#mad KuKu

[pyonzzz]

you uh... you play nu: carnival? 👉👈👀 how ya likin the halloween event so far lol

AUGH i love nuc ........ i havent been able to play the event much because i need to transfer my save data to my new phone , but the costumes ....... hopefully my yakumo unfortunate is on my side ( homecoming has come home twice on different event banners , yakumo i know you want me )

#tesla tag #i was so mad when i kept getting kuku because each time i was pulling for kuya wwe #the malewife wants me ........ sigh !!! #blessed with a curse

[creative-heart]

"Where the world made sense" Kuku x (fem!) reader

A/N: Hi lovelies!! Ok, so here goes another one, I think THE man Esteban Kukuriczka is the loveliest man ever! and I wanted to get in there with some angsty fluff for any and all who love this adorable dork. I really hope you enjoy it, it kinda came about with Shakira’s song “Antologia” for my spanish speaking girlies.

TW: Angst, fluff, may be a little mention to smut,just some kissing, social drinking and smoking, nothing too bad.

Word Count: 1.9k

Where Kuku and Y/N finally stop being stubborn and get back where they belong, to eachother

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Three years had gone by since Kuku left the apartment Y/N and him shared, three whole years, and the brunette still walked around in that old Rolling Stones t-shirt he had left behind when he packed his bags, she had never had the heart to reach out and give it back. Three years had gone by and it was the first time she was facing the chance of seeing him again, since the break up, Y/N had been adamant not to cross paths with him, even if it meant, making special plans for her cousin Matias’ birthday. This year though, it was different, he had begged her to come to his party, and she hadn’t had the heart to refuse him he was after all, the favorite of the bunch.

As Y/N got ready padding barefoot around the apartment trying to find the leather miniskirt she wanted to wear she kept circling back to the overbearing thought of Kuku being there, he would probably be, he was Mati’s best friend after all, she didn’t know if it was that chance of seeing him or what, but she kept changing outfits trying to look perfect as she took a glance at the time on the clock on her night stand- she was late, of course- “fuck fuck fuck” she muttered under her breath while she jumped around on one foot trying to put on her higheels and run out the door.

On her drive over, Y/N couldn’t stop replaying their whole relationship in her head, from that first awkward yet adorable hello at the wrap party for the movie, to the lazy fluttery kisses the brown haired sweetheart used to pepper her face with every morning, she remembered the first piece of furniture they bought for the apartment, and the first present she ever gifted him. It all felt so fresh, it all still stung too bad, maybe it wouldn’t have if something bad would have happened for them to break it off back then, maybe it would be easier if she could hate him, but of course she couldn’t, how could you hate the sweetest person alive?- what happened was that you weren’t important enough, he was never home, he always had better plans, remember?- she forced herself to be mad, she had felt so alone back then, and whenever she talked to him about it, kuku dismissed it as being nonsense. She sighed as she parked in front of her cousin’s place, she could hear the music roaring all the way from down on the street. She took a few minutes to compose herself, she knew she was going to cry if she went up immediately, so she got out of her red mini, rested against the closed door and light up a cigarette.

~~~~~

She fixed her staple bright red lipstick while she rode the elevator up to the loud apartment and took a deep breath before knocking on the door, she had her arms opened, half expecting the birthday boy  to come greet her and as soon as the door started to open she exclaimed “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE SECOND BEST RECALT ON THIS EARTH!” and flung herself onto what she believed to be Matias’ arms only to be met by the perfume she knew oh so well, she wanted to stay in Esteban’s embrace forever, but she pulled away immediately brushing a strand of hair behind her ear and looking down so he couldn’t see her blushing.

“Oh shoot, Sorry Ku- Esteban” she corrected herself “I expected Mati to open the door, I didn’t mean to hu-” her sentence was cut short when he rested his warm soft hand on her forearm to calm her down and let her in.

“Nothing to apologize for babe” he said, the pet name coming as second nature to him when it came to Y/N he moved to the side so she could come in and took the chance to look her up and down -damn she looks absolutely breathtaking, she always had, how I ever got so lucky is the world’s greatest mystery- he wanted to kick himself for letting her go, for not fighting harder, he was still after all these years, undeniably, utterly and completely in love with the dark haired girl. Once she had made her way into the apartment, like she owned the place, commanding the scene as she did anywhere she went, he closed the door and went straight to the kitchen where his friend was.

Matias looked up at him from the snacks he was serving “what’s the matter with you, you look as if you’ve seen a ghost” he chuckled- I MIGHT AS WELL HAVE-  Esteban screamed internally and leaned over.

“you hadn’t told me Y/N would be here tonight, why didn’t you tell me?” The younger looked at his friend and laughed so loudly the whole building might have heard.

“Of course she was gonna be here, she’s my cousin, plus you guys broke up what…three years ago?” he quirked an eyebrow up at kuku “about time you saw each other again” he smirked and walked out giving him a wink. Matias very well knew they were both still stupidly in love with each other, and that the only reason they hadn’t gotten back together was because they were both too damn head strong to admit that they had made a mistake and that they missed eachother.

Esteban stood at the kitchen’s doorway, and there was Y/N as beautiful as ever talking to Malena and Pipe, wine glass in hand looking as beautiful as ever- no, she looks better than ever- and he could watch her all his damn life, seeing how her eyes crinkled at the corners when she laughed, that laugh that filled up any room, that came straight from her heart, head tilted back, free hand clutching over her stomach. And her hair, her long brown hair, perfectly done up with those waves that she would spend hours getting to be how she wanted them to, how he hated it when she sat on the floor, curling iron in hand, brow furrowed in concentration, he knew they would be late to wherever they had to go when he saw that, and yet, he would never change that sight. He quickly looked away when he felt her gaze fall on him, but he could see the soft sad smile painted on her lips, and he hated to be the reason for it to be there.

~~~~~

As the night went on Y/N still hadn’t mastered the courage to go up to kuku and talk to him again, she knew she couldn’t, she would cry, or throw herself in his arms, or both, and she wouldn’t let that happen, so instead, she grabbed her third…no, fourth glass of wine and stepped out to the balcony to have a smoke, she needed the fresh air, she could feel the booze getting to her head. she light it up and rested against the rail, closing her eyes and letting her head fall backwards a little bit, enjoying the chill air, she didn’t even realize when the balcony door opened and out came that head full of gorgeous brown hair.

“I see you still haven’t broken the habit” Kuku said softly a small smile tugging at the edge of his lips as he saw the girl jump a little bit “oh sorry, didn’t mean to startle you”.

Y/N opened her eyes, and looked at Esteban, god he was still every bit as handsome as she remembered him to be and smiled softly “Not an easy one to break” she cleared her throat -especially when you’re drunk, sad and want to have your lips on his not on the cigarette- she thought to herself.

“It’s nice seeing you again Y/N/N” he started off quietly, hands fidgeting on the balcony rail as he stood beside her facing the street “I must say I was surprised to see you here, thought you would keep avoiding me” she looked at him again and had to fight the urge to brush that stubborn strand of hair off his face, it would always get in his eyes.

“I thought about it for a bit, but I had promised Mati, and I couldn’t break that” she stated before she could filter out the truth she kept looking at him she could look at him all her life “you look good, how have you been?” Y/N said quietly and bit her  lip seeing him shrug.

“busy…okay I guess” he turned to look at her, eyes immediately drawn to her red lips, god what those did to his heart “Mati told me you finally got the job, you’re now officially a model, congrats, I knew you would get it”- so he asked about me- Y/N thought as she nodded and just leaned in pressing a soft kiss to his lips, probably wine induced, and he returned it softly at first, and a bit needier as it went on, he had missed that, but he pulled away, she was clearly drunk “no, babygirl, I think it’s time for you to go home, you’ve had a bit to drink, come on” he said taking the glass of wine.

“Don’t call me that” she whined, not because she didn’t like it, but because it made her want him to keep saying it. He chuckled and threw his hands up in defeat.

“Come on, I’ll take you home” he said, and with that they left Matia’s apartment.

~~~~~

When they got to Y/N’s apartment, Esteban helped her out of her car and walked her up the stairs to the apartment they used to share and bit his lip while getting the door opened, once they were inside, he turned around “okay, this is where I say good-” he was cut off by her lips crashing onto his once more, still soft, but with a longing that hadn’t been there before, his hands instinctively went to her waist and he pulled her closer not wanting to break the kiss he took her back to the couch, he still knew the place like the back of his hand. When Y/N went to take her top off he stopped her hands, it took all he had in him to do so, but he did, and she sighed and sat up. 

“You don’t want me” she frowned looking down feeling stupid “I should have known” and he sat down laughing which pulled a furious look from those gorgeous green eyes.

“Oh no, believe me, I do, I have dreamt of this moment for three years, I want you more than I ever have, but you’re drunk, and if I’m gonna have sex with you again, I want you to be in all your senses, plus we have lots to talk about still” he stroked her cheek lovingly, he had missed this, and she nodded softly leaning into his touch.

“stay the night?” she looked into his eyes playing with his free hand and he nodded.

She smiled softly and walked him to the bedroom they once shared, taking her clothes off and throwing on his shirt. He smiled seeing that and got in bed with her, pulling her into his arms, determined to not let her go ever again, she fitted in there like it was meant to be, his chest had ached for her head to lay on it once more, and here they were, once again where the world made sense, once again where nothing else mattered.

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A/N: OFC he wouldn’t want to go all the way if Y/N was drunk, that’s how much of a gentleman he is. Hope you enjoyed it!  Also, let me know ig you want me to tag you in my next ones.

@madame-fear

#esteban kukuriczka #Kuku fics #Fluff #Angst #Angsty fluff #fanfics #fics #lsdln x reader #lsdln cast #matias recalt #esteban kukuriczka fics

[jessicaloons]

Chapter 32:

Don't say I didn't, say I didn't warn ya…

Masterlist - Previous - Next

I woke up to sunbeams warming up my skin and turned around, the bed next to me empty. Yawning I snuggled back into the warm sheets, not wanting to get up already. Right when I was about to doze off again, the bed behind me dipped a little and Charles engulfed me in a warm embrace.

"Good morning, cara mia." he whispered in my ear, his soft stubble tickling my skin.

"You need to shave…" I mumbled and he chuckled, kissing along my jaw.

"Happy anniversary, pretty girl." he said between kisses and I smiled.

"Happy anniversary, pretty boy." I turned a little, waiting for his soft lips to press against mine, sealing them with a kiss.

"What about we start the day with a nice shower together and then head downtown to this beautiful market, having breakfast or more brunch and just enjoy a free day together? And for tonight I booked us a table at the best restaurant in town! How does that sound?" he asked and I sighed contently.

"Sounds perfect." I pecked his lips and he got up, pulling me with him and I wrapped my legs and arms around him, giggling.

"I guess I have to carry you then." he smiled at me and walked us into the bathroom.

An hour later we left the hotel where a car already waited for us, to drive us to the market.

"We have to FaceTime Pops!" Charles said as we got out of the car. He pulled his phone out and looked around for a quiet corner where we could call him to congratulate him, right as we said our goodbyes Liam chimed in.

"Guess what! We’re coming to Monaco!"

"No way!" Charles said excitedly.

"Mummy and Pops and I! And then I cheer you on!" his face lit up.

"Who me or Charlie?" I asked and he looked conflicted for a moment.

"Both of you? But it’s Charlie’s home race! So maybe a little bit more for him?" he said sheepishly

"Awww thank you, Bubba!" Charles smiled and I pouted.

"It’s my home race now as well!“

"No it’s not, silly! You just live there! But Charlie is Monegasque!" Liam laughed.

"Beautifully pronounced, Bubba! Amazing!" Charles cooed and Liam blushed a little.

"I’m speaking only French now with Oma!" he answered in French and Charles grabbed dramatically onto his heart.

"You’ll speak better than me in no time!" I said and Charles laughed.

"Then he will teach you, right?" he said looking at the screen.

"Qui!" Liam smiled "Now I gotta go, Lunch is ready! Love you! See you! Bye!" he hung up before anyone else could say something.

"Well, goodbye everyone else." I laughed and Charles pocketed his phone, taking my hand.

"Come one now! I’m hungry!" he pulled me towards the market and we strolled around, looking for a nice spot. When we sat down and ordered a little of everything two young boys walked up to us, asking for a picture with Charles and he happily obliged, while I took it. The boys then wished us both luck and scurried off, right as our food arrived.

"Okay. I have no idea where to start, but this looks delicious, what was it called again Qutab?" I took a bite of the pancake like dish "Damn that’s good! It’s filled with spinach and cheese. Here! Try it!" I held out the pastry for Charles to take a bite and he nodded, while chewing.

"That’s really good. Here, taste that. Kükü? Kuku? I don’t know how to pronounce it, it’s an omelette with herbs." he fed me a spork full and I almost moaned because of the flavour.

"Okay. Yeah. That was an amazing idea coming here, thank you!" I brushed his cheek with my knuckles and he smiled.

"I’m still a little mad that you didn’t let me buy you anything. It’s our anniversary, cara mia!" he said while I sipped on my tea, tilting my head a little "It’s my duty as a good boyfriend to spoil you!"

"It’s absolutely not…" I rolled my eyes "It would also mean that I have to buy you something as well! And it’s not so easy buying you a present! It was tough enough delivering on your birthday and Christmas over the last years! Now you want to add Valentine’s Day and our anniversary to that list? Four occasions every year to buy you something? Have mercy!"

"I said it’s my duty to spoil you and not the other way around!" he mumbled, shovelling some more food into his mouth.

"But that wouldn’t be fair to you! Ever heard of something called equality?" I chuckled and now he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah I know what that means and I want to be equal with everything, but I also want to spoil you!" he pouted and I shook my head.

"Whatever." I sighed and his eyes lit up.

"Whatever you let me spoil you?" Charles asked.

"Do whatever you want. But please stop looking at me like a lost puppy!" I laughed and he slipped his hands inside his jacket, pulling out a little box "Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed as he put it down in front of me "You carried that with you?"

"Okay listen, it’s not a present like you think it is. It’s more… umm- I don’t know how to say it! Open it." he sounded nervous and I cocked an eyebrow, opening the box. A key with a beautiful keychain inside, I took it out and then looked at him confused.

"I already have a key to your flat?" I asked and he nodded.

"This is not a key to my flat, it’s not even a key to any flat. It’s more a symbol… you know how they build more and more new buildings in Monaco?" he asked and I nodded slowly "There is this one penthouse, I want to show you. It’s amazing."

"Charles I just bought my own flat…" I began.

"It’s not for now. It’s not even finished… it’s for the future! I just want to show you, please!" he pleaded, his puppy eyes on full display.

"Okay… let’s have a look." I smiled at him and he pulled me into his arms, gently kissing me.

"You’ll love it. I promise you that."

I knew he was right, after all he knew me all too well.

Charles POV:

"Okay, how do I look? Please remember, you didn’t tell me that you would get us a table at the best restaurant in town. Otherwise I would’ve packed something way more fancy than this!" Lizzie stepped out of the bathroom, a black dress on. A black dress that hugged her body perfectly, with long sleeves, ending right above her knees.

"You look beautiful. It’s elegant, yet simple. Sexy but not too revealing. It’s perfect." I kissed her cheek, feeling a little bad that I didn’t tell her the whole truth, about our dinner reservation.

"Okay? So hair and make-up, check. Dress, check. Bag, bag, bag…" she rummaged through her suitcase and then smiled "Bag, check. What am I missing?" she looked at me and I chuckled, pointing at her legs "Oh! Shoes! Okay, yeah, shoes, check." she slipped into her black heels and stopped in front of the mirror, smoothing the dress down "Isn’t it a little too short?"

"Absolutely not, cara mia. You look amazing!" I hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek.

"Hmm… okay." our eyes met in the mirror and she smiled "You look handsome"

"Not as good as you, but that’s okay." I laughed and she rolled her eyes "Can we go now? Our car’s outside." I took her bag from the bed and she nodded slowly "Alright, then let’s go." I took her hand and pulled her with me, out of our room, down to our car.

"What even is the best restaurant in town? Did you google it?" Lizzie asked, playing with my fingers that were intertwined with hers in her lap.

"No. I know someone who was there already and they loved it." I said and she looked out of the window "Don’t worry, they have vegetarian options." I squeezed her hand and she smiled "It’s not that far away actually, maybe we can take a walk back to the hotel…"

"With these shoes?" she snorted and I laughed.

"Maybe not." I looked outside, the little street looking familiar, when the car stopped "We’re here." I got out of the car and walked around, opening Lizzie’s door, holding out my hand for her to take. The car drove off and Lizzie spun around a little when her eyes caught the little neon sign and her breathing hitched.

"Charles…" she whispered, squeezing my hand "That’s… that’s…" her voice got caught in her throat and she looked at me.

I grabbed her waist and cupped her cheek, pulling her closer.

"We were here after I won the race…" I said and Lizzie had tears in her eyes. "Pops said after that week we deserve a treat. How you housed down that burger and the fries? God, I think I fell in love with you even more back then. It was the first time that I genuinely laughed the whole week! You took care of Arthur and I, tended to us. Made us eat and drink, that you forgot taking care of yourself. You were almost dehydrated and starved after the race. And when we were here, you did a little happy dance when you had your first fry…" I laughed.

"That was the best fry of my life!" she chuckled and I nodded.

"And for me it was one of the best nights of my life… because I knew that everything was going to be okay, after all I had you by my side…" I wiped away a stray tear and then closed the last distance between us, kissing her, putting all my heart and soul into the kiss "Now? Would you do me the honour and have a fancy dinner with me?"

"With pleasure!" Lizzie took my hand and I lead her inside, everything was quiet, only one table in the middle of the little room, candles lit up "You did not rent out the whole place?" she made big eyes.

"Of course I did… it’s just for us tonight. No one interrupting. No one watching. Just us. And the waiter." I chuckled as the waiter welcomed us.

"I love you, Charlie." Lizzie whispered, kissing my cheek and I smiled at her.

"I love you too, mon amour."

"What did I say? WHAT DID I SAY?" I jumped right into Charles arms "You were flying!"

"Thanks, cara mia!" he set me down and I kissed his cheek.

"Now go! Go to your Interview! I’ll wait for you!" I pushed him towards Crofty and he smiled one last time before he turned around, walking to give his interview.

"Lizzie!" Pierre nudged my shoulder and I smiled at him "Now that was a comeback!"

"Yeah.. I honestly thought I would be out in Q1 already, I mean, that was just milliseconds!" I said and he nodded.

"But you did it! As always!"

"Well yeah, P4 isn’t what I wanted. But the best that was possible, given the circumstances." I shrugged my shoulders "I’m sorry for you though… what happened?"

"No idea." he shook head and I squeezed his shoulder "Can’t change it now…"

"Hmm… you’ll make up for it in the race!" I tried to cheer him up.

"Yeah, maybe…" he sighed and walked off.

I turned around when Charles pinched my side.

"How’s he doing?" he asked and looked at Pierre’s back.

"Not so good… " I sighed, when Julie waved at us "Seems like I’m needed."

"Alright, I pick you up later?" he kissed my cheek and I nodded, walking towards Julie.

"Good job, Lizzie!" she smiled at me.

"I tried my best…"

"And you did amazing!" Felix smiled at me when we walked through our garage.

"The set up was way better than in practice!" I replied and he nodded.

"That’s good!"

"Let’s go Lizzie." Julie nodded towards the exit.

"Let’s do this then." I followed her outside to the media pen.

When we were at the interview for ESPN Spain I had a weird feeling, the reporter smirking at me the whole time, like he knew something about me. As soon as we walked away Julie looked at me and then back at him.

"What was up with that dude?" she asked and I shrugged "He was weird."

"I’m just glad that you felt the same…" I mumbled and she shook her head.

"At least the girl from Canal+ wasn’t here today." she chuckled.

"Oh don’t remind me of her! I mean I know that half of the media, probably even more, doesn’t like me, but she hates me! I don’t know why!" I laughed right as Charles crossed our path and he kissed my cheek without a word and then kept walking with Mia. I felt myself blush and Julie laughed.

"You two are sickeningly sweet! And the way you blush sometimes? Adorable!"

"Oh stop! It’s not adorable! It’s annoying! I don’t even know why I blush sometimes!" I groaned as we walked inside our hospitality.

"Hmm… I’d say it’s because you’re still a little shy with PDA?" she asked and I thought about it.

"Whatever. When does the team meeting start?" I asked right as Pete waved me over "Well, speak of the devil…"

"Third in yesterday’s sprint race. Fifth in today’s race. Seems like your luck has changed a little, no?" the Canal+ reporter asked, rather sneered and I nodded.

"It was a good weekend. I understand the car better now and-…" I began when she interrupted me.

"Charles had a pretty good weekend, too. Pole position for the sprint and the race. Second in the sprint race, third today. His season also changed for the better."

"Is there a question in your statement that I just missed?" I asked her and she laughed.

"How do you feel about that? People were joking that since you’re driving alongside Charles he only makes it onto to the podium when you’re up there too."

"Oh yeah? Sucks that I’m not on the podium today then…" I said and she nodded.

"True. Oh! Charles! Here! I was just finishing up with your lovely girlfriend." she switched to French and waved Charles over who joined us "Now, I just told Lizzie what a great weekend you two had! You can be really proud!" her voice was sweet and loud as she laid her hand on his arm, smiling at him with big eyes.

"Umm yeah, we had a good weekend…" Charles began but I didn’t listen, I looked at Julie who just chuckled and shrugged. I squeezed Charles arm and followed Julie.

"I think she has a huge crush on Charles, that’s why she doesn’t like you." she said and looked back to the French reporter who smiled at Charles, throwing her head back laughing, by the look on Charles face, probably about something that wasn’t that funny.

"Yeah well, tough luck. That’s my man." I shrugged and she laughed.

I looked out the window for a while, when I turned to Charles.

"How is it? Having Fred now in the team as well?" I asked and he looked up from his book "What’s he even doing?"

"Honestly? No idea, all they said was he’s having a supervisory role within the team. But no clue what that means." he scratched his chin "But it’s nice having him in the team in some kind of way, at least. He helped me a lot in my rookie year… but yeah. He won’t be around a lot on the track, they said he will be here for the next three or four races to see how the team works, the routines and stuff and then he’ll be back in Maranello, working on how to improve the departments that need improvement."

"So he’s basically making sure that the team stops fucking up?" I said and Charles chuckled.

"I guess you could say that."

"Hmm. Well let’s hope he can fix that… especially your strategy department…" I muttered and he pinched my side "What? Just saying…"

"I’m not supposed to say this, but I heard from… doesn’t matter, but I heard he’s heavily involved in the development of next year’s car." Charles said quietly and I looked at him "It’s not official or anything, I just heard it from someone who has connections to certain people in the factory."

"If you’re lucky Mattia is gone by the end of the year and Fred will take over…" I wiggled my eyebrows and he laughed.

"I never had any problems with him, it was just that…" he stopped.

"I know, I got it." I patted his arm and he sighed.

For the rest of the flight I mostly watched some tv shows or cuddled up into Charles warmth, trying to not think about the upcoming race weekend. The race I didn’t finish last season. Coming back here, I knew that it would be one of the number one topics on media day, that’s why I wasn’t surprised at all when I sat down for the press conference and answered the probably tenth question about it.

"Of course I watched a replay of the crash and I honestly don’t know what happened still. It all happened so fast. I was making contact with Checo, I don’t know what lead to that or why I didn’t react. Maybe I had an idea for a split second but then got already caught up by him." I said, of course not mentioning the blackout due to my terrible night before the race. That was a secret I’ll never share. Not with the public at least.

"Brad Worthington, BBC Sports. Lizzie, what do you expect from this weekend? Your car seems to be good around here, on paper at least?"

"I hope I can convert the performance from paper to track. I think we’re heading in the right direction with the car, Baku was a huge step forward, so I’m really excited to see what’s on for us this weekend!"

"Jan Dietrich, Bild. Question for Charles. How is it coming back to this track after last year? We all remember your team radio, the agony in your voice asking for updates on Lizzie after her crash. How you left right after the podium for the hospital? Your win here was a little overshadowed by the crash."

"I didn’t care about the race or the win to be honest. For me it was more important that Lizzie was okay, so yeah, I knew I had to leave immediately. If it were up to me I wouldn’t even attend the podium, but the win wasn’t just for me. It was also for the team, they deserved to celebrate it." Charles said and looked at me.

"Alright, that’s it. Thank you Lady and Gentlemen. Have a good race weekend!" Tom Clarkson ended the press conference and we left.

"Are you okay?" Charles asked and I shrugged.

"Never show them that their questions are getting to you." Lewis smiled at me and I nodded.

"Thanks, Lewis. Trying my best." I replied.

"You did good, both of you." he squeezed my shoulder and nodded at Charles and then left.

"Come on. Let’s get out of here. I’m done for today, whatever Sylvia has in store for me, I’m not doing it. Not today, I feel like a bad headache is coming? And my stomach? Not good…" Charles winked and I laughed.

"Yeah? If that’s it, then I guess I have to take care of you! Let me just tell Julie."

"In 15 minutes at the car?" he kissed my cheek.

"I’ll be there!"

The car worked great on the track. Valtteri had the better Friday, but after we adjusted the set up of my car a little, I could make up some seconds. Quali went amazing and luckily I already set a pretty good time when Q3 was red flagged, parking my car in P3. I knew that Charles had a hard time, getting comfortable in the car and as I watched the replay of his crash I knew immediately that he must’ve pushed too hard, to abstract the most out of the car. He looked down, head hung low, shoulders sagged.

"What happened?" I asked him gently and sat down on the couch next to him.

He sighed, throwing his head back.

"This car. It’s… it’s unpredictable! The car goes from understeering like crazy when I turn into the corner, where I have to fight to stay on track, to massively oversteering at the exit. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel comfortable like this." he sounded tired, his eyes closed.

"Consistency is what you’re lacking most at the moment…" I said carefully and he only nodded.

"We’re good in qualifying, I mean if I’m not that stupid and crash out… twice! At the same fucking spot! But we have no race pace whatsoever. So yeah, consistency is what we’re lacking at the moment." he turned to look at me and then smiled "But you had a good weekend. I’m proud of you. Audi really is doing a good job at the moment, developing the car, fix what’s wrong. You’re doing a good job, adjusting to the changes."

"Yeah, I think Baku was a little turning point? I mean we’re nowhere near Aston or Merc, but we’re getting there, slowly but steady."

"I thought after last week that we turned the season around as well…"

"I know, I’m sorry. It looked like your car was worse than last week for some reason? And by your car I mean YOUR car and not both Ferraris…"

He shrugged only and then got up.

"I don’t know. I’m struggling a lot this season. I’m not comfortable with the car, Carlos is. So yeah, we’ll see I guess…" he walked to the mini bar and grabbed a coke, looking at me, I shook my head and he came back, opening the can "But I have to stop using this as an excuse, that the car is more for his style of driving. I’m a Formula 1 driver in my fifth season in the biggest team, sixth overall. I have to be able to adjust to a car that’s not to my liking. That’s my job. That’s something I have to get better at." he took a sip of his coke.

"You will adjust, I know it. You’ll be back on top in no time!" I kissed his cheek and sat up, almost instantly Charles passed me the can and then laughed.

"Come on, take a sip, I know you want it."

"You know me too well." I chuckled but then took the can and took a sip "Thanks."

"At least I’m confident in how to handle you." he teased and I gasped.

"Handle me? How dare you!" I slapped his biceps and got up walking towards the bathroom "You know what? I’m really looking forward to stay a couple of days here. Relax under the sun. That will do us some good." I took off my shorts.

"Are you taking a shower without me, cara mia?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"No, I’m taking a shower waiting for you…" I winked at him and he threw his head back in the pillows, chuckling "I mean, if you want to of course…" I shrugged my shoulders, pulling my shirt off and threw it at him. The moment it hit him he jumped up and followed me.

I signed caps and shirts, took selfies with some fans and talked a little away when I heard how the crowd got louder and knew Charles had come. He waved at me and then turned to his fans, smiling and taking to them. Even after a bad result he was the sweetest with his fans, always trying to make everyone feel special and seen. I leaned at the car and watched him when JK stopped next to me.

"It’s truly amazing how he can always put on a smile for his fans." he said while watching Charles as well.

"Yeah, he was always like this. Always focused on making them the happiest…" I smiled.

"He was pretty hard on himself again." I looked at him "I mean I know you two, you both are like this. But he’s even this hard on him when it’s not his fault… his car? What a shitbox."

"I know… but it’s Ferrari. They could break him to pieces and he still would want nothing but the best for them." I sighed "That kind of love speaks volumes."

"True." JK waved at Charles as he looked over "I hope you guys have some quiet days, can relax a little. Take care, Liz." he hugged me.

"See you in a week." I waved him off, pulling out my phone, to beat the time.

"Alright, let’s go!" Charles voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked up "I can’t wait to get out of here."

"Someone’s eager!" I chuckled and kissed his cheek, getting in the car.

"We only have three and a half days for ourselves, so yeah, I’m eager to get away!" he started the car and drove off.

"We could’ve just stayed in our hotel here, you know?" I said looking out the window.

"Nope. I wanted to get away from here. Palm Beach sounded nice, the hotel looked amazing and the beach as well!"

"So Palm Beach it is then." I smiled looking out the window, right when Cruel Summer began to play on the radio and I began to sing along. By the time the bridge started I almost screamed from the top of my lungs, dancing along "You know that Taylor’s here? Well not here here, but close. Tampa. Tonight and then on Wednesday night again?"

"Yeah, Lizzie, you told me that like a million times…" Charles chuckled a little and I sighed "You’ll see her! At the end of this year. Next year. You’ll see her." he grinned.

"It’s annoying that you’re this optimistic."

"Life as a Ferrari driver…" he mumbled and I laughed.

"Did you just-… no… you didn’t? That can’t be? Did you just indirectly called out Ferrari?" I looked at him, still laughing.

"Nope." a tiny smirk on his lips.

Charles POV:

Lizzie snuggled into me as we sat on the beach, watching the sun set on the horizon above the ocean, a beautiful pink and purple hue painted the sky.

"Best anniversary ever!" she whispered after a while and I chuckled a little "You don’t think so?"

"Oh no! I do think so! For me it definitely is the best anniversary ever! I just think it could be maybe even a little bit better…" I shrugged my shoulders in amusement.

"How could this be even more perfect than it already is?" she asked turning her head a little, looking at her.

"I don’t know… but I think when I say that we’re going to the Era’s Tour tomorrow in Tampa, it might be really perfect and really tough to beat…" she sat up in an instant, turning around, staring at me with wide eyes.

"What did you say?" she almost whispered it.

"We’re going to the Era’s Tour tomorrow night in Tampa." I smiled at her.

"Okay… I’m having a hard time processing this… when you say 'We’re going to the Era’s Tour tomorrow night in Tampa' then you mean we could’ve gone there if I could’ve been able to purchase tickets, right? That’s what you mean?" Lizzie’s voice was wavering and I shook my head "Shaking your head means no… so no that’s not what you mean, right?"

"No, that’s not what I mean." I grinned and she squeezed my hands like crazy.

"So you’re saying we are going to the Era’s Tour… like going to the concert. Inside a stadium. Watching the show?" tears started gathering in her eyes and I slowly nodded, gently taking one hand from her strong grip, showing her the tickets on my phone.

"You. Me. Taylor. Tomorrow night." I said and she let out a loud squeal before she threw her arms around my neck, screaming, crying, littering my face with tiny kisses.

"I love you. I love you. I love you." she cried and I hugged her tight "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

"Happy anniversary." I whispered in her ear and she sniffled, pulling away a little, smiling at me "I love you, cara mia." she leaned in and captured my lips in a wet and salty kiss.

"You are the best boyfriend a girl could ask for. Thank you, Charles." she breathed out against my lips, smiling her gorgeous smile, I chuckled and pecked her lips "I can’t believe it! I’m going to see Taylor Swift live in concert!"

"Yes you are." I laughed.

"We’re going to see Taylor! We’re going to the Era’s Tour." her eyes shining bright "I’m going to the Era’s Tour tomorrow night!" she closed her eyes for a moment before looking at the sky above us "I’m going to the Era’s Tour. Tomorrow night." she repeated, this time her voice sounded a little panicked "Oh my god! I’m going to the Era’s Tour! Tomorrow night! FUCK! What do I wear? I can’t just go there in some boring clothes! OH GOD! WHAT DO I WEAR? I wanted to wear something special." full on panic now.

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down!" I laughed but Lizzie almost hyperventilated.

"I can’t! This is not just a normal concert! This is the Era’s Tour! I have to dress up! Like seriously!" she pouted, pacing back and forth.

"I know! That’s why Shima designed your outfit, it’s in the closet." I smiled and she stopped abruptly.

"What?"

"I knew you would wanted to wear something special. And you talked with Shima about what you would love to wear. Well she designed it. It’s here. Well not here, in the hotel, but you get what I mean…" I chuckled and she grabbed my hand, pulling me with her "And now we’re going to the hotel because you have to see it." I laughed.

"Yep." she replied, then stopping again, kissing me fiercely "And then I thank you properly." she nipped at my bottom lip and kept walking again "And now move!"

The whole way from the hotel, to our car, to the entry and when we were brought up to our seats I had the biggest smile on my face. I was at Taylor Swift’s The Era’s Tour. I had my gorgeous boyfriend by my side. And I wore an amazing outfit, designed by Shima. The night could only be epic. And it was. More than epic. As the show started, I was singing and dancing, having the time of my life. Charles doing his best to keep up with me. While Lover was played he held me close, swaying us back and forth, gently kissing my cheek and I had the biggest smile on my face. As the setting switched and a new era began I looked at the stage in awe. Singing at the top of my lungs along. It was during Love Story when I had a little heart attack, right when the bridge started and Taylor sang 'he knelt to the ground' Charles in fact knelt to the ground and I gasped. He wouldn’t do that. Not here. Not like this. Not in public. My heart was beating out of my chest when I looked down, but then I saw how he tied his shoe lace and got back up again, a devilish smirk on his lips.

"What?" he mouthed and I chuckled, playfully hitting his shoulder. Although I was shocked and definitely overwhelmed with the feeling of getting proposed to in a sea of strangers, I couldn’t ignore the little spark that got ignited inside my stomach. The warm feeling rushing through me. The tiny pinch of disappoint when I realised Charles only tied his shoe lace. As if he sensed that I was a little lost in my head, Charles pulled me to his side, kissing my temple. I shook my head a little and smiled. Focusing back on the stage in front, where the visuals changed yet again, signalling for a new era to start. The time flew by and way too soon it was already the last era, then the last song.

charles_leclerc just posted a story…

We followed the security guy and I sweated even more, nervousness seeping through me. I just danced and screamed for more than 3 hours and was about to meet Taylor Swift. TAYLOR SWIFT. My sweaty self meeting Taylor Swift. I pulled off the coat and started to dry my face with the flimsy fabric, goosebumps spreading all over my skin.

"You’re getting sick like that." Charles said next to me, looking at my arms but I shrugged my shoulders.

"That coat, although it looked amazing, is soaked and way too hot."

"Here." he took off his jacket and gave it to me "Put it on cara mia, you’re wearing this thin dress and are sweaty as fuck. You’re getting sick!" he repeated and I took the jacket and put it on, rolling up the sleeves.

"Thank you!" I smiled at him, grabbing his hand again.

"Boyfriend duty." he winked and I laughed.

"You’re excelling as always!" he rolled his eyes a little but I squeezed his hand "I’m serious!"

"It’s okay. Really." he reassured me and I nodded.

"How do I look?" I asked him, smoothing down my hair a little.

"You look as cute as always!"

"Hmm. Okay, do y-…" I began when the security guard stopped.

"Alright. Wait inside there, she’ll come to see you." he opened the door in front of us and I walked inside. A handful of people waiting already. I swallowed hard and looked at Charles, who smiled at me encouragingly.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! You’re Charles Leclerc and Lizzie Doetterer!" a female voice behind us screeched out loud.

I turned around and in front of us stood a girl whose face I knew, but just couldn’t place.

"I’m Sarah Collins! I’m a huge Formula 1 fan!" the girl held out her hand and we shook them and it hit me.

"Sarah Collins! You’re an influencer slash activist slash fashion blogger slash… you kinda make everything! I follow you on Insta!" I said and she made big eyes.

"What? You follow me? No?! I swear I never saw that!" she took her phone out and scrolled through her Instagram "Oh my god! How the hell did I miss that!" she said more to herself before she looked up "It’s so cool to see you here! Wow! Can we take a picture together, maybe?"

"Sure!" I smiled at her and she shoved her phone into her friend’s hand and stood next to me, Charles wanted to walk away but Sarah shook her head "No, no, please! With you as well!"

"Oh, okay." Charles stepped next to me again and her friend took some pictures.

"Thank you guys so much!" she smiled and and looked at the pictures.

"No worries."

"So! How did you like the show?" she asked and I smiled wide.

"I loved it! I’m so sad it’s over already! I could’ve gone for another hour or two!"

"Same! It was so amazing!"

"As soon as she announces some shows in Europe for next year we’ll be going again!" I smiled at Charles who cocked an eyebrow.

"We are?" he laughed and I hit his arm playfully "Just kidding! We are!"

"You two are literally the cutest!" Sarah said and I blushed "Since the day it was announced that you’ll be in F1 as well, I was rooting for you! And then I saw you two the first time together on the screen? I knew immediately that you two were a couple" she wiggled her eyebrows a little and I laughed.

"Well, we tried our best to hide it and-…" I began as the door opened and the word got caught in my throat, Sarah turning around gasping a little.

"Hi guys! How are you doing!" Taylor Swift asked us how we were doing. Taylor Swift. She walked up to us, a big smile on her face, opening up her arms, hugging first Sarah and her friends, talking a little with them, before she turned to Charles and I, hugging me "Hi, I’m Taylor." she introduced herself and I hugged her back. Not just that Taylor Swift introduced herself, as if we didn’t knew who she was, no! She hugged me!

"Hi! I’m Taylor, it’s so amazing to meet you Lizzie!" I blurted out and blushed immediately "Oh god! You’re Taylor. I’m Lizzie. I’m so sorry!" I apologised immediately but she just laughed.

"It’s okay, don’t be nervous. Just take a deep breath!" she still held my hand, squeezing it "Hi Lizzie, nice to meet you! You’re the racing driver everyone is talking about, right? The only girl in… Formula 1?"

Rest in peace me. RIP me. I died. Dead.

Taylor Swift knew who I was. My mind went blank and I kept staring at her, unable to say anything.

"Yes. Yes, that’s her. The only girl in Formula 1." Charles jumped in and smiled at me, then at Taylor.

"And you must be the boyfriend who surprised Lizzie with tickets for tonight? Charles?" Taylor Swift knew who my boyfriend was.

"Yep. That’s me. Nice to meet you." Charles said and Taylor smiled at him.

"I hope you had some fun tonight?" she asked and I broke out from my trance.

"It was amazing! So freaking amazing! You were amazing! The show! The dancers! The band! The visuals! Amazing!" I praised her and her smile got even bigger.

"Aww! Thank you! You’re the cutest!"

And again. Rest in peace me. RIP me. I died. Dead. I kept on staring at her. Not knowing if she talked to me or if I even was able to answer. I just stood there. Star-strucked. And in awe. She was tall and so pretty. And her smile was contagious.

"Lizzie?" Charles gently nudged my shoulder and I looked at him "Come on, we’re taking some pictures!" he smiled and me and I nodded.

"Here. Come to me." Taylor Swift pulled me to her side and I tried my best not to faint.

Charles took some pictures with his phone, before he stood next to me, to be in some pictures as well. My cheeks were hurting from smiling that much but I couldn’t help it.

"Did we get some good shots?" Taylor asked and Charles nodded.

"Amazing shots."

"Perfect!" she smiled again at us, before her assistant walked in and nodded at her "Unfortunately I have to go now, but it was so good to meet you all!" she hugged us all one by one and when it was my turn she took off one of her bracelets, when she pulled away, handing it to me "I think that one fits you pretty well." she smiled and I looked at the bracelet the 1 stood on the pearls "As you’re the only girl in Formula 1 and you’re also the number one because you won a race!" I put the bracelet on and took one of my own off, in the colours of the German flag and with pearls saying girl champ.

"I think that one fits you pretty well too." I said and she smiled.

"Thank you!" she hugged me again and then lastly Charles "It was really great to meet you! Good luck on the race course? Is it race course? Yeah? Good luck then and win some more races! You guys rock!"

With one last wave she was gone and I just stood there, staring at the bracelet on my wrist. We said our goodbyes to Sarah and her friends and left. Or rather Charles dragged me along, because I wasn’t able to comprehend anything that had happened just now. It was late at night when we arrived back in our hotel and we took a quick shower, getting bed ready, when what has happened fully sunk in.

"I was at the Era’s Tour. I saw Taylor Swift live performing. I met Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift knew who we were. Taylor Swift took pictures with us. And last but not least, Taylor Swift and I switched friendship bracelets." I said and looked at Charles, a big grin on his lips "And that all was only possible because of you. YOU! My amazing, perfect boyfriend!" I snuggled into his side, kissing his cheek "I love you. So much. You have no idea. You are the best boyfriend any girl could ever dream of. Thank you for making this possible!"

"I would do everything for you, cara mia. Although I have to admit, there is someone you definitely have to thank rather than me… Lewis. He got us the tickets. He knew someone who worked with Taylor before and who’s she’s friends with and he organised this all…" Charles said and I smiled.

"Lewis? Well then I guess I have to thank him as well, as soon as I see him again." I yawned and Charles chuckled.

"Come on, sleep now, our flight is at 12." he kissed my forehead and I sighed contently "Good night, cara mia."

"Good night, my Charlie bear. And thank you. So much."

"Call me as soon as you arrive!" I kissed Charles at the gate to his flight to Bologna, after we had arrived two hours earlier from Orlando.

"I will. And you text me when you’re at the factory!" he held me close, kissing my temple.

"Will do! Have a good flight, I’ll see you back home." I waved him off as he boarded the plane, turning around smiling one last time.

Outside the airport a car was waiting for me and when I got inside I leaned back, closing my eyes. I was tired from the long flight and my mind was still trying to wrap around what happened the last 48 hours. Lost in thoughts I flinched when the door of the car opened and Pete grinned at me.

"Welcome back, Lizzie." he grabbed my back for me as I got out and took my suitcase from the driver, thanking him.

"Good to be back!" I smiled and followed him inside, ready to start the preparation for the upcoming races.

The data looked great. The lap times were solid. I was ready for Imola, Monaco and Barcelona. All three tracks were tested, the best set ups and strategies for all types of weather were discussed. On Saturday morning Julie informed me that I would be closely followed by the Netflix film crew for the next three days and for the first time

I honestly didn’t mind it at all.

"You’re awfully cheery…" Elijah chuckled on Sunday at lunch break and I just shrugged.

"I had a good week, I’m optimistic for the next races. Life’s good!" I laughed and he nodded.

"Let’s see if there will be a next race first, right?" Pete squeezed my shoulder when he got up and I sighed.

The weather situation in the Emilia Romagna region was concerning, heavy rainfall was threatening to flood the racetrack and the surrounding regions, a cancellation was considered. I left the factory on Sunday evening, stopping by at Marcus’ place, staying overnight and spending the evening with Benji, playing some board games and watched a movie, before I left on Monday morning to drive back to Monaco. I sent Charles a text that I would be driving now and got in the car, starting my journey.

I parked my car right when Charles called.

"Good timing, I just parked." I said and got out, unloading my suitcase.

"Already? I thought I would catch you somewhere on the streets still." he chuckled and I locked the car, going for the elevator.

"You know me, the indicated time is just like a challenge for me." I stepped into the elevator.

"I honestly have no idea how you’re still having your drivers license! I mean, speeding in Germany is one thing, but the rest? You’re not always going to be this lucky, not getting caught for speeding!"

"It’s not luck. It’s talent."

"It’s madness."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I chuckled, rummaging through my bag to find my keys.

"You know that I’m right!" Charles said.

"We’ll see!" I sighed and walked out of the elevator "I’m at home now, I’m thinking about-…" I dropped my phone and gasped loudly.

"Cara mia?" Charles faint voice from the ground "Lizzie? Talk to me?"

I stared at the bouquet of red roses on my door mat. A white card in the middle.

"LIZZIE!" Charles scream pulled me out of my trance and I bent down, picking up my phone "Cara mia? What happened? Talk to me?"

"I’m okay. Sorry." I choked out, voice shaky.

"Lizzie, what’s going on?" I heard the worry in his voice.

"I tripped. Fell. Sorry. I didn’t look where I was going and there was a- ummm a package on the floor. Sorry!" I lied.

"Are you sure, you’re okay?" Charles didn’t believe me. I heard it in his voice.

"Yeah, kinda. Just some bruised knees tomorrow." I fake laughed.

"Okay. I call you later then?"

"Okay. Bye. Love you." I hung up hastily. My eyes didn’t leave the flowers for a second. I carefully picked them up. Looking the hallway up and down before I unlocked the door and walked inside. With shaky hands I set the vase down on my kitchen island and looked around, then walked through every single room and only when I was convinced I was alone, I took the card out of the flowers and opened it. An address. Nothing more. I googled the address. A betting office. I kept staring at my phone. What did he want me to do at a betting office? Would we meet there? But there was no date or time. Just the address. Nothing more. As it was already getting dark outside I decided to go there the next day. Although I had no idea what I was supposed to do there.

I sat in the car and double checked the address, looking around. Nervous as I was I sat in the car for almost four hours, watching the people who entered and exit the shop. I took one last deep breath before I got out and walked inside. Right at the door was a counter and the man looked at me.

"Hi, umm a friend of mine wanted me to pick something up for him? Salva Diaz?" I asked and he looked through a basket with papers.

"I’m sorry, there’s nothing for a Salva Diaz here." he informed me and I swallowed.

"Something for Lizzie Doetterer?"

"Umm… yes. Lizzie Doetterer." he pulled out a brown envelope and I wanted to take it from him "You have to sign the receipt, that you received the envelope."

He pushed a form over the counter and pointed at the dotted line. I grabbed the pen and signed it, then grabbed the envelope and opened it up. A folder with a bunch of papers inside. Race prognoses for each driver and team. Starting from Monaco. A chart with bet quotes. Copies of betting slips and receipts. And the last paper were instructions on how I had to ensure the winner in Barcelona, Montreal, Spielberg and Silverstone. Diaz’ message in bold letters on a sticky-note:

I lost my money because of you, now you help me get it back. You know what you have to do. Otherwise, see what happens.

I looked at the guy behind the counter, but he was already busy scrolling on his phone so I left the shop, envelope tightly clenched to my chest. Back in the car I looked through the folder. He wanted me to manipulate races? At the instructions for every race my heart clenched when I saw Monaco. He wanted me to make Charles DNF. For Barcelona, Montreal, Spielberg and Silverstone he only instructed who had to win the race. But for Monaco he wanted me to end both, Charles and my race. I started the engine and drove off. This was impossible. Not just that it was morally wrong and against all integrity, it was also fucking illegal. It only needed one person to raise suspicions and it would be over, my career, my team, everything. He knew how dangerous this was. Put all that aside, there was still the biggest question to answer, how was I supposed to do it? How? How do you manipulate a Formula 1 race? I could only control my racing. This wasn’t football where I could cause a penalty or just not give my all and play like shit. This was racing. This was nothing that could be easily manipulated. Especially not by one driver alone. It all didn’t make any sense. When I parked in the garage I opened Instagram and looked through my messages, when I found the chat with Diaz I took a deep breath and opened it up. Our last conversation visible. I wrote him that what he asked of me didn’t make sense, that I couldn’t help a certain driver to win. I had no influence on track positions and therefore didn’t know how I could ensure who would win a race. Not even a minute later he replied, saying his instructions were clear, I had to handle it myself. I groaned and got out, back in my flat I sat down on the couch, folder on the table and I kept staring at it. Out of all the things I thought he wanted me to do, this was something I never, not in a million years, would’ve thought about. I knew that Diaz was insane, but this? This was ridiculous. And impossible. And wrong. And illegal. He wanted me to commit a fucking crime? I flinched when my phone was ringing, Charles, I took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Hey."

"Hi cara mia, how was your day?" Charles muffled voice rang out.

"Uneventful." I answered looking around.

"Yeah? What did you do?"

"Had a workout with JK. Ran some errands and now I’m just sitting around. How was your day?"

"My Monaco race suit and stuff was ready so we shot a little video." I could hear the smile and excitement in his voice.

"Yeah? You like it?"

"Love it."

"I can’t wait to see it." I said, trying to sound as gleeful as possible.

"Are you okay? You sound a little down?" the excitement replaced with worry in an instant.

"I’m just exhausted and tired." I faked a yawn, hoping Charles believed me.

"Hmm… maybe you should cut back on your work outs? You seem to be quite exhausted a lot in the last weeks…"

"I’m fine. It’s just… yeah I don’t know for some weeks now I feel a little tense after the race weekends, but it’s fine."

"Okay. But don’t overwork yourself okay? I know you!" he sighed a little.

"Promise. And now that the cancelled Imola, I have a little time to relax."

"True."

"How’s the situation in Maranello?"

"Luckily we’re all good here, no flooding or anything. But yeah, people are a little worried…"

"I’m glad you’re okay."

"It’s all good, don’t worry!"

"Okay… look, I really don’t want to cut you off, Charles, but I’m really tired…"

"No, it’s alright, cara mia. Go to bed. I’ll be back on Saturday morning. We have a sponsor dinner on Friday and I’m leaving right after it."

"Saturday? That’s 4 more days! Didn’t you say Thursday?" 4 more days alone. I hated it.

"Mattia wanted to test some things." I could practically hear his eyes rolling "Whatever. I’ll be home on Saturday, yeah."

"Okay. See you then! I love you." I swallowed thickly, ready to hang up.

"Good night, cara mia. Love you too." he hung up and I sighed, falling back into pillows.

4 more days alone in here. Here where Diaz knew that I lived. I looked around. Then got up and packed my suitcase, threw everything in that I would need for the next week, with the stuff at Charles flat I should be good for a while. I locked the door and left, taking the car straight to Charles flat. Still alone, but at least I felt safer. Inside I locked the door and rolled my suitcase in the bedroom. Climbing into the bed trying to find sleep. A difficult task for the next days to come. My mind full of his crazy plan for me.

Charles POV:

I was more than happy that I could dodge that sponsor dinner tonight. Driving back home to Lizzie, I wanted to text her that I would be home earlier but decided to surprise her. I unlocked my door, ready to take a quick shower and then head over to Lizzie’s, knowing she would be still awake at this time. Right when I wanted to enter my bedroom my phone vibrated, Lizzie. I chuckled and picked up.

"Hey ca-…" I began but a faint whimper made me freeze "Lizzie?"

"There’s someone here…" she whispered and my heart almost burst out of my chest.

"Lizzie, hide. Lock yourself inside your bathroom! I’ll be right over!" I was already on the way to the door, when I heard a loud bang from inside my bedroom.

"Fuck! I knocked over the candle by the door…" she whimpered, her breathing staggering. Candle by the door? I spun around, storming inside my bedroom towards the bathroom, trying to open the door. Locked. "He’s here."

I threw my phone away and knocked on the door.

"Lizzie! Open up! It’s me! I’m here!" I said loudly "Cara mia, unlock the door! It’s me!"

"Charles?" her voice barely audible through the door. As soon as I heard the click of the door unlocking I pushed the door open, Lizzie looked at me, tears stained her cheeks, a terrified look on her face. Once she recognised me, she jumped right into my arms "Charles…"

"Shhh… it’s okay, cara mia. It’s just me." I held her close and kissed the side of her head "I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!" I walked us outside the bathroom, sitting down on the bed, Lizzie in my lap "I should’ve told you that I’m coming home. I’m sorry."

"It’s okay. I’m sorry. I was just- I woke up because I heard you and thought that someone is-… I thought it’s a burglar or something." she whispered.

"Just me. No one else, Lizzie." I cooed and her trembling stopped slowly, breathing stabilised "I didn’t know you’re here. I wanted to surprise you!"

"I’m sorry! But there is-… someone is renovating above me and it’s so annoyingly loud. I should’ve asked you first if it’s okay staying here." she apologised but I shook my head pulling away.

"You never have to ask that, okay? This place is as much as your place as it’s mine. You come here whenever you want to, okay?" I looked at her intently.

"Okay." she gave me a little smile and then pecked my cheek "Sorry about the candle. I was just so scared that I just knocked it over."

"Fuck the candle. You’re alright. That’s important." I nuzzled my face in her hair and took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes I noticed tiny red droplets on the floor, coming out of the bathroom, I immediately sat Lizzie down next to me and kneeled in front of her, taking her feet in my hands. She had a small cut int the sole of her right foot, a little glass shard poking out "Alright sit still, I take care of that and…" I got up pointing into the bathroom "…that."

"I didn’t even notice it…" she muttered, looking at her foot.

"That’s why you have me." I kissed her forehead and left to get the first aid kit.

As soon as I took care of the cut and made Lizzie lay back down, I cleaned up the floor and took a short shower, then climbed in the bed, Lizzie already asleep. I switched off the light, hugging her from behind, I snuggled into her warmth. Her breathing was evenly and she grabbed my arm tightly.

"Charles?" she whispered after a while and I squeezed her hip to show her that I was listening "Thank you… for being my knight in shining armour, yet again."

"For you always, cara mia, for you always."

I opened my arms and she sat down between my legs, leaning back against my chest. I nuzzled my nose against her neck and inhaled deeply.

"Have I ever told you that I love how you smell?" I asked and she giggled.

"No… and would this be a true crime documentary it would be creepy!" she laughed and I pinched her sides.

"Why are you like this? You’re so annoying!" I chuckled and she just shook her head and turned it slightly to look at me.

"Oh come on! You love me!" she said and I looked into her eyes and leaned in.

"True. That I do. More than anything else…" I whispered against her lips. Before I could kiss her, her phone rang and she flinched.

"God! I almost had a heart attack!" she grabbed her phone and as she looked at her screen she froze "Umm… I gotta take that!" she got up and left the room. I sat up and waited for her to come back. After a couple of minutes I heard the bedroom door opening and Lizzie walked out, she looked confused, upset even.

"Lizzie?" I asked and got up, she looked at me "What happened? Who was that?"

"Umm… that was, that was Pete. He looked through some… umm some of my recent sim results and they weren’t that great… yeah I have to work a bit harder I guess." she was lying "Are you hungry? I’m hungry! I’m going to cook something. You want something too?" she didn’t even wait for an answer and already left into the kitchen. I got up and followed her.

"Hey! What’s going on? Pete wouldn’t call you just to say that? You’ll see him tomorrow?" I said pointedly and she looked at me.

"Well, he didn’t just say that, he said that after Barcelona I had to come to Neuburg and we need to get over some sim data for the new upgrades. That’s how he said it! No big deal!" she tried to reassure me but I wasn’t buying it.

"Lizzie. You know I know it when you’re lying? So just tell me the truth?!"

"I’m not lying! You don’t believe me? Okay! Let’s call Pete then!" she was almost furious as she walked past me, back into the living room grabbing her phone "Here! I call him! If you need proof of me telling the truth, I’ll give it to you…" she clicked on his contact "Thanks for trusting me!" right as she was about to dial his number I sighed. No. Not like this. It wouldn’t do any good if I caught her lying like this.

"Okay, stop. You’re right! Sorry! I trust you! I really do!" I said and she looked relieved "You don’t have to call him…"

"Thank you." she said it with such an attitude that I wanted to just grab her phone and call Pete myself.

"Yeah…" I pressed out "Sure."

When we ate our dinner I felt Charles look on me and tried my best to ignore it. My mind was still reeling from the fact that Diaz had my phone number. When I texted him in Instagram earlier today that I was done, that I wouldn’t do what he wanted from me, I didn’t expect him to call me. Then again, nothing should surprise me anymore when it came to him. I lazily picked at my food, not able to stomach any of it.

"You’re okay?" Charles asked after a while and I just nodded "You should eat, Lizzie. You haven’t been eating much recently." I could hear the worry in his voice.

"I’m fine. It’s just… this season is tough. The car is nowhere near last year’s car. Sure, the last races were better, but still… I just don’t know how to push the car to the max." I sighed "Maybe that’s why my sim work is not that great!" I added and Charles frowned, but didn’t say anything.

"You’ll figure it out. Maybe the upgrades will help." he said after a while and I nodded.

"Yeah, maybe." I shrugged, flinching when I got a text. I kept staring at my phone, feeling Charles look on me.

"Okay, what’s going on?" he asked after a while and I looked at him "First Pete who called you because of your sim data although he sees you tomorrow anyway, then you’re being totally out of it since the call, now you keep staring at your phone like your afraid of the text you just got? What’s going on, Lizzie!"

"Nothing! Jeez! I know who the text is from! And I’m annoyed! It’s Elijah! They want to film this weekend here as well. How I or we, I don’t know, get to track, what we do afterwards, stuff like that! And I’m not really in the mood for that!" I rolled my eyes and Charles sighed.

"Okay." he just said and got up "Are you done? Can I take your plate as well?" he asked and looked at my almost full plate, I nodded and handed him my plate.

"Thank you." I smiled a little and he only nodded and walked off.

With shaking hands I grabbed my phone, closing my eyes I took a deep breath and then unlocked it. When I saw that it was only a text from Shima I huffed, sinking back in the pillows. Right when I wanted to get up, I heard Charles cursing, then he stormed out of the kitchen.

"What the fuck?" Charles hissed and stopped in front of me, then he showed me his phone, a post from an F1 gossip account on display.

I grabbed his phone, reading through the post, my eyes widened.

"What the hell?" I frantically searched for my phone and when I finally found it I tried to call my sister. Busy. Dad. Busy. Mum. Busy. "What the actual fuck! Why is no one picking up!" I kept staring at Charles phone, as he clicked on a link, opening up an article of a big newspaper, my mind reeling when I tried to call Sissy again. Still busy. Right as I wanted to dial Dads number again I got a text from the same number that Diaz called an hour ago. With a sickening feeling in my stomach I opened the text. I swallowed hard and kept staring at the 6 words:

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Chapter 32 - Happy anniversary, Lizzie and Charles ♥️ and what better way to celebrate than going to The Era’s Tour 🙌 but you know me by now… I can’t let them be happy for too long 👀

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 @glitterf1 @janeholt3 @maeve-wileyy @18754389 @chiliwhore @hellowgoodbye @queensassybitchsworld @skynel09 @harrysdimple05

All the images I’m using are from Google, Pinterest and Instagram (or self made).

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

[ultimate-fucked-up-ship-tourney]

Propaganda:

Yuki Cross & Kaname Kuran: Grew up on this shit. Anyways so they're siblings. But also he's her great, great, great, great, great grandfather. He's been in love with her since she was a toddler. It had all the fangirls wild.

Mutsuki and Urie: Listen. LISTEN. The communication issues. It's so *chef's kiss*. Urie is more or less canonically in love with Mutsuki after that time he impaled him and instead of getting mad Mutsuki gave him a hug. But he refuses to admit he cares about him even though it's fairly obvious that he's his favorite person. Also Mutsuki is obsessed with their teacher, who after a series of traumatizing experiences he stalks and tries to murder, so that's another rift in their relationship. Urie is so clearly jealous and also enables Mutsuki's unhealthy coping mechanism by just ignoring the fact that there is definitely a problem until it becomes too big to ignore and Mutsuki inadvertently nearly causes an apocalypse. And then they fight and Mutsuki tries to kill Urie. They're both such deeply fucked up people and they have such huge communication issues that they're practically on different planets and they've each tried to seriously hurt each other multiple times and they insult each other (or Urie insults Mutsuki before he falls deeply in love with him) and also Mutsuki is somewhat canonically trans and it's Not Handled Well but also they're an amazingly fucked up shit and I love them

#most fucked up ship tournament #most fucked up ships #polls #vampire knight #tokyo ghoul #tokyo ghoul re

[tgrailwar-zero]

Eating Sigurd out of house and- KUKU, OUR GIRL, JUST HOW MUCH DID YOU EAT?! I just hope Sigurd won't be mad at us...

Also, Rider, how is it with having miss Lucius?

KUKULKAN: "It's nothing, really... I'm a powerful Servant, yes? So, I require energy, yes? Let's just focus on Rider, yes?"

LUCIUS(?): "Right. Constantinus is delighted to have me."

CONSTANTINE: "Well, this is certainly Antecessor Nero… but… no comment, as of now."

LUCIUS(?): "...Constantinus."

Her tone was heavy and scolding, like a parent. Or an older sibling.

CONSTANTINE: "Kōnstantînos. And I said what I said. Stop pouting at me."

He responded with the exact same tone of voice.

#endless whispers #thgw story

[telenoviea]

so wrong, yet feels so good

starring jeong yunho x fem! reader

cw // sex scene , mdni , office affair

“Is he gonna mad at me?”

“Siapa? Terus kenapa?”

“San. Soalnya gue bakalan having sex sama ceweknya.”

“Kita nggak pacaran—Ahh, gila.”

Aku benar-benar sudah tidak bisa lagi berpikir. Semua akal mengalir ke selangkangan. Buru-buru dia menutup pintu hingga bunyi berdebum cukup keras dan aku segera ia dorong hingga punggungku membentur kasur. Di kamarnya.

“Dia suka sama lo. Dia udah bilang ke anak-anak.”

Nggak. Aku nggak suka ketika kita sedang terburu-buru dan bergegas untuk segera bersenggama, dia masih membicarakan cowok lain seperti ini.

“I don’t care. Bisa cepetan nggak, sih?” ujarku, sedikit menuntut dan dihadiahi dengan kekehan pelan darinya. Beruntungnya kantor kami yang tidak memberikan aturan berpakaian sehingga kini, Yunho, dengan hanya kaos berwarna hitam miliknya, segera ia buka dengan tergesa-gesa. Pun tidak jauh berbeda dengan aku yang kini hanya berbalut tanktop berwarna hitam karena kaos yang semula aku pakai kini telah berserakan di lantai apartemennya.

“Sabar dong, Cantik.“

Yunho merakit langkah menuju kasur, hingga dalam hitungan beberapa menit saja, kondisi kami sudah saling mengenaskan tanpa sehelai benang. Tubuh tinggi besarnya kini berada di atasku, menguasai dan mengambil kendali.

Aku pasrah di bawahnya. Mata kami bertemu dan beradu pandang cukup lama sebelum kedua bibir kami saling bertautan. Kalau merasakan bibirnya, ini bukanlah kali pertama. Ada banyak kegiatan-kegiatan yang telah kami berdua lakoni hingga mengarahkan kami kepada cumbuan panas yang biasanya terjadi di kantor. Namun, kali ini aku dan Yunho setuju untuk melakukan lebih jauh dari ‘biasanya’.

Setelah selesai, bibirnya turun semakin ke bawah. Menjelajahi mulai dari rahang, leher, tulang selangka, dada, hingga perutku. Sensasi gesekan antara rambut halusnya dengan kulit telanjangku benar-benar membuat perutku bergejolak. Geli.

“Sayang banget San nggak bisa liat lo dalam keadaan kayak gini.” Wajahnya kembali muncul di hadapanku. Tangan kirinya ia letakan di sebelah kepalaku, berusaha menopang berat tubuh besarnya agar tidak menindihku secara langsung, sedangkan tangan kanannya ia gunakan untuk mengangkat rahangku. Mata gelapnya mengunci netraku. “Muka lo merah, cantik banget. Bikin makin turn on.”

Aku tidak memberikan respon selain wajahku yang maju secara perlahan, mencoba meraih bibirnya kembali untuk bergulat sebelum masuk ke bagian intinya.

“Yunho…. Hnghh….”

Sentuhannya benar-benar terasa tepat mengusap pada bagian-bagianku. Tangannya meremas pinggulku dengan tidak sabar dan bagian selatannya menggesek paha bagian dalam milikku.

Kami sudah sama-sama siap untuk menjemput surga kami.

“Please let me know if i’m doing it too rough. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable,” ujarnya sebelum memutuskan untuk benar-benar memasuki miliknya ke dalam milikku.

Aku mendesah cukup nyaring, secara otomatis kuku yang berada di jari-jemari milikku, yang tidak pernah aku biarkan panjang, mencakar punggung telanjangnya yang surprisingly ternyata atletis juga. Dalam kondisi ini, yang bisa aku ingat hanyalah tubuh panas dan bidangnya ini memang hasil dari rutin work out selama dua minggu sekali di gym yang terletak di gedung yang sama dengan apartemennya, di lantai bawah.

“Fuck… this feeling is too good to be true.” Yunho meracau. Kedua tangannya memegang dengan erat sisi pinggulku, sedangkan bagian bawah tubuhnya bergerak maju dan mundur. Sesekali cowok itu menutup matanya, merasakan bagaimana rasanya diselimuti kenikmatan duniawi yang tentu tidak bisa sembarangan ia dapatkan.

Aku juga sama, mendesah dan menyebut namanya seakan tidak ada hari esok ketika gerakannya semakin menggila. Temponya semakin cepat dan tidak beraturan. Aku berada di puncak dunia.

“Yunho—hah…. Fuck—nghhh.”

“Jangan berisik. Seneng lo kalo orang lain denger?” Telapak tangan besarnya meraih mulutku, menutupnya seakan-akan aku tidak diberikan izin untuk bersuara—mendesah. Aliran darahku rasanya berjalan semakin cepat, secepat hentakan yang dia lakukan.

Satu kali. Dua kali. Tiga kali. Dan berkali-kali yang tentu saja aku bahkan tidak sanggup untuk mengatakan seberapa banyak dan seberapa kuatnya Yunho.

Aku semula mengerang dengan keras dan tidak jelas karena mulutku masih ditutup oleh telapak tangan besarnya. Namun, ketika Yunho hendak menarik tangannya, aku dengan segera menahan pergerakan tersebut. Menanggalkan sisa-sisa harga diri dan rasa malu, aku menarik telapak tangannya dan memasukkan dua jari tangannya ke dalam mulutku. Mengulum jari panjang dan berurat miliknya yang sejujurnya beberapa kali aku kagumi ketika aku melihatnya sibuk mengetik di atas laptop.

Dia tidak suka jika aku mengeluarkan suaraku dengan nyaring, kan? Persetan dengan harga diri dan rasa malu, setelah pergulatan kami selesai, aku yakin aku tidak lagi punya muka untuk muncul di hadapannya, berpapasan di kantor, atau bahkan kembali makan siang dan bersikap seolah tidak terjadi apa-apa.

“You drive me crazy,” ujar Yunho sambil terkekeh. Aku menggeleng dengan ribut dan cepat. Mencari alternatif lain untuk menyalurkan rasa nikmat yang menyelimutiku.

“You’re the one who drive me crazy.” Aku menjawab sambil mengeluarkan jari-jari itu dari mulutku.

Tubuh bagian atasku sedikit maju, hendak meraih bibirnya untuk aku cium dan untungnya Yunho adalah pribadi yang pengertian. Ia langsung memajukan tubuhnya dan menciumku dengan menggebu-gebu.

Setelahnya, aku menarik diri, melihat wajah Yunho yang berkeringat sedekat ini. He’s attractive as hell. Tanganku terulur untuk mengusap dengan seduktif pipi bagian kanannya.

“Temen gue suka banget sama lo,” ujarku di tengah-tengah percintaan kami. “I guess they also want you to fill them up, tapi ternyata malah gue yang dipake sama lo.”

Ego laki-laki itu melambung ketika mendengar penuturanku, ditandai dengan cengkraman yang kian mengeras di pinggulku.

“Enak kan dipake sama gue? You should tell them. Tell them how good I am when I ride you like this.”

Aku mendesah dengan nyaring, terjebak dalam konversasi kotor yang aku buat sendiri. Jadi ini rasanya, keenakan ketika aku hendak menjemput klimaksku. Yunho pun juga sepertinya paham sehingga ia kembali mempercepat gerakannya seperti orang kesetanan.

“Yunho—fuck…. g-gue… gue keluar.”

“Yeah, show me.”

Aku akhirnya sampai, tapi tidak dengan Yunho. Belum.

Yunho kembali melakukan beberapa hentakan tajam hingga akhirnya aku dapat merasakan bahwa ia telah sampai pada putihnya.

Kami terengah-engah dengan dada yang kembang kempis. Yunho segera mencabut miliknya dan membaringkan tubuh besar dan tingginya di sebelahku. Untung Yunho memiliki tipe kasur berukuran king size sehingga kita tidak perlu saling berdempetan hanya untuk muat dalam satu ranjang.

“That was amazing,” ujar Yunho. “Lo enak, banget.”

Belum sempat aku membalas ucapannya, ponsel yang aku letakan di atas nakas kamar Yunho bergetar beberapa kali, tanda ada pesan masuk. Dengan sisa tenaga yang ada, aku sedikit beringsut untuk melihat isi pesan tersebut—takut jika ada hal mendesak atau penting.

Ternyata dari Choi San.

San

I cooked a dinner for us mumpung besok weekend

Jangan lupa dateng ya

Misal kamu masih di kantor terus ada Yunho, ajak dinner bareng aja sekalian. Aku masak banyak

See you tonight!

Aku tersedak selama beberapa detik ketika membaca pesannya. Aku lupa kalau agenda di hari Jumat malam adalah aku menyambangi unit apartemennya untuk makan malam, tapi malam ini aku lupa dan malah berakhir di ranjang Yunho.

Aku menunjukkan pesan yang San kirimkan tadi ke Yunho. Laki-laki itu hanya bisa terkekeh membacanya dan ia segera bangkit, meraup celana jins yang terbengkalai di atas lantai. Yunho memakai kembali celana panjangnya dan berjalan ke arah kamar mandi yang aku asumsikan dia hendak membersihkan diri.

“Gue mandi dulu, habis itu lo. Kalo udah rapih, kita naik ke atas buat makan di unitnya San.”

#jeong yunho #ateez #ateez yunho #smut #ateez smut #18+ mdni

[imninahchan]

Nina eu tava falando com um querido que é a junção do suanalô y do kuku, avisei ele q se ele queria alguém só pra comer esse alguém não seria eu e logo depois de me enrolar por mais UMA HORA ele sumiu

As victorious would say: feeling sad and mad

nossa que canalha, então foi um livramento amg🫂

#[💌] fala comigo bebê

[hasquetzorkukudoneanythingwrong]

Day 840

Kuku, did you blow a hole in the wall trying to expand our room's size?

Ah, eto..... bleh

...I can't stay mad at you.

Hehehehe

#fate grand order #wife #daily update #mastersona #rex #kukulkan #rexalkan

[scenteddinosaurparadise]

Book Recommendations

Having accomplished my reading goal for the year a few hours shy of July, I stood up, stretched my limbs , gazed over the horizon and contemplated this feat which for some might be grand or small depending on perspective and experience. I had set out to read a hundred books for no particular reason other than to venture beyond the comforts of my literary habits.

In the course of the challenge, I read books that were inconsequential other than their placement of rank between one and the hundred of books, I would have read before the year's end.

Books that opened a string of connected doors that led me down rabbit holes of the wondrous nature of certain genres and book series. While others portaled open brief but exciting worlds whose wonder I wouldn't do justice if I tried to describe. Others conjured the feeling of a polyester and wool spun thread that is constantly scraping against teeth or furniture that is constantly dragged across uncovered floor.

Some were the intake of fresh breath after spending all day indoors, a well scratched itch in the middle of your back or taking a dump after holding it in all day. Some were familiar songs but sung a bit of key as if to draw in the heart but all they did was confuse the mind.

While I could not cover all the ways that the books made me feel, there was in them a feeling of getting a hundred handshakes. Each intricately different and unique but what I felt was a callouse here, a moist hand there, a firm grip, long fingers and huge hands that completely covered my hand or tiny ones that made me stop and stare.

Some of the books that I would recommend are :

1.On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

2.Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl

3.Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

4.A Woman is no Man by Etaf Rum

5.Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

6.As a Man Thinketh by James Allen

7.Nearly all the Men in Lagos are Mad by Damilare Kuku

8.Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

9.A lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

10.Ikigai by Hector García and Fransesc Mirales

11.Love and other words by Christina Lauren

12.Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Now I am embarking on another journey where the books are fewer but more likely to caress my soul. It's one of intention more than the numbers. The mystic in me wants to try 21 books in the hope that it will build a habit. But in all this, I am aware that, reading should be a fun chore like , washing the dishes while listening to music. The moment it starts to become a cumbersome chore, we should draw new strategies lest we fall out of love.

#reading #book reccs #book discussion #writing #on earth we're briefly gorgeous #giovannis room #A Woman Is No man #as a man thinketh #ikigai #heartstopper #A lady of Rooksgrave Manor #letters to a young poet #Nearly all of the men in lagos are mad #Frankenstein #man's search for meaning #love and other words #2022 books #reader insert

[youropiniondoesnotmattertome]

As a mother, kita jgn sekali kali give up dgn anak kita.

Sebab kita lah orang yg paling diharap oleh anak kita.

Disaat anak kita tu rasa tak boleh, kita bgtau ..kau boleh.

I have seen situation whereby mak tu awal2 dah give up dgn anak psl persekolahan dia...padahal anak tu baru sekolah rendah..Alhamdulillah anak tu jadi orang jugak akhirnya.

And baru2 ni ada mak yg ckp literally dia xkesah pun apa anak tu nak buat lepas spm, mungkin maksud dia..dia beri kebebasan dkt anak dia pilih apa dia nak tp si anak tu mungkin akan igt..oh,mak aku tak kisah pun psl studies aku...

Cuba tunjuk sikit yg u care,bg semangat dkt anak tu..sokong dia..amek tau ape minat dia..prospek masa depan dia...sit together

My daughter nak masuk 3 tahun bulan depan..and perkembangan dia agak lambat berbanding kanak2 lain..bila tgk budak2 lain jauh advance drp dia....ni bukan compare tp kids development kita kena take note...mula2 mmg aku down tapi bila aku fikir balik anak aku sekecil ni pun aku dah nak give up ke? Masa tu aku rasa nak sepuk je kepala aku..now aku tak peduli dah anak anak org lain mcm mana aku nk focus dkt perkembangan anak aku je..kalau dia kurang satu bab, mungkin bab lain dia okay...so i will develop & cherish her and enjoy being with her...and mungkin culture Asian kita yg always berlumba lumba buat aku lupa apa yg lagi penting saat & waktu ni

So in all, sbg mak, kita jgn lah buat tak tau hal anak ataupun jenis nk bg kebebasan dkt anak tu. U might want to train them to be independent but dont get mad in the end of the day, the bonding between both of you cuma suam suam kuku je.

Tapi yelah lain orang, lain cara dia besarkan anak dia ye dak.

[nanaajblog]

Are Nearly All The Men In Lagos Truly Mad ?

Title: Nearly All the Men In Lagos are Mad Author : Damilare Kuku Genre: Short stories, Fiction, Humor, African Literature Format: Paperback, 254 pages Published: January 1st 2021 Links: Goodreads Amazon Book review In many books, the opening pages are a challenge for me. This is when authors try to establish the characters, often with a slow pace and excessive description. While not…

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#african literature #bestseller #book recommendation #book review #bookworm #chicklit #must read

[virusware]

Mads and Kuku being normal

Support my project- virusware!

#virusware #old web #old internet #webcore #cyber y2k #y2kcore #y2k #y2k aesthetic #cybercore

[creative-heart]

Sunday Fluff to make your heart melt.

Lucia’s notes: OK, so, this drabble came about from this ADORABLE tiktok here that my lovely @cyliarys-starlight sent my internet’s lil sis @madame-fear. ENJOY 💗💗💗💗// PLEASE let me know if I let any grammar mistakes behind.

"Little Mousy" | Esteban Kukuriczka.

TW: none, Kuku is just adorably and sneakily munching away on cheese. The fluffiest fluff to ever exist.

Word Count: 477

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You half wake up in the middle of the night, not feeling kuku’s arms wrapped around you like they usually are, and knowing sometimes he has a hard time sleeping, you asume he’s downstairs playing video games; you reluctantly get out of bed and throw on one of his t-shirts- that are a couple sizes too big on you- you usually sleep in and paddle barefoot out to find your boyfriend and usher him back to bed.

Still rubbing the sleep from your half open eyes you walk towards the kitchen, seeing the dim refrigerator light on and stop in your tracks as you reach the doorway; seeing Esteban hunched over halfway inside the fridge, back turned to you,  munching away on the parmesan cheese you had brought back from the store that afternoon. He is so into his cheese eating endeavour he doesn’t even realise you are standing behind him until you clear your throat, causing him to startle with a little jump banging his head on the edge of the freezer door above him. “Fuck” he mutters half from the hit he takes to his head half from being caught in the middle of that little act,as he scrambles to put the cheese back in its bag and into place in the fridge before turning around to look at you with a sheepish smile.

“Were you just eating away on the parmesan I bought today for lunch with your parents?” you cross your arms trying so hard to fake being mad at him, but finding the situation absolutely adorable as some crumbs are left on his moustache. When you catch that you just can’t help but laugh walking towards him to brush the rest of the evidence off of his adorable face. The blush on his cheeks noticeable even just being lit up by the street lights coming in from the window.

“No…” he is quick to reply before letting a nervous chuckle fall from his lips “well…maybe just a little, you know I can’t control myself with cheese my love, I love it almost as much as I do you” that declaration alone could have made your heart melt, he definitely knows how to swoop you off your feet in every way. You reach your hand upwards to his face bringing him down to your level sharing a short, soft loving kiss. As you part ways you let your hand fall to his chest and smile.

“Come on mousy, let’s head back to bed, it’s late, and you clearly cannot be trusted to be unsupervised here at these time”, as you hold his hand he lets you guide him back to your shared bedroom, knowing full well you won’t let him live this scene down easily, and smiles at the picture of your feigned annoyance when you for sure tell this story on. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist:

@koiibiito @lastflowrr @candycanes19 @castawaycherry @espinasrubi

#esteban kukuriczka fics #kuku fics #Esteban kukuriczka x reader #fluff #drabble #lsdln cast #Light Sunday read #cute request #my mutuals <3 #loving my mutuals <3 #lucia <33 #amira<33 #fanfiction

[lillynigerianlitblog]

10 Fiction books about Nigeria

Where is your huzband by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn- This book is about the complexity of love, marriage, and secrets. Her sister weeding puts pressure on her to find a date to the wedding. The movie follows the life of Bolanle, searching for her missing husband while battling with her own past, ALLLL while being a Nigerian immigrant family in London.

Welcome to lagos: A novel- This book is about the journey of a group of people who have arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, in search of a better life. As these characters move around the city, the narrative focuses on their experiences and adventures. They talk about social injustice, corruption, and pursuing your aspirations while showing us the difficulties and opportunities faced by Lagos.

Half of a yellow sun by chimamanda Ngozi Adichie- This book is baout the  Nigerian-Biafran War in the late 1960s. The stories of Ugwu, a houseboy; Olanna, a rich woman; and Richard, an Englishman, are talked about how  they struggle with love, loyalty, and the brutal realities of war.

Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe-This book goes into detail on Okonkwo's life. I reall feel as though this book gives us an inside look on the culture. His battle with his father's reputation, masculinity standards, and how everyone follows one another, eventually leading him to hate it.

The secret lives of baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin- The novel The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives outlines several issues including polygamy, rivalry and the challenges of African women. This is toooo common in the normal Nigerian household. The plot revolves around the legendary Baba Segi, his four wives and seven kids

Purple hibiscus- The book is about a fifteen year old boy during postcolonial times. As the author looks at the conflicts within Kambili's family and throughout Nigeria itself, she engages with her own issues of identity, oppression, and tradition.

Nearly All Men in Lagos is Mad Damilare Kuku- This book is about various women and their different, but similar expeirences with different men in Lagos, Nigeria

Stay with me by Ayobami Adebayo- This book is about a women and a man deeply in love, but struggling to have a baby. when they finally do she has a miscarriage. We will see how the couple decides to get through it together

Nigeria Jones by IBI ZOBOI- Its a book about what it feel likes to be a black African American in America. Its a story about a girl missing her mother and afraid of not knowing her identity and feeling unseen and un-heared

Our World, My Roots by Anna Makanda and Sharmane Barret- Its a book for kids, but its meant to help them tap into their culture and get comfortable talking about and get information about their culture

#nigeria #fiction

[ultimate-fucked-up-ship-tourney]

Propaganda:

Mutsuki and Urie: Listen. LISTEN. The communication issues. It's so *chef's kiss*. Urie is more or less canonically in love with Mutsuki after that time he impaled him and instead of getting mad Mutsuki gave him a hug. But he refuses to admit he cares about him even though it's fairly obvious that he's his favorite person. Also Mutsuki is obsessed with their teacher, who after a series of traumatizing experiences he stalks and tries to murder, so that's another rift in their relationship. Urie is so clearly jealous and also enables Mutsuki's unhealthy coping mechanism by just ignoring the fact that there is definitely a problem until it becomes too big to ignore and Mutsuki inadvertently nearly causes an apocalypse. And then they fight and Mutsuki tries to kill Urie. They're both such deeply fucked up people and they have such huge communication issues that they're practically on different planets and they've each tried to seriously hurt each other multiple times and they insult each other (or Urie insults Mutsuki before he falls deeply in love with him) and also Mutsuki is somewhat canonically trans and it's Not Handled Well but also they're an amazingly fucked up shit and I love them

Hikaru and Yoshiki: Classic childhood friends to lovers except the original Hikaru died and “Hikaru” is a demon that stole Hikaru’s corpse and memories and is a slightly imperfect replica of the original Hikaru but only imperfect enough for Yoshiki to be the only person who notices because he knew Hikaru so well.

#most fucked up ship tournament #most fucked up ships #polls #tokyo ghoul #hikaru ga shinda natsu #the summer hikaru died

[tgrailwar-zero]

… We’re sorry. It was an impulse decision at first that we didn’t know would lead to anything but when virtual caster’s attack started hitting afterwards and we realised what was on things became. Tense, and we had to choose quick between pushing on which would’ve taken more resources than we had on hand and definitely hurt you and Kuku Hard and set us on negative mana to boot, and backing out- but a solid chunk of us thought that we needed the firepower, and so should summon Draco despite it and while some of us didn’t, we. Ended up summoning Draco, which. We should have put more thought into before and discussed had we more time, and I’m not sure if the others agree with me, but I’m sorry it came so quickly to this.

… This is Draco, our new team member. I understand that there’s going to be a lot of friction and for that I apologise, but I hope we’ll be able to work something out. I’m sorry that we had to spring all this on you guys so quickly.

Draco, thank you for being here. I understand that you might want to burn things down as we go about our quest and we respect that urge but. Please redirect that rage to our battles, please. We want to give this Solar Cell not so much a rage-filled end as a softer one, but we’ll definitely be meeting tough enemies along the way while we’re at it, so please help us and channel your fury towards them instead when needed as compromise, and thank you for being here. I hope that we’ll be able to see this through together. You’re our servant now too.

… Constantine, Kuku, if you have things to say, please feel free anytime, be it now or down the road when we have more private time, I know this was a major decision to make just like that.. We owe it to you guys to hear you two out.

CONSTANTINE: "So, you abandoned Lucius within the confines of her mind, and tampered with it. I can forgive you for not fully understanding the meaning of your actions there, perhaps. But summoning this... thing! This Beast! With this Servant, damned be 'negotiations', damned be Caster, damned be the Solar Cell! Every Servant now has ample reason to want to see us dead and buried- even more-so than before! Especially a man as pious as Saber!"

He sounded mad, and that's because he was.

KUKULKAN: "So… as a bit of a 'newbie Heroic Spirit', even I'm picking up the gist here. Servants are supposed to protect humanity from things like this, so summoning one and saying 'okay, now deal with it', is kind of tough?"

You could tell that KUKULKAN was taking things a bit calmer, though even she seemed on guard based on her stance. It seemed as if the moment DRACO made a wrong move, her fist would head straight for the Beast's skull. Calling her a 'neutral party' would be a stretch, but she did seem the 'least pressed' out of the two. Though if her presence was causing tensions among teammates, then it painted a poor picture of how she'd be received by enemies.

CONSTANTINE's teeth were gritted.

CONSTANTINE: "Outside of the fact that she's an Evil of Humanity, she's also the Whore of Babylon, prophesied by Saint John in the Book of Revelation!"

...Right.

CONSTANTINE was Catholic.

The Marble Emperor, said to have been saved by an angel in his final moments in order to be resurrected by God when his land was in dire need of protection.

It seemed like as a Servant, he was more open to dealing with certain things despite his faith- like teaming up with a divinity from another continent, but 'aiding one of the Beasts of the Apocalypse, set forth by the Enemy of God to drive the world into sin and destruction' didn't seem like a such a simple solution to him. There was open-minded, and then there was… this.

Though it seemed like being connected as 'Invaders' made their True Names apparent, at least to a certain extent. It was hard to tell just how much information was being shared, though in this case- the answer was 'enough'.

DRACO: "This is a rather natural reaction."

Her voice was dry- bored, even.

DRACO: "Any Servant that ascribes to the teachings of the New Testament knows to fear Sodom's Beast. Now, take an orthodox emperor from Constantinople, and this little tantrum was inevitable. In addition, every Heroic Spirit should have a natural inclination to go against a Beast. Such is fate, I suppose."

...Maybe AVENGER killing LANCER was a bit of a lucky break for you?

It didn't seem like DRACO's casual attitude was helping, as CONSTANTINE reeled his blade back, readying himself for a swing with the intent to fully remove her head from her shoulders.

CONSTANTINE: "Whatever tales of 'helping' that she's fed you are nothing but lies from a silver tongue. Taking the form of a child won't grant you the innocence of one!"

His voice reached a mighty roar, his own presence magnifying greatly. As reserved as he tended to be in most situations, in this moment you were looking at the proud, immovable will of an 'Emperor'.

CONSTANTINE: "Hear me, Mother Harlot! My True Name is Emperor Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos! In the name of the Lord, your head shall be mine, dragon!"

DRACO: "What a feisty one. Very well, you'll make a fine offering for this cup, despite being a failure of an Emperor. Come, Masters. Aren't you leaders? Insubordination should be squashed, thoroughly. He'll only learn through ample humiliation."

They were moments away from actually trying to kill one another.

#thgw story #thgw: chapter 4 #main post #endless whispers #code cast: ask foreigner #code cast: ask rider #code cast: ask beast