joe’s hand and silently wondered if this was breaching the NDA you’d signed. Maybe not. You knew exactly who it was going to piss off though...

Stepping out of the car with Joe, you were met with girlish screams of adoration. Well, Joe was met with girlish screams of adoration. Then cameras flashed brightly, blinding you almost instantly, and you thought back to how precisely one hundred and six and half hours earlier, you would’ve never envisioned that this is where you’d end up.

Doing a red carpet with Joe.

In a slutty dress. With slutty high heels on. Without the engagement ring on.

Not even a full five days had passed...

Not even a full six days had passed, since you’d phoned your friend and she had told you about the vacancy. The whole thing felt like a vague fever dream now, like it had happened years ago.

“Please tell me you have nothing going at the moment,”

It was a weird way for your friend to answer her phone when you called to ask her if she had time to go for drinks that week. Because, consequently, you had all the time for all the drinks, you see, because you had absolutely nothing going at the moment.

No professional things. No personal things. Zero job. Zero fiancé – you really had to remove that ring, but you couldn’t yet. It used to belong to your grandmother before, after all, so it kind of felt like if you just wore it on another finger, it’d be fine.

Still adjusting to life as a single woman - with big bills that belonged to single women - working as a temp and having a best friend work at a temp agency, the two of you seemed a match made in platonic heaven. She always kept all the good stuff back for you, called you on her breaks to slip you information she definitely wasn’t meant to be giving you, so you could officially apply for the right jobs at the right times and use the right words to actually be invited to the interviews. It was perfect.

Sometimes, the good stuff would be going through PowerPoint presentations in stuffy conference rooms in deeply exotic places, like Belgium. Or you’d manage an entire office for two weeks, a holiday-cover that would start Christmas eve and left you in charge of a lot of empty desks because, didn’t everyone take time off around Christmas and New Year’s?

But then, other times, the good stuff was actual good stuff and had you help run huge music festivals, unexpectedly brushing shoulders with the likes of The Wombats and Liam fucking Gallagher backstage wearing knee high wellies, covered in mud.

“Oh my God, what have you got?”

No dillydallying. As a temp, there was never time. All jobs came fast, and all jobs went fast.

“It just came in, this phone call is unbelievable timing because I’m allowed to recruit for fucking once, finally, and you’d be so perfect for it!”

She had said that too when you’d been hauled off to dog-sit a poodle for some CEO of a company you had never heard of for two months, so you held off on the jumpy excitement your friend seemed to be exuding down the phone.

“It’s very short term and the money is amazing – I need a personal assistant for a high-profile client.”

“How short term, how much money, how high-profile?”

Like you said, no dillydallying.

“We’re talking not even a full week, just five days, all expenses covered and the salary’s generous. Very generous. And the money isn’t even the best part.”

Temping meant everything was short term, but this was the shortest a possible job had ever lasted you.

“Okay,” you said, knowing things were always too good to be true. There had to be a catch.

“If this is for a tory politician, or like, actual royalty, I’m out,” you warned, earning a huffed laugh from your friend.

“Don’t let this put you off, but there’s nothing else I’m allowed to tell you. You’ll have to sign a non-disclosure agreement before I can even send the job description over, and I’ll need you down in London for the interview as soon as possible, like, today? Could you do today?”

Oh, she was serious serious.

Okay, so... what was five days, really? If it was shit, it’d be over quick enough. You could really use the money too if it really was as good as your friend was making it out to be. And maybe you’d meet Meghan Markle, you know, if it was actually going to be royalty.

“Are we... are we talking like, Hugh Grant or whatever? Adele, maybe?”

Your friend laughed heartily.

“I can’t tell you anything else until you sign the NDA, but, I’m being so honest with you right now, you’re not going to want to pass this one up.”

And so, you’d given her the go ahead. Sure. Try get me in for an interview, why the fuck not? She said she’d make a call, get your CV into the right hands, and would call you back in a minute. When she did, not all but 11 minutes later, she’d already e-mailed you the NDA to sign. The interview wasn’t that day, but the day after – still too soon, but ok – and if successful, you’d start immediately too.

“Don’t worry, I think the interview’s just a formality – they love your CV, and from the sounds of it, they’re desperate. You’re a shoo-in. Get that NDA back to me and I’ll send you everything you need to know.”

She ended the call letting you know to reach out to her if you had any problems, and you said you would, knowing very well that you wouldn’t. You didn’t have problems. It was part of your charm. You carried solutions. You were dependable, reliable, one hundred percent guaranteed to make everyone’s life easier.

The only person you ever made things difficult for, was yourself. The proof of it was around your ring finger – on the wrong hand now, but still there.

From the names mentioned in the e-mail, which you’d immediately googled, you became none the wiser. They really kept you in the dark about who you were going to be working for, and the job requirements list was a lot. But you were good at job interviews. You knew the right things to say, the right energy to exude, the times to smile, the times to frown in serious thought – you could sell yourself better than you could sell anything else.

And you were competitive to a fault. No matter how arrogant of a celebrity was going to need someone handling their business for five days; you were going to get that job, and you were going to excel at it. Watch me, you thought, as you packed a carry-on with enough underwear to last you five days in case you were right. And if you were wrong, you could just spend money you didn’t have and maybe stay in London for a few days anyway. Visit old friends and old familiar places, because you kind of missed the place if you were being honest.

The next day your train had been late, and the tube had been packed, and you’d almost been run over three times, but you didn’t care. London was gritty and grimy and perfect. The London-shaped hole in your heart could really only be filled with the smell of searing, hot dust that lingered underground and became thicker and more prominent the deeper down escalators would take you.

You aced the interview. Of course you did.

Every question you were asked felt like they were trying to find reasons to not give you the job. They were all questions about what you thought about certain things, what your opinions would be about certain situations, what you really wanted, and you’d rudely interrupted. You’d said that none of it mattered, did it? It didn’t matter what you thought about anything, what your opinions were or what you really wanted in any situation – what mattered was that you would do your job. What mattered is whatever the client wanted.

They’d congratulated you. Said you got the job. And then, right on cue, the door had opened behind you.

“Joe, come in, meet your new PA who’s going to be with you for the rest of the London Film Festival.”

Joe mother fucking Quinn walked in, smiling, looking at you, like you were an actual person that people could actually perceive.

“Hi, nice to meet you.”

It was only a brief introduction before Joe was off again, called out of the room by someone else, and he said he'd see you later. Smiled again, and God, it was the kind of smile that could defrost the coldest of hearts. Joe's expression was objectively neutral, this was just his face, but his eyes exuded kindness in its purest form. Almost dreamily so.

You cleared your throat as the door shut behind him. All right. Back to business.  

You were talked through the things you had already read the day before; the things you'd received in your e-mail. Things that didn't really need further explaining, but you listened politely anyway. You got a long explanation of how NDAs worked and it was almost laughable. Yes, they'd sue you if you broke it. You got it. But they were very adamant, needed to make sure that you really did in fact get it. Having to drag you to court wouldn't just be an awful thing for you personally, they also didn't want to do it because it was a lot of work on their end which they didn't have the time for.

Noted.

"All right. Get your things and meet us downstairs, your car is waiting."  

"Car? Where are we going?" 

"We're not going anywhere. You are. The itinerary, his full schedule, you'll find it all in your e-mail."  

And when you looked at your phone screen, you saw you'd just received it, mere seconds earlier. Man, these people ran a tight ship. 

Opening your e-mail in the car, you were greeted by a digital calendar that had all of Joe's days planned out, down to the literal minute. You could see past the five days that you would be working for Joe too, and although less busy, Joe had things happening nearly every day for at least the upcoming three months it seemed.  

"Wow,"  

This was... a lot.

It had everything on there. Wake-up calls, car pick-ups, lunch time, phone calls, coffee breaks, fittings... 

There were several film screenings scheduled every day, obviously, that was how film festivals worked, and you wouldn't get to go to any of them. You weren't hired to sit and watch films with Joe, unfortunately. You were hired to haul Joe from one place to the next. Accompany him. Get him coffees. Check for schedule changes, because, “Everything is always up for change, so you better keep an eye out!”. Things could be delayed, or be postponed, or switched around – times, or locations – and it'd be up to you to sort things out. Make it all run smoothly. It was your job to make sure Joe would get to the places he needed to be on time.  

"And he needs close eyes on him, because he tends to wander. Keep him company. He's used to having someone with him. A family member, a friend, but none were available for this. So, now he'll have you."   

So... you were a luxurious babysitter, if you really thought about it.  

"What other things are important? Anything that’s not been mentioned yet that needs special attention?" you had asked, and were met with a fast answer. 

"Networking."   

This whole week was all about Joe being seen and being spoken to by industry giants. Joe was invited to see many films, just about all of them, but it wasn't necessary for him to actually watch all of them. As long as he went to meet the directors, he'd be solid. 

There were other obligations too. Besides the screenings there were screen talks, in depth-interviews, panels, debates, workshops, partner events (Joe wouldn't be going to those, no worries) and networking events (Joe had to absolutely be going to those, worry a lot). The industry happy hours were where it all happened, you'd been told several times. 

Then, on Monday, day four, there was Joe's film screening - not his film, but the one he starred in. That showcased him. It'd be followed up by a Q&A, and then of course, happy hour after.  

To make things even easier, more simple, not at all hectic or stressful: Joe also had studio photoshoots, two of them, and phone interviews to accompany the shoots. They were scheduled, slotted tightly in between all the in-person events and to be honest, it all seemed a bit much. Too much. No wonder they hired a PA for the week. This was overwhelming to say the least. 

Your duties would end after the most important day. The awards ceremony. Film Festivals were a competition, and there were awards up for grabs. You'd need to make sure that after five extremely busy days, Joe would make it to the ceremony in one piece, in the right outfit, and at the right time, because people had already been talking, and Joe was meant to give a little speech up on stage if his film was to win.

"Remind him of that. Maybe help him with the writing, too?"  

Sure. Why not?  

"And there'll be two boxes delivered, not huge ones, it'll only be about 5000 copies, but they all need signing,"  

Delivered where? Copies of what? 

"Copies?" you asked, deadly afraid of sounding stupid. 

"Photographs."  

Oh. Alright. Of course. Yes. Fine. 

In the backseat of a car, on your way to wherever they were taking you - they hadn't been clear at all - you saw that the signing of the photographs hadn't been added into Joe's schedule yet. You put down a few options and would check with Joe later until what time he minded working before you'd set it in stone. First task done. Your job had officially started. 

Five days. One hundred and twenty hours of this. You checked the time. One hundred and eighteen still to go, technically, but, who was counting?

The car stopped and you heard the ratcheting of the handbrake being pulled by the driver. You'd arrived. 

"Um, where are we?" you asked, undoing your seatbelt and gathering your things, but before the driver could answer, your door was opened from the outside. 

"Hey, welcome," it was Joe, and he held out a hand to help you out of the vehicle. What a gentleman. That warm smile, there it was again. 

"Are you ready?" Joe asked, taking your suitcase from you with an excited glint flickering in his eyes, and you weren't sure exactly what you were meant to be ready for. The whole week, was the correct answer.

Joe walked ahead of you, up the steps of a beautiful South London terraced house. Quite the mansion, by London standards. Joe stopped and turned as he reached the door. "I've only just moved in, so please, don't mind the boxes and, um, the lack of furniture. It's a mess. The only room properly done up is yours, so don't worry about that! They've made sure that at least one of us has a nice bed to sleep in,"  

 Oh.  

"They made it look like a proper hotel room, I'm kind of jealous of it,"

This was Joe's home. His actual place, where he... you know, lived, and stuff. And where apparently, you were going to be staying too.  

"This is your house?"  

Joe stood in the door opening, and beckoned you in.

"It's just easier to have you close, come on in,"  

Oh, this was going to be an interesting couple of days. 

"Wonderful, thanks."

---  

The Taglisted: 

@ghostinthebackofyourhead @dirtyeddietini @kiwisa @jasminearondottir @josephquinned @cancankiki @sidthedollface2 @dylanmunson @munsonsgirl71 @alana4610 @emmamooney @xomunson @sadbitchfangirl @thatonefan-girl @paola-carter @eddiemunsonfuxks @figmentofquinn @haylaansmi @thewondernanazombie @munsonmunster @kellysimagines @mybffjoe @harrys-tittie @chaoticgood-munson @jenisnotlost @sherrylyn628 @bdpst-massacre @xeddiesbattattsx @05secondsofsexgods @lovelyblueness @adoreyouusugar @nadixq @prozacandnicotine @munsonswhore86 @alwayslindie @thefemininemystiquee @hauntingbastille @eddie-joe-munson @ali-in-w0nderland @pepperstories @phyllosilicate-s @thebellenouvelle @luvrsbian @joesquinns @choke-me-joey @alizztor @thelostmoonofpooosh @did-it-work @capricornrisingsstuff - (tag list currently full)

#joe quinn #joseph quinn #joe quinn x reader #joseph quinn x reader #joe quinn x you #joseph quinn x you #joe quinn fanfic #joseph quinn fanfic #fluff #joe quinn x y/n #joseph quinn x y/n #rpf #in 120 hours

[jessicaloons]

Chapter 41:

I like shiny things, but I’d marry with Paper Rings…

Masterlist - Previous - Next

TW: spicy, adult content, 18+

Info: to fit my story line I swapped Austin with Mexico, the triple header will then be Mexico, Austin, Brazil

I stirred in the bed, the sunbeams sneaking through a gap between the curtains woke me up and I yawned.

"What time is it?" Charles whispered next to me and I turned a little, checking the time on my phone.

"Too early to be awake…" I mumbled, turning back, snuggling into him.

"Yeah? Then let’s sleep for a little longer." he kissed my forehead as I laid my head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

"Sounds like a plan." I whispered, closing my eyes.

"Why is your heart racing like that?" Charles asked after a while and I opened my eyes "Are you okay?" he turned his head, looking at me.

"I think so…"

"You think so?"

"It’s nothing, let’s just sleep…" I closed my eyes again, but he put two fingers under my chin, tilting my head up.

"What’s wrong?" he asked gently and I sighed.

"Last year here in Mexico…" I said quietly.

"That’s on your mind?"

"A little? I mean when we did the track walk and we walked past the spot where it happened… I don’t know, it’s just felt weird and I thought back to when I was in the garage and- and I thought you were dead…" my voice broke and Charles pulled me closer into him.

"But I was okay. I am okay. It’s just a bad memory, nothing else! Don’t think about it anymore, it’s not good for you, especially not when you have to focus on the race ahead!" he kissed the crown of my head and I slowly nodded.

"Can you just promise me that you take care out there today?" I whispered after a while and heard him sigh a little.

"I can promise you that I will try. You know that’s all I can do…"

"I know. But please try to."

"I promise that I will."

Unfortunately keeping his promise was harder than it sounded like, when I watched the RedBull and Ferrari sandwich in front of me, sending Checo off track and Charles losing the lead to Max. I took a deep breath and focused on my own race which I ended in the same position as I started in.

"That’s P4. Good job." Pete radioed and I sighed a little.

"Yeah, it was the best I could do I guess. Good job on the team’s side, our pit stops are getting better with every race!"

"Team effort."

"Team effort."

Austin next started out strong. A good quali and sprint race were making me feel optimistic for Sunday, the race didn’t bring the same result tho, with a P7 but it was the best we could do. I finished my interviews when I saw Charles looking frustrated, shaking his head.

"What’s going on?" I asked and he sighed.

"The FIA checked the planks on some of the cars… Lewis and mine apparently didn’t comply the technical regulations, so there’s a hearing."

"Are they for real? That was probably because we had two races at one weekend! Of course there’s some high wear on the skin pads! This track is fucking bumpy and with the stupid sprint race there’s not enough time to check it properly?" I said loudly and some people looked.

"Lizzie…" Julie warned and I sighed.

"Let’s go…" I grabbed his hand and lead him away, back to his hospitality "I would wait with you, but I’m not allowed in there…"

"Let’s go to Audi, I don’t want to wait alone…" Charles shrugged and I nodded.

"Okay." we walked back and waited, but I had a bad feeling and when Mia said that the final decision was made, I already knew by the look on her face what it meant.

"I was disqualified, right?" Charles voice was trembling.

"Yeah… you and Lewis…"

"Lewis as well? That means…"

"Carlos will move up into P3…" Mia said and Charles laughed.

"Of course… but hey, Lizzie, congrats to your P5 now." he patted my arm.

"Charles…" I began but he got up.

"No, it’s fine. It’s like this. Whatever. We can’t change it now anyways. I go to my race debrief, what’s there to debrief anyways but yeah… you go to yours. I see you later." he kissed me briefly and walked off.

"Can you please make sure that he’s okay?" I asked Mia and she nodded.

"Of course…" she walked off and Julie sighed.

"What a day…"

"What a day indeed."

"I don’t know if that’s a good idea…" Charles mumbled and I rolled my eyes a little.

"Oh come on! After that race? You deserve a little fun!" I said.

"Yeah but… I have to make some points in Brazil! I can’t mess this up!" he sighed.

"You won’t mess it up! It’s all going to be fine! We’ll be in Brazil right in time for the media day. It will be fun, you’ll see!" I smiled and after a while he sighed.

"Danny Ric and his ideas."

"It will be fun. Come on now, costumes!" I smiled excitedly but I didn’t like the look on his face "Why are you looking at me like that?" he just chuckled and I punched his arm "I swear, if you picked a slutty nurse or house maid costume… I’ll cut off your ba…" I began but got interrupted by his hysterical laugh.

"Oh cara mia, although I would love to see you as a slutty nurse or house maid, I wouldn’t want 500 other people to see that, too, there are parts of your body only I get to see… no, I picked something better!" he said and his little possessiveness made me blush.

"Alright. Then I’d say let’s exchange the costumes and get going?" I said, trying to contain my grin.

"Oh, what have you done?" Charles asked, voice laced with a tint of worry.

"You’ll see…" I chuckled and grabbed the garment bag "I’ll go to the bedroom."

As I zipped the bag open I sighed and took the costume out, now I preferred a slutty nurse or house maid costume. I googled for make-up and hair ideas when I heard steps coming my way and the door flying open.

"Absolutely not! No! I’m not wearing that!" Charles cursed and I looked him up, from head to toe.

"Holy shit, you look hot… umm… I’m… umm…" I was at a loss for words, he looked amazing. Hot. Sexy. Dangerous. Wearing all black.

"I’m not wearing a Mercedes race suit as a costume! Ferrari will kill me!" he groaned.

"Then I’m not wearing this…" I said and pointed at the costume on the bed.

"Fine. If I lose my job, it’s your fault!" he sighed and I chuckled.

"Oh come on, if anything it will only make them draft your new contract faster!" I said, still ogling him up and down. My insides began to stir and I was feeling hot, flushed "Go now, please. I have to get ready." my voice was raspy.

"Maybe I should talk to the design team and ask for an all black suit next season?" Charles chuckled and I shook my head.

"Go. Now. Thank you." I pushed him through the door and sighed "Slutty cheerleader here I go…"

Charles POV:

I watched how Lizzie danced with Kika, having fun, laughed.

"It’s been a while since I saw her this carefree?" Pierre nodded towards our girls and I smiled.

"Yeah… this whole thing with Diaz, then with Sainz, Singapore and the m…" I stopped abruptly and Pierre cocked an eyebrow.

"What happened in Singapore?"

"I mean, she could’ve won that race, silence the media who were slandering her again and again…" I lied and he nodded.

"Yeah, that’s true, it was a shame, honestly."

"It was. But look at her, she’s happy. That’s what’s most important."

The two girls pulled us on the dance floor and Lizzie threw her arms around my neck.

"Are you having fun, Charlie?" she asked swaying and I smiled.

"A whole lot… my beautiful cheerleader is here dancing with me after all." I replied and kissed her.

"Mhh me too. It was a good idea that we came here… alright your costume…" she mumbled against my lips and I tilted my head a little.

"What’s with my costume?"

"I don’t like how all the girls are staring at you because you look so devilishly handsome in this black race suit." she pouted and I had to laugh "That’s not funny!"

"Cara mia, you chose the costume!" I said matter of factly.

"I know… but still…" she groaned a little and I pulled her closer, kissing the corner of her mouth, down her jaw, feeling her squirming in my hold.

"Don’t worry, pretty girl. They might see me in the suit… but you’re the only girl seeing me out of it…" I whispered in her ear and I felt her shuddering.

"Let’s get a taxi…" she rasped out and I grinned at her like a devil "Now."

She clung to me, her arms around my neck, hands carding through my hair, leaving hot open mouthed kisses along the column of my neck, my jaw, my throat. My hands gripping her waist, pulling her close into me, fiddling with the fabric of her skirt, hiking it up her thighs. As soon as the elevator door opened I pushed her out, walking us fast toward our door, prying my hands from her waist, lifting my head up to see the security panel of the door. Lizzie looked up at the loss of my arms around her and the sudden movement of my head.

"Pretty girl, I have to open the door… stop pouting…" I groaned as she began suckling at the sensitive skin just below my ear.

"Hurry up…" she whined, pulling my head down, clashing her hot, wet lips onto mine, making me taste the sweetness of the cocktails she drank earlier. The door opened with a simmer and I tapped her thighs, making her jump a little, wrapping her legs around my waist on instinct. I walked inside, kicking the door shut with my foot. Holding her up at her thighs, massaging them, distracted by her kisses and licks around my neck I stumbled into the bedroom, where I dropped her on the bed. She tilted her head up, eying me from head to toe, hungry look in her eyes.

"You look so devilishly hot in that suit… mhhh why don’t you screw Ferrari and go for Lewis seat instead?" she said breathless and I slapped her thigh "Was that supposed to be a punishment? Try again…"

I chuckled and leaned down, holding myself steady above her, ghosting my lips over hers before I kissed the corner of her mouth, then kissed a line to her ear, breathing out, hot and heavy against it, making her moan a little.

"I think you would much rather enjoy a reward…" I whispered, gently biting down at her earlobe.

"How do I earn it?" she whispered back, her voice trembling with anticipation.

"I’m a Mercedes driver… I want to be cheered on by my personal cheerleader…" I grinned at her and she put one hand in my neck, pulling my head close.

"I can do that…" she breathed against my lips and nibbled at my lower lip before she pushed me off of her and got up, she then turned around and I sat up. She unclipped the Pom Pom’s from her waist and began to do a cheer routine.

"I love seeing you wearing my logo… it’s like I marked you… for everyone to see…" I muttered and she smiled seductively "But right now I wouldn’t mind seeing you out of it…" Lizzie understood the hint immediately. Throwing the Pom Pom’s my way. Sliding her hands up and down her sites, before she hooked her thumbs under the hem of the top, pulling it slowly over her head, revealing a dark red lace bra, making me choke up. I loved seeing her in red. And she knew it. She gently cupped her breasts before turning around, bending down, shaking her behind a little to reveal the sight of the matching slip underneath her short skirt. I felt how the suit got tight around my crotch, too tight, and threw my head back, closing my eyes. My breathing hitched when soft fabric hit my face and I opened my eyes, looking down at Lizzie’s bra in my lap. The second I looked up I lost all restraint and jumped up. Backing her up against the wall, making her whimper as the rough fabric of my race suit dragged along her bare skin, when I pressed my knee between her thighs, pushing up her skirt. I kissed her, rough and deep, almost frantic as the sweetness of her lips and tongue engulfed my senses. Sensations of heat, lust and love rushing through my body. I felt my growing bulge against her thigh, making her moan and me taking a deep breath. Lizzie’s hands began to fiddle with the zipper of the suit and she whined desperately as it wouldn’t budge.

"Don’t be so impatient, pretty girl!" I grinned and helped her, pulling the zipper down, letting her strip me off of it, the suit pooling around my waist, before pulling my shirt over my head. She pressed her firm breasts into my chest and I could feel her pebbled nipples against my skin as we moaned in unison. I pushed her skirt further up her thighs, exposing the dark red, lazy slip, cupping her heat with my hand, rubbing once. She bit her lips, suppressing a moan and I felt her knees buckling so I grabbed her thighs, hiking them around my waist, pushing her further into the wall. She let out a surprised huff and locked her eyes with mine, before she captured my lips in a searing kiss, it was sloppy, messy but above all desperate. It was suffocating and hot in the best way possible, but my growing bulge pressed against her hot core made me pull away, trying to catch my breath. Lizzie made a little sound of protest, before gripping my neck again, trying to pull my lips back to hers.

"Charles…" she whined and I pushed us off the wall, carrying her to our bed, falling back down on it, Lizzie above me. She blinked and sat up, straddling my hips, and I felt my heart palpitating, lungs clenching, as I saw her naked frame, looking like a true goddess. I put my hands on her waist, rubbing circles on it and with one swift move I turned us over, hovering now over her. Her hands shot up, tangling in my hair and pulling me closer. I only gave her a soft kiss on her lips before I started my way down, kissing her throat, collarbone, leaving tiny marks. My hands pushing her skirt down her legs as I kissed down the valley between her breasts, locking eyes with her, hungry and full of lust. I kissed my way further down, nibbled at her stomach making her clench it in the process. As I arrived at her core I kissed it above the fabric, making Lizzie bucking her hips, I gently laid one hand on her stomach and pushed her back into the mattress, waiting a moment for her to calm down, then I hooked my thumbs under the band of her slip and pulled it down with one smooth move, throwing it together with her skirt behind my back. A soft thud telling me both clothings landed on the floor.

"Ready for your reward?" I whispered and looked up at Lizzie, who nodded slightly, and I grinned, devouring her. Caressing her soft skin, making her moan, gripping my hair, pulling me closer to where she needed me the most.

"Don’t stop…" she whimpered as I stole the air from her very lungs, making her puff out a long breath "Close… so close…" she mumbled underneath her breath. After a short while, she arched her back, grinding her core into my face, whining and moaning in ecstasy, as she reached her climax. I let go of her, looking up at her gorgeous face, eyes closed, blissful smile on her lips, chest heaving with every breath she took, beads of sweat glistening all over her beautiful body. Her hands let go of my hair, searching around until they found mine, still holding her waist down. She intertwined our fingers, gently pulling me up and I obeyed, leaning down over her face, looking at the pretty girl underneath me, my pretty girl. She slowly opened her eyes, still out of breath.

"Hi…" she whispered, all of a sudden shy again, cheeks slightly blushing, as she looked at my face, bottom half glistening with her essence and she closed her eyes again, groaning quietly.

"Hi pretty girl…" I answered, gently nudging her nose with mine. She bit her lip and looked up at me with hooded eyes, then she leaned up, pressing her lips on mine, tasting herself on them. I had to grin into the kiss and she slowly pulled back, licking her lips. She pulled our intertwined hands to her lips, kissing my knuckles gently. Smiling her most gorgeous smile, falling back even more into her shy demeanour, she still wore at times. As I adjusted my position above her, my straining crotch, still covered in the race suit, brushed against her heat, and her breathing hitched. She looked down and gulped audibly.

"Take it off…" she said in a hushed tone, her fiery gaze burning a hole in my middle, before she put her hands on my hips, pushing the suit down herself. I helped her, sliding it off, letting it fall onto the floor. Her eyes found mine and she cupped my cheek with her hand, gently caressing it "I love you…" she purred softly and I laid a feathery kiss on her lips, getting more heated with every moment that passed and in that I could feel her soft core beneath my skin. She grabbed my hips, pulling me flush against her, an impatient whine on her lips as she greedily captured my bottom lip between her teeth. I felt my heart racing, my body buzzing all over with anticipation and locked eyes with her, gently freeing my lips from hers. Littering her face and jaw with tiny kisses, as I sucked on her collarbone she arched her back into me and with one last look in her eyes I let my arousal take over, making her moan loudly as our body’s melted into one.

"I love you too…" I muttered out, moaning as her heat clenched around me.

"We could’ve chartered a whole plane for all of us…" Pierre chuckled as I watched almost half the grid settling into their seats, occupying the entire first class.

"True that!" Daniel laughed, plopping down in his seat.

"Just so you guys know I want silence the next 10 hours. Utter and complete silence." Lando groaned and put a sleeping mask and his headphones on.

"And it’s all too much for little Lando Norris." Daniel imitated Crofty and we all laughed.

"I said silence." Lando murred and I cuddled back into my seat.

"Comfy?" Charles asked after a while and I shook my head, taking his hand and cuddling it to my chest.

"Better." I closed my eyes and heard him chuckle.

"Silly girl. Sleep now, we have a hectic day ahead of us." he said, kissing the crown of my head.

"Hectic weekend. And did you see the weather forecast? Damn…" I whispered.

"Yeah I saw it…" Charles said and I felt him tensing up a little.

"Hey, it will be alright, don��t worry, we’ll have a good weekend, you’ll see." I kissed the back of his hand and he smiled a little.

"I hope you’re right." he said and I sat up.

"Forget about Austin. It’s in the past. You’ll do amazing! So come on. Have a little nap with me." I smiled and Charles sighed. I could literally see the wheels turning in his head with how hard he was thinking about the weekend ahead.

"It’s just… I need to proof that I’m better. John Elkann will be in Brazil… he wasn’t supposed to be there, he planned to come to Vegas. But now he’s already in Brazil? What if it is to tell me that they’re not happy with my performance? That they won’t extend my contract?" he whispered and I sat up.

"Stop it now, okay! Why would they do that? They’re not stupid! Austin wasn’t your fault! Stop this nonsense now! He’s coming to Brazil because he wants to, there’s no reason behind it. Period." I looked at him determined and after a while he smiled a little.

Maybe you’re right." he leaned back, taking my hand in his again "What would I do without you?"

"I answered that question before, so you know the answer." I leaned into him, my head on his shoulder.

"I might sink and drown and die."

"Exactly."

"Was that Fred that I saw earlier?" I asked Charles when we walked to the car, late at Saturday night.

"Yeah… he’s here…" he opened my door and I looked at him "He said he wanted to talk to me after the weekend…"

"About what?" I waited for him to get in the car as well.

"He didn’t say about what. Just that we need to talk." Charles looked worried. I saw how he clenched his jaw, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles turned white.

"It’s going to be okay, you’ll see." I pried his hands away from the steering wheel and made him look at me "Fred loves you. Whatever is going to happen, it’s okay!"

"I hope so." he mumbled and started the car.

We drove in silence but I felt Charles’ anxiety radiating off of him, the tension in his shoulders visible. And although I tried my best to soothe his worries, to calm him down, he was as nervous as ever when he got into the car on Sunday. I watched horrified how he flew off in the formation lap and my stomach was in tight knots the whole race. As soon as I was out of the car, I was looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found.

"You text me as soon as you see him, okay?" I said to Andrea and he nodded, walking back into the Ferrari garage.

"Lizzie, we really have to go now… come on." Julie urged and I followed her to the media pen, where I gave my interviews in the fastest way possible and Julie chuckled when I looked at her after the hopefully last one "Okay, okay, we’re done! You can go and look now for Charles!"

"Thank you!" I almost sprinted away, looking for Joris and Andrea.

"He’s here." the latter said when I stopped in front of the Ferrari hospitality.

"Is he okay? He didn’t answer my texts…" I was slightly out of breath from running.

"He’s umm-… he’s in a meeting with Fred… and I think I saw John Elkann with them as well…" Andrea said slowly and my heart began to race.

"Okay- I mean… I guess I wait then?"

"That’s all we can do now." Andrea smiled at me when I saw Silvia coming our way.

"But you know what? I can wait at Audi as well…" I walked off before the evil witch of the easy reached us, making my way to wait for Charles.

The debrief felt like a whole eternity and when I finally left I saw a text from Charles, saying that I should wait at the car for him. I had a bad feeling and said good night to everyone, walking to the parking lot. My heart was hammering in my chest when two arms engulfed me from behind, but just a second later I relaxed, feeling it was Charles.

"Hey cara mia." he kissed the side of my head, spinning me around.

"You’re smiling?" I asked cautiously and he nodded.

"I’m smiling." he smiled, kissing me.

"What does that mean? Is everything okay?" I asked and he pushed me against the car, kissing me again "Charles!"

"More than okay. Brilliant actually… but I can’t tell you for now. It has to be secret until it’s officially announced…" he smiled brightly, opening the door for me, pushing me inside.

"And what? You think I will spill the beans?" I pouted, right when he closed the door and walked around the car to get in "Am I not trustworthy en-…" he silenced me with another kiss.

"Fred will become team principal next season. My new contract is already drafted…" he began and I squealed.

"Mattia is gone?" I asked and Charles nodded.

"Mattia is gone… well next season…" he said and I did a little happy dance.

"Does that mean that Sainz will be gone as well?" I asked big Charles shook his head.

"They didn’t mention him. And I honestly don’t care. Since Fred joined it was planned for him to take over. That’s why he was so highly involved in the making of next seasons car. It’s his car. And he said it’s the car to win the championship with… or at least he hopes so." his most beautiful, dimple showing smile was back.

"Charles Leclerc, world champion 2024. I called it first." I said happily and he shrugged his shoulders.

"We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves now, cara mia." he chuckled, starting the engine.

"Maybe you don’t… but I will! Mark my words, world champion of 2024, Charles Leclerc, my gorgeous boyfriend." I smiled "Now I’m even more happy for our trip to LA."

"Yeah, me too, it will be great."

Charles POV:

"What are you doing?" I plopped down next to Lizzie on the sun island and she showed me her iPad.

"These are the three options for the kitchen… I love them all, but the third one is my favourite. I always wanted to have an all white kitchen with black hardware but the kitchen island in all black? Waterfall edges of this beautiful white granite with black veins? The same we use for the countertops? Damn Carla really had an amazing idea here."

"That was Carla’s idea?" I asked and she nodded "I have to so, they all look stunning, but yeah, the black island really stands out? What tiles? The other options had tiles."

"I was honestly thinking to use the same granite as backsplash? Like a big fat slab of stone… here…" she tapped on the display and the model changed.

"Yes. 100 % yes. It looks amazing! Wow. Send it to Léon That’s our kitchen." I saw how happy and giddy she was about this decision and kissed her cheek "What else? Tell me you have more!"

"So, we already decided for the guest bathrooms and both powder rooms… but do you want to see my vision for our bathroom?" she asked and I nodded "Okay, here. I saw this bathtub and fell in love. Look at the size of it! Here’s the layout." she showed me the bathroom, the shower, big enough for a handful of people, the two vanities, a dressing table in between and the huge bathtub. It looked perfect.

"Perfect… like honestly! Lizzie you outdone yourself." I pulled her into me, smiling at her blushed cheeks "I can’t wait to move into our home together. It’s going to be so perfect. You are so perfect."

"Oh stop. I had a lot of help from Carla and our mum’s…" she almost whispered and I tilted her head up.

"Yeah but it’s your vision they help you with. You make this place our home." I kissed her, feeling her melting under my touch.

"Oh for fucks sake! Take a room! Ugggghhhh… I’m leaving!" Andrea groaned and I laughed.

"Wait for me, I’m not staying behind with these two lovebirds! Let’s go to Six Flags alone!" Joris said, following Andrea.

"Noooo! Wait for me!" Lizzie scrambled off of me and I huffed.

"Excuse me?" I looked at her.

"Wait for us?" she said meekly and grinned.

"Exactly. Wait for us!" we got up and followed the guys outside.

"I heard you’re excited for all the roller coasters." Lizzie teased Andrea and he laughed nervously "It’s okay. I’ll hold your hand when it get’s scary."

"I can also just wait for you guys…" he began but Lizzie shook her head.

"Nope. You’re coming with us on the rides! It will be fun! Believe me!"

It was fun. For Lizzie. For me. Not for Andre. Also not for Joris. Lizzie made her puppy eyes and made us ride everything there was and the colour from Andrea and Joris’ faces drained with every new ride more and more.

"Cara mia, I think you’ve exhausted them…" I whispered when we drove back to our Airbnb in the evening, the two guys half asleep in the backseat of the car. Lizzie turned and looked at them, one paler than the other.

"I’m sorry boys…" she chuckled, smiling apologetic.

"No you’re not!" Joris groaned.

"I can’t wait for when it’s time to go racing again!" Andrea sighed, leaning his head back "Thank god we’re leaving in two days, before you kill us."

"I’m definitely not getting paid enough for being tortured like that by your girlfriend…" Joris murmured and I had to laugh.

"Oh come on! It wasn’t that bad!" I said and they both looked at me pointedly.

"Your girl is a crazy spitfire and you know it!" Andrea said and I turned to Lizzie, grabbing her hand.

"That she is." I kissed the back of her hand and watched her blush "My girl."

"Coming to you Lizzie, what do you think of the race weekend here in Las Vegas?" Tom Clarkson asked and I looked over at Max, who looked just as disinterested as I felt.

"Honestly? Max said everything there is to say, I don’t have much to add. It’s all a big show for nothing. It’s turning into a circus, gets bigger and bigger when we all come here for one reason only: we want to race. We don’t need all of this stuff around. Events left and right. The sport itself is interesting enough. We don’t need all this bullshit around we get to see here." I said and Max nodded laughing.

"Alright, thank you, Lizzie. We open the floor now for some questions."

I didn’t listen to most of the questions and the ones for me were basically all the same, how I liked it here, what I expected from the race. When I walked out with Max and Charles, Max and I couldn’t even stop shit talking the whole event, leading to Charles rolling his eyes, saying that we were too dramatic.

"No Charlie boy, we’re not dramatic. We want to race. And not get paraded around like a freaking attraction…" I sighed.

"Listen to your girlfriend mate!" Max chuckled as our ways parted and he walked towards the RedBull hospitality.

"You should stop being so negative! Maybe the weekend will be great! I know, the opening ceremony was maybe a little bit too much, I agree but overall? The atmosphere is amazing, don’t you think?" Charles nudged my shoulder.

"Yeah maybe… let’s see how the racing is, you know? Racing? The reason why we’re here?" I looked at him and he pinched my side.

"You’re so funny… not… you’ll see! The racing will be great! How often do we get an entire new track just like that?"

"Umm- just last year in Miami?"

"Oh for fucks sake, Lizzie! Come on! It will be fun! You’ll see!" Charles rolled his eyes.

But what I saw was a messed up Friday on a track that had to be checked entirely for its drain covers and made us wait for for what felt like a whole eternity to come back for free practice 2.

At least the Saturday started better and when Charles made it on pole, a big smile on his face, I decided to swallow down my grudge against the track, because it looked like he was really enjoying racing here in Vegas.

"So? What do you say? Will you be the first winner of the Las Vegas GP?" I asked Charles when we were walking back from the national anthem and he laughed.

"I sure hope so, but you never know, Max is right behind me, then you, Checo… it won’t be easy!"

"And don’t forget Danny Ric! He made it just in time to be ready to race here in Vegas! And he’s starting on P6!" I said right as said driver pushed his way through us.

"Watch it lovebirds…" he chuckled and I slapped his arm.

"Oh you better stop, I saw you yapping all over my sister just an hour ago…" I said and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Yeah yeah, whatever!" Charles laughed and kissed my cheek "Good luck, cara mia, Daniel. Let’s have some fun out there."

Fun? No. Crazy? Yes. The start already saw 4 cars retiring with Checo, Lewis, Norris and Sainz all out of the race. The red flag was waved and George, Oscar and Alonso all had to get some new front wings and tyres. As the race re-started it took only three more laps for the next yellow flag and safety car, Alonso being the fifth car to retire.

"It’s crazy! How many cars are out already? 5?" I radioed.

"Yes 5. Don’t make it 6, focus on your race, please." Pete replied and I chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah…"

I continued, watching Charles and Max battle hard for the race lead.

"Lizzie, red flag, Magnussen out. Careful, there’s a lot of debris." Pete radioed right as I drove over said debris.

"Fuck, I think I’ve damaged my floor. Is Kevin okay?"

"He’s okay. Return to the pits, we need to check your car."

As soon as I was back in the pits and saw Matt’s face when he got up from the floor I knew it was over. I had to retire.

"I’m sorry, Lizzie. It happened so fast, I couldn’t warn you any earlier." Pete apologised as soon as I was out of the car, taking my helmet off.

"It’s alright, it’s not your fault. It sucks but it’s like this." I patted his back.

"Oh wow, Charles 2.0…" he chuckled and I laughed, right when Liam appeared out of nowhere.

"I’m sorry Lizzie." he hugged my waist and I ruffled his hair a little.

"It’s okay, now let’s watch Charlie and Daniel, shall we?" I picked him up and he nodded.

"You have to go the interviews first…" Julie reminded me and I sighed.

"Alright, I’ll be back soon Liam." I kissed his cheek before I put him down on the stool in front of dad, while mum hugged me.

"I’m sorry…" she whispered.

"No, I’m sorry! The first race in a while that you attend and I bottle it."

"You didn’t bottle it. You were unfortunate!" Dad side hugged me and I sighed.

"Yeah, maybe… now let’s hope that Charles wins it and Danny keeps his podium." I shrugged and followed Julie to the media pen.

The interviews were quickly done and on my way back I watched Shima and Joris all cozy in the almost empty Ferrari hospitality. When they saw me they pulled away from each other and I had to laugh. It seemed like she wasn’t here just to see me after all. I walked back into our garage, just in time to see the final lap, Max winning the race, followed by Charles and Daniel.

"He almost won." Liam sighed and I nodded.

"He did. But he had an amazing weekend, just like Danny, we can be proud of them!" I said and he nodded, playing with something in his pocket.

"Can we go to the fence? I want to congratulate them!" Liam said and I smiled.

"Of course, Bubba, let’s go."

I sat Liam on the fence and we looked up at the podium, where Max, Charles and Daniel were spraying the champagne and having a party of their own.

"It’s been a while since I saw him that happy!" Sissy said and I looked at her.

"Oh come on! That’s just a teeny tiny bit more than when he’s with you and Liam!" I said and bumped her shoulder.

"Believe me, that was a mask for a long time… losing his seat was the worst thing that could’ve happen…" she almost whispered it as she looked up again, tears in her eyes. As if Daniel felt that she was looking he turned around, forming a little heart with his fingers and sending it to my sister "Look at this dork!"

I smiled as I saw how my sister blushed. The truth was I’ve never seen her more happy than with Daniel. And with Liam loving him wholeheartedly as well, I knew that she finally found the one. The one that was now approaching us, with the biggest grin on his face, scooping up Liam and whispering something into his ear, the little lad nodding excitedly and handing him something. Daniel handed him over to Charles, who made big eyes as Liam whispered something into his ear. I watched how Daniel swooped up Sissy, twirling her around, saying something to her.

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed loudly and Daniel only nodded and kissed her, then sat her down looking in her eyes "You‘re kidding, right?"

"Hell no! Let’s do it tonight!" he said and took her hand and I almost choked as I saw him slipping a ring onto her finger "Everyone is here! I don’t want to wait a single day! What are you saying?"

"I-I umm…" she looked frantically around, Charles sat Liam down on the ground and he ran up to her.

"Say yes Mummy! YES!" he was overly excited and Charles hugged me from behind, watching what was happening.

"Yes. YES!" Sissy said and Daniel kissed her, before he scooped up Liam and hugged them both.

"What did just happen?" I whispered and Charles kissed my temple.

"Danny Ric just happened." he chuckled and I smiled.

"I don’t even have a dress? This is crazy! Why are we doing this? I mean… come on! We could wait! How are we supposed to plan a wedding in what? 12 hours? It’s the middle of the night? What are we doing?" Sissy was pacing back and forth while Mum, Shima and I just sat there, listening to her rambling.

"It’s Vegas! I think finding a dress won’t be too difficult? Shima’s here, she can fix anything you find into something great! Maybe not your dream wedding dress, but a beautiful one nonetheless? And again, it’s Vegas! This city never sleeps! Planning a wedding shouldn’t be too hard? I mean we are in one of the fanciest hotels already? Let me check if they have a nice location where we can celebrate? Finding a chapel won't be too hard either…" I chuckled and Mum nodded.

"Yeah and it’s not like we’re a whole lot of people? It's doable, maybe it's not the wedding of your dreams… bute he’s the man of your dreams, or not?” she looked at Sissy who smiled.

"You're right! Let’s plan!" she said and sat down.

“Alright, first things first. Guests, I need to know how many people we are to find a location… you and Danny and Liam, his family, that’s 5, us, that’s another 5. Wait I text him if he wants to invite any of the other drivers… alright, let’s talk dresses, Shima that’s your part…" I made a note on my phone, then looked up, Sissy and Mum looking at me with big eyes "What?"

"Nothing… you’re doing great, can I go to bed and you do the rest?"Sissy chuckled and I laughed.

"Nope. You figure out what colours you want, what flowers and stuff like that, while I… oh Danny texted… okay, small wedding, only Max, Christian, his wife and Pierre with Kika… that makes… 18?” I checked my phone and wrote down the names.

"Joris?" Mum said and we all grinned at Shima.
"Yes!" Sissy looked at me and I wrote them down.

"I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that…" Shima mumbled and I laughed.

"Oh shut it… you think you’re subtle, but let me tell you, you’re not… whatever is going on with you and him… we know… so 19."

"Whatever… dresses… I know some designers from here, I text them, let’s see what we can organise? I mean, it’s 2am they won’t answer until the morning, but yeah…" Shima began typing away on her phone.

"Alright, I need a time, when do we start?"

I looked at Sissy and Mum.

"Umm-… maybe 6pm? So everyone can have a little sleep, maybe? I mean, it won’t be a big and long ceremony? It’s Vegas, after all it’s going to be fast and funny?" Sissy said and I nodded.

"Okay… so we are… 19 people? Yeah? That’s doable I guess. I go downstairs to check the front desk… ask them if they have like a little ball room? I don’t know? Something fitting for a wedding? You think about dresses and I don’t know, colours? Food? The other stuff…" I got up.

"What other stuff?" Mum asked and I shrugged.

"I don’t know, you’re married, you planned your wedding, so you know what to do…" I left the room, right when Charles called.

"Hows the wedding planning going?" he asked and I laughed.

"I’m on my way to the front desk, asking for a room and someone who can marry them…"

"Elvis might be a good option." Charles laughed.

"Very original- ha ha… no seriously. Maybe they offer like an all inclusive last minute deal? I don’t know… we’re roughly 20 people, it should be organisable, no?" I sighed a little, leaning against the elevator wall "When are you coming back?"

"Soon, we’re just trying on some suits, Danny found a tailor that’s still open, Vegas, I swear… is the dress shopping also this easy?"

"Shima knows some designers from here, she contacted them, but yeah, probably the real process starts in the morning, but it’s fine, we get there." I yawned a little, entering the lobby "Text me when you’re in your way back, I’m at the front desk now."

"Alright, cara mia, see you later!" he hung up and I walked up to the front desk.

"Good morning, Miss Doetterer, how can I help you?" the lady said and smiled at me.

"Umm- this might sound crazy… but I need a room, location, whatever to held a wedding. Ceremony, reception, party all in one place would be amazing. For around 20 people, today at 6pm?" I said cautiously, expecting the blondes smile to drop.

"Oh believe me, this isn’t even close to the craziest things I’ve been asked for in the past… this is Las Vegas after all, planning a wedding in less than… 15 hours? We can do that." she said, her smile got even brighter "Is it for you and Mr. Leclerc then?"

"What? Oh no- no! It’s for my sister and Danny Ric… umm Daniel Ricciardo." I said hastily and she nodded.

"Very well, let’s plan your sister’s one of a kind Las Vegas wedding then."

"Man, I love Vegas. Let’s plan!"

As I watched my sister and Daniel share their first dance as husband and wife I had to smile. We did it. We planned an amazing wedding. The room looked elegant and classy. The cake looked delicious. The flowers were beautiful. But above all Sissy looked stunning. The dress Shima organised and altered here and there was simple, classy and timeless. Liam in his mini suit running around, looking adorable as ever was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Did I mention before how beautiful you look? That dress is just… wow… what a nice little black dress." Charles whispered in my ear, spinning me around, standing behind me.

"You look not to bad yourself, handsome." I chuckled and he hugged me from behind.

"I’m proud of you. You did all that in less than what? 12 hours?" Charles said, putting his chin on my shoulder, swaying us a little.

"The hotel did most of the job, I told them what we wanted, Sissy said the colours and flowers, Shima took care of the dress and Mum took care of the menu. Given all the input to the hotel, they did the biggest chunk of work." I shook my head a little.

"But you were managing it. And you did amazing. It’s a beautiful wedding. Makes me wonder-…" he stopped abruptly and I turned my head a little.

"Makes you wonder what?" I looked at him.

"Makes me wonder how our wedding will be one day… when you have time to plan it for weeks… considering what you did in a couple of hours."

"To find that out, you need to ask me to marry you first." I chuckled.

"Oh, don’t worry cara mia… I’m planning to." he kissed my cheek and then winked at me, before he left, picking Liam up who tried to have a go at the cake "Little munchkin, you have to wait!"

"But I want now some cake! It looks so fluffy and yummy!" Liam pouted.

"You’ll get your slice, don’t worry! You just have to wait a little!" Charles laughed and Liam sighed.

"Okay… but cakes are the best thing at parties, we should eat them first." he grumbled and walked off, climbing in dad’s lap, probably lamenting his suffering.

Liam was right, the cake was just what he said. Fluffy and yummy. After his second slice and some more dancing mum and dad, bid their farwell, taking Liam with them, right when some waiters brought in a couple of new bottles of champagne.

Daniel grabbed a bottle and began shaking it, before he banged it on the table

"I’d say, let’s party!" Danny popped the bottle and the night began with champagne showers.

Pain. A mind-numbing, throbbing pain. Like someone was scratching at my eyeballs from the insides, a jackhammer doing its worst inside my brain. My stomach began to churn and I groaned, trying to untangle my legs from the sheets and Charles legs, his arms holding me tight around the waist.

"Charles… let go of me…" I whispered, a loud snore my answer "Charles I’m serious… I have to…"

"What is it?" he groaned.

"Have to… throw up…" was the only thing I could manage to breathe out when he let go of me immediately and I stumbled out of bed, tripping over something on the floor "Fuck." I crawled to the bathroom, making it just in time to empty my stomach into the toilet.

"Lizzie? Are you okay?" Charles hoarse voice wafting through the fog in my brain.

"Peachy. Just peachy." I mumbled, slowly getting up from the floor rinsing my mouth "I need…"

"What do you need?"

"I don’t know…" I splashed cold water in my face, feeling some short lived relief from the drumming inside my head "I need pain killers…" I grabbed two hand towels and soaked them in cold water, wrung them out and stumbled back to bed, tripping again over something on the floor.

"What the fuck…" I groaned.

"What the fuck…" the something hissed.

"Pierre?" I sat up, blinking

"Yeah?" he mumbled and Charles switched on the night stand lamp.

"What the fuck are you doing on the floor? In our room?" Charles asked, his voice groggy.

"Don’t know. Don’t care. Switch the light off." he turned away, pulling his blanket over his head.

"There’s a couch. Sleep there!" I whispered but saw how he shook his head.

"Floor is cold. Good for my head." he mumbled and I sighed.

"Alright…" I slowly scrambled back to the bed and climbed in, letting the cold towel

flop on Charles face, he flinched but chuckled a little.

"Thanks, cara mia." he moved over and kissed my cheek.

Half sitting, half laying I rummaged through my bag on the nightstand, looking for some painkillers and popped out a pill as soon as I found them, swallowing it down with some water.

"What happened last night?" I whined, lying back, covering my forehead with the cold towel.

"Your sister and Danny Ric got married." Charles yawned.

"Fuck yes they did!" Pierre laughed on the floor.

"And why are we half dead?" I asked.

"Because none of us knows their limit apparently…" Charles groaned.

"Nope." Pierre half laughed half snored "Can we now maybe be quiet for a bit? My head hurts…"

"Here…" I grabbed the painkillers, popped another pill out and threw the blister then at him, followed by a bottle of water rolled over the floor.

"Ouch!" Pierre whined, when the bottle was stopped by his head "Thank you…"

"Here, for you…" I handed Charles a pill.

"You’re an angel." he kissed my cheek and turned around, grabbing his water.

"What are you even doing in our room, Pierre?" I asked, watching him all sprawled out on the floor, cheeks smushed into the cold marble floor.

"I don’t know… we were at the wedding. We were gambling… we were drinking… we were at a club… we were drinking… we were gambling… I remember In’and’Out Burger and then this cute little white house where we took some pictures. And I swear Elvis was there as well…"

"I wouldn’t say no to a burger…" I whispered and Charles chuckled.

"You get one as soon as we get up…" he kissed my shoulder "Which will be soon… our flight is in a couple of hours."

"How much time do we have left?" I yawned.

"Wait… our flight is at 4… and now it’s… it’s almost 12!" Charles sat up and I flinched "Fuck… sorry, cara mia. But we have to pack, get ready and…"

"For fucks sake! We have time! Shut up now…" Pierre groaned.

"Not agreeing how he said it, but agreeing with what he said…" I shrugged, pulling the blanket over my head "30 minutes… come on…"

"30 minutes! Not one minute longer!"

I sighed contently and closed my eyes. Feeling the throbbing in my head subsiding slowly as the cold towel did its job. The loud snores from Pierre were the only disturbance and as I turned to grab one of the pillows beside the bed to throw at him, I touched my phone the screen illuminating half the room and my look fell on the time.

"FUCK! FUCK!" I shouted, Charles and Pierre both flinching and sitting up "We overslept! It’s almost 2!"

"FUCK!" both boys exclaimed.

Pierre scrambled up, trying to stand looking around like a lost puppy.

"Where is my keycard? Why am I even here." he groaned, searching through his pockets "Fuck."

"Call Kika!" I suggested and Pierre took out his phone, calling his girlfriend.

"Okay, let’s pack…" Charles mumbled, opening up our suitcases, throwing in everything he could find "Here…" he threw one of his hoodies at me, while I grabbed some fresh clothes "Get ready in the bathroom, I handle this mess…"

"Hey! I’m no mess!" Pierre looked at him and I chuckled, disappearing into the bathroom.

My vision was still blurry and I sat down on the bathtub edge, brushing my teeth. I stripped off my clothes, put on some socks and leggings before I washed my face. As soon as the second wave of cold water hit my face and I wiped my eyes I looked in the mirror, my eyes immediately falling on the ring on my left ring finger.

"What the fuck…" I gulped, starring at the silver ring.

"Yeah… what the fuck…" Charles walked slowly inside, holding up his left hand, the same ring adorning his finger.

"What the fuck happened last night…"

Chapter 41 - I hope you guys are feeling as hot after reading, as me when I was writing it 🤭 the infamous Las Vegas race giving us really everything there was to get, including one (two?!) wedding(s) … 👀

Please leave a comment/ like/ reblog/ message and tell me how you liked it! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

If you want to be added to the taglist, drop a comment!

Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@silkenthusiasts @eugene-emt-roe @sunny44 @itsjustkhaos @glitterquadricorn @aundercover @kakorrhaphiphobia @alittlebitofbooksandmagic @ru-kru @shimmermotorsport @janeholt3 @kahhorri @18754389 @chiliwhore @hellowgoodbye @queensassybitchsworld @harrysdimple05 @skynel09

#charles leclerc #charles leclerc 16 #charles leclerc f1 #charles leclerc x female driver #charles leclerc fic #charles leclerc imagine #cl16 #cl16 fanfic #cl16 edit #cl16 fic #cl16 imagine #cl16 fluff #formula 1 #formula 1 x female driver #formula 1 fanfic #formula 1 fic #formula 1 fandom #formula 1 imagine #f1 #f1 writing #f1 x female driver #f1 fanfic #f1 fiction #f1 fic #f1 imagine #f1 fandom #female driver #ferrari #scuderia ferrari #Charles and Lizzie

[bagopucks]

M. Marner - The Best Recovery

✄————————————

Mitch Marner x Reader

Requested ✨

Word Count: 3.5k

Warning(s): I don’t think it’s a warning, but the reader has ADHD and Autism. Reader is overwhelmed, and nonverbal as a result.

I left this one vague in certain areas for all types to interpret and see through their own eyes! If that makes sense. I tried to make it personal to the request, but also loose enough for others with these two disorders to see themselves in as well!

—————————————

ADHD and Autism is like cold and hot. Sweet and sour. Excited and bored. Energetic and tired.

Having those two disorders, is something that can cause great deals of mental exhaustion.

I never knew for sure what it was, which disorder was taking the lead or which was bothering me on a particular day. I hated it. I especially hated it, on the days I had to go into work, and my brain was practically arguing with itself. One half wanted to take a new road and see new sights, but the other part of me wanted to keep things the same knowing it was efficient. My mind argued over playing music or basking in silence. Changing my sheets or keeping the same ones, trying new clothes and remaining secure in knowing the old ones worked.

I faced many challenges with those two disorders. Some worse than others. Like moving away from home and into my first apartment. Meeting people at work for the first time, and having to meet new ones when people were hired. Opening up in social atmospheres when people didn’t understand why I chose not to. And meeting my boyfriend.

Mitch was something else, and with him, my mind could never make a decision.

When we met, impulse control decided to fly out the window. He paid for my coffee at a diner, and I had gone to thank him, only to end up at a table with him for an hour. He was sweet. He was really sweet. He had beautiful eyes, and a light soul. He had a few flaws. A little too much energy for my taste, and maybe a little too fidgety.

Aside from those factors, he had gotten my phone number.

On our first date, I struggled between choosing a blue or white dress to wear. The symbolisms of both colors had me uncertain. In the end, I chose red, because it brought out my complexion nicely.

It was a simple dinner, but I found myself interviewing Mitch like he was trying to get a job. There were many pros, and a handful of cons. It stressed me out that certain words I used, he did not understand. I also hated the way he would clench his hands into fists every so often. I learned later, it was a nervous habit of his. I also learned, that he’d done it so much on that date, because I intimidated him immensely.

Mitch told me of his dog, which I was iffy on, and in love with at the same time. He ran his hands through his hair a few times, displacing the brown locks with each pass of his hand. He told me of his career and his friends. Then we had gone out for dessert. Something as simple as ice cream, but I struggled to make a decision. When I’d asked him, “can I get two?” He looked at me with a smile and a questioning expression, but nodded nonetheless.

I had to explain to him, that I wanted to try something new, but needed a backup plan if it backfired. So the second flavor was my go-to. My favorite one. It was on that date that I realized I didn’t have a backup plan if whatever Mitch was to me went south.

That frightened me away from him for a while. He tried to reach out, so much so that I hated how sporadic his texts could be. I hated that he couldn’t just choose one time of day to be a bother. It was only when my coworker spotted the messages, and helped talk me into it, that I decided to go on another date with him.

Mitch might have been a little lacking in common sense, but he wasn’t a complete lost cause. He often commented things like, “you’re weird,” or “that’s different,” when it came to my behaviors. Those words were always spoken with giggles and smiles, so I never took them to heart. But I knew he was right, and I knew he knew I was different. But for once, he made me feel like ‘different’ didn’t have to be a bad thing.

Mitch and I had odd ways of getting to know each other. I asked him endless strict questions, ones that often branched off whatever the answer was to a previous question. And Mitch often listened. He didn’t have to ask as many questions as I did, because he learned I always explained things in depth or I did things with no reason at all. He liked to call me, “unpredictably predictable.”

It took me some time to warm up to the idea of dating, but once we got together, I saw it through.

Mitch was a guy who liked to live life in the fast lane, but I learned that he often changed those lanes for me. He was willing to slow down and wait when I needed him to.

I attended a few of his hockey games. Depending on which disorder was more prominent those nights, I’d be down by the glass, or in a personal suite. I met his team on a few occasions, but I sometimes struggled to hold conversations with them.

Too many people would want to hold too many conversations, and I’d be in the midst of talking to one, only to derail myself and get lost on a sidetrack, and I’d completely forget what was going on.

I usually found Mitch in those situations, and one instance had been the first time where he realized I tended to just.. not speak, when I was overwhelmed. There was something so safe and secure about not engaging, that I had a habit of sinking into those nonverbal tendencies when there was a lot going on around me, or in my head.

When we moved in together, we experienced a lot of that. The actual moving in process had gone surprisingly smoothly. Despite all the change being such a stressor, I had so much excitement inside, that I managed to remain talkative enough to help Mitch get my things where I wanted them. It was the time after I was officially in, that tended to be difficult. I had to get used to a place that wasn’t my own, and didn’t feel like my own for the longest time. I avoided the throw pillows on the couch because the texture was horrid. I didn’t like the fact that I could see dog hair on things at times, and I certainly hated the way he had his towels organized.

There were days Mitch would come home from games and practices, only to find me on my love seat in the corner, a pair of headphones in staring off into space while I had one of his athletic sweatshirts on. One of which I always enjoyed pulling my knees up into, and hugging them while the arm sleeves hung loosely and unoccupied by my sides.

The first few times it happened, Mitch would think nothing of it, pop the earbuds out of my ears, and start talking about his day. Sometimes it aggravated me, and once it even stressed me out enough to snap at him.

Over time, he learned that it was easier to gesture for me to scoot over so he could squeeze his body in beside me. I would be the first to initiate contact if I wanted it. If not, we would sit in silence until I shared an earbud with him, or until I wanted to talk.

It quickly became a routine between us. Something Mitch also learned that I enjoyed. Routines. On the days he came home and I was talkative and excited, we could live and love smoothly. On other days, we learned how to make things work.

Mitch had an off day after winning the game his team played the night before. It was always a weird occurrence when I had to leave him in the mornings, but I’d done fairly well at adjusting to his horribly unorganized hockey schedule. I never would have expected exposure to so much change, to be so helpful for me. But it truly was.

I had bid my lover goodbye that morning with a smile and a hand through his hair as I kissed his cheek. He flashed his pretty teeth at me, and promised to text on my lunch break, unless I wanted to reach out sooner.

As it turned out, I never reached out before then. And I didn’t answer his messages when he reached out during my lunch hour.

People had been laid off at my workplace. Something that sadly happened in many places sometimes. Losing coworkers and gaining a new workload wasn’t necessarily something I was thrilled about. It meant I’d have to rearrange my whole schedule and the way I handled my work. It meant I’d have to redistribute my work hours so I could fit all of my additional projects in a normal day and successfully finish it.

In short, it meant everything had to change.

Only this time, there was nothing to be excited about.

I played with my hair all day, I lost focus, I blankly stared, I ignored people and any kind advances of small talk. I even ignored Mitch.

I stayed at work well past the time I was scheduled to clock out. I didn’t expect extra pay, I just wanted to efficiently reconstruct my schedule. I only clocked out to go home, after I had that sorted. Which was four hours after five. The end of my usual work day.

I’d only texted Mitch once when he asked if I was okay around six. I told him, ‘I’m fine.’

My stare was blank but my mind was running rampant all the way out of the office and back to our shared home. I ignored anybody and everybody, in the lobby, in the elevator, in the hall. Inevitably, I even ignored Zeus when I stepped through the front door of our modern home.

The poor lab was so excited to see me, but I couldn’t have been bothered to pet him. I kicked my shoes off and lined them up against the edge of the shoe mat by the door. I made sure to lock it before I stepped away.

“Babe?” Mitch’s footsteps fell on selectively deaf ears. I didn’t want to be in his presence. I just wanted to be alone. I slipped down the hall and into the kitchen to escape him, and I thought it had worked when I heard his movement stop.

“Babe?” He repeated. My shoulders fell as he peeked into the kitchen. My intense stare was a telltale sign of my inner turmoil. He looked unfazed. He also looked like he’d just gotten out of bed. His hair was a hot mess, and his eyes had that dazed sort of look that a child has when they’re woken up from the nap of a lifetime. His sleep schedule was absolute shit anyway. That’s what happens when you drink too many energy drinks through the day.

“Hey. Did they have you on overtime tonight?” He smiled at me. I couldn’t answer. I physically couldn’t force myself to open my mouth. I hated that I did this to him.

“Okay.. I can do this too.” Mitch adapted quickly to the silence. “I figured it was one of those nights.” He voiced as he walked across the kitchen, opening my snack cabinet. “You always text me back, it’s pointless to have a planned hour to text if you’re not going to text.” He wasn’t insulting me, he was restating sentences I said once. Reasons I gave for why I always responded to him. He was backing up his theory on why I’d had a bad day.

Mitch pulled out a bag of chips and pushed the cabinet shut before he made his way over to the fridge. He pulled out one of my favorite cold drinks, and went about the kitchen grabbing a few other options to snack on. He knew me so well, I almost thought it unfair.

“Will you come lay in bed with me?” His question was asked with a set of puppy eyes I had to roll my own eyes at. But I gave in nonetheless.

Mitch led me back to our room, and I was surprised to find the dark area lit up with the orange glow from our bedside lamp. My weighted blanket was already laid out on my side, and one of my favorite books was on the nightstand.

“I know you don’t want to talk, and that’s fine,” Mitch made his way around the bed to set the snacks on my nightstand, as well as the drink he grabbed. “But was it a really bad night, or just.. just a little overwhelming?”

He remained tentative, only pursing his lips and letting out a sigh when I stared him down.

“Not even gonna give me a nod?” He pried with a hopeful smile. I decided I was done with the eye contact too, my gaze met the floor. “Alright. Why don’t you just come lay down then.” He pulled back the weighted blanket, and I met him on my side of the bed. I reached for Mitch’s hand as I climbed into bed, and he held mine, keeping me steady as I got in. I was quick to break the contact after I decided I no longer needed it.

Mitch slipped his way back around to his own side of the bed, and climbed in next to me. He leaned over the edge of the bed, and his actions caught my attention momentarily.

“Zeus wants up.” Mitch looked back to me for approval. I gave a curt nod.

Soon enough, I heard him tapping his thigh, and the whole bed shake when the big dog hopped up. Zeus tried to quickly step over Mitch to get to me, but my lover was swift in tucking a finger beneath the dog’s collar to stop him.

I never minded Zeus cuddles on bad days. Well sometimes I did. But I never enjoyed him in my face. Mitch only let the dog go once Zeus settled. I slowly shifted to lay down, and the lab found his place by my feet, his head rested on top of my ankles.

“Good boy.” Mitch praised before he slipped his phone from his pocket. He checked the time, then set the device on his own nightstand.

I rolled onto my side and grabbed my book, opening to the page I had marked. I felt my weighted blanket shift, only to realize Mitch was pulling it up over my body. So caring. So gentle. I’d watched him hit guys and cross check them. I’d watched him let teammates’ bodies crash into him for pregame rituals. Mitch was such a rambunctious guy, that I sometimes liked to playfully question if he had an alter ego at home.

I don’t know how long I laid there, reading and flipping through pages. What I did know, was that my lover had not once left my side. Nor did he make any noise. He had the tv on, playing old episodes of Friends, but the sound was muted and the captions were on.

I slowly rested my book on the bedside table, turning on my back to peek at the tv before I looked up at Mitch. I sighed. Before I wanted to be left alone. Now, I wanted him.

I shimmied to his side and carefully rested my head in his lap. Mitch looked down at me, a smile slow to form on his lips. His hands found my hair, gently carding through and scratching at my scalp.

My eyes focused on the tv, one of my hands tucked up close to my chest while the other rested on Mitch’s leg.

“Can I lay down with you?” His soft voice earned a nod from me. I lifted my head and moved away while he pulled his shirt off and slipped beneath the weighted blanket with me. Our bodies faced one another, and he was hesitant at first to reach for me. So I instead, reached for him.

I tucked myself into Mitch’s chest, and he wrapped an arm around me. I felt his chest heave with a sigh, and I rested one of my hands there to feel his heartbeat. He pressed kisses to my head and temple, gently ran his hand up and down my back.

Sometimes life could be overwhelming, but one thing I never minded being overwhelmed by was Mitch. He wasn’t like a hurricane, or some devastating storm. No, he was the ocean, coming in waves. Some harsher than others, but if one knew how to face those waves, and surf them, they could stay afloat.

I had Mitch figured out like an intricate word problem. I knew every variable and obstacle, and every possible solution. I got used to his predictable behaviors, and learned to cope with the unpredictable ones. I was always thankful that Mitch was such an open book when it came to anything. His communication helped me and our relationship.

“I know you had a really bad day.. and just- just let me know if you don’t want me to talk..” he paused, and gave me enough time to protest. I didn’t. The sound of his voice was soothing.

“You’re doing so good, you know that? Every day you’re conquering something new, and I am so proud of you. I know it seems big, but right now it’s just a bump in the road. Whatever you’re going through.” His words of encouragement fell from his lips in faint whispers. I buried my head further into Mitch’s chest. His embrace tightened around me.

“And I’m always here. Whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m ready to listen.” Mitch carded his hand through my hair once again. “I love the sound of your voice.” I could hear the coaxing tone- the smirk on his lips, the way he tried subtly to get me to open up.

It almost worked.

“I love your laugh too.” He pressed a kiss to my head once more. His hand left my hair, and I soon felt it tickle my side. I gasped and reached down to swat his hand away.

“No.”

When I looked up toward him, I could tell that singular word lit him up like a Christmas tree.

So Mitch brought his hand back to my side, and I wasn’t swift enough to push him away before he earned a quiet giggle from my lips. An involuntary giggle. But it did distract me from my own brooding. I couldn’t decide if I was mad at him for disrespecting my boundary, or mad that he knew me well enough to test those limits because sometimes it worked.

“Yeah.. that laugh right there.” Mitch winced when I grabbed his hand, perhaps a bit harsher than I meant to. I pushed his hand away and turned back over, simply to escape his contagious happiness.

He didn’t let me go very easily. He was quick to shimmy his body up against my own, his arm wrapping around my hip again. I tensed in anticipation.

“I’m done.. I’m done. I promise.” I nodded very slowly, and eventually melted into his embrace.

Sometimes I had trouble communicating it, but Mitch was easily my favorite person to be with. My favorite person, period.

I basked in our silence and the occasional sound of Mitch’s soft giggles. I assumed he was laughing at the tv, but my lack of knowing for sure, had me turning in his arms and onto my back. I just had to know what it was. Sure enough, I found his eyes glued to the screen. I rested my hands by his own on my stomach, and gently hooked my fingers beneath the rubber wristband he wore. I ran my thumbs against it and felt the smoothness on one side, likewise the divots of words on the outside.

My eyes settled on the tv, and when Mitch caught on, he reached for the remote to unmute it, but still kept the volume quiet enough to not bother me. Zeus seemed to have enough of all the moving and shifting, as he hopped onto the floor and curled up in his own bed near the corner of the room. The dog bed poor Zeus had to be evicted to when I moved in.

I heard Mitch yawn, and it only took moments before my body returned the gesture. He smiled at me.

“I love you.” Mitch pressed one last kiss to the corner of my lips, then pulled away. I didn’t have to respond. We’d been through this enough times for him to know I felt the same.

I always knew he could tell, because there was a sincere look of fondness that followed the hopefulness after he spoke. He was never disappointed on nights when I didn’t say it back. Instead he was simply happy to know I heard him. To know I felt loved.

Nevertheless, I liked to try. I felt he always deserved that after being so patient and loving.

I leaned forward and pressed a hand to his chest. I opened my mouth to say the words, but my breath fell short.

“It’s okay.” Mitch met me halfway, his gaze dropped to my lips as his nose bumped mine. He pressed a chaste kiss to my lips, one that was soft and smooth. One that had me melting into his embrace as he rolled onto his back and slipped an arm beneath me. I curled into his side and rested my head on his chest. Seconds, minutes, a few episodes of Friends passed, before my breathing slowed and my consciousness escaped me. The last thing I heard before I fell asleep, was the faint sound of Chandler’s sarcastic laughter, and Mitch whispering another,

“I love you.”

✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾

#nhl imagine #nhl x reader #mitch marner imagine #mitch marner x reader #mitch marner #nhl hockey

[skz-bella]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝘽𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙮'𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮 𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙨' 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙

Taglist: @curly-fr13s @elizalabs3

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

⌦ .｡.:*♡ CLIP ONE

During a fansign event, Bella was given a large diamond ring what could fit around her wrist. When it came time for the group to stand up and walk around the stage, she wore the gift on her wrist and turned to Stays.

"Someone gave me this gift but they didn't ask me an important question." She spoke, showing the gift to the Stays and the boys. Everyone screamed and awed at the gift. Jisung came up close and examined the ring and whistled into the mic.

"What didn't they ask you?" Minho asked, playing with a gift he got.

"When someone gives you a ring," Bella began to say. "Aren't you supposed to propose to them?"

This causes fans to scream and and fan who gave her the gift stood up and asked loudly if she could be his girlfriend. Bella laughs happily and is about to answer him when Hyunjin came and wrapped his arms around her waist and moved her away from the crowd, shaking his head.

"No, she's ours." He said while the other members laughed and Stays screamed happily at his words.

⌦ .｡.:*♡ CLIP TWO

It was during the 2nd World Tour and the group was holding a concert in Melbourne as one of their stops. At one point, the group went around the stage to interact with Stays. As Bella was walking around the stage and chatting with fans, she spotted a child.

What was weird however, was that the child was standing by themself and in between where the fans were and the stage; basically where the bodyguards and camera crew were. Moreover, they were standing by themselves, seemingly crying.

Bella wasted no time in jumping of the stage and walking towards the child, ignoring the screams of fans. She knelt down in front of them and the child looked at her.

"Hi," She greeted with a smile. "What's your name?"

The child answered. "D-Do-Young." "Okay, where's your mommy and daddy?" "I don't know." It was clear that the person they came with left the poor child alone. Afraid he was going to get trampled on, she picked him up and began to walk backstage. The surrounding guards immediately followed after her, making sure that the two are not harmed.

"It's okay, we'll find your parents." Bella whispered as she blocked his face from the flashing cameras of Stays while she smiled at them.

Because she was still performing, Bella had to leave him with her manager, telling him to enjoy the show and wait for his parents. It was only twenty minutes later that she was informed through her earpiece that the child's sister had come, and had proved with various photos that she was his sister.

They met during the short break between performances, and Bella saw the young child off with a smile and taking a photo with the older Stay.

⌦ .｡.:*♡ CLIP THREE

Bella was doing an interview with BuzzFeed Celeb, when she was asked what she liked doing in her free time apart from sleeping and exercising.

"I like to chat with Stays, our fans." She replied. "There was a time Chan had to take my phone because Stay and I were debating what was better to wear during the summer season."

"He barged into my room because I had been laughing and Lee Know was complaining that I was loud. I tried to take it back but he said he had to cause it was four o'clock and we had practice in two hours."

She laughed loudly as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "There was also a point I was sending memes in the Stay group chat and everyone would just send them back!!" It was this that made her fall off her chair, laughing her lungs out.

⌦ .｡.:*♡ CLIP FOUR

Bella was lying on her bed when the VLive started. Hyunjin and her happened to have rooms close to each other and rather have a live by himself, he figured why not have you join him. Meanwhile, Bella was busy reading a novel and was too tired to stand up from walking around with Seungmin the whole day so she talked with Stays from her bed.

After a few minutes, she felt some exhaustion fall over her and before she knew it, her eyes closed and she fell asleep. Hyunjin was unaware of this and continued to chat with Stays before he looked back at the bed as he had read the comments that Bella had fallen asleep.

He smiled softly before standing up and walking towards the side of the bed where Bella was sleeping. He gently picked her up before sliding under her, placing Bella on his chest.

The fans went wild as Hyunjin adjusted Bella so that she was comfortable. After a few minutes, Hyunjin could be seen scrolling through the comments as Bella laid on top of him, snoring quietly.

⌦ .｡.:*♡ CLIP FIVE

At one of their concerts, when it was time for the group to just talk with one another, Felix spoke up.

"Uh, before we continue," he began in English, "I want to get something straight."

"You?" Bella asked, immediately laughing as Chan playfully hit her arm while the others looked at her with a smile.

"No," Felix laughed as well. "I want to confirm something with Stay."

"What is it?" Han asked, curious to what he's going to say.

"Stay, Bella may be your girlfriend," Stays began to shout loudly as Bella giggled, hiding her face as she fawned embarrassment. "But...Bella is our," he gestured to the boys, "...our wife."

The shouts and screams became louder as Bella blushed and laughed while the boys all clapped and smiled, agreeing with him.

⌦ .｡.:*♡ CLIP SIX

Bella had read a poster that they should ask the boys questions about herself and if they can't, she can pour water on them. Naturally, being the menace she is, she agreed to this.

First victim: Changbin. "Changbinnie?" He looked at her as she approached him with a mischievous smile. "What's my favourite food to eat when I'm sad?" "Takoyaki or some tteokbokki." Bella looked at him in surprise as he replied immediately. She nodded her head and walked away.

Second victim: Seungmin. "Yah, Kim Seungmin!" "What?" He replied. "What happened on July 8th, 2019?" "You fell down the stairs and twisted your ankle, your cup of coffee fell as soon as you put it, you accidentally deleted Han's song for the next comeback, you hit Mina-sunbaenim on the head by accident and you got the flu. Summary, it was the worst day of the year for you." Bella blinked at him in shock before walking away, giving him a suspicious look.

Final victim: I.N: "Innie?" "Hmm?" The maknae hummed. "What do I like to do when I'm bored?" "Disturb others." The reply was immediate. "Hey!!" "I'm kidding. You like to take walks and take pictures for Stay to see. You also like cuddling into someone while you watch a romance or thriller." Bella smiled and walked away, satisfied with his answer.

In the end, no one was poured for water and the Stay who requested that was more than happy to see her request fulfilled by her idol.

⌦ .｡.:*♡ CLIP SEVEN

"Bella is a thief." Lee Know randomly said during a SKZ CODE episode.

"Excuse me?" She asked in confusion.

"You're excused." Lee Know smirked while Bella gave him a deadpan expression and the others laughed at her face.

"What do you mean I'm a thief?" She asked.

"You stole my heart." This time Han replied. "And also you stole Stay's heart."

The answer made Bella roll her eyes playfully, a smile shown on her face. "Guys, stop-"

"You also like to steal our clothes." She paused at Hyunjin's words and looked at him with an offended look. "I don't steal your clothes."

"Last week I saw you steal my hoodie!" I.N joined the fight. "It was the blue one with the koala!"

"I don't have that!" Bella was now getting flustered.

"I saw you wearing my Jordans five times last month." Changbin spoke up calmly but one could easily see the mischievous look in his eyes. "Now that I know you're lying! You were the ones wearing them!"

Chan, who had been laughing in his seat, stood up and walked towards Bella, stopping when he was right in front of her. "What?" She was annoyed at how the situation had turned out to be hence snapping at Chan.

He, however, smiled calmly before leaning down and grabbing the back of the shirt. He lifted the tag and smiled before looking at the female member. "Isn't this my shirt you're wearing."

The silence that filled the room was loud and it was shuttered in an instant by Han and Hyunjin's laughter while the rest stared in shock. Before Bella could defend herself, he spoke again. "I made sure to tag all my stuff because of you so don't even try to deny it."

The scene cuts to a sulking Bella leaning on Felix's side as he laughed, while the other members comforted her telling her she could steal their clothes any time she wants and that they don't mind.

⌦ .｡.:*♡ CLIP EIGHT

This moment was recorded during a fan interaction. Bella was visiting her relatives in Germany when fans heard that she was visiting. They immediately went to the airport and greeted her, excited to see her. Fortunately fans were considerate and didn't push, not wanting her to dislike their country.

When she was exiting the airport, dozens of bodyguards were lined up to prevent fans from coming close to her. As she waved to fans all around her, she noticed someone standing at the edge of the crowd, wearing nothing but a shirt and shorts. It was during the cold season and the temperatures were quite low, so it worried Bella to see someone wearing something for summer in that weather.

After informing her manager, she went to the person, a young boy who looked no more older that 18. He was holding a blank paper and pen, for an autograph. What made her confused was how he seemed so uninterested yet desperate for her signature.

Bella took of her jacket and hung it around the boy's shoulders. He seemed surprised, but it soon turned into relief as he felt the warmth. Soon, someone came to take the boy to hospital like she had requested. He was surprised and Bella simply gave him a wink and he went.

A few hours later, a report on the child abuse of a young man by their extended family would reach the national news, and the picture of the young boy that Bella had met that day was shown. She would never tell, but she saw bruises when she was covering him up. She was glad that the boy was safe now.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

#kpop #kpop oc #kpop ninth member #kpop added member #kpop idol #idol #idol oc #stray kids #jyp stray kids #stray kids ninth member #stray kids added member #9th member of stray kids #9th member of skz #oc #skz bella #jung jang mi #compilation #jyp artist #jyp entertainment #jyp #skz #female added member #female member #female #bella

[its-time-to-write]

ch. 4 - hustling for the good life

table of contents Oh hey it’s Jamie’s side of things

also. I don’t proofread. yes I’m sorry, no I won’t change my ways.

takes one to know one

Here’s the thing. While you’ve been hopping around London, doing interviews and press and meeting all sorts of talented musicians, Jamie’s been doing his own work. Namely, badgering Keeley about his chances with you.

“She’s really pretty,” he confessed in the car on the way home from Isaac and Stella’s. “She’s like, fucking I don’t know, ethereal or some shit.” Keeley’s basically passed out, which is why Jamie is talking so freely. He knows she won’t remember shit. 

“Learned that word the other day,” he continues, “It’s like something you see can can’t totally understand. Or like, out of your league. Anyway, that’s her. Think she was all freaked out, though. Maybe too many people. Weird, innit, international star like her anxious in a crowd of people. But I really liked talking to her. Fuck, Keeley, she’s smart. You can tell in her lyrics.”

Keeley responds with a snore.

Jamie chuckles. “Yeah, alright, we’re almost to Roy’s. Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone, yeah? Like I said, not like she’d go with someone like me anyway.”

—

Jamie severely underestimated Keeley’s ability to retain juicy gossip. Yeah she was sloshed, so much so that Roy had to carry her inside and onto the bed, but that didn’t stop her from sending Jamie a text the next morning that said, ?????? and a gif of your face.

Jamie replied in kind. ??????

U fucking kno what im asking, Keeley replied. U like her.

Jamie responds, that aint a question, keels

Fine, Keeley writes, here’s one

What the fuck did you mean, ‘someone like me????’

Jamie grimaces and puts his phone down. He’ll respond to that later but now, he has to go running around the field and puke his guts out because Roy’s a fucking sadist.

—

Jamie’s been a fan of your music since, like, your first single. He’s not even sure how he first heard it but he did, and then he’d listen to it when no one could catch him.

Then you started gaining popularity, and it was more acceptable for him to listen to your soft yet upbeat songs. He came home one weekend to find his mum playing Blue Glass on a speaker in the kitchen, and they sat down at the counter and listened to the entire album, not speaking the whole time while Simon puttered around cooking dinner.

He’s followed your career through the trade from Manchester to Richmond, then back to Man City and then Richmond again. 

And yeah, he’s had a little bit of a crush.

But god, there’s no fucking way he has a shot in hell. Sure, he’s the Premier League’s top player, but you? You’re on another level.

Paps don’t even bother trying to slander you anymore because they’ll never find a speck of dirt on you. There are always pictures of you volunteering, or visiting kids in hospitals, or petting dogs or some shit. Stuff that’s usually staged, but with you it isn’t.

You’ve never had a scandal hit the papers, always been spotted out with a famous model/actor/singer boyfriend who has never once been seen cheating on you. Jamie wonders if anyone could even consider cheating on someone with as much talent and kindness as you seem to possess.

Anyway, you’d never go for someone with his relatively checkered past. All you have to do is google “Jamie Tartt,” and there he is, making out with models, headlining cheating scandals, and having sex in fucking jacuzzis.

Yeah, you’d never go for it.

But as he’s at training, running drills and practicing goals, he keeps thinking about the way you looked with your feet in the pool, hair blowing softly in the breeze.

He decides to have a serious chat with Keeley.

—

He turns up to Keeley’s house and fucking Roy’s there, except this time it’s not really a surprise. Roy opens the door, scoffs, then walks away. 

“Prick’s here,” he calls to Keeley somewhere in the house, except it’s not as angry as it used to be. Jamie can almost trick himself into thinking it’s affectionate.

“Hello to you too, grandad,” he says to Roy’s back. Roy grunts and heads to the kitchen, presumably to finish making dinner. 

Keeley bounds down the stairs and wraps Jamie in a hug. “Glad you’re here, babe. Now we can have a good chat.”

She leads him to the couch and hands him a fluffy pink pillow, one that Jamie remembers throwing across the room more than once. Fuck, there’s another reminder why he shouldn’t even be thinking of seeing you again. He couldn’t properly emote when he was with Keeley, so how’s he supposed to navigate a serious relationship?

“Oi, stop overthinking,” Keeley says, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

“Weren’t overthinking,” Jamie replies automatically. “And since when are you a mindreader?” 

Keeley grins at that. “I’m not. Your face was just all twisty and shit, which means you’re actually using your brain for once. So come on, out with it.”

Jamie’s not entirely sure where to begin, but he opens his mouth and everything sort of comes spilling out. How he talked to you for ten seconds and is pretty sure he’ll never actually love again. And he’s convinced himself that he might have a shot but then he’s reminded of all his shitty choices and thinks he’ll never measure up but god fucking damnit, he wants something real and yeah, you’re another celebrity, but there’s something about your eyes or maybe it’s the way you move your hands, but he knows for sure that if you were just a regular girl he saw on the street, he’d feel the exact same way. 

Except neither of you are like, actually regular people, but for different reasons. And his fucking shitbag of a father is always looming in the back of his mind, especially since playing Man City the other week, and he won’t let his dad try to have any sort of hold over you because that would be shitty. So anyway, he’s pretty sure that’s everything and he’s probably going to die alone.

Keeley says, “Whoa,” with big eyes once he’s finished, and for a moment Jamie thinks she’s going to call a mental institute, but then she cocks her head and says, “Jamie, you do know that nothing’s actually happened, right? Like, you haven’t even asked her out?” and Jamie realizes that he’s been knee deep in his mind for a fucking long time.

“I mean, Roy’s no saint,” she continues while Roy shouts, “Oi!” from the kitchen, “and we still got together.”

Jamie just looks at her.

“Alright, bad example,” she says. “But hey, you’ll never know if you don’t try. I mean come on, you’re Jamie fucking Tartt! You’re like, the best footballer in all of England! And you’re right fit,” she says just loud enough for Roy to hear.

“I can’t cook for shit,” Jamie says miserably, and Roy barks out a short laugh while Keeley pats Jamie’s arm.

“You’re way too far in your fucking head, babe,” she says sympathetically. “Take it one day at a time, yeah? You don’t even know if you’ll see her again.”

table of contents

#jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt x y/n #jamie tartt x you #jamie tartt #ted lasso

[seat-safety-switch]

Believe me, nobody was more jazzed about my interview with Consumer Reports than me. I grew up as a kid reading its dry, dry prose, dreaming about the day when I, too, would get to smash the living shit out of consumer appliances until they fell apart. Savagery would flow through my pen, dismantling multinational corporations for the capital crime of having made a dishwasher with buttons that scratch easily.

I had been "funemployed" for quite some time. In fact, I'd been without a job for so long that my parole officer told me I had to go get one, otherwise they would put me back in the hole. So, I decided to go out on a limb and write Consumer Reports about all the torture testing I'd been doing to my half-century-old menagerie of shitboxes. A few minutes after I sent the email, I got a breathless, panicked phone call from the head destructive testing engineer, who told me to get on a fucking plane and head out there pronto.

Plane? Plane? I made a solemn vow in my youth to never get in an automobile driven by anyone else. And even though it flies through the air using what I think is an elaborate series of lies, an airplane certainly qualifies. I cashed the plane ticket in for gas money, and then set out for a road trip in my most reliable 1978 Volare, its trunk packed full of spare fluids, tires, and parts, almost none of which I had to use.

There was just one problem. Their headquarters are located in a pretty weird spot of an industrial park. One of those big skyscrapers-on-skyscrapers places where nobody lives, and the food sucks, but there are thousands of parking spots. They all look the same, and I think I transposed a digit in the address when I was punching it into my GPS (a Garmin from 1997, whose speaker barely works and whose power supply consists of an absurd number of ganged-together solar panels that I broke out of desk calculators.) When I turned up, the building looked like any of the other ones in the complex, so I went on in.

The good news? I got the job. The bad news? The good folks at Kitchenaid were so terrified about how aggressively I dismantled their test blender that my job is "being paid to stay at least 100 feet away from any and all Kitchenaid employees, at all times." It pays pretty well, though, which is to their credit. I think it's because I made a good first impression. And second. And third. They really should have made those chopping-blade impellers out of a better plastic.

[skylarbee]

After seeing a post where it said that Miles no longer posted photos of him and Alex, I thought the same thing, they never appear together again, whether on Miles' IG or elsewhere, even if they are at the same party etc... Just a little hasty hug on stage and that's it. It seems like there is a fortress that has been built around Alex, (or that he himself built) As if they should no longer be seen together. This is why I am more and more skeptical about the possibility of a TLSP3, as if they had gone "too far" (and I'm not just talking about "milex") that saddens me, in done there I need to be reassured haha! Sorry for this rambling but I really appreciate your point of view and your analyzes ;)

first of all, thank you anon for your kind words, i really appreciate them!! <3 and don't worry about ramblings as you must know that it's all i do when answering an ask and it's what i'm gonna do now 😂

yeah, it is is saddening (and sometimes concerning) that we basically never see them together nowadays, but i think that if they were actually trying their hardest to hide then we wouldn't have spotted them at the scott walker tribute concert for example, or at that party or whatever where miles is in the background (where they both knew they could be photographed together at any time), or miles wouldn't have said many times that alex goes over to his place or they have dinner and such, or alex wouldn't have asked miles to support them in ireland (and the fact that these were the last shows... of course he wanted to end it with a bang -this could be interpreted in more ways than one-), etc. i thought that the hug in london was very very sweet and so intimate, and even the one in ireland in the dark was cute (the lack of sntm was weird), not to mention alex singing to and pointing at miles so unashamedly (c'mon, he must've known people would figure it out but didn't care). zackery's wedding was a weird one as they were seated apart from each other, but there is no way that they didn't talk to each other - there just isn't any evidence.

i know there are people who say that this is done deliberately by alex's pr team and because they saw the effects of the eycte tour and don't want people to start going crazy over them and ignore louise in the meantime and get the rumours starting about his sexuality... i'm not sure whether to believe this or not. it seems a bit too far-fetched, but who knows 🤷‍♀️ i wouldn't be too surprised it was at least a little true.

speaking of evidence, we know how hard louise tries to show off and exploits her boyfriend and how silly it all looks in the end... to me, miles not posting about alex just means that what they have is reserved for them and them only. the pictures miles has in his phone with/of alex are just theirs, their memories are just theirs, whenever they hang out and the moments they share are just theirs - and this is so important. love, in whatever form, shouldn't be used as a tool to make others jealous or to post in order to gain likes or get people talking - it should be something more private, more precious, something to share between the two of you that is yours only - this should be enough for happiness. maybe after eycte and the fans' reactions they decided to keep their relationship and their private life a little more private. besides, it was always the girlfriends that posted alex a lot and not miles, and i'm not sure he wasn't too big of a fan of that, given... well, everything we know about him, and this interview from 2016:

Like Chung, Bagley has been known to post a lot of pictures of herself looking impossibly attractive on Instagram. There she is posing with her dog, posing naked in the bath … but never, as far as I can tell, posing with Turner. Is that because he’d rather not be there? “I don’t recall submitting that request, but I’m not sorry about it if I’m not on there.”

i think that miles is just simply respecting what he knows about alex and his dislike of social media, and he knows that posting photos with alex would only result in getting more likes than usual and people saying that he's profiting off of his fame. alex and their relationship means more to him than a few likes and reposts.

#and as the post was getting embarassingly long - don't worry too much about tlsp3. let's have more faith in our boys and their love; #i think it's all gonna work out in the end for them #(there i go with my infinite positivity when it comes to them; i can't help it. them and what they have is too special for tlsp3 #not to happen) #who cares if we have to wait 10 more years? the time will come again some day #alex turner #miles kane #milex #tlsp #the last shadow puppets #tlsp3 #anon

[wetratheadcanons]

some battinson headcanons cause i still think about him almost a year later but 60% is actually just me projecting onto him

is autistic (obviously), but also has adhd

he also deals with intrusive thoughts, it's why his no-kill-policy is so important to him

loves video games, obscure internet lore and horror - especially analog horror and found footage

his favourite games are project deepweb, he solved it in just a little under 2 hours, and vampyr, he always plays the pacifist run despite it being harder

has a whole wall dedicated to the five nights at freddy's lore, scott cawthorne might be his biggest enemy

absolute animal magnet despite being kinda terrified of all of them

can't go anywhere that has animals because they're immediately flocking to him

the whole "introvert at a party finds the dog" - situation but instead the dog finds bruce and refuses to leave

ace was the first animal bruce wasn't ever really scared of, alfred thinks he may have been trained to be a psychiatric service dog prior to his adoption

wherever bruce is in the tower, ace isn't far away, his presence calms bruce

prefers loud music, he doesn't like being alone in his head too much and the noise helps him

apart from nirvana and my chemical romance, his favourite bands are ghost and ice nine kills because he likes their consistent themes

selina gifted him a pair of pink cat-ear headphones once and they're the only pair he ever wears at home

he claims it's just because they're comfortable but everyone knows it's because he loves them

eats when he's hungry but rarely at specific times, it doesn't make sense to him

he can't really eat after waking up

doesn't eat meat, he feels like it lies too heavy in his stomach

he also doesn't like the smell of cooked meats or fish

he loves sour fruits and has a mild sweet tooth

has a caffeine addiction but he doesn't like the taste of coffee, prefers black and green tea (to alfred's delight) and energy drinks (to alfred's horror)

he's trans ftm who is either gay or bi with a preference for men (he doesn't know and doesn't care to find out)

selina and him never went further than their kiss, bruce will always put gotham before anything else (until dick comes along) and selina needs a freedom that he can't give her

they also both realised it was a spur of the moment thing since they barely knew each other at that time and found they're better off friends

they're co-parenting a kitten though it's adorable really

bruce found her half dead on patrol one night and called selina in a panic about what to do, they named her chewy

ace loves chewy, she sleeps on his head, bruce has an entire folder on his phone dedicated to pictures of them

had a robin hood phase when he was 6, tried to steal from his parents to give to people in need

alfred continually reminds him of this after he takes in dick

his favourite rogue is ivy, they have important conversations (as in ivy talks and bruce hngs) about climate change while bruce tries to stop her from murder

he implements policies build after her ideals into wayne enterprise

his respect for her rises after she gets together with harley

for all that he fights it, he can't sleep without the sound of gotham - which includes gotham typical crime

he thrives when he's alone, it's how he does his best work, be it batman or wayne enterprise

has trouble admitting defeat, dick joining him as robin helped him in that department a great deal

is pierced. he did almost all of them himself, alfred has a heart attack everytime he spots a new one

the public has a weird badboy image of him, bruce has no idea where it came from

doesn't bruise easily but is still constantly in pain

has an absolute shit posture, social anxiety and crime fighting don't help

sleeps in the worst positions humanly possible

has a weird thing about mirrors, avoids them as much as he can

doesn't give interviews ever, it's part being a social recluse, part everything the press did to his parents, part hating to be perceived

has troubles with empathy, but his compassion makes up for it in great detail

dick uses him as a jungle gym, he pretends to be annoyed but secretly loves it

when bruce is working on cases in the cave, dick hangs head down off of bruce's back with his legs over bruce's shoulders

dick claims it helps him think, bruce knows it's because he doesn't want to be alone

bruce loves the relationship dick and selina have, might be a little jealous that cat got through to the boy much faster than him though

after taking in dick, bruce makes sure to show alfred that he actually does see him as a father figure - regrets all the times he told him that alfred's not his father

that's all i have for now

#the batman #bruce wayne #battinson #bruce wayne headcanon #headcanons #platonic batcat #dick grayson #batman #dc comics #catwoman #the batman 2022 #alfred pennyworth #selina kyle #battinson headcanons

[cladestine]

prompt: y/n and jennie trying to hide their relationship. however, it turns out everyone knows they're dating.

genre: fluff

note: this is the last jennie x reader fic in my draft. im planning to write rosé x reader fics next. i appreciate the support. same drill, i would love if you visit my ask box hehe. link in bio.

If Sherlock Holmes is alive right now, he will surely be proud to both of you. The way you two are so cautious, mindful, and attentive to your surroundings, even he would not speculate that You and Jennie are in a relationship.

"Jennie", you greeted and bowed lightly. "What floor?" you continued when she hopped on the elevator. It's the most casual greeting you can muster on your head, and since no one in the elevator reacted to your advances, you're kind of proud of yourself for pulling it off smoothly. 

"Y/N, ground floor please. Thank you so much." Jennie greeted back. The tone of her voice was so formal, it sounded like she was in an interview or having a conversation with her bosses. Jennie almost patted herself on the back for how she sounded so casual. On her mind, Jennie did a great job. 

"Isn't it a lovely weather?" You pushed your luck to create a small interaction with Jennie. You also want to test the waters if Jennie's members and your friends react to it; fortunately, they are all on their phones, scrolling their boredom out until they get to the ground floor. Everyone is not paying attention except for Hank, Chaeyoung's dog, who's busy looking at the sandwich you are holding. 

"Yes." I like the weather today," Jennie replied. Her voice sounded like a robot who's programmed to talk to strangers. To other people who are in the elevator, Jennie sounded weird and awkward, but for Jennie herself, she thinks she sounded casual.

The room got quiet after Jennie's reply. The only sound that can be heard is the elavator's old music.

You are looking at the screen of the elevator, watching the numbers go down at an agonizingly slow pace. In your peripheral vision, you saw Hank still looking at your sandwich. You contemplated for a second, but you faced the dog and smiled.

"Hey baby! You hungry? " You open the sandwich and split it into half. You're planning to share it with Hank, but before doing so, you look at Chaeyoung for permission. "Hank would lov-" Chaeyoung did not finish what she said, and the whole elevator got quiet. Even Hank's tail stopped wagging because of what Jennie said.

"Not really. But thanks for offering, love," Jennie mindlessly blurted out while scrolling through her phone. She got too invested in looking at her Instagram, so when she heard you ask a question, unconsciously, she responded to it because "baby" is what you call Jennie.

You and Jennie were frozen on the spot. No one dares to talk or move or even breathe. Hank did not want the sandwich anymore and just looked at the both of you, basically judging how you had disappointed Sherlock Holmes.

The elevator dinged, indicating that all of you are now on the ground floor. Jennie cleared her throat, then yanked your arm away on the elevator—away from all of your friends.

All of your friends watched you two leave. "Pay up" Kayday, one of you and Jennie's friend said. Half of the people on the elevator groaned but proceeded to take out money from their wallets. 

"God, I thought it would be a month or two. I did not expect that they would slip up in just two weeks. It's not even a close bet," Jisoo said while half of her friends were cheering while splitting the money up.

"Sherlock Holmes, my ass," Hank barked. That's what he probably said since his mother lost the bet, as he looked at where you and Jennie ran.

#blackpink x reader #jennie #jennie imagines #jennie scenario #jennie x reader #jennie fluff #jennie kim x reader #jennie reactions #jennie scenarios #jennie kim

[lilchibi-chan]

Heyy! Love ur character x idol! Reader, I was wondering if u could do Dabi x idol! Reader. And it’s a secret relationship obvi. Tyy

Hiiii!! Thank you so much for the kind words and I can definitely do this for you!

𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

dabi x idol! reader secret relationship

As an idol, you have a very busy schedule. From recording to dance practice to interviews to traveling and sometimes the overall pressure from fans and even yourself, it can be stressful.

You and your group finally have some time to yourselves when you get a text.

“Hey, let’s meet at our spot.”

You get up from your bed, grab you jacket, bag and phone and head out of your room. You see a couple of your band mates in the kitchen at the table.

“I’m heading out, do you guys need or want anything,” you ask them

“Can you bring back some chicken for dinner? I’ve been craving it,” Yongji, your band mate and best friend says

“Sure! Amelie, would you like anything,” you ask

“I’m cool with chicken too,” she says

“Okay! I’ll let you know when I’m on my way back,” you say

“Have fun!,” they say in unison

You and Dabi started dating a five months ago and your group, Flora, debuted 3 months ago. Company policy is that you’re not allowed to date for the first 3 years of group activity and if you get caught, you’ll be put on probation.

You decided to keep it a secret because you JUST started dating and you didn’t want to let him go. Yes, he is rougher around the edges than other guys, but he could be very sweet when he wanted to be. He also had a certain charisma that you just couldn’t ignore. An aura that you just couldn’t get passed.

Any time you have a moment with him, you cherish it always since they can be few and far in between. You both try to call or text as much as possible since you don’t see each other much.

You made it to the meeting place first and took in the view of Seoul. Everything seemed so small from where you were. There was no stress of school, no worrying about your vocals or dance moves. It felt like you were separate from everything.

A pair of hands cover your eyes.

“Guess who,” the husky, low voice says

“Hmmm let me think…Felix from Stray Kids,” you say teasing

“Haha very funny,” he says

“I was only kidding Touya,” you say, playfully pushing him

You’re the only person he lets call him that.

He cups your face in his hands and kisses you deeply. You wrap you arms around his neck and he pulls you in closer.

He pulls away and both of your breaths are heavy.

“I missed you…so much,” he says

You both catch your breath and he lays a blanket out for both of you to sit/lay on. He brought some of your favorite snacks and some drinks and organized them on the blanket.

“I figured we could have a little picnic before you need to get back. I know they’re pretty strict with curfew,” he says

“Touya,” you say feeling touched

“We don’t get to see each other much and as proud of you as I am, I just want to make every time I see you special. You deserve that much at least,” he says looking out into the distance instead of really looking at you

“Baby, look at me,” you say

He turns his head and you pull him in by his chin and place a soft kiss on his lips.

“What was that for,” he says with a smirk on his lips

“Just to say thank you for always making me feel special,” you say and kiss him again

“It’s so weird no to see you as much after school as I used to. How’s Yongji by the way,” he says

“She’s good, still her bubbly and outgoing self. She helps me get through the struggles of this whole lifestyle. It’s nice to have someone I grew up with go through this with me,” you say

“That’s good. What about the other members,” he asks

“They’re good too. I’m surprise you care so much,” you say jokingly

“Hey, I care because it’s you. I care about you and how you’re doing and how you’re being treated. You’re…the most precious thing to me,” he says honestly

You rest your head on his shoulder and just look out over the city. He places a hand to your cheek and caresses it.

You put your hand on his and caress the back of his hand with your thumb.

He places a kiss on your forehead.

“Do you wanna eat some of the snacks now,” he asks

“Sure,” you say smiling

You spent the next couple of hours talking about classes and the shows you’ve been on and anything else that may come to mind.

“What do you wanna do next? I was thinking we could go to the park,” he says

“I would love to, but I don’t know if that’ll be safe,” you say

“C’mon, isn’t that the best part of being in a secret relationship, the risk of getting caught,” he says intriguingly

“Dabi…I don’t know,” you say honestly

“Y/N, I promise you’ll be safe. We’re gonna be in a spot that no one goes to, it’ll be fine,” he says reassuring you

“O-okay,” you say finally giving in

The whole time you’re on the way to the park, you can feel your nerves taking over. You worry about if someone’s watching you or if someone could be watching, but you’re also thinking about the thrill of sneaking around with the boy you love.

It reminds of Romeo and Juliet, of course without the problematic age difference and the unaliving. Two people from now different worlds, with different lives, trying to do what they can to make their love work.

Dabi holds out his hand as you both come to a brick wall with shrubbery covering it.

“C’mon my little bundle of nerves,” he says

“How did you-”

“Anyone could feel them radiating off of you from miles away,” he says

“Let’s go,” he says, hand still outstretched for you

You pensively grab hold, as he guides you through the shrubbery that was hiding a hole in the wall.

“This leads to the farthest part of the park, where no one ever comes and no one can see us,” he starts,“it has a giant field and the flowers are in bloom right now, so I figured it would be the perfect place for a date with you.”

When you finally make it, you’re blown away by how beautiful it is.

“Dabi…this is incredible,” you say with an awe filled voice

“I’m glad you like it,” he says with a proud smile

“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you find this place,” you say curiously

He pauses for a second

“I wanted to get away from home,” he says honestly

“The sun was setting, but I just couldn’t take being there, so I left and I came to the park, but there were so many people. None of them were who I wanted to be with, so I walked until I made it here. I don’t really know if no one’s ever come up here, but I’ve come at all times and no one is ever here when I am so, now this can be our place,” he says

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much,” you say sadly

“You don’t have to feel guilty or sad nor should you blame yourself. You’re following your dream and I couldn’t be more proud of you,” he says

“Yeah,but..I wish I could be there for you more,” you say honestly

“Y/N, you have a talent and it needs to be shared. You have one of the most amazing voices I’ve ever heard and you shouldn’t be caged like a bird. You need to be free to share that voice. Don’t let my problems stop you from experiencing this chance to the fullest,” he says, leaving you speechless

“Didn’t expect me to say that much, did ya,” he says, causing small giggles to escape both of you

“No I didn’t,” you say through laughs,“but thank you. I’ll continue to make you and our fans proud. I’ll work hard, but I also promise to be there for you whenever I have even a millisecond of free time.”

“I’ll be cheering you on every step of the way,” he says

You look at your phone and it reads 6:30 pm.

“Oh my gosh, I didn’t even realize the time. Ugh I should head back now. Yongji and Amelie are waiting for me,” you say

“I guess this is see you later then,” he says and you notice a sting of sadness in his voice

You kiss his right cheek, then his nose, move to his left cheek and lastly his lips. You place on them a deep and lingering kiss.

“I-I love you, Touya,” you confess honestly

“I’m not good at this kind of stuff, but I l-love y-you too,” he says nervously

“Text me when you get back in. I’ll leave after you,” he says and places a peck on your lips before you go.

As you keep walking, you look back to make sure he’s watching. To make sure he sees you and feels the love you feel for him. To see if he knows just how hard you’re going to work. To let him know that no matter how big you get, you won’t let him go. You will be there for him always.

I hope you enjoyed and as I said in my previous text post, I am so sorry for lack of writing as I have been going through so many changes irl, but I will try to set aside time when I can to write and post. Thank you so much for your request. All requests are appreciated and I do enjoy taking my time to give y’all a story that you and I are both proud of.

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #mha #bnha #my hero academia headcanons #my hero headcanons #boku no hero academia headcanons #boku no hero headcanons #dabi #dabi mha #dabi my hero academia #dabi bnha #dabi boku no hero academia #touya todoroki #dabi x reader #dabi x you #Dabi x idol! reader #mha x idol! reader #bnha x idol! reader #dabi headcanons #secret relationship #mha secret relationship #bnha secret relationship

[aoparteilee]

Alya With a Chance of Defamation

Words: 1,230

Part 1 (here) - Part 2 (Soon)

Summary: Alya Césaire wasn't stupid. As an aspiring journalist, she knew to fact-check, double check, and every other check. She could connect details faster than her phone connects to the school wifi. And while she wore glasses, her eyes are ones of hawk's when spotting holes in a story.

She's also not a suck-up, or too much of a snitch. If something isn't harmful, she's gonna let it slide. What she won't let slide, however, is the deliberate dragging of her best friend's name.

or, Alya isn't as dense as she is in canon

When Lila Rossi first comes to Dupont, stories of travels and claims of connections spilling from her very bangs, involving a certain red and black clad super-heroine, Alya is a bit hind-sighted. Ladybug is not an easy lady to come by to request an interview, and while her partner in crime-fighting was a bit more open to conversations, the looming threat of identities that came in the form of beeping noises often pulled him away before he could share more.

She had many questions. How did they acquire their miraculous jewelry? How many miraculi were out there? Are there other ways besides Ladybug's yoyo and Chat Noir's Cataclysm to terminate akumas and prevent akumatizations? Do they have any leads on Hawkmoth's whereabouts and identity? Will they leave once Hawkmoth is gone?

Marinette had snagged her an interview with the heroine before, but it had been more about her thoughts surrounding her heroism and how the super suit worked.

She is brimming with excitement to question the new student when she remembers one, tiny detail: How could Lila even know Ladybug before coming to Paris?

According to the girl, she first came from Italy before moving here because her parents were important Italian diplomats. Knowing about Ladybug's existence is possible. By this point of time news of the superheroes has become old and accepted as something that just is and another weird thing about France. But how could a girl all the way in Italy personally know a superhero in Paris who most likely, lives in Paris.

Alya won't write it down as fact, but judging from how akuma attacks were always in Paris, whomever had given Ladybug and Chat Noir their miraculi must have given it to people from Paris. If, hypothetically, Ladybug were from Italy, she gets to Paris so fast it's unreal. How do person all the way across the continent hear about an akumatization so fast they get to Paris in around 5 minutes?

She looks beside her, to her best friend, and from the looks of it Marinette is thinking along the same lines. She's wearing a frown and her nose is scrunched in that manner that she only ever does when Chloe is being more irritating than usual.

Something is rotten in the state of Lila Rossi.

Okay, Alya will admit, she- as a little kid, mind you- had lied to her fellow students about whatever was trending being something she followed to sound cool. Everyone at one point lied about something to sound cool in front of their peers. It's a part of the beautiful cycle of life! But this is getting out of hand.

Lying about knowing celebrities is one thing, but making promises about helping her classmates reach their dreams with her "connections" was just mean. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes when Lila had told her about setting her up an appointment with Ladybug for an interview. She politely declined, wrapping her arm around Marinette's shoulder and saying, "Thanks, but there's no need, Lila. Miss Dupain-Cheng over here happens to also be friends with Ladybug. In fact, my blog's most viewed video, an interview with Ladybug, was arranged by her! I think I'm all set."

Marinette gives a small grin and flicks the hand by her shoulder playfully.

Lila's expression falters, her mouth twisting down from her welcoming 'I-can-grant-you-opportunities' smile into a displeased downturn.

Bingo.

She quickly smiles again, and moves to harass Mylene with her actor connections.

Alya is not a genius psychoanalyzing scholar. She's never been too good at reading people, often being labeled a bit naive back in her old school. But she's not stupid, nor is she blind. She saw and she knows.

Fortunately for Lila, she hasn't lied about something stupid and illegal enough that Alya would feel the need to call her out for.

She's lied before, so what if this girl's a little more intense? No harm done. Her friends aren't stupid nor blind either.

As long as no one is getting hurt, who cares if the new girl is trying to show off a bit?

Marinette cares. Marinette cares a lot.

"You do know Ladybug wouldn't publicly have a best friend right?" she squished Alya's cheeks, making her laugh a bit. "That would be dumb, because then the said best friend would be targeted by Hawkmoth and-"

"Babes, relax, I know she's a little bit of a liar," Alya reassures. "Just don't bother with her. Soon enough the hype will die down and she'll realize we're humoring her. You never lied to sound cool before?"

Marinette paused, then seemed to relax, slumping against her. "Oh. Good. Okay, so at least you know."

Alya laughed again.

What was Marinette worried about? Lila's a harmless liar. It'll die down in a few days, probably.

"Marinette, I don't know what rough fight you and Ladybug might have gone through, but that's no excuse to threaten her identity!" Lila exclaimed the very next day to confused but listening class, if only to humor the girl. "Don't you know what could happen if Hawkmoth were to find out?"

Marinette blinked tiredly up at the girl, bags under her eyes and hair askew. "Say that again? My ears are still ringing from that commotion last night."

Yesterday's akuma had been a little boy who loved New Years and was frustrated that the date was taking so long to come. With Hawkmoth being the negativity leech he is, he had turned the boy into Fireworker, who made loud booming noises across Paris that resembled fireworks and shot beautiful lights at the two heroes who tried to get a grasp at what the akuma's object was while trying not to explode in beautiful lights. It had gone until 2 AM, when they realized the boy had actually left the object in his drawer figuring it was the safest place in the world.

Poor Marinette lived in the bakery that was right on the street where the akuma and the heroes were fighting and couldn't sleep with the noise.

Lila flusters, but goes on. "Yesterday! Ladybug told me how selfish you were and wouldn't help with the akuma! Then you threatened her identity after calling her annoying! For sake, the fight was right next to you!"

She expected people from the class to back her up on this, but no one did. They all looked at her like she'd grown two heads, both of which were empty.

Alya is the first to break the awkward silence. "Ladybug avoids asking civilians for help unless she's absolutely desperate. Beside the usual dangers of the akuma last night being destructive to buildings, it was nowhere out of the ordinary and Ladybug and Chat Noir ended up defeating the akuma on their own."

While her classmates back her up, and Lila begins to panic, Marinette is still looking groggy. She looks as if she hadn't heard a word. Alya couldn't blame her, while the Miraculous cure worked wonders to property damage, it didn't really change the effects the akuma had on people.

Encouraging Marinette to sleep, she silently fumed. She hadn't cared for Lila's lies at first. Everyone lies sometimes, after all. But this was deliberate. Trying to slander her best friend of all people?

Lila forgets, Alya is a journalist. And she knows a thing or two about bringing someone down with words.

#alya cesaire #alya sugar #lila salt #lila rossi #lila gets whats coming for her #soon enough #mlb #fanfic #fic #prompt #au #mlb au #au where people have braincells #except lila apparently but whats new really

[bedtimestoriesforbrokengirls]

The Daily Dad — Dec 21, 2023

Things you might want to know:

Olivia Dunne alleges she's been 'shadow banned' by TikTok as views plummet 💭 Whenever I see quotes from Livvy Dunne, I’m slightly surprised to remember she has a voice. On my phone, the girl’s always on mute.

Jonathan Majors Dropped By Marvel After Guilty Verdict, Will No Longer Play Kang The Conqueror In Upcoming Films 💭 Fuck it, call Eddie Murphy. Kang can be played by literally anyone, while Eddie’s got the balls to step into the middle of a massive franchise-in-motion, the acting chops to deliver solid work, and the ability to bring a winking bit of fun to what would otherwise be an awkward recasting.

What Happens When Facebook Heats Your Home ❝ Big Tech data centers are not only being used to power the internet but also to heat people’s homes. But who’s really winning when Facebook keeps you warm at night?

Tom Cruise, 61, spotted canoodling with Russian socialite, 36, who has $1M handbag collection: report 💭 Does a gentleman canoodle before or after finger-banging his lady fair?

Donald Trump Used to Get Nazi Greeting at Work: Ivana 💭 I’m less struck by Trump’s everyday fetishization of genocidal lunatics than by the blasé reaction of everyone around him. He was never crazy-rich, after all, and his zero-sum greed was legendary… so kissing his ass wasn’t that profitable. I feel like people just “let it go” because it was impossible to take seriously the actions of such a trivial man.

The Scott Pilgrim Anime Backlash, Explained ❝ Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off doesn’t adapt the source material, and reactions have been mixed

They Didn’t Ask to Go Viral. Posting on Social Media Without Consent Is Immoral 💭 Mass-media outlets used to conduct themselves with a level of decorum: they’d illustrate a story about obesity with a sidewalk shot of dozens of fat people, but they’d always crop out or blur the heads. Today’s internet prank fucks and click-chasing scolds have no concept of restraint. And this is why we can’t have nice things.

Suspects can refuse to provide phone passcodes to police, court rules ❝ Phone-unlocking case law is "total mess," may be ripe for Supreme Court review.

Gossip TikToks Are Carving Away Privacy IRL 💭 This is super-creepy, and is one of those weird little phenomena that are actually more relevant to day-to-day life than the techno-panic over a half-dozen dumbfucks deliriously jerking off to Bin Laden’s manifesto on TikTok.

Gen Z falls for online scams more than their boomer grandparents do 💭 Well of course they do. Boomer grandparents get scammed via phone calls, while the Permanently Online get screwed via text. Into every generation are born a host of dumbasses.

Lara Croft: The Art of Virtual Seduction is the ultimate cringey relic of late '90s game advertising 💭 I can honestly say that nothing about ‘90s Lara Croft ever gave me a boner, but the novelty of the character design did make me play the original game for an hour or two more than I would have if Lara had been replaced by a more masculine set of triangles.

Twitch immediately rescinds its artistic nudity policy ❝ Mere days after Twitch updated its content policy to permit certain kinds of sexual content, the platform has withdrawn the portion of the policy permitting “artistic nudity.”

The buttons on Zenith’s original ‘clicker’ remote were a mechanical marvel 💭 We had one of these when I was a kid, and their mechanical nature meant that most primordial dads were super-protective of their Space Commands. It was entirely possible to wear out the mechanism, so no one else was allowed to touch The Precious. Naturally, I clicked the fuck out of it anytime he was gone.

John Waters and David Lynch really love Lana Del Rey ❝ This isn’t the first time Waters has praised Del Rey. “She’s very David Lynch to me,” he added in the RS interview. “She infuriates people, but I think she’s in on it. I really want her to hook up with David Lynch, because he produces great albums these days.”

Next Beeper Mini Fix Requires Users to Have a Mac - MacRumors 💭 This whole micro-drama is like watching a bored cat playing with an ambitiously stupid mouse.

Walton Goggins' Fallout Role Is Far More Interesting Than It May Seem ❝ Nolan also revealed that they intentionally dialed back on The Ghoul’s prosthetics in order to ensure that Goggins’ performance comes through all that makeup. As Nolan explains, the team didn’t want to hinder the reasons they cast Goggins in the first place by burying him in makeup.

Holly Marie Combs Reveals That 'Charmed' Co-Star Alyssa Milano Got Shannen Doherty Fired: "By Today's Standards, It Wouldn’t F***ing Fly" ❝ And he said, ‘We didn’t mean to.’ He said that we’ve been backed into this corner. We’re basically in a position where it’s one or the other. We were told that’s her or me, and Alyssa [Milano] has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment.

2023 in social media: the case for the fediverse ❝ A new kind of social internet is currently forming. Right now it might still look like “Twitter and Reddit, only different,” but that’s only the very beginning of what’s to come. Hopefully.

GoodLinks Adds Even Deeper Shortcuts Integration with Ability to Retrieve Current Article, Selections, and More 💭 I’m experimenting with using this as the basis for my Daily Dad workflow… unlike the previous process, I can write these blurbs outside Tumblr and keep them searchable and organized in a dedicated datastore. We’ll see how it works.

#news